A few REALLY good quotes..

I just realized the other day that it has been MONTHS since I last wrote something. It's odd because I used to write blogs all the time...I guess time has gotten away from me. I have come across a few quotes lately that really hold a lot of meaning for me and I thought I'd share those. I am a firm believer in that sometimes the words of others can say it better than you. :)

"Hope helps us to lift our eyes off the broken pieces in front of us to see the big picture God is working in our lives."--Kirk Sullivan--Often times when we are going through trials or when God is doing that lovely thing most people like to call "refining", it's hard for us to see WHY. Since most people in today's society live for the moment and only think about what's going at that specific moment in time, it's hard to think about what God might be getting you ready for in the future. I know I'm that way the majority of the time. I feel as though since I'm living RIGHT NOW, why can't God just show me or why can't God make it better RIGHT NOW since it seems unclear, RIGHT NOW. But the truth of the matter is, God is WAY bigger than we could ever imagine and His plans are certainly not our plans. I've found though, that if I look back on my life, I can see how things have come together (God's way) and how most things have all worked out for the better, whether it was painful or not. That's where faith comes in. We have to have faith and know that God IS working together for the good of those who love Him and He only has our best interest in mind.

"Their is virtually no way to discern God's will without waiting quietly. God must be asked. We must listen."--This one goes along with the first one. We do not know the mind of God, so our job is to ask, be patient and listen. Those are 3 of the hardest things to do when all you want to do is NOT wait, but they are the most important.

"God closes doors no man can open and God opens doors no man can close..."---I cannot say how true I have found this to be in my life. I have seen it happen in others lives along with mine and it really is an amazing thing. I've found that if God takes something or someone out of your life, it's for a really good reason and although it might kill you at the time, just know that God has something better. He always uses things, people, situations for His good, so if you're following Him, you can't go wrong.

I will leave you with this one:

‎"Nothing is as hard as it looks. Everything is more rewarding than you expect; and if anything can go right, it will, and at the BEST possible moment."--This rings true in my life more than you will ever know!

New Blog and New Lessons

First of all, I would like to say a huge thank you to Rachel at Uniquely Yours for giving my blog a "face lift". She does such a wonderful job of making over your blog and she's so easy to work with!

I feel like I haven't written anything in a while and normally my mind is full of things I want to share, but I've had a hard time lately trying to figure out exactly what I want to share. Anyways...just this morning I was sitting reading my Bible. Something led me to the book of Hosea. Hosea is one of those books of the Bible that I think people forget about. Since it's not Genesis or in the new testament, I feel it is easily forgotten (at least by me). One of the main reasons I even know about this book is because of an incredible book I read years ago called, "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. If you haven't read this book, I recommend you running out to get it TODAY because it is THE BEST book/love story EVER. This book, "Redeeming Love" is fiction, but it is based on the book of Hosea and it's incredible.

Basic Synopsis: The book of Hosea is a love story--real, tragic and true. Transcending the tale of young man and wife, it tells of God's love for his people and the response of his "bride". A covenant had been made and God had been faithful. But Israel, like Gomer, was adulterous and unfaithful, spurning God's love and instead turning to false Gods. Then after warning of judgement, God reaffirmed his love and offered reconciliation.

Hosea was commanded by God to marry a woman who was unfaithful and would cause him many heartaches. --"Go take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord." (1:2) The footnotes in my Bible say that it is difficult to imagine Hosea's feelings when God told him to marry a woman that would be unfaithful to him. He may not have wanted to, but he obeyed. I know I sure as heck wouldn't want to be with someone that I KNEW would end up being unfaithful to me, but sometimes God requires extraordinary obedience from us. God may ask us to do something difficult and extraordinary. Would we obey him, trusting that He who knows everything has a special purpose for his request?

My favorite verse:

"Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them." (2:6-7)

--God is saying He is going to block Israel's path by making the rewards of idol worship so disappointing that the people would be persuaded to turn back to God. Despite Israel's unfaithfulness, God was still faithful and merciful. He would continue to hold His arms out to his people, even thought He might have to place obstacles in their way to turn them back to Him. I have this written in my Bible next to this verse-"God says He will thwart all our efforts to find life apart from Him. He does this in order to wear us out, get us to turn back to Him in thirsty longing. He often takes us aside from every other source of comfort so that He alone can have our heart's desire." WOW! I'm sure I wrote that a couple of years ago and it still speaks to me now when I read it. God wants us, ALL of us and if there are things in our lives that take priority over Him, you can almost guarantee that He will eventually take whatever that may be, out of your life.

"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her." (2:14). Then He begins to "woo" us. God uses even our negative experiences to create opportunities to turn back to him. As we face problems/trials, we need to remember that God speaks to us in the desert and not just in times of prosperity.

Another thing I had written in my Bible says, "God allows things to happen to get our attention. God knows how hot things are getting and His hand is on the thermostat."

Chapter 6, verse 1 says, "Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds." This verse is telling us to return to Him as we are. God may break us down, but He is the BEST at putting us back together.

A promise: "Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth." (6:3). This verse is telling us and God is ALWAYS there...He is the only thing constant in our lives and how comforting to know that!! When you are feeling down and don't really know which way your life is headed or if you are having to make a decision that is heartwrenching, just remember that God is always there and His way is the BEST way.

"Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the Lord are right.." (14:9).

The Refiner's Touch

Just thought I would share this story that was sent to me. It is SOOOO encouraging!! and gave me chills at the end...

There was a group of women in a Bible study on the book of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three they came across verse three which says, "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study. That week the woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that, in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities.


The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot - then she thought again about the verse, that He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. For if the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's the easy part -- when I see my image reflected in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep His hand on you and watch over you until He sees His image in you.

Coming Home to a Sweet Face

This past week at work is what I usually call my "bad work week" and that's simply because of the way my schedule is. I have a really awesome schedule, but on this particular week in the rotation, it just feels like I can't catch a break! That's because I work a 4 day (night) weekend, then I'm only off for 2 days and then have to go right back for 2 days, so sometimes it's tough that week to be able to catch up on sleep, do things I WANT to do etc. Anyways...the point of this blog is not for me to complain, but to say that I am SO thankful for my Father in Heaven who chooses to bless me and give me little "surprises" even when I complain or don't seem very thankful. One of those came in the form of Natalie's nephew, Bennett (I've pretty much adopted him as mine too). Thursday morning I came home and he was here because he had spent the night when Nat. As soon as I walked back down the stairs, he was waiting for me and gave me a HUGE hug. I had so much fun eating breakfast with them and cutting up. This is what I came home to on Thursday morning:

So when I get home from work on Friday, Bennett wasn't here right when I got home, but about an hour or so later, Shelley (Nat's sister) shows up with Bennett AND Brooks! Double the FUN! Let me tell you, we had a chaotic house that morning because Natalie was baking/decorating cakes, Bennett was running around vacuuming (yes, the kid LOVES to vacuum!) etc. Shelley had to run to the store and left us in charge of the boys and it was all great and dandy until Bennett decides he's gonna sneak in Natalie's room, pick up her cell phone and somehow manage to call Chris (Nat's b/f) on speakerphone! When I realized what he was doing, I was trying to get the phone from him before anyone answered (mind you, I'm trying to hold a screaming baby in the midst of this). Chris answers, I'm trying to get the phone to tell him what's going on, (Brooks screaming), I drop the phone ON Brooks (he's still screaming) and am finally able to walk into the loud kitchen where Natalie is busy mixing, baking, decorating etc to hand her the phone. Needless to say, we all walked away without injury, but I sure broke a sweat! haha! It really was fun having the boys for the day and when it ends like this....you can't help but smile :)

God is GOOD!!

"When we expect to be satisfied with the basics, God

will often surprise us with treats."

--James MacDonald

Jesus, Take the Wheel

I found this quote the other day and when I came across it, it really struck me in a weird/neat way. It says,

"An evidence that our will has been broken is that we begin to thank God for that which seemed so bitter, knowing that His will is good and that in His time and in His way, He is able to make the most bitter waters sweet." --Nancy Leigh DeMoss

WOW! When I read that, it made me think about certain things in my life that I have tried to control. When I try to control things, or do things my way, it ALWAYS ends up a disaster! Sometimes we wonder why certain things happen to us or we ask God "Why did you do this to me?" or "why can't I just have THAT?!". We question "why do bad things happen to good people?" Well first of all, we live in a fallen world and are all sinners with a devil that will stop at nothing to keep up from having a relationship with God, so of course there are going to be bad things happening to us all the time. The good news is seeing God's amazing grace IN those situations we seem to be thrown into. This quote to me, describes exactly what God's grace is all about. When we thank Him for being the amazing God that He is during our rough times, He is able to teach us things through our hard times. We learn, we grow and we come out of the valley being a better person, a stronger person and having a stronger relationship with God. Sure, it hurts like heck while we are going through trials, but when God takes that situation and makes it "sweet", that's his amazing grace poured all over you! I guarantee you, that if you look back over the last few years of your life (or longer), you will be able to see so many times how God took that situation and taught you SOMETHING. It may have been something so small, but my theory is, if you go through something and you don't learn anything, what's the point? We don't always understand God and why His timing is SO completely different from ours, BUT we can rest in the fact that He IS God and His ways are always best. They may not always be the easiest, but the best.

"Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand all the time."--Oswald Chambers

There have been PLENTY of times that I cannot for the life of me understand why I am made to wait for certain things, or why certain things happen to ME. But what I have to constantly remind myself of is that God is in control and if I let him take the wheel of every situation in my life, He won't steer me wrong...

Ok, on a different subject 2 Sundays ago one of my very best friends (and roommate) got baptized! She recently joined our church (First Baptist Church of Opelika) and since she was a member of a Methodist church before, it was time for her to get dunked! I love this sweet girl SO much and don't know what I would do without her in my life (and house)! Her little sister's best friend got baptized on the same night!! Praise the Lord x2!!

Watching their baptism made me think of one of my favorite songs right now. It's called "Washed by the Water" by Needtobreathe. They are AWESOME!! check it out!

Living the Answer

I came across this quote that I found on a magnet (of all places) and thought I would share....I will be writing more later! I am up at 4 am and cannot go back to sleep!! So frustrating!! Ok...so here's the quote...

"I beg you..to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer..."

--Rainer Maria Rilke

Habakkuk...never thought to look there!

Often times I find myself usually reading out of books of the Bible that I know pretty well, you know, the major ones. I am for sure always looking/reading out of the New Testament, but this morning in church, I came across a verse in a small book in the Old Testament and it made me realize, "Maybe I should start reading in the Old Testament more". Reason being because of this verse from Habakkuk. It says,

"Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay." (2:3)

This morning in church, Brother Steve happened to make a reference to Habakkuk. He didn't ask us to turn there, but I did instead and I'm SO glad I did. This is a verse that I definitely needed to hear and God knew that. I know a lot of us may struggle with not really knowing or understanding God's will for our lives or at least in certain situations. Sometimes we don't understand why He puts us where He puts us, but the truth is HE DOES and that should be enough for us. A lot easier said than done, right? This verse is about God's timing and that He works in HIS time, not ours. He is basically saying, "Be patient! I will work out my plans in my perfect timing." Just like that was God's answer WAY back then to Habakkuk, it's the same answer He would give us, today. And this is a verse I know I can cling to; that even though I don't understand why I am in certain situations or He isn't bringing me out of certain situations, I can rest in the fact knowing that He is in control. He sees the big picture and ONLY has my best interest in mind.

When There's A Hole in Your Soul

Over the last week, my daily devotionals have been about having a "hole in your soul". She defines a hole in your soul as a "deep, dark well that resides in the core of your being. And the harder you work to fill it with stuff, the bigger the doggone thing gets!" She talks about how we tend to fill it that "hole" with other THINGS such as clothes, romance, status etc. We think we choose the right things to fill the hole in our soul, but OUR choices end up being sinful choices and cause more harm than good in the long-run. He knows what's best for us.

She also talks about how we can have a hole in our soul because we feel that we've been cheated. Cheated out of a happy childhood, cheated out of a loving relationship, cheated out of the wonder of motherhood, cheated out of good health..the list goes on. We start to blame the people who hurt us or the ones that didn't come to our aid when we needed it..sometimes we even blame God. The question she asks is "Have you let your anger and disappoinment fester into bitterness that is now eating a hole in your soul? Will you let the past define your future? Will you continue to fill your hole with stuff?" Sometimes the only way to find peace is to forgive. Being bitter is not fun and makes life miserable. Joel Osteen once said,

" Forgiveness is a choice, but it is not an option."

All the bitterness you let build up starts to eat a hole in your soul, so let forgiveness work as your antacid. Sometimes our unrealistic expectations of others can eventually cause us to have a hole in our soul. I know this one convicted me the most. I often times have expectations of others or expect certain things out of others and in the end, I'm the only one being let down and it's only hurting me. It's twisted of us to think that when we do a favor for someone that we expect something in return. She defines it as a "loan interest", not an act of kindness. When you don't see a payback within a short amount of time, you begin to wonder why you're the only one sacrificing...but eventually...that sort of thinking turns the good deed that you did, sour. She says, "many times those who most need our kindness are incapable--due to worry, fear, grief, confusion, exhaustion or embarrasment--to respond to it all. I finally figured out that it's not an issue regarding their poor manners. It's more of an issue regarding the condition of my heart."

Expecting gratitude turns your good deeds sour.

We set ourselves up for a lifetime of dissapointment when we create rules and expectations for OTHERS to live by. We must be willing to give unconditionally. I know this is certainly something I NEED to work on. Of course being a nurse allows me to give without expecting anything in return, but I must admit that sometimes I would like for my patients, my managers, my co-workers to notice the good things I do and acknowledge them, but I have come to realize that those things aren't always going to happen. Sometimes I will get a patient that I do everything in the world for and for whatever reason, they will never show how grateful they are because they either don't know how or think that they deserve to be treated well. I just have to know and get the satisfaction from knowing I've helped someone and that should be enough.

"You have not lived today until you have done something

for someone who cannot pay you back."

--John Bunyan

Our sunday school class has started a study at night called "Love, Sex & Lasting Relationships" by Chip Ingram. We had the first session last sunday (Valentine's Day) and I must say that I was impressed. The speaker gave some really good points and I am extremely excited for the rest of the study. The first session was basically comparing Hollywood's formula (or the world's view) of lasting relationships vs. God's way of how to make a relationship last.

Hollywood's view is this:

1.)FIND the right person.

2.) FALL in love.

3.) FIX your hopes and dreams of future fulfillment on that person.

4.) If FAILURE occurs, repeat steps 1-3.

God's view is this:

1.) BECOME the right person.

2.) WALK in love.

3.) FIX your hope on God and seek to please Him through your relationship.

Let me tell ya, #1 on God's list was INCREDIBLY convicting for me. I never thought about becoming the right person. I'm always praying for God to prepare my husband for me, but I never think to take a look in the mirror and see what all I need to work on. Sure, lately I know God has been working a lot in my heart and revealing a lot of things to me and this is sure one of them. In this time of singleness, I need to grow in my walk with the Lord because it will not only help me to become a better person, but to be able to WALK in love as well. True and unconditional love ONLY comes from the Father above and until we know His love, we won't be able to truly give and receive any kind of love. That's just a little snippet of what our first lesson was about....more to come! Something he said during the talk that really impacted me was this:

"Love is giving the person what they need the most, when they least deserve it."

Snow....FINALLY & Zumba Love!

So...I have to write about the SNOW DAY we just had! I have to be honest and say I really thought the weather man was telling us another lie, but he actually came through this time!! Can I just say...I LOVE SNOW!!! I don't know what it is about it. I guess it's probably because we NEVER have snow, so when we do, it's just a big deal. I'm sure most people who live up north absolutely HATE the snow. I am such a kid when it comes to snow. It was snowing when I walked out of the hospital from work Friday morning and I just couldn't believe it, I was so excited. On the drive home (45 min drive), the snow stopped right before getting into Auburn, so I was a little worried that the Auburn/Opelika area wouldn't actually see the snow. I went to bed and slept for a few hours and when I woke up, I immediately looked out my window and I see TONS of snow and it's coming down really hard! I got all wide-eyed and excited just like a kid on Christmas. I got to play in it, but not nearly as much as I wanted to. Here are some pics from the day.

Needless to say the snow was a success and I hate that it's already gone today. I guess there's always next year right? (Since we only seem to get snow MAYBE once a year).

Today at the Sportsplex there was a Zumba Love Benefit for Haiti Zumbathon.

It started at 1:00 and ended at 3:00. We seriously did Zumba for 2 hours straight and it was SO much fun, but my body is sure feelin' it! It was open to the public and all you had to do was bring certain items or donate money to the relief for Haiti. It was for such a good cause! Jessica, the Zumba instructor at the Sportsplex headed up this event and she taught the class for the entire time along with other instructors from Health Plus. If you don't know what Zumba is, you should definitely check it out!

Before Zumba....

After Zumba.....



Had such a good turnout!


Robyn gettin' down Zumba-style

I will leave you with a quote I just found that I really like.

"You are unrepeatable. There is magic about you that is all your own."

--D.M. Dellinger

Living a Life that Causes Heads to Turn & Footprints!

WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW!!! It has been another awesome morning with God revealing Himself to me! It's so encouraging to know that when we start to feel down, God always has a way of picking us up! Whether it's through a simple song, reading His Word, through advice and encouraging words of a faithful friend...all these things, He uses to pour out His love on us and remind us that He never leaves or forsakes us.

My devotion for today was really convicting, yet really good at the same time. She has been talking about living intentionally, with a purpose. Today in the devotion, she asks,

"How much time did you spend yesterday thinking about how someone hurt your feelings? How much time did you spend yesterday thinking about how unjustified that situation was? How much time....etc.." Then she went on to say, "How much time did you spend collectively last week thinking about how you could encourage someone? How much time did you spend collectively last week about how you could show love to a neighbor?"

That really makes you stop and think, right? Well, she goes on to talk about how we should never underestimate the impact we have on others, positive or negative. She' says "Nothing is neutral--you make a mark on someone's life today. Did you inspire or motivate? Did you leave that person more confident than when you found them? Did you extend kindness and mercy? Did you make someone laugh?"

We come in contact with many different types of people everyday. It may be the person that checked you out at the grocery store, it may be someone at work (for me co-workers and patients), someone attending your church for the first time, someone who simply stops and asks for directions...you left something....what did you leave?

Her words were SO convicting! We all need to be more conscious of how we are presenting ourselves, not only to people we know, but to people we are meeting for the first time. I know for me, I want to be a light. I want people to be able to look at me or meet me and see how much joy and love I have in my heart and think "Where does that come from?" and I would have to say that it ONLY comes from my Father in Heaven and Jesus in my heart, because if it wasn't for Him, I would be a total mess. This devotion reminded me of a verse that I always try to stay conscious of. It says,

"Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."

--1 Peter 2:12

In my Bible I had written next to that verse from a speaker I heard that said, "Live a life that will cause heads to turn because of Jesus in your heart." THAT is what I want, right there! I want people to see me as different, I want to stand out, I don't just want to blend in. A new song I found today was so encouraging to me and part of it says,

"Be strong in the Lord and never give up hope. You're going to do great things,

I already know. God's got His hand on you, so don't live life in fear.

Forgive and forget, but don't forget why you're here.

Take your time and pray. That's what I would say....from one simple

life to another...."--Sidewalk Prophets

We are called to hold each other accountable and be encouragers to one another. "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." (Hebrews 3:13).

Are you leaving someone with a smile or a scowl on your face? Are you saying something uplifting or are you choosing to gossip? Remember to "Be kinder than necessary for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle" (Anonymous). You may be the only smile they see that day, you may be the only word of encouragement they get that week or the first hug they've had in months.

Are you living a life that causes heads to turn?...

"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can

do him absolutely no good."--Samuel Johnson

On a completely different note. This past week, I have felt led to start volunteering for The Footprints Ministry.

Their mission is:

"Walking in God's grace and Sharing His Love with families in the

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit."

This ministry is there to support families who have babies that are born extremely early or are extremely sick and have to stay in the hospital in the NICU. This is really close to my heart because although I don't work in the NICU, I work a lot on our High Risk OB unit which has lots of moms who end up having babies early and their babies end up in the NICU. I get so close to a lot of these moms, hence the reason this is close to my heart. The ministry gives each family a gift bag which has a bible, a camera (for the family or nurses to take pictures of the baby),gift cards to local restaurants and stores, a burp cloth monogrammed with footprints, a scent blankie with poem attached for the mother to sleep with and return to the baby, toothbrushes, prayer request cards, pens/notepads, kleenex, baby magazine. There are so many opportunities to volunteer with this ministry and I can't wait to get started! They are having a "Footprints to the Finishline" run/fundraiser this month on the 27th. Although I can't be there to be apart of it, I am sending my entry fee as a donation. If anyone is interested check out their website. It's for a GREAT cause!

God Saves the Best for Last

I decided that since my last post was just about my birthday, I would let this one be more about what's going on in my heart, so I'm going to go ahead and apologize if this post gets a bit lengthy; just please bear with me. I mentioned in my last post that over the past month I have come across things or heard things that I would think to myself "Man! I really want to write about that!" but just never found the time to sit down and type it out...well, now I am.

First and foremost I feel like I started the year 2010 off the right way. I have not only been in church REGULARLY but in the Word regularly as well. My very good friend Kristin, gave me a devotional book to start for the new year and I must say, I have read it everyday (almost everyday) and it has had really good tid-bits of inspiration.

I think it's so neat when I have moments where I just happen to be flipping through my Bible and something happens to jump off the page at me. It may be a verse or something that I've written down from a sermon etc. But that's when I KNOW it's something God wanted me to hear in that moment. It's something I obviously NEEDED to hear. I pray for those moments all the time because I sometimes wonder if I am actually hearing Him and getting what I need, but those moments are just reassurance from my Heavenly Father above saying "Here my darling, this is something specific I want to tell you today". It's so awesome when that happens! Something I came across a few weeks ago that literally jumped off the page at me was something I had written down from a sermon of Brother Steve's at church over a year ago. It boldly stated,

"Sin gives you FUN at FIRST and makes life HARD LATER.

God's way is HARD at FIRST and BETTER LATER.

God saves the BEST for LAST."--Bro. Steve

I LOVE the way Bro. Steve put this because it's SO true. So many times we just give into sin or to what WE want because it's the easiest or the most "fun". But if you think about it, it really does make life harder later. It's kind of like the law of the harvest. Not only do you reap what you sow, but you reap later than you sow and more than you sow. God's way is usually hard at first because normally it's us having to WAIT for something/someone. Believe me, I am the world's worst at waiting (I'm getting better, God is definitely working with me on this one), but most of us today are all about instant gratification. We want what we want, when we want it and how we want it. We don't care about the outcome, we just know that we want it NOW. I'm quickly learning that I HAVE GOT to start trusting God more because He sees the BIG picture. He sees everything, while I'm only seeing what's going on right now simply because I'm living right now. When something doesn't work out or go the way I want them to, I usually get down and wonder what I did wrong or why it didn't work, but truth is, (as brought to my attention by a very dear friend) that instead of seeing it as a bad thing, I need to see it as a RESCUE. I'm being rescued by my Father from something that He could see was totally wrong for me when I thought it was so right. When I start to think of it that way, it starts to make me feel better...starts making me feel like even though it's something that seems so good and so right, RIGHT NOW; God is saving the BEST for LAST.

Another point when it comes to waiting that I came across in my bible is that,

"God's delays aren't necessarily denials."--Karen Scoggins

Mrs. Karen said that during one of our sunday school lessons and that really hit home with me. God is constantly preparing us. Just because He doesn't give us something or something we want right when we want it, doesn't mean He is saying "no", He may just be telling us to "wait". There's that ugly word that starts with a "W" again! But it's the truth! Often times we THINK we are ready for something and we really AREN'T.

"But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."

--Romans 8:25

A couple of weeks ago in sunday school, we had a time of sharing our testimonies. I was not one of the ones that shared (I didn't feel led to at the time), but the ones who did share, gave some awesome testimonies and shared some very good points with the class. One point that someone shared that really hit home with me was,

"I wanted God in my life, but I didn't want Him in my business."

How true and convicting is that statement?! That person hit the nail on the head! So many times I think we want God to be in our lives and we want Him to be apart of our daily living, but there are certain things that we DON'T want Him to be a part of. There may be certain areas of our lives that we have totally surrendered to Him and other areas that we continue to hold on to. Those are the very areas that God himself is trying to get you to let go of. Just like in the story of Abraham and Sarah, where God wanted Abraham to sacrifice his only son, the son that they had prayed and waited for, for so long. The minute Abraham finally decided to give his son over to God, God saw what faith and trust Abraham had and said to him, "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." (Gen. 22:12). This is exactly the place God wants us sometimes. He wants to bring us to the place of total surrender where we say, "Ok, God, it's yours." What would you do if the thing you're waiting on, God says, "Place it on the alter"? Could you without hesitation?

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's

purpose that prevails."--Proverbs 19:21

I was reading through Proverbs the other day and came across this one and it is quickly becoming one of my favorites because it is SO true in my life right now. Lots of times we make our own plans or decisions without even considering what God wants, but truth is, God's plan will always prevail. Just like the verse I've shared before from Job says, "I know you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted." (42:2). We can try everything in the book to make things go our way, but God is WAY bigger than us, so we really need not even try.

"Never underestimate God. He works in mysterious ways. Keep

believing He can instead of He can't. You'll see. I've seen

Him do so much and He's always there."

"Nothing happens by "chance", but God is always behind the scenes, working

all things together for the good of His people (Rom. 8:28). There is no

such thing as "luck" or "fate" for believers." --John MacArthur

That last quote came from a book I recently read called, "Twelve Extraordinary Women" by John MacArthur. It was a really great book about 12 women in the bible and what God did with and through their lives.

I guess to end my post, I will leave you with some great songs I have come across over the last month (since I'm constantly finding/looking for new music). Definitely check them out if you have a chance!

1.) By Your Side- Tenth Avenue North

2.) Hold My Heart- Tenth Avenue North

3.) Trust You- Brandon Heath

4.) I'd Need a Savior- Among the Thirsty

5.) Forgiven- Sanctus Real

6.) Your Hands- JJ Heller

7.) Rend- Jimmy Needham

8.) Umbrella (Christ Mix)- Coffey Anderson

9.) Wait and See- Brandon Heath

10.) Washed by the Water- Needtobreathe

11.) I Will Rise- Chris Tomlin

12.) Never Let Go- Matt Redman

13.) Lay Em' Down- Needtobreathe

They Say It's MY Birthday!!

I just realized it's been a while since I last posted anything. Funny thing is, I have had things happen or come across things in the past month that I wanted to write about, but didn't really find the time to actually sit down and write them. So now, I can't seem to remember all that I wanted to share! ah! First of all, I just had a birthday (the 29th) and it was wonderful (besides the fact that I turned 26 this year). My wonderful, awesome roommate, Natalie started my day off RIGHT by making me a straight-from-heaven-breakfast.....

and also organized a surprise party for me on my birthday at Cock of the Walk. I was SO surprised and so glad to see the wonderful people who came. It meant so much to me! It was a good time to hang out, eat some good food (and cake). Here are some pics from the night:

And Kristin also took me to Birmingham to shop and out to eat at P.F. Chang's for my birthday. It was my first time ever eating there, but I had heard it was SO yummy and always wanted to go. It was great and I already can't wait to go back!!

In the middle of January, we also had a Progressive Dinner with our sunday school class. In case you don't know what that is, it's where you go to a different house for appetizers, salads, main course and dessert. Natalie, Robyn and I were in charge of desserts. We had at least 200 mini cupcakes (different kinds of course). It was such a fun time with GREAT food at each house!

"Be thankful. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Thankfulness is much more dependent on attitude than circumstance. When you feel the lack of what you don't have, thank God for what you do have! At any time, there is more going right in the life of a committed Christian than there is going wrong. It's just that the wrong makes a lot more noise than the right."--Jim Stephens

Don't jump off the plane...

Ok...so can I just say WOW?! First of all, I just want to say that God is SO good! I'm sure most of you know that and those of you that don't-HE IS! ("Taste and see that the Lord is good."-Proverbs 34:8). This year has definitely started off right. And what I mean by that is my attitude. I have spent more time in the Word the last couple of days than I have in a long time. It's what I have needed and it's been awesome. I spent almost a whole entire day listening to Louie Giglio & Andy Stanley sermons online and lemme tell ya, they are PHENOMENAL if you've never heard them. Those 2 men can certainly preach the word of God. I got so much out of their messages and I know for sure I was led to those sermons for a reason. My roommate, Natalie just got back from a retreat with our sunday school class and it was so exciting just listening to her talk about everything that happened and listening to her share what their sessions were about. A lot of what she shared with me were definitely things I needed to hear, but there was one thing she told me that really stood out and has definitely stuck with me. It had to do with waiting..basically..which is the story of my life (by the way).

Here's the analogy: Think about being on an airplane. You're on the airplane and you're anxious, you're anxious just to get off because you know where you're going or where you want to go, but you're still in the air. You have a pilot-you can't see him, but you know he's there because you can hear him over the intercom every now and then telling you about the weather conditions and how much longer it may be til you land or he may just tell you that he can't land and not always give you a reason. He's constantly in touch with air-traffic control waiting to land at the perfect time. In the meantime, you are still very anxious just to get off the plane, so you decide to take matters into your own hands and jump out of the plane to get to the ground quicker. But what happens if you do that?....you die, right?

So many times in life we get anxious and get tired of waiting (Lord knows I do!) and we try to take matters into our own hands. We think that we can do things better and we know the right time in which to do things. The truth of the matter is, we don't...because what happens when we DO take matters into our own hands?...it leads to death. We have to trust in our ultimate pilot that He's going to land our plane at the right time because we knows that's the safest way. That analogy spoke to me and my heart so much because I am so guilty of trying to "jump from the plane" before it's ready to land. Lately so many good scriptures have been brought to my attention. Here are a couple:

"I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted."--Job 42:2

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.."--Eccl 3:1

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."--Isaiah 40:28-29

Something else that really just jumped out at me and literally made me say "WOW!" out loud was, I was just opening up my Bible a little while ago to look something up and the first page I happened to open up to was the story of Isaac & Rebekah. On the first page, I happened to look down and something I had written (I write all my notes in my Bible instead of a notebook) that Mrs. Karen Scoggins said one morning in sunday school blew me away. It said "God's delays aren't necessarily denials." When I read that, it made me want to keep reading and so on the very next page, I wrote "God calls us to WAIT & when it does happen, its so special." Another said, "If God is trying to bring about something in your life, let Him do it-don't try to manipulate it." God knows what we need, when we need it and actually, even before we need it or think we need it. He loves us and is on top of things. Remember...He sees the BIG picture while we are just seeing this small portion of it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

"Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect."--Oren Arnold

So...... I figured that since I'm up BEFORE the crack of dawn like a kid on Christmas (and I barely slept after work yesterday), I needed to write a little something.

"Even as an adult I find it difficult to sleep on Christmas Eve. Yuletide excitement is a potent caffeine, no matter your age." --Carrie Latet

I was actually scheduled to work last night, but THANK GOODNESS I got put on call. I worked the night before (Christmas Eve, eve) and when I got home, I only slept about 4 hours and woke up and for the life of me, COULD NOT go back to sleep. I got up, got ready, went to the early Christmas Eve service at church and luckily they put me on call. I was able to go spend some time with Natalie's family, exchange presents with her and just chill out last night, of course watching A Christmas Story. Now, here I sit, not being able to sleep once again.

But I have another reason for this post. At first I was kind of frustrated for having to work around the holidays. This is the first year ever that I've had to work on the actual holiday (even as a nurse). I worked Thanksgiving night and the night before Christmas eve and was supposed to work Christmas Eve. I kept thinking about how I just really didn't want to work and how tired I was going to be on Christmas day trying to do that family thing and the more I thought about it, the more frustrated I got. One day my sweet friend Lee, who is a CONSTANT voice of reason for me reminded me that on the Eve of Jesus' birth, I would be helping to bring the greatest gift of all to mothers and that's the gift of life since I work in Labor & Delivery. I had never thought of it that way, and she had a good point but it still didn't settle all that well with me. I mean who wants to be at work on Christmas?? Allow me to continue...

Over the last month, I have had a patient on our high-risk OB unit who was scheduled to have her C-Section on Christmas Eve morning. She has been such a wonderful patient. She has had her 3 yr old daughter there with her almost everyday as well and she has really become like family to all of us. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever met and just incredibly grateful for everything. I have had many talks with her late at night and one thing she said to me that I will never forget is "you can't miss something you never had". She will admit that she has had a rough life and that's what makes her so grateful for any blessing God gives her. She often talked about how much of a blessing I, along with the other nurses were to her, but what she didn't realize was what a blessing she was to me. I am truly going to miss her. I am going to miss seeing her get excited to see me walk in her room and seeing her daughter run up to me and beg me to pick her up. Just knowing that I have a patient that is excited to see me and appreciates me that much, makes me job worth it. Every morning when I would leave, she would always ask when I would be back. I got the priveledge of being with her and running the OR room during her C-Section Christmas Eve morning and everything went great! It was so neat to be with her during the last month and then be there with her during the "finale" so to speak. To be able to be there to meet her little boy when he was born on Christmas. Life really is the greatest gift of all, and being in that operating room that morning reminded me that's what Jesus being born on Christmas is all about. He was born to ultimately die on the cross to give US LIFE. That's what the true meaning of Christmas is all about. I know am just as bad as anyone else about getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of shopping and such, but Jesus really is the reason for the season.

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." --Luke 2:10-12

God sees the big picture...

I read this and it was definitely something that I needed to hear. Just thought I would share it! 

Today, choose to keep an attitude of faith and expectancy. Begin to thank Him for the opportunities that are just ahead for you. Shut the door on fear and let God lead you by His peace through the door of opportunity He has prepared for you! "I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close" -Revelations 3:8

I know there are lots of times that I get scared or worried about the future or what's going on in my life. Sometimes I doubt the fact that God is working in MY favor.  The Bible tells us that God works for the good of those who love Him. A great quote that I read just the other day goes along great with this. It says:

"When God takes something from your grasp He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better."

I have to believe that's the truth. Even when I don't understand why things don't work out when or how I want them to. I have to know that there's a reason...GOD'S reason. He is only doing it because He loves me and can see the big picture while I only see what's going on right now. Last Sunday my pastor, Brother Steve preached a great sermon on worrying. He talked about how worrying is a sin and no sin is any worse than the other. I think about how much I worry over the smallest things sometimes and really, it's ridiculous! Truth is, if we're worrying, we aren't trusting. I have faith knowing that whatever God has planned for me (which has to be good) will happen. I love the verse in Job where it says, "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted." (42:2). That's so comforting to know! And I can think back to times in my life where I can clearly see that the Lord's will was done one way or another. I may have fought against Him hard, but in the end, He won and it was most definitely for the better. Of course I didn't think so at the time, but I am able to see it now....

Perfect Love

I remembered someone giving me this to read a couple years ago when I was going through a tough time and it really spoke to me. Just thought I would share it....

"Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone, to have a deep soul relationship with another, to be loved thoroughly and exclusively. But God, to the Christian, says, "No, not until you are satisfied and content with living, loved only by me alone to have an intensely personal and unique relationship. I love you my child, and until you discover that only in me is your satisfaction to be found, you will not be capable of the perfect human relationship that i have planned for you. You will NEVER be united with another until you are united with me - exclusive of any other desires or longings. I want you to stop planning, stop wishing, and allow me to give you the most thrilling plan exsiting, one that you cannot imagine. I want you to have the best. Please allow me to bring it to you. Keep watching me, expecting the GREATEST things. Keep that attitude knowing that I AM. Keep learning and listening to the things I tell you. You must wait, don't be anxious and worry. Don't look around at what others have gotten or who i have given them. Don't look at the things or relationships you think you want. Just keep looking up to me, or you will miss what I have to show you. When you are ready, I will surprise you with a love far more wonderful than you will ever dream. You see, until the one I have for you is ready, (I am working this minute to have you both ready at the same time) and until you are both satisfied with me and the life I have prepared for you, you will not be able to experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with me -PERFECT LOVE"

Taking time to stop and smell the roses...

Have you ever felt like you were waiting to hear from God and you couldn't hear Him? Have you ever felt like you couldn't hear His tiny whispers and if He wanted you to hear something He was literally going to have to shout it to you? Sometimes we hear those tiny whispers and it's such a wonderful feeling because it's almost like feeling something soft & simple...like a cool breeze blowing through your hair. But sometimes, for me, I feel such unrest about something and for whatever the reason may be, I'm not hearing His soft, gentle whisper. For that reason, I NEED Him to SHOUT to me; put it RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE where there is NO WAY I can miss it. Let me share with you what God has been literally been shouting at me the last couple of days. 

CONTENTMENT! God has basically been saying to me to just be content with where I am in my life RIGHT NOW and not worry about WHERE I AM GOING or WHERE I WANT TO BE. That topic has been brought up on several occasions in the last couple of days and I have just felt like God has wanted me to hear it. Not only has God used people to speak that to me, but also for me to voice that to others that may need to hear it. It's really an awesome thing! My roommate, Natalie and I were enjoying a great moment together the other night. We had spent the entire day together (which contrary to popular belief, doesn't happen often even though we DO live together) and we were starting dinner, drinking some hot apple cider together and Natalie said, "It really doesn't get any better than this does it Amy?" and me being negative said "Well, I guess it could" and she boldly started saying how we need to enjoy where we are because if we are constantly worried about the next step in our lives then we can't enjoy the moments now. The cliche that comes to mind is "taking time to stop and smell the roses". I know, it's a horrible cliche, but it's true. And a great quote that goes along with that is:

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; 

remember that what you now have was once among the things 

you only hoped for."

A great way of thinking about it is that when you graduate high school, all you can think about is moving out, then when you move out, all you can think about is graduating college and starting your "grown-up job". In the middle of all of that I'm sure you're thinking about dating and such...your heart longs to find "that person". Well, you find someone...you start dating and it's perfect, everything you dreamed it would be (but of course it's not enough), you start thinking about when you will get engaged and get married because now that's ALL YOU WANT is just to be married, while at the same time you don't want to live with your rooomate anymore, you JUST want to buy a house of your own (because at this point you are in your "grown-up" job that you so badly wanted a couple years ago). So, now you're "happily" married and you've just bought a new house. You've been married a couple of years, but now ALL you want is children and of course you need a new car because you can't drive that 2 door sports car  anymore because kids can't fit in that!...I won't continue with the story because we all know how it goes....we are never completely happy and we all know that once we attain one level of what we think we want, we always want more...it's never enough, that's just life and our sinful nature I'm afraid. But what God is teaching me right now is really just to find contentment in where I am and more importantly in Him. He is going to give me what I NEED.  If we don't take time to enjoy the season in which we are in, we will miss it! We will miss out on SO many memories and fun things we could be doing RIGHT NOW and what God is teaching us RIGHT NOW because we're too worried about what's down the road or what we aren't getting. Trust me, I'm the world's worst about doing this, but I've realized that it's time for a change. I think I'm definitely going to try my best to take more time to stop and smell the roses because if I don't, I could miss one that smells REAL sweet! :) 

"But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." --Romans 8:25