My type of Journal

I have always had good intentions of keeping a journal. I have a ton of very cute notebooks with a couple days or a month or two of journal entries but never a full journal. I love to go back and read the entries and go back to what my life was at that certain time. Sometimes I laugh at how big of a deal I made over certain things and sometimes I cry over the events that took place. Either way I love to see how God has molded and changed me in the past several years. This January I had every notion to keep a journal. I had just turned 25 and thought it would be cool to record this pivitol year in my life. I knew that this commitment would be a little much for me and I would probably only have the month of Jaunary in the journal but I was determined to follow through. While I was reading one of the many blogs I read, I came accross a really neat journal idea. It is a one sentence journal for each day.

I got a cute basket from the $1 Store
Cut Notecard in half and put the date on all 365 notecards
Then I found old thank you cards and cut the front of them to divide the months
Finally I started Journaling

Each night I write 2011: And whatever happened that day

Sometimes it is a simple verse that I came accross that day, other days I write about an event that happened, like my best friend telling me she is pregnant or getting an email that changed the course of my life and other days I simply put that I was really tired that day and needed an extra cup of coffee.

The neat thing about this journal is that I will have room to put entries from 2012, 2013 and possibly 2014 how cool will it be to look back and see how different or similar each day was a year or two or three ago. I have already gone back and read January's entries and am amazed at what God has done in my life in just 3 months.

So I encourage you, if you like to journal but just don't have the time or committment to journaling try it this way. It is fun, simple and I assure you, you will never have a problem thinking of something to write.

No Matter What

There is so much that I would love to tell you. But it is not time to tell you. There will come a day when I can tell you what the past year has been like, the ups, the downs and the in-betweens and on that day I will be so excited to share but in the mean time this song by Kerrie Roberts has been an encouragement to me in my walk with the Lord. It at times has made me smile, cry and sing at the top of my lungs. I thank God for his promises and that He is all I NEED to hold on to.

I’m running back to your promises one more time, Lord that’s all I can hold on to, I gotta say this has taken me by surprise, but nothing surprises you. Before a heartache can ever touch my life, it has to go through Your hands, and even though I, keep asking why, I keep asking why,

No matter what, I’m gonna love You, no matter what I’m gonna need You, I know that You can find a way to keep me from the pain but if not,if not, I’ll trust you, no matter what, no matter what.

When I’m stuck in this nothing-ness by myself, I’m just sitting in silence, there’s no way I can make it without Your help, I wont even try it. I know You have Your reasons for everything, so I will keep believing, whatever I might be feeling, God you are my hope, and you'll be my strength,

No matter what, I’m gonna love You, no matter what I’m gonna need You, I know that You can find a way to keep me from the pain but if not, if not, I’ll trust you, no matter what, no matter what.

Anything I don’t have You can give it to me, but it’s ok if You don’t, I’m not here for those things, the touch of Your love is enough on its own, no matter what I still love You and I’m gonna need You

No matter what I’m gonna love you, no matter what I’m gonna need you, I know that You can find a way to keep me from the pain but if not, if not, I’ll trust You, I know that You can find a way to keep me from the pain, but if not, if not, I’ll trust you, no matter what no matter what no matter no matter what

Dream Room

I preface this post with I do not have a kid and will not have one for a while but when I see something I fall in love with I just have to share....
When browsing Hobby Lobby with my good friend AlliTripp...we like to find things that we love and talk about how we would decorate with the item...then we look at the cost and remember our bank accounts won't let us fulfill our decorating dreams, but it never stops us from decorating our fictional rooms plus a girl can dream, I hear it's good for her. During our recent visit I found the cutest furniture for a little girl's room.

Can you imagine gray walls and this furniture...with a few owls on the walls, why...because they are cool. the end. Go there for a second it would be completely awesome. I would be called the cool, hip, modern mom with a sense of style and it would be THE room all the little kids would want to play in and all the parents would dream of their children having. Ok maybe I am going a little far with this dream but hey dreams aren't bad at all. Just thought I would share a little inspiration and the latest item that stole my heart at Hobby Lobby.

Memory...it's a wonderful thing...

I just feel like blogging. I know it was one of my resolutions but who really keeps those? As you can see there has been some design changes, don't really know if I want to commit to it or not so I am just taking it for a test run before I make a commitment.

On another note in December I was challenged by memorizing scripture throughout the year. I have always heard about the importance of scripture memory but never really practiced it in my personal life. I mean I can recall several scripture from hearing them in church or Bible study but I never took action and started memorizing scripture that spoke to me and the situations I was facing. So I finally stopped being lazy and started January 1st memorizing a verse every 15 days. Let's not call it a resolution because I don't keep those. I prefer a life change rather than a resolution.

The first verse I started with is actually one that Justin, the youth pastor at my church challenged the youth to memorize at the beginning of the school year. I was pumped and wrote it on my bathroom mirror excited to memorize it. The verse stayed on the mirror for 4 months without being ingrained in my heart until January 1st.

The verse is...

                 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus as Lord and ourselves as your servants for

 Jesus' sake.

2 Corinthians 4:5

This verse challenges you to look at yourself and determine who you are preaching to the world. I am a selfish person and there are so many times I preach myself or an idea that is not of God. When I do that I am preaching to the world something that is not Jesus. This verse has really challenged me in the past month to examine what I am preaching and making it not about myself but about my Lord and Savior. With everything I do my I preach His name and hide mine behind His cross.

Day 30 — A motto or philosophy

One of my favorite bible verses is

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full-John 10:10

My motto: Live life to the fullest!

Temporary Home

The Bible Study I attend every Tuesday nights with some amazing women wrapped up its study on Revelation last night. We did a video series by Beth Moore that was very thought provoking and challenging. Last night as Beth was wrapping up the session she said something that I have heard so many times but seemed to really grasp for the first time last night. For the past several months I have struggled with what home is to me. I moved to Florence in the fall of 2004 as a young 18 year old off to college in a place 600 miles away from everything I knew. I never was scared about it because I had a sense of peace. A peace I could not explain...a peace that only came from God. If you asked that 18 year old if Florence would ever be called home she definitely would have told you no and that she would only be there for the next 4 years to get educated not to make Florence her home. Well it is amazing how God has other plans isn't it. Florence did become my home after college. I got a job, my own place and even got a puppy. Florence is what I called home and continue to call home but Fairfield is also home and will always be home. I lived there since I was 2 and made memories there that shaped who I am today. When I leave to go to Fairfield I say I am excited to go home as I leave home to go there. Confusing I know. With all that said. Hey I need to give you some background. Home is a confusing word for me needless to say.

The past several months the word home has somewhat haunted me. I have struggled to understand what home is. I have been homesick for my home in Fairfield but my home is Florence. Again I know this is confusing I am confused while I type this but I am getting to the point...stay with me if you would like. Last night it clicked like it has never clicked before. This is not my home. Beth Moore was talking about how everyone has a longing of home. We try to go to our childhood home and recreate memories to feel the longing we have to home and never get to the point of satisfaction. Do you know why? This world is only our temporary home. Every Christian has a deep deep longing for their eternal home and we can't quite grasp it.

You do not understand how much encouragement that bold statement has brought me in the last 13 hours. I can find joy in every place I call home but none of my "homes" will satisfy the longing for the eternal home my Savior promised. It is a longing I have had but could never understand. I have tried to figure out what to do or what to call home. Now I do not have to go searching to satisfy my longing of home but simply sit at the feet of my Savior and allow Him to lead me to the home He wants to call me to here on Earth.

It is a wonderful feeling

Day 29 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days

I was reminded during Schwenksgiving 2010-Year of the knotted blankets that I have not finished my 30 day blog challenge. I have made it more of a 30 week challenge then a 30 day challenge but that is what happens when you work full-time, go to seminary part-time and try to maintain a social life. Don't get me wrong I love the busyness is believe me I definitely have my me time as well.
So for this blog I will give you

3 hopes
6 dreams
5 plans

For the next 365 days...this should be interesting

3 Hopes
1. I hope that in the next 365 days I will grow closer to my Savior and go where He leads me. I am one who tries to figure out what is going on in my life without consulting with God. It's not very pretty because I then get my hopes crushed and it is simply because I have hoped on my own. I want to hope with God and have His insights not my own.

2. In the next 365 days I hope I will experience new friendships and grow old ones. My friends are important to me and I want to continue to show they are important to me

3. Last I hope that I will get to see some people I haven't seen for a long time...

6 Dreams
I am a dreamer. I catch myself day dreaming constantly so some of these dreams are a little silly just to warn you.

1. In the next 365 I dream the NSYNC will get back together and go on a reunion tour...NKOTBSB did it so why not NSYNC...they are the best boy band

2. I dream I will meet Tim Tebow...who wouldn't dream that?

3. Another dream I have is to go to an OHIO STATE FOOTBALL game...I have never been I know it is sad to say

4. I dream to make a difference in someones life without even trying but just being me

5. I dream of ending my time in seminary although I love learning maybe I will go for my PhD.

6. Lastly, I dream to go out of the country in the next 365 days. I have missed traveling internationally and I think my passport is going to expire in the next couple years

5 Plans
I am a huge planner but am quickly reminded that my plans are not my own and that you are simply supposed to not worry about tomorrow so here are some plans I know will probably happen God willing

1. This weekend I plan t0 go to Pelzer and spend some quality time with one of my best friends!!

2. In a couple weeks I plan to fly home....I haven't been home since last Christmas...needless to say I am ready

3. I plan to be more consistent in my blogging....I have always planned to do that let's hope I stick to that plan.

4. I plan to read all the books I own...this may take more than 365 days

5. Lastly, I plan to not be so judgemental...it's been a struggle but I am working on it and plan to continue to work on it.

There you go my hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days...what are yours?