Life, jazz, God, and stuff

Sweet pie, I'm happy!

I'm not sure why.

Well, actually, I do know why.

But that is top secret.

Anyhow, I went and helped out with a friends' soccer team today. It is co-coached by one of my team members and almost all the girls on it are my friends too {it is a high school team}. It was super fun.

This is a pic of me and another of my team mates {who also helped out today}.



Ok, test. Who am I?

Obviously, dear friends who know me.....don't answer. LOL!

-_* {I discovered this winking guy and love him so much!}

This week has been really good for me.

I've spent so much time in prayer and meditation and reading God's word. I feel in tune with Him right now and that is sooooooo amazing.

I went through a really rough period of life for about six years. I was alone. I felt unloved. Unwanted. And utterly forgotten.

We had moved 2,000 miles away from everyone and everything I had ever known, to a place so completely remote of what I knew....I couldn't even find my way to the grocery store.

I was broken.

And slowly, I began to bond to Christ, my one and only consolation. I found my solace in Him. I found the power to face life.

It wasn't like, all of a sudden I leaped into His arms and everything was ok.

But over time, I was strengthened. Some of the ice melted from my heart. The hardness broke away from my soul.

I felt free.

And, just as slowly, God began to bring people into my life. One by one, they knocked over my walls, my trust issues, and became....my friends.

Real friends.

It's not a permanent fix. Aw, we all know we are just human. But whenever the trials, the doubts, the fears rise up, I just think about Him and it all becomes so meaningless, so powerless, so empty.

What are these minuscule troubles of life in the glint of eternity after all?

What are these petty squabbles and simple disagreements all about? Who cares? In an hour, in a day, in a month, in ten years.....who will remember and what will it matter.

Life, love, truth. THESE are the things that will be remembered.

So invest in them.

And that kind of changed my life. Not just because God began to fix it. But because He fixed me. And I let Him. That is the key. You have to let Him, let Him take over. Forever.

And it will hurt.

But then it will change.

And YOU will change.

Forever.



A very dear friend sent this to me today. She made my year today, by agreeing to be my Olympic Challenge Buddy {found HERE}. I am soooooooo super excited. She now knows more about me than most people. Which is scary and awesome. I don't open up my heart to a lot of people. Really. Though it seems that I do. I have to her. And I feel safe. Which is also awesome.

So, here is an encouraging thought for all of you.

It can be fixed.

Life will never always be perfect. We live in a fallen world. Satan broke in and destroyed the beautiful perfection God created. But, God is here to help us survive it. We messed up. But He never left us. It is not just happenstance that keeps us afloat.

And it is not just happenstance that when I gave everything to him, surrendered it all, and told Him that I would take whatever He gave....that things finally began to fall into place.

So have faith, trust in Him, and wait for that moment. Because it will come.

He promises that.



Tomorrow is Friday!!!! That makes me uber happy. I can't wait to see what kind of day it will be. I hope a good one. I have doubts. It snowed here today.... :P I hate snow. Don't kill me. It's just about the only thing I hate.

But it's wet, and cold, and *shivers*, I don't like it.

I like hot. Really hot. Pretty sure I could move to Africa and be happy.

Well, not really, unless my whole world moved with me, but in theory, I'm prepared to be happy in Africa. ;)

I hope you all have a glorious evening!!! ;)

CKC

THE OLYMPIC CHALLENGE

THE OLYMPIC CHALLENGE

 

The average Olympian (worldwide) trains 23 hours a week.

That’s about 4 hours a day, six days a week.
For 8 years.*
And it's all to receive five minutes of fame.
 

Think of that. All “the blood, the sweat, the tears,” the training, the discipline, the pain. All dedicated to earn a gold medal. These men and woman give their lives away for this sole purpose. Something momentary. Something that will go no further than this life.

 

How many Christians can say we spend this kind of time in training to advance Christ’s kingdom: spending time in His word, praying to Him, and meditating on His precepts? Yet for how much more we strive! How much more we will gain by it! We do not struggle for temporary gain, but an eternity of glory.

 

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Gal. 6:7-9)

 

The challenge:

 

Train like an Olympian.

Option 1: Pre-Olympian training. Spend 15 minutes a day praying, 15 min reading the Bible, 15 min memorizing, 15 min meditating.

Option 2: American Olympian (Americans average 12 hours per week in training). Spend 30 minutes a day praying, 30 min reading the Bible, 30 min memorizing, 30 min meditating.

Option 3: Worldwide Olympian. Spend 1 hour a day praying, 1 hour reading the Bible, 1 hour memorizing, 1 hour meditating.
 

The goal is to go from pre-training, to Olympic training, by building up strength, so that we can truly compete. Imagine entering the 1500 without having ever trained! We would be laughed out of the stadium. Yet that is what most of us Christians are doing today, and we wonder why we so rarely succeed.

 

We may have wonderful, noble goals to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, but fail to sow the seeds to the Spirit. We end up being frustrated Christians who fail miserably because we have never trained.
 

Imagine if someone I dearly love asked me to bench press 150 pounds. Do you think could I do it? No! And no matter how much they shouted at me to try harder, regardless of how much I love them, that still will not enable me to lift it. But, if they gave me training for a few years, developed those muscles, I could. I could lift more! That is the goal. Training is not so that you become legalistic, arrogant in all your knowledge, or overwhelmed and exhausted (though it may be tiring at times, just ask any Olympian), but to deepen the passion for Christ through the exercise of spiritual muscles.

 

Will you commit to training? Bring your whole being into this, zealous for the Lord!! For what we will gain is so much superior to the prize of an Olympian. I’m not big into guilt trips. It’s a serious commitment not to be entered lightly, but I do hope that you will consider the spiritual benefits to this. God will not be mocked. You WILL reap what you sow.
 

Come, join me!

 

If you want more information, or want to let me know you are joining the Olympic challenge, message me! I will be glad for the encouragement!

“And LET US NOT GROW WEARY of doing good, for in due season we WILL reap, IF WE DO NOT GIVE UP.”

 

(*Based on research done by my Daddy)

  

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