Change is Coming

To be seen and not heard.
Acknowledged, but ignored.
Only interesting when agreeing.
Living on the edge, not knowing where to go.
Traveling, but not forwards.
Changing direction, changing heart.
Listening for that still small voice.
Moving forwards, change is coming.
Friends draw close.
Surrounding, embracing.
Joining hands and joking hearts.
Feeling safe, feeling loved again.
Warmth floods in, grace is bestowed.
Reminders that God is love.

Into The World

Genesis 18 and 19

This section of the Bible always saddens me. Lot had already chosen to move towards the cities which were full of worldly possessions and sin. Abraham is by his tent in fellowship with the Lord when the plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah is presented to him. Knowing Lot is there (due to the previous rescue), he asks God if Sodom and Gomorrah will be destroyed if there are 50, no 45, 40? all the way down to 10 righteous people found in the city. The answer is no, but not even 10 people could be found. So back to Lot's side, he is now an official of the city (as seen by his sitting in the gate) and BEGS the angels to come to his house because he KNOWS that the city is full of wickedness. He KNOWS what would happen if the angels remained in the town by themselves. After the angels tell him what is to happen to Sodom and Gomorrah, he goes to warn his married children, but he is simply mocked. Was his life really so bad that his children didn't believe him? Or were his children so far gone with the same result? So many opportunities he was given and all the ones he took led him to running away to the mountains...

A One-Track Mind

John 4

Jesus "needed" to go through Samaria, for the same reason missionaries are called to certain places. There was someone seeking, and so someone with answers was sent. Sometimes we are more like the disciples and have a one-track mind for the material, but I pray that as the year goes on, and my church has our revival, that I will have a mind more like Jesus, a one track mind for the spiritual aspects of life. He cared less for the food and water, but used the water as an example for the Samaritan woman to understand what He was there to explain. And after that, SHE had a one-track mind for the spiritual as well and went and told the people of her city about Christ and what He had done for her. She shared the salvation story with everyone she could.

I pray that I may have a one-track mind this year for God.
~Year 2020 for a Clearer Vision For God.

Getting Grace

Genesis 1-3

"It was so" "It was good" "It was very good"
Three of the phrases that always stick out to me in Genesis 1. I mean, God makes no mistakes. Everything He does is perfect and He gave us a free will, even though he KNEW what was going to happen. In a weird way, it's funny because I always imagine that God must have been disappointed when Adam and Eve sinned, but never really consider how disappointed He must be when I sin. Yet above all, He continues to give grace and calls us to Him continually. I praise and thank God for the Lamb that was slain and the mercy He gives daily.

Daily Reading

So, recently I joined an accountability group for reading through the Bible. I've been saved for almost 8 years now, and I'm 25 with having grown up in a Christian home, but I've never actually read through the entire Bible. I'm going with a 9 month plan that has catch-up days and no scheduled Sunday reading, so those can be used as catch up days as well. :) I'm really excited about this and think I will start sharing some of the insights I find here on the blog. They'll be short, but worth it. :)

Psalm 119

Starting with Psalm 119 was rough because, while it may only be one chapter, it is a very LONG chapter. So I read it a couple times to make sure I understood what I was reading. And OH that I would have a heart like the Psalmist did!! Multiple times they state a desire along the lines of "I'm seeking, lead me in your ways," and "I'm following because I love you and your commandments." It's a struggle sometimes in this life to have a heart like that honestly. We get so busy in the day to day that we forget to slow down and soak in HIS word and HIS will. The Psalmist also mentions (paraphrasing again) "The wicked try to sway me and overcome me, but I stood by your commandments and was not moved." I've made sure to underline these verses in my Bible as I move forwards this year and do my best to live like the Psalmist.

The Stars in the Sky

So, the stars are back in Alaska, which kinda means that fall is here and the snow is going to return in a couple months! I love every season in it's time, but this has been a VERY hot and dry summer and I'm just ready for the fires to be taken out by the snow.

Now, I may not have a verse for this post, but I also don't know if anyone will even read this, and that's okay with me. Honestly, I'm just glad to get some things off my mind. It has been a long year since I last posted something. Funny thing is I did the last one after I visited my friend Lilly and now I'm doing it WHILE I'm visiting her. It has been a long needed visit and I've been catching up on my sleep. I've also been catching up on my alone time. As much as I love to be surrounded by people, I've been learning that some of the people I used to surround myself with weren't helping me much. I mean, I still need to learn to say no sometimes, but that's a lesson for another day...or night. Lol.

There's a band I heard recently called the B2Wins, they kind of remind me of 2Cellos in the way they jazz up music, but they had a great reminder. They gave a kind of motivational speech basically saying "Life is short, and the clock is fast." They were saying that along the lines of the infamous saying "YOLO", but seriously, life is too short to be surrounding myself with the wrong people.

I've been wandering too far from God and not listening to His guidance as much as I should. I'm not sure how well that shows through my life, but honestly, I want that to change. With God's help, I know I can change and draw closer to Him again. I was reminded this morning that the easiest way to have a relationship (of any kind really) is communication. Without communication, there is no way to have a healthy relationship.

My prayer life hasn't been what it needs to be recently, and that automatically puts a kink in my relationship with God. Thankfully, He's a God of forgiveness and patience. He hasn't given up on me yet for some reason, and I pray that He continues to be patient with me.

I love my God dearly and don't want to disappoint Him anymore than I already have...Thanks for reading if you got this far.

A Day in My Life

This post will be in response to my friend Mykaela's Blog, Making Music for the Master. It's about taking 10 pictures through a normal day. The beginning of this will be focused on yesterday. Yesterday was beautiful and a definite reminder that My God is in control.

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It all started out with some friends by the lake last Tuesday night. Wonderful fellowship and getting to talk to our missionary's wife a little bit longer than I have been able to before. Some deep conversations, some not-so-deep conversations. I'm just starting to head home around 11/11:30pm when I run something over in the gravel and end up having a flat tire. When I finally get to a spot that I can change it, there was a guy sitting in his truck. No big deal, I have my parents on the phone already anyways, they can just listen to me change my tire. He even turned his truck off at one point, all the while his truck is facing my car. Eventually he took off, but this is only the beginning of blessings for this story (as well as the tire not blowing in general). When the tire is finally changed, I and my car limp back to the house around 12. Tomorrow is a new day, and so far, God has provided safety.

Wednesday morning, I walked out to my car to find the feather with blue. Feathers may not mean a lot to some people, but since meeting a special friend a few years back, they mean something when found in odd or unexpected places. It was just a small reminder that God cares about the little things.

So I take the tire in to a local tire shop to get it repaired. Unbeknownst to me, the hole is too big and the tire cannot be repaired. Thankfully, once again, God planned it just right so that there is an exact match in the tire shop's used bin and I have money set aside that will cover both the new tire and it getting placed on the rim. 

When I get back to work and go to change the tire, not only do I find the other two feathers pictured above, but the drizzling rain is making a big rectangle around my car. With the rain being blown sideways slightly, the trees at the edge of the parking lot are blocking it so I can change my tire and stay dry. 

Then, just to solidify this whole adventure is God reminding me that He is in control, I get this reminder in a fortune cookie. I normally don't take a lot of stock in them and find them very amusing, but this one held a bit of a different message. To say I laughed is an understatement...it was a full belly laugh for a few seconds which was reduced to simply smiling the rest of the day.

A couple of weird days deserved a cup of something hot. That day it was tea, though I usually drink coffee. This IS a part of my regular day. :-)

So, moving onto pictures of my day to day life. These are a couple of the things I use by default in my life at work. Though, I DID pick out the colors because 1) They are super bright and 2) They're just fun and I like them. Who cares if they don't match each other?

While I may not get flowers every day, I like to look at flowers on a regular basis and we have some pretty amazing wildflowers up here in Alaska. These ones were given to me by a co-worker for helping her with something the week before.

Alaska in general...and my car. The car is because Alaska is SO BIG!! I have a 15 minute drive at the LEAST to get anywhere decent, whether it be shopping, church, or fun. But I would not trade it for the world. I love Alaska and am grateful for every day that God gives me in this beautiful land.

So, a few of my friends know about my budgeting ways. Some of my bankers even know about it. But this is the app I use. I like it a lot and it helps me keep things straight. It's also part of the reason I had the money for that new tire mentioned above. Emergency funds are a VERY important aspect of life I have learned.

This is a picture of my special friend and one of her kids. She is a shining light in my life and always helps to keep things in perspective. She is an amazing lady, mother, and friend. I hope that one day I can be half as ingenuitive as her. She is the one who showed me how to make a cloak and just be happy with the little things in life that I always take for granted. We talk on a regular basis, but the times I get to visit her are some of the best. This year, I got to visit her in Haines, AK and had a wonderful time spoiling her and her family and taking pictures of them.

And last but not least, this goes along with my feathers from up above. This eagle in particular is a very special girl. She is located in Juneau and is taken care of by a group because she cannot take care of herself in the wild anymore. She had started out with her back to everyone when I went to visit her, but when I went to leave, she hopped closer and started staring at me. She was posing beautifully for the other people there taking pictures and with was just an all-around amazing experience.

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Overall, my God is so amazing. I love more every day and even the days that I fall behind or fail in some way, He is there to lift me back up. I'm grateful this world is not my home and I'm just passing through. Thanks for reading this rambling post and I hope it helps someone else remember that no matter where we are, we are never too far for God to reach us still.