Wednesday, May 28, 2008

The Blog Theme Song :)

I found it!!! Or heard it, I should say :) The perfect song for my blog... and my life :) Why do I write? Because I've got something to say :)! And it's His life/love/words flowing through me... :)

Something To Say

By Matthew West

Wake up
7:32 am
Can’t believe it’s time to do it over again
Yesterday it took all that you had
And you’re wondering if you’ll ever get it back

But the whole wide world is waiting for
Waiting for you to step out that door
Come on and let your life be heard today


You got something to say
If you’re living
If you’re breathing
You got something to say
You know if your heart is beating
You got something to say
And no one can say it like you do
God is love and love speaks through you
You got it, you got it
You got something to say

Listen up
I got a question here
Would anybody miss you if you disappeared?
Your life is the song that you sing
And the whole wide world is listening
Well, the answer to the question is
You were created, your life is a gift
And the lights are shining on you today

You got something to say
If you’re living
If you’re breathing
You got something to say
You know if your heart is beating
You got something to say
And no one can say it like you do
God is love and love speaks through you
You got it, you got it
You got something to say



In the words of my beloved Pastor John, "TALK TO ME, SOMEBODY!!!" :P
God, I LOVE my life!!! :D

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Proof of life

I watched the Narnia, Prince Caspian movie for the 2nd time tonight and my favorite quote was from my favorite character, Lucy, who seemed to be the bridge to Aslan. "Maybe we are the ones who need to prove ourselves to Him." This line rocked me because so many people are looking for proof before they are willing to believe. Even Jesus, who did so many miracles, was badgered for proof from the pharisees. It's one thing to see God doing things in the lives of others, but as long as your own life remains unchanged it's easy to dismiss it and write it off as irrelevant and unreal. Proof must be personal in order to produce faith... and yet, Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believed."

Do miracles produce faith or are they produced by faith? I believe it's the later... Faith is what moves God. Not need... faith. Even if God never does another miracle for me for as long as I live, I will still believe in Him. Why? Because He has already done so much... Everyday is proof... the fact that I'm alive right now is proof... I see the proof in everything that surrounds me. Nature, my friends, the changes in my life and the lives of so many other people... the joy and the peace I feel everyday... but most of all... just LIFE... Life is a miracle in itself... it's so complex, so beautiful... so intricate... the way it starts, ends and everything that happens in between... The way one life can touch another... As cliche as it sounds, each life has a "God-shaped" hole in it, something only He can fill, and as much as we try to fill it with everything we can get our hands on, we still come up empty...

What is the biggest proof of God? I think it's a changed life... I want my life to be proof of His existance... Does God have to prove Himself to us? I don't think so... After all, we are His creation, not the other way around. Seek and you shall find... Draw near to God and He shall draw near to you... Prove to Him that you want to know Him and He will show Himself to you... You'll get your proof... the proof of a new life.

Monday, May 19, 2008

A dime a dozen...

I've been called "beautiful" a lot lately. At random times, by random people. Friends, strangers, students, teachers, ect. Mostly female, actually. Not that I mind or disagree, but it got me thinking... So what?! There are SO MANY good looking people out there! I see countless numbers everyday everywhere I go! I'm literally surrounded by them at YP and at my own church, and let me tell you, there are some HOT teachers at Shorecrest High School! And a lot of really cute ones everywhere else... So being beautiful is actually pretty common... Beautiful people are a dime a dozen. While it's still true that being good looking will get you places, it won't get you far. I know plenty of absolutely GORGEOUS girls (myself included, hehe), and guys who are single for no apparent reason... OK so maybe there's ALWAYS a reason lol, but you know what I mean. I may be blessed with good looks, but what does it really matter in the end? That I feel good about myself? Sure, but I'll still feel rotten if I act ugly towards someone...

I tell people they are beautiful all the time. It's actually one of my favorite compliments to give to my girls :). We, females, were created with a desire to feel beautiful and to be told so constantly :) But what I really mean when I tell someone that they're beautiful is that they are a beautiful person. I believe that being beautiful on the inside is much more important than being beautiful on the outside. Because when your inward beauty shines through, it makes you irresistibly beautiful on the outside as well. So I hope that's what people mean when they tell me I'm beautiful. Good looks alone are a dime a dozen, but beautiful hearts are few and far between. It matters little to me that people find my outward appearance attractive. Getting flirted with and hit on gets old and tiresome rather quickly. Being commended on my personality, attitude and character, however, is something I'll always appreciate :)

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Flooded

I don't know what it is about church lately, but it always gets to me. God always gets to me, I should say. Waterproof mascara has been my new best friend for a while now and it doesn't look like anything will change anytime soon... As I shared last night at youth, I really am loving this new fun, adventurous, "living by faith" lifestyle I'm living right now and am glad that God is teaching me so much through this. So many people, including John, have told me that they are amazed by my positive attitude and excitement, and let me tell you, it's genuine. Tonight, however, I bawled my eyes out...

After we had a quick meeting with Vita between Discipleship and Prayer, the sudden awareness of my circumstances started to overwhelm me. When John took the microphone and started to pray over the exact things that were weighing down on my heart, I began to cry... First, out of sheer helplessness and desperation because I realized that if God didn't intervene with a miracle, I would be in big trouble, but as he continued praying, I continued to cry because of the presence of God that showed up and enveloped me in His love and comfort... And this is what I understood:
What kills me is not not being able to go out, shop and travel... It's not being able to bless others. I was always the one to take care of people, and now that I'm limited in my abilities of doing so, it hurts me more than anything. At the same time, now I am the one getting blessed by others... As good as it feels, it's still very humbling because I'm not used to it... I love my friends so much... They know what's up and they know me... So it's like God is saying for me to just relax right now and let Him take care of me even when things seem impossible. I know a miracle is coming. I know my God. Tonight was something crazy... I must have went through half a pack of tissues... But lately that's been just your regular service at The Image...

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

I Love...

I haven’t written in a while... Not because I don’t have anything to say, but because I don’t have enough time to say it. So this will be short and sweet and to the point :) Going through a lot right now, and in the midst of it all, God is teaching me, and showing me His love and His grace... And I love it! Here’s what I love specifically:

I love how when I’m sick, broke, going through something or need anything, I can always text at least 10 people asking for prayer and help. And the cool part is, I actually get it!

I love having peace and being happy and positive even when the circumstances say I should be scared, nervous, sad, depressed and anxious. In the midst of the fieriest trials I know I can trust God to walk me through without getting burned.

I love my friends. I really do... they define true, genuine friendship... They are always there for me, always supporting me and taking care of me!

I love how even when I have to straighten one of my girls out they’ll still thank me and continue loving me all the more.


I love subbing. Really. I love going to different schools, filling in for different teachers and hanging out with different kids every day. I love being requested. I love being requested by teachers I don't know. I love how after spending 5 minutes with a class I already feel like they are my own and I love them...


I love my church. I love our youth. I love our leadership. I love how we are family. I love everything God is doing in and through us.


I love how God is in control of my life... I love how all my steps are ordered. I love how everything happens for a reason and I can learn from every mistake and hardship. I love how I can trust Him because He is faithful :)

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

He's on the move...

Are you watching? The crazy stuff that's going on in Florida? What was supposed to be a short conference lasting just a few days has turned into a full blown revival lasting over a month that now has captured the attention of all the country. It reminds me of the movie Narnia when the characters are talking about Aslan and how the word is that he is on the move... Well, Aslan represents God in that movie, and He is indeed on the move. With crazy, miraculous healings taking place by the thousands, hospitals being literally emptied of the sick, people being raised from the dead and missing body parts growing out before people's eyes, it's hard to deny the "God factor" of this... As a Christian, I'm so excited... Churches everywhere are talking about this and sending representatives to "bring back the anointing". Three of our own have went down there this week and we've been recieving updates from them confirming just how truly miraculous it is. They are due back tonight and I can't wait to talk to them in person... When God moves, the world takes notice... So take a look, see and believe... My God is BIG! :)