Double Deuce Day!

It's hard to believe that little ole' me is twenty-two today!  I definitely feel like I am becoming more middle-aged every year.  To celebrate this year, my teachers decided to do something extra special in their eyes...they gave me a research paper and a test to study for on this glorious day.  I will have to remember to thank them for their kind gesture to celebrate my birth.  Other than that, I am actually pretty stoked about not being 21 anymore.  It means I get to graduate soon!! Woot Woot!! :)

So, for this next year of my life, I have planned to challenge myself to not worry so much.  I was inspired by a sermon I heard yesterday morning at Seacoast. (It was awesome and if you'd like to see the podcast just go to seacoastchurch.org and watch it...trust me, you want to watch it!)  One of the greatest things that the Pastor stated was that worrying never gets anyone anywhere, or makes anything go away,so why waste your time doing it?  Also, that 85% of the things we worry about NEVER ACTUALLY HAPPEN! Geez, that is a whole lot of time we are wasting worrying, when instead we could be experiencing all the joy that can be had in life!

The LORD directs our steps. so why try to understand everything along the way? -Proverbs 20:24

Wow!  We really put way too much on ourselves that we don't actually have to handle on our own.  In Philippians, Paul tells us to not worry about anything, but pray about everything!  God is at work on the solution before any problem arises in our lives!--NOTHING catches Him off guard!  I don't know about you, but that really takes a load off my shoulders!  The challenge is remembering that neat fact daily!  Why do we make life so much more difficult than it has to be? hmm...

Just remember this, only 15% of what you worry about is actually legit...but even then, we do not have to waste our lives worrying!  We have a God who desires us to have an axiety-free life!  I like the sound of that! (especially during mid-terms and approaching graduation!)  So, if you are burdened by axieties or worries that you feel are so far out of your control, write them down, give them to God, and then throw that paper in the trash, and give the Good Lord some thanks! :)

Don't forget!  There are great things in this world!  Dwell on those bad boys instead of fretting!

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is TRUE, whatever is NOBLE, whatever is RIGHT, whatever is PURE, whatever is LOVELY, whatever is ADMIRABLE-if anything is EXCELLENT or PRAISE WORTHY-think about such things." -Philippians 4:8

Spring Break...Where are you?!?!

Hello again!!  Even though I have a research paper due tomorrow along with an ethics test, I thought it would be a GREAT idea to take a break and vent through the good ole blog! I know that you all (if you are in college) are feeling the pressure right now.  It's almost spring break, which means every professor is packing in as much as possible before that glorious break arrives.  I must say, even though it's technically still winter, I wish I was still on PC's spring break (which included my birthday, and is now filled with research papers and midterms--not that I'm bitter or anything).  If any of you PCers are reading this, come to Charleston!  I'd love to see you!! :)


Okay, now that I've had my pity-party, let's get back to the happy!  Who is more than thrilled that spring seems to be sneaking up early this year? This girl!!  Honestly, I think it came early because I prayed that it would. lol Just kidding, but for real...I was getting into such a gloomy slump with the wet and dreary weather that I prayed for happy weather.  Lo and behold...spring seems like it's here!  Even though I think it was my prayer, we need to give the Big Guy Upstairs the credit!  Honestly, I just asked that God would open my eyes so that I could see past the negativity that seems to surround Charleston and see the good that is going on.  Boy, has He provided!...


So many wonderful things have happened!  Not only has God provided such beautiful weather, but He has also been putting such wonderful people in my life and allowing me opportunities to share my faith!  Random conversations have been popping up in classrooms, work, and even in my own apartment! God is so good!  I used to be nervous when this topic came up because I did not want people to think I was trying to throw a Bible in their face.  I just wanted to love on people so much that they could see God instead of just me.  And guess what?  He can do this in your life too!  And that is simply awesome! :)


This is my challenge for all of you out there today!  No matter your circumstance, know that God has a plan for you--a plan that is so unique to your character that only you can fulfill it!  God loves us enough to give us the opportunity to plant seeds in people's hearts and change their lives for the better.  Remembering that we can plant the seed, but God is the One who saves puts it all in perspective!  Don't fret so much about saying the right thing or feeling stupid, because in the long run, what matters more?--looking stupid or allowing someone the opportunity to experience true joy that lies in Jesus Christ!?  Think about all the great things that could happen if all of us asked God to put opportunities in front of us to help others...there would be so much more good to see in this world! 


Sorry about preaching today...I just could not contain my excitement even through all of this school nonsense that those teachers call mid-terms.  I will be praying for all of y'all going through the same thing!  This too shall pass!


"All of us, even Christians, need encouragement.  All of us need somebody to believe in us.  To reassure and reinforce us.  To help us pick up the pieces and go on.  To provide us with increased determination in spite of the odds...The beautiful thing about encouragement is that anybody can do it." -Charles Swindoll


...and now it's back to the grind. Nothing a large mug of coffee can't handle!

I guess since I'm a communication major, I should have a blog..

So, I decided to join the blog train after months of debating it.  I honestly couldn't think of anything that would be interesting about my own personal life that would make people want to know about it!  But then I got to thinking, my blog doesn't have to be about me!  It can be an outlet for other people to go to!  I am hoping that this will become a blog that brings a smile to someone's face, and gives some inspiration that is needed. 

This past year has been a very challenging one for me, and sometimes I really just needed something to get my mind of all that was going on and simply smile.  I hope that this blog can be that for you!! I have learned that there are good aspects about everything if we just open our eyes enough to see it! 

The great thing about this is that there is no specific topic--just random thoughts about what's going on.  The good thing about living in Charleston is that you see something strange or different every day, so I promise that I won't be redundant! 

Now, onto the goods!  I'm in an ethics course this semester with the most interesting professor I've had in a while.  He's a certified genius who wears "Jesus sandals" and a hoodie to class, which means he's pretty darn cool.  Even though his vocabulary could make anyone feel incompetent, he never runs out of interesting stories to make the class enjoyable.  Anywho, we are discussing a book--"The Sunflower"--which is a book about forgiveness.  You see, a man, Simon Wiesenthal, who had been suffering in a concentration camp was asked to come speak with a dying German soldier.  All this soldier wanted was forgiveness, and for this one Jewish man to forgive him.

Okay, I don't know about you, but I would LOVE to say that I would forgive him on the spot because that is what my faith tells me to do.  I do believe, with all my heart, that we are to forgive anyone because we have been forgiven by the grace of God.  But, I don't know how easy that would be for me after experiencing the brutality of a concentration camp.

**SPOILER ALERT COMING NEXT**

So, Wiesenthal just walks out of the room without responding to the dying soldier.  He just couldn't forgive him because he did not feel that it was his place to forgive this soldier for all that he had done to so many other people.  The soldier had never done anything to Wiesenthal personally, so why was he the one who had to do the forgiving? hmmm....made me ponder..

Forgiveness...easier said than done a lot of times.  This is my challenge for you today (and for myself!)  I can say that I doubt any of us has faced anything like a concentration camp, so why do we find it so hard to forgive the petty things that happen in our lives?  I have experienced the beautiful freedom that comes with forgiveness, and I hope that you have as well.  If not, take today as an opportunity to try it!  Even if the person you need to forgive is yourself! 

"To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you." -C.S. Lewis

I hope you are enjoying the fabulous weather outside this weekend!! I know I will be!! :)