MERRY CHRISTMAS!

One Man Band

One of my favorite Pixar short films. So cute. Love it :)

I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

Date: Thursday, January 7, 2010
Time: 8:00 p.m. (EST)
Match-Up: No. 2 BCS-ranked Texas Longhorns vs. No. 1 BCS-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide
Location: Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif.
Television: ABC

The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game will mark the culmination of yet another thrilling college football season by featuring an exciting match-up between the No. 2 BCS-ranked Texas Longhorns versus the No. 1 BCS-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide who will compete for the national title.

A new template!

I don't know why I even bother.....HA....HA.....Haaaah.

Thanksgiving at Pensacola FL

This was our family's first time to ever spend Thanksgiving at the beach! Brooke wasn't able to come home for Thanksgiving, so we all went to see her! We all had the very best time. It was especially good to spend time with my college-student-sister-who-I-never-get-to-see-anymore. Here are some pictures I took of the beautiful ocean over the weekend. When we first arrived, we all were surprised that the beach was so quiet! The water was so still... it was almost like a lake. There were thousands of beautifully crafted sea shells soaking up the sun on the bleach-white sand. Amber and Autumn had fun picking out a little bucket full. I could not believe how clear the water was! If it had been summertime, the water would have been perfect for swimming. The sunsets at Pensacola beach were absolutely spectacular. The sun rose and set over the water (I've never seen that before!) each day. I took tons of pictures... I went picture crazy! On Thanksgiving night, Amber, Autumn, and I went with Brooke to "Fine Arts" at her college. We wore formal dresses and got all "fancied up" for the occasion. It was loads of fun. Basically for Fine Arts you get dressed up and watch a play. The play performance was called "Ruddigard" if I remember correctly. It was a comedy/musical. It was so cute! And pretty funny too. Even Amber and Autumn were laughing at some parts (I wasn't sure if they'd enjoy it, but they really did!). Friday, we went shopping (oh yeah!) and watched the Iron Bowl. Alabama did beat Auburn...but it was too close for comfort. The SEC Championship is this Saturday. That is going to be a great game.... and nerve-racking! Well, I think this was the best Thanksgiving weekend ever. I will always remember all the good memories of just spending time with family and having the best time at the beach. I am so blessed...I have so much to be thankful for. It was hard to leave Brooke, but I will see her again in about three weeks... then she will be home for Christmas break (YAY!). I can't wait!!!!!

random photographs

Psalm 139:17-18

Got Any Common Sense?

"Wake up America!", "Times are changing", "The Constitution is in danger!", "Get up off the couch and call your Senator, call the White House!", "Demand answers!" Unless you are living in a hole (or maybe your just purposely ignorant.....oops, did I just say that?!), you probably know that these are some of the rally cries of one man who is quite the bold American, Glenn Beck. I guess you could say that I'm pretty inspired! I started to wonder though,"What CAN I do?" I'm not even old enough to vote! I know I want to do something!

The fact is, there is something I can do! And I don't think Glenn Beck has proposed this plan.

Here it is:
____________________________________________________________________
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chron 7:14
____________________________________________________________________

football! finally!

Game day. The fans gather around decked out in crimson and white. You hear the band start to play the best fight song there is. You smell the aroma of tailgaters cooking up a football feast. Leaves are starting to fade into those rich autumn colors. Team pride is stirring within you.....You know it's football season once more.
I've got to say, this is the best time of year. The weather, the colors, the football! Only four days until kickoff! I get so pumped when I see my team- crimson and white- march out on to that field. My expectations are very high.

Our first game is going to be held in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome against Virginia Tech. It's going to
be a good match-up...they are #7 and we are #5.

Usually, gametime is when my Dad and I are glued to the tv (unless we are @ Bryant-Denny Stadium). We are the biggest fans in house. And do we get loud! Whoo hoo! I love watching football (and talking about football) with my dad. For this first game, unfortuantely I won't even be home. I will be out of town so will have to watch it in a hotel. We are taking Brooke to college this weekend. So it's going to be a sad/happy weekend. Roll Tide!

The Beginning of The End

Starting today, I am finally a Senior in high-school. I can't believe it! Ha! Wow... I made it! Why is the first day of school actually....enjoyable?!
I like just about all of my subjects this year. I don't have to take a math or a science course which is kind of nice. Most of my subjects are one semester long, so I'm planning on doing all of my courses this semester in order to just get it all over with. I could be done by Christmas! Hopefully!

My cousin, Riley, is a married man as of last Saturday. He married his beautiful bride, Lori, in a pretty little church in Winchester TN. Amber, Autumn, and Jeremy were all in the wedding. They looked precious!

On Sunday, my dad bought Amber, Autumn, and Jeremy their own little bunnies. They're so fluffy and soft...I LOVE them! I have always loved rabbits :). Dad also picked up two little guineas (a type of bird). But they didn't make it. I found them this morning already gone. I guess they weren't strong enough for the trip home from my grandparents. Poor little things :(

Brooke is leaving for Pensacola on September 5th. I'm dreading her departure very much! I'm trying to not think about it right now. Life will not be the same without her around!

Full, or Empty?

“When you get to the end of your life, are you going to be full, or empty? Glancing at your fuel gauge- do you have enough of God to get through life? Do you have enough in your spiritual tank?”

Full indicates empty
- Half full + half empty? Could mean you have some sort of sin that is keeping you from being full.
- To be full of the Holy Spirit you must be empty of the flesh. They cannot coexist.
- Full of good works --> empty of self
- If you’re going to be filled, you have to be emptied.
- Perhaps God wants to take some things out
- Put off the old man

Full indicates entry
- An entry point for God to get things in your heart
- Allow the Word of God to enter your life….Open your heart.
- Refusal of entry leads to emptiness….like the door to a fuel tank that won’t open. No fuel-->empty tank.

Full indicates enlargement
- God wants to add to your faith--> Growth!
- Expand, don’t stay the same! God should always be changing you.
- God doesn’t want you to do the “same old same old”.

“How far are you going to be able to go for God? Are you full, or empty?”

Pastor John Goetsch--The Wilds Camp NC. June 15th, 2009

The Hunt for Happiness

The common philosophy for a happy life: be $uccessful in your career, be in love, and be popular on facebook. The secret to the self-confidence you have always wanted is: have a perfect weight, perfect hair, and wear the latest styles from Hollister and Abercrombie. To sum it up- what you need to look like is someone who just jumped out of the latest fad magazine. You look great! You should be happy! Take it, run with it, and live your life to the fullest.

In this present age, nothing is more valued and sought after than the things that "make you happy". And is there ever an endless amount of things out there that seemingly make us happy. Whether its money, materials, people, food, drugs... all of these things do bring us some amount of pleasure. But maintaining the euphoria of any of these pleasures is something that is quite hard to do. Not long after we relish in our limited state of delight, we find that it is over and all we can do is seek after something else to fulfill our quest for happiness. So the search continues.

Going from one delight to another to sustain your enjoyment is not only a continuous pursuit, it is an endless one. There is no such thing as nirvana.

You might be thinking, "That's just life!” After all, aren't we all seeking to be happy anyways? Isn't that the American Dream? But what's the point if this objective doesn't last. Shouldn't a prize worth fighting for be at least something that endures? Well, let me let you in on a little secret: your happiness does not last because the things making you happy do not last. Money, materials, people, food, drugs, and whatever else has fooled you into thinking you have discovered happiness- will not give you an enduring gratification because they can't. Everything in the earth grows old like a piece of clothing. Nothing that can be grasped will last. All things tangible will cease to be, and in like manner the enjoyment that comes from them.

In short, happiness that comes from outside sources is not worth fighting for. It's a waste of time and that is something you have very little of. However, there is something much greater than that fleeting happiness that is worth fighting for. In a lot of ways, it's similar the happiness we have been discussing. From it you get pleasure, enjoyment, excitement, fulfillment, and contentment. It runs deep within you and flourishes. It's called joy. Unlike false happiness, joy does not come from anything you do on your own. Only the One True God can give you this everlasting joy. Once you are freed from the pain, guilt, and condemnation of sin, a joy that surpasses all understanding is given to you. You become alive! Even when trials and tribulations come upon you, you still possess an overflowing and abundance of joy. Psalms 16:11- "Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Jesus gives to us what we need that our "joy may be full". And what we need is forgiveness. There is nothing we have done that is good before the eyes of a holy God. "I cursed His name, He called me child. I was to blame, He went to trial." He bore on Himself all of my iniquities- sins that I have committed against Him- and He has washed them all away! Because of that I am so joyful! My heart is overflowing with an unspeakable amount of joy! Even when I am mourning, I still have joy. Joy is always there because my Lord is always near.

In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon wrote that "all is vanity". He had everything he ever wanted, and still he recognized that it was all worthless. The world will pass away and all the lusts thereof. Until you trust in Christ to redeem you, you will have no true happiness and no joy.

"Lift your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein in like manner: but my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall never be abolished." Isaiah 51:6

Thoughts...

I love the summertime. Summer is a time to relax and just enjoy life. The grass is green and soft. The sun shines brightly through the pines and creates a spot-light on the earth below.
You know, there is nothing like taking time to read a good book in the summertime. This is something I have been spending a lot of my time doing lately. The weather has been absolutely perfect for finding a nice spot in the grass just to sit and read.
Today, I went to a nearby park and sat by the lake to do my devotions. It was something I had never really done before--go to a park all by myself to read. I have to say, at first I was a little concerned. You see, I am a really conscience person when it comes to being careful about my surroundings. So to stay on the safe side, I found a nice picnic table out in the open. For a while it was just me and the ducks.
After a while, as I started to leave, I found a random track in my purse to give to a man sitting on a bench across from me. As I started to hand it to him, a feeling of fear came over me. I think it was because of the fact that I was by myself, and he was a man and all. I gave it to him and asked him if he knew Jesus as his Savior. Of course he said yes. Then he casually asked me if I come to the park much or something like that. Since I was a little shook up, I said no (which actually I do occasionally...but he didn't need to know that anyways (hope that wasn't a lie) ), told him to read the track, and hurriedly went to the car. Maybe he will read it, and the Lord will change his life. You never know how the Lord can use you to bring people to Himself. I wonder how many people will be in Heaven on day just because someone took the time to hand out a track, or to even talk a while. Witnessing and evangelism is something that I think all Christians should be in the business of. Christ said He would be with us, so we should not be afraid. I am not however encouraging that you (especially if you're a girl) go alone. It's a good idea to stay in groups. But if you are alone, it's a good idea to hand out tracks to people you come in contact with. It may seem like a small thing...but you never know what the Lord could do.

Camp Icthus