Tuesday, September 28, 2010

So...last night I made

Apple pie!!!

Sis. Brenda taught me how to make apple pie last night! A very easy recipe for the crust, and the pie filling is just delicious!

My mama bakes and cooks very often, but she's never made a "warm" pie before. So, that was my first warm pie. Just delicious! I know I keep repeating myself, but it was one of the most exciting experiences!

Yes, I'm a very simple person, and I get excited about small things, such as making my first apple pie. Well, I'm done rambling. Just letting you all know that I've entered a new phase of my life---making pie!:D

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Hello everyone!:) As of late I've had blogger's block-not having anything to write about. I'm sure there are a lot of things I could post about, but nothing that I wanted to post. Well, last night I found my topic:)


Many of you know that for a while I've had a desire to be a missionary. It started a few years ago at Apostolic Youth Conference when Bro. Raul Alvear Jr. from Brazil was preaching. Over the years the desire was still there, but not as strong. Once again, I have an overwhelming desire to be involved in the foreign missions field.


In World Geography last school year, I had 3 weeks devoted to learning about the countries of Africa. The pain and famine that the Africans suffer is just awful! I was very affected during my World Geography PACEs.


While thinking about Africa lately, one country has stuck out to me. Sudan. I think it was last summer, I was over at Monique's house and she was showing me how cool Google Earth is. She just happened to zoom in on Sudan and was showing me this nifty little feature. There were little red, orange, and yellow flames on different parts of the country. If you scrolled over them, they would give you some info about that area. Those flames represented the villages that were either destroyed completely, or partially destroyed by the Sudanese government.


I cannot imagine having the government, the people who are supposed to be helping me, dropping bombs on my village, or coming in and killing or doing other unmentionable things to the children and women of my village.


Last night I decided to go to Google Images and look up Sudan. That's all I typed in, and the first image was a picture of a little child leaning on someone's legs sleeping. The fact that you can see every rib in his back and his little arms are maybe 4 inches around made me cry so much last night. I looked at pictures of that poor, starving country, and I read about the different things they suffer and I sat at the table and cried. Little 8 year old boys are not supposed to have guns and they're not supposed to be fighting a war against the government, but in Sudan, they are.


Sudan's dictator, Omar Bashir, is the first place winner for the 10 worst dictators in the world. He most notorious forms of abuse are slave trade and aerial bombings. He's a greedy, filthy, disgusting, and evil person. I wonder how he ever came to power in the first place. Millions of people having been affected by the dark, evil caverns of his heart. If there was a way to express how I feel about him, I would put a little spitting-mad face on here. :D Sorry, just had to let ya'll know how I feel:D


I realize that being a missionary in a predominantly black country can be dangerous. I also realize that being a missionary in Sudan means there may be days that I don't eat and that I'll probably learn to drink the filthy water that they drink in that country, but to me, being a light in the midst of the dark, dark world of the Sudanese people would be worth it. Seeing the peace on the face of a dying Sudanese woman because she knows she's not going to suffer anymore and she'll get to live with Jesus forever, is all worth it to me.


I've decided that I'm going to pray for that country, and for that people, and allow the Lord to lead me. If it is the Lord's will for me to be a missionary in Sudan, He will keep His hand on me, He'll make a way for me, and He'll provide for me, and that's all I need to know:)


Thank you all for taking the time to read this post! PLEASE, take time to pray for missionaries in foreign countries, and take time to pray for the Sudanese people:)

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

I Kissed Dating Goodbye

This post is to all the single people out there. Right now, I'm technically "single" but really I should have no relationship status because I'm not the appropriate age to be involved with someone. The reason that people "date" is to find a future spouse. No, finding a future spouse through dating does not mean that you should date fifteen different guys or girls to find out if they're the right one or not. I don't think that dating is wrong by any means, but I do believe that it's important, not just something a young person does when they're single.



I kind of got ahead of myself but that's alright:) I'm writing this post to tell you about a wonderful book by Joshua Harris entitled "I Kissed Dating Goodbye: A New Attitude Toward Romance and Relationships." I'm actually in the process of reading this book for the second time. The first time I read it I was younger and didn't actually learn anything from it. This time I'm learning a lot! I've determined that I'm not gonna play the normal "game" of dating. There IS a better way to do it and I believe a way that pleases God:) So, if you get the chance, please read this book! You'll be glad you did:)



Sunday, September 12, 2010

As of the past 3 months, I've adopted a song that has become my "anthem" so to speak. The chorus goes:

Falling in love with Jesus
Falling in love with Jesus
Falling in love with Jesus, was th best thing I've ever, ever done.

I cannot describe to you how much that song speaks my heart. I'm gonna give a little testimony on here that only two people know about. Probably 6 months ago and going back for I don't know how long, I was not doing so well spiritually. I was constantly struggling with things and constantly struggling with my attitude (my Mama can testify to that one:D) I'm not giving this testimony to draw attention or to have people feel bad for me. I just pray that God can use it and draw someone else, that is possibly struggling in their walk, closer to him.

The devil started working on my mind, and things that I knew were wrong beyond the shadow of a doubt all of the sudden starting seeming not so wrong. The world didn't seem as bad as what everyone made it out to be. I started having thoughts like, "Just a little taste of the world and I can come back and get right with God," or, "It's not as bad as it seems. The world's not gonna work me over like it does every other backslidden saint of God."

I don't remember the exact date, but my pastor preached a message and in that message I found myself. I felt like every wrong attitude, every wrong thought came back and hit me in the face. We didn't have an altar call, just dismissed and went home. When I got home, I laid on my bed as I was going to sleep and poured out my heart to God. I repented for so many, many things that were wrong in me. I prayed like David prayed in Psalm 51:10, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." I asked Him to purge me and take out everything that was not like Him.

That was the beginning of the work that God started in me. Some specific things I had prayed about that night, I no longer struggled with. Those feelings were gone, and I praise the Lord and thank Him for that. The next step was at Apostolic Youth Conference in Canton, Ohio. Brother Jonathan Alvear preached about Calvary on Friday morning. I have never, ever heard it preached that way. I stood in the presence of Jesus, the One Who suffered the most horrible death, Who took all of our sins upon Himself and suffered and died for us, and I sobbed. How could a God that knew how many times I would fail, that knew all the times I would shame Him and ignore Him, take it upon Himself and say, "I love you in spite of that"? That morning I began falling in love with my Jesus:)

Then came Summer Heritage in Colorado Springs the next week. Even though God had begun a work in me and started changing me, I still had somethings that I struggled with. The main thing I struggled with was modesty. It was in my mind, but it wasn't completely rooted in my heart and my soul. A lot of things happened, and I'm not going to go into details, but Brother Brian Jones preached about "Revival in th Family" and what he preached was straight down my alley. Once again, I was broken before God and asked Him to take the immodest spirit out of me and put a deep love for modesty and a deep love for him in me. Once again, God did that for me. God changed me so much in just a two month period.

I have felt a complete change in me. I stand in awe that such a big God would take time to see me with every thing in me that's wrong, and love me and forgive me. I can honestly say, "I love my Master." My walk with God isn't just there because that's what's expected of me, and that's what my Mama and Daddy expect of me. I LOVE Him with everything that is in me. Tonight's church service was absolutely amazing. When I get in the presence of Jehovah and can't help but stand where I am and just bawl! He's been TOO good to me! I really can't explain what I feel, but I can tell you that falling in love with Him is the best thing that ANYONE could EVER do!

If all God ever did for me was die for my sin and choose to forgive me, that's enough. But He didn't just leave me with that. In Luke chapter 24, after Jesus was resurrected, and before He ascended into Heaven, He told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. He sent the Holy Ghost down in Acts chapter 2, and He gave us power that we wouldn't just keep messing up and stay the way we are, but that we'll have the strength to walk right and the strength to live right. He gave us the Holy Ghost to change us so we can be like Him.

So anwyas ya'll, that's my testimony. I'm closer to God now than I've ever been, and the #1 reason is because I've fallen in love with Him. I believe that that's one of the main keys to living a victorious walk with God. When you love Someone, you don't want to keep doing wrong against them. You want to do what pleases them. Well, that's the end ya'll. I just felt like sharing my testimony that maybe it'll encourage somone to really, really fall in love with Him.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Trust

Trust, according to Dictionary.com is "to rely upon or place confidence in someone or something ." A synonym of trust is assurance, meaning "absolute confidence and certainty."

Lately I've been thinking a LOT about trusting the Lord. Sometimes it's with things like being assured that the Lord hears my prayers. Other times it's knowing that He has a plan for my life, and other times still, it's trusting Him that He knows what He's doing with me and He knows what's best for me. This post I'm going to address trusting him through the hard times.

As a Christian we often goes through various trials and times of testing. While in the midst of the trials we hear so many times, trust God. What does that really mean? I don't believe it means saying, "OK, God, I'm supposed to trust you so I'm gonna just talk to you about my time of testing and still struggle through and wonder if I'm gonna make it."

Job 23:10 says, "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." Nobody is gonna say that going through times of trying are fun. They're not going to say they enjoy it or that they would love to be in that position for the rest of their life. But many, many people will tell you that Job knew what he was talking about in 23:10. God DOES indeed know the way that you take. He hasn't forgotten about you and He hasn't decided that you're going to permanently be miserable. One day, when you come out of this trial or this test, and you WILL come out, you're going to be as gold!

I've heard the comparison so many times, and I'm sure you have too. The description of how gold refiners work. When they take a piece of gold to refine it, they put it over very, very hot fire. As it's heating up, it's brings all of the impurities and imperfections to the surface, and the refiner can scrape them off the top. In the spiritual sense, if we never went through the hot furnace, the Refiner couldn't get the imperfections out of us.

Back to the first paragraph and original reason of this blog post, through the storms and tests, put your complete confidence and trust in God. He knows what He's doing, He knows what's best for your life, and He has a purpose for you going through whatever it is that you're going through.

Ecclesiastes 3:11a "He hath made every thing beautiful in HIS time..."

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Ok, so I'm soooo excited!! Why?? Wait for it.....

CAMP!!! Yes, the day is finally here! About 15 of us are heading off to Virginia tomorrow to Bro. Peters' camp. Even though I've been to two conferences, one in Akron, OH, and one in Colorado Springs, CO, there is something special about a campmeeting.

Every time I think about a campmeeting, my mind immediately goes to a girl's dorm room. Something I lovingly call "the hairspray cloud" descends as all the girls get ready for church and fix their hair all big and beautiful. The reason I say "lovingly" because hairspray has tamed my hair many a-times! I have one of those crazy hair textures so it takes a strong, freezing hairspray to control it. Any how, the smell of steam from the iron is in the air. A mysterious, unnamed smell is in the air from a mix of about 15 different scents of perfume.

I don't know how to explain it, but I have many fond memories of camp and getting ready for church service. Speaking of the services, there's also something so special about being in a church service with a room full of people, most of which you don't know, and worshipping the Lord and feeling His Spirit with them.
Well, I haven't started packing yet and we are leaving the church by 9 A.M. so I gotta get moving!

I'm sure I'll have a looong story to tell you all when we get back so get your reading eyes ready!;) Ta ta dahlings!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Well I've made some big changes to my blog. I hope to continue to change it to make it more inviting and fun:)
I have to give a big shout out to Meagan Rowell! That girl is AWESOME! Her blog is super fun and she has insight beyond her years.
I got some ideas for my blog off of her blog. Ya'll should really go and take the time to look over her blog. Thanks for the ideas Meagan:D
www.meaganrowell.blogspot.com

Blog mess

Hello everyone! How are ya today? Just a quick heads-up, if you visit my blog today you'll probably see it in a little mess. I'm going to change the layout because the one I have is starting to get boring=D So please bear with me and make sure you check out the new look