A Time of Transition

I'm finished with my finals! The end of the semester leads into a time of transition.  It's always difficult to predict what Christmas break will be like.  Christmas and New Year's celebrations are one of my favorite parts of this time of year.  But it's all the time in between that sometimes feel awkward.  I've decided this: if the Lord has given me the next month to be away from school and stress, maybe I should ask Him what He wants me to do with this time.

This morning I spent 2 hours with Jesus.  It was by far the best 2 hours of my day.  I turned on some Hillsong worship music, and just prayed and prayed and prayed.  It was definitely a two-way conversation.  I talked and God talked.  I am always amazed by the way that the Lord replenishes my body, mind, and heart.  Coming out of the prayer room, I felt joy, peace, and a new alertness as if I was never tired before.  These were all great emotions, but the best isn't any of those.  My favorite was my heart's longing for more.

I can't wait to spend more and more time with the Lord.  It's like dating, really.  You see, when I was just a child, my Mom told me about this man named Jesus who died for me a long time ago.  I asked this man to become the center of my life.  I read His letter, written for all, called the Bible.  I longed to read it, and I read it often, even as a young child.  Our relationship has definitely not been perfect.  In fact, I have backstabbed this man many times.  Yet He always re-welcomes me with open arms and is excited to have me back.  I even doubted His existence once upon a time, but decided that I'd rather die to find out that He is real and to have lived a life that pleases Him.  Bible studies, churches, and other forms of community have encouraged me and contributed to my growth of faith.

Since beginning college, my faith has grown drastically.  I'm continuing to learn so much about God and love it!  There are definitely times when I feel like God kicks my butt and leaves me bruised.  But the great part is this: a) He doesn't leave me.  He's always there, no matter what. b)When God kicks my butt, it's because there's something in my heart that's not pleasing to Him that I wish to hold on to.  So really, God's kicking leads me to an even greater life.  It's like growing pains; actually, it is growing pains.

I have no idea why all of this just came from my hands.  I just started typing away and this is what happened.

But back to this time of transition.  I'm already feeling that.  When there's no one telling you when to work or what to do for class, you have a lot of control over your time.  Ultimately, I would love to just give all of my time, every single millisecond, to the Lord and ask Him to control it instead of me.  It is too true that no matter how many times I surrender to the Lord, I will still be in control of something.  This doesn't stop me from trying, but it does humble me and remind me that I am just a sinner saved by grace.

That Time of Year

It's that time of year when...
-you neither sleep normal hours nor at normal times of the day/night.
-you do nothing but study and consume abnormally large amounts of caffeine and sugar in hopes that you will stay awake for just one more hour.
-you just want to sleep in your own bed and cuddle with your dog (or cat, if that's what you have or prefer).
-you know that joy will come with Christmas, but first comes the pain of finals.
-you say goodbye to friends who are graduating or will be studying abroad next semester.
-you begin singing "White Christmas" because the brown grass is still visible.  (I guess this one applies more to this year than previous years, but it's too true.)
-we either focus more on the Lord for strength and rest or push Him aside and convince ourselves that we can do it on our own.

There seems to always be seasons of "that time of year."  There's that of time of year for snow, rain, and sunshine, beginnings and endings, hellos and goodbyes.

Maybe the majority of the items on the above list are true primarily for college students, but many feel pressures and stress during the weeks and days approaching Christmas.

In recent months, I have come to realize that the Lord is present in every time of year.  He should always be the center of every season, the peaceful and the chaotic.  In all things give thanks and praise the Lord, for He never stops being good.  It's true.

Christmas Lights

Tis the season!

For driving around neighborhoods and looking at the Christmas lights.

It's always one of my favorite parts of this time of year.

My favorite is always the classic white bordering homes, wrapped around railings, covering the bushes, and wrapped neatly around the trees.  The manger scenes are always great, too.

Unfortunately, the phrase "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" has not been around a lot lately.  I remember my Mom always explaining to my brothers and I what that meant and said that it's the most important part of Christmas.

Maybe there will be a day when Jesus is the center of the Christmas season again.  Gifts are great.  It's great to be on the giving and on the receiving end.  But even so, I have recently been reminded that I have already been given all I could ever need, Jesus, my Lord and Savior.  He provides for me all I need and even more.  I live a very blessed life, more blessed than what I will ever imagine.

Who can I share the gift of Jesus with this holiday season?  Who can you share Jesus with?  He is, after all, the reason for the season.

My First Posting

Hello, friends, family, fellow bloggers, and any other person who just happens to be reading this.

I decided to start blogging after I realized how much I enjoy reading my friends' blogs.  Blogging can be a sweat way to connect with people.  When I read a person's blog, I learn how to pray for them.  I want this blog to be used in a similar way.  I want people to read this blog so that they can know how to pray for me, and so they can be encouraged by the Lord.  My intentions are to share how God is active in my daily life, the big, the small, the unusual, the common, everything.  I hope that anyone and everyone who reads this, whether once or many times, will be encouraged and pushed to Jesus.

If you read this, thank you.  If you didn't, well then there's no point in writing anything to you, because you wouldn't know anyway.