Day #2 of what I'm thankful for...
Today is Veteran's Day. So I think it's fitting that I tell you that I'm very thankful for our armed forces. I am so thankful for the men and women serving our country because it's a choice. In so many other countries (and even ours during the World Wars and others) you are forced to serve in the military. The people that make up our Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard in the USA are completely doing it out of their own will.
I have become even more thankful for our military personnel since I've gotten to know a few of them. I have several friends from high school who are doing ROTC right now in college so they can join the forces. Peter, one of my best friends from home, is doing Air Force ROTC. Reid, my brother, is also doing AFROTC. I am so proud of them and thankful.
Another one of my friends, Jonathan, is currently serving in Afghanistan. He is a medic in the Army. Jonathan is one of the best people I know. He genuinely cares about people and is always smiling. His heart for the Lord is so evident in his life. He was a nursing major with me last year before he got deployed. I wasn't super close to him, but I still miss seeing him around and I know he is dearly loved and missed here. Please say a prayer for him.
I feel like this is one of my more somber posts, but I think it should be. Serving in the military isn't something to be taken lightly. They know they are risking their lives for ME, for US. I don't understand it, but I'm so thankful that they do.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
Dubstepping kitties and whatnot.
"You are my sunshine, my lovely sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey."
This quote is pinned up to my desk, courtesy of a friend who sent me a letter at school!! **shoutout to you K!** You know, I've been realizing quite a bit about myself lately and how I work. Something I realized this morning when I was talking to a friend at coffee was this: I feel in short, intense spurts. I definitely get stressed...but it's only for 5 minutes at a time usually. I get sad, but it doesn't last longer than a few hours at most. Happiness, however...ohhh happiness :D I love being happy. I don't know anyone who doesn't like being happy, so it makes sense.
Why am I so happy? I guess it's because I have so much to be THANKFUL for!! And since Thanksgiving is actually coming up quite soon, I want to dedicate the next posts leading up to Turkey Day as a way of showing what I'm thankful for in my life. So here goes. Disclaimer: these are in no particular order, just kind of as they come to mind.
Day 1:
I'm thankful for my family. Specifically I'll talk about my brother today.
Reid is my twin and he is an amazing guy. He's so goony. Once he posted on my Facebook wall and said "Here's your motivation to get through the rest of the week." This is the video he posted:
HAHAHA WHAT??? SO goony. He goes on little rampages where he will just start giggling really crazily and that gets ME going...people must think we're so strange.
He's also just a really solid guy. This year he's getting completely rocked by God and it's so cool to see. God has big plans for his life, that's for sure. He's becoming a leader and God is really developing him into someone special. Sometimes he'll post Facebook statuses and they kiiind of make me really excited because I can just tell he loves the Lord and that he is excited about it!
So that is my little shpiel (spiel? schpiel?) about how I am thankful for my hermano, stay tuned for more!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
the longest book ever
GUYS!! I know it's been forever since I last posted on here but something just keeps hitting me that I realllllly want to share with ya'll. So here goes :)
I was reading in John the other day, all the way at the end. The very last verse of John says "Jesus did many other things as well," (the whole book talks about his life and everything he did) "If every one of them were written down, I (John) suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written."
THAT'S INCREDIBLE. Something that hit me...Jesus was alive for 33 years, right? He only did 3 years of ministry, right? According to John, there wouldn't be enough room in the WORLD to hold the records of all he had done. I know you can argue that he's using hyperbole, but still...that's a pretty sweet hyperbole.
I just imagine my college textbooks...they are HUGE. I just got my microbiology book yesterday (speaking of which I got it from some shady overseas Chinese market and saved $100 hollaaaaa) and it's like 800+ pages. It's pretty amazing to think that if a book could hold all the things Jesus did, it would be smaller than my micro book. That's a dang big book!!
This just got me thinking. Jesus's 3 years of ministry had an immeasurable amount of works come out of it. Just imagine the work that has been done since! Often I forget that the Holy Spirit is just as much God as Jesus was. For the past TWO THOUSAND years God has been doing amazing things through the Holy Spirit. Imagine all the huge books that could be published with all of those works...
This has just challenged me to let myself be more open to let God work in me. He can do so so so much through his followers, as we can see through the past 2,000 years of history. One verse I have fallen in love with over the past few months is 2 Timothy 1:7 which says, "For God didn't give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of loveand of self-discipline." The same Spirit that was working in Jesus is the Holy Spirit who is working in Christians...now that is something to be excited about!!!
The biggest book in the world can't contain the works of God...let's keep adding to that :)
I was reading in John the other day, all the way at the end. The very last verse of John says "Jesus did many other things as well," (the whole book talks about his life and everything he did) "If every one of them were written down, I (John) suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written."
THAT'S INCREDIBLE. Something that hit me...Jesus was alive for 33 years, right? He only did 3 years of ministry, right? According to John, there wouldn't be enough room in the WORLD to hold the records of all he had done. I know you can argue that he's using hyperbole, but still...that's a pretty sweet hyperbole.
I just imagine my college textbooks...they are HUGE. I just got my microbiology book yesterday (speaking of which I got it from some shady overseas Chinese market and saved $100 hollaaaaa) and it's like 800+ pages. It's pretty amazing to think that if a book could hold all the things Jesus did, it would be smaller than my micro book. That's a dang big book!!
This just got me thinking. Jesus's 3 years of ministry had an immeasurable amount of works come out of it. Just imagine the work that has been done since! Often I forget that the Holy Spirit is just as much God as Jesus was. For the past TWO THOUSAND years God has been doing amazing things through the Holy Spirit. Imagine all the huge books that could be published with all of those works...
This has just challenged me to let myself be more open to let God work in me. He can do so so so much through his followers, as we can see through the past 2,000 years of history. One verse I have fallen in love with over the past few months is 2 Timothy 1:7 which says, "For God didn't give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of loveand of self-discipline." The same Spirit that was working in Jesus is the Holy Spirit who is working in Christians...now that is something to be excited about!!!
The biggest book in the world can't contain the works of God...let's keep adding to that :)
Saturday, May 19, 2012
adoration.
I wrote this in my journal a few nights ago after reading in 1 John. A few of the verses I read said, "We know we have come to love him if we obey his commands...if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." (2:3-6)
"Jesus, I wanna walk like you did."
I was just talking with my friend Jamie about this yesterday, about how normally when we think of obedience we are like "Ughhh...OK fine." Yeah you bring on the stink face, don't deny it. That can be to our parents, God, whoever. Obedience seems like a burden in most cases, and that does zippo in making me actually WANT to do it.
That made me wonder as I read these verses, "How can I come to the point where I actually want to obey what God wants me to do?"
I went back to verse 3 where it says "we have come to love him if we obey his commands." I wrote, "This is different than just 'we know him if we obey his commands.' COMING to know someone implies you know about their character, their motives; you come to trust them and love them."
Ohhh snap. If I had to make a list of adjectives that describe God's character...mmm. What do I know about God? He loves me, gives life, is faithful, patient, wise, understanding, holds me, blesses me...
GOD! I ADORE YOU!!!!!
The only way I can think of developing that desire to obey God is to know Him better. The past years have been an amazing journey for me coming to know the Lord better. But that isn't enough!! I want to CONTINUE growing closer, to continue seeing His character revealed to me, to get so incredibly lost in Him.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
getting old.
Do you ever think about dying? I always wonder when I'll die, how it will happen...I always thought it would be super ironic to die getting hit by an ambulance. HA watch it happen, people, watch it happen.
I was reading Psalm 71 the other day and keep coming back to read it. The title is "Forsake Me Not When My Strength Is Spent" (I'm using ESV). The writer is just asking God, "Hey God, don't just leave me out to dry once I'm old. Stay here with me just like you've done for the past __ years." Throughout the passage he keeps saying things that talk about his lifelong walk with God:
v. 3: "Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come..."
v. 5-6 "For you, O LORD, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth, upon you have I leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you."
v.8 "My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day."
You get the picture, there's a ton more.
The part that really gets me though is verses 17-18. It says, "O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, don't forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come."
"Even when I'm old, God, don't forsake me, so I can tell of your name to another generation." He doesn't want God to leave him when he's an old fart, but not because he's afraid of dying. It's because he wants to keep proclaiming God's name.
Wow. That is PURPOSE. That is LIFE. When I'm old and falling apart, I want my prayer to be that God continues to let me live solely for the purpose of making his name known. But that doesn't start when I'm old. That starts now. I said I always wonder about how and when I'll die. Well if that ambulance hits me tomorrow I'd better be praying NOW that God is using me to make him known!!
Our purpose is to keep chuggin along for God, even when we're old, even when we're young. THAT is life.
I was reading Psalm 71 the other day and keep coming back to read it. The title is "Forsake Me Not When My Strength Is Spent" (I'm using ESV). The writer is just asking God, "Hey God, don't just leave me out to dry once I'm old. Stay here with me just like you've done for the past __ years." Throughout the passage he keeps saying things that talk about his lifelong walk with God:
v. 3: "Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come..."
v. 5-6 "For you, O LORD, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth, upon you have I leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you."
v.8 "My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day."
You get the picture, there's a ton more.
The part that really gets me though is verses 17-18. It says, "O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, don't forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come."
"Even when I'm old, God, don't forsake me, so I can tell of your name to another generation." He doesn't want God to leave him when he's an old fart, but not because he's afraid of dying. It's because he wants to keep proclaiming God's name.
Wow. That is PURPOSE. That is LIFE. When I'm old and falling apart, I want my prayer to be that God continues to let me live solely for the purpose of making his name known. But that doesn't start when I'm old. That starts now. I said I always wonder about how and when I'll die. Well if that ambulance hits me tomorrow I'd better be praying NOW that God is using me to make him known!!
Our purpose is to keep chuggin along for God, even when we're old, even when we're young. THAT is life.
Monday, April 16, 2012
father.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3UJIzZpiA8
"You restore the broken hearted
You bring freedom to the captive
For one and all
Forever this means love"
OBSESSED with this song lately..enjoy!
"You restore the broken hearted
You bring freedom to the captive
For one and all
Forever this means love"
OBSESSED with this song lately..enjoy!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
i just love him.
Right now I'm supposed to be researching the city of Barcelona...oh well, Barcelona can wait.
So lately I've been noticing how much I complain. All. The. Time. I complain about school, how much homework I have, how cold it is, how tired I am, how stressed I am, how lazy I am, how much I complain...ohhh the irony. I don't even realize I'm doing it until after the fact and then I'm like, Oh...yeahhh I'm complaining.
This past weekend when I was home for Easter, I got to see my friend Lauren. We were just walking to the car or something and she says, "Oh I just love Jesus." I kind of looked at her and smiled. She goes, "Sorry Chesney (her roommate) is rubbing off on me and I say that like every 3 minutes, but it's true. I just love him."
!!!
That's such a simple thing to say: "I love Jesus." But instead I find things to COMPLAIN about...why is that? You could say that it's because it's so easy to forget about God in the moment and just complain, which is true. You could say that in our society it's so common to complain that it's not even a big deal anymore, just part of normal conversation. But more than that, I think it's a heart issue.
Why do I complain? It's because I'm not satisfied with something in the moment. When Lauren said that over break, it just made me think--people should be hearing "I love Jesus" from my mouth more than they should be hearing complaints. So lately I've been trying to say "I just love Jesus" when I catch myself complaining. A lot of the time "and that's all that really matters" is added onto it. And it's TRUE!! Does it really matter that I have 3 tests this week? Does it really matter that the weather is bipolar and I don't like it? Nope. All that matters is that I love Jesus and what I do with that.
Being able to say that helps me refocus too...I find myself thanking God for the situation I'm in rather than complaining about it. Example: this week is insane with tests, essays, speeches etc. I was griping about it but then realized I have SO much to be thankful for--let's talk about the fact that having this homework means that I'm getting a top notch education that billions of others will never get.
Here's my challenge to you: if you love Jesus, let the world know. Let those words flow from your mouth and BE THANKFUL!! I hope you all hold me to this too!
So lately I've been noticing how much I complain. All. The. Time. I complain about school, how much homework I have, how cold it is, how tired I am, how stressed I am, how lazy I am, how much I complain...ohhh the irony. I don't even realize I'm doing it until after the fact and then I'm like, Oh...yeahhh I'm complaining.
This past weekend when I was home for Easter, I got to see my friend Lauren. We were just walking to the car or something and she says, "Oh I just love Jesus." I kind of looked at her and smiled. She goes, "Sorry Chesney (her roommate) is rubbing off on me and I say that like every 3 minutes, but it's true. I just love him."
!!!
That's such a simple thing to say: "I love Jesus." But instead I find things to COMPLAIN about...why is that? You could say that it's because it's so easy to forget about God in the moment and just complain, which is true. You could say that in our society it's so common to complain that it's not even a big deal anymore, just part of normal conversation. But more than that, I think it's a heart issue.
Why do I complain? It's because I'm not satisfied with something in the moment. When Lauren said that over break, it just made me think--people should be hearing "I love Jesus" from my mouth more than they should be hearing complaints. So lately I've been trying to say "I just love Jesus" when I catch myself complaining. A lot of the time "and that's all that really matters" is added onto it. And it's TRUE!! Does it really matter that I have 3 tests this week? Does it really matter that the weather is bipolar and I don't like it? Nope. All that matters is that I love Jesus and what I do with that.
Being able to say that helps me refocus too...I find myself thanking God for the situation I'm in rather than complaining about it. Example: this week is insane with tests, essays, speeches etc. I was griping about it but then realized I have SO much to be thankful for--let's talk about the fact that having this homework means that I'm getting a top notch education that billions of others will never get.
Here's my challenge to you: if you love Jesus, let the world know. Let those words flow from your mouth and BE THANKFUL!! I hope you all hold me to this too!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
longboarding and first black out.
HA MY LIFE! so let's just say my balancing skills aren't the best. i find this story quite hilarious so guess what? i'm going to share it.
this week has been unbelievably beautiful--80's in march???--so yesterday i was sitting outside studying with some friends. our other friend mark comes along and he's on a longboard. now i've been "longboarding" before, but i was holding onto somebody's shoulders so i wouldn't fall over. i wanted to take a study break, so i take the longboard from my friend isaac who had just been using it. we kind of joke that i should go down this mini hill so he can watch me wipe out. i put my foot on the board and take a huge push, go about 2 feet and GUESS WHAT?! the board goes flying out from under me..like legit flying. i was facing sideways so i landed hardcore on my side; first my elbow hit and then the lower side of my head. ohhhh man i REALLY wish there was a hidden video camera because i'm sure it looked like what you would see on america's funniest home videos.
i kinda just laid there and was cracking up because it was such an awkward situation that you just kind of had to laugh! i look up and this is what i see: isaac is staring down at me looking real concerned, mark is staring squinting because he's looking into the sun and my other friend dan has his head buried in his arms because he's laughing so hard...typical dan. isaac goes, "man claire, are you ok? i feel horrible. i said you should go down the hill so i could see you wipe out but you didn't even have to go down the hill to wipe out!" i was just laughing uncontrollably at this point.
i felt a tidge bit faint so next i go sit down and call my roommate (kayla) and best friend at school because it's hilarious and i should share the humor, right? meanwhile dan is getting band-aids and neosporin from his dorm. kayla doesn't answer but she walks by literally 2 minutes later and i tell her through giggles what happened. i show her my bleeding elbow and she gasps. "CLAIRE we need to get that taken care of!" dan shows up with the supplies and kayla pours some water on my elbow. i have no idea why but it stung a ton and i got light headed again. kayla left and then i asked dan to put the band-aid on my elbow. so he puts it on and i get SUPER light headed. "ohhh my gosh, i'm gonna pass out."
i start to lay myself down and then all of a sudden i'm dreaming!! i couldn't even tell you what it was about, it was just really frantic and chaotic. then i remember gasping and sitting straight up and all the guys are looking at me. i totally did not remember anything for a minute, just thinking that i had fallen asleep for a few hours. "wait guys...did i pass out?" they are all kind of freakishly looking at me and then they're like "yeahhh, you were out for at least 5 seconds." HAHAHAH so my first experience of blacking out was from a band-aid..go figure. i'm guessing that hitting my head may have contributed too :P i talked to my anatomy professor today and he said technically i have a concussion because i blacked out sooo there's my first concussion too!!
no worries, as of now i'm completely fine. my head's just a bit sore and my elbow is scraped up. but hey, i hope it scars because that is a story for the memory books!!
this week has been unbelievably beautiful--80's in march???--so yesterday i was sitting outside studying with some friends. our other friend mark comes along and he's on a longboard. now i've been "longboarding" before, but i was holding onto somebody's shoulders so i wouldn't fall over. i wanted to take a study break, so i take the longboard from my friend isaac who had just been using it. we kind of joke that i should go down this mini hill so he can watch me wipe out. i put my foot on the board and take a huge push, go about 2 feet and GUESS WHAT?! the board goes flying out from under me..like legit flying. i was facing sideways so i landed hardcore on my side; first my elbow hit and then the lower side of my head. ohhhh man i REALLY wish there was a hidden video camera because i'm sure it looked like what you would see on america's funniest home videos.
i kinda just laid there and was cracking up because it was such an awkward situation that you just kind of had to laugh! i look up and this is what i see: isaac is staring down at me looking real concerned, mark is staring squinting because he's looking into the sun and my other friend dan has his head buried in his arms because he's laughing so hard...typical dan. isaac goes, "man claire, are you ok? i feel horrible. i said you should go down the hill so i could see you wipe out but you didn't even have to go down the hill to wipe out!" i was just laughing uncontrollably at this point.
i felt a tidge bit faint so next i go sit down and call my roommate (kayla) and best friend at school because it's hilarious and i should share the humor, right? meanwhile dan is getting band-aids and neosporin from his dorm. kayla doesn't answer but she walks by literally 2 minutes later and i tell her through giggles what happened. i show her my bleeding elbow and she gasps. "CLAIRE we need to get that taken care of!" dan shows up with the supplies and kayla pours some water on my elbow. i have no idea why but it stung a ton and i got light headed again. kayla left and then i asked dan to put the band-aid on my elbow. so he puts it on and i get SUPER light headed. "ohhh my gosh, i'm gonna pass out."
i start to lay myself down and then all of a sudden i'm dreaming!! i couldn't even tell you what it was about, it was just really frantic and chaotic. then i remember gasping and sitting straight up and all the guys are looking at me. i totally did not remember anything for a minute, just thinking that i had fallen asleep for a few hours. "wait guys...did i pass out?" they are all kind of freakishly looking at me and then they're like "yeahhh, you were out for at least 5 seconds." HAHAHAH so my first experience of blacking out was from a band-aid..go figure. i'm guessing that hitting my head may have contributed too :P i talked to my anatomy professor today and he said technically i have a concussion because i blacked out sooo there's my first concussion too!!
no worries, as of now i'm completely fine. my head's just a bit sore and my elbow is scraped up. but hey, i hope it scars because that is a story for the memory books!!
Monday, March 19, 2012
candle warmers.
so i probably SHOULD be doing homework right now, but this thought crossed my mind like 2 minutes ago and i thought i'd share it with you, world! yay
a few minutes ago i was just chilling in my room and noticed that my candle warmer wasn't plugged in. i go to plug it in and one of the things i think is this: "dangggg, the green candle doesn't really smell anymore when we melt it on the candle warmer. should i change it? but if i change it to vanilla will the vanilla one still smell since we've melted it before? i don't want our room to smell weird.." you know, just a normal everyday decision.
then i started thinking a little more about it...a candle? i'm seriously worried about a CANDLE? hashtag first world problems. i remember when i bought that candle warmer...got it on ebay for $5 and i was feeling pretty solid because i had saved $10. one of my friends just got back from a missions trip to haiti..did you know that i can send 2 kids to school for a year there for $5? and here i am buying a candle warmer because i don't want our room to smell weird.
it reminded me of the book of ecclesiastes in the bible, when the writer is just crying out saying everything is meaningless. wisdom, pleasures, toil, advancement, riches...all of it is meaningless. it's like when jesus talked about gaining the world and losing your soul..what's the point? who really cares about buying a candle warmer? this isn't to say that i'm not going to make impulsive or pointless purchases in the future, i'm just asking myself why i'm so concerned about how our room smells when there are SO many other and better things to be thinking about!!
in ecclesiastes, the main point is that everything is meaningless IF god is not in the middle of it. if god IS in the middle of it, well then imagine the possibilities! i think of what god could do with my attention, my time, my money and i get excited because god can do SO much more with all of that than i can! everybody always says they want to change the world. i'm fine with letting god use me to change the world, and i believe he can do that by capturing the meaningless thoughts that so often fill my mind and transforming them to his beautiful vision.
"may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, oh LORD my rock and redeemer!"
a few minutes ago i was just chilling in my room and noticed that my candle warmer wasn't plugged in. i go to plug it in and one of the things i think is this: "dangggg, the green candle doesn't really smell anymore when we melt it on the candle warmer. should i change it? but if i change it to vanilla will the vanilla one still smell since we've melted it before? i don't want our room to smell weird.." you know, just a normal everyday decision.
then i started thinking a little more about it...a candle? i'm seriously worried about a CANDLE? hashtag first world problems. i remember when i bought that candle warmer...got it on ebay for $5 and i was feeling pretty solid because i had saved $10. one of my friends just got back from a missions trip to haiti..did you know that i can send 2 kids to school for a year there for $5? and here i am buying a candle warmer because i don't want our room to smell weird.
it reminded me of the book of ecclesiastes in the bible, when the writer is just crying out saying everything is meaningless. wisdom, pleasures, toil, advancement, riches...all of it is meaningless. it's like when jesus talked about gaining the world and losing your soul..what's the point? who really cares about buying a candle warmer? this isn't to say that i'm not going to make impulsive or pointless purchases in the future, i'm just asking myself why i'm so concerned about how our room smells when there are SO many other and better things to be thinking about!!
in ecclesiastes, the main point is that everything is meaningless IF god is not in the middle of it. if god IS in the middle of it, well then imagine the possibilities! i think of what god could do with my attention, my time, my money and i get excited because god can do SO much more with all of that than i can! everybody always says they want to change the world. i'm fine with letting god use me to change the world, and i believe he can do that by capturing the meaningless thoughts that so often fill my mind and transforming them to his beautiful vision.
"may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, oh LORD my rock and redeemer!"
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