Friends (:

As I was reading my Bible I came across the story of David and Jonathan. They had a friendship so powerful the Bible says that "Jonathan loved David as himself." Jonathan's love for David was so powerful that he was willing to go against his Father and possibly get himself killed for the sake of David's safety.

After reading this story I immediately asked myself if I had a "Jonathan" in my life. My mind instantly turned to the two girls that I love as myself and that I know have the same love for me. Those girls are Olivia Michelle Usenick and Brittany Michelle Jacquay.

These girls mean so much to me and they are the greatest friends I could ever ask for. I am so thankful that God put them in my life. In the past two years I have gone through a lot of change and these girls have been a solid rock through it all. They are there for me through thick and thin, they can always find a way to make me laugh, and they help me so much on my walk with Christ. I can always come to them for advice because I know they will tell me the truth even if it isn't exactly what I want to hear at the time. I love them both so much and am so glad they are in my life, I don't know what I would do without them.

"Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work; if one falls down his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
-Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Real love

As I was reading I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris I came upon a paragraph that really hit me. It said this:

"The world takes us to a silver screen on which flickering images of passion and romance play, and as we watch they say, " This is love." God takes us to the foot of a tree on which a naked and bloodied man hangs and says, "This is love."

Isn't this so true? The world's version of love is sooo different than the love God wants for us and is continously showing us. The world says love is some mysterious force and that it is measured by our emotions and feelings. Christ taught that "love is not for the fulfillment of self, but for the glory of God and the good of others." I think that the perfect example of love was shown in Christ's sacrifice for us on the cross. He willingly placed himself on that cross while all of his "feelings and emotions" told him not to. He obviously didn't "feel" like dying a brutal and gruesome death, but his love for us was stronger than any feeling or emotion he had at the time. Like Joshua Harris says, "we need to throw out the misconception that love is some strange force that tosses us around against our will like leaves in the wind. We cannot justify doing what we know is wrong by saying that love grabbed hold of us and made us behave irresponsibly. That's not love. Instead, it's what the Bible calls in Thessalonians 4:5 passionate lust. We express true love in obedience to God and service to others- not reckless or selfish behavior."

I want to learn to love not how the world teaches us to love, but how Christ taught us to love.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perserveres. Love never fails."

-1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Baptism

This weekend at church I got to witness the baptism of so many believers. It was so cool to see countless people publicly declare their love for the Lord. I am so thankful that I get the privilege to go to a church where I can see the work of the Lord in so many lives.

"...Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." ~ Acts 2:38

Random Thought

Just a random thought for today that I thought I would share with you all. The past three weeks at GSM my youth minister (DC Curry) has talked about poop. Yes, poop. He has found some way to include poop in all of his messages, both middle school and high school for the past three weeks. Hmm......gotta love DC!

My Family

Yes, it is a fact that my family is a littttle large. And yes, it is a fact that my family can get pretty crazy at times (: But it is also a fact that I love my family with all my heart and wouldn't trade them for anything. Even though my family is a little large we have a sense of unity that is unexplainable. We are all closely knit together by the love and grace of God. I know that I can talk to them about anything without being judged and that no matter how bratty I get ( and trust me, I can be a real jerk sometimes) their love for me is always rock solid. I have two wonderful parents that are constantly encouraging and uplifting me. They give me a perfect example of what marriage is and portray to me how to truly love and honor my spouse someday. I have an older sister that I consider to be my role model. She shows me how to live a life on track and on purpose for God. She is amazing and I hope to have faith as strong as hers someday. I also have 3 younger sisters who I cherish and think the world of. They are constantly humoring me with their hilarious comments (: I can't wait to see what God has in store for their lives! Then I have two little brothers. They are way different than all of my sisters, but in a good way... I think (: They are crazy, loud, fun, loud, and a little wacko at times. My family means everything to me and while I may sometimes take them for granted or treat them lousy I love them all so much and thank God that he put each and every one of them in my life!

And The Bride Wore White

I just finished reading a book called And The Bride Wore White. It was an amazing book that opened my eyes to what purity really means and how to live a life of purity. I want to seek after God's will for me and this book taught me that what God wants for me is to have a pure heart. It says in the Bible that our bodies are the temple of Christ...."Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. I was bought with a price, the blood of the lamb. I am not my own anymore, I belong to him who shed his blood for me and I want to glorify him with my every thought and every action. God doesn't want us compromising what he has bought with such a severe price for anything. This book taught me that living a lifestyle of purity is worth it, no matter how much the world screams for me to do otherwise. To any ladies reading this, I highly recommend reading this book!

Be Faithful In The small Things....

Today I found myself asking why I even bother doing tasks that seem unimportant and useless to the kingdom of God. I asked myself why I am stuck doing laundry for my mom and baby-sitting my brothers and sisters when there are hungry orphans all over the world and homeless men and women on our very streets. My tasks seem so insignificant and small compared to what I could be doing. But then this verse came to mind..."Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." (Luke 6:10) It hit me that God cares about the tasks that seem petty and small to me. God wants me to work at everything with all my heart as if I were doing it for him. I can do even these small tasks for his kingdom if I am doing it for the glory of God and working at it with all my heart. Mother Teresa puts it this way, "It's not what you do, but how much love you put into it that matters." God sees and rewards us for even these small, boring taks. If we are faithful to serve him with the small things, he knows that he can then trust us with the big things.

My First Post!

Hello everyone! So I've officially started a blog! This blog will be a place for me to express thoughts and stories from my life. A place for me to reflect on what Christ is doing in my life and share it with others. If you're interested enough, read on!
(: