New Year!

First blog post of the New Year!

Well, I made it through my first semester as a full time college student at Southeastern Seminary. I not only survived but I conquered! Two A's and three B's! After a semester of searching, God provided a job at the start of the New Year just when I needed it most. I consider my self officially settled in here at school in WaFo and I am thoroughly enjoying it!

I am still planning on going to South Africa in March. The only problem is that I have a grand total of $90 for the trip. I am about $2,800 short. Definitely in need of prayer for that and some financial help. Anything would be wonderful!

Dad is no longer pastor of Merry Hill BC, but is still in Merry Hill pursuing another form of ministry in the area.

I and my boyfriend, Jonathan (who is also going with me to ZA), will soon be joining Grace BC in WaFo and we are extremely excited to see what God has in store for us there.

Please be in prayer, there have been many changes this past year and there will be many changes in my life in this coming year.

Blessings!

Update on Africa Trip!

MAJOR CHANGE!!!!

I am no longer going to South Africa over Christmas Break.

The dates have changed to Spring Break.

If your Spring Break is between the dates:

March 4-11, 2011

You can come on this trip!

Please contact me or Darren Tipton about more information on the trip.

Please be in prayer for the trip and for those going overseas to spread the Gospel to those who have had no chance to hear it.

If you are able to support in ways more than prayers (meaning financially;) you are able to do that straight from the website, or again, you can contact me.

Love you all, and thank you so much for the support!

God Bless!

Everlasting Fire

The forest burns, the grass withers in the flames

As does your life, your soul, caught in sin

Turned to ashes, you are lost

All is dead, all is worthless, burnt to nothing

The death you die, you die each day

But hope died in your place

The fires consume your identity

Yet a life-giving flame brings you hope

A cross of blazing hope;

Resurrection that brings new life

The forest once burned, the grass once withered

Quenching rain fell and devoured the flames

Under the ashes new life appeared

Joy rode in on the wings of hope

The night of death is swept away

By the first lights of morning

The dawn of a new day

Showers light on the blooms of life

On the back of life is salvation

With songs of a new day on my lips

The joy of your salvation ignites my soul

Consuming my being with radiant hope

We now share in the joy of light

Shining from the everlasting fire

Ready to go again?

Here we go again!

I am headed back to South Africa!

December 29th - January 11th

$2,900

Pray

Give

GO!

If anyone is interested in going with me or helping with the trip (be it information on the trip or helping with the cost or fundraising), just call me, FB message me, or comment on this blog post!

Project Humanity

Free Audio Bible Download | Faith Comes By Hearing

Free Audio Bible Download | Faith Comes By Hearing

Everyone should download this application on your computer, it is awesome!

Sometimes people just don't know what LOVE is...

If there is one thing in the whole world people just don't understand, it is love. The reason is because it has been so distorted by sin that people don't know what it really is anymore. But God! Is not just going to leave us hanging, He gave us Scripture for a reason. He knew we were going to screw this up so He made a way for us to begin understanding again this Truth, it is an ongoing learning process but when Christ sets up an example for us to follow, we better listen and we better follow. Jesus addresses this in John 15:13. Listen to this verse carefully, God created Love (I think He should know how it really works) and the Apostle John was the "disciple whom Jesus loved" which tells me he is probably the only person on the planet to come the closest to understanding the depths of God's Love. The verse says:

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."

Here is the context of that verse: after the Lord's Supper before the crucifixion before He is arrested. Which means they're sitting there after the Passover and Jesus is talking to them, John records in four chapters some of what Jesus tells them. This is one of those things, said right in the middle of what He is telling them and if you think about it, this is only a few hours before He was to be arrested. Judas has already left to deny Him, Peter has already been confused about why he is going to deny Him. And here is Jesus telling the disciples exactly why (had they been paying attention) He was about to do what He did.

He Loved them, us, we are those friends he laid His life down for. It was us He loved. Now think about it: could this Love come from a feeling He got? Think about it! People say love is a feeling, but it's not! If Jesus had made decisions based on feelings where do you think we would have ended up at? "Hmm... You know God, I really don't feel like taking on your wrath for all sin in the world today. I kinda like the way I look, I don't necessarily want to get over 90% of my skin ripped off this morning. Umm... that crown of thorns? I would really prefer one of gold, ya know? I don't really feel like being mocked today, I'm just going to go on living like everyone else so that I'll blend in and they won't notice I'm different. Hey God, I really don't feel like having most of my back torn off so can we skip the 39 lashes?"

What if Jesus had said that?!?!?!?!?!? Where do you think we would be at? But that isn't what He said, we all know that! It was something along the lines of: "Father? This is really going to hurt... but I knew they would mess up, and I gave them the option of following Me from the start, but they can't do it. They left Me, I wanted to help them but they wouldn't let Me!! But they are My children, My people, I could choose to hate them because they stabbed Me in the back, or I could choose to Love them. But Loving them is going to be so much harder. That requires dying, I'm God! I can't die! But I will, because that is the only way I can get them back..." What does that tell you about Love?

The world says that love is just a feeling, that it is something you can "fall into" or "fall out off" at a whim. But that is not Truth. The Truth says it is a decision you have to make. You can have an attitude of Love, a heart of Love. But to get that you have to start by deciding to Love. No, not deciding "Well, I kinda like this person, I decide I'm going to love them" that is not correct either. There are different kinds of love, there is the Love of God (the greatest and most perfect Love of all), there is spousal Love (that is Love in purity and in righteousness, a symbolism of God's Love for you), and there is also Brotherly Love (Love between the Believers of Christ). That last one (brotherly Love) is the hardest one to understand it seems. We just don't know how to communicate it, and when someone genuinely Loves you with brotherly Love some people just take it the wrong way. It is when you know that this person is someone you can trust (be them male or female) and you can connect with them through the bond you have in Christ that is when you are able to Love someone with the Love of God. The friendship and fellowship with your family is that which sets us apart from the world, because that friendship is not based on what someone has done, nor is it based on what you can get from the other person, it is based on our relationship with God.

College

Upon leaving EWYR I have had a whirlwind of a schedule to keep! First off, rather than flying back to North Carolina I flew back to Kentucky where I spent the weekend with my family. Monday we drove back to North Carolina, and Tuesday and Wednesday I spent at home running errands and packing for school. Thursday I moved into my dorm, which was empty cause I was the only person on the whole campus who moved in on Thursday, everyone else moved Friday. The past two days have pretty much been chill, getting used to my surroundings, meeting people, hanging out with the other freshmen and such. Today was alot of fun! I went with the New Student Orientation to do a photo scavenger hunt (I didn't have to actually go, I'm not in orientation, I just wanted to go to meet people) and then this evening went to the Q&A dinner, then hung out with some of the other girls in my dorm. I am going to an (from what I've heard) awesome church tomorrow with a group of girls here in Lolley, which is good cause now I have a ride :)

I a really looking forward to this semester, getting to know some of the girls on my floor and talking with them I know this semester is going to be great and that I will learn alot and grow not only from the classes I take but also from the friends I've made.

So excited to see what God has in store!!!!!