This Thanksgiving break was wonderful! It gave me a chance to reflect on what God has done in my life, and hear what He has done in friends' lives as well. It was a time of getting together with family and friends (some of whom are pretty much family anyways). There have been many struggles that everyone has gone through, but each and every one of us has made it through. There is something to be said for perseverance. No matter who we are, we all go through these struggles. But God is right there beside us throughout it all. 

It became very evident to me that God is working in our lives. Everyone that I talked to had stories of how God had changed them and how He had become an influence in their life. 

God is everywhere, and I am now very much aware of that! I can't wait to see how He will continue to work in our lives. 

I hope everyone had a good break!

God Bless

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say this- those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron. Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy. Others went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep. For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits' end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders. He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there. He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs; there he brought the hungry to live, and they found a city where they could settle. They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish. Then their numbers decreased and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow; he who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in a trackless waste. But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks. The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths. Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord." - Psalm 107

Reading this showed just how immense God's love is for us. He doesn't have to love us because he doesn't need us, but he chooses to! As we can see from our lives and also from this passage, we don't deserve it. The people in this passage continued to fall into sin, and every time God lifted them out of it because they asked Him to. Are we not the same? God forgave us our sins when we let Him into our lives. 

God is amazing! His power is more than we could ever imagine, and His love for us is many times more than we could ever give to others. So what are we waiting for? He is so generous, and we are wasting time during our busy lives not trying to glorify God. He will be glorified no matter what, it's not about us. But we can give Him our everything and desire Him every minute of every day. 

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." -1 Corinthians 13:13

Love.

As Thanksgiving Day rolls around,
It brings up some facts, quite profound.
We may think that we're poor,
Feel like bums, insecure,
But in truth, our riches astound.

We have friends and family we love;
We have guidance from heaven above.
We have so much more
Than they sell in a store,
We're wealthy, when push comes to shove.

So add up your blessings, I say;
Make Thanksgiving last more than a day.
Enjoy what you've got;
Realize it's a lot,
And you'll make all your cares go away.

What if we all loved the way God has showed us? What if we all stood beside each other in the good and the bad times? Could we show a generation of hypocrites and wannabe's that God is better than anything? Could we make a difference in the lives of people everyday?

I believe we could. I believe that God moves through those who move toward Him. He tells us that we need to love others. He tells us that we need to be different. I have witnessed this being acted upon. People are always watching. If we can prove that happiness and true love isn't based on possessions, but instead on helping others and giving God everything we have. If you think that you are not big enough to make a difference now, just remember that you don't have to be perfect. In fact, perfection is a turn-off for telling people about Jesus. We are all in need of a savior, and showing people that we don't have it all together just helps prove that they can be as happy as we are. Being different is not about extracting yourself from the culture completely and acting as if you have it all. Instead, it's about living in an imperfect world and showing that God is better. 

Failure is inevitable. It's going to happen. Out here, I have realized that getting outside your comfort zone is the best thing that can happen. It has been a challenge, and I have failed big time, but God has been right beside me throughout it! He is awesome, and He is the reason for everything that I do, and everything that I want to do!

Live a life of true courage by being imperfect, and letting the God who is do great things. And change the world!

Tell me where its hurting
Are you burning?
Running just to catch your breath
And going nowhere
It's getting old when you feel like you got nothing left
Well it ain't over 'til it's over
I told you since the day we met
So let me be the voice through all the noise
Whatever I gotta be
I'll be for you

Whatever you need from me
To see you through
Everyone of us has stumbled
Everybody's humbled
We hit the ground and our lives crumble

Whatever I gotta be
I'll be for you
I'm for you 
If you never knew
If you never knew
I'm for you
You know it's true

I know the feeling
I know it's real when the drama's all in your face
You see a mountain 
I hear a promise - it's never more than we can take
Well it ain't over, 'til it's over
We can learn from our mistakes
So let me be the voice through all the noise

Everyone of us will fall
Have our backs against the wall
And everyone shares a need to be loved

You've always been for me
So I will be for you
That's just what it means to love

This is Toby Mac's song "I'm for you".

Yesterday was a good day. It started out pretty bad when I missed church because I didn't wake up to the snooze, but throughout that, I realized that I needed to get away for a while. I had the new member talent show last night, which was fun and everything, but after that I was feeling out of touch with God and with myself. So I came home and started reading Job. This was amazing because I felt very similar to him at that point when he is desperate to stop suffering. He doesn't want to fight another day, but he still relies on God for all of his strength. I realized that I needed to go somewhere and just think, so I went on a run in the rain. It was one of the best things I have ever done. I thought about life and how I have been acting and how I should be acting. I have not been a light like God has called me to do. I have been depressed lately and been pretty mean to those around here, and I need to do a better job representing Him in my life. I have been very busy, but while in the midst of troubles, God shines out even brighter. So if I want to represent Him, this is the perfect time. 

Life moves fast, and we do our best to catch up with it, but I don't think this is the best idea. We will never be able to actually catch it because it doesn't stop and we have to. So why don't we just step back and enjoy what God has created for us. It was so nice just to run in the rain because I didn't have a care in the world, no worries, just me and God. 

If you are struggling with keeping up with life, stop and let God move through you. We can't move that fast, but He can through us.

While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!" At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

Job is one of the best examples we have of faith and perseverance. So while we are struggling with our own battles, we should just think about what he went through and ask ourselves if we can handle our own problems. God says that he will not give us anything too great for us to conquer, so just remember, God made you so that you could conquer that. Keep holding strong, and continue to grow in faith.