What are YOU able to control?

Things you can control:

Life is crazy and there are a lot of things we have no control over, but there are things that we can control. This is a list of some of the things we can change in our lives. 

-Your beliefs

-Your attitude

-Your thoughts

-Your perspective

-How honest you are

-Who your friends are

-What books you read

-How often you exercise

-The type of food you eat

-How many risks you take

-How kind you are to others

-How you interpret situations

-How kind you are to yourself

-How often you say "I love you"

-How often you say "thank you"

-How you express your feelings

-Whether or not you ask for help

-How often you practice gratitude

-How many times you smile today

-The amount of effort you put forth

-How you spend/invest your money

-How much time you spend worrying

-How often you think about your past

-Whether or not you judge other people

-Whether you try again after a setback

-How much you appreciate the things you have.

Remember, you are always in charge of yourself, and you can make a difference in your life.

Seasons- Winter

What do you do when you are in a winter phase of your life? When everything is dark and lonely, when you feel despondent and think no one cares, or that things will never get better? A couple weeks ago was Week of Worship at my school, and all week we had fellow students speaking to us about seasons they were going through. The last day I wrote down some of the thoughts and I would like to share them with you, with my own personal twist of course. So here goes.

What is winter?

1) Winter is waiting.

"The real problem isn't the waiting -- it's what happens in our hearts while we wait."

What are we doing while we are waiting for this season to pass? Are we growing and learning and developing a better character, or are we mad because things aren't going our way? Don't let yourself be spoiled- you have to be willing to accept a little adversity, sometimes. 

2) Winter is windy.

Sometimes things are messy and windblown, but that's life. You pick up the pieces and build a stronger wall next time. Not to keep people out- to let them in, in spite of potential pain.

3)Winter is deadly.

"We are safe from death the whole time because of Christ's death for us on the cross." --Week of Worship speaker.

During the winter season it can be quite dangerous with icy roads and everything, but with the proper safety precautions you survive. It's the same in life, and with Jesus to guide you are safe from harm always. 

But how do we safely navigate winter? Here are a few ways:

1) "Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit"--

We continue to worship and praise God in all seasons and give our lives to Him.

2) "Truly I say to you today, you will be with Me in paradise."

--We become heavenly minded.

3) "you will be with Me in Paradise." 

---We develop an Emmanuel --- God with US --- mentality. 

We wait in winter, but we learn to wait well. And we do this when we become closer to God.

Balance vs. Rhythm--- 

When we strive for rhythm, that is when we can move forward.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

What is Love?

LOVE IS:

Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet

understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and

forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad

times. It settles for less than perfection and

makes allowances for human weakness.

Love is content with the present, it hopes for the

future, and it doesn't brood over the past. It's

the day-in and day-out chronicle of irritations,

problems, compromises, small disappointments,

big victories and working toward common goals.

If you have love in your life, it can make up for a

great many things that are missing. If you don't

have love in your life, no matter what else there

is, it's not enough.

The legacy of Rachel Joy Scott

I just got done watching the movie "I am not ashamed" about Rachel Scott and the shooting at the Columbine school that happened about the time I was born. It had a lot of emotion in it. I was crying at the end when her friends were bringing flowers to her car. We never know when we are going to lose someone and we should make an effort to tell them we love them every day.
I found it interesting that someone like Rachel struggled with feeling wanted. It isn't easy to be a Christian and sometimes you may feel that no one cares and that you're not making a difference, but God is our strength and each one of us has a part to play. We're all special and important, just like a play that each actor is a crucial part of.
I want to be like Rachel and change my world. She didn't get very long to make a difference, but each one of us can be her legacy and carry on her kindness, show the world who a Christian really is. We can show kindness to those we meet each day. Let's carry on what Rachel started! Let's be world changers!

Love---A Poem

Just so y'all know, I DO NOT write poetry...but this poem was one of the ones I read for my English class today and I thought it was just beautiful!!

                                                                    "Love"

                                Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back,
                                                  Guilty of dust and sin.
                                But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
                                                  From my first entrance in,
                                Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
                                               If I lacked anything.

                                 "A guest," I answered, "worthy to be here":
                                                 Love said, "You shall be he."
                                  "I, the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
                                                   I cannot look on thee."
                                   Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
                                             "Who made the eyes but I?"

                                "Truth, Lord; but I have marred them; let my shame
                                              Go where it doth deserve."
                                  "And know you not," says Love, "who bore the blame?"
                                                "My dear, then I will serve."
                                   "You must sit down," says Love, "and taste my meat."
                                                  So I did sit and eat.


I think this is such an amazing poem. The grace and love of God flows out so beautifully. It is really something to think about. God is amazing!!!