Crash and Burn

As Christians, our lives are on display for others to see. We will be critically analyzed by the world to see if we really believe what we say. It would be much easier if we could just live our lives without having the world watching. But it's not that way. If we mess up, of course God grants us forgiveness, but we have just risked dragging the name of Christ through the mud.

The Hindenburg blimp catastrophe is a picture of how if we profess to be followers of Christ, then deliberately put His name to shame, we will look like a huge disaster to the world of critics watching. I'm not saying that we won't mess up. We are guaranteed to sin. What I'm saying is that if we profess to be Christians, and then continue to live in unrepented sin, whether it be drinking, lying, or adultrey, our lives will be a huge explosion to our Christian witness.

The link below is a video of the Hindenburg explosion. The blimp was flying in the air with no sign of the impending disaster. Then, all of the sudden, it burst into flames and the world watched as it fell from the sky to burn on the ground. If we profess to be Christians, and truly love the Lord, the world is watching. If we continue to live in sin, and others see it, first, we are possibly not true followers of Christ. Secondly, the world rejoices to see Christians fail. Our witness will look like that blimp, crashing and burning from the sky. Christianity is no joke; it's serious and it's the only thing that really matters. It's a hard fight, but true Christians count it joy and will fight sin and the world until the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywLwFXcoSQw&feature=fvw

(Sorry, I don't know how to put a video straight onto a post! :) I encourage everyone to look at the youtube video, though.)

Minnie Grindstaff (Grandmother)

A year ago today, my great-grandmother passed away. She was 92 years old, and lived in the same area of the county her whole life. She raised three children, my aunt Juanita, my grandma Laura, and uncle R.L. She was married to Ben Grindstaff, my grandad who died a few years ago. She dedicated her life to serving her family and never got tired of who she was and the lot God had given her--she was content with her life. My uncle Raymond preached her funeral last year, and I will never forget it. He preached through Proverbs 31 as a testimony to my grandmother. I am so inspired by her life of simple Christian service, and want this post to honor her.

She truly embodied the Proverbs 31 woman. She had a quiet humble nature, she never put on airs. When she was younger, she tended a garden, quilted, made clothes, canned vegetables and made the best apple butter in the world. Her husband was a deacon at church, and everyone in the community spoke well of them. Her children loved her and took care of her in her own home until she died. She was never a lazy woman, and her children can attest to that. She could shoot a shotgun better than my grandad, and she never learned how to drive a car. She went to the beach once in her life, but prefered to stay home close to the mountains. She always had a Bible next to her chair, along with a Sunday school quarterly and the newspaper. She had a quiet sense of humor, and never complained about her ailments. She was an amazing woman. Although she never went to college or had any international adventures, she was used by God all the same. I wrote out Proverbs 31 below, and every verse matches my grandmother's life. What an inspiration.

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her hand to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the fruit of her hands and let her works praise her in the gates.

Proverbs 31:10-31

I Love Reading the Multi-Vitamin Label!

I have been on a health kick. And when I do something, it's usually 100%--I go psycho obsessive. (Unless it's something I'm not into...hmm, like homework?) In the past it's been music, academics, basketball, shopping, Scripture memory, and even friendships. Oh, there's more, but we won't go there!

I usually stick with something for a long while, but I have been known to just lose interest and quit. That's something I want to change. One goal this semester is to not be overly obsessive over one thing and get burnt out on it. Like the health kick, I want it to be a lasting pattern in my life.

My childhood life was consumed with playing basketball. My room was decked out with pictures of ball players and trophies. I loved it for a few years when I was younger. But then, something new came along, piano lessons, and I took that up and basketball was a thing of the past. Middle school was all about music. I picked up several instruments, played in church, and again, decked my room out this time with music notes and pictures. I would practice three hours a day, 15 hours a week, and I had one proud piano teacher. But, in high school, my tune changed once again, and I gave my all to my youth group and friends. High school was also about keeping up the GPA so I would get good scholarships. I quit piano lessons, but still played in church and just for fun. But the three hours a day laid aside for practice became nonexistent. I'll stop here, the list of obsessions could go on for awhile. :)

One thing I've learned so far in my short little life is that MODERATION is a good thing. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit for a reason! I'm a firm believer in diligence and hard work. It's good to put your heart into what you love. But what I'm fighting against is my "obsess/burn-out" pattern.

So, the reason for this post is for me to look back at what I wrote publically, and remind myself not to be a crazy obsessed person. Health kicks are a good thing, I just hope it doesn't end. I'm loving the treadmill (did two miles this morning!) and working out with my friends is more fun than laying around the dorm. I am DYING for summer to get here so I can hike, tan, swim, ride bikes...ahhhhh I can't wait!! I'll probably be working most of the days, but that's what evenings are for, right? Looking forward to it!



(Hannah, Kelsey, and me)


Happiness? Tan? Just been swimming in the river? No make-up?


YES.

What I Learned in Church Today...

Today, I attended Westminster Presbyterian (PCA) with Rose and Lauren, and Lauren's mother and sister Karen came to visit, so they came too. I love Westminster, first because the Christ exalting worship, and also because of the sound preaching. Good reasons to like a church!

I liked the order of the service, this is how it goes: there's a greeting time, congregational reading (today it was from 1 Chronicles 29:11-13), two hymns, prayer, Psalm reading, more hymns, offering, and then the message. After the sermon, the congregation repeated a catechism that was in the bulletin (Q: How does Christ execute the office of a king? A: Christ executes the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.), and then sings another hymn.

The church just started a study in the Psalms, and last week was Psalm 1. This week, Pastor Johnson preached on Psalm 2. One of my favorite things to listen to is how Christ is revealed through the Old Testament, so this was really good to hear this morning when I was a little tired, sore, and mad because of the rain.

Psalm 2:1-12
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, "Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us." He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, "As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill." I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."
Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

This psalm was written by David, as Paul tells us in Acts 4:25, when his kingdom was being plotted against. But Paul tells us that this Psalm also refers to the nations plotting against Jesus, the Anointed One. (Little sidenote: David is seen as the type, Jesus the antitype. David was the temporal king, Jesus the eternal king.)

Psalm 2 speaks of the people's revolt against God. Rebellion against God first occured in Genesis 3, and human nature hasn't changed since. The people were tired of submitting to God because they thought they had a better solution to their problems. This is seen in the world today, when the world tries to solve the problem by education, or politics. Rebels don't want God telling them how to live their own lives. They refuse to obey.

But in verse 4, the Psalm says that God laughs at their folly and scoffs at man's rebellion. He is not threatened by a weak man's rebellion, and he doesn't ignore it either. Verse 6 says that he has set his king on the hill. These humans are rebelling against the God who made the heavens and earth, and who destroyed the earth with a flood! In verses 7-9, God gives the nations to his Son, gives him the earth for his possession. All authority on earth and in heaven is given to Jesus. Verse 9 says he will break the rebellious with a rod of iron and smash them to pieces like a pot.

Then we're given a warning to be wise, and to serve the Lord with fear and trembling. Also, it says that those who take refuge in him are blessed. Whew! So there is hope for those rebels that have turned their backs on God. That's quite humbling to know that even though we are rotten rebels, Christ, who rules in heaven, still loves us and came on the earth in the midst of all this mess to die for us and redeem us.

What I love about this Psalm, is that it clearly portrays God's character of a righteous judge that hates sin, and loving savior. Jesus, who was given all the earth as a possession, is the manifestation of the love of God for a world in rebellion. Pastor Johnson said, "the only safe place from God's wrath is in Him." If we see the world in reality, we find that it wants no part of Jesus. The world scoffs at holiness and Christlikeness. The world is still rebelling against God, and will always be in rebellion until God destroys evil. But we have a hope to look to Christ and follow him, and here we will be saved from the world and all the sin and rebellion that is so deadly.

Have the heart of the psalmist, see the world in reality, and implore the world to embrace Christ!

I Pity the Fool!

I was reading through Proverbs, and a few weeks ago, this verse stood out to me:

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7

A fool is someone that despises wisdom and instruction. I don't want to be a fool. Well then, what is widsom and instruction?

Job 12:12 says that "Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days." Uh-oh. Old people are wise? No way, I don't want to listen to some old person harp on things they think they know. We'll come back to that later.

Again, in Job 28:28, it says, "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding." Psalm 110:10, and Proverbs 9:10 says the same thing. So wisdom is listening to old people and fearing God while turning away from evil? Yes. But it's more than just that.

Wisdom dwells with prudence and finds knowledge and discretion. (Proverbs 8:12) Taking advice and not being insolent is wisdom. (Proverbs 13:10) With the humble is wisdom. (Prov. 11:2) Trusting our own minds is foolish, but walking in wisdom will deliver us. (Prov. 28:26) The world's wisdom doesn't know God. God made the wisdom of the world foolish. (1 Corinthians 1:20) Is it not a great thought that our God is the God of true wisdom?

Today's world doesn't put much stock into wisdom. In fact, it is much more accepted to be an idiot on purpose than to be smart and put God's gift of wisdom to use. I typed the word "wisdom" into Google, and the choices I got all had to do with "wisdom teeth." Does our society really think acquiring wisdom is that important? Not at all. James exhorts us that if we lack wisdom, to ask of God, who gives wisdom to all generously and without reproach. (James 1:5) Fearing the Lord and asking him for wisdom is how we begin to be wise.

Back to listening to our elders. I'll be the first to admit that I am very stubborn, and when someone older than me gives me advice, (my parents, for example) I automatically rebel and want to do the opposite. I've messed up many times in the past by being a fool, and going with the rebellious approach. (Not that I'm wise now, but from experience and reading what God has to say about it, I think I'll do things differently in the future.)

In reality, I'm barely two decades old. I haven't experienced enough to know how to make the best decisions sometimes. That's why God gave us parents, grandparents, and friends that are older. Instead of thinking they are out-dated and ridiculous, odds are they have experienced more than us, and actually do know a little about living. God gave them wisdom to help us younger people make it through this hard life. It's our choice whether we accept the wisdom, or ignore it foolishly.

From much experience of being a fool, I just wanted to share with everyone what has been on my mind about wisdom. Don't be a fool!! Listen to your elders, but most importantly pay attention to God's Word and pray about the decisions you have to make. This is how we will grow wiser.




The only picture I could think of for this was Mr. T. Lol. Sorry I couldn't help myself. If you don't get it, I'm sorry. :)

Here's the deal...

I'm a little late coming with the New Year's Resolutions, but now that I've actually found my ambition that I had lost, and I actually have a life outside of school, I want to be the best I can be.

So here's what I'm going to do. (I'm writing this for everyone to see so I'll hold myself accountable. I work better when I write things down.)

I decided this last night. With a Concepts of Phys. Fitness class, aerobics, and the threat of weight gain, I'm going to make some changes. This semester, since it is my last one at college, will be a semester of CHANGE and HOPE...I'm just kidding. But really I want to use this semester to set some lifelong patterns, health-wise, relationship-wise, and spiritual-wise, if those are even words. But today's post will be focusing on the health aspect of my "changes" that will be made. Watch out family, when I come home things'll be different! and don't make fun of me, because that would be mean. :)

Ok, so here's the dealio. First institution of change in this lifestyle I'm now living...

1) Get to bed by 11:15. That way I might be asleep by 11:30 after I finish all the reading I do before I go to sleep. I have it narrowed down to three books. Gosh..when I finish them I'll just do one.

2)Get out of bed by 7:00. I don't have classes until 9:30 and 10:00 on some days, so this may be hard, but if I get up, I can read my Bible at breakfast, finish homework, and maybe even workout when the weather is agreeable. This will be good. Hard maybe, but good.

3)Cut out the sweets! Oh no! Yes. I am TERRIBLE about desserts. You can ask anyone that knows me...I always have to have dessert. That, my friends, is going to change. (So don't let me eat desserts. I'll cut it down to only once a week. On Fridays. That sounds good.) Oh, and chocolate milk DOESN'T count. It's milk so it's healthy.

4)Make sure I get enough vegetables. I hate them. If I put enough honey mustard on a salad, I'm fine. But that's not the healthiest venue, I fear. So. I must force myself to eat vegetables. Without all the fattening dressing. For lunch, I must have vegetables with whatever else I'm eating. And that whatever else I'm eating must be something healthy. They do a good job with giving us varieties here, so it shouldn't be too hard to find something good that is good for me.

5)Exercise at least four times a week (or more). I have aerobics on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so that's two days. I just need two other days to go to the gym, or when the weather is nice to run outside. I can do that.

6)Drink more water. That's easy, I'll just carry a water bottle around with me.

7)I need to keep track of this. For aerobics, we have to keep a log of when we exercise, so that should be no problem. But maybe I need to keep track of what I'm eating.

I don't have stress problems. No worries there. But if I do get overwhelmed, getting to bed on time and eating right will lower the stress level.

Well that's my pitch for changing my life. I just hope I stick with it!

(This is a picture of me and my friends about to enjoy a molten chocolate cake at Chilis. Just sayin, the unhealthy-ness needs to stop!)

We're going to India!

No, I'm not going to India. I wish. But a few of my friends are! (I'll be with them in spirit, lol.) I am so excited for them, so I wanted to tell everyone out there about these awesome people that are going to spend their summer ministering to a missionary family in India!

At Bryan, there's this thing called the Acts Project. You have to apply for the program, and then take a class during the spring semester in order to intern for the summer. There are many countries that students can go to, but it just so happens that four students that are extrememly precious and amazing got picked to go to the same place.

Kristen, Savannah, Seth, and Andrew are the four students. I do not know the guys as well as the girls, but from what I can tell, from eating dinner with them last night, they are pretty darn cool, and I'm so jealous I'm not going!

Kristen and Savannah are two of my many wonderful friends here. Kristen and I live on the same hall, and I know Savannah through a mutual friend, and we have Greek and Hebrews together. A-maz-ing girls. I just want to tell everyone reading this that I am blessed by knowing these girls! They have such great hearts for the Lord and for people. Seeing the four of them last night at dinner rejoicing together over the excitement in store for them, I was blown away, and I was even excited. God is going to do something really cool with these people this summer. I can't say how envious I am of them! Love you guys!

(In the picture: Kristen, Katlyn, Me, and Lauren. I don't have a pic of Savannah. :( I'll have to change that.)

So join me in prayer for my friends, and for the missionaries we know in India, and for the whole country. While we're at it, let's just pray for the whole world.

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8

Surveying the Cross

I was reading C.J. Mahaney's book, Humility, this morning, and here's what stood out to me the most. The whole book is fantastic, but if I had to choose one thing to write about, this would be it: surveying the cross.

The chapter is called "As Each Day Begins". C.J. lays out practical strategies for cultivating humility, some of which include waking up each day acknowledging your need for God, thanking God, casting your cares on Him, making the most of your time commuting, practicing prayer and other spiritual disciplines, and the first and most important he talks about is reflecting on the wonder of the cross to kill our pride and to humble ourselves before Him. On page 66 he quotes John Owen, "Fill your affections with the cross of Christ that there may be no room for sin."

Our day should be filled with reflecting on what Christ has done for us. Realizing our need for a Savior daily helps us to not only humble ourselves, but makes us thankful and worship Him.

Reflect on the cross:

"He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquained with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:3-5

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh." Romans 8:1-3

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die--but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8

"So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him to others, one on either side, and Jesus between them....After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), I thirst...When Jesus received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." John 19:17-18, 28, 30

"...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted." Hebrews 12:2-3

D.A. Carson said, "How can anyone be arrogant when he stands beside the cross?"

Let's look to the cross first for our salvation. When we are there, we see the great work that was accomplished and the love that was shown for us, sinners who deserve only hell. How sobering this is, that the perfect Son of God would humiliate Himself by a criminal's death.

"When I survey the Wondrous Cross", composed by Isaac Watts, sums up this post well:

When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of Glory died

My richest gain I count but loss

And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it Lord that I should boast

Save in the death of Christ my God

All the vain things that charm me most

I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet

Sorrow and love flow mingled down

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine

That were a present far too small

Love so amazing so divine

Demands my soul, my life, my all!

Who are you feeding? The Internal Struggle

The young man tells the old man that there are two wolves that continually fight within him; a white wolf and a black wolf.


The old man asks, "Which one prevails?"


The young man answers, "The one that I feed always wins."

Our sanctification as Christians, growing in grace, knowledge, and holiness, is a constant struggle. "Sanctification is that inward spiritual work which the Lord Jesus Christ works in a man by the Holy Ghost, when He calls him to be a true believer....He seperates him from his natural love of sin and the world, puts a new principle in his heart, and makes him pratically godly in life." (J.C. Ryle, Holiness, pg. 19) Sanctification is not doing works so we will be justified before God, Jesus already accomplished righteousness for us on the cross, we did not do a single act to save ourselves.

However, we are commanded in Scripture to be holy as Christ is holy. To show ourselves approved. We are to strive for holiness and fight to live a godly life. "For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness." 1 Thessalonians 4:7

How do we do that? Do we just sit around and wait for the Holy Spirit to physically make us work for the Lord? Or are we prompted by the Word of God, prayer, and His spirit to will us to do good works? James 2:14-26 says faith without works is dead. Useless.

As Christians we have been granted a new life! One that is certainly not free from sin while we are in the world. But, we are commanded to be holy. We are to strive and fight against our old nature, putting to death the flesh daily. Colossians 3:5 says to "put to death what is earthly in you."

Two natures are at war in believers, just like the internal fighting wolves.

The one that is fed will win. If we corrupt our minds with obscenity and worldliness, our sinful nature will be the one that wins and devours us.

But if we abide in the Word, feeding our desires of the spirit, then our holy nature through Christ will win and we will be bringing honor to the Lord.

What are we feeding our spiritual selves? Garbage or health food?




"Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:8

(A very wise man, my daddy, told me about the little story about the wolves I used. Thanks Daddy, it was very helpful!)

How is the Bible our lens of life? The Big Idea of Vocation

Today in Dr. Jones's Biblical Foundations class, I had no problem staying awake because the topic was very interesting. So interesting that I wanted to tell everyone about it.

Vocation- what is it?

The reformers used the term priesthood of believers to say that everyone has a vocation, callings that include responsibilities and blessings. This turned every kind of work into a sacred calling. It encourages attention to each person's uniqueness, talents, and personality. The purpose of our vocation is to serve others, and have an impact on the culture around us.

How do we know we've found our vocation, or our calling?

We notice God and realize how He is at work in us. We realize the part we play in His design. Let's not view our vocation as something awaiting us in the future. Even being a student is a calling. Our Christian calling is to be played out in whatever our daily life consists of, even in the realm of the ordinary. Whatever we are called to do, we should pursue it with all our passion.

So I was thinking, and I figured that right now I am temporarily called to be a student where I'm at, but in the near future hopefully I'll become a nursing students, then a nurse, and then my ultimate aim is to be a wife and mother. I've seen God work to give me the desire for these things, and right now I am so excited to see what will happen through that.

Pretty cool, right?

"Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ." Philippians 1:27

What a day

Yesterday was MLK day. Here at Bryan, we spend that day doing community service projects around Dayton. Well, Anna, Jessalyn, and I signed up for Washing Mrs. Pankey's Windows with Dr. Turner. So we all loaded into Dr. Turners mini-van along with his adorable five year old daughter Sydney, and went across town to the house we were supposed to windex. It was about 9:00 am when we arrived, and after struggling to pull off screens and reach high up windows, we were finished with our project in about an hour and a half. It is widely known here at Bryan that MLK day projects should last the whole day, so we were a little perplexed about what to do next. So we drove back to campus, after dropping off Dr. Turner's kids' movies at the library, and found Danielle, the director for the day, and she said that some people were needed at Laurelbrook nursing home. She asked if anyone could play the piano or sing, and I said that I could, and Anna and Jessalyn agreed to sing.

Little did we know what the day would hold for us.

I had been to Laurelbrook once before with the nursing home ministry, so I knew what to expect going in. This nursing home is for the elderly that certainly cannot take care of themselves without around the clock care. I've been to many nursing homes, and this one is the neediest I have ever visited.
We were met at the door by Dorka, the wonderful and caring activities coordinator (she's from the Dominican Republic) who told us what she wanted us to do for the day. We thought we were just there to entertain with some old hymns for the residents. But after a few songs, she wanted us to visit a few residents that were stuck in their rooms. Some of them could not even talk or look straight at us, but Dorka, now one of my heroes, talked to them and showed them love even when they seemed to be unresponsive. We visited the residents with Dorka for a good long while. She really enjoyed introducing us to her patients and encouraged us to do the talking. She clearly loves her job and I noticed her constantly talking about the Lord. It was such an encouragement to hear her and see her work so cheerfully in a place full of death and sickness.
Dorka let us eat lunch, but warned us jokingly that if we didn't come back she would be upset. Anna drove us to one of her friends houses so we could eat in a cleaner environment. Then promptly at 1:00 we showed back up at Laurelbrook, and Dorka announced that we would help her give "hand massages" to the residents. The three of us were a little confused as to how we would do this, but Dorka hastily brought out the lotion, germ-X, disposable gloves, and washcloths, and told us what to do for a hand massage. "It's good to stimulate them," she said. Needless to say, we were hesitant, but I kept telling myself, I want to be a nurse, and this is nothing compared to what I'll be doing later on. And surprisingly, I found myself enjoying our little task. We had the privilege of humbling ourselves and serving people who hardly knew what was going on. As I talked to my "clients" I found that they enjoyed the service being done to them, and more than anything they just liked being loved by another person. I don't even remember how many hands I massaged, but Dorka wanted me to make room-calls to the shut-ins that couldn't be wheeled out front, because she knew they would enjoy their hands getting lotioned-up too.

At about 2:00, we walked out of Laurelbrook exhausted! I'm going to have to work on that, too, if I want to be a nurse. It wore me out.

Overall, the day was amazing. We were forced outside our comfort zones and had the opportunity to practically serve "the least of these".

Catching Up

Before I write anything else, I wanted to update everyone on my situation. As most everyone that knows me knows, I am a Bible major at Bryan College. For now. I am just a freshman, and last semester I was having doubts about whether this was where God really wanted me to be. And if my degree could possibly be helpful after school. Through a little research, a few ideas were implanted in my mind, but I never took them seriously until the day after Christmas. It was then that one of the ideas basically exploded in my mind, and I knew right then what I needed to be doing with my life. I had been waiting on this answer for quite some time, and it is amazing to see that God slowly opened my eyes to what I needed to be pursuing. Although Biblical Studies is an awesome major, and I love learning Greek and taking Bible classes, the direction I am NOW heading is toward nursing! Definitely a surprise to my parents, and everyone I told actually. But I had such a great peace about it and after much prayer, I believe this is where I can be used most effectively. I want to thank everyone for being so encouraging, too, I have not heard a negative word said to my face about my decision. So I am fairly encouraged and excited at the moment. The only sad part is that I will not be returning to Bryan next year. But I'll visit. :)

Last semester was a bit on the rough side. I had many adjustments to make, both spiritually and physically. Stubborness is a huge fault of mine, and also laziness and the habit of failing to put God first. That gets you into dangerous waters, people. But finally, this semester, after laying in bed for a day or two with the plague that overtook my dorm, I had time to think a few things over and spend time in the Word and prayer, which I needed so desperately. How strange it is that what we love to do most when we're doing it, prayer for example, is so easy to fall away from. Then when we fall away from it we're miserable. Why don't we just do it and not fall away from what we love in the first place?

Oh, I know. Sin. Worldliness. Selfishness.

THANK THE LORD for Christ's sacrifice on the cross to save us from ourselves, from our daily sin. In Him and through Him alone we can strive to live for Him and be holy as He is holy. Ahhh, this makes me happy. Now I have a reason to live. :) Struggles come and go, and as they go they leave you growing.

I don't want this post to become too lengthy. I tend to write on forever when I hit a high point. I just wanted to update everyone on what was going on, and that I do not want this blog to be about me, necessarily. I named this blog Salt and Light for a reason. First reason is that my CLF group last semester had a theme of salt and light, and it has been on my mind. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:13-14 that we as Christians are the salt of the earth and a light to the dark world. Pretty durn cool. So therefore I want to spend my life being a light in the darkness and hopefully God will use me in whatever way He chooses to spread His light. Second reason I named it that is cuz I thought it sounded really awesome and it just popped into my head.

So, thanks for reading this, family and friends. Love ya'll!

First post

So Lauren and I are sitting in my room, still a little hyper after our late night run to McDonalds. (Oreo McFlurry and a small order of fries. Man, that's healthy.) And I'm writing this.
I decided earlier today that I wanted to publish a blog, so here we go. We'll see how long this lasts. I wanted to start writing because first, I love to write, and I don't have room in my facebook status to tell long stories. Next, I want my family and friends to be able to keep up with what I'm doing, because when I see them I forget details that I want to tell them. And finally, I want to be a light for Christ in all that I do, and I hope to bring glory to God in what I write and show what He's been teaching me and doing in my life.
This is a bit of an experiment, so we'll see how it goes!
In Christ,
Rachel