A Fighter

I saw a quote by Theodore Roosevelt the other day that struck me pretty hard. I suppose it spoke to the fighter/ the warrior inside of me...

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

I find myself longing to be the one who completely spends myself for a worthy cause- proclaiming Jesus. Who at the end of the day, knows that I fought greatly and bravely and can approach the throne knowing that my fight was not in vain because Jesus already won it for me.

Psalm 90 ...

"Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting YOU are God..." 

Psalm 90:1-2

"In the morning, it springs up NEW..."

Psalm 90:6a

"Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. .."

Psalm 90:14

"May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the work of our hands." 

Psalm 90:17

"Talitha Koum"

Sometimes it seems like my life is getting pretty crazy... I find myself involved in a lot of different things, keeping up with friends and schoolwork, and trying to still find time for myself and the Lord. Sometimes it's easy for me to lose focus and become overwhelmed by my ever-growing workload. This morning during my quiet time I was humbled as I remembered my Lord’s faithfulness. I love it when God brings me down off of my high horse and reminds me that it's not about me...


This morning I was reading the story of when Jesus restored a dead girl to life in Mark 5:35-43. When Jesus came to the house of the little girl, the daughter of Jairus, he said, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead, but asleep.” He then went to the little girl and He said “Talitha koum” which means “little girl rise” in Aramaic. The girl immediately stood up and walked around. Jesus then gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this.


I was thinking about how interesting it was that Jesus didn't want anyone to know about the miracle he had performed. He had raised a little girl up from the dead and it should have been ALL about Him. Day in and day out, I feel like God has to continually raise me up and equip me to handle all that he has placed in my sphere of influence. I know that I am fully capable. I have to keep reminding myself that rather than asking God to lower the load, I need to ask Him to increase my capacity to handle it. Every day God gives me the opportunity to advance His Kingdom through my every action. He says, "Talitha Koum" and expects me to live and breathe every moment for Him. It's not about me. It's all about Him. It's my calling to make His name known by rising every day to bring Him honor and praise. 

Elevation Church: BOONE

"What we read about in Acts 2 isn't just an indication of what God did a long time ago, but an EXPECTATION of what He still wants to do today..." Think BIGGER.

Shelley's ENGAGED!!!

This past weekend I went home to Charlotte for Labor Day weekend to celebrate my 20th birthday with my family! Little did I know I was in for an even BIGGER celebration!! 

My older sister, Shelley, got ENGAGED!!! 

After two years of dating, Jeremy Hines has finally proposed to my beautiful sister. Now I must say that I have had the privilege of watching their relationship grow these past two years. Two years ago, I listened to Shelley as she told me how interested she was in this boy, Jeremy, who is in our brother Christian fraternity, KYX. I accompanied Shelley to a game of Ultimate frisbee with the guys just so there would be a chance Jeremy would look her way. Little did Shelley know that Jeremy had been noticing her since the first day they met. I encouraged Jeremy and watched as he began to court my sister with flowers and dinner dates. 

Now these two have one of the most God-centered, stable relationships I know. They continually seek the Lord in every endeavor and they truly are a partnership in every sense. Shelley is very blessed with a man who is God's man through and through. I'm excited to see where the next few years lead them! Congratulations you two! 

Back to Boone

Well, I'm back in the lovely town of Boone for my junior year at Appalachian State! I am so excited for what I know will be an exciting and challenging year. It has been great to reunite with my App friends and have some fun. Earlier last week, Laura came over to the apartment and my roommate, Lori convinced us to build a fort in the living room. One word, FUN. Check it out:

 

We proceeded to cook dinner (to eat inside the fort of course) and watch the classic, You've Got Mail. Over the weekend, my friend Jamie and I journeyed over to Valle Crucis to explore their General Store and sit in the sunshine. I was so captivated by the beauty that exists in this small mountain town. It was BEAUTIFUL. Here are a few pictures from our adventure:

It has been such a blessing to have such a warm welcome back to Boone. Learning to cook with Lori, celebrating Laura's birthday, beginning new classes, seeing all of my SAO girls, etc. has greatly eased the transition of summer to fall semester for me. I'm enjoying dwelling in the land. Psalm 37:4 "...Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pastures." 

The Latest

I've been out of the blogging world for so long (all summer!) that I'm not even sure where to begin... Here's a brief recap of what the Lord did with my summer:

1. I was an intern at Elevation Church for 12 weeks. No previous summer comes close in comparison. It was absolutely the most incredible experience I have ever had and I was so blessed with the opportunity. There is so much that I want to share (an entire notebook full of notes) so I've decided to post weekly teachings from what I learned instead of writing a novel right now!

2. I traveled to New Mexico with 6 other girls for our sorority, Sigma Alpha Omega's, National Convention!

3. I was a chaperone for the Elevation Student Summer Trip. Clayton King, Pastor Steven, Elevation Worship, 500-600 students = INCREDIBLE. 

4. I was baptized during the  Follow series along with my fellow intern, Lindsey Newton, and my mom!

5. My family took a spur of the moment beach trip to celebrate the end of summer and my little sister's birthday! After a summer of busy days and long hours, I so loved relaxing and having fun with my family!

6. The Lord opened my eyes to a whole different level of what it means to serve and honor Him. The treasure that I have obtained from a summer of growing and learning from the Lord has made my life incredibly more significant. Looking forward to sharing more soon!