Shout it!

Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from Heaven above
With wisdom power and love
our God is an awesome God!

"I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait"

Challenge.

So I did a Wellness Program a little while ago, and loved the results. It was really nice seeing friends I hadn't seen in awhile notice my results the other day. Problem? I've been slacking off since the program ended and am slowly starting to go back to where I was before. So I figured I would challenge myself to get moving again. I'm going to try to do the P90X Ab Ripper 3 days a week for a whole month. Then a couple of the other days hit the gym. Hopefully, setting a smaller goal of a month will help me get back into the swing of things. Plus, if I'm working out again I'm going to want to cheat less on the eating part. Just hope my knee can handle it. The doctors say to take it slow, but I don't like to just run a mile, seems pointless. Hopefully I can get creative and at least get moving than sitting around.

journal.

Hannah and I are truly sisters or something. She knows exactly what I need when I need it. Whether it’s a phone call when I’m feeling down, or just something small and thoughtful. I started a prayer journal recently, just in a spiral notebook. I’ve been meaning to get a nicer journal, but me being indecisive and left handed wouldn’t have gotten very far. I didn’t know what type of journal to get, and being left-handed I find most journals hard to write in. When I went to Biola this past Friday Hannah surprised me with this journal. She said she thought me as soon as she saw it. I just love her!



So besides Hannah being amazing, so is God! I’ve tried journaling before, earlier this year back in October, but didn’t stick with it very long. I’m more determined than ever this time to continue with it this time. Not only have I started this, but also reading the Bible. Like really reading the Bible. Not just a chapter here and a chapter there, but really reading it. My goal is to read the whole Old Testament in about 3 months. I’m currently taking an Old Testament Bible class online through Moody, but even they don’t require you reading the whole thing. I’ve decided to make it a goal by the end of the class to read it anyways. To be honest, I’m not sure if I’ve completed reading even any book of the Bible straight through. It’s incredible just how great Genesis is! It’s also strangely very relatable to my life. Just reading about God’s promises and following through with them is amazing! Even though this journey I’ve started seems at times, time consuming, it’s well worth it already. God’s already changed my attitude towards things just in this short amount of time. It’s amazing what God will do in your life if you actually give Him the time of day! I still am not certain though exactly how this journal should be layed out, lately I’ve just been writing down prayer requests for others, then myself, and praises. So if anyone keeps one and has a great idea then please do share it!

Uno Mas.

Weird. One more month till I am finished with my six-month commitment of no dating. Time has flown by. But things are finally starting to look up. As some of you know, I haven’t followed all of my rules, but the most important thing is, I have tried to guard my heart. Sometimes I’ve failed, sometimes I’ve prospered. The great thing is…I’m starting, from disciplining myself, to enjoy contentment, and I like it. Strange how its taken me almost seven months to get to this point. To each his own I guess. I will have to say though, every single time you make progress, the devil will try to get you down. Pushing back against Satan’s lies has been a hard one, but something you can’t let over power your knowledge of God’s truth. I’ve had my ups, and definitely my downs. My downs lasting more often than the ups, but once I made the decision to “stay hot on His heels” as a friend has referred to it as, God definitely has been bringing me out of it.

”Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

Brag Time.

Okay it’s brag time. I can’t help myself. So as I walked into the kitchen this morning, what did I see lying on the kitchen table? This…





I’m thinking woahh!! My cousin Leah Shafer has a huge feature in the High Desert section of the Daily Press. I thought that was pretty cool. So I figured I’d take the time to brag about her. Not only is she gorgeous, probably the most beautiful woman I know, but she also has an amazing voice and loves the Lord.




So she isn’t exactly famous yet, but she’s the closest thing the family has to stardom, haha! Not to mention her husband, Ross Shafer, used to host tv shows and had his own night time television show, Almost Live on NBC and took over The Late Show. Oh and also hosted The Match Game. Yes, yes my family is famous..haha not really. But the main point of this, besides bragging, is to be reminded of following your dreams. My cousin states, “I don’t like to play it safe. I’d like to pursue my dreams. You only live once.” This is so true! Figure out what you want, don’t fear it, and go for it! Leah does exactly this. She’s worked on the show The Singing Bee as a person that sings the beginning of the lyrics while the contestants have to finish it, and has also formed a band called Women on Fire that has had the opportunity to even sing in Vegas. She also sings at her church, Saddleback. She’s found her passion, singing. I hope and pray that, like her, I can find my passion and go for it!



Oh and by the way if you want to see her perform she’ll be at God’s Garden Church in Victorville on May 16.

You can hear her voice here!

Contentment

“Discontent is a sin that is its own punishment and makes men torment themselves; it makes the spirit sad, the body sick, and all the enjoyments sour; it is the heaviness of the heart and the rottenness of the bones. It is a sin that is its own parent. It arises not from the condition, but from the mind. As we find Paul contented in a prison, so Ahab discontent in a palace.” - Matthew Henry

Contentment. The eleven letter word most find unattainable. What does contentment mean to you? How do you find contentment? Is contentment sitting there reading the newspaper while drinking a warm cup of strong coffee? Is contentment dancing to some great music? Is contentment sitting there with your nightly TV program or perhaps your prized moments where you sit there and sew?

Contentment is something I always find myself struggling with. I’m not talking about the types of contentment like the examples above; I’m talking about a different type of contentment. I’m not content being single. I’m not content with my school choices. I’m not content with my wardrobe. I’m not content with my weight. I’m not content with my circle of friends. I’m not content with my messiness. I’m not content with my camera. I’m not content in my walk with God. I’m not content with myself.

While most of these things I need to find contentment with, finding contentment with everything isn’t always good. For example, contentment in my walk with God wouldn't be healthy; it would not motivate me to spend any more time growing in Him. If I was content being a messy person, I’m going to be a slob my whole life. An example of something I do need to be striving for would be being satisfied with His love. I do acknowledge though, full contentment will never happen in my heart until I arrive at those beautiful, pearly white, gates, I absolutely l-o-v-e this quote from C.S Lewis:

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.“

This year, I’ve been desperately searching for contentment, but never really thought deeply about how to achieve it. I’ve been trying to fulfill the satisfaction and peace I long for by doing a numerous amount of things. Whether it was moving, trying to find it in the opposite sex, confiding in others, trying to cry it all out, I’ve never been satisfied with my state. While some of these things weren’t exactly bad things, especially moving since I felt like I was called to, the cures themselves weren’t the full answer. I felt like that song by the Rolling Stones was on replay, “I can’t get no, satisfaction…cause I try, and I try, and I try…” So maybe that song isn’t necessarily talking about the good type of satisfaction I am, but still the same concept of trying and trying and trying and still not feeling satisfied.

I knew and know that God can only satisfy me, but all of my attempts didn’t fully get me to being on the road to satisfaction. Then something I read the other day from a Girlfriends In God devotional really struck me. Something so simple and plainly stated stuck out like a sore thumb:

“Disobedience is the enemy of contentment. Contentment and disobedience cannot exist together in the same heart.”-Mary Southerland

So I ask myself, how many times am I really trying to whole-heartedly be obedient? Sure, I have a huge amount of faith in Jesus, but how many times do I actually act on that faith? How often do I just sit in His presence? How often do I crack open that bible? How often do I switch my radio from a rap station to a worship station? Sadly, it hasn’t happened much this year. I am excited to say that this week I have been seeing a change when I actually am putting in an effort to knowingly being obedient.

When we choose to be obedient God will bless us. When we choose to be obedient He has more to work with. We are knowingly placing ourselves in His hands and saying use me, mold me. A great example of this is Paul, I would sum it up, but I will leave it to the man to explain it himself:

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”- Philippians 4:9

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”- Philippians 4:11-12

We can choose the life Paul led. He was content in the Lord. He didn’t need anything else. Even in the beginning when we start to be obedient we are blessed. Think about how content you feel when singing a worship song. I don’t know about you, but worshiping Jesus through music is one of my favorite times with God. Praising God for all He is. What about the contentment you feel when you help others? How about when you spend that quiet time with just Him? How about when you choose to do the right thing?

Finding contentment is a goal that won’t ever be satisfied with here on earth, but something we should always be aiming for. I challenge you to make an effort to be obedient, and then see what happens with your struggle with contentment. Because everything Jesus calls us to do is not to harm us, but because He wants the absolute best for us.

“God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him.” -John Piper

Easter Pictures

I absolutely love family time, which is what made Easter so great this year. It was nice spending time relaxing with my family. We played Monopoly the night before and had fun getting competitive, as always. Normally we aren’t the type of family to break out the board games, so I was thrilled when Maryley suggested we all play a game! The next day we went to church, dyed Easter eggs, and hid eggs for Gavin. Oh and you can’t forget about consuming all of the delicious food! It was just an overall great couple days. Sadly, time is beginning to run short for one of my family members, so this Easter luckily was able to provide some great, much needed, bonding time.

"It's been so long since
You felt like you were loved
So what went wrong
But do you know
There's a place where you belong
Here in My Arms


When you feel like you're alone in your sadness
It seems like no one else in this whole world cares
And you want to get away from the madness
You just call My name and I'll be there
You just call My name and I'll be there

The pain inside
Has erased your hope for love
Soon you will find
That I'll give you all
That your heart could ever want
And so much more


When you feel like you're alone in your sadness
It seems like no one else in this whole world cares
And you want to get away from the madness
You just call My name and I'll be there
You just call My name and I'll be there

You just call My name
You just call My name
Call My name say it now
I want you to never doubt
The love I have for you is so alive
Call My name say it now
I want you to never doubt
The love I have for you is so alive

You just call My name
You just call My name
You just call My name


The love I have for you is so alive
The love I have for you is so alive
You just call My name
You just call My name
You just call My name"

*Call My Name-Third Day

Easter Surprise

My family got the best news this Easter!

My sister Melissa is pregnant with her husband Kevin!!!

Her due date is November 13th and I couldn't be happier!!



I can't wait till her cute little belly starts showing, all the ultrasound pictures, finding out the sex, and when the little baby gets here. That will be the best!

I'm guessing she will have a girl and it will be born on the exact due date, but we shall see. I wouldn't even be surprised if she had twins. Haha.

LA Photos

I decided to post a few photos from my short two day trip to LA. (Click the pictures to see them larger) The first day I drove down to my parents hotel, The Westin, after school. What a nightmare that was! So many one way streets, and freeways starting here and there! Thankfully I made it safely, and spent the rest of the day doing homework, going out to dinner, and finishing up the night with more and more homework. Luckily, the hotel had a nice lobby and I was able to order a tasty raspberry mocha. The Westin was really unique and classy and I hadn't been in any hotel like it. It had four circular towers and the rooms were sort of pie shaped. What I loved most about the hotel was how high up we were. We stayed on the 24th floor, but there were 35 stories in total. The view was amazing, and I spent most of the night sitting next to the window looking out at the city lights. Although my one complaint was how many lights were left on in office buildings at 3am. Such a shame. The hotel also had these really cool glass elevators on the outside of the building. Normally I'm scared to death of elevators, but not if they are glass. Yes, I am very weird when it comes to these sorts of things.





The next day it was supposed to rain, so we were a little fearful of going to Universal Studios. We decided to try it anyways, and luckily there was no rain clouds in sight! It was nice spending the day with just my parents. What was even better was they got in for free, because of where they work, and I was able to get in for half price! I decided to upgrade it for ten dollars more and get a pass. If anyone wants to go, let me know! Even though the trip was short, and I had to suffer the next couple days making up my homework, it was really nice to get my mind off of things and enjoy spending time with my parents.

Rest

Lately I have been super busy, which has been great. But along with the busyness comes lack of sleep. Yesterday and the day before, I spent with my parents down in Los Angeles. Contrary to what this picture, taken in the hotel room right behind the bed on some weird headboard thing, may suggest I’ve gotten little sleep. Thanks to the fact that my parents snore, very loudly if I may add, I was only able to get a couple hours sleep. It was kind of a funny sight to see, the three of us all sleeping in one California King bed. Then last night I only got a couple hours due to writing a paper. Thankfully today I was able to take a…are you ready for it?? Six hour nap! It felt soo good to finally get some rest.





Although lately it hasn’t just been the lack of sleep that has been making me tired, but also just feeling mentally worn down. I’ve been asking for Jesus to bring me peace and for others to pray that I am brought peace and it seems to be working.


Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” –Matthew 11:28