The Arms that hold the Universe

 

     I just got back from spending a week in the North woods of Michigan. I love it there...so peaceful and calm. I knew it'd be a great place to spend some much needed time ALONE with God. I headed up with some pretty big questions for God to give answers to, and an even bigger problem I needed His solution for.
   
     While there I spent a lot of time in prayer. Prayer is something I often overlook. But after this week, I don't know how people get through life without it. Prayer is the most humbling, intimate thing I have ever experienced. Being that open and vulnerable in front of the God who created the stars in the sky.
   
     I'm ashamed to admit this, but I am a huge worrier. (And the people who know me best, know that that is an understatement.) I worry a lot, about a lot of different things, all the time. I have always been a worrier. Ever since I can remember I've kept "Worry Lists". (Never heard of those before? For the longest time I thought such things were common.) By "Worry Lists" I quite literally mean a "Lists of Worries." Whenever I would start feeling panicked or anxious, I'd write down all the things that were worrying me, so that I could take time to worry about each one. I feel stupid for admitting that, but it's the truth. This week God really spoke to me in this area. I've waisted so much time worrying when I could of been praying. God gave me these verses:

• Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God..." 
• Matthew 6:25-34 "...Therefore do not worry about tomorrow..."

     I've learned a lot this week, but it all sums up to this: My God is FAITHFUL. 

So be encouraged! Next time you got a worry, big or small, give it to the God who created life. He promises to carry your burdens if you let Him. He is faithful and He is strong, He can take it, He has already got the whole world in His hands. <3

"I know it seemsLike this could beThe darkest day you've knownBut believe you meThe God of strengthWill never let you goHe will overcome, I know
And the arms that hold the universeAre holding you tonightYou can rest insideIt's gonna be alrightAnd the voice that calmed the raging seaIs calling you His childSo be still and know He's in controlHe will never let you go
Through many dangers, toils and snaresYou have already comeHis grace has brought you safe this farAnd His grace will lead you home
You can hope, you can rise, you can standHe has still got the whole world in His handsYou can hope, you can rise, you can standHe's still got the whole world, the whole world in His hands"

In His Arms, 

<3 D

My Family

There are few things on this earth that are special to me. Those “things” are people. People are not perfect, in fact the people I know are the furthest from. People come and people go…I have much experience in this, and I know it to be true. Some people you slowly get to know and you slowly grow apart. Some people you bond with quickly and then quickly fall apart. Some people you don’t choose, but they are given to you, placed in your life for reasons only God knows. 

There is a group of people that are purely blessings I will never over look. They are the people who know me

best. They are the people I would give my life for. They are the people whose lives have intersected mine from the beginning of my existence. They are the people who the Lord has with precision and purpose placed in my life. These people are the most important things to me with the only exception of my relationship with God. I wouldn't be the same without them. I love them more than I love myself, and I thank God for them every day. They are my family. 

A couple weeks ago, I went home for a annual family vacation to Hilton Head, (a small island off the cost of South Carolina.) Sadly, my older sister couldn't make it, but it was amazing getting to spend time with the rest of my family and some much needed time in the sun! ;) I am very grateful to my Grandparents for making the vacation possible! Here are some pic's from the trip!

In His Arms,

<3 D

1 Corinthians 10:13

     Have you ever had something stuck in your head? A quote from a movie, your favorite song, maybe even something someone told you once. Perhaps it’s an annoying theme song, a warning, a reminder, a bible verse, a punch line to a lame joke. Sometimes, something is said, and for whatever reason our minds just grab hold of it and can’t let it go.

     Two weeks ago a young man stood on a platform in front of the staff I work with, and his fellow Journey to the Heart attendees, and spoke a truth into the microphone. He quoted one of my favorite bible verses, and then proceeded to say something that little did I know, would lodge itself into my mind, and plant itself so firmly that I would still have it running through my head two weeks later. What he said was so simple, so true; I almost missed the profoundness of it entirely. But last night as I lay in bed, 1 Corinthians 10:13 repeated itself in my head over and over. Ironically enough, I had just memorized that verse a month before, and loved the peace it brought me when I quoted it to myself. But not until this young man said what he said did I grasp the responsibility that comes with understanding that verse. He stood in front of all of us and said, “’There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way of escape…’ There is no excuse not to take that way of escape.” That line has ran through my mind dozens of times since I heard it spoke, maybe it hit me so hard because that verse had always been one of my favorites, and I had missed the meaning of it entirely? Or maybe it hit me so hard because all of that responsibility had never even crossed my mind. I had been wondering why I couldn’t get what he said out of my head…but I think it’s because God knew it would take me that long to hear what it was He wanted me to understand. I love how God only gives us just as much as we can handle. He is very patient with me, and I love that about Him.

     Maybe all of this means nothing to ya’ll, but in the small chance it gets stuck in your head the way it did mine, be encouraged! 

In His Arms, 

<3 D

First Post

     I know, me blogging? At first, you might think it’s a joke. But in truth, I have considered starting a blog for a couple months, but never got around to setting one up until now. Before you read any further I have to warn you, I am not a writer, words have never been my thing, speaking doesn't even come easily to me, but God has done a lot in my life, (especially during the last year or so) and I am confident that the best is still to come. So, why have I fallen into the blogging obsession? Well, I am hoping that blogging will be a way I can share what God has done and is continuing to do in my life and the life of others around me. To be honest, I am very overwhelmed with the thought of keeping up with this, and I am pretty intimidated when I see that people have actually read it. Blogging is definitely going to be a pretty big step out of my comfort zone, but I will be trusting God to give me the words to say, the stories to share, and the readers who might find some encouragement from it. All in all this blog will be written with two reasons in mind;
     1. To bring glory to God by sharing all the things He does.
     2. To keep people back home and people I come into contact with here, up to date with all the things that have been happening in my life.
     Well, sorry if this has been a clique first post, (I really wouldn't know?) I guess the only thing I have left to say is “Good Luck!” If you have stuck with me this far, you can probably do anything! ;)

     "Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant."
Jeremiah 1:4-10

In His Arms,
<3 D