When chatting to the LORD about the weather ain't small talk :)

Dear LORD, there are a ton of cool things going on this weekend--the kind of cool things that require good weather. But the Arkansas forecast is icy and cold and decidedly UNcooperative. Please tell the ice and rain and cold to be still and head off, just like You did when the storms were not friendly towards You and your disciples. Even the ice and the rain obey You! :D

Lahdeedaaaah....

For some reason today I haven't been able to focus very well...it's a wonder I got school done! I woke up late today after that certain sleep like you sleep when you're sick. Don't think I'm sick though! We've got the feast tonight, and we Tagggirlz made some plans afterward to have a date in our room and watch some of a new version of a Jane Austen (girly) movie. Hey that "Tagggirlz" looks kinda cool! :D Then I think I'll do some of the One True God study by Paul Washer and make sure to write things down and have some deep thought time. On that thought, the latest from that study.....

Washer is now focusing on the Self-Existence of God. In Exodus 3:14 God told Moses, "I AM that I AM". According to Washer this... "demonstrates that God's existence was not caused, nor does it depend on anything...outside of Himself. It is God's nature to exist, and so he simply IS--without effort." It's like the question, "When did God first begin?" He ALWAYS was, though we can't understand that.

Acts 17:24-25 ~ "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else."

This verse is Paul telling the men of Athens about the true God who was unknown to them. God needs nothing--another verse somewhere told the Israelites that they should not think they are doing what God needs done by offering sacrifices. He doesn't NEED sheep and oxen--He doesn't eat them. He NEEDS nothing! He is, just because of Himself

Driving!

I'm going to take the drivers test today!!!!! I think I have to take the written test and then wait 30 days to take the actual driving driving test. Pray for me people! This whole driving thing should be a good time, right? :)

"It's still that simple"

Yesterday I watched a Love Comes Softly movie and a girl was whining about everything being complicated and her grandma said something like, "Don't you wish it was just like when you were a child--you could pray to God and then leave it, fully trusting in him?"

"Yes!"

"It's still that simple."

Well of course it is! You know what really confuses me? I can NOT figure out why I ALWAYS forget that I can leave a matter to the LORD and not have to worry about it anymore or try to fix it! Besides just the forgetting part, you'd think I'd remember because my own ways of trying to fix things or make them better just don't work. I have a God who will take care of things while I just be still and trust him--and I forget?

1 John 5:14-15 ~ "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."

Who knew it could be hard?

Isn't it safer to simply keep the heart locked up and barricaded completely?

To run the delicate romantic situations with one's head?

'Course I just love the dude friends in my life.

I'm proud to know some amazing, funny, talented, Christian, good-looking young men.

But why do we all have to grow up and let things get awkward and...FEELY?

Can't we all just stay friends like we were when we were ten?

I'd honestly rather, and not have to think about anybody THAT WAY.

Unless, of course, he was the real One.

Hopefully the LORD would tell me that without waiting around.

But if you are not the real One and you're interested in me...

I probably like you as a good friend something fierce.

But I hope you know I'd rather be friends the way we always have been.

That would be the hard part--if you felt that way, and you weren't the One, but you were a good friend of mine.

Then it would my job to shovel a trench between us, one that never needed to be there before.

I'd do the shovel work while being just torn up inside because I couldn't just be your friend like always.

I would dig.

I'd like you too much not to dig.

I wouldn't let you get into a relationship that I knew wouldn't work in the long run.

I'd feel bad you felt the way you did for your sake and do anything to make it go away.

I'd feel bad for my own sake, because things could never be the same as the short time ago when we were all children.

And you would not have a clue why I was digging trenches.

You would probably feel really hurt over it.

And that would make me cry a lot.

Even the using-head-only-Meggy would feel awful that you were sad.

So I'd pray for God to tell you that we just weren't right.

So you could be the one to tell me.

And then we could just be friends and that's all.

It would save me some pain and digging.

And maybe both of us some hurt.

Ya know?

Just thought I'd say.. in case anything ever happened that that way.

In short, "Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaax!!!!!!!!! Help me!!!!!!!!!!! I'm.................

FEELING!!!!!!"

Christ Works in ME

Philippians 2:13 ~ "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."

This verse really got my attention this time around. I know I've read it a million times, but this time I sat and stared at it for like 5 minutes. It dawned on me that my simply WANTING to do God's will is, well, God working! Of course it is Him working when I actually DO His will. But now it smashed me in the head that I cannot will to fulfill God's purposes unless it is Him working in me! If God is not working in somebody, that person cannot wish to do the will of God.

An encouraging thought, is it not?

Haiti

We've all heard about it--seen all the headlines. The Haiti earthquake disaster. At least 50,000 people dead Many are more are injured, many are homeless, and all are effected. But I read a cool little blurb...

 "During the days following the the earthquake, hundreds of women were seen marching through the streets in peaceful processions, singing and clapping. On Sunday, 17 January, Haitians roamed the streets looking for church services to attend. Impromptu gatherings were held outside churches that had collapsed with a few attendees appearing in their best clothes."

It's easy (for me at least) to think that this doesn't effect me since after all, it didn't happen in the US or directly effect anyone I know. But can you even imagine how the people that were directly effected feel? People are STILL dying from being trapped under rubble and buildings. These are God's children, and it's selfish and sinful for us not to be concerned.

Pray hard my friends!

Study with Bekah

Bekah and I have been doing a Bible study off of the book ONE TRUE GOD by Paul Washer. You can buy it in hard copy, but there is a PDF online too. Bekah and I had our first meeting this morning at 8 on chat. We spent about an hour reading a section and discussing each verse.

Today's section had a few verses on what God CANNOT do. We say God can do everything, but He cannot go against Himself.

He cannot sin.

He cannot lie to us.

He cannot tempt us.

We spent a little longer talking about that last one. It doesn't sound as outlandish to say "God is tempting me" than "God lied to me" or something.

"When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone" ~ James 1:13

We talked about temptation. If God cannot be tempted by evil, imagine what a new experience it was for Jesus to be tempted by Satan in the wilderness! All a part of Him being human--part of the way He loved us. The next verse says that temtation happens when we lose sight of God and are "dragged away and enticed by our own evil desires". God has NOTHING to do with that! Just the opposite--it is all our flesh and Satan. God is merely the One who waits for us to run back to Him. He gives us that place to flee temptation...Himself!

A Day For Rejoicing

Nehemiah and the Israelites have just finished rebuilding the wall. They experienced all kinds of hostility and opposition, but God was with them and helped them complete the wall in only 52 days. After this, the people all gathered together as one to hear Ezra read the Book of the Law. They listened attentively and bowed down, worshiped, and wept as they listened.

Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, "This day is sacred to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep." For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." 

The Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve." 

Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.

These people knew that they had fallen woefully short of what God's law required. They had been in exile a long time and could not worship God as they used to in a foreign land. But God did not want them to weep over the past--God wanted them to be joyous! This was a special day! The law was now understood by them--why not make it a party, said the LORD!

I just thought that was neat. Some people say Christians are always a bored species, wearing stiff collars and never smiling because of the sin in the world. There is a time for mourning, but there is also a time when God calls us to rejoice!

18! Whoa.

Yesterday was my birfday!!! I am now a DOLT! :P This will be a weird year...I'll be driving by myself, teaching a co-op class, graduating high school, going to college, and who knows all what else. With all that, a bunch of good stuff can happen, and a bunch of bad stuff could happen. Thank heaven we have a God who keeps an eye on these kinds of things!

Here's a list of some stuff that happened while I was 17...

• We moved back to AR
• I left my CO friends, but still keep up with them, and I was reunited with my old friends
• I made significant new friends
• I learned to drive in traffic regularly
• I started marking papers for friends
• I found out I loved to teach
• My Pawpaw got cancer
• I read through the Bible in 90 days
• I started writing a book that could really be good
• We left our CO church and found a new one
• We had a couple of family losses
• I found the haircut that works for me
• Got my ears pierced, and Mom and Dad gave me GORGEMOUS diamond earrings that I love
• The first black president in US history was elected
• Michael Jackson died
• Everybody freaked out over the Swine Flu
• There was a heroic emergency plane landing on the Hudson
• The Colts broke the NFL all-time win streak record

Hmmm... anything else?

Scholarshipping

Look at that word up there, it's so WEIRD looking. So is the actually thing it implies. Yesterday I spent a long time checking out scholarships and writing essays to apply for them. I read a fitting verse for the subject...

"The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true."  

~Ecclesiastes 12:10

That's exactly what I'm going for--to search for just the right words and write what is upright and true. Hopefully it will get me some school money to be a teacher :) If yall could put some prayers into my word choices it would be much appreciated ;)

Oh, and a side note. The other night I was reading my Bible and the Bird was asleep in her bed. She starts to whimper and roll around, kinda waking up Usually I just freeze and wait for her to go back to sleep, but that night I felt like I should climb over to her bed and tell her to go back to sleep. That's when I notice a rubberband wrapped REALLY tight around her finger, which was starting to turn reddish-purple. Whew! I said a thanks to Jesus for telling me to fix it, and gave the already-asleep Bird a speech on what is a beautiful ring and what is decidedly not.