Walk by faith...

"Faith isn't believing without proof-

it's trusting without reservation."

-- George MacDonald

"What lies behind us and what lies

before us are small matters compared

to what lies within us."

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

This week at church we were talking about faith. And what it takes to have "great faith".  And I realized... maybe that has been the greatest lesson I have learned in college. Looking back, there are so many plans I had that managed to crash and burn... and for the most part, its a very good thing they did. Don't get me wrong- I have few regrets. I look back on my friendships, relationships, crazy ideas and random adventures and I know that there are memories that will last a lifetime. Nights on the suspension bridge, Dairy Queen sundays and cheap movies, grocery store trips, silly cartoons, our "usual" table, and sneaking Jamba Juic into the movies... I know those will always be the nights I look back on. But at the same time, I know there were other nights I will never forget. The nights I cried, or sat in silence, simply because I had no idea where my life was headed, and could not imagine how everything was going to come together.

Now, as I wrap up my last few weeks of college... I still do not know what the future holds. But I have seen where having faith that my God will work things out has brought me to a more beautiful place than I ever could have imagined myself.  And that gives me the hope to continue trusting... to continue to have faith that in the end, everything is going to be ok.

...Well I will walk by faith

even when I cannot see

Because this broken road

prepares Your will for me...

Feels like home to me...

This song is totally stuck in my head... 

If you knew how lonely my life has been

And how long I've been so alone

And if you knew how I wanted someone to come along

And change my life the way you've done

It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me

It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from

It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me

It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong

I was sitting in the Baylor science building today... and it struck me that I was sitting in the largest academic building in North America. That is just really, really cool. So I was sitting there, working on finance, on a Saturday night, and I realized how content I was. I WANTED to be learning, I wanted to be working hard to be able to go to Georgia next year. And maybe that is why I am where I am in life. Maybe that is weird, maybe people don't like that. I don't care. I'm doing what I love... and I would rather be there than anywhere else. 

Can't I just be me?

Where has this semester gone?!?

Its hard to believe my senior year is nearly 1/4 done already... wasn't it just last week that I was going back to class? And wasn't it just a few months ago that I was moving into a dorm room and figuring out how to survive on my own?

Ironically, my senior year has so many similarities to my freshman year... my roomie and I laugh about it actually. But despite the similarity of events, I see such a difference in how they affect me.

This semester has already brought a lot of changes, and I wonder on a regular basis how it is that I have changed this much since last year. I have so many big choices ahead of me, and so many plans for the future. I know so many of the decisions I have made in the last few months confuse my friends, but I know in my heart that I am at peace with each and every one of them right now. I am so happy... and that happiness isn't based on some other person or on anything superficial, but its simply because I am living the life I want. I am pushing myself and working hard and getting to where it is that I have always wanted to be. And I have some amazing people in my life who are cheering me on every step of the way. I would not trade that for the world...

Getting too comfortable...

Please tell me where in the Bible it says that God calls Christians to find their comfort zone and stay there. No really, I'll wait.

You didn't find it did you? That is because it does not say that!!! Look at Moses- he didn't want to speak, but God told him to do it anyway- He told Moses that He was going to use him despite his weaknesses. Peter didn't want to get out of the boat, but God told him to walk and he did. And there is this chick named Mary and her man Joseph (thanks Jenny!).... I seriously doubt getting married when she was expecting a kid that wasn't his was in their comfort zone. Especially when a guy saying he is an angel shows up and says that this baby is going to be the Messiah!

So why do we look for our comfort zones? Why do we hide, when we know we will be found? (Think Jonah here- getting eaten by a whale is a big wake up call that maybe listening and taking that step out of your comfort zone was a good idea after all!) 

Thats my challenge. To me, to you, to my church right now: hop out of that comfort zone, and find out what amazing things God has in store for you!!

New School Year, New Look!

I decided that since it was time for a new school year, perhaps it was time for a new look around here. There are still a few glitches I need to try and work out, but for the most part the layout is done. :)

The lake this weekend was awesome, learned to drive (and flip!) a jet ski, got lots of interesting looks tubing behind a camo flat bottom fishing boat... It was just a good time hanging out with family and good friends. 

If the next couple of weeks don't start going faster, I swear I'll go nuts. I need school and my never ending pile of homework to keep me distracted!

Some late night thoughts...

Sometimes in life, you have to realize that not everything is perfectly black and white and fits inside a nice, neat box where you can set it on the shelf perfectly categorized. Sometimes, things happen where you have to sit back and go huh, I don't know what the heck to do with this! 

And thats ok. Maybe you choose to react by doing something that you never dreamed you would do. Maybe its even something you have looked at from a distance and said, well I would never make THAT choice... and then you do. 

All you can do is pray. Pray and do what you feel most at peace about. And then trust. Run after that with everything you have, and trust that God is going to either give you peace that you are where you should be, or let you know its time to make another choice. 

Thats where I am. Running with the wind. And ya know what? Its nice out here.

I liked this...

For over 7 years, Regina Brett was a columnist at The Beacon Journal in Akron , Ohio . During that time, she was diagnosed and successfully treated for breast cancer. Regina is now a columnist for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio Her column runs on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.

'To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update: ' 

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good. 

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step. 

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 

5. Pay off your credit cards every month. 

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone. 

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it. 

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck. 

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. 

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present. 

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry. 

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it. 

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks. 

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying. 

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today. 

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write. 

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else. 

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer. 

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special. 

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow. 

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple. 

24. The most important sex organ is the brain. 

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you. 

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?' 

27. Always choose life. 

28. Forgive everyone, everything. 

29. What other people think of you is none of your business. 

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time. 

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch. 

33. Believe in miracles. 

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do. 

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger. 

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young. 

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable. 

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion. 

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. 

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back. 

41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now. 

42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. 

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved. 

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 

45. The best is yet to come. 

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind. 

48. If you don't ask, you don't get. 

49. Yield. 

50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.