Mollie Tagged Me!

Whew doggy, long time, no blog.  Is anyone still out there?  Waiting patiently?  Not so patiently?  Sorry about that.  My blogging life has been devoid of inspiration lately, but I promise my faith is stronger now than ever!  Maybe one day I'll blog about it (:

In the meantime, my lovely friend Mollie has decided to jump start my blogging again with a little "Tag-You're-It" game!  Here are the rules:

The Rules:

1. The first rule is to post these rules.

2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 things about yourself/your life .

3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post.

4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.

5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them that you’ve tagged them.

1.  Mission accomplished, soldier.

2.  Photo of me and eleven things about moi.  (Y'all know how much I don't like mixing "personal blog" content with "inpirational and holy" content, but I'll make an exception (: )

Me and my 3-month-old nephew, Kolton Reed :3

1.  I am sixteen and love Disney movies, soundtracks, movie scores, and musicals.  My favorite musical is Les Miserables because it is amazing and non-stop music and singing and it is so profound and deep!!

2.  I love to sing and dance, but I'm not very good at either.  Flute is my forte.  Marching band, please (:  I also play piccolo but would love to go back in time and choose to play french horn instead.

3.  I have a tumblr!  loveasplashofsunshine.tumblr.com!

4.  I love love love warm weather and am in heaven right now with all of the sunshine and heat we've had lately!  I'm not so hot about the cold mornings, but that'll change soon!

5.  I will have a grand total of 22 days free this entire summer break.  I am super-duper busy, but senior year is right around the corner!  EEK!

6.  I have absolutely no idea what I want to do when I "grow up."  I don't know where I want to go to college or what major I want or what my career interests are.... it's stressing me out, y'all!!

7.  I have a date to prom!!!  :DDD  Aaaaand I have "Proverbs 4:23" written on my hand.  "Above all things, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."  It's a prom date... not a marriage proposal!!

8.  On a similar subject, I don't date.  I've never been on a date,  had a boyfriend, or been kissed (I'm saving that for my wedding day).  I am using my single years to God's glory (I hope!) and am focusing on my relationship with Him before any other man!

9.  I love love LOVE reading.  Especially "spiritual improvement" books as I call them.  And I am definitely a book-writer.  If you borrow a book of mine, it will most definitely have tons of highlights and underlines in it!

10.  I don't watch R-rated movies.  They're rated R for a reason.  I don't need to watch them.

11.  My favorite outfit is a pair of jean shorts, a T-shirt, a ribbon in my hair, no shoes, and a book!

(12.  I'm terrible at making facts about myself....)

3.  Mollie's questions

1.  What’s your favorite movie?  I have multiple favorites.  Stardust, Treasure Planet, The Lorax, Tangled, Titanic, Beauty and the Beast, Prince of Persia (y'know, the one with my future husband, Jake Gyllenhaal, in it?), The Little Mermaid, Alice in Wonderland (Tim Burton style), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and so many more.
2.  If you could go anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go?  On a Disney Cruise!  In Europe!  And see art museums!
3.  Would you rather read a book or see its movie equivalent?  Both.  I like to read the book and then go see the movie.
4.  Sweet snacks or salty snacks?  Depends on what I'm in the mood for!  Usually it's sweet.... :)
5.  What’s your biggest pet peeve?  Oh don't get me started... uhhh... loud eaters/swallowers, talk radio, vanity, cursing, materialism...
6.  What’s your favorite thing to do that makes you feel like a little kid again?  Climbing trees (:
7.  Caffeine: coffee, tea, soda, or none?  I would have said "soda" a few weeks ago, but now I'm water and milk all the way!  I dunno why, but I just don't really like it anymore.  So... no caffeine (:  I'll totally go for some Starbucks any day though!
8.  How old are you and what’s the very best thing about being that age?  I am sixteen and the best thing about being sixteen is that I'm socially independent but I don't have to be economically independent.  I also still live under the care of my amazing parents and I don't really have to worry about anything but school and social life (:
9.  If you could only listen to one CD for the next 6 months, what would it be?  Uhhhh can it be a really big CD?  I have a playlist in Windows Media Player (no iTunes for me, sorry!) with 1000 or more songs in it... but I've been listening to the Eclipse soundtrack for a couple weeks now... I dunno about six whole months though...  I'd get really sick of it and never want to listen to it again! :P
10.  Are you a morning person or a night person?  NIGHT!!  I would totally be nocturnal if it was socially acceptable!  I love nights soooo much and I HATE waking up.  Thursday mornings are the only mornings I really enjoy getting up early!
11.  Should the toilet paper hang over the front or back of the roll?  Front, definitely.  I don't understand why you would put it on the back.  It's so much harder to unroll it that way!

4. New questions for my victims!

1.  Texting, calling, or in-person conversations?  Why?
2.  Pants or dresses?
3.  If you could play any instrument, what would you play and why?  If you already play one, what would you switch to?
4.  What's your favorite thing about where you live?
5.  What will be the name of your first child?  I know you've thought about it!
6.  Do you believe in God?
7.  What's your favorite musical and why?
8.  What's your favorite season and why?
9.  What's the song that describes you the best?
10.  What's your favorite quote/verse/saying?
11.  What's your favorite book?

5. Tag, you're it!!

Catherine
Elise
Victoria
Kate
Olivia

Go go go!!

<3 Warrior

Busyness, Ramblings, and a Prayer Request

I shouldn't lie to you.  That isn't nice.  As much as I actually have been busy and it has been interfering with my blogging brain flow, I've really just been to lazy and way to addicted to wasting time.

For instance.

Business: schoolwork, homework, stupidity Physics, marching band, church functions, and babysitting.

Laziness: playing on phone (Did I ever tell you I got a smart phone at the end of last school year?  Oh, I didn't?  Well, I did.  And it is such a time and energy waster of mine.  I need to get rid of it.), reading FanFiction (Don't judge me!  It's rather good and obviously addicting.), sleeping, doing absolutely nothing, eating (but also dieting), watching Disney movies, skipping quiet time, tumblr, and overall vegitating.

I am well aware that laziness > business up there.  Sigh, I'm not good at prioritizing and time management.

Annnnnd this post is rather terrible.  I made this blog to post how God is working in my life (NOT THAT HE ISN'T RIGHT NOW!!) and other encouraging and faith-building posts... and I'm here complaining about my laziness and making it seem like a personal blog, when it should be all about Christ.

Summary of this post so far:  I'm lazy and haven't blogged in a while and I apologize.

But there is a purpose to this post (kind of).  I would like for all of you to - if not consistently then at least right now - to lift up my best friend Sherry in prayer.  She is going through such a hard time right now and after everything, I've gone and made it worse for her.  I can't go into detail now, but she really needs prayer and I know I can't do it all myself.  (Of course not, I'm human!)

Please please PLEASE pray for Sherry!

Hoping to write more for you soon,
<3 Warrior

Seeing God in Everything

You hear me say this so much on this blog.  I guess it's because I think it's important that everyone realizes that God is everywhere, and you can see Him there if you just look.  Here's an excerpt from my devotional a couple days ago:

"It is the Lord: let Him do what seemeth Him good." (1 Sam. 3:18)

See God in everything, and God will calm and color all that thou doth see!  It may be that the circumstances of our sorrows will not be removed, their condition will remain unchanged; but if Christ, as Lord and Master of our life, is brought into our grief and gloom, "He will compass us about with songs of deliverance."  To see Him, and to be sure that His wisdom cannot err, His power cannot fail, His love can never change; to know that even His direst dealings with us are for our deepest spiritual gain, is to be able to say, in the midst of bereavement, sorrow, pain, and loss, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."

Nothing else but seeing God in everything will make us loving and patient with those who annoy and trouble us.  They will be to us then only instruments for accomplishing His tender and wise purposes toward us, and we shall even find ourselves at last inwardly thanking them for the blessings they bring us.  Nothing else will completely put an end to all murmuring or rebelling thoughts. -- H. W. Smith

"Give me a new idea," I said,
While musing on a sleepless bed;

"A new idea that'll bring to earth
A balm for souls of priceless worth;

That'll give men thoughts of things above,
And ride men of the sins they've fought."

A new thought came, just how, I'll tell:
'Twas when on bended knee I fell,
And sought from Him who knows full well
The way our sorrow to expel.
SEE GOD IN ALL THINGS, great and small
And give Him praise whate'er befall,
In life or death, in pain or woe,
See God, and overcome thy foe.

I saw Him in the morning light,
He made the day shine clear and bright;
I saw Him in the noontide hour,
And gained from Him refreshing shower.
At eventide, when worn and sad,
He gave me help, and made me glad.
At midnight, when on tossing bed
My weary soul to sleep He led.

I saw Him when great losses came,
And found He loved me just the same.
When heavy loads I had to bear,
I found He lightened every care.
By sickness, sorrow, sore distress,
He calmed my mind and gave me rest.
He's filled my heart with gladsome praise
Since I gave Him the upward gaze.

'Twas new to me, yet old to some,
This thought that to me has become
A revelation of the way
We all should live throughout the day;
For as each day unfolds its light,
We'll walk by faith and not by sight.
Life will indeed, a blessing bring,
If we SEE GOD IN EVERYTHING.

-- A. E. Finn

(from Streams in the Desert, September 19, 2008)

That was probably one of my top ten favorite devos ever, and I hope you enojoyed it and/or got something out of it.

Pay attention and see God in everything this week!  Look for Him and He will appear right in front of you or in places you never expected!

<3 Warrior

Happy Anniversary, This Is My Rifle!

Yep, that's right.  One year ago on this very day, I wrote my first blog post ever.  It's been an exciting year since then.  Let's recap:

I got over losing my faith and have found many ways to strengthen it since then.

I have made several new friends that are supporting me daily in my faith and are praying for me constantly.

I had the best school year EVER.

I lost a good friend for my faith but have gained a stronger friendship with my Lord in return.

I was in a musical that made me realize that in all things, I must find and do the Will of God.

I have had several epiphanies about who God is and what it means to follow Him.

I have officially given up dating and have begun "dating Jesus."

I have read SO MANY good books that have made me think about what it means to be labeled "Christian."

I spent a week fasting from the computer and it was probably in my top 10 best weeks ever.

My family sent my brother off to college and are welcoming a baby boy into our lives come January.

I have blogged to the glory of God!

Here's to a great year!  Thank you Jesus!

<3 Warrior

P.S.  Happy 30th birthday, Jon!

Verses and Quotes Needed for Band Camp

Imagine:  You're standing in a field with no grass and no vegetation.  For yards around you, all you can see is dust and dirt.  It is 106 degrees and there is no shade.  Your only hydration is the humidity in the air and the water breaks every 30 minutes.  You stand in that field, moving only feet at a time every now and then, for 4 hours.  Some insane blond lady keeps yelling at you to do the movements "one more time" (which really means "do it again and again until it's right").  You've done this before but you still think you won't survive another minute if you don't sit down or go do sectionals inside RIGHT NOW.

Ahhh, such is the life of a band kid at my school.  For two and a half weeks, this shall be the bane of my existence.  And so, to prepare, I have compiled a extensive amount of quotes and Bible verses to remind me that while I'm out there dying "one more time," Jesus is with me (:

Quotes:

Paul wrote, "Don't just do the minimum that will get you by.  Do your best.  Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance.  Keep in mind always that the Ultimate Master you're serving is Christ.  The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible.  Being Christian doesn't cover up bad work." 

For God's sake - DO YOUR BEST!

We almost never get to know ahead of time the full significance of what we do or don't do in our work.  We are simply told, "Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your might!"

- The Me I Want to Be, Ortberg

"If we were given all we wanted on this world, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next."

- Elisabeth Elliot

Verses:

Oh God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

- Psalm 63:1

First, pay attention to Me, and then relax.  Now you can take it easy - you're in good hands.

- Proverbs 1:33

If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father.  He loves to help.  You'll get His help and won't be condescended to when you ask for it.  Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought.  People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves.  Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping your options open.

- James 1:5-8

Do you think I am trying to make people accept me?  No, God is the One I am trying to please.  Am I trying to please people?  If I still wanted to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

- Galatians 1:10

Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks.

- Philippians 4:6

So I strive to always to keep my conscience clear before man and God.

- Acts 24:16

My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.  Your anger can never make things right in God's sight.

- James 1:19-20

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.

- Philippians 2:14-15

I can do all things through Christ, because He gives me strength.

- Philippians 4:13



~ ~ ~

These verses and words of wisdom will definitely (hopefully) be on my mind a lot in these coming weeks, and if you have any to add, don't hesitate to tell me!  I'll need all the help I can get!

Have a great last month of summer and stay cool & hydrated!

<3 Warrior