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

An Overdue Apology

Greetings from a hot and lazy summertime!  No, I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth, but my writing has...  Sorry for the recent dearth in blog posts, but I can't seem to find anything to write about!  That's where you can help.

This summer has been off-and-on business and laziness with lots of fun mixed in and I hope that you are having a great summer and are seeing God in everything you do.  I hope to be writing more with this blog's one year anniversary coming up in one month!  Band camp starts in two weeks, so there will be lots of crying out to Jesus from this Warrior!  Pray for lots of rain and no humidity!

Please also pray for Katie, all the kids starting sports in a few weeks (it's going to be very hot), and for my family as we send my brother Scott to college and welcome in a baby boy in January (my half-brother's baby, not mine :D)!

<3 Warrior