Month: February 2008

  • the Lord is so good. i say that often but i could say it again & again. i was thinking back to the last couple of months that i was in texas and everything that the Lord brought me through. and then… i was thinking about what the Lord has brought my family through the past couple of years. and on & on. oh, God is so good. in the midst of trials, in the midst of testing…to be able to say “Lord, you are good” He directs our steps, He leads us…i’m so thankful. it reminds me so much of psalm 23:

    ” The Lord is my shepherd; i shall not want. He makes me to lie down
    in green pastures;He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He
    leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk
    through the valley of the shadow of death, i will fear no evil; for You are with me;
    Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence
    of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. surely goodness and
    mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will
    dwell in the house of the Lord forever….”

    isn’t that beautiful?

    He will never leave us nor forsake us…

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    well, we went to go and visit johnson bible college this weekend in knoxville and it was beautiful. i loved the campus…the architecture was amazing and it was set in the foothills of the smoky mountains. it was definitely far out and secluded in the country but close to downtown knoxville. the nice thing is that they offer training in counseling and missions…and it’s accredited which most bible colleges aren’t. there are also so many scholarships i can apply for which is such a blessing! Lord willing, i will work up to next semester (fall) and then start then. i’m excited, and thankful. so so thankful.

    tomorrow i head up to  indianapolis and then off to florida…i can’t wait to get to warm weather…it will be so lovely! : ) it will be nice to be off of work for a few days…take time to read, study the word….woohoo. over all, it was such a nice weekend…i also got to see my friend down at college and it’s always so nice to see him. i’m so thankful…and i’m also at work so i should probably start working : ) !


    “and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you
     were called in one body; and be thankful…”
    Colossians 3:15

     

  •  

    things have changed so much it seems. i’m finding out what it means when people say that time only seems to go by faster as we get older. i feel so blessed in this time of my life because of what i am learning, how i am growing closer to Jesus daily, and i am so looking forward to what is to come. i’ve been working for my dad’s company every since i’ve gotten back from texas and i love it. i am so thankful for it everyday! 

     

    you know, it is quite amazing how the Lord works. i’ve had my heart set on going to a bible college in california for quite some time. i am supossed to visit it next month and everything. i’ve prayed and prayed about it, asked others for godly wisdom, and i have not at all been at complete peace with it. it could be because there is so much materialism in the area of the colllege…or the fact that it is so far away…or, who knows. all i know is that my heart is definitely not at peace with. i found some information on a small bible college in the mountains of northern tennesse and it seems lovely….i would be thankful if He leads me there. completely opposite of california….that is for sure! but the Lord works like that, you know? if we follow Him and surrender to His plans….He will lead us to places we would have never imagined. i’m excited to visit it.

     

    for now, i am so thankful to be in cincinnati. i know that everyday is just a gift from the Lord…every day at work, i have opportunity after opportunity to be a blessing to others and to show the love of Christ in everything i do. when i was in new orleans a couple of weeks ago, i was reminded of how the Lord can use any circumstance anywhere to bring glory to His name. it’s beautiful. i am so thankful for the people the Lord has brought into my life.

    i think i’m going to update this little xanga a little more often now.  have a blessed weekend….

     

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    some missing entries..

     

    December 21st, 2007


    the holidays. it’s that time of the year again… such a lovely time. all of our family is coming into town this weekend and it’s going to be so good to see everyone again. a family member is going to iraq at the beginning of the year so it’ll be nice to say goodbye before he leaves. the last few days we’ve been baking, wrapping and getting things ready. it’s so easy to get distracted by the commericalism of the holidays. it so easy, at least for me, to take my eyes off the simplicity of Christ’s birth during this hectic time of the year. just to think that God came in human form…humbly to take the sins of His people. the magnitude of His purpose is amazing. it is a beautiful and timeless story & it is the story of our redemption.

    yesterday i finished my bible college application and sent it on its way. i’m excited but at the same time trusting that the Lord will work everything out in His good will. i picked up don’t waste your life by john piper yesterday and it really made me think.

    “this is the promise that empowers us to take risks for the sake of Christ. it is not the impulse of heroism, or the lust for adventure, or the courage of self-reliance, or the need to earn God’s favor. it is simple to trust Christ- that in him God will do everything necessary so that we can enjoy making much of him forever.” 


     …this is so good and so true. i’m not sure what this has to do with a bible application but oh well :] i guess it’s just the fact of taking a risk, taking a chance…for the cause of Christ.

    alright, well.. may it be a merry little christmas… i think tonight i might even go to downtown cincinnati and do a little holiday somethin’. i am praying that my life will bless Jesus as a new year begins…. :]

    love & peace.   +

     

     

    December 6th, 2007

    “but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” therefore i will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. that is why, for Christ’s sake, i delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. for when I am weak, then i am strong.”

    II corinthians 12:9-10

    “…in weaknesses.” this is so opposite of having pride isn’t it? when i am considered weak, i have brokenness…i have chosen to throw away the pride that rests upon me. pride, however, is something that most people deal with and i am probabaly one of the biggest candidates. i’m learning to be transparent, open, and honest and i will say that sometimes pride is so heavy that it can blind you to the fact that you even have pride! i can’t get over how sinful pride is and yet, somehow, i find it creeping into my life in some way or another. i want to protect my rights, i want to live with humility, but the more i try in my own strength…the more i try and do good, the bigger my pride becomes. to actually surrender my rights, to surrender my pride and let the Lord take full control and be the One to show me what true humility is…wasn’t Jesus the greatest example of humility?

    “my grace is sufficient…” and yet His grace is sufficient. i am sitting here at my desk this morning and i can’t get over how beautiful this is. His grace really is sufficient. i know that i don’t have to go around covering up my sin because He has already forgiven my heart. when i’m truly repentant His grace takes over and there is freedom. what a blessed thing. this makes me so excited about life, you know? knowing that i have been forgiven, that i have a God who saves, and a life that is here to glorify the Savior…what a beautiful thing…for when i am weak, then i am strong.

arielleelise

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