yesterday, a friend and i were in barnes and noble and i read through some of mother teresa’s writings…..i was reminded of the simplicity of her faith. it is so easy for legalism and religion to get in the way of our relationship with the Lord. simplicity can be a beautiful thing…simply Jesus.

in other news, even though texas is nice….i cannot wait to visit home during thanksgiving…i already have the dates marked out and it’s going to be so good. i love home during autumn and from what i have heard, texas stays pretty warm during the next couple of months so it will be nice to go home for a while. )

….. be blessed…..

joy.

i think that you can never have too much of it…

)

the.joy.of.the.Lord.is.my.strength.

“the precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
the commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes…” psalm 19:8

‘humilty is simply the sense of entire nothingness that comes when we see how truly God is everything.
humility is the secret of blessedness, the desire to be nothing, that allows God to be all in all.
humility is nothing but the simple consent of the creature to let God be all, the surrender of itself to His working alone.
humility before God is nothing if it is not proven in humility before others. the one infallible test of our holiness will be our humility before God and others. humility is the bloom and beauty of holiness.
humility is nothing but the dissapearance of self in the vision that God is all.” ~andrew murray

“clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God oppposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” 1 peter 5:5

i’m sitting here in this little coffeeshop, listening to keith green, looking over some quotes from andrew murray’s book ‘humility.’ it’s such a beautiful day here and i’m so thankful to be here. we are not promised tomorrow, and today, could be our last. i know it’s not always the most pleasant thought to think about but i’ve been thinking about it alot lately for some reason. “our life is but a vapor” …this life, is like a speck considered in the Lord’s eyes. this life, is passing and so temporary. this gives me every reason to take the opportunities that i am given today, and live them out to the fullest for Christ. if this day was to be my life, how would i live it out? how would i impact the people around me….would i clothe myself in humility, would i give them a glimpse of who Christ really is?

i’m learning and re-learning so much right now in this season of my life…. our God is so good, dear friends…

well, being here at the honor academy so far has been quite a ride. i’m really starting to get used to going to bed around twelve, waking up at four thirty every morning for exercise, and having a pretty full schedule. i will be working in global expeditions for the year (globalexpedtions.com) …calling kids across the country, encouraging them to go on a missions trip & praying over there life. it is such an opportunity to bless other people, for sure.

last weekend some of us from global expeditions went on a missions trip to austin, tx and it was quite amazing. we went around downtown one night in the rain and just started talking with people..it was so good. we also worked with the homeless…i wrote this after we went to talk with them:

“there are some people here who have everything…nice cars, nice homes…and don’t realize their need for Christ, and that is a disaster. however, there are people who have nothing…no home, no occupation…yet, they know that they are in need of a Savior…in need of grace. they recognize their need and don’t hide it, and that is truly beautiful.”

we can be a witness for Christ not just to the homeless….but also to the wealthy who are consumed with materialism, thinking that they are ok. does that make sense? maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t but i truly feel that america is a huge mission field in and of its self, you know? mmmm, may we be the fragrance of Christ with every step we take.

i’m excited about this year….it will grow me, teach me, stretch me. to fall onto Jesus…to make Him known..and to love Him with my whole being. this is what i desire….

texas is beautiful…hot, very very hot…but beautiful. i am so thankful and i know that there are good things in store. i am a global expeditions (missions) encouragement representative and am so excited to see what the year has in store…

“dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. this then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. ” john 3:18-20

starting tomorrow….i’m headin’ on down to texas…

a new chapter unfolds…

Lord, i’ll trust in You.

edit:

liz wernz has gone home to be with the Lord…she has her eternal home..

thank you for all of your prayers…

prayer request…

dear friends, when i went to south east asia a year ago, our small group traveled with a couple (rick and liz wernz.) they took me under their wing when i was over there and i stayed close to them since the trip. they have had plans to move to south east asia to be in full time ministry. i recieved an email last night that liz got hit by a car while traveling in london to visit a friend’s wedding yesterday. her head is swelling and has a broken leg. i recieved another email this morning from the church:

Grace Family,

Thank you for praying for Liz Wernz and her family. As of this morning, the doctors do not have any good news. Liz has a critical brain injury that is life-threatening. Rick, Andrea and David are flying out of Chicago this afternoon. Please pray for safety in their travels, and to the God of miracles that He would prove the doctors wrong. We will send additional updates as we get more information.

please be praying for her and her precious family….

thank you so much! God bless you…

(so next week i pack up my things, and head on down to
texas….what a journey. time goes by so fast…oh dear. nervous? yes.
excited? yes. trusting Him? yes. yes. yes.)

“have I not commanded you? be strong and courageous.
do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will
be with you wherever you go.” joshua 1:9

i’m sitting out on my deck…crickets singing and the night air is becoming cooler. it’s such a beautiful night. i can’t even begin to start to write what has been going on in my life. the Lord has taken me and led me to places i would have never imagined. this summer has been filled with lessons, trials, blessings, and so much more. He has shown Himself to me in so many precious ways. a couple of nights ago i was in a coffee shop with one of my best friends, savoring the moment. my friend is not a christian and he does not understand why i do alot of what i do and why i believe alot of what i believe but i am so thankful. it’s as if He has put people in my life that are not christians but are seeking, so that they might see a glimpse of hope. not of me, but of Christ. aw no…not i, but Christ. this morning i was reading in galatians and captured by the verse that says that whenever we have an opportunity to bless those outside of the faith, do so. everywhere i go, everywhere my feet are planted, every face i meet…that they could see His overflowing love!

there’s just so much i could write, dear friends. from the fact that it almost didn’t work out to go to texas in august because of school credits not going through, other awesome opportunities arising, and other little trials…..to the fact that day after day, i’m amazed at how truly great our God is.

i really think that the best is yet to come…i’m excited to see what is to come and i am also excited to live day to day learning all that He has to teach this small daughter of His. in Him is all that i would have and can desire.

alright, we’ll i think i’m going to play some of the good ole’ guitar and then…who knows! i’ll write again soon, though. be blessed, be encouraged, be His…