Salt.

   Salt and Light. This thought has been in my head the last few days. We are not called to shine our light in this world, but rather, we are called to reflect His light. In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, Jesus talks about us being salt and light. As His followers, it is not about us, but rather about Him.

   Normally, I'm not a fan of the Message interpretation, but I liked how this passage was worded: "Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage." {Matthew 5:13, The Message}

   Salt enhances and brings out flavors in food. As Christians, we should enhance God's presence around us, bringing the focus to Him and His goodness. If we are not seeking God, we begin to lose our saltiness. If we lose our saltiness, we begin to lose our witness. We're still Christians and we still love God and we still love others, but when we stop searching for more of Jesus, other parts of our lives start overshadowing His light in our lives. The potency of the salt begins to fade. 

   In order for our salt and light to be effective, we have to look for the One who makes us salt and light.

   Strive to be more "salty and light-filled" for God today.
~ Abby

Choosing the Will of God

   Hello readers! Today, I want to talk to you about God's will. How willing are we to follow the will of God and to choose it over other things? Even Jesus had to acknowledge His Father's plan and follow His will. But how do we do this?

And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed,

saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.

And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. ~ Luke 22:41-44

   Jesus separated himself from His friends. We don't like to separate ourselves from our friends and family. It's human nature to crave connection with those around us, even with things of the world. But if we really want to seek out God's will for ourselves, separation from the world is required and sometimes, separation from our friends and family is necessary. Are we willing to separate ourselves from the people and things that can distract us from God? I'm not talking about becoming a hermit, never interacting with anyone ever. But when you need to seek out God and His will, do you distance yourself from the distractions and take the time to worship the Lord and pray for an answer? Luke 5:16 says "So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed." Like Jesus, we need to understand the importance of separation from everything else to pray.

   Jesus recognized that He had to give up His own will to follow His Father. Here's something we don't like to do... give up our plans for someone else's. But here's the main thing: it's not our plan for either someone important in our lives or not. This is our plans for God's plans. To some people, this might not make a difference. "Why would I want to follow someone else's idea of what I should do for my life?" "They don't know me." "They don't know what I want or what I'm good at." "They don't care enough for me to take their advice." That's the thing. God knows what's best. He knows you. He knows what you want or what you're good at because He made you. He cares more about you than you may think. God only wants good things for us. Does this mean that His plan will be smooth-sailing, sunshine-filled, roses-along-the-path kind of life? No, but we'll get to that next.

   Jesus did not give up even as the struggle became harder. I'm sure you've heard that things will almost always get worse before they get better... well, even as Christians, this can be very true. When struggles get hard, we often want to take the easy way out which is usually to just give up. But God calls us to something more than that and He empowers us to continue on. Even Jesus knew when the struggles were harder that He had to keep going and He held on to the promises of His Father. Isaiah 46:4 says "Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you." No matter what the trial we face, even after we have surrendered our will to the Father's, we can rest in the promise that the Lord will carry us. 

   Does following God's will require great personal sacrifice? Yes. But it is His will for us and He will sustain us through. May this small thought be an encouragement to each of us to surrender ourselves daily to the perfect will of our Heavenly Father. 

Blessings, 

~ Abby

Favorite Verses

   It's harder than people think to pick your favorite verses... I have a ton that have spoken to me at different times over the years and I would have a hard time choosing just one. However, I did narrow it down to three that I wanted to share briefly here.

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28

   How often are we burdened down by the things of this world? It is so easy to get discouraged when we see what is happening both around us and within our own lives; but when we put all of that aside and come to Jesus... what a blessed rest we can then find. 

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!" Psalm 46:10

   It is so hard to be still, but what incredible things follow when we are still before the Lord. Peace follows and we can be sure that He is still God. 

"But those who wait on the Lord

Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

   All-time favorite right here! My parents gave me this verse on my thirteenth birthday and it's been given to me again and again by people over the last 9 years. Coincidentally, Isaiah is one of my favorite books. I always loved the imagery of the Lord giving me the strength to fly like an eagle... how amazing would it be to soar above our troubles with the strength from Jesus? When we wait on Him, we can receive that strength and peace to keep going and push past the trials in our lives. 

   Share one of your favorite verses, I'd love to here some!

Blessings!

Abby

Allowing Change

   What makes someone a "great Christian?" Think of someone you would consider a great example of Christ. Do they have any combination of the following characteristics:

loving

wise

patient

gentle

open-hearted

willing

humble

caring

dependable

kind

discrete

truthful

available

sincere

gentle

generous

   Do you think that the person you're thinking of achieved all or some of those characteristics overnight? Absolutely not. We receive Christ in a moment when we accept His forgiveness. He begins to immediately work on those things in our hearts that do not reflect Him, but it requires a little effort on our part. We do not become a "great Christian" without sacrificing things in our lives and striving for that Christ-centered life.

   In Romans 12, we are called to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." (v. 1, NKJV) which includes our minds and our hearts, not just our physical bodies. Christ works in our minds and hearts, making them holy and acceptable like Himself. If the Creator of the universe sent His Son to save this group of dirty, sinful people, shouldn't we give our lives back to Him? God is waiting for us to turn to Him and say "Take what is holding me back from giving You my all. Change me completely." Jesus has a beautiful and fulfilling gift of a life with Him, but we have to accept it and the changes it will make in us.

   So... change scares me to a certain extent. I like having a plan, being organized, knowing what's coming up next so when one day (fairly recently, by the way), I felt the Lord telling me that He was changing me, I kind of freaked out a little bit. He wanted to redo me to become more and more like Him but I would have to allow Him to have that control, not knowing what was coming up next. It terrified me, but... I knew I had to: there was a deep, burning desire within me. I was scared, almost petrified. But I realized that if I wanted to be a "great" Christian, it would take a great sacrifice. So I told the Lord "Yes, change me. Go ahead. Take control and begin to change me to be more like You."

Best. Decision. Ever. 

   Yes, it's terrifying. Yes, it seems uncertain. Yes, I don't understand. Yes, I still struggle. But it's fine... God's got me, my family, my friends, my future, etc. Sure the change is still scary and different, but in so many good ways. I'm still me, but I am becoming a more Christ-like version of me. He has placed within me this incredible desire for more of Himself within my soul. When I first began to notice a difference, it almost blew me away. There is a satisfaction and peace in Him that I am finding. I want to read my Bible more. I want to pray for people daily. I want to encourage others and spread His love more than ever. Any opportunities He gives, I want to take, even if they scare the living daylights out of me.

   Nothing in this world can compare to the incredible life in Jesus. Anything this world offers cannot compare to that moment when you realize Christ is all you ever want. You may still love those things and talk about them, but they don't hold a piece of your heart anymore... that's where only Jesus resides. "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Romans 12:2 (NKJV).

   But......

   It would be so easy to let this all slip away. God is never going to let me go, but I could easily let go of Him. There are so many opportunities daily to turn away from this Christian walk and follow the world. I'm not talking about just the larger things, like turning away from our faith and denying Christ. This includes even the small things: role models, types of music, movies/TV shows, daily conversations, things we read, etc. The littlest things make the greatest impacts and those are the things that the devil uses to turn us slowly away from our walks with Christ.

   I'm not telling you to become a hermit and live in silence away from the world, but we have to work at this - if we neglect this gift of life in Christ, it will disappear. Our "Jesus-ness" will fade from our lives. It's like when you spend a lot of time with someone, you begin to pick up on their characteristics. I have a few friends like this: after talking with my one friend who lives down south, I always start to say "ya'll" and everyone knows who I was talking to recently. It's the same with Christ. We ask Him to change us and make our lives more pleasing to Him, but if we don't work at it, it will not last. It requires a sacrifice of time and energy on our parts. It takes work. The reward is worth every moment of effort.

   Look again at the list of characteristics at the beginning of this post. Do you need help with one of the in particular? Do you need all of them? You're in good company. No one possesses every single one, but that's why we need God to continually remake us.

   Lord, change me. Make me more Christ-like. Show me the rewards of the sacrifice. Give a me a deep desire to strive after a life with You.

Blessings,
~Abby

Spirit of the Living God, 

Fall fresh on me. 

Spirit of the Living God, 

Fall fresh on me. 

Melt me, mold me, 

Fill me, use me.

Spirit of the Living God,

Fall fresh on me.

- D. Iverson & L. Alexander, 1997

PS - I apologize for the lack of updates. I was wrapping up a semester by the end of February, then March was ridiculous with work. I will try to update a bit in April. I cannot promise anything as I am starting a new semester tomorrow (actually today), but I will try! 

A Little Lesson

     As I lie on my kitchen floor writing a paper for my Music History class, I stop and think. Getting overwhelmed by homework and assignments and reading is easy for me to do. But the Lord put it on my heart that one of the reasons I've struggled with this is because I rely on myself too much. With that in mind, I'm working on this, and I have been asking the Lord to give me His wisdom and peace. He gave me this verse:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.

His praise endures forever.

~Psalm 111:10

     When I take the time to seek out who this God I serve truly is, I can find that wisdom. I can begin to understand His commands and truths. I am truly thankful that the Lord takes the time to show us these little lessons. 

~Abby

Pray more!

A short post about prayer. Do you pray every day? What do you pray for? Who do you pray for? Is it all for yourself? Your family, friends, neighbors, church? This is wonderful and we should continue to pray for theses but there are plenty of people out there who need your prayer too! Find a site online, like this prayer wall and read through some of these people's needs. Pray for one or two if you feel like you should.

Don't take this the wrong way. I am positive that you all have so much to pray for but as part of the world-wide Body of Christ, let's not forget the other people in this world who need help and prayer too!

Blessings,
Abby

PS: I am not associated with the site I linked to. It's part of a website for Max Lucado's new book coming out entitled "You'll Get Through This." I found it and felt greatly admonished by the Lord to begin praying for these people and to share it with all of my readers. God Bless!

God is right here...

Hey!
I haven't posted like I hoped last week! So sorry! Life gets crazy real quick...

Just something quick... I've learned this past week that distance doesn't separate us from God. He's right then when you ask Him. Isn't that awesome? Simple, yet we often find it super hard to understand. Thank God that He is patient with us!

Blessings,
~Abby

Friday's Blessing

Hiya!

This week at work has been a bit more crazy than last. The phones were a bit busier and there was more to do and learn. I’m enjoying myself though!

It’s Friday! Weekend plans! I’m hoping to hit the library tomorrow morning with my sister before going out with grandma and grandpa to lunch. Then home to straighten up the house because dad comes home from camp!!! Then, I’m going to change into my bathing suit, set up a towel outside and sit in the backyard, work on my tan and get some writing done!

That’s Saturday. I will let Sunday remain a secret... nope! Sunday, time for church!!!

Here’s a verse and song for you that have blessed me lately:

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10

“Verse 1: Sweet is the promise “I will not forget thee,”
Nothing can molest or turn my soul away;
E’en though the night be dark within the valley,
Just beyond is shining an eternal day.

Refrain:
I will not forget thee or leave thee,
In My hands I’ll hold thee,
In My arms I’ll fold thee,
I will not forget thee or leave thee;
I am thy Redeemer, I will care for thee.

Verse 2: Trusting the promise “I will not forget thee,”
Onward I will go with songs of joy and love,
Though earth despise me,
Though my friends forsake me,
I shall be remembered in my home above.

Verse 3: When at the golden portals I am standing,
All my tribulations, all my sorrows past;
How sweet to hear the blessèd proclamation,
“Enter, faithful servant, welcome home at last.””

Blessings in Jesus!
Abby

Home from Camp!

Greetings! 

I haven't posted in forever... I was a camp!!! I'm finally getting back into my schedule. This last week I had my first full week at my new job. And I was all by myself! The other woman in the office who does kind of the same thing I do was on vacation so I was all alone. And I made it through! God is good.

I just want to share a few thoughts from the time I had at camp. The theme was worship. What a great theme! Our meetings were wonderful. God really came and met us all individually and as a group! I am so thankful for what He did for me personally. I went to camp with a huge burden. I could not seem to get rid of it even though the situation that was connected had disappeared. I tried numerous times on my own, but I needed to truly realize that I couldn't not do it by myself. Letting go of the entire problem, I opened myself and in His mercy, God took it all away! That's one of the lessons I learned while I was up there. We feel like we need to handle it all when in reality, Jesus wants us to open our hearts and give it to Him. Truly give it to Him. Only then can He give us true peace. 



I had a fantastic time! My staff in housekeeping was amazing. Andrea, Sarah, & Kristen all worked hard and we had a good time together. I want to thank God very specifically for Andrea. We roomed together! She, without realizing it half the time, was such a great encouragement to me. Her amazing Christian walk was so obvious to everyone. She blessed me more than she will ever know!

I loved all the staff- we worked together very well and we had a good time too! Love you all!

Left to Right: Kristen, Sarah, Andrea, Abby
Photo By Andrea Dai

 

Blessings,

Abby

 

PS - I will post like normal starting again this week!





Musing for a Monday...

Hi! How was your weekend? Busy? Did you grow in Jesus?

Here's today's thought. In the verse below, we are reminded that because of God, we can live. Actually live! You know, happily!

"I John 4:9
In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him."

My pastor preached on Sunday night about Psalm 37:4

"Delight yourself also in the Lord , And He shall give you the desires of your heart."

We are to delight, be happy, rejoice in the Lord! He has given us life that is so real. All we have to do is accept it and live it to the fullest! Think about how much your life will improve if you have a life the way God really desires you to have! 

Blessings!
~Abby

Musings for a Monday... Rainy thoughts

I love the sound of rain. It makes me feel sad, yet happy, lost, yet safe. It's really just another way for God to tell us about His love. I mean, without the rain, nothing would grow. That's just like us really. Without disappointments & hardships, we would not grow. Of course we grow in the good times too,  but our growth increases in the hard times. Isn't God amazing? He reminds us of His greatness daily by using the little things!
Blessings!
~Abby

Camp pics!

Just posting 2 pictures of the lake from early Monday morning. Isn't God amazing?! These views amaze me so much no matter how many times you see them.
Blessings!
~Abby

Encouragement

Hi all! A few words to update and encourage!

Our homeschooling convention went better than we hoped! Yeah! God is so god to those who put their trust in Him! ~Psalm 78:7~

I went to Pilgrim camp for Memorial Day Weekend. I worked hard, saw many old friends, and was blessed by the meetings!

I feel like I need to say this again. God is just so awesome! When you think you can't handle anymore, God is right there for you. He never gives us anything we cannot handle. He is there through it all. It doesn't feel like that all the time. We feel like no one is there and that is far from the truth. GOD IS THERE. He's with you at school, home, work, in your car, etc. ALWAYS. I'm still learning this truth. Believe me, I don't have it all down pat. I can't give you steps 1, 2, & 3 and the problem will go away. But, most the most important thing is to realize that HE is there. HE is right beside you, and sometimes, He's carrying you through. If you can accept that fact, such a peace will cover you and the situation may not get better; in fact, it might get worse. BUT you will have peace, knowing that it's all under the blood!

Here are two songs that have been encouraging me recently.  

"Through it all,

 through it all,

 I've learned to trust in Jesus,

 I've learned to trust in God.

 Through it all,

 through it all,

 I've learned to depend upon His Word." - Andrae Crouch

"His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,

His power no boundary known unto men;

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus

He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again." - Annie Flint

Meditate today on the fact that God is carrying you "Through it all!"

Blessings!

~Abby

PS - Prayer Requests: 1) My mom - she is having some health issues that require lots of prayer! 2) A friend's mom had a heart attack last Friday and she had an operation and appears to be doing fine, praise God! Please pray for her recovery. 3) A dear friend is in the army right now. He is in basic training in Oklahoma (unaffected by the tornadoes) but please pray that He grows spiritually even more! 4) The people that were affected by the tornadoes in Oklahoma! For peace and comfort for all involved!

May!

           I can’t believe it’s May already and I haven’t posted a blog in over a month! Ah! April was, in a word, INSANE. I covered someone vacation at work so my hours doubled  for three weeks! I did not get any school or writing done! Grrr… But, not that I’m back to a normal schedule, I am trying to get back into the swing of things. Like blogging!

            We had a talent show at church at the end of April – that was awesome! Aside from everyone else in the church doing a fantastic job, my sister made her “debut” on the guitar! She received it for Christmas and has been teaching herself. She did a wonderful job!

I’ve learned something about myself the past couple of weeks. I am stronger than I think. A situation has been creeping up on me and I thought I would not be able to handle it. But I was! With a lot of leaning and trusting on God, I was able to face the situation. Sometimes, it takes TRUST more than anything else. You can pray until “you’re blue in the face,” but unless you really trust that the Lord is going to take care of it, it won’t happen.

Just a bit of encouragement to never stop trusting, no matter how hard it gets!

            Blessings!

            ~Abby

            PS – I have friend who is in the army. He left for bootcamp the end of April so please keep him in your prayers! His name is Dan. Thank you!

Learn

Working, writing, school, reading, learning, laughing, living.

Learning to depend on God's will is the hardest thing that I am learning right now. Allowing HIM to guide every step I take.

"Only trust Him."

Show me Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day. ~ Psalm 25:4,5

Stars

The first full week of March is over and spring is, finally, almost here! We had a snowstorm Thursday night into Friday, but the snow stuck little and by tomorrow it had all melted away.

Tonight, I am thankful for stars. I was outside for a few minutes taking the new puppy, Ebony, out for a quick walk. I looked up and saw a crisp, clear, black sky, sparkiling with stars, scattered like diamonds. It was beautiful! So awe-inspiring. God is so amazing! What looks, at times, like total chaos to us, is completely in order for Him!

What a good reminder that when we feel like the world is falling apart, God has everything in control!

Blessings,

Abby

A little prayer.

   Last night, while I was sitting in prayer meeting, I opened up my journal and decided to write a short, small letter to Jesus.

Dear Jesus,

Thanks.

Amen.

 

   Short & sweet that was the point. Sometimes, that's all we need to do. Try it. Just stop for 10 seconds, and say, "Thanks, Jesus."

 

   Believe me. Your day will be different.

 

Blessings!

~Abby

Pure

      A dear friend had sent me this picture via social media and I asked if I could take the picture and write something up about it and post it on my blog. She graciously said yes so here it is!

     We live in a culture where purity is a thing almost unheard of! "You're waiting? Why?""Get it over with!" "You will most likely not be with this person when you're old enough to get married, so just do it." "It doesn't matter what other people say, it's okay." "Other people have done it. What's the harm?"

     Maybe you've heard some of these statements from coworkers, friends, or even family members. It's discouraging, right? You have made a decision and others don't understand it. You may feel like no one has the same conviction. You are at a lose. Should I just go ahead? Should I just do it? 

     Let me tell you a quick story: there was a girl, let's call her Brenda. She and her boyfriend had been careful, never allowing themselves to be a situation where they could make a bad choice. They were content where they were because they were waiting. But doubts began to form in Brenda's head because people at her job had made fun of her and her choice. "Why are you waiting? Just do it and get it over with." Some of them even said that if she didn't sleep with her boyfriend, he might leave her. She was terrified. I can't lose him! she thought. We are doing the right thing by waiting. Without realizing it, she had let Satan get into her head. No matter what she did, she had these nagging thoughts telling her to "do it." She finally had enough. Brenda called her boyfriend, let's call him Sam. She began to tell her what had been going on, everything that people had said, the thoughts that had been going through her head, etc. She was crying hysterically. "You and I both know that we can't. I have an idea," he said. They agreed to meet the next day and talk in person. Sam sat her down, grabbed her hands, looked into her eyes and said, "We are going to make a promise, first to God, to each other, then ourselves. We are not going to let other people get into our heads. We know it's wrong. With God's help, we are going to resist the temptations that our culture lays before us and be pure in the sight of God."

       Because of the promise and commitment that these two made to God, each other, and themselves, they resisted the temptations. And, they are married today!

      The point I was making by telling you that story was that you can resist. You can be pure. You can be faithful and true. Whether you are in a relationship or not, God will help you to control yourself and not cross that line. God is saving the perfect person for you. Our Father has something very special for you. He loves you so much and wants the bests for you! 

     Make the promise today. If you have fallen into that temptation, made that bad choice, ask for forgiveness. We are not perfect. God will forgive. He's awesome like that! Then determine in your heart to become who you are to be. If you have not crossed that line, make the choice now, today! Stay pure and true! In fact, if you make your decision today, if reading through this has helped you to make up your mind, then leave me a comment and tell me so! I would love to hear from you! And, if you are struggling with this, please let me know. I will be glad to pray for you!!!

     So, the "moral of the story" is to make the choice for yourself. Stand tall and proud because you are God's creation and you can be true and faithful! Resist it now, and God will reward you!

Blessings! ~Abby 

PS: Thank you Julie for the picture!

Random thoughts...

        I wrote this on the train on Wednesday night but I had no way to post it. I hope you enjoy and I will be posting something about my trip, with some pictures, once I can!

 

          Today on the train going home, I saw two clouds. One was a vibrant, bright, and rich orange color, from the opposite sunset. Quite close to it was a dark, stormy, dreary cloud. They both had these pieces, ends if you will, that almost touched. It looked as if two fingers were reaching, stretching to touch. It reminded me of that beautiful painting on the Sistine Chapel in Italy; perhaps you know about what I’m speaking about. In this unforgettable painting on the ceiling, there is one scene that, I consider the most cherished and valued. God is extending His arm, His fingers trying to seize ours. The man, however, is not so eager: his arm is slightly up and reaching, but not as desperate; he doesn’t see it as precious, what he could have.

           I recalled from this simple illustration how the Lord desires to have a relationship with us as His children and also, of how many times we have neglected and ignored His pleas to become closer. The Lord continues to reach out to us even if we ignore Him and His calling. May we become more sensitive to His calling in our lives, and strive to accomplish what He desires us to. 

See you soon!

~Abby

Better mood, upcoming plans, & goodbye to a dear saint!

I'm in a little bit better mode than the other day. So yeah... thanks for letting me rant!


So, I have 13 days left with my college program, then a break. I don't know how long, but I'll be blogging during that time about things that the Lord is showing me. I am not going to let my life go to waste. I'm not going to wait for tomorrow, for other people, for things to happen to me. I am going to make things happen myself. I'm creating a list of things to do before the end of this year. I'll post some of the list on here and then as I actually accomplish things.  I am not going to let life pass me by.


A few things on my list- (not in any particular order)
1) go to New York City with some friends and just wander and take pictures.
2) learn to embroider
3) go with my friends to the beach/park/shopping/etc.
4) redo my room (without spending a lot of money.
5) Most Importantly- get deeper into God's Word and be more of an encouragement to my friends.


As I go, I'll update on my progress and other things that I'm doing. But for the next 13 days, I am still in school and I'm going to focus on that. 


Your prayers are appreciated greatly!
~Abby


Just wanted to thank God for taking home a dear servant of God yesterday, Bro. Dan. I am friends with his niece and nephew and my prayers go to them at this time. Seriously, if you see this, please know that I am praying for you. He is celebrating with the angels right now and worshiping his Maker! Thank you Lord for the promise of eternal life! 


"And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” -John 11:26


Leave comments and ask me questions below!!!