Eyes & Ears

     I'm a visual and auditory learner - seeing and hearing at the same time is the best way for me to learn and remember stuff. When I was in school, I memorized facts and formulas through music; when I need to remember something at work, I write it down and put the sticky note somewhere I can see it.

     Why am I telling you this? How do we apply this to growing in the Lord? Visuals speak more than words do. "A picture is worth a thousands words" right? A lot of times, I remember Bible verses by hearing or reading them, then writing them down. I have Scriptures all over the place - the walls of my room, my desk at home, my desk at work, hanging in my car, my phone background, the fridge in our kitchen, etc. Seeing them repeatedly reminds me of them and what I see and hear is what I remember. Seeing something and then hearing it is better, so when I see one of the Scriptures, I read it out loud. It's what stays in my head.

"Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.

- Deuteronomy 11:18-21

     God knew a good way for the children of Israel to remember things. He told them to literally put the law in and on their houses, on their clothes and skin, and to talk about them constantly. Does that mean that the Israelites talked about the law of the Lord and nothing else? No... they were humans so I'm pretty sure they talked about other things too. But it was meant to become such an integral part of them, like an essential part of their daily lives.

     So what is in front of your eyes and streaming into your ears? What's influencing you and you might not even realize it? What goes in, comes out. If light and joy and peace and the love of God and the Scriptures are pouring into you, that's what is going to come out of you

~ Abby

My heart is so full!

I made it up to camp for 18 hours. Within 26(ish) hours, Mom and I drove up there, surprised a bunch of people including my Dad and sister Elizabeth, sat in a wonderful meeting, ate camp food, celebrated the 4th of July, and drove home. But it is amazing what 18 hours on those grounds can do.

Panoramic view of the lake from Watch Rock
Brant Lake, NY

I was reminded of how much God loves me. Insignificant, full of doubts, usually stressed, freaking out, loud and sometimes obnoxious, small me. 

Let me share some context here... I try to only show the "good stuff" about me. I try to always be positive. I try to always put other people first. I try to always be praying and encouraging other people. I try to stay happy and upbeat, sharing smiley faces and Bible verses. 

But that's not me probably 70% of the time if I'm being really honest.

Sometimes, I am mean and selfish. Sometimes, I ignore people. Sometimes, I say terrible things. Sometimes, I am impatient and nasty. Sometimes, I am jealous and inconsiderate. Sometimes, I am lazy and stubborn. Sometimes, I am thoughtless and gullible.

I doubt myself. I doubt other people. I stress over things I cannot change. I stress over things I can change. I am overemotional. I am critical, mostly of myself. I am often negative. I am often discouraged. I am often angry. I am often feeling lost or abandoned. I often let the bad thoughts take over.

But God loves me.

In spite of all of those awful things about myself, God loves me. God loves me because of who He is. God loves me because He wants me. 

The Maker of the universe, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Mighty Savior of the entire world, the Alpha and Omega, the Sovereign King, the Living Truth, the Three-In-One, the gracious Provider, the Holy Comforter, the eternal, loving, just, glorious, merciful, patient, righteous, forgiving, amazing, powerful, understanding, good, wise, faithful, infinite, unchanging, Lord of all, 

loves me. 

WHAT?!

I can doubt it. I can question it. I can wrestle with it. I can fight it. It's not going to change. No matter my reaction, He is not going to change and He is going to love little me.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,

but that the world through Him might be saved.

John 3:16 & 17

But God demonstrates His own love toward us,

in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

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.

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent

His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 

1 John 4:9 & 10

Many Christians already know this and have already come to understand how wonderful this is and I don't want people to think that I didn't know God loves me or that I have not accepted Him into my heart and life, but for me... this was a moment. Adonai, Elohim, Jehovah loves me and I cannot ignore it. He stands there with wide-open arms, waiting for me to accept this gift of love. 

So now I have three choices: I can walk away from all of this completely; I can accept it and go on with my life like nothing has changed; or... I can allow this knowledge to change me.

Walking away is not an option. Leaving my Christian walk, no matter how hard it gets, it not a choice. Accepting God's love and not allowing it to change me doesn't seem to make much sense. But that third option? Do I want my life to be changed? Absolutely. I want this undeniable, unchanging fact of God's love to permeate my heart and completely transform me, mind, body, and soul.

Will it solve all my problems? Will it make all my decisions easy? Will it make me happy and positive all the time? Nope. 

But it will make me different because I cannot ignore the unwavering fact that He loves me. My Father sees a woman seeking after Him and His will no matter what the cost. I'm not perfect, but I know He is making me into His perfection. I'm a work in progress. I'm getting there and by His grace, mercy, and love, I will continue to reach for that in my life.

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; 

but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which 

Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

Philippians 3:12

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,

which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

My challenge to you is this: accept God's love for you. He sent His Son to die because of little you. Don't ignore that gift because you're scared or you don't understand it. 

Jesus & Others

     God put this thought in my heart today: we're not here to serve ourselves. It's Jesus first. It's others second. There's a church song that I've taught to the kids: "Jesus and Others and You, what a wonderful way to spell joy!" If you want true joy, you have to put a few other things ahead of yourself.

     Jesus never put Himself first: His entire life was about others. Obviously, we cannot get to this level because we're not God, and we will never be perfect, but Jesus is our example.We should strive to put Him first and others before ourselves.

     Today, I could feel this ringing in my heart. It is something I need to work on, and I'm beginning to see that it isn't overnight. I'm not going to become less self-centered overnight. But if I continue to ask the Lord for His help, He is faithful and will continue to change me.

     So as you read this little piece of my heart today, be blessed and try to do something that would put someone else ahead of yourself. Maybe this quote from Oswald Chambers will help to inspire you: "Have you ever realized that you can give things to God that are of value to Him? Or are you just sitting around daydreaming about the greatness of His redemption, while neglecting all the things you could be doing for Him? I’m not referring to works which could be regarded as divine and miraculous, but ordinary, simple human things – things which would be evidence to God that you are totally surrendered to Him."

~ Abby

An Ephesians 2:19-22 Blessing

Sorry for my absence on here. Last week my grandma was rushed to the hospital for multiple things, so our household was a bit "topsy-turvy" this past week. But thank the Lord, she is at a rehab center slowly improving! But this post isn't about that. This is something I wrote recently and I felt lead to share it with all my readers.

"19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." -Ephesians 2:19-22

You are part of a family & a kingdom. The family of God. Nothing you have done can change that. What really matters is not the choices you've made, but the child of God you are. This song, "You are More", by Tenth Avenue North tells us that our decisions of the past do not define us... we have been forgiven by our Rock, by our Savior. AND, because of that, we are now part of a loving family and we are part of the Lord's kingdom What a wonderful promise this is! 

In the next section,  the Bible tells us that we, the family of God, have a foundation of the prophets, the Bible. We stand firm on the promises of God in the Scripture! The chorus of an old hymn say this: 

      

"Standing, standing, 

standing on the promises of Christ my Savior; 

standing, standing, 

I'm standing on the promises of God!" 

R. Kelso Carter

Another song says this: 

"How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, 

is laid for your faith in his excellent word! 

What more can he say than to you he hath said, 

to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?" 

"K" in Rippon's A Selection of Hymns

Isn't is marvelous that we stand on the promises of our Savior? He is our Rock, our Fortress, our Shepherd, our Lord! He is the cornerstone that we as a family of God, and as individuals, can put our trust and faith in.

The last verse says that we are being built together to be a dwelling place for God. Our bodies are a temple. We as a group are a temple of God. In 1 Corinthians 6:19, it says "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" When we are saved, we are no longer our own. We have the Almighty God living inside us, we belong to Him! 

One last song, I promise: 

"Know ye not, know ye not ye are the temple?

Know ye not, know ye not ye are the temple?

Know ye not, know ye not ye are the temple?

Ye are the temple of the Holy Ghost!"

I don't know where that's from, but I remember singing it in church years ago. What a faithful reminder that we are the temple of God! 

So my main points: 1) We are part of a family and a kingdom. We accept each other, we help each other, we love each other. 2) We are founded on Christ and the promises we find in Scripture. Trust in them. Keep them close to your hearts. 3)We are a temple! We have our Lord living inside us, helping us, loving us, teaching us.

Thank God today! Thank Him for everything that He has done for us! Thank Him for your salvation, for His love, for His promises, and for the family that you are a part of!

A rainbow, one of the promises of God.

I hope that this little thought blessed you as it did me!

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!

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

2013!

Greetings! We are already into the second month of 2013! I feel like so much has happened since I last posted!

The new year started out well- friends and family all around! My work schedule has changed very much with lots of different hours. Sometimes it's hard for me to remember where I am supposed to be on that particular day and time! But such is the life of a young adult.

In regards to school- I passed my science DSST test (Environment and Humanity) at the end of January! I would have like a slightly higher score, but I passed and so I was not going to complain at all! God is so good. That test was a breaking point for me. I'll explain later on.

I have now started American Literature. I had taken this test over a year ago, but I needed to pick another test to begin studying and this one looked, once again, fascinating. I have recently fallen back into reading again. I know! I have always loved reading, but life gets in the way and I forgot the feeling of sitting up late at night, curled under the covers with a good book! I am currently reading six (!) different books right now! Some of them are Jane Eyre, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Sons and Lovers, and The Beechers. Some of these I have read but I forgot how good they are. And besides all of this, there is nothing like the smell of a book.

In other news, I have made some important decisions. I am studying Journalism in the hopes of working for a magazine or newspaper. Television isn't my thing. But I will, ultimately, become a writer. It's always been something I like to do. But, quite honestly, I need to write. I don't want to write sometimes, but I force myself because if I don't, I feel like I'm suffocating. I'm drowning. It's my "therapy" if you will.

Okay, enough about that. Aside from my two jobs, church, school, and other miscellaneous things, I've been busy this year so far! But it's been a good busy. I am looking forward to new things, new experiences, starting new friendships, etc, this year! (I'm also giving the blog a "facelift.")

Blessings in 2013!
Abby

a lesson learned...

So a lot has been going on since my last post!

1) I have passed my Intro to World Religions test! YAY! (3 more credits!!!)
2) I have ended my college program that I was doing, not because I finished it with a degree but I felt like the Lord was leading me somewhere else. (I’ll elaborate on that more later on.)
3) Our Annual Homeschool Convention is in a week so we’ve been very busy with that but it’s going really well so far! Your prayers would be extremely appreciated!
4) I have sort of reconnected with one friend that I had lost touch with a few years ago.  I’m also trying to mend some other friendships that I have either lost, or I have drifted away from the other person. I feel like the Lord is leading me to try and reach out to these people so we’ll see how He leads.
5) I have been really using the last few weeks to grow in my spiritual walk. I’ll talk about that now and then go back to some of the other things.

I have been reading through different Psalms during the day. It’s been helping me stay calm, focused, and less stressed. I often would just get up and start my day, but now that I have been getting into the Bible more and just relying more on the promises of Jesus, I have a more gentle spirit within me. I know that it’s all due to His greatness and Holy Spirit. He has been showing me more and more how to become like Him.

When I am truly honest with myself, I know that I am not the person I should be. I know that God can make me into EXACTLY what He wants me to be. It’s very hard to surrender everything, and I mean everything to Him. I like to be in control, on top of everything, organized into binders and sections, calendars and appointments. But, I’ve been learning, slowly and painfully at times, that God doesn’t work that way. He needs to be in control of our lives. In His time, in His ways, He will do it all for good. For your good. That’s a lesson I’ve been struggling with for a long time, but it has been made so real to me that when God is in control, everything falls into place.

In regards to ending my college program, I felt that it was the right thing to do. It’s very closely related to my previous paragraphs. The organization I was working with are a wonderful group of people, first of all. They were right there to help me through things, answer all of my questions, give me great insight, etc. My personal coach was fabulous! She was always there to listen to me, help through failed tests, celebrate with me when I passed, etc. But most of all, she was there to pray with me and for me. I knew that I could trust her with a lot of my secrets and tell her many of my prayer requests. She would always make sure that I understood about my tests, everything about the program, etc. I was incredibly blessed to have her as my coach.

The main reason that I stopped that particular program before getting my degree, was that I felt that God wanted me somewhere else. I have a lot of college credits and now it’s going to be a waiting process. I have to see the options that are out there, see where God is going to lead me. It’s hard because, like I had said before, I have to entrust it ALL to Him. I am leaving my heart open to His leading, and my head open to suggestions! It will be a challenging couple of months to see how I can let Him lead, but I am very excited about what He will do with my life!

I think that’s all for now. If you made it all the way to the end, thank you for bearing with me! Please comment below!

Blessings through Jesus!
Abby