Merry Christmas!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!!! Let us not forget the most precious gift that was given to us as we celebrate the birth of Christ with our friends and family. I know it has been a while since I have posted and for that I apologize. Working at the First United Methodist preschool has kept me very busy. I am planning on applying for LVN school next fall at Panola college. They have a program in center which would mean less driving time. I am planning in the mean time, to get the rest of my basic courses out of the way. (Lord willing.) There really isn't a lot going on in my life at the moment. Just making decisions and plans. I am loving working at the preschool! I love interacting with the kids! God has blessed me with this job. I hope everyone has a good week!

It has been a while.

I hope my readers haven't completely lost faith in me. :) I would love to have someone comment. It would make my day! so what has happened to Christa in the last month? You might ask. Well not a lot. I am working a very inconsistent job and am still praying very hard for a more consistent job with more consistent hours. I am planning on taking a computer night class next semester. That way I can add that to my resume while keeping up with my studying skills. :) After a while you become rusty. My ideal job would be to work in a clinic or docs office that works with children. But I will take anything write now!! I am also still working twice a month at a day care and am loving it!!! I am still debating whether or not I should apply at one of the day cares in town. I would rather get a job in the medical field. So as you can see I have many decisions to make. :( I hope that everyone has a great weekend!

Blessings in the midst of trials,

Often times when we are going through difficult times in our lives we forget or overlook the blessings that God bestows upon us or others. If we let ourselves get caught up in the trials and having a pity party we will miss the blessings that He gives to us or others. It is something that I have trouble with and that Satan loves to bring up. But when we are blinded by the flesh we cannot see what God is doing for us in the spirit. So let us remember to pay more attention to the blessings instead of the hardness of the trial. God bless you this week!

Fun Filled Weekend!

I had one of the best weekends I have had in a long time. I went to see Love Happens on Friday night with Courtney and we went to college station on Saturday. We went to an A&M football game and got to see all the fun suff that goes on in the Core. We stood with the Core during the football game. For those of you who don't know all the traditions at A&M the students stand through the entire football game, and this includes the Core too! For those of you who may not know what the Core is I will try and explain. It is what makes A&M what it is and if it weren't for them A&M wouldn't exists.(or at least it probably wouldn't be as big of a school) It is a group of guys and gals that sign up with different branches of the military and they start out by going to school at A&M. This is where their training begins! It was a lot of fun to watch and learn about some of their traditions! We also got the grand tour of the campus! And to top off this fun filled weekend my niece took her first step on Sunday! Sadly I didn't get to see it but she walked a step or two to me later!!!! I cant believe she will be a year old in just 4 short weeks! Our baby is growing up!!! All in all it was an amazing weekend. God has truly blessed me with some amazing friends! This week is going to be amazing too! Lunch with Abigail tomorrow and a conference in Waco this weekend. I called Starbucks today ( for those of you who didn't know I had an interview with them last week) the manager asked me to call back tomorrow. Apparently they have been super busy and haven't had time to look through all the stuff yet. So still keep praying for me in the job front. I am still looking for medically oriented job but for now God has blessed me with some part time job opportunities! I hope everyone has a blessed week!

An Interview!

I know I haven't written in a while. Partly because I have been sick and partly because I have been fairly busy. I started working every other Thursday at a daycare type place called MOPS. It stands for moms of preschoolers. It is at a local church here in town. I enjoyed watching and playing with the kiddos. :) Motherhood is going to be awesome! ( it will be awhile before that ever happens.) I have an interview today with Starbucks. Hopefully I can work there part time in the afternoons that way I am still free to work for the lady I care for in the mornings. I know that God has already worked everything out and all I need to do is have faith and patience. These aren't the jobs that I am looking for but I know that God is teaching me something through all of this. I just don't know what it is yet. I hope everyone is having a blessed week! May God bless and keep you the rest of the week!

Take My Life and Let It Be > Lyrics | Frances R. Havergal

This has always been a favorite hymn of mine. It has helped me through so much. I hope it encourages you as much as it has me. God bless you!






Take My Life and Let It Be > Lyrics Frances R. Havergal: "Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee;
Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee;
Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise;
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee."

Gone astray.

It seems of late that I have strayed from God and all that He has promised me that He will do for me. It isn't easy for me to admit this but the more soul searching I do the more I realize how far I have strayed. As the days go by I realize how much I need Him to lean upon. There are so many uncertainties in this world and He is the only certain and sure thing. I am asking all who read this to please pray for me as I make my way back to His promises and His path. I hope that everyone has a blessed week.

Psalm 119:176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant nor I do not forget your commandments.

PS For those who are wondering whether or not I got the job with the surgeon. It seems that I have not gotten the job. But I am doing part time work helping someone who is no longer able to get around her home. Thanks for the prayers and please continue to pray.

'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus

1. 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
and to take him at his word;
just to rest upon his promise,
and to know, 'Thus saith the Lord.'

Refrain:
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him!
How I've proved him o'er and o'er!
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust him more!

2. O how sweet to trust in Jesus,
just to trust his cleansing blood;
and in simple faith to plunge me
neath the healing, cleansing flood!
(Refrain)

3. Yes, 'tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
just from sin and self to cease;
just from Jesus simply taking
life and rest, and joy and peace.
(Refrain)

4. I'm so glad I learned to trust thee,
precious Jesus, Savior, friend;
and I know that thou art with me,
wilt be with me to the end.
(Refrain)"

Another Year Older.

As I look back on my 21st year I see so many things that God has helped me through and blessed me with! I see valleys and shadows of death and yet I see mountain tops and sunshine too. What a wonderful Father we have! I can truly say that He has blessed me this past year. As I begin this new year of my life I am reminded of a song that we sing at church.

He has shown thee o man what is good, and what does the Lord require of thee?
But to do justly and to love mercy and walk humbly with thy God.

What a wonderful promise this is! And I am truly thankful for all of the friends and family who have helped me through this past year of my life. I love all of you! May God bless all who reads this blog this day!

Coffee and Freinds!

What a wonderful mix! I love my freinds they are amazing! I am truely blessed! Anyway, today was a pretty good day. I am doing a little bit of work on the side until I find something more permanate. So that is helping earn a little extra on the side. God has blessed me with some odd jobs until I can get a full time job. I hope that everyone has a blessed week!

Psaml 37:7-8

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because a man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from the anger and forsake wrath; do not fret it only leads to evildoing. This verse has helped me so much over the years and I thought it was worth sharing. It is a comfort to know that we aren't in control of our own lives. I would make such a mess of mine! As I have been shown this past summer. God teaches us every day that must be patient and wait until the timing is right. Sometimes we are given a glimpse of what He has promised and we must wait for that promise to be full filled. For me waiting is the hardest part of anything. I'm afraid I'm not very good at it. But I know that He has it under control. Let us rest in that promise this week. May God bless and keep you this week!

From Streams in the Desert.

Fearing to launch on "full surrender's tide,"
I asked the Lord where would its waters glide
My little bark, "to troubled seas I dread?"
"Unto Myself," He said

Weeping beside an open grave I stood,
In bitterness of soul I cried to God;
"Where leads my path I tread?"
" Unto Myself," He said

Striving for souls, i loved the work too well;
The disappointments came, I could not tell
The reason, till He said, "I am thine all;
Unto Myself I call."

Watching my heroes those I loved the best
I saw them fail; they could not stand the test,
Even by this the Lord, through tears not few
Unto Himself me drew.

Unto Himself! Nor earthly tongue can tell
The bliss I find, since in His heart I dwell;
The things that charmed me once seem all as naught;
Unto Himself I'm brought.

Writers Block.

Well as you can tell by the title I'm having a little trouble figuring out what to write about today. I have had a pretty whirl wind kind of week. Monday I babysat or rather help baby sit. Tuesday I went and had dinner with the gang before they hed back to their different campuses for the semester. Yesterday I had an interview, I think it went fairly well I wont know much until the end of next week. I am leaving it in Gods hands..I know that He knows what is best and that He is always in control. I hope that everyone is having a good week! May God bless and keep you. Psalms 123:1-4 To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! Behold as the eyes of the servants look to their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of their misstress so your eyes look to the Lord our God, until He is gracious to us for we are greatly filled with comtempt. Our soul is greatly filled with the scoffing of those who are at ease and with contempt of the proud.

Trusting Him.

There are parts of our lives and events in out lives that we cannot change. We may not know what fully happened in these events but it should be enough for us to just trust Him and know that God has it under control. And that in these events we are taught something. Whether it be a lesson that we need to learn about ourselves or things that we need to see in another person. This past summer has taught me about the person that I could become without God's saving grace. That person is someone that I never want to see again. But it is still something that I have to struggle and wrestle with to keep it in check. But I do not have to do it alone and that is a great comfort to me. I think that often times are true fleshly selves and desires are allowed to show so that we may be reminded of who we were before His saving grace. I encourage anyone who is struggling desperate to hold on, you are not alone. Romans 3:23-24 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. God bless you this day.

Beauty...

Lets face it, it is something that we all struggle with. Girls and guys alike. I know that it is a struggle for me. Its almost like a competition really. When you are single you observe what other girls are wearing and you want to look the same or better. At least that is today's generation's outlook on what beauty is. It has been cheapened and is nothing more than just a competition. But as the saying goes beauty is only skin deep. It is what inside a young women's heart that really counts. And guys I'm going to talk to you here for a minute. It is important that you look at a young ladies heart before looking at her outward beauty. Often times what is outside is what takes precedence over what is inside her heart and soul. I don't know how difficult it is for you guys but I do know we women can help you in this. Ladies I am going to speak to you too. It is important for us to dress modestly and not cause guys to stumble. It is important that we work on what is inside our hearts and not on what our body looks like. Proverbs 31:10-31 speaks of what true beauty is. It is being willing to work and sacrifice for your husband and family. Charm IS deceitful and beauty IS vain. Ultimately it is what is inside a woman's soul that counts. And guys you can help us as we struggle with this. We want to look beautiful for YOU. I encourage anyone who reads this to help each other in this. May God bless you today.

Come Ye Sinners.

This is one of my favorite hymns. It is a constant reminder to me that no matter what we are struggling with all we have to do is run to Jesus and He will carry us through and save us. All we have to do is take the first step and He will take care of the rest. I encourage anyone who reads this who is sick or sorrowing or really anyone at all to run to Jesus tonight. He is always ready to take you. God bless you this week.

Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy: "Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and power.
Refrain
I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.
Come, ye thirsty, come, and welcome,
God’s free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Every grace that brings you nigh.
Refrain
Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all.
Refrain
View Him prostrate in the garden;
On the ground your Maker lies.
On the bloody tree behold Him;
Sinner, will this not suffice?
Refrain
Lo! th’incarnate God ascended,
Pleads the merit of His blood:
Venture on Him, venture wholly,
Let no other trust intrude.
Refrain
Let not conscience make you linger,
Not of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him.
Refrain"

Perseverance......

James 1:2-3 Count it all joy brethren when ye fall into manifold temptations, knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience.

Last night at church we read James1:1-27 and were reminded that we all are called into trials and tribulations but that these testings are molding us and making us ready to receive the crown of life. God tells us that we should count it joy because in our testings we are proving our faith and learning patience. You may not be going through anything at this very moment but in order to produce fruit and patience we must go through trials. It is just a matter of time before we are called to pass through the valley where there is no light. But do not fear because God is always with you and He is always by your side. All you have to do is in faith reach out to Him. I encourage all of you this day to reach out to God and lean fully on Him. May He bless you this day.

Our Crosses...

I hope that all of my readers are having a blessed and wonderful week so far. Here is what I was reading in my quiet time this morning. Hopefuly it will encourage you as much as it encouraged me.

Luke 9:23 And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he mist deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me." Luke 14:27 "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."

These two verses really hit home to me. So many times we think we are denying ourselves and following Him when in all honesty we aren't. If we want to truly be His disciples and truly walk in His light we must wake up every day and deny what our flesh wants to do and ask Him what He wants us to do. But then we must carry the cross He has given us to carry. This brings to mind something someone told me a couple of months ago...it goes something like this. There was a person who was carrying a cross that seemed too heavy for him to carry so he went to Jesus and asked Him if he could trade in the cross he was given to bear and Christ allowed him to see all of the other crosses that He had and after looking through all of them he ended up choosing the one he started with. Christ only gives us the cross that we can bear, it wont be too heavy nor will it be too lite. Let us this day pick up the cross He has given each one of us to bear and bear it with a smile on our faces and joy in our hearts. Remember the world is always watching us....

Julie and Julia the movie...

Lets just say that I wasnt overly impressed with this movie. It was a sweet story that didnt have that much questionable stuff in it. But in my opinion it they drug out a story that could have lasted an hour and a half into two hours. I have never sat through a movie where I kept looking at my watch wondering how long I had been sitting there. It was a definate go see it once and never see it again kind of movie. But if you are looking for a sweet and innocent kind of movie to go and see I would recommend going to see it at least once. A word of warning though it will make you want to go out and eat something really delecious afterwards so either eat before you go or plan to eat somewhere delicious afterwards. It will definatly bring out the cook in you. I wanted to come and cook a delecious meal after watching the movie. Well, on to other things. I have an interview next week and hopefully ill get the job. Im nervous and excited all at once. I dont know when it will be exactly but I will keep all of you posted. Thanks for all the prayers! God bless your week!

Give me Your eyes...

This song by Brandon Heath has always been a fovorite song of mine. You never know who's lives you will touch and have touched. This song is always reminds me of the fact that we need to look at others through God's eyes. Even a smile can do so much more than we realize. So I encourage everyone to smile or say a kind word to those around you today. The smallest thing can make the biggest differece.

Obstacles

"I will make all my mountains a way" Isa. 49:11

As today's devotional from Streams in the Desert reminded me, God doesn't promise that He will remove our obstacles that face us He promises us that He will give us strength to overcome them. So many times we expect our lives to become easier now that we are Christians and that we follow Christ our saviour. But we were never promised an easy road. Do not shy away from obstacles and brick walls when they are put in your path. Ask God for strength to climb over them, and continue to ask Him for strength until you overcome them. Be aware of your attitude as you overcome these obstacles, remember that the world is watching you and every step you take to see how you will react to the trials you are given. It is not that they are really any different than the ones that they go through, its how you get through them and with what attitude you have that they look at. I am very much speaking to myself here. So often I see my many obstacles and instead of facing them head on I tend to shy away from them or turn and run in the other direction. But some how I always end up right in front of them again. May these words encourage you for the facing of this next week. God bless.

"The meaning of trial is not only to test worthiness, but to increase it; as the oak is not only tested by the storms, but toughened by them" Streams in the Desert.

Waiting...

I have found that there are different times of waiting...there is waiting with complete acceptance that God has everything in control and their is waiting because you have done everything else and there is nothing left to do. I am afraid that I have been doing the latter. Instead of waiting and trusting i am now waiting because i have tried everyhting else. Im still looking for a job and i am still having very little luck. But I know that He has it in control even when it feels like i dont. Have a blessed week!

Rudely Awakend

After having gone to bed at 1am I was awakened at 7:30 by the plummer sawing a whole in the concrete so that he can put a pipe in for one of the new remodeling projects. I was awakened a couple of days ago by the concrete guy running into something outside my window with the tractor. Lets just say remodeling has its pluses but it also has its downsides. I might as well give up on sleeping past 7 unless I get earplugs or sleep aides. :) But the project is well under way and hopefully we will be done before too long. Well on to a different subject. I am still searching for a job and I am getting discouraged. I am going to apply at Shipleys tommorrow morning. Maybe I can get a part time job there until I find a more full time job. I really dont like this idea but I really dont have much of a choice. But I know that God is still in control of my life even though it feels like it is spinning out of control. God bless your week.

Being Single.

Lets face it. I have never liked being single. I havent had much experience it the whole dating circle. I have had two relationships and both of them didnt last very long for one reason or another. But I am content in that I know that God has choosen the perfect guy for me. I know that I have to have faith that He will send me one and the thing that I struggle with is patience. I am reading this book called So Much More from a company called Vision Forum. I havent gotten very far into the book but it is a good book. It talks about having a healthy relationship between girls and thier fathers and how having a healthy relationship with them will better prepare you for having a relationship with your future husband. It talks about not going to the extreme where you are determined to live without them but not be so dependent on them that you cant survive without having a significant other in your life. I highly recomend this book. I know that it isnt easy being single but I know that at the moment that is God's plan for me. So now it is time for me to sit back and wait. May God bless you this week!

Ephesians 4:29

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear. This is the verse that I was studying in my quiet time this morning. Oh that I could glue this verse to my mouth so that I may have it all the time. I am so bad about just lashing out in the heat of the moment. I have been told many times that I have a temper that matches my red hair, I believe it. This is one thing I have been convicted about over and over again. Not much has been happening in my life I have an interview next week with a new doctor that is coming into town. Hopefully I will get the job and I wont have to start looking for one in Dallas or some where like that. I hope that everyone has a wonderful week! God bless you!

Let the Demolition Begin!

We have offically started remodeling at my parents house. It already looks very different. We are having to move completely out of our downstairs ao that they can redo or floors add on cabinets in the kitchen and add on a room. So at the moment I am a very busy person at the moment. I am still looking for a job as a medical assistant and am not having much luck. :( But I know that God has my life in His hands and when the right one comes along I will know it. Well, I must get back to work. I will post pictures of the demolition soon. God bess!

What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.

I am a firm believer in that phrase. I never really thought much about it but recently I have been thinking about it. Trials and tribulations are put in our lives so that we may burn brighter and stronger for Christ. It is times when others see us suffering that we need to be aware of our actions and how we behave when we are being tested and tried. If we were never allowed to be tested or tried we would not be stronger in our walk with Christ. Think about it for a minute..often times when our lives are running smoothly ( at least I know its true for me) we tend to put God on a shelf but the moment we are tested we beg and plead with Him to take our suffering away or we tend to complain and whine. We are told to bear patiently the burdens and trials that we are given. We do not have to go through them alone. Psalms 55:22 says Cast your burdens upon the Lord,He will sustain you, He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
Let us cast our burdens upon Him today, let us put our trust fully and wholly in Him. If we try to find comfort and help from other sources, it might last for a little while but eventually we will be right back where we started. May God bless and strengthen you this day.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord..

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of my favorite verses but I never really looked at the context around that verse before. As a friend so kindly reminded me the other day that this verse was written to the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken in to exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. After a long time of mourning over not being with their fellow countrymen God was telling them through Jeremiah to continue on with their life even though they were not in a familiar place and it seemed like they had been forgotten. I have what it feels like been in one huge circle this past year in my life. But I know that God does have a plan for me and I just need to be patient and sit back and watch and pray and wait patiently for His answer. I think sometimes we say that we will wait on His answer but we end up doing what we had already decided to do without really sitting back, being silent and still before God and waiting on His answer. I read this poem in the devotional Streams in the Desert. I hope that you find encouragement in this..

Be still! Just now be still!
Something thy soul hath never heard,
Something unknown to any song of bird,
A message from the Fatherland afar,
That with sweet joy the homesick soul shall thrill,
Cometh to thee if thou canst be still

Be still! Just now be still!
There comes a presence very mild and sweet;
White are the sandals of His noiseless feet.
It is the Comforter whom Jesus sent
To teach thee what the words He uttered meant.
The willing, waiting spirit, He doth fill.
If thou would'st hear His message,
Dear soul be still!