Oops

Well, I kind of forgot that I had this blog! Really who is reading it anyway :) Sadly, though, after all this time, I can't think of anything great to say. Not that I did before... God gives great insights all the time, and I love when He gives me things like that. He has done it so much, but unfortunately, I feel like I enjoy it in the moment, and then I have to be re-taught the same thing over and over again. That is life... for me, anyway.
I will say how grateful I am to have the friends I have in life. I find it hard to be grateful sometimes, which is ridiculous, because I know that I have an infinite amount of things to be grateful for. But, even so, I am still so selfish and often miss the most important things. Anyway, lately, God has let me realize how much He has blessed me by giving me such great friends. I have always had a lot of friends from different areas of life... growing up, church, college, sports, etc. Now, I have friends in Charleston and new friends I've made since moving back to Augusta.
Soon before I left for college, I remember praying that God would give me Christian friends, as sort of an accountability. I knew it was easy to lose sight of Him away from home in a new, fun, more independent place, so I prayed that He would give me good friends to keep me on track. And looking back, I can't believe how clearly He answered that prayer. Not only in college did I have good Christian friends, but ever since then, I have never had a shortage. Even some the friendships I had growing up have become more strongly based on Christ. And now, of course, I have my Charleston friends to add to that list. When I lived in Charleston, I never knew a group of young people existed like that. I had never been around a group of people so genuinely seeking Christ whole-heartedly. It was and is still such an encouragement. Don't get me wrong, I have friends who are not Christians, and these are some great friendships, too. I am grateful for them! But, there is something extra-special about friendships that are grounded in Christ. Not just two Christians who are friends... but two friends who talk about and encourage each other's spiritual growth. That is serious friendship :)
I just realized how great these friendships are last weekend when I went to Charleston for New Years. Before we went to bed each night, Molly and I sat down and she read to me some excerpts from a new book of hers, "Hope." We talked about our faith and our struggles and our hopes and our good times. Then, we both started reading our favorite scriptures to each other. It was so encouraging. I don't have many friends I have been that open about my faith with, but I am SO grateful for this part of friendship. It is so comforting to have friends who share the same beliefs and the same desires as far as living for Christ goes.
So I guess I had something to write about after all.
I really love my friends! I hope not only that we remain friends, but I hope the friendships grow. This is truly my prayer for my friends:
"I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light, so that you can understand the wonderful future He has promised to those He called."
Ephesians 1:17-18
By the way, most of my friends don't even know what a blog really is, so they definitely aren't reading this...I guess that means I'll have to tell them in person how much their friendship means, haha. But for the ones who do and can read this, I love you :)

Labor Day

Here is the one picture from this weekend that was taken! We need to be better about that. I am SO glad I went to Charleston this weekend. We had such a good time! It's funny how much things change in a year. Emory was in New Orleans all year and now she's back in Charleston. Molly's still in Charleston. Woody is full-time at seminary in Kentucky now. Stacey is in Arizona, and I'm back in Georgia. All it took was a year for us to form these friendships, so even though we're in different places now, we'll still be able to stay close and have really good friends to keep up with :) Plus all the other friends that we didn't take pictures with this weekend, ha.

I'm in Charleston this weekend, YAY! I've missed it a lot (go figure!) We had a great beach day and we went to church this morning. I have missed being there for Sunday mornings - it's especially nice to be able to just go to the service and relax during the worship service. We have City Life tonight and then Stacey comes, so we all get to hang out until whenever I leave to go back to Augusta tomorrow!
Anyway, here are some pictures I stole from Molly's computer from this past year :)






CHRISTMAS

ROOMMATES


BAPTISM AT THE BEACH

KAMINSKYS

He Set My Feet Upon A Rock

I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear And will trust in the Lord.

How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,
And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count.

You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.
For evils beyond number have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
They are more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my heart has failed me.

Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
Make haste, O Lord, to help me.
Let those be ashamed and humiliated together
Who seek my life to destroy it;
Let those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight in my hurt.
Let those be appalled because of their shame
Who say to me "Aha, aha!"

Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let those who love Your salvation say continually,
"The Lord be magnified!"
Since I am afflicated and needy,
Let the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.

PSALM 40: 1-5, 11-17

Being

"You don't have a soul, you are a soul. You have a body." -C.S. Lewis



"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered." -Nelson Mandela

You Are Good / Every Season

"In this world you will have trouble. But take courage. I have overcome the world."
John 16:33

"Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:18

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord gives grace and glory; He does not withhold the good from those who live with integrity."
Psalm 84:11

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."
Romans 8:28

"I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on Him. I have put my hope in His word."
Psalm 130:5

"Yet I am confident I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord."
Psalm 27:13-14

"This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed."
Habakkuk 2:3

"Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on me."
Isaiah 30:15



Here are two songs I love that are good examples of God being with us in EVERY situation.

"YOU ARE GOOD"


"EVERY SEASON"

Child Life

Maybe I just appreciate this because I was in Child Life, but this video is great. It is a boy who has cancer - telling his story as "Julius Caesar." He goes through all the things he has had to face... it's just really interesting to see this kid act everything out. He's pretty funny, too! A Child Life Specialist was helping him make the video.