With this, life has been teaching me a lot latley. I sometimes go through those “phases” where it seems like I’m learning a lot. So here is what I’ve been learning:

1. Some things are just not worth worrying over.

2. Worrying, in itself, is useless, pointless, and just takes up vauble time.

3. Focusing on the things of the world simply leaves you feeling sad, mad, and maybe sometimes lonely. Focusing on the things above leaves you feeling glad, blessed, thankful, and grateful. (Col. 3:2)

4. Where your focus is, your thoughts, mind, and heart will be also. Focus on the positive. Not the negative. Focus above, not below. Most of all, stay focused. Don’t get off track. Get rid of distractions.

5. If it won’t matter in twenty years, it doesn’t matter now. Forget about it and move on.

6. Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes you just have to trust God, and keep on truckin’.

7. If you don’t understand why something is happening now, it will become clear later on. Then you’ll look back and think “I’m glad that didn’t happen.”  or “I see now why this happened.”

8. God answers prayer.

9. God is a awesome God.

10. God is good. All the time.

11. Sometimes, when you are completely lost, confused, and feel defeated, a little talk with God can be so re-assuring. Also searching his word for help works wonders also!

12. God hears your prayers, even when you think he is not listening.

13. God’s timing is not our timing. Sometimes you just have to trust, let Go, and let God take over.

14. Never say “can’t”. Always say “try” If you fail, then hey, at least you tried.

15. Relationships are a funny thing.

16. Overt thinking and analyzing things is ridicouls (no clue on that spelling). What’s done is done and can’t be changed.

17. Don’t think about things too much. Just go with it.

18. Don’t complain about things. No one wants to hear it.

19. Sometimes it’s good to turn off the computer and TV…and talk with God instead. You know he is a little more important than Facebook and game shows. Just sayin.

20. Don’t argue with anyone. It’s pointless. Let them be right. Who cares if you’re wrong? Does it really matter anyways?

21. When something is bugging you, and you can’t get something off your mind, or your worried about something…Give it to God, and then pray for the peace that transcends all understanding. (Philippans 4:7)

22. The more I know about heaven, the more I want to go there. I recently read “Heaven is for Real” By: Todd Burpo and WOW! this gets me excited. Read that book if you haven’t. You’ll see what I mean.

Well, that’s what I’m learning these days. God continues to teach me new things each and every day. I’m excited about what the future holds. What is God doing in your life these days? What are you learning?

1). I get bored very very very easy!! I’ve learned I like to be constantly going, thinking, doing. I do like to rest and take it easy, but not during the day! I like to have places to go, things to do, people to see. Since being out of school, I’ve had nothing to do and it’s driving me crazy!! I do like to watch TV but not very many good shows come on during the day! Price is Right, and Jeopardy are about the only two good ones. Maybe Days of our Lives and Let’s Make A Deal every now and then, but that’s about it. Plus that gets old after a while!

2.) My brain is turning to mush! I don’t really know if your brain can turn to mush or not, but it seems like mine has! I don’t know. It just seems like my brain has shut off since I’ve been out of school. Not having to figure things out everyday, it seems like I’ve forgotten a lot of basic stuff I shouldn’t forget. I could be just really forgetful though, because we all know I do forget things often!

3.) School is a good way to get your mind off other things. Granted how much I hate homework and studying for tests and all that jazz, it is a good way to get your mind off other things. When you’ve had a bad day, and don’t wanna think about certain things studying for a test or focusing on getting homework done is one sure way to get those things off your mind. I’ve found with out school, it’s harder to find something else to focus on to get your mind off other things.

4.) Studying is a good excuse. I have found studying makes a good excuse to get you out of something you don’t wanna do. Not saying I’ve ever done this before, but you know how it is. There are those days when someone asks you to do something and you really don’t want to. Either because of being tired, or just simply not wanting to. Studying is always a proven excuse. However, when you are not able to use this as a excuse, it can sometimes be hard to come up with one. :/ But again, not saying I’ve ever done this…

5.) College can actually make you feel accomplished. Ok. Ok. Ok. So I know this may sound a little dumb, but it is true, well for me anyways. Just think about it. When you get a test back that you’ve studied for, and it as a good grade on it you feel like you’ve done something good. You feel like this: . Actually it does not even have to be a test. It could be anything…homework, quiz, paper, whatever. It makes you feel like your hard work paid off. What does sitting at home all day watching TV and eating make you feel like? Not accomplished…I can tell you that much.

6.) Internet Connection Speeds are 100% faster on campus than at home. Living way out in the sticks, it’s hard to get good internet. We don’t even get cell phone service out here! How are we supposed to get good internet? But there is nothing like waiting 1/2 a second for a page to load compared to two minutes!! It’s amazing! This is why getting on the computer at college sure beats getting on the computer at home.

7.) College allows you to feel like you are moving toward a goal. This kind of goes back to feeling accomplished, but with every class you take, you know it’s one less you have to take. You know it’s one step closer to getting OUT! being DONE! Sitting at home gets you NOWHERE! Why? Cause you know it’s all waiting for you when you go back. Every class you have to take before you graduate. The goal is graduation. The classes you take are part of reaching that goal. Once again, being at home not going to school gets you NOWHERE toward being DONE! OUT! FINISHED! for good!

8.) College lets you sleep in everyday. Now this is not always 100% true depending on your schedule. For me, I always try to get classes that start at 11:00 or later. 10:00 is acceptable, but not preferred. I have a extremely hard time getting up in the mornings so everyday I’m able to sleep in is a winner for me. I know this may sound lazy, but it’s not. Every one has a hard time doing something…and mine is getting up early. Early as in before 10:00. Yes. I know this is part of life, and that everyone does it. But until I learn how to make it not so hard for me to do, then I’m still going to hate it. I know. I know.

9.) College is good for someone who loves sticking to a routine everyday! There is one thing about college that I do LOVE! That is that everyday at the same time the same class meets!! This is brilliant for me because I hate change! Everyday I do the same thing at the same time. That’s just how I am. Don’t try to throw something new in to the mix. I can’t handle it! Ok, I can..but it takes a while for me to adjust to new things added to the mix. But with college, you know that every class meets at the same time every day. It never changes. Unless a class is canceled, of course. This is alright every once in a while with proper warning. But with being out of college…you just never know what might come up. Go here, do that, get up early!! Ahh! Change…how I despise you. But again, I know..change is a normal part of life. Get used to it. Deal with it. argh…

10.) I’m thrilled about going back to college!!!! I’m planning to go back in August possibly in the summer even, and let me tell you. I’m beyond ready! I’ve had a nice break, but bring it on!! I’m tired of being bored every day!! I want something to do!! Now I’m sure I won’t be saying this two weeks in when I have tons of homework and tests to study for! But that’s alright. Sometimes having a lot of stuff to do is a good thing! So I can’t wait to go back and I’ll never take another break again. Until I’m done!!

In my last post, I had mentioned that I wish I knew the future, and what was going to happen next. This verse is simply amazing to me! I read this verse and I think ‘maybe this is why God does not allow us to know the future.’ Maybe that’s true? Maybe it’s not? Because maybe, just maybe God is going to do something in our days that we would not believe even if we did know. Has anyone ever shared something with you and your response was “No way. That could never happen. I can’t believe it.”? I think this would be our reaction if we knew the future. Why? Because God can not be put in a box! We have our dreams, and plans for our life, and God has his. He knows what we need. He knows what’s best for us, and wants far better for us than we could ever imagine. He works in ways we can not see. He can take our prayers and turn them into something we could have never thought would have happened. He is just that cool!

So if He did tell us our future, I’m afraid we could not believe it because  it would be more than we could even imagine. It would be something we would not have even dreamed of!  It’s better that we do not know the future. This is hard sometimes to accept, but this verse helps me see that God is up to something amazing. My job is to watch, be amazed, and to know that he only wants the best for my life and will never let me down.

But anyways, enough about that. Well, life can be kinda weird at times. There are times when you wanna just sit and think about things. Then you’re just left wondering what’s going to happen next. This is where I’m at right now. There are some things going on that I wish I knew how they were going to turn out. But, I don’t. This is what I’m learning: TRUST GOD. BE PATIENT. WAIT.

For me, this is hard. Extremely hard. I like to plan ahead, know what’s going to happen next, and know what’s going to happen three weeks from now. But the reality is I don’t know what’s going to happen next. I don’t know how things are going to turn out. I never will know either. So, I’m learning to pray and let God lead me. I’m learning to remember that he knows how everything will turn out, he knows what’s going to happen next, and he knows what’s best for me. He knows what’s on my heart. He knows how I feel about things, and how I want things to turn out. But, I also know he can see ahead and I can’t. So for now, I’m learning to trust in him, and wait for him to show me the answers I need. It’s hard I will adimt. But, I know that if it’s supposed to happen, it will happen. Because God knows the desires of my heart and so for now I will “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”-Psalm 37:4

Also, I’m learning not to rush things, or try to change things, or manipulate things to make them like I want them to be. This kind of goes along with the above, but once again I wish so bad I could make things turn out like I want them to. That I could just ask the questions I need to ask, find out what I need to find out, and know everything I need to know. But this is not how it works. Just because I want something to turn out one way, does not mean it will turn out that way. And once again, God knows how I feel about everything. So, as hard as it may be, I  must learn to “Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14

I really have nothing useful, enlightening,  or important to say at the moment so here are 10 random thoughts:

1. Lost is crazy awesome, and definitely my favorite show right now. (LOVED the premiere!)

2. I’m taking algebra for a SECOND time, and hoping I pass this time, because I HATE math!

3. I’m only 5% of the way on paying my truck off! This is going to take FOREVER!

4. I never update this because I think no one ever reads it. [Sorry if you are that one person who does read it.]

5. Hydrate is simply amazing.

6. “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

7. The Notebook is probably the worst movie I have ever seen. Ever.

8. Dollar menus are awesome!

9. It’s extremely hard for me to get up early. I just can’t do it.

10. This is it. Done.

I guess I’l have to wait and see.

One Stormy Night

            One stormy night, the wind blew down my window screen.

The wind whistled, and blew through the trees, howling like an angry wolf. I try to fall asleep, for I know the morning will arrive bright and early. My little eyes are getting weary, but I cannot, no, I cannot fall asleep. I wonder why I cannot sleep, for I know that I am sleepy. I soon will know why my eyes will not close. 

            The rain is falling hard and strong. Pitter-patter, pitter, patter up on my thin tin roof. The raindrops sound like little tin pellets, hitting the thin tin roof, pitter-patter, pitter, patter. Looking out my window, I see the rain overflowing the pond below, soaking the ground with its moisture. Tomorrow, I will not go out. For the world will be flooded with the soaking rain pounding on my thin tin roof.

            My little dog, he is scared of the storm. Each roll of thunder scares him even more. He paces by my windowsill, and then he jumps up on my bed hoping to escape his fear of the storm. I try to comfort him, and pet his little head; this has soothed him for now. He has drifted off to sleep again.

            I now know why my little eyes will not sleep. Looking out my window, I see my fear. Lightning bolts shaped like a “z” I now see clear out in the sky. The world lights up momentarily a shade of purple like I have never seen before. One split second is all it takes, and I can see the pond that is overflowing. My little dog is scared again. I comfort him once more.

            My eyes are getting very weary. Sleep must come somehow, in some sort of fashion. The storm, which keeps me up, will soon be passing. With my little dog close by my side, I once again close my little eyes. This time they do not open once again to watch the lighting strike the ground, or to see the rain fill up the pond.

        When morning comes, the storm has passed. My little dog has left me now, his fear too passing. The storm has moved to somewhere else leaving on floodwaters and debris behind. Awaking, I look out my window; the pond has flooded the pasture. The drive way also has been washed away. No going out today, I think. What a happy thought this is for me. My eyes close once again, but this time no storm will prevent sweet slumber from visiting my sleepy eyes

What do you think? Does it even sound like a poem? Thanks!

The second part of this verse also stuck out to me. “You eat, but never have enough. Drink, but never have your fill.” How many times have I always wanted more instead of being satisfied with what I have? 

 After praying, and thinking for a while, and not really knowing a sure answer, or really what this verse meant for me, I started to close my Bible and move on with the day. As I started to close my Bible, I felt a little tug at my heart. Kind of as if to say “Don’t close your Bible, and move on with your day yet. There is something here you’re missing.” I opened my Bible back up and read, and reread the verses over and over again.

Then, I remembered I wanted to get on the internet before I left for class. I think this was when the distraction came in and took over. After I had just prayed “Lord, please remove all distractions.”  Instead of waiting and being still, allowing God time to speak, I shut my Bible once again and thought “I’ll have to come back and read this verse again later. I don’t have time right now.” But as I got on the internet and went about my day, I could not stop getting those verses out of my head. 

Later on, while I was sitting in class I had a thought of “Maybe God was not done speaking to you this morning. Maybe you let the internet over take your time with God. Maybe god was waiting to see if you would be still and allow him to speak to you.” The more I thought about it, the more I could picture God saying “You were so close.”

Now, as I sit here, writing this, I feel a sense of sadness. I feel like I rushed God, instead of being still and allowing him to speak to me.

This may be all my perception only, and God may not have been going to speak to me in the first place. All I know is that this morning, I felt like God was not done yet when I decided getting on the internet was more important than spending time with the creator of the universe. I have felt sad, and said a prayer of sorry more than once. I just hope God will try again, and this time I will listen.

As I was reading my newsletter from Youth Specialties, I found this quote: “He who runs from God in the morning will scarcely find him the rest of the day.” -John Bunyan This hurt.

I learned several things through what happened this morning. First, I learned you can’t rush God’s presence. You have to be still, and wait. God will speak on his terms, not ours. Second, I learned that nothing is more important than spending time with God. As I look back now, I wish I would not have even thought about getting on the internet.

Who ever thought a simple shopping trip to Wal-Mart would end someone up in the hospital, or even worse, dead? What really annoys/amazes/shocks/irritates me is how the customers responded to the poor Wal-Mart worker lying in the floor. “Shoppers stepped over the man on the ground and streamed into the store.” Are you kidding me? If all the shoppers were lying in the floor would they want people to step over them and not even care they were hurt? Apparently the golden rule has been lost in our society. Even the Wal-Mart workers trying to help the man were being shoved out of the way. 

On top of all this after the customers were told the man was hurt, even dying, what do they only care about? The deals, the bargains. Instead of responding with care, and concern they instead shout and refuse to leave just because they had been in line since who knows when. WHO CARES? Why does it really matter how long you’ve stood in line? Is not a persons life more valuable than a 9$ DVD? 

After reading this story, and hearing about the madness of today, I’ve come to realize two things about our country. The first being greed will drive a person crazy, and our country is very greedy. Why else would someone camp out in front of their favorite store all night? Why else would people go insane when the doors are open? All for worldly possessions that won’t last even a year, because this time next year people will be doing the same thing maybe even for bigger, better, versions of the same things bought this year. 

The next being our country is way to focused on materialistic things. Worldly things. Worldly possessions. Our country needs to realize these things are not going to grant them eternal life. I love the verse in the Bible that says “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:2 . Earthly things are temporary. Things above are eternal. People are so obsessed with earthly things, they are forgetting what really matters. 

I’m not saying everyone who goes shopping on this crazy shopping day are greed obsessed, and will trample somebody to get what they want. I’m just saying some people put WAY too much value on good bargains and perhaps loose perspective of what is really important. There is a right way and a wrong way to shop for good bargains. Obviously, trampling someone to get in the door is the wrong way. 

With all this in mind, I’m still amazed and shocked. I have decided “Black Friday” should be changed to “Black Greed”.