ForeverLOVEd

“Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.” Hebrews 10:23 Endings. I hate them. A certain sadness hits as you realize that's where the story ends. I hate goodbyes. I hate leaving behind the known for an uncertain future. And to be honest while new beginnings are refreshing, they can be terrifying. 365 days ago one year ended and a new one began. It was my goal to document my life with a blog a week for the entire journey that was the year to come. And surprisingly I sit here today with 52 stories that tell of a year full of adventure, hardship, victory, and love. Each story has spoken of some way God has captivated my heart and moved in my world over the last 12 months. And as the year comes to a close, I'm quite certain of the gift these will serve on my faith journey. The girl I was when I started, is not the girl I am today. And I suppose this might be the greatest lesson I've le...

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3: 16-19 I don't know how close I've been to madly in love, but I've gotten enough glimpses of it to know love makes you do crazy things. I've seen depictions of this crazy love in movies and read about it in books. And I've seen this notion that if you truly love someone you would walk to the end of the earth for them. I have never walked to the end of the earth, and with my athletic abilities I'm not sure I could, but I've seen in myself an ability to do things I didn't think I ever could or wou...

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Romans 12:3-5 My friends and I have recently discovered a new skill. We have perfected the art of outsourcing. This idea entered our vocabulary at first as just a joke. We have become keen on recognizing people's talents and recruiting them when needed. But the truth is, once I realized how valuable outsourcing can be I became quite aware that it is not just a joke but truly an ability to see in each other Christ's beautiful gifts. Our ability to outsource I believe started among each other as a group of friends. God has given us so many talents and gifts and we have slowly, as we'...

A voice is calling, "Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. Isaiah 40:3 It's Christmas time again. It didn't strike me until this week that the holiday is so near, and yet I feel completely unprepared. Running from one thing to another, I feel like I barely prepare for one event before the next one is upon me! There are gifts to be purchased, outfits to be assembled, and cookies to be baked. Our decorations are half out of boxes decorating corners of our house. And in free moments we unwrap little pieces of Christmas memories to hang around the house. No matter how much I did to try and be ready before Thanksgiving even hit this year, I feel like I'm so far behind on everything. And as I get older I tend to remember this feeling that the holiday is rushed. Only years ago, however, I recall Christmas taking forever to arrive. Days passed slower than the molasses in our cookies. Countdowns started as soon as th...

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live Deuteronomy 30:19 Doomsday. Are you ready for the end of the world? As some predict its nearly upon us, striking on the 21st of December. I don't know what amazing plans you have to prepare for this coming day, but I can say I spent an afternoon mesmerized by a tv show that chronicles the lives of people preparing for the end of the world. These people have hundreds of cans of food in their basements and they have gas masks ready. Water supplies are close at hand and they know how to protect themselves if ailing conditions lead to hand to hand combat. These people have thought of all different scenarios and when doomsday hits, they plan to be prepared. I couldn't help but think this way of life was a little ridiculous, after all these "Doomsday Preppers" as they are called, are all preparin...