Thankfulness

I'm starting this at the beginning of November, but it won't be posted until the end of the month. Since Thanksgiving is this month, I'm going to write down one thing each day that I am thankful for.

Ephesians 5:20

"Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Day 1: October. It's my favorite month and I'm super thankful for the awesome memories I made.

Day 2: Friends that don't leave my side, even when I do/say stupid things and am difficult to get along with 

Day 3: The opportunities I get to serve and bring glory to my Savior, Jesus Christ. (I am definitely NOT worthy!)

Day 4: Friends that go out of their way to make me laugh and bring a smile to my face.

Day 5: Restored relationships (relationships I thought could never be mended, but Jesus came in, restored them, and forgiveness came).

Day 6: My amazing soccer team that has definitely become more than just my team but my family.

Day 7: Football. It has become one of my favorite things to watch/go to. So many memories and so much fun is always had at the games.

Day 8: Food. Enough said.

Day 9: God's love. Cliche´ I know, but Romans 5:8 is like crazy. God loved me while I was a worthless sinner! That is an unfathomable kind of love... 

Day 10: The new black sweater I'm wearing right now. It's so soft and warm, its just great. (I'm also thankful for all my other clothes too... my sweater is just really on point right now though)

Day 11: My church. It has brought some pretty awesome people into my life.

Day 12: My sisters. They have always been there and supported me.

Day 13: The teachers at my school. They genuinely love and care about me. They aren't only my teachers, but my friends as well.

Day 14: Tennessee. I love the ministry I get the opportunity to work with there and the people I have gotten to meet. Its just a good place to be able to get away for a while.

Day 15: Unofficial big brothers that are always looking out for me.

Day 16: God's forgiveness. I screw up- a lot. But He is always there with open arms to bring me back to Him.

Day 17:  God's plan. Even when I don't understand He is working for my good

Day 18: Heat. It is such a fantastic thing when it's 20 degrees or below in the mornings

Day 19: My clean house. I have the ability to clean it & that feeling when it's finally done is the best.

Day 20: The hard times in life... They've made me who I am and brought me closer to Christ

Day 21: Bonfires. They are just always so much fun and memories are always made

Day 22: Old friends. Even though I don't see them all the time, when I do see them its like we were never apart

Day 23: My daddy. He has always been such a great example of a hard working, Godly, respected man. I could not have asked for a better dad<3

Day 24: My car. It gets me where I need to be and doesn't judge my super embarrassing white girl jam sessions.

Day 25: A much needed Thanksgiving break!

Day 26: My awesome mom who does so much for our family and is a true example of a Proverbs 31 woman.

Day 27: My life and everything in it. Its not perfect, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

From Nothing Into Something

Psalms 139:13-16 (The Message)

"Oh yes, You shaped me first inside, then out;

You formed me in my mother's womb.

I thank You, High God-

You're breathtaking!

Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

I worship in adoration-

what a creation!

You know me inside and out,

You know every bone in my body;

You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,

how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Like an open book,

You watched me grow from conception to birth;

all the stages of my life were spread out before You,

the days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day.

This verse is so over used in girl's Bible studies and youth conferences- and I mean rightly so.  But sometimes this becomes so cliche´ and redundant that we don't really stop and think about it.  So I switched it to The Message version which takes this verse to such a deeper level and gave me a new perspective on it that I absolutely love!

First off, this verse is a great encourager and one to remember when you're self-esteem is down and you need to be reminded how beautiful you are (even though true beauty comes from the inside-- but that's a whole other blog).  

Anyways, I love the phrase "I was sculpted from nothing into something".  Like I know how I was before Jesus came into my life, and let's just say I never want to go back to that.  My worst day as a believer is WAY better than any of my good days without Jesus.  So I know how true this verse has been in my life because I once was nothing (and still am without Jesus).  But He has come in and changed my life into something.  There is a purpose for my life and a reason He has put me on this Earth (and same goes for you too!).  I'm not perfect and have it all together, I still screw up and feel like I'm nothing sometimes, but God always reminds me that there is so much more to life than I could ever dream.  He has made me (and still is making me) into something that He can use for HIS glory-- not mine!

Isaiah 64:8 

"But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand."

This verse goes along so well, because we have to allow ourselves to be the clay in the hands of God. If we never become the clay, how can He make us into something beautiful?

The other phrase I really love is "the days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day".  As a senior in high school, I'm freaking out.  I have no idea what I'm going to do and when I do figure out a plan for my life, what about if it isn't God's plan? Where am I supposed to go to college? What am I supposed to major in? What if I don't get in? What if what I want isn't what God wants for my life? and the list of question goes on and on.... But this verse tells me that God knows exactly what the plan is.  He's the only one that knows the past, present, and future so why am I freaking out...?

My trust is in Him-- the one that knows best.  He is forever granting me peace and reassuring me that He is going to guide me and be with me every step of the way.  

And on the days I start to feel like I'm nothing... He reminds me that I am something!

Deuteronomy 31:6

"Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you."

Halloween

Halloween is my absolute FAVORITE holiday! 

I know, that sounds sacrilegious...  Like shouldn't I like Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter more?  (I definitely love the meanings behind those holidays WAY more than Halloween)
But Halloween is just so much fun to me.  You get to dress up, get free candy, go to Halloween parties, watch scary movies, and haunted houses are always an adventure to be had.  The little kid in me definitely comes out on this awesome holiday.

I know to some Christians Halloween is a tough holiday and many people have many different opinions about it.  So here is an article explaining the history of Halloween:

When we consider the history of Halloween (a Christian perspective), it may seem as if the modern holiday has gotten out of hand. After all, doesn’t Halloween glorify evil? Is it right to send our children out as devils and vampires? Should we emphasize the saints, whose nearly forgotten feast day is the reason for Halloween? Hallow is the same word for "holy" that we find in the Lord’s Prayer, and e’en is a contraction of "evening." The word Halloween itself is a shortened form of "All Hallows Eve," the day before All Saints Day. This holiday, properly understood and celebrated with all of its fun trappings, can be a way for us to deepen our understanding of faith.
Halloween has its roots in the ancient Celtic tribes of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Brittany. On October 31, the tribes would celebrate the festival of Samhain. During this festival, Celts believed the souls of the dead -- including ghosts, goblins, and witches -- returned to mingle with the living. In order to scare away the evil spirits, people would wear masks and light bonfires.
When the Romans conquered the Celts, they added their own touches to the Samhain festival, such as making centerpieces out of apples and nuts for Pomona, the Roman goddess of the orchards. The Romans also bobbed for apples and drank cider -- traditions which may sound familiar to you. But where does the Christian aspect of the holiday come into play? In 835, Pope Gregory IV moved the celebration for all the martyrs (later all saints) from May 13 to November 1. The night before became known as All Hallow’s Even or “holy evening.” Eventually the name was shortened to the current Halloween. On November 2, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates All Souls Day. 
The purpose of these feasts is to remember those who have died, whether they are officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as saints or not. It is a celebration of the “communion of saints,” which reminds us that the church is not bound by space or time. (http://www.allaboutgod.com/history-of-halloween-christian-perspective-faq.htm) 

So as you can see, Christians have actually had a part in the history of Halloween.
Now, I don't think we should go out dressed as things/people that don't represent Christ well.

This year, as with every year, I always dress up (and probably always will...)
I went as a Flapper from the 1920's because that is my absolute favorite time period!

Since I love Halloween so much, I will put the money into making a costume that I love.

This one came mainly from Spirit Halloween Store where I got the dress, headband, and fish-net tights for $35.00.  I also got the red feather boa from Hobby Lobby for $7.99.  I already had the strand of pearls, earrings and Jessica Simpson black heels.  (But I will wear this costume again for future Halloweens) I have a closet in one of my spare bedrooms full of Halloween costumes that I alternate between year after year.

This year I celebrated Halloween at one of my friend's party.  As always, we had a blast!  

Part of my senior class- Class of 2015!

As I said in my very first blog.

This is a journey of my life, not only now, but reminiscing past memories as well.

My church does a spin off of Liberty University's Scaremare every year (except for this year we took the year off).

But Scaremare is a haunted house my church does that has your typical haunted house scenes- clowns, zombies, psych wards, chainsaws, etc.  But it also includes "real life" scenes that show actual ways you can die- car wrecks, drug/ alcohol overdoses, suicide, texting and driving, just to name a few.  At the end of the haunted house you then go to rooms where we have people there to tell you about the Gospel, that death is a real thing and do you know where you're going after you die?  

This outreach is to tell people that God sent His one and only son (Jesus), to die on the cross for all humanity's sin (because we are ALL sinners), and that God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day.  So we can spend eternity in Heaven if we ask Him into our heart.

This is one of my favorite parts about Halloween.  I get to dress up like a crazy person, and as we like to say to "literally scare the hell out of people" (because people are getting saved. A little cheesy Christian humor... Lol....).  It definitely is an awesome (and hilarious) experience!

Its always Bo-Time, right...?