center

charlie hall lead our sunday night worship tonight and it was spectacular. absolutely extraordinary! for those that are not well acquainted with mr. charlie hall he happens to be the writer of the songs marvelous light, give us clean hands, center {a personal favorite}, plus many others. so so so good! center is such a reminder that our focus should be completely on christ. 

center by charlie hall


you’re the center of the universe
everything was made in you jesus
breath of every living thing
everyone was made for you

you hold everything together
you hold everything together

christ be the center of our lives
be the place we fix our eyes
be the center of our lives

we lift our eyes to heaven
we wrap our lives around your life
we lift our eyes to heaven, to You


christ be the center of our lives
be the place we fix our eyes
be the center of our lives

busy, busy, busy

so this week has been crazy busy! lots and lots of homework to do. you know, the usual. I also spent quite a few hours at church doing childcare for a parenting seminar. i love babies. i think that they are so cute and adorable {even the ones that cry}. I love being able to play with them and make them smile. i especially love rocking them to sleep. so great! though i was gone a bit longer than i had planned, it was such a fun way to spend the weekend.

exodus. like the second book in the bible. this is what last night and this afternoon was filled with. and though the assignment took a very long time, the effort is so worth it. god revealed such great applications for life and they are doing cartwheels in my mind:

~god will provide: what a great reminder that even when it feels like everything is falling apart or going crazy i know that god will provide everything i need.

~god works in his own time: we cannot rush god. god has everything planned out and his timing is perfect. we just need to be patient and wait on

~we shouldn't put anything above our relationship with god: aka don't make idols in your life. and i don't just mean golden calves. if you don't make time for god in your day then something is more important than him. plain and simple.

~we should give thanks: we are a blessed people. we have so many things to be thankful for yet we grump around complaining about the things we don't like. if we spent as much time praising god for his provision and goodness then the world would be a much more encouraging place. stop complaining and start thanking


at the moment i am so thankful for candles. they smell absolutely wonderful and make a room feel cozy. i have a candle warmer in my room and the scent of warm vanilla sugar is wafting around and it make me happy.

share the things you are thankful for with the people around your because it is encouraging to hear how god has blessed his people :)

in christ alone

another song for another sunday! this is my favorite part of the day. i love music and i especially love worship music, so having to pick one to post allows me to go through all of my music to pick one that speaks to my heart. so today's song is in christ alone. it is nearly impossible to listen to this song and not be filled with joy and love and hope. the lyrics are such a reminder of the hope we have in christ and the grace that he lovingly pours out on us :)

in christ alone my hope is found,
he is my light, my strength, my song;
this cornerstone, this solid ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
what heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
my comforter, my all in all,
here in the love of christ i stand.

in christ alone! who took on flesh
fulness of god in helpless babe!
this gift of love and righteousness
scorned by the ones he came to save:
till on that cross as jesus died,
the wrath of god was satisfied -
for every sin on him was laid;
here in the death of christ i live.

there in the ground his body lay
light of the world by darkness slain:
then bursting forth in glorious day
up from the grave he rose again!
and as he stands in victory
sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
for i am his and he is mine -
bought with the precious blood of christ.

no guilt in life, no fear in death,
this is the power of christ in me;
from life's first cry to final breath.
jesus commands my destiny.
no power of hell, no scheme of man,
can ever pluck me from His hand;
till he returns or calls me home,
here in the power of christ i'll stand.

sometimes things fall apart

in life, things fall apart. now this can be figurative as in a relationship falling apart or plans for a day falling apart. other times it is more literal. things physically separate and fall towards the center of the earth because of gravity. my evening involved the latter.

after dinner my dear friends erica and mel had the wonderful idea to enjoy watching the bachelor together. though we all admit it is horrible show, nonetheless we all have to know who brad is going to choose in the end {why are reality shows so addicting?!?} the three of us climbed onto mel's loft bed to watch together. we were all settled in with the show just beginning when the most absolutely unexpected thing happened. the boards holding the mattress and us up fell right through the frame and the next thing we knew we were falling to the ground, all three of us screaming our heads off. i have never been on the tower of terror ride but i assume it was something like that except when you are on a ride you are planning on falling. not so much for this bed. we were all sitting on the ground completely in shock of what had happened. after asking each other if we were all right we just kind of sat there. and then of course we started to laugh hysterically. when mel's roommate came in she helped us up and we just started cleaning up all the stuff we had landed on. Poor mel's chair and lamp came to tragic end and her favorite mug was de-handled. For the rest of the night we couldn't stop laughing and smiling at the randomness of this event.

god is so good to us. even while unexpectedly falling to the ground he protected us. because the mattress was underneath us, we are all basically injury free. we are all going to have interesting bruises tomorrow but nothing more than that. sometimes things fall apart, but sometimes they are supposed to. god is always in control of the breakage and will be sure things turn out right. though in the moment it was a rather frightening event, we will be able to look back and laugh. this is the kinda thing that would happen to the three of us. this is one of those stories we will be telling for years :)

february fourteenth

 i love valentines day. i love telling my friends how much i love them and that they mean so much to me. i love making valentines and sending them to people. i love having an excuse to eat delicious candy all day long {thank you mom for the the cherry gummy hearts!}

now i understand this day may be less than pleasant for others. i saw numerous "single awareness day" posts splattered all over my news feed on facebook in which many were accompanied by some sort of sassy statement about their dislike for valentines day.

i think that often we miss the point of valentines day. i think it is a wonderful opportunity for couples to celebrate their love for each other and the commitment they have. but that isn't what valentines day has to be about. i think the day is an awesome chance to tell people that we love them. we have been blessed with so many relationships and we should be thankful for these people in our lives. we can praise god for moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandparents, best friends, roommates, and so many other people that make our lives wonderful. why not use a day all about love to spread the love to those you care about most?

and if that reason isn't good enough to raise your spirits remember that valentines day is more simply know as february fourteenth. it's just a day. life goes on just like the other 364 days. "this is the day that the Lord has made; i will rejoice and be glad in it". such wise words from psalms 118:24. be glad everyday for each day is a gift from god. don't use valentines as an excuse to be grumpy. we have been given life by a mighty creator and we have every reason to delight in that.

now that the day has passed this thought might be too late, but february fourteenth comes around every year. choose to spread the love, and enjoy the day that the lord has made {technically we should do this everyday, but valentines is a good reminder :) }

our god

today is my first "song lyrics sunday" where i am going to post lyrics that just praise god for his glory, power, and providence. todays song has become very popular and it has become one of my favorites. we sang it in church today and it just makes you want praise him with your whole heart. enjoy :)


our god by chris tomlin


water you turned into wine, opened the eyes of the blind there's no one like you none like you!
into the darkness you shine out of the ashes we rise there's no one like you none like you!
our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
our God is healer, awesome in power, our God! our God!


our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
our God is healer, awesome in power, our God! our God!


and if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.
and if our God is with us, then what could stand against.
and if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.
and if our God is with us, then what could stand against.
then what could stand against.


our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
our God is healer, awesome in power, our God! our God!

sunshine

i am happy to say that today was a rather successful day {and by today i mean friday, even though it is now technically saturday}. not only did i happen to get a sunburn on one half of my face, impressive i know, but i also got to spend some serious time reading through genesis for my old testament class. even though i was doing homework {there is a rather large assignment that goes with the reading} i was so happy and relaxed the whole time. It was a joy to be able to spend all day in the word. i personally recommend it.

my little devotional thought for the day:
from the time joseph was sold to the ishmaelites to the time he became a ruler of egypt, twenty-three years had passed. he had grown up from a seventeen-year-old boy to a mature thirty-year-old man. for these difficult and discouraging twenty-three years joseph had unfaltering faith in god. he never lost hope in god's plan for his life and that he was being used for god's glory. what an example for us. god is always working and everything works out exactly how he intends it to. god is using us. we need to open and willing to be used by him.



a snippet of joy...
iced chocolate chai lattes: the best drink in the world. somehow they seem to make the day a little bit brighter and a little bit happier. i would have one every day if i could afford it. they are delicious and the caffeine doesn't hurt either :) a wonderful day plus this wonderful drink made the day absolutely golden.

tired eyes

i really need to stop staying up late because it results in long exhausting days. you'd think i would have learned that by now. but no. i haven't. thankfully a few little things helped me from going crazy :)

orange banana smoothies- the biola cafeteria has genius moments on both tuesdays and thursdays. they make homemade orange banana smoothies that are absolutely amazing and wonderfully delicious.

getting out of class early- we often get out of theater appreciation early but getting out early when you are tired and falling asleep is very nice. a fun bonus that came from getting out early was the the lovely chat i had with amy at the talon

getting a package- i love mail. i love checking my mailbox. i love receiving letters. i love sending letters. and i especially love getting packages. it's like christmas waiting to see what has come. i often will buy things online just so that they get shipped to me at school and that i get to wait in line for a package.

naps- my days are so busy and i always have lots of reading to do but i love being able to sneak in a quick little nap. so refreshing and relaxing!

enjoying joy

I was having a pretty good day on tuesday. things were going well, i was done with classes for the day and i was happy. later at dinner, a friend asked me how my day had been and i responded with a rather gloomy "ok" as though it had been a not so good day. why was this my response? out of habit i responded as though my day was just so-so, because often that is how i feel. too often  i overlook the many happy little things that make my day great. i don't "enjoy" my day because i do not acknowledge the things that made me happy. i am challenging myself to look for and enjoy the little things in life that bring me joy. it is such a great reminder that even the little things are blessings from God.

my list from tuesday:

using exact change- i love paying for things with coins. i bought a 98 cent stamp {for a letter to england} and i paid for the whole thing with coins. a quarter, seven dimes, and three pennies!

devotionals- i bought two new devotionals that i love! they are all about growing the fruit of the spirit in you life. i'm going through peace right now. something every college student needs :)

flying on airplanes- i bought my plane ticket home for easter break. not only do i love flying on airplanes but going home means seeing my family whom i love as well.

banana chocolate chip muffins- this is what i had for breakfast and it was delicious. so good! bananas and chocolate were made for each other.

cool weather- i am a true oregon girl. i love cloudy days, rain, and the cold. don't get me wrong i enjoy going to school in california and the sun is a nice change but i get very happy when it is on the colder side. scarves and jackets are just so cozy.

hot chocolate- i made a cup of hot chocolate for while i did all of my reading. i love chocolate and i love it in liquid form. it made reading for class lots better.



write down the things that make you happy and make you smile throughout the day that way you will always have something to be joyful about :)