Meet with me - Ten Shekel Shirt

"Ten Shekel Shirt - Meet With Me lyrics"

I'm here to meet with you
come and meet with me
I'm here to find you
reveal yourself to me

As I wait, you make me strong
As I long, you draw me to your arms
As I stand you come and sing your praise
You come, you come and you fill this place
Won't you come, Won't you come and fill this place

I'm here to meet with you
Come and meet with me
I'm here to find you,
reveal yourself to me

As I wait, you make me strong
As I long, you draw me to your arms
As I stand you come and sing your praise
You come, you come and you fill this place
Won't you come, Won't you come and fill this place
Lord come Lord come and fill this place

I'm here to meet with you
Come and meet with me

You can listen to this song here.


The lines that touch me the most in this are "As I wait, you make me strong; as I long, you draw me to your arms." Sometimes we are required to wait on God's timing... It is my prayer that as I wait, and as you wait... become strong.. and draw near to the Lord.

Decisions

The past two weeks a number of varying decisions have come my way. Through spiritual guidance, consulting of trusted friends, spiritual mentors and my mom ;) action has been taken.

Yesterday, when I was in the final steps of decision number two I realized, either one of these things could happen, and my life would be changed forever (again). These are probably some of the biggest decisions I will ever make, and I am glad to say that they are completely in God's hands.

No matter what, I know that God has a plan. I pray that He will direct my future in the ways that He sees fit. And I pray the he gives me a peace with each decision as it transpires. Lord, bless me indeed.. lead me into the CENTER of Your will. 

In the coming weeks and months, I will know the answers to some of these decisions, and right now don't feel that God wants me to share these ideas with everyone. I just ask for prayer, that God's will be done above all else, and that whatever happens it works for the good of the kingdom work.

I am thankful to be able to open myself to so many opportunities. Many times, as in this time, God calls us to wait. Right now I feel as if I am in a circular room, with doors all around me.. many of which are open. Rather than taking control and trying to figure out what is best for me on my own, I have decided to act in the only way that I can, and now sit, and wait for God to lead me to a specific door.

I love you and praise you Lord. Thank you so much for overflowing my cup with blessings.

Desires of your heart

'The Lord will give you the desires of your heart...' This is a phrase we have all heard... so many times. But have we really considered the context of this verse before asking God to give us whatever we want? Let's look at the passage and its surrounding verses for a little more insight (emphasis mine).



Psalm 37: 3-9

3 Trust in the LORD and do good;

Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself in the LORD;

And He will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD,

Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light

And your judgment as the noonday.

7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath;

Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.

9 For evildoers will be cut off,

But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.

WOW. I see so much more here than just, follow Christ and He will give you whatever you want!! I see more a set of instructions, followed by great blessings of the Lord! Here is my take on the passage...

First, we must trust and do good. Through our faith in Christ we must trust Him to be in control while working daily to do what is best and striving toward his will.

Then we must delight have you ever seen those ho-hum, whoa-is-me people? No fun right.. so many people see Christianity as work... just a set of rules to govern life by. However, it is so much more!! Serving Christ is an absolute JOY!! Oh, praise the Lord for the opportunity to serve him!! Thank you Lord! When serving, we should hold our heads high and full of joy; not hanging our heads saying 'look how hard I am working'!

Thirdly, to commit our way to the Lord. His ways are not our ways.. and rather than asking God for a million bucks to solve all of your problems, ask Him to make His desires yours, to give you a heart like His. Seek Him, and in that you will find your ways changing. Now, it isn't wrong for us to ask God to bless us, by all means ask... but don't get mad when the answer is sometimes no.

Fourth, AGAIN, trust in the Lord!! Our heavenly father is just that, a father! He knows what is best for us and cares for us more than we could even begin to explain! After all, He sent his son to die on a cross for US!! Trust Him, give up the control we so desperately hold on to, in reality, we never really are 'in control'. Give it over to God!

Fifth, rest, wow! In our busy lifestyle how often to we forget to rest, to take time to reflect on God's word and it's meaning in our lives? Slow down, "...be still and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10, stop, think, breathe in this magnificent creation. Take time to rest and worship your Lord!

Sixth, cease from anger, whoa. James 1:19-20 says, This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God." Cease from anger, now, again.. this isn't that getting angry at unrighteousness is wrong, but acting out on that anger in such a way that does not glorify God, is wrong. Pray over those trying situations, ask God to do a work in you and help you to respond in a way that glorifies Him through your actions.

Seventh, do not fret, calm down, relinquish control.. let God handle it and trust Him to take care of your needs. The God who created you so deeply cares for you! He will take care of you!

I believe that if we strive toward each of these principles, then God will grant the desires of our hearts...and our desires will be in line with what He has planned for us. What an amazing word... what an amazing God. Praise Him for His everlasting faithfulness and mercy!

Lord, I pray over those that read this passage today. Open their hearts and eyes anew and fresh to what you have to say to them. Please Lord, change us, mold us and make us like you Lord. Help us to follow in the steps of your word and to seek you diligently each and every day. Bless us indeed Lord, and we give you all the praise and glory! Amen

Finished!

I can't believe it! I am finished with my first YEAR of graduate school.

It was so much harder than I thought. Working a full time job and going to school isn't the cake walk that I planned it to be... but it is great! There were times when I didn't think I would make it through... But the Lord is merciful and gracious, and I have!!

After the storm, the University of Alabama terminated the semester as of April 27. The end of classes, finals and even graduation have been cancelled. The Spring graduates will now be attending the Summer graduation. Grades were to be posted as of May 10th, as is. If you didn't like your grade, you could request to take your final. Wow, what a roller coaster this has been!! In what may be the LOWEST and WORST GPA I have ever had... I have decided to accept my B's and run with them. 3.0, never in my life... and while inside I am disappointed, the stress and magnitude of what has happened over the past week causes me to just go with it. My brain is so scattered, my life a whirlwind... I am just thankful to be done, so, I will take all of my B's knowing that in the end this is what's best. God has taken away the stress of finals, He has answered my prayers. His answers aren't always what I want them to be... but I rest assured knowing His ways are so much better than mine. Praise God!

This is an amazing journey that God has brought me on. He has changed my plans, and through following Him the desires of my heart of changing. As I continue to grow I hope that I grow deeply in the Lord and that I continue to become closer to Him.

So, I continue with school starting back May 31. I am completing my research the first half of the summer, and taking Complex Calculus the second half. Hunter left for Basic training and AIT today, and will return in August. I am excited for this amazing journey God is taking me on.. and I am so thankful for how much He has blessed me!!

Be careful what you wish for...

A full time job, and full time grad school... I know, I know, we've talked about this before. But last night as I was sitting in my room diligently pounding away at my Numerical Analysis homework I wished that I could live my life on less sleep.

Well, God provides and I have been up since 3am.... Car alarms started going off in a parking lot next to my apartment... and apparently, I am now a light sleeper. Once, a girl who could sleep through a thunderstorm, now a daughter, falling into the footsteps of her mother; waking at the slightest sound.

I know that part of this is because of life's recent happenings and a few other things I don't really share with everyone. But hey, God is working and He will provide.

A memory came to mind after writing yesterday's blog, and I would like to share it with each of you. If you don't remember or didn't read, I talked about following God's will, and how the devil will attack when you are striving to be more like Christ.

Well, since I was 16 years old I have went on the Coffee County Baptist Association Summer Mission Trip. There have only been two separate occasions where I have missed this joyful experience, but that's not the point. In the Summer of 2008 my team was spectacular. We just had a different level of dynamic that year... we were all close and we all jumped deep into our lessons and worked hard to impact the kids who came to our bible club. The week was great, not only did we reach children for Christ but our team grew as individuals and as a team... Friday is always the last day of bible club and our big decision day push. Teams left our base church at varying times from 6am to 7:30am. Our church was rather far from our base church so we left early as usual. And on the way that morning something unexpected happened. Bro. Phil, our team leader of course was driving the Mount Pleasant van with our team scattered throughout the van, some sleeping, and the rest of us just waiting to get to the church.  

Bro Phil protected each of us, when a truck hauling a trailer began to fishtail and overturned, stretching across the road and heading straight for our van full of students. Bro Phil, with only the work of God's hand was able to maneuver the van just far enough off the road not to flip into the ditch and for the truck to only hit the van in the back near the tires.... By God's hand our van didn't overturn, and all us crazy students who were not wearing seat belts were all ok. Thankfully, the couple driving the truck were also ok, and we were able to get one out of the truck, but had to wait for the ambulance and the police because the passenger was trapped.

We were able to call the Pastor of our Bible club church, with whom Bro Phil had a great relationship. And as in all Indian cultures, they new someone who was family that could work on our van in order to get us home. We then, continued on to our Bible club, thankful that parents and volunteers were watching the children until we could get there. As we all piled out of the van we stretched out in pews and in the isles of the church. Our bodies were aching, we were in a state of shock. But we new we had work to be done. So with the work of a team led by God's grace and mercy we got up and finished the bible club with an outstanding finish. That day, they devil tried to stop us from reaching those kids. We could have easily been killed or just went back to the base church after such a traumatic experience and cancel the last day. But we, as a team, pressed on because we knew the kingdom work had to be done.

Now, I pray that something crazy or catastrophic has to happen in your life... but just know, that when you are facing hard times, God's grace and mercy is enough. Keep doing the work, keep the faith, run the race. God won't give you anything you can't handle. Trust Him, and let Him lead, even when times are tough, He is there.

My first Paycheck

Friday was payday... and I was super excited. Even though we have direct deposit here at work, your first check comes as a paper check. So, I was able to walk across the street to the next door offices and pick up my check myself. I couldn't contain my excitement.

I was so excited, until I opened it. I was shocked to see the amount and if anyone had been able to see my face I am sure they would have laughed! I quickly began to review my deductions. After a series of emails, questions and phone calls, I found the problem. I had been charged over $300 in medical arrears... when in reality I was only supposed to be charged $36. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!

Thankfully I will receive this money back on my next paycheck. So for now, I have a running joke with my mother that thanks to the government I work... but don't get paid. Thankfully my rent was already paid for this month and I wasn't depending on that extra $300 that was supposed to be in my check... praise God for His many blessings.

I went home this weekend because Saturday, September 11, was my dad's birthday. Alabama played Penn State and we all got together at my oldest sister, Beverly's house to watch the game and have dinner with Dad. September 11 is also Coach Paul 'Bear' Bryant's birthday... and ironically enough January 26, my mother's birthday, is the day Coach Bryant died. Let's just say, I was destined to be an Alabama fan. ;)

Good times with friends and family always make it hard to make the drive back to Tuscaloosa every Sunday afternoon, but I love it here none the less. I love it in two places now, my dream home, and my home in Troy. :)

I told a friend of mine this weekend that God is doing a great work in me, and He is teaching me something through all of this. Even though I may not know exactly what His plan holds or exactly where He is leading me right now... This is where I am supposed to be. Away from all things that made me comfortable and content. So that I may grow in a new and dynamic way for Christ. I believe that when you are content you begin to get in trouble... I believe we should always be striving more, always reaching for a deeper and deeper relationship. Like a ladder, or stairs, once we make it to one, don't get happy and sit there, STRIVE for the next! So, I am striving, learning and living. I am ready for the great things God has for me.

But, my friends, God says to 'Count it all joy when you fall into various trials and tribulations...' I believe that if things aren't going wrong in your life, if you aren't facing some sort of something.. and don't get me wrong it doesn't have to be something catastrophic... Then you are not in God's will. Because if you are striving to do God's will in your life then the DEVIL will be fighting back. If you aren't working for God, the devil has you in his grips, so why mess with you? So, this is my challenge to my readers I guess... Are you striving? Or are you content with the worldly things around you?