Out Into the Unknown | Thoughts on My Future

You know how sometimes you feel like you can only see a part of the road ahead of you (the next day or the next week), but you can't see a year from now or two years from now?

Photo taken at the Grand Canyon in Arizona
Rachel Shaw Photography

Well, trusting a known God for a unknown-to-me future is kinda like that. Like put your hand in front of you and picture a road but block half of it. That is similar to what every senior is feeling right now.
So, I wanted to quickly hop on the blog to share what I'm learning!

Proverbs 3:5-7 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil."

A friend shared and reminded me of Proverbs 3:5 and specifically applied it to the area of my future when I felt like it was unknown. Immediately I thought, "Oh, wow! I never thought about that verse pertaining to senior year! That's great!" and really it applies to every walk of life!

As a senior in high school, there are so many decisions ahead of me that can change the course of my life. Where to go to college and what to study are just a few of the huge decisions that we have to make! Fortunately, I'm not alone in making these decisions! I have wise leaders, parents, and grandparents to ask for their advice and wisdom!

With all this pressure (including a time crunch to apply, take a standardized test, etc.), it's easy to be bogged down by the worries of if I'll make the right choice. Fears and uncertainties about the future like:

What will my future look like? Who will I date and marry one day? What if I find out I don't like my future full-time work experience? What if I get the degree and I realize this is not what I want to do with my life? Would years, time, and money be wasted?

And honestly, time and money would not be wasted if I went down a career path I didn't like. Because God is sovereign, we know as Christians that nothing is wasted -- not even a changed major. So, even when we go down a path we regret, those hard things can be redeemed at the cross. A changed major could teach you and I some life-lessons that we needed to learn! There is hope; all is not lost if you decide to change your mind!
And if I choose not to go to college the first year, that's okay too!

I am choosing not to go down a trail of thoughts asking "What If?"
Because tomorrow is not promised. Because today needs to be lived. Because I need to trust God with my uncertainties and trust Him for today -- everyday. Remember "Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil." (Proverbs 3:7)

Throughout the unknowns, I am known. I know for certain that whatever career path I choose (even a gap year), however I make a living for the rest of life, that God is sovereignly orchestrating every aspect of my life. If I go down one path and regret it, it's not a mistake.


So, as I make my way out into the unknown, I am filled with joy. I'm excited about the path ahead! I'm thankful I don't have to make these choices alone. By summer, I will be embarking on a brand new journey -- whether that includes college or work or not!

Seniors, let's make our years reflect our trust in our Savior!
Let's live remembering that we are known and loved and trust Him with our future ~ next week, next semester, next year, and the years ahead! After all, our days are not really ours; God gifts us each day to give back to Him!

~Rachel

A Sheep Gone Astray

-- Jesus, the Good and Perfect Shepherd provides green pastures for His precious and loved sheep.

-- And we see other grass and fields and we crave that. And we run from HIm always wanting more. never satisfied. looking for a broken cistern. and we enjoy our broken cistern.

-- And He leaves the 99 to find us. He cares about us. He cares about our souls. He cares about the state/condition of our heart. Not necessarily our outward actions, but our darkened hearts. our hearts that rebelled against Him and ran from Him. And yet He wants us. And yet He wants to use us in mighty ways. And yet He wants our hearts to turn back to Him for full satisfaction. And yet He wants us to see the value and importance of a genuine, true, honest, pure relationship with Him.

Let's read Psalm 23 and Luke 15:1-7.

Psalm 23 says:
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Luke 15:1-7 says:

"Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So he told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."

I am a sheep, gone astray. Instead of being content with Christ's love for me, I traded it for superficial love that only lasts a little while. I looked for love in people. I wanted other things beside what God had provided. I tried to find satisfaction in anything but God's Word. I traded the imperishable for the perishable. I looked for hope and joy and peace and comfort in worldly things... And it only left me empty. And longing for more.

I'm a lost sheep that is found by My Creator! I am a redeemed sheep, who is now realizing how good my Shepherd is! I'm a sanctified sheep, who now knows that Christ is faithful while I am unfaithful.

And that is how good my God is! And that is how loving my Savior is!

He ran for me! He cares about me! He loves me!

"Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life." John 3:16

Desert Song (I Will Bring Praise)

"I will bring praise.

No weapon formed against me shall remain.

I will rejoice.

I will declare:

God is my victory, and He is here."

"All of my life

In every season

You are still God

I have a reason to sing

I have a reason to worship."

Greater

2015 can be summed up into one little word: greater.

In 2015, I learned that God is greater.

Here are a few of the many ways I learned that God is greater this year:

-God is greater than my sin. God is using my sin to teach me how much I really, really need Him and His never-failing forgiveness. Jesus died for my wrongdoings. He took my place. On the cross. For me. I did everything wrong, but He did nothing wrong. He died for me because HE LOVES ME SO MUCH! When I'm tempted to sin, I must remind myself, "God is greater than that temptation." Wow, what a Savior!

"Jesus, loves me, this I know. And I know it's not because of anything I've done. This love is unconditional. So, at my worst or at my best, You don't love me less, You can't love me more. This I know for sure."   -- "This I Know" by Jenny Simmons

"The more you show me, the more you grow me!"   --  "The More" by Downhere

"There is love that came for us. Humbled to a sinner's cross. You broke my shame and sinfuless. You rose again victorious. Faithfulness, none can deny. Through the strom and through the fire, there is truth that sets me free: Jesus Christ who lives in me. You are stronger. You are stronger. Sin is broken. You have saved me. It is written: Christ is risen. Jesus, You are Lord of all. No beginning and no end, You're my hope and my defense. You came to seek and save the lost. You paid it all upon the cross. So let your name be lifted higher. Be lifted higher, be lifted higher."    --  "Stronger" by Hillsong

"I was the one who pierced Your side. I put every thorn on Your head. Through the feet and through the hands, I placed all of my sins. But love was stronger. But love was stronger. You are stronger than my sins You carry to the cross with resurrecting love."    --  "Love Was Stronger" by Audio Adrenaline

"On a hill called Calvary stands an endless mercy tree. Every broken, weary soul find your rest and be made whole...It is finished was his cry. The perfect lamb was crucified. His sacrifice, our victory.Our Savior chose the mercy tree...Death has died, love has won. Hallelujah! Jesus Christ has overcome. He has risen from the dead. One day soon, we'll see his face. And every tear, he'll wipe away. No more pain or suffering! Oh, praise him for the mercy tree!" --  "Mercy Tree" by Lacey Sturm

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. -- Ephesians 2:8-9

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” -- James 4:6

-God is greater than my health problems. There will be days where I feel like my ever-changing health status is too hard to bear. Or just plain hard. But it is through my weakness, through my inability to be perfect, that I realize God's grace is enough. That Christ's perfection can be manifested in my imperfections. That I realize God can be glorified in and through my pain. That I realize God's power is made perfect in weakness. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that God is sovereign. His plan is perfect and good. Suffering brings us to our knees and points to something GREATER than ourselves: Jesus! Suffering is a result of man's sin. Suffering produces endurance and perseverance. God wants us to glorify Him through our suffering. The suffering I am going through is going to help me, grow me, stretch me, and ultimately make me more like Christ.

My health may come and go (I may be sick one day and well the next), but God loves me before, during, and after my sickness. His love continues forever.

For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. -- Psalm 100:5

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. -- 2 Corinthians 12:9

"I will follow, I will press on even when the walk feels long. Your hands hold me together. Your love is with me forever. Through the broken, through the victory, I will praise You through it all, and run hard ‘til the race is done. I’m gonna press on...How many storms have I been through. How many led me right to You. You’re using the pain, the hardest days for my good. So what do I fear? God, You are with me, guiding my steps today. Through the mountains, valleys, sun and rain, Lord, lead the way."   --  "Press On" by Mandisa

-God is greater than persecution. Everything that is going on right now (even persecution) is the center of God's will. He had it planned way before I did. What lessons can you be learning from your persecution? Everything is sovereignly placed in your life for a reason and for a specific purpose. Are you learning from your pain and heartache? God is good, and He is with you in every moment of your life. Whether exciting or boring. Whether hard or easy. You can rely on and trust Him because He is good.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?" -- Romans 8:35

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." -- Romans 8:37-39

-God is greater than adversity. We are called to be thankful IN adversity, THROUGH adversity, and FOR adversity. And that's very hard to do! How can we do that in our own strength? The answer is: we can't! We are finite, sinful beings. It's only through Christ living in us, and Christ working through us, that we can glorify God in our hardships.

-God is greater than relationships. Relationships with gals and guys are a huge blessing from God. But, sometimes, I put relationships over Christ. Sometimes, I think that Christ's love isn't enough and that I need a person to love me. I was wrong in thinking that. I realized that when you rely on relationships with guys/girls to give you joy and purpose, you will be let down. God loves me unconditionally. He's given me purpose - before any relationship even started! God wants me to grow in my relationship with Him, first, and value a relationship with Him more than a relationship with a guy/girl. Nothing will ever fully satisfy me but the love of my Savior on the cross for me.

-God is greater than having fun, which only lasts a little while. Have you ever noticed that when you have fun, time flies by so quickly and you wish you could go back in time and re-live those fun moments? Me, too. I am so thankful for all of the fun I had this year! It is truly a blessing from God. But guess what gives me even more satisfaction than having fun? God's Word, the Bible. When I read God's Word, I am satisfied eternally because I realize what's really important in life -- not "having a good time," but bringing glory to God with every part of your life.

"Happiness is temporary. It’s here and gone in a flash of light. Troubles come without a warning. To turn the day into the night...I’m gonna dance to the beat of amazing grace. Gonna hold to the promise that You made. And I know whatever’s gonna come my way, You’re here with me, and it’s going to be a good day."   --  "Good Day" by Natalie Grant

-Greater than the weather. I know it sounds silly, but I really wanted snow on Christmas. Like, a lot of snow. I thought that since I live in Indiana, of course it will snow on Christmas! Well ... guess what? It didn't! Not a flurry fell on Christmas Day! And let's just say I was not happy about it! My mood kinda depends on the weather. Sadly, it's true. When it rains, I'm in a sad/somber mood. When it's bright and sunny and cheerful outside, I get excited because it means riding bikes with friends and family! When it snows outside, I'm very happy because I love snow! Here's what I learned: God is in control of the weather. His plan is way better than my plan. Rain or shine, God loves me and cares about me. God wants me to learn to trust Him and His plan more than He wants me to have everything I want.

"This is my prayer in the desert. When all that's within me feels dry. This is my prayer in my hunger and need. My God is the God who provides. And this is my prayer in the fire, in weakness or trial or pain. There is a faith proved of more worth than gold. So, refine me, Lord, through the flame. I will bring praise. I will bring praise. No weapon formed against me shall remain. I will rejoice. I will declare: God is my victory, and He is here. I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ. So firm on His promise I'll stand. All of my life. In every season. You are still God. I have a reason to sing. I have a reason to worship."    --  "Desert Song" by Hillsong United

-God is greater than my vacations! Don't get me wrong - I had a blast on all of my vacations this year! I absolutely LOVE going on a vacation with my family; it brings so much joy to heart! I'm blessed to be able to travel with all of my siblings and both parents to these great places! But, a strong relationship with God is better! He satisfies me more than a vacation will! While trips only last a couple weeks, God's love for me lasts my entire lifetime. Before, during, and after my vacation, God loves me, cares about me, is gracious to me, and forgives me.

-God is greater than my favorite song. If you follow my blog, you will notice I share some of my favorite music. I love listening to music; it is awesome! But, bringing Christ glory through my life is so much better than listening to my favorite song! If you listen to the same song over and over and over again, you will soon grow tired of hearing it. But if you read God's Word over and over and over again, you will probably not grow tired of it. You will probably, if you have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside you, find joy, peace, and hope in God's Word continually.

-God is greater than my biggest hope and dream. Have you ever planned something out in great detail and then it all goes wrong and not according to your plan? I definitely have. Several times. My first reaction when things don't go my way is, "OH, NO! This can't be happening. How could this happen to me? I deserve better than this! God, why did you do this? This is absolutely terrible!!" Do you see my heart in these questions? Do you see what I really want? I want "my way, or the highway," as Pastor Viars puts it.

When I bombard myself with these selfish thoughts, I simply remind myself of these truths: "This new, unexpected event is in the center of God's will. He planned for this to happen way before I did. He is good, and He is with me in this very moment. Find things to be thankful for - even when things aren't going as planned."

-God is greater than my plans for the future. My plans are limited to what my eyes can see, but God sees much further than that. He holds the whole picture, and He knows what's best for me.

"Because I'll never hold the picture
Of the whole horizon in my view
Because I'll never rip the night in two

It makes me wonder
Who am I, who am I, who am I?
And great are You.

Great are You, oh Lord. How I love Your works, my God, my King."   --  "Great are You" by Downhere

CONCLUSION


I'm selfish. I'm a sinner. I must NEVER look to myself to figure it all out. I must run to the throne of grace (which was our 2015 theme at church), ready to grow, change, and trust.

TRUST: A small word with a big meaning. Trust His plan. Trust that His love is enough. Trust that He is good and He is my Savior who loves me!!!

"Who can satisfy these longings? Who could wash these doubts away? Who can save me from my follies, even when the feelings fade? Your love is enough. Your love is enough. Here in my Maker's arms, I find my soul. Here in my Maker's arm, I'm finally whole. Here in my Maker's arms, I'm coming home. Your love is enough."    -- "Your Love is Enough" by Jon Foreman

He is Greater. Period. End of discussion.

"God our strength, God our Savior, God our hope. Yours forever is the glory, the honor...You're greater, greater. There's no one like our God. You alone are worthy. God, You are greater. There's no one like our King. All the earth is singing, "God, You are greater." You are, You are. God, You are greater. You have overcome the world. Took the keys from death and hell. Joining heaven we declare, 'You're greater, greater.' You're greater, greater."     --   "Greater" by Elevation Worship

I don't know if this hits home for you or not; all I know is this is what I've been learning in 2015. I have to continually remind myself of these truths - even as the years go on and I grow older. My hope is that you are encouraged by my struggles and that you, too, will learn that God is greater!

What stood out to you about today's post?

5 Reasons Why You Should Read Your Bible

"The further you go from the Bible,

the further your heart goes from Christ."
~ Pastor Johnny Kjaer, youth pastor at Faith Church

In today's blog post, I'm going to answer this question:

Why should I read the Bible?

1. Because it is impossible to love Christ when you don't spend time with Him in His Word. 

Christians claim to love Christ, but if they don't spend time with Him, they aren't really loving Him. Reading the Bible is loving God enough to say, "I'm going to read Your Word because I love You and I care about what You have to say to me and I want to grow to be more like You."

2. Because it convicts us of areas that we need to grow in. 

If I'm reading "Love is patient" from 1 Corinthians 13:4a, I'm convicted of my sin of impatience. (Side note: conviction can't happen without the Holy Spirit.) When I am convicted about impatience, my reaction should be, "The best way to love my friends and family is to be patient. I need to love others by being more patient. And I'm not loving others when I am impatient."

3. Because it helps to strengthen your relationship with God. 

If you aren't praying or reading your Bible, you're probably not growing spiritually.

4. Because it tells us what to put off (sin) and what to put on (the righteousness of Christ). 

Ephesians 4:22-24 says, "to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."

5. Because the Bible is our weapon to defeat temptation.

When temptation comes, we can say "no" to it by quoting Bible verses. That's exactly what Jesus did when He was tempted in Matthew 4:1-11. 

Ephesians 6:17 says, "and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," In this passage, we learn that the Bible is our weapon to defeat sin!

CONCLUSION
I can't emphasize this enough: read your Bible every day! A great place to start is John, 1 Corinthians 13, Romans 8, and Psalms. That's what I've been reading, and it's been great! Strengthen your relationship with God by praying and reading your Bible.

Bible Verse of the Day: Romans 8:35-39

After Pastor Brad Bigney's sermon about Romans 8, I was challenged to read and study Romans 8 more in depth. So, I'd like to share with you a passage of Scripture that gives us hope that there's something more to life than what we see here on earth:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39)

Worried? Stressed? Depressed? God's Word has answers and encouragement to all who are burdened by the weight of this world. We can look to God's Word to find hope in midst of sorrow, and we can always rely on the Holy Spirit to help us in our time of need. For more information about this, I encourage you to listen to a sermon taught by Pastor Brad Bigney. He teaches about how to suffer well and how to respond to groaning that we all sense and are all aware of. 

Flashback Friday: 2008

Today's Flashback Friday brings us to the year 2008

when Dad graduated from Bible seminary.

I hope you enjoy going back in time to 2008!

at a family reunion

Dad's seminary graduation

Bible Verse of the Day: Psalm 13:1-6

Psalm 13 is dear to my heart because I've asked myself the same questions that the psalmist asked God. So, today, I'm changing it up a little bit; I'm blogging about the whole chapter instead of just 1 or 2 verses. Eagerly, we'll go through Psalm 13 and look at ways we can glorify God after reading about suffering.

Let's read Psalm 13:1-6 below:


How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, 4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him," lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. 5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love, my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Verse 1 - After going through a difficult trial for a long period of time, its very easy to get caught up in negative thoughts such as "Why am I still going through this? It's been _____ weeks\months\years, and nothing has changed. It's not getting better, and it's only getting worse."

Verse 2 - This psalmist is sad. He's realizing his tendency to focus on sad things. He's also wrestling with ungodly thoughts. His enemy is winning the fight. It's not easy to rejoice when your enemy wins. 

Verse 3 - Wanting answers more than wanting to worship God...hmmm, something's not right here. the writer of this psalm is beginning to realize his idol of wanting answers to his problems, isn't he? Its totally eating him up & he cant stop thinking about it.

Verse 4 - The psalmist doesn't want his enemy to brag about his win.

Verse 5 - Hope has finally arrived! The anticipated solution is here and did you catch what it was?!?! It is this: trust God's greater plan, purpose, sovereignty and love. Also, it is: rejoice in salvation. Everyone has a unique testimony of how God drew them closer to Himself.

Verse 6 - the final solution to worry, fear, anxiety, etc. is sing praise and worship songs. My passion is music that brings glory to God and when I read that I was excited and shocked because that was JUST what I needed at that moment: to fix my heart's attention on praising God's character. Think about one of God's attributes each day.

Recap of 2014 {part 2: Celebrations + Fun Times}

Let's continue on a recap of what occurred in 2014! In today's blog post, we will attend Mark Edward's high school graduation, meet an awesome Bible teacher, Ken Ham in person, and we'll visit the northeastern states!

May 2014 ~~ We celebrated Mark Edward's life and accomplishment of finishing high school! We had a homeschool graduation and an open house with nachos and cake! My mom's parents and my dad's parents were able to attend with us and even our great-grandmother could come! We had such sweet fellowship with GrandDad, Grammy, PawPaw, Grandma, and Grandma Tilly!

June 2014 ~~
Let's Race for Hope! My family and I volunteered to direct walkers & runners to the right direction during this fundraiser.  Sarah, Michael, and I enjoyed moving tables from place to place, setting up Juice Plus+ tables with Mom, etc. Mark Edward played in a worship band called Forgiven Still during the race.

  

We went to the Creation Museum the following week. On the way, Dad, Sarah, Michael, and I got a double doozie cookie at Great American Cookies. #lovethatplace I got to pretend like I was feeding a dinosaur at the Creation Museum while Dad snapped a photo of it! So cool!

Then, we toured the site of the future Ark Encounter, and walked out on the land.

And before we left, we got to meet president and founder of Creation Museum, Answers in Genesis, and Ark Encounter, Ken Ham, in person!!! He's an awesome Bible teacher and his teachings have impacted millions about the creation account found in Genesis.

Okay, Chicago, IL, ready or not, here I come! We're traveling to see Navy Pier, Lincoln Park & Zoo, watch a soccer game (USA vs. Germany) on the JumboTron, taste Chicago pizza at Lou Malnati's, ride in a taxi and an empty trolley ... and SOOO much more (like visiting Fair Oaks Farm & Dairy Adventure!

Me and Mom on the trolley in Chicago

Then, on our way back home, we stopped conveniently at the Albanese Candy Factory where the making of gummy bears starts! :)

You gotta get those delicious gummy worms at the Albanese factory!

July 2014 ~~
Visiting a circus sounds so much fun! It's something that I always was interested in watching one day. So, then, my family jumped at the opportunity to attend the Peru Amateur Circus with kids age 8-20 performing in Peru, IN.

We pose for a picture right before we head into the circus!

August 2014 ~~

"Color in 7 more states, kids, 'cause we're headed to all of the northeastern states including Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts, and New York!" ~ says my family as we embark on another adventure to visit and travel to the states above! We went on a trolley, got a picture next to a life-size moose, tasted seafood, watched a practice tennis tournament with friends, visited Nubble Lighthouse in Maine, ate a restaurant on the shore.... and so much more! We even saw a concert of our favorite band Switchfoot, and ate a Greek food festival! Not to mention two stops at two different beaches! All of this was an early celebration for my parent's 20th anniversary!

6 items have been completed off of my bucket list:

• Travel to the northeast states! {Check!}
• Explore the city of Chicago! {Check!}
• Visit a circus and watch the performance live! {Check!}
• Tour a gummy bear factory! {Check!}
• Go to the Creation Museum as many times as you can! {Check!}
• Meet president and founder of Creation Museum, Ken Ham in person! {Check!}

Recap of 2014 {Part 1: Amazed at God's Goodness}

Another year has flown by! Wow! I can't believe that it's already 2015!

So, just like last year's Remembering 2013, here is a recap of 2014 in three parts, highlighting the memorable moments of our super busy year! Are y'all ready? Okay, let's go! 

January ~

My brother, Michael, played in a basketball league! He is a fantastic basketball player; he had 4 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist in his last game.

Sarah, Michael, Mark, & I pose after Michael's basketball game

February ~
As a Southerner, I love everything about the snow! From snow ball fights, to making snow creations, it's all fun to me! So, when we moved to Indiana, I was very excited to finally have more than 2-3 inches of snow per year! And guess what? That's exactly what I got! Unbelievably, we had the craziest, first winter in Indiana that we have ever experienced in our whole lives! Snow was everywhere; it was such a pretty sight! We had a total of 60+ inches of snow. At one point, it was -14 degrees outside!

Dad teaching at a biblical counseling conference

Another thing that I love doing is serving Christ. Sarah and I volunteered to help a ministry during a biblical counseling conference by holding signs, telling conference attenders about upcoming Vision of Hope tours and Q & A with my dad. Then, Sarah, Michael, and I welcomed folks in who wanted to get a tour of VOH. We gave them handouts for the self-guided tours.

Tours Today! Q & A with Pastor Mark Shaw!

March ~ 
Well, it's time to pack up again! You might be thinking, "But wait, a minute, didn't you move last year from Alabama to Indiana? Where are you going now?" You're right, we had a big move last year but this time we have a much smaller move from a rental home to a permanent home that we built/designed. We spent several weeks in March packing up and preparing to move out!

Look at those boxes piled high! (Don't you just love that teddy bear?)

More and more packing! Except this time it's for a vacation! Let's travel on one of Dad's speaking engagements to Kansas City, Missouri! Here we go! Daddy, Sarah, Michael, and I hopped in the car and splashed into a hotel pool! It even had a super huge slide! While Dad was away teaching, we would do school, watch Narnia movies, arrange book tables, eat peanut butter M&Ms with friends, and sell Dad's books. We even got to sit in one of Dad's plenary sessions about addictions, pass out pamphlets and brochures, and be Daddy's assistant whenever it was needed. In our free time, we went to a science center! I thoroughly enjoyed this vacation!

This is the addictions plenary session that we participated in.

April ~

Daddy, Mommy, Sarah, and I all wore purple t-shirts on the same day! 

Purple Day

Stay tuned for Part 2 covering May, June, July, and August of 2014! 

5 Random Questions | Q & A

Reflection day, are you ready? We're going to do a weekly series where I ask YOU five questions, and you post your answers on your blog or in the comment section below. Then, you have the opportunity to post five random questions for ME to answer. Let's get writing!

1. What is your favorite season: Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter?
2. Do you enjoy reading or writing better?
3. What Bible verses have you been reading lately?
4. What are a few of your favorite songs?
5. Which do you like better: Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest?

Photography is My Hobby!

 

Photography is so much fun! I love catching the sunrise and sunset through the lens! Capturing beautiful scenery is exciting! "How did it turn out? Is it blurry? Can I change the effects to make it look normal?" are just a few of the many questions a photographer may have. That's what's so cool about my blog series on "God's Amazing Creation!" I took a lot of those photos!

So, I couldn't resist sharing with you some of the pictures I took with the family camera!

The Statue of Liberty is right in front of me! Wow!

New York City buildings

Disney World with the family

Did I just take a picture of Cinderella? The Cinderella?

Catching the stormy sunset with windmills

Disney Castle

Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork."
Daniel 12:3 says, "And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever."

Don't you just love relaxing on your front porch and watching the fireworks? I sure do!

My hope and dream is that I can use this gift and hobby to further God's Kingdom by helping others capture their favorite moments with a picture.

Do you love photography? Are you the family photographer? How do you use your gifts/talents to glorify God?

Comment in the section below and let me know!