Fear Not

I haven't wanted to write anything because there's not much I can say. As you know from my previous post [see HERE] Kathy's trial started at the beginning of May. I've attended as much of it as I could; I missed one and a half days because of a temp job. It ended up being 5 weeks long.

The jury came back on Monday with a guilty verdict. Needless to say, her family and friends are absolutely devastated. As much as my heart is aching, I can't even begin to fathom how Kathy and her family are feeling. Their lives have been changed forever. All I can do is cling to God and His promises, because there is absolutely no understanding that will ever come; not for any of us. The sentencing will be in August. We know that God is bigger than this and are trusting that He will redeem Kathy and this situation. Please continue to pray for Kathy and her family in the coming days. 

Living Proof

Heather and I had the privilege of attending an amazing event this past weekend. We waffled over whether or not we should spend the money and go; in the end we decided we wouldn't regret going. If you haven't heard of Beth Moore, you need to change that immediately. The event this weekend was incredible. Travis Cottrell led worship and Beth Moore taught a one-of-a-kind and life-changing Bible study.

This woman is an inspiration! Beth has a beautiful heart for the Lord. She shared a beautiful and touching message. I truly believe God spoke through Beth to every woman [and man] this weekend. She speaks unique messages to each city she visits. In Boise she spoke about "Hinderance."

The verse of the weekend was from Hebrews 12:1 [ESV], "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race set before us."

The NIV translation it says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us THROW OFF everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" [My emphasis added].

What would it look like to live our lives the way they were meant to be lived? UNHINDERED! We are to THROW away everything that hinders us! We have a choice to throw it off. I can refuse to let it hinder what I can do before Christ.

John 16:33 says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

We can't live our lives without hurt, but we can lives our lives unhindered.

There is so much that I'm still processing from this weekend. It was pretty incredible! If you have a chance to see Beth Moore you should definitely do it! Check out the events schedule [HERE] and see if she's coming to your city [or somewhere close]! Also, check out her store for books, devotions, etc. [HERE].

Inspiration

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"If you have the desire & passion to do something, & it's within God's will, you will achieve it."

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"It's still up to you to keep striving to serve the highest purpose for your talents and your dreams in the world around you."

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"You have to stretch beyond where you are to reach where you want to be."

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"Life may be kicking you around right now. You may wonder if your fortunes will improve. I'm telling you that you can't even imagine the good that awaits you if you refuse to give up. Stay focused on your dream. Do whatever it takes to stay in the chase. You have the power to change your circumstances. Go after whatever it is you desire."

-Nick Vujicic from Life Without Limits

Camp Perkins

A weekend away in the mountains was just what I needed!  Although, it's always hard to leave.  There's nothing like resting in the stillness of God's creation and being restored.  Next year I definitely want to stay an extra day.  We drove up on Friday and took the 3pm shuttle van in to the camp.  We settled into our rooms and I got to work on my scrapbooking.

On Saturday we had wonderful morning devotions, worked on our scrapbooks and went snowshoeing.  We went tubing later that night underneath the stars; it was amazing.  Sunday morning we had more devotions and slowly packed up our stuff.  We took one last walk out to the lake before lunch.  Then we caught the 2pm shuttle back to our cars and headed home.

It's hard to put into words what a great weekend it was.  Here are a few pictures to help tell the story.

Friday:

Lunch at the Wrangler in Fairfield, ID

Our shuttle van

Saturday:

Gorgeous snow on the lake

Heather, Aunt Bonnie, Mom, Me

Working on California pictures

Sunday:

Our group

One last trip to the lake

The retreat center

Gone for the weekend

Well I'm off to Camp Perkins for another Winter Getaway!  I will be digital scrapbooking, snowshoeing, luging and relaxing.  This will be my third year attending the Women's Crafting Retreat.  I hope it's something I'll be able to continue to do in the future.  There is nothing like getting away and experiencing the majesty of God's creation up in the snow-covered mountains.  I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.  I'll be home from the mountains on Sunday and I should be back to blogging on Monday.

strong enough

The song Strong Enough by Matthew West has been on my heart for the past couple of weeks and I felt like it needed to be shared.

You must, You must think I'm strong
To give me what I'm going through

Well forgive me
Forgive me if I'm wrong
But this looks like more than I can do
On my own

I know I'm not strong enough to be
Everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up
I'm not strong enough
Hands of mercy won't you cover me
Lord right now I'm asking you to be
Strong enough
Strong enough
For the both of us

Well, maybe, maybe that's the point
To reach the point of giving up
Cause when I'm finally
Finally at rock bottom
Well, that's when I start looking up
And reaching out

Cause I'm broken
Down to nothing
But I'm still holding on to the one thing
You are God
and You are strong
When I am weak

I can do all things
Through Christ who gives me strength
And I don't have to be
Strong enough
Strong enough

photo source

Never Forget

On September 11, 2011 I was 16 years old. Heather and I were driving to school; we had just started our junior year. The radio was on in the car and I was annoyed that the dee jays were talking about some plane crash instead of playing music. It wasn’t until I reached first period, English that I understood what was going on. The teacher had the tv on and we watched the first tower fall, then she turned it off.

I swear I was the only person in our high school whose teachers would NOT let us watch the news all day. Um, hello, history was happening and they insisted that learning was more important that day. It was all so surreal. At lunch I went home and my parents had the news on. I was at home for all of 10 minutes before I had to leave again.

We went to church that night to pray for our country. I remember the feeling in the sanctuary. It was full of fear and uncertainty, as well as heartache for all those who lost their lives. What was going to happen to our country? The only thing that we could all do was cling to the hope we have in Christ.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Sunday, September 16th, my friend Trista and I lead the Bible Study for our youth group. Our topic was fear. I still have the prayer in my Bible that we said that night.

“Dear Lord, Sometime I am afraid, sometimes I am overwhelmed by horror, sometimes I’m just numb about what is going on around me and what the future might hold. Please grant me your peace. Wrap me in your loving arms and let me experience the comfort of your presence—not just so that I can be comforted, but so that I can also be a comfort to those around me. In the powerful name of Jesus I pray. Amen.”

Where were you?

lost

I always feel like I should apologize when I go MIA from my blog. But then again, it's my blog and I don't want to feel pressured by it because it's supposed to be fun. This past week has been so incredibly challenging for me. Added thanks to my hormones [or maybe it was because of my hormones] for making me feel like my life was/is falling apart. I've just felt so lost. Thankfully the hormone surge has passed and my crazy thoughts have subsided [for now].

When you're in the midst of troubles it's hard to get perspective. It's easier when you're at the top of the mountain to get a different vantage point on your problems.

I spent the week trying to remind myself that just because someone has "fill in the blank" doesn't make them happy.

A boyfriend
A husband
A full-time job
A consistent income
Friends
.... the list goes on.

I feel like I have NO direction in my life, but even if I did it wouldn't guarantee my happiness. Joy comes from within and from maintaining a healthy relationship with God. I KNOW that He has plans for me and they're better than anything I could imagine myself. It took me a long time this week to get out of my head and remind myself of it.

I know I'm not the only one this happens to. Have you felt lost recently? What steps have you taken to climb the mountain and gain a new/different perspective on your situation?

I think it might be time to re-read Wilderness Skills for Women by Marian Jordan [see HERE or Heather's post HERE]. I definitely recommend it if you're looking for some guidance or direction.

source

weekend away

I had a wonderful weekend away at Camp Perkins! It was so refreshing to spend the weekend in God's beautiful creation. You can't be up there and not just feel His presence. We got up there Friday afternoon after stopping in Fairfield for burgers at The Wrangler. I just wish I would have seen they had a veggie burger on the menu before I ordered. Oh well, it was still tasty! I did some digital scrapbooking, got a massage, went snowshoeing, night luging, watched some movies, did a foot spa and hand wax (creepy, but awesome) and relaxed. Here are a few pictures from my cell phone (gotta love the retro cam app) of the weekend. Today's been rough, it's hard to go back to real-life after a little vacay. Heather posted her photos from this weekend HERE, be sure to check them out too!