Praising the Lord

This morning I picked up my friend Corey for school because his car was in the shop. We stopped at Stripes for breakfast tacos & as we were leaving we noticed these crows on the grass near the exit to the gas station. Several of them were just poking at the ground, but two of them had their heads straight up with their necks exposed and their little beaks wide open. As soon as I saw them, I said, "They're praising the Lord!" We laughed about it for awhile, but it made me just stop and think about praising the Lord.

One of my favorite songs, Majestic (by Lincoln Brewster), says:
"The heavens declare Your greatness.
The Oceans cry out to You.
The Mountains they bow down before You,
So I'll join with the earth and I'll give my praise to You!"

God, help me to be like those birds, and join with the Heavens, the Oceans, and the Mountains. Help me to join the earth and give ALL my praises to you!

Fastbooking Eve

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the Lenten season, and thus, my fastbooking season. A few people have asked me how I'm feeling about it and what I'm going to do with my life now that I'll have free time. Lame.

So how am I feeling? Excited! Nervous. Happy. Like I'm being freed from something. I know that's weird, it's just Facebook for goodness sake. But seriously, it has become one of those things that has really become an obsession in my life. Not good.

True Story:

Monday morning (yesterday), I was laying in bed, trying to wake up, when my text message song goes off. It's a Facebook text (because I get texts every time I get a message, wall post, new friend, or certain family members/friends status updates). So this text is a new (inbox) message from my friend Eric, saying check your email and reply back. So I jump outta bed, run to the computer, and check my email: "Can you do me a favor?" I reply, "Yeah, what's up? Everything ok?!?" His response: I lost my phone in my house and can't find it. Can you call me until I answer?" Seriously. So after calling him a bunch of times (the phone was in his sons room), he finally answers. He facebook inboxed me because he knew that I got texts and that I would immediately check it and be able to help him find his phone. He had emailed a dozen other people and hadn't heard back, so he logged into facebook and sent me the message. And, because of my slight obsession, he knew I'd be able to help him. And he was right.

So, after that slightly embarassing, but true, story, I can honestly say that I am looking forward to Fastbooking and seeing how God uses this time to strengthen me. I am a little sad because I'll be missing out on seeing new pics of my friend's first baby boy, Ranston (Congrats, Mike and Cymbre!!!) and on having that distraction that I sometimes just need after a long day of school or work or just life in general. Instead, I'm going to focus those times on the Lord and His Word, and see where that takes me.

If you are viewing this on Facebook, it's because I have my blog linked directly to Facebook---I'm not really on facebook. I encourage you to check out my blog and leave comments on my posts...and if I haven't blogged in awhile, ask me to blog again about what God is doing in my life!



P.S. My boss, Audie, will be checking my Facebook periodically throughout the Lenten season so that she can see any Children's Ministry needs...Please just email me at osocreekkids@gmail.com! Thanks!!! :)

Fastbooking....

....it's a term my professor, Dr. Jackson, used last year when he fasted from using Facebook. It's also a term I'm about to use daily.

Lent is a time, between Ash Wednesday and Easter, when many people give something up to remember what God did when He sent His Son to die for our sins. God gave up His Son...Jesus gave up His life.

At Oso Creek, we are about to start 40 days of Holy Uprising. Check out the website here for more up to date information on that 40 days where we will be focusing on Reflection, Repentance, and Renewal.

I have been praying about what I need to "give up" during this 40 Days of Holy Uprising, or Lent. And, as you may be able to guess from the title of this blog, I have felt convicted to fast from (gasp)Facebook. I spend hours a day on Facebook; playing games, chatting, looking at pictures, etc. I feel like if I can spend that much time on Facebook, why shouldn't I be spending that much time focusing on God? You know? So, as I embark on this journey, I ask for your prayers that God will open my eyes to Him and let me see Him work in extraordinary ways.

Those of you who are friends of mine on Facebook may occasionally see a new "note" appear from my name. That "note" actually is imported directly from my blog. Please feel free to go to my blog to comment---I wont' be checking the comments on Facebook. Also, my boss, Audie will be checking my Facebook every couple of days for any Children's Ministry emails, posts, etc. Please please, just send me a quick email at osocreekkids@gmail.com if you are a Creeker Children's Ministry Volunteer (or if you'd like to be!!). :)

86,400

If you were given $86,400 in your bank account every day to spend as you pleased, but knew at the end of 24 hours, the remaining would be taken out, you would do everything you can to spend that $86,400 on friends, family, charities, etc.

God gives us 86,400 seconds every day...how are we spending those seconds to further the Kingdom?

The Love of our Lord

I am taking "Hebrew Prophets" as an elective this semester...I hadn't planned to, but President Celelli asked me to be in his class and I ended up not taking Spanish, so, I agreed to join the class. I am really enjoying it. :)

This week, we are reading the book of Hosea and as I was reading the text, something the author wrote really hit me.

"Although Israel may return to Yahweh for materialistic benefit, Yahweh will take her back in love......... Even though Israel's return to Yahweh was marked by social and material exigency, Yahweh's return to Israel was motivated by love and grace." (Bullock, C. Hassel, An Introduction to Old testament Prophetic Books, (Moody Publishers: Chicago), 110.)

How often do we really screw up and do things that are so not of the Lord, but of our own fleshly, worldly desires? How often do we skip our quiet times or just 'check the box' for going to church or to life group. How many times do we do things for materialistic benefits or to climb the popularity scale?

How often does our Lord love us unconditionally? ALL THE TIME.

How often does our Lord accept us with open arms? ALL THE TIME.

How often does our Lord really and truly forgive us for all of our stupidities? ALL THE TIME.

Lord, forgive us. Help us to forget about all the worldly things and to just fall more and more in love with You. Help us to see that just like You loved Israel, despite their desires for materialistic and social things, You love us just the same. Lord, help me to be who You desire me to be. amen.

"The Lord says, 'Then I will heal you of your idolatry and faithfulness, and my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever! I will be to Israel like a refreshing dew from Heaven. It will blossom like the lily; it will send roots deep into the soil like the cedars in Lebanon. Its branches will spread out like those of beautiful olive trees, as fragrant as the cedar forests of Lebanon. My people will return again to the safety of their land. They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines. They will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon. O Israel, stay away from idols! I am the one who looks after yoiu and cares for you. i am like a tree that is always green, giving my fruit to you all through the year." Hosea 14:4-8

Choose to be a Blessing for Life

I woke up a week ago Sunday on the wrong side of the bed. My sister was in town, so we had been staying up wayyy later than I usually stay up, she was snoring, so I was tossing and turning all night, my allergies were acting up, and I woke up later than I had wanted to.


As I ran out the door, I realized I hadn't gotten breakfast, so I ran back inside and grabbed a Special K bar. I inhaled it as I drove to the building. When I got to the curve where the building comes into view, I noticed that nobody was at the building. I just didn't want to be the first person at the building, so I turned right instead of left and headed to the Stripes for a breakfast taco (yes, two breakfasts).


I ordered my taco and was getting a rootbeer when I noticed a man dressed in pants suit who had a great big smile on his face. I smiled and said hi as he said good morning to me, but was still kinda grumbling about, well, everything. As I was paying at one register, he came up to the other. The lady asked how he was today, and he said, "If I was any better, I wouldn't know what to do." The lady responded, "You always say that." The man answered, "Well Praise God for His blessings!"

WOW.

I got in the car and just kinda set there for a minute thinking about all the blessings I have. How many times do I overlook all the good things and go straight for the bad things? How many times do I forget to thank God for my blessings and ask Him for help instead? I am SO blessed that my sister came to visit and we had the best time we've ever had together. I am so blessed to be able to go to church and praise and worship my King. I am so blessed to have friends and family.

What blessings do you need to thank God for today?

Blessed by the King,