A Summer of Healing

I love how the Lord gives you what you need in exactly the right amounts. Lately, I've been learning to believe God, instead of just merely believing in Him. He has shown me so much this summer. More this summer than I ever think He has in my entire life. But then again I think I am actively seeking and pursuing Him and listening to Him more this summer than I ever have before. And it's great! God is giving me the kind of faith that I have never have, and definitely taking away my unbelief. One of the verses I've been praying through this Summer is Mark 9:23-24 which is talking about asking God to overcome and take away our unbelief. I can definitely see how God is changing my heart this summer and giving me the faith to believe that He is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do. I can't believe I ever doubted Him!

This has definitely been a summer for healing as well. I'm typically a bitter person and like to hold grudges for a little bit but I have learned this summer that when I do that then my attention is not on God, and that's not what He wants from me. So I have learned to just let go of a lot of things. One being a guy that I know I gave a little too much of my heart to in the past. God has helped me overcome him and those feelings and I believe He is now preparing my heart for the guy I could (hopefully) potentially marry someday. Another thing God has helped me overcome is the bitter feelings towards my old roommate. There was a lot of hurt on my part with that whole living situation, the controlling and manipulation that she did to me hurt me more than I realized, but God has completely taken it off my heart. It's one thing to say that and another to feel it, but when I learned that she had done another control issue thing by deleting me as friends on myspace and facebook I didn't get mad like my old self normally would. I felt no bitterness at all, and it finally feels good knowing I'm relieved of the whole situation. Apart from all the earthly things that God has been working on in my life, it's been a summer for healing God and my relationship. I didn't even realize until I started doing this bible study that I had issues that needed to be fixed in our relationship, but together we are working through those and I love being able to put my complete faith in Jesus as we work through it together. I finished the book the Shack the other night, and I enjoyed it thoroughly! I believe that is one of the tools in which God gave me to help me see things more clearly between Him and I. I would recommend it to anybody!

One more thing before I wrap this up. Things with Meagan are great and just keep getting better and better! The other night we sat down and read the bible together. She told me what she liked and didn't like about it, so we are now going to take a different approach to the bible so that she is able to get more out of it. She read The Shack as well and really liked it, I hope God spoke to her through it. But one of the best feelings and moments this summer, and it's happened a couple of times now, is when I wake up and walk out of my room to use the restroom, I see Meagan in her room by herself reading her bible that I gave her. It's such a good feeling! I love that she is curious and looking for God to be at least a little bit present in her life! Prayers are definitely being answered this summer!

Tiffany's Wedding

I can finally relax a little! Tiffany's wedding is finally over, and not in a bad way. That day has been working up for 9 months now and it finally came. It was such a busy and crazy week for me, working 25 hours and then going everywhere all the time for wedding stuff. But I felt very honored to be doing everything for her. The wedding itself was not what I expected at all, but at the same time very nice. It was the most unorganized, laid back wedding I have ever seen, which made it nice for everybody I thought. They only had their closest family and friends at the wedding (40 people tops) which made it less intimidating for people like me who don't like to get in front of people. And Tiffany looked absolutely beautiful! It makes me excited for my own wedding someday. The wedding itself was actually very fun, I enjoyed myself a lot there. But what I loved most about the whole week was spending time with Tiffany's family. She has the kind of family with like 10 crazy aunts, and they were all out in Colorado for the big day. They were all just so fun to be around, especially at the rehearsal dinner where everybody went to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (baseball) game. That was my favorite part of the whole week. Being at a baseball game sitting on a private patio so you don't have to deal with the crowd, and being with enjoyable people just made everything so relaxed and pleasurable. I wish I could do it again.





I am however relieved that the wedding is over. It took a lot of time, money, and energy from me this past week, and was very stressful. Now that it's over I can just kick back and worry about nothing, and do nothing except go play with my little girls.


Meagan and I are reading The Shack together right now, and it's a very very good book! I can't wait to get to the end of it. We are also starting TODAY to read our bible together. That was the plan all along but it's been a month since we have lived together and we have not gotten in the Word yet, so we decided we are starting that today. I'm excited! And also very excited for this stress-free week where I have no responsibilities other than going to babysit. And only 2 more weeks until I can go home, for the 4th of July, and I am very excited to see my family and puppy.

Some Thoughts

Don't you love when God is talking to you? I mean, I know He is talking to you all the time, but I love when there are those few moments (for me anyway) when I absolutely 100% know that God is saying something to me. This week He has been talking to me a lot about faith. In the bible study I am doing this week is all about having faith. Between the bible study and the book "The Shack" which I am reading, I feel like my faith is growing more and more each day this week. And it feels good knowing that I am understanding what God is saying to me, but at the same time it's sometimes overwhelming, but in a good way. =)

I registered to vote today! It's something I've been wanting to do since I turned 18 but just never got around to doing it. But I finally did today! And it feels good knowing that I've finally done it, but it also feels good to know that it's my privilege to get a say in the next election.

Tomorrow night after work I am driving up to Denver to spend some time with dad, Jake, and Brody. It will be a nice little break and it will be good to see the family (minus mom). A good but short visit, since I have to be back down here on Sunday to start all the wedding festivities for Tiffany's wedding which is next Friday. Since I'm the maid of honor I guess it's part of my job to be there for the bride the week of her wedding, but let me just say, it will be nice when this wedding is over with! =)

Also, my cousin, Randi is graduating today. Exciting! I'm very sad I don't get to be out in California to see her, but I'm glad that my mom was able to go. I know she won't read this but for any of my relatives who are reading this, congratulate her for me =)

Summer Thus Far

I know it has been a while since I've posted a blog. But I did tell certain people that I would write at least once a week this summer, so I might as well get that going.

My summer is going great! I absolutely love my job. The 2 little girls I babysit, Anneliese and Claire, are the cutest girls in the whole world, and they absolutely love me, which makes it so much better! They always make me cute little crafts and are always telling me that I'm the best babysitter in the whole world. I am really enjoying spending my days with them, it doesn't even feel like I'm working.

Things have been going well with my roommates too. Emily is gone for the summer so one of my friends that I met this semester, Meagan, is renting her room for the summer. Her and I have so much fun together, which really makes summer a lot of fun. For the past couple weeks we have been going on bike rides together in the evenings almost every night. Because of her I don't spend as much time watching TV and doing stupid stuff, but instead doing fun summer things! Meagan is just beginning to dip her toes into Christianity and exploring what God is all about too, and it's such a privilege to walk along side her during that, and being able to read the bible with her and talking to her about God. It's been great! And I know God will just keep making this summer better and better for the both of us.

I am also doing a Beth Moore bible study with one of my other friends this summer. The study is called "Believing God" and I think it is exactly what I need right now. We have done the first week together and I am so excited to see what God has in store for me for the next 9 weeks. But I really think it will be a good study for me to do, and I'm really excited to be doing it with my friend Jen. It gives us the chance to get closer to one another and explore together what God is saying to both of us.

The best part about this summer is that I have absolutely no homework to do! I love being able to enjoy my house, roommates, friends and life without having the stress of school on my back. I love it!