Thank You, God!

I really don't feel much like blogging right now. But it is Monday, which means More of Him Monday, and I haven't done one in a while so why not. I will make this really really short. I prayed a week and a half ago that God would show himself to me since I was feeling kind of on my own these days, that God wasn't around much. And just in the past week God answered my prayer and has shown himself to me in so many different ways. The biggest one being my new bible study! It was a spare of the moment decision to join this bible study (Refresh), and I just absolutely love it, and the girls in it. It is an all girls bible study that meets every Wednesday night. We are reading the book called "Lady In Waiting" and the book is all about finding God's purpose for our life while we are waiting for "Mr. Right". It is exactly what I need right now! And it is so great that I get to meet and grow close with a whole new group of girls that I have never met before. We all come from such different places, and I am excited to see what God has in store for us this semester!

Exciting Hopes For Second Semester!

Right now, I feel God's presence all around me! It seems like God works with my heart and in my life right at the most perfect times. Lately I have been having doubts about whether or not I am suppose to be in the Navigators, which is the Christian group I have been involved in on campus for the past year and a half. Even though the group and people in it had such a big role in helping me reconnect with Christ, I have been wondering if this is really where God wants me. Lately, I have not really liked what I've been seeing at Navigators, and I won't go into detail but it mostly has to do with the leadership team on Navs. Along with the fact that if you are not on the leadership team, or are a freshmen, Navigators does not really have a lot for you to help you along and encourage you in your walk with Jesus. And I fall into this category.

But anyway, I decided I am not doing a Navs bible study this semester, which is a good decision on my part, but also bad at the same time because that is leaving me with no place to go and get connected in a small group setting. I was at The MILL last night which is a college/20 somethings group with over 1,000 people in it that meets every Friday night. I went last night, like usual, and they made an announcement saying that The MILL small groups were starting up Spring semester. So I grabbed a booklet and the ONLY group that caught my attention and was at the ONLY time I could go was an all girls bible study that meets every Wednesday night. I loved everything this lady had to say about her bible study, and what is even more weird to me is that the study is called "Refresh" and meets Wednesday nights. Navs is called "Refresh" and meets every Wednesday night. I just thought that it was kind of weird in a way. So I e-mailed the lady for more information and to see if I could come check it out!

One other thing that caught my attention in the booklet was Mentorship. All last semester I was looking for somebody to be my spiritual mentor, and everybody I asked either couldn't, didn't want to, or didn't feel like they could fill that role for me. I prayed and prayed about it but God didn't provide me with that person last semester. And in The MILL booklet, there was an ad saying that you could get connected with somebody who could love to meet with you and mentor you and give you spiritual wisdom. I e-mailed that person as well, so we will see what God has in store for me.

Just to make this blog a tiny bit longer, I ran into a somewhat old friend last night at The MILL. I met her last semester and had a few classes with her and she is a member of Campus Crusade at UCCS. I don't have any classes with her this semester, and haven't talked to her in a while. So I said hi last night and we started filling each other in a little bit on what's been going on in our lives. I told her a little bit about why I have been feeling uneasy about Navigators, and told her a little bit about some of the roommate trouble going on in my house. Natalie then asked if she could pray for me quickly with me. We stood there and she said a quick prayer and I can't even express how much that touched me. Nobody has ever asked me if they could pray with me like that, and I loved that Natalie did that for me.

Before we all left The MILL for the night, me and 3 of my other roommates decided to get together in a quiet corner and just pray together, and pray over the unsettled situation in our house. It felt good to just hand the whole situation over to God, and to do it together was a really cool feeling. I haven't had much experience praying in groups, and this felt so good and right doing it with 3 of my roommates that are striving for the same thing. I am so thankful and blessed to have them in my life!

So anyway, this all happened within one night, and I can't wait to see what God has planned for me this semester. I hope that He can put me in touch with a new group of friends, and a place to go and be myself and get fed spiritually with other people who want the same thing. Even if that isn't what He wants for me, it still felt really good to feel God's presence around me so powerful once again.

Weddings Galore!

So this past weekend was my friend, Trista's, wedding. I was a bridesmaid in the wedding and I am so happy that I was able to do that for her. It was a beautiful wedding, and everything went just perfect. I looked pretty good too =). It made me really excited for my other friend, Tiffany's, wedding which is this summer. I am the maid of honor in that wedding, and I am very much looking forward to all the festivities for her wedding! Both of these weddings are making me think about what I want and don't want in my own wedding. Which is good I guess, it seems like that's all that has been on my mind lately. So right now I pretty much have my picture perfect wedding in my head, and all I'm missing is a groom. Hopefully he will come some day. I know God is preparing both me and my future husband right now for each other, so it can be that much more special when we find each other.

Now that the wedding is done though, I have the rest of my break to just lay back and relax and enjoy Christmas, and spending time with friends and family. I have so many books that I am reading right now, and want to read in the next couple weeks. I am looking forward to reading them without having to worry about school, or textbooks on the side. That is all for now really, I don't have much going on in my life right now to blog about, which is a-ok by me!

My Semester is DONE!

I am DONE with my first semester! I don't even know how well I did on my finals, but right now I can't even care, because it just feels so good to be done and stress free of school for 5 whole weeks! I got to come home today, or should I say I got to come to my parent's house today? I guess I technically have 2 homes, and they both feel like home to me. It is good to be home, and just relax and enjoy the Christmas holiday. Once I am done with the wedding this weekend I will be able to relax EVEN more.

Last Wednesday night I slipped on the stairs and fell pretty hard, bruising my tailbone pretty hard. And it has hurt ever since, some days very badly. It hurts to sit down and stand up, it hurts to lay flat on my back, it hurts to climb stairs, and get into my car, it hurts to even bend over to pick something up. It seems like every little thing I have to do turns into a big task, which frustrates me sometimes. I just hope the pain goes away soon, because it hurts more than anything I've ever experienced!

And something that I am very much looking forward to is at the end of this month, right before Christmas, my aunt and uncle and two little cousins are coming out to visit us for Christmas! I have not seen them in a very long time, and I am so excited to spend some time with them, and celebrate Christmas with them!

The shootings at New Life Church have been on my mind A LOT over the past couple of days. I could write a whole blog just about my feelings towards that. In fact, maybe I will tomorrow. It was a scary and sad thing that happened, at the church I go to, and so close to my home! Maybe I can work myself up to writing about this in the next couple of days. Until then, this is all for now.

One Armed Barbie

It's wordless Wednesday! And even though there is a long story behind this ornament (why she doesn't have an arm), I can't share it =) Because I can't use words. Maybe I will share the story sometime closer to Christmas. But in the meantime, this was my favorite Christmas ornament growing up. And in fact, still is my favorite.

Tuesday Night Thoughts

Yay! Classes are officially over in a week from tomorrow! And then I have a whole 5 weeks off to do absolutely nothing! Well maybe not nothing, but at least no school work =) And I switched my major to Geography so I will NEVER have to take another English class again in my life! I'm so excited and thrilled that I don't have to worry about that!

I had dinner with one of my old roommates tonight. And it was weird and good at the same time. Weird because aren't close anymore, and our friendship might be reached its limit. And at the same time it was good to catch up. Her and one of my other roommates from last year are both transferring to CU Boulder next year. I hope they are happy there, but at the same time I will miss not having them here.

As far as my roommates now go, they are still great! There are a few problems there with one of them, but roommates can't be perfect all the time. I'm still so thankful that God put me in this house with these girls. I couldn't be happier and I can see these friendships turning into life long friendships.

One of my bestest friends ever, Trista, is getting married in a few weeks. And I am in the wedding! I am soo happy for her and I hope the wedding goes well. Another best friend, Tiffany, is getting married over the summer too. I have heard a lot of other people who are getting married too. Why does everyone feel like they need to marry so young? Some of these couples have only known each other for a few months, and it just seems crazy to me sometimes that they are about to make a life long commitment with somebody who they have only known a few months. But what do I know? I guess when you find "the one", you just know. I hope it's like that for me. But I know that I will know him and date him for more than just a few months before I decide to get married. I can't wait until my wedding =) I just know that God is preparing both me and my future husband for each other, and when we find each other, it will be great!

I've also been reading a lot more lately. I know I probably shouldn't be reading as much as I am, with finals and everything. But I've just found some really good books, and I can't stop! I love getting wrapped up in a story, and forgetting my own life just for a little while. It's one of the best feelings in the world! And I just love a good book!

That's all for today. Those are just some of the thoughts going through my head at the moment, and I felt like I should write them down, since I know I don't blog as much as I should. But maybe that will start to change, and I might start blogging more...maybe. Keep an eye out though! ;-)

Praying With Faith

In the past week or two I have been going back and re-reading parts of scripture that have really spoken to me in the past. James is a book that always conveys something to me. And in this past week James 1:6 really stood out to me. The first part of James 1:6 says this, "But when when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone..." This verse stuck out so much to be because of something that one of my roommates told me a few weeks prior.

A few weeks ago I was on the Navigators fall conference in Estes Park. I was really discouraged over a lot of different things, and my roommate, Casey, sat down with me and told me about "praying with faith". She told me that if I pray with the mindset that God is listening, and can and will do anything, then I am more likely to believe in my own prayers. Ever since then I have not just been walking through the steps in my prayer life, but I am really trying to put my faith into God when I pray. Since the retreat I can see a huge difference in the way I pray, and my attitude when I pray. And then when I open up my bible I just see little reminders from God, like James 1:6.

Even if I can't convey into words Casey's theory on "praying with faith", I know it's helped me spiritually so much over the past couple of weeks. And I hope that God will show me how to pass it on someday to another person who needs to hear it.

To read more "More of Him Monday" blogs, go to: http://www.sunshine-on-my-shoulders.blogspot.com/