This is my favorite time of the year. The chilly weather (though not so much in NC, it reached 70 degrees at one point today!), the snow, the Christmas decorations, the Christmas tree, the Christmas songs, that magical feeling that always comes around this time of year. But most importantly, this is the time of year when we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ! Isn't it easy to get caught up in the craziness that sweeps through during Christmas time? I know that I am absolutely guilty. I found myself today worrying so much about Christmas gifts, about how I really won't be able to afford to buy many. I was worrying about who would be angry with me if I didn't get them a gift, and I was stressing myself out so much over how embarrassed and ashamed I would feel to accept a gift from someone whom I could not return the favor. Don't get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with giving gifts around the holidays, but what I'm coming to realize is that there is something wrong with being so worried about how many gifts you can afford to buy that you let it steal away your joy that the season can bring in the first place.
I started to wonder how Jesus would be if he was on Earth today. Would he celebrate Christmas the way we do? Would he give gifts, and expect them in return? And then it hit me. Jesus did give a gift.. and it is the most amazing gift that we have or will ever receive. And the kicker? It was freely given.. He expects absolutely nothing in return. He gave His LIFE for mine. He made an exchange. His life, for the lives of every person on Earth. And all we have to do is accept it!! That's it, no strings attached. And what do we do? Well, we spend our Christmas season worrying about the gifts that we are going to give and receive, instead of celebrating the one gift worth celebrating.. the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, for us!
So, I guess what I'm trying to say is.. I'm done worrying about Christmas gifts, and I'm going to start celebrating THE Christmas Gift. Because that isn't the way God wants me to act. There will be a time in the future when I will be able to afford to buy nice gifts for everyone that I want to buy gifts for. But until then, I will do what I can and buy the gifts that I can, and most importantly, not let it steal my joy.
God, thank You for sending us Your Son. Let us all never take it for granted, and let us always remember the best Christmas Gift of all.. a little baby, born to a virgin mother in a dirty stable, who would someday give His life for the lives of all of us. What a beautiful gift.
Isn’t it amazing?
Just to think such royalty
Would come the way He came
In a dusty little town
Born in such humility upon a bed of hay
Certainly He laid His glory down
Who would think this little child
Would be the Promised One?
Would the Messiah really come this way?
And certainly this was no birthplace
For the Son of God
Isn’t it amazing how He came?
I can’t believe that I would be the reason why He came
I can’t believe He left His mighty throne
He became a pauper so that I could be a king
He denied Himself and then He made my heart His home
Isn’t it amazing the way He came?
No crown, no throne no big parade
There were no fanfares played, no jubilant display
Isn’t it amazing how He came?
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
like a kite..
' "Let me not become disconnected from You, Lord. Like that red kite, let there be a connecting string between You and me, so that I can fly high and safe as You've created all people to do. With that string, I will go where You want me to go. I'll be what You want me to be. Thank You for Your grace." Somehow I knew that God was working on something significant in our small-town life, and I felt myself seeking something ahead. Still, I prayed to be content with what I had, even if that meant that my political career would end in Wasilla City Hall.'
-Going Rogue
That is a prayer that Sarah Palin wrote in an old journal that she shared in her book. I was really moved by it. Sarah Palin is a shining star in the world of politics. And I don't say that because she is a republican like me, or because she shares pretty much all of my fiscal and social views.. but because she shines with the LIGHT of CHRIST. We are hard-pressed nowadays to find a leader in politics who is truly unashamed to share their love for Christ and their reliance on the Lord. and I think it is AWESOME.
Anyway, that's not why I wrote this blog. I wanted to share that prayer that she wrote because it is something that I've been praying for myself ever since reading it. That string is so important in our lives, that in all we do, we remain connected always to the Lord. And also, what's even more important, is that we are always praying to be content with what we have. That is something that is SO hard to do, and something that I really admire Sarah Palin for praying for. It's hard to find people who are in the spotlight, whether it be politics or Hollywood or wherever, who ask God to help them be content with what they have. Most of them just want more and more and more. And that is something that I am really praying hard for, that I will let God lead me where He wants me, not where I want me, and that I will be completely content with what I have.
Anyway, I so enjoyed my time in Chicago with family. I missed you all so much and I wish our time together could have been longer. Now it's time for you all to come visit me!! ;) But seriously, I have plenty of room and I would absolutely love for all of you to come out here and see North Carolina.
Well, I'm off to read more of Going Rogue. I really can't put it down. It's a must read!! I recommend it to all. I promise a longer blog to come soon. Only one more week of class, a few finals, and it's Christmas break!! 'Yippee Skippee!!' as Garrett's Aunt Cathy says.
xoxo Annie
Friday, October 23, 2009
photo blog, episode 1 (henceforth known as a phlog)
hello world!well, that is the 7 or 8 of you that read this. I don't think my blog is quite world famous yet, or ever will be for that reason.. but that is totally okay with me, cause God is listening, and family and friends are reading, and that's all I need! actually, that's what I prefer.
anyway, got a little off track.. I am doing something different in this blog.. it is going to be a.... (drum roll please!)... a photo blog! I figured it would be really fun for those of you family (and friends) reading this that have never been able to visit me here (like you guys, Dad and JoAnn and Nana and Nonnie!) to see some pictures of my apartment, my kitty, the area, and just other activities and things that have been going on in my life. I know it's great every now and then to be able to see some actual pictures instead of having to imagine everything in your head! so, here goes!
My Apartment!
It is in the University area, which is just the informal name of the section of the city of Charlotte where UNCC is.
Here's my apartment! This is the living room area. Kitchen table to the right, super comfy couch to the left, and my awesome tv in the back corner. And you can see my wonderful balcony! The coffee table was the most recent addition to this room, $20 at Ikea! I love Ikea!
Here's another view of the living room. The walls are so plain and boring.. I can't wait until I start working and can afford to buy fun things to decorate the apartment with!
And here's my nice little kitchen.. it's small, but nonetheless the perfect size for me! And that's the entrance to the apartment to the left.
Here's my oh-so-fancy hallway (more like plain boring hallway.. again, can't wait to be able to buy decorations!) that leads to my bedroom (on the right) and my bathroom (on the left) and also the coat closet. The entrance to the apartment is behind me, the kitchen to the left and the living room to the right.
And here's my bedroom! You can see my bed, my fancy tv dinner tray nightstand, and then my desk. My box spring looks so ugly showing from under my comforter, I really need to get a dust ruffle. (that's what they're called right? haha). Actually, I just had a brilliant idea! I just ordered a new sheet set because coby ripped a hole in my current sheets.. but when I get my new sheets, I can put the fitted sheet with the rip onto the box spring, cause you won't see the rip since it's the box spring, but it will make it look much better! genius!
The other side of my bedroom, my dresser and the door out to my balcony. I also have a nice big walk-in closet that's right behind me from where I'm standing in this picture, opposite of my bed.
Andddd here's my bathroom, I'm sure you all really wanted to see it! Just kidding. It's actually a lot bigger than it looks in this picture, that area to the left is a nice sized closet, and the shower is to the right, you can see the reflection of it in the mirror.
Meet Cobra Commander (Coby) my kitten!
Here he is, Cobra Commander! This is when I got him, and we were riding home. (This is also right before he got carsick and threw up in his crate. Poor guy, he gets taken from his mommy and then gets put in this big moving thing that makes him sick to his stomach. He was probably so confused! but he couldn't be happier now).
Coby playing with his favorite dangle-y toy. The pink park broke off, but I just tied a toy mouse to the end and he loves it just the same! (I can't believe how LITTLE he was! this is the first night he was home).
Coby stretching out on his blue bed that Mom bought him. He loves his bed!
Another shot of him on his bed. He used to be so small! He only takes up half of his bed in this shot, now he is nearly too big for it!
Here he is being adorable! His ears are so disproportionate to the rest of his body, haha.
Here's Coby sitting on Garrett's legs. He's getting bigger! I think he likes the heat of the computer.
Isn't he so cute?? Hiding behind a bag.
Well I'm apparently not the only one in this apartment that is a Fox News addict. Coby is taking after mommy!
Coby has discovered a lot of silly new places to hang out lately.. he loves to snooze in my drawers if I happen to leave one open by accident. I would guess this one is his favorite, it's got all of my comfy pjs in it!
His very favorite new hangout spot.. the top of the cabinets in the kitchen! He's been making trouble up there though, attacking those paper lantern lights that I have hanging up, so I haven't let him up there for a few days. (in case you are wondering, he jumps onto the counter, then onto the top of the fridge, then up to the cabinet tops).
And here he is in his favorite annoy-mommy-while-she's-trying-to-get-ready-in-the-morning-spot. the sink! and if I turn the water on, he doesn't even move! he's the first cat I've ever seen that likes water.
Miscellaneous Pictures
Here's a bunch of random pictures of all sorts of things!
Here's Garrett and I at a lighthouse in Maine. We made a day trip to Maine during our missions trip to Boston, and we visited the lighthouse, the beach, and ate some Maine lobster! It was a lot of fun.
Here's me and my big fish that I caught last spring! We were at this really neat catfish farm. As you can see, I had to hold my fish using the net because I wasn't brave enough to actually hold it.
Here's Garrett with his big big fish! This place was really neat, owned by a really nice older man and woman. It is only open in the spring, sadly.
On campus one day, the Concord K-9 unit did a neat demonstration with their drug-sniffing dogs. They had a whole demonstration with a bunch of suitcases with one containing marijuana, and then after that they let us pet the dogs and ask questions. The dogs were so cute!
Here's a view of uptown Charlotte when I was on my way to the elementary school that I do my clinicals for school at. It was cold and rainy that day! In Charlotte they call the city Uptown instead of Downtown, silly right?
I love cooking stir fry, and Garrett and I love to cook stir fry together too! This was a stir fry I made when Garrett was out of town for the weekend and I wanted to cook something yummy. It's chicken, onions, zucchini and yellow squash, yummm!
And here's the subject of my latest blog, the big spike in my tire! Not sure how the spike got in that part of my tire, and I probably will never know!
This is the view of campus from one of the parking decks. Fall is so pretty and the UNCC campus is beautiful. I am so blessed to go there!
This is the view from my balcony, it is so pretty! I am so blessed to have a view of the woods instead of having an apartment on the other side of the building with a view of the parking lot!
I think that fall in North Carolina is the prettiest fall I've seen out of anywhere I've been. Especially up in the mountains! Did you ever get to see the North Carolina fall up in Asheville, Nonnie? It's so beautiful.
Well, that's the end! I hope you all loved my phlog! It took me a really long time.. I'm not kidding, like 3 hours! haha. But it was worth it! I'm off to relax for the rest of my Friday evening, I hope you all are doing the same! God is so great, and I will update soon on the awesome things He's doing in my life, and the things He's teaching me.
God bless you all,
xoxo annie
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
dbook//flat tire//&steak
I've started something new today. I bought a composition notebook from the grocery store and I am calling it my "dbook", which stands for devotional book. I was inspired (this is silly, I know) from the book Harriet the Spy. I loved loved loved the movie when I was younger (remember mom and dad how the VHS case was bright orange and had that cover insert that could be flipped around and made it look like a composition notebook?? I remember thinking that was the coolest thing, like.. ever!! I'll never ever forget that.) and just this week I had to read the book for my Children's Lit class. The book, naturally, was better than the movie.. but, alas, nothing could replace the memories of that movie from my childhood. who knows how many times I watched that movie. anyway, I digress. For those who aren't familiar, Harriet has decided she is going to be a spy. She carries around this green composition notebook with her EVERYWHERE, and she literally writes in it nearly every minute, just writing down things that she sees and what she is thinking and how she is feeling. Anyway, I was inspired because I thought that would be something really interesting for me to try out. Except, instead of writing things like observations, I am going to treat it like a never-ending devotional prayer journal type thing..it is small enough to fit in my bag so I will carry it around with me. I have already begun writing, and I am treating it just as another form of communication with God, everything that I write is addressed to Him. It is, I hope, going to be a place that I can constantly record my thoughts and feelings and anything that I would want to talk to Papa about. And hopefully, it will help me maintain a more constant and closer relationship with my Father. It is really, essentially, just going to be a journal.. because that's what a journal is, in my perspective anyway, just a log of all of those things that I would want to talk to my Father about. So that's what it will be. Just a place for me to put anything, even to doodle or print and paste scripture that I want to focus on. I will write in it diligently every morning, and then just throughout the day whenever I get a chance. I am excited about it, and will keep you all updated on how it goes.
It's been a busy week so far. I had a mini disaster on Tuesday.. somehow a huge spike managed to find its way right through my tire (what wonderful luck I have) and caused a slow leak (that is until it was pulled out, and it went flat) and wrecked my tire. BUT, God was good to me and it was during the time that I was nannying, and so because the Moyers had AAA, he called and they came over and changed out my tire free of charge. AND.. the Moyers invited me to stay for a delicious steak and mashed potato dinner. So, all was well in the end. And I am very blessed because since I drive a jeep, I don't just have a low-quality, only-safe-to-drive-with-for-a-few-miles spare tire.. I have a fifth tire on the back of my car that is no different from the other four already on, even with the same nice alloy metal rim and everything. (which I was not aware of until I came out and saw it after AAA had changed it). So thank You Lord, for working everything out okay. I can never seem to place my full trust in God, and when things like this happen I become a worry wart and get myself all worked up. ("I don't know what I'm going to do.. I can't afford a new tire, then I can't drive my car, and then I can't get to class or work.." etc etc..) And then God gives me that same old nudge that He always does and says, "My Annie, why do you worry like this? Learn to trust me, child, I will always be here, I would never let you go through this alone. Remember those times there was only one set of footprints in the sand? That is when I carried you, little one, and brought you safely through the storm. Don't you remember what I told you, daughter? 'Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you'. Don't you ever forget that." And then it leaves me, as always, my head hung low with a quiet "sorry Papa", and Him embracing me in His arms as He always, always does. How sweet it is, the love of our Father.
Anyway, I'm off to bed (I think.. I always say that and then get caught up doing something else).. it's up at 6:30 for me tomorrow, for a shower, devos (on the balcony with a cup of coffee, mmm) and classes, and then work. And then begins the weekend! and not only is it just the weekend, but it is fall break! Hooray! Which means that I not only have Friday, Saturday and Sunday off as usual, but I also have Monday and Tuesday off! Yay!
wishing many blessings for anyone that stumbles along to my little blog,
xox Annie
It's been a busy week so far. I had a mini disaster on Tuesday.. somehow a huge spike managed to find its way right through my tire (what wonderful luck I have) and caused a slow leak (that is until it was pulled out, and it went flat) and wrecked my tire. BUT, God was good to me and it was during the time that I was nannying, and so because the Moyers had AAA, he called and they came over and changed out my tire free of charge. AND.. the Moyers invited me to stay for a delicious steak and mashed potato dinner. So, all was well in the end. And I am very blessed because since I drive a jeep, I don't just have a low-quality, only-safe-to-drive-with-for-a-few-miles spare tire.. I have a fifth tire on the back of my car that is no different from the other four already on, even with the same nice alloy metal rim and everything. (which I was not aware of until I came out and saw it after AAA had changed it). So thank You Lord, for working everything out okay. I can never seem to place my full trust in God, and when things like this happen I become a worry wart and get myself all worked up. ("I don't know what I'm going to do.. I can't afford a new tire, then I can't drive my car, and then I can't get to class or work.." etc etc..) And then God gives me that same old nudge that He always does and says, "My Annie, why do you worry like this? Learn to trust me, child, I will always be here, I would never let you go through this alone. Remember those times there was only one set of footprints in the sand? That is when I carried you, little one, and brought you safely through the storm. Don't you remember what I told you, daughter? 'Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you'. Don't you ever forget that." And then it leaves me, as always, my head hung low with a quiet "sorry Papa", and Him embracing me in His arms as He always, always does. How sweet it is, the love of our Father.
Anyway, I'm off to bed (I think.. I always say that and then get caught up doing something else).. it's up at 6:30 for me tomorrow, for a shower, devos (on the balcony with a cup of coffee, mmm) and classes, and then work. And then begins the weekend! and not only is it just the weekend, but it is fall break! Hooray! Which means that I not only have Friday, Saturday and Sunday off as usual, but I also have Monday and Tuesday off! Yay!
wishing many blessings for anyone that stumbles along to my little blog,
xox Annie
Sunday, October 4, 2009
first love
"God will look to every soul like its first love because He is its first love." -C.S. Lewis
meditating on that beautiful thought today. more to come later.
xox Annie
meditating on that beautiful thought today. more to come later.
xox Annie
Thursday, October 1, 2009
idolatry: are you guilty as charged?
Idolatry. I am guilty. In fact idolatry is probably one of the commandments that I break the most often. As promised, I've got much more for you guys about the path that God lead me down last night. God made it very clear to me that for the month of October, He would be stripping me of the things that I have made as idols in my life. So far, there are three things on that list. Just because October began today does not mean that I won't be adding things to the list as it goes on.. but for now, there are three things I will be fasting from this month. Facebook, sugar, and sleeping in on weekdays. Well, let's jump in!
"Idolatry (noun): the religious worship of idols". Okay.. let's be honest here. No, I do not bow before facebook, cookies, candy bars, or my bed and worship them as gods. But, when people think of the term "idolatry", that is the definition that comes to mind. But, there is a whole other side of idolatry, a side that I think you will find, you are a little TOO familiar with. "Idolatry (noun): excessive or blind adoration, reverence, devotion, etc." ...Okay, sounding more familiar? Ever find yourself obsessing over that TV show or sports team a little too excessively? Or ever find yourself relying on that morning cup(s) of coffee just a little too much? That is exactly how I've found myself beginning my month long fast. Devotion and blind adoration are definitely words that I can use to describe how I am with facebook. In fact, deactivating my facebook and staying away from it for a whole month is going to be a real struggle for me.. and that's exactly why I need to do it.
First of all, let's take a look at the rules God gives us as far as idolatry goes. It's something that comes straight from the Ten Commandments. The very first two commandments, in fact. "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. (commandment #1) You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. (commandment #2) For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God" (Ex 20:2-5). There it is, plain and simple. I am 100% guilty. 'You shall have no other gods before Me'. I may not consider Facebook to be a god, but I certainly tend to put it before God. When the choice arises to go look at Facebook, or go look at my Bible.. yep, I've been choosing Facebook. That is clue number one that I need to change things. Now, I also have not carved any statues or anything like that, but let's be honest.. things were a bit different back then. God commands us to 'not bow down to them nor serve them'. Like I said earlier, I'm not kneeling in front of my computer and worshiping Facebook.. but do I serve it? Absolutely. I can barely go an hour without having to check my Facebook, see what every one is doing, check my email for Facebook notifications. The same can be said about sweets and sleeping in, I definitely serve both of those things. They have dominion over me.. I cannot control my craving for sweets nor my desire to sleep in. Thus, I am serving them. They are a god over me. That is unhealthy, and that is clue number two that things really need to change.
Worthless. That's what these idols are. God is very clear about that in the Bible. "All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless." (Isaiah 44:9). Blunt, but so true. When my life is over, what's going to matter? The hours I spent on facebook, the hours I slept in, and the sweets that I ate? Or the time that I spent in prayer, studying my Bible, or just spending time with God? The answer to that is crystal clear. What would become of me if I kept choosing my idols over God? "They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless." (2 Kings 17:15) Worthless. That is what I will become. What meaning is there to life if I spend it sleeping and staring at my computer screen? NOTHING. nada. zip. zero. There is so much more to this life that God intended for me! I have the privilege to be a part of this AMAZING story that God has created, and yet I choose to sit around, sleep, and stare at my computer? "[There's a] six-lane-wide-freeway-sized God story that you and I are running down the middle of every day. It's a place that requires a constant choice. We can choose to cling to starring roles in the little-bitty stories of us, or we can exchange our fleeting moment in the spotlight for a supporting role in the eternally beautiful epic that is the Story of God. Think of it as trading up. Abandoning the former and embracing the latter will allow our little lives to be filled with the wonder of God as we live for His fame and the unending applause of His name. And joining our small stories to His will give us what we all want most in life anyway: the assurance that our brief moments on earth count for something in a story that never ends." -Louie Giglio (i am not but i know I AM). Nothing else needs to be said. That awesome quote speaks for itself.
So then it hit me as I read these two verses. "Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless." (1 Sam 12:21) and "Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save". (Isaiah 45:20) Here comes that pit in my stomach. Why am I serving Facebook and sweets and sleep and letting them have dominion over me? Because I am using them to fill a hole and a craving that should be filled by GOD. I can look at Facebook all I want, I can sleep all I want, and I can eat all the sugar I want.. but it will never last. I will only come up thirsty, craving more and more and more and my obsession with those things will only grow. Because they are merely temporary satisfactions. In the end, they will leave me empty and wanting more. But with GOD I can quench the otherwise unquenchable thirst! It is only through HIM that I will ever be satisfied! It makes me think back to a sermon Pastor Ben gave, about how each of us have a God-shaped hole in our heart. we try to fill it with all sorts of things.. in my case, facebook, sweets, extra sleep, and plenty of other things. but there is nothing.. NOTHING.. that will fill that gap, other than God.
So, now begins a month of some serious learning I am going to be doing. What I want, more than anything, is for the only desire of my heart to be God. And for that to happen, I have to remove all of those things that I have an unhealthy desire for. I have to learn that those things can, and must, be replaced by the desire for God, or I will drink and only ever come up dry. So I'm starting over. I'm going to read Mark Cahill's book One Heartbeat Away, and I think I'm going to read Louie Giglio's i am not but i know I AM again. accompanied by both morning and evening time in devotion with God.. just speaking to Him, listening to Him, and just spending time with Him. I'm going to chronicle my journey here. I hope you all will enjoy it and will learn along with me the things that I am going to be learning.
"Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14)
Jesus, I'm ready. I'm ready to replace my earthly desires with the desire for YOU and You alone. I want to thirst for You more and more every minute of every day. I want to fill that hole with You, I want to be embraced in Your arms, I want to want You and everything about You, Lord!! Amen.
xoxo, Annie
"Idolatry (noun): the religious worship of idols". Okay.. let's be honest here. No, I do not bow before facebook, cookies, candy bars, or my bed and worship them as gods. But, when people think of the term "idolatry", that is the definition that comes to mind. But, there is a whole other side of idolatry, a side that I think you will find, you are a little TOO familiar with. "Idolatry (noun): excessive or blind adoration, reverence, devotion, etc." ...Okay, sounding more familiar? Ever find yourself obsessing over that TV show or sports team a little too excessively? Or ever find yourself relying on that morning cup(s) of coffee just a little too much? That is exactly how I've found myself beginning my month long fast. Devotion and blind adoration are definitely words that I can use to describe how I am with facebook. In fact, deactivating my facebook and staying away from it for a whole month is going to be a real struggle for me.. and that's exactly why I need to do it.
First of all, let's take a look at the rules God gives us as far as idolatry goes. It's something that comes straight from the Ten Commandments. The very first two commandments, in fact. "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. (commandment #1) You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. (commandment #2) For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God" (Ex 20:2-5). There it is, plain and simple. I am 100% guilty. 'You shall have no other gods before Me'. I may not consider Facebook to be a god, but I certainly tend to put it before God. When the choice arises to go look at Facebook, or go look at my Bible.. yep, I've been choosing Facebook. That is clue number one that I need to change things. Now, I also have not carved any statues or anything like that, but let's be honest.. things were a bit different back then. God commands us to 'not bow down to them nor serve them'. Like I said earlier, I'm not kneeling in front of my computer and worshiping Facebook.. but do I serve it? Absolutely. I can barely go an hour without having to check my Facebook, see what every one is doing, check my email for Facebook notifications. The same can be said about sweets and sleeping in, I definitely serve both of those things. They have dominion over me.. I cannot control my craving for sweets nor my desire to sleep in. Thus, I am serving them. They are a god over me. That is unhealthy, and that is clue number two that things really need to change.
Worthless. That's what these idols are. God is very clear about that in the Bible. "All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless." (Isaiah 44:9). Blunt, but so true. When my life is over, what's going to matter? The hours I spent on facebook, the hours I slept in, and the sweets that I ate? Or the time that I spent in prayer, studying my Bible, or just spending time with God? The answer to that is crystal clear. What would become of me if I kept choosing my idols over God? "They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless." (2 Kings 17:15) Worthless. That is what I will become. What meaning is there to life if I spend it sleeping and staring at my computer screen? NOTHING. nada. zip. zero. There is so much more to this life that God intended for me! I have the privilege to be a part of this AMAZING story that God has created, and yet I choose to sit around, sleep, and stare at my computer? "[There's a] six-lane-wide-freeway-sized God story that you and I are running down the middle of every day. It's a place that requires a constant choice. We can choose to cling to starring roles in the little-bitty stories of us, or we can exchange our fleeting moment in the spotlight for a supporting role in the eternally beautiful epic that is the Story of God. Think of it as trading up. Abandoning the former and embracing the latter will allow our little lives to be filled with the wonder of God as we live for His fame and the unending applause of His name. And joining our small stories to His will give us what we all want most in life anyway: the assurance that our brief moments on earth count for something in a story that never ends." -Louie Giglio (i am not but i know I AM). Nothing else needs to be said. That awesome quote speaks for itself.
So then it hit me as I read these two verses. "Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless." (1 Sam 12:21) and "Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save". (Isaiah 45:20) Here comes that pit in my stomach. Why am I serving Facebook and sweets and sleep and letting them have dominion over me? Because I am using them to fill a hole and a craving that should be filled by GOD. I can look at Facebook all I want, I can sleep all I want, and I can eat all the sugar I want.. but it will never last. I will only come up thirsty, craving more and more and more and my obsession with those things will only grow. Because they are merely temporary satisfactions. In the end, they will leave me empty and wanting more. But with GOD I can quench the otherwise unquenchable thirst! It is only through HIM that I will ever be satisfied! It makes me think back to a sermon Pastor Ben gave, about how each of us have a God-shaped hole in our heart. we try to fill it with all sorts of things.. in my case, facebook, sweets, extra sleep, and plenty of other things. but there is nothing.. NOTHING.. that will fill that gap, other than God.
So, now begins a month of some serious learning I am going to be doing. What I want, more than anything, is for the only desire of my heart to be God. And for that to happen, I have to remove all of those things that I have an unhealthy desire for. I have to learn that those things can, and must, be replaced by the desire for God, or I will drink and only ever come up dry. So I'm starting over. I'm going to read Mark Cahill's book One Heartbeat Away, and I think I'm going to read Louie Giglio's i am not but i know I AM again. accompanied by both morning and evening time in devotion with God.. just speaking to Him, listening to Him, and just spending time with Him. I'm going to chronicle my journey here. I hope you all will enjoy it and will learn along with me the things that I am going to be learning.
"Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14)
Jesus, I'm ready. I'm ready to replace my earthly desires with the desire for YOU and You alone. I want to thirst for You more and more every minute of every day. I want to fill that hole with You, I want to be embraced in Your arms, I want to want You and everything about You, Lord!! Amen.
xoxo, Annie
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
He must increase, but I MUST decrease!
3 minutes till midnight!
God has shown me, through several different people, a very clear path that I must take starting at midnight, October 1st, 2009.
I must try to remove the things that have become idols in my life.
So, for the next month.. I am fasting from facebook, sugar, and sleeping in past 9:30 on weekdays.
More to come later.
xox Annie
God has shown me, through several different people, a very clear path that I must take starting at midnight, October 1st, 2009.
I must try to remove the things that have become idols in my life.
So, for the next month.. I am fasting from facebook, sugar, and sleeping in past 9:30 on weekdays.
More to come later.
xox Annie
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
I've RSVPed for the wedding, have you?
We think of a marriage as an event between one man and one woman. And it is, in one definition of the word. "marriage (noun): the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc." But how does the Bible define marriage? This is what I have been studying tonight.
There are things that are important to know before we dive deep into this topic: God CREATED marriage. The very first marriage was between Adam and Eve; Adam, whom God created, and Eve, whom God created out of Adam and chose as the bride for Adam. But much more importantly, God has designed and planned (before the beginning of all time itself) the most important marriage of ALL marriages: the marriage of His son, Jesus Christ. This marriage has several steps.
Firstly, God had to choose the bride. And who did He choose? He chose the church. We know this from several different passages in the Bible, one being 2 Corinthians 11. (2 Corinthians, we know, is a letter from Paul to the church in Corinth). It says: "For I have betrothed you (the church) to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." (2 Cor 11:2b) And we know, as Christians, we are part of the church. And as we know that the church is the bride of Christ, this makes us, as members of the church, the bride of Christ. And what I think is the really neat part of all of this is, God did not only choose the bride to His son Jesus Christ, but He CREATED her (or him, depending on who you are ;).. I am a she, so that's why I chose to write her). We know that God knew us before the creation of the earth, he molded us and shaped us and He knew everything about who we would be before we were even born (including choosing us as a bride to His son). Pretty neat.
Secondly, God paid a price for the bride. The price that he paid for a bride for His son, came from the son Himself.. it was the blood of Jesus Christ! Talk about the dowry of all dowries! Sometimes my flesh betrays me and I allow myself to think about things I have to "give up" in order to live a life like Christ. But the truth of it is, my salvation has cost me NOTHING. nada, zip, zero. My salvation was freely offered to me, no strings attached, no "additional details apply", no terms or conditions. And yet God gave freely all that He had.. His one begotten Son.. so that I may live as blameless and sin-free in His eyes. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16), and also, "You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (I Cor 6:19-20) God paid the dowry, the blood of His son.
Thirdly, Jesus, the Bridegroom, has made His promise to us, as His bride. He has promised to prepare a place for us, and to come back for us when it is finished. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:3) And then, what's even more important, He has pledged to us, as we pledge to our husband or wife to-be, to give them everlasting love. It is an amazing and all-encompassing love, a love that will never fail. "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:31-32, 38-39). And now, as the bride, it is our turn to pledge ourselves to the bridegroom. As Christians we are presented with an engagement ring.. and that ring is the Holy Spirit living inside of us! It is now our responsibility to walk with Him, to be faithful to Him, and to love Him and love others the way that He has loved us.
And now, we are engaged to Jesus Christ the bridegroom! As in all traditional marriages, the bridegroom has pledged himself to the bride, and the bride has pledged herself to the bridegroom. And now.. we wait, in fervent anticipation for the return of our bridegroom! "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." (1 Thes 4:16-17) I can't wait!
And then, are you ready? The most amazing wedding of all weddings!! "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!" (Rev 19:7,9) I can hardly wait!!
But here is the real question, will you be there at the greatest wedding of all weddings?
You are definitely invited:
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Mt 11:28-30)
It's easy to RSVP:
"..That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (Romans 10:9-10)
I have RSVPed, have you?
There are things that are important to know before we dive deep into this topic: God CREATED marriage. The very first marriage was between Adam and Eve; Adam, whom God created, and Eve, whom God created out of Adam and chose as the bride for Adam. But much more importantly, God has designed and planned (before the beginning of all time itself) the most important marriage of ALL marriages: the marriage of His son, Jesus Christ. This marriage has several steps.
Firstly, God had to choose the bride. And who did He choose? He chose the church. We know this from several different passages in the Bible, one being 2 Corinthians 11. (2 Corinthians, we know, is a letter from Paul to the church in Corinth). It says: "For I have betrothed you (the church) to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." (2 Cor 11:2b) And we know, as Christians, we are part of the church. And as we know that the church is the bride of Christ, this makes us, as members of the church, the bride of Christ. And what I think is the really neat part of all of this is, God did not only choose the bride to His son Jesus Christ, but He CREATED her (or him, depending on who you are ;).. I am a she, so that's why I chose to write her). We know that God knew us before the creation of the earth, he molded us and shaped us and He knew everything about who we would be before we were even born (including choosing us as a bride to His son). Pretty neat.
Secondly, God paid a price for the bride. The price that he paid for a bride for His son, came from the son Himself.. it was the blood of Jesus Christ! Talk about the dowry of all dowries! Sometimes my flesh betrays me and I allow myself to think about things I have to "give up" in order to live a life like Christ. But the truth of it is, my salvation has cost me NOTHING. nada, zip, zero. My salvation was freely offered to me, no strings attached, no "additional details apply", no terms or conditions. And yet God gave freely all that He had.. His one begotten Son.. so that I may live as blameless and sin-free in His eyes. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16), and also, "You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (I Cor 6:19-20) God paid the dowry, the blood of His son.
Thirdly, Jesus, the Bridegroom, has made His promise to us, as His bride. He has promised to prepare a place for us, and to come back for us when it is finished. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:3) And then, what's even more important, He has pledged to us, as we pledge to our husband or wife to-be, to give them everlasting love. It is an amazing and all-encompassing love, a love that will never fail. "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:31-32, 38-39). And now, as the bride, it is our turn to pledge ourselves to the bridegroom. As Christians we are presented with an engagement ring.. and that ring is the Holy Spirit living inside of us! It is now our responsibility to walk with Him, to be faithful to Him, and to love Him and love others the way that He has loved us.
And now, we are engaged to Jesus Christ the bridegroom! As in all traditional marriages, the bridegroom has pledged himself to the bride, and the bride has pledged herself to the bridegroom. And now.. we wait, in fervent anticipation for the return of our bridegroom! "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." (1 Thes 4:16-17) I can't wait!
And then, are you ready? The most amazing wedding of all weddings!! "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!" (Rev 19:7,9) I can hardly wait!!
But here is the real question, will you be there at the greatest wedding of all weddings?
You are definitely invited:
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Mt 11:28-30)
It's easy to RSVP:
"..That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (Romans 10:9-10)
I have RSVPed, have you?
I'm alive!
I'm back! I'm alive! I've been really busy with school and work and everything. I promise I will have a long update on how I am doing coming soon, but for now I am focusing on a blog relating to a topic in the Bible I've been studying this evening. I really am going to start blogging more (I promise), not only because I want you guys to hear more about my life and more often, but because I think it is a really great space for me to share the things I've been studying in the Bible. enjoy!
xoxo God's girl Annie
xoxo God's girl Annie
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
i've always been a dog person
Well.. so much for posting every day! It's been 4 days, already I'm a slacker and it's only my second post! Oh well.
So what's new? Honestly, pretty much nothing since the last post. Garrett and I fixed dinner for his family on monday night. We made bratwurst, cream cheese corn and we grilled fruit drizzled in honey for dessert. Yummy! Monday during the day Garrett and I hung out with Lisa (his mom). It's been a while since we've spent time with her and it was a lot of fun. Yesterday I read the book My Sister's Keeper. it was great, but so sad! I want to see the movie now, but I heard the movie is a lot different from the book. I suppose that's pretty normal though. I love reading, but books never last me long. I wish I could space them out, but when I start reading a book and I love it I usually end up reading it in a day or two! I suppose I am a book worm. Yesterday on the way to the grocery store I saw an emaciated (starving) little puppy walking along the side of the road. Of course you all know I have a very strong heart for mistreated animals, so I pulled over. I tried for 5 minutes to coax him to come to me, but he was very skiddish. He must've been on his own for a while, because when dogs are recently put on the street they are very human friendly, but this dog was really scared. He kept backing up until finally he ran into the woods. I felt bad for the poor guy, I would've taken him but he wouldn't come to me. I checked on my way home to see if he was still lurking around but he was gone. Hopefully someone else will find him and take care of him. I love to look at craigslist.com at the pet section and see all the cute puppies that people are giving away. I can't wait until I'll be able to afford a dog. Mom, you should look at craigslist, I saw just this morning someone posting in my area giving away free pureblood german shepherd puppies. They were cute as can be. I'm sure it's the same in Chicago. Most people are either giving them away free or charge a small rehoming fee like $50. it's like petfinder.com on steroids.
Well, I'm about to jump in the shower. Not sure what my plans are for tonight, or the rest of the week for that matter. I think on Saturday we might be going on a day trip to the Biltmore with Lisa's family to do some horseback riding around the grounds and visit the vineyards and gardens and stuff. it'll be fun! Hope all is well with you guys, remember you can leave me comments on my posts and tell me how you're doing!
xox anne marie
Saturday, July 18, 2009
blogging?
well, I suppose that as I type these words I am officially becoming a "blogger". what is a blogger? according to dictionary.com that makes me "a person who keeps a Web log (blog) or publish an online diary". I think in other words that makes me "a person with a bunch of random thoughts and facts that she'd like to post on the internet". or maybe even better, "a person who doesn't always do the best job of keeping in touch with family and friends so she is going to start keeping a public journal that others can use to keep in touch with her life". that sounds most accurate. so what does that mean for me? well, I'm hoping to be a diligent blogger and post often.. (I'm hoping every day but I can't make any promises). what will be really neat is that I have my new iphone now, and apparently there are all sorts of applications that let me blog from my iphone, even photo blog! (as in, take a picture from my phone and upload it right then onto my blog, pretty neat huh?). so what does that mean for you? well, hopefully, that means you guys can come here and read all about my life and what I'm doing!
I suppose this is the point where I update you all on my life! well, the other day I went to meet with a family that I will be nannying for come september! it will be approximately 3-4 days per week and the girls are just adorable. they are 3 and 7, and their names are Madison and MacKenzie (or maybe McKenzie? not sure of the spelling). as I mentioned earlier, Garrett and I just switched to AT&T and got iphones. mine was an early birthday present. it is quite possibly the coolest piece of technology available at the moment. I am pretty confident that it will completely take over the cell phone market soon. it was only $99 for my iphone, and it has endless possibilities. I can't believe something so neat was so cheap. I have an application called Shazam, and what it does is whenever I hear a song that I like but I don't know what it's called or who it is by, I just open this program, let it listen to the song for about 15 seconds, and it will analyze the song and tell me the Artist and Title. isn't that insane? the iphone can do all sorts of other crazy things like that, like there is another application that lets you take a picture of a barcode on absolutely any product, and it will find that product and give you all of the information on that product and the prices and where it's sold and all. isn't that absolutely insane? it is one of the most sophisticated and advanced pieces of technology on the market right now, for sure. I would recommend it to anyone. anyway, what else? Garrett and I went to a goodbye party last night for our friend Brenda. she is moving to Brazil to teach for two years! how neat! I am really excited for her, but we'll miss her! it's only three weeks till I come home! can't wait to see everyone! I am so excited that Lisa (Garrett's mom) will be coming for the wedding. I can't wait for her to see Northfield and Chicago and where I grew up! and I can't wait for everyone to meet her.. mom, Ally, Evan and Alek are the only ones who have met her. well I guess that's pretty much the news that I have for now. I am excited to be doing this blog and I hope you all will enjoy reading it! I'm not the most exciting person, but hey, I try! =]
I've been falling short on a few things lately. most of all, being on my knees. prayer. I know I don't do it enough. I don't spend that all important time with God every day. I pray before every meal and I pray before I sleep but it should be way more than that. it's become a chore to me, instead of the amazing gift and privelege that it is, being able to have a personal relationship with my God. what a blessing! that I can sit down and talk directly to God. and it's only through Jesus Christ that I am able to do that, the High Priest. he is the bridge between God and I and I should be absolutely grateful and joyful and excited that I get to come before God on me knees and speak directly to Him. so that is something I really need to work on. because it is the most powerful tool that God has ever given us, the ability to pray. people so often underestimate the power of prayer.
speaking of prayer, I will have a separate post coming dedicated to my Boston missions trip. there is too much to say about it to have it as a small feature in this post, it deserves its own. I have pictures and all! all I will say about it right now is that it was one of the most incredible weeks of my life. I know that God is calling me to Boston, and I learned on the trip (most of which consisted of long long times of prayer) that what is most important is having the humility to leave everything behind, get on your knees, and cry out to God. we know from that Bible (1 John), that if we ask anything according to God's will, He will hear us. pretty amazing stuff.
what's coming in the next few weeks for me? not too much. excited to start my job in september. depending on how much I end up working per week, I am considering looking for another part time job. we'll just see how it goes. I am about to start doing a discipleship with my pastor's wife Liz, and I am super excited about that. to put it in plain terms, it's basically like a one on one bible study.. sort of.
well I think this post has been sufficiently long! I hope that you guys will enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. and hopefully this will turn out to be as neat as I've imagined it to be, and a really good way for you all to keep in touch with my life here in Charlotte!
xoxo,
Anne Marie
I suppose this is the point where I update you all on my life! well, the other day I went to meet with a family that I will be nannying for come september! it will be approximately 3-4 days per week and the girls are just adorable. they are 3 and 7, and their names are Madison and MacKenzie (or maybe McKenzie? not sure of the spelling). as I mentioned earlier, Garrett and I just switched to AT&T and got iphones. mine was an early birthday present. it is quite possibly the coolest piece of technology available at the moment. I am pretty confident that it will completely take over the cell phone market soon. it was only $99 for my iphone, and it has endless possibilities. I can't believe something so neat was so cheap. I have an application called Shazam, and what it does is whenever I hear a song that I like but I don't know what it's called or who it is by, I just open this program, let it listen to the song for about 15 seconds, and it will analyze the song and tell me the Artist and Title. isn't that insane? the iphone can do all sorts of other crazy things like that, like there is another application that lets you take a picture of a barcode on absolutely any product, and it will find that product and give you all of the information on that product and the prices and where it's sold and all. isn't that absolutely insane? it is one of the most sophisticated and advanced pieces of technology on the market right now, for sure. I would recommend it to anyone. anyway, what else? Garrett and I went to a goodbye party last night for our friend Brenda. she is moving to Brazil to teach for two years! how neat! I am really excited for her, but we'll miss her! it's only three weeks till I come home! can't wait to see everyone! I am so excited that Lisa (Garrett's mom) will be coming for the wedding. I can't wait for her to see Northfield and Chicago and where I grew up! and I can't wait for everyone to meet her.. mom, Ally, Evan and Alek are the only ones who have met her. well I guess that's pretty much the news that I have for now. I am excited to be doing this blog and I hope you all will enjoy reading it! I'm not the most exciting person, but hey, I try! =]
I've been falling short on a few things lately. most of all, being on my knees. prayer. I know I don't do it enough. I don't spend that all important time with God every day. I pray before every meal and I pray before I sleep but it should be way more than that. it's become a chore to me, instead of the amazing gift and privelege that it is, being able to have a personal relationship with my God. what a blessing! that I can sit down and talk directly to God. and it's only through Jesus Christ that I am able to do that, the High Priest. he is the bridge between God and I and I should be absolutely grateful and joyful and excited that I get to come before God on me knees and speak directly to Him. so that is something I really need to work on. because it is the most powerful tool that God has ever given us, the ability to pray. people so often underestimate the power of prayer.
speaking of prayer, I will have a separate post coming dedicated to my Boston missions trip. there is too much to say about it to have it as a small feature in this post, it deserves its own. I have pictures and all! all I will say about it right now is that it was one of the most incredible weeks of my life. I know that God is calling me to Boston, and I learned on the trip (most of which consisted of long long times of prayer) that what is most important is having the humility to leave everything behind, get on your knees, and cry out to God. we know from that Bible (1 John), that if we ask anything according to God's will, He will hear us. pretty amazing stuff.
what's coming in the next few weeks for me? not too much. excited to start my job in september. depending on how much I end up working per week, I am considering looking for another part time job. we'll just see how it goes. I am about to start doing a discipleship with my pastor's wife Liz, and I am super excited about that. to put it in plain terms, it's basically like a one on one bible study.. sort of.
well I think this post has been sufficiently long! I hope that you guys will enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. and hopefully this will turn out to be as neat as I've imagined it to be, and a really good way for you all to keep in touch with my life here in Charlotte!
xoxo,
Anne Marie
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