To the Praise of His Glorious Grace

So.
The book of Ephesians has been
running though my mind over the past
few weeks.
Well, I guess it's been
a couple of months now.
Alicia and I have
been memorizing it.
And, this past Sunday
IDC has started going through
it as a Body.
What.
A.
Blessing.
The Lord has used
Ephesians in my life in great ways in the past.
Great ways.

Last night at Growth Group,
we were asked to reflect
on Ephesians and how the Lord has used it in our lives
to impact us.
Well, looking back at it,
I can see so many parts of my life
where Ephesians has had a huge impact.
I can remember that Ephesians 2:8-9
being some of the first Bible verses
I ever memorized.
About Two years ago I listened
to a podcast
of Cornerstone Church
preach through Ephesians.
A lot of what I heard,
the Lord used to capture my heart
and draw me towards a closer
relationship with Himself.
(That's when I was going through
my dark depression.)
Ephesians 3:20-21 came out
as one of my life verses.
I live thinking that if I live
for His glory,
then that is for my benefit.
He is so good!
Recently,
my heart has been changed by the Gospel.
Even more so than before.
I am constantly learning
that I am more desperate for the grace
that has already been lavished on me.
In memorizing on Ephesians,
I have discovered that the Gospel
is being drawn deeper and deeper
into my heart.
He's drawing me deeper.
He's making me want Him more.
And it's so wonderful.
Through Ephesians,
I have seen the Lord's pursuit
of me in a different way.
He is still chasing after me.
And I pray He never stops.

I am so excited to see what I learn
over the next weeks
that IDC spends in Ephesians.
I'm excited to see what the Lord
will teach me.
I'm excited to see how He will
continue to change my heart.
I'm excited to see how He
will draw His Body together as one.
I'm excited to see how He will lead
His people in living for His glory.

May my life be to the praise of His glory.
Blessings.

It's been a good day.

No, really,
it has!
Actually,
it's been a really great week.
The Lord has really worked in some powerful ways.
And I'm excited to share a little bit.

This week started out to be a little
crazy busy.
Mondays always seem to be the
busiest,
even though I only go to one of
my classes.
But, Monday was a blessing,
because Monday night
I got to spend some time
with Krystal
and help her do some things for her classroom.

Tuesday was lovely.
It was a good day at both jobs,
and I went to a new growth group.
So, it was good.
Even though I was overwhelmed by
new people,
the Lord still used that night
to continue to draw me to Himself.
It was so good.

Wednesday
the highlight had to be
dinner with Callie.
We got to enjoy chicken
(I tried out a new recipe),
mashed potatoes,
and green beans,
as well as each other's company.
Again,
the Lord truly blessed me
that night.
He encouraged me and pushed me
towards Himself
through our time of fellowship.
So good.
OH!
I totally almost forgot!
So, Wednesday,
Rach and I took a loaf of
friendship bread
over to the Turkish family
in our complex.
oh. my. word.
The Lord did incredible things in the 30 minutes we were there.
We got to know the wife, better.
But we also got to meet the husband.
Rachel also got to talk to them for a while about
religion.
And we shared that we are Christians.
And they actually want to
spend more time with us.
They want to come over to our apartment,
and have dinner with us.
Oh. my. goodness.
It's such an evidence of God's grace!
He is so good!
And I pray He continues to give us
opportunities to minister
and love on this family!

Thursday was a good day.
It was Missions Night at IDC,
and the team that traveled to Turkey
shared what went down.
I was serving in childcare that night,
so I don't really know how it went,
but Rachel told me that
the Lord moved in great ways there.
So, yeah.

And today.
TODAY
has been good.
I mean, really good.
I bought tickets for a football game,
so that I can take my dad to it.
Let's just paint the picture:
I am a girl who is not really into sports.
I especially am not a huge fan of watching games on tv.
It's just not fun.
But I do enjoy going to a game.
And I enjoy going to games with my dad.
His favorite team is the Dallas Cowboys.
Always has been,
always will be.
We're going to be in the area
for one of the best games of the season...
Thanksgiving Day Cowboys v. Redskins.
He loves watching the
Thanksgiving day game.
Loves it.
So, why should he not actually go to the game?
No reason not to.
So.
I got the tickets.
And we're going.
I'm so excited!!
I told him about it today,
and he's really excited too!

But anyway,
it's been a really good day.
The Lord has been abundantly
gracious this week.
I don't deserve it.
At all.
But I'm so thankful
that He's seen fit to shower me with His love.
The Gospel is still working in my heart,
and I can see His refining work
continue to change me more and more.
I am beyond thankful.

Blessings

Fall is the Best

My reasoning behind this?

Let me explain.

1. The weather starts to get cooler. 

I enjoy the cool weather. 

It is definitely the best. 

I love getting to wear sweaters

and curl up on the couch under a blanket

with the windows open. 

Dah. It's wonderful.

2. I LOVE PUMPKIN!

Okay, I know I may sound strange. 

But some of my favorite things are 

pumpkin things. 

Pumpkin spiced lattes, pumpkin pie,

pumpkin scones, pumpkin cookies,

pumpkin cake, pumpkin smoothies...

I mean, the list could go on and on.

But, generally, pumpkin-flavored things

are only around in the fall. 

Ergo, I love fall.

3. Candy corn is my favorite candy.

And it's only here during the first part

of the fall season. 

What does this mean?

I stock up. Big time. 

Last year I bought 4 bags of candy corn

and my mom sent me 2 bags. 

And I made it through 4 of them...

I still had them sitting in my closet. 

And when my parents sent me a care package

the other day...

guess what they included?!

That's right!

Candy corn! 

Holla!

4. Thanksgiving, my second favorite holiday, occurs during this season.

It truly is one of my faves. 

I get to cook good food. 

(As well as partake of it.)

And I get to hang out with family. 

And I'm especially excited about this year. 

It's going to be awesome. 

5. The Balloon Fiesta happens!!

I miss being present in ABQ for this. 

But at least I can watch it online. 

It was one of my favorite events to go to yearly. 

I even had a couple of birthday parties there. 

Yep, that's right. 

I would make my friends wake up at the crack of dawn

to go with me and watch hundreds of balloons 

go up in the air at the same time. 

It's a beautiful sight. 

And I missed going last year because

I was in NC. 

And I will be in NC again for it this year. 

But still. 

I will be watching it online. 

6. My birthday is during this season. 

Not that my birthday means very much 

to a whole lot of people.

But it's still my birthday. 

And I still like having fun with friends on my birthday. 

And stuff like that. 

7. The leaves change color. 

This is perhaps the most important of reasons. 

The leaves change color.

It is wonderful. 

I love all the reds, oranges, and yellows. 

Ah. 

I can't wait to go driving through the mountains

to see all the colors. 

I can't wait to sit on my couch 

and just stare at the loveliness 

that God has created. 

Fall reminds me of my creator. 

It reminds me that as things change

and seasons come and go, 

my God never changes. 

He is the One who has saved me. 

He is the One who has lavished His grace on me. 

I don't deserve it.

But He's done it because of His love.

And fall reminds me of that.

So. 

Those are my reasons. 

And I'm sticking to to them.

The Lord is good. 

Blessings.

Life is funny.

Well, most of the time that is.
The past few weeks
have been crazy busy.
But the Lord has taught me a lot
through them.
I've been having a hard time
here lately.
Not only with being homesick
and really missing my family.
But also with life in general.
I've been feeling excluded,
unloved, and unwanted.
But, as I've been coming out
of that period of darkness,
the Lord has allowed me to
look back at it
and remember that those were exactly
how I was before I knew Christ.
I was lost in the passions and lusts of the flesh.
I was excluded from all the blessings of
being a child of the Most Holy God.
I was not loved by the world,
but simply part of the cycle of sin.
I was not wanted by people,
but was used.
But now. This is just not the case.
The Lord has been reminding me
constantly
of His gospel and of His grace
and love for me.
He has made me more aware
of the people around me
who might be feeling those same things.
But most of all.
He's made me so thankful
for the people He has placed in
my life who really do care about me.
Those people who are by my side and
who I know are praying for me on a
consistent basis,
who are encouraging me.
To know these things
has been a huge blessing.
And I know the Lord will continue to grow
me and stretch me in this area.
I desperately need Him to,
that's for sure.

But, anyway.
I'm trying to make a rather big
decision right now.
And it's so frustrating,
because I just don't know what to do.
I don't know which path would be better.
And in reality, I think they are both good.
But, which would be better, or
in which would I grow most,
I have no earthly idea.
I have been praying for discernment and
wisdom about this for a while.
And I still have yet to come to a
conclusion.
But I know the Lord is faithful,
and He will help me make a decision.
He will guide me.
And in the end,
if I am trusting Him and pursuing after Him,
then whatever decision I make,
laying aside all selfishness,
will be His will for me.
He's not going to let me go down the wrong path.
He's going to keep me close to Him.
Which is what I have been asking for.
There is no black and white answer,
as far as I can tell.
But I know that He will be faithful.

Oh,
exciting news:
I am going to see my family for Thanksgiving!!
Yay!
I am so very excited about this!
And I cannot wait to head out to see them!
It will be one of the greatest blessings to see
all of them in November!

Um, but yeah.
That's my life:
work, school, church, friends, and spending time with the Lord.
It's a good life.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Blessings.