A Taste of Trying

I feel like recently my life has gotten a little crazy all of a sudden! I'm working a lot, trying to make my numbers and yet trying to do a good job with the people I serve. Trying to spend as much time with my fam as possible. Trying to spend time with teenage girls at church. Trying to invest time with a new Christian. Trying to keep my house clean. Trying to read a lot. . . trying trying trying. Haha this all just caught up with me. I'm not really stressed but realizing I'm starting to get TOO BUSY. Maybe I'm just TRYING too hard!

A good friend reminded me recently that I need to make sure I take time for Sabbath, and I AGREE! I think it's time for some SABBATH. Well, praise the Lord, one's coming! I'm going for a LONG weekend to visit friends and to celebrate with a great friend in her wedding! So Lord, BRING on some sabbath rest! Renew me and help me to come back refreshed and refocused so that I can put time, attention, and love on what you want me to put it on! Help me to find balance and realize I can't do everything for everyone. It's hard to not want that because I truely do want to take advantage of opportunities that I believe the Lord has given me. So Lord, please give me discernment for what I should spend my time in. Keep me in your Word, in communication with you, and in your prescence so that I can be in tune with your heart.

A Taste of Availability

"There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than bread." (Mother Theresa) So I am learning more and more how important it is simply to be available for God to use. We don't have to have any special skills or have any special knowledge. We just need to be willing and available to be used, and He will use us to show his love to people. So so so many people just want to be heard. Validated. Loved. Called by name. Remembered. A priority. When we show people this, we show them a glimpse of how God thinks of them. God, please remind me of this especially when I'm with someone who is craving love and attention. Help me to give it even when it's not easy or not comfortable. Please use me to help validate people's worth. Please give me to have the opportunity to tell them that they are worthwhile because they are your creation. Give me the words and the wisdom when I don't know what to say. It really is amazing and sometimes hard to believe that the creator of the entire universe is crazy about us, knows us intimately, and wants us to know Him intimately. No other religion even begins to come close to what God has to offer us. Please give me the opportunity to share this in a way that unbelievers will understand this and take hold of it for themselves.

I'm praising God tonight because as I write this, I'm thinking of two new believers. One with a history of drugs, sex, witchcraft, and many other things and one who grew up in the Muslim faith. It is really such a priveledge and so exciting to see them hunger after God and want to know more and more about Him. May we also hunger after God and passionately approach our relationship with God like they both already are. Praise God that two people who were very lost have found Him! I pray that they each will grow to know God intimately and be able to share how God has changed their lives. I pray for both as they both may have a tough road ahead. One to break past addictions and habits-one to be a Christian in a Muslim family. I know that God will continue to work in amazing ways in their lives-please teach them to rely on the community of believers to help support them and come close to both of them so that they experience God's prescence in a way that they can't deny it's Him.

By no means am I taking away from the power of God bringing these two to the place where they were ready to accept Him in their lives, but I also recognize that they each had friends and people who made themselves available to be used by God and have been sharing their faith with them. Praise God that these friends were faithful and obedient to God. May we all seek out people who need to be loved and make ourselves available to be used by God.

A Taste of Shining Like Stars

So first off, all the praise goes to God for what I'm going to write today. So I've been praying and asking God to give me opportunity to share His love with people and for people to look at my life and see something different and when if I never get a chance to directly tell them about Jesus' love, they'd see it in how I love and treat people.

Well, God blessed me yesterday night when I was talking with a lady from church who is a new Christian. We talked for over two hours-or rather she talked to me :)-for about two hours. She is quite the talker and so hungry to be heard and loved and understood. She called me because she was being tempted by something from her past, and she knew she didn't want to do it and needed encouragement and someone to talk to. What a blessing that God choose me to get to speak with her. I truely feel like God gave me wisdom and words to say. She brought up some things I have very little knowledge/experience in, but I feel like God was able to speak through me. "Pray also for me that whenever I open my mouth, words will be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel." Ephesians 6:19

I also got to share with her some stories about David and how he was a "man after God's own heart." I got to tell her about Psalms and how David was honest with God and went to him when he was angry, happy, sad, etc. I encouraged her to do likewise and that God is a big God who can handle every emotion we share with him.

It was such a blessing because this lady told me that she has been overwhelmed with the love that she has received from myself and some other people in the church. She said that we have such joy and positivity and that she "sees us shine." Now I don't live how I live so that I can hear this from people, but it is encouraging to know that someone noticed and that God is working.

I pray that God will continue to give me opportunities to show his love to people and that I will not miss these opportunities because of fear or feelings of inadequateness. I challenge you all to do the same! You NEVER know how a simple gesture of love will touch a life and will point someone to our loving Heavenly Father.

"In the same way let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16

"Live such good lives among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." 1 Peter 2:12

"If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:11

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5:1-2

A Taste of the Best Thing Next to Jesus

BEING AN AUNT. Best thing next to Jesus. It's hard to imagine how much a father and mother love their own kids because my heart just bursts with love for my nephew Noah who is 4 1/2 and niece Briley who is 3 1/2 months. Noah is the smartest, funniest, sweetest, and most creative kid you ever would meet. It is so precious to me that he is at the age where he really sincerely loves me and wants to spend time with me. Briley is only 3 months but her coos are stealing my heart. She seems to have a more laidback nature than Noah, but only time will tell what her personality will be like! I don't want her to grow up any faster but I am excited for the day when I can play with her like I do Noah. You know, I hate to admit, but I wondered when my sister told me she was having another baby, if I could ever love another child as much as I do Noah. I completely do. There's no way to really explain it, but I do. I hope that I will have the chance to keep showing these two awesome kids God's love and that someday they'll say, "You know our Aunt Carrie? She really loves God a lot!"

A Taste of a Good Slumber Party

Disclaimer. If any guys read my blog, you can probably skip RIGHT past this one cause you probably won't care nor appreciate what I include in this post. That said, here we go! I only thought it was appropriate that I write about slumber parties due to the slumber party I'm hosting tonight at my apartment for some teen girls in my church! Me and slumber parties go WAY back. You see, my birthday is in February. In Colorado, in February, it's COLD and usually SNOWY. So no sweet pool party for me-so I defaulted to the next best choice-slumber parties!

Now for the makings of a good slumber party:

1. Karaoke-yes this always sets the mood and brushes and curling irons make GREAT microphones.

2. GOOD food-you've gotta have pizza, popcorn, ice cream, etc or the party ain't a party.

3. Girly movies. This IS THE NIGHT to celebrate the fact that you are girls and girls like love stories and happy endings.

4. Truth or Dare. This is a staple. No explanation needed.

5. Make-overs. What girl doesn't like a good makeover? Now I will say that these make-overs TEND to be more of a "make your friend look as ugly as possible" kind of make-overs rather than the actual "look like a princess" kind of make-overs. Just remember, whatever you do for your friend, they can do to you. . .plus some when it's their turn. This makes for some GREAT picture opportunities.

6. Scary stories. . .you gotta tell a few

7. Games, games, games.

8. Pranking whoever falls asleep first. Come on now. It's a SLUMBER party, you didn't think you were going to get to sleep, did you?

9. A good TPing or "rolling a house" as those Southerners call it. Just make sure you've got a good getaway car, lots of TP, and dark clothes so you can be sneaky.

10. Girl Talk. Guys, you will never know what this includes but do know that you would NEVER expect girls to talk about the things they talk about when it's only girls. This is usually the time that someone nearly pees their pants from laughing so hard. True story.

Well, it's time to get ready for my party. . .I've got girly movies, make-up, silly dress up clothes, camera, pizza, coke, candy, cookie dough, games, a karaoke mic, a party mix, and plenty of rolls of TP!