life’s true purpose

It is easy to come up with formulas for following God, complex belief systems that help us clarify why He put us on this earth.  We read books, attend seminars, take personality tests, and try to define our deepest desires – all part of a crusade to figure out the meaning of our existence. But the answer to finding our life’s purpose is far simpler than we imagine.  In fact, it is so simple that most of us miss it completely in our desperate search for direction.

In John 15, Jesus gave His disciples what may be the most profound and beautiful command in the entire Bible.  He cleared life of all its complexities and confusion in one simple phrase.  He summed up the essence, the grandeur, the mystery, and the marvel of life in but a few life-altering words.  He said to them, “Abide in Me.”

What did He mean when He said, “Abide in Me”?

He meant, “Find the meaning of life in Me.  Find your value and confidence in Me. Find your purpose and direction in Me. Find the source for all spiritual achievement in Me.  Find the strength to live each moment in Me.  Find the wisdom to navigate the many turns of life in Me. Find forgiveness from all your sins in Me.  Find the satisfaction of boundless joy in Me.  Find the most glorious peace in Me.  Find the most perfect love and acceptance in Me.  Find the most satisfying life for all eternity in Me.”

To abide in Christ means to allow His life to possess us at all times and in every situation life brings.  To abide means saying to God with the inhaling of every breath, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” To abide means sharing in a holy communion with our precious Heavenly Lover, listening to His gentle whisper at every turn of life’s drama.

God created us to abide in Him.  It’s that basic.  Abiding in Him is our life’s purpose.  Abiding in Him is what we were created for.  Abiding in Him is the reason we are here.

We are here on this earth to intimately know and enjoy our God.  We are here on this earth to let our lives be used, owned, and operated by His almighty grace.  We are here to allow His life to evidence itself through our being.  And all these things rolled into one say – we are here on this earth to abide in Christ.







disclaimer-i can not take credit for writing this :)

Family

THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT OWE YOU A LIVING!

I was reading some old school papers that I had to write in High School and I found this one and thought i'd share it :)


Americans must learn that the government does not owe them a living!
There are thousands of jobs an American can get.  God has blessed America abundantly with various jobs, but who is it that's working?  Whether you go to college to get a degree for a specific career or you work at Sonic making cherry limeades!
But, then there are the group of Americans who are too lazy to go and find a job, so they get welfare.  Welfare is a governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need. Think about it, how dumb!  It is one thing if they have a disability and are unable to work.  But, don’t tell me your ADHD is a reason you can’t get a job and support yourself.
When you drive up in your new Ford Excursion and show me your military ID card to get a free food box, don’t tell me you don’t have money to make a living and provide for your family. It is your own choice where you put your money.  If you want to buy toys instead of shelter, then have at it! But don’t expect the Government to owe you a living!

How Deep the Father's Love for Us!

I wanted to share with y'all my favorite song! I've had it on repeat on my iPod for about a week! I especially like how Selah sings it!

How deep the Father's love for us

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the Chosen One

Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon the cross

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed to hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that kept Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

(my FAVORITE VERSE!)

Why should I gain from His reward?

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom 

I am so thankful that the God of the ENTIRE UNIVERSE loves little ole' me JUST AS I AM! <3!

FINGER PEOPLE!!!

This post is dedicated to Barrie and Jackie! Y'alls encouragement has given me new ideas for my fingers :) just kidding! 

What do you do when you're bored?! What could possibly be more fun than making finger people? Yup, i'm just strange like that (but, atleast I admit it)

BT ;)

And yes, those are MY fingers! :)

DrAmA!!!!!!

When I think of DRAMA - I think of 12 year old little girls who are constantly changing friends, talking about nonsense, etc. Well, my definition of drama has taken a 180 twist....can you believe it?! Drama can happen with ADULTS too!!!! Shocker huh?! I recently read a devotional about drama that i'd like to share with y'all :).

The secret to living a quiet and peaceful life is not allowing our emotions to lead us; not to over-react when someone does something we don’t like. Rather, we are to deliberately choose to control our reactions and submit our emotions to the Spirit of God instead of our melodramatic feminine whims and feelings. Whenever the temptation to react emotionally arises, simply tell yourself, “No drama!” and choose the path of peace. Instead of pouting, sulking, lashing out, or ignoring someone who is irritating you, try praying for that person instead. Even better, say or do something kind to them. Proverbs 15:1 tells us that “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” One of the best ways to lead a tranquil life (rather than an emotional roller-coster ride of constant drama) is to follow this simple yet brilliant advice. It may take a bit of practice and a lot of supernatural grace, but it leads to a beautiful, peace-filled existence that brings glory to our King.

Ok, phew...now I have that off my mind! Have a fantastical day everybody!! 

So thankful!

Greetings and Salutations fellow blog readers! I've been thinking for a few days on what my next post should be.....and after much thinking, I decided to blog about thankfulness! I know, people usually get into the thankfulness mode around thanksgiving time...but why not now?! There are sooooooo  many things that we all can be thankful for. I went to a funeral on Sunday of a girl who was 23 years old and she just had a beautiful baby girl 3 weeks ago. Wow! It really made me realize how thankful I am for life!

There is no way I'll be able to jot them all down, but i'm going to try and highlight just a few :). This morning as I was getting ready to walk out the door, I was thinking about what I truly am thankful for....and I walked out and realized 'boy, I really should of started my car before now' because...well, as you know....winter is super close! It rained last night.....then froze :( which means my windows were froze and my door was frozen shut. It was really quite entertaining to watch me try to open my door...anyways. Then the verse came to my head...."in EVERYTHING give thanks". Wow, that is a really powerful verse! EVERYTHING?!?! That is such a tough thing comprehend sometimes...but I know it is true....SO I had to thank God for my frozen door :).

My Family - yep, we're a weird family alright! But what would I do without them?! Who would I laugh at 24/7?! Haha.

My Friends - disclaimer: I couldn't use a pic of all of you :). Sorry pals.

My Bible - there are so many people in the world without a bible...and then there are us who have several bibles all around the house. Remember that next time you read your bible!





My Warm Bed - ok, that may sound cheesy, but seriously!! What if you had to live without a warm bed? Especially in the winter! It's like my personal bungalow!

Rain - it is my absolute FAVORITE thing ever! I love to be outside while its raining! I love the smell, taste, feel......well, just about everything!

Laughing - If you know me at all, i'm sure you've realized it takes VERY LITTLE to make me laugh! I'm serious! I'm not talking about a hee hee laugh either, i'm talkin' bout a grab your gut, slap your knee, throw you head back kind of laugh!

My Salvation - Can you imagine where you would be had it not been for Jesus Christ coming and dying on the cross just for YOU? SO SO thankful I placed my trust in Him and His finished work on Calvary!

My Bus Kids - I've had the privilege to work on a bus route for several years now. What a blessing! It is such an awesome experience to work with these kids and sometimes even their parents! 109 is the best bus y'all!

Green - I don't even want to think about living in this earth with the amazing color of GREEN! Wouldn't it be tragic! I'm telling you, it's the little things you've got to appreciate in life :).

Chocolate Milk & String Cheese - enough said! You see that it is raining outside?! Yep, that is epic right there folks!









Ok, so y'all can now see what i'm thankful for! There are so many things, but like I said..............there is no way i'd be able to put them all on here!

I just want to thank you, Lord

For everything you've done for me

Thank you, Lord!

HOCKEY!!

Yep, it's that time again! FINALLY!!! Our short little summer seems sooooo long when you're waiting for hockey season! Anywho....last Saturday, the Nanooks had their blue and gold game (go gold!). It is where the team plays against each other  It is different from a 'normal' hockey game since they only have 2 periods. And then, there was a skills competition with fastest skater, fastest slap shot and so on. Pretty fun to watch....even though 26 (Chad Gehon) lost fastest skater...sadface. Since the whole thing was a "fan fest", there was tons of stuff before the game....like FOOD (the sandwiches were UH-MAZING) and activities. All of our players were introduced at the beginning. We have like a million freshman! Ok, not really...but there are still alot! Then after the game, they had a skate with the Nanooks. That is where you can actually go on the ice and get autographs, take pictures and talk to the players....and boy do they stink!!!

I brought my 3 little brothers with me...they had a good time :). Also had some wonderful BT with Barrie ;). It twas grand. Even though the blue team won...but that's only cause they had Coltin Beck ;)! Our goalie told us later that he obviously didn't get enough sleep that day, but he'll be better when the actual season starts! If not, i'll have to give him a pep talk..jk. 

Yes, i've kissed a polar bear!

Us with our blue tongues

BT!!!

Marco, Me and Barrie

Peace and Love and GO NOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you would like to read about the game go to http://alaskananooks.com/news/2012/9/30/MHOCKEY_0930120238.aspx 

Oh, and by the way....Adam Henderson is our new captain!! He also has the most awesome number on the team...14!!