In 2014, I want to stay the same

What a year, right? Everything is the same and yet so many things are different. So many things changed… everything but the things that really matter. Could we have known? Well… yes.

We get so caught up day in and day out with the things that change-the things that don’t really matter- that we forget to take the time to appreciate the constants in our lives. We want new, better, bigger, and best. Change is great, but when we are constantly making improvements instead of taking the time to see things as they are and just be still, we miss the things that make our lives complete.

These things matter. They matter so much to us that we would literally be altered as a person if they were taken away, and yet we treat them as commonplace because they are not a new-edition, a 2.0, or a rarity for us. They are every day, every week, every month, and little by little, they make us who we are.

God is a fan of remaining constant. He doesn't make new years resolutions to be a better God, to get more in shape, to earn more money, to…. {insert whatever it is we think we need so badly}. He is a constant in a confusing world. He takes joy in being forever faithful to his word and to us. How blessed we are to have Him even take notice of us, let alone love us and provide for us the way that He does. Forever loving, gracious, forgiving, merciful, faithful, tender, powerful, holy, and majestic every minute of every hour of every day even when things are spinning out of control in a crazy world, He is still. He is rest. He is the same.

Love remains the same. I’m not talking about the fickle “love” of temporary relationships, but true love- the bonds of family. Husbands and wives, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, sisters and brothers. It remains. There is very little that can be done to break the bonds of that type of love. It is God-given. It is home. It is constant.

In 2014, I want to focus on the things that matter, I want to be something that matters, I want to be constant. I don’t want to be tossed around by the storms of life, I don’t want to let outside circumstances or what I have or have not be in control of my mind and my spirit, up one day and struggling the next. I want to be guided by the sure and steady hand of my Savior, the Rock of my Salvation. I want to be a steady place that others can look to in time of need. I want to be someone who constantly has the joy of the Lord even in tough times, consistently seeking the Lord and striving to be in the center of his will. The same today and tomorrow like Jesus and his perfect constant love.

So what changes are you going to make today? Are you going to focus on the things that are not really going to matter in a year? Or will you make a resolution with me to recognize the things that matter? Will you be one of those constant, steady, important things with me? This changing, improving, always “new and improved” world needs Christians who will remain- true to God, true to his words, true to his will- Every second of every hour of every day- to come home and love the people he has given us, to praise him for his hand upon us, and to serve him because of all he has done for us.

That is my plan in 2014.

*Written by Full Time Girl. Not me :). 

Others

Do you ever just sit and think about what you're doing and why you're doing it? I've been thinking about that a lot lately. Is doing this going to have an eternal affect on life?

Sure, we can spend our time doing 'pointless' stuff that won't really matter in 10 years. But, don't you think we should be using our time, talents, money, abilities for the Lord? Since HE is the one who has given them to us! It can be hard since we live in a "ME, ME, ME" world...we just have to get our eyes off of ourselves and see the world how Jesus sees it. What are some things the God is given you that you can use for HIS glory? After all, the Bible does say Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Your one business in life is to lead men to believe in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Every other thing should be made subservient to this one objective. -Charles Spurgeon


Just a morning thought :)

More than Just a Baby

There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going: A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any; A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.

Proverbs 30:29–31

When the wise men came to Jerusalem looking for Jesus, they said something that would not normally be correct according to human reckoning. They asked, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him”(Matthew 2:2). When a baby boy is born into a royal family, he is called a prince, not a king. Yet from the very moment of his human birth, Jesus was not just a man, but also the King of kings who had come to be the Saviour of the world.

I love thinking about Jesus lying in the manager while Mary and Joseph watched over Him. But though that is a wonderful part of the Christmas story, it is only a tiny part of it. Jesus was always much more than just a baby. He came into this world on purpose, with every detail of His birth arranged and planned by God. Paul wrote, “But when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law. To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:4–5).

Though Jesus was “tender and mild” as the carol “Silent Night” puts it, when He returns, it will be as the conqueror against whom no power will stand. In preparation for that day we should live today acknowledging and obeying His right to rule and reign over our lives. Let us remember that Jesus not only came to save, but that He will come again as King.

As you prepare for Christmas, don’t lose sight of the power, majesty, and glory of Jesus Christ.

Written by: Paul Chappel

my trip

hey.

Thought i'd post a few pictures from the rest of my month long trip. I spent 3 weeks in Fort Worth, Texas and 1 week in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Best times! I had a wonderful time seeing family and friends, going to awesome places, meeting crazy..er amazing people, time off work, killer hot weather and just being in the lower 48!

The Perez girls and I went to a Texas Rangers game one Saturday. It was lots of fun! Even with all the seat hopping ;). There were SO many people there! Oh - and by the way...they were playing the Angels. And we won!

Here we are the the Texas Rangers game!

someone up to bat :)

AWESOME firework show after the game!!!!!!! Nothing like
baseball game firework shows!

Had the MOST awesome time at the DALLAS STARS GAME. My aunt, uncle and cousing went with me. We took the train to Dallas from Forth Worth. I've done it a few times before going to games and each time is definitely an adventure! Lots of awkward thing happen on those things. One example: looking like complete idiots looking for the bathroom! We kept going cart to cart looking and ended up where you drive the train!! Oh and if you're wondering..not a good idea to use the bathroom on trains unless its absolutely necessary. It is very easy to fall over :) fyi. Anyway - we had a great time at the game! And we beat Colorado!! I'm glad I got some hockey in while I was down there. Always fun to go to an NHL game! 

Me and my awesome cousin CASEY! she rocks

my totally cool aunt Debbie

even got a fight in!

uncle Scott (crazy guy) with Case and I

It was a good game! And got the whole Alaska quiz on the way home on the train from some random dude. What is it like in Alaska? Is it cold there? Do people like it there? Have you seen Sarah Palin? Is it always dark? blah blah blah. I couldn't tell you the times I got asked those questions. haha. Dear Americans: Alaska is US STATE TOO!!

My Grandma and Grandpa

Typical day...doing random stuff

I love my grandpa!

my awesome Texan friends!

Next stop. Arkansas.

I left DFW September 28th to spend a week in Arkansas before going home. I went to see my superamazingawesomecrazyfabulous friend HOLLAN! And of course her lovely kids, Bobbie and Chet. After walking 14 miles in the killer huge DFW airport I finally made it on the plane and ended up in Little Rock. Hollan was so kind to pick me up and we headed to Hot Springs to stay at her moms house. I have a new love for the Chittum family and Chinese chicken salad :) I spent Saturday - Wednesday with them. What a grand time we had! Met lots of WACKED out people i'm just kidding Hollan :) 

Our midnight run to Waffle house. Free entertainment too! 

snuggle friend

Bobbie

ahh!! So squishy!! :)

i'm his favorite

Bobbie not wanting a picture...

sniff sniff....first day at school. 

 On Wednesday my dear mom aka Hollan brought to College. What a big step that was for our future! Tear jerking more like it. kidding. As you may know, my brother went to Champion Baptist for 3 years. So everyone knew who I was before I got there. So much for starting my own reputation haha. It was tons of fun though! I stayed in a room with Becky, Tarah and Amber. They were awesome! Since the school is pretty small now, I got to meet everyone there. Got to go to some classes with them too. That was exciting! We did lots of things....some which cannot be put online :). So glad I got to hang out with everyone. Made some great new friends! And also got to put faces with names that i've always heard about.

Jesus, Jeff, Micah and I. Coolest people in HS 

Amber and I with our 'not allowed in the dorm pets' muhaha

All in all a very good trip. So glad it worked out that I could go! I miss them all even more now.

My trip home was 17 hours. Hot Springs > Little Rock > Dallas/Forth > Denver > Seattle > FAIRBANKS. 

just for Barrie. :)

Six Flags

Last Saturday, Gaby and I went to Six Flags over Texas! It was SO much fun! Although, i've never been there when it wasn't a blast. The day we went was the first day of what they call fright fest. It goes to the end of October. Uhhh.....there were definitely some FREAKS there! Lots of people walking around like zombies and such scaring people! They would seriously get in your face...it was weird. Oh - and thanks to my lovely friend (no names), I got CHASED BY ONE!!!! AHHH!!! Anyway....other than that it was awesome!

One thing that was killer shocking is that the lines to the rides were SO short! I think the longest line we stood in was like 30 minutes. That may seem a long time to you..but, not at Six Flags. A few years ago when my brother and I went, we would stand in line for like 2 hours to ride something. We were so thankful the lines were short! We got to go on just about every ride there in 5ish hours. Actually..one of the rides (Mr. Freeze) we went on and loved it so much that we got RIGHT back on. Practically NO waiting in line. Oh, and that ride was freaky!! Our throats hurt from screaming!

Waiting in line for the NEW Texas SkyScreamer

Towering an astounding 400-feet above the ground, the Texas SkyScreamer will be the tallest swing ride in the world that only looks sweet and innocent. Once you are strapped into the open-air seat of this extreme swing ride, prepare for takeoff. The Texas SkyScreamer will start to slowly swing you around and around as it takes you all the way up to the very top of the tower where you’ll spin around and around just below a gigantic Texas Lone Star. Before you know it you’ll be going faster and faster, soaring in a 124-foot-wide circle with the wind blowing in your face at 35 mile per hour and your feet dangling in sheer terror 400-feet above Six Flags Over Texas.

Superman! Ok - was literally scared to death on this one. After all the years
i've been here, I finally got brave enough to do it. It was AWESOME!

Our BRAVE faces! :D

Haha...now this is a story.

Ok - so there are like 3 water rides at the park. This is one of them. And you seriously get SOAKED! Well it was hot so why not? It took alot of talking into for cough cough Gaby cough cough. But, because of the pal she is, she did it with me. haha

Going up

Texas Giant - going up. Frantically trying to put camera away RIGHT AWAY

About to drop!

So the Texas Giant. It is one of the main attractions at the park because it's awesome! This summer there was a woman who flew out of it and died. We wanted to see how that could possibly happen...didn't solve the mystery. 

The legendary new Texas Giant delivers beyond vertical banked turns and the world's steepest drop.  This new super hybrid boasts a state-of-the-art track of steel fabrication, with the steepest drop of any wooden coaster at 79°. The lift hill is 10 feet taller than the original Texas Giant.

The new ride also has a record-breaking bank of 95°, steeper than any other wooden coaster on the planet.

Here we are waiting to get off - that takes forever it seems like

Here are some of the other rides we went on.

Titan!
Over 255 feet tall exceeding 85 mph
120 foot underground tunnel
one spiral, camel-back hill and carousel curve
2.8 million pounds of steel used in supports (phew)

                                     

Batman!

End of a long and fun day!

Getting Even

"Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work." Proverbs 24:29

An elephant and a giraffe walked together to a watering hole on the African plain. It was a cool and pleasant evening, and they were talking about life. When they reached the water hole, they saw a large turtle sunning himself on a log. Without saying a word, the elephant walked over and kicked the turtle, sending him spinning out over the water until he landed with a huge splash. “Why did you do that?” the giraffe asked his friend. “Thirty years ago I came to this same water hole and that turtle snapped at my trunk,” the elephant replied. “You have an amazing memory,” the giraffe said. “Yes,” said the elephant. “I have turtle recall!”

Even those of us who struggle with remembering what we were supposed to get at the grocery store, or why we walked into a room, find it easy to remember those who have treated us wrongly. We tend to nurse our injuries, rehearsing the details and thinking about ways in which we could get even. Holding on to the pains of the past harms us in two ways. First, the more time we spend focused on them, the more painful they become. Rather than allowing the wound to heal, we keep picking at the scab and making it worse.

Second, the longer we think about injuries done to us, the more likely we are to attempt revenge for what happened. This leads to all sorts of evils. Paul wrote, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19). The pain that we suffer is real, but faith in God allows us to trust Him to bring true justice to those who have done us wrong.

You can and should trust God to apply justice rather than trying to get even for yourself.

life in Texas

Hello from Fort Worth, Texas! Far from home eh? I'll start my trip from the beginning....

Well, as you may know, I work at the Fairbanks International Airport (that sounds cooler than saying the airport). Anyway....I had the opportunity to fly on a pass with Frontier Airlines down here to Texas! As a standby passenger, I get whatever seat is left. Hoping that i'll even get on the flight, that is :). But, I made it! I took the last seat for the seat to Denver. Last seat...most expensive seat...cheap Alaskans don't wanna pay for it. You get the point. So yeah, I got seat 1B. Awesome! Ok, I wouldn't of been completely fine with the back row too. Mainly because I slept the entire flight :). Anyway...great flight. I think. I was in between two old men (I had to teach them to turn their TV's off).

So, I landed in Denver. Not a clue where to go. I didn't have a boarding pass or gate number or anything for the next flight. Off I went...to find the flight to DFW. After several laps around that airport, I found it. I had an hour so I decided to go get some food. Oh, and by the way: you know you're out of Alaska when there are more shopping places in the airport than there are in your town.

After about an hour and half I was on my way to Fort Worth! It was super easy getting a seat for that one too! It wasn't as good as seat as the last flight, but it was an aisle. MUCH better than middle. Once again, I slept the entire way. It's so nice to just pull down the tray table in front of you and go to sleep :).

Landed at DFW. I immediately felt the hot, humid air! A nice friend...AMBER picked me up! So nice of her eh? Anywho...we headed home to get Gaby so we could go get some food! We were starved! Long story short - we made it (ALIVE) to La Madalines. It was awesome! After that we just hung out most of day. Spent the night there with them. Next day was Sunday! Went to church at Trinity. After church, Amber brought me home to my grandparents. It was good to see them finally.

I've had lots of fun being here. We've had some great food as always. Made several Cato runs ;D. Grand times. I'll try to keep y'all updated on everything that happens. Oh - and in case you were wondering....it hasn't been under 95 the whole time i've been here. Little hot for this Alaskan girl.

Here are a few pics from Cabelas today! Best store ever :).

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Friends from Afar

Quickest. Visit. Ever.

So it may have been an extremely, super quick trip....but, we still had a ton of fun for the 3 days they were here! Let me introduce you to my friends - the Cronins. They used to live here in Alaska before the military sent them away (sniff sniff) to Japan. This is their 2nd time visiting since they moved away. Anywho - Friday night, Madelyn and I drove out to Eielson to hang out with Sarah and Kayla. We played racquetball and basketball (in which Sarah and I dominated :D). Then we came back to TLF (most awesome initials ever) which is temporary lodging facilities. After we had Arby's (thanks y'all) we made our way to the basement to begin our movie making careers! Yeah, we still need some work. Needless to say....we had tons of loud fun. And only got in trouble once for being too loud :) haha. 

Can't wait till the next time we see each other! I miss y'all! :)

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