dual purposes.

my brain is scattered this morning. the looming test in 3 hours, what i need to do this week, things i would love to share with you... but then i read my devotion for the morning.

let me back track a little before i get to the heart of my message this morning.

yesterday morning, mom drove me to auburn to visit with a friend, and save me the drive. i had the intention of reading my devotion on the way to auburn, however, mom and i always end up chatting and plunging into a lengthily and deep conversation. needless to say, my devotional was not read yesterday morning.

this morning i opened my Jesus Calling book and wanted to read yesterday's. i almost laughed out loud in my very empty, quiet room. it said, in bold min you, "TASTE AND SEE THAT I AM GOOD" . this is only funny and simply ironic if you what i have been doing since may 11. God really does have a miraculous sense of humor in my life. He gives me little hints of his goodness. the irony is that yesterday, the 28th, marked the end of my journey and the beginning of new self control! and the Lord just had that waiting for me on that day.

MY GOD IS FAITHFUL.

genesis 28:15 - "I am with you and will keep you where ever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

OUR GOD IS FAITHFUL.

just another way to see it.

speaking of faithfulness... yesterday was a very special day. my best friend turned 20! yay! i would like to fist of all say that i do not have only one best friend, i have several. thank the Lord above for them each. everyday.

but... miss sara is no longer a teenager.

the other day, i was sitting in the 36 house and grace was eating lunch. she and i began discussing something about friends. looking at her straight in the face i said, "no doubt in my mind, without sara, i have no idea where i would be." if you know me, you probably have heard me say sara's name in almost every conversation. she is my bestie. i love her so much and just wanted to share that because yesterday was her special day. i did not get to see her this time, but we did spend some quality time together last week.

so sara, thanks for sticking by me when i am lame. and when i get in my moods of anti-social behavior. and when i need to vent, thank you for listening. i thank my God for people like you, people who are going to change the world one day. i thank my God he smiled down on the earth when he created you. you are beautiful my dear friend. I L O V E Y O U.

______________

yesterday i did my work and after my dinner settled i decided to hit gay street for a run. not a jog, but a run. i normally do not listen to my iPod when i run, because i enjoy the freedom and clear mindedness i have without it. but yesterday, i felt the need to try it out again. and it was completely different. i felt energized and pumped as i ran down the sidewalk, keeping in step with my jams.

i ran down to the end of gay and hopped on the trail that i like to run. it was looking rough; weeds and underbrush were beginning to take over the mulch path. i braved the trail anyways, and as i ran, had to avoid certain obstacles reaching into my way.

suddenly, i had this vision become clearer in my mind. so many times on our "trail" of life, the path we are on looks rough and sort of spooky.

we run.

quickly.

dodging the weeds and limbs falling in front of our steps. we duck our heads and cover our faces, attempting to avoid the scratch or bruise it might leave behind. it is like the devil causes these things to distract us, make us look somewhere else, leaving our minds to wander and lose focus on our footing.

you can fall that way.

but when we run down our path with the mindset that these little weeds and branches will not kill us, and that God only gives us what we can handle, we can get out of the rough areas. our Lord is good. He loves his own children.

He promised that if we commit our work to him, he will make his path known! and even if that path looks a little spooky, we must commit ourselves, our work, to Him.

_____________________________

well i hope this blesses you as it does me. i am off to class and the JRNL test. have a blessed day!

PROVERBS 16:3- commit your work unto the LORD, and your plans with be established.

word usage.

today i was reminded of my lack of blogging. once again i find myself apologizing for my slacker attitude.

in my defense, my past two weeks have been pretty packed with studying and writing for school. as i have said before, i enjoy being busy, but last week was a little insane. oh well. pressing on!

i am taking a break from my fundamentals of news writing studies to bring you this blog post. feel the love. we are learning about word usage. as in when you should use reluctant not reticent, and effect instead of affect, and that you should never say "disability" or "handicap" unless it is necessary. nonetheless, i am learning new things. which, in case you did not know, is the reason we are in school.

to get you caught up on my ultra-interesting life...

the annual bethea family beach trip was a success. emily and i could only stay until tuesday afternoon, but it was still a great trip as always. and i got some sun. and eloise was there. that alone was grand.

eloise is growing so fast! she looks just like chris (sorry laura) and is extremely alert. she attempts to hold her head up and she squirms all over the place. she is an angel and i cannot wait to watch her continue to grow.

brittany's bachelorette weekend was so great. i cannot believe that in less than three weeks she and mark will be married! we had a fantastic time at her breach house and i got a lot of sun. lanier and i bunked together like old times and it was fantastic to talk with her and catch up.

but here is my absolute favorite picture of eloise.

it's either a touch down... or she is praising Jesus...

either works.

but i need to return to my studying... yay...

until tomorrow

live in love.

"seek to live in my love. which covers a multitude of sins: both yours and others'. wear My love like a cloak of Light, covering you from head to toe. have no fear, for perfect love decimates fear. look at other people through the lenses of love; see them from My perspective. this is how you walk in the light, and it pleases Me."

"I want my body of believers to be radiant with the light of My presence. how I grieve when pockets of darkness dim the love-light. return to Me, your first love. gaze at Me in the splendor of holiness, and My love will once again envelope you in LIGHT"

- God

1peter 4.8- above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

1john 4.18- there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

1cor.13.3- if i gave away all i have, and if i deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, i gain nothing.

romans 12. 10- love on another with brotherly affection. outdo one another in showing honor.

clever.

i sit here at my desk in 36 and am trying in every way possible to distract myself from studying for spelling.

i am also preparing for my world lit paper that is due at the end of next week. i want to have a draft by the weekend and i just do not know if it is going to happen. i am ahead and working hard to keep on top of my game with school, but today my brain is all over the place.

i even tried to watch my normal law and order today and could not focus on it thanks to the distraction of school work. seriously? when have i NOT been able to watch law and order? something is going on.

i have absolutely loved having a routine and a schedule everyday. every morning it is like a ritual in the house and i have never been more glad. summer always leads to laziness. you don't have school, no time to really wake up by, no pressing events except vacations [and let's be honest... what is pressing about that?].

this summer is different. i have deadlines. i have due dates. i even have examinations. and guess what... i love it. i am thankful for this structure and real independence i have has to adopt this summer.

but time for a good story.

as i wrote about last week, i got rained on at chewacla state park. not a big deal seeing that we were already in the water and had on bathing suits. however, the other two times i was rained on last week were a big deal. real big.

last week i think it rained almost every day. it was not fun being stuck inside in the rain or outside in the rain. but especially in the rain. yep, you guessed it. i got rained on. as in drenched. as in soaked... need i go further.

first was riding the bike [thank you kimmy!!] back to the house after class. it was lightly sprinkling and so i figured, hey no big deal i wont die. yet about two minutes into the trek home, the bottom fell from the sky and i was riding through a waterfall. my eyes were awkwardly weeping as rain splashed into them, causing my contacts to react then causing more tears and mascara running down the face. beautiful.

finally made it to the house looking like i had decided to take a dip in the pool with shoes and backpack on. awesome.

round two. running. i was about .75 miles from the house and had just turned on gay street. the thunder rolled. and i began to run a little faster. then it began. not to mention the fact that i was wearing my awesome white under-armor running top. yea. it happened. and there was no avoiding it. if i walked... wet. if i stopped... i was so darn close!

no matter what i did i was gonna be wet. and i was. and every car that passed me got a lovely wet tshirt contest entry right on the side of the road. precious i know.

so feel bad for me. i got rained on 3 times in 4 days. impressive? or just unlucky? oh well...

__________________________

cornerstone's uganda team left yesterday and i just got a tweet from brian saying they made it to kampala. i am so excited for everything that team is going to encounter and do over there. i just wish i was with them...

preparation.

"who is in charge of your life? if it is you, then you have a good reason to worry. but if it is I, then worry is both unnecessary and counterproductive. when you start to feel anxious about a situation, relinquish the situation to Me. back off a bit, redirecting your focus on Me. I will either take care of the problem myself or show you how to handle it. in this world you will have problems, but you need not loose sight of Me"- God

luke 12: 22-31

²²And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. ²³For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. ²⁴ Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!

²⁵And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ²⁶If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?

²⁷Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²⁸But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!

²⁹And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. ³⁰ For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ Instead,seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you

john 16:33

³³I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

fighting rapids.

yesterday, sweeney (patrick that is), travis and i went to chewacla state park for the afternoon. chewacla is always fun and beautiful. it was extremely humid and the clouds were billowing as we arrived. however, the weather played primarily in our favor and we managed to get a good two and a half hours of good fun and adventure into our day.

the boys had an extra good time attempting (notice i said attempting) to climb the rapids up and down the creek/stream. it was quite fun to watch. i did not participate in ever aspect of the climbing, seeing that most of the adventures included submerging yourself in the nasty smelling water.

but the trip was well worth it. we enjoyed ourselves and today, because of the amount of climbing and maneuvering done, my calf muscles are sore. they are tight like they used to be in high school after a long basketball practice.

_____________________________

this week has been busy. practice, school, friends, pranks (haha MK), and running. i have enjoyed the summer so far and it is only the beginning of june! living in 36 has been really fun. and i have enjoyed the alone time i have had everyday. i started waking up early and starting my day. it has given me so much more time to do things throughout the day.

i have also loved getting to spend so much time with the Lord. constantly and faithfully, every morning He is showing me something different. He is teaching me to be content in my current situations. teaching me to be a prayer warrior. teaching me to reach out and love those i thought unlovable.

today i read 2 thessalonians. in the 3rd chapter there was a verse that i love. it is in the benediction and it says,

"now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at ALL times in EVERY way."

truth. this is something that i am beginning to pray for my friends. there are so many circumstances in our lives that cause unrest in our souls. there are many things that make our hearts troubled and stressed. but the Lord is a God of peace, and will grant peace to those who love Him, and seek after His face.

something else i learned today while studying the word [this is kinda long... sorry] -

in my journalism class this week we talked about the difference between eagerness and anxiousness. a lot of people use the word anxious for the word eager. but they mean totally different things.

eagerness means an impatient expectancy, or an intense desire. INTENSE.

anxiousness mean an uneasy or worried feeling.

so many people exchange these two words on accident. so today i was reading in ephesians 4 and the word says "...bearing with one another in love, EAGER to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

so we are supposed to have an INTENSE DESIRE to maintain the unity of the Spirit. that means, no matter what happens, what is said, who is involved... you maintain the unity of the Spirit. and you WANT to. peace should cover everything. and we should be eager to maintain it. eager. thirsty. we should desire it above all things.

i do not know why this is so awesome to me. i love the way the Lord reveals simple absolute truths to me. He is such a GREAT God.

well here is my picture for the day. enjoy...