say what you need to say.

wow. life has been one hill after hill of a roller coaster. does that even make sense? i have been moving non-stop for the past couple of weeks, and it has been a huge blessing. the Lord has worked in so many ways it's ridiculous! praise God for new friends, family, and fellowship.

last weekend we had an all day youth event. we dominated the community canned food drive which was amazing, and then had a huge video scavenger hunt! i had the best time with my 7th grade boys. they were a hoot! (and no-that is not a reference to Chi O)

i went to my first date party with Shelby on thursday. we had the best time. we danced for 3 hours straight! we were so delusional afterwards, but it was worth it. i am so blessed to have her.

God has really strengthened my heart for people. i feel that i have become more compassionate for people in need. that may be a need to feel loved, or to put food in their mouths. so far i have not experienced the latter, but i feel that i should be ready whenever the opportunity presents itself.

the other night i was sitting on the peer at the Ussery's cabin, and had the sweetest time with the Lord. i was frustrated and had so much anxiety(from circumstances that should not happen, but they still do) and my heart was relieved. God took my burden when i laid it down at his feet. why don't we do that more often? the prayer of a righteous man/woman never returns void. look at Hannah in 1 Samuel 1 & 2 for example. she laid her heart down before the Lord. people looked at her like she was crazy, but when she was approached about her 'weirdness' they saw her sincerity. Eli, the priest of the temple, blessed her and said that her request would be honored. i think that we feel that our requests need to be answered the way we want them to be honored, when in fact that is a mistake. God honors our requests by answering them the way He wills. He knows what is best for us, and because of that fact He honors our requests no matter how they turn out.

last night i had the sweetest prayer time with Shelby and Dillon. shelby and i pray together before we part ways at night, and i feel that it really strengthens our relationship as we move towards Christ separate, but together.

praying with Dillon, on the other hand, is a different story. i have tried my hardest to get him to pray at night, but he just never seemed to want to. but last night he didn't even hesitate. when he began praying, i began to weep. i was filled with so much joy listening to him pray. his heart was sincere, and his mind was focused. that is what we should all want. what we should all desire. pray with that heart of a child--you can never go wrong.

speechless.

i could not tell you how blessed i am. God really knows how to handle everything. He has placed me where He needs me, and it is so cool how it has all played out.

counted blessings:

1. North Greenwood Baptist Church
2. The Ussery family as a whole
3. intentional conversations with kids
4. having everyone in town already know who I am
5. Shelby

this is only a quick snippet of the overall scheme.

And I am speechless
I'm astonished and amazed
I am silenced by Your wonderous grace

And I am speechless in your presence now
I'm astounded as I consider how
You have shown us
A love that leaves us speechless

so long sweet summer.

well summer is coming to a close. almost surreal. i am so ready for fall though. it's one of my favorite times of the year. i really enjoy being outside in the midst of creation. it's so comforting. He is so comforting.

greenwood is starting to grow on me. from the people to the activities, the food places (which really aren't the same) and the weather. it has all become a reality that i have moved away from home. but yet in some sense this feels like home. that's a good feeling.

i love the kids here. it is so evident that God has brought me here for a reason. last night was evident of that. it had poured down rain all afternoon--so in my mind i seemed to have a nasty night ahead of me (turns out i actually did, but not in the sense that i intended). i went to the PA jv football game to watch some of the youth play. while we were there i received my revelation for the night while watching some of my 7th grade boys play in the puddles at the field. so i called them over and asked them if they wanted to go do something. they said "Yes" with that eager look as to what on earth was i going to take them to do. i told them that when i was in high school we would always go mud sliding on the baseball fields after it rained or was raining. they were all for it! we all got ready and went and played wiffle ball for about an hour and a half. we were covered in mud! it was by far one of the best nights i have had since i have been here. just spending time with them and investing in them in a way outside the church is refreshing too. God is so good in how He puts all the pieces together. i pray for more nights like that.

Word for the day:

"But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves to sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin have become slaves of righteousness." Romans 6:17-18

let my heart be fully committed to the Lord and serving Him because i have been called.

one more note: i love the rain, but not on move in day.

unashamed.

"as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be a all ashamed, but that withe full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death." Phillippians 1:20

can i honestly say that i am unashamed of being a Christ follower? is He really honored in my life? do i completely and wholeheartedly, not out of obligation, live my life in a way that shows complete devotion to the Lord and Creator of everything?

i used to struggle with this. but honestly i can say that my life is in His complete control. of course i mess up, of course i struggle, but i am human. thats the beauty of our Lord. He gives us mercy and grace. He gives me the opportunity to be forgiven. He has granted us all salvation to take hold of and no longer look at our sin. that is why my life is His. i continually work out my own salvation (phil. 2:12), daily, so that my life can reflect and honor Christ crucified.

"Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ." Philippians 1:27

can you tell i read Philippians? 

im movin' on.

well im moving. i thought this day would never come. the past few weeks have been very grueling and tiring, but well worth it.  i will be moving to the great state of Mississippi to work as a youth intern over the jr. high. weird. but i know that it is something the Lord needs me to do right now in this season of my life.

the weird thing about moving this time is that this is it. the chance of me ever moving back home is very slim. i mean VERY slim. so this is it. my official move out. kinda overwhelming if you ask me. im really excited about it. God has so much in store for me, and i cant wait to get started.

these past few weeks while this whole process has been in the works, the Lord has really taught me some things:

1. patience. i was telling someone tonight how it has been a resounding theme for me as of late. it has been really hard not to know things right away and wait for an answer. but i was and still am. God has provided.

"I waited patiently upon the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry." Psalm 40:1

2. God really does take care of the details. you would not believe the things that the Lord has provided for me with this job. not only has he given me a ministry, but also the means to do so. he gave me a house. and yes, i said gave (that means it was free). he has given me the chance to already invest in lives of adults and kids. and so much more.

"...how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" Luke 11:13b

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

3. when you truly seek after the Lord, everything will come together. it has been so cool to see all of this fall in place. i just wish everyone could see it how i did. i mean people saw some of it, and heard of it. but they didnt experience it like i did.

"But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul." Deuteronomy 4:29

"And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." Hebrews 11:6 

my faith has been stretched beyond belief and i pray that it continues to do so. i want to be challenged. i want to grow. i want to experience God in bigger and mightier ways! 

Lord, take me and make me more like you.

wettin' a hook.

wow. this past week has been somewhat of a doozy lets start with this weekend:

i had the opportunity to spend four days in beautiful greenwood, ms. upon my arrival i really didnt know what to expect from the town, but i was truly welcomed with open arms. i absolutely had the best time there! i got to hang out with some of the kids from camp, talk with the youth on Sunday night, and speak with the pastor and youth minister about a potential job. i must say that it was quite an eventful weekend.

i stayed with the ussery family all weekend, and i can sum them up in one word: amazing! they really made me feel like i was home. it was like my family away from my own. the parents were great, and their children Dillon, Shelby, and Hunter were awesome! i got to hang out with their son Dillon a lot. i have known him for 3 years now, but it was neat getting to see him in an environment other than camp. he is such a neat kid. he desires to know a lot. nothing really in particular, he is just a curious fella. on monday we had the chance to go fishing at his family's lake house. let me tell you, it was an adventure! we got out on the lake and began fishing. we just sat there and waited. we got to talk about a lot of things, including the Lord. he has such a desire to know Him better. it's really neat, and i got to share Christ with him on the boat, in the middle of a lake, on a beautiful mississippi day. after fishing for about 2 hours, the battery in our motor dies. we just laughed. we tried to paddle with our fishing poles, but it failed miserably. after about 5 minutes of sitting there, the Lord blessed us with a wind that pushed us to the shore. we then proceeded to paddle tom and huck style to a place where we could get out to go back to the cabin. on our way back we realized that we had left the key to the ranger in the boat, so i had to run back. after about 30 minutes of getting back to the cabin, we replaced the battery and continued fishing until we were ready to leave. he told me that it was probably one of the best days he had fishing out there, even though we only caught four fish. it was fun. so much fun with nature. we decided that we needed to start an outdoors show called: the adventures of daniel and dillon.

today i got to move my youngest sister to college. man was it different. i was not only taking my last sibling off to school, but i wasnt going back either. it was weird. but she is there, and i know she is going to have a good time!

things i learned from this week:

-fish like gummy scooby snacks as bait

-patience is so nice

-my place of ministry

-UNA has real lions!

mood: ready.

remind me, Lord.

So faithful, so constant
So loving and so true, so powerful in all you do
You fill me, You see me
You know my every move
You love for me to sing to you

I know that you are for me
I know that you are for me
I know that you will never, forsake me in my weakness
I know that you have come now
Even if to write upon my heart
To remind me who you are

So patient, so gracious
So merciful and true, so wonderul in all you do
You fill me, You see me
You know my every move
You love for me to sing to you

I know that you are for me
I know that you are for me
I know that you will never, forsake me in my weakness
I know that you have come now
Even if to write upon my heart
To remind me who you are

You Are For Me by Kari Jobe