Tree Nuts... Love Em, Hate Em

I have been thinking a lot lately about this video of a sister in Christ telling her testimony about how Jesus healed her from a peanut allergy. Like she was highly allergic and my friend, Tommy, told me that she reacted earlier that week. She was so allergic that even if a jar of peanut butter was open on the opposite side of the room she would break out. I saw her in this video, hold the jar of peanut butter to her face, and scoop this large "fork" full of peanut butter and eat all of it. It was just a beautiful site.
While I was watching that I was thinking, what if as I was watching that testimony that God would heal from my allergy to tree nuts. That would be a miracle. I could eat the foods I have been thinking about and putting in my menu projects and well almost wishing I could eat nuts.

Then I hadn't thought much of that video until me and Rebekah went to go see Les Miserables. There we bumped into Tommy and he told Rebekah what had happened and what's been going on with his internship. Then he prayed over me, and my nut allergy. Honestly, can I say it, as he was praying... I didn't really have 100% faith that Jesus, the Son of God, could heal me. I had doubt.

Doubt. That's the thing that could be keeping me from believing that I am free from this allergy when I am. I mean, I could be even now free from this nut allergy and not even know it cause there's this five letter word taking over my heart and brain.

I have been talking to God, the Holy Spirit. I even at the musical wanted to just take one of Rebekah's pecans and eat it. But I was scared. I still want to do it now...

I can tell you one thing. I would definitely not be able to keep quiet about it. I would have to proclaim it. Cause well, I've been allergic since I can remember. A lot of my friends, even my non-christian friends have seen me break out. Gah, I am crying just thinking about it. IF WHEN they see me eat a tree nut and I AM healed, we can only then do ONE THING to God's name... and that is be glorified.

Glorified by... eating another nut... praising His glorious name... thanking Him... even make my dreams and prayers come true, that I may see my bestest of friends in heaven because they call out His amazing name.

I so ask.
Pray that I would be bold.
Pray that I wouldn't have doubt.
Pray that I wouldn't be scared but TRUST that God has HEALED me.

There are Plenty of Fish Out There

Well, so I have been doing a lot of thinking about this crazy thing called dating. Why is this concept crazy to a 20, almost 21, year old? It's crazy because I have been single my entire life. As crazy as it may seem to some people, and it seems crazy to me sometimes, but honestly I definitely was not ready for a real relationship.

Lately, I have been thinking about dating, relationship with a guy(scary thought right there, lol), but I think, I think I'm ready. Or at least finally ready to have a closer relationship with a guy than I have normally had in my life. Maybe not dating, but something more than just a friend, maybe a best friend. Who knows.

Gah... I don't know, it's just so nerve-wrecking for me to think about going on a first date, just the thought of it is a little awkward. All I know is I need to listen to myself to know when to take things to the next step, I shouldn't force myself to go where I am not ready, even if people my age are getting married.

Everyone's different and I just need to take it at my own pace.

God is Love

You should totally read 1 John 4:7-21 before you read my blog post, but since I know you probably will not, that's ok too. But it's a great section if you haven't read it before.
So "God is love," that is a phrase that is said so many times in the church and by other Christians, but as redundant as it may sound, it's so true.

If you read it, it's mentioned almost every verse. One of my favorite verses that is just so "woah, woah, woah, woah." (lol).
     "Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love." 1 John 4:8

How crazy is that! If you don't love then you don't know God. To better explain what I felt as soon as I read it, I am just going to copy what I literally just wrote a few minutes ago.

" 1 John 4:7-21 Is an absolutely beautiful chapter or section. It talks about how God is love. And that he loved us first because we love and God is love, therefore we know God. And because we love and when we love others, others see God . It also talks about how when we have love we don't have to fear, for the love God has in us conquers the fears we have."

So I guess if you really wanted to evangelize to others, one of the best ways is to show love to them and well I already mentioned, but basically they will see God. How great is that!

Your Beautiful

As much as I want to go to sleep, I just can't. I just have the urge to worship my Heavenly Father. It basically started with listening to Phil Wickam's song, "Beautiful." If you haven't heard it I definitely reccomend that you listen to it. It's such a great song of worship. And it's caused me to just really worship my Father in all His beautiy and glory. I mean it is Father's Day, so it's only appropiate.

Now it's storming outside. Which is honestly my favorite weather, the lightning, the thunder. It's just another part of God's creation that causes me to look up to Him as my mentor in art. I mean He created it all so why not?

If you can't sleep, why not spend that with me worshipping our God rather than spending it doing something else?

Praise Him for what He's done this past week. Thank Him for everything He has provided or anything. Ask Him for anything that you need. Pray for the church that there would be a down pouring of the Holy Spirit and authentic worship in churces around the world. Pray that God would give you boldness to tell at least one person about Him this week. Pray for your family. Pray for the Soldiers fighting for our freedom on and off the battlefield. Pray that God would keep us from temptation and keep us in Him word to find of the Devil, using the sword God's given us. Pray for the victims of trafficking, labor and sex. Pray for orphans, and widows. Pray for families that are falling apart.

Leave a comment, I'd love to pray for you. :)

End your prayers with more thanksgiving and praises! That's the way Jesus taught us to pray. :)

God's Timing Really is Perfect

As many times as you have heard it from churches, pastors, friends, or family who pray with you during the hard times and they say this.

Things happen for a reason, and God's timing is perfect.

As many times as I've heard it, the second part is so so so true. So many times that we want things to happen the times we want it to happen and we forget to remember that there is a big picture that we can't see. That there is a reason God's allowed us to go through trials, to go through loss.

Just recently in my life God's used his timing in a way that I didn't see the big picture until now. I was working with Yogurtini for about 10 months on the Plaza when I got an opportunity to be closer to home and get a higher pay, and I took it. Then after being at that Yogurtini in Overland Park, I was fired, let go, after a month. A month, you may be thinking what I was thinking,,, how could God use you in that short period of time. Well He definitely did.

While I was at the Plaza Yogurtini, I had a supervisor I worked with the most, and she was definitely a Christian mentor to me while I was in that work place. We talked often about how God was working in our lives. Even a few times we took time to pray before the store opened. I absolutely appreciated having a supervisor, whose faith was so strong.

Then when I got the opportunity to move to the Overland Park Yogurtini, I took that same mentality that supervisor had for me and I wanted to do the same to the employees I was working with. I learned from one of my co-workers just started going back to church. Then a few days before I got fired, she told me that she went to a friends house and saw a Bible on his table, and she said she smiled really big. Then she took a step of faith and asked him if he went to church and he just so happened to say no, and she asked if he wanted to go with him. Now they are going to church together. The afternoon I got fired I called her, so she wouldn't be surprised when she went to work. Then I got a text from her that night said that she would pray for me. I also got a ton of supportive texts from a few of the other coworkers. Alot of them said I was their favorite shift leader, and one even said that if they[Yogurtini Manager/Owner] don't regreat firing you then they don't deserve you. It was just so encouraging.

Then I was looking for a job, cause I was honestly running low on money and I was crying out to God cause I was gettting so frustrated that no one was calling me back. Then I applied for this one job that fit my personality perfectly. Talking to people about children in poverty, and getting paid for it.

Of course as soon as I get almost out of money and I was doubting God would provide, I get a phone call from the Grassroots Campaign, and they told me that they wanted an interview. I went in for the interview the next day. The interview was one of the best ones I was apart of, cause I was truely being myself. And I got the job!

Now I look back and I know that even though I was at that last job for a month it's ok, cause I got to talk to people about my loving father and about the I Am Second Campaign. It was great, and I can't wait to see how God's going to use me while I am at this new job.

So even if things seem bad, things seem like they can't get better or you just can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, well, don't worry it's there. Just keep your eyes towards God and keep praying and have a willing heart to go and do what his heart wants. He has a plan, and His plan involves you loving others, one way or another, and bringing glory to His name.