Psalms
16:8
I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
16:9
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,
16:10
because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
16:11
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

I guess I like photographing couples....

Hello, Spring 2008.

Goodbye, Winter break.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understandings, acknowledge him in all your ways, and He will make straight your paths."

I worry too much.

Where is Jesus in my worrying?

I worry that I worry too much.

haha. At least I can laugh about it.

But enough is enough.

Philipians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Why must people pry?

chill

Don't get in the way of life.
Life wants to happen, with or without you.
So you might as well come along for the adventure.

It'll be alright.

I have been in love with Andrea Hamilton's song "It'll be alright".

right now I can't see very far

all I know is

it'll be alright in the morning

I'm gonna open my eyes and see the light

it'll alright when the sun is shining

just hold tight

made up my mind

not to waste my time

wishing things were different

but hiding from the pain

why not embrace life's funny little ways?

sometimes I don't know the point but the point is not knowing

It's having faith that faith will get me where I am going

It really soothes the soul. I get spurts of joy when I realize how blessed I am to have a relationship with God and to know his promise of Salvation, peace, love, and forgiveness. These first two weeks of 2008 have been incredible in every sense of the word. I want to cry for joy every time I think about what God is doing in my heart and the hearts around me. I see Him in my photography and I see him in the loving people He has surrounded me with. I am so in love with Him. I would not give up the world for what I have gained in Christ.

Lord, please protect my heart.

School is starting soon. The mission field :) I have a beautiful feeling about this year. It is indescribable. The enemy tries to mask my joy with fear. He tries to lay burdens on my shoulder that do not belong to me in the first place. I can not attempt to be more than I have the power to be. I can not be the glue in my family, only God can be. So I will no longer worry myself with things too great for me.

God. I love You. I love who you are molding me into-Your Son.

I took a yoga class this morning and my instructor told us that she was having trouble sleeping due to guilt she is feeling over the murder which has occurred in her neighborhood. She says that she feels guilty for not talking to the family and for not reaching out. I see in her, what I have in myself. A burden which does not belong to me. It is prideful to think that we could have stopped something so tragic in and of ourselves. I stayed after and offered to pray for her. She rejected my offer and I walked off praying for her anyways. :) It is a beautiful thing to face rejection, yet remain uncrushed.

There is a strength in me that is taking over. It is not mine to claim. I love that I don't have to claim it. God's power is impossible to claim.

self conscious

"Over the years my body has not gotten firmer. Just the opposite in fact. BUt when i feel fattest and flabbiest and most repulsive, I try to remember that gravity speaks; also, that no one neds that plastic-body perfection from women of age and substance. Also that I do not live in my thighs or in my droopy butt. I live in joy and motion and cover-ups. I live in the nourishment of food and the sun and the warmth of the people who love me"

Anne Lamott "Traveling Mercies"

I love this book, she really speaks from the heart. I can identify with her failures and prayerfully with time I will be able to identify with her wisdom.

My confidence is in the Lord, not in my self-image.

Amen.

Bad chinese food = tummy ache

A picture of my mom and I on New Year's Eve!
I had the oiliest chinese food last night that made me wake up at 3:00 A.M. Egh. I am feeling a little better now, stayed in bed all day. Times like these remind you of how blessed you are just to have a healthy body.



A lot has happened since my last post. I can't believe it is 2008. Last year truly was a time of growth for my family and I. When God takes something out of your hand, he truly replaces it with something far better. I have met so many brothers and sisters in Christ, it is amazing. This verse kept popping into my mind today as I was drifting off into yesterday's memories: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understand, and he will make straight your paths (Proverbs 3:5)." Sometimes my heart gets the best of me and I feel ready to face the past. But then I realize that my heart has not healed completely and I need to stop trying to speed up the process. The more impatient I am, the deeper the scars will be. Although my season of healing has not come to its full fruition, I definetly feel stronger. For the first timeI was surrounded by temptations and was not swayed by the crowd, rather the Spirit in me stood strong.



The root of bitterness once growing inside me has ceased to grow. I feel it trying to come back alive in me, when I am reminded of past hurts, but it dies in me once I remember the cross. Forgiveness is the key to surrendering your body, mind, and soul. I am daily forgiving myself and the people around me.


God's grace overflows.