Blessed

I really am blessed.

I have friends who are truly amazing. I love them so much and what's more is that they love me.

They love me. I'm far from perfect. I definitely have my faults. I don't always answer emails on time. I sometimes leave them when they need me. I don't give them what they need. But still,

They love me.

Katherine and I

These are the friends who encourage me when I am down in the depths of despair.

Jeremy and I. He's the best "big brother" ever.

These are the friends who I can trust with my whole heart.

Lidia and I

These are the friends who lift me up in prayer and who are always positive and ready to tell me that Jesus is good.

Veronica and I

These are the friends I can get really hyper with. They've seen me at 2 in the morning and they still like me.

Anna and I

These are the friends who know that I wish I was there so they send me pictures.

 

These are the friends that hold me when I cry and recite scripture to me until I'm okay again.

She's engaged!!! So happy for her and her prince!!! (Miss Elizabeth and I)

These are the friends that come running down the road and jump into my arms when they haven't seen me in two whole weeks.

Katherine and I again. :)

These are the friends who share my love of photography.

These are the friends who share big family jokes with me,

Naomi and I

 and who brighten my day with their sweetness,

Genevieve and I

 These are the friends whose purpose in life is to give God all the glory.

Yes, I may not be perfect. Yes, I'm only 14. Yes, I have faults. But yes, Jesus is good. Yes, this is only a small portion of my friends. Yes, they are the best friends in the whole world. Yes, I know that Jesus is the Best Friend ever. Yes, these friends draw me so much closer to Him.

Yes, I am blessed.

This

Sometimes life gets busy.

You know the feeling when you feel as though there were things you should have done but didn't.

That book you wanted to finish.

That e-mail you wanted to send.

That closet you wanted to organize.

And what were you doing??

Writing for your blog. ;)

Watching TV.

Sleeping in. (I'm a firm believer in not sleeping in, as are my twin toddler sisters, but that's another story!)

So here I am, getting frustrated at myself for not getting done the "important" things.

But then I remember what really counts.

This.

The back of our "homeschooler" van :)

Thankful for You

(This poem was written a few months ago during a scary experience one of my mom's best friends had. Their little one-year-old is like my little brother and we prayed so much during these dark days. Jesus healed him and he is now a jolly two-year-old!)

It was a cold winter’s night
We were happy and free
When the phone rang and all seemed okay
Then Dad said “We’re praying,
And we’re here if you need us.”
Then I tried to keep the tears at bay.

To...
Laugh at your rosy cheeks,
Spot the twinkle in your eye,
Watch you play around,
I’d try not to cry.
To hold you in my arms,
and call you mine,
To think that you
are completely fine.
What I wouldn’t give...

Right now.

At this moment in time
My mind’s flyin’
In a thousand different ways.
Toward memories and what-ifs
And “How many more days?”

So I kneel down to pray
And God takes the pain away
My heartbeat’s finally slowin’ down
A few deep breaths
And my thoughts go back
To the hospital across town.

{Entering in Abby's contest}

My friends are so encouraging!

"Satan will only attack you if it is something that the Lord wants you to do.  Or something that can be used to bring him glory.  Take the trial as a blessing!  It happens to everyone...  You are not alone!"

 I hope you find some inspiration in this quote from an email I received last night. Veronica is one of my role models. She loves Jesus so much and is always ready to give a hug and a sweet smile. I love her so much!!

Anger Management: God's Way

*I wrote this up for a school project last spring, and although some of you may not have read The Bronze Bow, I think that we can all learn this lesson. This is one of my favorite things that I wrote for school all year.*

Anger can be a horrible thing. In the beginning of our book, Daniel really struggled with anger problems and he always let it get the better of him. Proverbs 27:4 says, “Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming...” Daniel’s fury toward the Romans overtook him and he was proud of it. He held on to his anger and he didn’t want to let it go.

It makes me wonder what we are holding on to that we should be letting go. Only too often we hold on to a grudge, or to anger or to jealousy, when we should be lifting them up to Jesus and letting him take them away.

When we are angry or upset, it is easy to get carried away and to say and do things that we don’t mean. The book of Proverbs states in chapter 15 verse 1 that “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” We should be careful not to get angry in the first place but to handle our problems with grace.  

When we do get upset, we need to ask forgiveness of both Jesus and the person we hurt. The Lord is always ready and willing to forgive us {“But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”} but the person we hurt might still be hurting. You know that the myth “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” is just that, a myth. It’s not true because words can be hurtful.

    At the end of our book, Daniel has learned to trust in Jesus and he takes the first step toward resolving his anger. By inviting a Roman soldier into his house, Daniel shows how much he has grown. I pray that before we finish the next chapter in our lives, we will be able to see how much we have grown too.

Summer Books

These are the books I'm planning on reading this summer. I would love suggestions!

Uncompromising by Hannah Farver

I've read the first 22 pages of this book on Hannah's blog and it looks so good. Just those first pages really ministered to me and I got so much out of them. I can't wait to order this one and read it by the lake!

 

Being a Girl Who Leads by Shannon Primicerio

I'm leading a Bible study at the end of the summer and I'm excited to read this book to prepare for it. I think that it will help me in my role of a big sister who leads often also.

Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy

I've read 2 Ludy books so far and loved them! It can be a hard being a set-apart girl in today's world and I'm looking forward to harvesting so many tips and quotes from this book!

A Young Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George

I haven't really done a lot of research one this one... but I'm sure it will be good!

You can read my full list of Books to read on Pinterest.

So what do you think? Have you read any of these books? What books are you planning to read this summer?

Hab. 3:17-19

As a school project I had to remake these verses into something that was relevant today. It was a really fun assignment and it showed me how I can worship the LORD and praise Him in everything. 

(all images via google images)

Though the cookies burn in the oven

  and though I didn’t get the e-mail I wanted, 

Though sisters throw clothes all over the closet floor, 

  and the twins each want their own way, 

Though I step on army guys,

  and school takes forever, 

Still I will rejoice in the LORD, 

  I will stay composed and faithful.

The Sovereign LORD is my strength; 

  he makes my heart sing joyfully, 

  he enables me to work for Him.