He is able.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" -Ephesians 3:20

Last night was one of the most incredible nights of worship I have ever experienced.

Last night, thousands of voices blended together to lift His name high.

Last night showed me that God is still very much at work in Springfield.

Last night reminded me that He is able.

I had the honor of attending the Hillsong Live concert at JRA last night with some friends. Mallory, Will, and I stood in line until the doors opened, and then Daniel and I met up in the VIP section. We were literally right up front. A few of the band members came out about thirty minutes before and handed out free t-shirts, and then the actual concert started. They started the evening off with God Is Able and ended with Take It All. It was amazing. There was no insecurity or second guessing as people lifted their hands and cried out to God. I've never experienced anything like that, and it has forever changed me.

On another note, Thanksgiving is this week! Say hello to yummy food, no school, and family time. I have so many things to be thankful for this year, so here's a little sampling...

-Family who is dysfunctional, but fun all the same
-Leaders that never fail in stepping up when it counts
-Close friends who constantly challenge me and support me
-A house to live in
-Food to eat
-A God who is able

Have a happy Thanksgiving and be blessed, friends!

Prioritize.

Ok, bloggies, I promise I'm still alive. Things have just been insanely crazy around my house for, well, a few months actually. Every day I sit at the computer and think, "Oh, I need to blog today..." but then it never happens. Fail.

One thing that's been on my heart lately has been prioritizing. I've never had an issue with this when it comes to big things. Church will always come before anything other than family, and family will always come before friends. But I sweat it over the small stuff. For instance, a few weeks ago, I had planned on going to a football game. There are some friends of mine in the band that I promised I would watch march. However, my best friends from co-op, ended up having her sixteenth birthday party that night. What the heck was I supposed to do? I'd promised I would watch the band, but I knew Brittany would be upset if I didn't come to her party. In the end, I ended up going to the birthday party. I realized that five years from now, the memories that I would make celebrating her sixteenth would have more significance than the ones I would make at a football game. But that doesn't mean that decision was easy.

I have this issue with people-pleasing. I don't like to say 'no'. And sometimes, that comes back to bite me right in the tush. People ask me to do things, and I agree, and before I know it I have no free time. Not only do I not have any free time, I have no study time whatsoever. That reflected on a test I got back this week. Ouch. So this week I'm going to practice saying 'no'. I'll get back to you on that...

Have a blessed week!

Simple Plan.

I've been trying to write for the past few days, but either my computer wouldn't cooperate, or my brain wouldn't. But here I am with a working brain and a working computer, ready to share my thoughts. I'm sure they will be very insightful. Ha.

This past year has been so crazy busy, I can't even begin to describe it. And at first, I loved being busy and having stuff to do and places to go every day. But now it's gotten kind of old. Okay, really old. I just want one week where all I do is school and church. Because I feel like I've gotten so caught up in all that I have to do, that those two things get put on the back burner. Of course I still do school, but I'm not focused. Of course I still go to everything at church, but I'm not focused. They are just two more things I have to check off of my list. It shouldn't be that way. Ever.

As I was trying to plan out this next month in my planner, a verse came to me.

"Be still, and know that I am God."

It reminded me that I don't always have to have a plan. I like to micro-manage (one of many faults), so that's a hard concept for me to grasp. But it's a necessary one. So many times I say, "If my plan fails, then God will handle it" when instead I should be saying, "It's okay, God's got it covered." When did His Will stop being enough? When did I decide that my plan was more important that God's? I don't know when it happened, but it was obviously a major lapse in judgement. I'm still working out how to put His plan first, so if you have any bits of wisdom, please feel free to share.

There's a lot happening in my head, but I need to process it up there and then put it in to words, so stay tuned for more deep thoughts. (Again, ha).

I'll leave you with this video....

I may or may not have the entire first verse and chorus memorized. Just sayin'...

Street legal.

Yes, friends, the rumors are true. I am street legal. Today I got my drivers license. What,what?!

Tired.

Do you remember how when you were younger, bedtime used to be a battle? I never wanted to go to bed. Now, I'm the complete opposite. When I got home from church last night, I was so excited to sleep in my own bed that it wasn't even funny. I crawled under the covers and passed out.

This weekend was so much fun. We left bright and early on Saturday morning to meet our group at Belgium Waffle House in Ozark. From there we headed down to Arkansas. I drove. Bad idea. The roads in Harrison are ridiculous. They are so skinny that I had a hard time keeping my truck in it's lane. But if I thought the roads there sucked, I wasn't prepared at all for Jasper. The speed limit is 20mph because the roads are SO curvy. I was crying by the time we pulled over for gas, because I was so stressed about just staying on the road.

Once we arrived at Kyle's Landing, we started the descent down the mountain on a super sketchy dirt road. We picked out our sites and got to work setting up our stuff. We had eight tents! There were sixteen of us that went, and I was the only girl. After we got set up, everybody set off on the hike. I always go on the hike, but this year I passed. The trail they were taking was straight up a riverbed, and I have a superb knack for really twisting my ankles. So I hung back with my dad and brother, and ended up taking a nap in my truck.

That night we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, of course. Then we sat around the fire just laughing at jokes and stories until about eleven. I had my own tent this year because my dad snores like a freight train. So I wrapped myself up in my sleeping bag and went to sleep, only to awaken about two hours later because I was so cold. I was up the rest of the night trying to stay warm.

About seven-thirty the next morning, we had breakfast and stood around the fire trying to heat up. Packing up our stuff always sucks, but it went really fast this year. When we were packed and had taken a group picture, we started the drive home. Every year we stop in Harrison to eat at Western Sizzlin'. This year was no disappointment. I had fried chicken, mashed potatoes with white gravy, a roll, roast and potatoes, ice cream, and chocolate chip cookies. And it came within being in the top five best meals of my life. Yum.

When we got back last night, I had to go to church for a rehearsal, and then there was Bible study afterwards. Ashlyn and I had fun, but then again, it's always fun with the two of us. When we came home, I sat and watched TV for a little bit before I gave up and went to bed.

This week has been/will be crazy, but I love it. Tomorrow is my birthday (holla!), Wednesday I start watching the cutest little girls, Thursday I go up to the office, Friday I have a dress rehearsal, Saturday we have an event at church, and then Sunday we have church. I'm looking forward to a very busy "birthday week".

Have a great week!

"I wish I had a stuffed cat."

     The title of this post is what I heard come out of my mothers mouth today. Nothing had been said about anything to do with cats, and then that just popped out of her mouth. Apparently she was looking at pictures of kitty litter cake, but still, that's not something you hear everyday.

     Last night, a good friend lost his keys after service. I didn't think anything about it until a few hours later. I just randomly got up to check my purse, and they weren't in there. My mom checked her purse and lo-and-behold, there were Daniels keys. So we hopped in the truck and drove over to his house real quick to drop them off. We ended up talking to his mom for half an hour before he actually got there. After multiple apologies, we drove home. It was an eventful night, but I'm glad everything worked out and he got his keys back.

      Today I went up to work at the office. I've been doing this for almost three months now, so you'd think I'd have the routine down, right? Wrong. I made the mistake of putting all my jeans in the washer about an hour before I had to leave. Stupid. I got out of the shower to realize that I had no jeans to wear. So I decided to start on my hair. An easy task, right? Wrong. I spent forty-five minutes trying to do something, anything, with it. I tried doing a braided headband, a plain braid, a side messy bun, and a side ponytail. Nothing was satisfying. At that point, my mom came in and told me I had five minutes. I wasn't dressed, my hair was a mess, and I had yet to put on any make-up. I hurriedly put on my foundation, only to discover I was out. I threw the bottle away, threw my hair up in a bun, and pulled on some clothes. Of course, the outfit that I put together in .5 seconds was cuter than anything I could have tried to plan. Story of my life. By this time, I was on the verge of a mental breakdown. I know, you're thinking, "Wow. A mental breakdown over not being ready on time?" Yes, it's silly, but I had bombed my Algebra 2 this morning, and that was the last straw. But a phrase came to me just as I started to lose it. "Breathe." I always tell this to one of our student associates when she starts to get stressed, but I never took my own advice. Ironic, huh? I guess I learned today that not everything in my life has to be perfect. I don't always have to have a plan. I just have to trust.

      Tomorrow we are packing for our Annual Washam/Garrison Hike. Every year, the guys (and I) on my dads side of the family go camping/hiking down in Arkansas. It's so fun to sit around the fire and talk with everybody. We have to make a trip to Wal-mart tomorrow to collect all the junk food we'll be gorging ourselves on. Also on the agenda is setting our tent up in the backyard to clean it out. The last time we were camping, we had to take it down in the rain, so I can only imagine what it looks/smells like. Ick. Then we  leave at 6:30 sharp on Saturday morning, and will return by Sunday afternoon. I'm looking forward to it, but I hope we don't freeze to death.

       I guess I've rambled on long enough, so I'll leave you with this...

                                                  This song is fantastic. Check it out.

Love.

      Well, it happened tonight. I fell in love. Actually, it was more like I jumped back into love. I jumped back into love with my Creator. The God who gave me life and breath is my lifelong love. He was my first, and He'll be my last.

        We sang a song tonight that said, "Your grace is sufficient for me". How true is that? His grace will always be enough for me. Whether I know it or not, He is always sufficient. I forgot that. But I remember now. I remember that feeling of being lit on fire and having this internal flame in my soul. I remember wanting to run around telling everyone how incredible my God is. He loves me. He loves ME. With all my quirks, faults, and screw-ups. He loves me wholey and completely. He never leaves me. He will never forsake me.

        There was a video played tonight that talked about changing the world. This excites me. I want to do big things for the kingdom. But a lot of times, I get stuck. I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing, or how I'm supposed to be going about carrying out my calling. It hit me tonight: love. Love God, and love others. That is what God calls us to do. If we love God, and love others, everything else will work itself out.

       I'm not sure why it took me 15 years to realize this (*facepalm*), but I'm glad I realized it at all. If you're struggling with handling God's call on your life, love. Love God, and love others. You will be filled. I promise.

      Peace out, girl scout.


P.s: I realize this post is totally random, but it was what was on my heart. Thanks for reading.