From A to Z! :)

WOW! It has been sooo long since I've blogged!! :/ I apologize! Buutt, today just seems like a great blogging day! It is. . . drum roll. . . COOL outside! I took a wonderful bike ride while ago and am going to play golf with my dad later! I love fall so much, and am so glad it is on its way! My fun friend Rebecca blogged an "about me" poll, so since I love quizzes and polls and things, I guess I will do one for fun too! :)
 A. Age 15 (with a drivers permit! I got honked at for driving slow ((on a veerrry curvy road)) on Monday!)

 B. Bed size: full! (I wish it was taller though. Tall beds are so fun, I think)

 C. Chore that you hate: I guess dusting. :P

 D. Dogs: Outside we have a weenie dog named Nellie (like Nellie Olson from "Little House on the Prarie" ha!), and inside we have a smart and quirky maltipoo named Spot. :)

 E. Essential to start your day: hmmm, having a good breakfast, I guess!

 F. Favorite color: Lime green or purple (or them together is even better!)

 G. Gold or silver: can't decide. They are both pretty in different situations.

 H. Height: 5' 4 1/2" (notice I put the 1/2!) hehe

 I. Instruments you play: mostly piano

J. Job title: right now dusty stall mucker ( ew) but soon to be ticket seller and popcorn, coke, and candy seller at the movie theater! yay!

K. Kids: I want to adopt a boy and a girl when I am older and married!

L. Live: Texas! (the state that is 105 degrees in the summer and can get to 20 degrees in the winter!)

M. Mother's name: Lajuana (so unique and pretty!)

N. Nicknames: Rosie, Sav, and Siga (long story)

O. Overnight hospital stays: when I was 3 I swallowed a bean and collapsed my lung. :(

P. Pet peeves: quick golf (if you don't, I will do the cocked hip, hand resting on my club pose on the tee box at you! haha

Q. Quote from a movie: "I'm in the depths of despair. . ." (Anne of Green Gables. I love that!)

R. Right or left handed: lefty! (well actually I only bowl and write left handed) :)

S. Siblings: My twin brother, Ross the Boss!

T. Time of day: probably mid morning (8 to 10)

U. Umbrellas: I love my golf umbrella! It is huge and keeps me safely dry at tournaments (yes I have played in pouring rain-not fun)

V. Vegetable you hate: haven't tried one that I really don't like

W. What makes you run late: getting caught up in something fun that I don't want to stop or forget the time!

X. X rays you've had: arm, leg, teeth

Y. Yummy food that you make: my power filled acai smoothie ( acai smoothie pack, orange juice, blueberries, a little flax seed, a little wheat germ, acaica powder) Its so healthy and really good!

Z. Zoo animal: probably the monkeys :)

And here's a fun Bible verse for today too! "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." Acts 3:19 

Growing with God

Hello everyone, and so sorry I haven't blogged in SO long! But I do have excuses! I have been quite busy lately! And. . . the exciting excuse. . .I am participating in Lent, which means I have limited myself to only 30 minutes a day on the computer! Plus, I am reading my Bible every day and growing in God's Word! I am very much enjoying it! God's Word is so amazing! I learn and grow in Him and His love every day! I love reading and finding new awesome verses that encourage me for life! Sooo, here's some verses I read this morning! I hope they encourage you today!

Psalm 84:11 "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless."

Psalm 86:11-13 "Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is you love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave."

Psalm 86:15 "But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness."

Also, this weekend is KJRA rodeo weekend #2! Let's hope it goes better than the last one! :P And what better verse to think upon for the rodeo than my blog's name verse. . . Isaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." :o)

Horseshoe Bay- An Amazing Blessing!

I'm back from my trip, and. . . . . . . . . . . . . . IT WAS INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!

I had so much fun hanging out, talking, and playing golf with Sarah and Jessica! We had the best time!

First of all, the place we stayed was amazing!! The house was HUGE, and I loved the kitchen and bedroom with PINK accesories!! A pink toaster. . oh yes! :)

On Friday, we arrived at Slick Rock, our first golf course, and it was SO fancy and cool! It had palm trees and fountains, and a giant, beautiful rock clubhouse! And let's not forget the actual course, which was awesome, and . . . . I shot 87! :) It was so much fun!! :)

Friday night, we went to the fancy Marriot hotel for supper and a putting contest at the huge mini golf course! It was the most fun I've had in a while! The putting round consisted of pictures, putting, an amazingly nice course(nothing like the carpet greens of Secret Garden mini golf in Graham!!), and wildly running around the tennis courts to the next hole yelling, "Run like you ate your Wheaties, girls!!!" Yes, as you can probably imagine, it was great fun! :)

And then on Saturday, after getting over the shock that we were teeing off at 9 instead of 10:30, I was amazed at the beauty of Apple Rock golf course!! It was even better than Slick Rock(although they were both SO much prettier than any course I've played!)! But as I played the course, I realized that as beautiful as it was, it was also HARD!! But fun too! I ended up with a 95, which I was rather happy with! And finally after a delicious late lunch at Chili's with the whole gang, it was time to go home. I was quite sad. :( If I would have been by myself, I might have actually cried! ha  I made so many great memories there, and I can't wait to come back! (Also, a special thanks to Jessica for the beawesome photo shoot we had!!)

Lately, God has showered so many wonderful blessings upon me, and Horseshoe Bay is a huge one of many!

1 Thess. 5:18 says, "give thanks in all circumstances , for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus", and I am SO very thankful for all God has given me, from little things to big ones! :)

Almost There! :)

Guess what?!

My Horseshoe Bay golf tournament trip is in 3 days!!!!!

I am so ready!

The really cool thing is that this past week, I have been preparing and practicing my golf game like crazy, and it has improved so much just because I have been playing so much! I found that in 1 week, I played 60 holes of golf!!

But I was thinking, and this fact of practicing and preparing every day with a purpose relates perfectly to a close relationship with Christ! When we study the Word, pray often, and trust God in all situations, we find ourselves growing closer to Him, and relying and praying to Him much more than we used to! We also see His grace-filled blessings showering over us more and more, because we are trusting the Father and putting Him first in our lives!

Ephesians 3:16-21 says, "I pray that out of His glorious righes He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 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, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

God contains so much power that He provides  for you all you need and can bless you with more than you could ever imagine! He strengthens you and guides you every day! And if you make an effort to trust Him and spend time learning of His love and grace in His Word, you will find yourself with more joy and peace and trust in Christ than ever before! So remember to thank Him for His grace, and grow closer to Him today! :o)

A Beautiful Day!

"Oh, its a beautiful day in the neighborhood. . ."

Yes, it sure is! The weather was perfect today, so I decided to enjoy it! Mom and I had a wonderful picnic at the park which consisted of a pb and j, swinging, and getting chased by an angry goose!!! The last part was quite frightening! We just wanted to give them some bread! haha :)

After the picnic, I finished my school work and then went to the golf course. It was SO pretty outside! And I had a great time while shooting a 41 on 9 holes, which probably helped in the enjoyment. ha :) It was so nice, bad playing actually probably wouldn't have made it bad! I loved it! Nothing beats being outside on days like this! It was wonderful. :)

Isn't God so grace-filled that He would bless us with such joy and beauty to cherish?! Psalm 16:11 says, "You make known to me the path of life, you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Even though we are sinners, when we become children of God, He loves us with all of His power and grace and wants to bless us every day! I love to see all the things God is doing in my life, and all the gifts He blesses me with! They are new every day! :) Remember today to see the big and little blessings of God and give Him thanks and praise! :o)

Golf's Challenges: Physical and Spiritual

Hello everyone!

Sorry I haven't posted in a week! Today, I went to the golf course with Dad and played 15 holes! Most of it was fun, but 3 holes consisted of crying the whole time! Yeah. . . I wasn't playing as well as I wanted, and I was a liiitttlllleee upset about it. But after the tears subsided, I remembered that no matter what is going on, I need to trust God and praise Him through all of it!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Also, Isaiah 33:6 says, "He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure."

And finally, Isaiah 41:10b says, "I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

So God is totally in control of everything, including my golf, and I am making a decision to rely more on Christ and trust in His will instead of my feelings and worries. When I go play, instead of worrying the whole time, I will enjoy myself and trust God that He is making good come out of everything! If you play golf, remember this too, but if you don't, definitely use this in all other parts of your life. God's will is perfect and wonderful, so trust it in all you do! :)

Some Encouragement from Zechariah

Today I was reading in Zechariah, and there are SO many wonderful scriptures in it! They make me have such comfort and strength in God!! So I thought I would share some (or a lot!) hehe :)

1:17 "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem.' "

2:10 " 'Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,' declares the Lord."

2:13 "Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling."

3:4 "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put righ garments on you."

4:6 " 'Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty."

7:9 "Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another."

8:7-8 " 'I will save my people from the countries of the est and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.' "

8:12-13 "The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people. . .so will I save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong."

9:10 "He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth."

9:12 "Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you." :)

9:16-17 "The Lord their God will save them on that day as the flock of His people. They will sparkle in His land like jewels in a crown. How attractice and beautiful they will be!

10:3 "for the Lord Almighty will care for His flock, the house of Judah, and make them like a proud horse in battle."

10:6 "I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them."

10:12 "I will strengthen them in the Lord and in His name they will walk, declares the Lord."

12:10 "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication."

Wow! Aren't these amazing?? I recommend checking out the book of Zechariah for yourself too! There is so much grace and encouragement from God in it! :)

Today, if you are facing a struggle of any kind, or even if you aren't, keep God's Word in your heart and meditate on it constantly! God gave it to you for a reason, and He is truly alive in it! God's Word really helps me, and I know it will help you too! :o)

A Picture of Variety

Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm sort of tired of the snow!

I'm ready for some warm, sunny weather so I can play golf and ride Cinco! Well, I guess I could do those things in the snow, but in golf, it would be pretty hard to find the ball! :)

Needless to say, I had a wonderful time in the snow! Ross and I went on a sledding adventure, and I made a snowman too! I also made a beautiful snow princess! But as I was making the last touch on her face, her head fell totally off!!! All my work was ruined! :P But it was still tons of fun! :)

There is a lake front lot by our house that our whole neighborhood shares, and I like to go down there and enjoy the view, relax, and take pictures! So I was looking at some pictures of the lake I took a few weeks ago on a sunny day, and I compared them with the ones I took in the snow, and well, just take a look. . .

In the snow. . .

 And in the sun!

The lake a few weeks ago. . 

 And the snowy lake!



Pretty different, huh?

I was thinking, and I realized how much of a blessing from God the different seasons of His creation are to us! Each season is beautiful in its own way, and God designed it all just for our pleasure and His praise! Pretty cool, right? :)

I love admiring God's Creation and everything in it, and I think it is so amazing that He blesses with us with the variety of seasons! Each season has so much beauty and so much to enjoy within it! God has truly blessed us with so much, including the majesty of His creation!

And look here at these ice "crystals" that formed on the shore of the lake!!

Who could ever say that there was not a divine Creator in charge of all of this?? :o) All of God's creation shows every part of His love and grace, and they shout praises to Him for all to hear! Do you hear it? Listen for it today, and don't forget to praise Him for all His blessings! :o)

Psalm 148:1-5

"Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the heights above. Praise Him, all His angels, praise Him all His heavenly hosts. Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all you shining stars. Praise Him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created."

A Beautiful Blanket of Snow!

Well, guess what???

IT SNOWED last night!!!!

And it is still snowing.

And I have been enjoying every bit of it.

I love snow!

My snow angel! :o)

I was thinking, and a lot of spiritual things compare well with snow!

First of all, I know we hear this all the time, but it is truly amazing! God loves us so much that He saved us from our sins and made us His children forever! All our sins He forgave and He makes us as white as snow!

Isaiah 1:18 says "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow."

Isn't that wonderful! As I see the sunshine sparkle off the snow and make the snow super bright, I realize that that is what we look like in God's eyes! Absolutely marvelous, isn't it? :)

Secondly, no two snowflakes are alike. And I was thinking, snowflakes our like blessings from the Father. They are beautiful and perfect, and no two are alike! He prepares blessings for each one of us for each of our circumstances and each of our needs! Just like each, tiny snowflake with its own unique shape!

It is awesome to know that the Lord loves us so much that He is SO involved in our lives, with us every second, and creating each blessing just for us! Our God is truly majestic!

I love the frozen water droplets on the trees! 

If you have snow today, or if not, when you have snow, enjoy it to the fullest! To me, it also is a wonderful blessing from our Savior! And as you enjoy the snow, remember to see the comparisons snow has with God's saving love and wonderful favor He gives to us! :o)

Glorious Day!

Hello friends!

Hope you are enjoying this wonderful weather we are having! 70 degrees in January?!

Yesterday I had an absolutely wonderful day! Mom and I delivered Meals on Wheels, and then decided to have a picnic at the park! So we grabbed up our grilled chicken wraps and cherry limeade from Sonic and headed to the park. It was so great! We sat under a tree and ate our lunch, and then strolled around the park, feeding the cute but quite aggresive ducks our left over tator tots! :)

After that, we went to United, and Mom and I split the list so we could get done faster! And so I wandered the aisles of United looking over and over for shrimp and frozen chicken strips until Mom finally came to my rescue! hehe

Then I had a piano lesson, and went to the golf course to enjoy the weather and play a little!

The time outside was just AMAZING, and it really made me appreciate all God is, and His Creation and blessings He gives to us!

And finally, I got off work early-at 8 instead of 10! Hooray! :)

So yesterday was a glorious day!

But when I was sweeping the floor after supper, a song came on my mom's ipod that made me think. It was Glorious Day. As I listened to the song, I thought how glorious the day will be when Jesus comes back, WAY more glorious than any day on earth! So I looked up in Revelation last night more about that day.

Revelation 21:3-4 says, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

Wow! Now that will be a glorious day! :)

Today, thank God for all His blessings on earth, and also remember to prepare your hearts for the day when Christ comes! :)

To Horseshoe Bay We Go! :o)

Well, well, well, I have some exciting news!!

The THESA golf team is taking a trip in February to Horseshoe Bay for a weekend tournament!!!

Oh yes, and we get to stay in Sarah's friends, the Brown's condo!!

Thank you, Brown's!

But I am SO excited! This is going to be the ultimate golf tournament!

So Horseshoe Bay, here I come (in a month)!! ha

I am so thankful! God has blessed me with so much, too much to count! Aren't you thankful for a God that loves us, sinners, so much that He would care for us, send His Son to die for us, make us blameless in His sight, and shower us with favor! God is truly amazing! Remember today to say a prayer of thanks for all He has done, is doing, and will do in your life! :)

"But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God, may they be happy and joyful." Psalm 68:3

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:17 :o)

Golfing By Faith

Yesterday, despite the nasty wind, I decided to go golfing with Dad and get a tune up on my shots from him. And after 5 bags of range balls, my shot was quite nice! Hooray! :o)

But this post is not about that. Its about my golf in general and my struggles and lessons I have learned

So here goes. . .

Last fall, I developed a nasty problem with my golf game that I could just not find a way to fix! After several bad tournaments, I was exasperated! My mom helped a lot by encouraging me. "You're growing, which messes you up. One day's a diamond, next day's a stone." This helped, but as the problem stayed longer and longer, I drew closer and closer to God for my help. On the way home from Wichita Falls one evening, a song came on the radio that I knew came from God. "Before the Morning" by Josh Wilson says,

"Would you dare to believe,

that you've still got a reason to sing,

'cause the pain that you've been feeling

can't compare to the joy that's coming

So hold on, you got to wait for the light,

press on, just fight the good fight,

'cause the pain you've been feeling

its just the dark before the morning."

That night, that song just really hit me and I knew that God was in control over my golf and soon, I was going to experience joy far greater that any of the frustration I had been experiencing.

So I still had been having some problems, but I got them ALL fixed yesterday(WOO!), and I really believe that the joy is coming soon! :)

I may(and probably will) experience more problems in my golf throughout life, but I know that God is always there in control making good come out of the bad! Joshua 1:9 says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

And Deuteronomy 31:8 says, "The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Through the golf struggles, I feel that I grew closer to God. Now, in any problem, golf related or anything else, I will know that God is totally in control, walking before me, and making good come out of every situation.

My devotional book, The Confident Woman, says "When we take steps of faith to make progress in life, there is no guarantee that we will not experience opposition. But we do have God's guarantee that He will always be with us, and that is truly all we need."

So today, if you are going through a struggle, or even if you aren't, remember Deuteronomy 31:8. God is guiding you always through life. His will is always right, so live life according to God's will, and if you feel like you are going nowhere in life, trust God and pray for His guidance. Something wonderful is about to happen to you. Believe it. God is going to bless you more than you could ever imagine. :o)

A Neat Fact about 2011

A homeschool mom emailed this to my mom, and I thought I would share it-

This year, we have 4 strange dates: 1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11, and 11/11/11! Man, that's a lot of 1's! :)

Secondly, if you add the last 2 numbers of the year you were born with the age you will be this year, it comes out to. . .

111!

This works for everybody, and if you were born in 2000 or later, your number will be 11! So cool! :)

Ross, Mom and I were discussing this cool fact, and Mom said something interesting. She said that numbers were somewhat spiritual. At first I thought this was kind of strange, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was true!

Take a moment and think of God's Creation that He designed, from the tiniest electron to the hugest galaxy-

God created ALL of this and everything in between! This means He also designed the number system and all the amazing numerical quirks in it! God is all powerful, all intelligent, and all loving for His children! :)

Psalm 8:3,4 says, "When I consider you heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"

But the wonderful thing is that our amazing, powerful God who made the entire universe DOES care for us! His spirit is with us every second of every day!

Psalm 3:3,4 says "But you are a shield around me, O Lord;

You bestow glory on me and lift up my head.

To the Lord I cry aloud, and He answers me from His holy hill."

So remember today that God is always with you in every situation lifting you up! Ask Him for His blessings and guidance, and He will graicously give it to you! Don't ever forget God's presence in you. Instead, remember it always and  put it first in everything, and God will bless your circumstances!

Matthew 6:33

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. :)

A Fun Night with Mom! :)

Tonight, Ross and Dad went to Ross's basketball game, so Mom and I wanted to do something special. . . .

And a movie together fit the bill!

Thank goodnes for Redbox! Mom and I dashed to United and rented Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue . And don't say that store product shelving techniques don't work, because when Mom and I saw the movie candy by the Redbox machine, we just HAD to have some milk duds! :)

We got all cozy in our pajamas and sat down with our milk duds to watch the movie! I had a fantabulous time! Don't you love just having a cozy movie evening?! :)

I thank God for these fun times with family! He has blessed me with SO much, and we don't deserve ANY of His love at all! God is a generous, loving, amazing Father, and I am reminded of it every day! :)

Psalm 117

Praise the Lord, all you nations;

extol Him, all you peoples.

For great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.

Praise the Lord. :)

Sock Monkey Slippers and Some Great News!!!

Soo today I was sweeping the front sidewalk at our house, and I saw a package on our doorstep. . . .

And it was for me from the awesome Sarah Lunsford!!!

I knew it was my late Christmas present she was wanting to give to me, so I tore it open and inside was. . . .

The Little Red Book of Golf ! Thank you SO much, Sarah, because I wanted this book really badly, but I couldn't find it anywhere!

But that is not all that was in the white box with red and white houndstooth paper inside. . .

Mary Jane fuzzy socks too!!! With cute monkeys on them! EEE! :)

Plus. . . red and black (THESA golf colors) ribbons for my golf bag and hair for tournaments!!! :D

But I have saved the best present for last. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SOCK MONKEY SLIPPERS!!!!!!

Oh. My. Goodnes.

Aren't the little guys cute! I'm wearing them right now! haha :)

So thank you Sarah! You made my day!

And now for the great news (the box from Sarah was great news too, but this is the other great news). :)

I quit barrel racing about 6 months ago to try English riding. But it just really hasn't worked out. Riding turned into more work than fun. :P So I have been praying for peace and knowledge on what to do. And last night, God answered my prayers! :o)

He gave me the idea to go back to barrel racing (I love the excitement and the competition of it!) because when I do that, I really enjoy riding! But when I have a longing to pretend to ride English and imagine up riding stories, I can ride English for fun! But I don't have to worry about all the properness of perfect show form, because I will just be enjoying myself!

So back to the rodeo world I go, but I am really excited about it! God has the perfect plan for everything, and through this, He taught me to trust Him more!

So I am going to go ride today and have fun! :)

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before Him with joyful songs."

Psalm 100:1-2

35 Jars of Jam!

On Tuesday, I learned how to make something cool! And it was. . . . . . .

PLUM JAM!

My neighbor, Mrs. Upshaw invited me over to make jam with her from the plums she picked!

The plums were already cooked into plum goo, so we mixed the plums and pectin, and when that mixture(which, by the way, smelled SO good!) boiled, we added 8 CUPS!!! of sugar! Yes, 6 cups of plums, 8 cups of sugar! :P haha

We let the jam boil for a minute and meanwhile sterilized the jars in hot water. When the jam had boiled, we scraped the foam off the top and then poured it into the jars!

Next, we added the lids to the jam jars, and then left them to sit upside down for 5 minutes!

After that, we turned them over, and soon the jars started making popping noises which meant the jars were sealed to perfection! :)

The whole jam making experience was lots of fun! I felt like I was in the old days or something which is always awesome!

But along the way, Mrs. Upshaw said that her teacher once told her that the jam making process was a lot like being saved by Christ, and if you think about it, it really is!

The jars (symbolizing you) are sterilized by the blood of Jesus, and then the jam (the fruit and spirit of God) is put inside you! Your sins are forgiven, so no impurities are inside you with the fruit. Then the jar is sealed, which represents God's spirit never leaving you! The Holy Spirit will never come out of you, no matter what! :)

Then (I just thought of this) others can enjoy God's love and gifts through you, which is like people eating the jam out of the jar! An odd representation, but a true and encouraging one at that! :)

So I had an awesome time making jam, and I also learned a spiritual lesson too!

Job 39:19-24 :)

If you know me very well , you know that I am in love with horses!!! And God has blessed me abundantly to be able to own my own horse, Cinco. :)

Cinco and me!

Cinco is a great friend! He, even though he is a horse, has his own unique human-like personality. First and foremost, he is terrified of pigs! Strange, I know! :)

Cinco also has strict feeding schedule in his head, and if we are a little late feeding, he can be quite annoyed! You can tell when he's mad, because he stomps around, tosses his head, and makes quite ugly faces! :P

But best of all, Cinco is my friend! I enjoy spending time with him, noticing his quirks, and working together as a team when we ride. :)

I had never heard this Bible verse until I saw Secretariat a few months ago (by the way, if you haven't seen this, you NEED to! It is amazing! I saw it 3 times!), but now it has been added to one of my favorite verses!

Job 39:19-24

(God is asking this to Job)

"Do you give the horse his strength or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?

Do you make him leap like a locust, striking terror with his proud snorting?

He paws fiercely, rejoicing in his strength, and charges into the fray.

He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing; he does not shy away from the sword.

 The quiver rattles against his side, along with the flashing spear and lance.

In frenzied excitement he eats up the ground; he cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.

Oh, isn't this verse amazing? And the cool thing is, that we can be like the horse in this verse! If God gives all this to a horse, who has no soul, then he will most lovingly give all of this strength and bravery through Him to us!

God contains all the love, strength, bravery, peace, healing, and innumerable other amazing things inside Him, and He is just waiting to transfer them to us!

When God gives you a dream or purpose for you life, or in other words, your "trumpet sounds", don't be afraid to go for it! If what you want to do is God's will for you, nothing can stop you, so ask God for His guidance, strength, and peace through it, and pursue your dreams! :) With God's power within you, you will most certainly suceed!

A Piece of God's Masterpiece

On Monday evening, I dashed outside to get a picture of the amazing sunset! It was just in time too, because about 5 minutes after I took the pictures, the majestic colors were gone.

Whenever I look at God's beautiful masterpiece that He made for us, our earth, and everything in it, I always get a reminder of God's power and glory! He made everything, from the stars in the sky to the smallest insect to the amazing sunset only with simple words from His lips! Our Father is truly amazing, and I am reminded of that every day by our world He made for us to live in, as well as His love and guidance that is alive in my life every day!

"God saw all that He had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:31

Happy New Year!

Its 2011!!!

I am so excited, because I know God has many blessings in store for this new year! He is with us all the time, and makes good come out of every situation, so I know 2011 is going to be awesome!

In my house, we have a framed sheet of the old, amazing hymn, "It is Well With My Soul." Today, I was reading it, and although I know most of you probably know it, take a closer look at the first verse:

"When peace like a river attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul."

Do you know why it is well?

Because God is with you every minute of every hour of every single day in your life! No matter what you do, or where you go, He is always right beside you through all things! Doesn't that give you peace? You are not alone!

And even in the bad times, God is always working things out for good! He doesn't cause the bad things to happen, but He sometimes allows them to, so you can grow in your faith in Him. And when the "storm" is over, God will have something magnificent waiting for you beside the rainbow! :)

So this 2011, whatever you go through, in happiness and hardship, remember that God is there, ready to comfort you and bless you with His love! He is the answer to all your problems! All you have to do is ask Him for His peace and blessings! He will never keep them from you! He is waiting to bless you, so go ahead and step out in faith! Ask God for His favor, guidance, and blessings today! :)