Fall Must-Haves

It's getting to be that time of year...that beautiful, blissfull, favorite time of year...
... FALL!

The cooler weather, the crisp leaves, the breathtaking colors. They all take hold of my heart and keep it captivated as I'm reminded of God's creativity in the changing of the seasons. I'm fully convinced that He made Fall especially perfect to remind of us His beauty. There are so many fun activities, so many memories that go along with this season. Fall festivals, pumpkin patches, state fairs, apple picking, jumping in leaf piles and riding with the windows down... don't even get me started on the smells. Cinnamon, pumpkin, nutmeg spice, it's my favorite season! (There's also that beautiful thing called Alabama Crimson Tide football, Roll Tide!)

I'm becoming a list person. I like to make to-do lists. Some are in order to keep my life from being crazy chaos, but other lists are for fun, to ensure that I don't let myself get too overwhelmingly busy and actually slow down to enjoy the season. Thus, the reason for this post: my electronic Fall to-do list.

Must-Haves/Do's for Fall 2010:

• Alabama football with my family every Saturday
• Matt's 23rd Birthday
• Cagle's Dairy Farm for the North Georgia Corn Maze
• Pumpkin Carving with my Fiance
• Apple Picking in the North Georgia Mountains
• A ride through the country side with the windows down
• Boots shopping
• Scarf wearing
• Camping Trip with my friends

There's so much to look forward to! I don't want to miss a bit of it. Way too often, I'm always looking forward to the next big thing. But I'm beginning to learn that the Lord has intended for me to not just count down, but to live every day with the intent of glorifying Him through being fully aware and alive in the midst of never-ending change. That's it. That's my thoughts today. So go out there and enjoy Fall everyone! It will be over before we know it.

The new and improved!

My blog was stale. I realize this. Even though no one verbally communicated that to me, I knew it all along, but kept putting off making it better. However, time is on my side today so I figured a little sprucing up was in order. I'm not positive that this is the final layout, title, or set-up, but it'll do until I think of something better.

Again, I'm not much of a blogger, but I might as well try to make use of it since I've got one now. Plus, when the Lord is teaching me so much, why would I not want to share it with the world?!

Right now we are t-minus 29 hours from the High School Girls Retreat. It's taken tons of planning and preparation, but we're almost there and I'm PUMPED! The Lord is up to BIG things and I can't wait to see what He whips out during this short weekend. I'm confident that the students won't be the only ones being challenged. Even in my preparation for the one session I'll be teaching, the Lord has been reminding me of His faithfulness and ability to answer prayer. He has been working behind the scenes, in front of the scenes, and all throughout the scenes. Just get ready to hear about what takes place this weekend as we watch and participate in the things the Lord has planned for us!

Please join us in praying for every person going on this retreat. All the students and all the adults. We're waiting expectantly for the Lord to chizzle away the flesh and replace it with more of Himself!

Sleepova Frenzie!

So...one of the coolest parts about doing Girls Ministry is that we get to hang out...as GIRLS! Woohoo girly things bless my heart. I love it. So for the girls who came to the Girls Summer Bible study for the last 6 weeks, we had a sleepover to celebrate our finale! 1 Peter 3 taught us SO much about how our attitudes should be as women, how to behave, and how to exercise a gentle and quiet spirit while we respect the men in our lives. It was an awesome time of fellowship and of breaking Bread with my fellow sisters in Christ.

On the last night of our Bible study we decided it would only be appropriate to get together as girls and just party it up. Here is what ensued. Oh...the laughter and good times that took place....

It wouldn't be a sleepover without a dance party in the strobe light... These girls were BREAKIN' IT DOWN.... I am the first to say that I absolutely LOVE dance parties and don't think its a party without one. But I'm not gonna lie, these girls were killing me in the energy department! Every time I tried to stop the dance party to move on to something else, somehow someone would start it back up again. There was no cutting it short. They were going to get their groove on no matter what I said. It was a blast!

Overall, we had a fantastic night, ate tons of pizza and junk food, and barely got any sleep. I would say it was a very successful event which will definitely have to be repeated!

We MUST Abide.

That's what Scripture tells us if we are wanting to produce any fruit in our lives...

John 15:1-5, 10-11
"I am the true vine; and, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing..."

"...If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."

No matter how many times I hear this passage...I am ridiculously challenged. What does it really mean to abide? I got curious and looked it up from dictionary.com and the original Greek.

Dictionary.com:
1) to remain; stay; continue
2) to continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship, etc.; last

Original Greek via blueletterbible.com:
1) to be held, kept, continually
2) to continue to be, last, endure
3) to remain as one, not to become another or different

Am I remaining, staying, continuing in Christ? Am I enduring, remaining ONE with him, not letting myself become another or different from Him? Jesus says here that if I am not then I will not bear fruit. At all. Period. I will be useless. What is the point of a vine that is supposed to produce fruit but doesn't? There is no purpose, it is cut down so that a fruitful and useful vine can take its place. And that's what will happen to me if I am not being useful for the Kingdom of God. And I can't be useful if I'm not abiding in Him.

I want my life to count, I want to be used for God's glory for His Kingdom purposes. Otherwise it would be better if I would be cut off, so that others who are producing fruit can step in my place and be used by Him.

His Word is life, it is food for my soul, and I desire to abide in it so that I may know Him more intimately and abide in Him. Without it, my life will shrivel up and stop producing fruit.

I can't let that happen. Jesus deserves more than that.

New to the Blog World...

Well... Here I am, a new found, self-proclaimed....blogger. That's right. Didn't think it would EVER happen. Typically I write my thoughts in a journal and reflect that way. But I guess this is similiar, it's just available to all who are willing to take the time to read it.



This summer God has given me such a tremendous opportunity to serve alongside our youth ministry and specifically reach out and disciple the high school girls. To say I am absolutely LOVING it is an understatement! It all started with HS camp, then MS camp, and now we are doing Monday night Bible studies through the book of 1 Peter. It has been amazing, and God has been using this time to draw me closer to Himself as I lead others to do the same.



My heart, passion, burden, and goal in life is to glorify God by the way that I live. It is my understanding that if He was finished using me, He would have called me Home as soon as I received salvation. However, I know He is not finished with me, and I am thrilled to get to be a part of His story. God has given me a unique passion for high school girls. Maybe it's because they are not afraid to be themselves, tell you how they feel, or completely allow themselves to get wrapped up in the most dramatic situations, just for fun. Even though this age group gets a lot of flack from adults these days, I know that they are much more potential and heart than they are given credit for. Teenage girls are fully capable to understand the Gospel, share it with others, grow DEEP in God's Word, and live their lives above reproach. It is my desire to run alongside them, to encourage them, and to help equip them to be Biblical women of God, who find their trust and satisfaction in Jesus Christ alone.



That's why I am here. That's why I am doing this internship. That's why I'm investing my time. Because I believe the Lord has a great work to do among the high school girls, specifically of FBCW. It's time we step up to the plate and allow God to amaze us through our obedience to His calling.