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525,600

At the beginning of the semester I heard a sermon at Journey Church that I loved and has continued to inspire me. It has provoked me to ponder many questions daily. As I was rereading my notes today I decided I had to share some of my notes, my thoughts and questions that have been weighing heavy on my heart.

What are some ways you respond when someone asks you how you are doing? Blessed, wonderful, okay, fine, tired, stressed… Many times, I think we misuse our time.

In 2011 we have 525,600 minutes to spend however we please.

There are many things that are going to fight for our time. Family, social, work, school, church, getting ready, blogging, facebook, twitter, sports, sleep, etc. Jesus is one of them. He wants our time.

How much time are we wasting?

Jesus had the most important job in history (redeeming humanity), yet as your read the Bible, He never seems to be in a hurry. He never passed the sick and hurting, never rushed through dinner, never ignored those who loved him.

 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
James 4:14

What is important to you?
What is a priority in your life?
What if you did something everyday that mattered?
What is heavy on your heart? (Is this from my heart of the Lords?)  

What does it look like, to not fit God in, but to build my schedule around God?  

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17

We have experienced 84,960 minutes of the year 2011 (counting from January 1-March 2).  I challenge you to make the most of the 440,640 minutes you have left. The count down is on!



I pray the Lord will make Himself the center and complete focus of my life. I can not do it without His help. I pray that the Lord does something so big in our lives that we realize it could only have happened because of Him.

Blessings

Over the past two weeks my schedule has been crazy. From the moment I wake up to the moment my head hits the pillow (PTL for Day Planners)! Days filled with class, meetings, work, etc… I’m lucky if I find 5 minutes to sit and be still.

Up until about 3 minutes ago my mind has been racing and yes, I’ll admit it, slightly stressed (and beyond ready for Spring Break. Nine days- but who’s counting ☺ ).

As I was sipping my green tea and enjoying the “collegiate” atmosphere of the OU Library, the Lord reminded me how blessed I am. So often I fail to recognize that the Lord showers me with blessings.

In order to help myself refocus I decided to make a list of a few of the blessings I am grateful for, things I love and things that fill me with joy.

God’s love and grace
Family & Family Time
Friends
Health
Sunrises/the Sky
Positivity
Green Tea
Fellowship
Music
School

Bible
Goals
Freedom to Worship
Love
Mentors
Each new day (Life)
Traveling
Books
Photographs
A good workout
Smiles & Laughter
Bible Studies
Flowers
Accountability
Quality Time
Challenges
Creativity
Inspiration

Wisdom

Oh the list could go on forever…

What brings you joy and makes you happy? How are you blessed?

Praise the Lord for these gifts!

I pray that God will help me remember my list and help me to be grateful and give thanks constantly.

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” 
1 Thessalonians 5:18


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

Prayer

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:16

Stop for a moment and really ponder this- how much time do you spend during the day praying and talking with God? Do you spend 5 minutes? Pray before meals and before bed? Do you spend hours with Him? Confession- I know I don’t spend nearly as much time praying as I wish I did, I’m working on it.

I feel the importance and power of prayer is often underestimated.  If Jesus felt prayer was so important, why do we not depend on it constantly? Why am I not always overwhelmed with thanks that the Lord has given me this blessing?

Just like any other goal, it takes time and discipline to form a habit. (1 Corinthians 9:25) You must train yourself to be successful.  God calls us to be in constant prayer.

Over the past couple years my prayer life has grown immensely and I have been so blessed because of it. I keep a prayer journal where I write my prayers, prayer requests I have received, verses I love and take notes during sermons I enjoy. Reading through past prayers and seeing how God answers my prayers brings such joy to my day and encourages me to speak with the Lord even more.

I pray that God will make my prayer life even more fruitful this year and that He will work wonders in the lives of those around me.

 Following is a poem I read at someones house once and loved. Had to share it :)

I got up early one morning,
And rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish,
I didn’t have time to pray.

Troubles just tumbled about me,
And heavier came each task.
"Why doesn’t God help me?" I wondered.

He answered, "You didn’t ask."

I tried to come into God’s presence;
I used all my keys at the lock.
God gently and lovingly chided,
"Why, child, you didn’t knock."

I wanted to see joy and beauty,
But the day toiled on gray and bleak.
I wondered why God didn’t show me.
He said, "You didn’t seek."

I woke up early this morning,
And paused before entering the day.
I had so much to accomplish
That I had to take time to pray.
By Regine Anne Baldomar

Success

We all have goals. Some of us just think about them, some of us write them down and thoroughly plan them out, while some of us visually imagine them.

Recently I have been thinking about the goals I wrote down in January.  I realized I started my planning, but never got any further then that. So today I began taking the steps to achieve these goals. (My dad gave me a “Dream List” packet to help me be successful in my goal planning. I will scan it and upload it soon- it is so helpful)

The Bible has over 7,000 promises from God to you. He promises success, confidence, health, prosperity, strength, wisdom and so much more.  But these promises won’t just happen because we want or expect them to. They will come true if we trust the Lord.

To begin, we must recognize our current position. Where am I spiritually, emotionally, relationally, financially, occupationally, physically, etc? Once that list is made, it is time to identify what it is that I want to be different. Not only what do I want to be different, but exactly what I want. It is impossible to reach a vague goal. Also, it is important to ask yourself, ‘Why do I want this?’

Rick Warren made a statement I love. He stated “When you set a goal, don’t focus on  the problems, focus on the promises. Find a promise in God’s Word that will take you to your goal.”

Once this is accomplished, we must depend on the Lord and pray fervently. 

"Please give me success today, and show unfailing love to my master, Abraham." Genesis 24:12

"So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God and there we will receive mercy and we will find grace to help us when we need it" Hebrews 4:16

Barriers come with life. There will be road blocks and obstacles. We must identify any problem we may have to tackle for each of our goals. You can’t remove an obstacle until you identify what it is first.

After recognizing your barriers, you must figure out what steps you must take to achieve your goal. Keep in mind how long it will take. I like to make a timeline. I figure out how long it will take to reach my desired results and put miniature goals in between to keep me on schedule.

A Harvard study in 2010 showed that only 5 percent of Americans have written goals and many of them are among the highest earning people in the nation. (The following link is another Harvard study on goal setting)

Don’t lost courage, you wont achieve your goals over night.

"These things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will sure come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!" Habakkuk 2:3

Also, you can’t do it alone. I struggle with this. I tend to be a very independent person, which is a blessing and a weakness at the same time. Tell others or have others help you achieve your goals.


"One person standing alone is easily attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three people are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12

One of the last things to keep in mind is what is it going to cost you to achieve your goal. What are you willing to give?

You can either drift through life or you can be directed through life by taking the time to think through where God wants you to be. Is your future worth the effort? Absolutely ☺

Fear, Faith & Love

While reading through the book of Matthew today, I noticed that the statement “You have so little faith” appears more then once (in Matthew 6 & 8). This sentence is short, yet so powerful.

“Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Matthew 8:26

This statement truly challenges me. It is a wonderful reminder that nothing is too large for the Lord to handle. So why is it that while in the midst of reality, I find myself worrying about little things? Jesus tells us to choose to rely on our faith. But how do we make this choice?

The more I pondered this question the more I thought about Gods character- His love for me and how He wants to work in my life. Matthew 6:28-30 gives us a glimpse of God’s love for us.

 “Look at the lilies and how they grow … if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t he more surely care for you?” And once again, these verses are followed by “You have so little faith.”

The sweet Lord made flowers absolutely beautiful because that is His character, not because the flowers “worried” enough to be taken care of. I need to choose to have faith that the Lord is at work in my life too. Even in the little things.

My three favorite flowers created by the precious Heavenly Father:

Hydrangeas

Peonies

Orchids

 "The LORD will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."
Isaiah 58:11

Cartoons

This is silly and I recieved it in an email. And although it does not fit into a "typical blog," I thought it was cute and worth sharing.

We complain about the cross we bear but don't realize it is preparing us for the dip in the road that God can see and we can't.

"The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him."

2 Chronicles 16:9

This reminds me of the quote
         Don't ask God to make things easier, instead ask Him to make you stronger.

Peace

Today is one of those days. The Lord has filled my heart with joy and regardless of how gloomy the weather is, I still want to put on a sun dress <<and maybe my Chacos ☺ >> and dance around!! Psalm 13:5  That is until I remember that I have my first major French exam tomorrow and two more exams on Friday. AHHH!! (Quick panic attack). Upon this realization my heart started racing a thousand miles a minute and my anxiety level jumped through the roof. God did not bless me with the gift of retaining knowledge after hearing it once in class; I have to study diligently to make good grades.

After a few moments of freaking out, the Lord truly filled me with peace. He reminded me that I need to turn to Him in my weakness.

“The Lord gives strength to His people;

the Lord blesses His people with peace.”

Psalm 29:11

Once again, God blessed me with the reminder that I don’t need to wear my self out by over planning and stressing about my exams. This negative focus just drains energy from my body. Instead, I should be thankful and trust that the Lord will give me peace and focus. Life will constantly be filled with things to worry about, but I need to choose to focus on the Lord.

With new found peace, I will put on my head sets and turn up Ben Rector and Michael Bublé. (Anyone have any more good music suggestions?) What a beautiful day the Lord has blessed us with! Enjoy your day!

“The LORD bless you

   and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine on you

   and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you

   and give you peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26

Be Zealous

Lets face it, we all desire to be successful. We can strive to be financially successful, have successful relationships, to successfully make an impact… the options are endless. But how do we embark on this endeavor?

Today I have spent quite a bit of time pondering my future- and no, I still have no idea what God has in store for me… But we will see! However, as I thought about experiences in my past that were successful, I realized there was a pattern. Enthusiasm, passion and prayer. From smaller things such as trying out for my competitive All-Star cheer team, to being offered internships in New York City at Dior, Chanel, DKNY and a PR company, to being blessed with the opportunity to work at Kanakuk K-West. Or being successful in my relationships (God, family, boyfriend, friends).

“Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.” 

Romans 12:11

The areas in my life that have been most successful are the areas that I have shown the most zeal.

Have you ever been around a person who was so excited about a project or task that you couldn’t help but be excited as well? Enthusiasm is such a powerful motivator and is contagious. It inspires us to move forward positively in the direction of our choosing. Enthusiasm is a catalyst.

What are you passionate about? Can others feel your enthusiasm?

We can make our plans,    

   but the Lord determines our steps.

Proverbs 16:9

Trust

One of my biggest struggles is that I tend to be anxious or stressed. Why? I’m not sure. Whether it is planning, studying or just going through my everyday routine, my mind always seems to be running a million miles a minute. But as I was reading Proverbs this morning I came across a verse (one that I’m sure we have all heard a plethora of times) that reminded me to stop.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart    and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him,    and he will make your paths straight. 
  Proverbs 3:5-6

Anything that tends to make you anxious is a growth opportunity. I need to strive to trust in the Lord more everyday, specifically in these areas of my life. Each time stress comes my way I need to embrace these opportunities and be eager to gain all the blessings the precious Lord has in store for me. Goal for today:
           Lean on, trust and be confident in the Lord with all of my heart and mind.

"But I am like an olive tree  

  flourishing in the house of God; 

I trust in God’s unfailing love   

 for ever and ever."

Psalm 52:8

Quality Time & Relaxation

So the snow has slowed down our lives and caused us to take a deep breath and chill a little. In this fast pace world we forget that every now and then we need to take a break and look around. This snow week reminds me of a quote from Ferris Buehlers Day Off- "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Well this week, it’s hard not to look around and see the beautiful snow the Lord has blessed us with.

Since we have had a week to relax, my dad and I have come up with the following routine to spend quality time and be somewhat productive while relaxing.

Perricone- Hydrating Nutrient Mask
is a favorite of mine

We start by doing Insanity and Ab Ripper X to get our heart rates up. I have developed a love/hate relationship with Insanity, but I feel stronger from doing it already! Then I attempt to convince my father to put on a cleansing mask with me while we detox using the Ion Detox Foot Bath.

 It sounds crazy but my family loves it! We really feel 100% better after doing it.

 Since two people can do it at the same time my dad and I will pull up chairs next to each other and discuss what God is doing in our lives, how wonderful He is, what we can do to further His kingdom, the future or what ever comes to mind. It’s a highlight of my day!

Anyone else have any things they enjoy doing to relax?

"Praise the LORD, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the LORD, O my soul."

Psalm 103:22

Guilty Pleasure

Due to the colossal amount of snow we have had in the past few days, I have had an inordinate amount of extra time on my hands. While I am very blessed in that I work via internet and phone and have been able to continue working this past week, every girl needs to take a break. (I work for a real estate company and help manage their branch of luxury log cabins in Branson, check them out they are beautiful).

So I gave in to my guilty pleasures and spent countless hours reading my Bible, doing Precepts studies, reading blogs, online shopping, doing Insanity workouts, baking recipes from The Pioneer Woman and designing clothes/sewing (yes, I love to sew). Here are some of the things that made these beautiful snow days a little warmer (and made me even more anxious for spring!!)

Perfect for an airplane ride from Texas to Cozumel, isn't it?

                             

For those who don't know I love July 4, partially because I love fireworks!

Clothing credits to  J. Crew & Anthropologie

Southern Comfort

Today the Lord has blessed us with a beautiful snow day. So on this glorious white day I have the opportunity to sit down at my kitchen table, sip my warm black coffee and look out my windows and relax. I’m comfortable. ((And warm!! PTL))

As I sit here and ponder life, I realize that is kind of what Americans are all about. We strive to be comfortable. We live in an environment where people expect us to act certain ways, speak certain ways or do certain things. For example in the south, generally speaking, everyone goes to church Sunday mornings and tries to abide by the “Christian” morals. My pastor in Florida, Dean (from The Well Church) calls this “Southern Comfort.” Yes, in our eyes we think we are good Christians and glorifying the Lord. But are we living by these morals because we want to bring glory to the Lord? Or are we living this way because that is what’s comfortable and expected?

But the Bible tells us we should be living uncomfortably. In Luke chapters 5 & 9 and Mark chapter 2 (and many other locations) Jesus tells us we need to leave EVERYTHING and follow Him. If you ask me that doesn’t sound comfortable. Who wants to leave their family, friends, lifestyles and selfish ways? Especially in America where we all strive to achieve the American Dream, which revolves around Me, Myself and I. So what does it look like to be uncomfortable? Have I compartmentalized my life into where I feel comfortable practicing and sharing my faith and where I don’t? What is stopping me from reaching God’s potential for my life?

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."

             Hebrews 10:23-24

Goal Planning

I know, I'm a little late. We are half way through January and I am just now finding the time to sit down and contemplate my goals for this year. I have a love/hate relationship with this task because I love making lists and figuring out ways to achieve my goals, but I never know where to start.

Goal setting is one of my fathers favorite things to do in January, so he has been a huge blessing(this is also great father/daughter bonding, which I LOVE). He prompts me by asking questions and by reminding me to keep God's purpose in mind- not my own. Unfortunately, this year I am already at school as I make this list- so no father/daughter bonding or assistance. 

At the top of my list I wrote one of my favorite Bible verses from Paul, "I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step." 1 Corinthians 9:26. Each goal should be planned purposefully to bring God glory and with eternity in mind.

Some of my favorite questions I am usually asked when setting goals are:

• Do my goals help me know God?
• Do my goals help me grow in God?
• Do my goals help me serve God?
• Do my goals help me share God?
• Do my goals help me love God?
• Do my goals help me tell others about God?

Of course I have school goals and goals for life this year, but how I am going to make God the focus of those goals is really the important part. Jeremiah 29:11

In what ways is the Lord going to use me in this year?
 

 "We can make our plans,
      but the Lord determines our steps." 
              Proverbs 16:9