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

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

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