Yeah...I got a new attitude...

So as I figured...I never posted from Louisville. As soon as I got to New Attitude it was non-stop action (unless I was sleeping) but even in all that non-stop action I was able to just sit and listen and grow.
This post won't be too long because I am about to leave for a job interview (with a new family!) but I just wanted to say that this weekend I learned things that I never knew about God's Word before. I have a new passion for it and it's only by God's amazing grace that I do! Josh Harris asked us Saturday night, "What is our attitude towards God's Word?" Those word's echoed in my head during the rest of the sermon and throughout the weekend. I realized that my attitude was not a good one. I had made reading my Bible a "duty" and a "chore". I wasn't delighting in the Bible....it wasn't a joy to read.

This morning I awoke with a new passion for God's Word. I had a new joy...a new attitude.

Until then...

Tomorrow I am leaving for New Attitude!! It is going to be such a great time and I cannot wait to see what God is going to do at the conference. Plus it is going to be so great to see all my out-of-town friends that I rarely see anymore plus getting closer with my girls...I can't wait!

Currently on the NA Blog, Eric Simmons is writing tips for us all that are going to the conference. Tip #6 is pray before you go...

"While you’re packing and running to the store for new clothes, don’t forget to pray.

Pray for the Lord to speak to you: Ask God to speak to you during the conference and to transform your heart and mind as you encounter his Word. Prayer is a helpful act of humble dependence.

Pray for the Conference: Here are some specifics to pray for regarding the conference.
+safe travel for attendees
+conference speakers
+conference admin team
+community group and family group leaders
+pastors attending the conference
+any prayer requests people leave here in the comments (Click here to see the comments)

I have been praying for these things as I have been doing my last minute errands and even during the day as I think about it. I would ask that you (whoever reads the blog) would do the same!

So until Saturday! Ciao!

(the next post on this blog will be from the 2008 New Attitude Conference in Louisville, Kentucky!! *_*)

Title goes here

Just a few notes before I go to bed:

A) I think that everyone needs to buy the song "Lucky" by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat!!! It's soooo good!! I want to somehow incorporate it into my wedding (when it happens) (lol)

B) My cousin has THE CUTEST daughter EVER!!! And I am now Auntie Chelsea!!

C) I am so stinking excited about NEW ATTITUDE!! It's only 4 days away and I still have a lot of stuff to get done before we leave.

D) I think it was a really bad idea for me to forget to put sunscreen on when I was at the beach last week...my poor shoulders are peeling. Plus we are going to the beach tomorrow so I am going to slather myself in sunscreen so that I am not burnt for NA.

Well I am off to bed - but I will try and post later this week.

Let the good times roll!

So today officially starts my "vacation" (even though I will still be here, in Gainesville, for half of it). Today I am driving down with Stephen to go to a wedding in Orlando. Our friends Brittanie and Joel are getting married and we are so excited for them! We will drive home after the reception because tomorrow is our church graduations.
My cousins Brandon and CJ are graduating!! It really seems like yesterday that it was me graduating from high school...I can't believe it was two years ago. And now I have my AA degree! It's so amazing to see how far God has brought me in life...He is truly a good God! Saturday will be filled with hanging with our family and celebrating with the boys in their accomplishment. It's going to be a very exciting day!
Sunday will be a cleaning day in our home after church. My cousins are coming on Monday! Brooke and Selah (her daughter) are flying in from Minniesota and Brittany and David (her husband) are flying in from Texas. I haven't seen the girls in over two years. And I have never met Selah or David in person...so I am very excited for Monday! I can't believe it's already here.
Tuesday our whole family will go to St. Augustine so that the cousins can see the ocean. They love going to the beach when they are here so we make it a point during their visit to drive over to the beach. They love it! And then we always hit up the outlet malls. Thats one thing I love about my cousins - they love to shop. =>
Wednesday, Brittany and David will drive to Orlando for their 1st year anniversary as well as Brit's birthday. So I will have Brooke and Selah to myself (well not entirely to myself) for three days. I can't wait to catch up with Brooke. We were always so close when we lived with them. It's going to be so crazy seeing her with a daughter. But it suits her...she has always wanted to be a young mom and raise a family. God has blessed her with an awesome husband!
So wednesday and thursday will be kinda chill days for me. Friday (when my "real vacation" starts) I will be packing all day and getting last minute things done before I leave for NEW ATTITUDE!! I can't wait...seriously I already have my packing list made!! (lame I know...but you have to be prepared! *_*) So packing all day and then Sarah and Jenelle are coming up that night so that we can all hang out and make sure we have everything we need. The caravan leaves from our church at mid-night and will be driving through the night. I think I heard we will get into Louisville (as in Kentucky!) sometime in the early afternoon.
Yeah so I am very excited for the next couple of weeks. What really bumbs me out is as soon as I get back I need to find a job because I ended up quiting my family this week. I just really felt like God told me I wasn't suppossed to be with them anymore...so until my boss finds me another stable family I am out of a job. But I know that God will provide and I do have some on the side naany stuff that I will be doing. Nothing that will pay the bills though. So if ya'll think about it, pray for me that when I get back from NA that I will be able to find a job or have my boss find me a regular family I can nanny for.

Here's to the good times that are to come the next two weeks...the memories to be made...the relationships to be built...the words to be spoken...and songs to be sung.
Lord, may they all be a reflection of you. Let all of these these be glorified through You. I pray for Brittanie and Joel that they will have a blessed marriage and that tonight will be the best night of their lives. I also pray for all the graduates tomorrow, as they step into a different season of their life I pray that you will be there beside them the whole way. I pray that they will continue to grow closer to you and walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel. I pray for my cousins as they fly here to Florida I pray that You will be with them and keep them safe. I pray for the planes they will fly on that nothing will go wrong with them and I pray that the pilots will be awake and alert to all that goes on. I pray that our time together will be wonderful and that it will all glorify you! Father I thank you for this weekend and for next week with my cousins. You are so good and I am truly blessed! In Your precious name I pray - Amen.

Might To Save

I just heard this song the other day and it really touched me. The words are so beautiful! So I wanted to share it with you.


Everyone needs compassion
Love that’s never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness
The kindness of a Saviour
The hope of nations

Saviour
He can move the mountains
For my God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever
Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as
You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender

Let Your light shine
Let the whole world see
We’re singing
For the glory of the risen King
Jesus


"Might To Save"
- Laura Story (Great God Who Saves)

Caught up in a Daydream

This might be really random...

But have you ever just been totally out of it during the day...like you're off in a daze and your brain just doesn't want to come to reality. You're off in your own world...dreaming about whatever. Well that was me today...I just couldn't focus on anything! It frustrating but very productive at the same time...in a weird sort of way. I haven't been sleeping well at night and so it was almost as thought my night-dreaming wasn't really finished and it carried over into my day-dreams.



So tomorrow (well actually today) I am going to Anatastia Island with Sarah, Jenelle, and Angel. Mallory couldn't come because she has to work and she has school too. =<>

Oh, I would like to ask that you guys be praying for my family. We are still going throught a hard time, as far as jobs go, and we really need the Lord's guidence in some areas. So if ya'll think about it this week...just say a little prayer for my parents. I love you guys! <3

11 Days!!!

Psalm 89:5-7

Let the heavens praise your wonders
O Lord
Your faithfulness in the assembly of
the holy ones!
For who in the skies can be compared to
the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings is
like the Lord
a God greatly to be feared in the council
of the holy ones,
and awesome above all who are
around him?

Two week countdown: NA!!

So in all my excitement for New Attitude I have decided to do a countdown every time that I post!

14 Days!!!

I really really can't wait! It's going to be a lot of fun and I have the best people that I am riding up with and the girls in my room are sooo awesome!!!
Car ride: Me, Sarah, Jenelle, Bradley, and Eric (driver)
Galt House: Me, Sarah, Jenelle, and Nicole
It's going to be sooo fun! And I am really looking forward to the messages! The theme this year is The Word of God..."This year at Na 08 we’ll rediscover the well-worn pages of our Bibles. We’ll spend time considering the certainty, sufficiency, and relevance of God’s word – that it may become to us a joy and our delight." I have already started to prepare my heart and my soul for that weekend. I know that God has some pretty big things in store for us this year!


Guess what I did yesterday...I pulled out my violin and I played it for like two hours! It was amazing! I haven't played it since the beginning of April becuase I took a break from the worship band and also school was becoming overwhelming. I definately want to play a lot this summer and learn new things! It's going to be great!
I won an iPod off of eBay on Tuesday! It should be here around Wednesday...it took so long because my money took forever to transfer from my bank to Paypal. But it's an 8G and it's black! I want to get a zebra print hard case for it...I think it would be so cute! But I also saw a hard case that had the Eiffel Tower on it and now I really want that one too! lol So many choices!

Take time to realize...

So I got my grades and they are good!!!! I'm happy...

And I just ordered my LSU championship shirt!! It should be here this week! I have been procrastinating with not getting it...but I figured the time is right! I am excited! =>
(No hating please! I still bleed Orange and Blue...but a little Purple and Gold ain't gonna hurt nothing! ^_^)

The clock ticks...and still no answers

So grades should be posted anytime now...I'm really nervous because it would be so awesome to make straight A's (which I have never done) but I not keeping my hopes up for it. But I wanna know what I got!!!! =<

Well I will go ahead and start my blog...

On Sunday my uncle preached about the Sermon on the Mount and how we need to be "Kingdom Living in a Fallen World". We only went through the first three Beatitudes this Sunday and he will be breaking down the rest during the next couple of weeks.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."
Matthew 5: 3-5

First he talked about the Kingdom of Heaven (or of God) and this quote from Sinclair Ferguson was really great, "The Kingdom of Heaven/God is the rule and reign of God, the expression of his gracious soverign will. To belong to the kingdom of God, then, is to belong to the people among whom the reign of God has already begun."
*The kingdom has come because the King of Kings has been born and is now walking the earth proclaiming His message. Wherever Jesus reigns, there the kingdom of heaven is already present.
He begins explaining what the kingdom of heaven is because that is what Jesus is talking about in the sermon on the mount..."blessed are those...for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

He hits the first three Beatitudes in this sermon:
"poor in spirit" means to be spiritually destitute (that we have nothing when going to God). How do we become poor in spirit? (1) We must not look to ourselves for righteousness (2) We need to look at God! John MacArthur made an excellent point on this topic, "The spiritually destitute are the happy ones. Why? Because they are the only ones who tap the real resource for happiness. They are the only ones who ever know God. Theirs is the kingdom - then and there, here and now."

"those who mourn" means that we need to mourn over our personal sin. He hits on David and his grieving over what he had done to Uriah. David says in Psalm 51:4, "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,..."
"Some Christinas never seem to discover this reality of like in God's kingdom. It is grace that makes us mourn for our sinfulness...but it is the grace of God that melts our hearts and causes a right attitude toward that sin, in sorrow, shame, and mourning." (S. Ferguson) and "...A deep doctrine of sin, a high doctrine of joy, and the two together produce this blessed, happy man who mourns, and who at the same time is comforted." (ML Jones) These two quotes really hit me on Sunday. I don't ever mourn for my sin...I never knew that we should be so grieved! Sin is a terrible thing and God hates it! But when we mourn, when we are grieved...we receive grace! We are comforted!

"are the meek" means to have strength under control; to be gentle, submissive, patient, tenderhearted. *Broken in spirit focuses on my sinfulness - Meekness focuses on God's holiness.* This is one area that I definately need to work in. My mother always to me that we all need to cultivate a meek and quiet spirit. I never knew why. I always thought it meant that I couldn't do certain things...like laugh really loud or be just a little crazy every once and a while. I thought it meant that I couldn't have any fun! But thats totally NOT what it means!! Meekness is compared to holiness and humility..."Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience..." Colossians 3:12. Sinclair Ferguson defines meekness perfectly, "There is probably no more beautiful quality in a Christian than meekness. It enhances manliness; it adorns femininity. It is a jewel polished by grace. But it is all to rare. Is that because so few of us know what it is to be poor in spirit and to mourn for our sins?...Only as we come to God and his presence do we begin to discover ourselves as we really are. When we know what we are before God, and look to him for grace and salvation, then we become poor in spirit; then we mourn for out sins; then, having seen ourselves as we really are, we bow to his will in all things. And as we experience the gentleness of his grace, we are meek and gentle with others."

The sermon ended with this point, "Jesus is telling us how to become a part of this kingdom of his. It is by being poor in spirit, mourning for our sin, and trusting in Jesus."

I pray that I grow in these three areas! Oh how I long to be poor in spirit...I want to mourn and grieve over my sin...and I long to cultivate meekness! I pray that this will become a longing in all Christians.

(you can hear the full message Here)

Dear...sweet...FREEDOM!

I love that word - FREEDOM - I love that I am done till August! No worrying about school...until the middle of July when I register for classes. How sweet it is!

When I left my last final this morning...it was like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders...and I could breathe easy again. Seriously, this semester was amazing...and I made such great friends that I will hopefully see again in my program!

Since it is 1:00am I am going to act like it is the day and not the wee hours of the morning. So, tonight is my GRADUATION party!!!! I can't wait for my diploma to come in the mail...that sucker is going in a super nice frame and is hanging on my wall!! => It's so weird to think that I am an alumni of a college (even though I do have to take two more classes there in the fall for my program...but they will both be online). And if the Lord wills it, I will be at UF in the Spring of 2009!

It is so amazing how much things have changed over this past semester. God has done so much and I am seriously amazed at how good He is to me! He has brought in the most awesome group of people into my life...and most of them are gone for the summer =<...and I am so grateful for the teachings at FCA. They have been a blessing to have during this semester!

Me and Brittany are going on a date Saturday night...I love going out with my girlfriends! We are going to dinner at Fresco's and then we are going to see 'Made of Honor'!! I love chick flicks...and this one looks super cute!! I can't wait!!

So I better go to bed because I have to get up early to help mom clean the house and I need to pick up the cake at like 11am...super fun! I will put up pics on Sunday!!


"Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Psalm 37: 3-4