prayer request.

unspoken.

but heard.

It's official-

I'm a junior.

the real post will come later. After a long, much needed, well-deserved nap...

He Loves Us.

He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane
I am a tree
Bending beneath
The weight of his wind and mercy
When all of a sudden
I am unaware of these
Afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize how beautiful you are
And how great your afflictions for me

Oh how he loves us so
Oh how he loves us
How he loves us so

Yea He loves us
Oh how

We are his portion
And he is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in his eyes
If grace is an ocean we're all sinking
So heaven meats earth like a sloppy wet kiss
And my heart burns violently inside of my chest
I don't have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about the way
He loves us

Oh how he loves us so
Oh how he loves us
How he loves us so

Yea He loves us
Oh how

I thought about you
The day Stephen died
And you met me between my breaking
I know that I still love you God
Despite the agony
See people they want to tell me your cruel
But if Stephen could sing
He'd say its not true
Cause your good

*

I Love You.

*

stress. stress. stress.

siiiiiiiiigh

almost a junior. almost a junior. almost a junior.




. . . uhoh.

please. . .

disregard the previous entry.
in every way possible.
thanks.

summer plans

• organic chemistry II • the Hunt Club • laying out • English 300-something • ann arbor • hillsdale • humane society volunteering • running • sleeping in . . . on tuesdays & thursdays • virginia • hospital volunteering • chelsea's graduation • old friends • long hours at the bar • potential boredom • volunteering at an ophthalmology office (maybe) • music • family • sunshine • bathing suits • half marathon on august 28 • God • lake • south haven? • Chelsea's open house • cedar point • beaches • homework, homework, homework • Bo & Sunny • movies • driving with the windows down and the music up •

. . . and maybe, if it fits in there, some relaxation?

as the days wear on. . .

I know everything will "be ok."

And that my prayers will be answered in ways unimaginable,

all by the grace of God, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.

my biggest flaw...

I began attending a New Life small group this semester, and I sure wish I would have began it sooner. The girls I have met there are incredible and such a great relief in the middle of these stressful weeks. They have all challenged me to think about God and his word, and most importantly, to apply it.

I am not one to share feelings, emotions, my past, etc. It's just not something I have ever really been a fan of. . . instead, I unhealthily bottle it up inside of me until it can be released in a crazy hard run, or I just finally break down, alone of course.

But small group is an entirely different stories. I remember the first time I hung out with these girls, I found myself sharing things that I had never shared with anybody; thoughts, doubts, mistakes, hopes, dreams, all sorts of things. Sure we are all about having fun, a study break, and chatting it up, but instead we involve God.

Tonight, we talked about one of the things that is the focus of New Life Church this year: Freedom to the condemned, the broken, and the something else (sorry I ruined that Line. . . I can't remember : ((( ). We focused in on a few chapters in Mark that showed how Jesus heals us physically and spiritually and that all it takes is for us to believe in him. Then we talked about different things that we felt we needed to freed from and how God could help us.

After reading a few chapters in Mark, we went back to our journal and reflected the different things we wanted from God when we pray, and the different things we need from God.

This was one of the deepest conversations we had ever had as a small group, and it felt so fantastic to connect and delve into our deep thoughts together, and in Christ.

As for my responses, well, I feel the following sums it up quite well.

Jeremiah 29:11-14

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity.

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

the courage to change the things I can;

and the wisdom to know the difference.

Good Friday

Isaiah 53

¹ Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

² He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him,
nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him.

³ He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
He was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴ Surely He took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered Him stricken by God,
smitten by Him, and afflicted.

⁵ But He was pierced for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him,
and by His wounds we are healed.

⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet He did not open his mouth;
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so He did not open his mouth.

⁸ By oppression and judgment He was taken away.
And who can speak of His descendants?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though He had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the LORD's will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes His life a guilt offering,
He will see his offspring and prolong His days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in His hand.

¹¹ After the suffering of His soul,
He will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by His knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and He will bear their iniquities.

¹² Therefore I will give Him a portion among the great, ^[g]
and He will divide the spoils with the strong, ^[h]
because He poured out His life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For He bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

Matthew 27:50
⁵⁰And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up his spirit.

Galations 1:3-4
³Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,⁴who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Fathe

1 Thessalonians 5

⁹For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁰He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.

1 Peter 2:24
²⁴He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.

1 Peter 3:18
¹⁸For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,

Jesus paid it all

all to Him I owe

sin had left a crimson stain

He washed it white as snow.

study break randoms!

• caffeine caffeine caffeine! STAT!
• tomorrow : )
• tomorrow : (
• it was 81 TODAY!
• it's going to be 79 TOMORROW! [probably warmer. . . ]
• at 8:30 it was STILL 70! [as you can see, I am STOKED about this weather. . . ]
• starting next Tuesday at 745 pm, I can have my life back again, thank goodness.
• I got burnt sitting out today- well, my forehead did.
• I didn't go to bed last night until 345. not because I wanted to, though : \\\
• I am back to eating ALL normal food! It still hurts my teeth a little, but whatev. Normal food!!!
• However, I cannot open my mouth all the way, which makes eating huge subs verrrry difficult.
• . . . or huge rice crispy treats verrrrry difficult. [which taste no where NEAR as good as mine!!!]
• I think I'll wear a dress tomorrow.
• I am watching the Rescuers Down Under this weekend!!!
• My entire schedule for next semester/this spring is all jacked up . . . I have to redo it again and decide when I want to orgo II : \\\\
• I wish I could go to prom just so I could buy/wear a dress : (((