Push comes to shove

Tonight was very interesting. I was going over notes for my 15 minute presentation about my trip to China when I was suddenly told that Bro. Tim, our pastor, wouldn't be at church tonight. I was supposed to share and then he was going to speak. So, I quickly found out [20 mins before service started] that I had charge of the entire service! I panicked! I went into Jim's office and began searching for more info and trying to figure out how I was going to turn a 15 min presentation into 30-45 mins. After I calmed down, I went into the sanctuary and read over my journal a little bit and finally found a passage to talk about. I ended up filling the entire service by sharing about our camps and experiences, talking about Joshua 1, watching a video I made, and having a question session. And as people asked questions, I remembered more and more that I wanted to share. It turned out really great!

Super fantastic weekend

This weekend was so wonderful! Friday I drove over to Birmingham to spend an evening at the Hawkins' house with Melissa, Mrs. Kathy, and Dr. Hawkins. We enjoyed a nice meal and fellowship. It was a nice foreign affair. DHawk shared India pictures with us and I was able to share China pictures and we talked about various mission trips and such. It was fantastic. I was also able to spend a good bit of time with Mel. It was much needed. :) After all, we hadn't seen each other in ages...ok ok, so it was only a couple months, but that is a really REALLY LONG time. We went for a jog/walk in Veteran's Park. [so wonderful] I was surprised I made it for as long as I did. [Thanks Melissa for the drive and encouraging] I was also able to catch up with Mallorie this weekend over some Starbucks. [white hot choc is the best...mmm :)]

Today at church was so much fun. We are learning about the roles each person has in a family. This consists of the women, men, and students splitting up and each having their own lesson. Tonight in the student's quarters we talked about respecting your parents. Jim asked Jessica, Callie, and I to come up with a skit to the song R.E.S.P.E.C.T by Aretha Franklin. And the pictures below can show you what we came up with...

me in all my...well...i dont know what you would call it...

Jessica [wife], me [husband], and Callie [rebellious son]

We obviously have too much fun dressing up together, but it just wouldn't be the same without them. The kid in me especially comes out when I am around these girls. They are awesome! [And just in case this thought is crossing your mind...No, you don't need to be worried about us] We started the song with a short skit and then went into the song with Jess leading and me as her background singer and oober crazy dancer. You can only imagine this...really...lol.

Anyway, that's all for now. Til next time...
Chels

In recent news...

Well, it has been a while since I have updated everyone on how everything is going my way. I am not real sure how many people actually read this, but for those of you who do, thanks. And for you inquiring minds, here's the spill.

God has been doing such an amazing work in me in the past couple of weeks. I am seeing so much of His glory in everything I encounter from day to day. My worry level has certainly gone down as my faith has been increasing. For those of you who pay attention on Facebook, you may have seen that Joseph [my bf of 14 months] and I are not dating anymore. I did not feel as if the relationship I was in was headed in God's direction. I have been so much more of myself the past couple of weeks and have been so happy. I know that sounds really mean, but I know it is certainly in the will of God for my life that I am a single person. My focus and drive has to be on Him before it can be on anyone or anything else. I know that He is going to handle everything else. God is so amazing and I am so blessed to have wonderful people in my life to support me. I thank Him each day for giving me such wonderful friends.

Also, I have been in search of a new job. While I still really enjoy being in construction and doing something new almost everyday, I have to have a new job for when I start school in January. Please be in prayer with me on this. Chad, my brother-in-law, told me that a lady is looking for a college student to come and work for her 20 hrs a week that is going into something related to human resources. As most of you know, I am going into Social Work at Jacksonville State...I would say that social work and human resources are pretty connected. :) I am hopeful and Chad is going to put in a good word for me. It is really good pay and not many hours a week. Plus, some experience to go with my field. This is what I decided a while back that I really wanted to do when school started, so I am praying that this is why no one has called me back from other jobs I have applied for. If not though, I will just know that it is not meant to be. I am trusting Him in this.

Well, I think that is pretty much it right now. OH wait! I take that back. One more thing. This week Jim and Donna are on vacation. They left for Maggie Valley, NC yesterday morning and will return next Saturday. For the record, I don't enjoy being home by myself. It pretty much freaks me out and I really miss both of them.

Ok, that's really all for now. Peace.
Chels

Oh the places you'll go with a fox in socks...

We had our Fall Festival at church last night. It was so much fun! My friends and I had this brilliant idea that we would get all dressed up for the kids and hand out candy. Well, we did that and some of the kids were scared of us. One kid thought that Jess and Callie were the Joker from the Dark Night. So, anyway, for those in suspense...here is our 'brilliant idea'.

Callie, me, and Jessica otherwise known as Thing 1, Cat in the Hat, and Thing 2.
I love these girls.

Other pics shall be posted as soon as I get them from Jess.

A dash of faith brings a big miracle

For a while now, I have been reading through the Gospels. I finished them last week and as I began Acts, a certain passage caught my attention. Acts 3:1-16. The man who sat outside the temple gates called Beautiful everyday was healed because of his faith.

In the end of this passage it says that the people were astonished. If you continue reading, Peter raises a really great question..."Why does this surprise you? [vs. 12]" I think we should ask ourselves this question as well. Why is it that we are surprised when God moves in our lives? Why is it that we don't trust God to do what He says He will? These are questions that I have been asking myself lately in the situation I am seeing. There are so many promises and examples in the Bible that prove to us that God is a God of fulfillment. He is a worthy God who deserves our praise. I heard a song recently that really opened my eyes. I am trying my hardest to fully be able to say these words and mean them with all that I have within me.

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Waiting is not always easy, but I have found in past experiences that it is so worth it. All my days, I believe it will be worth it to wait for the answer God provides, even when it is not convenient for us. I am trying to wait on God right now to provide answers and praying that He would use people in my life to show me the right direction to go. [I know how that sounds, but I hear Him a lot better when He does this.]

The crippled beggar was determined and went to those gates everyday and he had people to help him get there. In our lives, we have to stay focused and determined to find what God's will is for our lives even if it takes a little waiting. I am learning to be content in Christ, rather than using my circumstances to measure my level of contentment. I believe Paul said it best when He said, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything who gives me strength. [Philippians 4:11-13]"

He says it all. I believe if Paul could do it, we can do it too. I can do it. I can be content with what the Lord has for me and when He decides to change my circumstances, I will be waiting. Paul faced so many hardships that I probably will never have to go through. Paul is a great example for us to follow. I admire him dearly and thank God for allowing him to be a part of His letter to us.

I am learning what true surrender is all about and finding that as I fix my eyes on the cross, they will be opened all the more. I am trying my best to lay everything at the foot of the cross. We are all like onions with so many layers; as one layer goes, another is revealed. Once they are peeled back, the heart is shown. I seek to have my heart released and given solely over to the will that God has for me; to His plans. While this is a tough process for me, I will go at it with my all. I will allow Him to break me and put me in my place. I thank Him for the grace He gives and praise Him for what He has, what He is, and what He will do with my life.

Til next time...
Chels

Thinking on Heroes...

I was thinking about heroes today and remembered that I made a post on facebook back in May. A lot of stuff was going on and that is what perked me to write it in the first place. I have decided that I would re-post the old blog on here and give my follow-up thoughts. So, here is the previous...

Did you have a favorite superhero when you were younger? I’m sure we all did at some point. Superheroes are people with an enormous amount of strength and extraordinary talent and ability. They exemplify just what we want to be. They have characteristics that we want to possess. At some point though, don’t all superheroes reach a point of brief defeat? We think it is the end to our favorite superhero and sense doom for them. We decide that it is not worth the effort to believe that our favorite superhero will make it.

Isn’t it the same with the people we consider heroes in our actual lives; the REAL lives we live everyday? God places people in our lives that are heroes to us. A hero is someone who has distinguished courage or ability. We lift them up on a pedestal in hopes that they can conquer anything that comes their way. We count on them to never fall, yet they also have a point of brief defeat every now and then in their lives. We believe so strongly that our heroes can’t fail that when they do, we tend to want to give up on them and choose someone else to be our hero.

What I have come to realize though, in the past weeks, is that when our heroes fall, we can’t just walk away and choose someone else. We believe they have done so much to reach hero status that they just can’t let us down. But where are we when they do? Is it right of us to walk away? BY NO MEANS! They were there to teach us so much, to walk us through our hard times, why do we think that we can’t walk beside them in theirs? Our heroes need us just as much as we need them. We all go through hard times and too many times flee when it gets ‘too tough’.

I have learned that no matter what struggle comes our way or in the way of our heroes, we can’t ever give up. We have to keep on going. We must press on. The Power Team is a ministry that essentially breaks things to win people to the Lord. They performed feats of strength that I’m sure they have done time and time again, yet you could still see the pain on their faces of the agony they were going through. I watched them over the course of three nights and walked away with learning this from them: No matter how many times we face the same kind of pain and no matter how much it hurts; we have to keep going and overcome the difficulty and pain and in the end, it shows our strength rather than our weakness and then comes testimony. We can never give up. NEVER. And we can never let our heroes give up. And ultimately, we can never give up on each other. We have to show them love and help them to remember that they can make it through.

And the latter...

I have realized over the past 4 and a half months as I have watched my hero grow, that she is even more my hero now than she was before. A friend brought it to my attention that a hero might possibly be a hero because they have overcome the fall they faced and risen again rather than not ever failing at all. While my hero faced a point of brief defeat in her life, she rose above the plans that the enemy thought he had for her and walked in what our Father had in mind. She has come through this storm clinging to the cross with all she had. In my hero's point of brief defeat, she has not failed me in the least bit. She has only made me believe in her all the more. I have learned through her experience that you can still be the person God calls you to be even though trials, temptation, and tribulation come. She has put her faith and trust in God to bring her back up and to walk through the storms. I continue to learn so much from this person each and everyday. She is and has been and will continue to be my inspiration and such a blessing to me.

I have seen this wonderful friend/hero of mine blossom in such a wonderful way and I want to tell her again how proud I am of her for growing as she has. I want to let her know how grateful I am to have her as a hero and to have her in my life. Melissa, God blessed me with you and I could never have enough words to say to thank you for being who you are and for constantly being the inspiration that you are. God has molded you into a beautiful person and I can't wait to see how He is going to continue to use you to enrich His kingdom. Always know that no matter what, I am pulling for you and will be here, walking with you every step of the way. You are amazing. I love you.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." -Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

I am so grateful for this word from His Word. God is so gracious to offer us friends to share our lives with. I spoke with one of the girls in the student ministry at the church I go to and shared this scripture with her. As I shared it, I realized that when we are at our lowest moments, it is so great to have people with us. Often times, we want to seclude ourselves and keep people outside the walls that we like to hide behind. These walls represent the boundaries we think we have to keep ourselves safe, but in all actuality they are there to block people from being 'in' on what we are facing. It puts us in danger because we can't guard ourselves from every area. If we block everyone out, who is there to help us up when we fall in a pit within the walls? Nobody. Nobody is there to help us because everyone is 'out'. Why would we want to have that happen? We as people need encouragement from other people who may have gone or are going through what we are going through. It gives some sort of comfort to have someone there for us.

I have gone through many trials, tribulations, and storms in my almost 20 years and I have come to know that while I have God with me and on my side, it is also great to have someone beside me; a physical person that God provides. He has helped me to break down many walls and also used different people in my life to break some tough walls down. If you have walls built up, consult the Father. I know how hard it is to have them broken down. Believe me when I say that it is a relief when the walls are gone and the chains are released. Our Father is a Healer of many hurts. He has a promise that no one can beat. Seek Him out and let Him break you free from your walls.

Driving in the am

9 times out of 10 during the week when I come to Birmingham, I end up staying the night. Last night, I went to the ham to celebrate Tiffany's birthday with her. We had so much fun and for her, it was a night of surprises. First off I gave her the crown...

First stop of the night...Chili's

Tiff said I kept giving her my evil plan face...


Then off to Bruster's...
where I had her open her present...
And to end a great night...I stayed at the dorms with Jenn. I drove home this morning while the sun was coming up. Here are some pics. [I know what you are thinking...I shouldn't be taking pics and driving...but they turned out really well :)]

When the sun started to break through the clouds...

There was an intense cloud cover this morning.
This was all the sun that was shining through in front of me.The sun was reeeally bright. As I was driving and gazing into the sunrise, something hit me. [No, not physically, but mentally.] The sun was shining so bright through the clouds that it was almost blinding and this came to me. When we are wondering what God really has in store for us or when we want to know more details about what He has already revealed to us, there is a reason behind Him not revealing more. Sometimes when we know too much detail it is almost blinding to our minds. We see so much detail and it may cause us to panic or worry about how these things will possibly be able to come about. So, sometimes we have cloud coverage in our minds/lives that help us to get to where He wants us to be. Storms, no matter how big or small, in our life help us. They help us to realize things about ourselves, help us see what we may not have known was there, and help form us into the beautiful children of God that He created us to be.

That's all for now.
Chels

Following up on Living Water

Living Water was amazing last night! That was the best I have ever heard them be!

Although Nikki told me that she wanted to pass out, she did so wonderful! I am so proud I wanted to cry last night when she was singing.

And of course, MercyMe did a great job too! I had forgotten some of the songs that they actually wrote. Bart Millard made a really sweet move when he had everyone sing several hymns a capella. You could really feel the presence of the Lord in that church.

That's all for now.
Chels

Living Water

For those of you that don't know, my sister, Nikki, is in this really awesome band. She is the lead singer and plays the acoustic and electric guitar. Tonight, Living Water will be opening for MercyMe. I can't tell you how excited I am for her and how proud I am of her [and the band]! :D She has been writing music for a really long time and the lyrics are all amazing!


Please keep her and the rest of the band in your prayers. They are all extremely nervous!

Thanks.
Chels

Reunion

I am sitting in Jessica Rouse's [awesome friend on China team] living room with her, Hannah, Liz, and Daniel [more China friends] in Winter Garden, FL. We are just hanging out right now until we go Rock the Universe. ;) I am so excited to go to Universal. We are going to the park also and riding some rides.

It almost seems surreal that I am sitting here right now. Don't get me wrong...I am soo glad to be here, but it doesn't feel like I drove all the way down here. I guess I don't really know how I feel except really happy.

This has been a great weekend so far and I know it will continue to be. Hannah and I are leaving JRouse's in the morning to head home. Our adventure here was great. I will post pictures on the follow-up post. Please pray that we have a safe trip back.

Til next time,
Chels