See Something More

Every holiday season, our family tradition takes us to the square in downtown Fayetteville to see a fabulous display of Christmas lights. White lights, colored light, and sparkling decorations cover practically every square inch of the city block. With every tree trunk wrapped and every pathway lined with colorful lights, it is a magical and beautiful place to stroll around. So every year, my family grabs our scarves, hats, and cups of hot chocolate, and we joyfully walk around the square while laughing, taking pictures, and singing along to the Christmas music playing overhead. Last night I attended the lighting ceremony on Harding's campus, which is a tradition that every student enjoys. After a countdown, the 85,000 LED lights popped on and the front lawn echoed with a celebratory cheer. The big bulbs of bluish holiday light dangle from all the trees, cover the bushes, and line the fences. Then today I added some decor to our humble abode by stringing lights from the ceiling

Buried deep in the sand of the minor prophets lies a treasure. I will admit - you kind of have to dig for it. The minor prophets are not easy books to read, and you can't just skim the surface and expect to understand what it all means. Reading the minor prophets is more like showing up on the beach with a treasure map and a shovel. You may have to dig a little, but the treasures of truth are great. As I was reading Amos this week, God revealed one of those buried jewels. In chapter four, God speaks of His desire for Israel to turn away from their rebellion and return to Him. In an effort to draw them back to Himself, He withholds rain from their land, sends locusts to their gardens, and even causes plagues and disasters. The first time through, I found this to be pretty harsh and unreasonable, but then I caught a glimpse of the treasure buried beneath. If God brings disaster, it is only to draw His people back to Himself. He is not harsh, unreasonable, or angry; He is absolute

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalm 118:1 Fall leaves, pumpkin pies, apple cider, and the first logs in the fireplace are just a few of the things that make Thanksgiving my favorite holiday. Of course my favorite thing about Thanksgiving is Thursday morning when I get to see all the family members that I haven't seen in a long time. Then we spend all day talking, telling stories, laughing, eating together, and catching up on everything that has been happening in our lives. Something about that day and those moments we spend together makes me feel so warm. Maybe it's the warm colors of the leaves on the trees. Or maybe it's the warmth in the living room that feels so good after walking from the car in the cold winter air. Or maybe it's just that inward warmth that comes from a love that fills the house when all of my family is together in one place. It is love that isn't hindered by the fact that we haven't seen e

Please click on the link below to read an article of mine that was posted on a Christian webiste for teens called iBegat. Once you arrive at the page, scroll down until you find a post titled, A New Vision . http://www.ibegat.com/ Or to bypass the home page, click on this direct link: http://www.ibegat.com/a-new-vision/ Thanks and have a beautiful and blessed week!

With a spring in my step and a smile on my heart, I practically skipped down the sidewalk. The sun had just set, and a beautiful, peaceful darkness had settled over campus. I looked into the dark navy sky and took a deep breathe of the cool, still autumn air. With such beauty and peace surrounding me, I could not help but think about how beautiful our savior is. I do not think that I can even begin to explain how active He has been in my life this week. I don't think that He has been any more alive than any other week; it is me that has been more alive and in-tune to noticing His presence. Because of all the ways I had seen Him work this week, my whole spirit filled with praise as I walked down that sidewalk at dusk. I couldn't help but think about Him, and the more I thought about Him, the more this strange urge built up inside of me. Would it be weird if I just started spinning around? What if I just started jumping up and down with excitement? I just want to jump! God is a

"Everybody huddle up!" I ran over to my team as I was adjusting my green slip-on jersey and tieing the yellow flags to my belt. I poked my head in the huddle in order to see our first play. I stared at the circles, triangles, squares, and dotted lines, trying to determine which way was up-field and which way was down. "Ready...break!" Everyone else ran to their positions while I just stood there and asked helplessly, "Ummm...what do I do?" "You are Y. Look, right here. Just run this way, and have fun!" A second later, she shoved the play sheet back into her jersey and ran to her place. Still confused, I jogged to the place I thought I was supposed to be and shyly asked the girl next to me, "Which way are we going? Can you give me a brief rundown of the rules to this game?" "Down...set...HUT!" The ball snapped and I ran like a chicken with it's head cut off. Thus began my career as a flag football player! That

"If it is not good, then God is not done." A sweet woman who spoke at the Wednesday night home Bible study I attend shared that with us, and I pass it on to you. It has been playing in my mind over and over throughout this week. God is so good all the time, and everything He does is good. Romans says that "God works all things together for the good of those who love Him." Even when God created the world in the beginning of time, He looked at what he made and said, "It is good." His goal and desire is to mold everything in our lives so that we can look at what He has done and respond by saying, "It is good." So as we look at our lives this week, may we praise Him for the things that are good because He has made them that way. And when we look at the things that may not seem so good right now, may we remember and remind ourselves with confidence... If it's not good, He's not done.

When I saw the email arrive in my inbox, I gasped with nervous excitement. I quickly drug the mouse over the little envelope to open it, but my hand froze. The little white arrow hovered over the icon, but time stopped and I couldn't bring myself to open the email until I got onto my knees first. Lord, you know what this letter says, and I believe that you are in control of what happens. I just want you to know that if they say yes and want to publish my book, then I will rejoice and thank you! But if they say no and reject my proposal, then I will still praise you. I had been waiting for this moment for the past two years, which I had spent writing a devotional book for teenage girls with eating disorders and researching how to publish it. Thriugh the process, I learned all about publishing, attended a conference, and mailed out eight proposals. Finally, after two years of working and waiting, Sonfire Media gave my proposal a chance. They informed me that my book would be revi