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I had never felt like a star athlete until the spring of my sophomore year in high school. It took me a while to find where I fit in, where I had talent, and where I could succeed. I played elementary basketball for several years, but I couldn't even get the ball up to the rim until I was in fifth or sixth grade. I also swam on a neighborhood swim team when I was young, but that never amounted to much either. When highschool rolled around, all the girls were trying out for volleyball, soccer, and softball while I concluded that I had no athletic ability whatsoever. But one day, we timed a mile in my P.E. class and I remember my teacher telling me that I should go out for track. Reluctantly, I decided to give myself one more shot at athleticism, and this time it worked. So the spring of my sophomore year became my fifteen minutes of fame. I ran hard, ran long, ran well, and ran successfully. And I loved it! I felt like God had given me a unique gift that I could use for Him in some ...

I have to admit that I've always been a little bit of a control freak. Okay, maybe that's an understatement. I've been a lot of a control freak. One of my personality weaknesses is that I want to have my life organized and ordered in just the way that I think is best. My friends and family tease me (in a playful way) about how organized my living space is. But the truth is, the way I organize my closet, my calendar, and my bathroom drawers is a pretty accurate reflection of how I want my life to be - everything has its designated place and appointed use. When an eating disorder struck my life, everything got messed up. Suddenly, my life was very disorganized because I no longer had everything under control. I'm the kind of person who needs certainty in life, but an eating disorder made everything so complicated, confusing, and uncertain. Do you know what I'm talking about? The emotions, the thoughts, the attitudes that come with an eating disorder are difficult to u...

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Do you ever have those verses that jump out at you when you read them? I've probably heard this verse a million times, but for some reason, it really stood out to me in a new way when I read it yesterday morning. When I normally read that verse, I focus on the part about God being my comfort, which is a really great message! But when I read it yesterday morning, something different sunk into my mind and heart. I realized that my struggles aren't just an opportunity to experience God's comfort, but they are also an opportunity to share the comfort of God with others! Reading a truth like that gets me excited about my troubles because I know that God can use them to spread His love. It is hard for me to ...

After five days of college life, I can officially say that I'm loving it! Everything here is so new and exciting; it's like a grand adventure. The newness has not worn off, so I still get excited about the next cafeteria meal, the next night in the dorm, the next campus activity, even the next homework assignment! (I know that's crazy, but I just love all the things I'm learning. It is so different from high school!) These past few days have been so thrilling because I've constantly been busy doing things around campus; therefore, I've hardly had time to get homesick...until bedtime. Bedtime at my house is a special and significant time. Yes, my sister and I both got tuck-ins, and I am proud to admit that I would look forward to it every night of my senior year. My mom would come in and massage my shoulders or scratch my back when I had a streesful day, or she would laugh with me when I had a great day. But what I loved most about my nighttime tuck-in was the pr...

Moving into my first college dorm room was even more exciting than I imagined! As I sit here and type at my new desk in my new room in my new town, I'm realize how overwhelming the "new-ness" really is. I am completely surrounded by new and unfamiliar things: new food, new neighbors, a new schedule, new responsibilities...the list goes on and on. My home, my church, my school, and my close circle of friends have already changed. Everything familiar has pretty much been left behind. These contemplations aren't really nostalgic in a bad sense of the word, but they aren't always comforting either. For a girl who has never moved or changed schools or churches, all this moving around is sweeping over me in an overwhelming way. But as I was reflecting on these thoughts a few days ago, God reminded me of a simple, but powerful truth that I had slipped to the back of my mind in the midst of all the change. My relationship with my old friends may change, and my relationshi...

After twelve months of waiting, all that washing, drying, and brushing finally paid off. Yesterday was big day for me because I hadn't cut my hair in a whole year! But let me tell you, it was worth the wait in order to give eight inches of my hair as a donation to Pantene's program, Beautiful Lengths. ( www.beautifullengths.com ) I can't express how excited I was to finally get a haircut! Plus, it was that much more thrilling to know that my hair wouldn't be swept away, but given away. It is my hope and prayer that such a simple gift of eight inches will bring beauty and blessing to someone's life. Here's the before... And the after ! (with my beautiful mom!) All the excitement of yesterday's haircut taught me a little lesson in giving. When I normally think about giving, the first thing that comes to my mind is money. But yesterday reminded me that I have much more to give - my time, my love, my encouragement, my resources, my energy, even my hair. How e...

As soon as my mom heard that Chris Tomlin was coming to concert in our city, she knew exactly what she wanted for her birthday. And when she recieved those two tickets, guess who got to be her lucky companion! My mom and I both really enjoy Chris Tomlin's music, not just because of the upbeat rythyms and beautiful melodies, but because of the power behind the words and the notes. Chris Tomlin has been gifted by the Spirit with the musical ability to give voice to our feelings of awe, admiration, and worship to God! The concert was no different - it was a beautiful expression of praise, and it was wonderful to be able to join Chris Tomlin before God's throne. One thing about the concert really stood out to me, and I want to share it with you. At the end of every song, when the audience would begin applauding, Chris would step back from the microphone and clap, too! By doing such a simple act of humility, Chris Tomlin was directing the glory to where it belonged. Without words, h...

"We have only our two-fifths-of-a-second-long scene to live. I don't know about you, but I want my two-fifths of a second to be about my making much of God...The point of your life is to point to Him." Francis Chan wrote those lines in his book, Crazy Love , and those few lines have had my head churning ever since I read them. In light of eternity, my life is such a brief moment - a blip on the radar. Everything within me strives to make the most of every opportunity so that my life glorifies God. I've always thought that this kind of crazy love for God could only be expressed through radical and drastic actions, like moving to Africa, starting a non-profit organization, or selling everything I own to give to the poor. After all, God did SO much for me, it's the least I can do to do something extreme for Him. Part of me wants to drop everything I am doing in my life so that I can express my crazy love for God in a crazy way, but part of me also looks at my calenda...

Deuteronomy is one of those books in the Bible that is hard enough to say and spell, and harder still to actually sit down and read. I always viewed Deuteronomy as one of those books that you skip when it comes to reading God's Word, but that view was beautifully changed this past spring when I did a Bible Study on the life of Moses that included a study on the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is now a very special book to me because it is filled with rich history, messianic prophecies, and practical apllications! (So when you get there in your Bible study, don't skip it!) One example of Deuteronomy's treasure is found in chapter 28, which is titled, "Blessings for Obedience." "If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God..." (vs 1) The passage goes on and...

When my dad bought a tandem bicycle for our family, I found a new favorite hobby. I've never really been a really great cyclist, but when I hop on the bike with him, it is a different story. Although we are two different people, we are one machine because our bodies are synchronized as our legs peddle together in unison. Just yesterday, my dad invited me to go on a ride with him for an hour or so. I gladly accepted, grabed my helmet and shoes, and climbed on the bicycle behind him. Because our path was several miles and took over an hour, I had plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and the company of my dad, plus I had plenty of time just to think and pray. As I prayed, God directed my thoughts to the bike, and I came upon a wonderful realization - riding a bike with my dad is a lot like my relationship to the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit has always been a little hard for me to understand, but God taught me something on that bike ride about how I relate to and work with the Spirit of...

I was so blessed to be able to go with Susiemag and Bibg World Ventures to Guatemala this summer on a mission trip. The experience was life-changing, and God's glory was revealed in incredible ways while we were there. Although I've been back in the states for three weeks, I feel like it was just yesterday that I was waking up early, taking a bus ride into Guatemala city, and showing the people of Guatemala what God's love looks like through drama, testimonies, and service projects. I could tell story after story of how God worked, the lives he changed, and the things he taught me! But for today, I want to tell you about my friend, Santiago. On one of the ministry days in Guatemala, our team went to a government operated soup kitchen. After we performed our evangelistic drama that told the story of Creation, the Fall, and Christ, I got to share my testimony through a translator and explain the drama to the audience. After we prayed, our team dispersed through the crowd to t...

I wore my blue dress today, not because I like to wear dresses, but because I like the story behind this one in particular. Whenever anyone compliments the dress and its simple, but vibrant color, it provides me with the opportunity to tell the story behind the stitching. This past February, my mom (whom is one of my closest friends!) took me on a cruise, just the two of us. We went on the "Girl's-Get-Away" Christian cruise to Mexico, and ended up docking in Progresso after a day at sea. Women flocked off the boat and rippled throughout the small city, hitting all the shops and restaurants along the way. My mom and I were no exception, so we strolled through an outdoor market and enjoyed looking at all the beautiful and colorful souveneirs. I stopped at one little shop in particular to look at the handmade dresses of all shades and fashions. When I said, "Hola! Como estas?" to the woman behind the table, she smiled widely and replied, "Hablas espanol?"...