My redeemer lives.

I know some of you might have seen this video but I thought I would share it with those of you who haven't. My professor shared this with my class this week and it really touched me. Here is the premise of the story ...

"A son asked his father, "Dad will you take part in a marathon with me? The father who, despite having a heart condition, says "Yes". they went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying "Yes" to his son's request of going through the race together. One day, the son asked his father, "Dad, let's join the Ironman together." To which, his father said "Yes" too. For those who don't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile ocean swim, followed by a  112 mile bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 miles marathon along the coast of the Big Island. Father and son went on to complete the race together."
                                          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJMbk9dtpdY 

Love like there's no tomorrow ♥

God is good. Right? After this past few weeks and just going life day to day seems to be the most comforting thing to all of us, especially me. I know that I take for granted the people I have in my life and the relationships we share. 

As you know I’m going through PT school and it has challenged me in many ways and before coming here I knew that I would be “putting my life on hold for three years.” This to me meant that developing relationships with other people outside of my bubble here at APU was going to be difficult and almost impossible. I was completely wrong! Although I know I’m not living the ideal situation to interact with everyone like I’d like I still have prayer and a phone. 

I have recently been confronted with people whom I love, losing the ones they are closest to and It makes me realize just how important life here is on this world and what my job as a woman of God is here during this time. 

I’m currently taking this exercise physiology which interests me in so many ways but also forces me to see just how important our health is and how I also take my health for granted. I find it hard to believe how people can function everyday with our body doing a million different functions with little to no effort from us and not think there is a God. Every little cell that goes through it’s processes to digest our food, give us energy, restore our body, kill the bad bacteria that gets in ... but there are also those times when we let something in that attacks our body and there is nothing we can do about it like cancer. I loathe cancer and the thought of it taking over the people I love, but it’s becoming more and more common in our world today. It’s time like these when I ask God why? Why are there these things like this that cause those we love, “good people” so much pain? Then, I think how crazy I am to ask God a question like that. Who am I to question God when he doesn’t desire pain for his children. His desire is to protect us from all harm but in this corrupt world we live in, it’s nearly impossible. 

I certainly don’t have all the answers to questions but what I do hope for is that if this were to ever happen to anyone I love, that I would have enough faith in God like my best friend Aurora, to cling even closer to him and thank him for his amazing fatherly love he always offers to us.

I found this perfect verse that I can envision my best friend Aurora saying and it’s because of her faith in a great father that she can say these words with an honest heart ... 

20. You who have shown me many troubles and distresses

              Will revive me again,

                        And will bring me up again from the depths of the earth. 

    21. May You increase my greatness

         And turn to comfort me. 

    22. I will also praise You with a harp,

         Even Your truth, O my God;

         To You I will sing praises with the lyre,

         O Holy One of Israel. 

    23. My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You;

         And my soul, which You have redeemed. 

    24. My tongue also will utter Your righteousness all day long;

         For they are ashamed, for they are humiliated who seek my hurt.

I’m not sure I would be able to say this if I lost someone I love especially someone in my immediate family but it’s because of people like her who show me just how faithful our God really is. 

I encourage you and myself to try your hardest to show people not just tell them just how much you care and love them. 

My father lives thousands of miles away from me and isn’t in very good health. He has endured a triple bypass at the age of 41 and had a heart attach at the age of 55 and there isn’t much I can do with him living so far away from me however, I make it a priority to call him each morning so he knows just how much he means to me. That’s one person on my list but there are so many more that I would love and need to add to that list. 

Life happens and life gets in the way but its our job to make others priority ♥ 

Thank you Jesus for this life you’ve given me, I pray I can do with it what you desire.  I love you Aurora Mckeehan ♥ ... I’m sure your papa is in heaven next to Jesus watching over you and your amazing family. 

check

Does the word hypocrite ring a bell to anyone? If not .. it should! As I continue to learn while living in this sinful world I find myself being drawn to doing the things of this world. Sinning becomes second nature if you allow it to be and words become nearly words if you don’t act.

I’ve recently had the privilege of gaining a friend whom has taught me a lot about myself and has forced me to spend time with God about why it is that I believe in him and why I choose to follow him. God isn’t just a person who I admire, he is someone I long to follow and resemble yet do I? 

Granted, this world is corrupt and is filled with many evil things and I do agree with those who think that this is Satan's  playground because there are so many ways in which he could tempt us with to stray us away from God. However, as a Christian I believe that is why walking this road is a lot harder and is a reason why most choose not to follow. I know how impossible the task seems to be a Christ follower but the thing is, is that WE are all sinners but it’s by God’s grace that we are still able to enter his kingdom. 

I am by far a person who is extremely flawed, I mess up daily by either my thoughts, actions, words, and/or behavior but I know that God truly knows where my heart stands and it isn’t from a lack of effort that I may fall short. 

My friend brought up a good point about how some Christians rely on the fact that God is forgiving and do things knowing that they will be granted his grace and mercy. I had a tough time with this because it hurts to know that us Christians give those who are still unsure about following God this perception and I can honestly say that I may be one of those people. It’s shocking when you confront reality face to face but it’s God’s amazing way of keeping us in check. God knows that we are going to make mistakes before we make them but it’s how we deal with these situations that allow him to really see just how faithful we truly are. 

I’m truly sorry if there are things that I have done for people to question who I am as a Christian. I can only pray and hope that with God’s help that I will be more careful of my behavior in the future. 

♥ me 

Blame ...

Ever wonder what life would be like if you were asked to give up everything you’ve ever worked for? the money, fame, titles, etc. I sat in my classroom after reading through some of  Job with our professor before learning about posture pondering this very thought.

God was so proud of everything that Job had done for him and his kingdom. It didn’t matter the circumstance that Job was presented with, he was forever obedient to God. After Satan confronted God and pretty much called him out for never putting Job in a situation where he has ever been deprived of anything ... God grants Satan permission to take everything he owned as long as he didn’t lay a hand on him physically.

I wandered off through the reading and could imagine all the times that I am tempted daily and couldn’t help if Satan asked for permission to challenge me and because of God’s faith in me, he would give the devil permission to tempt me. I wonder just how many of those tests I fail daily. 

I’m slowly learning the meaning of hard work and commitment as I wrote about in my last blog and couldn’t help but think that if after I am done with pt school and life happens and I lose everything I’ve worked for ... what would my reaction be? Would I be that person who defied Christ and blame him for letting this happen or would I continue to have faith In my God like Job did? 

“Then Job stood up, tore his robe and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped, saying Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this life. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Praise the name of the Lord.”  

Job 1: 20-21 

“Throughout all this Job did not sin or blame God for anything.” 

  Job 1:22

I find it incredibly easy to serve a God when I need him most. If there are times in my life when I feel I  rush to him when I have no other options because I know he will always be there. 

As the story continues in chapter two I got the chills just thinking of how evil Satan is and all the ways he uses people, things, words, and just about anything good or bad to try and get us to stray away from our relationship with God. 

Satan was so convinced that Job would surely sin and curse God’s name if he were to not just take all of his assets that he worked so hard for but to now harm his body and burn his skin with incurable boils. 

When I was younger and my family and I went to the river ... I vividly remember my sister and I walking in the dark back to our campground when she started screaming and crying. After returning to our R.V. we realized that she had stepped on burning hot coals that some camper forgot to pour water over. I can remember the pain and suffering my sister went through during that time and I couldn’t imagine my entire body being covered in boils from the soles of my foot to the top of my head. 

It all comes down to how you serve your God and the reasons why you are serving him. Are you doing it because it’s cool and everyone is doing it? Are you doing it because your wife or significant other want you to? Maybe you are doing it because you are afraid of the thought that heaven and hell are real and you would rather not chance the risk of spending your whole life burning. Or .... do you serve him because you believe that he died for you and living your life for him is the ONLY way you can remotely repay him for giving up his son so you can be forgiven? 

God knows your heart and there is no way of fooling him. I urge you and mostly speaking to myself to cling to him for it’s only his love that can change your heart. 

Love him even when you are going through a tough time ...

“You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept only good from God and not adversity?” Throughout all this Job did not sin in what he said.” 

Job 2:10

Commitment

I’ve always been told that commitment is one thing you can’t fake. When you say that you will be there, you will or you won’t... if you say your a Christ follower...you are or you aren’t.

This past four months of my life have truly tested just how committed I am to many things. I was confronted with two main things that I could choose to lose or gain from. I knew going into grad school that it would be rough but I had never imagined the amount of work that would be needed to succeed. Undergrad seemed to be somewhat of a breeze because little effort was put into getting the grades I wanted. Now it’s a completely different story and I was forced to either give up a lot to hopefully be able to succeed.

Not putting in the effort in the beginning really hurt my grades ... I was distraught not understanding what it was that I was doing wrong or why the material wasn’t clicking. I eventually hit a point after mid-terms where I faced a wall way to big for me to climb alone. I broke out into panic and started to question whether or not I was doing this for myself or if it really was something I was doing for God to better his kingdom.

Of course, I thought that the best idea was to turn to the people that I cling to in this world...my mom, friends, mentors, sister ... etc but what I forgot to do was rely on the only person that could be there for me in EVERY possible way.

"... those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Romans 8:1-7

Luckily those great people I turned to directed me straight to God’s word and gave me verses that provided more strength and reassurance than any individual on this earth could offer.

“Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:6-7


"Consider pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” James 1:2-3

Although we will all face trials in our lives that will cause us to really evaluate just how committed we are to Christ and it’s in those times when God will grant us the peace which will exceed our expectations.

I cannot tell you how I could have gone another day let alone the rest of the quarter without the help of him because I know within myself that it couldn’t have been possible with only my strength.

How committed are you? When you face trials in your life who do you turn to? God

Two weeks in...

School is in session, classes are starting, and excitement is setting in. I know for me in particular, have been patiently waiting for God’s timing with P.T. school. I have constantly prayed about the obstacles that have come in my way ever since I graduated in two thousand and eight from California Baptist. 

Now that I sit here in my new apartment with an incredibly gifted roommate that only God could have chosen for me, I know in my heart that this is exactly where I am supposed to be.

Walking into the Mary Hill building on the eight of February the realization of committing to something so spectacular sent chills down my spine. I vividly remember being apart of an astounding softball team in college and thinking that it was so amazing to have seventeen other girls that are going through the same exact things that I am and somehow I know this experience is going to be even better than that. I now have forty other classmates all striving and dreaming of becoming the best Physical Therapist we can be and its with the help of each other that we will get there. Instead of striving for a national championship, I am now moving towards a profession, one that will hopefully affect lives and allow people to have a reason to live. The combination of gratitude and excitement fill the halls of us first years and its not without a slight bit of fear of the unknown. Of course, the long hours of studying and daunting stress that is forthcoming but my goal is to take it one day at a time and allow God to stay in control of it all. The next three years of my life I am dedicated to school and learning with faith that it will all be worth it in the end.

My new best friend =) 

be satisfied in me

          I know this is something that many people may have read already but every single time I read it I am reminded of who God is and how I am oh so wrong with the plans I want for my life and just how true he is in his plan for me. 


             Everyone longs to give themselves to someone. To have a deep soul relationship with another. To be loved throughly and exclusively. But God says to a Christian: "No. Not until you are satisfied, fulfilled, and content with being loved by me alone. With giving yourself totally and unreservedly to me. With having an intense, personal and loving relationship with me alone. Discovering that only in me is your satisfaction to be found. Then you will be capable of the perfect human relationship that I have planned for you. You will never be united with another until you are united with me. Exclusive of anyone or anything else. Exclusive of any other desires or longings.

            I want you to have the best. Please allow me to give it to you. I want you to stop planning and stop wishing and allow me to give you the most thrilling plan existing, one that you cannot imagine.

            I want you to have the best. So just keep watching me, expecting the greatest things and listen and learn the things I tell you. You just wait... That's all. Don't be anxious. Don't worry. Don't look around at the things others have received or that I've given them. Just keep looking at me or you'll miss what I want to show you. And then, when you are ready, I'll surprise you with a love far more wonderful than anyone you could dream of. Until you and the one I have for you is ready- I am working even at this moment to have the both of you ready at the same time-until you are both satisfied exclusively with me, you won't be able to experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with me.

             And dear one, I want you to have this most wonderful love; I want you to see in the flesh a picture of your relationship with me and enj oy then everlasting union of beauty, perfection, and love. Know that I love you. I am God. Know it and be satisfied."