Life Breaking Through

I haven’t written in a long time (well at least not on WordPress). I have began a few new projects and got sort of wrapped up in how busy life has seemed to be. Well before I dive in to what I came to talk about I will give you a brief update on the mayhem!

 

I was water baptized for the second time. It was wonderful! I got a second job and have been doing Christmas photo shoots for families and couples I know. It’s been fun and a great learning experience. I’ve of course done plenty of photo shoots with friends and what not, but not in a formal posed setting. I have also been doing plenty of shooting for the church and editing. I believe I’m getting a lot better; I’m even venturing into video editing for our youth group! My family and I are leaving for Disney World on Christmas Day! And yes, there will definitely be a blog post. I have been writing through all the chaos, not blogging, but working on a novel (or novel idea). Other than this I haven’t done much more except I have been spending a lot more time with friends and my family which is absolutely wonderful. Last but not least, our church began a Welcome Team which I was approached to participate in and I am so glad for it. I don’t even complain about waking up thirty minutes early to stand outside and meet new people. It’s one of the most fun ministries I have served in and  it is most certainly one of the best things for our church in  my eyes. I cannot wait to see where we go with it!

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In all of my busy schedule in the last 2 months I’ve been forced to remember one very important thing: God makes all things new. He brings everything and everyone to life. We have life through him and that’s the thing to be most thankful for: Our everlasting life with God!

Sometimes I get in such a rush in life that I forget to slow down and enjoy each moment. I get anxious and stressed out when there is such a simple solution, prayer. I am learning to trust Him and let Him guide my decisions instead of trying so hard to figure out the best choice on my own.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

The bible says repeatedly that when we are saved, we are made new in Him. No matter what you have done or where you have been there is one thing that will always be guaranteed, our God is a forgiving, loving, merciful God. He created us and knows the mistakes we make. Yes it’s constantly repeated but it’s because it’s the greatest miracle the world has seen: He sent his one and only son to die for our sins. Jesus wore our cross on his back.

I wrote back in September, maybe, about Picking up our cross no matter how heavy and pursue Jesus with every might that we have! Matthew 16:24 states, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'” I know as well as anyone that it is not easy to just turn your back on your life, habits, and even friends. Some things aren’t as good for us as we want them to be and that’s a very hard lesson to learn. But with every want you lay down for the God you need there comes a sense of freedom and peace in your heart and life.

Just remember throughout your week that you have a God who doesn’t strike down, but a God who gives life to every person seeking him and brings joy to every moment.

Thrilled About God [part II]: Autumn Renewal

^{” 1}  How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
 ²  I long, yes, I faint with longing
to enter the courts of the LORD.
With my whole being, body and soul,
I will shout joyfully to the living God.
 ³  Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young
at a place near your altar,
O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God!
 ⁴  What joy for those who can live in your house,
always singing your praises.    Interlude

 ⁵  What joy for those whose strength comes from the LORD,
who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
 ⁶  When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, [6]
it will become a place of refreshing springs.
The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings.
 ⁷  They will continue to grow stronger,
and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.”

-Psalms 84:1-7

I wrote a couple weeks ago about being thrilled about God and I do not feel as I touched on that as much as I would have liked. This has been a thing on my mind for several weeks now and its something I feel I cannot shake.

Your relationship with God isn’t about simply getting to heaven. And I hear it all the time people talking about heaven and hell, which yes is a very serious thing, but I do not feel like it is the sole purpose of being a Christian. As a teenagers who attend to get their parents off their back or because it is something you “have” to do. I feel like very often this is what pushes so many youth away from the church. They see church as a chore and sometimes even a punishment! A relationship with God is not based on a set of rules or guidelines.

You can’t focus on rules,church, and religion. Our God is a pure, loving, compassionate, forgiving God; I think that is something to celebrate and adore! He has done absolutely everything for us.He is generous and kind.

As I have written about before I have been re-visiting all of my old prayer journals since the time I was saved in my freshmen year of high school to the present day! Today I found an entry from Oct. 13th, 2013 and it really seemed to correlate with everything on my mind lately so I decided to share it.

“God when we walk with you, I begin to get chills, I feel your presence and it thrills me to get a step closer to you and the goals you have set before me each and every day. I fall in love with you more and more each day; each time you help me out of an awful mood or help me appreciate how wonderful life is. I am stirred by how you continue to bless me even though I constantly feel as if I am failing you.”

I definitely can look bad and say that I meant every word. I am thankful for all God has done in my life and it encourages me to continue in his path and stay focused on Him always. I become more in love and more thrilled every morning that I wake up. My only objective is to show others that kind of relationship because it is incomparable.

xoxo,

Beki

Thrilled About God

I’m constantly hearing my pastor, worship leader, and just people in my church saying “lift up a shout of praise to the Lord!” During worship I see people jumping, dancing, and truly making some pretty awesome noise for the Lord. I’ve learned that as a follower of Christ, the best thing you can be is thrilled about God.

I have seen it happen many times; kids come home from church camp or a conference and they’re on fire for God. It lasts for a couple weeks or months for some and then that flame is blown out like a lantern without oil. I’ll let you in on a little secret: the oil is being thrilled for Him. Being excited about God, about your friendship with our Savior, about your relationship with our Father. We get so wrapped up and focused on all the “rules” and “requirements” that being a Christian calls for that we become a religious group rather than a body of Christ.

Don’t get me wrong, turning your life to God calls for a special will strength to leave behind the worldly things that consume your thoughts and replacing them with positive, Godly thoughts. It is just much more easier when you remember how wonderful and glorious He truly is. It’s exciting news. It’s the good news!

So today, rejoice and praise Him. & Tell someone how Thrilled about God you are!

3 Ways My Hobbies Help Me Through The Day

Before I explain why my hobbies continue to encourage me from day-to-day I should explain what they are.

I have been writing since I was in the Fourth Grade when my P.E. teacher encouraged me to join her enrichment club “Basketball Poets.” You had to write a poem to join and then continue to go to meetings and brainstorm/write for 15 minutes, then play basketball for 15 minutes. We would perform poems made famous by various poets and authors at PTA meetings or wherever. It seems so simple but that is the earliest I remember being encouraged to create something and be proud of it. Ever since then I have written poems and short stories, and now I am working on my novel (which is the most exciting thing I’ve ever began).

As well as writing, I paint. Now I have not always painted. This hobby bloomed from my hatred of math in high school. I remember constantly sitting through Ms.Cook’s class and not being able to keep my eyes open through the dragging lessons on point and slope. The only way to stay awake so I didn’t fail was to doodle. It all started with this cartoon character I created that looked a lot like a piece of broccoli skateboarding. Then one day, my senior year my civic teacher looked at my notes that were filled with all different doodles and pointed to a catfish and said “You should paint that.” and so it began…

Now finally my most obvious hobby, photography. I have been so blessed with a mother to teach me how to use film and go on adventures in Florida with to just take pictures and explore. Most recently I have began to get more serious about shooting and I can’t wait to learn all that I can!

Okay so down to the nitty-gritty, the reason you’re reading this.

1. Stress Reliever

I am a very over excited person. Whether something is good or bad, I react almost theatrically. I do get stressed out very easily over money, school, relationships, and basically everything you could think of. I am aware of this and I’m working on it. I have noticed the best way for me to work on this is everyday I take at least an hour to do one activity. I use this time for a sort of therapy, which may make me sound crazy but there is absolutely nothing better for your health (or sanity) than making time for your own self-care.

2. Member of the Community

I have always volunteered for different activities going on in my community but it was always for honor society or my church, but those days are over now and I didn’t think much of it. Then one day I was asked by a local farmers market to paint their sign and work their grand re-opening. That’s when I realized how much I loved working with people though school and church in high school, and now I could do it myself while doing the things I loved. It makes you proud of your work.

3. Creativity Encourages New Ideas

This world is full of people telling you not to major in an art industry because you won’t make any money. Creative minds are stifled by the business world and alternative thinkers lack the skills to work in an actual career. I DISAGREE 100%. In high school I took several different marketing and business classes. You know the number one thing employers in marketing look for? Creativity.

I’ve noticed that just an hour a day gets the “juices” flowing. I am more open-minded and I have more ideas constantly. I notice things around me that I would have never noticed before. I think of story ideas when I’m just going to the bathroom. I can’t leave my house without my camera because I could spot something beautiful I may never see again. New colors pop out to me that I want to come home and create. My hobbies encourage me and make me excited about every aspect of life.

So, Whats Your Hobby?!

Red, white, and grateful.

Its the fourth of july: a holiday full of patriotism, baseball, and hot dogs! I believe that the reason for most holidays is to remind us of the things we are most grateful for. Though America has a long way to go towards being a absolutely free and non-judgemental nation, I am very proud of every thing we have accomplished this year. And I am very excited to remain active in the fight for equal rights and to see what else is to come, but for today I will enjoy time with family and friends. Its a beautiful day and for that I’m grateful.                                                                          Happy Fourth, Beki.