Christmas Must Be Something More!

What if ribbons & bows didn't mean a thing?

Would the song still survive without 5 golden rings?

Would you still wanna kiss without mistletoe?

What would happen if God never let it snow?

What would happen if Christmas carols told a lie?

Tell me what would you find..

[chorus]

You'd see that today holds something special,

Something holy, not superficial,

So here's to the birthday boy who saved our lives.

It's something we all try to ignore,

And put a wreath up on your door,

So here's something you should know that is for sure.

CHRISTMAS MUST BE SOMETHING MORE!

What if angels did not pay attention to

All the things that we wish they would always do?

What if happiness came in a cardboard box?

Then I'd think there is something you all forgot.

What would happen if presents all went away?

Tell me what would you find..

[chorus]

We get so caught up in all of it,

business and relationships,

hundred mile an hour lives.

And it's this time of year,

And everybody is here,

It seems the last thing on your mind..

Is that the day holds something special,

Something holy, not superficial,

So here's to JESUS CHRIST who saved our lives!

It's something we all try to ignore,

And put a wreath up on your door,

So here's something you should know that is for sure.

Christmas must be something,

Christmas must be something,

CHRISTMAS MUST BE SOMETHING MORE!

[Taylor Swift]

Back in the Burg

It's been quite a while since I've taken time to ponder and write down my thoughts... so, here we go!

Last time I talked about things was right before Whitehall... Oh. My. Goodness. Campmeeting was absolutely great this summer! (like always!) But since we've gotten older, we've been able to venture out on our own more and discover new things to do. The weather was so cooperative with us, so we were able to go out and cliff, rock & bridge jump multiple times! It was pretty sweet! :) I was able to go out at diff. times with K.Joyyy, Emily, Lexi, Tay and a bunch of the guys. We ventured to Panther Springs, and a few different Rockland locations... which is always fun! ;)
And.. this year was also pretty great, just because A.Janie has a cabin too down by ours & K.Joyyy's!!! I have to say that I really LOVED her being down there for all of campmeeting, and I know that mom loves having her sis there too!






When Campmeeting ended, we didn't stay too long after like we normally do, just because I only had about a week to get everything packed and ready before I was Liberty bound again! Once all my goodbye's were said & I was all packed up and ready to go, we were finally on our way back down to the Burg! :)

We drove 2 cars, my Ford Escape and the van... (btw, I lovee having my car down here!) and we took off quite earlyy in the morn, and made it here around the middle of the afternoon. And ever since then, I've been loving my time back here in Lburg! :D

God has really blessed me when it comes to quadmates! Last year, we had such a great group of girls in my quad, and this year we all just get along so well! I love 'em! :) Along with our quad, we have a great hall in general.. our leadership is wonderful this year, and we do so much more together as a hall!

And then there's our brother dorm.... oh. my. goodness. We couldn't have asked for a better group of guys! (& Godly guys at that.. the bro leadership team is awesome!)





One of the first events that we did with our bros was Panther Falls (which is cliff jumping) & that was a lot of fun.... warm weather, freezing water, but so much fun! ;)







All Night of Prayer (6-7am) & then breakfast at Cracker Barrel with the bros!





After ANOP, we all went to the first football game together (only a few of us in the pic below).. which we won 52-7! Go Flames!! :)




Then last weekend, we went mini-golfing as old-school golfers.. which was pretty awesome :P






AND THENNNN...
Yesterday, a group of us went to Devil's Marbleyard and we boulder-mountain climbed for about 4 solid hours.. & it was AMAZING! :) It was probably one of the most fun & awesome things that I've done! There were points when it was rough, but after getting through it all making it to the top.. it was one of the best feelings in the world! It's a feeling that you can't describe unless you've experienced it for yourself.. and to see all of God's marvelous creation from at the peak only makes it better & worth everything! :)

*The pictures of the guys in black garbage bags and white head coverings were also from the Devil's Marbleyard adventure yesterday! :)













well... that's all for now folks, but I'll be sure to come back as soon as I can to give you the latest update on life, and what all God's been doing in my life..... but for now, use the pictures listed above to see all of the miraculous works of God, and what He's been showing me over the past few weeks, months & years! :)

Seasons Come & Seasons Go..

With July coming to an end, it can only mean one thing..... WHITEHALL is coming up!! :)

This is one of the things that I look forward to most every year/summer. I know that only God can define who I am, but Whitehall has helped to shape me into who I've become.. & I'm so thankful for that!

There isn't a summer that I haven't been at Whitehall, and I really hope that there never will be. I have some amazingg friends *FOR LIFE* down there that I love dearly! We may not get to see each other as often as we'd all like, but no matter how long it's been since we've seen each other, our friendships are as strong as ever. :)

I'm so excited for Campmeeting this year! It officially starts Saturday, but we're heading down tomorrow... yayy! ;) It's gonna be soo much fun!!

But after Whitehall, my summer is mostly over and done with...

I'll come home for less than a week & then it's back to Liberty!

I'm really looking forward to getting back down there. As much as I like being home in Roc, NY, my home is really starting to be developed down in Lynchburg.

Don't get me wrong... I really do miss my family and a few people up here (along with Elim, my church), but honestly.. that's about it. I let go of things when I left, and didn't have any desire to go back to them. I believe that God puts people in your life for a season, but those certain seasons must come to an end at some point in time.. & those ones did.

During the past year that I've been gone & on my own, God has really started to reveal things to me in ways that I never would have dreamed. Through friends and events, I've begun to see things and experience them for myself, whether they be good or bad.

So.. as I wrap up, let's just say that I'm so looking forward to this next year, all that it will bring and everything that God will continue to reveal to me.

I'm ready for it. Are you? ;)

spontineity :)

Tuesday.. drove down to Erie/Meadville/Cambridge Springs to see my K.Joyyy & my Taryn!

stayed the night.

Wednesday.. spent the morning with them.

drove to Chautauqua Lake.

had lunch with A. Kay & U. Dick.

drove back home to Roch, NY.

:D

1 month til i get to see them again!! :)

food for thought..

:))

i got my car! :)
i'm really quite excited about it too!
it's a 2008 Ford Escape XLT.. and I love it! :))

...pics to come ;P

shorty ;)

it's shorttt! :)

ahh :)

i've been home for almost a week..
it feels good to be home,
but i will say that i do miss being down at LU..
things up here are just different to me now.

we're getting ready to head down to whitehall for the wknd to see the whole fam (which we never really see everyone all together except for at Thanksgiving, so it's different, but i like it).

well, i should be going now... so, adios for now :)

almost.. donee.....!

1 final + 1 final project.
CHECK!

2 finals + 1 memorized speech.
LET'S FINISH THIS!



..and then freshman year is overrr!
can't believe how fast it went :)

Sunny Saturdays & Cool Concerts!

The Jubilee Family Development Center held an event called The Jubilee Jamboree this past weekend. It was an fun-filled day with so many different things to do.

The jamboree was in the parking lot of Thomas Road Baptist Church, while the concert was inside of TRBC. I have never seen that parking lot so full of people and of different activities. It was great!



They had moon bounces and inflatables spread out all around the parking lot, and multiple game booths between them all. It also seemed like they were able to gather the support of a good amount of local restaurants, which was nice to see. A few of the food stations that were there were Chick-fil-A, Sundae Grill and Smoothie King.

Businesses like these are the ones that you want to go to and support!

They also had a 3-on-3 basketball tournament that went on throughout the whole day. There were games going on one right after the other, with hundreds of teams participating in the tournament.

A few of the teams that managed to win in their divisions were:

- Ballin' Bombers
- Dunk-n-Go Nuts
- Leadin' Ladiez
- Dream Street
- Shining Shooters

Each of the winning division teams received $50 gift cards for Dick's Sporting Goods, and were also given a meet and greet session with well-known recording artist, TobyMac.

Toward the end of the evening, there was a concert that featured both TobyMac and other recording artist, Switchfoot. These two groups put on a phenomenal show, and performed with such great energy. The crowd was so into the concert, and was singing along with them the whole way through.

There were so many groups of young people, of college students and of adults and parents who were roaming around at this jubilee. Seeing all of the people, of all ages, coming together and joining The Jubilee Center in raising funds and spreading awareness was definitely a sight.

Not only did the Jubilee Family Development Center benefit greatly from this benefit concert and jubilee fundraiser, but the entire city of Lynchburg did as well. It really brought a sense of unity to the community, and showed the support that is given by the people of Lynchburg.

It is so good to see the benefits that are reaped when everyone joins together to help support such a great local cause!









Word Count: 394

Too Comfortable?

first off, I do not want to take credit for what I am about to write..
(I am only going to summarize and piece together certain parts of the devotional entry)
this is taken from one of my daily devotionals written by R. Blackaby & H. Blackaby.



Comfortable In Our Bondage

It is possible for people to become so accustomed to their bondage that they resist efforts to free them.
Slavery meant that [we] are not free to do God's will or to go where [we want].
When God sets out to free us, there will often be a price we will have to pay. Grief can be a terrible form of bondage, yet we can become comfortable with it. We can grow so comfortable with fear that we don't know how to live without it. As destructive as our sinful habits and lifestyle might be, we may prefer living with the familiar, rather than being freed to experience the unknown. We may recognize the harmful influence of a friend, but choose to reject God's will rather than offend our friend.

Have you been lulled into a comfortable relationship with your bondage?
Do you fear change more than you fear God?
Are you willing to allow God to do what is necessary in order to free you?


:)

the finish line

So.. I realize that it's been a longg while since i've taken time to put down my thoughts, even though they haven't stopped coming to me over the past few months.. there's been a lot that has happened this past semester.... some good, others not so much...

some of the things that have happened have really brought me back to situations that occured last year, and have just added extra stress to my life that I really don't need... but each time that something seems to come into my life and wipe me out, God never fails me, and is always there for me to lean on. He is the only thing that has kept me going through it all, the good and the bad, and I know that He is the only one that I can ever completely depend on. Man will always disappoint you, and fail you at some point or another, no matter how much they may not mean to, or want to. It's because we are human, and we aren't perfect, and can never be perfect.

I believe that God brings friends into your life for a certain reason, for a certain season.

I believe that God surrounds you with people that can build you up and tear you down.

I believe that God allows people to tear you down so that only He can bring you back up.

I believe that God is the only one who will never leave you or disappoint you.

I believe that God can be disappointed in us, but His love for us remains the same.

I believe that God does everything that He does for our benefit, even it if is to teach us a lesson.

but anyways.. moving on......

only 1 day of classes left!!!

& then finals start on friday, but i don't have any til monday.. and my last final's next wed, the 12th. i'm so excited to be finished with my freshman year of college, and for summer to be here! but i can't believe how fast my first year went!! and all of the 'excitement' that it was filled with ;)

I have really made some great friends here that I wouldn't trade for anything! we have so much fun together, and we don't hang out because we're all each other has, but because we choose to, and we want to hang out with each other. we all just have a great time hanging out :) I have friends from everywhere! from buffalo.. syracuse.. indiana & butler, pa.. az.. cali.. florida, canada, russia and new zealand!

God has really shown me who my true friends are, and has blessed my life in so many ways by placing these people in my life.

..and even though i have some amazing friends down here, and this has really become like 'home' to me, I'm ready to be back up in new york and to see some of my close friends there that I haven't seen in quite some time..

I can't wait to see what else that God has in store for my life!

It's all just a mystery to me, but it's one that is soo worth waiting for!

I'm so excited to see all that He's going to continue to reveal to me in His perfect timing.. & not my own!

Truly His..

3 more days of classes left!

2 wks until i'm back up in ny.

3&1/2 months til i'm back down in va.

CRAZYYYY how fast freshman year flewwww by!!

..don't worry, i'll go into it more later :)

but for now, check out this fun video! :)

feat. troy, pat & aaron... & me (you'll see..) haha

(first, make sure to mute or pause the music at the bottom of the page)

half way mark

back up in NY for spring break :)

..i miss my Liberty friends tho...but i shall see them in like a lil over a wk :P

i haven't been home for 2 months, so it's nice to be home for a lil while..& i guess this means i'm half way thru with the semester....only 2 more months to go until i'm finished with my 2nd semesterrr! :)

how are you feeding your mind?

"..I'm giving you ever square inch of the land you set your foot on -- just as I promised Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon east to the Great River, the Euphrates River -- all the Hittite country -- and then west to the Great Sea. It's all yours. All your life, no one will be able to hold out against you. In the same way I was with Moses, I'll be with you. I won't give up on you; I won't leave you. Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don't get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you're going. And don't for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practive eerything written in it. Then you'll get where you're going; then you'll succeed. Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get dicouraged. GOD, your God, is with you every step you take." (Joshua 1)

_______________________________________

What you think about in your unguarded moments reflects what your mind dwells on. What you speak about when your guard is down is a good guage of what is in your heart (Matt. 12:34). Your mind needs exercise just as your physical body does. To keep your thoughts pure, you must guard what goes into your mind. To exercise your mind, you must contemplate things that are noble and truths that stretch your mind.

Expose your mind to the truths of God -- Whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and good.

The things you allow your mind to dwell on will be revealed by the way you live. If you focus on negative things, you will inevitable be a negative person. If you allow unholy thoughts to fill your mind, ungodliness will become common in your life. If you fill your mind with thoughts of Christ, you will become Christlike..!

What you fill your mind with is a matter of choise. Choose to concentrate on the magnificant truths of God, and they will create you in a noble character that brings glory to God.

(Philippians 4:8)

Finally, brothers, whatever things are truth, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy -- meditate on these things.

-Blackaby and Blackaby

Experiencing God Day-By-Day

Timely Travels...

here's a news clip of them getting ready to leave from the airport this morning...veryy early..

-->VIDEO!

Prayer & Haiti..

With everything that's been going on in Haiti (the earthquakes and all of the devastation), Tim and his father are going down. I just pray that God surrounds them with protection that only He can give.

T called me a couple hours ago and filled me in on what's going on. He just found out that He's going down with his dad. He's like one of my closest friends, and I couldn't be more excited for him and their team! They leave around 4am tomorrow morning and he said that they should be gone for about 8 or 9 days depending. I know that God's going to use them for His glory and I can't wait to hear all of their stories about all that happened and all that they experienced...

Praise the Lord for opportunities to advance His kingdom, as well as helping those physically!

God has gotten us this far..What makes us think He's going to be done anytime soon?! :)

I'm so excited for you T!

[Tim & Me -June 09]

The Power of Prayer & Fasting!

"When you hunger for God, He will break the rules of man and cause His favor to come on your life."

-Jentezen Franklin

I don't ever want to stop being hungry for God..!

Fasting by Jentezen Franklin....GREATTT BOOK!! :)

be strong in the Lord & never give up hope!

mmk..so let me just say that this year i'm totally expecting God to allow sooo many BREAKTHROUGHs to happen!! & i can't wait!!!!!!

i just cannot wait to see everything that He's going to do!

**click to listen!

Be strong in the Lord,

& never give up hope.

You're gonna do great things,

I already know.

God's got His hand on you,

so, don't live life in fear.

Forgive and forget,

but don't forget why you're here.

..& yes, this was just a lil something on my mind, haha ;)

2010!

Happy New Year!!

it's 2010!

i'd say that i'm definitely glad that it's a new year! this past year was filled with sooo many ups and downs, and i'm ready to just move forward and move on to everything better that God has for me. i'm ready for a new year of serving others, and growing closer to God. i'm ready to allow God to completely work in my life, and i know that this year holds so much more than i can begin to imagine; and i can't wait to see and experience all of the many surprises that He has in store! :)

during this new year (and alllll of the many years to come), i want to become more selfless, and to do more things for other people...i'm going to try to do at least one thing a day for someone, whatever that may be. but i want my life and the way that i live, to completely resemble the relationship that i have with Jesus Christ.

..so here's to living another year all for Christ! :)

have a blessed new year!!