XoXo ...A Kiss... XoXo

A Kiss can be and mean many things can't it?

When we're little a kiss is a mother's and father's sign of love

and helping take the pain from the 'boo, boos' away.

A kiss wakes the Princess from her slumber.

When we go into middle school and high school a kiss can be a game. People play things like truth or dare or spin-the-bottle.

A kiss can be an innocent first kiss between young people who think or who are in love.

A kiss, as we grow older, can turn into something that is passionate or lustful.

A kiss is something a dad might do to his daughter's cheek before turning and giving the bride away to her husband. 

A kiss can show true love. A kiss seals the oath between a husband and wife.

A kiss can be a betrayal in kissing someone who you shouldn't be kissing.

A kiss was used, from a friend, to betray Christ.

Kisses are used to say hello, with one to each cheek

A kiss is used when saying goodbye to someone who is about to meet their Maker.

Think of how many things a kiss can mean: love, betrayal, "goodbyes", "hellos", lust, deceit, approval, a promise. I've never really thought about all the different things a 'kiss' can mean. .....

What does a kiss mean to you? Is it important to you? Do you kiss anyone generally? Is kissing relaxed and more casual to you, something you do just for fun? Or do you save it for only the ones you feel strongly about or love? Have you ever betrayed someone with a kiss? Maybe in kissing someone you shouldn't be kissing? Kissing has so many meanings behind it...  Kissing was the very thing that Judas used to betray Christ. It makes me think?

Kissing ... 

I want to make sure the reasons I kiss someone are the 'right' reasons. A kiss can fool us. A kiss can blur our judgment in thinking someone is something they're really not. I don't think the 'hello' and 'goodbye' and 'mommy/daddy' type kisses are the ones that need to be worried about at all. It's the relationship type kisses that can get us into trouble. Some people go around kissing anyone and everyone, so kissing isn't a 'big' deal anymore. But think about a kiss. It's what starts the, 'two becoming one'. How do the love scenes always start in a movie? With a kiss...   

People say kissing isn't a big deal, but it is. It's being vulnerable with someone. It's allowing them to become very close with you. It's, like I said, the start of the 'two becoming one process'. I'm not saying "don't kiss anyone" lol, I'm just saying maybe we should take it more seriously? And not start that process with just anyone and everyone, even if you're dating them. I know this is definitly easier said than actually done, lol. Because we do like feeling that closeness with someone we like and we do think kissing is fun, exciting, and feels good; But kissing leads to more, as we all know, and kissing opens up feelings to start or grow and we should guard our hearts like it says to in the Bible tons of times (Song of Solomon 2:7, 3:5, 8:4, just to name a few verses, lol). I've been definitly guilty of not guarding my own heart a few times. Kissing has definitly clouded my judgment before. I've been guilty of kissing when I probably shouldn't have. Believe me I am surely talking to myself, but I just wanted to share with you guys also, so that you can be maybe more inclined to guard your own hearts as well. Let's keep our hearts unbroken and save our hearts and the rest of our kisses for the person Christ will bring to us, in His timing and will.  :)

Lol ;)

Strip Me

Racy title, lol, but it's not what you think. Natasha Bedingfield's semi-new song, 'Strip Me,' has been amazing for me to listen to lately. I don't know anything about Natasha spiritually or anything like that, but this song has really spoken to me! I've been getting back into my running routine and every time I listen to this song on my IPod I feel so pumped up! Why? You may ask? Just Listen to the lyrics or read them lol ....
Everyday I fight for
All my future somethings
A thousand little awards
I have to choose between
I could spend a lifetime
Earning things I don’t need
That’s like chasing rainbows
And coming home empty  
This is the first stanza and right from the beginning it brings me in. I do sometimes run after things of this world and 'awards' here on earth, which really don't mean anything when you think of eternity and being with Christ and there are so many times when I chase after 'rainbows' or things that just aren't real, or reachable, or mean anything.....

And if you strip me,
Strip it all away
If you strip me,
What would you find
If you strip me,
Strip it all away
Ill be alright
Take what you want
Steal my pride
Build me up
Or cut me down to size
Shut me out
But I’ll just scream
Im only one voice in a million
But you aint taking that from me
Oh oh no you aint taking that from me 

This is the chorus and this is where my running always picks up, lol. To me this chorus is saying look at me, raw me, look at who I really am not what I pretend to be. Is what I am real, am I really what I claim to be? I feel like the answer is, "Yes" and is telling Satan I am a REAL Christian and if you take everything away I'm still 'alright.' I feel like the next part is what I would say to Satan, " Take what you want, Steal my pride, Build me up, Or cut me down to size, Shut me out But I’ll just scream, I'm only one voice in a million, But you aint taking that from me" It's like a punch in the gut to Satan, I feel, telling him that he can't hold me back or get me to be quiet and even if no one was following and I was the only 'one' then I'd still matter and have a voice for Christ and he can't ever stop me!

Another part in the song says:

Cos when it all boils down
At the end of the day
Its what you do and say
That makes you who you are
Makes you think about,
Think about it
Doesn’t it
Sometimes all it takes is one voice

This part has great meaning to me as well. Because what I do and say makes a HUGE difference in my witness for Christ and it helps encourage me to think that sometimes 'one voice' is all that is needed to shine Christ's light.

I posted the YouTube of the song below :) Maybe this song can bring encouragement to you as well, as it has for me, in basically telling Satan: he can't hold us back, no matter what he tries to do, WE WILL BE HEARD and He CAN'T stop us!!!!! :D

Future?

Future?  I feel like with most decisions I've made in my life I've felt positive about or I have felt content in deciding after prayer, but for some reason I am so confused in my future plans and where I need to go for my Masters. I will be applying this Fall to UC and UK. I have ruled out Louisville (This is where I wanted to go the most, but because I know no one there, I feel like I shouldn't go (I still may apply, though, just to see if I would get in)) and  I ruled out Asbury (because it's too expensive). I am worried about making the wrong decision with where to go. With UK I would move to Lexington in January (If I got a job there) or I would wait and move there next Fall (2012) for when my Masters would start. With UC I would just get a job around where I live now and probably still live at home. I feel like going to Lexington I would meet a lot of new people and there would be a lot of new changes! I would be closer to a lot of friends also.... I don't know if anything would change if I stayed here. I love being around my family and friends near home, but I want to find a church with people my age and get involved with them. I feel stuck in the same routine at home, but I know things could change here. I may find somewhere I can get involved or something may happen?  I feel a pull to both places. I feel like UK should be the easy, "Duh, go there" choice(because of all the new opportunities there), but something keeps me still thinking of staying around home. I'm in need of prayer for clear direction. I know I have some time, I just need all the prayers I can get even now. Please pray for direction for me and for the Lord's Guidance in where I should go. I hope that He makes it clear so there is no doubt in my mind. :) Thanks Guys! If there's anything I can pray for you about don't hesitate to call/text/e-mail me!

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7)

Feeling So Blessed!

Update from the 'Please Pray' blog post ....

God is soOoO good guys!.... I've been seriously praying and trying to figure out where to do my field placement for my practicum in the Fall. I've been praying a lot about it and I even thought about going to Japan, but it's way too short notice for that to happen. I was worried about finding a placement I wanted because so many girls had already begun calling and making interviews before me, since I found out late that I could graduate early. My first choice for a Practicum was the Child Advocacy Center in Florence (I was really worried about getting this placement though because so many people had already interviewed from my class and I had heard they were only taking two people and one girl in my class had said she had already gotten one spot) and then I also interviewed at the Diocesan Children's Home in Ft. Mitchell. I got a hold of the Children's Home right away. The Advocacy Center took a lot of time to finally get an interview with (I probably called 15 times, lol, and left a few voice-mails, messages, and e-mails, the women I interviewed with even said that I was very persistent in calling which they liked, thankfully, lol) Both meetings went well. The Child Advocacy Center said they would let me know Monday (today) if I was accepted and the Children's Home told me right away I got the practicum if I wanted it. I really wanted the Advocacy center though because not only did I think it would look better on a resume, but I thought I would be challenged there and both the women I interviewed with seemed to be Christians which would be an awesome bonus :) ... So I had been praying ever since the interview that if it was God's Will I would get it and today I probably checked my e-mail for their response 20 times, lol. Well around 5 pm I still had not gotten anything. I started to get kind of disappointed, but then I checked my voice-mail and I had a message from Mrs. Holleran, one of the main women who will be supervising me and who I interviewed with,  she told me that I could have the practicum if I wanted it and they'd be happy to have me! I checked my e-mail also and there was a message in my inbox from her telling me I got the Practicum! I feel so blessed! I am just so appreciative that I was chosen to intern there! Thank you for all of you who were praying for me! I feel like I'll learn a lot there and be able to help a lot of families and children (In case if you all didn't know the Advocacy Center helps children who are sexually, physically, or mentally abused or have witnessed a violent crime). Please keep me in your prayers that I can do the best of my ability there when I start in the Fall (hopefully I'll do some volunteer work there this Summer) and keep these families and children in your prayers also, they really need it! Thanks guys! :) And thank You Lord for this amazing opportunity!

Gibeonite Deception

All of Joshua talks about Joshua's leadership and about the Israelites taking over the land that was promised to them. Joshua 9 talks about the Gibeonite deception. The Gibeonites feared the Israelites and feared them killing them, like they had many other people. So they made a plan to trick the Israelites into thinking they were from a far off country (they really were very close). They went to the Isrealites disguised (wearing clothes that looked worn) they said they wanted to make a treaty with the Isrealites and they lied when asked where they were from. The Israelites did not inquire from God before agreeing to make a treaty with the Gibeonite people (vs.14). The Gibeonites seemed like they were people from afar and seemed to be telling the truth so they thought 'why not' make the treaty? Soon after making the treaty the Israelites found out that the Gibeonites had lied to them. They found out that the Gibeonites were a neighboring city and in turn they had to keep their oath to not harm them and take down their city, instead they made the Gibeonites into servants (but in reading further into other books the Gibeonite people often caused trouble for Israel)  . . . . This story stuck out to me. I started to think that there are so many times when things seem right. Things seem like the right answers or seem fine to do. Just like the Israelites thought like the Gibeonites seemed to be people they could trust. But as the verse says, Joshua 9:14: '.... but they did not inquire of the Lord." Things can seem right and seem like the Christian thing to do, or seem not harmful, or like something that is in our best interest, but we must remember to go to the Lord with all of our decisions and always inquire to what He wants.  We don't want to be like the Israelites and believe lies and end up in regret and not getting what Christ wants to give us fully and having a hindrance in our journey of faith.

Devotions

I have been reading through the Old Testament lately in my devotions and in reading Deuteronomy and Joshua, I would love for those stories to be made into movies! I have been reading the battles and everything in them and I play it out in my mind and it's crazy! All the battles ( example, Joshua 8) and the walls of Jericho falling down (Joshua 6). The leadership under Moses, then Joshua, it's all so amazing! It's just as crazy to think of how the Israelites saw all of God's wonders and miracles and would still not trust in Him and would disobey Him.  I think about my own life and how I disobey or don't trust God as well when I know all the things He has done for me and I look at the Israelites and want to scream at them when reading sometimes, but then I look at myself and I'm just as guilty. I may not have huge bodies of water parting in front of me (the Red Sea and the Jordan), or be in an army that should not win against military that is well advanced beyond mine (the Israelites vs. basically everyone, lol), or have huge cities walls falling down in front of me (as the city of Jericho did), but I have the Bible and I know all the truth and everything that God has done in my own life to save and protect me and yet I still have many times where I don't trust in God. Sorry Lord for not always trusting, it is a consistent thing I struggle with in my own life, I'm sorry. Help me to trust You fully and to not let Satan try and waiver my faith in You! AMEN! :)

"Stories"

Do you ever think about all the different stories form the Bible? Noah and the Ark? Jonah and the Whale? Moses and the parting of the Red Sea? ... I've been reading through the Old Testament lately and trying to see it as it really is... REAL stories! ...Do you think about the life of Christ all the miracles He preformed? Do you think about all the trials His apostles faced and there lives that were full of faith?.....

We see so much in film today about; Vampires, Inception, Dawf's, Action Hero's, Lord of the Rings, StarWars, ect. but all of  those stories/movies are all Fake. 

I've just been thinking a lot lately about how the life of Christ and all the stories in the Bible were REAL. Jonah was really in a whales belly! Have you ever though of how scary that really would be? Or thought about how crazy it would be to be a part of Noah's family and be the only ones left on earth and see the storm that caused the flooding of the whole earth? Think of how it would look to see a Sea part and walk in the Middle of it!..... And Christ HE IS REAL. His stories of all of His miracles and Him really taking on the pain of the cross it all really happened! .... I feel like a lot of movies have made myself personally numb to the stories of the 'real' life happenings in the Bible and also when things really do happen in this world now. I mean everything with Japan REALLY did just happen there REALLY are people over there lost and dying and these people went through something horrific and are still going through it. I feel like I see so many things as just "stories" sometimes. 

But they're not.

Great things did happen in the Bible! They REALLY happened and horrible things are happening to people now all across the world. These people are our brothers and sisters in Christ and people who are lost and need Christ. I just feel so motivated to get out and 'do'! I may not have the opportunity to go overseas, but I can help right in my own KY region. Did you know that right around here there are tons of homeless teens and tons of children living in ophanages. There are tons of people who need help! I've been interviewing for practicums lately and just in talking with the people I interviewed with it's sad to think of how many people really need someone to help them. Think if we did a little something for someone else in need everyday how much we could impact this world. Let's let our lights SHINE! Let's stop thinking of these horrible things as just 'stories' and 'news' and see them as missions! Let's donate our time, money, and prayers to others! 

I hope this encourages you all:)... I have just been realizing lately how lazy I am and how much time I've been wasting not doing Christ's work.

P.S.- If any of you need help with AnYtHiNg or just want to talk or need encouragement... I'm here :) Love you all!