Blue-Eyed Breather

At the beginning of the year, my sister decided each month of 2012, she would challenge herself to a different task. These tasks are meant to make her healthier, physically, emotionally, or spiritually. For example, the month of January, she gave up drinking soda. Well, I've decided to join her on her quest! Although I didn't say I wouldn't drink soda in January, I don't like soda, so I inadvertently participated in the January task. For the month of February, we are taking the 30-day challenge. If you haven't heard of this challenge, it encourages people to only listen to Christian music for an entire month. As I said in an earlier post, Christian music is such a great way to worship God. Everyone worships God best in different ways. For me, I love worshipping through singing and listening to others cry out to Him. So, I am thrilled to begin this challenge! I am excited to see how my sister and I grow spiritually in the coming month. I encourage you to join the...

This past weekend, I went on the Highland Baptist Church Women's Retreat. I was so blessed to spend the weekend with these amazing women of God. During the weekend, we focused on relationships, with men, friends, and most importantly, God. Many women today put their entire worth and well-being into their relationships, specifically into their current boyfriend. However, when these relationships falls apart or expectations are not met, the women are left feeling dejected and sorrowful. "If you're seeking to find intimacy with someone without first establishing an identity of your own, you will seek to complete yourself." I don't know about you, but I want to find my worth and identity in Christ ALONE. I want to learn to be confident in myself and God's love for me. As well, it is important to remember that "the more we know about God's character, the more we trust Him." Jeremiah 17:7-8 says "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whos...

"Lord I need you. Oh I need you. Every hour I need you." --Chris Tomlin (Lord I need you) These are some of the lyrics from my new favorite song for the week. If you haven't heard the Passion 2012 CD, I would highly suggest listening to the whole thing. It's absolutely incredible. God has blessed the artists on the CD with their musical abilities, and their love for the God of the Universe truly shines through. As I listen to the CD, I feel the artists crying out to God. Their raw emotions allow me to put words to emotions I am feeling as I live my life on a daily basis. I am in desperate need of my God, every hour of every day. Christian music, like the Passion 2012 CD and other great Christian CDs, express feelings in such astounding ways, so unlike any other type of music. Instead of writing about the latest boy drama, party, or deep sorrow, Christian music allows the singer to be completely real with God. There are songs of joy, songs of sorrow, songs of calling...

My Lord and Savior. Mom, Dad, Katie, and Scott. My grandparents. Aunts, uncles, and cousins. Friends. Church family. Education. Technology. My CG at Highland Baptist Church. The ability to serve. Laughter. The ability to speak and comprehend. The right to question the hardships in life. Life can be difficult and overwhelming. CF is a stressful, debilitating disease, emotionally, physically, and mentally. It is important to remember the many blessings in life because sometimes that's the great hope God provides. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving me a physical representation of Your love.

Okay, I admit it. I am a weakling! As a CF patient, a recent topic of interest is the importance of exercise. Well, I'm in the Baylor SLC on the bike right now, and I feel like my lungs are about to burst. (For those of you unfamiliar with Baylor campus, the SLC is our gym.) I've only been biking for 15 minutes, people! That's 2.6 miles, if you were wondering. I'm very tempted to hop off this dang exercise bike right now and give up. However, one thing keeps me going.  I KNOW exercise is crucial to my health. Not only does exercise expand my lung capacity, but it also helps ward off winter colds. If you don't believe me, watch the Today show from yesterday. Plus, exercise boosts feel good chemicals and increases energy. And I could definitely use a bit more energy during these long college days. Wait a minute..I lied when I said only one thing keeps me motivated. The SLC has Bible verses written around the main exercise room related to motivation and success. ...

I am new to this whole blogging thing, but I decided to go ahead and give it a whirl. So, here's my first post! You may have just stumbled upon this blog, or you may be a family or friend of mine. Thank you for being here. This blog is mainly for me to express my thoughts and feelings. I love writing when I have time because I believe that writing is a fantastic stress reliever. And who couldn't use a little less stress? (Although we learned in one of my classes this past semester that if a person doesn't have some stress, he'd be dead. But that's another matter). Anyway, you may be asking yourself why this blog is called Blue-Eyed Breather. That's an easy question. I have blue eyes, but I also have a genetic disease called Cystic Fibrosis (CF). I was diagnosed with this disease when I was two weeks old and have been fighting it ever since. With CF, every breath is a struggle. However, every breath I take symbolizes one more victory over the hold CF tries to gra...