Blue-Eyed Breather

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances"--Thessalonians 5:16-17.  Today is one of those days I do not feel like rejoicing at all. To begin with, this week has been absolutely jam packed with assignments and activities. All of those things are good things, but my busy schedule has led me to feeling exhausted. Add on top of the exhaustion the freezing cold weather, which has felt pretty miserable while trekking across campus. And finally, I am struggling to breathe. My lungs started hurting yesterday, and all day today I've been gasping for air and attempting to force myself to take deep breaths. If you saw me today, you would know it has not been one of my better days--I'm a mess! How in the world am I supposed to rejoice when I feel like my physical body is falling apart? How am I to be joyful when the only thing I can concentrate on is my next breath? These are the questions I ponder now as I'm writing this blog post. Rejoicing ALW...

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angles nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."--Romans 8:38-39 Have you ever realized the magnitude of those verses? If you are a believer in Christ Jesus, NOTHING you do or situation you are in could EVER separate you from our God. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. No sin. No shame. No regret. No embarrassment. No past. No future. No present. No mistake. No earthly desire. No choice. No trial. No tribulation. Nothing. You are forgiven and loved.  Romans 8:1-2 says, "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." You are free from the shame and grip of your sin. Did you hear that? Christ has set you free. You are no longer guilty but washed white as snow. Ch...

People often say that God is good when things are going "their" way. Made an A on a test? God is good. A family member get a new job? God is good. A person healed of cancer or any other disease? God is good. You have lots of friends who love and support you? God is good. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not downplaying God in those situations. God is good! All of those things are great, and it's wonderful and necessary to recognize God in those situations and give Him glory. But what about when you bomb a test? What about when you get fired from a job? What about when a friend or family member isn't healed from a physical or mental disease? What about when you feel alone and isolated in the world? God is STILL good.  Let me repeat: God is still good.  As a Christian, our purpose is to glorify God with our lives by loving God and loving people--no matter what. We have a very limited view of God's big picture plan. Unlike humanity, He is sovereign ove...

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." --Hebrews 13:8 Goodness do I need to be reminded of that! So much in this world changes rapidly and unexpectedly. I can barely keep my head from spinning in circles. Imitaring the world's ways, I would fall pretty immediately from exhaustion and a chaotic existence. But I stand on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ and the truth of his death and resurrection. He is the same God as the one I served yesterday. And the day before that. And the month before that. And the year before that. And, well, you get my point. He will always be the same, forever and ever and ever into eternity. My God will NEVER change.  I am so thankful to worship such an almighty God. His love will never fail me. His grace overwhelms me. He will never leave me. He sees me in my deepest, darkest moments yet still cares for me. I don't deserve anything, yet I've been given everything, and I am certainly blessed.

I hope you all have enjoyed the weekend so far and are feeling rested, recuperated, and ready to start another great week on Monday. This weekend, I had the joy of babysitting for one of my favorite families at church. Christine and Nathan hosted my small group at church for two years in their home, and I grew to love them as well as their two adorable children. They always have a different verse written on a dry-erase board in their kitchen, and when I am at their house, I make a point to read it. This weekend at their house was no different. The verse was Psalm 20:7: “Some boast in their accomplishments and others in their abilities, but I will boast in the name of the Lord, my God.” I’m not going to lie, when I read that, it hit me square in the heart. How often do I boast in “my own” accomplishments and skills? How frequently do I forget to give glory to God for ALL things in my life? My intelligence? From God. My musical abilities? From God. My love for growing deep with ...

Sunday mornings, I have the joy of going on early morning runs. Before the day gets going, before I have to get ready for church, before a packed (but wonderful) day, I love setting apart this time to run, think, pray, and crank up my worship music. This morning, my lungs were struggling a bit more than usual, so I walked more of my "run" than I normally do. That gave me extra time and energy to take in the beauty and creativity of my God. On my run, I saw... A beautiful sunrise, An absolute stillness and peace, The president's super awesome house, A Baylor squirrel who let me get extremely close to him, And much needed reminders through Scripture around campus.  Thank you God for these still and quiet moments with You on Sunday mornings. This is the day that the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Have you ever felt like your world is just falling apart? You don't know where God is, what's going on, or how to take the next step forward. You feel like your whole life is spiraling downward before your very eyes, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Maybe the cause of your feelings is an illness. Maybe it's from a broken relationship with a trusted friend, significant other, or parent. Maybe you lost a job, or the fear of the future is consuming you. Am I striking any chords with anyone yet? I know I've experienced this feeling of helplessness and worry before. Honestly, who hasn't? (Side note--if you say you've never had any monumental troubles in your life, I'm pretty sure you're lying to yourself). Life is hard! When I'm at a low point in my life and feel suffocated by my circumstances, I can't help but cry out to the Lord. (Actually, I know I need God ALWAYS.) Psalm 23 says that He "restores my soul". I love that pict...

I put pretty much every detail of my life in a calendar--my workout routine, my class assignments, my appointments and medical needs, even my social "hang out" times. Call me crazy, but it makes me excited to organize my life. When my many to-do lists are made and calendars created, I feel like I can breathe easy. Part of this is because of my personality. My mom is an organizer, and I definitely take after her. I'm WAY more productive when I have a plan of action, and I love this efficiency. A little organization never hurt anyone, right?? I also know that I am more organized because of having to balance CF with daily life. I have to manage my time wisely so that I can do breathing treatments, get enough sleep, eat enough calories, exercise, go to school, spend time with friends and family, mature in my spiritual life, get homework done, and maybe (just maybe) have some downtime. Planning has been key to my life thus far. But here's the problem.  I am not ver...

The Lord has been convicting me lately to have a vibrant and active faith. Not just a faith that I can talk about and agree with half-heartedly but a faith I literally can't contain. A faith that will stand strong no matter what life throws at me. A faith that is exemplified in an intentional prayer life. What would it look like if we all prayed believing that God can do ANYTHING? He can move mountains, He can heal illness, He can wash a person clean from all sins. Mark  11:22 -24 says, "Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." If I'm being honest, I struggle praying for big things. I know God is all-powerful and sovereign and relational and good and merciful and gracious, so why d...

I was introduced to the song below recently, and my heart was just overjoyed  listening to the powerful lyrics. For followers of Christ, we have an unbelievable home in Heaven to look forward to. This world is not our final destination. While I will always see life as precious and beautiful, I know that eternity with God is beyond my comprehension. Go ahead and prayerfully read the lyrics. I pray God uses this song to speak to you today! You Hold Me Now by Hillsong United On the day when I see All that You have for me When I see You face to face There surrounded by Your grace All my fears swept away In the light of Your embrace Where Your love is all I need and forever I am free Where the streets are made of gold In Your presence healed and whole Let the songs of heaven rise to You alone No weeping No hurt or pain No suffering You hold me now, You hold me now No darkness No sick or lame No hiding You hold me now, You hold...

I've come to the conclusion that I'm a nature girl. Although I'm not a huge fan of bugs, I absolutely love hiking, going on walks, watching the sun rise and set, and spending time with God in His beautiful creation. Seriously, have you ever went outside and watched the sunset over a lake or through a mountain range or from the roof of your house? It's absolutely stunning. Every single sunset is unique, with different shades of pink and purple and orange strewn across the sky. You can see a small speck of God's creativity and beauty by being in nature. I wish I could watch the sun set every single day. I also really enjoy hiking--the exhilaration of walking the rocky paths, the peaceful sound of birds singing, the adventurous spirit of wandering the wilderness. I feel so accomplished after getting to the top of a rocky hill or completing a trail. I even enjoy simply reading outside on a really nice day. Combine an afternoon of reading and feeling the sun's warm r...

Passion: Let the Future Begin was released to the public yesterday. The CD is a compilation of the songs from Passion 2013. I highly suggest buying the music. I've listened to the CD yesterday and today, and I am blown away by how moving it is. Maybe that's because I'm remembering the experience of Passion while listening to it, remembering being in the Georgia Dome with 60,000 college students lifting up the name of Jesus. However, I really believe that God will use the new Passion CD to stir people's hearts toward Him. Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Christy Nockels, Kristian Stanfill, and all the rest of the Passion artists have such a desire to glorify God with their music and their talents, and I can't help but worship along with them. God has certainly blessed them with the incredible ability to write songs and sing beautifully, and it's awesome to see these artists giving everything back to the Lord. Below are some of my favorite lyrics from different songs on...

The human body is truly amazing. Have you ever thought about what all has to happen in order for you to just survive? We don't think about the everyday work our body does unless we have a medical problem. Let's think about the incredible nature of the human body for a second. 1. We shed 1.5 pounds of skin cells a year, yet we always have a protective covering of skin covering us. 2. Ears maintain our sense of balance and spatial regulations. 3. The human nose can distinguish an average of 10,000 different smells. 4. There are 10 billion capillaries in the human body. 5. Blood circulated through the entire body in less than a minute. 6. The human stomach can stretch up to 20 times its normal size after a meal. 7. The skeletal system can hold up to 20 times our body weight. 8. Yet the skeletal system is also light enough to "defy gravity" for a few seconds. 9. The lungs filter oxygen and waste with every breath we take. 10. Bones last a lifetime. ...

Can I just say that we have an Almighty, All-Poweful, Awesome Father?? He is so faithful and trustworthy! Why the sudden outburst, you ask? Recently, God has been encouraging me to pray and pray big. I mean really, really big. I have no problem trusting God with my everyday prayers. I go before Him on behalf of my friends and family, lifting up their struggles and hardships to my Father with open hands regularly. But I have trouble asking God to do big things in my own life. For instance, I don't pray for a cure for cystic fibrosis nearly enough. I don't ask to be healed. I can't really explain the logic behind that thought process. I know that God is Sovereign and could heal my fragile body without blinking an eye. However, I guess since I've lived with CF for so long, I just don't think about praying for a cure. In a way, part of me doesn't want to believe that a cure could be found in my lifetime because I don't want to get my hopes up. I know, I sound ...

Have you ever seen the show, "What Not to Wear"? Stacey and Clinton, the fashion experts, choose a candidate to be on the show who is struggling to dress fashionably. They take all of the woman's clothes and throw away everything they deem inappropriate. Then, Stacey and Clinton give the woman rules to follow when buying clothes, along with $5,000 to purchase a whole new wardrobe. Every episode of "What Not to Wear" that I have seen, I've noticed a common theme among the women--they try to hide their femininity and beauty behind clothes, make-up, and hair styles that either oversexualize their bodies or behind appearances that do not draw attention to their unique womanhood whatsoever. This trend to waver in self-confidence and constantly struggle with self-image is common in society. Women compare themselves to others, wondering if they are pretty enough, funny enough, kind enough, sensitive enough, or attractive enough to grab a man's attention. We str...

Prayer is the most powerful tool we have. In Matthew 7:7, Jesus says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened for you." Far too often, however, we overlook the immensity of prayer. If you're like me, you want to do something to help friends and loved ones struggling through difficult times. I will pray earnestly for them, but then I will feel this overwhelming urge to help in some tangible way. This is not a bad thing in the least. I am able to show my love for others through service, and I know that my acts of kindness have helped my loved ones through difficult trials. But I'm afraid I underestimate the power of prayer. I forget that GOD is completely sovereign, magnificently powerful, and tremendously almighty. I am nothin!. And what's more incredible is that when I pray to my Father, He hears me and answers my prayers. How cool is that?? For someone who tends to take matters into her own hands, this statement of Go...

This is an entry I wrote for my ΣΦΛ sisters at retreat. Enjoy! Life is a journey. A never ending roller coaster full of ups and downs. It's sometimes a perfectly ripe apple, sweet, intoxicating, and good. But It's sometimes a mushed up banana, slippery, disgusting, and repulsive. It's the delighted laughs heard from the playground, but it's also the tearful cries heard in hospitals. It's the screams of good news and the dejection of rejection. Life is unexpected. It is surprise parties, joyful reunions, and unbelievable friendships. But it's also pain you thought you'd never feel, despair like you'd never imagined. It's full of sudden twists and turns and halts and somersaults. Life is a mystery. It is confusion, chaos, and questions. It is like following clues to a treasure trove at the end of the path. The way ahead is only identified step by single step, keeping you constantly guessing about the future. Most importantly, life is a gift fr...

DWYL. Any guesses for what that stands for? . .. ... .... ..... ...... If you guessed, "Don't waste your life", you're correct! What does a wasted life look like? To me, it is being incredibly lazy and having hardly any work ethic. It is having a complacent attitude. It is sitting on the couch, watching TV day in and day out. It is living a life that doesn't show the world God's goodness and grace. I don't know about you, but when I'm on my death bed, I don't want to look back and regret the way I lived my days. I want to hear God say, "Well done." I desire for my life to be worth something! I pray to God that He uses me to further His kingdom. I pray for divine guidance and direction. Most of all, I pray for a productive life. My challenge to you: DWYL--you only have one life to live on earth, so make the most of it.

If you're wondering why I haven't blogged in awhile, don't worry, I haven't fallen off the face of the planet. Or been in ICU with a serious lung infection. Or been being a bum laying around watching TV. No, I've been at the Passion 2013 Conference in Atlanta, Georgia with my church in Waco. We left Waco on a charter bus on December 31 at 9:00 PM and arrived home yesterday morning. I can honestly say this trip was the most exhausting, challenging, exhilarating, redeeming, incredible trip I have ever been on. God rocked my world. I will try to explain the last few days for you as best as I can, but words cannot begin to express how great our God is or how much He moved this past week. Sixty thousand college students attended Passion in the Georgia Dome. That's right--60,000 18-25 year old students pumped about Jesus. One of my favorite aspects of Passion was getting to worship with all these people and sing praises to the Lord Most High. It was like getti...

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the Gentiles seek after all...