Romans 8:28
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."
While on our family vacation, I sat in the car one day thinking about things in life that are coming up quickly...a new year of college (my Senior year!), being an assistant RA , and even things about life after that...and I started getting a little apprehensive. There are so many challenges to face, stress, confrontation, relationships, priorities, work, church, Spanish, and others, that will be crowding my mind. And that is nothing compared to the great unknown of life after school! But as I was thinking, God strongly impressed the words of Romans 8:28 into my heart and mind. I have the promise of an Almighty God that as His child, everything that comes into my life will be used by Him for my good. Not necessarily for my happiness at the moment, but for my Christlikeness and eternal joy. That fact is overwhelming and brings with it great peace. Today I choose to claim the promise of Romans 8:28 for my life. God will work everything...the joyful times and even the times of deep pain and night...for my good. I will rest in that promise, no matter what lies ahead.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Writer's Block
It would be so fun to pour my heart out right now and leave you all with a profound thought or a witty saying, or a deep reflection. However, I have no such inspiration at this moment, except the feeling that I want to be writing and wish I had something interesting to share instead of the flow of my thoughts. Maybe the fact that its nearly midnight could have something to do with this temporary writers block.
I love night! Some days it seems there is so little time to do things that you want to do...well, working is good...and I am an avid proponent of earning money for the ominous school bill that looms on the horizon. But busy days of working leave little time for creativity. :-) A friend told me today that if I truly enjoy writing I must make time for it, even if it is only a little time every week. And so, I shall try. If nothing else, I can keep a blog to have a record of my thoughts because I'll wager that only a very small population of the world will ever stumble across my tiny portion of the web.
Today I was reminded of the gratefulness I should have for the life God has given me. I think in my eagerness to move on to the next stage, or in my imagination of the way things could be, I often take for granted what I actually posess. That's no way to live, because I will miss out on the beauty of the present.
Thank you, Father, for the life that you have given to me. Thank you for each person that you have placed in my life. Help me not to take my blessings for granted...like my family, my job, my friends, and my health. I don't deserve blessings...I don't deserve You.
I love night! Some days it seems there is so little time to do things that you want to do...well, working is good...and I am an avid proponent of earning money for the ominous school bill that looms on the horizon. But busy days of working leave little time for creativity. :-) A friend told me today that if I truly enjoy writing I must make time for it, even if it is only a little time every week. And so, I shall try. If nothing else, I can keep a blog to have a record of my thoughts because I'll wager that only a very small population of the world will ever stumble across my tiny portion of the web.
Today I was reminded of the gratefulness I should have for the life God has given me. I think in my eagerness to move on to the next stage, or in my imagination of the way things could be, I often take for granted what I actually posess. That's no way to live, because I will miss out on the beauty of the present.
Thank you, Father, for the life that you have given to me. Thank you for each person that you have placed in my life. Help me not to take my blessings for granted...like my family, my job, my friends, and my health. I don't deserve blessings...I don't deserve You.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Soon and Very Soon...
Well, I am back! After this incredibly long absence and a year of life changes, it is time to start writing again. I'll never be able to re-cap all that has happened, but I can pick up again where I left off and continue on with the "normal" posts about life. lol...but life can never be normal, and it rarely is what we expect...which often makes it so exciting!
My next post will be something substantial...I promise :-) For now, let me just leave you with something to think about...a verse that describes my feelings about the past year of life.
Deuteronomy 3:24
"Oh Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what God is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like your works and your mighty deeds?"
My next post will be something substantial...I promise :-) For now, let me just leave you with something to think about...a verse that describes my feelings about the past year of life.
Deuteronomy 3:24
"Oh Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what God is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like your works and your mighty deeds?"
Saturday, April 22, 2006
26 Days and counting...
Saturdays are beautiful things!
This weekend was Youth Conference here at Faith, so the campus has been over-run with high schoolers. I actually enjoy getting to meet the teens and introducing them to college life. However, Youth Conference means that there is a general sleep deprivation of all on campus. :-) Nate came down with our church group, so it was great to be able to hang out a little with him. Last night the whole group went ice skating. So much fun! This morning, because I'm such a nice sister, I got up to go running in the "Fun Run" with Nate. Since we won't see each other that much, I figured it would be nice to spend a little more time with my brother...turns out he leaves me in the dust and proceeds to finish far ahead of me. sigh...
This weekend isn't over yet, the Chorale is out tonight and tomorrow morning for our last two traveling concerts. Some of the people who worked with Youth Conference will be exhausted, but other than that, it should be an enjoyable time.
I'm very excited, because my entire Minnesota Robbins family is coming to our concert tonight! It will be so wonderful to see all of them. Tonight will be a hard night though. It's not fun to say good-bye to people. However, I know that they will be praying for me and that is a huge encouragement!
Well, I must finish packing. Maybe I'll post when we get back from the weekend.
This weekend was Youth Conference here at Faith, so the campus has been over-run with high schoolers. I actually enjoy getting to meet the teens and introducing them to college life. However, Youth Conference means that there is a general sleep deprivation of all on campus. :-) Nate came down with our church group, so it was great to be able to hang out a little with him. Last night the whole group went ice skating. So much fun! This morning, because I'm such a nice sister, I got up to go running in the "Fun Run" with Nate. Since we won't see each other that much, I figured it would be nice to spend a little more time with my brother...turns out he leaves me in the dust and proceeds to finish far ahead of me. sigh...
This weekend isn't over yet, the Chorale is out tonight and tomorrow morning for our last two traveling concerts. Some of the people who worked with Youth Conference will be exhausted, but other than that, it should be an enjoyable time.
I'm very excited, because my entire Minnesota Robbins family is coming to our concert tonight! It will be so wonderful to see all of them. Tonight will be a hard night though. It's not fun to say good-bye to people. However, I know that they will be praying for me and that is a huge encouragement!
Well, I must finish packing. Maybe I'll post when we get back from the weekend.
Monday, April 17, 2006
31 days!
The title of this post says it all....I only have 31 days left in the country that has been my home for the last 19 years. Wow. It's quite incredible to think about living in another place for a year. As I have gone through all of the preparations to leave on ARRIBA, God has continued to be so faithful. It has been amazing to simply watch Him work, provide funds, and do things that my small faith doubted.
Since the beginning of this adventure will be starting so soon, it also means that something else is ending. That something is this year of school. It's so incredible how quickly this year has gone by. Honestly, I'm ready to be done with classes. However, I'm not ready to say goodbye to all my dear friends who have become a second family over the past two years. Emotions are so complex...it's so exciting to be going on the missions trip and serving God, but at the same time it's so hard to leave my family and friends behind. The wonderful thing is that I know since God is calling me to Peru for this year, that He will provide the necessary strength to accomplish the task.
Hmm..enough musing...it's time to get some much needed sleep. Hopefully, I'll get back soon and update a little more about everyday life. :-)
Since the beginning of this adventure will be starting so soon, it also means that something else is ending. That something is this year of school. It's so incredible how quickly this year has gone by. Honestly, I'm ready to be done with classes. However, I'm not ready to say goodbye to all my dear friends who have become a second family over the past two years. Emotions are so complex...it's so exciting to be going on the missions trip and serving God, but at the same time it's so hard to leave my family and friends behind. The wonderful thing is that I know since God is calling me to Peru for this year, that He will provide the necessary strength to accomplish the task.
Hmm..enough musing...it's time to get some much needed sleep. Hopefully, I'll get back soon and update a little more about everyday life. :-)
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Late Nights and Long Talks....
Do you ever have nights where you just don't want to sleep? Trust me, they happen rarely at college. :-) I was all set to go to bed tonight and found myself wide awake with my mind racing. So, instead of doing the logical thing and laying there until I dozed off I decided to post on here again. This means that after months of long absence I'm posting twice in the space of a few days...what's wrong here? Probablly nothing I say after 12:00 makes sense to anyone, but that's ok.
Hmmm. what's running through my mind? Right now, I'm reminded of how many things I am thankful for in life....(Aaron do you mind if I borrow an idea from one of your previous posts? :-)
I am so blessed....what am I thankful for?
The many dear friends God has given to me
Being able to simply live and enjoy life
Finding joy in the little things
Playing the piano
Singing loudly when no one is listening
Classes to stretch my thinking
Philosophical discussions
A roommate who can read my mind
Late nights and long talks
Laughter
My bed
The fact that 7:00 classes won't last forever
Waking up and hitting snooze
Sweatpants and sweatshirts
Being able to run
Eating home-cooked food
Seeing the new life of spring come to the earth
Melting snow
The ocean
Sunsets (and sunrises if I am awake)
Pictures to remember memories
Girlfriends to share secrets with
A family who loves me
A God who saved me
God's Word to guide me
Eternity to look forward to.....
"At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You..." Ps. 119:62
Hmmm. what's running through my mind? Right now, I'm reminded of how many things I am thankful for in life....(Aaron do you mind if I borrow an idea from one of your previous posts? :-)
I am so blessed....what am I thankful for?
The many dear friends God has given to me
Being able to simply live and enjoy life
Finding joy in the little things
Playing the piano
Singing loudly when no one is listening
Classes to stretch my thinking
Philosophical discussions
A roommate who can read my mind
Late nights and long talks
Laughter
My bed
The fact that 7:00 classes won't last forever
Waking up and hitting snooze
Sweatpants and sweatshirts
Being able to run
Eating home-cooked food
Seeing the new life of spring come to the earth
Melting snow
The ocean
Sunsets (and sunrises if I am awake)
Pictures to remember memories
Girlfriends to share secrets with
A family who loves me
A God who saved me
God's Word to guide me
Eternity to look forward to.....
"At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You..." Ps. 119:62
Monday, March 20, 2006
And So It Goes...
To reasure all of you reading this post...I am much more faithful in keeping up with my schoolwotk than I am at updating this web-site :-) Where does time go? This semester has literally flown by! By the way Happy First Day of Spring! The only problem is that it's supposed to snow tonight. sigh. I can't wait for warm breezes, budding trees, and sunny days.
I'm not sure how to summarize all that has been happening in my life over the past couple of months. It's difficult to describe all the ways things change and exactly how God works. As far as schoolwork goes, this has been a difficult semester. There have been many papers, projects, and tests to stay on top of. It's been very good for me, though and teaching me more discipline in every area of my life. God has been so good to allow me to accomplish everything. Now we're down to less than eight weeks!
The biggest excitement in my life was finding out on March 3rd that I was officially accepted into the ARRIBA! program! Since that time I've had the added challenge of filling out all the paperwork and organizing things for the trip. It's so amazing to watch God work in every little detail. Sometimes it seems overwhelming, but then God reminds me that I'm not the one doing anything anyway. It's all of Him!
One of the greatest things God used in my life this semester was our Spring Chorale Tour. This year we traveled over our Spring Break to various places in Michigan and Illinois, giving thirteen concerts in ten days. Our program was Sola gratia...sola fide (Grace alone, Faith alone) Being able to spend that time serving the Lord in ministry, building relationships with people in churches as well as fellow Chorale members, and growing in Christ was incredible. Through so many songs in our program, God spoke directly to my heart about my level of trust in Him. The biggest thing I learned was that I am totally dependent on the grace of God in every area of my life. Not only did His grace save me, it is what sustains me every minute of every day. Only by His grace can I hope to accomplish anything, or bring any glory to Him. I was also challenged to really live out my faith in Christ; to have a faith that will not always over-analyze and search, but instead will simply rest in simple, Childlike trust in a God who never fails.
Sola gratia....sola fide!
I'm not sure how to summarize all that has been happening in my life over the past couple of months. It's difficult to describe all the ways things change and exactly how God works. As far as schoolwork goes, this has been a difficult semester. There have been many papers, projects, and tests to stay on top of. It's been very good for me, though and teaching me more discipline in every area of my life. God has been so good to allow me to accomplish everything. Now we're down to less than eight weeks!
The biggest excitement in my life was finding out on March 3rd that I was officially accepted into the ARRIBA! program! Since that time I've had the added challenge of filling out all the paperwork and organizing things for the trip. It's so amazing to watch God work in every little detail. Sometimes it seems overwhelming, but then God reminds me that I'm not the one doing anything anyway. It's all of Him!
One of the greatest things God used in my life this semester was our Spring Chorale Tour. This year we traveled over our Spring Break to various places in Michigan and Illinois, giving thirteen concerts in ten days. Our program was Sola gratia...sola fide (Grace alone, Faith alone) Being able to spend that time serving the Lord in ministry, building relationships with people in churches as well as fellow Chorale members, and growing in Christ was incredible. Through so many songs in our program, God spoke directly to my heart about my level of trust in Him. The biggest thing I learned was that I am totally dependent on the grace of God in every area of my life. Not only did His grace save me, it is what sustains me every minute of every day. Only by His grace can I hope to accomplish anything, or bring any glory to Him. I was also challenged to really live out my faith in Christ; to have a faith that will not always over-analyze and search, but instead will simply rest in simple, Childlike trust in a God who never fails.
Sola gratia....sola fide!
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