Mississippi

Over the past three days, I have been in Jackson, MS. What a wonderful little town full of wonderful little people! I feel like I have been on a plane for the majority of the time but the pay off was worth it! We went to Mississippi for a YEC conference. It was amazing as usual. The first night there Brock did a different type of invitation. He preached about how if kids are bored in their churches, it was their fault. It was time for them to step up and realize the ministry is in their hands now...fifteen and sixteen year olds need to grow up and take leadership. If kids are bored because they feel like the old people aren't provided entertainment in the church, then they should rethink some things. First they need to think about what they could be learning from these older people who have been in the faith for over 50 years now...imagine how much we could gain from them! Second, the kids need to learn how to compromise and make the church their church too!
After Brock spoke for a bit, he had the audience close their eyes and asked the question "Who wants to be a leader?" He directed this question towards the young guys in the audience and asked them to stand if they were ready to be a leader in the church and community. About 100 guys stood up (wow). Brock asked them to come to the front as he began the invitation time. He asked the audience if their was anyone who needed prayer to raise there hand. He told the guys standing to begin their leadership then!
These teenage guys then ventured out into the audience with hands on these people in need, praying with them. It was amazing to see this young guys helping people twice their age! Brock's right, the future of ministry lies within the youth's hands! It's time for them to stand up and make difference! I'm excited to see what's to come from these new leaders...

Children and Santa

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. As my four year old niece woke me up this morning, so excited to go downstairs and see what Santa had left, it reminded me of how it felt when I was little. So to all of you reading this, picture this...
You are four or five years old, it's Christmas Eve and Mama and Daddy have told you three times already that it's time for bed. But as usual you're not sleepy because you are too excited about what will happen in the morning. When you finally get into bed and all the lights are out, you just can't sleep. You think about that magical man that is expected to show up at any minute. The one who is suppose to bring you all the things you have been wishing and hoping for. You close your eyes but the slightest noise makes them open. Before you know it, you've fallen asleep and the next thing you know it's morning(well at least in your eyes). It's 5 am and you jump out of bed and run into your parents room whispering "wake up, wake up." The whispering soon becomes louder and louder, until both parents are up. As you walk into the living room, your eyes can hardly look at one, single thing because there is too much to focus on. And that one thing, you know the one that you have been waiting for since October, is sitting there on the fireplace. All in that one moment all your hopes and wishes had come true and you are completely happy!
Let me tell you seeing that this morning was so joyful! But you know what it reminded me of something...Children put all there hopes and wishes into Santa on that one special day of the year. He never lets them down when it comes to what the wish for. They long to see him every chance they get...at the mall, the parades and even at school. They talk about him all the time and when they do get to see him, they confide in him as if they've known each other their whole lives. I wish we could act as they do 365 days of the year putting all our hopes and wishes into Jesus. He is the one we should be so excited to see. How different do you think our lives would be if we confided in Jesus the way children confide in Santa? Just a thought!

So Happy

Have you ever been in the city too long and when you finally come home you realize all the things you miss.
Last night I got home from my aunt's house and I was standing outside at my dog's pen. When I looked up, oh my goodness, the most beautiful sight I had seen in a while was before me. You see I live in the country and there are no city lights around to block the beauty I saw last night. When I looked up, there it was, a sky full of stars. You could see every constellation and when a star shot across the sky, there was no mistaking it! This is one thing that I miss about living at home.
While I was sitting out there with my puppies I realized that sometimes I should stop and look around more. I should take deep breaths and listen to the things around me. It was kind of chilly last night and it reminded me of so many things. High School memories all the way through some of my college days. It was one of those times where you reminisce. I sat there and thought about the things I want in life and the things I have already recieved. I have been truly blessed beyond measure. What a great moment... It was just the perfect ending to a perfect day!!

Hesitation

I always knew that God had a big and indescrible plan for me but I never really knew how it would go or when it would happen. He tends to surprise me everyday with new joys in my life. What I want to know is "How do you know if something was given to you by God."
Now don't get me wrong, I know that the blessings in life are always directly sent from above but sometimes we receive things in our life that we wish for, not what God wants. So if something is placed in front of you and everything about it seems right, do you run with it or do you hesitate in order to make sure it is what He intended. This is where confusion sets in!!
Recently something has been placed in my life that seems so perfect. It's kind of like an answered prayer but it is a selfish prayer on my part. It seems to be wrong timing for the way my life is heading. When I break down, besides the timing, everything thing about this new joy is perfect. So my question is do I run with it or do I hesitate?

too much going on

Well it's been almost a full week since I've been able to write! I've been working my little butt off! The Colts game was awesome...except for the whole losing part!
We had fun exploring Jacksonville, FL. We got to ride a boat taxi across the waterway and we danced in the street near Jacksonville Landing! Sunday we decided to keep the fun going so we visited Charlston, SC. It is such a beautiful city and I had forgotten just how much I love it there! It made me remember the first time I went and how much I fell in love while I was there...such an amazing city. We meet up with some of Joe and Janis' friends while we were there. They told some of the funniest stories about wild jokers and scary men. You had to be there to understand. The whole weekend was fun and it was just what we needed for a mini vacation!
The rest of this week has been full of customers and running food. It has made me realize how great it's going to be when I don't have to serve food anymore! I think people should be required to take a class in college on how to tip. It's amazing how much servers and people who work in the food industry get taken advantage of! It's not that hard to tip 15%... I mean, if you can order $80 worth of food, you should be able to add a tip to that tab, plain and simple!
Besides the grumpy people and the long tickets times, it's safe to say, I'm going to miss everyone I work with when I leave in 7 days! They make my life enjoyable. So for the next 7 days I'm going to put on a smile, politely wait on hundreds of people a day and cherish every second with some of my best friends.

Colts

Well, I've been up since 5:15 A.M. and the fun is now about to begin. Janis, Joe and I are about to leave for our weekend in Jacksonville, FL. Colts/Jaguars game here we come! We have been anticipating this all week! We've packed the car down with everything needed for an awesome time. All that is left is us...not to worry though that will soon be checked off the list!!
We are driving down the Charlston, SC to pick up Nick today then onward to the sunny state! I'll let you all know how it goes when I return on Monday....So with that said "GO COLTS!"

oh heavenly

Today has been a day full of packing and visiting. I'm finally all packed up and ready to move to Tennesse to start my new journey. I realized that I can't take everything so I vowed to only pack the important things! It's been a time trying to figure out what is important and what is not.
Downey and I had a fabulous time today at the mall. You see there is a time in every girl's life when a good pair of jeans is necessary. Today was that time. We tried on like every pair in the store until we found the perfect pair. I must say that we both look pretty cute in them!
Today winded down with a get together with Carrie, Elizabeth, Megs and the Friends DVD along with the most heavenly dessert ever...yes the CHOCOLATE MOLTEN! You can't beat it. Have you tried one? If not where have you been?
Let me describe it for you...a chocolate devil's food cake with a warm chocolate center topped with ice cream and covered with carmel and chocolate hard shell! Yes I know...now you want one!

Christmas Lights

I was driving back to Wilmington tonight and the bright colored and white lights began to make me smile. I thought back to when I was little and I used to help my mom decorate and my dad hang lights. Oh to be that young again...those were the days. Anyway it really put me in the Christmas spirit! I can picture the holidays already. Family gathered, putting bows on my dogs and cat on Christmas morning, waffles on Christmas Eve (because it's tradition), My niece ripping open gifts from Santa, and of course the chance that maybe, just maybe it will snow( even though it's still 70 degrees).
Christmas always creates these unforgettable memories...ones that you cherish, and making more each December is worth waiting a whole year for!

I've been MIA for the past couple of days so I should catch everyone up. I am working in Greenville NC till December 22 in order to make some extra cash for the holidays and for the move. I've been there the past 5 days and I have loved every minute. I miss everyone there so much. I have had a chance to meet some new people and hang out with the people I love. Friday night I got to go to Boli's and have some of the best pizza bread ever...oh how I've missed that. It's been great and I can't wait to go back on Tuesday! So all you Greenville people, let's hang out when I get back!!!