ThankYOuComeAgin

Thanksforcoming..I hope we can enlighten eachother on this thing called life and enjoy Jesus at the same time!



Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Are You Ready for the new year?


"Its a new season its a new day". Wow, I cant believe that in less than 6 hours we will be ringing in the new year, and its a time for celebration! I can already hear the fireworks popping outside my window. God has really blessed me this year; beyond my wildest imaginations. I finished an entire year of college, and my relationship with Him is stronger than ever. With a new year comes new experiences and greater trials and tests lie ahead of us. Many will make resolutions that will not be kept. To exercise more and eat healthier, the list goes on and on. I think that what many people fail to realize is that we don't have to wait for the turning of the calendar to do something new and different with our lives. The first step to a new and better you is simply surrendering your life to Jesus and allowing him to be your Lord and Savior. Forget about your past mistakes and regrets. God does not care about the many skeletons that are hanging in your closet. All he wants is you! "Therefore if any man be in Christ He is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new" 2 Corinthians 5: 17. It doesn't matter to God whether you give your life to Him on January 1 or on May 22. Just don't wait until its too late!The point is to seek Him while he may be found, and to take each day that we are blessed to wake up, as another opportunity to get it right with Him. Once you accept Christ, the transformation has begun, and it will last a lifetime.


Happy New Year!


AJ

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Not My Will Lord, But thy Will be Done


..........Its easy to say that where ever the Lord leads us to go that we will follow Him there; but what if that means doing something that we might not want to do. The reason I bring up the topic is because I have been seeking God for guidance in my major and career. I am currently a biology major studying to become a doctor. I thought I wanted to become a doctor since I was in grade school. He has blessed me with the intelligence, and I just always thought that this is what He wanted me to do. I was sure of it until this last semester, when it became really difficult for me to study and I lost the passion that I thought I once had. So I decided that during this winter break that I would take the time to really seek God about my career. It made me strongly question whether or not a doctor was what I was going to be. I have been wrestling with my purpose on this earth for quite a while. It was literally tearing me apart. During my meditation I thought that I heard God say that I was supposed to be an English major. A what?! Yes that's exactly what I thought. Its funny how I kept asking him what he wanted me to be in life; but I really don't think that I wanted to hear his answer. I wanted him to tell me that I was going to become a surgeon. The best cardio-thoracic surgeon to ever grace the world's stage. But he didn't and he still hasn't. Being an English major was the last thing that I wanted to hear. I keep thinking about being a disappointment to by family. I know that they are all rooting for me to become their doctor. I want to run away from it, but in my head and heart I know that I have to keep saying "not my will Lord but thy will be done." I Keep thinking about Jesus and how we asked that the cup of crucifixion be passed from him, but then he quickly snapped out of it and said not my will father but thy will be done. He knew that He had greater purpose to fulfill, and that that purpose could not be limited by his own discomfort. Not my will Lord but thy will be done.


Sincerely,


AJ

Monday, December 29, 2008

cAn U unscramble this Word???


So, me and my sisters just spent around 30 minutes trying to unscramble this word AMSWNNO; the hint was corn cob pipe. Can you figure it out? It was rather simple, but we complicated it much more than it needed to be. In the end we finally used a word unscrambler to figure it out. I know we cheated! But after 30 minutes of trying to find the Indian name for a traditional corn cob pipe we simply had to give up. In the end the answer was rather simple. I'm talking about one of those things where it makes you want to smack yourself because of how remedial it was. What life lesson can we learn from this? I think one thing that we can take out of this self-imposed complicated situation is that, sometimes life's puzzles are much less complicated than we make them seem. The answers to our dilemmas and the solutions to the problems that we face are often right in front of our faces, but we fail to see them because we think that it should be some gigantic intricately designed contrivance. We were soo busy digging deep and trying to think outside the box, that we failed to see the grand scheme of things. It was a holiday themed puzzle. Surely all of the words had to deal with the Christmas season. Life is only as complicated was we choose to make it.

Think about It.
AJ

Sunday, December 28, 2008

I Never Can Say GoodBye..




Never Can Say Goodbye - Jackson 5
Good day readers you are probably wondering why I have this classic hit up here. I never can say goodbye by the Jackson 5 its because my best friend is getting married! I know I know I should be happy for her and trust me I am. I want her to experience all the joys of marriage and the fulfillment that comes with it. But it just feels kinda weird, and yes I admit that it hurts, to know that once she says I do that's a wrap. OK, here's the history. I have known this girl since we have been in kindergarten! NOw how many people can say that?! But we have really been friends since the seventh grade and I was old enough to want to talk on the phone. So we have a long history. And now all of a sudden my best friend in the whole wide world, except for Jesus of course is about to take the plunge; in one weeks time she will no longer have the same last name. It seems that I am enduring some separation anxiety. It seems as though they are always together. When I call on weekends he is always there, like he is the other man lol jk. But seriously though I have definitely had to realize that I cannot depend on human beings for my comfort. You know how when something really terrible happens to you like your boyfriend dumps you , or for my fellow college students if you fail a test, your best friend is the one you can't wait to call when you get good and bad news. But now she won't always be available. Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way. One thing that I have learned is that Jesus should be the first person we run to when getting both good and bad news. I have learned to kneel and pray to tell him everything, and if there's anyone that needs to complete us its him. So the lesson learned is to put God first in everything and to let him fill the voids that are in our lives because only He can. Human beings may come and go but God is ever present!
Be Blessed!
AJ

I want to donate an Organ!




So, I just saw the movie seven pounds and it was..inspiring! They call it a love story, which isn't exactly the characterization that I would use, however when you think about it there is no greater love than for a man to lay down his life for a friend. Now I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it but it definitely showed me that I could be a more giving person. I mean this man, Ben Thomas, was giving out organs for goodness sake! I could at least give something to help a stranger in need. And then I thought if there was an organ that I could donate if would be a kidney! I mean come on, we really only need one to survive. Plus, I think that saving someone from the pain of dialysis is worth the trade-off of a little pain. Bone marrow wouldn't be too bad either. I think we, as Americans, are a bit too selfish. We all should take the time to not only give to others but also to ourselves by spending time a with God each day. I promise the reward is priceless.




Think About It!


AJ

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Could You Really Say Yes..to God?

After years of hearing this song over and over again. We finally get to see the face behind the music. This woman's voice is completely and utterly anointed! Praise God. But more importantly than the voice or melody is the message she is belting out! Will your heart and soul say yes to the Lord when he tells you what following Him will really cost you. It's going to cost friends, family members and strangers looking at you like you might be crazy. You will have to give up sleep, and TV, and just the generally comforts that you normally would take for granted. I have to admit that truly following God is not easy. I absolutely love to watch movies. I pretty much hate to watch television because commercials bite and the programming is horrible. But give me a good movie and I am straight. Well lately I have been reading about how important it is to regulate what we pour into our spirits via TV and music. This cut me deep because it meant that I was going to have to strictly regulate what I watch. Right now I am single and I don't need to watch things that have sex sense, and kissing in them. That really reduces what I can watch because romantic scenes are everywhere. Because I seeking to hear his voice right now, I can't watch any TV at all! And don't even get me started on fasting. I really enjoy food and I know that turning down my plate is apart of crucifying my flesh. But I'm working on it, and in the end I know it will be worth it to hear well done! Well what about right now, you might ask. My right now will severely be enriched because one day I will be lucky enough to hear the voice of God himself! I think that what turns people off from following Christ and truly surrendering to Him is that they are constantly thinking about what they are going to lose. But look at what you have to gain. I hope to get to the place where I am completely and totally living from my heart, and I'm not talking about spontaneity. I'm talking about hearing from God on a day to day minute to minute basis. Walking in health and peace, love and prosperity.


Watch and be moved!

Using Common Sense while interpreting the Bible


Could someone please tell me where in my God's holy Word, does it say use common sense? It has been my experience that the Word of God is not meant to be taken in a literal sense. His word is not meant for the brain, but for the heart. Andrew Womack, author and pastor, wrote "God's word touches your heart. Some people struggle with the Word because they're trying to understand it with their brain. But God's word is written to your heart. If you'll read it with your heart, you'll have understanding. If you just try to pick it apart with your brain, you'll mess up and miss things". His words are so profound. So that brings me back to the common sense part. Why do people say you must have common sense when reading the bible? I mean the man just said that God's word is written to the heart and not the brain so why would someone try to apply earthly knowledge to his Word. You simply can't. Habakkuk 2:4 says that "the righteous shall live by faith." Period. It does not say that only live some days by faith but in difficult situations you have to turn to earthly means of getting you out of trouble. Or when God's Word says that "All things are possible to him that believeth." When you read it are we only supposed to think that this applies to certain situations but not all. Surely, it doesn't apply to raising the dead or walking on water. ALL THINGS! That is what I believe. I have learned to take God at his Word; if he says it in this word then he means it. His Word will not return unto Him void, Isaiah 55:11.
Today, one of my family members informed me that you need humans to help you with IRS problems! WHAT?! You mean to tell me that Almighty God is not big enough to help you with your tax evasion issues? No! God can do all things. Sure he may use a human being to deliver the relief that He sent. But he doesn't need them to fix our problems. That's his job. His strength is made perfect in our weakness!