Content in Singleness

I've finally gotten to the point where I'm completely content in singleness.  I have absolutely no desire to be in a relationship right now and it feels amazing.  I love this place.  I am embracing singleness, not looking for anything or anyone.  I know the Lord will release me when He is ready and i am completely comfortable waiting here until that happens....

The frustrating part is that it seems as though this was the cue for the rest of the world to be interested in me.  I finally get to where I'm not interested in anyone, not even considering, and all of a sudden they want to pursue me.  Not cool.  We have a group of 4 of us that have been hanging out for a while now and two of them are married.  Recently the other guy has started to try to pursue something with me which has just frustrated me.  I now can't hang out with them anymore because he needs to realize nothing is going to happen.  BUH!  Another guy who I haven't talked to in almost a year has recently started contacting me wanting to get coffee.  I just don't get it!

Anyways, it's a great place to be and feels awesome but of course I can't seem to avoid boys.  I wish they would leave me alone and let me be in this place with the Lord before I meet my husband.  Although, I have a feeling that that could be soon.  This is the time when it tends to find you :)

Forever and Always

The Little Rascals

I watched The Little Rascals today.  I'd bought it a couple months ago and was never quite in the right mood to watch it until this afternoon.  I forgot just how good this movie is.  Reminds me of my childhood :)  It is just so adorable and if my kids are half as cute as these little kids I'll be happy!  What children's movies do you like to watch??

Forever and Always

Snicker-doodle Disaster

Needless to say they didn't exactly turn out...:(

I found a snicker-doodle recipe online because they have become my new favorites.  There's nothing quite like a delicious soft snicker-doodle.  Well...I failed.  The dough was so dry that I couldn't get the 2 inch balls to stay together if my life depended on it.  A few of them managed to stay together but were hard as rock when it came time to eating them.  I'm not sure if it was the recipe, operator error, or the high altitude that made them a complete disaster but  I'm a little disappointed.  This means I'm still on the quest for an amazing snicker-doodle recipe.  Maybe next time!

Forever and Always

God vs Science

In hopes that all our college students are able to discern this well! 'Let me explain the problem science has with religion.'

The atheist professor of Philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of His new students to stand.

'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'

'Yes sir,' the student says.

'So you believe in God?'

'Absolutely. '

'Is God good?'

'Sure! God's good.'

'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'

'Yes'

'Are you good or evil?'

'The Bible says I'm evil.'

The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible! He considers for a Moment.
'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and You can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'

'Yes sir, I would.'

'So you're good...!'

'I wouldn't say that.'

'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'

The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't, does He? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Can you answer that one?'

The student remains silent. 'No, you can't, can you?? the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax. 'Let's start again, young fella.. Is God good?'

'Er..yes,' the student says.

'Is Satan good?'

The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'

'Then where does Satan come from?'

The student falters. 'From God'

'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there Evil in this world?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?'

'Yes'

'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created Everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'

Again, the student has no answer.

'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'

The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'

'So who created them?'

The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. 'Who created them?' There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. 'Tell me,' he continues onto another student.. 'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?'

The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.'

The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to Identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'

'No sir. I've never seen Him.'

'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'

'No, sir, I have not.'

'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelled your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, Or, God for that matter?'

'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'

'Yet you still believe in him?'

'Yes'

'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, Son?'

'Nothing,' the student replies. 'I only have my faith.'

'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'

' Yes.'

'And is there such a thing as cold?'

'Yes, son, there's cold too.'

'No sir, there isn't.'

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. 'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit down to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees. Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'

'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation. 'What is night if it isn't darkness?'

'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?'

'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?'

'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains. 'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.'

'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.'


'Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'

'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.'

'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided. 'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.' The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter. 'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelled the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so.

So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir.'

'So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?'

Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable. Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I guess you'll have to take them on faith..'

'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?'

Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.'

To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.'

The professor sat down.




...The student was Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein wrote a book titled "God vs Science" in 1921...






Forever and Always

the perfect start to a new year

I could not have imagined a better way to spend my new year

I went with three of my friends to Atlanta, GA for the most amazing conference of my life.  I was challenged in so many ways.  The Lord did such amazing things there that it blows my mind every time I think about it.  He delivered some incredible messages from some amazing authors, and worshipping with 20,000 college students was unlike anything I've ever experienced...

As a group, including our 1,200 volunteers, we raised over $1,000,000 for different organizations.  The only way that poor college students could do that is through the Lord and it was amazing.  It brought me to tears.  There was also a really cool surprise one night.  Louie was telling us about an article in the paper about a family in Haiti that was homeless and the little girl had lost her arm. It was just her and her dad cuz everyone else died in the earthquake.  Louie tracked them down and brought them to Passion and the Lord is giving them a new life, with a new arm for the little girl.  It was breath taking.

The Do Something Now center was where we went to donate and one of the coolest parts about the entire conference.  There were all kinds of places to go to see what it is like to be these people we are supporting.  It was so creative and so well done.  I loved walking around down there and taking pictures.

Feeding hungry children

Life-saving surgeries

Human trafficking, wells in India, and more.

I wish there were words to describe the conference, but there really aren't.  The only way to know what this is like is to experience it for yourself, and I would strongly recommend it.  If there is any way you can take your college group or high school seniors to one of these do it.  It's 100% worth it.  It will change your life forever.  I know it did mine.

Forever and Always