Encouragement: Your Great Name Lyrics (Acoustic Version) By Natalie Grant

Hey Guys~


Okay, so I know it's been kind of quiet on here lately. Trouble is, I haven't had much time to sit down and think; let alone I wouldn't quite know what to say. I guess I've been experiencing what you would call a "silent time" in my relationship with God. In the midst of this time, I find hope in songs like the one below Your Great Name by Natalie Grant. The lyrics that really resonate with me are in verse one, which state as follows:

"Lost are saved; find their way; at the sound of Your great name All condemned; feel no shame, at the sound of Your great name Every fear; has no place; at the sound of Your great name The enemy; he has to leave; at the sound of Your great name"

I hope you find it as encouraging as I do during this very interesting time!

One Show, Two Unique Perspectives!

Welcome Back,

I know it's been a while since I posted anything, it's been a busy time for me when me splitting my time between conquering health issues and helping out with the church website. That being said, time at my computer is precious these days ..

Still, I watched an interesting episode of "Anderson" last week and thought I'd bring it to your attention. It featured the inspirational story of the Johnstons, a family who lovingly refers to themselves as the real-life "seven dwarfs". The family consists of all all dwarf children, two of which are biological and three that are internationally adopted. Although they have obvious physical limitations, they live in your average sized home. Their reasoning is a simple one-they want their children to grow up knowing how to adapt in the real world. For more information on this story, feel free to visit the following link:
http://www.ndersoncooper.com/episodes/meet-the-johnstons-one-little-happy-family/

Encouragement: Another Reason To Dream The "Impossible"

Hey Guys,

This article was featured as I was looking through my e-mail two days ago. It not only proves that dreams can come true, but parents should never underestimate their children's potential..

Please check it out, you won't regret it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/02/mariah-slick-down-syndrome-homecoming-queen_n_991098.html?ncid=webmail1

Courageous-Casting Crowns with lyrics

Welcome Back Everyone~

Okay, so I know it's been a while.. But my family and I finally took our long-awaited vacation of the summer; it was a great time to just sit back and reflect on the journey we've had over the over the past few months. Despite this new lease on life. I've been given, it still has its own troubles. Since my recovery, for example, I've had a great amount of difficulty finding someone to care for my needs; not only that, but I've developed reoccurring health issues that keep me out of my chair for several hours a day.

That being said, I'm amazed at how God has kept so many of my dreams alive. Barring any other economic difficulties, I will be moving out on my own soon. I just have to wait for a first level apartment to become available before a friend

and I can move in together. In the meantime, however, I am enjoying spending time with my family-knowing that this time is fleeting and soon our lives may have us going in different directions.

Anyway, that's why I love the movie Courageous. It teaches Christians that we have a unique opportunity to share God's love with those around us; but with that comes a harsh reality-in which one must choose to live out their faith and take responsibility for our actions. In that way, we are all doubly responsible when we each know what God expects of us as a person and as a human put on this earth.

I'm sorry, there's so much more I had planned to share with you in terms of the movie. But I waited too long to write it all down! Anyway, who knows? I may get the opportunity to see it again and some new thoughts will be spurred in my head.

In the meantime, I thought I would share the main theme of the movie with you about one guys: hopefully, you will be as inspired as I was...

Karen Kingsbury - Leaving

I've featured Karen Kingsbury books on my blog before, but this one holds a lot of significance for me. Not only because I'm reading it right now, but I'm struggling with the decisions Bailey is making in the book. As many of you may know from reading my blog or being my friend in real life, it's always been a dream of mine to get a place of my own- a separate life from my parents. After all, I accomplished my goal once before: why can't I do it again??

The answer is quite simple really.. I can, but it's all a matter of timing-God's Timing! In short, I can plan all I want; but if it isn't God's will, it won't work out. That being said, I have a lot of decisions ahead of me.. I just hope I make the right ones!

Dolphin Tale - Official Trailer

Welcome Back Everyone~
I came across this trailer while looking for something encouraging for today's blog; that's right, I'm bringing back Encouragement Wednesdays. Dolphin Tail tells the inspirational story of a boy and a dolphin without a tail

A new revelation from a classic hymn..

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield thee;
thou wilt find a solace there.

(Lyrics taken from the website:http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh526.sht)

Such a powerful message from a hymn!

While most hymns tend to focus on God in terms of His Might and Power; this one takes on another approach, calling Jesus a friend. I don't know about you, but this concept makes Him seem more accessible to me and everyone. After all a friend is someone in whom we can depend on day or night with our problems. He, like our human counterparts, cares for us and wants us to succeed in all we do.. So much so, that he gave his life for us. What an amazing sacrifice

Too often, though, we slip back into our old ways of thinking we can handle things ourselves and don't think we need God's assistance. But that's simply not true, God wants to be involved in all parts of our life-from the life-changing decisions to the insignificant ones. They all matter!

On the same token, although God's acceptance and friendship is unconditional, he wants us to trust him fully. That's not always an easy thing to do. I should know: I have experienced this time and time again in my stunt in the hospital. I may not been able to see what was going on behind the scenes, but had to believe that he had my best interests at heart. And even now-knowing about the victories I've had, I must put aside my own feelings of insecurity and walk blindly forward.. Knowing that God goes before us and knows the road ahead of us

The song, 'Tis So Sweet To Trust in Jesus is yet another reminder of how difficult a task this is. Yes, we are to take God at his word. But Verse 3 goes even further saying, " Yes, 'tis sweet to trust in Jesus, just from sin and self to cease; just from Jesus simply taking life and rest, and joy and peace. Refrain: Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him! How I've proved him o'er and o'er! Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more!"

I don't know about you, but resting is something I've never been good at. In this world, we're taught to multitask in order to get things done. But God calls us to rest, believing in his promises and trusting that he knows best.

Food for thought.