Chase the Sunset

Sorry that I have not posted in awhile. I took an Interior Design class this past week, and I have not had any inspiration about what to write about. But it came to me a few days ago while I was watching the sun sink behind that trees. I was thinking how majestic it was, and how blessed we are to have such a creative God. The sun sets every day, and rises every morning, and that will happen everyday until the end of days, and while the sun is setting and rising this world is falling apart. While the sun is still rising and setting it also means that we have time to make a differance in the world. Dont let the sun go down with out being a light to the world. I realize that some people are not called to go out on the mission field, or other like things, but we can still make a differance by standing up for what we believe in, and even just by being a good example. Just because we are not out on the mission field or going around and fighting against political things does not mean we can't make a differance in the way we live. Either by being a good daughter or son, husband or wife, or a good brother or sister. If we practice being a good person at home we can be light in this dark world just by the way we act. What makes us differant then the people of this world? Can people tell we are differant? So chase the sunset and do not let it go down with out being a good example to this fallen world. The the time we have to do this is running out.
1 Corinthians 11:1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
Can you say this to the darkness of the world?
1 Timothy 4:12 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
Titus 2:7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness.
1 Peter 2:21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

Canoeing with a Life Jacket!

Ysterday was a very good day, I went canoeing with some of my very dear freinds, Bethany (bethy) Brianna (nonie) and Christine (I dont have a nickname for her :P) My dad and Mr. Stofiel were with us and there were three people to a canoe. It wa a blast! But I did have to wear very......well....I had to wear water socks *haha* and a big blue life jacket. It was alot of fun we had licorice, gold fish (my favorite :) and alot of fun packed rowing! I got a farmers tan, because I had a quarter length sleeve on. My dad sat in the middle and he actually held our two canoes together (it was easier to hand snacks back and forth *hehe*) The whole time we kept commenting on how gross the water was, it was green and it had all these differant kinds of plants growing in it. Then my dad started telling these stories about lake monsters and movies where people would all of a sudden disappear because the monster got them (I was not scared though ;) We went with a "tour guide" and a group of people that we did not know, but we had our house boat ;) with all the snacks we could need! but any way the trip was coming to an end and we where about 40 feet from land so we decided to race the rest of the way but we had to get away from eachother (because my dad was holding us together) so my dad and Christine (she was in the other boat) pushed away from eachother at the same time, all of us girls screamed, and we were all in the water both canoes upside down! *HAHA* I am very used to being in water so I finally figured out what had happened I started laughing my head off (that was until I realized I was in merky water...... with plants touching my legs......and a lake monster could be in there! :O) *wink* It was like a dream, I did not even have time to react (besides my screamm) when we fell in, it just happened. Our stuff was floating all around, our snacks.....goners *cry* All of us girls were just laughing we could not even think straight. But we went down in history as the first to people to fall out of a canoe on that lake. It was the icing on the cake for me. Luckily we had a change of clothes packed. My dads cell phone dead, and Mr. Stofiels 300.0 doller phone...dead.
Well after that story I want to just say how we can take for granted our "life jackets" from the worries of this world. Sometimes we can think that we would be able to swim this world on our own, but we know that is not true, we have to have a life jacket of Gods grace, and love to save us from the merky waters of this world. We would get to tired with out Gods life jacket for us, because that is what carries us when we are to weak to go any farther. Praise God for all His love for you, because alot of people dont have what we do, and that is hope, faith, love, grace, and everything that God has given us. We can think that life is so hard, but think about what it would be without our life jacket (God)? We might be able to swim for alittle while but would happen when we got tired? We were chosen befor the world had even been created, praise God for that! We dont deserve what we have.
Psalm 5:11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
Psalm 25:9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
Proverbs 2:8 For he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.
Psalm 116:6 The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me.
Psalm 23:3 He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Five Tacos For Me!

Last night my grandparents and my cousin Bryan came to spend the night. My mom made tacos for dinner, it was a rather late dinner, and she asked me how many I wanted. I said in a rather desperate tone "Five!" my grandma thought it was very funny, because she knew I barely eat very much at all (mind you I do eat enough to fill me up :) So any way as we were sitting out on the pattio in the nice weather, grandma said "I want to see if Hannah will really eat five tacos." Well the game was on because I know no one expected me to eat more then two (that is my normal number) well let me tell you, I ate FIVE WHOLE TACOS! *he he* I even had two cookies afterwards with some m&m's later that night. I dont think that I will eat for weeks! But *ha ha* I think my stomach just growled. I wanted to proove that I was not a two taco girl, but a big whoppin FIVE taco girl! YEAH! Okay sorry if I am making you hungry I will get to the point of this post.
People of this world look at Christians and homeschoolers, and think that they are as dumb, as dumb can get. I mean the government is trying to get homeschoolers to go to school because they are "worried" that we are not getting a good enough education, and the world has always been against Christians and thier beliefs. People can think that we are a weak link and that we have nothing behind us. Well for one they have it all wrong, we have the King of Kings behind us. Lets show the world that we know the Lord God and that they can know Him too! If I can chow down five tacos just to proove that I can, then why cant I take a chance for Jesus and proove to the world that God is....God! I know I would want someone to tell me aout Jesus if I was unsaved. Now I am not saying God needs proof to be real to us or to them, but sometimes people dont see what is right infront of there nose, they just need someone to point them in the right direction. So what I have learned from eating five tacos (other then the fact that is make you very full) is that sometimes I can only be a two "taco girl" for the Lord, just because that is what the world expects me to be, when I really can be a five "taco girl".
Mark 8:35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.
Acts 20:24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
Romans 1:9 God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you.
Romans 1:16a I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first teh Jew then the gentile.

Are You Soft Clay?

This past fall I went to an art school called Master School of Art. I took a portrait class and got to choose who I wanted to draw, but only from a pile that the teacher had. I chose I picture of Audrey Hepburn. It took me half the school year to finish it, and I must say I got pretty tired ot staring at her face. The teacher would be like "Okay now just study the the picutrer." It seemed pretty worhtless I mean what was going to happen "OH MY! HER HEAD MOVED!" I didn't think so :P But I just had to trust my teacher even if what she said seemed kind of dumb. Finally she said I could be done, but I did not want to be done there were things that I still wanted to fix, I was not content with the way it looked, I just wanted to keep working on it. But alas it was the last day of school so I had to be done. Then as I was thinking about it I realized that Christians can get pretty comfortable with where they are in there walk with the Lord. "I am good enough where I am, I dont need to work on my sins any more. I mean look at me I have three bible chapters memoirzed, I know how to pray, and I even go to church every week." We can get used to where we are and just think that we are good enough. I know that we will never be perfect here on earth, but we have to keep walking towards the light. We have to be clay that God can mold into what He wants us to be, we cant just turn hard half way through. Dont be content with where you are, always strive to be the best that you can be. When our judgement day comes we are going to look back and wish that we had fixed the things that we thought were good enough. The only thing we can truely be content in is God himself and His will for us. Are we willing to leave every thing behind us and walk in His steps?
Isaiah 64:8 Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
Also sometimes we can think that what God is wants us to do sounds pretty dumb, and we dont understand why He wants us to do it.
Isaiah 55:9 As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
2 Samuel 7:28 O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.

So Full and yet So Dry.....

You know how it is when you are really thirsty and nothing sounds good but water? Why is that? Well pop or juice never really quenches my thirst, it might cover it up for awhile but I still feel thirsty. Maybe it is because God made water just so that we could stay hydrated, not feel thirsty, and be good for us all at the same time. I mean think about it, you never see lions drinking pop to quench thier thirst, or any other animle for that matter :P Dont worry I am not going to go on and on about how pop is bad for you (because *ahem* I like pop :o) But God also made us thirsty so that we can quench our thirst. As Christians we have have excepted Jesus Christ as our Lord, which makes our heart feel so full, but why can we still feel dry sometimes in our walk with the Lord? Is it because He forgot to water us? No! Of course not! He never forgets or abandons us. So that leaves me to think that we can be dry because we are not reading scriptures every day, we are not talking with the Lord about decisions we are making and there are many more reasons. Maybe sometimes it is because God sent us to a dessert. I am sure that all Christians have gone through a dessert in there life atleast once. It can be a very long dessert or a short one, but the whole time you are in it you feel very dry and weary. God does not send you there just because you have done something wrong, or because He does not like you any more, but because sometimes He is helping you grow spiritually. If life did not have desserts we wouldn't feel grateful for the rain. How could we fully trust in God if everything was easy? Sometimes we can feel like there would be an easier way out, other then going round in circles, but God is always there ready to pick you up when you fall. Although you would think that a dessert would make you feel very dry, you actually leave it feeling very.........watered and nourished. Because during that whole time you could not walk on your own, you had to lean on Jesus. So who ever reads this post and thinks they are going through a dessert, well look heavenward because God is still there just as powerful as He always is, and ready to pick you up when you fall. No matter how weak you feel, God is still strong. God makes us thirst just so we can drink.
Isaiah 55:1 Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
Isn't that amazing! NO COST! Jesus paid it all!
Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Deuteronomy 33:26 There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty.
Deuteronomy 4:31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.
Isaiah 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
Isaiah 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Ducks, Chickens, Geese, and Sheep

You know the people that I talked about earlier, the people I babysit for. They have animals and they are away on a trip so I got the gnawrly job of taking care of 7 sheep, three ducks, half a dozen chickens, and three VERY annoying geese! I filled the chikens water (the whole time the geese were honking at me.....*haha* that sounds weird) then I came out of thier pen and the geese followed trying to scare me......(I think my dad kicked them to hard in the head the other day because now they think they are watch dogs.) I decided to give the sheep some grain and I wanted them to trust me, so I would put my hand down real low and wait for them to get the guts to come and eat out of my hand (I regretted it afterwards because of the drool *bleack*). There was this one lamb that kept getting pushed away, and never got a bite of food. So I tried to reach over the sheep that were butting eachothers head to get the pan of food that I put out for them, and tried to let the baby eat from my hand. But it was to scared.....maybe because my feet looked really big in my dads shoes *haha* So any way I finally followed the little guy and I accidentally stepped in some.....brown stuff. (good thing they weren't my shoes :p) then I almost tripped. Then, finally the little guy came over and took alitte bit from my hand but by that time the other sheep had eaten all the food and came running over to eat the remaining food in my hand. Well any way you might be wondering where this is going. Well, the Lord is our Shepard, and we are His sheep. His arms are always stretched out to us, but sometimes we are blind to His mercies and love, and can be like the timid little lamb. We can be scared to trust Him, and that can keep us from following His will for our lives. Just like I wanted that little lamb to trust me, God wants us to trust Him.But on the other hand we can be like the other sheep, trying to take everything for oursleves and not even give thanks for what He has given. Which sheep are you? The timid or selfish?
1 Chronicles 16:35 Cry out, "Save us, O God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, that we may glory in your praise."
Psalm 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.
1 Thessalonians 5:14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
James 3:16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

Your a Fragrance in My Mind

You know when people wear alot of perfume, and when they walk by it leaves this very strong scent that seems to be following them. Some girls and I were talking about it on Sunday.....I dont know why.....girls just talk thats all *haha* Well I was thinking (I do that alot *hehe*) God is kind of this fragrance in my mind and in my heart. He makes everything beautiful, without God in my life, everything would smell foul. Nothing would be worth living for. He is something that I can always come to and will always smell just as sweet. God's "fragrance" will never fade away, when things of this world will. He never changes! That is what makes God...well....God. He can't get any better, He will never ever change. This world is always changing, the fads, the people, thier lives. That is why God never changes. But the devil seems to have figured out the fact that we like sweet smelling things. Because he can make things smell pretty nice, and alot of people are fooled into thinking that is the real deal. But the scent never lasts. They are deceived. Not only nonbelievers, but Christians as well. The devil's "sweet" scent just covers up his foul smell. Which us as Christians should know; so spread the fragrance of the Lord, and make someone else's live worth living.
Malachi 3:6a For I the Lord do not change. . .
Proverbs 20:17 Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man, but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel.
Proverbs 24:11 Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.
Luke 8:12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

What if God Kept a Scrapbook?

I was looking through my scrap book (my very neglected one) and was just enjoying turning pages and looking back in time. Of course there is always the pictures you wish had never been taken, becuase you look so.....goofy in them *haha* I have more then my share of pictures like that. :) Why is it that I like scrapbooking and journaling? Well It is kind of obvious, because I like to remember things. Now don't ask me why I think like this because I have no idea why *haha* but I wondered what kind of a scrapbook God would have if He had one. Then I asked myself what is important to God, what does He hold dear to His heart. We already know that every person who has excepted Jesus Christ as thier Lord has thier name written in the book of life. But what else does God hold dear? Then, as I was thinking about that, I thought of one thing that would not be in that scrap book, and that is a page full of all the wrong things we have done (well wait it would not be a page! It would be.....well.... BIG whatever it is) So many times I have held grudges against people who have hurt me, or I have never forgotten when that one person did that thing, that made me really, and made me want to do a thing back to hurt that person. *ahem* It gets really stupid after awhile. I mean what would happen if God tried to get revenge or hold a grudge on someone every time that they had done something against His will.....well we would all pretty much....well lets just say we would loose, BIG TIME! Why is it that He does not mark us with a black marker and say "You've sinned, oh you did it again, and again and again.." well for one, He would not have a big enough marker. So why are we holding grudges against people and judging them for that one mistake (it could even be more then once) for the rest of thier lives. I mean talk about worrying about the spam in their eyes when you have a hog in your own.....oh wait thats not right....well you get the idea. Well the only answer I could come up with is that Jesus took that full burden onto Himself.....the one person who never did a thing wronge was punished for OUR sins, MY sins! Thank you Jesus! So if any of you are like me, then I would challenge you to start letting go of those "things" that have hurt you, and forgive. I mean look at all the times that people have held a grudge against someone in the bible and wanted to kill. Like Esau, he held a grudge against Jacob and killed him, or Herodias against John. Forgive, because God has done it for us many many times. I know I will. I would also challenge you to think about things that you could do that would be worthy of being in God's "scrap book".
Leviticus 19:18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself:I am the Lord.
1 Corinthians 13:4-6 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
I know this is kind of the same concept of my last post, talking about mercy, but it is something that has been on my heart lately.

God Still Loves a Broken Record

I was listening to my ipod this morning, and a song came on that I had listened to almost a billion times. I loved it when I first got it put on my ipod....so I listened to it over and over and over again (I dont know why I do that *hehe*) but then I got kind of tired of it and stopped listening to it. So it started playing this morning and I was like "Augh! not that song again." So I changed it. I was thinking about it, and aren't we kind of like broken records? We constantly sin over and over and over again! Most of the time it is a sin that we have had to ask for forgiveness for many times. But God never gets any less gracious or loving towards us. He never says things like, "Augh! Hannah not that sin again! I am never going to listen to you anymore." I am not saying that He is pleased with a broken record, but he still loves us just the same. When someone we love very much constantly sins and is constantly asking us for forgiveness, we can get pretty tired of hearing it and wish that we could never hear it again. But if we truly want to walk in the steps of our Lord, we should try and follow Him in everything that He does, even if we have to hear the same "songs" over and over again.
Psalm 6:36 Be merciful even as your Father is merciful.
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Psalm 103:8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to agner and abounding in steadfast love.
Psalm 123:3 Have mercy upon us Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more then enough of contempt.
p.s I know that an ipod and a record are kind of....well from differant time periods *haha*.....but hey you get the point :)

"Let's Pretend...."

Last night I babysat four kids , and the two youngest would come up with very interesting games. The words that I will always remember them for are these "Let's Pretend..." and suddenly the kid pool became an alligater swamp in the dessert, and the picnic table became a spaceship......and I was even a horse....yeah.... well I kept thinking last night, and this morning, how differant I am now then I was when I was there age. Alot of my priorities are differant now. There are more things I have to think about, more things I have to do. Sometimes in everything that I have to be getting done I forget how I used to be or that I still have so much to learn and grow in. When I was younger I would talk to God just like I would any other person. I did not have things that were distracting me from learning Gods word or from talking to Him. Sometimes I can think that I get to busy, and that I dont have time to have my devotionals or my talks with the Lord. But that is just a lie, even if I have to get up a half an hour earlier to start my day out with bible reading and prayer, I do have time to spend with God and learn more and more about Him. I have to stop "pretending" that I dont have time or that I am to busy. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time, because it is a challenge in this always moving world, that is falling farther and farther into darkness. Why is it that I can get my homework done on time, do my chores, practice guitar, talk on the phone, even write a blog, but I cant take a half an hour out of my day to read the bible? If I dont get into the rhythm of doing that daily now, what makes me think that later in life if I get a job, or get married and have kids, that it will be any easier to do it then.
Psalms 199:33-40 Teach me O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in your path of your commandments for I delight in it. Incline me heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared. Turn away reproach that I dread, for your rules are good. Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life!
Psalms 119:1-8 Blessed are thoughs whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are thoughs who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong but walk in his ways! You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways my be steadfast in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn you righteous rules. I will keep your statutes; do not forsake me!