It's all for Jesus

It's a New Year

2010-01-02T15:06:00.002-06:00

On account of fasting from facebook, I have decided to begin blogging again. I'm so excited about this year! I really believe God some amazing stuff in store for those pursuing Him. I can't wait to see what He is going to do in and through His Body this year. God has already revealed to me what He wants me to strive for this year. The verses He put on my heart were Isaiah 43:18-19.

18 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

I feel like this year that I need to forget this past year and look ahead to what He is about to do because if I don't I could miss what He has for me. I'm breaking the rear view mirror and pressing on!

I Can't Believe How Long It's Been

2008-10-21T08:49:00.002-05:00

I am extremely bored while sitting in my computer class today. I have nothing to do. I figured that I should write a blog while I'm sitting here doing nothing. It's been pretty crazy in my life since school has started. It's extremely overwelming trying to accomplish everything. It's so bad that I listen to the Live The Dream CD's in the morning for my quiet time instead of trying to read my Bible so early. This morning I listened to Christine Caine who is amazing. She was talking about our dreams. She said that God has put dreams inside of us all but to get them to be revealed we must have intimate time with him. She said the dreams are already there you just have to water them by being in God's Word and being intimate with him. It's hard at times with our crazy lives, but I'm really going to try to have those intimate times with God and not just at church or at life group but in my room when it's just me and God. I challenge you to make that a priority. I'm going to focus on that right now as much as possible. We might fail, but we have to keep trying and never give up. You're never a failure unless you make up your mind to be. Have a good week and God Bless!!!

Well...It's been exactly a month...

2008-06-29T15:15:00.002-05:00

This summer has been going really well, just going bye entirely too fast. It's already almost July! I can't believe how fast it's been going. I just got back from Submerge summer camp on Monday. I think Tyler said it well when telling us what one of the students wrote to him in an email. She said it was amazing, God was there, and you could feel Him. That pretty much sums up the whole time we were there. We heard some impactful messages. One was about breaking barriers that Mike Haman spoke about. He told us not to let what PEOPLE define us as hold us back. You might have done what they said you did, but you're not who they say you are. Then we heard a message, which impacted me that most, by Josh Turner from Celebration Church. He spoke on how fearfully and wonderfully made we are. It was just awesome to hear the detail of how we're made from a scientific point of view. I mean it was uncomprehendable! He also told us a story of how his wife is so hard on herself, which totally made me think of myself. He said one day he saw her worshipping and she was crying, and so he asked her what was wrong and she said I've been asking God to show me how he sees me and he has. She said I just closed my eyes and, I saw God holding me and telling me that he's proud of me. I tried to picture God holding me in worship after his message and I was crying and couldn't help just standing there shaking and thinking WOW God loves me and is proud of me THAT much. I know all that stuff in my head, but sometimes it's hard to believe God feels that way when I don't feel that way about myself and others don't think of me that way. I'm just in awe of how God loves me no matter what I get up and do that day, whether it pleases him or not. He loves me reguardless. It made me make a committment to not talk negatively about anything but especailly about myself because GOD MADE ME. That's not respectful of him to criticize his work. I even told some of my close friends to hit me when I say things that are negative especially to do with my talent or lack of and how I look. We also heard a message by our very own Tyler Tullos from Healing Place. It was very good. He just left us with a question. He asked us if God would ask you to do something that might be unfamiliar or uncomfortable, would you trust him enough to let go and do what he's asking. That message was also challenging and left me thinking. Shortly after that service ended, we had extended worship. I decided to stay with my friends even though I was hungry and ready to go, thinking it was just be another song or two more. Well, that "short" worship session started at about 11:30 and went until I don't even know when because I left a little after 2. It was insane!!! I've never been in an enviroment of people speaking in tongues and then interpreting what people were saying. It was even a little scary at times. There were also some other things that went on that just showed how heavy the Holy Spirit was in that place. It was awesome, but just a very different experience for me. Then the last night we had our own Jason Laird from Refuge speak. It was slammin'!!!! He talked about healing and freedom. Sometimes we think that in our secrets we have freedom and protection, but that's a lie from the devil. He said that whatever's concealed can't be healed. So, we kind of did an exercise to help us. Anyone with secret sin went to the altar and confessed it to God and asked for forgiveness. Then we went to leaders and opened up to them about what we've been dealing with. It brought great freedom. I also learned that God using your mistakes to glorify himself. It's almost like the very thing you're dealing with, that you think no one else goes through,... because that's what the devil tells you... is exactly what God decideds to use you to minister to someone else in or use that "weakness" in some way. God wants to use your past mistakes and your past failures...WILL YOU LET HIM?! Saying all that, it's NOT over! Like Tyler said, we gotta bring what we had with God into our hearts and bring it into our youth groups and out to our schools. I like to think of all the things God could use us for if we brought our Submerge experience to right where we live here in Louisiana. Alright, that's really long but it's just some things I got from Submerge. I can't wait to see you people on Tuesday at Saturate, and then I'm leaving for Texas to visit my fam. See ya soon!!!

Boot Camp...What Was I Thinking???!!!

2008-05-29T20:51:00.002-05:00

I just got back from Boot Camp this afternoon for the Saturate intership at Healing Place Church. It was much more difficult than I expected. It was most definitely something to get us interns to realize that everything we do this summer won't be enjoyable and easy, but we're going to have to be ready at all times, be hot in the Louisiana sun, and be all out crazy and ready to serve no matter how we feel. It was a weekend filled with unexpected wake-up calls at 2 a.m., obstacle courses, and cleaning and making things perfect for those coming after us. It was a great challenge not only spiritually but also very physical. We had two great services about sacrifice and about the excuses we as Christians make about why God can't use us. It was very informative and convicting at times. I learned a lot about what it really means to sacrifice and that sacrifice isn't bad that all it is is giving up something you love for something you love more. I always thought of sacrifice as really bad, but it's actually beneficial to us. We also got to reach out to the Winbourne community by handing out chocolate and picking up trash. On top of all that, we had so much fun playing games and competing against one another. I still can't believe that my beloved orange team beat all the girls and GUYS teams in the OBSTACLE COURSE and all other areas. I'm so proud of us. I think almost dying during the obstace course was definitely worth it!!! :) Well, there is so much more I could say, but this is already really long. I can't wait to see y'all on Wednesday, and y'all keep serving it up for JESUS and SACRIFICING it up. Stick close to Jesus this summer and remember that when no one else is there for you then He is. I love y'all!!!

Over a Month!!!

2008-04-29T15:51:00.002-05:00

Wow! I haven't blogged in over a month. I can't believe it has been that long. I had an incredible weekend going to hang out in N.O. with my friends. We watched some basketball there for AUU, a basketball league. I had fun watching the games and then we walked throughout dowtown New Orleans and ate some seafood for lunch. We had a lot of fun! It was a weekend to remember. I also got this incredible gift from one of my friends because we met a year ago yesterday. I was very surprised to find that they had bough me something. It's a beautiful cross bracelet. I love it!

As far as this week goes, it's been a really easy start at school. I'm so excited cause we get out of school in 17 DAYS!!! I can't wait. I have so much planned for the summer. I'm going to participate in Saturate, a high schol summer interniship at Healing Place Church. That's going to be amazing. I know my life will be changed forever. I'm also going to Submerge summer camp in Panama City Beach, Florida with Healing Place's youth group Refuge. I know that will be a blast. Then I'll be working for one of my friends and babysitting, and I might even be working for another lady's hair salon. It's going to be a busy summer, not to mention, trying to get in shape and eat right during the SUMMER. Wow, so much to do and it all starts in less than a month!!! Oh, I want to give props to Victoria Kelly for really bringing it last night at Bethrowthed. (can't spell) She did an amazing job leading our Bible study talking about who we are and that where we are isn't who we are. Way to go girl!!!

The 1st Anniversary of the 19 yr. old

2008-03-28T18:45:00.005-05:00

Well, yesterday was Jason Guidry's 20th Birthday. It was amazing. I was looking so forward to it, but I unfortunately didn't feel very well yesterday. But I did manage to go spend some time with him and our friends and his family last night. I got to bring him his gifts yesterday afternoon. We bought him a Halo 3 messenger bag, a card I made, a Napoleon Dynamite card, a stuffed duck. a rubber duck, and some clothes. I think he really likes them and it was wonderful being able to give him those gifts because he most def. deserves them. From there we went to eat at Hello Sushi and then went to Satrabucks. It was a lot of fun getting to fellowship with some of the greatest people I know. It was a great day and I hope there are many more to come. So, next time you see that gaming boi you can wish him a belated birthday. I hope to see all of you people from Refuge soon. I'm so upset I had to miss church this past week because I wasn't feeling well. I hope y'all enjoy your last 2 days of spring break.

I'm so EXCITED!!!

2008-03-13T20:29:00.002-05:00

A while back I had mentioned to one of my friends about coming to church with me but shortly after forgot about it. Then the other day, I was talking to a Muslim about her beliefs and mine and I was like, oh yeah, "Amy here's my number in case you want me to bring you to church." So, she called me, but I couldn't go pick her up that week. So, yesterday we went and got her and she came to Refuge with me. When she got there she said she wanted to cry she was so happy. Then during worship she was being touched by the Holy Ghost, it was so obvious. I just left her alone and let God deal with her. After worship, I said something to Candace and Candace told my friend hey and she began to cry and say how she felt God like never before. It was incredible!!! At the end of service she got saved. I'm so proud of her and I want to help her grow in Christ in any and every way possible. She hadn't been to church since 4th grade and is now in 9th. I give all the glory to GOD!!! It was so awesome and messed me up bad, but good bad, if you know what I mean.

Talk about stand up, stand out, and show people what Christ means to you...

2008-02-26T17:26:00.002-06:00

Today was incredible! Matt Lebrun was the first person I've ever seen stand up on our lunch room table and totally profess his love for Christ at Dutchtown High School. It made us Christians get chills and feel the Holy Ghost, while yet it made some laugh and some teachers totally freak out. It was crazy awesome and I got to witness it. I was actually sitting right next to Matt as he stood up. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen while attending Dutchtown High School. It made me feel proud that someone would take the stand and do something I would love to do, but God's going to have to continue to get the fear out of me if that's something He would like me to do. It was awesome though and he didn't get in any real trouble, actually our principal totally loved it from what Matt said. But I thought no matter what happens, if he gets in trouble or not that it's ok to have to suffer for the cause of Christ. I say that knowing that it's super difficult even to do the small things for God, but He's working in all of us. Have a blessed day, and I hope this was something that encouraged you.

As she fights for our generation...Let's fight for her life!

2008-02-07T20:26:00.000-06:00

As some of you may know, Mrs. Amy Stockstill, Pastor Joel's wife from Bethany, has been in the hospital fighting for her life. I just wanted to take a minute to ask y'all to pray for her. The Power of Prayer is INCREDIBLE! I'm totally in shock that while she was in the hospital that her husband was preaching at Bethany's youth conference. I can hardly believe how much faith that would've taken. I'm thankful that him and his wife have been fighting for our lost and dying generation. Please take a minute and just lift her up in prayer. You might think I'm crazy, but just as there were 1500 kids praying for her outside the hospital the other day, we got to do the same on Wednesday night at Refuge. God totally showed up and it was AWESOME! That's about it. I just wanted to make sure to let y'all know she desperately needs your prayer. As I write this, I just heard they are having all night prayer tonight for her. I understand what the doctors are saying but our GOD IS MUCH BIGGER!!! SO LET'S JOIN TOGETHER AND PRAY!!!

Here's What's up

2008-01-25T15:39:00.001-06:00

I had a great week last week. Refuge began again. Jason talked on the series Everyone and what would happen if everyone prayed, fasted, read the Bible, etc. I also got out of school 15 min. early on Wednesday because of block scheduling. Then on Thursday I got off a school half day because of teacher meetings, I think. I came home and just relaxed, which was really nice. On Thursday Jason, Khira, and Kirk came over to my house to eat supper. We had a lot of fun playing Guitar Hero and hanging out. On Friday I was off of school due to teacher meetings as well. I had to clean house, and then I went to my friend's sweet 16 birthday party. On Saturday I went to medical outreach with Healing Hands at Healing Place at about 7:15 am. It was awesome, as usual. I love serving there. After, we proceeded to my house and hung out for a while while Jason ATTEMPTED to fix my PC. Then we went to church, and after service we went to see Cloverfield. It was an ok movie, but much better because I went with all my friends. On Sunday Jason ACTUALLY fixed my PC after 4 hours of long, tedious work. Then we went to play cards at Seth Rougon's (however you spell that) house. On Monday we all went to play Laser Tag and eat at Burger King. That was me, Khira, Jason, Kirk, my brother Christian, Seth, Simone, Suzy, Phill, Heather, Andye, Jake, and I'm still probably missing someone. lol We had tons of fun on our long weekend. Then this week has been ordinary, doing school and stuff like that. Service was awesome on Wednesday! Jason talked about living out communion and not just receiving it and actually pouring your life out for people. Worship, service, and the missionary from Swaziland were all incredible. So....sorry it was lengthy. I'm also super excited that we have, yet another, long weekend after this coming week for Mardi Gras (we are so special living in the only state that celebrates it!!!) I'll see y'all people soon!!!

How Bout Those Tigers???!!!

2008-01-08T18:35:00.000-06:00

Last night's game was awesome! We're now the only SEC team to have won two national championships!!! It's pretty incredible. I'm not sure if either team played to the level they could have played to, but we pulled out a WIN! I'm very excited, and I know all y'all Tiger fans are too. It was even better cause Jason and Khira were at my house watching the game with me. We had a lot of fun! We need to have one of these national championships with our LSU Tigers in it every year. Also, please keep Jason and Khira's mom is y'all's prayers. She is having surgery this week in Houston. So...that's about it and of course remembering to pray for this family is way more important than football. That's about it. I'll see y'all at church tomorrow.

So...It's Life

2008-01-03T15:49:00.000-06:00

I've been kind of bored the last couple of days. After Christmas my family came to visit, and they stayed for about 5 days. It went pretty well. We went and visited my great-grandmother in Mobile, Alabama. Then we hung out at my house for a few days. We went to see "I am Legend." I was very scared, but it was a very good movie. I was covering my eyes through much of the movie.

Then on Tuesday of this week, I went to spend some time with the Guidry family. I had a lot of fun! We played plenty of video games. I did very poorly on most of the games, but I still enjoyed playing. Me hand started cramping up after a while. I totally enjoyed it! I can't wait to go hang out with them more in the future.

Then last night was pretty crazy. I got very upset because I wanted some attention from somebody that I wasn't getting. It was pretty stupid, but it still upset me. I don't know what the problem was. It kind of added to not being able to get my permit because of a lack of time yesterday even after waiting at the DMV for an hour. So, yesterday was a little bit crazy.

Then today I find out one of my dad's friends wants me to babysit this weekend. The weird part is that he thinks I'm mean or something, according to my dad. I have no clue. I never really talk to him when I see him. So, I guess he takes it personally. I don't mean for it to be that way though. So, all this had made me pretty upset. I've been struggling just to know who I am in Christ. It's hard when you're trying to accept things about yourself that you don't feel others accept. It's very frustrating. Well, that's about it. I'm sorry it's kind of depressing. I just felt like writing about it since it's been on my mind. I'll talk to you people soon. Love y'all!

So...NY, home alone, guys, etc.

2007-12-23T23:29:00.000-06:00

So, I'm sure you're wondering about my title. My life has been crazy. I had nine weeks exams this past week, which I'm glad to report I did well on all of them that I'm aware of. I'm sooooo glad it's over. God definitely gets the glory for those tests scores. Anyway, my parents left for New York, New York on Thursday and my mom had the flu and was pretty sick. As far as I know they had a good time, but I haven't talked to them much. They are presently in a hotel in Atlanta because of missing their flight because of bad weather when leaving New York. So I was home for a while alone, but thankfully my uncle came to get me. In the mean time of being home I decided to call someone who had texted me earlier in the day. It was a crazy conversation. I told him exactly how I felt about the way he has been acting and so forth. He felt really bad, and I know I probably should feel guilty as well, and I kind of do. It's crazy I feel bad for telling him the things I don't approve of and how some things he did made me assume things that led me to act the way I have. I also told him I've messed up as well and told him how. So bottom line, I'm super open about his wrong and mine and we're giving each other Christmas gifts tomorrow and I feel guilty. So, I know it makes no sense, but it's my life and it's awesome. (except for dealing with guys!!! lol) So I need prayer about dealing with this guy stuff. I'll see you people after Christmas.

The Push to Post...

2007-12-03T20:28:00.000-06:00

Well, some people are getting impatient. So, I'm posting just for them. Well I had a great weeekend. I spent Friday afternoon at Phill LeBlanc's house celebrating his 18th Birthday with some of his friends. I enjoyed acting crazy and that no one even cared. I just was myself, which most people don't even know I can be anything but serious. You're wrong! I can be a little silly at times. Then on Sunday I was helping with the outreach at Winbourne. We had so much fun. We handed out pamplets for the Christmas party they're are having on the 15th. We also just talked to the people. It was awesome! I think sometimes I get more from outreach than the so called "needy" people. I can be needy sometimes, ya know? lol After that I went and ate and went to the movies with Blake and Candice. We saw Enchanted. It was really good. Then I got the pleasure of "watching" LSU beat Tennessee and THEY ARE NOW GOING TO THE NATIONAL CHAMOPINSHIP!!!!!! GO TIGERS! I'm a little excited. On Sunday I went to church and spent my day doing chores, homework, and talking to my friends. Now it's time for me to get my head back in the game though since it's Monday. I need to get my 95 A averages up. lol So, life is good. I can't wait for Refuge and then our Closer Christmas party and hangin' with my best friends of all time. Y'all are awesome!!!

Today...I was Fired up!!!

2007-11-16T16:04:00.000-06:00

Well today I was at school, of course. I started talking to Matt Lebrun, a friend of mine from Refuge. He was telling me how some of our friends aren't talking to him because of some stupid stuff. I got really upset and the Holy Ghost like totally took over. It was awesome. I started to tell them something that has been on my heart. I was like I am so sick of people fighting and being against each other as Christians. I said it's not about Refuge or about Uprising or FCA or ANYTHING else. It's about Christ. It's not who went to what party and if they should of or not. It's all about us working together and not only holding hands with our Christian friends but locking arms with them like Mike Haman said. It's about us joining together as one, as ONE body of Christ. It's not about schools or religions or churches. NONE of that matters. We are called to be WARRIORS for Christ. How can we make a difference in our schools or our generation when we're divided? That's totally the devil! He'll do anything to get us distracted, probably over stupid stuff. I'm so tired of it. God has been showing me that lately. I don't care who you are but if you're about Christ you're part of the ARMY. We HAVE to work together. It's not a choice. We are just snowflakes that melt alone, but together we can stop traffic and shut down schools and stuff. We were called for such a time as this. Let's rise together as one putting aside EVERY difference and be ONE ARMY FOR CHRIST! Oh, by the way, on December 6 we're going to Just for Jesus, just thought I'd mention that since I'm on a roll. We're going to all miss school and go worship God with everything we've got. So let's quit fighting and being divided and let's get to work as ONE with God on our side and win our schools and generation for HIM!!!
1 Corinthians 1:10
I have a serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus, our Master. I'll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common.

Hola! Como estas amigos? (How are you friends?)

2007-10-29T16:08:00.000-05:00

Well already it's been several weeks since I've last posted. So lets catch up. We had a great medical outreach 2 weekends ago in Gonzales at our new Spanish campus. We has 4 SALVATIONS! Glory to the King!!! It was awesome. Several people were freed from things that had bound them for a long time. God is awesome and definitely showed up. Even in the midst of the all of our personal issues we all were facing, God moved. I love how God heals us when we quit thinking of ourselves and and go out and help others. So that was two weekends ago. After that, my volleyball season ended. I'm excited, but sad too. I have to start doing other things to stay in shape now. lol So, yeah.... This weekend I had the privilege of helping Jason Guidry with a school project. He has to film a scene from this movie which I'm not sure what it is...sorry Jason!!! It's cool though. I have to basically sit there and not smile or move with a blindfold on. I had the greatest time though.They definitely bring out the best in me. That would be Jason, Jake, and Khira. So needless to say I had so much fun. I'm also excited about this weekend when I get to celebrate my BD. I get to hang out with just a few of the people I love. I can't wait to see y'all on Wednesday. Y'all are awesome!!!

Halo 3 Music Video part 1

2007-10-19T23:00:00.001-05:00

I knew this would impress my crazy friends that always play Halo and this is my favorite song!

So Yeah

2007-10-19T21:01:00.000-05:00

Well this week was pretty ordinary. I went to school on Monday, of course and then went to v-ball (my new word) practice. I had some late nights with working at volleyball games and homeowork, but mostly because I live on the computer. lol I went to Refuge on Wednesday. It was great! I totally could relate to Tweez about wanting to go to a more comfortable place then where God has planted you. I went to private school from 1st to 8th grade. It was huge switching to public school this year. It has been hard. I didn't like everything at private school, no school is perfect, but it was my family. Dutchtown is far from a family. At private school everyone knew me. I liked some things better. I guess it was like Tweez said, the easy way out, in a way. I loved speaking in Bible class. I was always growing spiritually. It seems like in a more hurting school I minister less and help people less. I want to do more. I'm just not sure what God has for me yet. I know God has me at Dutchtown for a reason. So many people tell me God has something big for me to do, yet I don't know what it is. I really want to know. I'm so nosey I always wish someone will prophesy over me so I could know something about my future and God's plan. lol So, I'm just waiting on God. Today I did get to tell this girl who is lost that I get punished for disobeying my parents and stuff. She seemed to think that she would like to have someone to MAKE her do things, in a way. I do know she is hurting though. Her dad died when she was 7 and she smokes and drinks and struggles with being a girl, if you know what I mean. She is hurting; It's so obvious. She needs Jesus bad, but we all did at one point whether we were REALLY lost or just kind of, by human standards. I thought I was a good witness just by saying I do try to obey my parents and don't cuss them out, which is unusual? lol Well I went to the tailgating outreach at D-Town tonight and gave out jambalya. I'm going to the Spanish campus tomorrow for the medical outreach. I'm soooo excited!!! I love it! I'm so gald to be serving it up this weekend instead of being bored and focussing on my probs. It's so much better to try to help other people and let God heal you. I'll see ya soon!!!

Statistics

2007-10-05T21:21:00.001-05:00

You should really watch this! It's the viseo from Uprising.

This Week Has Been Insane!

2007-10-05T20:59:00.001-05:00

On Thursday we had uprising at D-Town. We watched a video on statistics. It was saying that our generation is only SUPPOSED to have <4% of Bible believing Christians. The key word is supposed. We're going to change that, in Jesus name! It said that most people in our geneeration will get saved by the time there 20 or not at all. Then it said most of our generation will be 20 in 5 years. So, needless to say, our next five years will determine our next 50. This really gets me motivated to share the Gospel with anyone who will listen. I really need to watch it everyday before school. I'm going to try to put in on here. It's incredible! Then for the title of my blog, one of my best freinds is having some trouble. Please pray for him. He's dealing with some major things lately. It's all a mess, but GOD IS SO MUCH BIGGER THAN OF ALL IT...PRAISE HIM! After that I find out, in the same night, Jason and Khira Guidry aren't coming to Closer anymore. That was disappointing. Please pray for them as they're entering a new lifegroup and season in life. I also read Tweez's blog. I encourage you to read it. It makes me so thankful for a youth pastor who is so in line with what God has and he just praises His name in times of trial. He defintely lives out what he speaks on. It really encouraged me that I can make it through anything with God by my side and like Tweez said it's just a test. It will pass. So that was some of my stuff this week. See y'all soon!

It's Been a While

2007-09-29T11:09:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in a little while. I've been very busy as usual. This week I, of course, had volleyball practice on Monday. I played a game on Tuesday against EA and we killed them. I served our last game out(I served until we won). Then on Wednesday we had some problems with FCA which was insane. Then I had to go tot he doctor because I've been sick for over 2 weeks. I had to get like a thousand medicines and a shot, which of course is always fun. lol Then I went to Refuge after that. I needed to after the day I'd had. Jason spoke a great message on how simple Jesus made the Gospel. It was awesome and motivated me to quit having casual prayers with God and get intimate with my relationship with Him. I also got super emotional and fired up when we were praying for schools. I cna't wait to see what God wants to do at Dutchtown this year. I know it's something huge! Our goals for our school should be so big that we can't accomplish them and God HAS to do it. I'm so excited about what's goign to happen this year. On Thursday we playes East St. John. They hadn't won a single game all year much less a match(2 out of 3 games). They won the match against us. We went out and played on their level instead of playing our game. It was crazy. On Friday I got the privilege of attending the St. Amant football homecoming game. It was pretty cool. My cousin A.J. made some great catches as wide receiver. Well that was my week. I'm sorry it's really long and stuff. I can't wait for Refuge on Wednesday. I hope to see you there!

This Wednesday rocked my world!

2007-09-12T22:06:00.001-05:00

I invited one of my friends from volleyball to come to Refuge and she did. She even went up at altar call. One of my other friends wanted to come also and we took her as well. It was a great message from Sarah Havilon about Esther. I learned what God sees me as is what I should see myself as, and that God doesn't see you how you are. God sees you as a queen...or king lol. He sees you as a jewel and also as your potential to do great things for Him and your heart, not just what people see. Thank goodness God sees all that and He thinks of us so much more highly, I guess you could say, than we do, but not in a we're better than Him kind of way. He sees us holy and blameless in His sight. He sees us as what we can or could be for Him not necessarily what we are. I hope this makes sense. It was really awesome and the altar calls were slammin'. I also had the best night ever sitting be my friend Nick or whatever title he should have lol. I was freezing and he was holding my hands trying to warm me up. It was so sweet and I had the greatest night ever. I also get to go to school at ten tomorrow because of a teacher meeeting or whatever. I'm so happy I get to sleep a little bit. I hope y'all have an incredible rest of the week and a great weekend. I might see some of you at Closer or on Sunday. I love y'all so much and love all the support you give me at Refuge. I belong to the best youth group ever and have the best friends I've ever had. I'm so super thankful. God has truly blessed me and changed my life since attending Refuge. I love y'all so much and miss all of you constantly.

A Little About Me...

2007-09-09T20:48:00.000-05:00

50 short questions Survey!

Prefer black or blue pens?

black

Dress up on Halloween?

nope

Like to travel?

yeah sometimes

Like Someone?

yes

Do they know?

yes

Think you're attractive?

yes

Want to get married?

yes

To:

whoever God has for me

Are you a good student?

yes

Are you currently happy?

yes except that someone won't call me

Have you ever cheated?? Been cheated on?

Birthplace?

Baton Rouge

Christmas or Halloween?

Christmas

Colored or black-and-white photo?

color

Do long distance relationships work?

not usually

Do you believe in astrology?

nah

Do you believe in love at first sight?

I guess

Do you consider yourself the life of the party?

Do you drink?

Do you make fun of people?

I try not to

Do you think dreams eventually come true?

sometimes

Favorite fictional character?

Cinderella

Go to the movies or rent?

movies

Have you ever moved?

yes

Have you ever stolen anything?

prolly once or twice

How's the weather right now?

hot and humid as usual

Last time you cut your hair?

3 months

Last person you talked to on the phone?

Jordan

Last time you showered?

tonight

Loud or soft music?

depends

Mcdonalds or Burger King?

Mcdonalds

Night or day?

day

Piano or guitar?

guitar

Future job?

family physician

Current job?

none

Current love?

I have a huge crush on Nick

Current longing?

for Nick to call me

Current disappointment?

someone not calling me

Current annoyance?

" "

Last thing you ate?

chocolate chip cookie

Last thing you bought?

a shirt w/ a lace top to go underneath

Most recent thing you are looking forward to?

church on Wed. and talking to Nick

What are you hearing right now?

Spider Man

Plans for the weekend?

volleyball game

What did you do today?

went to church and looked at houses and did homework

Pick a lyric, any lyric or song?

Love Addict

Pick a movie quote?

"that's a good thing" How to lose a guy in 10 Days

Take this survey Find more surveys

How Well do you Know Me?

2007-09-08T21:53:00.001-05:00

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Well this has been Interesting****

2007-09-07T20:19:00.000-05:00

This week started off great with a day off on Monday.The rest of the week went well as far as how much school work I had. It wasn't as stessful as it can be some weeks which was a blessing. I did have some problems with relationships though. I hate not being able to read a guy's mind. I'm so scared of getting hurt and everything. That's like all I've praying about. I also had a volleyball game on Tuesday night against Central and we again got beat.(That is freshman. Varsity and JV won.) They only had one practice and we've been praciticing since June. That is so sad. This week we've been working hard so we can put Episcipal where they belong this coming week. We hosted a tournament this week too. That ends tomorrow and I have to go work it from 7:30 a.m.-5:00p.m. We have won all games at the tournament so far. Today we had a pep ralley which was insane. Everyone screams freshman suck. It made me really upset for some reason. I felt really bad at the pep ralley, but then it was over and we had a short volleyball practice to prepare for the upcoming game this week. I hope everyone had a good week. I always feel bad because mine sounds so depressing, but it's really not all that bad. I love y'all and can't wait to see you Wednesday. Oh yeah Closer was great this week. Tori you did an excellent job!

This is my Life

2007-08-30T06:21:00.000-05:00

Well it's been over a week since I've posted. I'm sorry about that. So, I've been a little busy. I had school this week of course and a volleyball game against Lutcher. They killed us in all 3 matches, but we're working hard to improve. We work entirely to hard to lose the way we did on Tuesday. I'm also so excited I got to go to Refuge last night after practice, and I get to go to Closer tonight. I did have a God thing happen this week which made this week, the way I see it, a win for the Kingdom. On Tuesday night I got to witness to a good friend on my volleyball team. I always talk about church and my friends from church and so I'm sure they know I'm a Christian or they would call me "religious." I started out by inviting her to Refuge and she said my mom really wants me to go and be a religious person.Then I began to tell her that we're not religious. I said God is more focussed on you heart than on all the traditions your used to. I told her we have a great band at Refuge and I have friends I wouldn't give up for anything. I also mentioned something about being saved and she had no clue what I was talking about. I said being saved is receiving Jesus into your heart and you are; therefore, saved from hell. I tried to make sure I made it a point to say it's what I believe but that it's what's true. It was hard to get that across. I know I didn't word everything correctly and didn't use the Scripture I should have, but I do that what I did say God will use and I planted seeds in this girl's heart whether I know it or she realizes it. Well, I really ave to go to school now. I'll see y'all soon!

La Vida Loca or... for those of us who don't speak Spanish, The Crazy Life

2007-08-15T21:39:00.000-05:00

I have been crazy lately. It's a little stressful going to high school. I'm a freshman and it's a little difficult. I don't have time to do anything between classes, tons of homework, and first on the list being committed to Christ. That's not to mention the never ending volleyball practices. I've been scared, worried, and stressed out all ready. I had a volleyball game and two practices so far this week. Then I had hours of homework, buying school supplies, and church. I need prayer, that is the first thing, but it is getting a little easier as the days progress. Overall, I think it will be a great year. I'm so excited about Uprising, our "lifegroup",so to speak, at school. I can't wait to impact Dutchtown High School for the cause of Christ. I'm fired up and a little scared. I hope to see all me people soon. Oh, and a shout out to my friend who returned from abandoning Refuge for a few weeks, Nick. Please pray for Jason and Kira Guidry. They're starting college classes next week and won't be attending Refuge for several months. I'm so sad, but I'll be praying for y'all. I love all of you and will see you at Closer or at Refuge. I hope y'all are having a great transition back to school.

Tennessee...

2007-08-03T13:34:00.000-05:00

I'm in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. We have had so much fun. We went white water rafting with a guide named Tom. It was the most fun thing we've done the whole week. We went over level 4 repids! No one fell out which was a huge blessing, but we did go swimming in the water which was about 50 degrees....not really. It was freezing! Well, we also went horseback riding. God showed me somethiung really kool. I had this horse that wouldn't listen. I would turn the reigns and it would barely turn or wouldn't turn at all. It would always follow the horse in front of it. God just reminded that, that is how I act. He showed me that when He asks me to do something or to go in a certain direction, I always want to follow the people in front of me. I make excuses like she or he doesn't have to. God is like I don't care what they are doing. I have a different plan for you. It was really kool to see that I must frustrate God just the way the horse frustrated me. I think so often I get caught up in the "BIG" experiences like camp and stuff. I think back and just wonder why nothing really life changing happened at camp. God has been showing me that it isn't about the big experiences. It's about the liitle revelations like the horse that He gives me when I'm alone or just doing stuff in life. I always think that something is wrong with me if I don't have huge experiences when I'm "supposed" to. I think God is more concerned with the little things that happen than how much you read in His Word and how you worship. He is so much more concerned with our heart than how we accomplish our checklist. I hope that makes sense. I get so caught up in the the stuff sometimes that I miss what God has for me and how much He loves me. I'm tired of trying to do everyhitng perfect because it's impossible. I want to just follow what God wants me to do and do it my very best. That is my prayer. I need stop thinking God is human and thinking He holds grudges like we do and acts like our parentrs and other people. God is God, not human! This is just somehting I've been thinking about.

Well Well...

2007-07-21T19:36:00.001-05:00

I seems like it's been forever even though it's only been a little over a week. Since then I have been busy. On Thursday of last week I had volleyball practice which was tough. I was so scared for the next practice. On Friday we had an outreach for Equip at the Baton Rouge Dream Center. On Sunday we served jambalaya at church. On Monday I had volleyball again which was so much easier. I was so thankful. Then on Tuesday we had Equip. On Wednesday Charles talked about witnessing. We laid candles down for someone we need to witness to. It was incredible.That night Makayla spent the night. We had so much fun. Then on Thursday I had a great friend tell me I messed something up. It was hard to hear, but I'm so glad he did it. He was so sensitive to trying to explain and help me deal with the emotions it brought up. It was tough but it was something that needed to be done. On Thursday night we went to play putt putt with Closer, my life group. I lost the game, but it was fun. Yesterday I had Equip. Then today I helped the Healing hands Ministry with the outreach. I loved it. hat was the best part of the week. So many kool people helped such as: Jason, Phill, Charis, Makayla, and many others. I got to label things, take blood sugar, blood pressure, do paper work, and run things and people everywhere. I can't wait to do it again. Well that was so much stuff , but I just thought I needed to update. See ya soon!

Going Public!!!

2007-07-12T13:17:00.000-05:00

Last night's service was great. All the things Tweez said about going public were incredible. We read in Acts 9 about Paul and the first thing he did after his life was changed by Jesus. It said he went around preaching, basically going public with his decision. That message was awesome and encouraged me stand for Jesus all the time and make sure people know I belong to Him. It gave me courage to go and talk to a girl on my volleyball team. She came up to me yesterday and basically told me know I don't know anything. I do have trouble with knowing the formation changes in some of the drills, but she should be trying to help me instead of condemning me. So anyway, I went up to her today, after previously messing up and showing the young girls the wrong thing to do. I just told her I don't always know what to do and if she sees me doing something wrong to show me how to do it correctly instead of getting mad. I was very scared because she is a junior and I feel inferior. She said she just gets aggravated because she's been playing for a while and I need to make sure I get it. Today was really encouraging. One of the first things we did was go in a room and turn out all the lights. Then we went around a circle and each turned our lights on one at a time. It showed that we all have to work together to light up the room. Our coach explained that we are all part of the team and we're all important, even if we're a freshman. Another girl told me when her and another girl get back they will be right there with me when we run.(I'm usually close to being last to finish.)The message last night and much prayer gave me the courage to go talk to this girl. I hope it helped the situation. Also the worship was great last night. the song My Future Decided really spoke to me. The words go something like this: I will scream at the top of my lungs,You are my God and I won't be silent. This made me really won't to witness to my volleyball team and at my school. Like Jason said it's MY team and MY school. It gave me a real passion to witness with my words and actions. I think talking to that girl the way I did started it off well. I could've gotten really angry when she was ugly and going around talking about me, but God gave me self control. The other song was also really great. The words went something like this: We will praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead. Worship always gets louder during this part of the song. The words taught me a few things. (1)God paid the price with His son Jesus Christ. (2)Jesus' blood washes over ALL my sins.(3) I'm not perfect but I serve the One who is.(4)God uses unperfect people, by the way, He specializes in it. There is no condemnation is Christ.(Romans 8:1-2) Jason said that God didn't fix out life or give us hammy downs. He gave us a new life. All those points weren't literally in the words but that's what God had been showing me. That's all for now.

Summer Time

2007-07-09T16:11:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been so busy. We had camp two weeks ago. It was interesting. I'm sure I learned more than what I think I did. When it's time to use it I'm sure it will come in handy. I had some thoughts of something I thought was distracting me and I decided to lay it down at the altar, but I ended up not really leaving it there. I just kept doing the same things. Later I still felt like I was stuck, spiritually speaking. I spoke with someone and I decided I really needed to quit chasing after a certain person. I decided pretty much to never speak to him again. That was stupid. I talked about it with my parents and they told me to just put God first and not shun the other person. It sounds like pretty good advice but I'm scared it might still distract me but no matter what I like this person and I think that's just how it's going to be. I want to do the right thing and make sure I put God first. It's a real challenge. Anyway, besides all that I'm trying to overcome being selfish and other things I struggle with.This week I have to help with volleyball camp and have volleyball practice twice. I also have Equip and my duties at the church. It's a challenge to keep up and get enough sleep. Overall life is great! It can get a little crazy and it doesn't help that I over analyze everything, but it's the way I was made. i also just got back from Texas visiting with my family. I have so many things to get done this week, but in three weeks I get to go to Tennessee for a vacation. I'm sure it will be great, but I'll have to play catch up when I get home. then school will be starting again! I'm going to miss all the fun times I get to have with all my church buddies this summer, but I need to quit chasing summer away. See ya soon!

Submerge to the Rescue

2007-06-26T16:32:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited about Submerge, but I definitely have to get my act together. My mom said I can't go if I'm not respectful to her. That's so hard. I'm kind of scared too. The last time I told God that I would do whatever He told me to do, I got really tough. It was right before Amplified. Right after that was really hard, but definitely made the months to follow awesome. I told God I would do whatever He tells me to do yesterday. I prayed all this in faith and told God I could only do that if He gives me the tools I need. I know He will. I have this crazy feeling that after camp it is going to be another hard time for my faith. So I've been praying about this fear I have of what God is going to do. Almost everything I've read today and yesterday had something to do with embracing trials and hard stuff for the kingdom to help strengthen my faith. God is awesome, but I'm still scared about my HUGE God and what He has in store for me. I hope that all makes since. I can't wait until tomorrow!!! See ya!

Drew Liche Obsession and More!

2007-06-23T23:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we did so many things. We had prayer at 6 a.m. We then helped with the jambalaya sale. After that we did a water outreach. It was a little scary because it was my first time, but it was fun. I would definitely do it again. Then we had Next Generation Prayer for the new arena and summer camp. It went well. We talked about what we see when we look at the new building. It was a great day besides a few minor emotional situations.lol

Today I went to see Dancing with the Stars the pics below are from that. It was incredible! Drew is my absolute favorite! Drew Liche won season 2. He is an awesome dancer! He is in pic. 4 in the front. The other pics of him are with his partner Cheryl Burke. She is unbelievable! He was in the 98 degrees band. We had a great time. The dances were incredible. If no one cares I know Candice would've loved it. I'm going to try to download some video from it tomorrow. See ya soon!

2007-06-23T23:42:00.000-05:00

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Closer Modified

2007-06-21T21:25:00.000-05:00

Tonight some of the Closer people met at Laser Tag. We had a great time. I think my team lost every time. I did horrible, but I had fun anyway. Then Jason spoke about witnessing with our actions and how are actions speak louder than words, especially in our Christian walk. Then we went to Burger King. That was pretty crazy. The "guys"(Jason,Phil,Jake) made fun of me with riddles and jokes. I over think everything.! I teased Heather and Jake about "going out". That was hilarious. They are probably going to kill me for putting it on my blog. I definitely hope Heather doesn't read this. She will kill me! We had so much fun. The funny thing is I have fun when people make fun of me. Paul Musso put his face in an icee cup top(the clear top that goes on an icee cup) and sucked in and made it suction to his face. It was really funny. I started thanking God when I got home for the great time I had. God then revealed that He had answered one of my prayers. At Amplified I thought I was going to have an awesome time and meet so many cool people. That did not happen. God told me to quit focusing on having friends and focus on Him. He said He would give me friends later. Someone told me that Sunday at Amplified that I forfeited good friends to have a great relationship with God. Today as I prayed and God showed me that He has given me so many great friends. I once was lost now I'm found, I once didn't have many friends and now I do. I just wanted to tell these friends how much you'll mean to me. This would include: Jason, Jake, Phil, Heather, Kira, Nick, Angela( I just found out that that was Paul's sister yesterday), and many more. Thanks for being my friends. I can now come home and say I have great friends who I can call on. I'm super thankful for you people. You'll are incredibly awesome! I'll see some of you at 6 a.m. tomorrow. Get you some sleep tonight!

Refuge With a Side of Jason, Phil, and Jake

2007-06-20T21:52:00.002-05:00

Refuge was cool. Worship was awesome. Everyone was jumping around like crazy. God was all over the place. It was crazy intense. Then a guy named Terrel spoke. It was really good. He sings Hip Hop/ jazz/// and about five more things put together. He spoke about passion. He talked about God being the only one that can satisfy us and that we should be willing to be passionate about God. We should be willing to give our lives for God. He said that people should be able to definitely tell you love Jesus. They should be jealous of what you have. That's how evident it should be that Jesus is in your life. For me, since I went to a Christian school, during the school year I was like on fire. I had so much passion I was overflowing. It was a great feeling. I just wanted people to be able to feel what I felt. My passion this summer seems like it's not as strong. It's really not like I'm in a dry season, but for me personally I don't feel the same passion that I did. I have been going through doubt and just believing the lies of the devil. I know that but sometimes I still believe the lies. It's crazy. I just feel weird like I can feel God but I still can feel the doubt too. I don't know if that makes since. I just think that God is going to bring me out of this season when I'm ready. After the service I stopped thinking about having doubt. I just talked to Jason(that would be Guidry), Phil, and Jake. I noticed later that my doubt didn't even matter any more. I noticed that doubt doesn't mean anything bad that it will be o.k. It is just something that God wants me to go through. I'm cool with that because I know God knows best and He will help me through it. Anyway, I hope we didn't hurt any feelings during our discussions after church. I think everyone understood it was all a joke. Thank you for exasperating me, Jason. I loved every minute. I'm sorry you don't like me to comment on your blog! Thanks for the cool necklace, Phil. Thanks for the encouragement, Jake. Y'all(not Texan) are all great friends. I will see y'all soon. I really enjoy all the laughing and lack of breathing.(lol) Please keep Blake in your prayers. He is in the hospital because he is throwing up because he has Crohn's disease. I think he is going to be o.k., but he needs prayer. Last I heard the doctor hadn't seen him yet and he had been there for two days. I feel really bad for him. I'm so excited about summer camp. See y'all soon.

Painting in Donaldsonville

2007-06-17T11:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went to Donaldsonville to paint at the new Donaldsonville Dream Center. It was so much fun. We had to pull staples out of the wall with forks before we began painting. Jake was the only one with the screwdriver. (1000 staples to 1 screwdriver)I spilled paint everywhere yesterday. I am like the messiest painter ever. Then me and Jake painted each other. That was the most interesting thing that happened all day. We had a great day. At the end we prayed individually and as a group for the people at the dream center. It was great getting to help some people out, have fun, eat pizza, and play hard. It was a great way to show God's love to a lost and poverty stricken community. I actually was in D' Ville today with my family so helping that community gives me hope that the dream center might one day do something to greatly impact my family and their beliefs. I hope we have many more outreaches like that to come. Outreaches is, for me, the coolest way to serve someone else. I guess it's like one of the things I love doing and have a passion for. I will see y'all soon.

Confidence in Focus

2007-06-15T16:44:00.000-05:00

Today we had Equip. It was really good, but one thing that totally smoked me was being confident in who I am in Christ. It seems as if the root of all spiritual growth is confidence in who you are in Christ. I struggle with that greatly. Last night I read a devotional about spiritual growth. It said that you have to know who you are in Christ or every time you fall the devil will make you doubt your salvation. That was really cool. I never have known why I go through doubt until last night. I now know the root of the problem. It said you have to see yourself like God sees you. That has definitely been my prayer. Today I read about humility. Again, it said the key to being humble without thinking less of yourself is to know who you are in Christ. Do you see a common denominator?(The math lingo is for Jake.lol) God is really trying to tell me that I need to get that together. I started doing a "study" on my identity in Christ. It's really cool. It's all about Paul's life. I hoping this will help me see myself in a new light. I will see some of you at the outreach tomorrow.

Refuge ADD Style

2007-06-13T21:20:00.000-05:00

Tonight Jason couldn't even concentrate because of the weather, but it was still awesome. He talked briefly about Jeremiah 2. He said that God is the only thing that will satisfy us. That is amazingly true. I've tried to get acceptance from people before. That didn't work. Several weeks or months ago God told me He was the only one who could make me happy and truly accept me. It's very hard to not try to fill a void in your heart by trying to get people to accept you or a guy to like you. Every once in a while God likes to remind me that nothing can satisfy me but Him. Then Jason asked if anyone had something to share. Several people came and spoke. Paul Musso said something amazing about how we shouldn't let guys, or in his case girls, get in the way of God doing something in our lives. That is something that I think we all struggle with. Just tonight I couldn't pat attention because my friend wasn't there. It was awesome that what Paul said was exactly what Jason talked about. You know the whole thing about God can only satisfy us. That is for those of us who might not of understood the relation. Lets face it girls, guys won't satisfy our cravings for acceptance, even though sometimes it seems like if we could get that one guy's attention we would be happy. By the way, today this guy tried to talk to me at the pool. I freaked out! I kept walking very fast to go sit with my family. I really don't like when guys that I don't know talk or look at me. He probably thought I was crazy. Anyway, at Refuge this other guy came and rapped. It was awesome. The ADD night turned out to be great. I am very much looking forward to Closer tomorrow. I think the spiritual warfare thing is really something I need to hear. I'm excited and I'll see you tomorrow.

Equip Starts

2007-06-12T16:03:00.000-05:00

Today we had our first day of Equip. It was so much fun. So much for having to do work, we played laser tag. I'm horrible at it by the way. I hope I get to know the people who are participating. It's weird going somewhere that you don't really know too many people. I hope I find out all the details soon so I know what I have to help with and attend. Please pray for my friend Amanda. I don't know exactly what happened, but she fainted today at the laser tag place when Pastor Dino and Pastor Mike Hamen were talking. I'm not sure if it's spiritual or medical. Please comment if you know anything. I have been worried about her. She used to go to my school and I say hey to her earlier today. I keep trying to remind myself that God is bigger than anything that she is going through. It's hard not to worry. I will see ya tomorrow.

Equip Anyone?

2007-06-09T14:53:00.000-05:00

Hey, I'm doing Equip. I just want to see if there is anyone else doing it that I know. So if you're participating in Equip, please write me a comment telling me so. I'm really excited about it and am ready to learn about, not just being a leader, but being a Godly leader. I think I'm going to have a lot of fun serving and meeting new people. Meeting people is one of my weaknesses, but this will be a way for me to have to get to know the people I'm with. I can't wait to see you'll there.

Remix

2007-06-06T21:17:00.000-05:00

Tyler Tullos spoke tonight about thinking your story of salvation and road with Christ is boring. It reminded a lot of how I feel about my own life. I got saved on a trampoline when I was 4 years old. I have gone to church all my life. I have thought several times, Who would want to hear my story? Don't get me wrong I have my struggles and trials. Lately, my life as a Christian has gotten more "exciting". I've had more challenges and trials and my life has definitely changed since going to Refuge. Anyway, for the most part I'm just an ordinary girl who has a relationship with God. It really got me thinking about the excuses I make up so God won't use me. Not only that my story isn't exciting but that I'm not good enough or my personality isn't perfect. God told me tonight to quit making excuses and just relax and let Him use me. It was crazy emotional. I really wanted God to touch me tonight and help me through my doubt. God just said I care about you and love you and I want the best for you. I feel like even when I feel like no one else is there or understands, God really does. It was refreshing to be reminded of how much God cares for me and how He has a plan for me. He told me He can use me the way I am. I don't need to change, I can come how I am. The Remix thing comes into play when I asked God to remix my thoughts and make His thoughts about me my thoughts. The only other thing I could have asked for is for someone to pray for me and talk to me. God was there again. Nick just put his hand on me. It showed me he was there even when God was dealing with me and I was a mess. Then two girls came and told me they were there for me and would pray for me. I couldn't have asked for anything more. It was an incredible and emotional night. I just want to give a shout out to my three supporters, Thank you so much! God, I just want to thank you too for reminding me how much You care and that you can use me however I am. I'll see the Closer people tomorrow.

Who are You Representing Jesus to?

2007-06-02T16:16:00.000-05:00

I read this devotional on my email. It explained how we should represent Jesus. It was incredible thinking about this,“You may be the only picture of Jesus people will ever see.” Or they may form their opinion of God based upon the reputation of our congregations – how we get along, how we support each other, how we criticize, how we love one another. No pressure, right. It sounds like, oh my gosh, people might form a bad opinion about God because of me. But it's really not that bad because God is always going to be there to shine His light through us. We can do it with His help. I put a lot of pressure on myself to always do the right thing, but God working through us is about Him, not about us.(Tori explained that so well that I decided to use it. It's like the ultimate revelation.) We should do our best to represent our Savior well, but it's o.k. if we mess because we're human. God loves us knowing we're going to mess up again. It also explained how are love towards others shows others that we love Jesus.“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:35 NLT) It's proof of our love for Jesus. Is there proof in our lives that we love Jesus. God totally slam dunked me on that. By the way, I made the 2007 Freshman volleyball team! I'm so excited! See ya soon.

Closer was Awesome!

2007-05-31T21:23:00.000-05:00

Closer was great! I had the privilege of talking to Phil Leblanc and Jason Guidry. I had the best time ever talking and laughing with them. My wonderful girls also took part in the conversation. That would be Makayla and Khira. Jordan also did an excellent job "preaching". It was great. I learn so much talking about leadership because I believe God has called me to be a leader. I always have room to grow in the area of leadership. To change the subject, I have had some trouble getting along with my parents. I think it's a girl thing. It's so hard being a teenage girl, but God made me one so I expect Him to help me out. Me and my mom have been arguing over everything. We just can't relate. They just don't understand how much they say impacts me. I've told them that what they say and how I interpret what they say are two different things. They don't seem to try to change what they say. I'm like what's the point of telling them if they don't try to help me understand what they're saying. We definitely don't think the same. This is so tough. It seems as if I go through more things. I guess it just builds my faith. I always seem to be going through something; God never lets me get comfortable. It seems like most people write on things that God has showed them but I always seem to write on things God is allowing me to go through. I hope you'll don't mind. I really enjoy getting to hang with you'll. I have to go back to volleyball try-outs tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. That is crazy! Today we had to run around the parking lot three times. I was totally out of breath. I hope tomorrow is easier. See ya soon!

Refuge was Crazy!

2007-05-30T21:15:00.000-05:00

That video of Jason was hilarious! Jason preached an excellent message on giving God your best. That got me thinking. As far as Equip goes, I will have to miss at least two classes. I might even miss time with my family in Texas for this internship. But whatever I end up doing I want to give God my best. This is a big decision considering my cousin is going to kill me if I don't come visit her. I'm going to have a mess on my hands if I skip time with her to do Equip, not to mention finding someone to stay with. I will probably have to stay with someone who is doing Equip and I don't know people that well yet. Anyway,I have volleyball try-outs tomorrow and I'm totally convinced on playing volleyball my best, but not for me or the coach but for God. I hope to see you'll soon! I'll see the Closer people tomorrow. I miss talking to my friends at Refuge already and I've been home like maybe an hour. I totally love going to Refuge. God always shows up and the people who talk to me are the coolest people ever. See ya soon!

Where is God?

2007-05-29T21:36:00.000-05:00

Lately I've haven't been able to "feel" God like I usually can. I know everyone goes through this. I'm like God where are you? Do you hear me when I pray? Why are you allowing this to happen? I think it's one of those, are you going to trust me when you can't "feel" me things. It's kind of confusing. I don't know what God is doing or where He's taking me. It's hard to trust God when you don't feel like you're on a spiritual "high". I have been in doubt thinking, God are you still here and are you still working in my life? This is really tough. I've been praying about it. I don't know if I done something wrong or if God is just testing me. He is probably just wishing I'd quit thinking about it and over analyzing everything. This is just something I've been facing for about a week and it's really frustrating. I just thought I'd share it with you'll. See ya tomorrow.

Closer Pool Party

2007-05-26T18:34:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you'll other Closer people but I had a great time at the pool party on Thursday. We should definitely do that again. I'm still new but now I'm really looking forward to the events with Refuge. I am so excited about Equip and Submerge. I can't wait to all this gets started. I look forward to Refuge on Wednesdays and Closer on Thursdays. I will see you'll soon and look forward to continue to meet more people at Refuge. Going to Refuge had truly changed my life spiritually and I'm also meeting more people which makes it fun. Every leader at Refuge should be proud of the wonderful youth group they are a part of. This youth group has no doubt changed other lives as well as mine. I am so glad I get the privilege of participating in this youth group and get to change lives by serving one. I'll see you'll Wednesday.

God Always Brings You Back to Your Knees

2007-05-23T08:34:00.000-05:00

When I was sick over the weeekend I didn't do my quiet time. This caused me to, I guess, not be as focussed as I usually am on God. I didn't feel like it was bad not to do my quiet time for a couple of days, but yesterday I was so frustrated. I am just tired of being sick and just ready to be healed. I couldn't understand why I was so upset. Every time I start getting out of my routine and not focussing on God as much something always happens to make me refoccus and come fall at Jesus' feet. The weird thing is I didn't feel like I wasn't focussed. All I can think is that God dosen't want me to go backwards in any way. He wants me to get closer to Him even if it causes me some pain. I started reading the Prayer of Jabez book that I have. It talked about asking God to have His hand upon us. I realized if it wasn't for the crazt things I face I wouldn't have to go to God and say, Daddy help me. God always has a way to get us refocussed on Him. I don't really know if this makes since. It made since to me yesterday when I was upset. I'll see you'll tonight.

Apollo Takes the Gold!

2007-05-22T21:59:00.001-05:00

I have been watching Dancing With the Stars for three seasons. I really wanted Apollo to win and he did. If know one cares I know Kandace does. She loves the show too. I just had to write about this.

Keep him in Prayer

2007-05-18T20:19:00.000-05:00

Today I found out my old principal has throat cancer. It sounds so devastating, but the last time they thought he had cancer he prayed and fasted until God healed him. I have to believe he's probably doing the same. Benny Hinn was also praying for him and announced it on t.v. I am proud to remember him as someone who totally trusts God. Please keep him in your prayers. No matter how much faith you have it has to be hard for him and his wife and kids. His name is Craig Wascom. It's very sad because he's only in his forties.My God is the God who is the Great Physician and I believe He can heal him. What about you? My mom is also sick. If you will pray for her too. Thinking about how awesome our God is, I thought of something our former pastor played at church several years ago. It is this preacher trying to describe God. It is incredible. It is about seven minutes but it's worth the time.The link is on my link list to the right. It says That's My King!

Thankfulness

2007-05-18T17:32:00.001-05:00

We talked about thankfulness last night at Closer. It was really good. We read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19. It basically says be happy, pray continuously, give thanks in everything, and don't put out the Spirit's fire. I think that should be out prayer everyday. That kind of sums everything in 2 verses. We read Philippians 4:6-7. That verse tells us not to worry but to pray.I also learned something new. Tori said not to dwell on our worries after giving them to God, which makes since, but usually after I pray I still dwell on my circumstances. That is something I personally need to work on. We talked about focusing on others rather than ourselves so we're not thinking about what we don't have. I always feel like I get the good end anyway when I get to serve others, most of the time.We miss blessings and opportunities when we're thinking about ourselves. We also need to forgive ourselves.Romans 8:1 tells us there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. I also realized that God can use me even on days I majorly mess up because it's not about me, it's about Him and He's always perfect. I'm just His vessel. Thankfulness is an attitude. You choose to be thankful, you don't just walk into it. It is also a habit. When we have nothing to be thankful for, we still do, we have Jesus to be thankful for. God cares about every aspect our our lives. That is important to remember. Romans 8:38-39 tells us nothing can seperate us from God's love. Psalm 92 is completely awesome. I have to agree with Tori that verse 5 and 6 are my favorites too. It says," How great are your works, O Lord, how profound are your thoughts! The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand,... I encourage you to read the whole chapter. I don't think it's as long as my post, which is extremely long. Something really cool happened today. I was looking up some verses for a guy in my class and the first one I turned to was so for me. I was looking up verses from my notes from Refuge a couple of weeks ago. I worry a lot, those who know anything about me know that. The verse was about worrying. It was so cool. It was exactly what I needed to hear even though I had finished working on what I was worried about. Anyway, The verse is Isaiah 26:3. It says," You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." I thought it was so awesome. See you'll Wednesday!

The "I Am" Statements

2007-05-16T22:27:00.000-05:00

Tonight the message was from John 10:9. It was pretty cool. I thought the point about you not being able to accidentally follow God and make it to heaven was really awesome. You can totally mess-up and go through a wrong door, but you can't just walk into following Jesus. It is a choice you must make. About the "I Am" statements, well, Jesus said He is the Door and the Shepherd. That's kind of interesting. He is sitting at the door watching out for you and He is the door you must go through. That's kind of cool. Paul Musso's poem was incredible. I can't believe God totally like gave that to him. He must have the hook up with God. I have never been given something quite like that, but that's so awesome.I just started reading the Payer of Jabez for Teens. It really seems to be a great book that can help you if you want your life to completely change and God to rock your world. I'll see some of you'll at Closer tomorrow!

Being a Godly Leader

2007-05-15T17:59:00.000-05:00

I got to do my presentation on leadership yestersday. It went well. I didn't feel like I had enough time, but it was good. My class seemed like they weren't listening, but I think it's just because some of them can't relate. Anyway, me Bible teacher thought it was so good. I really didn't think so. I felt I coulndn't get my points across so my classmates could understand. It seems like my teacher thinks everything I ever talk about is so profound. All I do is use stories from all the cool people I don't really know personally at Refuge and all Jason's amazing points. I also used some stuff from Tori and Jason's blogs. Then I add some verses and devtionals and stuff. This time we got to listen to the song we sing called Solution. That song is amazing and I got to talk about what it had to do with leadership and how I understand it. It was really cool. It justs feels natural writing these "messages." I'm glad my techer enjoyed it and if I reached one person that makes it all worth it. I really enjoy talking to my class. It's all God when it comes to talking in front of people becuse that used to be a major fear for me, but with God's help I have improved and actually enjoy speaking in front of people( at least in Bible in MY class). No matter how I feel I did, I know there was reason for me talking to my class about leadershp and I know someone must of understood something about it. It didn't go perfectly, but perfectly to me and getting the points across God wanted me to are different. I hope that makes since. See you'll Wednesday!

There Will be Disappointments

2007-05-12T20:00:00.000-05:00

Today I got my leap scores back. They weren't bad, but they weren't as good as I would of liked. Before I opened them, I prayed and told God that I knew that the scores were part of His will. But even knowing that, when I opened them, I wasn't satisfied. I do well in school so if I didn't do well, I started to think of how others might have done. Then I started thinking, what if someone in my class did better than I did. I know I'm going to be upset. I really need to pray about it and tell God that I know there is a reason why I performed this way. It really bothers me because I am disappointed in myself, and this helps decide the classes I will be able to take next year. In the big scheme of things this isn't that big of a deal but right now it seems pretty bad. At church I didn't feel like doing much but I tried not to think about it. That is very difficult. I think it is going to take time for me to accept this. I know this definitely happened for a reason because it determines a lot for next year. I just can't seem to see the big picture, but I know God does. It's all in His hands. Thank goodness it's not in mine. This experience really humbles me because sometimes I get prideful about my academic achievements.

Refuge was Totally Cool!

2007-05-09T21:29:00.000-05:00

All right, I went to Refuge tonight and some pretty crazy things happened. I had received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit about a month or two ago. I hadn't ever really spoke in tongues. The night I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit I could feel the Holy Spirit and kind of just muttered(if that makes since) something. Anyway, I haven't really spoke in tongues until tonight. I just let go and began speaking in tongues. And even as Tweez spoke I almost couldn't stop. It was crazy cool. My parents have pretty much gone to Baptist church for the last like 15 years.FYI( Baptists, in general, don't speak in tongues.) So talking to them about it is crazy. They haven't experienced this yet, so they can't relate very well. Then on top of all that when my parents, mostly my dad, picked me up they made comments about the music people were listening to and whatever else. That made me so upset. I try to explain that I have grown so much spiritually since attending Refuge. I feel like they can't relate; they're so traditional. I told my dad he needs to try to understand and even suggesting they come and see for themselves next week. I don't understand how Christian parents can be skeptical about church. It just isn't like it used to be, I guess. Has anyone else been through something like this? I don't understand why I have to go through this. I mean it's church. I think it's just because they were Baptist and like things traditional.

ANY IDEAS!

2007-05-07T15:45:00.000-05:00

I have to give a presentation in Bible class next week on leadership. I was wondering if any of you'll have any cool information concerning leadership. Maybe a verse,website, or any notes from a sermon. Please post a comment if you have any good ideas. I'm going to be looking this week. Thanks!

Faith

2007-05-05T20:45:00.000-05:00

So often I feel I'm so strong in my faith. Then it seems like minutes later the devil is like are you sure you really believe Jesus is here and can really help you, does He really love you? Then I think of course I'm sure. It seems like we quickly forget what Jesus has brought us through and how real He has been in our lives. It's so crazy. He is so real to me, but the devil still tries to convince of these crazy ideas. The devil also tries to tell me I'm going to give into temptation and won't be able to stand my ground, but yet I know I do not think I could ever let myself do those things. God also ALWAYS gives us a way out of temptation and will not put you through something you can't handle. That is such a great thing! I feel the more God is real in my life the harder it gets. The last few months have been awesome, scary, and difficult. Not to mention emotional. I have grown more spiritually these last few months than ever before. Every time I start to get comfortable, God rocks my world. It is awesome but very tiring. I could never get through without God giving me strength. He always seems to have it under control even when I'm so scared and worried. He always takes care of everything, the scary, the silly, the big, and the little. I don't kow if I'm the only one who goes throught things like this, I'm sure plenty of people go through it, but just don't talk about it. Anyway, no matter who goes through these types of things, God is always my Hiding place, Strength, and my Refuge. Just to let you'll know, I 'm new to Refuge and just wanted to tell you'll I have met some really nice people and it has been easy to get involved. You'll really have a welcoming enviroment. I have been enjoying coming, and I hope I continue to meet more people. To all you'll Refuge people, you are doing a good job of reaching out to new people and to the community. See ya Wednesday.

God Totally Wants Me to be Thankful

2007-05-02T20:40:00.000-05:00

Tonight Refuge was awesome! We watched a movie about Emmy, a boy from Uganda. It was so sad. His dad died of Aids and in the movie his mom also died of Aids. It was crazy. Sometimes we take for granted our parents and think they will always be there. Emmy thought so too. I began to think of how life would be without my wonderful parents. It was really scary. I don't know how I would even make it, all I could think was God would give me the strength. Anyway, it would be horrible. I don't know how anyone could ever go through that and be able to move on and live life to the fullest. Then once again in worship God totally changed my perspective. The song said For your kingdom we will cry, For your orphans we will pray unending, nations will be called, For this is the creed of your generation. It was unbelievable to think about how ungrateful I've been this week. Last week I took care of my mom as she was sick. This week my brother is sick. I have been so jealous. I have been tired of everyone else getting attention. God showed me how these children in Africa have nothing and no parents, and look at me being a selfish idiot. I have sooooooooo much and have so much to be thankful for. Of course I go through things, but nothing in comparison to these children. Plus, when I am struggling God is always is there to help me out, and that makes it all the better. I have not been completely ridded (if that is a word) of my jealousy and self- centered attitude, but at least I've been slapped by God, and He has showed me how crazy I've been acting. I am still battling. My flesh still wants me to be jealous and have a negative attitude, but I'm going to continue to push through and overcome this attitude. Jason also said we should live like Jesus is coming back in 5 minutes. That is so true. We wouldn't want God to show up with us acting like heathens. Let's live as if Jesus is physically watching our every move because He isn't here physically but He does see our every move. We need to work hard to Him proud and make our Jesus look good. One more thing, Angela said we're all united in Christ. That made me feel like no matter what we could worship to the fullest no matter who is around and we are all accepted by Christ. Sometimes I feel like I'm not accepted by anyone around me, but I know God will always accept me. Just think of it this way, Jesus died while we were sinning and He loves us knowing we ARE going to sin again. Isn't that incredible? Please keep Gabby's family in your prayers. She passed away in a car wreck this morning.

Helping people at School

2007-05-02T17:41:00.000-05:00

I have had the privilege of getting to know me P.E. teacher. He is really cool. I have come to find out some things they have been going through for a long time. I have never been in the position they're in, but I figured there must be a way I can help. I have been praying for them. They have never been able to have children. This has resulted in them being mad at God. The lady has switched jobs four times in the past couple of months. It seems as if she is trying to find happiness in things other than God. I get to talk to my P.E. teacher every once and a while about it. So, yesterday I printed out some devotionals that I get on my email and some Scriptures and stuff. I thought that might help. Today I gave him those things and he seemed happy about it. It is his wife who has had the most trouble with this. I am going to continue to pray for them. I am so happy he feels like he can tell me these things because it's not too often an adult can share something so personal with a teenager. I feel privileged to be able to help him in any way and pray for him. Please keep him and his wife in your prayers even though you'll don't him. Even though this is a small thing, God has given me the opportunity to reach out and I'm going to take it.

Outreach at Prescott Middle

2007-04-28T20:22:00.000-05:00

The outreach at Prescott Middle was incredible. The people there appreciated it so much and tons of people met at the Annex to help. We had a great time! I, being new to Refuge, met some really nice people. We painted bleachers, painted floors, and made over the teacher's lounge. We had the privilege of getting to pray in the teacher's lounge for the school. Today, we made a difference in the lives of the students and teachers at Prescott Middle School. I am so glad God chose us to be able to make a difference in our community. Like I had said, there are so many things we can do right where we live. I am so glad we got the chance to help the people at this school out. They have no money to renovate their school, but we did, and take it from me, it needed it. Every bit of money they receive has to go towards educational resources. Today, we got to go out and show the people around us God's love. That is such a privilege. I look forward to being able to participate in more outreaches in the near future.

Jesus Loves and Accepts You and Me!

2007-04-27T21:28:00.000-05:00

I have been feeling like no one understands what I'm going through or can help me cause they've never been there. I have been trying to define myself by how I look and what I'm good at. I am having a hard time just knowing who I am and who I am in Christ. I judge myself by what I think and what others think instead of what God thinks. I got this devotional today and I thought It applied to what I'm going through and thought it might apply to you to. Psalm 139:15-16,Psalm 139:14,16, Ephesians 3:18-19a, and Jeremiah 1:5 are all good verses to reference. It just said you and I are God's masterpieces. Our worth to God is not determined by our appearance or our performance. That's a big relief! God is trying to tell me I am who He says I am not who I think I am, if that makes since.

Refuge was Incredible

2007-04-27T14:35:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday night people at Refuge prayed for me to be healed. It was incredible. The service was awesome. Jason told us we're the solution to the problems in our world because Jesus lives in us. He told us how Jesus is the solution for our physical and spiritual needs. I love that he said there are people in America who are homeless and don't get enough food. So often we think of other countries that deal with hunger and poverty. There are people like that in the country we live in. In 1990 in Louisiana 1\4 or 25% of the population was living in poverty. I thought that was pretty crazy. That was only 17 years ago. There are people we can help right where we live. That is why I'm going to help at a middle school tomorrow.