Fan of Coldplay?

LOST?... by Roberto Comparan & Phillip Bosco

Coldplay music video contest. For more, check out 

http://www.rcomparan.blogspot.com/

Please join me in praying that Luke 15 will make its mark.

coffee date.

This is something I read on the wall of the communications department while waiting to meet with my professor. I couldn't find the actual story on the internet so I am going to try to paraphrase... it was a good little story =) 

A man was sitting with his teenage daughter and her friend when he pulled out four different coffee cups. Two were really fancy and shiny looking, while the other two were dull and not so pretty. He asked the girls to pick a cup. They both reached for the shiny, pretty cups of course because they were the best. Then he filled their cups with coffee and began to explain his little theory.

He said, "You see, the coffee in the cup represents your life. It is rich and warm, all the things that make life enjoyable. The cup itself represents all of the material possessions in our lives. We always go for the best, shiniest, more expensive things to make our lives look better on the outside. When really, it doesn't matter what our cup looks like or how pretty it is.... it is the coffee on the inside that really matters to us."

God brews our coffee and makes our lives rich. The cup is just a material thing that holds it... what do you take more pride in? Your cup or your coffee?

Have a blessed day.

 

How easy it is...

.... to take control.

We think we know what we are going to do today. We have it all planned out. And not just today, but we have everything planned out for the rest of our lives. We know what we want and we are going for it. In this comfort of routine and control, we find our happiness. 

Then something unexpected happens -- A family member dies. We lose our job. We fail a class which prevents us from graduating. Our boyfriend dumps us for another girl. Our car breaks down. A friend breaks their promise. We miss a job interview.

Our plans are ruined. And we are devastated. 

Who really has control over our lives? Do we? Really? Or can we rest in the fact that we really have no control. God's plan is better than ours. Yes, we are happy when life is good and goes our way... but what about when it goes God's way and it's not what we expected? Will we be happy then? Will be have joy in all circumstances?

How easy it is-- to lose sight of God's purpose for our lives. In good times and in bad. When we want control... we are up against a powerful God. It is all in his hands, since day one. Stop fighting, and learn to find rest in his plan. 

"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truths and teach me, for you are God my savior, and my hope is in you all day long." Psalm 25: 2-5

Today, this is my prayer. I don't want to fight for control over my life. It is in his hands where it belongs. 

Ladies-- are we GLAMOROUS?

Yes, Fergie and many other sexy Hollywood woman have given us their definitions of Glamorous. In fact, this world reminds us everyday of their definitions of what makes a Glamorous woman. Many times, Glamor is based on the outward appearance and material things that makes us "beautiful" and "wanted" by the male species.

Have you ever stopped to think about what a Glamorous life in Christ might look like and how attractive that must be to a man seeking Christ in his own life? C'mon, we give fashion magazines the chance to tell us day after day. Perhaps we can consider a different type of Glamor?

Now this does not come from the bible, just my thoughts today. But perhaps you can let this sink into your thoughts for a bit. What if our lives could portray this kind of Glamor?

G- Grace of God: Knowing God has given us the gift of grace sets us free from a life of guilt and restores purity in our lives. Even after we have messed up bad. His grace is always sufficient.

L- Love: Christ's love is present in our daily lives. In the way we love our families, friends and even strangers. People can set us apart because we love through Christ.

A- Acceptance: We can accept situations and people in our lives even when they are difficult. Each one is made to test us and grow us. And we can accept that all things work for the good of Christ who loves us.

M- Maturity: We can rest assure that every situation teaches us something about ourselves and God's purpose for our lives. His plan must carry through so that we will be mature and complete in Him.

O- Optimism: In him, we have hope in each new day. We can look torward the future with confidence that we are exactly where we need to be.

R- Redemption: We are redeemed by his love. We no longer have to let the past hold us down.

O- Opportunity: We have the opportunity to be used for a bigger purpose than what our own dreams can tell us. And with each new day, we have the opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ to our world.

U- Unique: We are unique in every way. And made for a specific purpose that no one else in this world can live out but you.

S- Sinner: We are all sinners saved by grace. None better than the other. We fall and pick ourselves back up again so that Christ's love may shine on this world.

When will you realize that you are worth far more than a cheap beer and convenient sex? We've all been there. You deserve the rainbows and fairytale wedding you've always dreamed of.

This is not the kind of Glamor that can be bought or sold. It is rare. It is eternal. It can't fade. No matter how far you have gone or how corrupted you have been, you can be made whole and clean.

Christ's love gives us something that no man can ever give or take away. You are precious and worth far more than rubies.

Pray for our President.

 

I am a McCain Supporter and I do not agree with everything Obama believes in. However, regar​dless​ of our views​ or who we have voted​ for, Barac​k Obama​ is now our Presi​dent.​ He deser​ves respe​ct and suppo​rt.​ Altho​ugh I wasn'​t too fond of Bush,​ it burne​d me up to hear peopl​e tear him down.​ The same goes for now. I hope we can all be matur​e and reali​ze that it is our duty as Ameri​cans to respe​ct our comma​nder-​in-​chief​,​ no matte​r who it is. Let us not forget, God will not give us anything that we cannot handle. This is the time to show the love of Jesus, not the love of politics.

God bless​ Ameri​ca.​ All my respe​ct and praye​rs go out to Presi​dent Barac​k Obama​ and his famil​y, as well McCain and his family.

No matter how old we get....

I was thinking this morning about my life, and all of the people who have influenced me and have helped me become who I am at this point in my life. Many people came to my mind, and I said a prayer for them. But the people who were on my heart heavily today were my parents. All four of them: Marc, Deb, Jeff, and Gina. Marcos and I (and our siblings) have been incredibly blessed by these four. 

 As we grow up, we have this need to prove our independence and show the world that we can take care of ourselves. Yes, this is part of life and it needs to happen. And hopefully it does. However, I will be the first to admit that I will always need dad's hugs and to share a good cry and good conversation with my momma. And just last weekend I texted Marcos to ask him if we could go spend the evening with his parents because I missed them. 

Yes, we try hard to act like we don't need our parents anymore, but in reality, we do need them. They are a big part of our lives no matter how grown up we are. Marcos and I are so lucky that we have parents that are still married. I can't even believe how rare that is nowadays. So I want to say thanks to our parents for toughing it out all these years, loving each other, and showing all of us kids what it means to have a sacrificial, beautiful marriage.

 Some of my favorite memories are waking up and 3 am on Christmas morning before the sun even comes up to open gifts with my Shivers family or playing chicken foot all afternoon while sippin' coffee and listening to the thunder storm at Grandma Clark's house. 

I am thankful today to have four parents that show their undying love and support to myself, my husband, and my brothers and sisters. They work hard and would give the shirt off their back for us, and all of our friends. I can't imagine how it feels to have little ones need you for 18 years, then suddenly leave and start their lives needing someone else. I just wanted them to know how important they are now, and always. I hope one day Marcos and I will be parents who are as loving and supportive as ours have been. 

Family is a blessing. No matter how old you are, whether your parents are married or not, or if it was someone else who raised you; let those people know how much they mean to you. I bet it will make their day.

And to those of you whose parent's are no longer with us, thank you for your strength... I pray you continue to carry your parent's legacy on until you meet with them again one day.

Autumn in the air...

         So awhile back I was able to slow down a bit and have a baking day with Timmy, Lisha (My brother Kenny's GF), and Rachel (Timmy's friend) while my Hubby was doing some work with his dad. It was nice to take it easy and bake some pumpkin pie and cookies. We also had some apple cider together because there was, like, one day in October that was actually pretty chilly. Marcos loved his pie and that made me happy. I'm still waiting for the Fall weather to catch up with us so that we can get to the pumpkin patch... my favorite. I realize I write a lot and hardly post pictures about life... so here you go. Have a blessed day.

Not sure you'd want to eat the cookies after they were finished. =)