Autumn Praises

Autumn is so gorgeous!  My sister and I had fun doing a "photo shoot" out in our front yard.  It got me to thinkin', God didn't have to make Earth so beautiful.  He didn't have to make the pretty flowers of the spring or the glorious changing of the trees in the fall.  He could have said, "Green, Alive.  Brow, dead." and the leaves all fall off the trees.  Think, it's exactly what he could have done.  I am so thankful that God cares enough about us that he made beauty.  I love Autumn and I can't help but praise God when I look at the trees!

Autumn Blessings,

~Rachel

Profound you say?

I am sorry that lately my posts have been rather on the bland side!  I don't feel any inspiration to try and think up something profound, because thinking up something of my own accord would be vane.  More than worthless.  Because I have nothing of and in itself that is lovely and true to say.  Only God can inspire true meaning and power.  Even when we think that what we have to say is extraordinary, God has something so much more meaningful to speak through us.  Let what you have to say fall from your lips and let God's heart pour out of your every being.

Say The Words. Hear the Message

    When God places something on your heart to say. Speak it.  It is that simple.  When the Spirit moves don't refuse.  God wants to work through you.  Look through your nervous fear and say the Words.

    Sometimes it is hard to tell whether it is fleshly desires or the Spirit's prodding to come out and say something.  If you can't decide, God  is probably not speaking.  Your heart will speed up and you will get butterflies when God is moving.  Normally if you have to think about it too much, it is your own mind trying to devise what to say.  That is not speaking the Words.
    Sometimes it is best to close your eyes and reflect on the message.  What is being said?  What is God saying here?  Are questions that you can ask yourself.  Sometimes listening is the best thing that you can do.

Say the Words,

~Rachel

The Best of Friends

Do you have a friend that is always there, always caring?  A friend that you can laugh with and cry on.  A person that you can trust and share your heart with?  It is a blessing to have these kind of friends.  Sometimes it is a bigger blessing than most of us realize.  [Here is a picture of my puppy Phoebe (The white one),and Belle, the older and wiser of the two.  Phoebe thinks that Belle loves her to death!  Phoebe sure loves Belle.  Belle tolerates and borders on enjoyment most of the time.]  I wish that I could be as faithful to all of my friends that my puppy is to me!  It is possible, it's just hard to be as faithful and loving as this creature allot of the time. 

Inward Struggles

  
 
Inward struggles have no qualms about fighting and tearing you up inside.  They do not regard what is going on in your life or how you feel. They are wild and nearly unmaintainable.  But, they can be tamed.  I have been wrestling with myself for weeks over some things in my life.  To be transparent with you guys I'm going to come out and tell you that I have struggled with pride (raise your hand if that's you?)...(Liar!)...sorry.  I know that pride is a common struggle.  But I have struggled with it all of my life.  Not only is pride a problem in my life but my words can often get me in trouble as well.
   I struggle often with not being loving to one of my brothers.  I know that it is wrong and that I should love even my enemies.  But he's not supposed to be my enemy.  I have been trying to let go of some of the things he says and i have been trying to keep my own slate clean.  It's hard when it seems that a particular person is always there goofing around or maybe just joking.  For some reason I take things from him allot more seriously that I should.  I know what God wants me to do.  He ask that I love him no matter what.  And don't get me wrong, it's not all him.  I get irritated and I say things that sink my hopes of being a loving sister.  I am a sinner as well and I am just as guilty as anyone who chooses to quarrel. If you guys could pray for me in my walk as I try to grow closer to God and closer to my family, that would be great!

Learning to let go

 
    Learning to let go. It's not easy but I plan to do it.  I wish I could say that I was a master at letting go.  I'm not.  That's why it is called letting go, right?  Because it isn't easy to do, yet some of us have got it down pretty well.  Letting go of my worries, pride, and stress.  It seems like it should be easy to say goodbye to these things!  I wish it were!  I worry about stuff that is way out of my reach!  Why?  I can tell ya, I'm placing my trust in myself, not in the all-knowing, all-caring, Creator who watches even over the sparrow.
     I have a midterm coming up tomorrow.  I'm stressed about it.  What can I do?  Nothing but study, right?  AND PRAY!  I don't wish that God just up and poofs a 100%, well.....(that would be nice...) but yeah, I want to feel like I earned it, but I also want God to help keep the peace inside of me and the stress out.  Not stress out, but you know what I mean! :P
     Anyways, I am trying to place it in Gods hands!  I am trying to lean on Him more than I ever have.  I want to get to the point where I don't care about picky little things that just distract me from seeing the beauty in things.  I want to be able to sit down and be with God without worrying about a paper I have to write.  I'm not saying I want to become lazy, I just want to be trusting in God.  Ya know what I mean?

~Rachel