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

To What Extent?

   
 
      I was reading this morning in 1 Corinthians.  The verse, in chapter 15: 33.  Do not be deceived: "Bad company ruins good morals."
     Wow, okay.  This struck home.  Here is what I am thinking:  Goodness!  I don't hang out with 'bad company' and get corrupted!  yeah, yeah, it's true, but if you want to look deeper into the meat of this verse you will get it a little better.  Like I said,  I don't hang out with a rough group.  I mean, there are some rough people out there, boy I don't want to be their friend! So, I just chose not to hit the backspace.  Did you see what I just said???  "Boy, I don't want to be their friend!" WOW.  This is digging into my heart as I type this.  Do you see?!  To what extent shall we take this verse?  We have to take it to the foot of the cross, because I really don't know where else to take it.
    Christ was in the company of a rough crowd most of his life, look at his disciples for one.  They were no angels.  He looked upon these people with love and he showed them that he cared about them.  How could he have shown them his love if he passed them by and gave them the peace sign and said, "Peace dude, I love you man!"  He didn't do that!  He held company with them.  He went to their house!  He ate with them!  He washed their feet!  Goodness sakes!!!   Can't you see it???  He was not corrupted, his steps did not waver.
     Okay, you have to take this the right way.  I am not telling you to go careening into the arms of "bad" company.  I want you to realize that love is not just a word, a thought, a feeling, it is an action, a heartfelt emotion that drives anyone that has the Spirit within them.  I want you to see that there are broken people out there and I want you to realize that not every Christian is strong enough in the faith to place himself in the company of the lost.  If you are able to see that you would be easily swayed by the people around you (for the worse), then that makes you smart to keep away while you ask God to make you stronger and try to resist the Devil.  The question that you have to ask is, "Am I influencing them, or are they influencing me?"  Take God's word seriously!  He knows what He is saying when He speaks about your morals!
     We are called to go out into the world and spread the good news.  That means that we are going to be among the people that this verse talks about.  It is important that you take a breather.  Go be with the fellow brothers and sisters of the faith.  Don't think that you can be in the world for ever and not be swayed by it.  We all need a chance for fresh air.  Come up out of the water and breathe!  There is no shame in the realization that you are being swayed.  Get out'a there and come back when God calls again.  It is better that you are able to set an example for years to come rather than be pulled into the flow of worldly life where you will find yourself swimming up stream to get out.
    Christ knew what He was doing when he dined with the tax collectors.  He also knew what he was doing when he was hung on the cross.
    Don't let Christ's powerful sacrifice fall to the floor because you failed to see what the world around you was doing.  Keep your wits about you and your Bible in your back pocket :P  Christ will lead you and you listen, follow, and believe.  Don't shrink from the rough crowd, stand tall in it (if you are so called) and shine, be the light that people can see in the darkness.
     Think about how you look at people.  Look at the horrible thing I said earlier.  You want to be a friend.  You may be their only friend.  Don't judge them, for they do not know what they are doing.  Look upon them with love.  Don't give them the peace sign, give them the sign of love.  Notice when you are judging, they could just as easily be judging you.  Keep your own slate clean and keep it right with God.  Okay!  I got it out of my system!  Gracious!  I needed to type that!  Thank you for listening to me ramble on!  I hope that God was able to speak to you through this.  Blessings!

Rachel

Please Pray for Brooke

I would ask that you be praying for Brooke, you may know who she is from previous posts. She is a dear friend and like a sister to me.  She is in NY right now and we have lost contact.  I just pray that everything is alright and that she is growing into a deeper relationship with Christ.  Please be praying for her!  Thank you guys so much!

Truly,

~Rachel

9/11

    The 11th anniversary of one of America's greatest tragedies. I hardly ever remember things from when I was four and five years old, but one thing I remember as if it where yesterday is the falling of the twin towers.  I remember the television,  the billowing smoke coming from the World Trade Center, the tears in my parents eyes.
    I didn't realize how great the loss of life was back then.  All I knew was that my daddy was leaving to go help the Police there in New York City.  For months daddy was back and forth, not home for more than two or three days at a time.  It was hard being young, not knowing what was going on.  But being at the age that I am, I now see that my small loss was nothing in comparison to the tragedy that took place that dreadful day 11 years ago.   








 

When Jesus Cries

Cast down to the earth from far above, every tear and every thought to be.
  All the planets and all the stars they see.
  See the love and mercy that falls every night.
  He cries you know, for you and me.  For the sparrow in it's flight.
  No matter where you stand, he holds you still, in his hands.



Take comfort in this.

Always,

~Rachel

Bleak Hearts

Cast about as I may, the darkness still,
I fear to stay.
Weary soul and weak of mind,
They say the light, it once did shine.
Bleeding hands, broken bones,
Try to laugh, but only groans.
Beasts they stalk and rule the night,
The birds they dare not take to flight.
The trees, dead, parched and dry,
Can no one hear the sorrows cry?
Every wind that blows is bleak,
Tis not hope that I wish to seek.
For Hope has died, long years past.
Our land is gone, no home that lasts.
 


This is a poem that I wrote when I was sitting on me bed doing devotions.  God has impressed this on me, almost like this is how so many of the lost in our generation feel.  It is sad, maybe even a little morbid, but It has slapped me in the face.  Can't you see the hopelessness that so many must feel?

If you are the person that recited that poem in your heart a hundred times before even reading it, I would love to pray for you!  I love you!  You are so much more than what other people see of you.  You are a being created for a purpose on this planet!  I love you and God loves you more than you know!