A Whirlwind Week

Boy am I glad that last week is over and done with!

I was home for a little less than 24 hours on Wednesday/Thursday and didn't see any of my family members in the flesh, but talked to them all over the phone. It was good to see many of my friends from home, but I wish it had been under different circumstances...

I got back on Thursday afternoon and really didn't feel like doing anything. I was in a daze during my classes, and very glad I didn't have tests in either one of them. I was planning on getting dinner from the Klondike then hiding in my room to collect all the thoughts that were running through my head. Little did I know, God had other plans for me! I got a text message from a friend, and he asked me if I was interested in going to the Chris Tomlin concert. He said the people he was going with won tickets on the radio (so they were free) and that they had an extra. About 10 minutes after I said I would go, we were getting in the car and headed for Charlotte. The concert was absolutely AMAZING, and I needed so badly to hear so many of the words that Chris Tomlin sang. It really pulled me out of my icky mood and showed me that I need to trust God with ALL things.

Two of my classes were cancelled on Friday, so I started reading Redeeming Love. I got it while I was in Greensboro, and little did I know that again, it was exactly what I needed. But I'm not saying anything about it, because it's one of those books that you just have to read for yourself... Thankfully I finished it yesterday, because it would have definitely distracted me from the homework that I really should be doing now... Oh well!

On Sunday, I decided to go to the church where my Uncle is the pastor. It's not too far away from school, and one of the people that I went to the Chris Tomlin concert with goes there regularly, so I figured I would give it a chance since I'd never been. I got to see my Uncle and his family, which was really nice because I hadn't seen them since Thanksgiving. It was a really good service, and (again) just the encouragement that I needed!

UNC won last night! The week keeps getting better and better!

Today was the day. A few weeks ago, we had to turn in our housing forms for next year, and decide who we wanted to live in the apartments with. The housing department notified us on Friday that we could pick out the exact apartment that we wanted today at 2:30. It turned out that my group was the first on the list, and we had any pick that we wanted from the 2 available apartment buildings. We knew exactly the one that we wanted, and because we were first, we got it!!! They are still being built, so we'll be the first to live in it!!
I signed up for classes last week, so next semester feels like it's so close!!

Thursday will hopefully be our first intramural softball game. I got coaxed into being on a coed team a few weeks ago, and our first game was supposed to be last week, but it got cancelled because of the rain. I have to stay and go home a little later than I would if we didn't have the game, but it's all right.

Oh, and this week is a short week! We get Friday and Monday off for Easter! I'm so ready to be home and see my family and friends!!

I still haven't heard anything about either summer position that I applied for, but God is teaching me patience, which I don't have a very good track record with!

It doesn't always have to make sense at the moment...

It's amazing how God seems to prepare us for things that are about to come.

That walk I spoke of last post, brought me a lot closer to an extremely godly girl that I was able to run to when I needed someone to talk to. She knew exactaly what to say to make me feel better, and gave me a list of verses to help me further.

Psalm 34:18
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are curshed in spirit."

That verse was in my Bible study homework at the beginning of the week, and it really didn't hit me till now. I was reading through Psalms looking for something that would somehow make me feel better, and by the grace of God stumbled across Psalm 62:

"1My soul finds rest in God alone...5Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him."

Thank goodness for iTunes. I set it to shuffle through my Christian music, and it was also exactally what I needed, right when I needed it:
You are my Joy -David Crowder Band
Fill My Cup -Paul Colman
Landslide of Love -Newsboys
Remember Me -Mark Schultz
Name Above All Names -Newsboys
All I Can Do -Jump5
Camouflage -Plus One
Cloud of Witnesses -Mark Schultz
Irene -TobyMac
I Have Been There -Mark Schultz
O.O. Baby -Stacie Orrico
The Orphan -Newsboys
When You Go Home -Mark Schultz
Who You Are -Caedmon's Call

It had the right amount of upbeat songs, and songs that really give me a new perspective on the whole situation.

When I returned a call just a little while ago, I could never guess what I was about to be informed. God had been preparing me for it. He's looking out for me, and is the only one that can truely take care of me.

He may not be there when I go over to her house any more, but he's in a much better place with the Father. He has no pain and God is taking complete care of him. God took him, because it was his time, and when better than doing what he loved while with his friends.

What God decides doesn't always make sense at the time, but it's all for a reason. It's going to be rough for all that knew him, but something good will come out of the situation.

He's in a better place, but we'll miss him here.

*M.O.* See you in heaven!!

New Favorite

I must say, I absolutely love being able to turn on my itunes on shuffle and listen to it while I sit at my computer. Today I was in the mood for some Shane & Shane, so I switched it on. Not only did it remind me of the many times that I sang that particular song over Christmas break with my friends, but i truly love the song. Not just the words, but their voices, the way it makes me feel, and especially when they beat on their guitars. I just love the song! Here it is:


Name Sake

I come to seek Your face
Holy Spirit won't You fall on us
Speak wisdom to Your people, Your saints
Fill us with the knowledge of You
Fill us with the knowledge of You

Overwhelm our hearts
Overwhelm this place
With the passion for Your name
I need Your tender mercies
Holy Spirit won't you make a change
For Your name's sake

I just love whole song, look it up, because plain lyrics don't do it justice!

Coming Home

As i was checking e-mail and facebook tonight, I turned the shuffle on my itunes as i usually do. I came across a song that was played at Elevation last Sunday. I got home from church and immediately downloaded it, because it was a song that I had heard before on the radio and it really meant something to me, but i couldn't put my finger on it. As it played tonight, it brought tears to my eyes as i realized what Pastor Steven's message, Shut Up and Come Home, really meant. I'm not sure why it took me so long to understand, but God used that simple secular song to mean something to lil' old me. Something in me has seemed to be a little different since i first moved in to Wingate. I didn't become an extremely bad person or anything, but i kept my faith to myself. I'm not sure whether i was afraid of how other people would view me or i just needed to drift so i could let God come scoop me up. I was basically a lighthouse without a bulb, just standing there and didn't serve any real purpose, just a circular pile of bricks. Well I'm done with all that, I'm COMING HOME and i don't care how people view me. They don't really matter after all, it's more important that i pursue God and his purpose for my life.

Ironically, the song that came next was by The Newsboys and contains what i think is one of my favorite words from the Bible: Selah. It's a word that David frequently used in Psalm at the end of his songs. It means 'pause and reflect,' and reminds me of who i was in high school. At Core we talked about Selah and the meaning behind it, and started the practice of ending all our prayers of it. I had forgotten about it till that song started playing and the word immediately stood out.

None of it really makes sense, and it's rather ironic that God gave me hints when i got to my house in Greensboro, but all that matters is that when i step back on campus on Monday, I'm going to make a point to follow God no matter what people think of me. My Heavenly Father has been waiting, he found me, and I'm finally coming home!