A few words

I have so much brewing in my brain and soul and heart. I cannot articulate it, and have started and erased 3 blogs tonight. No words really give justice to what I feel at the moment. Wonder Humilty Awe Repentance Surprise Joy Intimacy Lessons learned (and not the hard way) Revelation That is only the beginning of all the things going on inside this reserved girl...no, woman. Hopefully, those few words will turn into sentences and paragraphs. If not, it doesn't really matter, does it?

26

I'm 26. Today. No longer 25. Weird! When I turned 25 I somehow felt more adult. It was exciting and fun and wonderful. Now I am 26 and feel less like an adult than I did one year ago today. It's funny how drastically life has changed in twelve short months. One year ago today I was working as a personal assistant to a Realtor, living in the panhandle of Florida, attending a charismatic church, and hanging out with my friends from college. Today, I work as a secretary to a Dean at a college, I'm living in North Florida, I attend a Southern Baptist Church, and hang out with my family and new friends. A lot has happened over the last year, some good, some not so good, but I know this is where I am supposed to be...for now. As I embark on a (seemingly) never ending search for what is I was created to do, I can honestly say I am happy and content. Colossians 3:15-17 15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Helper

"A lack of progress in our spiritual life results when we try to bear all the costs ourselves. And actually, we cannot. Because we are so involved in the universal purposes of God, others are immediately affected by our obedience to Him. Will we remain faithful in our obedience to God and be willing to suffer the humiliation of refusing to be independent?" Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, January 11 In our independent society it is easy to believe that our life choices have no consequence on the people in our lives. Not only does it affect those currently in our life, but also the people who will come into our lives. Scary, huh? I'll admit that I frequently believe the 'independent choice' lie. I need to add a few steps in my decision making process. Have you ever thought about how your life will impact your future children? The choices I make today have a direct influence on who my children will be, and what fights they will have as they grow into adulthood. Will my battles be my children's battles? God, I hope not. I have to win the war, but I cannot do it alone. I know I need not only God, but also people. God created us to be relational. Genesis 2:18 states, '18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.' I believe that this is not only applicable to married people, but also to single people. I'm sure God feels that it is not good for single people to be alone, and gives us people as 'helpers' too. Who in your life do you consider to be a God given helper? Do you appreciate them or do you take them for granted? Are you even letting them help you? Do not rob them from expressing the love they feel for you, and from experiencing the joy of using their gifts. Think on it. God is love, Alison

I <3 Books

It is not a secret that I really enjoy reading. I mean REALLY enjoy reading. As in, I read everyday on my lunch break, every night before I sleep, and any quiet moment I can find. Needless to say, I have read a lot of books recently. Tonight I took a mental inventory and realized that almost every one I've read since July is a children's novel! I'm not quite sure what that says about me ;o) hahaha I also apparently like allegorical series. Here's what I've been reading since August 2007 1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling 2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling 3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling 4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling 5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling 6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling 7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling 8. 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper and Cecil Murphey 9. The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis 10. The Lion, The Witch and the Wadrobe by C.S. Lewis 11. The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis 12. Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis 13. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis 14. The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis 15. The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis 16. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 17. Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott 18. The Unguide to Dating by Camerin Courtney and Todd Hertz (so not a how-to book) 19. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle Currently Reading: A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle Reading builds your brain and according to my 4 year old nephew, "You think with your brains". I want strong brains. Alison

Wonder and Awe

Matthew 5:3 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' I get it! I finally get it! For many years I have not understood what Jesus meant when he blessed the poor in spirit. In my life group we are doing the study Connect With God by Bill Hybels based on the Sermon on the Mount, and I finally get what Jesus meant! Tonight, in life group, Matthew 5:3 was illuminated. Bill Hybels explains in this study that the Pharisees saw themselves as 'rich in spirit'. They knew the Bible backwards and forwards and set religious standards only they could meet. The common man and woman saw themselves as poor in spirit because they could never meet the Pharisees standards. The common person did not have the same access to study the scripture. When Jesus blessed the poor in spirit with the kingdom of heaven, he was basically saying, 'Blessed are those who recognize their need for me, for I will meet their need and then some'. Also... Matthew 5: 6 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.' Did you know that righteousness is imputed? I didn't, and now my mind is blown. im·pute–verb (used with object), -put·ed, -put·ing: Theology. to attribute (righteousness, guilt, etc.) to a person or persons vicariously; ascribe as derived from another. (www.dictionary.com) Here is an excerpt from Connect With God: Sermon on the Mount on this topic. I would try to summarize, but Bill Hybels says it best: "In every other religious system, a person finds righteousness through following a set of religious rules and regulations. The more you follow the rules, the more righteousness you find. In Christianity we experience imputed righteousness. It is given to us by God not earned. When we realize that we have insufficient righteousness in our heart and life and come to the point where we know we will never measure up or achieve God's standard of perfect righteousness, we have taken the first step. At this point we begin to hunger and thirst for the righteousness we can never find on our own. Finally we look heavenward and cry, 'I want to be in a right relationship with You, God, but I know there is no way I can do it! Help me God!' In that moment, God hears our cry and orders the transfer of righteousness of jesus Christ to our account. We are made righteous because of Christ, not by anything we have done." How awesome is it that not only does God freely give us grace and mercy and love, but also righteousness. I find it interesting that in Matthew 5:1-12 hungering and thirsting for righteousness, follows a recognition of poverty in spirit. Coincidental? I think not. Jesus was a deliberate man, and I believe his semantics were deliberate as well. Wonder and Awe. Wonder and Awe. -Alison p.s. How do you like the red-letter edition of the blog? ;o)

Alice

'There are times when you can’t understand why you cannot do what you want to do. When God brings a time of waiting, and appears to be unresponsive, don’t fill it with busyness, just wait...Wait for God’s timing and He will do it without any heartache or disappointment.'

-Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, January 4

Sometimes I feel like Alice in Wonderland when her path in the forest has been swept away. All she sees are big trees, weird Wonderland animals, and an eerily silent darkness. She lost all sense of direction, but what gives me hope is that a door was opened for her to walk through.

A door would be nice right now.