Tribute to 2011

Oh it's been months. January has flown by. We are on day 20 of 21 days of prayer and fasting. You'd think these three weeks would be the longest ever, but I can hardly believe it is almost February. Let's begin with highlights of 2011(photo version of course)...

Mama and I went to Key West

I participated in Highland's 2:52 internship and it was ah-mazing.
Such an awesome time growing in the Lord and beginning wonderful friendships!

I spent Spring Break in Destin, Florida

I began serving with Switch, Highlands student ministry

The tornado hit Tuscaloosa April 27, 2011

I enjoyed the beauty of the Lord is the midst of it

And Highlands fought back. I am so blessed to be 

surrounded by so many servants of Christ. 

Ow owww, the beginning of it all

Summer lake trip with some sweet friends

Sarah Clemson turned 14. I can hardly believe it.

I worked at JH Ranch for the 2nd summer in a row!

And had so much fun in the rodeo

AND met amazing new friends

I turned 19.

Hit the beach before school started back

Attended plentyyy of Alabama games. 14 National Championships.

Enjoyed so much fellowship

Prayed and cried for Switch

Spent time with this amazing family

Matt turned 21!

Found a new obsession for Ben Rector

Austin ran his last cross country race

Plenty of food and fun on Thanksgiving

I was baptized!! Hallelujah!

Katie turned 21!

Got tacky with some Switch leaders

We finally have a new family photo after who knows how long! 

Christmas Eve with the Duckworth's

Annual Duckworth grandkid photo

And the annual Kaufman grandkid photo

So blessed.

Spent time with high school best friends

Dressed all fancy for the Deb ball

He dresses up good. We danced away 2011.

I am utterly blown away with how incredible 2011 was. So much change in my life all for the glory of God. He brings us from glory to glory so I can only stand in expectation for all He has to offer in 2012! Well here's to the recap of 2011, and here's to 2012! 21 days of prayer and fasting ends tomorrow and I can't wait to share all the Lord has done in just 3 weeks. Oh, he is faithful! How great is our God?

to make a wretch His treasure...

How deep the Father's love for us. Amazing love. So constant. And I focus on this love. On what He has done because His love and grace are constant, forever. And my love is ever changing. So simply affected by circumstances. Lord take away my doubt, my faltering faith, and I will dwell on You. Who You are. Take away the James 1:6 from my life. An abundance of faith. A renewal of truth. Reignite a passion. Falling in love with my Savior and believing all He says He is.

I read the word... the boldness of Paul as he teaches Christ. As he shares the Light of the world. Not dwelling on his past but walking in his cleansed, redeemed, grace filled life. So in love with his Savior.

And I read "One Thousand Gifts". I'm reminded. Thanksgiving. How much to be thankful for. Even if I muster only thanks for my salvation. Saved. From death, from being away from a good God. I was saved. I cannot save myself. Thankful for God's only Son. That he bled for me. But, not just that. He taught me how to live. How to trust the Lord.. And Matthew 26:39. Not my will, Lord, but Yours. All to the Father. All... love, grace, forgiveness. Thankful for things such as these. All from Him. Gifts. And I'm learning. As I read and as I live... my stubborn self is learning the meaning of thanksgiving. And grace comes. In abundance.

I read... Purpose Driven Life. Living for eternity, pleasing the Father, offering Him all in the here and now. I'm learning, still. To live in awareness of His presence. To walk in thanksgiving. To seek His face in all things. And the source of it all? Focusing on His love. Because how could I not rejoice when I remember His love? This love I still cannot fully grasp.

But when I remember my Savior, His grace and love, All is whole.

Peace fills the questions and emptiness.

And I learn to surrender.

To soak in His love and allow the Holy Spirit to mend me...

we will

I've been reading in Acts lately and have been so encouraged by Paul's boldness. This morning I read Acts 22. I began wondering how the Lord allowed him to go through so much. How did Paul continue in boldness and faith? And the Lord so sweetly showed me. The Lord will never give us more than we can handle. This is a promise: "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:13. Yes, he was flogged and beaten, thrown out of cities, put in chains in his own birthplace... but the Lord never left him. He was protecting him. And Paul was strong and faithful. The kind of son the Lord was looking for to stand for Him. I can imagine it. The Lord looks down, turns Saul to Paul, and believes this man will stand for him against all adversary. Will we live that way? That the Lord notices us and says, that's my child who will stand boldly and never back down for my Name's sake. Or will we be like a wave going back and forth that he will not trust to stand firm in our faith through all things? Lord let us be like Paul. Trusting you in all things. Not only believing you are good when things are for us, but when all is against us. Standing firm. Taking ground against the devil not just defending ourselves. Believing that you have created us to be great in Your Name. We will stand Lord. We will fight.

I Am

The Great I Am

We need a comforter. He says "I Am"

We need hope. He says "I Am"

We need a Savior. He says "I Am"

We need love. He says "I Am"

We need peace. He says "I Am"

We need healing. He says "I Am"

He doesn't just bring it. He is it. He is all things to all people.

We need a father. He says "I Am"

We need encouragement. He says "I Am"

We need favor. He says "I Am"

Our Lord and Savior. He is.

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’

Acts 17: 24-28

alignment

The best part of my morning. Reminded today of how much I need this everyday. I can't do it on my own. I say that so often, but it is truth in my life today. There is a new song called "Courageous" by Casting Crowns. One line really had me thinking about this truth: "The only way we'll ever stand, is on our knees with lifted hands." How opposite does this sound in our lives? We are instilled with the idea that if we want something, we must work with all our might to get it. But with the Lord, we surrender. He doesn't ask for us to strive, he asks us to let go. When we surrender, we live. When we let go, it all comes together. Jesus Calling: "Live first and foremost in My Presence. Gradually you will become more aware of Me than of people and places around you. This awareness will not detract from your relationships with others. Instead, it will increase your ability to give love and encouragement to them." How incredible that our Lord works this way. He created us to find absolute fulfillment in Him alone. Nothing else. Since He is creator, He knows that He is all we need. And when we are filled with Him, everything else in our lives aligns. 

dwell in me

As always, I have been horrible at updating. I got one of those awesome leather Barnes and Noble journals at the beginning of the semester and am absolutely obsessed with writing in it. So again, as always, I will update the blogger world with my life lately through, you guessed it.. pictures!! In the past month I've...

gone to a wedding

had our first hang out in our new house

been goofy

surprised myself on the climbing wall

spent time with my best friends

had date night with my best friend

had our first small group

actually worked out..

and went to the Alabama football games.

Busy, busy. But these are the activities I've done. More importantly, is what the Lord and I have done the past month. Sitting here now and thinking about it. I am so amazed. I just read back over this blog that I started about a year ago and I am blown away by the person the Lord is shaping me into. A year ago, I thought I understood. A year ago, I was content in where I was with the Lord. A year ago, I never expected to be where I am today. But isn't that what it's all about? Trusting that the Lord is going to take me from glory to glory. That He is never finished shaping me into who He's called me to be. Matt and I were talking in the car the other day after reading Jesus Calling about how we are so tainted by sin and the world. How we are only fully ourselves when we are living with the Lord. I am so delighted to know that it doesn't stop here. That as I continue seeking Him, the more I will grow and the more I will be fully myself. Fully who He has created me to be. 

I just started a LIFE group with Church of the Highlands. It's already changing my life. The Lord's promises, his grace, the freedom he so freely offers. He is so sweetly showing me the importance of my thoughts. How each day I have the choice to choose life or choose death. Every thought must be taken captive. My LIFE group so wisely spoke how if we are feeding on God and His word, then our minds will be filled with God and His word. Our minds will be corrupted when we let them be filled with the things of this world. And what amazing discernment we will have when we are being filled with the Lord. As I spend time with my Savior, I will easily recognize the things that are not of Him. They will not have a foothold in my life. It's the secret to purity in our lives. Today Jesus Calling reaffirmed all of this saying, "Stay alert, recognizing the battle being waged against your mind."

Tonight after all of this, I read Acts 3:1-10, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." While reading this I was reminded that all I have to offer is Christ. Nothing of myself, just Him. And as I remember to fill my mind with Him, I'll have more of Him to offer to others. 

Dwell in me, Abba.

nineteen