Some days, I think: What have I even done for God today?

Then I think: That was an inaccurate thought. (Or, at least, it should be. Read on.)

Essentially, as a Christian, ALL that we "do" should be for Christ. It's not like I need to get out the sign-up sheet and reserve a little block of time for doing Christ's work. Even though I may not be raking truck loads of leaves for the elderly or cooking a five course gourmet meal for the family down the road every day, that doesn't mean I'm excused from serving God. So I'm stuck at school all day? What about if I hold open the door for someone instead of barging straight ahead into the dark building of gloom with a scowl on my face? Or, what about if I smile at that kid who I just passed in the hallway who looks like he may go off the deep end? Or what about if I bow my head and pray before I eat my lunch, to thank God for the food that I take for granted every day?

And WHAT ABOUT if I do that ALL in the name of Jesus Christ! How powerful is that? Do you know what? That is exciting. It puts a whole new outlook on my day at school. It makes me think, "How can I live for Jesus today in my actions, words, and deeds?"

Living for God doesn't mean that I have to be on a missions trip all my life. That would be great, but it's not likely for most of us. It instead requires us to take a second out of our days and do this: remove yourself out of the picture for a second and step aside. Let life happen while you look at it without actually being consumed by it, and just pray:

"God, use me today. Use my talents, use my personality, and use me in ways that I may not even know. Help for me to glorify You in all that I do, and show me opportunities to witness Your Name and shine forth the Joy I have in You!"

What if we ALL prayed that prayer today? Do you know what would happen? Amazing things! God doesn't hear a prayer like that and say, "Well... nah, I'll just give her the day off." He wants to use us and will, and how much more exciting when we are willing!

The more I seek God and His Word, the more thankful I become for it. Do you know what the Word gives us? Truth. The power of Truth. Truth gives me hope. Hope gives me gratitude, because what I have is a hope undeserved. I deserve Hell, but instead, I get Jesus.

I just got done memorizing James 1. It is beautiful... and what is even more beautiful is how accessible it now is to me. Having the Word of God in my heart is special, and it offers a whole new avenue of help, portion of wisdom, and reason of gratitude that coats my life. It is amazing the amount of times I have already sprinkled some of those verses into conversation or thought when I have needed them most... and what is even more powerful- how I have been able to use them as a shield against temptation. "For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword... and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Verses that inspired this tangent:

Colossians 3:16, "Let 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."

I just finished a bowl of Cocoa Krispies with Tricia about a half hour ago. I'm hungry again. Go figure. I better keep heading to bed before I find my way to the kitchen again...

I love you all!

T

This weekend was one of those weekends where I had around 50 options as to what I could do. What was my choice?

I stayed home. I needed a "weekend off." It was really nice... I came home Friday afternoon and spent the evening with my parents. We went to Chili's for supper and watched a movie together, and then I just "hung out with myself" the rest of the night. :-)

I didn't start my day until 11:30 on Satuday... it was NICE to sleep in :-) I spent the majority of this day getting caught up on business problems with Kristi. We are getting an over-abundance of phone calls to do Christmas cards, which is GREAT! I told her we may just have to quit school and work full-time for our business (which would be fine by me) although I think that we would be wise to actually get a degree. I'm only a year away from my bachelor's, and I wouldn't trade anything for college life.

I find it interesting that even though I formulated it in my mind ahead of time that I was going to stay home all weekend, social life still seems to intrude upon my life. On Saturday night, I turned down my first offer after re-evaluating the fact that I really did need to work on a project. Needless to say, the project made extraordinary progress until 8 p.m. when I decided I should go get dinner. Katelyn, my life-long "AP" (accountability partner and AWESOME friend) called me to come hang out with her, and I just couldn't say no. I went and spent time with her with my little bag of McDonald's for supper (healthy eating has always been a strong point in my habits). We talked and played Roco, a game that was actually pretty fun and required some strategic thinking. Gab, Brooke, and Julia all ended up coming to hang out with us, so it was a fun girl time.

Today after church, my mom, Melissa and I went shopping. I think one of the main reasons my mom wanted to go was to get Melissa walking... she's due soon and my mom is determined to speed up the process of her having this baby. I just think it's funny. My dad was watching the 3 Steffen kids, so we met them and Tate at Buffalo Wild Wings to visit Laura, my long-lost friend, who waitresses there. I love that girl and never get to spend time with her any more, it seems.

So, guess who I got to sit next to? My 5-year old kindergartner nephew, Noah.

"So Noah, do you have any girl friends?" I asked him.

"Yes," he answered, his eyes sparkling as he hit my face. (Noah is a very hyper child, so visualize every one of his answers from here on out being accompanied with a smack to my face or with his whole body being thrust in my direction with forces capable of knocking me off my chair).

"Who is it?" I ask. With that, he smacks his hand over my mouth.

Then, he answers, "Cassidy."

"Is she cute?"

He ponders. "Yeah. She's pretty."

"What does she look like?"

"Um... she has blue eyes, and reddish hair, and pink finger nails."

I smile at his cuteness and turn to my mom. "Hey mom," I say.

With that, I get another smack of his hand over my mouth. "You can't tell!"

I give out an evil laugh. He keeps his hand over my mouth and exclaims, "I'm keeping my hand here until your food comes."

What a funny kid.

During the course of the meal, we counted to 100 together, played Rock-Paper-Scissors, and got yelled at by "Grandma" for being loud.

Later, back at my house, I was in my room, finally away from the kid, and he comes bounding in again. Great.

"T, what are you doing?"

"I'm cleaning my room. I have to put some stuff away."

"I'll help you."

"How? You don't know where anything goes."

He lets out a laugh and says, "Then tell me."

He's a smart one. And I did- he actually helped me while I cleaned, and entertained me.

"T, do you know what I do sometimes?"

"What?"

"I get up really really late and go to my dad's room, and I bug him."

"Why?"

"Just because. I want him to wake up."

"Why would you wake him up?"

"Because I think it would be funny to keep him up all night, and then in the morning, he'd be really tired."

"What does he say to you?"

"He says, 'Go back to bed.'"

"Then what?"

"Then I keep bugging him. And he says, 'GO BACK TO BED!'"

"What if you don't leave?"

"Then, he tries to get me, but I trick him. I run underneath his legs and all around the room and hide, and he can't find me."

I was dying laughing as he told me this story.

Sometimes, I need the musings of children like him to remind me of the simple pleasures in life. Noah is a smart kid... he's quicker than you'd believe and is always two steps ahead of everyone. He has his daddy's wit and humor, and knows how to brighten your mood, but also knows how to bug you until you feel like going crazy (probably a trait inherited by me). He excells hugely at sports... I kid you not, I think the kid was more talented me at every sport possible at the age of 3 than I am now. I see great potential in Noah's future... oh, and here he comes.

He is standing here now, so I asked him to give you all a message. Here is what he said:

"I had a great day today because I went to Sunday School and I really had a great day cuz I love school very much. Sometimes after school I like running down in the basement. I like playing with Naomi and racing with daddy. I like racing with Oliver, too. (T: Who wins?) Me. I like playing freeze tag with daddy and my friends. I like helping mommy feed the baby and all that stuff. I like playing baseball and football with daddy. My favorite meal from mommy is grilled cheese and pancakes (not together). My dad makes really good eggs. I like playing every sport (he is currently listing a lot of sports that I will not type). I like everything in the world, and that's all I guess."

Well, all... it's been fun, but I should probably go play with Noah a little more before he leaves. I love you all!

T

1 Thessalonians 2:4- "On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts."

I was searching this morning for the reference to the verse, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." If anyone knows it- let me know! Anyway, I came across these verses in Thessalonians and they were convicting to me.

The first part of these verses minded me of 2 Timothy 2:15, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividng the Word of Truth."

"We are not trying to please men but God."

I'm a people-pleaser. I hate confrontation. I usually try to avoid it, and I am the queen at sugar coating. With those I don't know well, I am especially excessive in this area. However, with my closer friends, I am more able to be honest and open with them, and speak words that may not be easy to hear but are necessary to say. The closer I am to someone, the easier it is to admonish them in love and honesty. I have also found that the closer I grow to Christ and the more I grow in His Word, the easier it is to be honest with those who need advice and counsel rather than just tell them what they want to hear.

God knows our hearts, and He knows us. There is no need to try to "sugar coat" things with Him. In the recent past, I have learned the importance of being 100% REAL and honest with God. He already knows what I'm thinking and how I feel, so why try to hide it? That may even sound like a silly thing to do... but often times I have to wonder if some of us just put all our problems in a nice little package with a bow on top instead of confronting the issues in their reality up front by giving them to God. It's hard to receive help from God if we don't acknowledge our problem areas... as Fred Witzig said at the Morton invite, "Life is bigger than what any of us can handle!" After we see the problem, it is then important to realize that we are weak and can NOT handle it! We aren't suppossed to be able to handle it. If we were super-people, why would there be a Higher Power? We are weak human beings, but the good news is that we have a Lord who loves us and is capable of miraculous things.

Through this "faith like a child" and trust, we please God.

Do I try to please others? Yes. I already said I'm a people-pleaser. This is not a bad thing, as along as I am pleasing people to glorify God. To God be the glory in all that I do! That way, I not only please people, but I please God. If I am trying to please God through all that I do- whether it be pleasing people or not- then my attitude will stay humble, and my heart will be focused.

Is there an unhealthy way to please people? Yes. The question I would ask to evaluate this is, "Where is your self-worth?"
In yourself? You can't do it alone.
In others? Others will not bring you happiness.
In God? Bingo.

Do not be a man-pleaser. Be a God-pleaser.

"...who tests our hearts."

God tests our hearts! What is your heart's score right now? If you are pleasing God in how you are living your life right now, then the score should be pretty high. If it's in the lower range... let's think about how to boost that.

How do you prepare for a test in class?
First, it would help to GO to class and learn about the material. We need to be going to church and soaking up the Words of Life that we hear.

How do you study for the test? You read the curriculum or the book that the test is going to cover. For us, that would be the Bible. How do you remember this information? You look at if often. You study it. You memorize it. You practice it.

A lot of Christians wonder why their life falls to shambles when they are "tested." It's not much different then why some students wonder why they got a "C-" on their test when they only read through their notes once and hardly listened in class. It's tough to apply something that we don't really KNOW. Let's know the Word and what it says, so that when we are tested, we have the ability to stay strong... not on our own, of course, but with the help of God!

Alright, guys... I haven't done one of these long, drawn-out "verse" posts in awhile, so I apologize if I was unclear or detached in my thinking. I hope that through these posts where I share my thoughts on Scripture, I can offer a new perspective or encouragement to some of you. Thanks for all who read and comment! I appreciate your thoughts and wisdom!

T

I'll start on Friday.

The first part of it was pretty low key- I got up in the morning and got some stuff done, went to work until 3, and went back to my apartment to get my stuff together to head back to Morton. My cousin, Kelly, was visiting, so I waited around to talk to her for a little bit. She brought us all cookies in little ziploc baggies with our names on them, and she even gave me two cookies that had MORE chocolate chips than the others. What a cousin!

So, Tammy and I were leaving at the exact same time. I let her back out first, since I was changing my CD. I half-hazardly start to back out, going pretty slow, yet not looking... but not even to the point where I can look around the parked cars to even SEE if there are any cars coming.

Then, the back right part of my car gets struck and all I hear is a bunch of glass breaking.

I look back and see that a car has successfully run into mine, and I start to drive forward to get my poor car out of the way of the other. I get out, and of course, there are these two guys driving one huge BOAT of a car, probably made out of STEEL. The driver gets out and communicates his cluelessness to me as this is his, "first accident." Well, it was mine, too, but I knew enough to exchange information. About this time, Tammy has made her way back, and suggests that we call the police. I go to get my phone, and he got back in his car to get his.

Wait, no he didn't. He's driving off! No!

So I have no information on him. I'm pretty sure they live around me, though, and the fact that he ran at the message, "call the police," it made me think they were shady characters. Besides, the accident did NOTHING to his car, but check out the pictures below of the beloved Prism. It was crushed.





I'm pretty sure that it will be proclaimed, "my fault," because anyone driving in a street or parking lot has the right of way. I should have been looking. Considering I wasn't even to the point where I COULD look, anyway, and was already HIT... ok, those guys were driving pretty stinking fast to not have enough time to brake or swerve. But sitll. I take blame for this.

Anyway, the rest of my Friday was better. We had our "girls' night out" for my sister's (Tonya) birthday. My mom, 2 sisters and sister-in-law as well as my mom's first cousin and Erica Stoller, went to One World and then came back to our house and watched "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." That movie seriously makes me bawl every time I watch it. I don't know what it is, but it gets to me!

So... the rest of this weekend was the Morton Invite. Thanks to call who came! It was an aweomse turnout, and we got a lot done for the service projects! The turnout got even bigger in the evening, and we all got to hear a phenmonel message by Fred Witzig. Boy, is he on fire for Christ! I LOVE contagious enthusiasm.

I kept Elise Kaupp and Nicole Weigand- such sweet girls! We had fun... it's always fun keeping company.

Tonight is my nephew's (Domniq) 5th birthday party. I can't believe he is 5. I remember MY 5th birthday party- I got a bike. And I'm pretty sure I wanted a chocolate cake (surprise surprise). How time flies.

Dom is on the far right.



Wow, another semi-lame weekend report! Except the car part, and except for these next pictures that I am going to post. On Saturday morning, I was outside with my camera and I just went crazy. I can't help it- I see colorful flowers and I think they belong on my camera's memory card.






Another major highlight of my weekend was seeing my long-lost friend, Kristi, at church. Since she insists that I am no longer her friend and do not care about her, I'm going to prove that I do by posting a picture of her.



Remember that, Kristi? It's our SKIT GROUP! We should have gone to Hollywood with that preformance in Mexico.

I love you all!

T

I read Nahum this morning. I'll point out a few things that struck me.

"The Lord 's Anger Against Nineveh

2 The LORD is a jealous and avenging God;
the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.
The LORD takes vengeance on his foes
and maintains his wrath against his enemies.
3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power;
the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished.
His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,
and clouds are the dust of his feet."

Reading that kind of stresses me out. Yet we read...

9 "Whatever they plot against the LORD
he will bring to an end;
trouble will not come a second time.

11 From you, O Nineveh, has one come forth
who plots evil against the LORD
and counsels wickedness."

Do I plot against the Lord? Do I counsel wickedness? Do any of you? I doubt it. The Lord had a good reason to be angry with Ninevah. The introductory page in my Bible stated that Jonah had been prophesying in Ninevah almost 100 years earlier, yet it is interesting to note the evil and wickedness that had overtaken the place since then. How quickly this can happen.

SInce I have been in the Old Testament a lot this year, I have sensed a certain pattern. It seems as though it is a vicious cycle: people hearing prophets speak the word of God, people listening and believing, people eventually returning to their evil nature/ways, wickedness and idolatry consuming a nation, God becoming angry and placing His judgment and desctruction upon them, and then we are often brought back to the beginning. It resembles human nature, really. We are naturally sinful creatures, prone to wander, complain, and turn from the narrow road. But what are we called to do?

7 "The LORD is good,
a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him,

8 but with an overwhelming flood
he will make an end of Nineveh ;
he will pursue his foes into darkness."

"He cares for those who trust in him." Do you trust Him....with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength? He deserves us in our entirety. He doesn't want 99.9%, He wants ALL of us. I know I've used this verse before, but I find it such a comfort... 1 Peter 5:7, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." Let Him know how you feel. Sometimes, I'm like, "Ok, obviously God KNOWS how I feel," but to completey surrender to Him requires a pouring out of self. The Lord wants our hearts.

This book reminded me over the bible study I heard last night at ISU- 40 years crammed into 40 minutes about the children of Israel. We got to see another one of those cycles I'm talking about... and the punishment/consequences of wandering in the desert for 40 years as a result. There is a spiritual parallel to learn from, there: Trust in God. Obey God. Do not turn from God. Be faithful to Him, and He will be faithful to you.

Completely reject that advice and you can experience God's wrath and punishment.

Alright... time to step off my soap box...

I like to share this prophecy, though, because I find it fascinating. We don't often read out of Nahum or Habbakuk or Micah or any of those books at church... we rather get caught up in the Psalms and Jeremiah and Isaiah, etc. which are wonderful... but so is Nahum. :-)

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend... and, I love you all.

T

This is the continuation, or, PART II, of my previous post entitled "Tracy."

She thinks that she looks like a sheperd boy.

She also enjoys the word, "mother board."

She believes that she resembles a turtle.

She has a long neck.

She is morphing into an animal...oh no!

Her favorite food is "everything."

Her secret dream is to run away and become a professional surfer, "even though I've only done it once," she says.

And to top it all off, she has a killer serve in volley ball.

Comment if you love Tracy.

I love you all, and Tracy too.

T

So I was cleaning in my basement tonight and I was just finishing with the sweeping. I look over to make sure the carpet looks immaculate and what do I see? A ginormous spider sitting in the center of the room. You probably would have laughed if you had seen my reaction. I made a face and backed away, grabbing the sweeper and running the opposite direction. Thank goodness there are 2 ways to get upstairs from our basement.

I delivered the sweeper to the front hallway, and ran around to the other basement entrance where I found my dad heading downstairs.

"Dad!" I exclaim.

"What?"

"Is that a spider?" I ask icredulously, pointing wildly at the black creature that is still motionless in the middle of the room.

My dad walks up to the massive insect, inspects it a little closer, and says, "Yeah," as he stomps on it with his shoe.

"Argh! Dad, HOW do you do that?" I ask, running up the stairs and cringing inside, still feeling queazy.

Then, I thought about my dad's reaction, and I started laughing. He is so funny some days.

Anyway, I don't know WHAT it is about spiders, but I DON'T like them. I just can't deal with them. Seriously. I don't know if it's their little crawly legs, or their evil connotation, or their quick movements, but when there's a spider, there's a scream (from me). They freak me out.

So, I was inpsired to write a "What Scares Me" list.

1. Spiders

2. Chocolate shortage (not likely, but what if there really was?)

3. Really HOT stuff (I used to be scared to get things out of the oven. That fear has subsided and I can now successfully take brownies and cookies out of hte oven without cringing, but I'm still careful. Also- if you are extremely good-looking, take note of this #3 fear :-) Only kidding...

4. Haunted houses (ok, so I've never been in a REAL one, but I'm pretty sure they'd scare me)

5. Speed (and the lack of control that comes with speed. I don't like going really fast on anything- cars, amusement park rides, whatever. I know it is invigorating to some, but it just plain scares me, especially when I have NO control.)

6. High places (although I can ride the ferris wheel. But get me up really high and tell me to look down, and I doubt I'll be too thrilled about it. Hey Heather- remember when we tried to climb that mountain in AZ? I felt like if I went up any higher, I would fall down the mountain and die.)

7. Hell (thankfully, it doesn't scare me personally anymore, but it did enough at one time to make note of it as a major fear. If it is a fear in your heart- there is a way to change that! Repent and take advantage of the shed blood of Christ!)

8. Rejection (Who doesn't want to be accepted and embraced? A big fear to overcome is insecurity itself. Once we have our security where it should be- Christ- this fear should vanish. I had to make note of it, though, because I know it's one we probably all struggle with.)

9. Bees (When I was little, I got stung direclty under my eye. Ever since, bees scare me... I will usually make a point to escape the area they are around.)

10. Evil (Essentially, our corrupt world. I look around and I am, quite frankly, disgusted with the world and it's ways. I suppose my fear doesn't lie in evil itself, but in what will come of evil people and their lives. It's a scary thought. What am I doing to shine a different lifestyle and counteract those wicked ways?)

What scares you?

Psalm 34:4-I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

I love you all!

T