Answered Prayers

Exactly a week ago, I sat under a large oak tree and wrote my heart out. Things in life had been hectic, confusing, frustrating, and I simply wrote and wrote and wrote. My journaling usually just turns to prayers, and that's exactly what happened a week ago.

This morning I reread what I had written, and was completely in awe of the Lord answering my prayers. Even small, specific prayers- He completely took care of them this week! I had prayed for some sweet one-on-one time with some friends here, and I got to get coffee with one and dinner with another- no small feat with crazy college schedules and finals coming.

In high school, I had such a heart for my campus and prayed so consistently for God to do something BIG. Now, in college, surrounded by so so many people, I tend to get bogged down in all there is to do and not continually pray for the people He's brought into my life. I want that to change- starting today.

Here I am, seeing God answer prayers, and I'm not even praying about some pivotal points in my life that I should be. May we all get on our knees, keep our gaze on the Lord, and then get up and go out with the joy of the Lord as our strength.

He is listening.

Good book of the day: St. Augustine on the Psalms - written back in the 300-400s, these volumes have been translated and contain priceless insight. I highly encourage you to read them.

Checklist

By August 31, 2009, I want to:

• Lead a high school girls Bible Study
• Read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
• Memorize 8 new worship songs on guitar
• Spend more time with my brother and sister
• Lose 5 pounds
• Spend more time with the Lord- consistent time in prayer
• Write a short story and send it off to a magazine
• Decide what I want to do: teach, write, publish?
• Have a 4.0 GPA
• Be more graceful and forgiving
• Memorize more Scripture
• Teach 3 people to play guitar
• Learn how to sell items on eBay
• Participate in a great girls' Bible Study
• Do 3 spin classes a week
• Learn how to cook from my mom and practice lots of cooking
• Play piano for hours to my heart's content
• Quality time with my favorite friends
• Discovering fun places to visit in the middle of nowhere

I'm ready for summer!

On a rainy day...

Don't forget your umbrella today.
And maybe a cup of hot tea!

Since this blog's name is Chai Vanilla Tea, I thought I'd pass along a delicious recipe:
From About.com:

Ingredients:
4 cups water
3 allspice, whole
5 cloves, whole
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean (1-inch)
1/3 cup honey
1 tbs loose black tea leaves

Preparation:In a saucepan, heat water along with all the spices. Bring to a lower simmer, and let steep for about 5 minutes. Add tea leaves, and continue to steep for another 5 minutes. Strain out the tea, and stir in honey. Serve hot.

Enjoy!!

Jillian Edwards

A precious new singer I've recently been listening to. She came and played here a few weeks ago, and I was captured with her angelic voice and acoustic guitar. Listen to the top one called "Songbird".

I've been inspired recently to be practicing more piano and guitar. This week, I've gotten to play the piano for background music at a few things on campus recently. Thursday night I'm leading worship with some friends for a group that started last semester here. The more I play, the more I realize I need to play and practice more! Music is such a wonderful thing, and I find playing piano so relaxing and enjoyable.

Dozens of questions are flying through my head: what track to continue on with my English major, to pursue teaching or publishing or writing, what to do with my summers, etc. Lots to think about it. Through it all, Jesus Christ is the One steady constant. He has a plan. As I pursue Him and trust Him, He will reaveal His plan to me.

"Because of God's merciful compassion,
the Dawn from on high will visit us.
To shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way
of peace."
-Luke 1:78-79

Christ is the Dawn from on High! Praise the Lord!
My goal this week: to run to Jesus. In the good and the bad. He's all we need.

The Resurgence

Awesome website. Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church in Seattle oversees this great resource for evangelicals, The Resurgence. Its full of theology, interviews with greats like John Piper, Matt Chandler, etc. And besides the website, they have conferences, discussions on Facebook Fanpage Forums, and more. Check it out- it is very worth your time.

Amazing event coming to Dallas area called Come Worship Festival. A full day from 2 to 10pm. Schedule includes Kirk Cameron, Francis Chan, David Crowder Band, Chris Tomlin, and Sanctus Real.

Remember that phrase/song "Make new friends but keep the old ones, one is silver and the other gold"? I'm finding that to be true all the time. Making new friends is great and exciting and fun, but its those kindred spirits that have known your heart for years and years that have such influence in your life. I have recently been missing some dear friends of mine that don't live near me anymore. Its like a part of my heart is still with them, and I don't feel completely me until I'm with them. Hard to realize life is full of these moments, giving parts of our hearts away and knowing it may never come back.

The Lord is the only One who can completely fill us up, and I am convicted that I haven't been letting Him fill me daily as I ought. Through Him can we be filled and overflow to bless others. This year has been a blessing as far as having people pour into my life, but I cannot wait until next year to pour out into younger girls' lives.

Our God is Mighty to Save. Praise His Name with me today.
Blessings and Blue Skies-
mg

2 Things

1. I love books.

Reading, I could do it all day. Last night I went to a friend's house...and his dad sent me home with FOUR books. All awesome, Christian books. Isn't that a neat ministry? One of them his dad actually wrote. When I grow up, and have a library of my own I want to give away books. Give them away with the intent that the people continue to pass them along. Wouldn't that be great?

2. Tests, although very important, will one day be sent to the shredder.

At my job in the Education Department, I do a number of things. One of my tasks today was shredding old tests from a professor. To the shredding room I took probably over 1,000 tests and spent about fifteen minutes sending them all to their death. As I glanced through them, some from 2005 up to the present, I thought of all the hours of time, sweat, and study that the represented. A thousand students studying for their Education class final. Wow. And here I was destroying them...

Kinda makes me think about this life here on earth. All these possessions we as humans chase, all the fame and fortune we think we have to have, will one day be sent to the Shredder of all Shredders and burned up. Our good works will look like filthy rags.

Let this be a reminder for all of us to keep an eternal perspective.

Happy Easter!!

On Our Knees

"Call unto Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." James 5:16

A group of 6 girls and I have started a Wednesday morning prayer group. Throughout the week, we have ample time to worship, fellowship and hear great speakers/pastors, but this hour of time is solely committed to prayer. We pray for each other, our campus, our nation. It is absolutely the greatest way to begin a day...on our knees.

May we always remember the POWER of prayer. The Lord is listening, present, real, alive, and has a plan. In a Beth Moore study I did a while back, I remember her giving me a new glimpse into the world of answered prayers. Sometimes, she said, when we pray, God has answered with a YES, but has to wait to reveal that YES to us. When we are waiting, it can seem like He's said NO. But He truly may have heard our prayer, answered us and is now waiting for the proper time to reveal the answer. Isn't that a great truth?

Stand on the firm foundation of the Lord today! Abide in Him.
And let's all stay on our knees.

When I Survey The Wondrous Cross.

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
Then I am dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Isaac Watts penned this hymn in 1707. Charles Wesley said he would have given up all of his hymns to have written this one. Watts wrote many of his hymns from age 20-22. Wow.

As Easter comes near, I encourage you to focus on the Cross. Don't ever get over it. The sacrifice, grace, beauty, blood..."did e'er such love and sorrow meet?"

Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For sinners such as I?

Watts also penned this hymn. The answer to those raised questions is YES. Resounding YES.
Our Savior bled, our Sovereign died, He devoted himself for sinners such as I.
What a blessed, amazing Savior we serve!

The Little Hazelnut

I came across an amazing book a year ago called 20 Things You Should Read, compiled by David Edwards, Margaret Feinberg, Janella Griggs, and Matthew Paul Turner. The entire book is 20 excerpts from the greatest of the greats: St. Augustine, Thomas A Kempis, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Brother Lawrence, George Whitfield...and the list continues.

One of my favorites was the section by someone I'd never even heard of... Julain of Norwich. She lived 1342 to 1416 in England when the bubonic plague swept through many times. During severe sickness she wrote, "I saw that He is to us everything that is good and comfortable for us: he is our clothing that for love wrappeth us, claspeth us, and all encloseth us for tender love, that He may never leave us; being to us all-thing that is good, as to mine understanding."

During her sickness also, the Lord gave her an illustration with a little hazelnut. In this little thing she saw three properties: "The first is that God made it, the second is that God loveth it, the third, that God keepeth it. But what is to me verily the Maker, the Keeper, and the Lover--I cannot tell; for till I am Substantially oned to Him, I may never have full rest nor very bliss..."

She goes on to talk of God being so pleased when we are resting in Him...which brings to mind Psalm 62:1-"I am at rest in God alone. He is my Rock and my Salvation: my Stronghold, I will never be shaken." That verse was posted in my car all through high school...and whether it was a wonderful day or a blah day or a terrible day...I was reminded that the Lord was my Rock- and He's in control of every moment.

Julian of Norwich has some amazing other things to say so I encourage you to seek them out....I'll close with a precious prayer she wrote that became my prayer the first time I read this a year ago. (I remember that was one of the worst weeks of my life...and this was such a great perspective to keep me focused on the Lord):

God, of Thy Goodness, give me Thyself:
for Thou art enough to me,
and I may nothing ask that is less that may be full worship to Thee;
and if I ask anything that is less, ever me wanteth,--but only in Thee I have all.

Over 600 years ago, this was her prayer...May we all continue to seek and draw near to the Lord ever closer each day.