I Belong

Randy challenged me to write a song, and at first I thought he was crazy... How was I suppose to write a song?? Several weeks went by and I thought about it quite often, even attempted it a couple times but never really came up with anything I thought was good. About a week ago I was sitting in my psychology class trying very hard to pay attention!! =] Apparently God had something different planned for me, so as I was sitting there I just started writing and the whole thing just came together...


You’ve called me out
Set me apart
Made me who I am
Told me that I belong
I belong to You

You called my name
And numbered my days
You know everything about me
Told me that I belong
I belong to you

I find my joy in worshiping You
I find my peace in knowing You are here
I find my strength in Your love
I find unending mercy in Your grace

You’ve called me out
Set me apart
You called my name
And numbered my days
You told me that I belong
I belong to You

You told me that I belong
I belong to you

What A Mighty God We Serve

Have you ever really thought about how big our God is? I mean really! We serve a big, mighty and powerful God!! He made the earth, and every living thing on it. God keeps everything on earth just right so that we (humans) can continue living. And with billions of people on earth, don't you think He would have to be really big to keep everything under control? God creates each and every person in His image. Not only that, but He is always watching over all of us! Because He love you and me!! I know that may sound really simple, but if you think about it. I mean really think about it, just think of all the things you have done wrong, all the things you could do, and the things you haven't even done yet; God still loves us even in spite of all that! If and when you wrap your mind around that, you get this awesome, and GREAT feeling inside and it makes you wonder: How after everything I've done and after all the times I've screwed up could God still love me? The answer is He loves you because He is God!! He always has love you and always will love you. I'm sure everyone has heard or read John 3:16. But have you ever taken the time to sit and think about it?FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD Okay He didn't just love the world, but He SO loved the world. Many time we just seem to skip over the word SO, and pay it no attention, but even though it may seem like such a small word it means a lot!HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON God sent His only son to earth to die for our sins so we wouldn't have to spend eternity in hell. God didn't send just any son, not one the He would make another one of, but God sent His one and only PERFECT son to die for us.SO THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES WILL NOT DIE, BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.If we truly believe 100% in Jesus Christ, that He died for our sins we can live forever with God in Heaven. All God wants us to do is believe that He sent His son to die for our sins, and Praise His Holy name!! And He will be pleased! Doesn't everyone like to make their daddy happy? Then shouldn't we try our best to make our Heavenly Father happy? It sounds simple enough doesn't it? Believe Jesus died for our sins, and Praise God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. But we tend to over-think things and make them more difficult than they should be. If we all praised God with everything we have then I believe that He would be pleased with us. So I challenge you and myself too; to praise and worship God with everything you have! Don't hold anything back!!!! He will then begin to work in your life and you will see changes. When worshipping if you feel like clapping, then clap; if you feel like raising your hands then do it; do whatever you feel in your heart. Just as long as whatever you do isn't for show!! Don't worry who, if anyone is watching. It shouldn't matter, focus only on God! But if there happens to be someone watching you then maybe it will cause them to think, and want whatever you have, HAPPINESS!!In Jeremiah 1:10 God says "Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant." So with that in mind and school starting back I am really excited!! Not because it is my senior year, but more of the fact that it is gonna give me a chance to spread my fire. This summer is so different than last year, but I am feeling more confident about this year. The fire really started in me last summer, but after school started back I kinda let it die down some; although it never really went out it wasn't as strong. God has really shown me a lot in the past year. at church camp this year God really started building up the fire in me again, and then He was all over the trip I took overseas! I have a really good feeling that this school year things are going to change! And the whole deal with my headaches starting up again, I think it is just satan trying to kill some of my fire and some of my joy. But I am not going to let him. I am ready cause God is right beside me in this. I can always lean on Him and I'll be okay. This school year I really want to be a window, if that makes any sense. When other people look at me I don't want them to see me as much as I want them to see Jesus through me. I want the things I do and the things I say shown them Jesus and how He has blessed my life! So I have been praying for God to make me a window.

It's Gonna Be Worth It

I was up until 1 this morning talking to one of my very best friends. But while we were talking our conversation’s main focus seemed to be this… Have you ever been to the point where you hit rock bottom but then you feel like you just keep falling further and further downward? You know, where you have no motivation to do anything. You can read your bible, pray, go to church but none of that seems to change anything… You can’t find that happiness that you once had. Well I have been there as well as my friend, but I got through it! I got my burning unquenchable passion for God back and I know that my friend will get through it also!! The one thing that really helped me was when someone I love and trust with my life asked me to come talk to her, she told me this: “Even though you may feel like there is no point or reason to your life, you do have a one. God is your reason! You have to give Him complete control and trust that He has a plan. He has something so much than this right here. You are worth so much more! Don’t give up now, you’ve come too far and He has invested too much in you for you to give up now. Yeah it’s tough and it may get tougher but in the end it’s ALL worth it!” When she told me this I was thinking and even said “I know all this, I just don’t know how…” You have to let it sit in your mind and in your heart and grow, and slowly probably very slowly things will start to change! Things are still changing for me and only for the better! Another thing that came up in our conversation was depression. To me the word depression or depressed means that you have basically given up on life, you feel like you have no reason to keep going, no reason to push forward through whatever tough situation you are facing. So I looked the word up and the definition I found was this, DEPRESSED: sad and gloomy; dejected; downcast. Pressed down, or situation lower than the general surface. As Christians we have been set apart by God, he has called us to be different and that means that we are on a completely different level than the rest of the world. So if we get “depressed” we have let a situation or circumstance press us down so that we are lower than the general surface. And when we get to that place we feel like there is nothing we do that changes it so we basically just give up. One of my favorite songs called “Worth It All” by Rita Springer comes to mind when I think about going through a tough or difficult situation. The chorus goes like this… IT’S GONNA BE WORTH IT, IT’S GONNA BE WORTH IT, IT’S GONNA BE WORTH IT ALL! IT’S GONNA BE WORTH IT, IT’S GONNA BE WORTH IT, IT’S GONNA BE WORTH IT ALL! YOU ARE WORTH IT, YOU ARE WORTH IT, GOD, YOU ARE WORTH IT ALL! YOU ARE WORTH IT, YOU ARE WORTH IT, GOD, YOU ARE WORTH IT ALL! I have listened to that song on the CD so much that it is starting to skip, good thing I have it on my ipod ... So if you ever get to a point where you feel like you have hit rock bottom and you just keep falling further down, remember that God has so much more in store for you. You mean so much more to Him, He sent His one and only son to die just to save you! How amazing is that? Let that and this song sit in your mind and in your heart, because IT’S GONNA BE WORTH IT ALL! GOD IS WORTH IT ALL!!

Distractions of Worship

You know, I have gone to church my whole life… And I feel very blessed to have such GREAT parents and “family” whether they are biological or not. Ever since I was little I have always referred to the music portion of a church service as “WORSHIP”. I guess I started calling it that because that’s what everyone else was calling it, so I figured that’s just what it was called. It wasn’t until just a few months ago, maybe mid-May that I was reading in my Bible about worship. Did you know that the word WORSHIP appears approximately 102 times through out the Bible? From all of my reading, and praying I came to the conclusion that worship isn’t just a time and place kind of thing, it’s a WAY of LIFE!! We shouldn’t just worship during the music portion of a church service, whether it be Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, or whatever day you have a church service… we should worship everyday, all day long! Wherever we are, may it be school, home, work, or even Wal-Mart! Our words, thoughts, and actions should be said, thought, or done in a way that is pleasing to our Heavenly Father!
Over time we have gotten into routine, church on Sundays, busy busy throughout the week, maybe church Wednesday night, busy until Sunday comes again. So even when we are at church on Sunday morning we have 852,649 things running through our minds that we can’t focus on Jesus during that 2 hour period of time we have set aside for Him. We let anything and everything become a distraction, holding our kids, holding someone else’s kid, someone coming in the door in the back, the guy at the end of the row’s watch beeped, the lady in the front just dropped something, there is a cell phone vibrating cause someone didn’t take the time to turn it off, they just turned it down so it wouldn’t ring out loud. When we have this mind set that being at church on Sunday morning is just part of our routine anything can become a distraction. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of being distracted!! Worshiping Jesus Christ with everything I am is becoming my way of life… Will you let it become yours?
Just this past Sunday I was holding a little girl during church, but I also kept my focus straight. I didn’t let my holding her keep my attention from the One who deserves it! I worshiped, sang, and prayed just like I would have had I not been holding her. Someone came to me after the service was over and asked me how I could hold the little girl and still be “all in worship” as they put it? My answer was, “Simple, no matter where we are our focus should be on Christ, just because I was holding Ansley didn’t make it any different. & honestly, I forgot I was holding her at times…” I didn’t let her become a distraction for me. I hope that the next time that guy’s watch beeps, the lady in front drops something, or someone’s baby cries you don’t let it distract your focus from being on Christ! He deserves our everything!!
Lord, I pray that my focus is always on You! I pray that I don’t let things around me become a distraction. Help me to get out of this routine, this complacent place so that worship is my way of life. I hope and pray that my words, thoughts, and actions are pleasing to You, God! I’m sorry for not realizing sooner that worship wasn’t just a time and place thing, and I thank you for your unending love and mercy that forgives my wrongs! In Your Holy Name I pray… AMEN!!

This Little Light of Mine

“We bear the marks of a King, we’re the only hope some will see, so start revival in me.”

How many times every day are we presented with opportunities to share Jesus with people, and we, for what ever reason let that moment pass us by? How many of those people may never have anyone else cross their paths who can share Jesus with them? What is we’re the only one and we miss our chance? If we claim to be a follower of Christ then it is our job to shine the light of Jesus everywhere we go! In Matthew5:16 it says:
In the same way, let your light shine before me, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.
We can not let fear over take us when it comes to sharing Jesus with others, because if we do then we are going to miss way too many opportunities. And those are chances that we won’t get back! This verse also brings 2 songs to my mind, I’m sure we have all heard them both 847 million times… “This Little Light of Mine” and “What Hurts the Most”

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
Won't let Satan blow it out, I'm gonna let it shine.
Won't let Satan blow it out, I'm gonna let it shine.
Won't let Satan blow it out, I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Hide it under a bushel, NO! I'm gonna let it shine.
Hide it under a bushel, NO! I'm gonna let it shine.
Hide it under a bushel, NO! I'm gonna let it shine,
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Let it shine 'til Jesus comes, I'm gonna let it shine.
Let it shine 'til Jesus comes, I'm gonna let it shine.
Let it shine 'til Jesus comes, I'm gonna let it shine,
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

I know I sang that song all the time when I was little, did the motions too, but when I was younger I didn’t take the time to actually think about what those simple words actually meant. Even if I had I probably wouldn’t have fully understood it then anyway, but now I know what those words me! They mean that I have been saved by the Grace of God and I am going to shine His light for all the world to see, I am not going to let satan bring me down so my light can’t shine, I’m not going to hide the light when I’m around certain people so they won’t think I’m nuts, but I am going to shine that light until Jesus comes back! The other song is What Hurts the Most, it is one of Rascal Flatts’ songs and again I have heard this song so many times, yet just reading the lyrics and thinking them through they have such a deep meaning.

What hurts the most
Was being so close
And havin' so much to say
And watchin' you walk away
And never knowin'
What could've been
And not seein' that lovin' you
Is what I was tryin' to do


We as Christians have "so much to say" and yet we just "watch" the world and half of the people in "church" just "walk away" and live their lives and go straight to hell because we don't think they'll want to hear or we don't want to seem foolish or look it. Although, when in hell they'll be screaming out to us "WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME....YOU HAD SO MUCH TO SAY AND YOU NEVER DID!!!" There is a real dying world out there and there is a real Hell and it's for eternity! Mark 16:15 says to "go to all the world and preach the Gospel" and yet we can't even talk to the people in our "circle" in our "world" about the Truth. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends..." (John 15:12-14) I take that literal in the aspect that Jesus did that for me and for all men and women. But I also take in the since that if Jesus could come and die for me then surely I can tell everyone I know about Him. The Message bible has this to say... Mark 8:38 "If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I'm leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you'll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels." OUCH! Satan seems to be upping his game, so we as Christians and as the army of God need to up ours. There is a lot of sickness, and disease in our world, but there are also a lot of chances and opportunities being missed. I know I have missed way too many opportunities and that brings me a lot of guilt and sorrow to go along with it. I let not let another chance to tell someone about Jesus slip through my fingers again...I don't want their blood to be on my hands and I don't want to have anyone that was in "my world" yelling out to me from hell.... "TIFFANY...WHY DID YOU NOT EVER TELL ME...YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME!!!"