Lastly

So Chelsea is leaving tomorrow for Japan. Her flight takes off from the Shreveport Airport at 8:50am and she is not ready to go. She is thrilled to she her husband that she hasn't seen since September, but not ready to leave her friends and family. Monday night we went to 318Live and then to Newks for a late meal. Afterwards we had a long talk and gave each other encouragment for the months ahead. She is such a good friend and I am so excited for her to finally be with Andy, her husband. He's a good friend of mine as well and a great man of God. Wow, I just can't believe she's actually leaving! She'll be back soon though. Sadly, he's deploying in November and she'll come back home to finish her teaching degree. So for right now its just a few months apart from her and then, after that, who knows how long. Please lift them up in your prayers and pray that they are kept safe. Thanks everyone, it was nice talking with you, bye!

Leaving On A Jet Plane

I am having another sleepover with my friend Chelsea tomorrow night and I am definitley looking forward to it. Her husband is a Marine stationed in Japan, and he contacted her yesterday to let her know she would be leaving the States for three years to be with him on the 7th of April! Its pretty crazy! She is very excited to see him, seeing as they were apart for six months, together for two weeks to get married, and have been apart for six months since then. But she is very upset about leaving her family and friends behind. So all of this calls for a good girls night! She is a strong woman of God and I know she will be fine, living on the beach in *Okinawa, and making a life with her husband! I am for sure going to miss her though. She is one of those friends that I have told my deepest darkest secrets to and she is always there when you need someone to encourage you. For instance, Monday, after she got word she would be leaving, she drove to Ruston and packed up all of her things from college at her grandparents house; this took her all day. Then she drove back to Haughton and unpacked. We had plans to go to 318Live at 7pm, a college aged Christian gathering, but she was running late, was tired, and very overwhelmed. I told her that I completely understood and that it was no big deal, we could hang out another time before she left. I spoke to her for a little bit longer and told her how bad my weekend was and she went into "best friend mode". At 7:10 she drove from Haughton to Shreveport and made it to my apartment by 7:30. We made it to 318Live at 7:50, just in time for worship, which is my favorite. Chelsea is so kind and very selfless, she knew that the best place for me to be was in God's house, embraced by His presence. She went above and beyond what anyone else would've done and it really means alot to me. I am very used to being let down but Chelsea is not one of those that lets me down. She is an amazing friend and I am going to miss her very much. Please keep her and her husband in your prayers!

My Saving Grace

http://slatest.slate.com/id/2289385/entry/1/

This week I just feel I need to write about what's on my heart. God is good. He has truly changed my life and my heart over these past eight months and it's so great to be a new person. I was born again (saved) at a very young age but my life hasn't always looked that way. I was never a "bad kid"; I never got drunk, partied, or did drugs, partially because I grew up around them, but my life never seemed to really magnify God. Until everything came crashing down in August of last year. It's crazy how God breaks down the walls in your life to get to you. I was practically engaged to a guy (he had the ring, already asked my parents, and we had a wedding date set) when he broke my heart. He told me that God had told him to let me go, not knowing for how long, maybe forever, but that I really needed to get back to my True Love and get my heart right with Him. Letting me be broken to pieces was the best thing my ex-boyfriend and God could've ever done for me. My ex truly loved me enough to not let me keep running from the One that loved me more than he did and he was obedient to the call that God had over our lives, no matter how hard it was going to be. Those last few months of 2010 were some of the hardest I have ever faced. Feeling so alone, but yet seeing God work and move throughout my life in ways I had only dreamt about before. I always wanted that life with God that you hear people speak of, and as they do, your heart races, truly yearning to know what it would be like, but yet your flesh shuts you up and convinces you that you are not good enough or it would be too hard, and you only have to BE saved to enter the Kingdom of God, not live like it, right?...Wow, He is so good. So many times I thought I could bargain with God in this life, when all He wanted was me, all He wanted was for me to submit and truly see that He was enough. I am not saying that He wants us to live a life of solitude, thats not it at all, but He needs us to truly understand that no matter what He is our life source and He is all we Need. We should never long for the creation more than the Creator. He has been so sweet and revealed Himself to me in so many ways in such a short amount of time and its been because I have been listening and watching for Him. He has been there, wanting my attention, the entire time, but now I have finally turned to look at Him, and He is magnificent! If you are not where you need to be with God, maybe you don't even know Him as your Lord and Savior, I urge you to take the jump into the Living Waters. The life you make with Him will never return void, and He will make it all worth while. He never promised that following Him would be easy, but He showed that it would be very worth it. Please don't let Satan deceive you into thinking otherwise. I do not mean to preach but I feel compelled to share with others the reason why I am the way that I am. If you have any questions or want to talk about this, but do not want to comment on my blog, please email me. I would love to share, with anyone, Christ, who He is, and how you can have a relationship with Him. This is not about religion but a relationship. Here is my email: martinc88@lsus.edu

Fun Times

I am really excited about my night tonight! Its Wednesday so Ill be having dinner at my parents house then going to church in Haughton. After that one of my best friends is coming over to my apartment and spending the night. Chelsea and I have been great friends since we were in the 8th grade. Not too long ago I found a picture of us, with me in braces and her with brown hair! Now she is married and soon to be moving to Japan with her marine husband. I am not one for sleepovers but definitley in need for some good girl time. She will be going with me in the morning to Lunch on the Street, the homeless gathering during lunch at Asian Gardens, so tonight we will be baking sweets for them. Honestly, I cant really cook but I am great at following directions! Cake bites are on the list for tomorrow and it should be fun trying not to burn my apartment down. Wish me luck!

Home Owner?

Tonight, before church, I stopped by my parents house and had dinner with my stepmom. When I say parents I usually mean my dad and stepmom. Anyways, as we were eating, my stepmom and I got on the subject of where I was going with my life. What was I going to do with once I graduated in a few months? I told her that after LSUS I would probably go into more school which would be seminary (Bible College) and work maybe as a pharmaceutical sales rep, until done with all schooling. Then go into ministry and follow wherever God leads me. She then brought up the subject of me buying a house. Its not like the idea hasn't crossed my mind, because it has, alot lately, especially since I am just throwing my money away paying rent for my apartment. But I guess I just assumed that I would be older, married maybe, or something. It's crazy how fast we grow up. I still feel like I am 15. Its like my mind hasn't caught up with the rest of me. I have always been very mature for my age though, even now, my best friends are 5-10 years older than me. I guess it comes as a slight shock, the thought of buying a house, but still I am very excited about the idea. Thats all it is for right now atleast, an idea, but soon, hopefully, it will become a reality.

Weekend Blast

So this weekend should be interesting for me. I am a youth worker at my church, which means every time there is an event happening with the youth I automatically get signed up. They are a great group of kids/teens so I really don't mind helping out whenever I can. Anyways, this weekend is Weekend Blast; a retreat for the youth lasting from Friday until Sunday night. The students stay at all different houses, seperated by grade and gender, and have the entire weekend to really focus on God. I will be leading the 8th grade girls, which reminds me, I have a whole curriculum that I haven't even looked at...oops! I am usually with the 9th grade girls for any type of event, but I don't mind a change every now and then. It should be alot of fun and a little crazy; me, with about twelve 8th grade girls, and the power and presence of God!!!

Winter Jam!

So I am very excited because tonight is the Winter Jam concert at the Century Tel Center. It's a huge concert compiled of about 10 different Christian artists. All different styles of Christian music will be played, from hard rock to pop. I have gone in years past and it's alot of fun. If anyone is interested, it starts at 7pm tonight and it's only $10 to get in. And dont decide not to go just because it's a Christian concert and you think it's going to be boring. I've gone to many non-Christian concerts when I was younger and Winter Jam is by far just as entertaining. Just let it surprise you!

Ugh...School

I think I am having Senioritis a year early. I am just not in the mood to go to school and do my homework anymore. The fact that I am not going into business but getting a business degree might be a bit of my problem. I know that once I graduate, in about a year, I will be signing up for more school and then start studying for what I want to do with my life. I don't want to do poorly in school, since I am paying for most of it anyways,but I am ready to start focusing on my true future. I know that what I gain here at LSUS will be benificial because I guess I will be going into a slight form of business but I am just eager to get started with want I really want to focus on. Anyways...don't mean to complain, it's just what's on my mind.

Unexpected Beauty

Since today was Thursday I went to have lunch with some of the homeless of downtown Shreveport. An amazing Christian ministry called The Hub leads this gathering and so many more throughtout the week to help the homeless. I have been having lunch at Asian Gardens every Thursday with this group since about the end of December and it has been such a blessing. It probably doesn't sound like the most appealing thing, sitting in the cold and eating with people that you usually just pass on the side of the road. I have quickly come to realize that they are SO much more than what we think through our preconceived notions. They are friendly, thankful, and people, just like the rest of us. They each have stories and love to share them.
During my second visit I met Alonzo. He is in about his late 20's and has dreams of becoming a movie director. He has a vision and a drive. Everytime I go to have lunch I sit with Alonzo and we just talk about life. He tells me his problems and I tell him mine, his problems seem to be less than mine...who would've thought. He keeps me in his prayers and I keep him in mine. He recently applied to BPCC and was accepted! Praise God! I was so excited! He will be starting this fall and one step closer to his dream of becoming a movie director. A man with a vision, drive and now a way.
Having lunch with these people does not just help them but it has truly blessed me. Everytime I go I have atleast one person amaze me. Their strength and joyful outlook on life helps me to see my own life in a new light. Even today as I was leaving someone told me "God bless you." We use those words so regularly and forget how powerful they really are. Those words are very powerful. He knew the power behind those words, he pronounced a blessing over me and I was so happy to receive it!
Sitting, eating, and talking with these people might make you feel a little uncomfortable but through discomfort you can find growth. I don't know about you but I want to grow in this life and be used to help others.
If you want to get involved here is the website thehubministry.com

Fighting the good fight

Lately I have been faced with some really tough and depressing situations. Things that maybe I knew where going on around me but I didn't really want to address, came face to face with me over the last week. Times like these make me wonder why God has let me be hit by such heartbreak and devestation. I mean I've already been going through so much already in the last six months, why more, why me?
Of course I come to remember that God does everything for His glory. If I feel as if I am going through "hell" now it is because through this situation He is molding me into the woman that He needs me to be. Since submitting my life to Him, I have wanted and committed myself to letting Him have His way. So then why do I complain when He does?
I have to realize that complaining and getting upset with God is not going to help nor is it going to take me out of this pit that I feel I am in. Trusting Him and His guidance through this is the only way I'll make it out of this with the new attributes He wants me to acquire during this time (the reason why He put me here in the first place...to gain qualities that will glorify Him through my life). And if I just give up then all of my pain and patience thus far is wasted.
Words that I cling to and that play over and over in my head are from Paul in the New Testament, he says simply to Timothy, "Fight the good fight of faith..." -1 Timothy 6:12
This life is going to be a battle. One that, as a Christian, I must fight. As long as I don't give up, as long as I don't lay down, I find victory in the end. I might become bloody, bruised, and feel like I am going to hit the mat any second, but as long as I don't give up and tap out, I get the Championship belt.