Summer is here!

Hello friends and family -
Sorry for my lack of updates these days. Life has been crazy busy with all that school has to offer. However, I am thankful to say that I finished my first semester of seminary with great success. I am taking summer classes starting in July, but until then I am enjoying visiting with my parents and I am going to help out during training at Camp Cedar Cliff (the camp I have worked at the past two summers). I am looking forward to that. It will give me a chance to see camp friends and enjoy Asheville, which is one of my favorite places to be!
Also, as many of you may already know, my dad lost his job of thirty years in March. He started a temp job around a week ago, but is not the best work environment and it is different than anything he has ever done. However, it is a job and we know that God works out all things for His good. Please continue to pray for dad as he is working this job and that God uses him to be a light in such a dreary place. Also, pray that God will provide another job in his timing if that be his will. Thanks so much for praying! Please let me know if there is anything I can be praying for you about! You guys are amazing! I love you all! Will write again soon–I promise!

He Has Done Great Things!!

 ” The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.”  ~Psalm 126:3

As I think back over the past year, I marvel at the great things the Lord has done in my life.  He has taught me so much about Himself and who I am in Him.  He has also guided me into what is now a new season in my life.  One year ago I would have told you “Absolutely Not” if you asked me was I considering futhering my education immediately following  my undergraduate degree.  However, over the past six months the Lord slowly began to change my perspective, and gave me the desire to pursue my masters in counseling.  Counseling is a field that has been an interest of mine since high school, but not something I felt led to pursue until now.  

So here I am months later getting ready to move back to Wake Forest, North Carolina where I also spent a year of my undergrad, to pursue my masters in Biblical Counseling at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.   I am excited about this transition, and know that it is exactly what the Lord wants me to do.  The Lord has confirmed in so many ways that I am doing the right thing, and has so graciously provided me the means to do it.    He has allowed me to receive a full tuition scholarship, and a scholarship that also provides for part of my housing.  Thanks to all  of you who prayed with me regarding that.  Without this provision I would not be able to continue my education.  I am in awe of how God provides for His children in His time and that it is always enough, and that I should never doubt that God is in control of every detail of my life.

As we are now in the beginning of 2009, I look forward to all God has in store for me in the upcoming year.  I am excited about being back in WF reconnecting with old friends and making new ones, and most importantly serving Him daily!  Thanks to my friends and family for your continued support and prayers during this time.  You guys are awesome and I love you!  I will do my best to keep you updated via the blog.  

Since I did not post before Christmas I hope you all had a good holiday and are beginning this new year refreshed, and that you take some time today to thank God for the great things He has done in your life!

From the View of Helen Keller…

“I thank God for my handicaps for through them I have found myself, my work, and my God.”

~Helen Keller

I read this quote the other day, and it inspired me.  It reminded me once again that God does use our so called “handicaps” whatever they may be to mature us as a person, and grow us closer to Him.  Helen was a remarkable woman who did not let her struggles of being blind and deaf define her life.  Instead of drowning in self-pity she allowed her disability to make her stronger, and it became a blessing in many ways rather than a curse. 

 

I can relate to this in my own life.  I have grown up with a disability called Cerebral Palsy.  Because of my CP, I use arm-crutches to assist in my walking, and when I was younger faced numerous other challenges.  However,  as an adult, I can honestly say that I am thankful for the struggles I have had because they have helped mold me into the woman I am today.  Even though my life has been hard at times due to CP, it has been during those struggles that I have truly matured and most importantly grown closer to Jesus!   Some of my biggest revelations in life have come in part to the struggles I have dealt with.  Do I believe that Jesus rejoices in the suffering of His children?  No, but I do believe He can work everything out for His good, and will use our experiences to glorify Himself.  My motto in life regarding my disability has always been “my disability is a part of who I am, but does not define who I am.”  I am only defined by Jesus Christ who lives in me.   

 

We all have our own set of “handicaps” we struggle with, and it is often hard to have a good perspective.  That is why we all need a positive reminder of God’s greater purpose for each of our lives, and just like our friend Helen take some time to “thank God for our handicaps for through them we can find ourselves, our work, and our God.”

I have been tagged!

Hello everyone!  I know I haven’t written in a while, but I saw this on my friend Sara’s blog and decided I would do it as well for fun!  I promise I will return soon with a new thought provoking post..haha!  Enjoy!

A. Attached or single?     Single!
B. Best friend?   FFF
C. Cake or pie?     Both
D. Day of choice?   Saturdays – Spending the day in my PJs doing nothing!
E. Essential item?     Lip Gloss
F. Favorite color?     Pink
G. Gummy bears or worms?   Gummy bears
H. Home town?   Casar, NC
I. Favorite indulgence?   Cheesecake
J. January or July?     January – Do not like hot weather!!
K. Kids?   No, I need to be married first!
M. Marriage date?     Someday          
N. Number of brothers and sisters?   Only Child
O. Oranges or Apples?   Both
P. Phobias?  I use them all the times, but I really do not like elevators!

Q. Quote?     I thank God for my handicaps for through them I have found myself, my work, and my    God.  ~Helen Keller

R. Reasons to smile?   I am saved by Jesus’ grace!!
S. Season of choice?   Fall
T. Tag 5 people: If you’re reading this, consider yourself… TAGGED!
U. Unusual fact?   My name is Amelia Ann, but for some reason my parents call my Liz and have for years, don’t really know how that got started.
V. Vegetable?   Okra
W. Worst Habit?   Twirling my hair!
X. Xray or ultrasound?     Xray
Y. Your favorite food?   Mom’s Spaghetti..Yum!
Z. Zodiac sign?   Capricorn

Soulforce visits Columbia International University

Soulforce which is a Gay/Lesbian rights group are making their rounds to faith-based colleges.  A couple of weeks ago, they kicked off their tour by visiting Liberty University and recently made a visit to my alma-mater –Columbia International University.  While CIU Administrators did not allow Soulforce on campus property, CIU faculty and staff along with some students met them at an off campus location.  While I do not know the details of their meeting, I have no doubt that their was some in-depth debating that occured.  However, if Soulforce expected to meet a group of people who would instantly judge them, I can assure you they had the wrong perspective.  CIU may disagree with their present lifestyle, but I feel sure that they listened to them and answered their questions honestly while presenting them with a loving example of Christ.  As Christians we need to remember that homosexuals are in need of forgiveness just as much as you and I. Because of that, we need to present them with a balance that lets them know we do not affirm their actions, but at the same time let know about the love of Jesus.  

While Soulforce’s tour continues, I pray that seeds are planted in their hearts and that someone decides that they want the same love of Jesus that their “opponents” share.

Fall Fun!

      On Friday, my best friend brought me lunch along with Colby, one of the kids she nannies for.  It was a perfect fall day for him to play in my yard, and we convinced him to let us take the pictures you see posted!  I thought they turned out well, and were too cute not to share!  Hope you enjoy!  Happy Monday!     

 

Fall Through a Child’s Eyes

Growing up as a child in Western North Carolina, Fall was, and still is my favorite time of the year.  To me, fall represented the annual Cleveland County Fair, football games, apple cider, and the coming of Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Also, I took the Fall season as my sign that I could officially start playing my favorite Amy Grant Christmas tunes.  I know you are thinking Christmas music in October is nuts, but that was always a staple in my household, and must admit it still is.  Now a few years later I am being reminded of all of those sweet memories of my childhood, and realizing how perspectives change as one gets older.

The past few years Fall has represented the coming of midterms, and all of the busyness that college life brings.  However, now that I am no longer in college and am spending a few months back at the place where I grew up, I am starting to appreciate once again the simple joys that life can bring in this beautiful season.  So over the next few months I am going to take a trip down memory lane and enjoy some of the simple pleasures of child-hood except I might replace cider with a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks!  :-)

Happy Fall everyone!

Hurricane Ike

As I am writing this I am currently watching and hearing about the devastation that hurricane Ike is currently bringing to many people in Texas.  Such disasters make people start to think about what is really important in life, but it also raises the question of why would God allow such terrible things to happen?  Thanks to the women of the Girl Talk blog, I discovered a very insightful quote from Dr. Albert Mohler that I would like to share.  He states,

“Perhaps we should pray as Jesus taught us, praying that the Father’s will would be done, that all persons would be spared harm, and that Christians would respond in the aftermath of disaster with a clear Christian witness of care, assistance, and witness. We should pray that any ‘natural’ disaster would be an opportunity for Christian witness to the supernatural Gospel, and for Christian reflection on the beauty of the Savior.”

I could not have said it any better.  That is my prayer for today and this weekend, and I hope you will make it your prayer as well!

Be Still and Know…

Psalms 46:10 states “Be still and know that I am God.”  That is a verse that has been on my mind the past few days.  I spent my summer doing an internship at a camp, and while I was there I was continually busy.  Now that my summer is over, and I am taking a semester off before starting grad school, I am finding my days to be extremely quiet.  Although that is not a bad thing, I have been trying to figure out what my purpose is during my break over the next few months.  As I have thought and prayed about this, the Lord gently reminds me to embrace this season of quiet in my life, and use it to get to know Him better.  I think that in the fast paced society we live in today we feel that we are expected to constantly be on the go, but sometimes all that is being asked of us is to “be still.”   What better way to spend my extended holiday than spending time with the One who gave me the gift of Salvation.  That is reason enough in itself to celebrate, and I look forward to celebrating in the days to come with my Maker.    

If you are reading this I encourage you to take a few minutes to reflect and spend time with the Lord.  Be still and listen because I guarantee you there is something to be heard!

Believing God

This summer the ladies at camp have been doing a Bible study called “Believing God” by Beth Moore.  It is a ten week study and we are almost finished with it.  Throughout the study, my faith has been challenged and I have been reminded of what a BIG God I serve, and at times how little I trust Him.  God desires for us to ask for things we need and trust that he will provide, but in the middle of circumstances we tend to forget that.  However, God wants us to choose to believe that HE is fully capable of meeting our every need.  He wants us to ask big of Him and He wants us to believe big of Him.  He wants us to believe that He loves each one of us deeply and that He will provide for His children. 

This past week, I have been reminded daily that God is and always will be bigger than any circumstance that I will ever face, and the only thing He is asking of me is to believe that He will do what He says He will do.  God is the creator of the universe and is fully in control of everything so why do we put all our trust in everything but Him?  Genesis 15:6 states that “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”  My friends I do not know what each of you are facing today, but choose to believe in the One who gives you life and will provide for your needs.