Here’s a link to the final website that Kayce Foote and I created in our Web Design class. She was a wonderful partner, and we had a great time getting all the information and pictures together! Who knows… maybe one day, The Cup will really exist!
It’s not always easy to love, that’s a given. But it sure does feel good to love. Once you push through all of the bashfulness and what-ifs?, showing love is a major mood boost. Why?
Think of it this way, God created the heavens and the earth. God created humanity. God created everything we know, and some we don’t know. As for love, God didn’t just create it, He says in His word that He actually IS love. Therefore, when you’re showing love to someone, you’re not just doing something nice or making yourself look good, you’re revealing your Savior to that person. You’re placing a piece of Him in their life, a piece they will always remember and hopefully grow upon with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Next time you feel unsure about showing love to someone, no matter how small, remember that it’s not about you, it’s about sharing a divine experience that will change their life.
“The chaos of creation’s dance, a tapestry, a symphony. Life himself, and love herself. He wrote them in our very skin… Fearfully and Wonderfully and Beautifully made.”
Happy Belated Thanksgiving!! This year, I realized that I truly do have so much to be thankful for. I seem to forget the blessings the Lord has given me, and focus more on the stress, petty annoyances, and inconveniences that tend to creep into my day. Well, I made a little video on behalf of the Swafford fam, just to give video-making a whirl. Hope you enjoy it.
Well, it’s that time of year again! Time to eat more than I can handle and do nothing but shower, change pajamas, and collect good books to read. Sounds adventuresome, huh? It is.
Every Thanksgiving, the Swafford Fam (all 20 of us) venture out to spend 5 looonnggg days together. Generally, we take a trip to Gatlinburg and stay in a big log cabin! However, money is tighter this year than usual, so we’re settling for the lake house (which I’ve mentioned in several posts before this). The tradition started when I was 5. My Papaw Charles wanted to do something out of the ordinary for Thanksgiving that year, and he loved the mountains. So, off we went, only 14 of us at that time. We’ve continued the tradition every year since. When Papaw passed away in 1998, we promised him that we would always keep this tradition alive in his memory. So, here’s to you, Papaw! We know you’re watching us, and laughing with us. Thank you for giving us this gift.
I heard a great message this week on wrestling with the Lord, grounded in Genesis 32:22-32. Jacob fights with ” a man” aka God.
The scripture says that “the man” did not prevail against Jacob.
On first hearing this, I couldn’t help but be troubled. How could God Himself not prevail against an earthly man, especially an earthly man who had lied, cheated, stolen, and defied God from the beginning of his existence?
But then, I understood.
God didn’t prevail against Jacob because Jacob was wrestling with Him. Jacob was resisting.
Because of this, God had to (for lack of better words) punch Jacob’s hip out of place… ouch. Jacob then stopped wrestling with “the man” and asked for a blessing.
In short, Jacob left his fight with the Lord wounded, but more godly and with a better understanding of our Father. Granted, God could have completely obliterated Jacob. But God wasn’t there to hurt Jacob, He wasn’t there to kill him. He was there to bring him to his knees and show him something. He was there to make him a better man, a more mature man in his spiritual walk. Therefore, I can’t help but wonder, how often do we fight our Father and not even realize it? And how often does He have to wound us to help us grow?
I heard a great quote this week: “To fear God is not to live in terror of Him, or to consistently dread His wrath. To fear God is to fear life without Him.”
This weekend, I took a few friends to my Aunt and Uncle’s lake house in Smithville, TN. It’s a very large house, in the middle of the woods, with nothing around for miles. The first night we were there, we were more than scared. Discussing all of the horror movies we’d seen, our fears of the dark woods that surrounded us, the large house that creaked and groaned. We went to bed early, and all slept in the same room. We were afraid of the unknown, what could happen to us beyond our control.
Similarly, when I think about my future and my relationships, I am scared. I don’t know what kind of job I’m going to have. I don’t know who will remain in my life throughout the next years of my adulthood. But I do know who I should give these fears to, my God. The truth is, I do fear my life without Him. I don’t know where I would turn if I didn’t have the Creator of all the heavens and the Earth, the very breath I breathe, to talk to. He knows each of our fears in life, and He wants to take care of them. He wants to replace them with joy and peace. Why? Because He loves us that much. Pretty awesome, huh?
Here it is! The SA Spirit Week Event website! It’s kind of amateur, but now that I understand the logistics of Dreamweaver and the essentials of web design, I feel confident that my upcoming business site will be the bomb!! Woot! Thank you Jesus for giving me the strength to finish this.
Lately, I’ve been feeling suspicious about a lot of people in my life. I realize this isn’t a good way to live, constantly wondering who is telling the truth, and who is trying to pull the wool over your eyes. In all honesty, I’m tired of feeling this way. Granted, some individuals have honestly warranted my distrust in them. But the Lord consistently reveals His presence in my life, reminding me that I am to place my trust in Him. This is hard for me to do, but I must if I wish to keep my sanity. Otherwise, I’ll have to disregard every person who may do something “shady”, and that would inevitably leave me alone.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ.” Philippians 4:6-7
School has been really frustrating lately. It’s mid semester, and my motivation has been slowly declining since the first day. I would much rather be at home, doing yoga, playing with my dog, or watching Project Runway. Truthfully, I would rather do anything besides endure long classes, listen to lectures, and do mind-numbing projects. One way that I escape from the daily grind is by watching videos on YouTube. Recently, I have come across a video from one of my favorite acting groups, The Harvard Sailing Team. The video is called “Puppy Pictures”, and its amount of ridiculousness (if that’s a word) is sure to make you ROFL. (totes) Enjoy!
