Would you like to be inspired today?

Of course, who doesn't?

What mighty praise, O God, belongs to you in Zion.

We will fulfill our vows to you, for you answer our prayers.

All of us must come to you.

Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all.

What joy for those you choose to bring near, those who live in your holy courts...

You faithfully answer our prayers with AWESOME DEEDS,

O God our savior.

You are the hope of everyone on earth...

From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire SHOUTS OF JOY.

(Verses from Psalm 65)

"I say to you, dear people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ, and you will find true life.

(Pope Benedict)

Make the LORD of Heaven's Armies holy in your life.

He is the one you should fear.

He is the one who should make you tremble.

He will keep you safe.

(Isaiah 8:13)

Today, the Psalms, the Pope, and Isaiah say with greater skill what I desired to say. Lately God has really answered my prayers in tangible ways, reminding me that he is definitely interested in my life and he definitely loves me. Who wouldn't want to follow a God and put their faith in a Messiah who listen to our prayers and work out our lives for good?

Although the caffeine of my morning cup of coffee is waking up my brain, the words of Psalm 65 are a double shot of espresso for this Tuesday morning. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy!!!

Don't Stop Believin'

Four months later, she has blogged again! Let heaven and nature sing!

Regardless of my inattention to this blog, don't stop believin'! Let me reassure you: I do love to write, and I am going to prove it to you this summer. With so much on my daily planner at college this last semester, I just couldn't justify thirty minutes on blogger.com. But I am home and what better to do than spew unorganized, nonsensical thoughts upon the internet-reading public...

Well, summer is ahead and school is behind. Free time and freedom abound. How to enjoy these summer days? How to spend these moments? For me, my goal this summer is never to waste a day. Thankfully I've finally secured a job as a waitress so I can be productively earning some income. But when I'm not working, my aim is to devote my days to several different areas. One, I want to keep growing in my relationship with God. Two, I want to nurture friendships and relationships with family. And three, I seek to enhance my school-year learning with my own personal learning (I'm sure you will hear me talk about library books and magazine articles... you better, cause I better be reading them! I have quite a list to get through!).

Recently God has been nudging me and saying, "you're not a kid anymore." Surprise, I am an adult now! And I have no excuse to assume life is all about me; for one, because I should have grown up and surpassed these immature, selfish thoughts, and two, because the Bible tells me life is all about glorifying the one who created life. So while it is tempting to look at my life as an opportunity to enjoy worldly pleasures and eat ice cream all day, I realize my calling is higher than that. (To exactly what? We will find out down the road! But I do know it is to a better way of living, namely a Christian one.) Therefore I hope to spend my time wisely this summer, investing it in the right ways and using it to bring God's love to others and his forgiveness and reconciliation upon the earth.

So YOU have every right to wave a finger in my face if I ever post some silly, self-centered blog post and tell you I've been eating ice cream all day. Remind me that I said I was going to use my time well!

"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)

P.S. if you need a good book to read on living life to its fullest, I recommend "Don't Waste Your Life" by John Piper. Read and tell me what you think :-)