Psalm 40

  

¹ I waited patiently for the LORD;
       he turned to me and heard my cry.

 ² He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
       out of the mud and mire;
       he set my feet on a rock
       and gave me a firm place to stand.

 ³ He put a new song in my mouth,
       a hymn of praise to our God.
       Many will see and fear
       and put their trust in the LORD.

 ⁴ Blessed is the man
       who makes the LORD his trust,
       who does not look to the proud,
       to those who turn aside to false gods. 

 ⁵ Many, O LORD my God,
       are the wonders you have done.
       The things you planned for us
       no one can recount to you;
       were I to speak and tell of them,
       they would be too many to declare.

 ⁶ Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
       but my ears you have pierced ;
       burnt offerings and sin offerings
       you did not require.

 ⁷ Then I said, "Here I am, I have come—
       it is written about me in the scroll. 

 ⁸ I desire to do your will, O my God;
       your law is within my heart."

 ⁹ I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
       I do not seal my lips,
       as you know, O LORD.

 ¹⁰ I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
       I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
       I do not conceal your love and your truth
       from the great assembly.

 ¹¹ Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;
       may your love and your truth always protect me.

 ¹² For troubles without number surround me;
       my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
       They are more than the hairs of my head,
       and my heart fails within me.

 ¹³ Be pleased, O LORD, to save me;
       O LORD, come quickly to help me.

 ¹⁴ May all who seek to take my life
       be put to shame and confusion;
       may all who desire my ruin
       be turned back in disgrace.

 ¹⁵ May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!"
       be appalled at their own shame.

 ¹⁶ But may all who seek you
       rejoice and be glad in you;
       may those who love your salvation always say,
       "The LORD be exalted!"

 ¹⁷ Yet I am poor and needy;
       may the Lord think of me.
       You are my help and my deliverer;
       O my God, do not delay.

You Choose- To Do or not To Do

The wedding is in 4 days and I am tired. There are so many loose ends to tie up before I can marry the most wonderful man in the world. That being said... I feel like my to do list is never finished- do you ever feel like that? I am sure that you do.

Its as though I get a lot of things done and I feel accomplished for a brief moment and then I realize all of the other stuff that I need to get done. Will this ever end, not likely. I know that life after college only gets crazier. Thinking back to when I was a kid and my biggest concern was which flavor ice cream I wanted to get when the ice cream truck rolled by makes realize that life only speeds up. It doesn't usually slow down. Yes, there are those moments of rest that God so graciously blesses us with, but I believe that those moments of rest are only preparing us for what He has in store for us. God didnt intend for us to lounge lives away. He didn't intend for us to have lives where all we do is decide what flavor ice cream to get. God has called each of his children to be a laborer for Him. 

This thought makes me stop and wonder...is all of my busyness centered on glorifying and honoring God? Or am I simply filling my days with "me-time". Sadly, for the most part, my answer is the latter. It is so easy to get swept up in life's to do list. Pick up this, drop off that, e-mail her, buy this...How is it that its so easy to neglect time with the most important thing in my life, the Creator of the universe.

I have been quite convicted lately about my lack of time alone with God. I can blame it on the busyness but as soon as I do, I remember this:

Every day consists of 24 hours. It is up to you what you do with those 24 precious hours. It is your life and your choice. Choose to be a good steward of your time.

That is my goal. Even in the craziness of life, that I could be a good steward of my time and choose to prioritize my time with the Lord above all of the seemingly pressing to-dos.

The concept of choice and choosing has been in my mind a lot lately. I want to explore that more...but I'll save it for another time.

thanks for reading :) 

a pictures worth...

A thousand words right? Well what about the pictures that leave you speechless, and breathless?

For me, the pictures that command my attention and demand my silence are always the ones that I have taken. Not because I am even close to a pro photographer, but because in an instant I am transported back to the moment when I snapped that photo. For example, when I look at the pictures above, in one second I am back in Kenya, playing with the children at the Jami children's center in the Kibera slums. I can hear their rowdy voices and excitement as 6 Americans from Pennsylvania spend only a few hours of their time with them. I can see them crowding around the boys in our group and hanging on them like a tree. I can see the giant smiles they wear on their faces when they cant even understand the english words we are speaking to them. Our smiles create their smiles which only encourage our smiles. How can a child who has so little have so much joy when a college student in the US who has so much, complains about not getting the next best thing?

In a moment I am back in the safari van standing in awe at God's beautiful creation in Africa. I can feel the warm breeze on my face as the sun sets over the Masai Mara plains. I can see elephants and giraffes roaming in the distance and I can hear the grass rustling in the wind. I see my team mates around me in the van taking it all in beside me. A moment that only those 5 other people can remember.

Pictures have the ability to connect people. They connect the people who are in the picture to that moment in time, to that place where they were, and to each other. I love the way that pictures can remind you of growth. Not only do you see the physical changes that take place in people through pictures, but you are also given the opportunity to remember the personal growth you have experienced by looking at a picture.

 Highschool

 

 Freshman 

 

Sophomores

           

  

Juniors

Seniors

Looking back at these pictures reminds me of how much I have grown through my 4 years in college. They remind me of the amazing friendships I have made, and the multitude of ways that those friendships have impacted me. My walk with God has been strengthened so much because of these people and their commitment to walk beside and encourage me. For those of you reading this who were a part of my 4 years- thank you so much!

There is so much power in a photograph. For me, a picture is worth far more than a thousand words. Today, in a world that hardly remembers what it means to stop and smell the roses, a photograph gives you the opportunity to reflect on one second in time. A second in time that you may have breezed past the first time not fully understanding its value. So...

slow down,

take pictures,

and let yourself be transported into the moments of the past long enough to appreciate where you've come from, but not long enough to forget about where you're going.

a few of my favorite things

in no particular order...

 

laughter

dancing

laughing while dancing...

sunshine

down time

 

creative people

being outside in the summertime

chocolate

taking pictures

going out to eat

 

road trips

todd keiser :) 

talking in accents

unannounced dance parties

state college summers

iced mochas

little kids

music

singing really loud in the car...especially to carrie underwood

 

 friends

purple purple purple!

weddings

God

the beach

vermont

looking at the stars

hiking

sitting by a lake

sunsets!

 

kids with talent (like this one...)

 Greyson Chance

June = wedding! and changes!

Its finally June and that means I get MARRIED this month!! It is so crazy to think that in 11 short days I will be getting married to the amazing, funny, and wonderful Todd Keiser. I can't wait for that. It is going to be awesome to get to spend so much time with Todd especially after dating and being engaged long distance for the past 10 months! We can't wait to be together and we know we are going to have so much fun. After the wedding we are headed off to MEXICO for a week of sun and relaxation woohoo! We'll be living in New Jersey where Todd has a job working for the Navy.

I am excited for all of the new adventures that lie ahead of us but at the same time it is so crazy to go through so much change all at once. My friends, some of which I have had since 5th grade, are all going their separate ways, I just graduated college, I am getting married (which means figuring out how to live with a boy! haha) and moving to a completely new place. 

Wow! Talk about a new season of life! I know that there will be many times in the coming months where I will be faced with a choice to either be sad and depressed about all the comforts of college that I am leaving behind or to embrace all that is new in front of me.  It will be a challenge and a process to choose the latter but I know that God will be my strength.

A Big Red comforting story: When Todd and I moved furniture into the apartment in New Jersey I made a trip to Target while Todd was at work. I felt a bit anxious because I know where absolutely nothing is in New Jersey and I rely completely on the guidance of my handy Garmin GPS. After missing a jug-handle turn (which New Jersey just loves to use) I found a second entrance to the Target parking lot. Upon entering the store, I let out a sigh of relief and was overcome with feelings of comfort. The Target in my new town in New Jersey, was laid out the EXACT same way as the Target in State College!! Now you may think this is something small an insignificant, but to me at the time it was the best thing in the world! In a place where everything is foreign and new, and where I feel out of place and somewhat disoriented, Big Red (Target) offers me a sense of belonging and home. I didn't have to roam the aisles aimlessly looking for the cleaning supplies or food, I knew right where to find all that I wanted. So, from that experience, I am learning just how comforting the little things in life can be. The layout of a Target store in small town New Jersey, made my day. Thank you Target for, not only hiring one of my best friends, but for being there for me when I needed it! 

A verse that I am working to cling to through these crazy life changes:

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8