Sweet Sunday: Colossians 3:23

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if working for the Lord, not for men."

Colossians 3:23

Although this is one of my very favorite verses in the bible,  hearing it this morning in church it really hit me upside the head.

As our pastor discussed "working for the Lord", I began to think about it's application to my life. Our pastor brought out 3 points that we could do to better embrace all the work we do in our lives. Oh how perfectly timed this was. I just can't get enough.

1. Wherever you are, embrace it, because God is always working.

For a lot of people, this is applied to the job they're in. Whether it is being a mom, planting corn, or saving lives, the message was to thank the Lord for putting you in that position.

But, I have to admit, as a college student with only a part-time job, it came across in a different light to me. As I've admitted before, I'm a "Type A" personality and I feel the need to be prepared, be organized, be ready and always thinking about the future.

Being prepared for the future is great, but here's the deal: we're not in the future, we're in the present. And as much as I hate to admit it, I don't know what the future holds, and all too often I miss what's happening in the present. God is always working. He's always working to prepare me for the future.

Yes, I want to think about graduate school, and be excited to graduate and ready to start my life outside of college - but in doing so I'm missing my final days at Tech. Wherever you are, embrace it.

I couldn't help it. I had to post my awesome senior picture, taken by Khaki Scrivner - thanks a million!

2. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart.

This of course relates back to the verse in Colossians. All too often I forget that my actions reflect the work of the Lord.

It's true that the Lord deserves nothing but excellence. If I'm working for the Lord, I need to "strive for excellence". (How perfect is it that this is the Texas Tech motto!?) In everything I do, I should strive to better the kingdom of the Lord. 

Studying for my Horse Production test is a stretch - but hey, that's what prayer is for, right?

Just keep studying, just keep studying. Thanks Khaki for giving me hope to remember why I need to study! 20 days left....

3. Wherever you are, and whatever you do, find the eternal value in it.

This one I feel is the most difficult task to assess. Studying for a test, changing a diaper, driving a tractor, grading papers, all these are tasks that may not feel like have eternal value.

So what's the plan? Stop looking for the meaning in what we do, and start taking the meaning to what we do.

Yeah, I told you this one was a good one. 

Just for today I will work for the Lord. Just for today I will find purpose in my actions. Then, I will do it tomorrow. Then, I will do it the next day. 21 days develops a habit, and it's time to start.

Jesus Is....

So I apologize for not posting a Sunday verse, if you can imagine, we were spending time with family and enjoying company together. It's not that I don't love my blog, but sometimes priorities trump all.

Our  family time was very, very important....

Hey, we admired God's beautiful creation. Technology was a secondary factor this weekend.

But, anyway, back to the topic at hand. So I am stealing this idea from our pastor at Aldersgate Church who spoke on the times where Jesus said "I am...", validating Himself as the Lord. In all reality, I had never gone through the bible and noted the times were Jesus stated what He was. So, I have complied all of the "I am" statements in the book of John that tells of Jesus' teachings and miracles.

The first "I am" comes in chapter 6:

"Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.'" -John 6:35

Then He clarifies by adding:

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh which I give for the world." John 6:51

Now, here, Jesus is declaring hunger and thirst? But is it real water? Let's backtrack a couple chapters to when a Samaritan woman asked Jesus how basic water would cure eternal thirst.

"Jesus answered 'Everyone who drinks this water {water from a well} will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." -John 4:13-14

Jesus' reference to water is spiritual, meaning believe in Him and your spirit will never thirst for more.

Then we get two more from John 8.

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of the world." -John 8:12

Keep in mind, all of these refer to the spirit, meaning the holy spirit will reside in you and show you the way.

"But he continued, 'You are from below, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world. I told you that you would die  in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you indeed will die in your sins." -John 8:23-24

That one was laden with "I am" but I think it's explanatory.

Then one of my favorites:

"I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me. Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father - and I lay down my life for the sheep." -John 10:14

When our pastor lectured on this he noted how humerus it was that Jesus refers to us as sheep. Sometimes people can be pretty dumb, just like sheep. We need a lot of guidance.

So how do the sheep get to the good shepherd? Through the gate.

"I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved."

And finally, the verse that ties it all together:

"Jesus answered 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

There is only one way to heaven, through Jesus. This Sunday, I hope you celebrated your one way ticket to heaven through Jesus. If not, it's never too late to accept Him into your heart.

Have a very blessed week!

Sweet Sunday: (1) John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that He sent His one and only son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." -John 3:16

Of course, most everyone has seen or heard about the "most famous" verse in the bible, John 3:16. It's the very first verse I memorized as a child, it's one that is retold and retold. John 3:16 tells us that through his son, Jesus, we will have eternal life. 

But, today our pastor pointed out an interesting thought, has anyone ever associated John 3:16 with 1 John 3:16?

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." -1 John 3:16

Not only did Jesus come to the world to save our souls, He came to show us how to love. He showed us stories like loving the outcast, standing up for the sinful (because aren't we all?), feeding the hungry, and quenching the thirst of those needing spiritual water.

I'm not saying I do a good job all the time, but praise the Lord we have an example to follow.

Sweet Sunday: 2 Timothy 1:9

"God has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time."

-2 Timothy 1:9

Ah, the first Sunday of lent. The celebration of the first Sunday of six before Easter arrives. In the traditional Catholic church, Christians are called to give something up for 40 days. This lent I've heard people giving up sodas, cursing, alcohol, chocolate and many others.

Although I am not Catholic - I'm a Methodist - I still like to give up for lent. But this year I have decided to put my own spin on it. (I'm not Catholic, so I guess this is okay :)). This year, I have decided to add to my life instead of taking out. 2 Timothy tells us Jesus has called us to a holy life.

This year for lent, I have decided for every day for the next 40 days, to go out of my way to do something nice for someone else. I'm not really sure how this is going to work, I guess I'll figure it out. But, the point is, I am going to consciously think  about bettering the world around me - one small act at a time. If you've ever seen the movie "Evan Almighty", I guess this is exhibiting an ARK: Act of Random Kindness.

Our pastor this morning encouraged us to do 3 things for lent:

        1. Connect with God every day

        2. Give something up

        3. Connect with people every day

If you're giving something up that you genuinely feel attached to, I suppose connecting with God every day will come much easier!

Happy lent, have a happy week!

Sweet Sunday: Micah 6:8

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."

-Micah 6:8

I am so thankful that our pastor at Aldersgate Church spoke on this verse this morning. I feel like it may not be a very popular verse, but I love it!

Sometimes I hear myself praying "Lord what do you want me to do?" or "Lord how can I spread your light?", luckily, the bible has a solution! It says in the verse: "what does the Lord require of you?" Bam! Alright, thanks Lord.

So let's break down the verse (as our pastor did this morning): "To act justly..." First off, what is justice? One definition states that justice is "to treat equally". Sounds simple enough, after all, that is the golden rule right? Treat others as you would want to be treated.

Now, notice how it doesn't say "think justice" or "pray for justice" or "want justice". No, the bible says "ACT justly"; as in: act, move, go, execute, be. Our pastor made a great point, we should not pray for the outcasts, we should pray that God sends us to them.

"....to love mercy..." other translations say: to love kindness. I'm not a pastor, nor am I a bible studier, I'm just a college student. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say Jesus doesn't just want us to like kind people, He wants us to be kind people.

In Matthew 25:40 Jesus says "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." 

Colssians 3:23 says "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if you were working for the Lord, not for humans."

Jesus commands us to love others with all our heart. Which, is more challenging than it seems. I'm just as guilty, if not even more guilty than some about this. Luckily for us, God's only a prayer away.

Finally, "...to walk humbly with your God."  Clearly, Jesus isn't on Earth anymore, so we may not be technically 'walking' with Jesus, but praying and reading the bible is allowing the Lord to walk on your heart, and steer the direction of your life.

So, in summary, my new favorite quote of all time:

Don't just go to church, go be the church.

Have a wonderful week!

P.S. If anyone is a parent of a girl scout, or anyone has seen girl scouts out and about around Lubbock, let me know, my thin mint need is at an all time high. I'm serious. I've been thinking about it all week.

P.S.S. If you haven't heard this song, please listen to it. It is my new favorite song, which also doubles as a great workout song because it makes me want to SHAKE! Click here to now be addicted to Mercy Me's new song!

Sweet Sunday: Romans 1:25

"They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is to be forever praised. Amen." -Romans 1:25

If it weren't for traditions, I wouldn't have titled this blog "Sweet Sunday" because today's verse isn't so sweet. Being a serving, following Christian isn't always roses and butterflies, it's tough to be a called Christian, I struggle with it every day!! This morning at Aldersgate Church (if you live in Lubbock and don't have a church home, please, try coming with me on Sunday's - it rocks) our pastor gave his sermon on "worshiping". You can listen to it here on Tuesday, it will be posted online.

But, I took lots of notes this morning because I knew a great blog was coming out of this sermon. So, I've summarized for you. Now, before you move on and read this blog, I'll admit, it's deep. Or at least it was for me. Please don't be offended, I'm sharing my personal story if you make it to the end of the blog.

So, our pastor discussed this morning how all-too-often we find ourselves worshiping "outside things" besides the Lord. Now, of course we don't fall down and worship golden calf statues as exampled in Exodus 32. But, the way I see it, anything that takes away from our serving the Lord diligently is to an extent something we "worship" or put value in.

Disclaimer: of course we need to spend time with our family, our work, etc. That's not what I'm talking about, it's the things that cross your mind in the morning when you could be praying, or the "extra" things that take up way too much of your time and stress. You know what I'm talking about.

This blog is intense. How about a cute picture of my pig, Tilly.

Alright. Now, our pastor shared this acronym for us and I couldn't agree more. It is written by Mark Driscoll, a pastor from Seattle. He believes there are 5 types of IDOLS in this world that can suck our attention away from purity.

I - items. Be it your car, television, the way you look, etc.

D - duties. Climbing the ladder to success, work, achievement.

O - others. The people you surround yourself with: friends, children, co-workers.

L - longings. Your hopes/dreams/wants.

S - sufferings. Sometimes people associate themselves with the sufferings they face in life.

So, since we are all humans, and we all sin, there's a likelihood that one of these IDOLS consumes excess attention in your life. For me, it's an easy pick, my IDOLS would be D - duties.

I am a doer. If you know me, you know I can't sit still, and I always have to be doing something. In every aspect of my life I'm a Type A personality, go-getter, over-achiever, in all the clubs, won't settle for below average, type of person. I'll credit dear ole' Dad for this one, he's far worse than I am.

Pops on his birthday. If you know my Dad, I'm sure this is a shock - no cell phone, no farm equipment, no stresser in sight! Love him to death - he's the hardest working man I know.

Here's my struggle though: I'm a planner. I mean, I have a calendar with me everywhere I go, I have a schedule, a route, an outfit picked out for every day of the week, email is my best friend and excel spreadsheets keep me sane. I even have planned blogging times! Sooooooo the fact that it is February 9th, and I still have no idea where I am going to grad school, or what I am doing with my life after I graduate, may or may not be eating me alive. (Hint: it is.)

Who has thought this before? "God, I NEED an answer NOW!" I pray and pray and pray every day. When I think he doesn't hear me, I pray again. When I don't have an answer, I pray again. Doesn't he know my personality? Doesn't he know I NEED to know?

The answer is: yes. God knows. He knows it's killing me. He also knows I'm not fully trusting Him, and I need to take a chill pill and just put it in his hands. Can you tell I'm not there yet? Sure, my life would be better if I just gave it up to Him. But what do we do as humans? Fight. Be stubborn. Tell ourselves "if He doesn't tell me where to go to grad school soon, I'll miss the scholarship deadline". You bet. D for Duties. Sometimes my "duties" to be a good student, have a plan, have my life in order, come second. Second to God. Thanks a lot, Lord. I guess He's breaking down my IDOLS for me, one unanswered grad school prayer at a time.

I'm not sure where this fits in, but I love this quote our pastor made this morning:

"Work as if you are worshiping,

do not worship your work."

Step 1: realize you have an IDOLS.

Step 2: give it to God. He knows what to do.

Step 3: post it on your blog for all the world to see.

Step 4: let world know Texas Tech upset Oklahoma State last night in basketball.

And with that, have a blessed week!

Sweet Sunday: Psalms 145:9

"The Lord is good to all."

-Psalms 145:9

Good afternoon friends! The Sunday verse comes from the book of Psalms - and what a riveting verse it really is. Our pastor this morning at Aldersgate Church read this verse and inspired the congregation to stand up and begin to tell their story about their Christian journey, so this Sweet Sunday blog is dedicated to a glimpse of my journey the past 4 years.

Before moving on, I want to promise everyone this will be one of the final blogs I will post about livestock judging. Why? Well, I need to get on with my "Farm Girl's Fight" for agriculture, and also, because livestock judging is officially over. That's right, last Tuesday the awards were announced, the title was given, teams were happy, teams were sad, but in the end, everyone loaded up, caught a flight home and moved on with their lives.

So, in case you didn't know, the Texas Tech Red Raiders were unable to grasp the National Championship (contrary to prior belief...in the Texas Tech Daily Newspaper....oops!). 

It was a misprint....they simply forgot the word "Reserve"....no big deal.

We actually ended up second behind Texas A&M. Now, at the banquet, I will confess, it was not easy seeing the Bronze Bull in the hands of another team - and for everyone except Texas A&M (and my teammate Lane Halfmann who was high individual - way to go Lane!), it shouldn't be the happiest moment ever - after all, we're all competitors right? Well, after coming home, reflecting back on my years of judging and thinking about how God is always good, it got me thinking about everything the Lord has done for me.

It all started in 2008, our 4-H team attended the Texas State 4-H livestock judging contest. It was my first time to attend State and I didn't do too hot! But, I do remember the one person that did do good. That person became my role model for the next year, and later became my coach, thanks for everything Brady. So, after State, I prepared all year for the next State contest. I specifically remember (I'll probably never forget) getting down on my knees and praying the night before the State contest "Lord, if you want me to judge collegiate, open the door tomorrow." Well, the next day I was high individual at the 2009 State contest. Alright Lord, I got the hint - thanks! Don't we wish He made every decision that clear?!

So, I made the decision to attend Butler Community College in Kansas and met some AMAZING people, cherished my time with the team and grew closer than ever to the Lord, thanks to some God-fearing roommates that are still my best friends today.

Flowers from my Butler roommate the morning of my last contest! Golly she's a keeper!

Now, here's the juicy part. So, growing up an hour and a half from Texas A&M, I was hell-bent and dead set on becoming an Aggie my whole life. Check out my closet full of aggie clothes and oh - my dog named Aggie, in case you need clarification. But, in January 2012, the Lord started working on my heart. At Denver, I contacted the head coach at Texas Tech, to this day I seriously have no idea why, that was totally a God thing. I made the trip to Lubbock in February, and prayed non-stop the whole drive down, and week surrounding my TTU visit. For some reason, my heart felt led to Texas Tech, I knew the Lord was calling me to Lubbock, so, I committed. Confession: committing to Tech was originally against my own will. Yep, no lie. I still wanted to be an Aggie. I knew nothing about Texas Tech, except the wind and dust (which graciously blanketed me during my visit, only making it that much more memorable). But, I knew the Lord had something special planned, so I followed His direction.

My fantastic parents who DROVE from Texas to Louisville. They're wonderful.

I told myself, well, Texas Tech has a record of winning National Championships in livestock judging (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011) maybe this school will be alright. Upon coming here, however, my vision and perception of this place was drastically changed. I cannot begin to express how covered in Christian passion our Animal Science department at Texas Tech truly is. We have the very best coaches and advisors and supporters that give as much religious advice as they do academic. Which, is needed 110% of the time. The more time I spend in Lubbock, the more I grow in love towards the people, atmosphere, and school.

Nick and I receiving 9th and 10th high individuals. This silly boy was high individual at Fort Worth and Houston!!

Isn't it funny how God works. I came to Lubbock, defying my lifelong Aggie dream, thinking I would be a part of a National Champion team. In the end, it ended up being the reverse. But you know, I wouldn't have it any other way. This statement is by no means degrading to A&M. They have a wonderful school, a great program, and they won Louisville fair and square, they flat  had a good day, therefore, they won.

Having only attending one school, I can't speak for the others. But, I can speak for mine. I have been so blessed by the Lord to be a part of the team that stood second at Louisville 2013. Our team prayed before and after every single contest, we read scripture in the van, and took time to pray silently on our own on the road trips when we needed it the most.

Two of the most influential men in my life - who taught me so much more than hogs, sheep and cattle.

"The Lord is good to all." The Lord was good to me. I am forever grateful that I followed the Lord's will and attended Texas Tech. To do it again I'd come here a thousand times over and over to be blessed with a team that only won two contests, but won my heart in every way.

The Lord is good to all. And dang He proves it each and every day if we take the opportunity to open our eyes and see the goodness He has surrounded us with.