Stay in the car, Jesus.

I had a rough morning-probably because I haven't even had any kind of quiet time today yet. And my days always go weird when I don't. I was parking my car and getting my backpack and it was wayyyyyyy tooo heavy. My backpack weighs 25 lbs.--yes I weighed it. That is nearly 1/4th of my weight. So, I started to take things out. To rid my backpack of unnecessary things I wouldn't need today. I looked at all my books and realized that I needed all of them-so I was just gonna have to suck it up. But then I saw my "Jesus Calling" Devotional book (which is never in my backpack, just so happened to be there from when I went to the park)and literally said outloud, "This can stay in here."

"Yo Jesus, part of you and what you want me to hear can just stay in the car, hope you don't get too hot."

What the heck.

That's the first book I should have held onto with both hands, considering my morning! God knew I would need it this morning! So I tucked it back into my backpack-it will just have to be extra heavy today. :)

Worship Me by living close to me.

This was my original design for man, into whom I breathed my very breath of Life.

This is my desire for you: that you stay NEAR Me as you walk along your life-path.

Each day is an important part of that journey.

Although you many feel as if you are going nowhere in the world, your spiritual journey is another matter altogether,

taking you along steep, treacherous paths of adventure.

That is why walking in the light of my presence is essential to keep you from stumbling.

By staying close to Me, you present yourself as a living sacrifice.

And here's the part that spoke to me.

EVEN THE MOST ROUTINE PART OF YOUR DAY CAN BE A SPIRITUAL ACT OF WORSHIP, HOLY AND PLEASING TO ME.

I was doing my routine thing. Putting on my backpack, about to head to class. I feel as if God was saying, "Take this book with you. Even though you feel as if your backpack cannot carry any more weight. Take it and read it. And that will please me."

Thanks, God. :)

God's story for YOU.

My Child,

You may not know me, but I know everything about you.
Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up.
Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways.
Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.
Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image.
Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being.
Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring.
Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived.
Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation.
Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book.
Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live.
Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb.
Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born.
Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me.
John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love.
1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.
John 3:1

Simply because you are my child and I am your Father.
1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.
Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father.
Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand.
James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.
Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love.
Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore.
Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you.
Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession.
Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul.
Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things.
Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me.
Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires.
Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine.
Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you.
Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart.
Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes.
Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth.
Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus.
John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.
John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being.
Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you.
Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you.
1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love.
Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me.
1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you from my love again.
Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen.
Luke 15:7

I have always been Father, and will always be Father.
Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is, will you be My child?
John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you.
Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Father
Almighty God

Praying for OTHERS.

God has really put loving others well on my heart TODAY. Better than I have been. I sometimes get SO caught up with school and extra activities that I forget to sit down and pray for my friends. They are human, too! They need prayers. They need to be backed by prayer. God gave me them to be my prayer warriors, partners in our faith, and this LIFE!

We are walking this life. Together.

Towards ONE goal. Jesus Christ.

And if praying for each other can bring us closer to Him...What am I waiting for!!?

How could I have FORGOTTEN to pray for the people that walk with me towards His Heavenly Kingdom? It hit me like a set of bricks.

Monday is such a good day for a set of bricks to come and pelt your heart. I am thankful they did, though. Thanking God for those bricks! Every one of my friends has welcomed me with open arms to pray for them. And some have even asked, How can I pray for YOU, Neely?

That is like a breath of fresh air. How relieving it is to know that people are praying for me!

Good Lord above. Why have I not been praying DAILY for the girls that I live with DAILY? The girls I share my LIFE with? Who I trust, love, and CRY with?

The people on my Young Life team at Carter High School DAILY? The kids at Carter High School DAILY? My parents DAILY? My brothers DAILY? My roommates parents' DAILY?

I am kicking myself right now, but very thankful I have finally woken up. Praying for people in my life this week is number ONE on my list of things to do. Who cares about homework.

I just encourage you all today to stop what you are doing and ask the people that you walk this life with-How you can possibly pray for them?

If I can pray for you in any way, let me know. It would be a blessing to pray for your heart.

Love you ALL.

Neely

Praise the Lord!

I am BACK and it feels good. Every single time I would sit at the computer this summer, I would go to my blog site in a HURRY and try to type in all of my information and every single time it would say I had the wrong password. Today, I knew I needed to start back blogging because I had so much on my mind.

I sat at my computer and prayed. Prayed to God to use me and if He didn't want me to blog anymore...fine.

Checked my UT email and low and behold my password pops up from a random e-mail address. To my knowledge, my UT e-mail is not associated with my blog.

I felt like God was saying, "That's all I wanted you to do. I wanted you to sloooowwww down and talk to me about something that you needed help with."

I have been in a hurry half of my life, but if we slooowww down, we can hear God. He speaks best when we are silent and STILL.

I was also thinking about something else yesterday. Praying. And I feel like today was just a reassurance from God that I do need to pray MORE because who else is gonna help me?

Psalm 119:164 says, "Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws." I want to learn to pray like David prayed!

Happiness

Last night I sat down to write in my journal and something told me to write what makes me truly happy. Well I KNOW it was not something, it was GOD. So, I proceeded. Here was my list. (No particular order, because obviously my friends and family would be first..not coffee.)

1. Coffee

2. The Beach

3. Family

4. Friends

5. Young Life

Then I got done. Didn't really feel much of anything. I was like, "Well there's my list God! That makes me happy. What else do you want me to do?"

PROBLEM. Some kind of siren went off in my head. And if you know me..me and sirens don't mix.I forgot to list God. What in this world? How could I forget my Creator, the One that LOVES me the most, the One who died for me? Well, I did. And this is the point of my story.

I feel like a lot of times I/we put all 5 (or what makes you happy) of these things BEFORE God. Maybe not ALL the time, but SOME of the time.

1. When I get up in the mornings the FIRST thing I do is get a cup of coffee. It makes me wake up and start my day off right.

2. I go to the beach about five times a year. It is my quiet place. The place I find comfort and rest.

3. My family is always there for me and can get me through anything. They are the ones that I come "home" to.

4. My friends are the people who pick me up when I am down and walk the same road I do with Jesus.

5. Young Life is the place where I share life with teenage girls, lay down beside them, and help them.

I quickly noticed that that was my list.

BUT if I add God as number ONE, that list quickly changes. Very, very quickly. See, God is the only one who can really MAKE us happy forever. All of these things will come and go. If we put Him first in our lives, all of these things won't really make us happy. And you will QUICKLY realize it.

1. I need Jesus to wake me up in the mornings. I need Jesus to start my day off right. Caffeine will wear off. Jesus won't. "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24.

2. My Jesus needs to be my quiet place. In His lap, I find rest. He won't get washed away by Hurricanes. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30.

3. I need to realize that I will be "coming home" to Jesus one day. It won't always be to my family. And I need to prepare for coming home to Him by seeking Him first. Always. "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33.

4. Jesus is the ONLY one who can ALWAYS pick me up and assure me happiness. The Bible says that people WILL fail you, but God WILL NOT. "I will never fail you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5.

5. God blessed me with Young Life, but He gave it to me to teach these girls to NOT run to ME first, but to run to Him because I cannot provide for them what the really need. "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:19.

Now, I'm not saying all of these things CAN'T make us happy. Because they can. Write out your list. They all MADE that list because they provide you with some kind of happiness.

That kind of happiness is temporary.

Happiness from God is permanent.

"So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." 2 Corin. 4:18.

For the THINGS we see now will SOON be gone. The THINGS that make me happy will SOON be gone. God will NEVER be gone, He is forever.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:19-21.

Pinky Swear

1. Choose Your Friends Carefully

“The righteous should CHOOSE HIS FRIENDS CAREFULLY, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.” (Proverbs 12:26)

This verse tells us that if we do not chose our friends carefully, we will be lead astray. Directions from God. Word by Word. Why don't we follow them ALL the time?

2. Why we need to choose good "God-Friends"

Again, step by step instructions as to WHY we desperately need these carefully chosen, firm believer friends.

1. “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14)
   
2. “A wise man is strong, yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; for by wise counsel you will wage your own war, and in a multitude of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 24:5)
   
3. “Every purpose is established by counsel; by wise counsel wage war.” (Proverbs 20:18)
   
4. “Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.” (Proverbs 15:22)
   
5. “Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days.” (Proverbs 19:20)
   
6. “Cease listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.” (Proverbs 19:27)

Goodness, this is proof of WHO God WANTS in our lives! Drop everything and write these down! What is our purpose in this life? To serve God, right? To bring Him glory, right? To tell people of his amazing love, RIGHT?

In order to do all these things, we MUST have people there. Friends there. God fearing with us. On our knees.

To help us. Hold us. Pray with us. Believe with us. Cry with us. Laugh with us. And spread His love with us.

3. As Iron Sharpens Iron

“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” (Proverbs 27:17)

Godly friends "sharpen" you. They hold you accountable. They walk with you. They listen. But most of all, they love you and they love this sovereign God just like YOU do.

And we ALL ask the question of "Why is this person seeming to disappear from my life?"

"The main reason that God will start to take out the friends in your life that He does not want you to have is because some of these people may be negative influences in your life. They may not be open to growing and maturing in the Lord like you will be, and all they will do is try and hold you back when you start your own spiritual journey and growth in the Lord. They will start criticizing and making fun of you and all they will end up doing is stunting your growth in the Lord.

If you will allow God to prune out the people that He does not want you to have in your life – then what He will start to do is to bring in the people that He will want to have in your life. I call these types of friends “God-friends.” These people will be good, godly and Spirit-filled who are truly walking in good stead with the Lord and they will now be the people that He will want you to share your walk with!"

There ya have it. Simple and Sweet. God will provide. He will take care of us. He will carefully place people we need in our lives to strengthen our relationship with Him. And he will carefully remove people we do not need in our lives that weaken our relationship with Him.

God is good. All the time.

Thankful for the ability to LOVE.

I am thankful for the ability to love. I take it from granted. Love is a verb and I am so thankful and blessed to have people in my life who I really love. I love how each and every single one of my friends is unique and their "love language" is different. Each of them requires different kinds of love. I read a book called "The Five Love Languages" and it is SO good. It talks about how each person is different and the way they feel loved the most is different. When their "love tanks" are empty, speaking to them in their "love language" helps them feel loved. I love uniqueness. I love how Jesus can love us in a way that other people can't. I love how Jesus knows our hearts and knows what kind of love we need and then freely gives it to us.

I am wanting to know how to better love each and every one of my friends in a way that they really feel loved by me. I want to know how to better love you. Let me know how I can better love you.

The five love languages according to Gary Chapman are words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch.

• Words of Affirmation

  Actions don’t always speak louder than words. If this is your love language, unsolicited compliments mean the world to you. Hearing the words, “I love you,” are important—hearing the reasons behind that love sends your spirits skyward. Insults can leave you shattered and are not easily forgotten.

• Quality Time

  In the vernacular of Quality Time, nothing says, “I love you,” like full, undivided attention. Being there for this type of person is critical, but really being there—with the TV off, fork and knife down, and all chores and tasks on standby—makes your friend feel truly special and loved. Distractions, postponed dates, or the failure to listen can be especially hurtful.

• Receiving Gifts

  Don’t mistake this love language for materialism; the receiver of gifts thrives on the love, thoughtfulness, and effort behind the gift. If you speak this language, the perfect gift or gesture shows that you are known, you are cared for, and you are prized above whatever was sacrificed to bring the gift to you. A missed birthday, anniversary, or a hasty, thoughtless gift would be disastrous—so would the absence of everyday gestures.

• Acts of Service

  Can vacuuming the floors really be an expression of love? Absolutely! Anything you do to ease the burden of responsibilities weighing on an “Acts of Service” person will speak volumes. The words he or she most want to hear: “Let me do that for you.” Laziness, broken commitments, and making more work for them tell speakers of this language their feelings don’t matter.

• Physical Touch

  A person whose primary language is Physical Touch is, not surprisingly, very touchy. Hugs, pats on the back, holding hands, and thoughtful touches on the arm, shoulder, or face—they can all be ways to show excitement, concern, care, and love. Physical presence and accessibility are crucial, while neglect or abuse can be unforgivable and destructive.

Wow. I have friends in every single one of these. I cannot wait to try to love them more like Jesus would AND focus in on their "love language." If you know ME, you know that my love language is PHYSICAL TOUCH 100%. I love hugs, touching, holding hands, linking arms, etc. It is just something that what makes me, ME! :)

Feeling really loved is a great feeling, and I want all of my friends to know that I can never love you like Jesus can, but I sure am going to try to love you the best that I can.


Here's to trying to love more like Jesus!

Neely