As 2009 drew to a close and I reflected back on the year, I felt convicted by my lack of spiritual growth. Yes, I had been serving the Lord and teaching His Word but my time spent studying was mostly to teach and not for personal time alone with Him. I felt challenged to dig into His Word and truly seek Him daily so that as 2010 drew to a close, I wouldn’t feel the same disappointment with my walk as I had in 2009. This conviction led me to commit to reading the entire Bible this year. In obedience to what I feel God was calling me to, I followed a Bible reading plan and read daily as well as outlined what I read and journaled about it. As I look back on 2010, I am so thankful that God led me to this commitment, gave me the strength and discipline to stick with it, provided an increased hunger for His Word and blessed me beyond measure as I learned more about Him. I want to share with you the highs and lows of my journey through the scripture in case you are considering taking on the same challenge this year.

Highs…the really good stuff that came out of it:
-Increased understanding of who God is and how He works: God’s desire for His glory, His sovereignty, His deep love, compassion and passion for His people and His jealousy for their affection are just a few of the characteristics that were made so obvious.
-Broader understanding of His love for His people and redemptive plan: The OT can bog you down with the continued disobedience of Israel but God never gave up on them as He never gives up on us.
-Increased discipline and commitment to being in His Word: Waking up and diving into the scriptures became part of my routine and was a daily commitment instead of haphazard coincidence.
-Sweet times of God speaking to me in the middle of the most obscure passage I could imagine: Not only did He speak to me but He used what I was studying to bless others.

Lows…the tough stuff my sin nature struggled with:
-Struggles with duty instead of delight: There were many days I did my reading and studying because I had to not and not because I really wanted to.
-Huge time commitment: In order to properly read and study the chapters, I spent at least an hour to and hour and a half each day–7 days a week. This is not really a bad thing but was difficult to maintain.
-Missing the treasures: I read anywhere from 3 to 5 chapters a day and, because of that, I believe I missed many of the hidden gems within the text.

If you are considering reading the entirety of scripture this year, please know I highly encourage it. This post is simply a realistic reflection in order to prepare you for the highs and lows of the journey before you. It is truly a marathon instead of a sprint-like commitment.

After a long, hard trek, I desire this year to slow the pace and stroll through the sweetness of the New Testament. I am so excited about taking the time in the scripture to really soak it all in and allow the transforming power of gospel truth to take over. Once again, the Spirit has led me to this commitment and prompted me to prepare a study plan I’m calling 260 in 260. There are 260 chapters in the NT and 260 weekdays in 2011. Here is a link to the plan I created. I alternated the gospels with the epistles in this plan because the first three gospels (known as the synoptic gospels) are quite similar and the lengthiest of the New Testament books. In this plan, you will hopefully read each of the gospels in a fresher light because they aren’t one after another.

Here is what I will do each day as I sit down to read and study the chapter:
1. Pray: Ask God to give me an increased hunger and love for His scripture and to stir the Spirit in me that delights in His Word and gives me understanding into all it teaches.
2. Read the chapter.
3. Outline what it says.
4. Write out the scripture that stands out the most.
5. Pray and journal about what I believe the Spirit is teaching me through this selection.

In case you are following along, I will post some commentary at the beginning of each new book to help provide background information to help give us further understanding of the scriptures and help in correct interpretation.

Please let me know if you plan on joining me on this wonderful journey through God’s new covenant with us. I will be posting to the Facebook page and would love to hear from you on how God is strengthening your commitment and using it to draw you closer to Himself.

All my love,

Photo:http://www.hem-of-his-garment-bible-study.org/image-files/bible-studying-pen-papger.gif

It’s finally here! The sweet days of sleeping in, someone else to do your laundry or at least a washing machine you don’t have to feed quarters into, home-cooked meals, all the mindless reality TV you can handle and reunions with friends you’ve missed terribly over this last semester. I am so excited for you and remember so well how sweet it was to be home.
I want to prepare you for something you might deal with during your time at home; something you may have caught a glimpse of over Thanksgiving break. It’s the struggle of the new you vs. the high school you. The new you is much more independent, may talk differently, dress differently, even style your hair differently. The new you has overcome obstacles and faced challenges the old you new nothing about. The new you has new friends, life experiences and character development that the high school you didn’t.

All this is great and is just as it should be. The struggle occurs when you head home to a place and people who know the former you, the high school you. It’s a hard adjustment for everyone. You’re struggling to prove yourself to your friends and family, to assert your new independence and…they feel confused. You basically look the same and you’ve really only been gone five months. They may want to put you in the same high school sized box they had you in when you left. They may still see you as immature and irresponsible and let’s face it, in a lot of ways you might still be struggling in those areas. For some reason, because they expect you to behave that way…you find yourself behaving as they expect! For instance, you’ve been chatting with your siblings online all semester and things are great between you but for some reason when you get home, you start fighting about the same petty stuff like who took who’s shirt. Or, you’ve been doing really good about handling your business and being respectful of authority but when you get home you find yourself dropping the ball on things you know you should be taking care of and talking back to your folks.

I know this struggle. I have been battling it since the first time I returned home from college and battle it every time I go to my folk’s house…YES. Even now. And I’m 28! It’s much easier now, thankfully, but the Lord had to do some work in me to bring about consistency, maturity and stability; all came from Him as He taught me to place my confidence in who I am in HIM ALONE. This has come through saturating my mind with His Word as I feel myself start to question my identity. I want to give you some thoughts I’ve struggled with and the scriptures that have helped me solidify who I truly am:

Am I pretty? Will they think I am or that I’ve gained/lost weight, don’t look as cute as I used to and/or need to freshen up my wardrobe?
I am a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16); this body is here to be used as a vessel to display God’s glory. I am God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10) and adored by my Creator who knit me together beautifully (Psalm 139:13-14). He desires a beautiful heart (1 Peter 3:4) and that is what I should focus on improving; not my outer self that is quickly fading away.

Am I accepted? Do my old friends still like me and want to hang out with me? Am I still cool with them or I am going to be alone?
Through Christ, I am accepted by God (Ephesians 1:4-7). He desires to spend time with me (Luke 10:39-42) and the best time I could spend is sitting at His feet and learning from Him.

Am I smart enough, good enough, achieving enough? Will my family and friends think I have it together or will they judge me for not being ambitious enough or making good enough grades?
The Lord sees me and loves me completely (John 3:16, Romans 5:8). His love is not based on what I do and I can rest in the free love He gives because of Christ’s blood (Ephesians 2:8). I do not have to prove myself to anyone but find confidence in the Savior who loves me and the Father who accepts me just as I am.

Am I forgiven or will others judge me for the mistakes I made last semester? As I fell short in my Christian walk, do others see me as stained?
I am free from condemnation (Romans 8:31-39) and though my sins were as scarlet, He has washed me white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). I am hidden with Christ in God. When others see me, may they first see Christ (Colossians 3:1-4).

Remember your purpose. It is not to please everyone or have them like and accept you. You are home to serve your family and be a minister of the gospel. Keep that at the forefront of your mind and with the cross plainly in view and your identity secure, you can point others to Christ during your time at home.

Just a simple head’s up from me to you. I want you to know that your struggle is normal and will get easier as time goes on. As I return home this Christmas, I am happy to say I have finally stopped picking fights with my little sister about the same, dumb stuff and have learned to find my confidence in Christ and not what my family or old high school pals think about me.

I’m praying the same for you and hope you have a wonderful time with your family full of sweet memories and an unshakable confidence of who you are in Christ that makes you secure.

All my love,

Photo:http://www.swide.com/luxury-magazine/Life/Good-s-/Holiday-decor-by-Christa-Rose/2010/11/25

Dreaded finals are here. Have you pulled any all nighters yet as you try to cram in studying 300 pages worth of material for an 8 am exam while sleepily typing a paper due at noon the same day that you will later swear was the best thing you ever wrote?

Here’s the deal, friends: All nighters make you feel like poo and I recommend that you avoid them at all costs. Why do they make you feel so bad? First, because obviously you’re sleep deprived. You go in to take that test you’ve stayed up all night studying for and no matter how many 5 hour energy drinks you’ve chugged, you just can’t seem to come up with the answers. Second, you usually eat cruddy foods at 2 am. Let’s face it. You’re probably not going to make a grilled chicken salad in the middle of the night but will run through Whataburger, stop at IHOP or inhale a whole bag of potato chips because it’s all that’s available. The combined lack of sleep and over consumption of greasy foods seriously makes you feel…well…like poo!

My sweet friends: STOP DOING THIS! Study during the day. Make a schedule for studying and finishing your final projects and essays and stick to it. Your friends will still be there to hang out when you get back from the library or the coffee shop. Study first and hang out later. Your stomach and your grades will thank you!

I love you and I am thinking about you and praying for you during this tough time. You can do it and in a couple of weeks, you’ll be home sleeping in and having home-cooked meals from your wonderful moms who have missed you terribly.

All my love,

Photo: http://oudaily.com/news/2008/dec/15/ample-sleep-vital-studying-retention/

I sat down for coffee with an F15 alum, Katy Mueller, and asked her a few questions about how to have a great first week of classes.  She had so many great tips and was happy to share them with all of you.  Check out this little video interview we did before you head off to your FIRST COLLEGE CLASS (yay!) this week:

Here are a few things I wanted to remind you of before you get you are nose-deep in your first textbook:

1. Remember to work in your classes as working for the Lord, not for men (Col 3:23).
2. Be Jesus to the people in your classes. Remember, your campus is your mission field and the Lord has placed you in each of your classes for His purposes.  Be the feet and wash feet (Isa 52:7, John 13:4)
3. Don’t forget to take your syllabi, go back to your dorm and write down all of your tests and projects in your calendar.
4. Treat your day like a 9-5 job.  If you can get all of your studying done during the day (instead of taking that lovely 2 hour nap) you’ll have your nights free to hang with your pals & chill.

I am praying over you this week and praying for your classes, your professors and all the new people you will meet.  May God be glorified in it all!

For His glory,

Rachel Short, an F15 alum, and I sat down for a little chat a few weeks ago and I grilled her about all things sorority.  Rachel had so much great advice and wisdom to offer you ladies who decided to go Greek this year.  Take a minute and listen in as I ask and Rachel responds to some very common questions about how to live for Jesus in your sorority.

As you do the greek thing, remember…you are here to make God famous. If you find yourself getting in situations and/or hanging out with folks that may make you more famous but definitely aren’t drawing attention to the God you serve, you need to check that. As you meet and hang out with your sorority sisters, remember to be a blinking arrow that points up to God and His glory instead of pointing down on you. Instead of, “Look at me! Look at me!” it should be, “Look at Him! Look at Him!”

I love you, ladies and I know that you have worked so hard through Rush. May God use you mightily in your sorority for His glory.

For His glory,

As you pull the last piece of tape across the top of the final cardboard box and click the last storage tub top into place, are you feeling a little overwhelmed?  Do you wonder if you really have everything you need? It’s no wonder you’re doubting!  Every store you’ve been to over the last few months has a huge dorm room display showcasing all the things you HAVE TO HAVE in order to have the best dorm ever!  Sometimes this comes in the form of a simple display but at some stores they even provide you with a typed-up list filled with HUNDREDS of items they believe you need for your freshman dorm room.  These lists are pretty ridiculous and to prove it, I wanted to highlight a few from a list I found online that made me chuckle (the items from the list are in bold):

1. Dinnerware, flatware, drinkware: Seriously? You need 1 plastic plate, 1 bowl and 1 cup…for real.
2. Snack Table: Yes, they listed that one. Puh-lease.
3. Electric toothbrush, back brush, shower radio: I went ahead and lumped all that nonsense together. BTW…does anyone under 70 acutally use a “back brush”?
4. Paper shredder: Ummm…NO
5. Safe: Yes, as in with a combination and everything. Granted, stuff tends to go missing in college dorms but the bottom line is, if you have something really valuable-don’t leave it in your dorm room where it can be easily jacked.

Pretty hilarious, right? As much as I wish I had, I did not make these up! You can check out the list I snagged these from here.

Alright, enough ragging on the stores and all of the unnecessary items.  What are the things you really need for your first year?  I got a little help compiling this list from some F15 alums.  These are the things they said were either super essential or just really great to have:

1. Calendar/Planner: The girls liked having a big calendar to write all due dates and events on and then a smaller agenda or planner to carry with them.  (If you get stuck trying to plan, go to the Time Management chapter in The Freshman 15 Bible Study for tips!)
2. Organization Items: They recommended “skinny hangers”, bed risers (so you can store stuff under the bed) and skinny shelf towers that you could put stuff and/or baskets of stuff in.
3. Techie stuff: Power strips with surge protectors, all the cables that go with your TV, computer, etc. and possibly a wireless router unless your dorm already has one.
4. Decor: Bedding (an extra set of sheets recommended), desk lamp (for working late when roomie is snoozing), bulletin board (to post pics, etc.) and a white board (so your pals can leave sweet notes.)
5. Up-keep items: Cleaning supplies (a small vacuum and cleaning wipes). Several of the girls recommended keeping a small tool kit in the room.  They said there were so many occasions when they needed it and/or someone in their dorm needed it.
6. A LAP DESK: This is the one that ALL of the girls loved and highly recommended.  You can find ‘em at places like Target & Bed, Bath & Beyond.  They liked to use them to be able to work in their bed, in a comfy chair or on a couch with it.
7. THE FRESHMAN 15: And of course, don’t forget to take your F15 Bible Study and frame to help keep at the front of your mind the 15 things we talked about!

I hope these little lists made you chuckle a little and also feel a little more prepared to make the best of your new living quarters!  I know they are going to be darling and I can’t wait to see pics.

I love you, girls and I am praying for you daily.  May you feel the peace that only our God gives as you prepare for this exciting new adventure!

For His glory,

Whether the end of the last semester marked the completion of your last year of high school or your first year of college, YOU DID IT! You finished! At times, I’m sure you thought you would die of stress, over-caffeination or exhaustion but YOU DID IT! Pat yourself on the back, raise the roof (does anyone even do that anymore?) or give yourself a big thumbs up (for my aggie sistas)!
Hopefully you’ve taken a few days to sleep til noon and hang out by the pool. Now that you’re rested and tanned, we need to talk about what you’re going to do with the rest of your summer. Do you have plans? Or are you planning on doin’ a whole lotta nothin’? Either way, I want to warn you about a very clever and enticing trap the enemy seeks to lure you into this summer; laziness.
In the same way he uses busyness to keep you distracted during the semester, he uses laziness to keep you distracted during the dog days of summer. A day filled with endless tv, long naps and total self indulgence is part of his plan to make you feel content, even happy, even though you are not plugging into the Lord. The enemy would like to keep you blissfully unaware of this scheme so that when you return to school in the fall he’s ready to trip you up because you’ve become content outside of your relationship with the Lord and are spiritually weak. Sound a little harsh? Here’s what scripture has to say about it, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” 1 Peter 5:8.
I want to challenge you to use this summer and the extra time you have to grow exponentially in your relationship with the Lord and your understanding of who He is. The summer is the calm before the storm; the rest between battle. Use it to be spiritually prepared and equipped for all God has for you in the fall…”in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes” 2 Corinthians 2:11.
I would love to know what you’re up to and how you are going to keep doing the first two must-packs of the F15, Seek God First & Spend Time with Lord.
Do you have a cool Bible study you’re doing? What are you studying in scripture right now? Are you working at a camp? Going on a mission trip? Taking summer classes? Please leave your responses in the comments section.
I’m praying for you, ladies and I’m so proud to congratulate you all on a job well done…YOU DID IT! Now, let me know what’s next!

For His glory,

With the season of skin upon us, I felt like it was a good time to address the topic of modesty. Sure, I could give you a list of dos and don’ts when it comes to dressing but honestly…you ladies know what you should and shouldn’t wear and anyway, I really don’t think that’s what it’s all about. It’s not so much about the length of your shorts or the flashiness of your jewelry; it’s the inner person that needs to be addressed.

When we think about clothes and modesty, we can get so concerned with what we can see but really it’s what we can’t see that needs to be addressed. The issues a girl is struggling with in her heart are manifested in what she wears. You may see a barely there top and super short shorts but what you can’t see is what is going on in her heart- her desperate need to be desired and loved. You may see a girl decked out to the nines with flashy jewelry, the latest designer bag and all the right labels but what you can’t see is the longing in her heart to be liked and accepted by others. Have you heard the scripture, “…out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks”? I believe it is also fitting to add that out of the overflow of the heart, a girl gets dressed. This verse from 1 Peter 3:3 backs up this thinking, “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” You see, a girl whose focus is on having a beautiful heart it will naturally affect the way she gets dressed. She will spend more time adorning the inner person than the outer person. Truly, modesty is more a matter of the heart than a matter of the wardrobe.

Here are my two questions for you: 1)What are the motivations of your heart when you get dressed? 2)Are you seeking to get something from others you’re not getting from the Lord? If we could examine our own hearts, we would spend less time judging our sisters and more time praying for them. We would also dress modestly ourselves out of a natural overflow of a heart satisfied with Christ.

As you shop and dress in this modestly difficult season of skin, do a heart check when you do your mirror check.

For His glory,

You’ve been running hard all semester.  Every day, as your feet hit the pavement and you look toward the finish line marked by your last day of finals, you undoubtedly long for a drink to refresh your weary soul.    It’s time to drink the Living Water and find the refreshment you need to help you push through the end of the semester and fill you up so you’re ready to serve this summer.

Here is the link to a study plan a dear friend of mine, Tristie Fisher, wrote.  The study plan will take you through the book of John where you will encounter The Living Water and The Bread of Life.  The study is simple, easy to follow and easily adapted to your pace and stage of life.  If you are at A&M or heading there in the fall, make sure to hit her up over at Grace Bible.  Her husband is the pastor there and they have such godly and practical wisdom to offer.  They love God’s Word and it shows in the way the live and teach.

I love you, ladies.  Keep running strong and don’t skip out on some REFRESHMENT along the way!
For His glory,

“…let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith…Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:22-25

“The day” is quickly approaching for these sweet seniors from the Lake Pointe Freshman 15 Retreat. These ladies took the opportunity to draw near to the Lord and be encouraged before He sends them out & boy is He sending them out! Not a single senior is staying in the Rockwall area after they graduate. These seniors will be scattered as far as Florida, Illinois, Tennesse, Oklahoma and to “Heaven on Earth”, College Station, TX-Home of the Fighting Texas Aggies! (Sorry for the shameless plug-Born, raised and a graduate of A&M, I’m a little biased!)

We had such a great time together getting real about what they are about to experience as they head off to college and what God’s word has to say about it all. Wonderful Rebecca, their girl’s minister, treated us to dinner at the fabulous Bin 303 and we got all dressed up for our big dinner out.

This is truly an amazing group of senior ladies and I feel so priveleged to have had the opportunity to love on them and share God’s message with them. Because these seniors committed to glorifying God in their time in college, I believe you’ll be able to see the light of Christ radiating from Wheaton, Vanderbilt, Santa Fe, OBU & good ‘ole Texas A&M and if you listen closely, you might even hear the distant echo of the “no-no square” chant!

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for this weekend. The Lord moved mightily!

For His glory,