I'll be seventeen in a few hours...

6,209 days old

I guess I am writing this to get my thoughts down. Not to get all Debby downer but I have wasted so much of my life being selfish and prideful. Yes I know I'm only seventeen, but still I wish my eyes had been on Jesus and only on Him from the beginning. On the bright side, looking back I can see how far I've come. How much I have grown. How much Jesus Christ has transformed me. I am overjoyed to know he is still transforming me even now.

Despite the pride that still wants to sneak up into my thoughts and actions, and despite my constant need for direction and forgiveness, God loves me unconditionally and he is faithful and gracious. I love Him with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength.

As I start this new year I am coming to the reality that I am practically an adult who will need a job, probably be going to college, and eventually have my own place. This creeps me out, but I am also so excited because I have seen the amazing things Jesus does when we take a step of faith and fix our eyes on Jesus. I want to fix my eyes on Jesus now and for the rest of my life because I want to bring glory to him and I am willing and able to do whatever it is he wants me to do as long as I don't look down.

I'm so excited that I am able to see how God is using me now and even more excited to see how He will use me in the future.

I am crazy blessed with some amazing friends. People that encourage me to be obedient to God. People who genuinely love me and definitely show it. This past year has been interesting and eye opening. I'm so thankful that even though people will let you down God will never. ever. let you down. He is faithful and true and pure. He is love.

Lord God, may everything I do be pleasing to you. Here I am Lord, use me. I want to be your hands and feet. I want to show everyone I meet how much you love them. Thank you for the amazing people you have put in my life. Thank you for my new forever brothers! Thank you for my parents who are supportive, encouraging and loving. They are not just my parents but also my friends. Thank you for my sisters. Thank you for Dani and her passion for you. I pray her passion would only grow. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I love you Lord!

My eyes were opened this morning to the fact that we are never guaranteed a tomorrow...

You are never guaranteed a next breath...

How is it that all of us can take life for granted so easily? As Christians it is so dangerous to do that. Let us not forget that every single breath is a gift from God. Every moment of the day we have the chance to bring glory to God or not. We have the chance to show love or not. The chance to forgive and serve.

I don't want to waste my time here. It's selfishness that holds me back. It's pride. 

It's Monday morning and as we are headed to work, school or even just staying at home, I encourage you to think about it...really think about the fact that, as Mother Teresa said, “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” Let us show love. Let us apologize and forgive. Let us encourage. Let us serve. Let us do everything we do to bring glory to God who is the giver of every breath you and I breath. And in doing so, let us pray that hearts would be changed and given to God. 

Grace and peace to you today and the rest of the week!

-Ally

Can I just say WOW! God is so good!

This valentines day has been great! Some of my friends and I went to a concert nearby and it was wonderful! My dad, being the amazing non-shy person he is, sent me a special voice message from two of the artists which was so encouraging! The thing that has made my heart so happy tonight is seeing the passion and love the girls on the worship team have for Jesus Christ and his people. We are team mates and close friends and the Lord has blessed us so much!

We had a worship meeting tonight to discuss just kind of where we are in our walk with God and identifying our strengths and weaknesses. I love hearing them talk about their passion to tell people the good news through song and speaking. I'm so excited to see them stepping up and letting God lead them wherever He wants.

I am looking forward to seeing where the Lord will lead us in the future!

Please pray for us as a worship team. Our hope and prayer is that people would respond to what God is trying to tell us...that when the music starts it would be a time where we all realize just how great and mighty God is and that we would become less and he would become greater! I want to see our youth grow as a church. I want to see us reaching out beyond our church building and family, and building a community. I believe with all my heart that is what the Lord wants too.

Good night :)

Keep Making Me

I love this song. When I heard the first words, "Make me broken," I kind of ignored the song just because I didn't want to be made broken right then. If that's what it takes to draw closer to God though, then so be it!

Food for Thought

I was reading a sermon this morning by David Platt, titled: Chapter 6: Where Glory Dwells.

There were a few things he said that really stuck out to me. I would greatly encourage you to listen to the sermon or read it here. Hope you have a wonderful day!!!

This church could have the least talented people and the least gifted people, the least amount of resources, and that kind of church under the power of the Holy Spirit of God can shake the nations for His glory. Do we believe this? Do we believe that we can accomplish more as a church in the next month with the power of the Holy Spirit than we could in the next 100 years apart from His power?

The purpose of our redemption is worship. 

And what this is pointing us to today is that the ultimate purpose of salvation is what? It’s worship. God saves us for worship. God delivers us for worship. 

Do you know almost 50 times – in these first 4 books of the Bible alone, almost 50 times we see the phrase, and you see it over and over again in your reading, “Either you or they will know that I am the Lord.”

We possess His presence. Oh, the wonder of this. The wonder of this and the seriousness of it. Brothers and sisters, do not play with sin. Brothers, stop looking at that on the Internet. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit of God. Brothers and sisters, watch what you fill your minds with, what you give your body to, what comes out of your mouth. In the same way that a High Priest would go into the holy of holies once a year in holy fear, help us God. Help us to realize what you have entrusted to us. Help us to guard your holiness, to realize the wonder and the seriousness of the fact we possess His presence.

Come aside, men and women, please, students, come aside from the trifling stuff in this world and see this eternal truth. Christ has died on a cross and risen from the grave that you might know God. That you might walk with God now and enjoy God for all eternity. So if you have not yet trusted in Christ, I urge you to do that now. Turn, turn, turn from yourself, turn from your sin and trust in Christ.

Do not waver in a moment, not live in pride or in pleasures in stuff of this world. Turn and trust in Him. And when you do, when you do, brothers and sisters, when you do, then seek His glory. Seek after Him and long for more and more and more of Him because you know there’s coming a day, you know there’s coming a day when you’re going to see Him in all His fullness. So do not be content now to be complacent before your God.

Hey everyone! Today I am just overwhelmed by how great our God is! Seriously He is amazing!

I've been struggling with knowing what to write. This always happens when I am not consistently spending time with God.  So please be praying that I would really submit myself before God and let him speak through me. So much of the time I get caught up in everything that is going on in my life when really it is supposed to be all about Him!

I hope you all are enjoying your week so far. I want to challenge whoever is reading this to find some way to step out of your comfort zone and show someone the love of Christ deliberately this week.

-Ally