The Four Letter Word

L.O.V.E.

Yes, that one. It has really been on my mind and heart a lot lately. This term has come up in several conversations recently and continues to take me by surprise each time. God has been opening my eyes to the meaning of this word and what it entails. While God's love is indescribable and we are not able to fully understand it, He does allow us witness it throughout life. God also gave us the Bible to learn more about Christ's love for His people and how we as Christians are to share that love with everyone we meet. We should not hold it back or love certain people differently. We are to love each person the same, like we want to be loved. My sister texted me today with this verse.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:4-10 (NIV)

"Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love." 1 Corinthians 13:4-10 (The Message)

Trust steadily, hope unswervingly, love extavagantly.

(This is my favorite part of the passage.)

I love both of these versions. They give people on earth great insight to what true love looks like. This is how we should love.

My sister said replace "love" with your name.

Ashleigh is patient, Ashleigh is kind. She does not envy, she does not boast, she is not proud. Ashleigh is not rude, Ashleigh is not self-seeking, Ashleigh is not easily angered, she keeps no record of wrongs. Ashleigh does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Ashleigh always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Ashleigh never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.

This is how we ought to live.

I am about to start reading "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. The author talks about Christ's unfailing love for His people. I am very excited to learn more about this topic and how to apply it to my own life.

I pray that God will open your eyes and hearts to His perfect love the way He has done to me.

How He Loves

Please watch this video, especially the last minute.

http://johnmarkmcmillan.blogspot.com/2010/05/story-behind-how-he-loves.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20ThePromenade%20(John%20Mark/The%20Promenade)

How He Loves : A Song Story from john mark mcmillan on Vimeo.

What a magnificent experience to begin to understand God's love. Well, maybe not understand it, but be able to feel it. There is something so moving about the way John Mark and his band worship with these people. They completely let go off all of their anger and tribulations, give it all to God, and allow Him to take over their lives. This sounds so simple, yet why is it so incredibly difficult? While it may be trying at times to fully allow God control your life, He desires to do so. Just hand Him the reigns and He will gladly take them. Know that in the midst of your deepest, most hurtful place God still loves you no matter what the circumstance. He is the only One that knows exactly what you need. If we could try to imitate Christ's love what a better world we would live in.

It only takes one person to make a difference.

Try imitating God's love this week. See what happens. It could change the world.

If you need a little more help, refer to the infamous children's song, "Jesus Loves Me." We all know the words.

"Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

It sounds so simple, yet we continuously forget its meaning. Take time to reflect on these words as well as the one's from John Mark's song "How He Loves." See how God speaks to you through them.

Love willingly. Love joyfully. Love generously.

"But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets. But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back." Luke 6:24-30

For Our Daughters

I read this devotional today and thought it is very relevant to women in today's culture.

This is a prayer for our daughters but I think it's pretty applicable to us as moms, sisters, women, grandmothers, friends, etc:


Lord, I pray that that You would give my daughter a vision of her body as the temple of the Holy Spirit. I pray that she will value the body You've given her and desire to take proper care of it. May she not be critical of it, nor examine herself through the microscope of public opinion and acceptance.


I pray that she will not be bound by the lure of fashion magazines, television, or movies which try to influence her with an image of what they say she should look like. Establish Your vision of health and attractiveness in her heart this day. Help her to see that what makes a person truly attractive is Your Holy Spirit living in her and radiating outward. May she come to understand that true attractiveness begins in the heart of one who loves God.


Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.


The Power of a Praying Parent
- Stormie Omartian

Sweet Summertime

Oh how I LOVE the summer. The heat from the sun, a clear blue sky, little responsibility, what more could a girl ask for?

I am officially moved out of Burt Hall!!! Can I get a holla up in heya?! I moved into the apartments on Saturday and never truly realized what I was missing. The space...I can't get over the amount of space! Never did I think that having more than one room would be so wonderful. The girls I live with are just lovely. Landra, Lauren, Brittany and I have definitely had some fun over the past couple of days. We keep doing the whole "OK I'm going to bed!" Well before you know it it's 2am and we're still chatting away. What can I say, we're girls :) Two nights ago a group went to see Iron Man 2 then to Chili's. I must say it was a rather entertaining film. If you are hesitant to see it due to the fact you haven't seen the first one do not fret. I didn't see the first one and understood everything just fine. It's not very strenuous on the mind if you know what I'm saying. Last night was so much fun! We went to a Round Rock Express game, which is basically an equivalent to the Frisco Rough Riders. It was a blast! We went to good 'ole Pei Wei first. The weather was beautiful. There's just something about summer nights that makes me so happy :)

Class started yeaterday. It's going really well so far! Right now I'm taking marraige and family, an upper-level sociology course. It's so interesting. Although my professor probably thinks I'm bored out of my mind given I fell asleep three times yesterday. Hey you would too if you had to get up at 7am in the summer! Work is great. The people at the BSM are very welcoming! I must say it's a pretty simple job, it certainly doesn't require much brain activity haha.

Today after work I'm going on a run (I actually will this time). Tonight I will be working at the Alumni Center for the telethon. It should be pretty entertaining asking alums for money. We shall see how this goes!

I hope you all have a wonderful week filled with peace and blessings.

Simply Summer

Oh hello summer. It's been far too long. I cannot believe summer is already here. My freshman year of college is over! How did this happen?!? I remember driving onto campus in August ready to begin the next stage in my life. As I sat there in the car with my mom every feeling and emotion imaginable was happening inside of me. I was so ready to meet new people and escape from the shell I had been living in for 18 years. Now, as I sit and ponder over these last nine months, I am completely in awe of what God has done.

The first semester was such a rush. I continuously lived on this high, this constant thrill of meeting people and experiencing life as I never had before. I was still getting used to being on my own and the stress of college. It was emotional but worth it. I could already tell God was changing me. He was forming me into the person I am today.

Second semester, on the other hand, was a completely different story. It was so much better than the first semester and I didn't think that was possible! I continued to meet new people and become more involved in UMHB. God has blessed me with so many opportunities over the past four months. First, he blessed me with the opportunity to become involved with SGA. Next, He allowed me to be a part of Student Foundation. Finally, God blessed me to be a part of Miss MHB. I see His wondrous hands at work daily.

I am so excited to see what will happen next year. This year has been a roller coaster, but one that I will forever remember. God has placed the most incredible people in my life, people that I really look up to and admire. I know God has a plan for each individual person and am looking forward to seeing each one unfold.

I pray you each have an incredible summer filled with memories and laughter. Allow God to use you wherever you may be, whether it is at a camp, on the mission field, in another country, or simply in your hometown.

I love you all dearly and cannot wait until next year when we will all be reunited.

Miss MHB

I am so honored and excited to be a contestant in Miss MHB next semester! I will be representing Miss Student Foundation. What makes this experience even more thrilling is the incredible ladies who will be involved as well. One of my roommates, Mary, will be Miss McLane Hall and we cannot wait to go through this adventure together. Who else will be in it? Well I'm glad you asked. Landra, a dear friend of mine, Tracie, my RA this year, Melissa, a beautiful lady and friend, and Cameron, who will also be in my welcome week family. Every year each girl says how much fun she had while being a part of Miss MHB. It's said that you will walk away with true friends. Corbin will be the director and I know she will do a fabulous job. Over the summer each girl is to come up with a talent and platform. I know without a doubt I will be speaking on diabetes awareness but have no earthly idea what my talent will be! But that's ok because November is still six months away :)

Student Foundation

I have recently been asked to be a part of Student Foundation next year. This organization hosts all of the Alumni events. What makes this even more special is that I work at the Alumni Center so already know a lot about what goes into each event and how much the Alumni contribute to the school. One of my bosses is in charge of the organization and a girl I work with is the president. It will be a great experience to get to be more involved with the Alumni and get to know more people through SF.

SGA

Student Government Association

I began thinking about being a part of this organization several months ago but every position I was interested in became filled. So, I quickly forgot about it and decided to try it again next year. Well, God had a different plan. The position for Director of Resources in Exec. Cab. became available. The DOR's main duty is to be in charge of all the secretaries. Basically, I keep SGA organized. What? An excuse to use labels, binders, tabs, and Excel? Hook me up! I, of course, jumped at the opportunity. All of SGA went to the lake on a Sunday afternoon to get to know each other better and just have a good time before finals started. It was wonderful to see how each person truly fit their title. My first official duty begins this summer as I put together the binders for next year. I must say, I am rather excited about this due to the fact I get to use a label maker. Plus this gives me an excuse to be uber-organized...and slightly OCD :) I am really looking forward to seeing what God has in store for SGA next year.