O God of Justice

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Jeremiah this month.  It completely disproves the prosperity gospel and reveals a Just, Righteous, Holy, and Marvelous LORD God. 
Jeremiah 45 is a message to Baruch, Jeremiah's scribe. 
v3-5 "You said, 'Woe is me! For the Lord has added sorrow to my pain. I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest.' Thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord: Behold, what I have built I am breaking down, and what I have planted I am plucking up--that is, the whole land.  And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the Lord.  But I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go."
Baruch felt the persecution experienced by Jeremiah, God's chosen prophet. Yes, God's chosen prophet, who God promised protection was beaten, chained, thrown into a muddy pit, imprisoned, and hated by all. Baruch felt the effects of serving alongside a chosen man of God.  Just because God promises protection, doesn't mean that it will be an easy, fluffy pillow life that we may imagine.  
The commentary for verse 5 says, 'Apparently Baruch hoped for great personal success, not pain and suffering. Seek them not. Fame and ease are not available. For God is bringing disaster upon all flesh.'


Psalm 83:13-18 O my God, make them like a whirling dust, like chaff before the wind. As fire consumes the forest, as the flame sets the mountains ablaze, so may you pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane! Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O Lord. Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace, that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.


God does all things to bring Glory to His Name.

Oh My! I love my family and my niece!

This is Alexis's Four Month Picture. Goodness She's adorable

My amazing family at Christmas time

Words can't express how much I love this sweet little chunky monkey. 

Tampa made Terrific by Celia and Katie

Oh my. I love Katie and Celia! It is pretty impressive that three girls from three very different parts of the country were brought together to Chicago, IL for one life-changing summer! I'm so thankful that God is in control and puts people in our lives to encourage us, to love us, and to spur us on toward love and good deeds!

While we were in Tampa...we caused lots of trouble!
We arrived to Celia's neighborhood, only to find out that we could not enter the neighborhood because there was a man with a high-powered rifle who was mad at the world and was not under control.  We were able to return several hours later.  Found out the next day that the man was angry because apparently he had just been served divorce papers..perhaps..i'm not real sure. I do know that no one was hurt and we got an awesome story! :)

We made some 'special' gingerbread men and women with Celia's friend Brenna, who 'only eats the disabled.' hehe
We went to the Magic Kingdom. It was Katie's first time and Celia's seven billionth.
We went to the beach in DECEMBER! I think everyone should get to experience the beach in December...well I think everyone should go to Disney World at Christmastime. If it's not magical enough in the summer, they manage to make it even more magical at Christmas.
We stayed up late and slept late. I mean..they stayed up late and slept late..I fell asleep at midnight and awoke by 9 (which is SUPER late for me)
We enjoyed each others company.
I would definitely have to say that it brought me so much joy to get to pass on some Southern cooking happiness to Celia, Celia's Dad, and Katie.  I've never seen someone enjoy fried chicken and biscuits so much.  It still makes me smile.

these are our special gingerbread :)

WOW! I don't know how I did that, but I love how this picture looks!

I'm ENGAGED!

So if you have not noticed, I'm pretty excited. 
So here is the story...and I'm even excited to have a story to tell. I told Brandon that I wanted a story and I was a little concerned that it would be hard for him to surprise me considering we were in two different cities and I knew when I would I see him. 

Sooo...Last thursday Brandon was planning on coming down to Birmingham before we left Saturday for San Francisco. Every time I would call him and ask where he was, he would make something up and say "Oh I'm in Nashville" or "I'm about an hour away." Little did I know that he was actually in Tuscaloosa with my parents. He actually skipped his last class of the semester so Brandon could ask my parents for my hand in marriage.  

We arrive in California and Brandon and his dad are both very sick and we thought it best to stay home for church. They were actually kindof thankful we had to stay home because they were afraid other church members may ask if we were engaged yet and to see the ring. 

On Tuesday morning, Brandon suggested we (Brandon, his mom, and I) hike up Mount Tamalpais (Mt. Tam), the second highest peak in San Francisco. His mom was like..hmm..are you sure Brandon? do you feel ok? do you think you'll be able to make it up the mountain?
He said, yeh, I feel lots better today.  (little did I know that Mt. Tam was part of the plan!! they are so sneaky!)

We drive to Mt. Tam, which is about the longest most curviest road I have ever been on in my life. I was a little unsure if I would make it without throwing up. :)
We hiked up to the top of the mountain and looked at the gorgeous San Francisco bay.  But...that's it. we just looked and took lots of pictures and I did not suspect anything. Brandon had actually planned to not ask me at the very top because there would be more tourists. He even planned to go on a weekday so there would be fewer tourists. He's SO thoughtful and amazing!

  We began our drive back down the mountain and Brandon nonchalantly suggested we stop to see the Rock Theatre (an amphitheater cut into the side of the mountain).  I was slightly tired and not feeling well from the already curvy drive, but I figured getting some more fresh air would be helpful.  We get out of the car and his mom said, "ya'll go on ahead, I'll meet ya'll up there."  (hmm..mmm very Interesting :) they are so sneaky.)

Me and Brandon begin the trek to the Rock Theatre, and lucky for Brandon the signs towards it were kindof vague and I wasn't paying attention that we weren't even headed towards the theatre.  We instead walk up to a secluded hill top that had fabulous views of the city.( I began to think, well, maybe this is it!! But no, we probably won't get engaged until next YEAR; don't get your hopes up.)

As we reached the top of this hill, I was like.."OH MY GOODNESS, how much longer till we get to this Rock Theatre because I don't see one anywhere!!"

Brandon said, "because....it's NOT HERE"...and he sat down and pulled out his Bible, read PSalm 73, and pulled out the most beautiful ring. He asked if I would marry him and I of course said YES!!!
  

Brandon had put so much thought into every little detail of the day.

We celebrated with his mom and dad at a local steakhouse, Izzy's. 

My fiance is incredible and I love him so much.

Oh, the big day will be NEXT NOVEMBER!!!

Me and Brandon

I wish I saw Brandon more often so I could have more recent pictures of us :(

OVER THANKSGIVING though, I'm sure I'll get lots and lots. It would be awesome if I could skip the next two weeks of school and just miraculously be in California.

One Month Old

Needless to say, Alexis, Krista, and I had a wonderful day last week! It was nice to get away from studying to spend time with my amazing sister and my precious niece. I can't wait until I can start passing on amazing study habits to her...hehe.

Test Schedule

For anyone who may be wondering how in the world they could pray for me...here is my lovely test schedule.  It's quite frightening
September 18: OTC: complete!
September 18: Top 1-40 quiz: complete!
September 22: Therapeutics: complete!
September 28: Physical Assessment: complete!
September 30: Fiscal Management: complete!
October 2: Top 41-89 quiz: complete!
October 8: Clinical Skills Competition: me and Amy are willingly spending 2 hours assessing a case. Usually 4th years win, but this will be great experience for next year.: It went well. 4th years did win, but me and Amy had a great time and are more prepared for next year.
October 16: Therapeutics: Complete!!
October 16: Top 90-119 quiz: complete!
October 30: Advanced Pharmacy Practice: after this one, I'll be able to Immunize!...well, after I get my certificate in January. Complete
November 5: Therapeutics: COMPLETE!! YAY I'm passing Therapeutics
November 9: Physical Assessment. Complete!
November 13: Top 120-149 quiz. Complete!
November 16: Patient Self-Care (OTC). Complete!

November 18: Fiscal Management. Complete! Sweet. Now I can dump all that financial mumbo jumbo and hire someone like my sweet future-sister-in-law to take care of that for ME!! YAY!! 

November 20: Top 150-179. Complete
THANKSGIVING!
December 3: Top 180-200. Complete
December 7: Therapeutics FINAL. COMPLETE!! Praise Jesus!
December 9: Patient Self Care FINAL
December 10: Advanced Pharmacy Practice FINAL

Remembering Summer

Oh My goodness!! I just had to share some wonderful pictures. Krista and Jeremy are super duper close to having little Alexis and I am so excited!! Krista is about the cutest little pregnant woman I've ever seen. 


This was my family at Disney World. We had a marvelous time and I wish we could go back...instead I'll be studying Therapeutics all day today.


And Brandon and I. He's pretty awesome and October 1st won't get here soon enough! 

September 9, 2009

Psalm 10:16-18

The Lord is King forever and ever; the nations perish from his land. O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

Isaiah 61: 1-3

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion--to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

James 1:27

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God our Father is this: to look after the widows and the orphans in their affliction and to remain unstained from the world.

Obedience

"Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe." This was a wonderful Patch the Pirate song that I sang growing up. Who knew that it would come back to mind as I read Romans 2 and James 1.

Brandon told me that Martin Luther wanted to throw the book of James out because it talked so much of works and faith. However, as Brookhills goes through James 1 I am realizing that James speaks of faith and obedience. Romans speaks a lot of grace and salvation, but tucked into chapter 2 Paul also speaks of the Law and obedience.

Romans 2:13-15a "For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts"

James 1: 22 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."

Now, please please don't misunderstand me. I am in no way saying that WORKS will SAVE anyone. I am saying that works SHOW our faith. Works show our obedience to the Word of God and to His law. May Christians no longer be only hearers of the Word on Sunday mornings but Doers of the Word ALL THE TIME. May we fulfill the Great Commission. May we serve the poor, the orphans, and the widows with a joyful heart.

After hearing Sunday's sermon, I realized that I need to be in the Word MORE. In order to DO the Word, I must know the Word.

I encourage everyone to devote more time each day to reading the Word of God. In two days, I have read from the Old and New Testament and can already see how the Word is woven together. It is not disconnected books all bound together. It is beautiful and priceless.

Free

1 Timothy 1:8-17

Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is NOT laid down for the JUST but for the LAWLESS and DISOBEDIENT, for the ungodly and SINNERS, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for the murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the glorious gospel of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
I thank Him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received MERCY because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the GRACE of our Lord OVERFLOWED for ME with the FAITH and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to SAVE SINNERS, of whom I AM THE FOREMOST. But I RECEIVED MERCY FOR THIS REASON, that in me, as the foremost, JESUS CHRIST MIGHT DISPLAY HIS PERFECT PATIENCE as an example to those who were to believe in Him for ETERNAL LIFE. To the KING OF AGES, IMMORTAL, INVISIBLE, THE ONLY GOD, BE HONOR AND GLORY FOREVER AND EVER. Amen.

Also, refer to Galatians 3:19-29 as well as David Platt's "Free" series on Galatians.

The law is GOOD. It shows me how much of a sinner I am. There is NO WAY I can ever live up to the law. PRAISE THE LORD that Christ came and now through FAITH I may receive His mercy and grace.
Though I am the worst of sinners, He still came for me so I may be adopted as a SON OF CHRIST, an HEIR to His kingdom. That is GOOD.

Letter/Email to Amanda

This is an email I wrote to a young lady that I have never met, but only read about and prayed for. She is suffering from cancer that has overtaken her body. Through it all, her responses have encouraged me and blessed me. Though I don't know her, she has been a wonderful example in my life.

Good Morning Amanda.
My name is Tara. I go to school at Samford University in Birmingham, AL. Through my mom, I have been kept up to date on what has been going on in your life. I just wanted to let you know that you are such a marvelous example of a Godly woman. When I think of you, I think of Paul when he said in 1 Corinthians 11:1 "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." Paul made such a bold statement. He knew that he was following, seeking, desiring, and thristing after his Savior. Just from the emails that I have received, I can tell that you are thirsting after you Savior.
Last night at church, we sang the Revelation Song by Gateway Worship.
The lyrics are:
Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come.
With all creation I sing,
praise to the King of Kings.
You are my everything,
and I will adore You.
Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder At the mention of your name Jesus your name is power Breath, and living water Such a marvelous mystery!!

I can sing that over and over again here on this earth, but when I get to Heaven and see my Savior and sing His praise---I can't even fathom the awesomeness of that moment! You are so lucky! It sounds like that you will soon be able to sit at the Saviors nail-pierced feet and gaze at the beauty of His face. While we here on this earth are unable to even look at the radiance of the sun.
I do not understand the ways of God, they are definitely a mystery to me. But the good news is that God holds us in His hands and He knows everything that is going on. He has His eyes on you at all times.
Psalm 33
1 Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.
2Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!3Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
4For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.
6By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
7He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses.
8Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
9For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
10The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
13The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man;
14from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,
15he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.
16The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.
18Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.
20Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.21For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.
22Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

Thank you, Amanda, for being such a shining light amidst your storm. You have been an encouragement to me. You are in my prayers and in my heart.
In His Service,
Tara

The Urgency of Eternity

I returned home from church today in a really strange mood. At first, I was dying to talk about what David Platt had preached on this morning at the Church at Brookhills, but then something inside of me just wasnt' right. I couldn't put my finger on what I was feeling, I couldn't understand how come all of a sudden the fire I had felt fizzled to almost nothingness in an instant. I guess I could say the devil was at work within me, because the sermon this morning was on "The Urgency of Eternity." The urgency to spread the Gospel because there is 4-5 BILLION people who are on their way to hell at this very moment. The devil was trying to tear me up inside, to discourage me, to wear me down, to distract me from the mission. The mission that I accepted the day I trusted Christ as my Lord and Savior. Not knowing what or why I was feeling practically worthless, I just got on the internet and began looking for scholarship money in places I had not looked before--hospitals. I sent a couple of emails requesting information about the scholarships, hoping that a few might turn out as possibilities. As I was looking, I realized that this was not what I wanted to be doing...not what I wanted to be doing at all. I wanted to be worshipping God through the reading of His word and singing of songs. So I decided that I wanted to go BACK to Brookhills for the night service...which is exactly the same as the morning service, but maybe I missed something...maybe there was something that I needed to hear again, so it could sink deeper into my dry and weary soul. I know knew what else was bothering me this afternoon...I was hungry and thirsty for more and more of the Word of God..I longed for MORE.

And now comes the hard part, the part I dealt with during the sermon. Hold on, because there is alot! :)

How much breath do I waste talking about temporal things? How much? Lately, it's been all of it. Lately, I've worked alot, with the same co-workers and have I mentioned their need for a Savior because they are dying? No. I haven't. I remeber talking about where to would be the best places to travel in Europe and how much I want to go. I am not promised tomorrow, why in the world would I be planning for a vacation many years down the road?

I can tell you why. Because I have been so focused on self-centered ambitions. I have tried to hold Christ in one hand and hold everything else in this world in the other; I have refused to let go, refused to completely throw my life at the feet of Jesus and surrender all to Him. I have been worried about what I want to do with pharmacy, where I want to work, where will pay me enough to pay off my school loans, how many kids I'll have, what their names will be, or who I can hang out with after work that I have completely forgotten WHY I am here.

I am here to spread the Gospel. I am here for the sole purpose of pointing others to Christ.

I should be burdened-heavily burdened-because I realize that people all around me are dying. People are dying..and yet I find something else to talk about! WOW! Lord, may my mindset be changed. May I gain an eternal view, instead of a worldly view. Make heavier my burden for the lost, deepen my compassion and love for those around me. Help me to trust the power of your Gospel, the power of YOUR NAME...YOUR HOLY AND PRECIOUS NAME--JESUS.

To Die is Gain...To Die Is Gain...To Die IS Gain...IT IS GAIN!

It is gain, because I will be sitting at the feet of Jesus gazing at His Beauty. I will be completely mesmorized by HIS GLORY that I will never want to look away...for all of eternity..and it will be AWESOME.

Revelation 4:8-11

"And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they NEVER CEASE to say, 'HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!' And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who is seated on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 'WORTHY are YOU, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created ALL things, and by Your will they existed and were created.'"

Another thing that just gets me everytime is Acts 20:22-24.

And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself,

IF ONLY

I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

If ONLY I may finish the course-- I do not know what awaits me. I do know that it will be worth it. It will be worth every pain, every joy, every heartache, every disappointment, every good time and every bad time. As long as I am telling/pleading/and urging others to turn to Christ as their Savior, then my life will count.

Worth It All by Rita Springer

Revelation Song by Gateway Worship

Who is a God like You?

So this sort of ties into my last blog.

Yesterday had a rough start. I found out that I disappointed someone that I love very deeply. When I found out, my heart sank within me, it ached, and it hurt. I wanted to be able to change ..to rewind and go back and start everything over...but I couldn't. The act had been done and the words had been said. I almost coudn't focus on what I needed to be focus on at that point in time, which was my Infectious Diseases exam. As much as this person said they forgave me, I knew they were still hurt and disappointed.

Then later at the gym, I was thinking and talking to God while on the eliptical machine. And I realized that I disappoint God every single day but I don't feel that deep heartache within me. All the pride that I have disappoints God. All the times that I think I can do things on my own disappoints God. God does not rate sin on a scale from 1 to 10, but I in my human mind do. Because I don't feel like it was a big sin, I don't feel the complete remorse and sorrow and sadness that I may feel if it were a 'big' sin. I disappoint God every single day.

Yet, in all my filthiness, God has washed me white as snow and ridden me of all my sin and shame. He will remain faithful to His children for He is a good God. Praise be to our Lord and Savior who died so that I may have life eternal.

Micah 7:18-20

"Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. You will be true to Jacob,and show mercy to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our fathers in days long ago."

Please Stay!...just a little longer!

This past weekend was absolutely incredible. In part because Brandon was here and I was able to see him for the first time in 6 weeks. Each night before he left to go to his friends house, I would leech onto him, and whine, "NO, please...not yet..don't leave yet, stay a little longer."

And then on Sunday Morning, I did a praise dance to "A Little Longer" by Brian and Jenn Johnson and I was floored by how I had completely missed the point the whole time. How often have I begged Brandon to stay just longer? Many many times.

But how often have I pleaded with God to stay longer? ---not many

How often have I rested in His presence because it is too sweet to let go of? ---not many

How often have I tried to continue to do Christian acts or service with hopes that it will bring me closer to Christ? ---too many to count

Yes, God wants us to be actively serving Him, but not to the point that we are not stopping to give God the opportunity to just love on us. I remember when I could just sit in my dad's or my granddaddy's lap for hours and hours and sqeeze his neck, or play with his hair (the few hairs that granddaddy had), or kiss him on the cheek. And dad or granddaddy would squeeze me to the point that it was nearly a death grip, then tickle me just so he could watch me laugh and squirm, or he would kiss me on the cheek and tell me he loved me so much. And that's just my earthly father....How much MORE does God want to hold us in His mighty arms and squeeze us and tell us that He loves us so much? God is a compassionate, loving God. I desire to lay my head on His shoulder and rest in His presence, wait in His presence, feel His massive arms surround me, and whisper in my ear 'You are My daughter, and I will always love you and keep My promise to you, just as I kept my promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

(picture is of my friend Matthew and his son, Isaiah, about 2 years ago. I felt it was a good picture of a father wrapping his loving arms around his child)

Wisdom

Today I read Proverbs 1. It's GOOD!

Wisdom is personified.

In verse 21 and 22, Wisdom is crying out to us, "How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?"

How long will we reject wisdom and continue to live in our foolishness? For even if God had foolishness, it would still be MUCH MORE WISE than we could ever try to be (1 Corinthians 1). So if Wisdom wants to be a part of us, why are we rejecting him?

He will call and call and call but we will reject him. Then finally when we are done acting foolish and decide to call upon wisdom because now we are ready for him, he will not answer nor will he be found.

Proverbs 1:28-31 "Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices."

Do not think that because we serve a merciful God that He won't punish you for your actions against God.

We also see this in Hosea.

I/we/Israel represent Gomer, the prostitute. We run all over the place worshipping every other god but the One above who gives us all things. We pursue other lovers and give them thanks and credit for giving us food, drink, and clothing (Hosea 2:5 "For their mother ahs played the whore; she who conceived them has acted shamefully. For she said, 'I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wood and my flax, my oil and drink.'")

We waste so much time seeking 'fancier' things, money, 'better' jobs, acceptance, and/or love. Then we finally realize that God is SO MUCH better than any earthly thing! He alone gives us joy, happiness, LOVE, and satisfaction in ALL situations, whether monetarily rich or poor. So we return to Him, our first love. And the first thing He must do is punish us. Hosea 2:9-10,12 "Therefore I will take back my grain in its time, and my wine in its season, and I will take away my wool and my flax, which were to cover her nakedness. Now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no one will rescue her out of my hand...And I will lay waster her vines and her fig trees, of which she said, 'These are my wages, which my lovers have given me.' I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall devour them."

The Lord IS a JUST God. He can give and He can take away.

Don't you know that when you were a child, if you didn't get punished for something, you more than likely did the exact same thing AGAIN, received maybe a harsher scolding, and maybe did it again. Well, the Lord is our Father. If He does not punish us, won't we go back and do the same old foolish things over and over and over again? Probably so.

The Lord's punishment is a good thing. As hard as it may be. It keeps us from running away from Him, it pulls us closer to Him, it teaches us how merciful He really is, and how loving He is. Consider it pure joy.

Hosea 2:14-16 "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me 'My Husband,' and no longer will you call me 'My Baal.'"

Oh the Lord draws us close to Him. Why? Because I most certainly do not deserve for the Lord of Lords and King of Kings to allure me to Himself or to be called a child of God.

If verses 19-20 don't excite you, I don't know what will!!

"And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord."

In my study Bible the note that it has for know the Lord says, The essence of the new covenant relationship involves knowing the Lord intimately (Jer 31:34). Today Christ mediates this new covenant and renders the old covenant relationship obsolete (Heb. 8:7-13).

WOW!! And We shall KNOW the Lord! We shall sit at His precious feet and sing praises unto His name because He is Holy, unlike any other. Because we would still be seeking out so many other lovers had He not always been there with us every step of the way.

What are you learning?

Hello.

It sure has been a really long time since I have written.

Life has been busy. I finished up my first semester of pharmacy school, then my sister got married, then enjoyed a super short vacation at home and in San Francisco, then started right back to school January 2nd.

There is alot of things that I believe God is trying to teach me. He wants to desperately teach me to be patient and to depend completely on Him. I feel that too often I try to do things on my own and try to just persevere depending on my own knowledge, my own strength, my own abilities. But I can't. A song that a SITC friend emailed to me entitled "A little longer" by Brian and Jenn Johnson has really hit the nail on the head. At first, it talks about what can I do for Christ, what can I say, sing, dance, or bring to Christ that will be pleasing to Him. But I can just serve and serve all I want too and still not grow in a relationship with Him, and I can surely not learn dependence on Him. The song then goes on to talk about the sweet moments with Christ that we want to hold on to Him just a little longer, to savor the precious time that Christ comes down to us and wraps His loving arms all around us. In those moments, everything else can be put on hold. Everything else in this short lived lifemeans absolutely nothing compared to the awesomeness of Christ.

Zephaniah 3:16-17 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: "Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. The Lord your GOd is in your midst, a mighty one will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing."

So I read Haggai 2 yesterday. And let me tell you, it is phenomenal! It talks about a nation that is constantly doing their own thing, serving their own gods, leading their own lives, and building up their own 'treasures' on this perishing earth. And God has been trying to get their attention, they plant grapes, olives, figs, pomengranates, etc only to produce little to no fruit. I believe this is exemplifying their lives. They are not producing any Godly fruit because they are not sowing anything worth God's time. Everything they touch is unclean and ugly in the sight of God.
YET! Despite themselves, God STILL CHOSE THEM to pour out His abundant blessings upon. Why? They did not deserve it. They did not DO anything worthy of having God spend His time even acknowledging them. But neither have I! I do not deserve to be called a child of God. Haggai chapter 2 is a perfect example of how much God loves us, of how much grace He has, of how much mercy He has, of how much compassion He has, of how He never breaks a promise, and of how perfect He is. It also goes to show that NO ONE is ever too far gone, because God can still choose him and use him for His honor and glory in the earth. It also means that God doesn't necessarily bless those who have it all together. That's comforting too. Course I have to remember that God's blessing won't always be packaged all in a pretty box and bow, God's ways are mysterious.

Here's something I thought was really good. When you are persistently pursuing God, but you feel like you are still in a dry, desert place, God is already drawing you to Himself. Remember Moses and the burning bush? Moses was running from all that he knew, and when he was in the desert, God met him there.

I'm learning dependence on God. I'm learning that His ways are not my ways, His thoughts are not my thoughts, His blessings are not what I may expect, and staying in the Word of God is one of the most important things I could ever do.

In Christ Alone,
Tara

The Almighty Pursuer

I just am taken aback at how extremely AWESOME God is. A couple of weeks ago, me and a friend studied together before a huge test. And yeh, physiology is cool and all, BUT afterwards, we got to talk about God and church. He wanted to get back into church, he really did, but just didn't know where to go or where to start. Instead, he had been wrapped up in worldly desires. It's one of those times that he felt that because he strayed from God, he would just keep straying because it was easier to do. It's easier to be of the world and IN the world. I got to tell him the awesome story of Edward and Earl, if you look back on one of my earlier blogs from June, I talked about them. And how much God will pursue them and will come and find each of them, no matter how far away they are. We see that in Luke 15. God SEARCHES for His Sheep and WHEN He finds them, He will take them back to the flock.

So, me and my friend parted ways that night, and God just put him on my heart. I began praying for him, that God would do a mighty work in him. That week, i went to my pastor, Angulus Wilson, and said, "Pastor, God is working on Him. He wants a relationship with my friend. I pray that God will give me persistence to keep being there for him. God is going to do something big. I dont' know what, or when, but He's working. Because He keeps giving me opportunities."

The next week was fall break, and on Monday I sent my friend a text to remind him about UCF and the times, and to make sure he was still planning on going. Wednesday afternoon, he sent me a text, and my heart about sank. Because typically when i get a text before i have invited someone to church, they are cancelling on me, BUT OH NO!! He was asking me what time it started! My heart leaped for excitement, because the Lord was working still! So we went to UCF and Joel preached an AWESOME message.

Then i invited my friend to New Beginnings Family Church on Sunday morning. I told him, i go to sunday school at 9:30 and it lasts till about 1:30, just to prepare him for the length of time it would be. So Sunday morning came and at about 8:30, i was beginning to get a little nervous. I was like, oh lord, please have him come today, please do not let him cancel, please wake him up and get him out of bed. At 9am, he called me and asked if i was coming. OH BOY!! even more excited. And now i was supposed to ride with 2 other girls to church, but God kept them in their bed till 9, because he knew my friend needed some time to tell me what's been going on. IF you don't think GOd orchestrates everything, you need to start paying more attention. We get to early morning prayer time and everyone is together for that part, well, right before sunday school, i'm like, "oh yeh, we are split up for sunday school." He looked at me like WHAT...umm...really? So i introduced him to the coolest college minister around and they went to sunday school. God is Good!

Then during service, Pastor preached from John 3:16, (he's going through the book of John and that's this weeks verse), and it was the most perfect God-breathed sermon for this particular sunday. When we stood up for the invitation, my heart got heavy and God was like.."tara, tell him you'll go, let him know it's ok to move." So once i finally got up enough courage i told him i would walk down the aisle with him if he wanted me too. He shook his head and closed his eyes and i did too. NExt thing i know, I hear claps of Excitement, when i open my eyes, there my friend was walking down the aisle to join the Church!!!

God is in the Pursuit Business. HE wants relationships with each and every individual.

I am so thankful for my church, b/c they teach the Word. They love people. They desire to seek the lost. They desire to make disciples of all men.

So it pains me to hear that we are stuggling to keep the lights on at the church. We can't even pay our pastor a salary. But God WILL make a way, He gave New Beginnings that church building in the middle of Midfield, and He will provide. So if you are ever wondering where your money could be used, where your money could be used for the sake of Christ, consider donating to New Beginnings this Thanksgiving, this Christmas, this month, or this year. It will be used to proclaim the gospel of Christ and to reach the city of Birmingham.

Address: 500 B.Y Williams Sr. Dr.
Birmingham Al, 35228

Website: http://www.newbeginningsfamily.org/

THe picture was from Pastor Appreciation over Fall break. Me with Kiki and Tanecia. Kiki is practicing her alphabet in sign language, and she knows 'Jesus loves me' now.

Speaking of sign language and kids. I think that God is moving me to be more involved at NBFC. I believe he told me last wednesday that i should keep going to UCF until my friend could go on his own, then i would be able to go to New Beginnings on Wednesday nights too. But you know what, God already worked that out too, cuz when i asked my friend where he wanted to go on wednesday, he said NBFC. Such an amazing peace that God gave me on where I need to be Wednesday nights. God wants to use me with the youth and the kids and just pour my life and my all over into them. I desire for them to be amazing Christian women who make Christ their number one priority. I desire for them to be awesome examples, so that others may come to know Christ. So be in prayer as i begin to make this move, to become more involved in my church, while still taking on pharmacy school. :)

Thanks!!

In His Service,

tara

update on life...and Luke 23

Goodness, so much has happened. I've in pharmacy school about a month now, and so far so good. I've had my first 3 tests, and 2 went well, but the Biochemistry test that i had today...umm..we shall see. The consensus of the class is that none of us had any idea what was going on. But still not an excuse for me not to do well on it. I'm staying pretty busy, which is good for me, because I do not like to be sitting around with nothing to do. In His Hands has been very blessed by God this year, because we have the most new people we have ever had in my 3 years at Samford. I'm extremely excited about it. The songs we are currently working on are Amazing Grace and Jesus Paid it All by K. Stanfill (which is going to be awesome! at least how i have it envisioned in my mind).
I have started a Bible study on monday nights for women of In His Hands and Samford Ministries Choir. We have met twice now, and I just love it. I dont' know how the 5 other girls feel, but I love meeting with other women and talking about GOD!! IT"S AWESOME! :) and hopefully once we all get to know one another better, we will be able to continue to become accountability partners with each other, so we may sharpen each other to make a stand for Christ. I also hope that by going into God's word with each other will draw us closer to each other. That is my prayer anyway.

I guess the hardest part this semester has been interacting with people in my class, the people i see every single day. The people i spend hours with every week. I want to get to know the students who sit around me, I really do, I just dont' know what to say. The atmosphere is very different from undergrad and especially very different from this summer. Please pray that I have patience and joy and understanding and wisdom every time i walk into russell 125.

Oh wow, read through Luke. It is absolutely incredible. i can't even think of words to express how amazing Christ is. The fact that he loved us so much to hang on the cross. Last night Brandon mentioned something after we read luke 23 and it spurred another thought. Christ knows everything, correct. He knows how many hairs are on our head and how many stars are in the sky. Because He knows that, he also knew exactly what tree it was that he was going to hang on with nails piercing his hands. I wonder how many times He walked by that tree and wanted to just cut it down. I can't imagine knowing the fate of a simple tree, knowing that one day I would be hanging from it. But Christ isnt' human! He walked by that tree and thought of ME and YOU! Christ loved us so much that he hung on a tree in complete agony and couldn't stop thinking of how AWESOME it would be to have us sit at his feet in Heaven, to have us share the good news with everyone so that all may have the opportunity to enter the Kingdom of God. He passed by that tree and let it keep growing because He wanted US in His presence forever. He wanted to Give US ABUNDANT LIFE!

I can not wait for that day.

back to school

so, i'm home and moved back to samford. i'm far from that gorgeous view of chicago, and back to 105 degree weather.

it was tough, i'm not going to lie. leaving the amazing group of 20 students that i have grown to love was incredibly hard. every night i send some of them a good night text message, cuz it's just too weird to not say good night. I forgot one night and was chastized by Celia. It was rather funny, she's like...it made everything seem so final when i didn't get a good night text! and i just can't have that. :)

since i've been home a few weeks before moving back on wednesday, i've had time to spend praying about various things that God has laid on my heart about what i am to do while i am here at school to continue being an ambassador for Christ.

1. i feel led to lead a bible study, sandy henkel gave me the idea or she showed me what had been in front of me all along. Pray that i can continue to allow Christ to speak through me and follow where he is leading. I've made flyers to give at the first In His Hands and SMC practice to invite women to come. I realized how much Christian women surrounding you is almost a necessity. They can be there to encourage, to uplift, to pray, to discuss, and to sharpen. So I pray that in the Bible study we can learn to pursue God more, learn to love ALL people more, learn to be prayer warriors, and put into practice all we have learned.

2. pray i will show students at samford the same love and compassion that i learned to show the people of chicago.

3. pray the church that i believe i have found in birmingham will be where God wants me. I went there this past Sunday and absolutely loved it! I can't wait to go back tomorrow.

4. Pray for In His Hands sign language ministry.

5. Pharmacy school-a bit overwhelming. Out of 1300 applicants, 123 of us are in the class of 2011. Classes start on Monday and it will be MORE than intense.

6. pray for the kids in Chicago who are losing hope everyday. the kids who work so hard and want to go to college but have to pay for their younger brother's funeral instead. the kids whose parents are drug and alcohol addicts. pray that God will display his awesome power and somehow show these kids an eternal hope and love. I pray that we dont' sit around and wait for someone ELSE to GO into these inner-city neighborhoods. I want so badly to go there when i am finished with school. I want them to have a chance to experience the love and saving Grace that Christ has so graciously given me.

II Kings 6:16-17 says, "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes so he may see." Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills FULL of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

The Lord is on our side and has an army protecting us. I pray that You will surround me and every missionary and pastor particularly in the inner-cities with chariots of fire.

God help me, give me patience, give me wisdom. Give me the nations.