Many thoughts. Many questions.

So, right now, many things are going on in my head. Let's begin, shall we?

1. Well according to Jung Typology Test (Human Metrics), my personality is ENFJ.
56% Extrovert 12% Intuitive 33% Feeling 44% Judging
According to the "Jung Career Indicator," a few of my possible career choices should be Counseling, Psychology, Education, Management, and Politics.
Interesting =P. Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? I have many of those.


2. Do you ever feel like you're being pulled in eight different directions, and you have no idea which way to go? Any path that you choose will impact your life in dramatically different ways, but which is the right one? That's where I'm at right now. I know God is calling me to serve, and I know He's calling me to serve now and get involved as soon as I can (which is now), but when I've found an opportunity to do that I have millions of cons screaming in my face, discouraging me from doing so, but an equal amount of pros as well. So what do I do? Do I take the path that could potentially end in blessing, service, spiritual growth, and learning but keeps me away from home and prevents me from making much money to fund college? Or do I take the path that will keep me comfortably at home, working and making a decent amount of money, and only possibly finding a way to serve back in my home church (since it seems that the opportunities aren't as wide as I would hope).
To be more specific, I've been offered a job at a Christian camp that's pretty far from my home. It's an incredible opportunity to grow, serve, and lead those younger than me. Unfortunately, I'm away from home five months at a time here at college, and my parents aren't too thrilled about being away from home more than I already am. To be honest, I don't especially love the idea of being away from home even more than I already am, but I also know that this could be a door that God's opening. If it is what God wants me to do, to not accept it would be completely shutting myself out from an incredible blessing of God. But how do I know if it's what I should do or if I'll be used in some significant way in my home town at work or in my church?
So hopefully you now get the general gist of my pickle. The best part is, I have to decide within two days or so. Talk about pressure.

So, if you're reading this, prayers would definitely be appreciated. If you're reading this, would like to pray, and also maybe have some input, that would also be fabulous. So, let me know what you think via email or commenting on here or something. Thanks!


3. I have come to the conclusion that I rely way too much on technology. My phone? It's kaput. Touch screens? They fail. So, anyone who may be trying to text me, I can see that you text me, I just can't respond.  I can, however, receive phone calls. So by all means- phone call away (when I'm not in class). It's crazy how disconnected I am from the rest of the world without a facebook and a working phone (and it hasn't even been 4 hours since my phone's been failing). What has the world come to? Really now? And here I am.. blogging about it. *sigh*. I'm not really sure what else to say about this whole thing.
So yes, this has been quite an eventful day. But wait- there's more (don't worry, this one's actually happy and awesome)!


4. Last night I was reading through my devotions when I came across a commonly known passage. Even people who don't read the Bible know the story, or at least have vaguely heard it. So, as you can see, I went into it knowing it wouldn't be anything new. Well, you know those moments when you hear something that you've heard a million times, but this time it comes at you in a new twist and all seems to tie together perfectly? Well, I had one of those moments. So here it is.

                   Matthew 14

• In verses 1-12, the chapter starts off explaining what the surrounding circumstances are. John the Baptist, Jesus' forerunner, friend, and cousin, is killed for speaking against Herod's sin. This was the first thing to stuck out to me. The integrity of John the Baptist. He was willing to tell the truth in love, even to a tetrarch (which, according to dictionary.com is a ruler of 1/4 of the country). He knew the risk of speaking out against a man with power, but he did it because it was right, no matter the cost.
• After Jesus finds out that his cousin has been killed, He wants to be alone (vs 13-14). As he goes away from the crowd to be alone, the multitude of people still finds and follows him and instead of sending them  away to be alone, Jesus "was moved with compassion." He doesn't just leave it at feeling compassion either- He acts on it and actually is involved in their lives and heals them. That really struck me. Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Creator of the universe, served humans when he initially wanted to be left alone. He loved and gave up his time when most of us would have probably chosen to be alone anyway. How much do I love? Am I willing to inconvenience myself temporarily so that others may be encouraged, brought to Christ, and served? 
• Soon after this, Jesus' disciples finally wish to send them away, but Jesus still says, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." I realized a couples things from this.

1. There is no limit serving others. Jesus didn't say "Ok, I healed you already. Go home." He refuses to send them home, but instead even wishes to feed them. 5,000 + people? To us that would be impossible to even do. Well, this just sets it all up for God to be glorified even more through this seemingly-impossible situation. 
2. Jesus says to his disciples, "YOU give them something to eat." Jesus directly involves his disciples to serve. Jesus does not just serve and leave it at that; Jesus wants his children to be proactive in such service as well. Others before self.

•  5,000 + women and children were fed. Incredible. There's really not much else that can be said about that. 
• In vs. 25, I like how it says "He went to them walking on water," all nonchalantly. Because that's just it- with God, things like that are possible. In fact, they're normal. It's incredible. In vs 26-33, Peter requests that Jesus commands Him to come on the water, but when Jesus does, Peter falls. Do I ask God to lead me into His will and then freak out when the time comes that He reveals that will to me? "Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?" Why do we doubt God when we know that HE has called us and it's HE that will get us through it?

Well folks, it's past my time to be awake again. It's been fun. Thanks for reading.. input is greatly appreciated :]. Hope you all have a blessed weekend and wonderful new week next week!
God Bless!

 

Just a Little Something to Make You Smile :]

  

 "Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD; the fruit of the womb a reward."

Psalm 127:3

Is It Really Success?

      It's interesting how when I'm in school and busy doing work, I seem to forget that there's more to life than reading books and memorizing facts. All the world seems to no longer exist and all I can focus on is getting that A or fully grasping that concept. Don't get me wrong- doing well in school is important; I mean, that's why I'm here. But when it all comes down to it, am I really incorporating all my book knowledge and social skills for the good of eternity? Time management is probably one of the most difficult things in my life. I try to prioritize, but it just seems that I struggle to put the priorities of serving God with my life now before my priorities to become successful in this life. Yes, God calls us to do the best that we possibly can in every aspect of our lives, but He also calls us to fulfill His Great Commission of spreading the gospel. Am I spreading the gospel? Am I even trying? Am I willing to sacrifice my time now to advance the Kingdom of God? If any of my answers to these are "no," I guess I should really evaluate how I'm living the Christian life and what I need to change in order to really make use of my time right now in my life for the good of the gospel.
      On the other hand, I go through phases where I spend way too much time with people and not enough time on school work. God put me here to learn, so I should learn. He provided the means so that I could be here, so how can I waste it? I can't just sleep through classes, hope to get by, and settle for a basic passing grade when I know I can go beyond that and pass in flying colors. God expects my best, so I better give it, especially when He's provided so much for me to be here.
      Really, the key is balance, which is probably my biggest issue right now, but by the grace of God, He will lead me through it and teach me what I have to do in order to get this right and make the most of every moment. Life is short. Don't waste it. Now is the time to learn, love, grow, serve, teach, help, and encourage.

So, to all Christian students struggling with similar issues, or even non-students who are dealing with the same issues with work-life, I encourage you to evaluate it all in your lives too. Whether it be spending all our time on schoolwork and none with encouraging people for Christ, or whether it be spending way too much socializing and not enough time learning in order to be educated and wise in the issues of the world today.
Well everyone, it's a new week! With God's help, we can do it! Let's embrace this week and make the most of every moment.

Anyway, that was just on my mind. Hope you have a wonderful week!
God bless!

Lessons in the Life of Daisy Wolf

So, this week has been quite the interesting one filled with many random lessons. Some spiritually related, some school related, and some really not related to anything. So, sit tight.

Lesson 1: Just get the paper done. Don't keep "taking breaks" because the paper will end up taking all day.. which is more annoying than spending maybe 3 hours and then being done.. Especially when the paper has to do with some man who travels in freezing temperatures on the Yukon trail and eventually dies. To Build a Fire (by Jack London) isn't exactly my favorite story to write about. Well, at least I learned not to build a fire underneath a spruce tree that has snow on it, because (note to self) fire melts snow and it will eventually fall off the tree and put out the fire. Bear Grylls would be ashamed.

Lesson 2: Those Mocha Coffee Starbucks drink things are NOT as good as they look. Don't be deceived by the cute little chocolate-colored can and Starbucks logo- those things are nasty and make you jittery. Also, they leave you with bad breath and waste your two dollars that you could use towards something much more fulfilling.. like Chic-Fil-A. Take it from me.

Lesson 3: On a more serious note... While sleeping in is nice, nothing ruins a day more than missing a way to serve God and encourage someone who needs it. I was planning on going to a weekly service event with my college to a local nursing home, but instead decided to sleep in. I can tell you now that something definitely was missing today, and that was seeing smiling faces of wonderful people who know so much about life but are constricted to such a small area with not many visitors and need some encouragement. The sad thing is, I knew last night that if I didn't go I'd feel this way, but I still slept in. Hm. Sorry, Jesus, for not showing enough love to sacrifice just a little bit of sleep to make many people's day. What if Jesus decided, "Hey. I think I'm a little too tired to come to earth and save mankind... that just seems like a lot of work." Ok, I'm definitely not Jesus and I'm definitely not taking the sins of the world upon my shoulders, but I am supposed to be striving to be like Jesus and Jesus does call us to love like He loves. So when it all comes down to it, today was definitely a learning experience.
    Recently I've been discouraged that I haven't been serving and haven't really been invested in people's lives like I should. Well, it's days like today and decisions like these that have created this situation that I've found myself in. Laziness and lack of motivation.
   Well, I can tell you that I'll be there next week.

Lesson 4: Exercising may be a little bit awful at the time, but after its AMAZING. Is it just me, or do we magically feel like eating fruits and vegetables after a good work-out? I don't know what it is, but I always find myself eating carrots after I come back from the gym. Oh and also, I've also come to the conclusion that dance-aerobic classes are embarrassingly fun. Maybe I shouldn't be embarrassed to admit that it's fun, but now that I'm posting this on the internet I think that proves I'm getting over that a little bit.

Lesson 5: Life goes by quickly. Say hi to everyone you can and smile at everyone you pass. In a Bible study that I've been having with a few ladies in my dorm, one subject that came up was reaching out to people we normally wouldn't imagine being friends with. You know those "oh man, that person looks like they may hurt me" people? Well, I think sometimes we forget that they ARE people. They need love just like everyone else and who knows what could be going on in their life.
     Lately I've been learning a lot from one of my roommates. She's one of those girls talks to anyone and everyone, and not because she likes to be popular or wants everyone to know who she is, but because she genuinely wants people to feel loved. Now that's the love of Christ showing through her right there. I'm striving to love that hard and to be that fearless. It'll be a long journey, but God's love does amazing things.


Lesson 6: God answers prayer in the most miraculous ways. Why is it that we are so amazed every time God does something awesome? I find that I pray for something, and even if I pray in faith and sincerity, I still somehow end up surprised when God answers my prayer. It happens over and over.
      Let me explain what brought this little lesson on. Lately I've been feeling sort of lacking in the "good girl friends" department. Don't get me wrong, God has blessed me with AMAZING friends and family, but many of them are back home and many of my college friends have much different schedules than mine and we sometimes find it hard to find times to do things together. So, I have been praying that God brings a friend into my life who I can really relate to, grow spiritually with, and just have a lot of laughs and great times with. Well, God answered. This semester I met a girl in one of my classes who is genuinely sweet and just seems like an awesome woman of God. I saw her at the gym last week and we started talking a little, and before you know it I invited her to come to my dance aerobics class with me (the one that I'm not embarrassed to admit to liking anymore). This week her, one of my roommates, and one of my other friends went together and it was awesome. As we talked more, I found out that she is a commuter and had been feeling like it was difficult to make friends because she didn't live on campus. Apparently, she had been praying this year to meet potentially good friends as well. God definitely knows exactly what we need when we need it!

Well, it is now late into the night and there is church tomorrow. So, though I've learned many more things this week, it is time to say adieu. Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you. *dances away*
... I hope you understood that reference. *cough* Sound of Music *cough*

Alright. Good Night and God Bless!!

Why is quoting people so fun?

There's just something about quoting a good book..
So, here's just a few random quotes that impacted me in some way:

"We have been trying to apply machine-age methods to our relations with God. We read our chapter, have our short devotions and rush away, hoping to make up for our deep inward bankruptcy..."
The Pursuit of God by: A.W. Tozer

"The universe, they say, is so vast, it makes man utterly insignificant. Why would God have bothered to create such a microscopic speck called the earth and humanity and then get involved with us? Beneath this question is a fundamental failure to see what the universe is about. It is about the greatness of God, not the significance of man."
Don't Waste Your Life by: John Piper

"It is far better to endure patiently a smart which nobody feels but yourself, than to commit a hasty action whose evil consequences will extend to all connected with you."
-Helen Burns in Jane Eyre

"It's not what the world holds for us, but what we bring to the world."
Anne of Green Gables

"Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
The Great Gatsby by: F. Scott Fitzgerald

"Their very imagination was dead. When you say that of a man, he has struck bottom, I reckon; There is no lower deep for him."
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
by: Mark Twain

 "It is impossible to be in the presence of Jesus and not be changed."
Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by: Joanna Weaver

"I wasn't called to a place, I was called to Him. To obey was my objective, to suffer was expected, His glory was my reward. His glory is my reward."
-Karen Watson (taken from Sister Freaks)

 "There is something worse than discomfort, worse than the unknown, worse than failure. The worst thing is to never try at all."
Do Hard Things by: Alex and Brett Harris

:]. You know those books? I recommend you read them all.

Hey Everyone!

So, I'm pretty new to this whole blogging thing, so bear with me.
Here's a little introduction as to where I'm going with this whole blog:
This isn't a "I'm going to whine about my life to everyone on the internet" blog. This also isn't a "I'm going to bash everyone I know, pretend I'm only talking about hypothetical situations, but obviously am referring to a specific person" blog. Really, all this blog is for is to simply open my heart to you, share a little bit about what I'm learning in my life, and hopefully make your day a little brighter and maybe even inspire you a bit.

Now that I've given that brief introduction, let me tell you a little bit about myself.
I am a firm Bible-believing Christian and claim Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Currently, I am not completely positive what it is I want to do with the rest of my life (well, I know I want to serve God in whatever it is that I choose to do, but that's as far as that goes), but that's ok because, hey, I don't have all the answers, which is probably good. While I'm not all-knowing and never will be, I have been learning a lot these days, hence this blog- to share with you! I'm not really sure what else to put as of now, except that you will get to know my heart little by little as this blog goes on.

Well, that's all for now.
God Bless!