He Works in Mighty Ways.

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." -Matt. 6:34 (message)

Wow, God tells us not to worry. He will take care of it. He tells us not to even waste your time and energy worrying about what will happen tomorrow, because when the time comes He will give us the strength we need to overcome any obstacle. This gives me such peace, knowing that He has everything taken care of. Every detail of my life planned out, and He will use anything and everything in my life for my good.- to mold me into who He wants me to be.

He wants me to slow down and stop worrying, so I can watch what happens when His hand works in my life. And He works in mighty ways...

Your will be done...

"our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done..."
"Thy will be done."... that has a whole new meaning to me now with the season of life that I am in. I am beginning to learn that "God's will" isn't just waiting on His timing. His will isn't just staying where I am and waiting before He tells me to go on with what I had planned. His will isn't just His timing... it's HIS WILL.
I didn't really get this until recently. I had my mind set that right now I am just waiting to get the ok from God to go on with what I had planned for my future. No, that's not it.
saying "Your will be done," means saying: "disregard everything that I want, Father. I yield to you all my desires. I lay down all the plans at your feet. Not my will, but Yours."
This is so hard to do. There are so many things that I dream to have, do and become one day. To give that up, I will be heartbroken.
And I would be heart broken, if I didn't have His promises to lean on. He tells me that if I give him control, if I let him hold the map, and the steering-wheel, and if I let go, I will be amazed. He has a plan for my life that is far beyond anything I could dream or imagine. He only wants best for me.
So, with His help I will learn to let go, and I will learn to trust that what He is doing is all part of a beautiful master piece.

"Delight yourself in me, and I will give you the desires of you heart." -Psalm 37:4

AWAKE '11

I

This is a picture of me and the rest of my cabin from a church youth retreat I went on last weekend. We went to the mountains in Tennessee... can I just say. B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L!
It was so fun :) We had the beast cabin! The speaker and music directors were awesome,
and the Lord spoke, AWAKEning our souls. He is continually teaching me to trust him and his plans/direction for my life. It was a great weekend!

:)

This is a picture of me yesterday, putting my Eeyore hat to good use out in the 'snow'. I was right, it didn't last long, because now... I'm watching my winter wonderland melt away before my very eyes. Well, It was fun while it lasted!

This is the South.

Yes, there was a 'snow-storm', which was really more of an 'ice-storm'. Yes, public and private schools were canceled, and yes. This is the south.
I expected to wake up and see my backyard painted white, but I was still in denial that it would actually happen. But, I was still very glad to see a thin layer of ice covering my entire neighborhood, and ice cycles hanging from just about everything:)
So, what did I do? I grabbed my camera and put on a layer of clothing that I expected to keep me warm for the few minutes it took me to snap some pics.
I love looking out my window. It is gorgeous. Sadly, I know by tomorrow that it will be melted, and my taste of the North will be gone. After all, this is the south... and the temperature here has a hard time at making up it's mind.

Brother :)

Something very exciting this happened this weekended! I got to see my brother:) He was in Birmingham for a friend's wedding, so we drove to see him! It was great, it had been a while since I'd seen him last... too long. I miss being able to see him all the time. He is such a good big brother!!

I'm sorry I have been so slack in the picture posting department. I will try to get some film pictures up soon. Right now, I don't have a good excuse for not posting any except that I just haven't gotten around to it...
But, have no fear. Soon, there will be some:)
I just need to find a store that carries a rechargeable camera battery that I need.

Until then, Maddy

The Secret of Being Content

"Be happy for each day. Do the things this year that you can do, and when next year comes, enjoy new opportunities. But don't be so impatient that one day you will regret you didn't take time to enjoy each step. Remember: 'There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven' (Ecclesiastes 3:1)"

The Lord gave me this quote/ verse as conformation to be satisfied where I am in life right now. Instead of dreaming of what life will be like once I get to a certain age, I need to enjoy this step in life. And be content right where I am. I need to trust God's timing is best and that He will one day answer all my questions. But for now I just need to wait, practice patience, learn to trust Him... and see how I grow. He is using the stage of life I am in now to prepare me for what is down the road. I need to trust what He is doing in my life, because only He can see what is coming next, and He only wants what is best for me... I need to trust, and wait. patiently.

"Times of waiting take us to deeper levels of trust, strengthen our faith, remind us to abide in Christ, and teach us to delight in the Lord... This season of life provides us the ideal opportunity to learn the secret of being content in any situation." -Sarah Mally

His Strength is reviled... 2011

I've been dreading writing this post, not because I'm not excited about the new year, but I know what you want me to write... new years resolutions... what I've learned... I love reading all those things from other people, but I'm not in the mood to write my own, at least not now (and I can't tell you why, because I don't know why myself).
Don't get me wrong. I've learned and grown so much this year, and I am thrilled to have a new year and start another chapter in my long story. There is so much about me that has changed. I have new perspectives, new friends, new schooling... everything. It's hard for me to pick just a few that stick out. Except the obvious ones.

***

So let me continue this post... I'm super excited about this new year. 2011, now that's fun to type:)
I can't even imagine where I will be this time next year. But so many doors have been opened, and I can't wait to walk through them and see what's next for me. Really, I can't wait. I want to know... like, now. God has been working on me. I want answers. Where will I be next year? Will this happen? How will this effect my life?
and I want so many things that might not be His will, but He is teaching me to be patient and wait until He decides to show me, tell me, surprise me.
It's been hard, and I imagine it always will be. I don't like to wait. It's one of my weaknesses, but in my weakness His strength is reviled. And that makes waiting, beautiful.

Happy almost New Year,
Maddy

Holiday Events

We went ice-skating for my cousin's bday on Wednesday. I LOVE ice skating. Who doesn't? (Oh I know... e-liz. sorry. love you!) Anyway... we had a lot of fun. And might I add that I did not fall :) I almost did (several times), but I kept my balance!

This is one of my 3 cousins on my dad's side, Brooke (the birthday girl). They came to visit all the way from Ohio! She is too sweet:) And that little munchkin in the background, is Brandi, She's a nut.. haha. I love them, and their brother, Tanner.

We had a great Christmas. It was great to spend time with family, singing songs around the campfire, chasing chickens, launching things with a bean-bag and a wooden board... yeah we have fun together:) 

It was a great week of Celebrating Jesus Birthday!

I hope you all had a great Christmas as well!

Tradition #9

 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”~ Luke 2:8-12

#9- The last and most important tradition is the real reason for Christmas. The celebration of Christ's birth. He came for us, to save us. Praise be to God on this glorious day! Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Tradition #9

This isn't a great picture, but considering that I have been sick today I decided to post it anyway. I figured you would give me some grace. This picture gives you a good idea of tradition...

#9- Our Christmas tree is more of a memory tree. Every year we decorate it with ornaments we made in elementary school with our pictures on them, ornamtes we got from friends... you get it.

We also have a collection of ornaments that we have gotten over the years from my mom. She always pics out the cutest ornaments. I got this one last year (above).

It's fun to look at all the ones I have gotten over the years. She usually picks them out according to the things we were interested at that time. I have one that is a cheerbear, with cute little pom-poms. And if you are reading my blog, you probably know me, and if you know me... then you understand why that is funny. 

I am DEFINITELY NOT the cheerleader type. There's nothing wrong with them... it's just not me, but apparently it was in 2002. You would laugh if I listed all the phases I have been through.

Let's end this post here before I embarrass myself.

So there you have it. Christmas ornaments, each containing some sort of memory... all hanging on our tree... every year :)

I love Christmas!!

Tradition #8

#8- Home for the holidays :)

Almost every Christmas has been spent with all my grandparents and cousins. We have so much fun making memories together. 

This picture was taken last Christmas. When we are in Georgia for Christmas we always take a picture on the cooking deck of the cabin (like the one above). And we always, always, always eat a ton of Christmas cookies. Without fail. So yummy!!