Roswell Pics
I was going through some old pics of my summer I spent in Roswell and decided to scan in a few of my faves! Here Some ARE! (actually my absolute favorites are all in an awesome album that they made me before I left, so I couldn't scan those in, but these are some, none the less!)

I'm SO Weak!
So I'm on my way to school this morning, just singing along to Bebo Norman! Half way to school I remember my commitment! 'OH MAN!' I think! I can't believe I forgot. I was so mad at myself, then I realized that instead of being mad, I needed to accept the grace of God, and quit wasting my time, and spend the remainder of my time with HIM! It was hard not to be distracted after that, but I am thankful that God DID remind me half way through my drive!

Prayer
I started and finished a new book this weekend by Ravi Zacharias. It had some good wisdom. The following section on prayer really challenged me so I thought I would share it.

In speaking of our need for prayer he says:

I suggest that the individual's prayer life is key to discerning his or her character.

(Whoa! Man, if that is true, I'm afraid of what my prayer life would say about my character!)

It is a self-evident truth that a person who truely prayers and seeks God's wisdom in life recognizes the sovereignty of God and is committed to seeking God's wisdom in life's important choices. It is important to understand that it is a prayer life that buids character that honors God, not one that bradishes it spirituality or seeks to use prayer as a credential or badge of honor.... It is done out of a sense of the poverty of one's spirit. A genuine prayer life is one that is constantly broken before God. Such a person's life demonstarates the humility that is born out of brokenness.... kindness, purity, and all that is in keeping with those dispositions.

(Ok, that just slaps me in the face! I'm NOT there! I'm convicted!)

Become a man or a woman of prayer. Let your devotional life be the beacon that guides you through the tough terrain you will face. Let your heart and mind be kept close to the principle calling of your life, which is to hunger an thirst after righteousness. Make your day one in which God gets your best so that others share in the rewards of you devotion. Let the thoughts and intents of our heart be shaped and guided by time spent in His presence. Being in God's presence affects all other relationships for the better!

(Good exhortation!)

The temptations that will stalk you and the conflicts that will confront or confound you can never be met in your own strength.

(This is very true. It is when I rely on my own strength to defeat my sin and temptation, that I fail.)

later he states...

That is what a well-guarded prayer life can reveal about us, that our trust is not in ourselves but in seeking God's strength for what we do. Prayer is not a substitue for action, but prayer undergirds action with the strength that makes a difference.

(I like how he makes a point to say that PRAYER is not a SUBSTITUTE for action! But action without prayer is unwise!)

Your Grace
I've posted this before, but we sang it in chapel today and I thought it was a good end to this journal entry.

Your Grace
Your grace... Opens the way
That I might draw near to you with my heart full of faith
Your grace... is all undeserved
Though there are times I fail
Still you are with me

Your Amazing Grace is perfectly free
Day by day Your grace
Empowering me
To please you in all things
To walk in Your ways
Completely forgiven
And it's all by You grace

I want to walk in a manner that's worthy
Of the calling you've given to me
I want to walk in a manner that's worthy of the gospel