Daddy's Girl

I was talking to my Daddy on FaceTime tonight and we weren't talking about anything in particular just chatting. After we 'hung up' I got to thinking just how much my Daddy loves me. He stops what he is doing when I call him to talk to me, if he hasn't heard from me in a day to two he sends me a quick text, he always wants to talk to me no matter what!! When I come home on the weekends he alters his schedule for me.

It the little things that he does that mean so much to me. Just the little things. He could buy me the world's nicest, prettiest and most expensive things but they wouldn't compare to what he has given me while growing up.

I'm so grateful to have a Dad that loves me unconditionally. I couldn't ask for a better Daddy. I love you, Daddy!!

My husband is going to have a lot to live up to, he has some huge shoes to fill!!

Shout out to Momma too, she has been equally as important in my life, they have done a good job if I do say so myself!

Desiring God or Empty Promises

I'm reading Empty Promises by Pete Wilson which has really got my wheels turning. Can you see the smoke blowing yet?

No seriously though, this book is making me think and examine my life and my desires for my life like never before! It's good, but man, I've got some adjustments to make. Quick, fast and in a hurry!

I've only read the first two chapters and so far it has been about idols we have/make in our own lives that maybe we have never seen as idols before and it's about truly examining our 'desires' in our hearts.

First can I be real honest with y'all for a second... this morning before I started reading this book I would have told you that I didn't have any idols in my life (haha, I laugh in my own face now!) and I would have told you the desires of my heart were pure and things that God placed there (they are desires that God placed in my heart, and for a reason, but I have made them into something bigger and not Christ-centered).

He, Pete, asks you some questions in the second chapter about your life, just to help you peel back a layer of the onion and dig a little bit deeper..

"What occupies my mind? What do I spend my time day dreaming about?" Umm, hello getting married, who am I going to marry?, when?, or how great my life is going to be when that time comes, I wonder what my kids will be like, brown hair? brown eyes? blue eyes?, how many kids will I have?, will I be a RN, NP, PA, or MD?, yadda yadda yadda. ONE THING, IDOLS!!! My future is a big idol in my life.

"Who or what do I tend to be jealous of?" Lauren. Plain and simple. The girl seems to have it all together. She is my best friend, but I'm jealous of her. Yeah, you heard right! But it's not really the jealousy that first comes to mind when you hear that a girl is jealous of another girl. It's more of we have a lot of the same hopes and dreams for our lives and she is a little closer to 'that' life being fulfilled than me. I almost live my life through her. Does that make sense?

"What do I spend most of my time doing?" School, plain and simple. From the time I wake up until the time I go to bed. Of course I do plenty of other things while procrastinating but I always have a running to-do list of what must be done today or this week.

"Where does the majority of my money go?" Food and things I buy for myself. Sad but true.

Just as Pete Wilson encourages his readers, I encourage you to answer these four questions for yourself. Be completely honest. And then if your like me, you will need to do some serious reevaluating and praying to the Lord.

A lot of my answers pointed me to the desires of my heart. In those questions you basically know the main desires of my heart right now, you wanna know what is missing? The desire to seek and know the Lord on a more intimate level!! This has to be my first want for anything else to even fall behind it. Without Jesus, no desire is met. We are left hungry and wanting more and more. Empty promises! Empty promises lie within everything that our heart desires except for Jesus. Jesus is the only person that will EVER fill that void that want for more. HE himself is enough for me and you.

Reprioritize your life and your desires!!

"Idolatry isn't simply a sin, it's what is fundamentally wrong with the human heart."

"The truth is, all the money, talent, attractiveness, and popularity in the world will not protect anyone from the stupidity of sin. And none of these things will fulfill the burning desire for more that drives people to fall for false promises."

"I believe our desires are inside of us for a reason. True, if left unmonitored, they can lead us right into empty promises. But they are ultimately there to lead us to Christ, the only person who can actually fulfill them."

Book Worm

If anyone knows me, they know that i am not one to read any book by free will! It's just not something that I have ever enjoyed doing.. EVER.. until recently.

I'm not sure what has gotten into me but I kinda like reading, it's very relaxing and allows my brain to 'wind down' at night before bed.

I have now read a total of three books without being forced to read them and I must say I'm surprised but loving it. Two recently and one really recently.

I read Lynette Lewis' Remember the Roses in about 2 or 3 days. It was so good to me. She wrote about her journey to finding her husband and how to grow yourself in the Lord during that long, hard wait for the man for you. She got married at 42 and her husband is the pastor at KPIC in Durham. Her words were very inspirational and the one thing that really stuck out to me, she said, you need to live out your dreams now because you never may get the chance to once you are married because life gets busy. I guess I make my dreams around my future husband and want to wait to travel with him but why am I waiting? I can do it now and then if time, money, etc. allow.

Never hold back of something that you could do now waiting for the later when so and so happens..

Another thing that caught my attention was be joyful with your friends when they are experiencing joy. Don't let the thoughts fill your mind of well I just want this for myself and I'm not going to be happy until I get to do all this stuff. Help the bride when she is planning, help her pick out flowers if she wants you too, help her pick songs, etc. if anything it will give you a leg up when it's your turn to do all that stuff! Be joyful with others, the Lord will blessing you a thousand times. He will go above and beyond your dreams for yourself, He has every detail worked out for YOUR/MY good!! Amen and amen!!

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Changing gears, I have three books on the way to me..

The King's Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus by Tim Keller

Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible by Steven Furtick

Empty Promises: The Truth About You, Your Desires, and the Lies Your Believing by Pete Wilson

I'm ready to read these and dig in deep, maybe I'll get one in before the school year ends..