Bless the Lord, O my Soul

Last night I met with some great,  God fearing ladies. Over hot chocolate, a lit candle, and a few worn bibles... we dug into the God's word. At the start, we discussed Nehemiah but somehow came to this beautiful Psalm that David wrote. (A common one at that, but this time it really caught a hold of me). Although this blog is essentially nonexistent, this is worth it. The way David describes our Lord really grabs your heart and makes you truly say Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Psalm 103

¹ Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me, bless His holy name!

² Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits—

³ Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of] all your diseases,

⁴ Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption, Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy;

⁵ Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle’s [strong, overcoming, soaring]!

⁶ The Lord executes righteousness and justice [not for me only, but] for all who are oppressed.

⁷ He made known His ways [of righteousness and justice] to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.

⁸ The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy and loving-kindness.

⁹ He will not always chide or be contending, neither will He keep His anger forever or hold a grudge.

¹⁰ He has not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great are His mercy and loving-kindness toward those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him.

¹² As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father loves and pities his children, so the Lord loves and pities those who fear Him [with reverence, worship, and awe].

¹⁴ For He knows our frame, He [earnestly] remembers and imprints [on His heart] that we are dust.

¹⁵ As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

¹⁶ For the wind passes over it and it is gone, and its place shall know it no more.

¹⁷ But the mercy and loving-kindness of the Lord are from everlasting to everlasting upon those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, and His righteousness is to children’s children—

¹⁸ To such as keep His covenant [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it] and to those who [earnestly] remember His commandments to do them [imprinting them on their hearts].

¹⁹ The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His commandments, hearkening to the voice of His word.

²¹ Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, all you His hosts, you His ministers who do His pleasure.

²² Bless the Lord, all His works in all places of His dominion; bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul!

I pray that we can deeply marinate on these words, and truly believe what David says here! Jesus loves those who are in awe and yet fear him. He crowns us with kindness and mercy. He knows our frame. He satisfies. He never holds a grudge. He redeems from the pit of corruption. Love. Grace. From everlasting to everlasting.

I am extremely unworthy...undeserving- thank you Jesus! Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Home Sweet Home

Oh my goodness, it's been a month? I'm almost embarrassed I don't have more to fill everyone in on.

I am fully moved in to my room. Obviously I have a few more home-y touches I would like to add, but overall I really love it. It's even brighter than my 2-oh-fine room (bedroom in college), which is pretty hard to trump.

 I started with this-->

Messy, unorganized, and a whole lot of junk! This doesn't even attest to how much "stuff" was in my new room. 

But here is the final product. Ladies and gents: my new room :)

 It's ultra bright, and I used blues, grays, and greens.

 I have an entire wall as a closet. I am such a lucky girl.

 Every morning I get front row seats of God's beauty. It's breath taking.

  And a few close ups...

 (Megan: I thought you would get a kick out of this. I still have a nook for all my junk. I guess my bad habits follow me where ever I go.)

And here's a little view from the upstairs. There is an entire wall of windows overlooking the C&O canal and mountains. Say hello to the suburbs of Washington, DC!

My apologies for this blog containing only pictures. I'll write another blog later this week that will actually update everyone on my life, just need to get a few thoughts together. Love you all! 

Whirlwind of a Week

As I sit here in my new room reflecting on my new job, it is crazy to think how much has happened in the past week. 

Last Thursday feels like another world.

I woke up bright and early with my best friends to go see a beautiful sunrise near Greenville, SC. It's one of those experiences where God giggles and makes sure I can not deny His creation. It was an amazing time that helped me focus my heart and be still in His presence. 

It reminded me of Psalm 23 when it says "He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul."  Restoration is such a powerful word and it's cool how Jesus is truly the only one that can make that happen. Its these captivating moments in life that are grounding and pull me back towards my creater. 

Later that night, I was fortunate enough to give my last talk at Wyldlife club. (The picture below are the coolest leaders I've ever met in my life: Glenview and McCants Wyldlife Leaders.) The energy was incredible, and I am pretty sure it was the largest club Wyldlife has had in a long time with 50 beautiful middle school faces.  I've never been one to talk about the holy spirit. It's one of those things that I find unsettling, and just an idea that I can barely scratch the surface to understand. However, I can tell you this much. The holy spirit was clearly there, and it was/is awesome. 

Somehow in college I've managed to be placed on the coolest Wyldlife team, ever. (They are beautiful inside and out!) I'm am so blessed to get to do all these crazy things with these people, especially ministry. My last ho-rah with them was at Windy Gap in North Carolina where we took our friends to camp. Windy Gap was a life changer. Hearts were changed and friendships were grown. I am beyond excited to hear what happens in the months to follow.

To leave these middle school friends in South Carolina was like leaving a part of me behind. Experiencing our terribly awkward conversations develop into true friendships was remarkable, and I am so thankful. I have learned so much from these girls and love them more than they will probably know. 

And that puts me here. 8 hours north, all settled into my new house, and 1 day into my first job. (They even gave me branded folders to use on the first day, I was impressed!)Overwhelmed, nervous, excited, and anxious all wrapped into one.  

Essentially, its crazy to think all that has happened in the past week. A whirlwind. But what is amazing is Jesus calms the storm and reminds me that my stability needs to lie in Him. He is the one thing that never falters or changes. How can I worry when God says " I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. " (Jeremiah 29:11) I mean, who can argue against that?

Ladies and Gents- one corporate day down. A million (Lord willing!) more to go. 

Corporate World- Here I Come

If you had asked me during senior year of high school where I wanted to attend college, you could not have paid me to even say where I was applying. I dreaded graduating. I was petrified. I was too caught up in a relationship to think about the future and what the Lord wanted for me. Thankfully, He sent me on my way to South Carolina and let me tell you...I oblivious of what was to come. 

Clemson University has been such a blessing in disguise. Yes, it was an interesting start. Two weeks into college I was a Delta Zeta (Pi Epsilon chapter), attempting to forget my feelings for a boy, and mingling with my freshman hall to find my potential friends. Frat parties were attended and I learned jungle juice was not just punch. However, the Lord pulled me through it and placed some amazing, wise Christian girls to mentor me and challenge my relationship with Jesus. Long story short, although I accepted Jesus in my heart in high school- it was in Clemson where I truly learned what that meant. 

Fast forward a few years and that puts you to where I am now.  I graduated from the most loving, fun, spirit-led, crazy, sports-oriented, bleeding orange college you can think of--- Clemson University.  It is where I learned how to grow with Jesus and pursue Him with all my heart. It is where I discovered my heart for middle schoolers and wanting them to know Jesus. And it was also where I received a stellar education in Marketing (and a teaspoon of Psychology). College has been the best experience I could have ever dreamed of and now I have to put on my big girl pants and take on the real world.  So I guess you could say...I'm a big kid now. (Yes, you thought it. I stole my header from Huggies. But, I will not apologize for wonderful marketing that just happens to apply to my lovely blog!). 

Anyways, as hard as it was to swallow, the Lord told me to leave this community of believers in South Carolina and return home to the Washington, DC area. In a little over two weeks I begin my first career as a administrative/marketing assistant at Cushman and Wakefield. (With that said, please pray for me! For finding an amazing Christian community, loving my job and co-workers, and doing everything with Jesus's name and heart.)

In the coming months I plan write and share my adventures in the corporate world. Ranging from awkward encounters to lessons the Lord is teaching me, I can not exactly pin point where this blog will take me.  I can not promise quality writing or comic relief every time I post, but I can promise speaking the truth and sharing my life. Enjoy!