Pity Party!? Not here, no way!

Looking back and longing for the "good ol' days" is a hinderance to God...he is u nable to move you forward if you rebel against his plan...look forward and be excited about what your future holds! Don't focus on the past and what you "used" to have...go with the flow of life, allow change to take it's place...or you never may know what great things are in store for you!

I wrote this the other day on my facebook status...it's all in my own words-just inspired by a book I'm reading- "Chasing Daylight". The author talks about how we are "time travelers designed to move forward". If God wanted us to be able to "pause" our lives and "move backwards" to change our course in life, he would of made us that way. But, he didn't. And, good thing because we probably would NEVER move forward!!! I can think of  a million times I would of took advantage of that!!! Lucky for us, we are able to make choices every day to change our course in life though.
I cringe at the thought of how many days..months..even years I've spent running in "pause" mode! Constantly wasting my time obsessing about something in the past on a daily basis..refusing to move forward or focus on what God has in store for my future. It's called fear, anxiety, stress, whatever you want to call it. It's not having faith that God will work out your troubles for the good. God sees the BIG picture, we don't. We can't see the end. As long as we refuse to focus on what's in store for us, we can't ever get there. Like the saying goes...."when one door closes, another opens". If we keep looking and sulking over the "closed door", sometimes we miss the "open one".
I'm so guilty of staring at many "closed doors". I don't ever want to be guilty of that again! Don't "regret" what you did or maybe even what happened to you, cause then...someday, you'll regret all the time you wasted focusing on that and realize..."WOW! This really did work out for the best!"  You can NEVER get time back! Don't waste it! It's a precious gift. We only have very little time here on this earth to fulfill our purpose. Don't waste another day! Most of all, remember God's promise in my favorite verse: " For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future~Jeremiah 29:11
Keep marching on my favorite peeps!! Treasure every moment! Love each other! Like my Pastor says every Sunday-"Have JOY in your journey!" Love you all! XOXO

Sunday FUNDAY!

Yesterday was my 31st birthday.  Well, technically it wasn't. I don't have a real birthday this year. That's ok though. Since I don't have a "real" birthday, I usually can stretch my celebrations out over a couple days instead of one. Since some people (including me) are still confused about my actual birthday, they don't know whether to wish me a "happy birthday" on Feb. 28th or March 1st. Either way, I'll celebrate both days! There's a lot to celebrate, it's ME! Right?! 

Sunday was awesome! Every day spent at ALC (Adventure Life Church) is a day I am thankful for! We spent 8+ years in the Des Moines area before we stumbled upon ALC. Some days it makes me sad to think of all time we wasted not being "connected" to a Christian family in our area. Oh well, gotta move forward! Can't focus on the past!! I see now how extremely important it is and how spending time in church every week with others who are on a "Faith Journey" can have a very powerful affect on your life. It kinda drives me nuts now when people say "I'm a Christian but don't feel I need to go to church." Sorry to whomever this may offend but-YES it IS people! It's not just important, it's keeping you "plugged in" to the"Truth"! There is not a lot of  "Truth" in our daily lives in this world we live in. God wants us to fellowship with other people who are pursuing Him as much as possible, not just at Easter or Christmas service.
Ok, I'm not lecturing, but if you aren't "connected" somewhere, take the steps. Find a place, commit to it (it should be a commitment) and most importantly, find a "home" you LOVE! One that lifts you up! And one that you feel yourself growing spiritually when you are there. Don't just go to the church down the street because it's convenient and the same "religion" you grew up with! Don't waste your time! We ALL grow and change...sometimes sticking to the same old thing is not good for everyone. Unless you are growing closer to God, it's kinda pointless anyway!
 David and I have friends at ALC that are all different ages. You can connect with people and learn so much if you open yourself up to it. We used to spend time looking for a "young, hip" church. There again...we were caught up in the "ways of the world". Who cares what age people are!! We have learned some great life lessons from those at ALC who are much older then us! I've had JUST as much fun with some of the older folks as the ones closer to our age. It's not the age, it's the spirit that you connect with!
I don't know why I felt the need to post this....but sometimes you just gotta go with what's on your heart. I just want the best for all those I love. If you find something and your excited about it.....you want to share it, right!? So, I guess.....what I'm sharing with you all, is how much finding a church home has changed OUR lives. It's so very important. It can be life changing. God sometimes uses other Christians to speak to us and help us on our journey.....and if your not connecting with other Christians on a weekly/daily basis, how will he use them in your life??? We've learned so much through the Christians we've connected with at ALC. CONNECT!! That's the next important thing! Don't just "attend"...DIVE IN! Volunteer, help out, sign up for that bake sale benefit!! Help volunteer with the youth missions! You never know...you may stumble across something/someone that will change your life! God can't work in your life if you don't seek him out! Sunday night, at our Alpha study...I was drug up on stage to help sing with the praise team. Yeah...I was "volunteered" by someone else. Anyhow, I found myself on stage with two others, in front of about 40 people and leading them in song. I had NO idea what we were singing either. We don't sing traditional hymnal songs at ALC either. So, that's probably a good thing since I typically listen to Christian radio. I knew all four songs we sang! I was a little petrified when I first got up there, but it was all good. I actually found myself having fun and getting into the moment!
Little lesson learned....doing something that makes you uncomfortable isn't ALWAYS a bad thing! You may find out it's a lot of fun! God can have quite the sense of humor sometimes......but he ALWAYS know what's best for you...even if you think it's not!
Have a good day everyone!! XOXO