Joyful Abundance

This year for spring break I had the privilege of going to Jamaica on a missions trip with my college volleyball team. The week consisted of us going to various places to share the love of Jesus and pour into different people. Our week started out with landing in Montego Bay Saturday evening where I experienced the most beautiful view of the Island as we were landing, we then got settled into our cottages and relaxed from the long day of travel. Sunday we had the privilege to go to a local church where the Holy Spirit was no doubt in that place. The passion the people had for the Lord was nothing like I had ever seen before, they were dancing and singing and praising the Lord with so much joy it was truly eye opening to see how unashamed we should be in our faith. Later on that afternoon we traveled to a home and spent some time with girls who had been involved in abusive situations previously, their spirits were so positive and the time we had to connect with them is forever...

If you have grown up in or around the church you have most likely heard the term "faith like a mustard seed". I remember the first time I heard that and thinking what the heck does this even mean, what does some seed have to do with Christianity. Fast forward about a decade and it became clear, even if you have such little faith, so little that it is the size of a mustard seed, God can work supernaturally through you. I think that especially having been in the church my whole life and attending a Christian school sometimes people become competitive about the size or amount of faith one has. We tend to think that "oh I have been a believer Longer so that means my relationship with God is stronger." However, that is not necessarily always the case. He has the power to use you in whatever stage of life you are in, whether you are new to the Christian faith or have been a believer most of your life. We are told in Matthew 17:20 " Because of your little faith. For t...

" But I can't find my purpose when I don't know what my worth is"  One of my favorite things to do when listening to music is to see if there are any hidden messages in the song that could possible be taken in a context that turns back to God. This quote is from the lyrics of the song Deep Water by the band American Authors and although I have no set knowledge of their religious/faith background. This song could very well be taken in a way that turns back to Christian faith. Though the story behind the song is written about the loved ones of the band staying close and supporting them in the difficult time, one could take the lyrics to turn back towards God being by your side when you are going through the deep water. While listening to this song for the first time, I thought to myself "hold up, this is actually pretty accurate, how would we know what our purpose is if we are unknowing of our worth or identity?". As Christians, we know that we have an id...

We all know what comes with the New Year, New Years resolutions. I see too many captions that say "new year, new me!", but why not say new year, improved me? Although I have never set a legitimate resolution, this year I decided to set an achievable goal for myself if I stay disciplined. My goal is to draw closer to God and to be a better version of myself so I can live a better life. This seems cliche, not going to deny that, but I know that this year I want to be more intentional with everything that I do. I want to be more present with those I am spending time with, I want to be able to show Christ in everything I do and say, and I want to be physically, mentally, and spiritually healthy. In all realness, the only way that would make all of this difficult to achieve is if I choose to lack in effort. I have to hold myself accountable for everything that I do whether that is spending time in the word every day and setting aside time dedicated to prayer or in the choices I m...

It is no surprise that our world is full of sin and evil and sometimes the bad may seem to outweigh the good in our world. Humans take advantage of their free will and choose to engage in whatever they "feel" is right or good. The issue with that is that feelings are misleading; rather than turning toward the word of God for what is right and true, they turn toward themselves or what the secular world is teaching. As Christians we need to recognize what those truths are and live them out. It can be easy to rebuke those who's lifestyles we disagree with or turn a cold shoulder to those who are living an unholy life, but one of the greatest commandments we are given is to love our neighbor has yourself. I think that sometimes we choose to not take that as far as we can, we remain in our comfort zone loving those who we are close to or see good in. However, I think that the bigger picture is to learn to love those we disagree with and/or choose to live a life completely diff...

I have almost completed my first semester of college and I can say without a doubt that it has been the greatest experiences I have had so far in my life. (Granted I still have another 3 and a half years or so left). God has been so good to me by showing me that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. I know that the college decision making process is different for anyone but for those who are in the process of trying to find the right college, you will know when you're at the right school. It's cliche that everyone will say "oh you'll just know when you are on campus". Yes, I do agree with that; however, there are so many good schools out there and it's okay to be picky about where you want to go. For example, for me I knew I wanted to go to a smaller Christian school in the south that had a strong Athletic Training program and God opened the doors for me to be at my dream school. For me the biggest indicator that I was meant to be where I am is that whenever...

The picture attached to this is from the day I can say was a turning point in my faith since being at school. It was the day after I got off the phone with my mom talking to her about a few things that I was struggling with and she gave me some of the best, most encouraging advice. To change my perspective and pray. I grew up in a Christian home and so prayer has been a constant, but over the years I have learned that there is a difference between simply just praying because your parents ask you to at the dinner table and having a conversation with God. I have learned that in a time of intentional prayer you are focused and give everything to Him, your time, your heart, and your thoughts. Let's be real for a second, God already knows everything your thinking so don't feel like if you are struggling with someth ing you don't have to say it because He already knows. Go ahead and confess whatever you are thinking because he desires to hear your heart.  In the picture my Bible ...