Lately I have had many things on my mind. I have been using a journal to write down my thoughts, things I want to remember, prayers, and quotes from my devotional for the past 4 months. I have found myself surrounded by the word "Love".
I am amazed at how when something is on your mind, God adds in little reminders everywhere. To name just one, Alumni hall's theme this year is love (specifically 1 Corinthians 13....my favorite Bible passage).
I keep find myself amazed at the unconditional love Christ shows us. Words like "love" and "unconditional" are often thrown around. But, that's not the way with Christ. He tells us that no matter what we do, no matter how we act, no matter which rules we break, no matter what sins we are committing today, He loves us. Unconditionally. I don't know about you, but this is so powerful for me. There is no greater love. God sent His Son to die. For me. A sinner. I am imperfect. I am flawed. I am not worthy. Within this love there is also grace given to us. Christ tells us that even though we haven't done anything to deserve His love, He still died to set us free. The ultimate sacrifice.
Throughout this conviction I have been reading "In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day". Trust me, it is 100% worth the read. I am learning to not run away from my fear and my doubt. Instead, I am chasing that lion because I have no idea where it could be leading me. Some of our most difficult moments lead to some incredible life-changing things. I cannot express how true this has held for me over the past year.
So, in efforts to get back to my homework, I urge you to be courageous and to try to show Christ's unconditional love to someone in your life today.
<3
September 29, 2013
May 19, 2013
New Beginnings
Blessings have been pouring out in my life. Even though I feel like I am walking in "the valley of the shadow of death," I am constantly reminded that God is holding me. The set of footprints in the sand are His; not mine. I am not able to hold myself right now; but God is re-assuring me that He is holding me.
The past week has been filled with many changes. I had an incredibly difficult exam week; it included a few breakdowns and it ended with "crazy Steph". Anyone that saw me Thursday night or Friday knows what I am talking about. My body was so ready to crash, but my schedule was still incredibly booked. So, I got silly and had issues trying to follow conversations. I had a lot of "oh that makes sense now" moments.
Friday was incredibly insane between work, packing, cleaning, and singing for honor's convocation. Just when I thought I could rest, people came back to the room to hang out and talk. They talked, I laid half asleep, half away. But, it was so good just to be with people.
Saturday was an early morning filled with getting ready for Graduation where I had to usher, sing, and say goodbye to some of my closest friends. Yes, I was the lone roommate not graduating. It felt a little weird sending them off to the real world and realizing I still have 3 semesters left. It also got me a bit nervous as I will no longer be living in the same room (or even on the same campus...or same state) as my close friends. After they left, I slowly packed up my belongings. Then, once Mo was off work, we realized that both of us underestimated how much stuff we had left to fit in the car. I can honestly say we were filled to the brim. We made sure I could see out the back window. But, there was a pillow and backpack by my side/legs and Mo had things by her legs, on her lap, and in her hands. Needless to say, anyone who saw us knew we had just moved out of our college dorm rooms.
The past 24 hours have been filled with introductions and new beginnings. Our new home is beautiful and we couldn't be more thankful for this incredible couple that has let us into their house for this summer. But, they are not only letting us into their house; they are welcoming us into their family. Our "Mom" keeps telling people "I had two kids move out, so now I found some new ones!" But, she also cautions that we are not allowed to tell her actual children this. :P
Tomorrow is a big day; first day at the internship. Nervous. But mostly, I just don't want to drive in all the nasty traffic. This is going to be MUCH different for the small town Iowa girl; that's a guarantee.
Prayers would be appreciated :)
That's all for now! I hope God starts to help me heal and eventually provides answers to why I was going through all of this.
The past week has been filled with many changes. I had an incredibly difficult exam week; it included a few breakdowns and it ended with "crazy Steph". Anyone that saw me Thursday night or Friday knows what I am talking about. My body was so ready to crash, but my schedule was still incredibly booked. So, I got silly and had issues trying to follow conversations. I had a lot of "oh that makes sense now" moments.
Friday was incredibly insane between work, packing, cleaning, and singing for honor's convocation. Just when I thought I could rest, people came back to the room to hang out and talk. They talked, I laid half asleep, half away. But, it was so good just to be with people.
Saturday was an early morning filled with getting ready for Graduation where I had to usher, sing, and say goodbye to some of my closest friends. Yes, I was the lone roommate not graduating. It felt a little weird sending them off to the real world and realizing I still have 3 semesters left. It also got me a bit nervous as I will no longer be living in the same room (or even on the same campus...or same state) as my close friends. After they left, I slowly packed up my belongings. Then, once Mo was off work, we realized that both of us underestimated how much stuff we had left to fit in the car. I can honestly say we were filled to the brim. We made sure I could see out the back window. But, there was a pillow and backpack by my side/legs and Mo had things by her legs, on her lap, and in her hands. Needless to say, anyone who saw us knew we had just moved out of our college dorm rooms.
The past 24 hours have been filled with introductions and new beginnings. Our new home is beautiful and we couldn't be more thankful for this incredible couple that has let us into their house for this summer. But, they are not only letting us into their house; they are welcoming us into their family. Our "Mom" keeps telling people "I had two kids move out, so now I found some new ones!" But, she also cautions that we are not allowed to tell her actual children this. :P
Tomorrow is a big day; first day at the internship. Nervous. But mostly, I just don't want to drive in all the nasty traffic. This is going to be MUCH different for the small town Iowa girl; that's a guarantee.
Prayers would be appreciated :)
That's all for now! I hope God starts to help me heal and eventually provides answers to why I was going through all of this.
May 6, 2013
Blessings
Today, I'll admit is another struggle. I haven't written on here in a long time, but it's time to update everyone on something I think is important.
Some of you may or may not know that I am going through a lot now. But, as I'm attempting to edit my 12 page paper (yes, this is also a form of procrastination) I have Spotify on. All of a sudden 10,000 reasons came on and I was compelled to share. Even when we feel all alone; even when we feel like we are in the midst of the hardest thing we have ever had in our life, it's time to go to God. It's time to thank Him for everything we do have.
My Blessings
-A God who loves unconditionally. He does give and take away, but He provides comfort by telling me He will never give me anything I cannot handle. (He must think I'm a lot stronger than I feel lately!)
-A family who is always a phone call, text, facebook message, or skype away. No matter how long I spend away from them, I still am able to feel close to them.
-Christian education. Fact. I'm able to attend Trinity. WOW!
-Friends who are there any time, any day. Friends who understand when space is needed, when a hug is needed, and when vegging out is needed.
-Technology for allowing me to be able to look up devotionals that address anything I'm dealing with.
-The fact that I can carry my Bible around!
-Music.
-A new church and family that has welcomed me in and provided me with a home.
-An internship to practice what I have been diligently studying and learning.
-A car that gets me where I need to go. (Yes dad, this means I'm going to get an oil change for it and have the tires checked out.)
How easy it is to come up with just that list and I know there are tons I have forgotten.
Take the time today to reflect on how you are blessed, not on all the bad stuff. Exams are rolling around, but just remember: we are BLESSED to be able to attend college!
Also, if you are willing, take the time today to say a little prayer for me throughout what feels like thousands of changes in my life.
~To God be the glory!
Some of you may or may not know that I am going through a lot now. But, as I'm attempting to edit my 12 page paper (yes, this is also a form of procrastination) I have Spotify on. All of a sudden 10,000 reasons came on and I was compelled to share. Even when we feel all alone; even when we feel like we are in the midst of the hardest thing we have ever had in our life, it's time to go to God. It's time to thank Him for everything we do have.
My Blessings
-A God who loves unconditionally. He does give and take away, but He provides comfort by telling me He will never give me anything I cannot handle. (He must think I'm a lot stronger than I feel lately!)
-A family who is always a phone call, text, facebook message, or skype away. No matter how long I spend away from them, I still am able to feel close to them.
-Christian education. Fact. I'm able to attend Trinity. WOW!
-Friends who are there any time, any day. Friends who understand when space is needed, when a hug is needed, and when vegging out is needed.
-Technology for allowing me to be able to look up devotionals that address anything I'm dealing with.
-The fact that I can carry my Bible around!
-Music.
-A new church and family that has welcomed me in and provided me with a home.
-An internship to practice what I have been diligently studying and learning.
-A car that gets me where I need to go. (Yes dad, this means I'm going to get an oil change for it and have the tires checked out.)
How easy it is to come up with just that list and I know there are tons I have forgotten.
Take the time today to reflect on how you are blessed, not on all the bad stuff. Exams are rolling around, but just remember: we are BLESSED to be able to attend college!
Also, if you are willing, take the time today to say a little prayer for me throughout what feels like thousands of changes in my life.
~To God be the glory!
February 17, 2013
Typical Me
So, like I explained in my first post....this isn't going to be easy for me to remember to do.
Every time I thought about blogging the past few weeks there was always something else that needed to get done, someone else that wanted me to hang out, or sleep to catch up on.
As promised, this semester has been incredibly busy and it's not really looking like it will get any better. I guess that's what happens when you have 19 credits, a job, a recital coming up (April 20! Save the date!), and various miscellaneous other tasks that seem to call my name all of the time.
Today in Bible study we were discussing how easy it is to get off of our schedule. We may be successful in scheduling time for God, but somehow once one thing changes, we forget. And once we forget once...well...it's easy to continue forgetting. That's not only how I feel about my devotional life, but about this blog as well. Ironic. I'm not taking time out of my life to do things that bring joy to me.
But, here I am yet again. A stressed student asking for prayers.
1. For my continuous studies as they seem to never end and the first tests that will be coming up within the next 2 weeks.
2. For my extra curricular to be enjoyable and to not add to the stress level.
3. For God to use people in my life to help me even if I claim I do not want or need the help.
4. For rest.
5. For the anxiety levels to stay down.
Yes, there's quite the theme here...but, I can do it! God tells me I can do ALL things through Him!
Updates from when I last blogged (or at least the important ones I can remember):
1. I got to meet Hope, the newest sister to Faith and Joy. They are family friends of the Copelands (yes, there are actually girls affiliated with the Copeland family!) I cannot wait to see Hope again....babysitting opportunities better come!
2. A surprise visit from Josh! The guy actually got me!!! This will go down in history!
3. Multiple viewings of Pitch Perfect and some awesome nails compliments of Sarah.
4. A package from Mamma and Pappa complete with way too many snacks. :)
5. A dozen roses from Joshua for Valentine's day....another record! This kid keeps surprising me. :)
6. A valentine card from the one, the only, Danielle! I was literally tearing up when I read it. That girl is simply awesome!
Well, it's time for me to finish other things, but there was a short update! I tried to put in pictures, but failed. I will attempt to make that work next time. :)
Every time I thought about blogging the past few weeks there was always something else that needed to get done, someone else that wanted me to hang out, or sleep to catch up on.
As promised, this semester has been incredibly busy and it's not really looking like it will get any better. I guess that's what happens when you have 19 credits, a job, a recital coming up (April 20! Save the date!), and various miscellaneous other tasks that seem to call my name all of the time.
Today in Bible study we were discussing how easy it is to get off of our schedule. We may be successful in scheduling time for God, but somehow once one thing changes, we forget. And once we forget once...well...it's easy to continue forgetting. That's not only how I feel about my devotional life, but about this blog as well. Ironic. I'm not taking time out of my life to do things that bring joy to me.
But, here I am yet again. A stressed student asking for prayers.
1. For my continuous studies as they seem to never end and the first tests that will be coming up within the next 2 weeks.
2. For my extra curricular to be enjoyable and to not add to the stress level.
3. For God to use people in my life to help me even if I claim I do not want or need the help.
4. For rest.
5. For the anxiety levels to stay down.
Yes, there's quite the theme here...but, I can do it! God tells me I can do ALL things through Him!
Updates from when I last blogged (or at least the important ones I can remember):
1. I got to meet Hope, the newest sister to Faith and Joy. They are family friends of the Copelands (yes, there are actually girls affiliated with the Copeland family!) I cannot wait to see Hope again....babysitting opportunities better come!
2. A surprise visit from Josh! The guy actually got me!!! This will go down in history!
3. Multiple viewings of Pitch Perfect and some awesome nails compliments of Sarah.
4. A package from Mamma and Pappa complete with way too many snacks. :)
5. A dozen roses from Joshua for Valentine's day....another record! This kid keeps surprising me. :)
6. A valentine card from the one, the only, Danielle! I was literally tearing up when I read it. That girl is simply awesome!
Well, it's time for me to finish other things, but there was a short update! I tried to put in pictures, but failed. I will attempt to make that work next time. :)
January 28, 2013
New Job: Skilled Juggler
Fact:
This semester is causing me to learn to be a skilled juggler. So far, so good.
Not even one full week into the semester and I can honestly say homework and I are the best of friends. That is, if you consider the definition of best friends: spending most every waking minute together.
So, why will I become a skilled juggler this semester you ask? Well, for the first half of the semester about 70-80% of my homework is due on Thursdays. So, this means I must juggle staying ahead. I also must juggle work and the activities of the week. But, most importantly, I will be that kid on Sunday afternoons doing homework for Thursday because by that point I will have already accomplished Monday and Tuesday's homework. Note: I just said that by Sunday afternoon I will have Monday and Tuesday's homework done. This is a goal, and I plan to stick to it.
Since no day in my schedule is the same this semester, I not only will be a skilled juggler, but I will also have an incredible memory for what happens on what day. However, the fear of me getting confused on what day it is looms.
However, all of that sounds super pessimistic and that is not what I want to convey today at all. I am happy being back with friends. It truly is wonderful being able to catch up with everyone. Even the lovely Kristen Nymeyer and I had to catch up because although we have the same hometown and college we managed to spend almost 6 weeks without seeing each other.
This semester is also a semester of firsts. I'm not so proud to say it, but yesterday was the first time I ever went to Sunday Night Worship. It was incredible to be able to worship with a small group on campus and let me tell ya, after reading taxes and accounting all day, it was so refreshing to be able to sing some praises to our Lord! Along with that first, I am going to attempt to take time for myself and time for little things like SNW. With this busy, crazy schedule taking time out to be with people and to praise the Lord will be the perfect cure.
This past weekend I spent time relaxing, watching Big Bang Theory and organizing my planner with all of my syllabi. Then, on Saturday Josh half-surprised me. (He told me Friday night that he was planning on surprising me). We got to go to a basketball game, eat at the caf (popcorn chicken bowl...who can resist that?), and go to Tastee-Freeze. Yes, Mom, I will yet again remind you that if you want a cake batter shake you MUST come visit me. :)
Well, I better get back to the lovely Taxes homework that I have been working on.
<3 Steph
This semester is causing me to learn to be a skilled juggler. So far, so good.
Not even one full week into the semester and I can honestly say homework and I are the best of friends. That is, if you consider the definition of best friends: spending most every waking minute together.
So, why will I become a skilled juggler this semester you ask? Well, for the first half of the semester about 70-80% of my homework is due on Thursdays. So, this means I must juggle staying ahead. I also must juggle work and the activities of the week. But, most importantly, I will be that kid on Sunday afternoons doing homework for Thursday because by that point I will have already accomplished Monday and Tuesday's homework. Note: I just said that by Sunday afternoon I will have Monday and Tuesday's homework done. This is a goal, and I plan to stick to it.
Since no day in my schedule is the same this semester, I not only will be a skilled juggler, but I will also have an incredible memory for what happens on what day. However, the fear of me getting confused on what day it is looms.
However, all of that sounds super pessimistic and that is not what I want to convey today at all. I am happy being back with friends. It truly is wonderful being able to catch up with everyone. Even the lovely Kristen Nymeyer and I had to catch up because although we have the same hometown and college we managed to spend almost 6 weeks without seeing each other.
This semester is also a semester of firsts. I'm not so proud to say it, but yesterday was the first time I ever went to Sunday Night Worship. It was incredible to be able to worship with a small group on campus and let me tell ya, after reading taxes and accounting all day, it was so refreshing to be able to sing some praises to our Lord! Along with that first, I am going to attempt to take time for myself and time for little things like SNW. With this busy, crazy schedule taking time out to be with people and to praise the Lord will be the perfect cure.
This past weekend I spent time relaxing, watching Big Bang Theory and organizing my planner with all of my syllabi. Then, on Saturday Josh half-surprised me. (He told me Friday night that he was planning on surprising me). We got to go to a basketball game, eat at the caf (popcorn chicken bowl...who can resist that?), and go to Tastee-Freeze. Yes, Mom, I will yet again remind you that if you want a cake batter shake you MUST come visit me. :)
Well, I better get back to the lovely Taxes homework that I have been working on.
<3 Steph
January 20, 2013
Procrastination
Hello all,
The semester hasn't even started and I find myself procrastinating...on packing, that is. But, who wants to pack anyways? Better yet, who wants to spend all day (on a Monday) driving 8+ hours alone? Not me. But, I have found that the Lord has called me to be where I am. It would be easy to say that there was a rhyme and reason to why I chose Trinity, but it was literally the Holy Spirit working through me. I had no idea why I was even considering a college so far from home. But, since I made that move 2 1/2 years ago I have never regretted it.
So, long story short, this blog will be my attempt to keep everyone in Iowa, Chicago, and anywhere else updated on what is actually going on in my life. I have chosen to start a blog because of a request from a close friend. (P.S. Danielle, sorry it took me this long to finally start it!)
Here are the facts (if you don't already know them):
I am in my Junior year majoring in Business and Music with a minor in Accounting. Crazy, I know. It is rare that someone does not get a confused look on their face when I tell them my major(s). These two things are what I love, and they make me uniquely, me. I am 20 years old and enjoy being in love with my best friend. It really does make my life a lot easier having him.
My goals for this blog:
I am not exactly sure how this is all going to look. My goal is basically to write as often as I feel necessary. It may just be short tidbits on what is going, but with this crazy semester approaching that is about all I can promise.
I will end this for now so that I can finish packing and spend some time with my parents before I leave in the morning.
See you in about 26 hours Trinity!
-Steph
The semester hasn't even started and I find myself procrastinating...on packing, that is. But, who wants to pack anyways? Better yet, who wants to spend all day (on a Monday) driving 8+ hours alone? Not me. But, I have found that the Lord has called me to be where I am. It would be easy to say that there was a rhyme and reason to why I chose Trinity, but it was literally the Holy Spirit working through me. I had no idea why I was even considering a college so far from home. But, since I made that move 2 1/2 years ago I have never regretted it.
So, long story short, this blog will be my attempt to keep everyone in Iowa, Chicago, and anywhere else updated on what is actually going on in my life. I have chosen to start a blog because of a request from a close friend. (P.S. Danielle, sorry it took me this long to finally start it!)
Here are the facts (if you don't already know them):
I am in my Junior year majoring in Business and Music with a minor in Accounting. Crazy, I know. It is rare that someone does not get a confused look on their face when I tell them my major(s). These two things are what I love, and they make me uniquely, me. I am 20 years old and enjoy being in love with my best friend. It really does make my life a lot easier having him.
My goals for this blog:
I am not exactly sure how this is all going to look. My goal is basically to write as often as I feel necessary. It may just be short tidbits on what is going, but with this crazy semester approaching that is about all I can promise.
I will end this for now so that I can finish packing and spend some time with my parents before I leave in the morning.
See you in about 26 hours Trinity!
-Steph
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