March 28, 2015

Don’t Let Your Fear Paralyze You

I woke up this morning almost 2 hours before my alarm. I had a nightmare. A nightmare that was so real that you second guess if you really woke up from a dream or if it was actually reality.

I used to get them all the time. When I was in middle school, I remember one time I had to go in and check on my mom to make sure she was okay because the dream I had was so vivid. In high school, I had them a lot too. I would wake up in tears and short of breath in a panic. I had a lot of sleepless nights. My freshman year of college, I prayed before going to sleep that God would over take my dreams and protect my mind while I was asleep. I was afraid to lay my head on my pillow every night. I mean these were dark dreams, y’all. And then, when I started giving my mind to the Lord, the nightmares stopped.

Until this morning.

Worried that the nightmares would creep back in, I decided that instead of trying to fall back asleep I would get a head start on my day. I started to look over my schedule. A little busy but nothing too big. Then I looked at the week… then I looked at the month..then the year. By the time I realized what the next year of my life was supposed to look like, I wondered if I was still in a nightmare. Not because it’s not going to be great and exciting, but because I don’t know how it’s going to happen. And I stopped. And I won’t lie, tears began to well up in my eyes.

I had an overwhelming sense of fear.

I was paralyzed.

And then I laughed. Out loud. In my room, by myself. From the moment I woke this morning, even before I was awake, the enemy was trying to seize my thoughts. Today is going to be filled with talks of the future, exciting things happening in my life that are undeniably from God. What do I have to fear? And there I was sitting at my desk, tears in my eyes, worried about the plan? So I laughed.

And then I got down on my knees in prayer and thanked God for all he is doing in my life. Let’s be honest, I can’t do anything. But as cheesy as it is to say, with God, anything is possible.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus….I can do all things through Christ that gives me strength. (Philippians 4:6-7; 13)

The peace of God that surpasses all understanding. Seriously, if you look at my life and my schedule, it doesn’t make sense and I have every right to be nervous and anxious and overwhelmed. But instead, I have a peace. I have joy and excitement and eagerness to live this crazy life that I’ve been called to.

If I let my nightmares overcome my daily life with fear, I wouldn’t be where I am today. If I let my fear of the unknown stop me in my tracks, I wouldn’t be living abundantly in the freedom that I have found in Jesus Christ.

So don’t let fear hold you back from your dreams. Don’t let it paralyze you. The Lord has much better things for you ahead than what you are leaving behind.

March 18, 2015

To Be Continued… & Happily Ever After

I have a confession… I LOVE the show Pretty Little Liars.

Actually, I have a love-hate relationship with it.

I’ve been watching the show since pretty much the beginning. And, if you’re not familiar with it (which I’m assuming most of the readership on my blog is not) basically there is a secret character named “A” who pretty much tortures this group of friends. Every episode you think they’re going to discover who is it, only to be left even more dazed and confused than when the show started.

Sometimes I feel like that’s how life is. You’re left with a “To be continued…” instead of a “Happily Ever After”. And a lot of times the not knowing is the worst part.

So what do you do when you’re left with an unsolved mystery at what seems to be the end of a chapter? Honestly, I don’t know.

I do know, that usually, if it’s not okay, it’s not the end. I also know that every time I think that God has closed doors and a chapter is over, that’s usually what He is doing. But the great thing is, there’s something even bigger and better in the next chapter.

My best friend finished a book the other night. The book literally just ended. Abruptly. It didn’t have a nice tidy resolution. The character just dies. My friend stormed into my room and all she could say was “Seriously?!”. I mean, she was mad. And rightfully so, I told her it was a good book but didn’t warn her about the ending. But the book just stops. With no explanation of why or how. A character that you were so invested in and had gotten so wrapped up in her story, just dies.

I’m so thankful that our stories don’t just end without cause or explanation. That we can pour our whole selves into our passions and desires and God will use those. We don’t just die and that’s that. But we’re a part of a greater story that is so much bigger than our lifetime. I’m grateful that even if we’re left with a “To Be Continued…” we have the peace and joy of knowing that God is the author of our story and He is not finished yet.

June 23, 2014

Andy Merrick’s Story: I Know.

I haven’t blogged in over a month and it feels a little strange! Life has been super crazy and awesome so I can’t complain. But I could not let this video pass by without sharing it with you! Andy is on the Cross Point Community Church staff in Nashville, TN. He does some awesome things for the church and anyone who has ever had the chance to talk to Andy will tell you that his personality and heart for others is contagious!

If you struggle with anxiety, depression or even just doubts about God, know that you’re not alone. Know that there are other who struggle with it too. I’ve written about being a depressed Christian before but Andy puts it all out there in this short video. I encourage you to watch it even if you don’t struggle with those things!

What are some of the things you struggle with? Do you feel like you’re the only one?

March 31, 2014

What A Breakup Taught Me About God, Life & Never Being Alone

It’s taken me almost two years to be able to talk about my broken heart without wanting to hunt someone down and rip him a new one. There were many times that I wanted to reenact the scene from Princess Bride and say something like “My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!”

Okay, so maybe I wouldn’t go to those lengths, but you get the picture.

I learned that just because his mom likes you, doesn’t mean he likes you. I learned that I would never move across the country away from my family for a boy. And I learned who my true friends are.

I also learned that the saying of William Congreve “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” is pretty accurate.

Being hurt sucks.

But being hurt also shows who you really are.

I am a hopeless romantic, a believer in love at first sight and a firm believer in soul mates. I have zero experience in any of those.

At one point, I thought I was in love. I thought that I had met “the one”. And then out of no where, it was over. Since then, he’s moved on and from what I can see, he’s happy. And I’m genuinely happy for him.

But where did that leave me?

It left me broken, crushed, depressed, questioning what I did wrong and wondering how I had so much joy for so long, only for it to be ripped from my hands out of no where.

Months went by and I was still consumed with depression and anxiety. I couldn’t explain how I was feeling to anyone. Eventually I would go to counseling and get the help I needed (You can read my thoughts on being a depressed Christian here). But in that time before I finally swallowed my pride and sought help, I had to learn to fully depend on God.

A lot of you may say “Come on Erin, he was just a boy, it was just a break up, there are plenty of fish in the sea”. But the thing that I have come to realize is that the break up and hurt wasn’t just about the boy.

That boy had become my life. Everything revolved around what we did, because all I wanted to do was make him happy. I had built my friendships, my desires, my passions, my trust around our relationship. It wasn’t an unhealthy relationship necessarily. We equally cared for each other and wanted to make the other person happy. But this relationship that I thought was so perfect, wasn’t centered around God.

I was in love with this boy and I let my heart stray from what really mattered. I really didn’t have to work for this relationship, it was easy. Our schedules were conveniently the same, he didn’t mind hanging out with my friends and I didn’t mind hanging out with his. But when he went away, so did all of that.

I was so caught up in the life I had built during our relationship that I had made God a second priority. Maybe, no definitely, that would be the downfall of our relationship and ultimately my life at that point.

In that time of loneliness and that feeling of betrayal, I knew that God was right there. I felt like he was the only one who I didn’t have to try to explain how I felt, He just knew. He knew what it felt like to be betrayed, he knew even worse hurt than what I was feeling. There were so many times where I laid on the floor of my apartment, sobbing until I didn’t have any tears left, crying out to God to please, just help me move on, heal my heart, bring me back into His arms of grace. I didn’t want to be by myself, but I also didn’t want to talk to anyone about it. I just wanted to be.

And that’s all God wanted from me, to be in his presence. I hadn’t done that in a while.

Now that I am a few years down the road, I can see what I learned from that whole ordeal. I can see where God was even when I didn’t feel him. In my small group this week, we talked about God’s action vs God’s identity. I never realized, but at that time, I was looking for God’s action. Now I see that I don’t have faith in God’s actions, I have faith in God’s identity, in His promise of the fact that life’s not going to be easy, but we will never be alone.

I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t still hurt when I think about it or when I talk about it. It scares me to think about being in another relationship, to take the risk of being hurt again, but I learned so much during that time of heartache. God used that time to really show me that He really is all I need.

That summer, I was stripped of everything I thought was my future, everything I thought was definite, everything that I put in front of my relationship with God. And all in that same moment of the deepest darkest hole I could have been in, I was wrapped in the embrace of the father whom I had betrayed and put so many things in front of Him. Never once did he turn his back or leave me in my moments of weakness.

I am so so so thankful for my friends who put up with me during that time. I’m so grateful that I serve a God who never left my side, but waited until I was ready (or maybe forced) to leave that comfort and follow what he has for me. And I’m thankful that now I know that no matter what, God is always first in everything, most importantly my relationships. I don’t know what is the next step in my life. I know that it will look nothing like I thought it would 2 years ago. But one thing I do know is

There are far better things ahead than we ever leave behind

March 12, 2014

It’s okay to not be okay

I started this blog to be real, authentic and raw. To share with others how God is leading me on this journey called life. On that journey, there are really crappy times. With that being said, in this post, I’m going to be completely 100% honest and authentic, life isn’t always pretty, but it is redeemable. Sometimes you just can’t see it yet.

2014 has not started out well for me. It’s been a year of struggle and loss…and it’s barely March.
At the beginning of the year, I lost my grandfather. We knew it was coming and it was ready for him to go. He lived a good, long life and he was ready to go, but it was still sad. That was my first real experience with death.

Then in February, I was in a car accident that wasn’t my fault. My very first car that was such a blessing to receive in the first place, is now totaled. Physically I have minimal injuries but they still effect my daily life and stress levels have been increasing daily.

But the last straw was when my 11 month old kitten, Sir Jasper, whom I loved so much, caught a fatal disease called FIP and had to be put down this past weekend. It. Killed. Me. That was my second experience with death.

And I’ve about had enough.

I’m not okay. I’m angry and I’m hurt and I don’t understand.

I’ve cried uncontrollably, I’ve yelled, I’ve asked God a number of times to lift the burden.

So much loss in such a small amount of time really takes it’s toll on a person. There’s not much anyone can really say to make things better. And when all of this first happened, people would ask me how I’m doing and I would say “I’m okay.” But I’m not.

I’m hurt.

I’m broken.

My spirit is crushed.

So I stopped saying “It’s okay” and “I’m okay” and started saying “It’s life”.

Because it is life.

And it hurts and it sucks and it’s hard and IT’S NOT FAIR.

But that’s the beauty of grace, it makes life not fair. (Thanks for that Relient K)

I think what I’m learning through all of this is that

It’s okay to not be okay

I don’t understand why this is happening. You can tell me a number of things that you’re supposed to tell people when they’re going through hard times, but it doesn’t heal a heart. It is much appreciated though!

My best friend told me something today that I think helped as much as anything could.

“Grief is something that human words can’t begin to touch. It’s only God that can bring a new hope and a new vision for what life is.”

The only answer that I can give to the question of “Why do terrible things happen when I did nothing to deserve it?” Is: because life.

I have found comfort in the fact that, through all of this, the messages and texts and phone calls I’ve received have made me realized how truly blessed I am.

I’m still angry. And I’m hurt. And I’m not okay. And I don’t think or expect those things to go away any time soon. But I also have to remember that I can’t be mad at God for things because I know that He has a greater plan that I could imagine. He can take crappy situations and use them for his glory. He has revived me from heartbreak and depression before, and I know he will do it again.

Psalm 71:14,19-21

As for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.

For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens,
You who have done great things;
O God, who is like You?
You who have shown me many troubles and distresses
Will revive me again,
And will bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
May You increase my greatness
And turn to comfort me.

Psalm 34:15, 17-19

The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry.

The righteous cry, and the Lord hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all.

I’ve lost a lot in the last month. My grandfather has passed, my car is gone, my best friend and constant in my life for the past 10 months had a disease that I couldn’t prevent and I had to make the decision to end his life. Some things in life happen. And sometimes they’re really crappy. But you can choose hope. I never want anyone to suffer, emotionally or physically. But I also know that it will happen and you will be hurt and angry. But it’s what you choose to do with that hurt and anger that matters. And no matter what God will redeem it.

February 24, 2014 Aside

I’m breaking up with God…

Ok, so I’m not breaking up with Him in the literal sense, but I got your attention, didn’t I?

I’m breaking up with the preconceived image that I have of God.

Growing up in the church, I have this predisposition of who God is. I think if you ever sat through a Sunday School Class, a Bible Quiz meet (for all you Nazarenes out there) or a typical church service, you were taught Jesus Loves Me, John 3:16 and the fruits of the spirit. All great things to know. But I don’t think I was truly taught to think for myself, I was never challenged to dive deeper into who God really is.

I’m ashamed to say that it wasn’t until college that I learned all of the books of the Bible. It wasn’t until college that I was challenged to rethink what I had been taught all my life, to unlearn what I had been learned over all those years of Vacation Bible School. To be challenged to give a real answer to the question “Why do you believe what you believe?” Because apparently, ‘because my daddy told me so’ isn’t an acceptable answer on a theology mid-term paper. And I still don’t think I learned all that I should have, and I was a religion major.

So what is the church doing wrong? Or rather, what could the church improve on?

I wish I had an answer to that question, but I don’t. I know, I know, I should have the answers to the things that I write about but this is just something that isn’t going to be solved over night. I think Sunday School and Bible Quizzing and VBS’s are really great things! But a lot of times, they’re used for social clubs or a free babysitter.

I just don’t think that we are challenging anyone in the Church, not just our kids and teens. My age group, the young singles, recently out of college, we don’t have anywhere in the church. Believe me, I’ve tried. I love church! and I even feel like I don’t belong. It’s hard to fit in when you’re not married with 2.3 kids and a white picket fence. Or if you’re not in college anymore. There is no challenge for me to grow spiritually. I go to church on a Sunday morning, listen to the sermon and go on my merry way.

That’s not the way to reach a generation that the Church is so desperately trying to win back.

I guess what I’m saying is, I’m challenging myself, and I urge you to be challenged as well.

Break up with the preconceived notion of who God is, of what Church is supposed to look like. Your pastors and mentors are, I’m sure, great people of faith, I hope they are teaching good, solid theology as best they can. But be challenged. Ask questions. Don’t just be spoon fed scripture. Have faith in God, not just faith in the Sunday morning sermon.

I think when we challenge ourselves and challenge each other, we as the Church, can do greater things than we could ever fathom.

How will you challenge yourself to grow and not just believe what people tell you about who God really is?

February 3, 2014

2. Keep Moving Forward

Number two on the list from my post 5 Things I’ve Learned In 2013 was

When you think you can’t take anymore, keep going.

But I think that a better description of what I’ve learned is Keep Moving Forward!

Yes, if you have ever read any of Walt Disney’s quotes, chances are one of them was keep moving forward. And being the Disney enthusiast that I am, I think this is a perfect description of life in 2013.

I’ve read a few blogs recently that have talked about the verse in 1st Corinthians that says

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

The whole premise of their blog posts are that God will definitely give you more than you can handle.

And I agree with that… sort of. In their posts they say that God will push you to your limits of temptations of what you can stand. But is that the God we serve? I’m not convinced.

In 2013 I felt that I was at the breaking point. I thought that God had given me WAY more than I thought I could handle. I would repeat this verse to myself on a daily basis. But why did I feel that I was crumbling under the weight of the life I had been given when the bible clearly says that He won’t allow me to be tempted beyond what I can handle.

Maybe I’m stronger than I thought? Probably not.

Did I have greater faith than I thought I had? Maybe. But I don’t think so.

As I said in my earlier post , if the truth was that God wouldn’t give us more than we could handle, then we’d never face a situation that was difficult. I think the better thing to say is, God won’t let you walk alone. By yourself, you can’t take on even the smallest of issues.

One of the translations of 1 Corinthians 10:13 is

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.

He’ll always be there to help you come through it. Yes. But I think the key to this, is allowing Him to help you come through it. This is the part I forget sometimes. I can’t do it on my own. No one can. We have to keep moving forward and press on with a little help…okay with a lot of help.

I’m pretty sure the only thing we can do on our own is mess things up. Big time.

But I also know that the times that we don’t choose to allow God to come along and help us, He’s going to be right there waiting to pick us up when we fall. That’s grace. And that sounds a whole lot more like the God I serve.

January 28, 2014

Katy Perry, Jesus and the Sunday Morning Music Special

For the past few weeks, my church has been going through a series based on Pastor Pete’s book Let Hope In. Awesome book, awesome series. If you have time, you should go check it out here.

This past week, at the end of the sermon, the worship team came out to sing a song. It was Unconditionally by Katy Perry. It went perfectly with what we were talking about. Me and my friends kind of laughed about the fact that we were listening to a Katy Perry song in a church service. And Pete got up after the song and addressed it immediately. He said “Now I know that I’m gonna get a lot of emails this week about the fact that we did a Katy Perry song today, so I’m just going to address it now.

There are two things that we can do with pop culture. We can choose to ignore it, or we can choose to redeem it.

This really got me thinking. A few weeks ago, I was slightly taken aback when they were playing top 40 songs preservice as people were walking in.

But why?

Why was I so uncomfortable with a song being played in church? Hymns were originally sang to the melodies of bar tunes. And I think it’s weird to sing a Katy Perry song?

Something is wrong with this picture…

Now, I’ll admit, our culture is pretty messed up… but like my pastor said, we can ignore it or we can redeem it.

Jesus calls us to be in the world but not of it. But what does that mean exactly? I feel that it’s commonly taken as we’re going to live in this world, sing our little church songs, try to tip our waitress well and go home. We aren’t going to take part in anything that is messy, or real or worldly.

My question to that thinking is, how do you reach the lost that way?

That’s not an excuse to sin. That’s not an excuse to go to bars and get drunk every weekend because you’re “doing ministry with the least of these”. But I think what Jesus was saying was, don’t be of the world, but rather, be sent into this world. On a mission. To reach the lost.

Being sent.

Not being isolated.

Not standing just far enough away so that you don’t get messy.

But sent into.

Singing a Katy Perry song that actually describes the unconditional love of God for His Church better than most songs that are on Christian radio shouldn’t make me laugh. Hearing a secular song as I walk into a church building shouldn’t be something abnormal. If having Ellie Goulding playing helps someone who hasn’t been comfortable coming to church feel a little more welcomed, then great! Would this work at every church? Not at all. But I think that if your congregation is accepting of it, then go for it!

Maybe I’m completely off on this thinking. I know that a lot of people in the relatively conservative denomination that I grew up in wouldn’t be able to even begin to fathom having a Katy Perry song during the offertory. And that’s alright. But I think it’s something we should be open to.

January 2, 2014

Where Feet May Fail

I was lucky enough to grow up 5 minutes from the beach. In the beautiful little town of Bradenton, FL where we rarely wore shoes and going out in your bathing suit was perfectly normal. I grew up knowing the beauty of the ocean, the millions of tiny creatures that it held, how soothing it could be to the soul. I knew from a young age that on the water was one place where I felt closest to God and where I could really hear from Him.

I also knew how devastatingly terrifying and powerful that same water could be. I had seen the destruction that storms and wind could bring. As much as I love being on the water, I hate being out in open water, I’m afraid of drowning or that a shark will attack me. Staying close to shore is where I feel safe.

I think this is where the story of Jesus telling Peter to walk out on the water is so powerful for me. I can imagine his fear with the winds so strong that the disciples could barely row the oars and the waves so massive that they were beginning to consume the boat. Jesus asked Peter to step out on the water and despite his fear, he does. And he walked on water towards Jesus.

The story in Matthew says that Peter saw the wind and was afraid. Maybe a wave hit his foot, or there was a roll of thunder or a fish jumped up and hit him, but whatever it was, when he became aware of his surroundings, little ole’ Pete took his eyes off Jesus. And then he realized “Oh… I’m walking out in the middle of a huge body of water…this is NOT normal” He began to doubt this miracle that was happening to him, right before his eyes.

And he began to sink.

And then he freaks out even more (understandably).

Peter cried out desperately saying “Lord, save me!”

The way I imagine it, Jesus was super nonchalant about it. And probably said something along the lines of “Dude, what the heck. Why are you doubting me? I’m out here takin a little stroll and I asked you to join me and then you looked away and started freaking out. You better be glad I’m the Son of God and I can pull you up to walk on water, cause you’re sinking man…”

Ok, so that’s not exactly what the Bible says happened… but I’m pretty sure that’s how it went.

The Bible actually says that Jesus said to Peter

“You of little faith, why did you doubt“

Why. Did. You. Doubt. How many times has God asked me that same question. Because, just like Peter, I get so caught up in the little things, like the wind about to blow me over, or a wave hitting my foot, that I take my eyes off of the only one who can get me through and keep me above the waves.

Hillsong United’s song “Oceans” is beautiful in so many ways. The first line is

You call me out upon the water, the great unknown, where feet may fail

This is where the faith comes in. As much as I hate open water, I know that there is a great adventure on the sea. As much as I hate uncertainty, I know that there is an amazing plan that I don’t see that God is saying, “Why are you doubting me”

The bridge of the song goes

Spirit lead me where my trust is without boarders, let me walk upon the waters, wherever you would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander, and my faith will be made stronger, in the presence of my savior

I love that first line…but the second part is what gets me. The first line is great, but its nothing without that second line. Because asking to be led wherever God would call you is one thing, but actually doing it is where faith comes in. I don’t think your faith can grow stronger without trials and heartache and hard times, if you disagree, let me know, because very rarely have I grown without being at a low in my life. And I don’t think that it’s necessarily a bad thing! Going deeper and being led where your feet may fail can lead you on an incredible journey!

So in this new year of 2014 (whoa, weird!) I want to go deeper, live more fully, rest in the grace of God and have my faith made stronger by stepping out of the boat into the open water that I fear, and do it without taking my eyes off of the pursuit of God’s will.

Would you be willing to take that challenge, too?

December 24, 2013

5 Things I’ve Learned In 2013

2013 has been an eventful year. I graduated, got a real job, got another job, made new friends and lost some old ones. I’ve seen some really low lows and some amazingly high highs, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. So here are some things that I have learned in the past year that have formed who I am:

1. Forgiveness hurts, but it’s worth it.

Forgiveness hurts. And it’s messy and it’s a hard thing to do. Trying to let go of hurt and anger and bitterness can make you hurt and angry and bitter. This year, I had to learn to let some things go. I realized being angry about it, wasn’t going to effect the other person. Being a victim of the hurt, wasn’t going to heal my heart. Holding on to the bitterness wasn’t going to make that person see what they had done. No matter how I felt, it wasn’t going to change the past. Forgiveness was a hard lesson to learn. But when I finally decided to let things go and forgive myself and them, it was the greatest feeling in the world. I didn’t do it for the other person, I did it for myself. That doesn’t mean that I don’t still feel the sting from it. But it’s not a constant dark rain cloud hanging over my head all the time.

2. When you think you can’t take anymore, keep going

There was so many times in the past year that I just wanted to give up. I wanted to throw in the towel because things weren’t going my way. I couldn’t understand how God could redeem crappy situations. And I was so stubborn that if it wasn’t what I wanted then it certainly couldn’t be Gods plan, right? It’s amazing how just when you think that you can’t take anymore punches in the gut from life, God comes in like a superhero to lift the burden. I hear a lot of Christians say “God won’t give you anything you can’t handle.” Well, I think that is a load of crap. If that was the truth then we’d never face a situation that was difficult. I think the better thing to say is, God won’t let you walk alone. By yourself, you can’t take on even the smallest of issues. I think Philippians 4:13 says it best:

“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength”

When you’re beaten up by life and you feel like you can’t move even one more step, keep going. God won’t make you take on the world on your own.

3. Being a grownup is fun!

I’ve had the chance do have a lot of fun and meet a lot of people now that I’m in the real world! And being young, single and living with my best friends is more than I could ask for! I don’t have to answer to anyone, I can do what I want when I want and it’s the best!

4. Being a grownup is hard.

I’ve had to miss out on a lot of fun things now that I’m in the real world. Being young, single and not having my own space can be frustrating. Now that I don’t answer to my parents or a professor, I have to answer to a boss who could fire me at any time if they wanted. I can’t do what I want when I want because my wallet doesn’t let me. It’s the best!

And I still wouldn’t trade it for anything!

5.YOLO.

YOLO. You Only Live Once. It’s a stupid, cliché saying. But it has a point! You’re only on this earth for an average of 80-ish years, that’s not a long time. This year I’ve had to learn to try to throw a little more caution to the wind and just go for it. Most of the time, you have nothing to lose. This year, I’ve never regretted something that I really didn’t feel like doing but did anyway. Usually, those are the times that I make the best memories, have the most fun and meet the best people. So, yes, YOLO. Because

Erin.English.Gardner

christianity

Don’t Let Your Fear Paralyze You

To Be Continued… & Happily Ever After

Andy Merrick’s Story: I Know.

What A Breakup Taught Me About God, Life & Never Being Alone

I also learned that the saying of William Congreve “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” is pretty accurate.

And that’s all God wanted from me, to be in his presence. I hadn’t done that in a while.

There are far better things ahead than we ever leave behind

It’s okay to not be okay

It’s okay to not be okay

“Grief is something that human words can’t begin to touch. It’s only God that can bring a new hope and a new vision for what life is.”

I’m breaking up with God…

2. Keep Moving Forward

When you think you can’t take anymore, keep going.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.

Katy Perry, Jesus and the Sunday Morning Music Special

There are two things that we can do with pop culture. We can choose to ignore it, or we can choose to redeem it.