This is my stand..

These are the things I am about...

Love is really all you need, I am pro-life, marriage is between one MAN and one WOMAN, it all started with a Creator, sex is for the marriage bed and that's the only place for it, divorce is not in my vocabulary, Jesus is the ONLY way to heaven, I bring the Kingdom with me wherever I go, I change atmospheres....

That being said, when did standing up for what we believe in turn into an attack on the people we disagree with? Where's the love in that? Why have we turned our view from the issues to the people? We can disagree with something without bashing the people who believe in it. We dont like it when people bash us for our views, so why do we retaliate by bashing them? I dont agree with alot of what goes on in my nation, but will you see me posting blogs about how gays are going to hell or that Im so happy that an abortion doctor or child molester has died.. You will not!! Because I love the gays and I love the people who get abortions, perform abortions, and the people who make it all legal. I love them, so I will not rejoice in their deaths or condemn someone for their lifestyle. I dont agree with it and on that I will stand, but I will not let my beliefs stop my love. I dont know if Im making sense or if this is all coming out right or not, but Im sick of people proclaiming to be Christians, but they have no love for the people who need it the most. The ones who are silently crying out for someone to stand up a show them that God really does love them, that there is a God who fashioned them to be like Him, that they have a purpose and a destiny.

That being said once again, I also love Christians...even the ones that frustrate me so much. I know that most of their hearts are right...they think that they are doing the right thing, but in doing what they're doing, they're causing more damage than good. And I pray that they begin to see that...I do agree with them, I just think they're going about it in the wrong way..I mean it's true that 1.3 million babies are aborted each year, but is blowing up an abortion clinic really the way to solve the problem?

Just a little something to chew on...Oh and if any of you get the time, go to ibethel.tv.org and watch the podcasts for the 6/28/09 am and pm services. They're amazing and in the pm service, Kris talks alot about the issue of abortion...SO good!

Sigh....

Hmm...well..Im sitting at my brother's house, kinda bored...but I think we're about to watch Australia!! Woohoo! I have yet to see it..my summer has been pretty boring, with a few exciting blips here and there. Mostly work, movies, and skype. I never realized how hard long distance relationships are..I am NOT enjoying the distance, time difference, and days (that are turning into months) that we are apart. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be! I thought the summer would fly by cuz I'd be working and hanging out with friends, that I wouldn't really have time to miss him...and yet, I do..everyday, it's like a piece of me is missing. Im not used to this feeling..Im a pretty independent person, so even when I moved here to California, I missed everyone, but I was also so caught up in the adventure of life, that it didnt ache. Now..I ache..everyday, for one person. It literally hurts sometimes..and I still have 8 weeks till I see him again..Jesus help me!

Im not really sure where that came from... out of the heart the mouth speaks, I guess.

Baby..here I come!

Im going to England!!!!! I just bought my plane tickets Saturday, and Im so excited! Im going to visit my boyfriend, Sam and to meet his family! I leave near the end of August, then Sam and I are flying back together for school! Sigh..Im so glad I dont have to wait till September to se him..it's only been a month since he left and I feel like it's been FOREVER..seriously, I feel like time just isnt passing quick enough. :( BUT hooray for cheap flights to Ireland! Im flying into Dublin then hopping a ferry to Wales where Sam is picking me up, then we are driving back to his home in Northampton...Im so happy right now! :) Only 65 more days!!!!!!! Wooo!

In other news...Im still working my butt off and staying pretty bored watching movies every moment Im not working..seriously, all I do these days is work, talk to Sam, and watch movies..that's it! I need to get more active..get out and do stuff, you know?! That's probably why time is passing so slowly, cuz Im not doing anything! Sheesh..

I got my hair cut..it's not too different, but a little shorter and more layered..it's cute and I like it (Sam likes it too..so that's good! haha). Im sitting at my brother's house bored outta my mind...maybe I'll read..or catch up on journaling (Sam and I are journaling to each other this summer and then we're gonna give each other the journals after we get back from England..a little corny, but uber romantic..lol)....hmmm....Im sure I'll find something to do! Sam gets on skype in about 30 min! yay! It sucks having such a huge time difference cuz his day is my night and vice versa..so we either talk in the mornings or at night, but we do try to talk everyday which is nice.

So all that said....what movie should I watch tonight? ;)

Sacramento!

So..it's a week late, but I thought I'd let you in on the one exciting thing I've done thus far in my summer...Aaron, Aubrey, and I went to Sacramento last Thursday to check out my grandpa's old house (long story) which my parents will be moving into around the 1st of July (another long story)! Im pretty excited that they're gonna be so close though...only 2 1/2 hours away! Woo!
But back to our adventure! We left around 10 so we could get to Sac by lunch time, which we spent at Chik-Fil-A! All you Floridians are extremely spoiled..Sacramento is the closest chik-fil-a to me! :( So (besides the times I've visited home and practically lived at Chik-fil-a..) I've only had Chik-fil-a once since moving here! It's like torture! But there I go on my bunny trail again! Anyways..it was fantastic! Then we went over to the gramps old place, and Florence left me some stemware, which was super sweet of her to do..then we went to (da ta da daaaa!!!!) Old Town Sacramento, which is my favorite childhood memory..mmm...caramel apples, mexican restaurants, jazz festivals, and the KITE STORE! It's basically amazing. lol...so that was my grand adventure for the summer (thus far) stay tuned for more adventures!

Here's some pics from the day!

The greatest start to a great day!

Aubrey and I being crazy

THE KITE STORE!

The Jelly Bean Angel in Candy Heaven :)

short and sweet

very short update..I have graduated 1st year (yay) now onto the longest hottest summer of my life...Sam left on Wednesday to go back to England for the summer to work and save money, leaving me here in Redding to do the same. It's only been 4 days and Im already miserable...Im praying the next few months speed up! For those that dont know, I'm working at PacSun..i have been promoted to Senior Sales (which is a fancy term for shift manager), but Im also looking for a second job, so please be praying I find one! :) My brother moved here about 1 1/2 weeks ago, so he has been a life saver since my life is feeling a bit empty right now...other than that, there's not much new...so I guess that's the end of my update...

here's a couple pictures of Bill Johnson and Kris Valloton knighting me and Sam :)

fun

1. Find your sixth picture folder and in that folder, the sixth picture.
2. Post it on your blog with some of the background of the picture.
3. Tag four others and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they’ve been tagged.

This picture is of the BEST missions team ever! A group of about50 people from BSSM went to Tecate, Mexico in February and this is our team outside this amazing youth center right after we had ministered there. :)

Mexico

Wow..it's been awhile since I last wrote something..it's funny, I think when I get these things that I'll write everyday, but I never end up doing it..haha! Oh well..

So something I've been learning is that God loves surprising you..it's like a favorite past time of His. :) I love it..He loves to take our weaknesses (or rather what we think are our weaknesses) and turn them into strengths...He loves to do things that are totally unexpected, but things that are so amazing and beautiful. I love when He gives you something you weren't looking for. it's the best..He's the best!

Now update time..

I've been really good...I just got back from Mexico (my missions trip for school)..it was so amazing..we got to minister in an orphanage, a Bible school, and various churches throughout Tijuana. I fell in love with some kids (ended up spiritually adopting one..), prophesied over some people, prayed for the sick, empowered their students to do the same, saw people healed, saved, delivered, etc. It was so much fun! :) Im glad to be back in the States though...with indoor plumbing and showers..

While I was in Mexico, I became an Aunt! My nephew, Myles Asher Shreve, was born on February 20 at 4:09am weighing 5lb 1oz..Im pretty excited about it! I think Im going to try to come home for my spring break to see him..

School's been great..we just had a prophetic conference with Larry Randolph and Leif Hetland at the church..which I didnt get to attend, but heard was amazing...and that's about it!

New Year

So it's a new year and you know what that means..stupid resolutions that you make but secretly never intend on keeping..like losing 20 pounds, eating healthier, get more organized, etc. But before I go into all that..let me share with you the revelry of what I did tonight...I went downtown to see my friends, The Gills, play a show at Hopjacks. They were amazing, as usual. They are so entertaining and so talented (such a great mix! haha) I absolutely love seeing them! Then, to escape from the cold, we went to Subway, but had to buy something in order to stay in there, so we all get small cups of coffee, then leave (go figure) and go to a coffee shop (once again, go figure) where we sit for an hour and a half just hanging out. Then, Amber decides that we need to go out into the freezing cold to watch the oh-so-lame pelican drop from a crane. So, we venture out into the cold and crowds, pushing through the thousands of drunks to get close to the stage which had a wannabe Kiss band playing on it. So, not only are we freezing our butts off, but we're also being put through the torture of these guys dressed up like Kiss trying to make it big..So, it's down to 11:59, we all begin the countdown in anticpation of this wondrous pelican dropping...5..4...3..2..1!! The Pelican drops all of 20 ft. and confetti starts flying everywhere..drunk people are making out all around..fireworks going off in the background..people screaming..it was seriously so much fun. I mean..it was lame..but I guess that's sorta what made it fun..I was with some of my closest friends, laughing at the idiocracy of it all and it ended up being one of the best New Year's Eves I've had. Go figure...haha.

So back to resolutions and how it's stupid to make them cuz you're more likely to break them and make yourself feel guilty about it, then to actually succeed in going through with it. I have made so many resolutions and to be honest, I don't know if I've kept even one..It's sad but true. So my "New Year's resolution" this year is to not have any. Haha..I have my goals (cuz what's life if you have nothing to look forward to), but I refuse to be upset if I dont reach all of them. I am going to do my best to further my relationship with God and be led by the Holy Spirit in all I do, but I refuse to condemn myself if I mess up. I'll repent and move on..nothing else to it. Make sense? So..there you go..that's all I have to say..so Happy New Year to everyone..I pray that this year, you encounter God in deeper ways..and that through your relationship with Him, you are blessed so abundantly, you dont have adequate room to contain them all!