I am dead; I am only alive in Him

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I want to wake up every morning and decide the day is going to be wonderful and joyous. I want to try harder to have a good attitude; I want to decide to persevere and love the unlovable. I want to spend more time with Jesus Christ. I want to be less selfish. I want to God to overflow in my life and me to be buried underneath. I want flesh to die and Spirit to conquer.

Once I heard a story of a man who was under the instruction of a godly pastor. For one of his lessons, the student was told to go to the grave of a highly esteemed man and yell out praises and then report to his teacher what the dead man had replied back. Of course, the report was that the dead man had said nothing in return. Then the teacher told his student to go to the grave again the next day and yell insults to the dead man's grave and report how the dead man had responded. Of course, the dead man had said nothing. Therefore the teacher finished the lesson by stating, "And that is what it means to be dead."

Neither the praises nor insults of man should affect us.

I want to be dead to self, but alive in Christ.

"For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:3

"And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins," Ephesians 2:1

"For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21

Seeking Vision

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Vision. I have been pondering the necessity of vision and how essential it is to a Christian's walk. Most of the time I feel as if I'm stumbling through the days without a motive; I have been ignoring those little nudges God gives when I hear something which strikes up a feeling of revelation.
So now I am going to start taking notes. Whether it be mental or material, there shall be notes.

I am tired of lightly smoothing away those wrinkles with a hand which really ought to be ironed out. You know? After a while, walking in the dark gets tiresome.

"Where these is no vision the people perish..."

~Proverbs 29:18

Resin Pendants

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These pendants are adorable, and I'm in love with them! It's extremely addicting to scroll through pages of them on Etsy. I would love to make a few but have decided I shouldn't start any more craft projects at the moment! Oh well, it is still satisfying to stare - and maybe one day buy? Muhaha!

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Shap-Du-Wap

Since art seems to be popular on my blog as of now, I decided to share a very old sketch. It was done over a year ago, and, sadly, I haven't done any since. This summer I hope to work more on my drawing skills, but until then....

Stylish Blog Award

On April 28, I received a "Stylish Blog Award" on Rebecca's blog.  After receiving the award herself she passed it on to eight other bloggers. It was such an honor and encouragement to me, so thank you again, Rebecca! It makes me glad to know my blog is read by others, and I give all glory to God that people actually find what I have to say interesting!

Apparently, I should now share eight facts about myself and award it to eight other people.

(Weird) Facts:

1) Only a few months ago I got a cell phone, not really anticipating using it much; however, God knew it was the perfect timing, and I find the past few weeks I've been needing a cell phone because of all the new people God's been putting in my life! Just another instance of His perfect timing.

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2) I love chocolate, and my favorite chocolate brand is See's Candies. Their chocolates are so deliciously amazing!...Great, now I'm hungry.

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3) This summer I'm planning on going on a painting/drawing rampage, so watch out!

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4) Well, I'm partially addicted to scholarships. I have this (at times) uncontrollable desire to research, enter, and examine them sporadically.

This is so cute!

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5) I love handmade cards! Making them and receiving them add so much joy to my life!

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6) My dad and I are trying to grow lettuce this year. We've got two pots full of lettuce sprouts, and everyday I obesess over the dear, little things! As you can see, I love my plants - especially the eating them part! Muahaha!
 

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7) Every few weeks I enjoy painting my toenails and putting fancy designs on them. Haha. Weird fact, but it's very true.

{photo credit: Nathan}

8) One of my main goals the past few weeks has been to speak more when in uncomfortable situations. I never talk when I most want to, and God's been giving me the strength slowly but surely. It's amazing and very freeing; we can do all things through Jesus Christ!

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Now the fun part! Here are eight blogs I think are uniquely beautiful!

1) Heather has an amazing and rather popular blog devoted to articles on "dating marriage and everything in between!" She takes things from a Christian perspective and has some very deep, thought provoking articles that I always glean from.

becomingahopefulromantic.blogspot.com.

2) Rachel Chick has a very passionate blog which glorifies God in great ways. I love reading her truthful, straight-to-the-point posts! ;)

beautifullyselfless.blogspot.com

3) Annie P. has such a cute blog with inspiring quotes and pictures. I often find myself scrolling through there.
lillyforest.blogspot.com

4) Charming Elsie is a super-cute photo blog. I love the pictures, colors, and overall feel of it.
charmingelsie.blogspot.com

5) So, since I love cards so much, I've got to share a card blog.
thechattystamper.blogspot.com

6) Here is a colorful, creative food blog which I enjoy browsing. The pictures alone are lovely.
foodlibrarian.blogspot.com

7) This is another Christian blog by a talented girl writer. I enjoy the articles, pictures, and overall blog.
girlz4godrok.blogspot.com

8) Grace's blog is super-cute, humorous, and very creative. Not to mention she's got some very interesting Christian articles that are uplifting.
puddlesofmemories.blogspot.com

So there are my lists. Giving out awards is fun! Please feel free to pass it along!