Redeemed

Hello!  I hope you are doing well.  : ) Here's a poem I wrote the other day:  God, please help me to be strong and apoligize when I'm wrong. I know if I hang onto bitterness I won't last very long before breaking into pieces.  It's like a rotting disease-- like leprosy. But, God, I know that you can heal me! You heal the broken-hearted and bind up their wounds.  God, make me whole!  I want to be made whole in you, set free and fully redeemed. Please drive out of me all that isn't from you-- all my sin that is keeping me captive within. Free me to live for you God and to love you. Free me to speak truth and cultivate peace. Help me to live in humility and harmony. God, break down these walls that I build up in my heart. Break my cynicism, anger toward others, and hatred of myself.  Lord, please help me to see myself as you see me-- as righteous, loved, valuable, beautiful, set-apart to you and set free. ...

Hey,   I hope you guys are doing well. So this year...well it's been going pretty well here. Yeah, this year has been good. A lot different than I expected, but good. It's busy, challenging, sometimes really frustrating, but also a really good experience and I think I've learned and grown a lot. I've learned that growing in your faith is more than just a pretty idea, but is difficult with like overcoming struggles, etc. Yet as I press more into Him I find that things I struggle with are easier to overcome. I've realized a lot of how much Jesus really expects of us and that he wasn't all dying for us to just accept Him, but He actually wanted us to count the cost first and really decide to follow Him. It's like whoa. Sometimes even being here I'm like what have I gotten myself into with this whole following Jesus thing? But it's really good. And He's faithful even when I'm not. He has to keep showing me that over and over. I've also...

So today was a pretty good day...  I got to work with one of my friends on the team today which makes work go by better and faster.  Also we had team time today and we went out to the neighboring town called Van and got snow cones.  They must have had like a hundred flavors at least; cherry, cream soda, sour kinds, Lightning, pickle, etc.  Yeah, a pickle snow cone.  I got cream soda.  My supervisor paid for a couple of ours including mine and that like broke my heart because he barely has any money.  I didn't want to let him pay for it because of that, but I knew that I needed to because I could tell he really wanted to be able to give to us in a practical way.  It was like a $1.50.  That could be laundry money...yeah.  I'm trying to learn to let people serve me and learn to better serve others, like in an every day type of way and not just as a general way.         ...

Lord I KNOW you love me Oh, the Texas summer and the Panama nights, the sweet breezes are my heart's delight.  To me it is the blow of Your breath, saying a sweet "I love you," calming my heart and refreshing my spirit.  Lord, I know you love me.  How sweet it is to be loved by you! Christmases in Minnesota, family dinners, playing games, smiles on our faces.           I am so blessed.  Lord, I know you love me.  I am loved by the Father, sing it out, pour it out! Sunny summers green grass so carefree-- Lord, I know you love me! This is where I belong, this is my heart song, I am loved by the Father!  Falling leaves and lying in a soft pile of them-- such peace. Lord I know you love me!  I will rest in your love.  Hmm.  Have a blessed day, remember the good, and rest in His love!