The past year...

Last April I started a journal. I have started many a journal in my day, and rarely do I finish one. Today, I finished that journal. I thought I'd share some of my favorite scripture, quotes, and thoughts from the past year. 

"He did not do many miracles because of their lack of faith." Matthew 13: 58

"You of LITTLE faith, WHY did you DOUBT?" Matthew 14: 31

"Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted."Matthew 15: 28

"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:39

It's NOT about ME. 

"The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." Job 1:21

LET GO... TRUST.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding; In  all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." Proverbs 3: 5-6

"O Love that wilt not let me go,

I rest my weary soul in thee;

I give thee back the life I owe,

That in thine ocean depths its flow

May richer, fuller be."

" 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ " -Jesus (Matthew 25:40)

PATIENCE.

SURRENDER.

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. " Psalm 27: 13-14

"The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, ABOUNDING in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does NOT treat us as our sins deserve OR repay us according to our iniquities. For as HIGH as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Psalm 103: 8-12

"If I trust Him, I will obey Him gladly." -Elisabeth Elliot

"Taken in the right spirit these things will develop a mature characeter, and a character of the sort produces a steady hope, a hope that will never disappoint us." Romans 5: 3-4 (Phillips)

"Each person is given something to do that shows who God is." 1 Corinthians 12:7 (MSG)

"I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess." -Martin Luther

Quotes of the Day

"Men and women must work. That is as certain as the sun. But we may work grudgingly or we may work gratefully. We may work as people or machines. There is no work so rude that we may not exalt it; no work so impassive that we not breathe a soul into it; no work so dull that we may not enliven it if we understand that what we are doing is service for our Lord Jesus Christ." -Henry Giles

"Remember this, had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you are, divine love would have put you there. You are placed by God in the most suitable circumstances, and if you had the choosing of your lot, you would soon cry, "Lord, choose my inheritance for me, for by my self-will I am pierced through with many sorrows." Be content with such things as you have, since the Lord has ordered all things for your good." -Charles Spurgeon

Cure for the Common Life

Right now I am reading this book called "Cure for the Common Life" by Max Lucado.  I have already read it once, but I am reading it again and enjoying it so much. Basically in this book he talks about how God had given each and every one of us strengths, gifts, and talents for a purpose. He gave us these gifts because he designed us for a specific task to do in life. When we discover what that task is and do it for HIM... we live in our "sweet spot", or the place in life we were meant to dwell. Through this book he gives the reader practical tools for exploring and identifying your own gifts and how to live in this "sweet spot" for the rest of your life.

I started reading this book because I am struggling right now with my job. I don't feel like this is my "sweet spot". Not that nursing or healthcare altogether isn't it... just my current job. I am in process of praying constantly about how I should make my next career move. It is important to me that I am attentive to God's direction, instead of my own will for my life. This book is really helping me through this process.

In the meantime, I pray God gives me strength to get through work everyday and gives me joy in my current job. Because even though this may not be my forever job, it is the work he has given me for today.

Happy reading!

Stephanie

The most wonderful time of the year!

I am realizing that when I desire something strongly, for example a new job, that this is the point at which I need to surrender that thing wholly to God. Is this God's plan for my life or my plan for my life? I know in the end that God's plan is the best plan, and that is where I want to be.  So, I need to put my will to rest and surrender. I know when I am surrendering because I feel very neutral about the topic, and very at peace with whatever the outcome may be.

And that is the place where I am at.

It's a good place to be.


On a different note....the other night Rebekah and me had some friends over for a cookie & cupcake exchange! It was a ton of fun to hang out with friends and enjoy the relaxing environment of an all-women event :) here are some pictures from the evening!

 Below is a picture of my Chi Omega family (excluding Emily!)... I love them dearly!

 The hostesses!

 Rebekah's sister, Abby (pictured here) and mom drove down from Chandler!

 Molly is having a good time! haha

 Seester and I 

Merry Christmas!

Hope your holiday is filled with sweetness!
Stephanie

Welcome to The B & B!

In September, I was blessed to move in with an amazing roommate & friend, Rebekah! We have been having so much fun together and I can't believe how perfectly the whole situation has worked out. I met Rebekah at church, but recognized her from UMC, where she is also a nurse. Thankfully, we are quite a bit alike and so moving in together was perfect! I wanted to show all of you who are not in town, a little virtual tour of my new house. It has been such a blessing to see how our little house just fell into place... all of our furniture and decor match each other's perfectly, all we had to buy was a few pillows and a rug! 


We have named our little house "The B&B", mostly because we want people to feel welcome and comfortable here, and also because its like a quaint little cottage... hence "The B&B". With that said.....

Welcome to The B&B!

This picture is of our front door and a wreath we made for fall! 

First stop is the entryway....

And then on to the living room/dining room, which looks out through a wall of windows to the arizona room (screened in porch) and patio. 

The screened in porch is SO nice this time of year... we eat out there a lot, and its also a really nice place to read and journal. I love having outdoor space!! 

The patio is also very nice and the best part is the spiral staircase on the left that leads up to the roof.... for a little rooftop terrace!

The view from the top!

Here is the dining room... where we have bible study every wednesday afternoon!

Next up is our kitchen, where Rebekah and I cook all the time! Rebekah is turning me into quite the little cook! We can't get enough olive oil, balsalmic vinegar, salt, and mozzarella (these are the habits I brought back from Italy :) ! 

Now on to Rebekah's room... so cute with all the ruffles and flowers! We really do have similar taste!

Finally, my room! I love it so much, it is such a relaxing little haven! I am so excited to have a queen bed after 5 years of a lil twin! As a side note, the two nightstands, my daddy and I refurnished together (ok...he did most of it). Also the hope chest at the foot of my bed is extra special because I bought it for $25 at a garage sale and my dad completely redid it and now its absolutely beautiful!

Well, thats about it! Of course I am so thankful for such a cute house, but the best part of this new living arrangement is Rebekah and the fellowship we have together as roommates! Please come by anytime, our door is always open!

Yours,
Stephanie 

A word from my role model...

How to Discover What God Wants

By: Elisabeth Elliot

A young woman came in great perplexity to a Scottish preacher, asking how she could resolve the question of her own desires when they seemed to be in such contradiction to the will of God. He took out a slip of paper, wrote two words on it, handed it to her with the request that she sit down for ten minutes, ponder the words, cross out one of them, and bring the slip back to him. She sat down and read: No Lord. Which to cross out? It did not take her long to see that if she was saying No she could not say Lord, and if she wanted to call Him Lord, she could not say No.
No question comes up more often among Christian young people who face what seem to be limitless options than this one of how to discover what God wants them to do. What, exactly, is one's calling?
There are two very simple conditions to discovering the will of God. Paul states them clearly in his letter to the Romans, chapter 12. The first is in verse 1 (Jerusalem Bible): "... offering your living bodies as a holy sacrifice, truly pleasing to God." The place to start is by putting yourself utterly and unconditionally at God's disposal. You say Yes Lord. You turn over all the rights at the very beginning. Once that's settled you can go on to the second, in verse 2: "Do not model yourselves on the behavior of the world around you, but let your behavior change, modelled by your new mind." I said that the conditions were simple. I did not say they were easy. Exchanging a No Lord for a Yes Lord has often been painful for me. But I do want a "new mind"--one that takes its cues from the Word of God, not the mass media. I pray for a clear eye to see through the fog of popular opinion, and a will strong enough to withstand the currents--a will surrendered, laid alongside Christ's. He is my model. This means a different set of ambitions, a different definition of happiness, a different standard of judgment altogether. Behavior will change, and very likely it will change enough to make me appear rather odd--but then my Master was thought very odd.
Paul goes on to say that these conditions are "the only way to discover the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do." No wonder we scratch our heads and ask, "What is the secret of knowing the will of God?" We haven't started at the right place--the offering of that all-inclusive sacrifice, our very bodies, and then the resolute refusal of the world's values.
"Make Thy paths known to me, O Lord; teach me Thy ways. Lead me in Thy truth and teach me; Thou art God my Savior." Psalm 25:4, 5, NEB

"When we cannot see our way

Let us trust and still obey;

He who bids us forward go

Cannot fail the way to show.

Though the sea be deep and wide,

Though a passage seem denied,

Fearless let us still proceed,

Since the Lord vouchsafes to lead."

Anonymous

"If there is any man who fears the Lord, he shall be shown the path that he should choose."
Psalm 25:12, NEB

I can't say it better than her,

Stephanie

Psalm 119: 33-37

"Teach me, O Lord, the way set out in thy statues,
    and in keeping them I shall find my reward." 
Teach me Your way Lord, because I know if I follow your instructions, 
  I will receive the good things you have planned for me. 


"Give me the insight to obey thy law
   and to keep it with all my heart."
God give me wisdom as to how I can obey You
  and be faithful with all my heart in this obedience. 

"Make me walk in thy path of thy commandments

    for that is my desire."

I want to follow You, Lord.

"Dispose my heart toward thy instruction

    and not toward ill-gotten gains;"

Protect my heart from the selfish motives and methods,

  only acting as your example teaches.

"Turn my eyes from all that is vile,

    grant me life by thy word."

Turn me away from the darkness of this world and

   grant me a life that is full of Your light.