What if it were today?....

What if Christ were to come right.....NOW?!?!?! Would what you're looking at on your computer be edifying and pleasing to the Lord? Have you accomplished anything for your Lord today, in the past week, in the past month, in the past year, in your entire life? Will you be embarrassed
to face God and give account for all the things done or not done?
What is your motivation for serving the Lord? Money, popularity, acceptance, statice, or for other even more selfish reasons?

Isn't it a scary to imagine that the LOrd knows your every thought and action and motivation? I've recently been evaluting my own motives. It becomes such a habit to do things for the wrong reason, whether it's trying to make someone accept you, or even just doing it for your own self satisfaction. I hope and pray that all that you have done has been for the right motivation and in the right mind set.

Dani

Phil.4:8 Whatsoever things are True, Honest, Just, Pure, Lovely, and of a Good Report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, THINK ON THESE THINGS.

Something else I was thinking.... I like different colors and things that make sounds. Can you actually see sounds and hear colors? Why does the where seem so important in many issues? Who can know three or more things that don't matter? This has just been something I have been wondering.... Dani

What God has been doing in my life lately...

I'm sorry it's been so long since I last posted. I didn't feel that I had anything to post about. But God has been giving me the power to make changes in my life, small changes, but nonetheless changes. Many times in my own life, I feel the need to make a big and very drastic change. But I think small changes can be the most important changes to make, because they are what affect our everyday lives, the here and now. But they also affect our future.

Lately I've been reading in Hebrews for my devotions, a great book to read if you want to tap into the vastness of Christ's love and sacrifice for us. In chapter one I read about how Christ hates iniquity and loves righteousness. And that is what is wrong with our society today, it's the opposite.

In chapter two I read of Christ's great love and sacrifice. In verse 11 it says "For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren." One thing that comes to mind when I read this is the fact that Christ loves being associated with us. For instance, it's like one of those times that you're brother or sister does something so embarrassing, and you tell all of your friends that that brother or sister is adopted because you don't want those friends to associate you with that brother or sister. But yet, how many times do you think we have embarrassed Christ, and yet He chooses to be associated with us. That amazes me!!!

Then today, I read in Hebrews chapter three. This was a great rebuke to me, especially growing up in a Christian school where everyone professes to be a "Christian". In verse 13 it says "But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Exhort means to encourage in an uplifting way, and how many times do we speak down to one another. The end of the verse says ...."lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." And before that it says ...."while it is called To day"... We are supposed to be standing up to those who are in sin before it's to late, while their hearts are still soft. Or even while they're still available, some of the juniors and seniors will be gone in a year or two, and even some of the younger class men in our school need to be challenging them to get their hearts right. As soon as some of the seniors step out the door after their graduation, they'll never be back. And they may miss their chance, but we don't want to miss the chance to encourage and challenge others that may be doing wrong. I'm saying a lot of this, because I know that most, if not all of the people who read my blog are from Grace.

Anyway, that's just a little of what god has been burdening my heart for, to see some leaders in our school become what god wants them to be.

I think our entire senior class needs some prayer, so be praying for them. God is still at work.

In Christ,
Dani

Why speak so quickly?

Have you ever made the mistake of speaking too quickly? Or saying something in anger that right after you say it, you feel like kicking yourself? And yes, maybe some one wronged you, but yet, was it really necessary? I have a habit of doing this on occasion. I don't realize what I've said or done until a little while after I've done it. It is a great test of humility, because after I realize what I've done, I have to swallow my pride and tell that person I'm sorry. And I don't know about any of you but I don't like admitting when I'm wrong.

Many people say that getting saved is nothing...in the way that it is very easy to ask the Lord into your heart. But yet being the very prideful generation that we are it is hard to admit that we have sinned. And having to put ourselves under another being's control. "Letting go of the reigns/steeringwheel of our life"

Which brings me onto another point that I have a hard time letting go. Pastor Amsbaugh preached on this in our chapel about a week ago. Many times in my measley attempt to fix a problem in my own strength, I mess my problem up even worse than it was before. But if I were to have trusted God and would totally given it to God I most likely would not have had the problem to begin with. But the time that I finally realize to do this, I'm at the end of myself, and have no where else to turn. When will I learn to turn to my amazing God, who at the sound of my cry for help wouldn't hesitate for a second to answer that cry with the soothing whisper of His plan for my life. Why do I so many times over look the answer to everything, when it's staring me right in the face? Lord forgive for being blind, I'm so gratefully reminded of your love for me each time that I look in the mirror and see the awful wretch that you saved by your amazing grace.

thoughts by,
Danielle

God's subtle blessings...

God has been working in my life. And I think it has been more subtle than other times. As many if not all of you know i have been sick for about 3 or 4 months. And hoefully this last surgery I had(appendectamy) has been the source of a pain that I've been having in my side for the last few months.
For many years, well ever since my first years of junior high and highschool, I had struggled with my grades. But this year god has given me the grace to maintain a B+ average. And I have or had come upon many opportunities concerning my voice. Then I got sick. These past few onths have been such a humbling experience. And I've learned so much. I learned that God gives but God also takes away. But that fact does not mean that He is not also filled with mercy and grace. But knowing that He gives and takes away means that we cannot trust so much in what He gives but more what He is. He may choose to give mercy or not to give mercy, but that does not change the fact that He is merciful. He may choose to give me good health or to not give me good health, but this does not change the fact that He loves me and that He knows what I need nd that over-all He has my best interest at heart. And overall He is perfect.

i want to share a song with you that says what I'm trying to say:

Thy way not mine o Lord however dark it be;
Lead me by thine own hand choose out the path for me;
Smooth let it be or rough it will be still the best;
winding or straight it leads right onward to thy rest.

I dare not choose my lot ;
I would not if I might;
Choose thou for me my God so I shall walk aright.
Take thou my cu and it with joy or sorrow fill,
as best to thee may seem choose thoug my good and ill.

Choose thou for me my friends my sickness or my health;
Choose thou my cares for me , my poverty or wealth.
Not mine, not mine the choice in things both great and small;
Be thou my guide my strength my wisdom and my all.
BE THOU MY GUIDE MY STRENGTH MY WISDOM AND MY ALL!!!!!


I love this song.

Something a dear friend of mine told me that has stayed with me for a long time is" God is just setting you up for a blessing". And yes it is true that God can punish men by taking things from them, by sickness or loss. But God also is proving his faithful ones everyday, we see this by the struggles and trials that Job went through. God was proving his servant. Not only proving his servant to satan but i believe that God was also trying to prove Job to himself. When nothing is wrong we are not sick we have not lost anything of great importance to us, it is easy for us to sit back and say that we are faithful. But everything changes when you are the one that is going through a tough time, and that is when our true character comes to light. And not only do the people around us see us fr what we are, but we see urselves for what we are. It is those individuals that realize that they are nothing without Christ that go through these trials and survive, and take something out of them and are able to be a testimony to others. These individuals' spirits are not dampened and their testimony is not questioned, and their love for their Lord is proved and varified.

This is the Christain that we all need to be striving to be. I would never question our God's love, but does He have to sit and question your love or faithfulness in the face of trial or diversity. We all need to strive to be more like Job, whose love was kindled not faded by the struggles and loss that he faced.

But that we might hear these words spoken by Christ when we reach heaven's gates:
"Well done thy good and faithful servant"

in Christ,
Danielle

Give it up...

just like la profesora said, this was meant to be an encouraging post. all i was trying to do was to show you all how i felt on a spiritual matter, and how it had lifted me up and encouraged me. and then all that a lot of you could do was try to tear me down. leaving messages and comments that showed exactly how much character or the lack thereof that some of you had....this blog is not here to put others down. and this blog is not here for (some) of you to put me down. and if that is all that you want to do by it, find some mistake tht i made by saying something the wrong way or taking it personally, then quit coming to my blog. i won't feel offended if there aren't as many comments anymore. i would rather try to uplift a very few, than offend all the rest of you for unknown reasons. and i'm sure that some of you will take this personally, so if it has not been you that has been leaving the "mean" and/or "characterless" comments then i'm not talking to you, but if you are then you're right, i am talking to you. and i would appreciate it if you either didn't comment here anymore, or i'd ask that you comment something that would encourage others around you(i.e. other readers, and me) i like to be encouraged.:) i'm not angry, i'm just a little hurt and surprised i guess. i would expect this from the world, because they wouldn't understand what i was or am trying to get across. we're giving satan great pleasure by showing him that we can't even stand together or agree on something like a post about something spiritual as Christains. well, that's all i have to say on the matter....

I didn't really know what to call this post, really I want to ask a question and give a challenge. Do you really value God's Word? We've been talking about this a lot lately in Bible class, in Chapel, and during Wednesday night church.

Pastor Carnes used the example of a love letter, when or if you were to receive a love letter or just a note from someone that you liked/loved/admired, you wouldn't be able to wait a day or even a few minutes before opening it. You wouldn't just look at it and say"I'll get to that later", you would almost tear it trying to open it...So why aren't we like that?(why am I not like that?) Why is it that we don't have that kind of passion for God and His Son who died and took hell for us? We would spare ourselves a lot of heart ache if we just took a few minutes to look in God's Word. Many times we say to ourselves "no one cares", "I don't know what to do", "I can't stand it". Well God sent us His Words!!!! He has told us what we need to do, He has told us that He cares. It gives me chills... Another example that Pastor Carnes used was a flashlight. If you or I were lost in the woods late at night, and yet you had the comfort of having a flashlight. You wouldn't pass that up and say"I can find my way on my own in the pitch black". We would use the flashlight so we could find our way.(obviously) So why don't we use the light of God's Word to help us when we're in the dark spiritually?

Well anyway, like I said, you all wanted me to post, so I posted something that God had been challenging me with.:) I hope you feel challenged, it's proably nothing you haven't heard before but it's nice to be reminded.
God bless,
dani

just...different.:)

well, for any of you out there that haven't seen my new haircut, this is what it looks like. i love it, the only thing that i'll miss is just being able to throw it up in a pony tail or a messy bun when i'm in a hurry. i hope you all like it, i wanted to do something different.... mrs. crowell took a few pictures while my brother was here, she took some of me, my brother, and me and my brother together....