So i've been thinking about things I have been liking lately, and figured I'd share:

1). This was shared with me as I learn about impacting and discipling others: love all, help many, train a few.
--->sometimes I feel there are so many people to share and reach out to, but I can't do it all. I need to trust God will use me in any way He can.

2). My roommate Hope's black-wedged shoes. I wear them way more than she does, and I feel I should repay her.

3). Baking!! I absolutely love baking! and eating it is always a plus :)

4). Being outside in the early morning (namely between 7 and 8). It is so quiet and peaceful!

5) The fact that we have one week left of school! this is crazy!..but crazy cool!

6). This video of Showbread. Wait until about the 9th min. It get's funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YItSP-YlIgU

7)Spending time with family. My dad has been such an encouragement in my life!

and let me leave you with this:
Philippians 4:8- "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virture and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things."

today.

i have decided Easter is my favorite holiday. I can't even describe how powerful the resurrection of Jesus Christ is. It blows me away to see the power of the cross, and the power that God demostrates through it.

It is such a great time to reflect and rejoice in the faith that we have in Jesus. He is alive, and we have been made alive in Him.

hope your day was blessed!

14 people to be happy about.

These are just a few of the people that have had an impact on my life, and I know there are many more.

1)Dayna Christian: nicest and most genuine person I know.

2)Aimee Brammer showed me what it means to be intentional.

3)Kelsey Newton (Kels my fav) was my first friend at CBU. At first I didn’t like her. This has greatly changed.

4)Hope: how do I sum up this friendship? We are sometimes joined at the hip. Her laugh is contagious, and I feel we are alike in so many ways, yet so different; a life-long friend.

5)Holly defines the word “best friend”.

6)Dayna: I have never had so much stomach- aching, eye- watering laughter with anyone else. She was with me literally when my whole world changed. I simply can’t explain her in one line.

7)Jessica will reach the top of the corporate ladder before I do. But that’s ok. She gives the best stretch arm hugs, and we could be apart for months and nothing will change.

8)Jamie :) she was my partner in crime through a breakup. Her honesty and boldness were deeply needed.

9)My field workers in China: with barely knowing me, they sought the Lord and revealed things in my life I needed to change. They could see right through me and were open about it. I am eternally grateful.

10)Armando and Amanda Garcia: I would not have survived high school without them as youth leaders. Those Wednesday nights were some that I still remember clear as day. God worked, and I was changed.

11)Briana Wragg: my faithful cousin who I used to fear because I didn’t want accountability. I am so grateful she is honest anyway. It is what I need.

12)Garrett: who else would take all my annoyance and still build forts with me? I still cherish all the times I can make him grilled cheese like I did when we were young; the best brother in the whole world.

13)My mom: hero, fighter, lover. She taught me so much through her life, stuff that I am still learning now. I will always love her.

14)Underoath: their music blows me away, and watching them grow as a band has somehow impacted my life.

passion.

Nothing puts me more in my place that looking at the cross and the intensity of Christ's sacrifice.

end of story.

Late Night/Early Morning

So as I sit here wondering why I'm not asleep..I have decided this question survey would be the most exciting thing to do. Enjoy!

4 Jobs I have had in my life:

1. Soccer Referee
2. Summer Camp Rec Staff
3. Porsche Dealership receptionist
4. Office Work for Neal Trucking Company

4 Movies I’ve Watched More Than Once

1. Tommy Boy
2. Elf
3. Memento
4. The Little Rascals

4 Places I’ve Lived:

1. Chino, Ca
2. Murrieta, Ca
3. Riverside, Ca
4. Ventura, Ca

4 TV Shows I Watch/Watched

1. What Not To Wear
2. Food Network
3. The Bachelor/ette
4. Jon and Kate + 8

4 Places I have Been:

1. China
2. New Zealand
3. Canada
4. Hawaii

4 People who email me regularly

1. My aunt Jan
2. Better Homes and Gardens Online..(free recipes)
3. Facebook Updates
4. any family

4 of my favorite foods

1. Cornbread!!
2. Anything with Peanut Butter.
3. Chicken
4. Asain- Chinese or Thai

4 Places I Would Like to Visit

1. Israel
2. Greece
3. Spain
4. Any island (Bahamas)

Things I am Looking Forward to in the Coming Year

1. Working at summer camp in Montana
2. FOCUS
3. Turning 21( i guess thats a big step in life)
4. Getting the chance in any way to grow in the Lord and hopefully be an impact in some way for His glory.


and there you have it :)

the beginning.

so i was reading these song lyrics and i thought, "with lyrics this good, the song has to be really good." and sure enough, i was blown away. This is a song on Showbread's Nervosa CD. It is actually sung by Five Iron Frenzy's Reese Roper and his wife. Please take a listen (or even just read the lyrics).


THE BEGINNING (lyrics by Reese Roper)

I used to dream that I could fly,
just above the whispered clouds, beneath the somber sky.
I had a dream I was alive,
I dreamt that love would never die. (goodbye)
Dreams were cheap and hope was easy...(so light),
the forgeries of life deceiving...(so bright),
and as I glided to the ground...(so long),
calcified, the concrete weighed me down... (cruel world).

Your wings are holding up the sky,
dear God, I had a dreamt that I could fly.

Alkaline the burning frost, has blistered deep beneath my bones,
And winter spat its hatred, cold and coiled, black and deep,
as it called me ever further, where evil burns and never sleeps.
I once had prayers that found no words, fragile things I’ve never spoken,
through my lips passed eulogies for all the oaths that I have broken.
And still the ghost of hope was haunting, through the dark to save the living,
and still beneath it all I dreamed that God could be forgiving.

Your wings are holding up the sky,
dear God, I had a dream that I could fly.

When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride.

I am the worst of all things here,
my crooked, black, and lying heart still spits its bitter fear.
And each and every sparrow,
You see them flutter to the ground before they die,
So please God don’t forget me.

See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
To Christ, who won for sinners grace By bitter grief and anguish sore, Be praise from all the ransomed race Forever and forevermore!

Looking Forward

I can't believe how close it is to the end of my second year of college. It is coming so quickly. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but there is alot to be done before then. However, my plans for the summer are coming together, and I am looking forward to all God will do, and has already started doing.

I feel as though this blog will have a bunch of random statements from my life at the moment, but here it goes:
1) The newest aspect to my life is that I got a job! In this economy, I am so thankful. I work for my friend's parents trucking company, and help in the office. I love it because it fits what I do well, like organizing and filing papers and so on. Praise the Lord for sure!

2) I got accepted to be a counselor at Clydehurst Christian Ranch (in Montana)! I have been wanting to do this since I applied in late December, and I finally found out! I am looking forward to being away and experiencing God in ways I can't imagine. I want to meet new people, and hopefully have a positive impact for the kingdom of Christ.

3) This weekend we held a leadership conference on our campus. One of the sessions I attended was on our influence on others as leaders. One of my fears is that somehow I will have a negative impact on someone's life, unintentionally, by something I say or do. It has made me aware of what I say and how I act. I am learning that my attitude reflects what is in my heart.
A quote a like about influence is in one of Dwight Edwards' books. It says, "The older i get, the more I long to know that whatever influence God allows me to have upon others is genuinely of Him." First of all, it is God who allows us to influence others; I just pray it would be of Him, and people will come to Him.

4) I have been wanting to be in the Word more; not just reading, but memorizing and really knowing and understanding. This way I will be ready to share the gospol with anyone at any time. I really want to be intentional about doing this.

5) Just because I feel like I need a 5th point I am going to add a song that I like recently. Don't really know why I like it, but it is called "Salt in the Snow" by the Classic Crime.

I hope everyone's time is multiplied this week. If God is the first priority, I know He will allow all else to get done!

-Hillary