Worship Wednesday- Thinking His Thoughts...by Rica Cobb

(Last week my dear friend, Rica Cobb, sent me a blog that she had written about me. I think it sends out a really great message about Thinking His Thoughts, and I'm proud to share it!)

Last weekend as we prepared for a day at the lake, one of my friends decided to commit to the task of preparing a variety of desserts to bring.  Enjoying baking myself, I was asked to come over and bring my tools, but I received strict instructions to “let her do it.”  When the cupcakes were iced, the cheesecake was in the fridge, and the mango loaves were cooling on a rack, she jokingly announced, “I’m so happy that I did this without you, because now when everyone sees how wonderful it is, I can tell them that I did it all myself.”  We laughed about her “humility” and then enjoyed the treats the next day at the lake.
 

This morning as I spend time in God’s Word, my friend’s actions help me to understand our Lord even better.  Numerous times in Scripture we are referred to as a planting, a tree, or a branch, always as something that produces life when firmly rooted to a Source.  In Isaiah 60:21, God calls His people “a branch that I planted, the work of My hands, so that I may be glorified.”

Just as my friend completed her task without me and received all the credit, God also does what He does in my life without my assistance or input and I, in turn, must give Him all the glory.

With all of this in mind, I would do well to remember the words of Jesus in John 15 when He calls me to remain in Him so that I produce much fruit, and to also remember that none of this fruit grows apart from Him.  This is not from me; I don’t get the credit.  (Eph. 2:9)

We are something He did Himself for the sole purpose of bringing Him glory, and He will not give that glory to another (Isa. 42:8).

The Destination is Worth the Journey

I am exhausted and anxious. I’m mentally and emotionally drained which always ensues a sort of numbness in me. This season of my life hurts more and more every day. I can’t say that I feel a lot of good has come from the immediate actions, but my hope, and what I know to be true, is that God is breaking me down and rebuilding me in his image. 

The need for an intimacy with God is starting to become overwhelming, and I know what I must do in order to meet that need. It’s not going to be easy, but the season of a “social siesta” is upon me. I’m starting to think that it’s a good idea to break away from my normal routines, and dive into something major and necessary with Him. I’m experiencing so many emotions during this time, and I don’t feel like it’s fair to drag anyone else into it with me. I can’t be productive to anyone else if I don’t know who I am, or what I want. Something that makes this a little more difficult for me is that I am caught in between age groups. I have friends who I graduated high school with who are more fun that I know how to handle, and I have friends who are a great deal older than I am and more established and mature than I can be right now. I don’t necessarily have a place with anyone. A part of me wishes that I could just be a “normal” 20 year old, and not deal with the necessity of God. However, I realize that God’s plan for my life is not that of anyone else’s, younger or older. It’s difficult to see my friends being so care free when I’m constantly monitoring myself as to not offend God’s name, because I’m still failing. I don’t have a grip on this at all.

There is so much that I am learning about myself, and so much more to be revealed. I struggle with who I am, and who I’ve always been. Isaiah 55:8 (HCSB) says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts and your ways are not My ways”. All of the characteristics I possess that are not of Christ will be made known in God’s time and acknowledged  with a repentance brought on by Him. I’ve realized that people don’t change themselves, but God changes people. In Ezekiel 36:25-27 the Lord says, “I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place My Spirit within you and cause you to follow My statutes and carefully observe My ordinances.”  The proclamation that God gives to us to change our hearts and to make us new is my hope during this journey. God’s word is my hope. “so My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.” Isaiah 55:11.

My prayer is that I would be vulnerable to God during the next couple of months and that I would fully submit to the changes that He will undoubtedly demand of me. The destination is very much worth the journey.

Thanks for reading….Lots of Love Forever, Jasmine.

Worship Wednesday - First Wednesday!

Every first Wednesday of the month, my church hosts what we call (wait for it) First Wednesday! It's a time that we gather together and praise and worship God through song, prayer and by taking communion. It's always a very special time for me, and I'm greatly appreciative of the opportunity to worship so freely! This song, by Elevation Church, has been such a blessing to me the past couple of months. I recently visted this church and was amazed! I'm thankful that God is allowing churches to do such great things, and reach out to other parts of the county! I hope you like it!

Thanks for reading....lots of Love forever- Jasmine

Because that's what best friends do... Friends Friday!

(I truly have the world’s best friends. I thank God for each and every one of them…whether past or present. Fridays will be Friend Fridays on my blog, a day where I can introduce you to the special people in my life. Today’s post is dedicated to the most wonderful 3^rd grade girl I know, Olivia Doyle. Enjoy! )

Upon meeting someone, I’m generally not a shy person. I might not be as loud as I would normally be, but that’s because I would scare everyone away. But I haven’t always been this way. In fact, when I first moved to Dalton, I was actually pretty shy. However, by the time I was in 3^rd grade, that all changed. One bright eyed little girl would change my personality forever. Her name? Olivia Doyle.

I moved to Dalton in January of my first grade year. Being the new kid is hard enough but being the new kid in the middle of the year is a little bit more difficult. I didn’t have many friends in first grade, but luckily I was welcomed with open arms in the second grade. There were two specific girls in my class that I was determined to be friends with. One was Carter Patterson, and the other was Olivia Doyle. Sure there were other girls in the class, but I picked them. Carter (who will undoubtedly have her own blog in the future) was easy to be friends with. She was quiet and hardly said a word. So, because she didn’t talk, she couldn’t be mean. I liked her. But Olivia…she was different. She was the most self-assured 2nd grader I’ve ever known. She was sassy and determined. She wasn’t afraid to tell you what she wanted, and she knew how to get her way; truly a girl after my own heart. As the year went on, she and I had our issues (she didn’t always want to play with me or let me be in her club at recess. Oh! And there was the time she and another girl got BFF necklaces WITHOUT me…yea, I remember) but by the end of the year, we were pretty good friends. The next year was tragic though. Olivia and I weren’t going to be in the same classroom! I was pretty sad, but it was this year that she and I actually became the closest. We would play together at recess, and this is the year that I got to go to her house and spend the night! We had such big fun!  I remember eating cookie dough, and making “fruit smoothies” for her big sisters while eating shrimp cocktail. We played her Nintendo 64 and danced on her pool table and played dress-up. Just for the record, she had the best house ever. An amazing game room, a ballet room and two teenage sisters rooms who weren’t ever home …what’s better than that!? Olivia and I had the best times. She was great and I loved her. In 5^th grade, I moved to a different school. Olivia and I didn’t get to be as close as we were in 3^rd and 4^th grade, but we took dance together and I could see her then.

The summer before our 6^th grade year, Olivia was in a horrible Jet Ski accident and died. I remember the day I found out more vividly than I remember a lot of things. It was late June, and I had been at home on a rainy day. I was cleaning out my backpack from school and I found a note from Hannah, a friend of mine, that I had saved from 4th grade. I started to miss my old friends, so I decided to call some of them. As I ended my message on Hannah’s phone, I started to call Olivia. It was great to call her because she had her own line and I thought that was wicked sweet. However, all of a sudden the urge to call her went away and I didn’t do it. I don’t know why, but I just thought “She probably won’t be at home” so I left it alone. About 20 or 30 minutes after I called Hannah, she returned my call. She asked me if I knew what had happened, and I told her I didn’t know what she was talking about. She then told me that Olivia had died. Obviously, I didn’t believe her, but then she started crying and reading an article from the newspaper about her death. I was devastated. I didn’t understand. I was confused. I had no words. I didn’t know what to do…it was sheer craziness. The very next day was her funeral, and I attended with my parents. I remember watching the casket come down the aisle and asking God why He took her and not me.  After the funeral, we went to the burial ceremony. I pulled my dad to the side during the middle and asked him if we could leave. It was painful to be there and I just couldn’t stay any longer.  I remember my dad hugging me tightly as I cried on the way back to the car. I remember looking back a couple of times, but that was it. She was gone.

Something I’ve always struggled with is being mad at God, but this is one of few instances where it is safe to say that I was very mad at him. I watched her family cry and hold each other and I was so mad that they had to deal with all those emotions. I so desperately wished I could have taken her place so that she would still be alive. I was sure that at some point I would wake up, and the bad dream would be over and she would still be here. But that wasn’t the case. I was here, on earth and Olivia was not.

It’s been 9 years since Olivia died, and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t remember her or think of her. I smile thinking of her and have very  good memories. I don’t visit her grave as much as I would like, but when I’m there it’s always a very peaceful and calm experience. I went on to middle school and befriended the girl who is still my best friend today. And although I’ve had plenty of friends over the years, I’ve never forgotten, nor will I ever forget that beautiful girl that sparked a change in me that would last forever.