Easter and Smiles

"Life is short. Smile." ~Sarah, my RA

I smile. A LOT. And in case you haven't noticed...I do. I have a plaque here in my dorm room that I brought from home. It says,

"Never frown even when you are sad because you never know who is falling in love with your smile."

Ok, that's NOT why I smile! :) The reason I smile is because I am saved. JESUS reigns true in my heart! How can I not smile knowing this? Another one of my favorite quotes is this.

"Joy is the flag that flies above the castle of our hearts indicating that the KING reigns within."

This past Sunday was Easter Sunday. I must admit, I hadn't had much sleep the night before on account of being home from college. I was tired and a little bit irritable. As much as I loved Easter, I did NOT want to get up for the sunrise service. I wanted to stay in my cozy, warm bed and sleep for the rest of my life. But I finally got up, threw on a shirt and jeans, and walked out of the door. I was totally just going through the motions and not really caring. I mean, my hair spoke volumes on how much I cared. As soon as we got into the service, the worship leaders were leading us in a song that I hadn't heard in a very very long time. (and for the life of me, I cannot remember what the song was) As I listened to the words, I began to feel convicted about how I had been acting a few moments before. It certainly was not a Christ-like attitude and I most definitely did not have a smile on my face. During the service, hearing the preacher talk about MY Savior and how He bled and died for ME almost made me want to stand and shout for joy! I am FORGIVEN! Jesus is alive and well and he CONQUERED the grave! He rose victorious and death had lost its sting! During the closing prayer, I asked the Lord to help change my attitude about being so tired and grumpy. I asked Him to fill me with joy and happiness because HE had died and risen for me! The last song we sang was one I had sung on my Impact singing tour from last summer. The words are SO powerful.

Smile today. Smile tomorrow. Let everyone you encounter see JESUS shining through you! Radiate God's love so much, that that is all they see. :)

Glorious Day by Casting Crowns

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He
Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed

[Chorus:]
Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He's coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

One day they led Him up Calvary's mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me


One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now He's ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again


One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my Beloved One, bringing
My Savior, Jesus, is mine


Glorious day, Oh, Glorious day

Tanning, Sunshine and Happiness

     Hey Y'all! I actually have a BREATHING moment! Haven't had one of those in quite awhile! Anyways, my life's been pretty busy, especially with the usual... school. It's so crazy! In less than one month, I'll officially be a college sophomore. It seems like yesterday when I was a petrified freshman, not wanting to go anywhere by myself. Suddenly I am almost a Sophomore! My roommate, Sarah was just bringing that little tid bit to my mind last night! Scary...
 
     This summer, I will be saying goodbye to normal. I'll be hopping onto a plane and traveling halfway across the world to Europe for 10 weeks. May 26-August 1. I will be traveling with BJU's Musical Mission Team all summer long. We're going to France, Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, and Austria! I have never been overseas before. I'm both excited and nervous. And I'll be doing something totally different for my summer for the first time in my entire 19 years. Prayers would be greatly appreciated!

     Well, I can't think of anything else to spout out. I'm sure once I'm done typing all this I'll remember 100 things I was going to say. I'll just leave you with two funny stories.

Oh the bliss of running into a bathroom with too big shoes on to yell at Hannah. Of course this would happen to me  heehee Lesson I learned: Check the floor to make sure it wasn't recently mopped before running in a bathroom.

Me: I Can't find my laptop! It was right here!
Megan: How could you lose your laptop?! It's so big! Look in your chair!
Sarah: Maybe if you cleaned the room...you would find it
Me: Megan!!!!!!! I can't find it! Of course it's not in my chair! It was on the floor! I think I need counseling. 
Megan: First, you're worried about your computer before anything else, meaning you're putting it before God therefore you have idol-ment issues. Second you have not prayed enough about the situation, so you have prayer issues. And you're worrying, so you're not trusting in God!!!
Me: (wallering on the floor moaning) WAIT! I remember where it is! It's in the chair!!
Megan: I TOLD you it was in the chair! And you didn't listen to me! It means you didn't accept other people's advice meaning you have pride issues along with everything else!! There. You have been counseled. My teacher would be proud.