"You Don't Own Me!"

Dear pain, oh, it's been a long time
Remember when you were holding me tied
I would stay awake with you all night


Dear shame, I was safe in your arms
You were there when it all fell apart
I would get so lost in your beautiful eyes
But I let you go
But you're still chasing


Go ahead, you're never gonna take me
You can bend, but you’re never gonna break me
I was yours; I'm not yours anymore
Oh, you don't own me

-Disciple "You Don't Own Me"

No matter what we've done or how bad we've sinned or how tied down we were in shame and fear God is strong enough to pick us up and nothing can EVER pull us out of His arms!

~Miranda

Merry Christmas!

Hey Ya'll,

Just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas!!! I pray you all have a great and wonderful time with friends and family that you love! I know I will be spending time with the people I love and cherish! And I also pray that none of us will get caught up in the lights and presents and decorations. But truly focus on the birth of Jesus Christ our Savior! He is the true meaning of Christmas!!

~Miranda

"Haircut!"

Okay so today i got my hair cut!! It turned out awesome!! I love it so much!! I got my hair layered more, which makes it look better since i have a shorter length. And i got bangs! So happy with it! :)

At first i didn't like it cause it was so different but i got used to it and it's good. Plus i got told i look older so that's always good! :) haha

~Miranda

SNOOOOWWWWWWWW

So i woke up this morning and looked out the window by my bed and it was snowing!! I was so excited!! Perfect timing! The 1st day of snow on the 1st of December! YEAHHH!!! Hope everyone out there that has snow where they live are enjoying it as well! :)

Merry (almost) Christmas! :) haha
~Miranda

RAIN IN NOVEMBER!!!

Okay so i dont' know about all you guys out there, but it was raining yesterday at my house in NOVEMBER!! It really isn't suppose to do that!!! I'm looking for some snow...NOT RAIN!! Plus the weather is going crazy lately. It was in the 60's yesterday and now it's FREEZING today with a wind chill that feels like it is going to bite your nose off! Man, it was so cold! haha

So i'm really hoping some snow starts to happen soon! i want to make a snowman and fall asleep looking out my window at, not rain, but SNOW!!! :) haha

Can i get a "AMEN!" :)

The Little Things

So here I am! At Saginaw Valley State Universtity! Woke up at 4:45 (7:30 is usually early for me so i'll leave the idea of me waking up at 4:45 to your imagination) and pulled out of the driveway in pitch black. I'm sitting on a smooth wooden bench in a blue carpeted hallway. I can hear the professors talking to their classes and students hurrying to their classes are walking past me.

There are a million different rooms throught the thousands of hallways. I feels like a corn maze walking through the different buildings! How my sister finds her way around her, is beyond me!! :-) The students are all vastly different from each other. One young man walked by me in a suit and dress shoes with his book bag while another passed me with pj pants on and a Aeropostale T shirt. Nothing is the same here. Different hairstyles, clothes, shapes, sizes, heights, and characteristics.

Some of the kids walk past you and say Hi and smile kindly, while others seem to be in a hurry and walk right past you. I look at some of them and can tell they are in a happy mood (especially the one girl who was dancing down the hallway. She obviously got a good grade on that paper! lol) while others seem in their own world and you can tell they woke up a little on the early side of what they are used too...or they just hate colllege. :-) HAHA

So as sit here watching people pass me by weither noticing me or not, I feel a passion inside of me to reach out to them and touch their hearts with God's love. I want to be a kind of person who someone can look at and see God through me. I pray I can be a mirror for God to people all around me, wherever I am!

God, let me share your light with everyone, from the person in the suit and tie down to the guy who sits by himself with sweats and a hoodie on. You love them all! Please give me the same kind of love for them that you have! Let simple things i can do such as a smile, a friendly "Hi," and helping them with the door just touch them and cause a spark to happen. Let the little things make a big difference!

~Miranda

Something Glorious!

Have you ever looked at a person do something incredable, or seen something you thought was so beautiful you couldn't take your eyes off it!?! I know i have!! Every day there are things i wonder at and stop to stare at. Just so many things amaze me!!!

I"m sure you all have had this happen to you at least once before, So you all know what i'm talking about? You see someone sing or play an instrument and you just wonder how they do it! You see a huge building and wonder how someone built it! You look out your window and the grass has a layer of sparking snow covering it and the trees are glistening with ice.

But just think that all those things came from someone a thousands times more wonderful and amazing! God created those things!!! That is what should REALLY blow us away!

SO next time you see someone or something that catches your eye and makes you stop and wonder....look a little deeper and wonder at the Maker behind it! Those things are just a small reflection of how glorious He is!

"Show me something glorious, Show me something glorious, I'll show the Maker of it all, Show me something beautiful, Show me somthing beautiful, I'll show you the One behind it all!"
-Revive

"Friends Forever"

In the recent days and weeks i've been pondering my friends. And i have come to the conclusion i so don't deserve them!! They are so wonderful and kind to me! I really don't deserve it!!

Whenever I have a bad day or just am feeling down they are always willing to pray for me. To stand by me and be someone i can lean on. They show me love and friendship when i never earned it! They can cheer me up and make me laugh when i don't even want to smile! They can crack a joke, give me a hug, or say a kind word that brings a smile back to my face.

I only wish i can be a good friend to them as they are to me! I hope i can be!! They are so special to me and i thank God EVERY DAY for sending them down the same path as me. I hope i can be their friends for a very long time to come but even if we go seperate ways in teh coming years i will always remember them as wonderful people who i love very much!

So if you are my friend this is for you! All of you are amazing!!!

And thank you God for being my greatest friend!!!

~Miranda

"He Carried Me"

So I was just sitting here doing some stuff on my computer and I suddenly realized that just two weeks and two years ago my dad sat me down on the couch and told me something that changed my life. I had been talking to my sister, Bridget in the other room and the other kids were just doing their own things. It seemed like a completely normal day...but it wouldn't be for long.

My dad and mom walked in from talking outside together and had us all sit down in the living room. My dad, a commander in the Navy, looked us all straight in the eye and told us that he had been called to active duty in Iraq. I was speechless...my world got blurry and i couldn't think straight. I finally got a few words out of my mouth and asked me how long he'd be gone. He looked at me and started crying and whispered, "a year." It was then the tears came.

How could God let me daddy go away to a war zone for a year at this point in my life? I was just goign to start highschool soon, i was trying to figure out being a teenager, i needed my dad there to help me and God was pulling him away. I felt completely lost and alone sitting there watching my dad cry.

Anyway it was a long and hard year for me and the rest of my family. But God pulled us through and brought me closer to Him and to my friends through it all. And i thank Him for that.

So today i am thanking Him for bringing my dad home safe and giving me strength to get through tough times. I know i will have many more throughout my life that may not end up with a happy ending like this one did but i know that God will always be by my side and He will also put people, who love me and are willing to help me through it, in my life.

So i encourage anyone out there who has a rut in their road and can't get out that God is there ALWAYS and even when it might feel like He is so very far away...He isn't!

"Even though I'm walking through the valley of the shadow, I will hold tight to the hand of Him, His love will comfort me, and when all hope is gone and I've been wounded in the battle, He is all the strength that i will ever need, He will carry me!"

~Miranda

Entry 55: "Life"

Dear Readers,

So I know I haven't posted in awhile. Unfortunately I forgot my username and password to my blog so  I couldn't log in. Smart ol' me! :) But finally after trying everything I could possibly think of I got it right and was able to get in. :D

So hope you all are doing well! Life is going well for me recently! History exam in two weeks which i'm not entirely looking forward too but life's life. :)

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow! I get to go with my sister to college. It will be fun! Also i get to see my friends and practice music at my church! I'm very excited and looking forward to it!

Well off to other things!
God Bless,
~Miranda

Entry 54: "Before the Morning"

So life hasn't been the best right now for me. Starting highschool, getting used to some changes, and other little things have just been overwhelming right now. There are some days when i just dont' feel like I can make it through and life feels like it's crashing down but no matter how made it can get God will always be there for me! He will always be the Savior of the world and He will never let me go through ANYTHING alone. And on top of that He gives me friends and family that love me to be able to come up beside me, take my hand and walk me through the hard times. How could i ask for more!?!?! God is so good to me and He has really shown himself in the last couple weeks in many ways to me!

So know that whenever you are going through something difficult or painful and it feels like you just can't get back up on your feet. You have fallen down hard and it seems hopeless, i beg you, don't give up!!! God is there wiht you!! You may not be able to see Him clearly but He is there!!!! He will pick you back up!!

"Would you dare, would you dare to believe, that you still have a reason to sing, cause the pain that you've been feeling, can't compare to the joy that's coming, so hold you gotta wait for the light, press on and just fight the good fight, cause the pain that you've been feeling is just the dark, before the morning!"

Dont' worry God is there with you in the darkness!! And the darker the night, the brighter He can shine!!!!

~Miranda

Entry 52: "School Begins!"

Well so far i'm in my second week of school! I started chemistry this year and am doing a high school history/literature class. It is fun so far...hard at times...but fun! I actually enjoy school most of them, which even surprises me sometimes but it's true.

My sister had her first day of college today along with my good friend, Micah, who also had his first day! I'm so excited for them!! My biggest prayer for them is that while they are at college their faith will stay firm and solid and that they will be able to shine a light for Christ. That people will be able to notice a difference in them. I have faith that they both have a strong faith in God so i'm praying that they will be able to lean on God through any trials or tribulations that coem their way! I"m proud of you two! :D

Hope everyone else who is starting school is enjoying it and having fun!!!!

God Bless,
Miranda

Entry 51: "A Life Full of Smiles"

Sometimes life is sad and there are tears and sad faces but thank goodness for the God above that always sweeps down and catches our tears when they fall and brightens our faces when they are down cast. I've had my fair share of moments in life where i have been like that. Where it seems like life is set on making you miserable forever...adn it will never get ANY BETTER! I'm only just 15 so i'm sure i will have many more such moments in the years to come!!

But when i did have those such moments i was so greatly encouraged by my Savior and God!! He touched my heart in a way no one else could! He was able to show me that i need nothign else in this world then Him and i need to rely on nothign else but that. Friends and family will be there for me temporarily but in time they will fade away or become strangers to me, perhaps. But God will always be there. Of course i will cherish and love my friends for as long as they are with me but i can't rely on them to be my rock! Because they will not be able to stand up for me every single time i'm in trouble. but God will!!!

With a smile on my face and laughter tugging at my lips I praise God with my whole heart for being that amazing and wonderful rock i can lean on! I love Him so much and always will...and He will always love me!!!

Hope you are able to smile a little brighter and laugh a little louder knowing that God is on your side and always will be!!

~MIranda


"Rock of ages, Jesus your the rock! Rock of ages, Jesus your the rock! Rock of ages, Jesus your the Rock! You are the rock! You are the rock our God!"

Entry 50: Come, everyone who thirsts....

"Come, everyone who thrists,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for
that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does
not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what
is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may life;
and i will make with you an
everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David."

-Isaiah 55: 1-3

Don't waste your life trying to store up your treasures on earth thinking they will bring your true joy, because i promise you, you'll be very dissapointed! Store up your tresures in heaven and find true and lasting joy in God! He is worth dropping everythign you have to gain Him.

Entry 47: "Praying For A Friend"

Praying for my friend, Micah, who is having his last big golf tournament this week. Just praying and hoping he praises and glorifies God in everything he does and that his fellow golfers can look at him and see Christ shining through!

He is a great golfer and a great christian young man so i know he will do big things in his life with Christ by his side!! GOOD LUCK, MICAH!! :)

"But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as hold, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who askes you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with a gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil."
-1 Peter 3:14-17

~Miranda

Entry 47: MUSIC!!

Lets just put it down in a simple statement. I LOVE MUSIC!!  :D

It is such a wonderful thing! We can use it for so many different things and ways. You can send someone a song to encouraged them when they are down or you can write a song to express how you are feeling...you can sing a song to praise God...and you can just listen to music and find yourself lost in God's wonder and majesty!

I love music! I always loved playing my guitar and singing along to my favorite songs on the radio in the car or in my room with my Ipod even though i was probably totally off key. lol

I have this new favorite song recently...well...scratch that...I have MULTIPLE new favorite songs. :)

The first is called "Hold Us Together" by Matt Maher. I love the lyrics that talk about how God's love won't nessasarily give us a big job, won't pay our bills for us, or get us thing big house but it will hold us together in the stormy parts of life. It has encouraged me many times!! 

The second one is called "Starry Night" by Chris August. It talks about how from teh tallest tree to the birds that sing God is everthing and we need to give our life to him. I encourage you to look up both these songs. The lyrics are so vivid and give you such a great picture of what it is talking about..

Well enough on my rant of music. Hope you all are having a great evening!!!

God Bless
~Miranda

Entry 46: A Corn Field

Dear Readers,

I hope all who are reading this are doing well!!

Have you ever been just doing something completely normal that you do every other day, or just sitting there in the car reading a book thinking about random things?? Well, I'm sure we all have done at least one of those two things many times in our lives, obviously.

Well, the other day I was sitting in the back seat of our silver van reading a great mystery book and listening to some great music! All of a sudden my mind blurred and i lost track of my book, my music, and the sound of the tires rolling along the dirt road. I was staring at a huge field of corn that seemed to stretch forever...at least as far as i could see with my naked eye.

And as i was lost in the picture of that corn field i had snapped and cemented in my head it grew and i saw the sky above it. A deep crisp blue layer of sky with fluffy white clouds dotted here and there. I saw huge trees, full of every color green you can imagine, bordering the corn field.

And it just kept growing...the field reminded me of my home that has a corn field right infront of it and by it. Then that reminded me of my house. And the people in it and my friends who come over to visit and all the fun memories i have had in that house, by the corn field, underneath the crisp blue sky.

Suddenly i blinked and a sharp shiver went up my spine and i found my self back in our van with a different song coming out of my head phones and my book laying on my lap longing to have the next page flipped. And right then and there I thanked God for that corn field and all the things that i had been thinking of.

It just so happened I was driving home from church when this was all happening and in sunday school i watched a sermon by John Pipper about how you can look at something magnificant and use that as a spring board to thank God for being so great.

That corn field threw me high into the sky of God's magnificant glory and i caught a small glimpse of how great our creator is. So if that corn field is a tiny speck in the place where i live....and the place where i live is a tiny speck in the world...and the world is a tiny speck in the universe...and the universe is a tiny speck in the galaxy...and God spook it all into being! How Great is our God!!

So i challenge you to look at somethign that usually is taken for being small and insignificant like a regular old corn field and make it grow to see how great God is. It will leave you speachless.........

~Miranda

Entry 45: Blessings

What an amazing life I have! Today I have been counting my blessings and I have lost count!! God has blessed me with so many wonderful things that i take for granted every day!

My family, is always there for me. To protect me in times of danger and to comfot me in times of sadness and pain. We laugh, talk, eat, play, sing and have fun with each other every single day of our lives! How lonely my life would be without them next to me!!

My friends, are always so loving and kind to me. I really don't deserve them sometimes. Their friendship is one in a billion! I have so many great memories of them that i will always remember!! God has blessed me incredablly with bringing them into my lives at just the right time!

My God, is the most important of all my blessings! He created me in His image. Me, the dirty, filthy, ragged, sinful girl that i am was created in God's image and is now called His daughter. He took my in and clothed me. He died for me and is making a place in heaven for me. It makes me want to just cry thinking of how amazing God has been to me and how utterly cruel i have been in return. I take all these blessings for granted so many times and yet God does not take them away.

So i encourage all of you who are reading this to think about the most important things and people in your life and not take them for granted. Love them and cherish them with your whole heart because you don't know how long you will have them for. Make every second count. And most importantly thank God for bestowing these blessings on you and especially His very own Son who hung on a cross for us. We deserve hell but we have heaven because of God's grace and mercy.

~Miranda

Entry 44: He Is Holding Your Heart

Have you ever had a perfect day where everything is going smoothly and you are having a wonderful time but then five seconds later everything turns upside down and you feel like you got punched in the gut and can't breathe?? Its like life throws a curve ball at you and you never saw it coming. You weren't ready for it and when it hit you you got knocked out and weren't sure if you would be able to stand back up.

LIfe is often like this. Just when it gets going well it come back around and smacks you in the face. It leaves you broken hearted, lonely, confused, and often desperate for something...that something is God. We cannot do anything without Him. We may think we can and we probably could for a short-term but long-term we would have a pretty rotten, dirty, and unproductive life without God pulling us through. So sometimes God as the pitcher needs to throw a fast curve ball at us to knock us off our feet and get out attention to let us know that we have been ignoring Him and living life without Him.

So if you are in that kind of rutt in the road and sitting there searching for something...turn to God. He is the only one who can fill your needs and the only one you can lean on who won't dissapoint you. He created you so i'm sure He knows how you are are feeling.

There is a song that i have listened to over and over and over again when i'm down or depressed and it feels like no one is there for me.

Here is the first verse and chorus:

How long must I pray /  Must i pray to you /  How long must i wait /  Must i wait for you /  How long till i see your face /  See you shining through / I'm on my knees /  begging you to notice me? / I'm on my knees /  Father will you turn to me?

One tear in the driving rain / One voice in a sea of pain / could the make of the stars / hear the sound of my breaking heart / One life that's all I am / Right now i can barely stand / If you're everything you say you are / would you come close and hold my heart?

God is holding you heart! Run to him and He will set you on the right track and be with you until the end.

~Miranda

Hannah's Giveaway!

Hey Ya'll,

Hannah is having a giveaway over at her blog!!!!! CALLING EVERYONE!! HANNAH IS HAVING A GIVEAWAY AT HER BLOG!! :)

Click on the title of this post and and go check it out and enter! It is so awesome!


~Miranda


P.S and this is not just for girls. If any of you guys want to do it that is awesome! maybe it will be a good way to get something for your mom/friend/or sister. :)

Entry 43: "How He Loves"

This is one of my favorite songs by David Crowder Band!! Read through these lyrics and ponder them for a moment...

Verse One:
He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree, Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy. When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, And I realise just how beautiful You are, And how great Your affections are for me.

Verse Two:
We are His portion and He is our prize, Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes, If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking. And Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss, And my heart turns violently inside of my chest, I don’t have time to maintain these regrets, When I think about, the way…

Chorus:
Yeah he loves us, Oh! how he loves us, Oh! how he loves us, Oh! how he loves!

It talks about how great God is that we are just the insignificant little tree bending over at the weight of his power and glory!! We are nothing compared to Him! And we don't even see it until God opens our eyes and we realize how amazing our God really is and how much he loves us! He gave us grace when he died on that cross...more grace then we can ever imagine or give away ourselves! He is so great and he loves us so much!!!

So i am not a very good writer and at times can't get my thoughts out of my head but i just wanted to share with you all how much I love this song! It encourages me every time i listen to it!!!!

HOW HE LOVES US!!! Oh God, you are so great, help me see you with open and clearer eyes just how wonderful you are!!

~Miranda

Entry 42: "Life Happenings"

I pray you will forgive me for not being on my blog much lately! When I finish school in the next two or three weeks I'm sure I will be on more! : )

So I really have nothing particular to write about...so I thought I would share my daily happenings with you and perhaps I will stumble onto a subject to write about...

If you have read my latest blog post on my photography blog: http://www.capturing-his-creation.blogspot.com/ you would have seen that we received 150 baby chicks this morning!! Yeah you heard right...150!! They were literally born, put in a box, and shipped to our post office in town. One still had yolk and egg shell stuck to itself!

I have been thinking a lot about life in general lately. I don't know why but God has put it in my heart to start thinking about what I can be doing with the gifts and talents He has blessed me with. I'm not quite sure how yet but I'm praying He will show me ways I can day by day. I would appreciate any prayers on this subject! :)

So summer is just around the corner!! I am excited!! Today was very rainy and BLAH but hopefully it will get warmer as the days go by. I had a intense urge to go for a run today in the rain but I wasn't able to. School went for awhile today and I was gone from the house running errands for a few hours. Maybe the next day it rains I will be free.

I am reading a new mystery book I started a few days ago. It is called "Peril At End House." I have really enjoyed it so far! It is by Agatha Christie. She is an incredable author and my favorite mystery writer. I would highly suggest any of her books!

Well looks like I never found a rabbit trail to head down today. Oh well...I hope you have enjoyed seeing my thoughts and happenings over the past few days.

~Miranda

Entry 41: "Fourth Folder...Fourth Picture"

Go to the forth folder in your photos and find the forth photo.

Post that photo on your post (no editin' no croppin' no nothin') and explain what the picture is.

Tag four people.

So this picture is my brother at his 11th birthday. I can't remember what the present is on his lap but i know that year he got a volleyball net, a volley ball, and a new soccer ball.

So let me think of four people to tag.....HMMmmmm

Okay i got it now!!

-Rachael

-Micah

-Josie

-Grace

And if you don't want to do the tag it won't hurt my feelings or anything...just do it if you want too. Oh, and if you already got tagged sorry about that. : )

Thanks for tagging me, hannah! :)

~Miranda

Entry 40: "Memories"

Just recently i walked down the cold wooden stairs of our basement and flipped on the dusty lightswitch. I hadn't been down there in a while and i had forgotten the wonderful smell of wood that filled my nostrils. I walked over to the back corner and pulled out a small box with a dusty green lid. On the side of the box was a strip of ducktape that had the name "Miranda" written on it. I snapped off the lid and set it down next to me. It had been a while since i had looked at my memory box and i had forgotten many things that were in there.

On the top were my many medals i had won from being on First Lego League team for three years. Memories of my teammates and coaches flashed in my head. I remembered the excitement in everyone's faces when we went to the tournament...and the smiles when we earned those medals. Sometimes it seemed like a lot of work being part of that team but those laughs, smiles, and friendships gained made it absulotely worth it all!!

Underneath my medals lay my old blanket I used to carry with me constantly. I recalled the times when i had a bad dream and I would climb into bed with my mom and dad. I would feel my mom's soft hand rubbing my back and her kind words soothing me back to sleep while i held my blanket in my arms.

After that I got to some recent items of my past. I pulled out all the cards from my 14th birthday party. I don't know why that birthday party meant so much to me but it did and i had kept every single card anyone had given me. I smiled and laughed as i passed from one to another. I thanked God for all those people that had come and celebrated that day with me...how blessed i am to have known them and have them as friends.

Than came the biggy....a handwritten letter i received from my father when he was in Iraq. I almost cried over this one!! I remember getting this letter like it was yesterday! For a minute i just stared at his handwritten taking it all in. I carefully opened the envelope and pulled out two pieces of pale yellow stationary paper. In the letter he wrote about how he was doing....the weather...about his job in Iraq...and all sorts of things. After i finsihed reading the letter i closed my eyes and pictured him writing it too me all the way in Iraq. I touched the paper gently smiling as i thought of him touching it as well. Throughout the rest of his deployment i read that letter countless times and after every time i was encouraged and had a smile on my face.

I am a person who loves things that remind me of other things. I love my memory box and i will always have it with me where ever i live. It reminds of the the wonderful people and things God has blessed me with. Sometimes God gives us something, we thank Him for it, and we move on. I do this all too often....but going though my memory box reminds me of them and i can thank Him again for them.

I guess i don't really have a major point to this post other than when God gives you someone or something to cherish save a little piece of it to look back on in the coming years and be reminded of all the blessings the good Lord has given you.

~Miranda

Entry 39: "Bridget"

Okay so i got some really nice pictures of Bridget after she got her perm! I don't have pictures of Rachael or I yet but i decided i'll just do one at a time! :-) Enjoy!!!

~Miranda~

Entry 38: "Haircuts!!!"

Hey Ya'll,

Just giving you a heads up that I'll be posting some pictures of my sisters and i's new haircuts. My oldest sister got her's trimmed up and looking great, my other sister got a PERM (and she looks beautiful), and i got a good couple inches cut off mine so its now short! : ) It is a little higher then my shoulders and i really like it!! So much easier to take care of!

Sometimes i wish i had long hair but my hair looks better short....at least that is what i think. : )

So anyway I will be posting some pics of us later on! At the moment my camera needs to be charged and i misplaced my charger...yeah...BAD! LOL! So hopefully i will be able to find that soon so i can show you all our awesome Do's! : )

<3 <3
Miranda

"The Beauty of Forgiveness"

The Definition Of Forgiveness:  to pardon; to remit, as an offense or debt; to overlook an offense, and treat the offender as not guilty.

What a great amount a meaning in a small simple word! There is so much that runs through my brian when i think about this word it is hard to get it out into words!

In a world that is full of sin, destruction, and comtempt it is such a comfort to know that forgiveness is not a fairy tale or myth!

When Jesus hung on the cross on that dark dreary day He forgave all of us of every SINGLE sin we have commited, are comitting at present, or will in the future! Just think about it for a minute. Say each person in the entire world commits one sin every day (and i'm sure we commit more then one a day). There are 365 days in a year and an estimated 6,813,352,529 people in the world. Do the math: that means that every year 2,486,873,673,085 sins are commited and Jesus has forgiven every one! WOW! That makes my head spin!

Sometimes we find it so hard to forgive a person if they offend or hurt us in some way. We tend to get the idea that we are so high and mighty and that the other person doesn't deserve to be forgiven...but we didn't deserve to be forgiven either! God created us, we bite the apple, we rebelled, we spit in His face, we broke His laws and we rightly deserve to be thrown into hell for eternity! But it didn't turn out that did it??

Jesus willing got His back torn apart by a cruel whip, His head slit and bruised by a crown of twisted ugly thorns,  His hands and feet punctured by thick long nails, and for the first time in His life seperated from God....for what?....FOR US!! For us low, pitiful, dirty humans who never treated Him with the respect He deserved!

I just can't get my mind around it....what a great gift God has given to us! He forgave us and will continue to do so untill we draw our last breath. What a gracious, loving, and merciful God we have!!

So...next time you find it hard to forgive someone just think about how God forgave you by sending His only Son, who was perfect and holy, to die on a cross like a good-for-nothing theif. Trust me...when you look at it that way...your position doesn't look so bad.

Colossians 3:12-13
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindess, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Luke 23: 34
And Jesus siad, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Matthew 6: 14
For if you forgive other their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

~Miranda

Entry 37: "A Tag"

Okay so I saw this tag on Miss Isabelles's blog. I wasn't tagged in it but it looked really fun so i decided to put it on mine. I know i'm kinda breaking the "tag rules" so i hope its okay.  :-)

1. High heels or boots? high heels

2. What time did you get upt his morning? 8:00

3. What was the last film you saw in the cinema? "Alice and Wonderland" (awesome movie!)

4. What is your name? uhh...miranda...i think everyone who is reading this already knew that but oh well.

5. What is your favorite TV show? "Monk" or "Psych"

6. What do you usually have for breakfast? I don't usually eat breakfast...i should though...but i really like pancakes or waffles

7. What food do you dislike? Chicken and rice

8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? "Come Alive" by Mark Schultz

9. What characteristic do you despise? taunting

10. Favorite Clothing? Something warm, comfortable, and cosy

11. Anywhere in the world on vacation? Scotland

12. Are you an organized person? Not really...no

13. Where would you retire to? uhh....no idea. I haven't even gotten a job...i have not even considered the word retire at the moment. :-)

14. What was your most memorable birthday? My last where i got a black electric guitar from my parents! Love them so much!

15. What are you going to do when you finish this? Go work on my cross-stitch!

16. What is your birthstone? Peridot

17. Person you expect to publish this first? No idea

18. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night person....i love staying up late...but hate getting up in the  morning...i dread mornings! >:-(

19. What is your shoe size? 9 1/2

20. Do you own any animals? two cats, a dog, and a ton of chickens

21. Any news you would like to share? Mmmm....I just took a breath! Yay for me! 

22. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? A mail lady

23. What is your favorite flower? A white rose with dew drops on it. : ) I'm kinda specific on that one.

24. What is a day on the calender you are looking forward to? April 7

25. If you were a crayon what color would you be? Dark blue

26. How is the weather right now? not too warm, not too cold, and smells like rain!

27. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My sista!

28. Favorite Drink? Coke

29. Favorite Restaurant? Olive Gardens

30. Hair color? Blonde with brown highlights

31. What was your favorite toy as a child? A dolls head that you could style and put make-up on : )

32. Summer or winter? how about fall?

33. Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla

34. Coffee or Tea? Niether

35. Wish you were still young? I am still young...ask me that in a good couple years

36. Do you want your friends to publish this? If they want to...then yes

37. When was the last time you cried? Today a couple hours ago

38. What is under your bed? too much stuff. LOL

39. What did you do last night? watched a mystery movie with my family and cross stitched

40. What are you afraid of? Sharks, bears, and driving over bridges

41. Salty or Sweet? both

42. Best quality you have? I have been told encouraging words

43. How many years at your current job? Don't have one

44. Favorite day of the week? Wednesday or Sunday

45. Last thing you smelled? Mushrooms cooking in lemon pepper and butter! YUMMY! : )

So anyone can put this on their blog or just leave a comment with their answers or just read mine and move on. Whatever you want to do...but if you do post it on your blog let me know so i can go check it out! : )

Have a great night!
Miranda

Entry 36: "Easter!"

HE IS RISEN!!!!!! PRAISE GOD!!! :-)

Entry 35: "Love Languages"

So you might be looking at the post title thinking, "What in the world is this post about!" HAHA!  A friend of mine wrote a post about this and it got me thinking. Everyone has a love language or in other words a specific way that they most feel loved or show love. There are five kinds of love languages:

-words of affirmation (good job, well done, I'm proud of you etc.)
-Quality Time (just sitting there being with the person)
-Gifts (giving people gifts for no apparent reason just to show them you care)
-Physical Touch (hugs, holding hands, kissing, just touching them)
-Acts of Service (picking the house, cleaning, helping them with whatever)

I kinda confuse my self wih my love languages but i'll try to explain.

If i want to SHOW love to someone i buy them gifts or hug them. I absulotely LOVE getting gifts for people! It is one of my favorite things to do!! I like it more then getting things for myself!! :-)

And the best way i GET love from someone is from words of affirmation of physical touch. And when it comes to words of affirmation: I like letters or notes from my family but i like the words in person better from friends. ( i know its kinda weird) but yeah...if a friend of mine comes up to me in person and says "thanks miranda" or "i really appreciate you" it means so much! But from family it means more on paper.

So enough with my book on my love language i would love to hear what yours is!!

How do you like to SHOW people love and how do you like to RECIEVE love???

~Miranda

Entry 34: "AHhhhh!"

I'm sitting at my computer after a long day!! Sleep over last night, voice lessons, in the car for almost four hours (Way fun!), studying for my biology test, birthday party....what a day!!

So here i am sitting on my wonderful soft bed in a warm fleeze jacket that my amazing father bought me chewing a winterfresh piece of gum! Can it get any better...i don't think so!! :-)

The day has been busy and hectic at times but sitting here, in the quietness of my room,  i flipped open my bible and found this passage that i wanted to share with you all!

"Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!"

-Pslam 46:10

When you are having a rough busy day just slow down and sit for minute listening for God. He is with you! But if we get wrapped up in our day we will never be able to hear Him! Be still....and listen!

Goodnight and God bless!
~Miranda

Entry 33: "Thank You, God"

Dear Readers,

The last couple of days have been tough. I have been struggling with something in my life and it was really putting me in a depressing state. I was greatly encouraged by the people who were praying for me and comforting me!! They were great!! So thank you, ya'll! :-)

God gave me a sense of peace and just recently I have reached the end of the trial!! It was hard, long, and painful at times but i am so glad that I had God on my side!! I would have never gotten out of the mud if it weren't for Him! :-)

Thanks God for loving and protecting me through the bad times AND the good times!!

Praising God!
~Miranda

Entry 32: "Jeremiah 32: 17"

"Ah, Lord God!! It is you who has made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you."

A good friend of mine just recently shared this verse with me. I was feeling down and struggling with some trials and this verse really encouraged me!! I thought my trial was so hard and that i could never figure out a way to overcome it. I was at the edge of saing, "FINE! I give in....I don't care anymore....Its just too hard!" But then when this person shared this verse with me I realized i couldn't give in quite yet! If God created the earth, starts, sun, moon, animals, and me...I think He is quite capable of helping me through this trial!!

This verse encouraged me greatly to keep pressing forward and that with God all things are possible!! Nothing is too big or small for God! What a mighty God we serve!!


~Miranda

Follow You Video

I found this video of Leeland and Brandon Heath singing "Follow You" that song that I talked about in my last post.  It gave me a little bit further glimpse about what this song is talking about and encouarging us to do. Hope it encourages you as i did me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=4ajIFfSaEzE

Miranda

Entry 31: "Follow You"

We as humans tend to want to make our own paths and go the direction we want to go. When God shows us the path we need to take we all to often spit in his face and walk in the complete opposite direction! But God always knows what is best for us and what way we should turn! He is the only one who knows what is at the end of the path so it will always be in our best interest to follow him.

This is a song that has been a huge encouragment to me when i am tempted with going down my own path. A friend of mine shared it with me and every time i hear it, it spures me on to seek the path God wants me to take!! It gives me encouragment to share that Gospel with everyone i met!!

I hope these lyrics give you encouargment to walk down whatever path God takes you down no matter how dirty, smelly, and uncomfortable they may seem on the outside i promise you they will be for your best interest when you reach the other side!

You lived among the least of these / the weary and the weak / and it would be a tragedy for me to turn away / All my needs you have supplied / when i was dead  you gave me life / How could i not give it away so freely??


And i'll follow you into the homes that broken / follow you into the world / Meet the needs for the poor and the needy God / Follow you into the world.


Use my hands, use my feet / to make your kingdom come / through the corners of the earth /  until your work is done / Cause faith without works is dead /  and on the cross your blood was shed /  so how can i not give it away so freely??

And i'll follow you into the homes that are broken /  follow you into the world /  meet the needs for the poor and the needy God  / follow you into the world

I give ALl my self / I give ALL myself /  i give ALL myself...to you!!!!


God, help me to trust that your path is the best and to follow you no matter what!!

~Miranda

Entry 30: "Deuteronomy 31:6"

"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you."

~~~~~

Do you believe this? Now most of you are probably thinking, "Duh, of course we do!" but think about it for a moment....do you truly believe this??

When you are in fear of losing someone you love, tired of facing a constant fear, afraid to go out and share the Gospel, uncertain why God is giving you so many trials and the list goes on and on! What do you do in those instances...honestly!

Usually we give into fear! But this verse encourages us to trust in God because He is on our side!! Our enemies should be the real ones who are in fear!! God is on our side and will STAY on our side for ever!! Oh that just gives me the tingles thinking about!! How awesome it is to know that the creator of the universe is our best friend and helper in times of trouble!!

No matter what the trial or how weak you think you are, seek God's strength and you WILL be renewed!! That is a promise! :-)

~Miranda

Entry 29: "Random Question"

Okay so most of you who know me outside of my blog know that i am a INCREDABLLY random person!! One minute i'll be talking about something, another thing will catch my attention, and i'll stop mid sentance and be talking about something totally off topic. Or i'll just ask people random questions like i'm going to ask you now. :-)

Okay so here are a couple with my answers written out, but i would love to hear yours!

1. What are you most looking forward to this week?   Tomorrow, I'm gonna hangout with friends at my church for music practice! :-)

2. If you could describe yourself in one song what would it be? Okay  i know a lot of songs but here is one that i think would do the job. "Sunshine Girl" from Britt Nicole

3. Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, or none? MICHIGAN!! i don't care how bad they play i will always root for them!!

4. Favorite Actor (or one of your favorite) Matt Damon (from the Bourne Identity series)

5. guitar or drums? I love both but i have to pick guitar!!

6. What was the last thing you did before you replied to this post? Wrote out the post! :-) hehe!

Ok have fun!

~Random Randi! :-) (one of my many nicknames)

Entry 28:"My Photography Blog"

Hey Ya'll,

Just wanted to let you know i have started another blog for my photography! http://www.capturing-his-creations.blogspot.com/.

Enjoy!
Miranda

Entry 27: "Learning More About You"

Okay! So i put this little thing together so i could learn a little bit more about all my followers and they could learn a little bit more about me. : )

Enjoy!


Your Favorite Shoe Brand: Converse

Your Favorite Clothes Brand: American Eagle

Your Two Favorite Days of the Week and why?: Sunday (church) and Wednesday(music team practice for church)

If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be: Scotland (love the style and accents!)

Favoirte Hobby: Singing and playing my acoustic guitar

Favorite Memory:  Hugging my dad after he came home from serving Iraq for a year

One word that descripes you: Random


RANDOM!



One of your favorite songs: "Fire" by Krystal Meyers

Favorite School Subject (recess doesn't count): Math

Favorite Season: Fall

One word/phrase you use all the time: Okey Dokey Arichokey


( I seriously couldn't think of a picture to put for this one!) :-)


What is one of your favorite foods: PIZZA!! :)

Favorite Color: Blue

So just make a comment and tell me your answers! I would love to read them! : )

~Miranda

Entry 27: "Getting Better"

First i just wanted to say to everyone who has been praying for the sickness that has been going around the family, THANK YOU SO MUCH for praying!! God graciously answered our prayers and Josh is prefectly healthy now!! My mother got the cold and was in bed all day yesterday but is doing much better today!! She is up and around and helping us kids with our school work. Please continue to pray she continues to get better and doesn't get worse and that no one else gets the germ especially my older sister, Bridget, who is performing in a Charlottes Web play in two weeks.

I apprecaite all your prayers and kind words!

Praise God,
Miranda

Entry 26: "Joshua Sick"

Hey Everybody,

This morning my younger brother, Josh, woke up and didn't feel too good. He went to back to bed to rest and now he has a fever, sore throat, and stomach ache. yeah...not good! 

Please be praying he feels better soon and that whatever he has doesn't spread to the rest of the family.

Thanks
Miranda

Entry 25: "Friendship"

I was over at my friend, Jenn's, house and we decided to go take a walk in the yard. It was a blast!! She is such a awesome person! I have been so blessed to have her as my friend. She can tell when i'm down and she can tell when i'm lying and telling her i'm not down. : ) We finish each other's sentences and sometimes just laugh for not obvious reasons.

I have known her ever since I can remember and hopefully I continue to know her for a long time!! She is practically like a sister and I don't think anything could possibly seperate us!

We took some awesome pictures together and I wanted to share them with you all! Thanks for being a great friend, Jenn! : )

Okay PREPARE TO BE AMAZED!!!!   : )

Jenn and I!

Me

I found you Jenn!!

The creek

Jenn tried to jump across the creek and her food landed in the cold water...it didn't feel very good if you couldn't tell from the look on her face! :-)

My Shadow

Our dancing shadow

That is us completely normal...you should see us when we act weird! :-)

That would be...me. :-)

PPOOKKEE!!!

 (even though i look totally clam and collected this is what is running through my head: OH MY GOODNESS...take the picture already...i'm freezing!!)  :-)

Thanks for spending a great day with me, Jenn!! I enjoyed it so much!! : -)

~Miranda

Entry 24: "God is Great"

GOD IS GREAT!!!! Lately i have been down spiritually but today God has filled me a sense of joy!!!!! I feel like i could explode with happiness!! In a little while I'm heading to church with friends to praise God through song!! And spend time praying with fellow believers!! I am excited!!

Just thought i would share my joy with you guys!!

Praising God,
Miranda

Entry 23: "Old Memories"

Talking at the dinner table tonight we got on the subejct on record players and such. While us girls were cleaning up dad brought up from the basement a big brown box of old records. Nik stated, "WOW! those Cd's are huge!!" : )

Dad than dug out his turntable, hooked it up, stuck a record in....and "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles started playing througout the house. I have never heard a record before and it was a new experiance! Mom and Dad began to tell us stories about their first record they bought and all those wonderful memories from their childhood.

I was stunned when i learned that, in their time, if you wanted to learn how to play a song from your favorite band you had to figure it out yourself without looking it up on the internet or watching a youtube video of it! I was totally speechless!!! :O Also when you wanted to change the song you couldn't just press a button, you had to go over to the turntable, and move the needle over till it hit the song you wanted!

Bridget than walked into the living room with her Ipod and mom said it is amazing how you can fit so much music on that littlet thing and by the push off a button play, pause, fast forward and rewind! Isn't amazing how times have changed!!

Listening to this music brought smiles to everyones faces! Nikita got up and began to dance with Bridget while mom and dad continued to sing along with the songs and dance to the twist!!!!!

What wonderful family memories this has brought that we can look back in ten years when Ipod will be gone and we will be able to listen to music by someother device! This brings me to a interesting question i cna ask you all!   What do you think listening to music will be like in ten years???

~Miranda

Entry 22: "Fire"

You make light from dark

Illuminate my heart

It started with a spark

And now I'm consumed

I know its your will

So i'm gonna shine until

I'm a city on a hill

And they can see you

And know you

And know you inside!!

You set me

You lit me

I"M ON FIRE

What a beautiful sight to see

I"M ON FIRE

Until my light if burning bright

I'm gonna life your name and let this flame get higher

FIRE!

Let your fire feed on all my disbelief

Cause you are all i need

You're contagious

Like a blaze i can't contain

It never fades away

It's sunshine through the rain

That's what love is

And i know

And i know inside!!

I wanna show 'em your're the only one

Show 'em you're the only one

You're the only reason why i'm on fire!!

You set me

You lit me

I"M ON FIRE

What a beautiful sight to see

I"M ON FIRE

Until my light is burning BRIGHT!

I'm gonna lift your name and let this flame get higher

FIRE!

"Fire" by Krystal Meyers

We all, as christians, need to be on fire for God and show people who He is! The question is: ARE WE......

Entry 21: "Nodar Kumaritashvili"

Feb 12, 2010 Nodar Kumaritashvili, Olympic luge slider, crashed doing a practice run and passed away at the age of 21.

Please be praying for this man's family and friends! I was torn when I was watching the news and I saw the picture of Nodar's father, David, kneeling at the place of his son's death weeping.

  "His whole life he wanted to be an athlete, it was his dream to be at the Olympics. He was so excited about going; I've never seen him so excited in his entire life," were the words of the mourning father David.

David also told the reportors that he didn't want to see the video of the tragic accident. His words were, "I can't watch how it happened. My heart is weak, i dont' think i could survive watching it."

This family needs prayer! Please pray that God would comfort them in this hard time and give them a sense of peace! They really need it!

~Miranda

Entry 20: "Nik's Seventh Birthday"

Okay so this post is a little late, sorry! But on Feb 2, 2010 my little bro, Nikita William, turned seven years old!!! WOHOO!!

Nikita was adopted from Russia at the age of one and a half! I can never thank God enough for making him a part of our family!! He has been such a blessing to all of us!!

When we were going through the adoption process they sent us a picture of what the child looked like that we were going to adopt. I looked at the picture of Nik and i feel in love with him than and there! He was perfect for our family!!!

Here is the picture:

I have been able to watch him grow into a laughing, hilarious, funny, spunky, strong seven year old and it seems like just yesterday i met him for the first time!!

When dad and mom went to the orphanage to visit him, dad and him were playing together and dad was able to make him laugh for the first time. This picture captured the moment! :-)

He loves music and LOVES to sing! One day he was in the car and began to sing a song and make up his own words. He will sing anywhere and anytime. Sometimes i will be singing a song from the radio and he will start singing it with me word for word! It is amazing!! God has truly blessed him with a gift for music! He also loves to dance!! He will come up to me and ask me to dance with him in the kitchen! He is an amazing boy!!!

He also loves to dress up and play pre-tend games!! He has a great imagination and uses it daily!!

Here are two pictures of him when he just last year when he dressed up as James Bond. :-) He was so cute!

So happy birthday Nikita! I love you so much and i can't wait to see God use you for His glory in the coming years of your life! :-)

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! <3 <3

Your big sister,

Randa 

Entry 19: "Don't Walk the Road Alone!"

Well, my dad got home safe and sound Thursday afternoon!!! It is so wonderful to have him home and know he isn't going back! Praise God! Just last night i was thinking about the day my father told the family he was going to leave for Iraq. It is all so clear and feels like yesterday but it was so long ago. I remember dreading the thought of my dad gone for a whole year but now that year is gone and it is all in the past.

But as my dad said, even though he is back and we are all excited and joyful there are still MANY men still out there fighting for us and our country! Some men out there might be single young guys or others might be married men with wives and kids at home. Some might be serving because their father and grandfather served before them and they are carrying it on, others might be serving because they felt it was their duty to fight for our country. But whatever the case is, we need to be praying that those men stay safe on the battle field and that their familes stay strong while their loved ones are away.

Two years ago I knew there was a war going on but I had never tasted the results of it before.  I was pretty much living my life normally not thinking about what was going on over there. Now, i have tasted those results so profoundly that it felt life the war was happening next door to me.

I ,knowing what it feels like from a personal experiance, would like to thank each and every person who has or is fighting over there for me, thousands of others, and this country! Also i want to thank the family members of those officers who are at home praying for their safety and struggling to get through each day without them. I know how hard it is and i know how painful it is, but i also know that we will not get through those long hard days if we rely on our own will power and strength. The only way we will ever get through this is if we have God's help! He is the sustainer of all things and if we put our trust in Him, He will comfort us and see us through those difficult triales! No one else is going to be able to do it better than Him!

Trust me! I tried to rely on myself when my dad left for a year to go to Iraq! I knew it was going to be hard but i didn't want God or anyone else's help! I wanted to just curl up in my little corner and make it through by myself! But that didn't work so well. I was angry and hurt! Everything area of my life seemed like it was falling apart and I had no idea why! I was sad all the time and would, sometimes, just cry myself to sleep.

Then one day i was crying on my mom's lap and she asked me a simple straight forward question, "How much time have you been spending praying and reading in God's word?" I was floored! I hadn't been reading the Bible at all and all my problems, which i should have been lifting up to God, i had tucked away, in my heart, and was dwelling on them constantly. I was sinking into a deep murky pit and instead of calling out to God for help I relied on myself and instead of being lifted out i sank deeper and deeper.


I realized God was the only person who could get me through this! I realized God was holding my father in His hands and nothing would happen without God knowing it. He was right there with my dad the whole time he was away and i took hope in that! God had the whole thing under His belt and could handle the situation much better than i could have!

So if you are waiting for a loved ones return or maybe you haved had a experiance where your loved one has not returned from his duty, I want to encourage you to put your trust in Jesus Christ. You can walk down this dark dusty road by yourself....OR... God can sweep you up and carry you through it in His arms! I tried the walk by myself and it ends in even a darker place, but with God I made it through!!!

"Have you now known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God , the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strenght.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait upon the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings life eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint."

-Isaiah 40: 28-31



-Miranda

Entry 18: "Be Thou My Vision"

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart


Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art

Thou my best thought by day or by night

Waking or sleeping Thy presence my light



Be thou my wisdom and Thou my true word

I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord

Thou my great Father, I , Thy true son

Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one



Riches I heed not nor man's emptly praise

Thou mine inheritance now and always

Thou and thou only first in my heart

High King of heaven my treasure Thou are



High King of heaven my victory won

May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Sun

Heart of my own heart whatever befall

Still be my vision O Ruler of all



God, be my vision. I am truly blind without you!

Miranda

Entry 17: "God Has Wiped Us Clean!"

Whew! just got done tiding/dusting/polishing/sweeping/and mopping part of the house geting ready for my dad's return! The smell of Murphy's Oil Soap is throughout the house and my hands are all pickled from being in the water for so long! : -) Sometimes i hate cleaning but other times, like today, I find it relaxing and a time to think and pray. Also, the satisfaction of the room that you just finished is a joy! what once used to be a dirty dusty room you turned into a sparkling beautiful one! The sight when you wipe off a dusty table and you can see the shiny streak cutting through the dust!

Reminds me of what our hearts and lives looked like before God grabbed up a cloth, soaked in his Son's blood, and wiped us off, cutting through our sin and darkness! We were like that dirty old table and would have been that way if God had not decided to clean us off. A table can't dust itself off, just like we can't save ourselves! Only God is capable and powerful enough to do that!

So us, being once dirty and dusty tables and chairs, are now sparkling and pure and we need to give God thanks and praise for cleaning our hearts with such a sacrifice!!!

Thank you, God, for wiping me clean and calling me your child!

Miranda

Entry 16: "One Week, Six Days, and Counting!"

WOW, sorry i haven't been putting a whole lot on my blog lately!! School has started so that has kept me on my toes and we are getting ready to have my dad home in one week and six days!! It has been a long year! One that from the distance would seem lonely, cold, painful, and colorless! But when you look deeper and at the detail you see much more! Even though it has been painful to have my dad gone I have grown closer to God, my friends, and i have learned so much! Now i wouldn't want it to happen again, naturally, but i can see how God has used this for my good even though my dad had to leave for a year!

I can't THANK YOU ALL ENOUGH for all your prayers, kind words and comforts the past year! It has been such a blessing to me!!! It has been a long year that i am ready to let go and wish good-bye, but i will still hold on to all that i have learned through it for the rest of my life!!!

God thank you for sustaining me through this past year and never letting me fall out of your arms! To be all the praise and glory given!!!

Miranda