Need.

My heart is full.
It's a serene feeling really.

Nothing can touch me unless I give it permission.
I've felt this feeling before and it's only when I take refuge in the shadow of my Savior. The feeling of not needing anyone or anything.

I don't need riches.
I don't need to be entertained.
I don't need things.
I don't need salted caramel mochas.
I don't need a man (this was the hardest to admit).


All above statements are what I find personal happiness in. There are much more I could add but those are what come to mind. I can only say these things because my heart is full. Full with Jesus' mad love. He is my true source of joy.

I have found that nothing is fulfilling without Christ being the center of it. In everything I am doing or desire to do, I want nothing more than a Christ-centered and passionate life and everything else to fall in place after that. Nothing in this world is worth it to me anymore. I don't care if people call me crazy. In fact, CALL ME CRAZY! That's what I want to hear. That at the end of my life people would say that this world held nothing for me. Even the ones I love here on this earth couldn't keep me here any longer if my time came to leave it and spend eternity with Jesus. My soul yearns to be there.

I just pray that I would not get lost in the pleasures of this world again. In the world but not of the world. Such a hard verse to live by if I were on my own. My eyes have been opened and I am willing to admit that I NEED nothing less than Jesus.

All I know is I'm not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong

Happy Monday everyone!

xo

That sappy stuff

I think it's the sweetest thing whenever I see husbands post on FB or Instagram about how blessed they are to have such a godly, gentle, passionate, beautiful, and fun wife to journey through life with. You can just imagine the smile that swept across their face when they would recall how they first met and how it took him forever to build up the guts to ask her out on a date.

I pray that I can be that kind of wife to my future husband that he can't help but let the world know how lucky he is!

Let's be honest here... I love LOVE. Maybe I've experienced mere glimpses of it in my past relationships with people but I don't think I've come close to tapping into that secret tune that has the world humming love songs or those smiles that come out of nowhere just with the thought of that person. No, I don't think I quite get it yet. Not that I don't want to. I want it, trust me. I just don't want to be in a romantic relationship that will ever distract or take me away from my intimate relationship with God. I've been there and as hard as it was to walk away, I did. To most, this might not make sense. "You don't want a relationship because of your relationship with Jesus?" I know. Kind of confusing. There are many facets of love. The love I'm referring to in this entry is all that sappy stuff. The relationship I have with God is the way a little girl loves her father. Just thought I would clear the air. Hope that did the trick.

Anyways, I hope to marry a man that will display strong facets of who Christ is each new day so the more I fall in love with Christ I will continue to fall more in love with my husband. Someone I can learn from and grow with. That when I look into his eyes there would be a sort of soft form of grace and understanding. His hands ready to serve but ready to lead. A voice that holds authority but a sense of safety for me and our many children. Of course, I want to reciprocate that so I won't be the only one taking away from our relationship. I want to add laughter to his years and a home that he can find rest and support in physically and spiritually. Among other things.

Proverbs 31? You know, where it talks about the wife of noble character. Of course you do! Every Christian woman will hear about it at least once in their life.* That's the kind of woman I strive to be. Maybe one day I'll be able to bless a man like that.

*Or hundreds of times. You may even had to have studied so you could write it word for word with all the correct punctuation for your monthly exam in Biblical Application. No? Oh, well you missed out on some intense late night cramming.

Trust.

What's on my mind?

                 Italy.

  

      http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=1315353855993 

Praying about the possibility of going to this beautiful country for 3 months and serving them by teaching ESL and bringing the gospel to the many that live there. If you're interested in joining me on this adventure just let me know...

Take note boys.

Amen.

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#1 why God is my hero.

How could I run from Your great love? It is the very essence of my existance.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

You can fly...

When I was little, I wanted to marry Peter Pan.

                                       

Listen.

Have you ever just stopped and thought about how much noise we have in our life? Now when I say noise, I mean noise as in: distractions.  There are so many things that distract us from listening to the voice of God.  Our world and all it's glitter and glamor is like a pair of earphones.  They block out anything and everything and keeps out the rest of the world's happenings.  Another name for these earphones are "things that keep you really busy."  Now I'm not saying that being busy is a bad thing.  Not at all.  My point is that when we become so busy that we forget to stop and listen, spend sweet quiet time with Jesus.  He's right there trying to get your attention but we can't hear him until we simplify our lives and hearts.

Find what you've made your pair of earphones in your life and take them off! Listen. Be still... and get to know the God who is LOVE.

The Awakening

So this is just some of my thoughts. They aren't right or wrong. They are just my ramblings of what God has been opening my eyes to and I wanted to share...

When it comes to being awakened by God you CAN'T miss it! I imagine an alarm clock going off next to our sleeping heads. You can do just enough to get by and press the snooze button but in the next 5 to 10 minutes it's going to go off again. Or you could just sleep right through it and completely drown out and ignore the annoying buzzing sound taking place to wake you up and get your attention until you feel like stirring! Better yet, you could acknowledge the awakening and turn off the alarm but the next step is to get OUT OF BED and get going!! What's sad is that some people have turned off the alarm but they have gone back to sleep and won't wake up until it is too late. They have denied the fact that it is time to WAKE UP!

I admit that I have the hardest time waking up.... you can ask all my friends and family and they'll all tell you that I am a night owl. So when it comes to getting out of bed in the morning I really struggle with it. So many a times, probably too many, I have hit the "snooze" button.

This analogy really helps me to grasp the awakening of the Holy Spirit inside of us. Alarm clock = Holy Spirit. God uses the Holy Spirit to get our attention by convicted our hearts.

Are you in tune with the Holy Spirit? When we fail to check our alarm clocks to even see if they are on or is broken to where it won’t go off that’s when we get in trouble the next time we need to be woken up.

This world has become so desensitized to the Holy Spirit because of what we are surrounded by. My biggest pet peeve is cursing and dirty language but I hear it and see it everywhere!!! Music, TV, magazines, your fellow worker, etc. Now I can avoid some of these but I found myself compromising to some of it, especially when it came to music. Now don’t get me wrong. I love music but there is a lot of music out there that shouldn’t be. Anyways, I started listening to a lot more secular music that had inappropriate messages and words but I didn’t really notice it that much because I had grown “accustomed” to hearing it. When I was awakened to where I was going, it disgusted me and I hated it. That’s how we should view evil; as something disgusting and hateful. I’m not saying all secular music is evil but let’s be honest, a LOT of it is.

I excused myself from all secular music* and only listened to praise and worship. Now you may think this is an extreme… but I felt I needed to tune my heart and become sensitive to His presence again. For me, the only way I can prepare my heart for something like that is to listen to powerful worship.

Now I don’t only listen to Christian music. I love a lot of different artists. I am a fan of almost all genres. Yes, including country, for all of you who don’t think that is music. Although, when I came across some songs that had even one word of language or the message was twisted, I couldn’t believe how much it hurt me. It was almost like I felt like someone was punching my gut and twisting my insides out. That’s how I also feel when I watch scary movies. I can’t do it. My spirit had become so sensitive to things that weren’t pleasing to the Lord.

Please don’t confuse me as some super godly person that can’t even bear to look at something wrong. Sometimes I don’t recognize it as wrong. I still have SO much to work on… Just certain things affect me. Also, I’m not only referring to music here. That’s just where God opened my eyes. Find out where God is trying to wake you up.

My point is: is your alarm clock ready to go off when you need to wake up?

You know what’s even better?! I don’t know about you but I really don’t like being woken up by an alarm. It annoys the crap** out of me!

What’s better is when I’m so used to waking up early that I can pretty much just open my eyes at the exact same time each morning ready to go. My mom and I always say that it is God waking us up. How amazing that would be if we were so in tune with the Holy Spirit that we have God gently waking us up without the loud and obnoxious sounds. Just a soft whisper in the morning saying “Goodmorning, my beloved child. Look and see what a day I have created for you outside your window.” I don’t know about you, but that’s how I want to wake up EVERY morning!!

WAKE UP PEOPLE!!

“Like the rising sun that shines, from the darkness comes a light. I hear Your voice and this is my AWAKENING!”

*and I mean ALL!!

** Yes, I did just use that word. Homeschool shun, I know. :P

Let it be said of me....

In Christ alone will I glory

Though I could pride myself in battles won
For I’ve been blessed beyond measure
And by His strength alone I’ll overcome
Oh, I could stop and count successes like diamonds in my hands
But those trophies could not equal to the grace by which I stand

In Christ alone
I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory
Let it be said of me
My source of strength
My source of hope
Is Christ alone

In Christ alone do I glory
For only by His grace I am redeemed
For only His tender mercy
Could reach beyond my weakness to my need
And now I seek no greater honor in just to know Him more
And to count my gains but losses to the glory of my Lord

In Christ alone
I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory
Let it be said of me
My source of strength
My source of hope
Is Christ alone

Like an open book that you can't help but look at...

In this day and age, our society has evolved into a social butterfly. The specific playing ground that I would like to throw a few hard balls at is also known as "Facebook". This social network has given us easy access to the used-to-be private lives of others, all at the tips of our fingertips.

Why is it that we're disturbed and feel like people are prying into our private lives when we find out that someone has been "stalking" our profile or following our conversations with mutual friends? What's the big deal when it comes to the "see friendship" button that have people squirming? It's the same thing as "wall-to-wall" and then some.

Not saying I have all the answers but I do feel like I need to slap a few people in the face and wake them up to reality. HAVING A FACEBOOK IS SAYING THAT YOUR LIFE IS AN OPEN BOOK THAT ANYONE CAN READ WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!!! Excuse my being blunt, but if you're not comfortable with the previous statement then I suggest you go and deactivate your account. I"m serious.

If you don't want people reading into your "supposedly" private conversations with friends then use other means of communication. Facebook gives everyone the freedom to read what you're saying to anyone that's anybody. Yes, it is creeper-ish* when someone randomly comments on your little love chat to a friend, but hey, go get a room if the two of you want to be left alone.

There's a reason why there's a "comment" and "like" button underneath every post... to COMMENT and LIKE you idiot! When you post something you're saying "hey everyone, here is what is going on in my life and I want to hear your opinions". Yes, some people may say a bit to much and you can't shut them up, but that's your fault for friending them on Facebook. *smirk*

This social network's name wasn't born out of thin air you know... it actually is giving you a hint of what it really is. A book with your face on it. Books are meant to be read, if your's is not, then there's no point in writing one. Can I get an amen?!

So now that I've just promoted the right of creepers with my honest ramblings, I just have to say one last thing. Be a little less open please!! I really don't want to know what kind of food you're digesting, or those personal things you may or may not be participating in. You get the idea. Make your book fascinating but keep all the disgusting and juicy details to yourself and let the reader be or I will unfriend you.** If I really want to know, then I'll ask you personally.


_________________________________



*okay, I make up my own words. Get used to it! Besides, adding -ish to the end of any word makes it special *grins*.


**Just giving you a fair warning... *sly grin*

A man on a white horse

Dear God, I prayed, all unafraid (as we're inclined to do),
I need not a handsome man
But let him be like You;
I do not need one big and strong
Nor yet so very tall,
Nor need he be some genius,
Or wealthy, Lord, at all;
But let his head be high, dear God,
And let his eye be clear,
His shoulders straight, whate'er his state,
Whate'er his earthly sphere;
And let his face have character,
A ruggedness of soul,
And let his whole life show, dear God,
A singleness of goal;
Then when he comes
(As he will come)
With quiet eyes aglow,
I'll understand that he's the man
I prayed for long ago.

-Ruth Bell Graham (collected poems, p. 35)

October {Stone Mountain} trek

So my family and I decided to take a spur of the moment weekend vacation up to Stone Mountain, GA just for the heck of it. So here are some of the moments that made the trip worth it!!

So because everybody knows candy is essential in any kind of exercise, I was preparing my brother and I for the long hike up the mountain. ;) Of course, because we're Voorhees' we can't do anything the way it's supposed to be done (e.g. instead of hiking up the mountain we would dance all the way up!). Another thing, most people enjoy the view at the top of the mountain but we would rather ADD to it by doing fun tricks on the top. You can watch more of our adventures at http://www.youtube.com/user/heathersheree517?feature=mhum.

One hour of {sun}

On the mountains of North Carolina:
(Collected Poems, Page 125)

If I could have each day
one hour of sun,
glorious,
healing,
hot,
like now –
then
let Winter come!
Not
mild and brief,
but
wild, without relief;
let the storms rage,
let the winds blow,
the freezing rains
lashing my windowpanes;
then
let it snow!
long
and
deep
and cold.
I would not mind at all:
it would be fun…
if I could have
each day
my hour of sun.

Only You

Dusty my soul tonight.
Earth has been dear.
Bewildered, I come to You,
Father God, hear.
Idols that charm me,
dreams that allure,
pains that alarm me,
suspense to endure,
memories that linger,
thoughts that ensnare,
a heart that is aching,
all crumpled by care,
unsatisfied, restless,
scarce able to pray—
everything, everything
take it away.
Only You,
none but You,
Jesus alone:
ashes the rest to me,
songs with a groan,
take them each one away—
mind not my tears—
lift me above this earth’s
joys and its fears,
give me Yourself alone—
nothing beside—
so will I be with You,
content,
satisfied!

-Ruth Bell Graham

[If] I marry...

If I marry: He must be so tall that when he is on his knees he reaches all the way to heaven. His shoulders must be broad enough to bear the burden of a family. His lips must be strong enough to smile, firm enough to say no, and tender enough to kiss. Love must be so deep that it takes its stand in Christ and so wide that it takes in the whole lost world. He must be active enough to save souls. He must be big enough to be gentle and great enough to be thoughtful. His arms must be strong enough to carry a little child.

-Ruth Bell Graham (at age 17)

The written word...

It's amazing how many lives are impacted with the written word.  How one simple quote can change your whole perspective on things.  Words of a song exchanging secrets between your heart.  Be careful then and choose your words wisely...

~heather sheree

{I'm giving my life to the only one that makes the moon reflect the sun}

Psalm 19:14

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

{Roses and their meanings...}

Red Rose: The most popular of all rose colors, red roses symbolize deep love, romance and passion The red rose has long been a symbol of beauty and perfection and can also symbolize courage. A dark red or burgundy rose depicts a beauty that is uncontrived and unadorned.

White Rose: White roses represent purity and innocence and can also symbolize reverence and humility. They are often used in bridal bouquets as a symbol of spiritual love, unity and new beginnings. White roses are also used in sympathy arrangements for funerals.

Pink Rose: Pink roses convey a message of elegance, grace and gentleness. Deep pink often signifies appreciation and gratitude while light pink signifies admiration, joy and sweetness.

Yellow Rose: Yellow roses symbolize friendship, happiness and warmth. Yellow roses can also convey a desire to start anew or give a relationship a second chance after a quarrel or misunderstanding.

Orange Rose: The bright and bold color of orange roses represents enthusiasm, energy. Orange roses can also convey pride in an accomplishment or celebration of a new beginning or venture.

Purple Rose / Lavender Rose: Lavender or Purple Roses express the feeling of love at first sight.

Peach Rose: Peach Roses can convey many different sentiments such as gratitude, appreciation, admiration or sympathy. They can also convey friendship and sociability. A pale peach rose symbolizes modesty.

Coral Rose: Coral Roses represent desire, passion and excitement. It also says "I admire your accomplishments" and represents good fortune.

Blue Rose: Blue Roses symbolize mystery or something desired, but unattainable. Blue roses do not occur naturally and are artificially colored.

Yellow Rose with Red Tips: A yellow rose with red tips symbolizes friendship falling into love.

Here's my [dad's] number....

APPLICATION FOR PERMISSION TO DATE MY DAUGHTER

NOTE: This application will be incomplete and rejected unless accompanied
by a complete financial statement, job history, lineage, and current
medical report from your doctor.

NAME_____________________________________  DATE OF BIRTH_____________

HEIGHT___________  WEIGHT____________  IQ__________  GPA_____________

SOCIAL SECURITY #_________________  DRIVERS LICENSE #________________

BOY SCOUT RANK AND BADGES__________________________________________

HOME ADDRESS_______________________  CITY/STATE___________  ZIP______

Do you have parents?                     ___Yes  ___No
Is one male and the other female?  ___Yes  ___No
If No, explain:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Number of years they have been married ______________________________

If less than your age, explain
____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________


ACCESSORIES SECTION:

A. Do you own or have access to a van?             __Yes  __No

B. A truck with oversized tires?                   __Yes  __No

C. A waterbed?                                     __Yes  __No

D. A pickup with a mattress in the back?           __Yes  __No

E. A tattoo?                                       __Yes  __No

F. Do you have an earring, nose ring,              __Yes  __No
pierced tongue, pierced cheek or a belly button ring?

(IF YOU ANSWERED 'YES' TO ANY OF THE ABOVE, DISCONTINUE APPLICATION
AND LEAVE PREMISES IMMEDIATELY.  I SUGGEST RUNNING.)


ESSAY SECTION:

In 50 words or less, what does 'LATE' mean to you?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

In 50 words or less, what does 'DON'T TOUCH MY DAUGHTER' mean to you?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

In 50 words or less, what does 'ABSTINENCE' mean to you?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________


REFERENCES SECTION:

Church you attend ___________________________________________________

How often you attend ________________________________________________

When would be the best time to interview your:

father? _____________

mother? _____________

pastor? _____________


SHORT-ANSWER SECTION:

Answer by filling in the blank.  Please answer freely, all answers are
confidential.

A: If I were shot, the last place I would want shot would be:

______________________________________________________________

B: If I were beaten, the last bone I would want broken is my:

______________________________________________________________

C: A woman's place is in the:

______________________________________________________________

D: The one thing I hope this application does not ask me about is:

______________________________________________________________

E. What do you want to do IF you grow up? ___________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

F. When I meet a girl, the thing I always notice about her first is:

______________________________________________________________

F. What is the current going rate of a hotel room? __________________

I SWEAR THAT ALL INFORMATION SUPPLIED ABOVE IS TRUE AND CORRECT TO
THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH, DISMEMBERMENT,
NATIVE AMERICAN ANT TORTURE, CRUCIFIXION, ELECTROCUTION, CHINESE
WATER TORTURE, RED HOT POKERS, AND HILLARY CLINTON KISS TORTURE.


_________________________________________________________
Applicant's Signature (that means sign your name, moron!)


_______________________________      ________________________________
Mother's Signature                      Father's Signature

_______________________________      ________________________________
Pastor/Priest/Rabbi                     State Representative/Congressman

Thank you for your interest, and it had better be genuine and non-sexual.
Please allow four to six years for processing.

You will be contacted in writing if you are approved.  Please do not try to
call or write (since you probably can't, and it would cause you injury). If
your application is rejected, you will be notified by two gentleman wearing
white ties carrying violin cases. (you might watch your back)

To prepare yourself, start studying Daddy's Rules for Dating.



Daddy's Rules for Dating
Your dad's rules for your boyfriend (or for you if you're a guy) :

Rule One:
If you pull into my driveway and honk you'd better be delivering a
package, because you're sure not picking anything up.

Rule Two:
You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so
long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your
eyes or hands off of my daughter's body, I will remove them..

Rule Three:
I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear
their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips.
Please don't take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are
complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue,
so I propose this compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear
showing and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However,
in order to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact come off during the
course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric nail gun and
fasten your trousers securely in place to your waist.

Rule Four:
I'm sure you've been told that in today's world, sex without utilizing a
'Barrier method' of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate, when it comes
to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you.

Rule Five:
It is usually understood that in order for us to get to know each other,
we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day. Please
do not do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of
when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only
word I need from you on this subject is: 'early.'

Rule Six:
I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date
other girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter.
Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to
date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I
will make you cry.

Rule Seven:
As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and
more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on
time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her
makeup, a process than can take longer than painting the Golden GateBridge.
Instead of just standing there, why don't you do something useful, like
changing the oil in my car?

Rule Eight:
The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter:
Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool
Places where there is darkness. Places where there is dancing, holding
hands, or happiness. Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to
induce my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, midriff T-shirts, or anything
other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka - zipped up to her
throat. Movies with a strong romantic or sexual themes are to be avoided;
movies which feature chain saws are okay. Hockey games are okay. Old folks
homes are better.

Rule Nine:
Do not lie to me. I may appear to be a potbellied, balding, middle-aged,
dimwitted has-been. But on issues relating to my daughter, I am the
all-knowing, merciless god of your universe. If I ask you where you are
going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, the whole
truth and nothing but the truth. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres
behind the house. Do not trifle with me.

Rule Ten:
Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the
sound of your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over a rice paddy
near Hanoi When my Agent Orange starts acting up, the voices in my head
frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter
home. As soon as you pull into the driveway you should exit the car with
both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a
clear voice that you have brought my daughter home safely and early, then
return to your car - there is no need for you to come inside. The
camouflaged face at the window is mine.