Goodbye Sweet Girl

This is gonna be short. I just wanted to let you know that Bethy died today. She's now in heaven with her loving Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you so much for praying for her. She fought the good fight and finished the race. I can picture God holding Bethy in his arms and telling her, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." We who are left here on this earth are grieving, but Beth is experiencing joy beyond what are tiny minds can grasp. She was such a beautiful girl and an inspiration to countless people.  Please keep her family in your prayers, as I trust you will do. Now to Him who is able to do more than we could ask or imagine, be glory, honor, and praise forever and ever!


Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.


-1 Thessalonians 4:13-18


In Christ,
Jessica

Surrender.

Easy to say; hard to do. Surrender. God is teaching me to surrender everything. Period. It's difficult to let go of my will and desires, but when I give up even the little things, God lavishes an abundance of peace on me. It's amazing how faithful he is. He's such a wonderful God, and I can't thank him enough for all that he's given me. In this season, I treasure his peace, particularly in the area of boys and getting a boyfriend. I kind of want a boyfriend, but there's only one guy that I like, and we're just friends. I'm weird in that I've only ever really liked two boys, and I liked the one all through high school. He was the only one that I was interested in. I wouldn't have gone out with anyone else, even though I never got asked out. Now, I like someone else, and I have the same mindset. He's the only one I want to date. I don't like anyone else. But I'm afraid that that's awfully close-minded and I'm just setting myself up for disappointment and sorrow if he decides to date someone else, like the first guy I liked did. Surrendering relationships has always been a difficult action for me to take. I'm loyal, and I like my friends. They're mine, right? Wrong. Everything I have been given is from God, and he can take whatever he wants, anytime. Then why it is so hard to surrender? If he already owns it all, why do we as humans claim ownership, too? I don't have all the answers, but I know that sin deceives us and makes us prideful, which affects every area of our lives. Instead of trusting God, we become greedy, seeking to please ourselves. However, since our purpose is to glorify God, and every good and perfect gift we have is from him (James 1:17), letting God have full control is something we need to learn to do. I'm still working on it, and I know that I will always be. I'm not sure if I'll ever get married, but if that's God's plan for my life, I know that he will be faithful in accomplishing it. God is faithful in my weakness, and he'll be faithful in your times of weakness, too.

The following verses show surrender to the God of the universe. I want to only desire God, now and forever!

You're all I want in heaven!
You're all I want on earth!
When my skin sags and my bones get brittle,
God is rock-firm and faithful.
Look! Those who left you are falling apart!
Deserters, they'll never be heard from again.
But I'm in the very presence of God—
oh, how refreshing it is!
I've made Lord God my home.
God, I'm telling the world what you do!

-Psalm 37:25-28 {The Message}

Have a blessed day in sweet surrender to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

In Christ,

Jessica

Ever Over?

It's been a loooong day, and I'm so ready for it to be over. I've been trudging through homework and other responsibilities all day, and I'm exhausted. The worst part is that it's still not over. I have more homework to finish and a test to study for. Besides all of that, I'm burdened for my brother who isn't following God and my friend who's dying of brain cancer. Bethy's only 15, and it's so hard to hear that she's slowly slipping away... :(

In the midst of all the pain and suffering, I can only turn my eyes on Jesus. I am so thankful that Beth is a Christian and has been trusting God throughout her sickness. She's been a light for Christ, never letting weakness stop her from spreading the Good News, and I praise God for that. He's so faithful.

Please pray for Bethy and her family. I know that they'll appreciate it if you do!

Today I was reading older posts on this blog and came across this verse:

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. ~Ephesians 3:20-21

It really struck me and I just stopped and pondered the words. My day was tough, but God sprinkled so many blessings throughout it, like seeing my friends at lunch, having a decent interview for a Christian summer camp, eating dinner with a really good friend (after arriving all by myself and feeling a little lonely), and working in a computer lab with the same friend and another friend until a few minutes before curfew. Then I got back to my dorm room and found that a friend had sent me an encouraging note. God blessed me so much today, and helped me accomplish more than I thought I could. Glory to God forever and ever.

In Christ,

Jessica

Illustrator's amazing!

I'm in a class to learn Adobe Illustrator this semester, and I'm really enjoying it! Our first project was to create a good flat tire icon for a car's dashboard. That was a stretching exercise, but a great one nonetheless! I decided to take a break from the project for a little while, and produced this graphic of a guinea pig and carrot. (Can you tell that I'm obsessed?)

Refreshed =D

Last weekend I was privileged to go to MK Snow Camp with a multitude of MKs and adopted MKs from all over the Midwest! From sessions about our identity in Christ to staying up ALL night on Friday (well, most of the night, because I was so cold and didn't want to go back to my cabin, so I just stayed in the dining hall with two other people), it couldn't have been much better! The frigid outside air could not put a damper on the warmth and love many of us felt so clearly. Snow soccer, skits, and cards games (especially Dutch Blitz) were other highlights from the short weekend. It went by way too fast! I loved all of it!! After the message on Saturday night about how much we are worth because of our identity in Christ, I felt so refreshed. God is good.

Already Over

I know that Christmas is already over, but I just want to say that I hope you had a wonderful day and that you have a wonderful New Year, too! May God bless you greatly in 2011. When hard times come, remember that Christ came to earth to save us from our sins and to give us life to the full. Christmas is the time to focus on his birth. Jesus is the reason for the season, and he gives us hope to live for him. Merry Christmas!

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” ~Luke 2:8-12

Yours,
Jessica

Living life in this foreign country

It's been so long since I've last posted! Since my last post, I have returned to the US and am now attending Cedarville University. The past few months have been full of changes, some good, others not so good. I have learned so much, and made so many new friends. God has blessed me beyond measure, and I'm so thankful for his faithfulness!

Not to say that I haven't had my share of homesickness, because I certainly have, but God has encouraged me in various ways each time I've felt sad, depressed, lonely, out of control, etc. He's a great God, and I owe my everything to him.

I've gotten to meet some amazing Christians, improve my photography and drawing skills, learn how to get along with different people, and how to fit in to this strange culture. I've found a wonderful church, been given great mentors, and made lasting friendships.

However, I haven't been spending as much as time with God as I should be because I'm busy with college, and I regret that. God deserves my everything, not just a part. I need to change that. It will be difficult, but it is worth it. Nothing is more important than being right with God.

Below is my prayer for you. God bless!

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. ~Ephesians 3:20-21