1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Psalm 63
2 Chronicles 30:9
Ephesians 5:1-7
Brothers and Sisters, I encourage you to ask yourselves the following questions:
Does my tumblr make Jesus look precious?
Am I making Jesus look precious with the way that i’m spending my money?
Are my actions and words making Jesus look precious?
Do I count everything as a loss and as worthless compared to knowing and living for Christ Jesus?
It has been an awfully long time since I’ve been on tumblr. As I said in a previous post, I’ve been spending most of my time investing in the relationships with those around me. I considered deleted my tumblr, due to the fact that I seldom use it anymore, but I want to keep it. Hopefully I will be posting more often during the summer—the posts would be more like journal entries.
Those of you who have messaged me and i’ve not responded, I do apologize. It’s hard for me to reply when I don’t have the time to reply in a heart-felt way. Do forgive me.
To those of you that I talk to and know, do feel free to add me on facebook (message me and i’ll tell you my last name if you’re interested).
I will tell you guys one of the things that I have been wrestling with. God has placed the desire on my heart to go to cooking school (I love to cook/bake, if you didn’t know). The desire I have it to go to cooking school, and then use that knowledge to be a tentmaker in a country that is closed to missionaries (google tentmaker if you’re not sure what that is—I wouldn’t be making tents haha). I don’t know how this would happen, but I have this crazy dream to open up a cafe or bakery in a foreign country and serve food that is mainly American. This would give American travelers and those who live in that country who are American, the chance to have a taste of home again. It would also give me a chance to hire people from that country and invest in those relationships so that I may be a witness to them and be an example of Christ and share the gospel with them. I would also be able to reach out to the customers from that country. I don’t feel the Lord telling me to pursue a business degree, but I could marry someone who has a business degree or partner with someone who has a business degree. I can’t wait to see if God uses this desire.
I typed this up quite fast, so forgive me for this post being choppy and probably filled with many errors.
May the Lord bless each of you and may he be glorified through each of y’all’s lives.
-Elizabeth
In every change, He faithful will remain.
God will glorify his name through this.
C.S. Lewis
But Edmund had got past thinking about himself after all he’d been through and after the talk he’d had that morning. He just went on looking at Aslan. It didn’t seem to matter what the witch said.
Romans 11:36
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
This is a video of cardboard testimonies from my church. I am actually in the video. God is so good and I tear up every time I watch this.
Here goes a long update post. I shall try to sum about the past month to two months. I will do my best to go in chronological order.
December began with me stressing. I had been talking to some of my Florida friends because I was to visit the 15th, and I had come to learn that they didn’t like my personality any more and that they thought my standards were ridiculous. So, I began to fret (aka, not trust God); I was worried how I would spend three weeks in Florida with people who weren’t the kindest of people. My worrying caused all of my fibromyalgia symptoms to flare up. Everything from my insomnia, to my pain grew worse.
I got to Florida and the first night I slept over at a “friend’s” house. It was probably the most awkward sleepover ever. Snide comments were made about me, which caused me to draw away and not really talk at all. When I did talk, something I said was somehow always mocked. I just wanted to go to the rental house and talk with my brother.
The next day was a sunday, so I went back to my old church. I’m pretty sure my heart could not break any worse than it did that day. In sunday school the topic was apologetics I was beyond excited to talk about it, but everyone else just wanted to bolt for the door. When any questions were asked, nobody answered, which left me, the guest, to answering the questions. When our teacher asked for personal examples about sharing the gospel, nobody had one. This left me to be the only one answering again. I proceeded to talk to my old friends after Sunday school and I asked them when the last time they shard the gospel was. They replied saying that they could not remember if they’ve even shared the gospel before. My heart was torn.
The following week I spent with my family. That was probably the best thing ever. I love my family and I am so very grateful that I have such great relationships with my siblings.
After the week with my family over Christmas, we went back to St.Augustine. I hung out with several people, but it all felt so forced. I even went to a youth event, and not a single soul came up and talked to me. I had wondered why my old youth group was dwindling in size, but I now know why. The days that I didn’t have to hang out with any “friends,” I hung out with my brother Daniel. I love my brother so much. My favorite time spent with him was at the beach. We went to the beach one day and spent the entire time reading. Just being in my brother’s presence was so very relaxing. 
Here is a picture from the day my brother and I spent at the beach reading. God is such an awesome artist.
To sum up my trip to Florida, it was hard. It reminded me that in every change, God will remain constant and true. It also reminded me that I am never alone; the God of angel armies is always by my side.
I was so very relieved when I got back to Texas. I realized how blessed I am to have such deep and sincere friendships.
Nothing super eventful happened for the first week being back in Texas, so I shall move along to the following Sunday.
This semester I am taking a class called Perspective, which began the second Sunday I was back. I learned so much truth in just two hours, it was lovely.
The next weekend was winter camp. Golly, I am so thankful that I got to go. I got to spend the weekend with beautiful souls in the presence of God. My dgroup got so very close and it was much needed. I think the biggest thing I took from that weekend was joy. The spirit filled me with such joy that I was literally skipping and jumping around, despite my pain. But, God also called me to do something the last day at winter camp. I was having a chat with Abba, when he put it on my heart to not be in a dating relationship for a year. I have feelings for someone, so it was hard to commit to what Abba was calling me to, but I did. So, I will not be going to any dating relationship at all this year. I know God has a reason and it will glorify Him somehow. Maybe God is even preventing me from creating any idols.
This is a picture of the sunrise at winter camp.
Then Monday I went with a group to go to a make up Perspectives class since we missed it whilst at winter camp. God completely opened my eyes that day. To sum it up, God humbled me. The lecture was about how its not about us at all. I thought I knew that, but I really didn’t until Monday. It’s all about bringing God glory and worshiping him. Even Jesus did that. His purpose wasn’t to save us from our sins. While that did happen, his purpose was actually to bring glory to God.
The rest of this post I have copy and pasted from a facebook chat that I had with two of my dear friends. I didn’t want to forget anything, so I figured just copying it would suffice. So here are updates from the rest of this week.
-I’ve actually noticed this week that my soul has been so completely satisfied. In the past I had thought my soul was satisfied, but it doesn’t compare to how it has been ever since Monday night. I’ve also noticed i’ve been more bold and open about God in public; I have honestly not held back once this week. I don’t know about yall but my heart yearns for every person to worship God.
-I can’t remember who I told, but I had to drop two of my three college classes due to my dyscalculia and fibro and I was so worried and stressed about it and I was fretting over it because my parents were disappointed in me at first. But, I think I told you this Gabby, my parents told me on Tuesday that they had a peace about it and that they weren’t disappointed in me. And THEN, I just got a call from Michelle that she had lunch with a middle school d-group leader and the d-group leader wants to see if a high-schooler could mentor her daughter. I don’t know the girls name yet, but she is homeschooled and she goes to CCI. Which, as you know Jonathan, my parents are looking into CCI for me for next school year. If I hadn’t dropped the two classes I would probably be stressed out and my pain would be up and there would be no way that I could mentor a middle school girl. I know God will bring glory to his name through me having to drop classes, and now me being able to mentor someone. God is so trustworthy and holy. By golly, he blows me away.
That, my dear followers, is how I have been doing and what has gone on in the past two months.
May the Lord bless each of you so that you may bless others so that God’s name would be glorified and blessed.
May God be glorified in everything.
-Ellie
My goal for tomorrow: clean the whole house while the parental units are in Denton.
Can my fibromyalgic body do it? We shall see.
I’ve been quiet on here recently, so forgive me. I hesitate to say forgive me though, because I’ve been investing my time in things that were eternal and in relationships—both are more important than tumblr. Expect a long update post tomorrow.
God be with each and everyone one of you, and remember that God alone is to be worshiped.
Do send me a message if you are needing prayer.
Clive Staples Lewis
But when a thing has to be attempted, one must never think about possibility or impossibility.
These are my loves. I spent all weekend with them and it was fabulous. More importantly though, we got to spend the weekend together in the presence of God. I love community and being able to worship God with those who are near and dear to your heart. It is such a beautiful thing.
