From 2013 to 2014 ~ A New Adventure!

I cannot believe that it's already 2014.  It seems like I was just writing a new year's post for 2013 a few months ago!  What happened?  Has time sped up or am I getting old?!  ;)

Last year I laid out some things that I wanted to do/work on this year.  This is what I wrote:

And in 2013, I hope to....

• Read my Bible and/or devotional every day
• Memorize more Scripture and KEEP it in my head
• Be a better sister
• Be a better daughter
• Be more responsible 
• Be more patient
• Keep raising money for a trip back to China
• Keep advocating
• Learn Chinese more fluently
• Finish reading through the Bible with my family
• Learn how to do the splits
• Keep practicing pointe
• Keep writing and working on stories
• Continue journaling often
• Keep practicing photography

Some of these were things that I had not been able to do or keep up with in 2012, and some were things that I had done in 2012, and wanted to keep doing.  I'm happy to say that I learned how to do the splits, I memorized more Scripture, and I read my devotional every day (and later on in the year, I read my Bible almost every morning).

Do I still have things to work on throughout 2014?  Have I made mistakes?  Do I have regrets?  Of course!  But I choose to look beyond those things.  I'm thankful that Jesus paid the price so that I can leave those things behind without worry and look forward with hope to the new year.  I'm thankful for this wonderful, hopeful, fresh start.  I'm thankful that I have a new year to look forward to.  I'm thankful for God's mercy and protection throughout this year and for his mercies and protection that are promised to us for this coming year, whatever it will bring.

  Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

    for his compassions never fail.

23 

They are new every morning;

    great is your faithfulness.

24 

I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;

    therefore I will wait for him.”

-Lamentations 3:22-24

Throughout 2013, I have....

• Grown closer to God, definitely.  He's taught me a lot and grown me a lot in Him this year, and it hasn't always been easy, but He's brought me through it all, and He's strengthening me through it.  :)
• Gotten into the Bible more.
• Learned a lot about things in general--life, family, friends, growing up.
• Grown closer to family.
• Met new many friends, who I'm really thankful for, and grown closer to other friends.  
• Gone to Disney World for the first time and met Peter Pan!  :)
• Fell in love with Rend Collective and their music, and got to see them in concert/meet them.
• Been able to reach out and be Jesus' hands and feet to people.  <3 li="">
• Got a banjo!
• Turned 14 and moved up into 9th grade.  Had a Captain America birthday cake.  :)
• Seen Iron Man 3 and Thor 2--the Marvel superhero movies of this year!
• Went into the hospital three times again (like last year), but God was still good to me.  :)  
• Began working through a huge journal.  :) 
• Got a new, very exciting story idea and began work on it--then lost everything!  Still holding onto the idea, though.
• Learned more Chinese language and dance.
• Learned a few Irish words.  :)
• Began volunteering at our local library 1-2 days a week.
• Read some good books.  :)

On New Year's Eve, most people (including myself) make up a specific list of things they want to do throughout the next year.  This year, yes, there are things that I want to do.  I want to keep reading my Bible and devotional every day, and journal every other day and see certain movies (like Frozen and Captain America 2)!  I want to keep volunteering at the library, visit our friends at the nursing home and at the hospital.  I want to read more good books.  I want to blog regularly.  I want to write more stories.  I want to learn to play banjo and guitar well.  I want to learn more instruments.  I want to go to another Rend Collective concert.  I want to be a better follower of Jesus.  I want to grow and learn in God.  I want to grow closer to family and become a better daughter and sister.  I want to be a better friend to all my friends.  

But most of all, I want to do more of what truly, really matters in life and less of what doesn't.  I want to spend more time doing fun stuff with my little brother than I do on the internet.  I want to be more responsible and patient, instead of procrastinating and getting easily annoyed.  Most of all, I want to grow in my walk and relationship with Jesus, because I never know how many new years I'll see, and I want to make sure I put the most importance on what matters the absolute most in life.  

And I can't do these things on my own.  Not at all.  Above all, I want to give this year to Jesus.  I want Him to teach me and lead me and guide me through this year.  Because then I know that it'll be amazing.  :)

So, my resolution, hope, prayer--whatever you may call it--for this year, for 2014, is that it would be led by Jesus, in a close, intimate walk with Him.  :)

God bless you guys, and Happy New Year!  

Joy :)

Christmas ~ The Best Friend Ever.

There once was a boy.  Now this boy had lost his parents, but he had a very, very good best friend who cared a lot about him.  But the boy was bitter.  He didn't appreciate his friend, even though his friend did ever so much for him.  The bounds of his best friend's love were endless; he was completely selfless in being compassionate to the boy.  Still, the boy took him for granted.  It was Christmas time and the boy was destined to spend Christmas alone, more bitter, hurt, and hateful than ever.  His friend stopped by on Christmas Eve to say hello and give the boy his gift and some Christmas cheer.  But the boy wouldn't have anything do with him.  He let him in and then left the room, angry at the world and at anyone who would stick around for him to be angry at!  But never once did his friend even consider abandoning the boy.  And instead of going on to his own family's Christmas celebrations, he gave those up and stayed with his friend.  His friend didn't invite him, or really even accept him at first, and he didn't give any sign that he wanted his company, but he needed it.  

So his friend stayed.  He loved his friend, even though the boy didn't deserve it at all.

I don't know about you, but I would have given up on him.  He was stupid, to be honest.  He had the best friend ever, and he rejected him.  But you know what?  His friend stayed.  

We had the best friend ever in God.  And then we messed it up.  We disobeyed, sinned, and pretty much told God we didn't want Him.  But you know what?  He sent his one and only Son, a Prince, into the world as a humble baby in a stable, for one reason: to save us from that very sin, that mistake we made.  It didn't matter that we rejected Him.  He still sacrificed everything to redeem us.  

Amazing love.  

May we never forget the true meaning of Christmas, among the hustle and the bustle.  May we always be in awe of the love of our God, who didn't need us.  But He wanted us.  He was compassionate and patient and He never gave up.  And He never will.  He's still waiting on those who are still rejecting Him.

"For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

-Isaiah 9:6

"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."

-Luke 2:8-11

God is good--I love this season that is a reminder of that!  :)  

Merry Christmas, everyone!  :)

Joy  :)

Faithful Fridays ~ My Lighthouse.

Hi, everyone!  :)  Can you believe it's only FIVE days until Christmas?!  Where on earth did the time go?  Next week I'll be taking a break from Faithful Fridays as we'll be out of town right after Christmas.  :)





Faithful Fridays is a weekly linky party hosted on my blog. I made it so that Christians could have one special day out of the week (Friday) to share something from their Christian walk on their blog. If you'd like to participate, write your post, grab the button from the Faithful Fridays page on my blog (so that it will link back here), and come link up at the bottom of this post! :)
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If you know me in person or you've been following me on Instagram (or even just talked to me for very long), you probably know that my favorite band is Rend Collective Experiment.  
God has blessed them with amazing talent and a heart for Him, and they've blessed the world with beautiful songs with beautiful lyrics that have a way of connecting a person to God.  :)  
One of their most recent songs is My Lighthouse.  They played this song at their concert that I went to back in October, and I've been listening to it over and over again.  :)  
I love that it's true.  God is our lighthouse--He promises to guide us through storms and carry us safely over the frothing waters to shore, no matter what we're going through.  And I'm so thankful for that.  

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you." -Psalm 32:8

I hope that as you read these lyrics and listen to this song, you'll be encouraged in the fact that no matter what storm you've been through, are going through now, or will go through in all the days of your life, God is your lighthouse and He will carry you through the storm, safe to shore.  :)

In my wrestling and in my doubts
In my failures You won't walk out
Your great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea


In the silence, You won't let go
In my questions, Your truth will hold 
Your great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea


My Lighthouse, My Lighthouse
Shining in the darkness, I will follow You
My Lighthouse, My Lighthouse
I will trust the promise, You will carry me safe to shore 
Safe to shore 
Safe to shore
Safe to shore


I won't fear what tomorrow brings
With each morning I'll rise and sing
My God's love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea


Fire before us, You're the brightest
You will lead us safe to shore  Fire before us, You're the brightest You will lead us safe to shore

God bless you guys and have a great day!  

Joy :)

Faithful Fridays ~ He Alone is Constant.

Hi, everyone!  :)

So, I'm really, really late this week.  And I'm so sorry about that!  Everytime I've sat down to write my post, I haven't been able to finish it.  Christmas time tends to get pretty busy for us...with Christmas movies, music, decorating, shopping, all that stuff.  :)  It's definitely important to remember through all of it the only reason why we celebrate Christmas--God's gift to the world--Jesus!


Faithful Fridays is a weekly linky party hosted on my blog. I made it so that Christians could have one special day out of the week (Friday) to share something from their Christian walk on their blog. If you'd like to participate, write your post, grab the button from the Faithful Fridays page on my blog (so that it will link back here), and come link up at the bottom of this post! :)
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Do you ever get caught in this moment where it feels like everything is coming at you from all sides and nothing's going right?  People disappoint you, your feelings are up and down, and your mind is like a pinball in a pinball machine (boing boing bing boing boingy bing!).
Let's take a look at this: 1. Sometimes our circumstances get crazy.  You get majorly sick before a big event, you lose an opportunity you had been looking forward to for awhile, something happens that you never saw coming, and most of all, things just keep changing. 2. People disappoint us.  Isn't that just the worst--when you think someone is something, and then you find out the hard way that they're not?  It's kind of like having the floor ripped out from under your feet, and it stinks, because you trusted that person, and they let you down.   But it's oh-so-important to remember that we are not to put our faith in men in the first place.  That doesn't mean we shouldn't trust anyone, it just means that we shouldn't depend on and put all our stock into them--because they will fail us, at some point or another.  And that's just the way it is.  Does that mean we have to be all gloom-and-doom, I-don't-like-anyone all the time?  No!  Of course not.  Know why? "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." -Proverbs 18:24
Our God is the friend who sticks closer than a brother.  God!  The One who made us and this whole wide universe, the One who rules us, is also the One that loves us--so much so that He sacrificed His Son so that we wouldn't be separated from Him.  Is that not amazing?  And not only that, He promises to stick closer than a brother to us.   Our God is an awesome God.   So, everything is constantly changing--people, things, ideas, culture, situations, circumstances, weather--everything!  But the one thing that never changes is God.   "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." -Hebrews 13:8 God alone is constant.  He is our rock.  And He's our hope.  When people and circumstances and happenings disappoint us, we can still look to Him and know that He will never, ever fail us, and He's waiting for us to stop struggling and come running to Him.   You know when you're a kid, and you get that really stubborn streak where you you're wanting to do everything all by yourself?  Your parents are offering to take care of stuff that you obviously can't handle (you're only six, even if it seems to you that you're old enough to take on the whole wide world!), but you just won't have any of it.  "I'll do it by myself!"  So you struggle and and toil and you might even cry a few tears of frustration, and then finally you look up and say, "I can't do it."  And you hand it to your mama or daddy and they get it done in a flash.  "All you had to do was ask!" All you have to do is ask.  Run to your Father when things are smooth, easy, and good, and run to him when things are changing and your mind is in knots--He's there for you. God bless you guys and have a great day!  :) Joy :)

Falling in Love...with Fall!

I don't know about you, but I just love fall.  It's lovely.  And it's one of the best times of the year for getting out and taking some pretty pictures.  :)

This is a bit late, because it's already getting into Christmas (YAY), but the fall colors were just too pretty this year to pass up photographing.  :)

Until next time....when I'll be back with Christmas pictures!  :)

Joy :)

Faithful Fridays ~ Why Should We Live for God?

Hi there, everyone!  :)  I'm a day late this week because yesterday we were gone pretty much all day.  It's been a busy weekend!  But I'm here now.  :)

How was your Thanksgiving?  I hope you had a good one.  I love how Thanksgiving brings everyone together.  We had waaaayyy too much food.  :)




Faithful Fridays is a weekly linky party hosted on my blog. I made it so that Christians could have one special day out of the week (Friday) to share something from their Christian walk on their blog. If you'd like to participate, write your post, grab the button from the Faithful Fridays page on my blog (so that it will link back here), and come link up at the bottom of this post! :)

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I'm the kind of person that thinks.  A lot.  About everything.  My mind goes here, there, all around, like the ball in a pinball machine.  It's hardly ever still.  One of the things I've thought about before is "Why should I live for God?"  Great Christians like Paul, Billy Graham, and Amy Carmichael talk about living for God all the time, and they do it wonderfully--it's amazing to see.  
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." -Acts 20:24, NIV

But have you ever wondered why?   Okay, for starters, the Bible commands us to.  That's a big one, right?  Definitely.   But what I guess I never put much thought into or emphasis on is that living for God is the best thing for us.  For our well-being.  For our happiness.  Living for God matters.  It's what makes our life truly important and significant.

"Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own." -2 Corinthians 5:14-15, The Message

So, we know that God sent His Son to die for us.... "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16, NIV

...but do you realize that the reason He sent Him to die for us was, yes, to forgive our sins, but for another thing, so that we could live for Him?  So....God sacrificed His only precious, holy Son, so that we could live for Him.  Doesn't it make sense, then, to say that it matters a lot whether or not we use our lives for Jesus or not?  It's not just another path, another suggestion, to a meaningful, ideal life.  It's a sure fire way to make a difference in the world, to live a life not only with a purpose, but with an amazing, world-changing, mind-blowing purpose.  

Soooo.....not only did God send Jesus to save us from our sins and give us eternal life.....

.....He also sent Him to show us a better way to live our lives.  The best way.  
"The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.  My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." -John 10:10, NLT

God bless you guys and have a great day!  :)

Joy :)