Humble Thyself in the Sight of the Lord

"Humble Thyself in the sight of the Lord... and He shall lift you up... higher and higher.. and He shall lift you up"

this song from way back in the day randomly came to me this morning.  Made me think about the good old days at AWANA scholarship camp, though at the time I was not always excited to be there haha it truely was a great place and big blessing!

it is just one of those incredibly gorgeous snowy days outside that made me curl up in sweatpants with a cup of coffee and realize it has once again been a long time since I have sat and reflected on my life. 

So here we go... life at this moment: incredibly thankful for how, even though I do not constantly depend on our Lord for my every need as I should, He keeps providing me with my every need, perfectly.  He gave me an amazing new job this past fall right when I needed one, He allowed my mom, sister and me the absolutely PERFECT vacation that we could not have planned even if we tried, He placed amazing friends in my life who cook for me, spend time with me, and watch over me, He provided a place for me to live, a car to drive, a smartphone to talk to my family down in ND/MN, I always have enough food, clothing, and warmth, there is so much beauty on this earth that I take joy hiking, biking, running outdoors in, He brings random dog sitting opportunities so that even though I cannot currently have a dog of my own, I have plenty I get to play with :)

I realize I do not give Him the credit He deserves for all of this in my life.  I truely am blessed.  Most of all I have His endless love and mercy.  Honestly, who am I that the Lord of the universe would die for me so that I could live? Speechless. and Joyful!

Goal: get on my knees and start praying everyday.  It has been FAR too long since I have done this but I am excited to see changes come about because I believe that is power in prayer.

Life in this Moment of Time

Realized it has been a while since I have posted.. perfect timing though really, reading back all about my amazing times last summer as a new summer approaches and new amazing adventures await! :)

My two year anniversary living in Juneau, Alaska just happened a few days ago, wow. I left behind family and friends for a place that drew me in and fits me like a glove.  I have had adventures and experiences I never would have even dreamed of. 

My four year anniversary of the first time I drove off of the ferry is coming up in a few days.  Alison and I were talking about this and how that marks 4 years of a beautiful friendship! I remember falling in love with this place instantly and knowing I would be back to stay for a stretch.

Big changes have consistantly happened every few months since being here.. jobs, living situations, friends, health, car problems.. of course the one constant has always been my Lord.  "He is my Rock, He is my Fortress, He is my Deliverer, in Him will I trust.. Praise the name of Jesus"

Life is a rollercoaster, we are along for the ride and there really is not much we can truly control.  However, we can make the most of what we are given.  My current and long lasting motto... Life is one Giant Dance Party!! Let loose, Enjoy!

Most Amazing Recent Adventure... Earthcruising to Herbert Glacier 12-3 in the morning with headlamps! (Except for Nick who had to rely on Chad's light for guidance..) shout out to my new friend Samantha, welcome to Juneau!

Also welcome back to my main hiking buddy Sara, I have missed you!

Sad goodbye to Cole and Lisa... my craft teacher/buddy, faithful trilogy watchers, amazing chefs, and good friends they have become like family! Good luck with life back in "The Good Life" of Nebraska :)

Also to Connie who is embarking onto bigger and better challenges down in "The Land of 10,000 Lakes" MinnesOta! I will miss you greatly

Summer 2011 Summary

CANNOT believe another summer has come and gone.. time to reflect on a few highlights

1. second annual Skagway trip with Rikkaela Ruby!! got to helicopter up to the Meade Glacier again and walk on it way too amazing :)

2. Earth Cruising.. Herbert trail, Boyscout Beach, Dredge Lakes , Thane, Eaglecrest Road

3. 50 mile road bike ride Auke Rec to Echo Cove and back with my buddy Brianna

4. Klondike Relay!!! 10 person (9 for my team since Bill did 2 legs) running relay starts in Skagway, AK ends in Whitehorse, Canada over 100 miles all together I completed 13.1 miles in the middle of the night

5. goes along with #4 BEST northern lights.. purple and green dancing all over

6. Bowling league.. except for the fact I think I got worse over the summer instead of better

7. Halibut fishing with my sister Kristi and Carl.. caught our limit all between 40-50 lbs on a beautiful sunny day

8. Kristi's entire week with me here!

9.. Hiking of course.. Best trail of the summer was Salmon Creek

10. Biking Perseverance Trail with Sara when she came up for a couple week visit in May, such an intense but beautiful ride

12. Disc Golf!!!!! my current favorite activity

12. Fires on the back porch with my Juneau family :)

13. Brenna coming back for a visit!

14. Morgan Fisher (now Ramseth) wedding having Chrissy and her mom come up

15. Jarah and Ann being leaders of the women project, means I once again got to hang out with those amazing ladies in Juneau!

Amazing but too quick of a summer.. but I am going to leave it at that for now

Confessions. Prayers. Desires.

I just want to write on here that once again somehow I have fallen into a patch of complacency in my walk with God. This past fall and again recently I have done things I only knew as a person I was capable of doing but never actually thought I would do. Here are some of my thoughts.

"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come into the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes into the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
~John 3:19-21

Pastor Brian spoke this morning at church exactly what God has put in my heart many of times and extra hard yesterday, this I believe was God clearly speaking to me (and to others in our local body) through Brian. I cannot ignore this. I am standing at a crossroad, one way leading me closer to God and one drawing me away towards worldy pleasures that I know could never satisfy me or bring me joy. The big question, am I going to choose to serve my almighty God or am I going to choose to walk away from Him down a self distructive path that will only bring me hardship.

Because I am a new creation in Christ, I can honestly say I do not enjoy worldly activities therefore I do not understand why I even do them. But I do. Against every grain in my body.

The worst part seems to be avoiding true repentace. Rather than falling on my face crying out to God, mourning the things I have done, I just carry on as if nothing is wrong. As if I can just go on with my normal life, skipping this giant necessary step for me to truly make God the #1 pursuit in my life.

I greatly desire to draw closer and closer to my Maker and my Savior. To only have my sights set on Him. To be completely in the light and not hiding in the shadows. To be pursueing Him so hard that my thoughts and actions constantly reflect Him. To rely on the body of believers He has surrounded me with, to draw strength from Him through them. To listen and discern and act on the things His Spirit reveals to me. To constantly be looking for ways to serve and minister to the people around me out of the love God fills me with. To encourage my brothers and sisters to be doing the same.

I am so thankful I serve a loving, patient, merciful God who knows me inside and out. I need prayers right now that I do not lose sight of all of this, that God makes clear to me my limitations on what situations I can handle and which ones I cannot so I faithfully avoid them. Constant choices. Constant crossroads. My prayer is that in the near future I can write an update reporting that God is once again my life. That everything I do stems from my roots in Him and in His Word. That I have truely repented and turned away from the things drawing me away from the True Light. That I would once again be living out of a heart of ministry.

Today I am making the choice to quit being complacent, to quit just thinking about all of this all of the time but never acting on these thoughts. God constantly reveals to me what He wants me to spend my time doing but it seems I rarely actually do just that. I sadly let those thoughts pass right on by. By keeping all of this to myself, I have helped Satan keep a strong hold on my life. Not anymore.

Until my next update, know God is good. God is working all around us. Let us recognize that and give Him thanks and praise for it all! :)

Colossians 1:9-14

^"For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰ that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."

To Do List..

1. work on my art skills (more accurately obtain any form of art skills)

• find a place in Juneau that offers classes and take one or two.. thinking of starting with painting

2. run at least 3 times a week to maintain some sort of in shapeness

• sign up for the Juneau marathon next summer and finally check that off my goal list
• maybe even go all out and do the aukeman sprint triathalon.. but then i need to add learn swimming strokes to this list

3. finally make it to the very end of the lemon creek trail

• its been attempting 4 times now but never plan enough time to get to the end.. its going to happen asap

4. look into the Juneau bowling league (or something similar.. scrabble club?)

• not a good bowler but i don't think that completely matters.. its about having fun and learning right

5. learn how to ski/ snowboard

• this is pending on snow fall and when i can recruit local friends to patiently teach me how

6. read at least a book a month

• get a library card.. funny i haven't already done this since my roommate works for the library :)

7. finally get my alaska driver's license

• i mainly blame the dmv hours for why i have yet to do this..

8. cook myself a decent healthy meal at least once a week

• i love to cook but just don't take the time often enough..

9. go back and beat all the mario levels to obtain all 3 star coins in each so we can defeat world 9

• this may take some time..

10. keep improve my knitting skills

• try out different patterns to stretch my abilities
• a few more scarves then move onto hats eventually socks for my dad :)

Summer Summary

So its been a while since I have come on here.. its only appropriate to include a summary of my summer adventures in Juneau Alaska:

1. summitted 5 mountains

2. hiked countless trails mainly with my one main hiking buddy and friend Sara :)

3. king crabbing with Brandi, Carl, Katy, and Evan.. pulled the pot up assembly line style :)

4. salmon slaying

5. shrimping

6. helicopter ride up to walk on the Meade Glacier with Rikkaela Ruby :)

7. bought a road bike and have done some sweet long rides

8. boated out to tracy arm to see the Seward Glacier with Kara and Stephanie, my friend Deborah also was randomly on the same little tour! saw some of the biggest calving, shooters, and swells also saw a huge iceberg flip over! :)

9. went off roading with Rikki in her jeep

10. played sardines at the castle playground all hours of the night with my sweet cycle alaska friends :)

11. countless bonfires under the Alaskan Sky saw some sweet sunsets, stars, a comet, a meteor shower

12. amazing northern lights casting a reflection on mendenhall lake and framing the mountains

13. late night canoe adventures with rafting friends, walked on the biggest iceberg

14. camped on a couple different islands

15. shot clay pigeons

16. toured the coast guard boat thanks to Mitch my coast guard friend

17. Climbed in icecaves multiple times

18. Mountain biking with Bradford.. questionable trails too extra adventurous :)

19. semi illegal night activities with my partner in crime Michael :)

20. mine ruins and sketchy tunnels exploration

21. Kayak adventure with Debbie, Mego, and some of Debbies friends

22. River Rafting (lame river.. but great guides Jess and Kara)

23. Oktober Fest on top of tram with Brandi, Carl, Katy, Nick, and Megan

Such Great Times and This Hardly Does My Amazing Summer Justice :)