My Life~

Sorry I haven't posted in a while! Still having internet troubles, but I hope to be back regular really soon. Here is a peek of what's been going on in my life over the past few weeks:

God is so good.

Set Apart Sparkle

They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces will never be ashamed.
~Psalm 34:5

I have been memorizing Psalm 34 this past week. What a sweet scripture to a hungry soul it is! I've read this chapter many times in the past, but I've never really meditated and thought on it.

Often, my prayer to my Savior is that I would shine with His glory; that when people look at me, they would be able to see Him and His light. After reading Psalm 34 a few times and really thinking on it, I finally made the connection between my prayer that I pray so often and what the Bible says in verse 5. It says that they were radiant...when they looked to Him. When their gaze was fixed on Christ Jesus and His Word, His beauty; when their minds were turned from all the distractions of this world and were steadfast upon Him, then they were radiant.

They were radiant, filled with peace, and they trusted God.

"You will keep in perfect peace him [or her] whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in You."
~Isaiah 26:3

That's what I want. I want my mind to be so fixed and so steadfast on my Jesus that it makes my face glow, makes my mind full of peace and trust, and makes my heart overflow with exceeding joy.

I looked up the Hebrew word behind the word radiant, and found out what it meant. (I love doing that ~ it let's you go soo much deeper in the Word and find out in full what the verse says and means.) I found out that radiant also means sparkle. To sparkle!!!! :-) Wouldn't it be beautiful if our faces constantly sparkled and glowed with Heavenly radiance?! If we want to have that set apart sparkle, our lives have to be lived out in His presence. We have to move out all those distractions and meditate on His word. We have to talk to Him and get to know Him and spend time with Him. We have to have a pure heart, because those with pure hearts see God. He shines on them.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
~ Matthew 5:8

So let's work on our heavenly sparkle this week. Let's spend time with Him who can truly satisfy everything our hearts desire and long for. Let's let His glory shine on us and make us radiant so others can be drawn to Him. He is more beautiful and more soul satisfying than anything we can imagine!!

Oh praise Him!!!

Love,
Alyssa

In Moments Like These

It's March 1st! February is gone. Wow, how time flies! Our internet has been down this past week so I haven't been able to post lately. I'm sending this quick post from my phone.

My week has felt like a whirlwind so far but at the same time it has been good. It has been filled with lots of children and smiles! I am learning that it is so important to just stop and cherish the little moments: baby cousins taking their first steps; blowing bubbles, going on "a hike" and having a picnik with a little cousin who is not quite so little anymore; listening to my parents sing and play hymns and songs that are so dear to my heart; tears filling eyes while listening to the prayer of a little boy whose prayer sounds more like its coming from the mouth of a mighty man of God than a 5 year old; a roomfull of kids reciting verse after verse of scripture from memory; being a little girl again and building a fort on a rainy day with 2 sweet kiddoes who I have missed dearly; capturing memories on camera with those same kiddoes; quiet moments with my Savior; thinking and smiling about the future with soon to be roommate if the Lord wills; watching a whole field bloom with purple wildflowers; sweet hugs from new friends; moments of learning from people of God much wiser than me; laughter; a heart that smiles again; and last but certainly not least ~ overflowing thankfulness to my Abba Father after reflecting on sooo many blessings and moments of joy....God is faithful. Always. 

"In moments like these,
I sing out a song,
I sing out a love song to Jesus

In moments like these,
I lift up my hands,
I lift up my hands to the Lord

Singing I love You Lord
Singing I love You Lord
Singing I love You Lord
I love You"

~Moments Like These

Love in Him,
Alyssa

All This Time

     I heard this song on the radio for the first time a week or two ago and had to share it with you! It made me stop and go, "Woah God! You've been walking with me all this time...from the first tear cried til today's sunrise and every single moment between." It reminded me just how far He has carried me. I don't want to think about where I would be without Him. He was with me at my lowest. I'm so so so thankful for His faithfulness. His love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out.

    Sorry to be short, but I have to get started on school work. I'm studying for a math CLEP test and I'm oh so close to being able to go take it! Thank You Jesus!! :-)

    "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all."
                                                                                      ~Psalm 34:18-19

Resting in Him,
Alyssa

P.S. What song is on repeat for you this week?

Healer



Me and my cousin Callie ~ She is one of my sweet Valentines!! I was saying "Awwww!!" in this picture :-)

Happy Valentines Day everyone! I pray your day is filled with reminders of how much you are loved. My family began this Valentines Day by praying for many of our friends who need comfort and healing. There are many friends of ours who are having health struggles right now. My heart is heavy for them. I came across this video last night and it really touched my heart.

Kari Jobe singing "Healer" to a little girl who desperately needs healing.

This reminded me that our sweet Jesus is the ulitmate Healer. He is not only the One who can heal our bodies, but also the One who can heal our hearts. There are also many who I am praying for who need healing in their hearts. I am one of those people. Oh, how I have experienced Jesus as my Healer over these last few months!

He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.

~Psalm 147:3-5

Nothing is too big for Him. Nothing. That means No. Thing.

Praise Him!
Love,
Alyssa

Small But Big Thoughts...

He is so faithful ~ Even when we are faithless. His love for us never ends!! In Psalm 139 the Bible says that His thoughts toward us are more than the grains of sand. I can't even wrap my mind around that! I was talking to my kiddos in children's church about this last Wednesday. I love hearing their responses to God's Word! I reminded them of the verse where Jesus says that He knows how many hairs are on our heads and then asked how many they thought were there.

 "Fourty thousand!!!" "A million!!" "A BAZILLION!!!"  

Too many to count. Have you ever stopped and really thought about that? Working with kids has made me have to think about things more simply, which has been a blessing in disguise.

David cried out in his prayer: 

“Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord GOD. You have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord GOD! And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord GOD!  Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. Therefore you are great, O LORD God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears."

~2 Samuel 7:18-22

"You know Your servant....Who am I that You have brought me this far??" He knows me... but who am I that the King of Kings would want to know me?? He certainly doesn't need me, but He wants me. What a thought...

"Who am I that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt

Who am I, that the bright and morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are!

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
Vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am...
I am YOURS"

Oh Praise Him!!!

Love,
Alyssa <3

All I Need

When the day is done
And there's no one else around
While I'm lying here in bed You're in my heart, You're in my head
You're all I need

There are a million voices calling out my name
But You're the one I want to hear, so make the others disappear
You're all I need, You're all I need

You are all I need when I'm surrounded
You are all I need when I'm by myself
You fill me when I'm empty
There is nothing else
You're all I need

When the morning comes
And Your mercy is renewed
There's a fire in my bones
I'm not afraid to go alone
You're all I need, You're all I need

The sun on my face
I hear You whisper loud
You're still the God that opens seas
Every flower, even me
You're all I need, You're all I need!

You are all I need when I'm surrounded
You are all I need when I'm by myself
You fill me when I'm empty
There is nothing else
You're all I need

I'm drawn to everything that You do
Nothing compares with You

~All I Need by Bethany Dillon

Lord, help me to remember that You are all I need ~ and You are more than enough for me! Nothing can satisfy me like You do.