Light Has Come!

I feel moved to share today's reading from She Reads Truth, an online blog/daily devotional for women to read God's word together as a community. You can find them here: http://shereadstruth.com/ The current reading plan is called Emmanuel. I read the devotional email each morning when I get to work and it really starts out my day on a bright note. It was on my heart to share today's devotional...it really helps to remind me of the true meaning of Christmas. 

your light has come Text: Isaiah 60:1-5, John 3:16-21, John 8:12 Arise, Shine! For Your Light Has Come Reflection “We are not left on our own. God is there. How simple and how infinitely wonderful.” - Ramond C. Ortlund, Jr. A candle in a dark room. A baby boy in a stable. Both tell the same truth. Darkness cannot survive where there is light. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12, ESV). Dear Sisters, that star shining above Bethlehem means we no longer have to live in the dark.. That cry in the stable means we are not alone. The light has come, and not to condemn but to save! Our darkness may be thick, but it is forever transformed by the brightness of Christ. Our secrets are no longer secrets. Our shame is no longer hidden. We don’t have to fear our frailty or the dark corners of our hearts. Because of Jesus they have been brought into the light and covered over with redeeming blankets of grace, grace, grace. Advent is a season of preparation, a season for making room in our hearts once again for this simple, profound truth: Christ is the light of men. (And women! And children!) He is coming, He has come, He will come again. And you can stand up, right where you are. Whatever you hold, whatever you dread. Whatever is behind or before or around you. Whatever your condition, just as you are. Arise, shine, for your light has come. Prayer Father, thank you for bringing us into the light. Thank you for Jesus, the Light of the World. Thank you for that night in Bethlehem when Christ became Emmanuel, God with us, and pierced the darkness forever. We will never be the same. Thanks be to God. Amen. Advent Action Light a candle in a dark room and rest in the stillness for a moment. _______________________ For an added layer of worship and study, we chose a beloved Christmas song for each day of our Advent plan. We invite you to listen to Arise, Shine, For Thy Light Is Come today as we dwell on the truth of God’s word together.

Thankful

"Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright and the determined choice to praise God in every situation"

Happy Thanksgiving this Thursday! I am SO thankful for all of God's blessings. I am thankful for my wonderful family, supportive friends, my job, my health and for the journey that I am on. I am thankful for life. I am thankful for this holiday season and to be able to spend it around family and friends. I am thankful to be able to spread the good news of Jesus and to bring him glory. Life is precious and I never want to take a minute for granted.

Socktoberfest 10K

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Isn't fall weather the best?! I love the crisp October air and the beautiful leaves :)

Tim and I ran a 10K on Saturday in Osage, IA with Teresa and Mike Schoger (they both got 2nd place in their age groups!) It was a little chilly but we finished and had a great time! After the race there was a huge sock sale so we also got some nice warm socks for ice fishing season which is right around the corner ;)

Congratulations to all the TC marathon finishers! My mom ran it and finished! She had a stress fracture in her foot but ran it anyway (probably not the smartest thing to do) but I am proud of her...she is also running the Boston marathon this April for her 50th birthday!

I am counting down the days until this Thursday when me, my dad, my brother Zach, my grandpa and Tim are going on a road trip to Chicago to watch Troy play hockey!!

I cannot recommend this song enough. I love it.

"Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the waters wherever You would call me. Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander, and my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior."

After our run!

My niece Scarlet being beautiful like always :)


Have a blessed week!

FAITH

Hello Blog friends. It has been awhile since I sat down to type out an actual post. The past 4-5 months have been a whirlwind. Sometimes life knocks you down but if you keep your eyes on Jesus HE will get you through any circumstance. I can testify to this. I won’t go into a lot of detail but I can say that I overcame a lot of my own struggles, anxieties and insecurities and I am still a work in progress…God is not done with me yet :)  I know my God has a wonderful plan for my life and I want to honor Him and TRUST him every step of the way. He has us where we are at for a reason.

Jeremiah 29:11

“ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

 So what have I been up to the past few months?!

This summer I finished the school year and taught three weeks of summer school.  I did a lot of running and working out and I took care of my adorable and sweet niece Scarlet (I can’t believe she will be 3 in December!) I hung out with friends and family and attended a couple of weddings of my college friends. Got to witness two of my best friends (Guthrie and Jackie) get married which was so awesome and fun to be a part of.  I spent a lot of time with my good friend Asha who is now studying abroad in Ireland until December…I MISS HER!!  I also hung out with my best friend since 2^nd grade Bre, and her boyfriend Adam. Also, our personal trainer from Anytime fitness (Amy) lives at Bre’s house and we have been able to spend time with her too she is awesome. I love attending her boot camps it is such a great workout!

My dad and I drove down to Arizona with Troy to move him into college which was a fun trip! He is playing D1 club hockey there and he is loving it so far. That was my first time being in Arizona and man was it HOT!

I started my first “new school year” as a teacher and things are going well so far. I have some other ideas of things I am hoping to pursue soon but that will be in another blog post.

I ABSOLUTLEY LOVE FALL and I am so excited for the leaves to start changing and to run in the crisp fall air.

The past few weekends I have been in Mason City hanging out and doing fun activities with Tim. Last weekend went to the Newman Catholic High School homecoming football game with our friend Kyle and we went to a winery/apple orchard in St. Ansgar to do some wine tasting and apple picking! Weekends are so much fun but they go by so fast! Next weekend Tim and I and our friends Mike and Teresa are running a 10k for Socktoberfest in Osage, Iowa…that should be fun!

We are LOVING the new sermon series at our church (Praise Community Church). It is called “building stronger relationships” and Pastor Jeff has been giving really good messages that have been going straight to my heart. I also have been attending a new Bible study on Wednesday nights…we are studying “Breaking Free” by Beth Moore and it is so awesome. GOD IS SO GOOD.

Well this post is getting very lengthy so I will end it with a bunch of pictures :)

God bless!

Me and Troy before we left for AZ

Precious Scarlet all ready to learn :) 

Picking Apples!

T-man picking apples

This is at Troy's college apartment...so cool

Me and KK on our way to Guth and Jack's rehearsal dinner

Tim's big catfish he caught off of Pastor Mark and Cassie's dock!

Erin Hummel and me with the beautiful bride JACKIE! 

Lyrics from the best song ever...Cornerstone. 

Hanging out on the boat this July :)

Fishing this summer!