playing around new scrap blogger

Oh Happy Day!

Sooo... life in my side of the world has been a little bit crazy... We had to put peanut my teacup chihuahua down yesterday, her poor little kidneys were failing =-(... but it was a great 5 years with her!! Also, a dear old man from my old church was in the hospital last week when I was doing my hours for class and I got to visit with his wife (Doris) but, the dear old man (Sam) passed away on Sunday I am sad to report, but the good news is, he knew the Lord and he loved God with all his heart! So now he is dancin with Jesus, but I know Doris is taking it pretty hard, so please keep her in your prayers. Other then that... I graduate in a little over 4 weeks... PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that is if I can pass this physics class that is royaly kicking my butt at the moment... but the wonderful Cody Maynard has made it his personal duty to tutor me (AHHHH... I am so thankful!) But other then that Cody and I found a house that we like and he is going to be moving in within the month... eh hem... (no ring yet... =-D)... but, the Lord is good and His timing is perfect! Anyways, I suppose that is all that is going on in never never land abilene... oh, another prayer request, a friend of ours son died yesterday of a heart attack caused by a blood clot... he was 23 and in his first year of optimoligy school... your prayers are coveted... it is the Allen familiy. Anyways, until later... blessings and love!

God is always in a good mood! =-)

I am so so so blessed! I have been home to see my parents the last two weekends helping with some home renovations and I have fall break this weekend so I am headed back again! =-) I love home... my parents are awesome, and Kristen and Daniel (my sister and brother-in-law) just moved in with my parents... kindof-- they turned our huge garage into an apartment sort of thing-- and they are starting construction on Wed. for a new garage slash half barn for the horse and goats... (yes, I said goats... a few weeks ago my brother went an bought two goats... they are so funny they were raised by hand so they think they are dogs and they follow you around like crazy one of them even licked me last week)... when I leave my family starts a farm! lol... but we do have a baby calf that is soooooo cute-- but she won't let us near her-- anyways, I will have to post pictures after this weekend, but the neatest thing about Kristen living out in the boonies with my parents is that her kids Ethan, Meranda, and Ty are out there too!! I get to see them every time I come home-- they are PRECIOUS! Again, I will have to put up pictures later! But, anyways, God is just so good and I have so much joy in my life especially as of late-- Joy is ALWAYS available, it is just harder sometimes to find it, but the Holy Spirit seeks and desires to bless us... God is in a good mood and I was not baptized in lemon juice! I have liberty and freedom and I will not succom to the things of the world-- because the supernatural world is so much better! haha... love love and pics coming soon!

I LOVE OLD PEOPLE!!

So trusting in the Lord is getting more and more awesome... really! So, I am taking this class at the hospital, and through it I am a student chaplain there, it has been stretching but good.. . anyways, yesterday I went into this room with this elderly lady (89 yrs old) she broke her leg...well she and another woman visitor were sitting in the room and lit up when I came in, so I felt really welcome (which was nice!)... we talked small talk for a while then it started getting a little awkward... so I started praying and asking God what I should do... and some scripture from Titus came to my mind... about the older women teaching the younger women how to love their husbands... so, I began asking them about their husbands who have both passed away.. it was some wonderful advice so I thought I would share!

**Always choose love, when its hard, get over it and choose love

**Serve, when you don't feel like serving them, do it anyways

**Keep a tender heart for them, always be willing to change your perspective to encourage them where they are at and not for where you wish they were

**When you get angry, smile, go out onto the back porch scream, smile, come back inside and hug your husband until you feel love for him.

**Cherish the little things

Talk about awesome! These women were talking about how they lived as wives during the great depression and said that they were broke beyond what I could understand, and that they were just as happy then that they were in the prime of their work... they said that finances are NOT what determines the joy that a young couple is capable of having... their attitude is... to laugh, they lived very joyfully and laughed often... she noted that there is more money in the US then there has ever been and yet there are more divorces then ever in history...

So, anyways, for those of you married or unmarried I thought that this would be neat wisdom to absorb! Well, I am going to go watch the 700 club with Cody... hehe...gotta love Pat Robinson! love, peace, and Jesus!

Growing Up = Responsibility = Trusting God = Amazing!

WOW!! The last three months of my life have been kinda crazy... I have gone from changing my entire career path, to taking physics (the devil), to making future plans with Cody (yeah!!)... and here is my conclusion.... TRUSTING GOD is both entirely freaky, and the best thing I could ever do! So, where I am at right now, is applying to graduate school in clinical psychology (after this I might need to see a psych! jk) , I am actually applying with my Mom, so we would do our masters together, which would be a lot of fun I think! So I am sitting on and waiting for my acceptance letter! Cody is applying to the ACU graduate program in Accounting, God has transformed his mind into going on to further education vs. working for an accounting firm, which is cool, he is looking and planning on becoming a professor, so he will be moving to lubbock next year to start the PhD program which means I will be moving to lubbock next year (fingers crossed!!!) ... wink wink! I think we thought we weren't far enough from civilization, so I thought I would follow in Smithy's footsteps! haha... but then I have been slapped in the face with reality... if (when) we get married, what does one do about health insurance, as two full time students?!? And how do we pay bills?!? Living on love is a very romantic thought, but, uhh... call me a realist... but, electric companies don't care so much about the mushy love stuff! So anyways, I am doing my research.... and praying, and trusting that if we are on the path that God has called us to, He WILL provide! Sooo... Cody has been playing the McDonalds Monopoly... lol, hoping to win the 100,000.00.... haha!!! Anyways, growing up, wierd, I never thought I would be concerned about not having health insurance-- bam! Wow, slap! So to any of you reading this, I would really appreciate your prayers!

But, I must say.... God is so faithful!!!!! It is my nature to be a planner... and when things don't look like they will be just right it is easy for me to stress, like to the point of my hair falling out... But God has given me peace... seriously... just as David, prayed (ps. 51) "resore unto me the joy of my salvation"... I feel restored in that!!! My joy is complete... in knowing that my future could be in no better hands... so here I go... practicing what I preach in living my life walking on the water... taking steps of faith... doing my best to hear the voice of God... man, I don't know exactly how, but I want to... and I am desiring the heart of God more then ever... I keep declaring over my life the quote: "I will not be moved by how I FEEL, but by the Word of God"... amen, and amen... so even though I have a physics test tomorrow (which I like to consider and attack from satan)... I can dance on that test, because I can trust that I have the ability to overcome that test, because greater is He that is IN ME, then he who is in the world!!! It is through Christ that I am made victorious!! So be encouraged, because He that overcame the world, the grave, sin, and death... lives within you today, He desires to withhold no good thing from you... I encourage you as teachers... get to class a little early, pray over those seats where those little ones will be sitting, your days will change! You in the buisness work place... get to work a little early and pray over your office... the atmosphere will change!!! =-).... God IS FAITHFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Physics.... simple???..... lies, all lies!!?!?

So, I got my Physics test back today... not pretty... although I have never been so proud of a C... haha... I have taken the initiative and gotten cable and internet... the first time I have turned on my TV for a year and a half... just in time for finding out what in the world is going on with our economy... Lord help us all!! geez... what a crazy situation... props to McCain though... bravo on the campaign strategy... even though the other day the poles he was at 42% and Obama 58%... a man hasnt come back from being down in the poles this far in the game since 1949! Sad, day... I really like McCain... time to pray! So I am also in this Intro to Hospital Minisry class for my last upper level Bible class... and basically we are student chaplins... it is called experiential learning, we are not trained really before... we just go into patients rooms by ourselves and talk with them... yesterday, I went into my first prisioners room... it was crazy, there were guards everywhere and he had handcuffs on... I felt like I was in a movie... he looked just like the goofy sidekicks in movies... he was short, chubby, shavedhead, with black framed glasses that were to small for his head! But we had a great prayer time! After the hospital Cody and I went with Love and Care minisries for our first homeless outreach outting together... it was awesome, we just handed out food at homeless camps and to guys along the train tracks and everything... everyone was drink by 6, extremely entertaining, and fun to be able to give them something to sober them up a bit so we could love on them... it was heart!! Anyways, Cody has two interviews next week.. One with Whiltey Penn (Wed.) and the other with Ernst & Young (Fri.), I think the Whitley Penn one is the one he will go with if he sticks with a job in Acct. ... he will be in Ft.Worth right next to TCU... I talked to Amanda Owens the other day asking her about where to live and the cost of living... so that was really nice to hear from her! But, anyways, time to get back to writing my Non-Fiction Paper...Brittney and I have a meeting tonight with CMDA (Christian Medical and Dental Association)... basically we get to hear the testimonies and life stories of local community doctors, dentists, nurses... ect.! So that is what is going on in the life of Crystal... cheeze!

Hole in the wall... bottomless coffee... amen!

Here I am sitting at a little hole in the wall coffee shop that has the best coffee in town... it is like the art district of Abilene and there is some very deep art all around me... it makes me want to paint,or write, or I don't know... be deep! But it got me thinking about how our atmosphere often dictates our natural mood or feelings... it is when we are in a gloomy setting where we have to choose to be bright and shiny... As Meredith Grey would like to think of herself... I think that is why the Bible encourages us to choose life... no matter where we are we always have the option of our attitude toward whatever our circumstances might be... so I encourage you... blogger... choose life, choose joy... when things suck... smile... go against your natural tendency to succom to the norm... everybody can adapt to their nature... but it takes God and true peace to be more to expect more out of life... out of yourself...life is good, especially in a modern art hole in the wall bottomless coffee shop... peace

I am in a Summer I course... "Drug Education"... I felt less ignorant in Cardiovascular Physiology!!.... I know nothing about street drugs... I didn't even know that there was a difference between heroin and cocain.... needless to say... I feel kindof incompetent everyday of class... but thats okay, because that is just my flesh... and I know that my ignorance can open a door for someones deliverence!!
Amandas wedding is this weekend... then Smithy's is coming up the early part of this fall... it's funny... there have been at least 12 weddings since school let out of friends on mine... crazy... I feel like a kid with a bunch of grown up friends... not in a negative way, but just that I have so much more school ahead of me it feels like I have been held back a few grades... I love it, I wouldn't have my life any other way, it's just a odd phenomenon.....
I met a guy named Forrest last week.. it has been a really long time since I have encounterd someone with such a fresh sincere brokeness towards the things of God... he has been to hell and back it seems and has a very realistic idea of the power of Jesus Christ... he was so encouraging... he kept of saying how happy he was to meet Cody and I, but I couldn't help but be incredibly blessed by his presence, I wanted to be around him... he didn't pretend to know everything, he knew that God was the answer to everything, he doesn't even know it, but with his attitude -- he could have a serious impact on our generation! He is one of those people you look at and think to yourself... "that guy is cool without even trying"... and you just want to meet him... but he is super humble.... wow, I think sometimes that I have come so far... that I can do so much because I am a good little girl that loves God... but the truth of the matter is... my 22 years of being a "expert" christian is totally challenged by a young man that has known God for 6 months... I have clearly NOT arrived.... I have far to go, and alot to discover and know... so I end these thoughts with a prayer...

God, I know I am your daughter... I think that is so awesome that I can say that and understand it to some levels, teach me how to opperate out of the gifts that you have given me... teach me how to submit myself to others and love beyond my natural ability... Through your Holy Spirit I have power... the same power that was in Jesus as he walked on the earth... it makes me a little nervous to know that, because I know that very few people in the world will understand that... but God I ask for boldness, not emotion but the ability to speak TRUTH in love as you lead and guide me! I want to understand your Word in the depths of it... teach me about YOU God... open my ears... silence the world around me and give me supernatural ears to hear You... I want to do what you want me to do, I want to say what you want me to say... I desire for you to not be my top priority but for you to be THE priority in everything that I do... be the core of me God... be my all and my everything.... and I ask that you would be with me in class today, I don't know very much in this class, but I know that you are with me and I pray that I can be a light, that I can speak truth, and that I will be supernaturally wise in my thoughts and words! I love you God... be my core!!

You could say it has been a while...

I think it has literally been a year since I have been on here... wierd... today has been a strange day... I find myself kindof drifting in my thoughts... it's been difficult to remain focused... school is good... hard but good... life is good... challenging at times but all the while God remains my constant... what a relief... to know that He is unchanging... never ending... He is my all, my everything... my life sustainer... God I give you my thoughts... my drifting ones especially... I ask that you would show your mercy.... your powerful grace.... your unending and undeniable love... God, I ask that you would show me you!!