| One human. One sin. That was all it took for worlds of people to be condemned to a death in hell. Doomed to a separation from a heavenly father, the creator, for an eternity. One man. Wholly God but fully man. Perfect, blameless, righteous sacrifice of blood. He who took upon himself the sins of the world. An incomprehensible love for such lowly beings. His name is Jesus. Risen. Conqueror of death, took our punishment and offers an everlasting life. A gift. Free. Unearned, undeserved, unacknowledged, spoken of too little. The only cure for a dying world. John 3:16"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." |
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Thankful
Thursday, May 26, 2011
My Best Friend
So I figured I'd finally write this blog because well everyone always asks how Alyssa and I met so you might as well have the whole story. Yeah we're as close as sisters, we're best friends and we tell each other everything...good and bad. However, there is something that comes as a big surprise to many...we've only known each other for 3 years. How can we be this close without years of background friendship? It is because God put us into each others lives strategically for our growth.
Three years ago my parents announced that we might be having a girl come live with us for a year or two. I was beginning my last year at DACC, the community college in my hometown, and getting ready for new adventures at a four year university. I have always been doted upon by my family, at times I enjoyed it other times not so much, but when my mother told me this news I laughed and thought to myself "She's getting a replacement daughter so when I'm gone they won't feel like empty nesters". Their plan was somewhat flawed seeing as I still had one year to finish at DACC but oh well.
You'd think that the girl coming to live with us would be an exchange student going to the university right? Well you'd be wrong. She lived in Illinois only about three hours away from us. When deciding on a college to attend Alyssa weighed her options. A track scholarship pointed her towards DACC as a viable option, but Danville is not really an ideal place to live. Having only slightly considered the possibility of coming to my community college it was brought up in her church back home that she could attend this school for two years for free. After being prayed over she was approached by some family friends who had lived in Danville for a number of years. Calls were made about possible apartments and other living options.
Friends of my family brought up the fact that Alyssa may be attending DACC and was looking for housing in my parents Sunday school class. And for whatever reason, though I know now that it was undeniably God laying it on my mothers heart, my parents thought about opening our home to her. My brother moved out the year prior so we had plenty of room, and like I said in a year they'd be empty nesters anyway.
So the Krauss' made a plan to come visit and check out the place. Believe me Danville is no sight to see when you get here. It's a run down town that was once very successful but now has become one of the worst places to live in America(<- yeah that was on the news...and it did wonders for improving our town). At the time I worked two jobs and went to school and when the Krauss' were planning on visiting first I was supposed to be at work. Luckily they came early enough that I could say hello before heading to the restaurant. She seemed really shy but didn't look like a crazy person so I was fine, we could live together well enough and besides I only had to be there for one year.
Little did I know the thoughts that had been running through her head. All Alyssa knew about me was that I had been home schooled for most of my life, grew up in a fairly strict Baptist Church, and that I "didn't have a facebook". A list of things that would have seemingly put me in a category of being socially inept. While most of those things were true, I was home schooled from 3rd grade on yet still an incredibly out going person with many friends, I did grow up in a Baptist church, but this grew my faith very strongly and the legalistic tendencies they may have had at times were no bigger than those of any other church, and well I did have a facebook but for reasons I won't go into did not have my last name on it for many years, I was still your normal 19 year old.
Thank heavens I stuck around instead of leaving for work incredibly early as I typically do because once she realized I was "normal" she decided that it wouldn't be impossible to live with me. I'd like to say we became immediate friends but that didn't exactly happen. She took a while to adjust and I took a while to realize I needed to reach out to her, but once we did those things we just clicked. 3yrs later and we have lived together, fought with each other, cried over insignificant and also very significant things, had adventures, lived out the dull days, made each other laugh, been called crazy(because we are), gone through trials, grown in our love for each other as friends, grown in our love for our Savior, mentored one another and we are best friends now and forever. God knew we'd need each other, I'm certainly glad he knows what he's doing.
Proverbs 27:17"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
Three years ago my parents announced that we might be having a girl come live with us for a year or two. I was beginning my last year at DACC, the community college in my hometown, and getting ready for new adventures at a four year university. I have always been doted upon by my family, at times I enjoyed it other times not so much, but when my mother told me this news I laughed and thought to myself "She's getting a replacement daughter so when I'm gone they won't feel like empty nesters". Their plan was somewhat flawed seeing as I still had one year to finish at DACC but oh well.
You'd think that the girl coming to live with us would be an exchange student going to the university right? Well you'd be wrong. She lived in Illinois only about three hours away from us. When deciding on a college to attend Alyssa weighed her options. A track scholarship pointed her towards DACC as a viable option, but Danville is not really an ideal place to live. Having only slightly considered the possibility of coming to my community college it was brought up in her church back home that she could attend this school for two years for free. After being prayed over she was approached by some family friends who had lived in Danville for a number of years. Calls were made about possible apartments and other living options.
Friends of my family brought up the fact that Alyssa may be attending DACC and was looking for housing in my parents Sunday school class. And for whatever reason, though I know now that it was undeniably God laying it on my mothers heart, my parents thought about opening our home to her. My brother moved out the year prior so we had plenty of room, and like I said in a year they'd be empty nesters anyway.
So the Krauss' made a plan to come visit and check out the place. Believe me Danville is no sight to see when you get here. It's a run down town that was once very successful but now has become one of the worst places to live in America(<- yeah that was on the news...and it did wonders for improving our town). At the time I worked two jobs and went to school and when the Krauss' were planning on visiting first I was supposed to be at work. Luckily they came early enough that I could say hello before heading to the restaurant. She seemed really shy but didn't look like a crazy person so I was fine, we could live together well enough and besides I only had to be there for one year.
Little did I know the thoughts that had been running through her head. All Alyssa knew about me was that I had been home schooled for most of my life, grew up in a fairly strict Baptist Church, and that I "didn't have a facebook". A list of things that would have seemingly put me in a category of being socially inept. While most of those things were true, I was home schooled from 3rd grade on yet still an incredibly out going person with many friends, I did grow up in a Baptist church, but this grew my faith very strongly and the legalistic tendencies they may have had at times were no bigger than those of any other church, and well I did have a facebook but for reasons I won't go into did not have my last name on it for many years, I was still your normal 19 year old.
Thank heavens I stuck around instead of leaving for work incredibly early as I typically do because once she realized I was "normal" she decided that it wouldn't be impossible to live with me. I'd like to say we became immediate friends but that didn't exactly happen. She took a while to adjust and I took a while to realize I needed to reach out to her, but once we did those things we just clicked. 3yrs later and we have lived together, fought with each other, cried over insignificant and also very significant things, had adventures, lived out the dull days, made each other laugh, been called crazy(because we are), gone through trials, grown in our love for each other as friends, grown in our love for our Savior, mentored one another and we are best friends now and forever. God knew we'd need each other, I'm certainly glad he knows what he's doing.
Proverbs 27:17"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
 |
| Living in Danville still |
 |
| friendly mimicking |
 |
| Weddings |
 |
| Graduations |
 |
 |
| Sun bathing 90ft in the air |
 |
| rock climbing |
 |
| Thats my best friend |
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Journalings
College. It's been one of the best experiences of my life. Not because of the atmosphere or the classes or anything other than the fact that I realized here what it means to truly walk with the Lord. I'm going to fail so often but knowledge is the beginning. I have people here that pour truth into my life daily and while those truths can hurt, because they show my utter sinfulness, it's also beautiful to see just how amazing God's grace is.
I try to journal daily as I read the Bible and today I was reading one of Paul's letters, this time to the Corinthian church. I love the way Paul writes because you can see just how big his view of our Savior is. These were the thoughts that came to my head and spilled into my journal as I read 1Cor. 1:22-31
Knowing God alone should be a sufficient message to solidify our faith. If knowing Christ isn't enough......then you don't really know him. We are not more wise than our creator, yet we rest in our own understanding. The Jews asked for signs, the Greeks for wisdom, and the Gentiles where confused when all they received was the message of Jesus' death and resurrection. They thought they were above this truth and that logically there had to be more.
My Bible then prompted me to read Jeremiah 9:23-24 "Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich many glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercises loving-kindness, judgement, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the Lord."
The greatest thing I can boast about is our Lord. The one who blesses us with wisdom and wealth. Rather than looking at and praising the giver of gifts, I look at the gift and give myself glory as if I had anything to do with it. When I achieve in school rather than praising the Lord for allowing me to do well and for giving me the capacity to learn and breath and life I look at myself and my accomplishments and call them MINE. It should be for his glory. The best thing we can boast in is Jesus.
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection.
-Keeley Janae
I try to journal daily as I read the Bible and today I was reading one of Paul's letters, this time to the Corinthian church. I love the way Paul writes because you can see just how big his view of our Savior is. These were the thoughts that came to my head and spilled into my journal as I read 1Cor. 1:22-31
Knowing God alone should be a sufficient message to solidify our faith. If knowing Christ isn't enough......then you don't really know him. We are not more wise than our creator, yet we rest in our own understanding. The Jews asked for signs, the Greeks for wisdom, and the Gentiles where confused when all they received was the message of Jesus' death and resurrection. They thought they were above this truth and that logically there had to be more.
My Bible then prompted me to read Jeremiah 9:23-24 "Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich many glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercises loving-kindness, judgement, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the Lord."
The greatest thing I can boast about is our Lord. The one who blesses us with wisdom and wealth. Rather than looking at and praising the giver of gifts, I look at the gift and give myself glory as if I had anything to do with it. When I achieve in school rather than praising the Lord for allowing me to do well and for giving me the capacity to learn and breath and life I look at myself and my accomplishments and call them MINE. It should be for his glory. The best thing we can boast in is Jesus.
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection.
-Keeley Janae
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