Dance as though no one is watching

This quote by Mark Twain just excites me,"Dance as though no one is watching you. Love as though you have never been hurt before. Sing as though no one can hear you." Wow! I want to live my life here on this earth out of passion and not just out of discipline. Reading my Bible and checking it off for the day isn't going to cut it. A revolutionary passion and zeal for the Lord and for His Holy Word is the drive that will keep me running hard after Him! I want to swim in deep waters! I want to remove the umbrella and allow the rain of His presence to saturate my soul and heart!

Let It Rain
By: Michael W. Smith

Let it rain, let it rain.
Open the floodgates of Heaven

The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad
Let the distance shores rejoice
Clouds and thick darkness surround him
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne
A fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side
His lightning lights up the world
The earth sees and trembles
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord
Before the Lord of all the earth
The Heavens proclaim His righteousness
And all peoples will see His Glory

We want to see Your Glory, God!
Do you want to see His Glory?
Lift your voices, lift your hands!

Let it rain, let it rain.
Open the floodgates of Heaven

~Stephanie

New Beginnings!

Wow! Where do I start?! Well, right now I'm just experiencing the fullness of joy that the Lord promises to give His children when we choose to delight ourselves in Him! :) I was at church, a few weeks ago, and a dear elderly man came up to me and started sharing what the Lord had laid on his heart concerning me. He said, "Stephanie, I don't know what you have been through, but I do know you have been through a lot of pain. Pain that has taken place in your soul. Times when you have been angry at God and have wondered why you had to go through some heart wrenching trials. But, the Lord wants you to know that he sees your pain and this year will be a year of new beginnings for you. Your hope will be renewed." Okay, right there my eyes were starting to tear up. Well, it's so very true! After that sweet conversation, the desires of my heart are beginning to be fulfilled! I got a car for $1,200! I recieved a phone call from George, (Nick Vujicic's Vice President for the Life Without Limbs Outreach!), I got asked to be a bride's maid by my dear sweet friend (I prayed a few days before she called and asked the Lord that if it was His will for me to be in her wedding, that He would put my name on her heart! And she called just the other day!!!:) and I've been hoping that there would be a position in the maternity section at the hospital that I've volunteered at before, (was actually in the endoscopy department), and the position that I had been wanting... opened up and the director of the volunteer services called me this morning and gave me the position! I'm going to be holding newborn babies for 4 hours every Wed. afternoon!!! :) Woohoooo!!! The Lord is soooo faithful! I have this smile that I can't get rid of! LOL! It is totally the Lord's joy that is causing my heart to overflow right now! A sweet friend of mine looked at me last night and said, "Stephanie, you are the happiest person I know!" I looked at him and said, "You know what, it is ALL FROM THE LORD!"

"The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The LORD watches over all who love him."
Psalm 145:14-20

You Have Made Me Glad
By: Darlene Zschech

I will bless the Lord forever
And I will trust Him at all times
He has delivered me from all fear
And he has set my feet upon a rock

And I will not be moved
And I'll say of the Lord

You are my shield
My strength
My portion
Deliverer
My shelter
Strong tower
My very present help in time of need

Whom have I in Heaven but you?
There's none I desire beside you
You have made me glad
And I'll say of the Lord....

You are my shield
My strength
My portion
Deliverer
My shelter
Strong tower
My very present help in time of need

Blessings,
Stephanie

Tears in Heaven

I absolutely love the Choirboys! Their voices are so angelic! So precious! :)

Steph

Years are flying by....

Well, this morning was a peaceful morning, had my quiet time, picked up my room, got on the computer, did some stuff to prepare for my classes and then went to Starbuck's to meet some girls for a surprise birthday for a sweet precious friend. She was soooo surprised! :) We all ordered our drinks and just chatted. I enjoyed my regular soy chai with hazelnut and even grabbed a piece of pumpkin bread to go along with my hot concoction! Oh goodness, I love chilly windy weather and a nice cup of hot tea! :) It's funny, every birthday is just a reminder to me of how life will keep moving on...days go by...time ticks away...sun rises....sun sets.....years chug on by...

A quote I've been pondering is this, "If you want to make God laugh, just tell Him your plans..." That quote is so simple, but yet so profound. The other day, I was talking to a friend of mine and we were sharing how the years are literally flying by...I told her I felt old...she looked at me and laughed, "Girl, you're just a baby!" Okay, yeh, I'm 19...but still...life's trials and difficult seasons can sure take its toll...they grow you if you let them... :) It's interesting, all those tear filled nights and prayer times when all you could say to God was, "Why?", those are the times that make me love life even more. It makes life seem so much more sweet. Rich. And exciting. Because I know His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness! All things work together for those who love Him! This year is definitely a year of new beginnings! There must always be a winter before there can be a spring! :) Here are some snapshots from this afternoon!














~Stephie Girl

At Rosa's Cafe

After church, everyone normally goes to Rosa's Cafe to eat and hang out! It was a fun time! Here are some pics from the evening... :)

A beautiful sunset. It just takes my breath away. Just the thought that God takes the time to paint a beautiful sunset for His children to enjoy! He is astounds me!

Smiles! :) Audrey (in the middle) and her two siblings!
Taylor, Stephen, Sterling and Hudson (Hudson was in a major car accident recently, we are so thankful that he is alive. It really shook him up and made him realize how quick life can be taken from us. We really have no idea when our time is up on this earth. I told Hudson that the Lord has an amazing mission for him to accomplish. He said that the wreck really woke him up to what really matters in life, especially relating to eternity.)

The kid table...it's soooo funny....the parents make a LONG table on the other side of the restaurant and all the kidos make one on the opposite side. :) It's cute!

Serious moment!
Uh, I was caught taking photos!!! :)

Steph

I GOT A CAR!!!!!!

Ya'll, the Lord is so amazing!!!! He truly loves to give us the desires of our hearts if we delight ourselves in Him! Last night, after church, and after going out to eat with some friends...my dad and I were in the car talkin about this black car he had bought me a while back and was still fixing and getting it ready for me. :) Well, one thing led to another and he said that it sorta looked like my friend's black Nissan Maxima, I told him that it did... but that I really loved my neighbor's white Nissan Maxima. Well, this morning as I was eating lunch, my sweet Mom kept looking at me and kept saying, "Stephanie, do you really know how much God loves you and is pleased with you?!" I knew something was up....she wasn't going to tell me! :) Well, Dad comes into the kitchen with a big grin on his face and he started talking about what me and him had chatted about in the car last night and said, "Stephanie, this is the Lord!" He had me walk outside and there in front of our house was my WHITE NISSAN MAXIMA!!!! HE HANDED ME THE KEY! My neighbor came over this morning, and told my dad that he was thinking of trading it in, but decided to give us the trade in price if we were interested!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL! How cool is that! Pretty much a garage kept, new, 98, pearl white, great mileage car for $1,300!!!! :) AHHHHHH!!!! Okay, so I'm a little happy! Well, really happy! The Lord is so faithful! Okay, I feel very overwhelmed by His love! Here are some snapshots of today's occurrence!!! I hugged my neighbor (who is not following the Lord) and told him that this was an answer to prayer! :) He was so shocked and said, "Really?" It was a neat opportunity!


Okay, here I was stunned!!!!

Still shocked!

Starting it up!

My car!

Blessings,
Steph

God does everything for a reason...

This morning, during my quiet time with the Lord, I read a devotion out of, Experiencing God, written by Henry Blackaby.

Do Not Prove Disobedient
Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. Acts 26:19

God does everything for a reason. God met Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus road for a purpose. Saul had planned to persecute Christians, but his encounter with Christ changed him forever. God did more in that encounter than save Saul from his sin. God began to reveal His will for Paul's life. God's assignment for Paul was clear: "He is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him many things he must suffer for My name's sake" (Acts 9:15-16)

God's plan for Paul, revealed through a vision, involved both testifying before kings and suffering persecution. Paul was to enjoy the thrill of performing miracles, preaching to large crowds, and starting churches. But Paul was also to be stoned, shipwrecked, whipped, mocked, conspired against, and imprisoned (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). Would we accept this part of his assignment as readily as the first? We never hear of Paul complaining about his commission from God. He never asked that he be given a role like Peter's, or James's, or John's (Galatians 2:9-10). It was enough for Paul that he be given any task in the kingdom of God. AS he neared the end of his ministry, Paul could boldly state to King Agrippa, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision."

Oh, to have Paul's tenacity and devotion to the Father's will! What joy there is not only to begin will in our Christian faith, but also to end faithfully! It is God's desire that each of us could say at the end of our lives, "I was not disobedient."

Wow! Isn't that amazing?! I was left speechless after I read that this morning. It made me think. It made me examine my life. Am I following after the mission, the calling that he has planted in my heart? Will I go through with it? Even if it is hard...and difficult...and painful...? Will I? Will I follow after the heavenly vision that the Lord has so heavily laid upon the very depths of my soul?

Steph

National Treasure 2

Hey Ya'll, had a very relaxing day! This afternoon, my brother's friend came by and picked Alan, Michelle and I up to go watch a movie with a couple other friends of ours! We went to go see National Treasure 2. It was good. I loved the plot! I love history! Here are some photos of our outing! :)

Guys will be guys...cold air...loud music...sun roof...what more could a guy want! LOL!

Talkin....chillin....relaxin.... :)

In the movie theater....thought I should whip out my cam but Marshall told me to pack it away cauz the movie was about to start...so I obeyed! But not willingly...or cheerfully...LOL! JK!

Beautiful Michelle in the car....beautiful smile! I just adore her! :)

It was a fun day spent with precious people! Afterwards, we went to Starbucks and just hung out and talked. Laughed. And just enjoyed an afternoon of fun.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....it didn't snow.... :(

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....it didn't snow.... :( Well, my family and I just got back from Houston! We had a splendid time with our relatives! My cousin, Dana, cooked a huge delicious meal, we opened presents, talked and just enjoyed being in each other's company! I loved hanging out with my little cousins and taking lots of pics. with my very own camera!!!! :) My Christmas present! I'm very excited about my Canon! :) It's small but it takes really good pics.! Here are some snapshots!
Merry Christmas!!!!

Christmas Party

Sooooo, I put on a Christmas party for my friend, Priscilla! Well, we hosted it together but the party was at my house! :) We had an absolute blast! Lots of desserts, cider, coffee, line dancing, played white elephant and just relaxed and talked! :) Great times hanging out with friends that I haven't talked to in awhile! FUN TIMES! :) Here are some snapshots that were taken! Merry Christmas!

Dreaming of a White Christmas

Okay, right now, I'm drinking a hot cup of cinnamon hazelnut coffee and writing my first blog post on my very own new blog to keep all of my wonderful sweet friends updated! Okay, so I know I'm a procrastinator! :P I just got my Christmas shopping done today! And it's the 21st! AH!!!! :) LOL! But I had an exciting day! I went to Wal-Mart, Target, Starbucks, Life Way and Old Navy! I didn't even try stepping foot into the mall! No way! Oh, I got a red/white fluffy Santa hat! :) It's so adorable! I'll take a picture of me wearing it tomorrow! Tonight, my fam and I wrapped all our Christmas presents and now our tree looks a little bombarded! :) Alan looked and said, "Either this can look like we are very selfish or well.....very giving!" Cute comment! I love this season! I love Christmas! I love snow! I love hot cranberry cider! I love fires! I love Christmas music! I love Christmas movies! I love that we, as Christians, are able to celebrate the real meaning of the season, the birth of our Savior! My fam and I are going to celebrate our family Christmas on Christmas Eve. We normally have a brunch consisting of little bagel pizzas, mozzarella sticks, poppers and cheesy potato wedges (talk about heart attack food)...then we read the story of Jesus' birth and have a time to talk and pray...then we open our gifts....then we have a relaxing afternoon listening to Christmas music and just hanging out...then we get all dressed up for a candle lit Christmas Eve service....then we go out to eat at our favorite Chinese restaurant (which we've done for about 10 yrs.)....ummm...oh....we all pile up in our red 15 passenger van and go look at Christmas lights! As you can see, our special day is packed with wonderful activities that make so many precious memories that will be cherished! Oh, then on Christmas day my family and I are heading down to Houston to go celebrate Christmas dinner with my Mom's side of the family. :) My two cousins are wanting to cook up a storm for all of us! I so wish my cousin, Josh, was in town. :( He's in the Marines and is detained alot. Hopefully, I'll be able to see him in Jan. :) He's like a big brother to me. He's 25 years old and I just look up to him! Well, literally too! :) LOL!

Oh, I have exciting news! :) I'm not going to Christ for the Nations yet! :) God is so good! I just didn't have a peace about going this Spring. I really feel called to be home and to be there for my Mom more so now because she has been having some health problems. Please be praying for her. I'm going to dedicate this semester to writing my book, keeping up with my Bride of the Warrior blog, possibly working a Christian coffee shop down the street from my house, teaching expressive signing to worship music (three classes), having a nanny job, being my Mom's right hand person, being apart of the Dallas Christian Filmmakers, the Nick Project, working on building my hope chest with my Daddy and helping out at the hospital near my house. The Lord is so faithful to speak to His children when we allow ourselves to get quiet in the busyness of life and choose to submit ourselves to His leading. I am so thankful!

Have a Merry Christmas,

Steph

Here's my favorite Christmas song this Christmas:

How Many Kings

By: Down Here

Follow the star to a place unexpected

Would you believe, after all we've projected

A child in a manger?

Lowly and small, the weakest of all

Unlikeliest hero, wrapped in his mother's shawl

Just a child, is this who we've waited for?

How many kings step down from their thrones?

How many lords have abandoned their homes?

How many greats have become the least for me?

And how many gods have poured out their hearts

To romance a world that is torn all apart

How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

Bringing our gifts for the newborn Savior

All that we have, whether costly or meek

Because we believe

Gold for his honor, and frankincense for his pleasure

And myrrh for the cross he will suffer

Now, do you believe?

Is this who we've waited for?

How many kings step down from their thrones?

How many lords have abandoned their homes?

How many greats have become the least for me?

And how many gods have poured out their hearts

To romance a world that is torn all apart

How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

Only one did that for me.

All for me, all for youAll for me, all for you

To listen to the song go to:

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