i did it

I finally got to do this at school. I'm not eating lunch today- I have to try to wrap up my Esther stuff for tonight. The only thing about doing this at school is that I can't control my font or anything like that.
So my week so far...
Funny. I've forgotten my art project that I spilt coke all over Saturday twice. Its do tomorrow and I still have so much left to do with it. AHHH!!! All I can say is that I hope it gets done.
Doc gave us some “biological information” yesterday and then told us that we have a test on it today. It’s not that bad- I understand it, it just takes forever to do.

Now on to something more important: Saturday we were all in the kitchen and my grandfather told us that the 24th of May (the day after school gets out) that we are leaving from New Orleans to go on a cruise!!! To Cosmel (sp?) and places around there. I am so excited- really. I love to travel as you know and it’s just another form of transportation to mark of my list- boat. All I’ve got let is train, I think. Well I must go, the bell is going to ring in like 9 minuets. I still have to go look over my stuff for Doc.

copycat- i don't care

1. FIRST NAME? Lauren
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No- I'm original in my family
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Yesterday
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Salami/pepperoni
5. DO YOU HAVE ANY KIDS? No!!! Thank God!
6. WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? You better believe it
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Yes
8. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? What? Not me
9. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yeah
10. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? maybe- with certain people
11. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? um...i don't know, i do like lucky charms.
12. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? yes
13. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? ...SUPER WOMEN!!
14. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? coffee
15. SHOE SIZE? 7 1/2 8
16. RED OR PINK? pink
17. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? lol- my nails?????
18. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? life being easy- ok, i just relized at 5:51 on monday that my answer isn't a person. I would have to say I miss nan and teryl, and amber. ok everybody i don't see.
19. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? no, not really b/c I'm just going to go read it on their blog
20. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? plaid purple/blue/white sleep pants and white socks (i know, I do have socks on- amazing!)
21. LAST THING YOU ATE? strawberries
22. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Diary Of A Mad Black Woman
23. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? green
24. FAVORITE SMELL? fresh coffee
25. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Bekah
26. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? eyes
27. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? no one sent it to me but i guess i like Jamie
28. FAVORITE DRINK? cold-cranberry juice & coffee (not together)
29. FAVORITE SPORTS? football
30. HAIR COLOR? blonde
31. EYE COLOR? green with a circle of dark blue and bust of goldish yellow around pupil- i like my eyes!
32. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? yep- two!
33. FAVORITE FOOD? dark chocolate, italian, real mexican....
34. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? happy ending
35. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? marroon
36. HUGS OR KISSES? depends on who it is
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Debrah's cheescake
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Bible, The Giver, The chronicles of Narnia, and Antigone
41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? support.dell.com DELL (stupid, i want a MAC!)
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? I don't remember
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? rain, thunder, & the pop sound when you pull the stick out the lipgloss tube
44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? beatles
45. FURTHEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN FROM HOME? Dominican Republic (is Honduras farther?, does Africa count?)
46. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? EVERY bone in my body pops and I can blow air out of the corner of my left eye.
47. WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? June 27, 91 in Alexandria, LA

fellowship

It's funny, this fellowship thing. I was just talking the other day to a really good friend of mine that I don't get to see as much as I'd like to. I can remember that we used to be really close and then her life changed. She got married and I thought that that meant no more relationship. I remember thinking that everything was going to HAVE to be different. It was like I finally came to the understanding, two months after her being married, that she wanted fellowship with me just as much as I did with her. I just love the way God works because the time I didn't have with her, God showed me so much about relationship and then brought us back together and she has basically, over the past month, regurgitated what God had shown me. I absolutely love her and am so glad she is who she is today. Yeah, her last named changed and she can't do everything I want her to anymore - but it's not about me. That's the beauty of it, loving each other through EVERYTHING. Just because there's a change in the relationship doesn't mean that there has to be a lack of fellowship. Just calling each other. I'm telling you, it's the only thing that I hate about church in the house is the lack of fellowship with certain people. But then again it shows me that it's my responsibility to do my part. No, I don't get my "weekly fix" of those people. I have to take the initiative to do that. Ok, I should stop now, I know this is probally confusing you. I just know exactly what the fellowship thing is all about, and I know what He's done in me. I can't tell you enough how God really is faithful and steadfast. Ok, I must stop before I confuse you anymore.

revival hymn

This is one of my favorite. Clips taken from sermons of people like Leonard Ravenhill and Paris Reidhead. They made is into a video so you can read the words in the parts where you can't understand it.

http://64.34.176.235/sermons/SID10827.wmv

faith

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His
great mercy has regenerated us again to a living hope

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and unfading,

reserved in Heaven for you by the power of God,

having been kept through faith to salvation

ready to be revealed in the last time; in which you greatly rejoice, yet a little while, if need be, grieving in manifold temptations; so that the trial of your faith

(being much more precious than that of gold that perishes, but being proven through fire)

might be found to praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

whom having not seen, you love; in whom not yet seeing, but believing in Him you exult with unspeakable joy, and having been glorified, obtaining the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

About which salvation the prophets sought out and searched out, prophesying concerning the grace for you; searching for what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ made clear within them, testifying beforehand of the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should follow. To them it was revealed that not to themselves, but to us, they ministered the things which are now reported to you by those who have preached the gospel to you in the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

Therefore girding up the loins of your mind, being sober, perfectly hope for the grace

being brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts

in your ignorance, but according to the Holy One

who has called you, you also become holy in all conduct, because it is written,

"Be holy, for I am holy." And if you call on the Father, who without respect of persons judges according to the work of each one, pass the time of your earthly
residence in fear, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things,

silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ,

as of a lamb without blemish and without spot; indeed having been foreknown before the foundation of the world, but revealed in the last times for you, those believing in God through Him, He who raised Him up from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God.

Purifying your souls in the obedience of the truth through the Spirit to unfeigned love of the brothers, love one another fervently out of a pure heart,

having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the living Word of God, and abiding forever. “ 1 Peter 1:3-23

i'm legal

Yes, it's true. I now have my permit. I can drive without breaking the law (we're not under the law but under grace anyway. lol) I've been legal since Monday. Any way, that stupid test was easy- nothing about how many feet do have to stay behind an emergency vehicle (Holly).

These last couple of weeks have been rough. It seems like all hell has broke lose and the more we fight, the worse it get's. Why is that? why when we "fight" things don't seem to change? God has been showing me that it's not about the outward appearance of things, the physical things around us that He's changing, but Us. It's not about what the wind and the waves look like but about focusing our eyes on Him at all times. The moment we take our eyes off, we begin to sink, deeper and deeper into the waters of fear, selfness, self- reliance, old mind sets, pride.... the list keeps going. It's not about the all the junk but about the one how keeps you stable through it all. He’s testing us to see if we will obey. He’s seeing whose hearts are really steadfast on Him. God has been showing me where I have been “slacking off”. Where I haven’t put I the time, effort, or energy to seek first the Kingdom. It’s like I’ve, for split moments, have taken my eyes off of Him and put them one the situations around me. I’ve been sick for this whole week and haven’t been at school. The fact that my body is not working right has distracted me in ways from trusting Him. I have faith that God can and will heal me but it’s almost like it’s a test to see how well I focus on Him through rain or shine. I would like to describe it as ¼ of the Job test. I know God is faithful- am I? am I faithful enough to remain faithful through trials and temptation, or am I really so weak that I will fail every time. God is challenging my relationship with Him and it may sound like this horrible thing but there is nothing better to me. The word says in Hebrews 12: 11 “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” It actually makes me happy to think that all this is just going to produce fruit unto righteousness.
Bro. Danny sent out a word, if ya’ll haven’t read it here it is. It came at just the right time.

Trials And Temptations

"I believe that there is a big misunderstanding about temptations and trials in the church. We can look at the Old and New Testaments to see two examples of people being put on trial. In Deu 8:1-3 we read – “Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commands or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” As we see from these verses God led them into the wilderness to be tested. He put them through a test to see what was in their heart. God was testing the obedience of their heart. It’s interesting to note that God chose hunger as a means to test them. Let’s not get confused though, they were not hungry to the point of starvation. God fed them everyday with manna. However the manna did not meet or quench their fleshly appetites but it did sustain their lives. They were craving meat, leaks, and onions, the things they ate while they were in bondage in Egypt. God wanted to let them know that man should not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Where does temptation come from?
James 1:12-15 shows us where temptation originates from. First of all it does not originate from God - Verse 13 - He himself does not tempt anyone. Verse 14 gives us the origin of temptation – each man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Temptation originates from our own desires. The KJV uses the word lust in the pace of desire. This is what the children of Israel did they lusted, craved, and longed for meat, leaks, onions and even the comfort that their bondage brought them in Egypt. The bottom line is this, will we give in to and be lead by and obey our lust or will we give in and obey and live by God’s word (commands)? I see this as the difference between the love of God verses the love of self. Your love for God can be proven through your obedience or lack thereof. James goes on to state that when desire conceives (takes hold of) it gives birth to sin (disobedience), and sin when it is full grown brings forth death. Many live defeated lives in the church. Many are overcome by their sin. Oh it may not be big sins such as smoking, drinking, adultery, etc... but it’s the little sins like outbursts of rage, hatred, unforgiveness, jealousy, fear, etc… that spoil God’s vineyard. Remember these sins bring forth death too.

Is God Testing You?
I would close with some questions. Is that person at your job that seems to always get the best of you from Satan or God? How about the other things in your life that seems to always get the best of you, Satan or God? I think from the truth of the word that the test is from God and Satan is and can be His agent or messenger. Make no mistake about God; He is the originator of your trail. Why is He testing You? To see if you will obey Him or not and to show you what’s in your heart and that you cannot live by your lust but only by every word that comes from His mouth. In Mat 4, Jesus not only quotes this scripture but He obeys this scripture. In every trial Jesus was tempted to do something through his fleshly appetites but He chose to submit to God and His word and obey. He didn’t do one thing the devil enticed Him to do. We can do the same. Humble yourself in the sight of God resist the devil and he will flee (James 4:7). Humility is trusting and relying upon God’s word not yourself. Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal 5:16). A Spirit controlled man will not give into temptation and let sin be birthed. Trust in the Lord, hear His word, and come out of disobedience. We have the same Spirit living in us that was in Christ. Come out of defeat in Jesus name. God wants fruit from our lives so that he will be glorified (Jn 15:8). This is true abiding in Christ: hearing and obeying His word. To abide (continue or remain in God), we must abide in His love. Loving God always equals obeying God. I was reading a book this week and found a great quote which states “the love of Christ must quench the love of sin”. "

biology~gag me!

I know I said I loved biology. I do, just not what we're doing right now. I really couldn't care less about foodwebs, foodchains, mutualism, abiotic an biotic things. Ecosystems, tropic, autotrophs, and hetrotrops. I wish they had like a surgery class. That would be great! Something exciting to do with human life. Something where I can cut something open (an animal would do). I don't want to know about the nitrogen cycle, the carbon cycle, and most definitely the phosphorus cycle. All I need to know is God created it and created it for a reason, that's it. I don't have to understand all this. It's certainly not the on the top of my list. Speaking of tops of lists, neither is Spanish. Oh who am I kidding, SCHOOL for that matter isn't on the top. Oh well, I just have to deal with it. I've got like 15 more years left anyway. Why couldn't God just take us to a certain point in life and insert everything we need to know. I guess the reason is because everything has a time and a season, and we would like blow up. That's what I keep telling myself. (by the way, school really isn't that bad, it's much better than last year).

ok ok...

I have like 5 minutes to actually update this thing. I know that I haven't(sorry). The past couple of weeks have just been crazy. Between school and everything else it's like I have no time. I miss everyone so much. It's funny because God has been showing me a lot about my relationships lately. The times when I'm away from everyone is the times when God shows me the most about those people, how important everyone really does mean to me. He is reestablishing my place and confirming where I am. I know I had said in an earlier post that school has been hard. It has been. It's hard begin away from like minded people 9 hours a day 180 days a year. I come home and feel so drained. But Jesus. He is so faithful. The faithfulness of Him is the only thing that keeps me together. In the past couple of weeks He has reminded me that He is God over everything. He is God over my days, weeks, time, relationships, emotions, everything. Everything comes back to love. The first commandment God ever gave. Anyway, here is a part of 1Peter. I just happen to like it. I don't have time to explain it right now. Tell me what pops out to you.

"But also in this very thing, bringing in all diligence, filling out your faith with virtue, and with virtue, knowledge; and with knowledge self-control, and with self-control, patience, and with patience, godliness, and with godliness, brotherly kindness, and with brotherly kindness, love.
For if these things are in you and abound, they make you to be neither idle nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he in whom these things are not present is blind and cannot see afar off and has forgotten that he was purged from his sins in the past.
Therefore, brothers, rather be diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things, you shall never fall. For so an entrance shall be ministered to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore I will not neglect to put you always in remembrance of these things, though you know them and are established in the present truth. But I think it right, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by a reminder,
knowing that the putting off of my tabernacle is soon, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will also be diligent to cause you to always have memory of these things after my departure. For not having followed fables having been cunningly devised, but becoming eyewitnesses of the majesty of Jesus Christ, we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord. For He received honor and glory from God the Father, when was borne to Him a voice from the excellent glory, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
And we heard this voice being borne from Heaven, being with Him in the holy mountain.
We also have a more sure Word of prophecy, to which you do well to take heed, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Daystar arises in your hearts,
knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture came into being of its own private interpretation. " 2 Peter 1:5-20