Angie P’s blog

Listen and learn

nobody@vox.com(Angie P) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:18:07 -0700

Ernest Hemingway once said, "I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen." It's very easy for me to justify how much I listen every day. I sit in class and listen to my professors. I sit in church and listen to Pastor Lawrence. I sit in front of the television and listen to the actors. There is a voice, however, that I tend to not hear. That voice is the most important voice of them all, the voice of the Lord!

Last week I was scheduled to speak at Heartland Community Church in South OKC. I had spoken ther once already, so I was pretty excited to go back and speak again. I was praying about what to speak on the Tuesday before I was to speak, and God said something that surprised me. He said, "Stay at Destiny." I wasn't sure how to react to that. I had already said that I would speak. I could risk losing a connection with this church if I cancelled on them. God, unlike me, knew what needed to happen. He kept telling me to stay, so I cancelled my speaking arrangement(I explained the circumstances and they understood completely...I'm now going to be speaking there in September), and I went to Destiny. The message that night was about having peace and trusting that God isn't going to let us fall. This was the very thing I needed to hear. I had let worry take over my life. I was worrying about school, work, and paying all my bills. I worried virtually all the time. I decided that night to take back the peace that Satan had taken from me. I prayed that God would forgive me for not trusting Him and for worrying so much. I promised Him that I would lighten up and enjoy life. It felt so good! I was overwhelmed by a peace that truly passes all understanding! God is so good! Then, after church, Jessica(A friend that was in Master's with me) handed me an envelope that had a letter I had written while I was in Master's. She told me that everyone else had already gotten their letter back, so it had to be a God thing that I was getting my letter now. I laughed because I knew she was right. Sure enough, when I read that letter, it fit my situation now to a tee. It was insane! In the letter I wrote about overcoming my obastcles, and that is exactly what I'm doing. I'm overcoming my obstacles...and I know that Jesus is helping me. I just have to keep my ears open and my heart in the right postion, and I know everything will be ok. I just have to listen and learn. Much Love!

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He's given me...

nobody@vox.com(Angie P) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:19:04 -0700

I was thinking about my life today, and I decided that it rocks! God has been so good to me! He brought me here to Oklahoma, where I met the man of my dreams(I love you, Zack!). He directed me to come to Master's Commission, where I got hte chance to travel the world and be a part of a movement of love that is so much bigger than I could ever be. He placed me in Destiny, a church that has helped me discover God in ways that I never thought possible. He's given me opportunities to make money to pay the bills while I'm searching for a full time job. He gave me amazing friends(you know who you are). He gave me a dream. He's done so much, but the thing I love the most is that HE LOVES ME. Not just when things are going good for me or when I read my Bible. He loves me ALL THE TIME. He is so good! Much Love!

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We need each other!

nobody@vox.com(Angie P) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:51:00 -0700

Last night we had a great service. Pastor hit on a few different things, and one of them has been ringing in my ear all day today. He told us a story about how one time he went to speak in Washington(at the time it was where Pastor Nathan was working). he got up in front of the congregation and said, "This church must be dealing with these two issues, because that's what we're dealing with in Oklahoma." (Note: this is not an ezact quote...haha!) At the end of the service, Pastor Nathan got up and confirmed that the church was indeed dealing with those two issues. Crazy! He gave us a verse in Galatians that really helped me understand how to deal with carrying other's burdens.

"Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gemtly and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself." Gal 6:9(NLT)

Guard your heart, and help your brothers and sisters in the faith. It's a beautiful thought. Well, God is definitely confirming this idea in my heart. I was watching Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and there is a line toward the end that stopped me in my tracks. I've seen this movie three or four time already, but the timing was a total God thing. For those of you who aren't LOTR savy, here's a brief summary. There is a ring. There is a bad side and a good side. epic battle for Earth. This movie is the last installment of the trilogy. Frodo(the hobbit trying to destroy the ring so the darkness will be defeated) and Samwise(Frodo's friend) are so close to the one place the ring can be destroyed, when Frodo realizes he just doesn't have the energy to go any further. Samwise, being the great friend he is, looks at him and says, "I can't carry it for you. But I can carry YOU." Who can you carry today? We need each other! Much Love!

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Random thought

nobody@vox.com(Angie P) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 22:36:03 -0700

I've been thinking about what the dirtiest thing in the world is a lot lately. Yes, I know that's very weird, but just hear me out(I suppose read me out would be more appropriate). What's the one thing in the world that gets the dirtiest? Is it our hands? The doorknob? The remote to the tv? I don't have a scientific answer to give you. All I have is my opinion. I've decided that the dirtiest thing in the world has got to be the soap dispenser. Think about it, what do you do when your hands are dirty? Hopefully, you locate the nearest sink and grab the soap and push down on the dispenser deal and wash your hands. No one takes the tine to wipe off the soap dispenser either. There doesn't seem to be a point! Well, my friends, there is now. Much Love!

PS- This is in no way me giving my approval or support of not washing your hands. Soap is our friend.

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Good all the time....

nobody@vox.com(Angie P) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:42:44 -0700

God is good ALL the time. He is good when I'm happy and have everything. He's good when I'm happy and have nothing(which is usually the case...haha!). I just want to give God my everything! He deserves so much more than I could ever give, but I'm going to do everything in my power to give Him as much as I can. I don't want to just give Him praise when something good happens in my life though. I want to give Him praise ALL the time. After all, He did give me life, protect me from a lot of crap that could've happened, gave me wonderful parents, and brought me to Oklahoma where I would discover my destiny. I'll always have something to give thanks for, but more importantly I'll be eable to give thanks to God just for being who He is. Much Love!

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Beyond my needs

nobody@vox.com(Angie P) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:43:14 -0700

I'm facing a lot of things that have the potential to destroy me. Ok, destroy might be a little dramatic, but it sure can feel that way sometimes. I have a lot of decisions and a lot of debt that both need to be dealt with very soon. So, naturally, I want to pray about it. This morning during our MC devotion time, I had every intention of praying my heart out over the matters at hand. God, however, had a different pan in mind for me this morning. He told me to start praying for the team. I started off with praying for the first person I saw, and I ended up praying for each person. I didn't even have to think about what to pray, because God was leading me in the prayer direction that HE wanted. It was absolutely amazing! After I had covered all the team, I kept praying for people in my life. I prayed for Zack, for Pastor Nathan, for Destiny, and even for Africa. I just couldn't get my mind off of other people's needs. Time flew by, and before I knew it, devotions were coming to a close, and I hadn't prayed about my need at all. I felt this undeniable peace that I knew was from God. It was then that I realized that if I need to look beyond my own needs and pray for someone else. If they get breakthrough, I'll have breakthrough. It's absolutely brilliant! Much Love!

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Enrollment troubles

nobody@vox.com(Angie P) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:58:48 -0700

I went to enroll at the University of Central Oklahoma this morning, but when I left, I still wasn't enrolled. I have my student ID(which actually looks decent!), I know exactly what classes I'm going to take, and I took these tests that made me feel super smart. They had accidently written down the wrong score for me, and if you didn't have a high enough score you were required to test. So, I took three different tests, and I did really good on two of them. I cannot tell a lie, I failed the math test by two points, but I haven't taken a math class in two years, so don't judge me. Then, my student advisor told me that I didn't even need to take them(which made me feel both smart and relieved). The sad thing is that I have a hold on my immunization records because there was no record of me getting Hepatitus(or however you spell it) B shots. Until I get those shots, I can't enroll. I was bummed, but I'll get it taken care of. Much Love!

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Why worry?

nobody@vox.com(Angie P) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:24:04 -0700

"Why worry? I wonder all the time why worry? It's killing me, forget about it!" Thanks to the All-American Rejects for aiding me in the opening line of my blog for today. I think I may have actually quoted this line in a previous blog somewhere, but it applies to my situation now. I have a lot of uncertainties that I'm facing. Will I be able to pay the rent? Will I make good grades in college? WIll I have a car to get me from place to place? There's a lot of questions, but not a lot of definite answers. There is one truth, however, that I keep coming back to...God is going to see me through the good times and the bad. the times that I feel like I'm about to break down AND the times when I feel indestructible. If God is going to see me through, then I have no reason to worry at all. I love that. Worrying gives you wrinkles anyway...I think. Much Love!

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Still not a hippie...

nobody@vox.com(Angie P) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:47:16 -0700

Last week sometime I wrote an entry about trees. I don't know why, but God just keeps leading me back to trees. They are so strong. They are a shelter to small animals and even gross birds(I'm not a fan of birds...). When it's hot, they give us shade. They produce oxygen for us, which is great because breathing is an essential. When we were in Minnesota, we sang a song that only confirmed God's love for trees. It went somnething like this: "I want to be like a tree planted by the streams of living water. Unshakeable. Unmovable. May my roots go down deep. Unshakable. Unmovable in you." It really spoke to my heart. I want to be like a tree. I'm still not a hippie though...Much Love!

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Freedom

nobody@vox.com(Angie P) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:41:00 -0700

I just got back from a trip to Kansas, Minnesota, and Arkansas. It was absolutely amazing! We meet up with Jacob Wallace(a former DMCer), who pastors a church up in Minnesota. He helped open my eyes to an entirely new way of worship. There was such a freedom in the worship we experienced. We were dancing and screaming in worship, and it was beautiful. God opened up a new level of life for us. I can't even express in words the change I feel in my heart. I'm free. Free to dance. Free to sing. Free to yell. Free to worship God HOWEVER I want.I don't have to worry about what the people around me think. I'm worshipping GOD. I pray that you all can experience the same freedom. Much Love!

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