God Has All Authority.

In the midst of all the craziness that is this world, it is reassuring to know that God has all authority: “The power to determine, adjudicate, or otherwise settle issues or disputes; jurisdiction; the right to control, command, or determine” (Dictionary.com, n .d.).

Matthew 28:18

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Mark 1:22

The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.

Mark 1:27

The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.”

Mark 2:10

But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.

Luke 4:32

They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority.

Luke 4:36

All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!”

Colossians 2:10

In Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.

Jude 1:25

To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Revelation 12:10

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.”

Reference:

Sacred. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved June 15, 2016 from Dictionary.com website http://www.dictionary.com/browse/sacred.

In Christ, I am Secure.

In the midst of all the changes, it is nice to know that I am secure in Christ. God is my rock, my refuge, my fortress, and my forever salvation. Praise Him.


Secure
Free from or not exposed to danger or harm; safe (Dictionary.com, n. d.).

Deuteronomy 33:12

About Benjamin he said: “Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.”

Psalm 7:9
Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure— you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts.

Psalm 16:5

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.

Psalm 16:9

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure.

Proverbs 14:26

Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge.

Hebrews 6:19

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.


Reference:
Secure. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved June 7, 2016 from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/secure.

God is Bountiful.

As I gather these prayer verses on the evening of May 31, 2016, I am rejoicing that I finally received authorization to take my counseling test. This has been a long time in coming. (See The List.) Let's be honest. I wasn't really sure it would happen. I had this sense Friday that I needed to believe in faith that Arizona would approve my application, but I didn't want to speak it out because I feared I would be disappointed. But God is BIGGER and gives good gifts. God blesses bountifully.


God is Bountiful.

"Liberal in bestowing gifts, favors, or bounties; munificent; generous. Abundant; ample" (Dictionary.com, n. d.)

Deuteronomy 28:2

The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.

Psalm 65:11

You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.

Psalm 68:10

Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, God, you provided for the poor.

Jeremiah 31:12

They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord— the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more.

Jeremiah 31:14

I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty,” declares the Lord.

Reference:

Bountiful. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved May 31, 2016 from Dictionary.com website http://www.dictionary.com/browse/bountiful.

Favorite Blogs

I recently posted about how I enjoy reading blogs, so I thought I should share some of the ones I read regularly:


Budget Bytes

• Food costs really vary by region, but I like the variety of recipes the blogger creates.
• Favorite recipe? Chana Aloo Masala (Chickpea and Potato Masala)
• I also like the tips Beth provides about cooking affordably. See "How to Freeze Leftovers," "How to Kick the Can (Of Beans)," and "Pantry Staples."

The Full Helping

• I do not fully subscribe to a vegan diet or the ethics behind it, but I enjoy the creativity in Gena Hamshaw's recipes.
• Favorite recipes? Golden Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry, Mustardy Lemon and Sweet Potato Salad, and Pumpkin Chocolate Pudding
• I skim this blog weekly, especially the "Weekend Reading," as Hamshaw provides links to a variety of issues on healthy living, often highlighting articles that don't make it into the usual press.

The Oatmeal Artist

• I like oatmeal. Can you tell? Lauren Smith provides a great variety of oatmeal recipes, plus weekly roundups of more oatmeal goodies.
• Favorite recipes? Carrot ginger and sweet potato fudge oatmeals
• Plus, the beautiful photos on this blog inspire me to add nut butter to my porridge more often. It makes a great addition!

A Reasonable Adventurer

• My dear friend's beautifully written blog about life
• Favorite posts? "An Open Letter to the Hurting Tribe" and "What I Wish I Knew When I Was 27"
• She has a Facebook page, too!

Tumbleweeds in the Wind

• My cousin's blog about sewing and such
• She makes lots of her own clothes!
• She also has a cool Etsy shop!

May Musings

Lots of changes in life, so I guess it's time to update THE LIST.


1) GO! on a cruise. Done! See my list of Cruise Do's and Don'ts for more details.

2) Stop checking e-mail on my phone while at work. I'm still working on this one. I enjoy my e-mails more when I check them all at once during the evening, but sometimes it seems necessary to check e-mails beforehand, and then I cannot stop.

3) Use more glass storage containers and less plastic. I still prefer glass to plastic, but life is so  crazy right now, I use whatever I can find to store leftover food. I've even microwaved in plastic. Life goes on!

4) Find my rambunctious side again. I snorkeled in Mexico. I'm taking a leap of faith to move back home to Arizona. I took a silly picture and texted it to my housemates. today. Maybe I'm getting there?

5) Memorize some new scripture, or at least review the old. I'm struggling here. With all that's going on, I can't seem to get my brain in gear to memorize. Or maybe I just want to distract my brain from the important stuff since a lot of the important stuff is stressful right now. I'm working on Colossians, though.

6) Clean out the pantry (fridge, freezer, et. al) and go on a grocery spend fast until it is done. I'm not on a grocery fast right now, but I really need to use up the food I have before I move.

7) Purge excess. Soak up blessing. My housemates got rid of a lot of stuff at a yard sale while I was cruising. (Thanks, girls!) I'm still trying to pare down. The blessing will come when I have less stuff to move and store.

8) Run a 5K. Lord willing that I am well, I am scheduled to run another one 6/25/16.

9) Embrace the quiet. I spent half of my silent retreat time this morning under my covers in bed. It was peaceful there, and honoring to God, I believe, to rest my body.

10) Pursue counseling licensure. You guys, I got my authorization to test letter!!! I still have to wait four weeks for testing payment to process, take the test, pass the test, wait four weeks for reporting of test results, and then apply for my LAC license, but God just got me over a major hurdle!

11) Rest. I currently have a cold, so I've been taking it easy. The Still Small Voice warned me that I'd better take it easy or risk worse infection, as was the case earlier this year.

12) Trim down the processed. Bulk up the produce. (In my diet) I'm still cooking from the Easy Vegetarian Slow Cooker cookbook. I' m really trying to avoid processed sugar while I'm sick. (Supposedly sugar inhibits immunity.) So I made this sweet potato pudding to satisfy my cravings.

13) Bullet journal plan—streamline my to-do list. My housemate balked when she saw my bullet planner. "What is that?" She asked. My planner is overwhelming to others, but it helps me organize. Yeah!

14) Finish the books I have and read more. I've been reading a lot! I read four books in May, so that's an average of one a week. I will miss the great selection of Christian fiction at the current library, so I'm trying to read up. Plus, reading is a good way to embrace the quiet, rest, and de-stress.

15) Spend time with and love the people around me. In May, I went to my youngest brother's master's graduation and cruised with my college friend. I've had great Tuesday night dinners with housemates. Yesterday and today I saw friends. I hope to see more of the beautiful people in this place before I head out. God has truly blessed me with great friends.

16) Blog. Instagram. Something. Still going. I do like to write, but sometimes it takes awhile. I like reading blogs from other people, though, and I hope people enjoy reading this one. May God get the glory from this endeavor.

God Gives Good Gifts.

More verses for reflective prayer--It is good to reflect on God's attributes in seasons of upheaval and change. God is faithful and reliable, and he gives good gifts.

Ecclesiastes 3:13

That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 5:19

Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.

Romans 5:17

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 2:8

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Ephesians 3:7

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.

Something New

Last week was emotionally exhausting. I announced to my coworkers and friends, my Arkansas family for the last 10 years, that I will be leaving and moving back home to Arizona at the end of June. I made this decision of my own free will, but it has been hard nonetheless.


I have always wanted to go back to Arizona. I have been working on my counseling licensure for awhile now. (See The List.) I thought I would leave my current job when I had an exciting new counseling position, maybe in Arizona, or maybe in Arkansas, or maybe somewhere else. The truth is that I don't have a job lined up all.
I believe this is the right decision. I feel drawn back to Arizona for reasons I cannot even explain. But let's be honest. I'm scared. I'm leaving my job, my friends, my church, my community, my independence, and in a lot of ways, the identity I've established for myself. I don't know what is next. All I know is that I have a place to live thanks to my parents.


Second Corinthians 5:7 says, "We live by faith, not by sight," but that's way easier said than done. I like to rely on my plans and my abilities to carry out those plans, but this move is forcing me to totally rely on God. I am excited to see how God will work, and I know He will but right now I'm waiting. I'm wondering. I'm saying goodbyes. My heart is already aching. Arkansas is so special to me! But God has made it pretty clear that it is time for something new.