bucket list

Bucket list time! This is not the completed list, but it's all I can think of for the time being.


1. learn how to play the guitar.
2. own a horse.
3. audition for american idol.
4. ride in a hot air balloon.
5. go to mardi gras!
6. sing the national anthem at a thunder basketball game.
7. live in LA
8. go to hangout fest, bonnaroo, coachella, and lollapalooza.
9. befriend a rockstar.
10. sing on national television.
11. swim with dolphins.
12. get married.
13. have some kids of my own.
14. write a song.
15. visit jim morrison's grave in france.
16. get a tattoo. (or several. i've heard they're addictive)
17. see incubus live.
18. be on the kiss cam at a sporting event.
19. go on a mission trip.
20. travel the world.
21. bring someone to Christ.
22. adopt a child. maybe several.
23. meet johnny depp
24. go to ireland.
25.

Yesterday, I realized how much the Lord has changed me. I was saying things that I've never heard myself say before. I was overcome with a sense of peace and patience that I don't think I've ever felt before. I speak of Him more often in daily conversation. He is becoming more and more important to me every day. I really have become a totally different person. The shallow things that were important to me before are losing their value compared to the love of Jesus. As I follow the Lord in my daily life, I see Him working in me. Several friendships that I have have been rekindled and are more Christ-centered. And as every day goes by, I am amazed more and more by the Father.

After reflecting on all of these things, I have come to this conclusion:

following the Lord is the best decision I've ever made.

I am amazed at the way God has brought certain people around me for encouragement. I was skeptical of walking with the Lord at first because, let's face it, I'm usually skeptical about making big commitments. But the things He has been doing for me and around me has removed all skepticism that I had. What has made the biggest impact is the relationships with which He has surrounded me. When I can talk about the Lord with friends or family, it makes me love Him even more because I can then share with other people the things He's doing in my life, and I can hear about what He's doing in the lives of the people around me. At the end of the conversation, I feel closer to God and closer to the person that I was talking to.

If you're reading this, and you think that God could never love you, or you don't want anything to do with God, or you believe in Him but you're perfectly comfortable living your life just knowing He's there, I promise you that once you are able to accept the love and grace of Jesus, your life will NEVER be the same. It will be the best decision of your life. Trust me, the skeptical one. Your life will have meaning. You will have guidance. God loves you, and He wants so badly to be close to you. You have worth in Jesus. The relationship that you can have with Jesus will be the most rewarding and loving relationship you'll ever be in, and He will bless you beyond what you can imagine if you just trust Him.

give Him everything.

As every day goes by, I am amazed more and more by the love of the Father. Every day, I enter into His presence, and it never fails that by the time I end my quiet time in the Word and move on to the rest of the day, I feel this amazing peace that seems to completely flood over me. You know, there are so many days where I feel like I'm the most selfish person that has ever existed, and I think, "There's no way that I can come to the Lord today." Those are the days that He touches me most. Those are the days that I am completely overwhelmed at the power of His presence and love. He never ceases to answer me when I call. He never stops loving me. He never leaves my side. Right when I think that I don't deserve His love, He reminds me that I am His and that I find my worth in Him.

I was talking with a friend yesterday, and he was telling me about how he doesn't want to call himself a Christian because there are things in his life that he needs to figure out and change. My response? You don't need to get your life together before you come to Jesus. He takes you just as you are. No matter what you've done in your life, no matter how many times people may have told you that you are unworthy or that you don't matter. No matter how you've treated people or how people have treated you. No matter how bad you think you've messed up and you can't fix anything. He loves you just the way you are, and there is nothing you can do that will make Him love you any more or any less than He already does. What wonderful news! I think that's something that should be celebrated on a daily basis. As long as you truly believe with all of your heart that Jesus has was crucified for our sins, that He rose again on the third day and defeated death, you have become a new creation in Christ. You are one of His children, and you will be able to spend the rest of eternity with the Lord in heaven. What a miracle! We are so undeserving, and He takes us anyway. He gives us the choice to follow or not follow, but when He is so good and faithful, why in the world would you not want to take that FREE gift that He has given you? If you are a believer, you are forgiven, you are new, your slate is wiped clean.

If any of you feel like you're falling apart or that you aren't worthy of love, God loves you. He loves you more than you can ever imagine. He loves you more than anything in the history of creation.

At the end of the day, I can count my blessings and see how God has truly worked in my life. We are all undeserving of salvation, but God loves us so much that He gave us Christ. As if that isn't enough, He calls us to give everything to Him. Any fears, any doubts, any problems, anything that is troubling us or worrying us. Once we surrender everything to Him, it's truly amazing the kind of peace you experience. The Word says in Philippians 4:6-7: "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

I'll leave you with this: challenge yourselves to place everything at His feet and see how He responds.

Thanks for reading. I'll hopefully post a blog soon that might not be so heavy. Ha!