so.... as i am currently transitioning into the second phase of my life, i'm starting a new blog with a much simpler address: feleshaanderson.blogspot.com. it will also be on facebook, just like this blog was. you can keep up with me and what's happening during my internship if that kind of thing interests you. stalking isn't preferred, but if you'd like to be in the know so you can keep me in your prayers, that's more than welcomed! :-)
in more random news, i found a few old journals i had when i was 9, 10, and 11 years old. oh my word - hilarious. for some strange reason, i have a natural affinity for journals. they just have so many styles! (ever been to the journal section of target? ah - i'd buy them all!) do i ever fill them up? NO, of course not. all the ones i have are filled out up to half-way.... which i think says other things about my personality, haha!
Who Am I?
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
A letter to the seniors.... (Well, I guess you can still read this even if you're not a senior yet haha!)
my senior year was the best year of high school, by far. it was super hard at times and incredibly stressful, but God opened SO many doors for me that i wasn't even expecting. i felt like my sphere of influence was enlarged exponentially.... i truly felt like i made a difference and got to LIVE OUT my faith in front of my peers in a way i didn't feel like i could the previous 3 years.... i guess God was just preparing me! He gave me such a platform to positively influence the lives of those around me. i wouldn't trade that for anything. seriously.
all that to say that there's NO telling what God will do in and through your life. my advice: be praying and expecting Him to do something!!! He did so much in my life, and I honestly wasn't even necessarily praying or expecting the impact to be huge. but once He made my steps firm, He just blew my mind and i know that He affected so many people because i was just a willing spirit.
risk was involved. don't think for a second that it was the easy way to go! i could have stayed in my comfort zone and NOT stepped out in faith. i had to try new things and risk embarrassment and failure, which i'm not a huge fan of, haha! God gave me the opportunity to use my gifts in ways i hadn't really thought of, and the results were amazing and humbling. He provided me a way to truly live out Romans 12:1-2 - i love it in the message:
"so here's what i want you to do, God helping you: take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life -- and place it before God as an offering. embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. instead, fix your attention on God. you'll be changed from the inside out. readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, developing well-formed maturity in you."
take those words and bury them in your heart, senior. you CAN make a difference. there's a verse in the Bible (i'm not a Bible scholar lol) that says something like "God's eyes are searching the earth for one whose heart is turned towards Him." He's LOOKING for someone who is willing to step outside of themselves and surrender to God's will. will you stand up, senior? will you put your hand up and say, "here i am, send me"?
maybe it's starting a prayer group or Bible club, running for student government, joining a club on a topic you've been interested in, trying out for a sports or dance team, or just befriending someone in your class. God can and will use what you give Him. just give Him your fish and loaves of bread - watch how He'll multiply it.
for me, God gave me leadership opportunities and i got to influence and inspire so many of the underclassmen. i got to sing solos twice during the year and i was blown away by the impact that had. the one at the beginning of the year wasn't even a Christian song! but God anointed it and people were touched. the other was for our senior show and has gone literally all over the world via facebook. i also auditioned my high school's musical, and got the lead part, and i hadn't been in a play since middle school. i also got to have a leadership role in our choir with a good friend of mine who's also a Christian and we got to make sure every choir student felt valued. i got to sing and worship with a new youth ministry and make so many new friends. through that, i got to pray during an all-county worship & prayer night which many of my peers were at.
God's favor was over it ALL and i'm humbled that He would use me. DON'T UNDERESTIMATE WHAT GOD CAN DO WITH YOUR "LUNCH." you may feel like you have nothing to offer, but THAT'S NOT TRUE. pray, ask God to help you and give you opportunities to share His love, to be His hands and feet to your school.
i'm sorry this is so long. i got inspired while sharing a piece of my story with a friend. :-)
my prayer for you, senior, is that when graduation comes around, you can look around and know you've left a positive imprint on your school and on your peers; that you'll have no regrets; that you'll know you gave God your all and left it all on the table.
here's to the class of 2010! :-) God bless you all!!!
all that to say that there's NO telling what God will do in and through your life. my advice: be praying and expecting Him to do something!!! He did so much in my life, and I honestly wasn't even necessarily praying or expecting the impact to be huge. but once He made my steps firm, He just blew my mind and i know that He affected so many people because i was just a willing spirit.
risk was involved. don't think for a second that it was the easy way to go! i could have stayed in my comfort zone and NOT stepped out in faith. i had to try new things and risk embarrassment and failure, which i'm not a huge fan of, haha! God gave me the opportunity to use my gifts in ways i hadn't really thought of, and the results were amazing and humbling. He provided me a way to truly live out Romans 12:1-2 - i love it in the message:
"so here's what i want you to do, God helping you: take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life -- and place it before God as an offering. embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. instead, fix your attention on God. you'll be changed from the inside out. readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, developing well-formed maturity in you."
take those words and bury them in your heart, senior. you CAN make a difference. there's a verse in the Bible (i'm not a Bible scholar lol) that says something like "God's eyes are searching the earth for one whose heart is turned towards Him." He's LOOKING for someone who is willing to step outside of themselves and surrender to God's will. will you stand up, senior? will you put your hand up and say, "here i am, send me"?
maybe it's starting a prayer group or Bible club, running for student government, joining a club on a topic you've been interested in, trying out for a sports or dance team, or just befriending someone in your class. God can and will use what you give Him. just give Him your fish and loaves of bread - watch how He'll multiply it.
for me, God gave me leadership opportunities and i got to influence and inspire so many of the underclassmen. i got to sing solos twice during the year and i was blown away by the impact that had. the one at the beginning of the year wasn't even a Christian song! but God anointed it and people were touched. the other was for our senior show and has gone literally all over the world via facebook. i also auditioned my high school's musical, and got the lead part, and i hadn't been in a play since middle school. i also got to have a leadership role in our choir with a good friend of mine who's also a Christian and we got to make sure every choir student felt valued. i got to sing and worship with a new youth ministry and make so many new friends. through that, i got to pray during an all-county worship & prayer night which many of my peers were at.
God's favor was over it ALL and i'm humbled that He would use me. DON'T UNDERESTIMATE WHAT GOD CAN DO WITH YOUR "LUNCH." you may feel like you have nothing to offer, but THAT'S NOT TRUE. pray, ask God to help you and give you opportunities to share His love, to be His hands and feet to your school.
i'm sorry this is so long. i got inspired while sharing a piece of my story with a friend. :-)
my prayer for you, senior, is that when graduation comes around, you can look around and know you've left a positive imprint on your school and on your peers; that you'll have no regrets; that you'll know you gave God your all and left it all on the table.
here's to the class of 2010! :-) God bless you all!!!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Ugh.... Inspiration OVERLOAD! (Is that even possible?)
oh man.... i have literally bajillions of things floating in my head right now.... some good, some bad, i wish i could write for days.... so many things heavy on my heart i want to share.... inspired by so much and thought i'd just blab a little on what i'm chewing on lately....
currently, i'm reading "the kiss of heaven" by darlene zschech for, like, the 4th or 5th time.... it's truly one of my favorite books, and i'm challenged every time i read it. i wish i could write all about what i'm learning just by reading that book!
my little sis and mom finally picked up a new worship album by deluge from bethany world prayer center in louisiana. GOOD STUFF. if you can't worship with that, there must be something wrong with you, and we'll pray for your salvation later. (HAHA!) favorite song: "i need You," which i believe was penned by the fantastic jonathan stockstill. they have a different sound from, say, hillsong/united, which is so fresh and mixes up my own personal worship times. i love new stuff! another total favorite is "open up the sky." i enjoy his writing style because it's direct, which is similar to my own style of writing. will hopefully expand more on this album sometime in the future before i move....
books i still REALLY want to read and eventually own:
"the great generational transition" by darlene zschech
"it" by craig groeschel
"can i have and do it all please?" by christine caine
lastly, i'm inspired by stuff just going on in my own life and the situations that come up.... so much i want to say, it just gets overwhelming at times.... i feel like i need a MASSIVE creative release.... wish i could be up all night and type up the things that are in my heart and mind right now.... i don't know if i'll ever have the time.... i suppose the only solution is to break it down and just do it piece by piece.... (so NOT my personality.... "why can't i just do it all at once???" is more my style, but not always the best tactic haha!)
currently, i'm reading "the kiss of heaven" by darlene zschech for, like, the 4th or 5th time.... it's truly one of my favorite books, and i'm challenged every time i read it. i wish i could write all about what i'm learning just by reading that book!
my little sis and mom finally picked up a new worship album by deluge from bethany world prayer center in louisiana. GOOD STUFF. if you can't worship with that, there must be something wrong with you, and we'll pray for your salvation later. (HAHA!) favorite song: "i need You," which i believe was penned by the fantastic jonathan stockstill. they have a different sound from, say, hillsong/united, which is so fresh and mixes up my own personal worship times. i love new stuff! another total favorite is "open up the sky." i enjoy his writing style because it's direct, which is similar to my own style of writing. will hopefully expand more on this album sometime in the future before i move....
books i still REALLY want to read and eventually own:
"the great generational transition" by darlene zschech
"it" by craig groeschel
"can i have and do it all please?" by christine caine
lastly, i'm inspired by stuff just going on in my own life and the situations that come up.... so much i want to say, it just gets overwhelming at times.... i feel like i need a MASSIVE creative release.... wish i could be up all night and type up the things that are in my heart and mind right now.... i don't know if i'll ever have the time.... i suppose the only solution is to break it down and just do it piece by piece.... (so NOT my personality.... "why can't i just do it all at once???" is more my style, but not always the best tactic haha!)
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
A new breed....
I saw a good friend's mom and brother at a coffee shop the other day, and asked him how football practice was going because he's a really good athlete. His answer surprised me in the best possible way.
"Actually, I'm not going to be doing any sports this year. I really feel that God is telling me to use that time to know Him better."
WHAT?!? He's going to be a junior - I think he's around 16 years old. I high-fived him and told him he's a stud, because he is! How many 16 year old boys do you know who would give up SPORTS for GOD??? Not many.
God is really raising up a generation of young people who are passionate about Him. People who want to worship, pray, and DO something with their faith. People who aren't content with living a life filled with rules and regulations to somehow be a "good Christian" in their own efforts. People who love God and love life. People who are going to make a difference.
My friend's brother also added that he's going to be leading the F.I.S.H. (Friends In Sharing Him) group at his high school (my alma mater hahaha).
There's no telling what God can do with a heart that is fully submitted to Him. :-)
Additional Note:
This isn't to somehow convict you and ask yourself "What am I sacrificing for God?" Because that's not necessarily the point. God has spoken something differently to each and every one of us. The question to ask ourselves is "are we doing what God has spoken to us?" Do we love God more than our gifts/talents/abilities?
For Abraham, it was his son. For Esther, it was her "invisible" life. For Hosea, it was a "traditional" wife. For Peter, it was his job as a fisher. For Jesus, it was His very life, will, and decisions.
What is God telling YOU?
(Feel free to share if you'd like!)
"Actually, I'm not going to be doing any sports this year. I really feel that God is telling me to use that time to know Him better."
WHAT?!? He's going to be a junior - I think he's around 16 years old. I high-fived him and told him he's a stud, because he is! How many 16 year old boys do you know who would give up SPORTS for GOD??? Not many.
God is really raising up a generation of young people who are passionate about Him. People who want to worship, pray, and DO something with their faith. People who aren't content with living a life filled with rules and regulations to somehow be a "good Christian" in their own efforts. People who love God and love life. People who are going to make a difference.
My friend's brother also added that he's going to be leading the F.I.S.H. (Friends In Sharing Him) group at his high school (my alma mater hahaha).
There's no telling what God can do with a heart that is fully submitted to Him. :-)
Additional Note:
This isn't to somehow convict you and ask yourself "What am I sacrificing for God?" Because that's not necessarily the point. God has spoken something differently to each and every one of us. The question to ask ourselves is "are we doing what God has spoken to us?" Do we love God more than our gifts/talents/abilities?
For Abraham, it was his son. For Esther, it was her "invisible" life. For Hosea, it was a "traditional" wife. For Peter, it was his job as a fisher. For Jesus, it was His very life, will, and decisions.
What is God telling YOU?
(Feel free to share if you'd like!)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Carefree
I was reading 1 Peter 5 this morning in "the Message" and I think it's one of my favorite chapters! I'd encourage you to read it. Anyways, verses 6 and 7 stuck out to me:
"So be content with who you are, and don't put on airs. God's strong hand is on you; He'll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; He is most careful with you."
How beautiful is THAT??? "Live carefree before God; He is most careful with you." Oh, I just love that.
In the ESV (English Standard Version) it reads:
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you."
I love love LOVE the Message's take on that verse because it puts a whole other spin on it. "He is most careful with you." .... I've never ever thought of that verse in that way before. I guess it's never occured to me that God would be most careful with me, you know? It's such a humbling, personal thought.... We don't have to stress, worry, or fear.... We have every reason to trust our loving Father because He is careful with us! We are precious to Him! He values us THAT much.... Oh, He is just so good.... I'm so glad He revealed that to me....
Let's not forget that.... What a beautiful message.... It'll change your life, if you let it. :-)
"Live carefree before God; He is most careful with you."
"So be content with who you are, and don't put on airs. God's strong hand is on you; He'll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; He is most careful with you."
How beautiful is THAT??? "Live carefree before God; He is most careful with you." Oh, I just love that.
In the ESV (English Standard Version) it reads:
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you."
I love love LOVE the Message's take on that verse because it puts a whole other spin on it. "He is most careful with you." .... I've never ever thought of that verse in that way before. I guess it's never occured to me that God would be most careful with me, you know? It's such a humbling, personal thought.... We don't have to stress, worry, or fear.... We have every reason to trust our loving Father because He is careful with us! We are precious to Him! He values us THAT much.... Oh, He is just so good.... I'm so glad He revealed that to me....
Let's not forget that.... What a beautiful message.... It'll change your life, if you let it. :-)
"Live carefree before God; He is most careful with you."
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