Isaiah 30:15

"This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:

In repentance and rest is your salvation,

in quietness and trust is your strength,

but you would have none of it."

     I decided this will be my memory verse for now, for many reasons. First of all, I am currently finishing the bible study "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore (wonderful teacher) and this verse was the main focus of the lesson today.  Second of all, it describes exactly what is necessary for our salvation in Him.

   What I love about God's Word, His Truth, is that He does not ever say one thing and mean another.  He GIVES us the answers to all of our questions.  Nothing is left for interpretation.  The fact is, if we repent to Him our rebellious ways, turn back to Him so we will never do it again, and "light down" to His word and meditate on it, we have our salvation!  When we shut our mouths, when we listen to His Word, when we TRUST what He says, when we believe it is true, we find our strength!

     Then, the last line in the verse, "but you would have none of it." How dumb it sounds! But, so true. God gives us all of these outs, He reaches down to us in our rebellion and TELLS US THE ANSWER... and we want nothing to do with it, sometimes. Why?  Because I can fix it on... my... own... right?  Absolutely crazy, sometimes it is simply the most silly thing to think about.  God desires for us to know Him, so much, He doesn't send us on scavenger hunts, or give us little hints. He desires us so much that He tells us directly what we need.  How cool...

So glad my God still loves me even when I sometimes may be in broken version of myself!  Being the person He did NOT intend for me to be... a rebellious Child of His.

Okay, I am going to type the verse down again, just for my own memorization...

"The Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:

In repentance and rest is your salvation,

in quietness and trust is your strength,

but you would have none of it."

Isaiah 30:15

Have a relaxing rainy day everyone!  

Journaling

Okay, so I have had the same journal for about two years now. It is adorable and I love writing in it but I am not even half way through completely filling it! I am the WORST when it comes to keeping up with things like this.... Hence, why I hardly post anything on here!! But! I am determined that, starting this week, I will be faithful to all things "journalistic".

On the same subject...
Something I love doing is going back and reading what I wrote on the same day a year ago or two years ago, may I share with you what I wrote a year ago today?

A year ago today Olivia Jane Hurley wrote in her prayer journal:
"I want to say 'no' to things that tie me down and 'yes' to Your (Christ's) Freedom. I am FREE IN CHRIST!!!! Set me free Lord...."

My Pretty RED journal 

So silly but I AMEN-ed myself! It's so true! We are truly free in Christ.  He is our authenticity! This little journal entry gave me so much fulfillment today, I hope it encourages you as much as it did me! Funny how He sends encouragement TO us THROUGH us sometimes...

The Pioneer Woman

Can anyone else please tell me if they love "The Pioneer Woman" as much as I do??
I mean seriously, she is so cool! I love her show, I love her blog, I love HER! She inspires me to live out in the middle of who-knows-where and live on a ranch with a handsome cowboy husband and many many children and make delicious food and take beautiful pictures and just be awesome! How fun! I've decided I am destined to be a "Pioneer Woman" myself, I just don't know where I'll be pioneering yet...

My classroom :)

One of my favorite hymns...

As the deer panted for the water, so my soul longeth after thee
You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship thee
You alone are my strength, my shield
To you alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship thee

I love this song because it truly gives all the glory to Him.  The longing to only worship His great splendor and majesty, the DESIRE. Not just a want, but a passionate desire...

It's so pretty too :) 

Back in the saddle again...

So! Here I am! I'm back and ready to write! Feels like a long time since I was last on...
For those of you I have not been able to talk to I will give a quick update on my life, it's been a whirlwind to say the least...
A few weeks ago I was enjoying a hot summer afternoon when I got an unexpected call from Cody Clark, he had a random question for me he said, "Would you be able to go to Haiti with me and a few kids from the youth group in ten days?" WHAT?? I was shocked.  After much contemplation and prayer I told him "no" one day and "yes" the next.  It was something that seemed so complicated, yet was so simple at the same time.  I had a strong feeling God wanted me in Haiti, how could I deny his beckoning call? As a result, ten days laster I was traveling on a school bus through the crazy streets of Port au Prince and absolutely feeling right at home.  If you don't know already, I had been to Haiti two years ago almost to the date (before the earthquake).  While I was there my first time I fell completely in love with the Haitian people.  Although some may think this experience to be depressing and some might feel guilty for all they have, I found it to be the most joyous.  The Haitians live in a relaxed culture, and those who believe in the Lord have no choice but to wholly depend on Him.  To be honest I get jealous at times, thinking of how freely they worship, how frequently they have fellowship, and how utterly honest they are even when its uncomfortable.  I learned this time I went that we should never be apologetic about God's word.  His word is true, there are not any fine print or reading between the lines. It means what it says and I rejoice in Him for that!  Sincerely I could write about all of my experiences good and bad for hours on end, but that would probably end up being a boring blog! Ask anyone who knows me well, get me started on the topic and I will never stop!  Praise the Lord!
Immediately following my trip to Haiti, less than 24 hours later I was with my family in Michigan at Fireside Inn.  A Hurley Family Pastime, so relaxing and beautiful.  The perfect way to collect oneself after a crazy journey across the world! Pictures of both trips to follow!

Thanks for reading!  Praise God for all He has blessed you with, thank Him for your life today, it is a precious gift we forget isn't really ours...

Compatibility

     I have missed blogging these past few weeks, which brings me joy in knowing that I am dedicated to this! So happy...

     There are many things I find myself compatible with in life, things that I adapt to and grow from, the epitome of compatibility if you ask me. One major thing comes to mind when I think of what I grow from most is summer.  I do not exactly know what it is, but something about summer awakens my spirit and sets me free from doom and gloom during the winter. Lately I have received and enormous amount of Vitamin D and plan to obtain much more as the sun continues to shine! Every summer I learn so much about myself, I am finally calm enough to sit by myself (actually I'm not alone ever... with Him around... pleasant sigh) and reflect.  Time that I am so thankful for.

Trees are my favorite thing to look at during the summer

Seth and I at Lakeside :)

     Another thing I find myself very compatible with is my Seth.  Last night we went on a late run in the cool breeze.  I hadn't ran in a while so I was a little nervous about the journey and certainly did not want to seem like a whimp in front of my hardworking man, but it ended up being the most pleasing and relaxing thing we have done together in a while.  We talked and jogged and sweat and it was a blast.  We plan to do it more often from now on.  He is my best friend and I absolutely adore what we have, because we are the only ones who get to experience our relationship as a whole.  Including someone else who has, somehow, seen us through many hard times in the past and continues to allow us to still be together.  Thank you Lord!

     So, there you have it. Two S's I am compatible with, two of many.  What a beautiful day... I love the heat! Bring it on, as long as I have my water I am good!