Smiley Rilee :)

Anyone who knows me knows my cousin, Rilee. You may not know her personally, but I ask for prayer for her all the time. If you don't know her situation, I'll give you a brief summation. She is thirteen years old - beautiful, funny, adorable. She is absolutely the cutest thing you'll ever meet. However, she has been in and out of the hospital for 7 years now. I don't know the specifics of it all, but she gets really excruciating headaches. So much so that sometimes she can't bear them. It really limits the things she can do. She's thirteen, ya know? She should be able to do all the things that a thirteen year old wants to do, but sometimes she just can't. The doctors are unsure of what is causing the headaches. She has to have procedures done almost every month, which isn't the way any child should have to live.

Right now, she is in the hospital having a spinal tap done to remove the fluid from her brain. When the fluid builds up it makes her headaches worse. She has been in the hospital for a few days now, and chances are she will have to travel to Ohio to see a specialist. This is a trip she has made a few times before. I know it can't be easy on her, her mom, or her dad.

The beautiful blessing in this situation is that Rilee knows God has a plan. During all this, she received Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior! Hallelujah! What a blessing! She knows that she has struggles, but she trusts that God has the ultimate plan for her life. She is only thirteen, and a lot of the time understanding the bigger plan is hard for her, but she hasn't given up. She is the toughest and bravest little girl I know. I couldn't be more proud of the young lady she has turned out to be. On her good days, she is able to get out and play and swim and just enjoy her life. On her bad days though, she is still trying to enjoy her life to the best of her abilities. She is an inspiration to me. She has the strength of an army. She isn't afraid of the future because she knows God is the one holding her future! I am so blessed she is a part of my life.

I am asking that you please continue to pray for her during this time in her life. Please, write her name down, Rilee Rhodes, on any prayer lists you have and remember her when you talk to God. She is a tough little cookie, but all prayers are appreciated. I strongly believe in the power of prayer! God is a miracle worker, and He does have her life already planned out. Just pray for her continued strength as she goes through each day. No matter what is ahead, God is in control. Thank you for reading this, and thank you for all your prayers!

God Bless!

In Christ Alone...

I'm feeling so lead this morning to just boast about Jesus' unfailing, merciful, wonderful, perfect love and adoration for me. God sent HIS ONE AND ONLY SON to die a brutal, painful, and undeserving death on the cross to save a wretch like me. In reality, I should have been the one to take the punishment for the lifetime of sins I have committed. Instead, God sacrificed. That's what love is: sacrifice. He is the epitome of love. It isn't just what He does, it's who He is. I can't even brag about my love for Him because I fail Him every single day, but His love never fails.

I serve a MIGHTY God who is able to do anything. He is able to give me the world; He is able to take all things away. In Christ alone you can be delivered from any temption, challenge, obstacle, or situation that the world makes you face every day. He can deliver us. He was willing to send His son to die for us, yet we take that so lightly. This is God. He could strike us down with one word, but wouldn't do it because of the pure love He has for us, and we have chosen to make jokes about Him and refuse to serve Him. He deserves to be lifted high in praise and honor and glory. Everything you do in your life should be an active gift to God. He gave us the ultimate gift. Let your lifesong sing to Him.

I am no saint. I'm the chief of all sinners. I struggle so much with temptation and want. I couldn't even begin to tell you the challenges I'm faced with every day as a Christian. I have made decisions, decisions that make God so disappointed in me, that I am not proud of. I haven't had the boldness to stand up and say that I don't want to make those decisions. I don't want to compromise the purity that God has given my life. I want to be a HOLY vessel in the eyes of God. I have a lot of things to work on, but I'm willing to work on them because God deserves the HONOR and GLORY in EVERYTHING I do in my life.

He deserves to be worshiped and adored with every word we speak. We all get so careless with our words, myself included. We forget that God says the tounge causes destruction. Christians are looked at so much for the lives they lead in front of others, and that's a good thing. We need to be held accountable for our actions because we are supposed to be wearing the armor of God. We each need to try to be the best person we can be, turning away from sin when it tries to dictate our lives. Many people who aren't Christians choose not to be because of the way they see other "Christians" lead their lives. It makes me sick to think that someone has looked at my life and seen all the sin that I chose not to turn from and it turned them away from knowing their Creator. It makes me sick.

I have so many things holding me back from being the Christian I want to be. I have a heart for Christ. My lifesong just hasn't always sang that out in the right way. It's a choice and a fight every day to keep Godly things on your mind and in your heart. The devil will try to give you things that are satisfying for a season, but God's love is satisfying forever.

Let God, the Creator of the Heavens and the earth, the king of kings and the Lord of lords, the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end be the center of your life. Let Him lead you where He wants you to go following the plan He has for your life. Let God take your plan A and turn it into His plan B. It'll be a better life than you could have ever pictured for yourself. He wants what is best for you because He knows what is best for you. He is love and He is ALL you need. He will give you the greatest joys and pleasures and happiness you've ever experienced in your life. He will transform you into His reflection.

He promises eternal life to those who choose to follow and believe in Him. Salvation is the greatest gift anyone can receive. Jesus is ALIVE and REAL. He is all things good and powerful and mericful and mighty. He is an active part of your life. He wants to be your priority. He wants to be your true love. Once you let Him in, you won't ever want to let Him go. Let your lifesong sing to the One who made you. Let Him be pleased with all your works. Let Him be glorified by your actions, thoughts, and words. Let Him be the guiding force in your life. Let Him be your everything.

In Christ alone, you can do all things.
God bless you!