decrease.

Oh, Happy Birthday. Hope you have a wonderful day (or if this is the day after, hope it was a wonderful day). Remember to expect amazing things from God today. :)

Thank you sir!  It was yesterday, but I have the inclination to draw these things out for a few days.  I hope your day is going wonderfully as well :]

You guys, I have the best housemates :]  Even though I’ve had two tests, a forgotten assignment, and a day full of classes, they’re making this birthday quite wonderful.  Of course, now I have to clean my room to find the presents that are supposedly hidden in here (or maybe it’s just a trick to get me to clean…).

I’m 19.

Thanks all for following me.  So many of you make my day over the past few months without even realizing it.

Have a wonderful day!

I’m writing out my testimony for the first time.  Or, rather, the gospel, with tidbits of my life thrown in.

But anyway, it’s in preparation for the trip to Japan.  That means that I want it to be really easy to translate in case I’m talking to someone who doesn’t know much English.  As expected, it’s a difficult task.  I imagine myself speaking these words to a real human being- someone who has lived a life, who has their own friends and who may be just like any of my friends in America.  How can I possibly communicate God’s love for her?  How can I explain what Christ did, and why He did it?  What words will be relevant to her life, and which ones will slide off like water on a duck’s back?

It’s a new dilemma.  Whatever the final product is, I pray (and invite you to pray as well) that God will use it.  In all of its imperfection, I pray that it would impact people in a lasting way, and that God’s name would be glorified.

My birthday is in four days.  How old do you think I’m turning?

Seriously, leave a comment. :>

Today some nasty stuff happened, but God is sovereign.  He is the righter of wrongs. Christ is our champion, and He has freed us from Satan’s grasp.

Goodnight, friends.

What does it mean to live life to its fullest?

This is something I’ve been considering lately as my second year of college winds down to a close.  This year, I spent most of my time where I sit right now.  Whether it was to do homework, wander tumblr, or research future jobs, my life has been centered around this chair.

I hadn’t realized how much tumblr had deadened me.  It was so easy to run on between classes to see what had been posted in the past hour.  During most of the time I’ve been away so far, I’ve been sick, and that’s been my excuse to not get into my Bible.  Quite a bit of irony in that- ignoring the Word when you need healing!  But anywho.  Getting online every day trained me to live in a certain pattern.  While there’s nothing wrong with having order in your life, this pattern was not healthy.

But you all know this.

So onto what you don’t know- what I’ve been doing since I’ve been away.
I got everything in order for Japan, or at least I am on top of everything.
I realized that I wasn’t happy in biology and switched back to the love of my academic life, writing (English).
I drew.
I am leading a book club going through Tim Keller’s “Reason for God.” (An  excellent read)
I’m reading my Bible

Unfortunately, I’m not as much as I should be.  But I found that I haven’t been pursuing God as much as I should be.  Here I am, desiring wisdom and maturity, but never having the integrity to pursue it, even when I have a surplus of time due to leaving tumblr!

So back to the main idea- what does it mean to live life to its fullest?  The general sentiment is that you need to be doing everything you can- trying new things, meeting new people, being adventurous.  Those things might be fun, but I disagree that this is the best description of the phrase.  Instead, it is about pursuing God to the utmost.  This life is empty without God; it only makes sense, then, that He is the only one that can “fill” life.  Live life to the fullest- pursue His sweet Spirit as much as you can, for He is life!  There’s nothing else.

I’m still very immature in my faith, and I yearn for the day where I will feel a bit more wizened (something in me wonders if that even ever happens).

It feels good to write again.  I wish I could post these in a more organized manner for you; I feel like I try to write something that’s close to my heart, but because it’s so close it just becomes a spewing of thoughts instead of the refined, useful post it should be.  Another mark of immaturity?

Now get off and go read.

<3, Jessie

ps- and holy cow, why am I gaining followers while I’m not here?  NO SENSE.  YOU ALL ARE CRAZY. and i love you :]

First off… wow, I hardly lost any followers.  I try very hard not to let followers get to my head, but I will say that I appreciate the fact that you’re still hangin’ around.  Thank you.

It’s been two crazy weeks.  I wish I could say it was spiritually crazy, but it’s more a simple lack of sleep.  While I didn’t want to break this away-from-tumblr thing, I think it’s okay to pop on to let you know two big developments in my life:

I am officially going to Japan on July 5th on a mission trip.

I’ve finally cornered exactly the kind of career I want to pursue (writing/marketing/editing), so I’m switching back to and English major.  It feels like I’m coming home after a disappointing trip (but I’m hanging on to a biology minor for kicks).

That’s all.  I’m still alive.

Love you :]