LEFTOVERS

Today, I gave God my leftovers.
What do i mean by leftovers? Well, I mean I gave Him what was left after a long day of classes, homework and even time spent with friends or on social media...instead of waking up and starting my day off with Christ, I waited until almost the end of my day then sat down with Him. I dislike days like these but I do it all too often. I come up with excuse after excuse as to why i push my quiet time aside. However, a few weeks ago I led a small group at a d-now and I made a commitment with my girls to have more days where God gets the best of me, the fresh, the new, not days like today, not leftovers. I have also been telling myself that to help keep me accountable I want to get back into sharing what God places on my heart in this blog. So... If you are close to me then you know I struggled with a really bad break up about 2 months ago. This wasn't just me loosing my bf, it was me loosing my best friend. This guy and I had been friends since we were 13. However, things ended and I was crushed. My family/friends hurt for me because I was so upset. I am better now, but still have my days were the memories sort of sting but for the most part I remember the good times and try not to dwell on the bad or the future plans. This is all great except I didn't fully realize, until Friday night worship service of the d-now, that I was fostering anger in my heart toward this whole situation. I kept telling myself i'm fine and truthfully I am okay with how things have turned out but I still needed to forgive and let go. I broke down during worship because God was telling me that I cannot fully worship Him until I have repented and given Him my all. Until I forgave my ex and gave the anger and hurt over to God, I could not experience the true worship that David talks about in Psalms 51. Well, I have surrendered it all to God and feel much better about everything. I try to remember that... "No love of the natural heart is safe unless the human heart has been satisfied by God first." -Oswald Chambers To go along with this... my qt today...though it was my leftovers...was Isaiah 54. I really enjoyed verse 5, where it talks about how the maker is our husband is the the redeemer and God of all the Earth. This verse just reminds me that....

This is a picture from my qt journal today! 

LOVE is found in GOD Alone!!

Giver of Every Breath I Breathe-I Want to Know You More

"To just read the Bible, attend church, and avoid 'Big' sins-is this passionate, wholehearted love for God?" -Francois Fenelon

The answer is of course no, but how often are we stuck in that same routine? My prayer is that I never feel that I have "enough God," because my desire is to have more and more of God for the rest of my time. My great, great Aunt Bertha is by far the Godliest woman I have ever known. She passed away at 80+ years of age and yet day after day she sought after Christ. I remember coming into her house and seeing her constantly reading her Bible or praying...oh when she prayed for the world and us kids she literally cried, now that is a prayer warrior. At a young age I didn't understand it but now I do. She was so in love with God and all she ever wanted to do was serve Him, get to know Him better, and for us kids to accept Him into our hearts. I remember getting to tell Aunt Bert that I had accepted Jesus into my life; it was a moving moment to see her worship God because her prayer had been answered. This is all to say that she NEVER missed an opportunity to tell someone about God and His precious Love. No matter how old she got, she was NEVER EVER done serving Him. We should be the same way. No matter how knowledgeable, how old, or how busy we get we are NEVER through learning and we should always be serving!

I was asked-"What is God himself like?" My response...how do I even begin to answer that. :) Well, this is what I said...
*God is Holy. Francis Chan said, "We don't get to decide who God is." In Ex.3:14 God said to moses "I am who I am." We do not change that.
*God is eternal. Everything that is or has ever been is from God. He is the beginning and the end.
*God is all-knowing. Meaning while yes my friends or parents may not know everything that is going on in my head...God does! Intimidating? I think so! Hebrews 4:13 says "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."
*God is all-powerful. Psalms 115:3 makes me laugh, it says "Our God is in heaven; He does whatever pleases Him." Let me say that again..."He does WHATEVER pleases HIM." I know not exactly a haha moment yet I repeatedly find myself asking questions like "Why did i not get her body?" Why do I study so hard and get B's yet they don't study at all and get A's?" "Why did my father have to pass away?" "Why did I have to go through so much pain in high school?" I think that this is the most challenging part for me...to live for a God who is NOT obligated to answer my questions or explain himself. Then I think...

*God is fair and just. God will NOT do something to me that I cannot handle. I remember some painful situations in H.S. and I remember that one of my teachers once told me "Sometimes bad things happen to good people so that God can use them to help others." At that time, I did not like this answer but now almost 8 years later I agree completely. God has given me a platform to stand on. He has given me an amazing testimony to His glory and His love. :) Last but not least...
*God is more than words can express. I know that the above is only a portion of what my God is but I also know that there is not enough words to describe what God himself is like.

I am a sinner saved by grace.
I am a child of God.
I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalms 139:14
The God who I am in awe of sent His precious son to die for my wretched life.

That is who my God is...

Love in Christ,
Vikki Kay

Stepping Out for one who Stepped Down

All of the Christmas festivities were finally over and it is time to get ready for an event that i had been looking forward to for a long long time...JOY EXPLO!! Joy Explo is a New Years Eve rush party where we have a speaker, a band and youth from all over come and worship together. This year the speaker was Dr. Joey Dodson :) and the worship band was Pocket Full of Rocks!! This year was especially neat because I was asked by the President of the Ar. Baptist Student Ministry to help work the event. I love working with youth and helping guide them in the right direction. My teen years were kind of rough and if I could prevent any other young lady or young man from experiencing some of the heart ache, pain and confusion I went through then I'm all for it. I feel like God has given me an ability to be able to relate to teens so when asked to help in this event I was ecstatic!
This event shows teens that they can worship however they want that it doesn't matter what the person next to you is doing it only matters if you are focused on God. Joey Dodson had all the youth groups get together and pray out loud...this was neat because i have found that it is so hard to get youth to pray out loud...but they did it!! It was such a blessing to be apart of this experience to witness youth stepping out of their comfort zones and praying/worshiping to the King of Kings without hesitation or regards to those standing around.

Here are a few picture of the girls that went...
This one is of me and another youth worker Charla.
I went to this event with Unity Baptist Church. For those (3) of you who have followed me since I've started know that I was a youth intern there this summer. Well, at the end of July I started feeling like God was trying to tell me something but I wasn't sure what it was or if I was ready for what He was asking. In about September I knew that God was telling me it was time to move my membership from my home church to Unity but that was a big request. To move from the only church i've ever known, where my family are some of the first members, to a church i've only been attending for months was a big deal. I informed some close friends of my struggle and asked for prayer. I needed courage and the ability to step out of my comfort zone and trust God...
After, the youth showed their ability on New Years Eve I knew that it was my turn which was only confirmed that morning when the pastor of Unity, Bro. Tracy, started preaching about trusting God in everything. So I took that step, on January 2nd of 2011 I requested a change in membership. It was hard but after all of the church came forward to welcome me and tell me "It's about time!" I knew that it was the right decision. I'll miss my church family from Friendly Hope but I know that they agree that I should follow God's instructions above all else. A big thanks goes out to all of those that have been praying for me during this decision process. Also, this last Sunday a dear friend of mine, Kasey, asked me to walk forward with her as she too requested a change in membership from her home church. I think I can speak for both of us and say that we are super excited about getting involved and becoming apart of an Acts 1:8 church. We love all of the members and thank them all for making us feel so welcomed and loved. :)

My prayer for the New Year, to focus on what God is doing in my life and pressing forward not dwelling on the past. I pray that this is your prayer as well...

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained." Philippians 3:12-16

God Bless!! Happy New Years!

Letting God Do The Writing

Life just continues to fly by so fast. It's Winter Break and I'm sitting on the couch watching a movie with my brother. I'm not really sure what movie this is or what's going on all I can think about is how break is about to be over. I'm beyond excited and ready to be back at school where i have a routine, my best friends, and freedom yet I will miss my church, family, and friends here at home like always. However, I've done this three times now...yep that's right i'm halfway done with my junior year of college. I have a year and half left of undergrad, that is crazy!

Having only a year and half left makes me think about life in a whole new light...
I have friends getting engaged, married and having kids and I can't even decide on which medical school I want to attend. Life two and half years ago was completely different than it is now. I've come to understand that no matter what chapter of my life I'm in that as long as I continue to let God write my story I'm where i need to be.

Below is a few glimpses of what life has been like since I last wrote...

These here are from Thanksgiving with the Bennetts.

Braden, Keaton and Me showing "the Bennett Eyes"


This would be everyone that was there at the time...I sure do love my family! We are a bunch of crazies :)

These next two are from my FIRST EVER MIDNIGHT MOVIE PREMIER :) I went with a bunch of lovely friends to see Harry Potter the first half of the 7th one.




These next two are from the R.A photo shoot. These girls and my mentor Erin are some of the greatest blessing God could of given me this year. They are always there to encourage and great for a laugh. :)



I'm so thankful for Family, Friends and the lovely memories that I have with all of them! I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse into my story that God is writing and until next time...God Bless!

"For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:14-19