in the past 5 days i have...
gone to LBC to recruit for the internship and got to see some good friends who i worked with at sandy cove.. smiles
gone to chic fil a, rita's, and starbucks all in the same night with sarah, taco, and dess.. smiles
played some good competitive volleyball.. smiles
worked in the kitchen a lot.. smiles
gotten my nose pierced.. smiles
bought seasons passes to six flags with dess..smiles
gotten paid to work in a tree for a few hours with kids.. smiles
gone on multiple pain free runs.. smiles
talked to mommy.. smiles
had one of the best most joyful, most fun, most wonderful dates of my life with the most wonderful man of my life.. big smiles
i realized looking back at all the things i "smile" about are really most of the things i am thankful for in my life. when im down i just need to look back at the past few days that the Lord wrote out. i need to look back and be reminded of all the things he has placed in my daily life that make me "smile." thank you for the smiles Lord.
smiles really can change the world.
:)
beth.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
encouraged.
it's a rainy day. it's our day off. that means no going outside or running for me. it's a good thing because i wouldn't have had this conversation that showed how big God is. us girls just had an amazing conversation. one of our co-workers just shared her story and where God is taking her in her life. the way her story has played out was totally and only a God story. when God was taking away in her life He was writing another part of her story to give to her in her life. there was no way she could have wrote this part of her life and there is no way it could have just played out the way it did. without coming out and saying whats going on in her life i can just say that it is a huge testimony to the God who provides! and with hearing her story it is an encouragement to me that God will take care of me. He has the next part of my life planned. there is a door that will open for me. not sure when and not sure what, but i know He is in control. He took care of her in a way she could never imagined and i am encouraged to know that He does that for all His children. it may come in a different way or a different process, but it's coming. i may have to wait, but He is leading. i don't have a problem following a God who leads and takes care of me. i can handle that. God, thanks for encouraging me through your other children. thank you for revealing your provision through other people. i trust in you. Amen.
encouraged,
beth.
encouraged,
beth.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
a week of greats.
this past week was my spring break.. yeah as an intern we get breaks.. so blessed :) anyway i will try to write about everything that took place.. it was probably one of my favorite weeks in a long time..it was a week of great friends, great family, great fun, great conversations, and great hurdles overcome..
after my weekend spent in ocean city and sandy cove, i made the hike down to home sweet home in powhatan, va. you know when you have plans in your head that you would love to do, but know you won't be able to do all of it? well, it was one of those weeks of plans except instead of not being able to do everything, i was able to do it all and more! sometimes break doesn't feel like time off because of how busy you become, but it was still refreshing.. had lunch with a friend who i have known since i was a baby, spent time with my grandparents who i never get to see, spent some quality time with mommy, had a good night with my daddy and charlie, got to see my sister for a bit, visited my softball coaches from high school, went to a few liberty softball games, and got to see some college friends.
i couldn't sleep well friday night. i think my mind was racing from the day. so, i was up at 4 getting ready to head back up to maryland at 5. mommy got up with me and made me some coffee.. i have a wonderful mommy. on the road by 5 to avoid traffic on 95.. it's the worst! got to see the beautiful sunrise! spent the next 3 days hanging out with friends from the cove. Easter day was spent with my boyfriend and his family.. got to meet them for the first time :) loved every minute of it. had some wonderful meals and some very meaningful conversations.. passed the point where i usually run in relationships.. living out honesty is the best policy.. and growing! i am loved! excited to see where God continues to lead us!
in conversation i had this past weekend, i realized how much deeper my attachment to the game of softball really is.. it was really a huge part of my identity. although, i don't rely on softball for my life, i realized i relied on it a little too much. it was an escape and a safe place for me to go and to channel my feelings when things weren't so great off the field... now i am forced to face the exact things i was running from. it's been a beautiful process of heartache and growth. in my senior season at Liberty i was in an article in a magazine called the Liberty Journal.. the author concluded the article with, "Bennett identified herself primarily as a softball player. These days she views herself as an athlete, on God's team, seeking His will, one play at a time." it's funny he chose to end the article with this.. although, i have to admit that i wasn't fully there, i can now say that it's true. it may be cliche or corny, but i am not a softball player. i am a daughter of the king who was used in her softball career. now i am identifying myself as fully His seeking where i can next be used to glorify Him best.
His daughter,
beth.
after my weekend spent in ocean city and sandy cove, i made the hike down to home sweet home in powhatan, va. you know when you have plans in your head that you would love to do, but know you won't be able to do all of it? well, it was one of those weeks of plans except instead of not being able to do everything, i was able to do it all and more! sometimes break doesn't feel like time off because of how busy you become, but it was still refreshing.. had lunch with a friend who i have known since i was a baby, spent time with my grandparents who i never get to see, spent some quality time with mommy, had a good night with my daddy and charlie, got to see my sister for a bit, visited my softball coaches from high school, went to a few liberty softball games, and got to see some college friends.
i couldn't sleep well friday night. i think my mind was racing from the day. so, i was up at 4 getting ready to head back up to maryland at 5. mommy got up with me and made me some coffee.. i have a wonderful mommy. on the road by 5 to avoid traffic on 95.. it's the worst! got to see the beautiful sunrise! spent the next 3 days hanging out with friends from the cove. Easter day was spent with my boyfriend and his family.. got to meet them for the first time :) loved every minute of it. had some wonderful meals and some very meaningful conversations.. passed the point where i usually run in relationships.. living out honesty is the best policy.. and growing! i am loved! excited to see where God continues to lead us!
in conversation i had this past weekend, i realized how much deeper my attachment to the game of softball really is.. it was really a huge part of my identity. although, i don't rely on softball for my life, i realized i relied on it a little too much. it was an escape and a safe place for me to go and to channel my feelings when things weren't so great off the field... now i am forced to face the exact things i was running from. it's been a beautiful process of heartache and growth. in my senior season at Liberty i was in an article in a magazine called the Liberty Journal.. the author concluded the article with, "Bennett identified herself primarily as a softball player. These days she views herself as an athlete, on God's team, seeking His will, one play at a time." it's funny he chose to end the article with this.. although, i have to admit that i wasn't fully there, i can now say that it's true. it may be cliche or corny, but i am not a softball player. i am a daughter of the king who was used in her softball career. now i am identifying myself as fully His seeking where i can next be used to glorify Him best.
His daughter,
beth.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
rain.
so the past 2 days it has been raining..most of us complain, me included. i've been more aware of my thoughts lately and so after complaining to myself about the rain, i started thinking about it. so many of us call rainy days yucky, blah, down, gross, or bad weather, but without rain we wouldn't have life. we sing that silly song for the rain to come back another day, but when are we really ready for the rain to come back another day?? pretty much never..we are spoiled by the sunshine. the rain is what makes the sunshine days so beautiful. it makes me think and compare it to trials in our lives.. without the trials how could we appretiate the life God has given us. we have to go through the fire to become pure and we have to go through the pain to feel His love and healing power. and just like the rain is a reason to be grateful, so are the trials. they open are eyes to the beautiful life God is giving us... and so when i thought about it, i questioned my complaints and realized that i should be grateful for these days. these days are the precurser for the days that bring us so much joy. and with that said, rainy days can bring us joy knowing that the next day will be bright and beautiful. so go play in the rain and enjoy it :)
finding joy,
beth
finding joy,
beth
Monday, March 29, 2010
preparing for a new season.
so 2 weekends ago was the end of our 5 weeks of winter meltdown. this was our rescheduled winter meltdown from the one that was canceled back in feb. it was kind of weird having it when it was so warm outside, but it was certainly a positive for running outdoor activities. i even got to wear shorts and a tank top to run our field games and the zip line. it was middle school weekend, so the kids had a harder time focusing, but it was a great weekend nonetheless. on sunday of that weekend i got to meet my mom, her boyfriend scott, stephen, and sean in the inner harbor of baltimore to spend some quality time in the warm weather :) i am glad to have been able to spend time with my mommy. i love seeing her and it's no fun being away from her, but that's why we have phones :) we had a wonderful day of shopping and eating outside. then stephen, sean, and i went to watch our friend, Matt, play arena football in baltimore. we met his wife suzanne, who works at the cove as well, and got to eat dinner with them afterwords. just a wonderful day of connecting and building on relationships.
with the ending of winter meltdown season starts the spring session of our internship. we will now be planning for summer camp, our intern trip, and gearing up for the spring session of our outdoor education program.
last week really consisted of a whole bunch of cleaning. i mean a whole bunch. haha fort roller (where i will be for the summer) had to be cleaned for the open house, which was last weekend. the cabins hadn't been touched for 6 months.. i will let you use your imagination as to how much dirt was in those cabins and is now in my nose and lungs. haha. the cleaning was finished, so the lady interns and barb (our registrar at rvr) went on a trip to ocean city, md to recruit summer campers. it was a YFC conference with bands pillar and hawk nelson. it was super fun to get to go down to the beach and work with just girls :) kind of a little getaway even though it was for work. :) we ate some pretty good food, had some good conversations, and a lot of laughing.. us girls are good at that. we woke up pretty early and headed back to the ranch for the open house. the open house went really well and i was in charge of leading tours for fort roller. it was nice to work with large groups of people and get a sneak peak of what summer will be like.
now, i am sitting in my room at sandy cove at the beginning of my Easter break. i am so thankful we get breaks as interns. it is such a blessing to be able to spend time with the people we love, but are far away from. i've been thinking about my future and my life after the internship come august and i have many different plans i could take and many different doors i could go through and be happy doing, but i have realized in the past few years that all i really want to do is serve the Lord. it isn't about finding a place you love or about being somewhere that feels like home. i have found that home and doing what i love is serving the Lord no matter where i am. those 2 things fall into the same category of my desire to serve Him in whatever job i take. i don't know where i will be and i am not worried. i can say without a doubt that if i am following His leading and following the peace He has put in my life that i will be happy and doing what i want to do. i have tons of things i want to do in this life, but the one thing that will satisfy me and does satisfy me, is following Him and serving Him wherever i end up. nothing compares to His peace and so i will run hard after that and follow that peace because there is no greater feeling than knowing you are right where He wants you to be. and i don't mean where as in a place, but where as in where you are in following His path and not a path of location, but a path of serving and loving and following hard after Him in any place and in any job. so i lay it down. i trust You Lord for guidance. i trust my life and future is in Your hands. guide and lead me in these next steps of my life.
surrendering it all,
beth.
with the ending of winter meltdown season starts the spring session of our internship. we will now be planning for summer camp, our intern trip, and gearing up for the spring session of our outdoor education program.
last week really consisted of a whole bunch of cleaning. i mean a whole bunch. haha fort roller (where i will be for the summer) had to be cleaned for the open house, which was last weekend. the cabins hadn't been touched for 6 months.. i will let you use your imagination as to how much dirt was in those cabins and is now in my nose and lungs. haha. the cleaning was finished, so the lady interns and barb (our registrar at rvr) went on a trip to ocean city, md to recruit summer campers. it was a YFC conference with bands pillar and hawk nelson. it was super fun to get to go down to the beach and work with just girls :) kind of a little getaway even though it was for work. :) we ate some pretty good food, had some good conversations, and a lot of laughing.. us girls are good at that. we woke up pretty early and headed back to the ranch for the open house. the open house went really well and i was in charge of leading tours for fort roller. it was nice to work with large groups of people and get a sneak peak of what summer will be like.
now, i am sitting in my room at sandy cove at the beginning of my Easter break. i am so thankful we get breaks as interns. it is such a blessing to be able to spend time with the people we love, but are far away from. i've been thinking about my future and my life after the internship come august and i have many different plans i could take and many different doors i could go through and be happy doing, but i have realized in the past few years that all i really want to do is serve the Lord. it isn't about finding a place you love or about being somewhere that feels like home. i have found that home and doing what i love is serving the Lord no matter where i am. those 2 things fall into the same category of my desire to serve Him in whatever job i take. i don't know where i will be and i am not worried. i can say without a doubt that if i am following His leading and following the peace He has put in my life that i will be happy and doing what i want to do. i have tons of things i want to do in this life, but the one thing that will satisfy me and does satisfy me, is following Him and serving Him wherever i end up. nothing compares to His peace and so i will run hard after that and follow that peace because there is no greater feeling than knowing you are right where He wants you to be. and i don't mean where as in a place, but where as in where you are in following His path and not a path of location, but a path of serving and loving and following hard after Him in any place and in any job. so i lay it down. i trust You Lord for guidance. i trust my life and future is in Your hands. guide and lead me in these next steps of my life.
surrendering it all,
beth.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
the past 10 days.
i mean really? 10 days? they went by so fast! haha well i meant to write earlier because there has been so much to write about! :) what a fun past week. ok here goes,
so last week the interns worked monday (our day off) so that we could get wed. off and head up to philly for another chic-fil-a opening. there were 20 of us either from the ranch or associated with the ranch in some way. needless to say there were over 100 people there so we had to do the drawing and we all got it! guess what, i was number 100 again!! for the 2nd time in a row i waited for 99 names to be called to hear mine called! it was so awesome, but so nerve wrecking! ugh, but yay! so that was a fun night and morning when i got my 52 free meals! i love chic fil a and their food! :)
friday evening hannah, taco, ryan, sarah, and i went to the baltimore blast soccer game to recruit some campers and get the name of the ranch out in the city. it was a youth group event sponsored by shine fm and liberty university. so there was a soccer game and then a hawk nelson concert. so when the concert started hannah and i were up front rocking out :) it was a fun evening! dess and bill were hosting the retreat so they weren't able to go. saturday we just cleaned 3 cabins up at fort roller.. they were filthy and it was pouring down rain so it was chilly and wet. we pretty much cleaned all day.
sunday i was able to go to church again for the 2nd time in a row! woohoo.. i have been going to a church called Mountain Christian Church in joppa, md. ;) i love the church. it's huge like i mean huge! i never really enjoyed big churches because i felt like it was hard to make a family. i realized you have to plug yourself in and join small groups and other groups to meet more people. i don't have the time for it, but i now see how it works. i love the preaching. i was pretty spoiled back in lynchburg because my pastor there preached expositionally (not a word) so i was being fed the word and lots of it every sunday. mountain church pastors normally do topical preaching which is great too, but a lot of times pastors lack the word. not at mountain.. i am fed the word while relating it to certain topics so i am very grateful for that.. this sunday i went to a class they offer for people interested in knowing more about mountain and becoming members if that is what people would want to do. i am interested in joining if i stay in the area. so it was an informative class and a nice way to meet people who go there as well as the pastor. :) that evening some of the girls from the ranch met me for shopping, dinner, and grocery time. i love buying groceries.. i eat so much healthier and we went to trader joe's which provides the healthiness :) haha
this monday was our day off and very enjoyable and relaxing for me :) i have been running a lot lately with this amazingly nice weather.. 70 today so i will be out right after work getting a nice run in :) thank you Lord for this weather! with this gorgeous weather means no more snowboarding :( we were going to try to go this coming monday but the slopes are already closed for the season! gotta wait til next year!
tuesday, matt took us on a surprise trip to the inner harbor of baltimore. it was a "thank you for all your hard work" trip. we walked around downtown, shopped, and saw the catholic church. it was so nice to get away. i am learning to love cities.. they fascinate me :)
today, my goal is to plan some of our intern trip, find a cheap Easter dress, and go for a run :)
go enjoy this day!
in Him,
beth.
so last week the interns worked monday (our day off) so that we could get wed. off and head up to philly for another chic-fil-a opening. there were 20 of us either from the ranch or associated with the ranch in some way. needless to say there were over 100 people there so we had to do the drawing and we all got it! guess what, i was number 100 again!! for the 2nd time in a row i waited for 99 names to be called to hear mine called! it was so awesome, but so nerve wrecking! ugh, but yay! so that was a fun night and morning when i got my 52 free meals! i love chic fil a and their food! :)
friday evening hannah, taco, ryan, sarah, and i went to the baltimore blast soccer game to recruit some campers and get the name of the ranch out in the city. it was a youth group event sponsored by shine fm and liberty university. so there was a soccer game and then a hawk nelson concert. so when the concert started hannah and i were up front rocking out :) it was a fun evening! dess and bill were hosting the retreat so they weren't able to go. saturday we just cleaned 3 cabins up at fort roller.. they were filthy and it was pouring down rain so it was chilly and wet. we pretty much cleaned all day.
sunday i was able to go to church again for the 2nd time in a row! woohoo.. i have been going to a church called Mountain Christian Church in joppa, md. ;) i love the church. it's huge like i mean huge! i never really enjoyed big churches because i felt like it was hard to make a family. i realized you have to plug yourself in and join small groups and other groups to meet more people. i don't have the time for it, but i now see how it works. i love the preaching. i was pretty spoiled back in lynchburg because my pastor there preached expositionally (not a word) so i was being fed the word and lots of it every sunday. mountain church pastors normally do topical preaching which is great too, but a lot of times pastors lack the word. not at mountain.. i am fed the word while relating it to certain topics so i am very grateful for that.. this sunday i went to a class they offer for people interested in knowing more about mountain and becoming members if that is what people would want to do. i am interested in joining if i stay in the area. so it was an informative class and a nice way to meet people who go there as well as the pastor. :) that evening some of the girls from the ranch met me for shopping, dinner, and grocery time. i love buying groceries.. i eat so much healthier and we went to trader joe's which provides the healthiness :) haha
this monday was our day off and very enjoyable and relaxing for me :) i have been running a lot lately with this amazingly nice weather.. 70 today so i will be out right after work getting a nice run in :) thank you Lord for this weather! with this gorgeous weather means no more snowboarding :( we were going to try to go this coming monday but the slopes are already closed for the season! gotta wait til next year!
tuesday, matt took us on a surprise trip to the inner harbor of baltimore. it was a "thank you for all your hard work" trip. we walked around downtown, shopped, and saw the catholic church. it was so nice to get away. i am learning to love cities.. they fascinate me :)
today, my goal is to plan some of our intern trip, find a cheap Easter dress, and go for a run :)
go enjoy this day!
in Him,
beth.
Monday, March 8, 2010
a taste of spring..
loving this warmer weather.. i am sure it's not here to stay so i'll soak it in while it lasts.. it was a good weekend.. our first winter retreat since winter meltdown was here. worked the zip line and high ropes saturday. pretty nice day, but still snow on the ground.. it made everything so much more difficult, but i didn't mind because i felt like i was getting a work out :) sarah's birthday was friday and her sister came up and surprised her. we had a good weekend with her. we celebrated her birthday thursday night and ate some delicious goodies, all which i am running off now. haha.. saw a couple movies this weekend.. valentine's day and alice and wonderland. i could take or leave the first movie, but alice in wonderland was surprisingly good :) had a wondeful day yesterday out with some special people. :) today the interns and i decided where we will be spending our intern camping trip in may! for the first 3 nights we will be spending it camping on assateague island in maryland! the last night and day we will be at great falls, va-dc area! i am pretty excited.. it will be a blast.. especially spending it with such fun people! can't wait.
it's been so nice out these past few days.. so nice i got to wear a dress and a jean jacket yesterday :) spring is so beautiful when it finally comes around, but for me it comes with such an odd feeling. it's not a bad feeling, just weird.. i love it though.. watching everything come back to life. like a new beginning. it makes me think about each new day the Lord gives me. lately i have been realizing more and more negative things about myself.. sometimes i wonder if it is even possible to live a strong christian life.. i fail multiple times daily and i see each time i fail now. i guess on a positive note it's great to finally see those failures so i can work on being the person i want to be for the Lord. sometimes it's overwhelming trying to do everything right. i think it's impossible, but then i am reminded that each day is a new day. each day is a gift from the Lord. a gift that i want to try to give back each day. a new day for me to work on who i am and grow closer to Him. it's not easy knowing how short you fall and i feel that stronger than ever. that also means that i am feeling how much grace the Lord gives. boy, i don't deserve it, but He gives it and oh how i am so grateful He does and doesn't give up on me.
Lord, make me more like your Son. Holy Spirit, give me the strength to pick myself up and try again after those many times i fail.
beth.
it's been so nice out these past few days.. so nice i got to wear a dress and a jean jacket yesterday :) spring is so beautiful when it finally comes around, but for me it comes with such an odd feeling. it's not a bad feeling, just weird.. i love it though.. watching everything come back to life. like a new beginning. it makes me think about each new day the Lord gives me. lately i have been realizing more and more negative things about myself.. sometimes i wonder if it is even possible to live a strong christian life.. i fail multiple times daily and i see each time i fail now. i guess on a positive note it's great to finally see those failures so i can work on being the person i want to be for the Lord. sometimes it's overwhelming trying to do everything right. i think it's impossible, but then i am reminded that each day is a new day. each day is a gift from the Lord. a gift that i want to try to give back each day. a new day for me to work on who i am and grow closer to Him. it's not easy knowing how short you fall and i feel that stronger than ever. that also means that i am feeling how much grace the Lord gives. boy, i don't deserve it, but He gives it and oh how i am so grateful He does and doesn't give up on me.
Lord, make me more like your Son. Holy Spirit, give me the strength to pick myself up and try again after those many times i fail.
beth.
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