Today has been a pretty amazing day off... it was much needed. I pretty much hung out with a 6 year old all day, but it was amazing none the less!
My host family for the summer during my internship have 2 incredible children, Sydney and Connor. I play with these kids and spend time with them EVERY chance I get. Today I spent primarily with Sydney.
Sydney came into my room around lunch time jumping up and down because she just found out she didn't have to go to camp today and now she could spend the entire day with me!! We went swimming at the pool, but it began thundering 20 minutes after we got there.
We left and came home and begin playing "house" until dinner time. I had a blast playing with the baby dolls, the play kitchen, and all the other fun little girl stuff!
Today was also special because it marks the beginning of "Tiffany is eating healthy and losing weight now"...haha! I say that often, but hopefully this time it will really stick and make a difference! I have less than a year left for that special day with Josh to look my absolute best... I've gotta get to work!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Welcome Back...
It's been a while since I've blogged here... deepest apologies.
Initially my intentions were to use this as way to de-stress myself/vent/let it all out. Now with an increase of people wanting to know if I have a blog, I've decided to try and maintain this thing on a more normal basis.
So here's to a more normal blogging schedule? Can I say that?!
A little update since last time I was on here:
I finished my junior year at Central Bible College
My boyfriend, Josh, got ordained in May
I BECAME A LICENSED MINISTER OF THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD...that means I'm a reverend now... Reverend Tiffany Williams...wow, weird, lol.
I'm finishing up my internship at Allison Park Church in Allison Park Church, PA.
I finally got a new car...a VW Passatt... it's beautiful! I've literally been waiting for 10 years :)
I have less than a year left until that special day ;) It'll be the best day of my lif
Initially my intentions were to use this as way to de-stress myself/vent/let it all out. Now with an increase of people wanting to know if I have a blog, I've decided to try and maintain this thing on a more normal basis.
So here's to a more normal blogging schedule? Can I say that?!
A little update since last time I was on here:
I finished my junior year at Central Bible College
My boyfriend, Josh, got ordained in May
I BECAME A LICENSED MINISTER OF THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD...that means I'm a reverend now... Reverend Tiffany Williams...wow, weird, lol.
I'm finishing up my internship at Allison Park Church in Allison Park Church, PA.
I finally got a new car...a VW Passatt... it's beautiful! I've literally been waiting for 10 years :)
I have less than a year left until that special day ;) It'll be the best day of my lif
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Out of the Box Kinna Guy
Exactly two Weeks from today I'll set off on one of the most amazing adventures/trips/experiences in my life.
Mardi Gras 2008.
Before you go all judgmental old school on me...just give it a chance.
Central Bible College, my school, is taking a team of 30some students to do outreach ministry at Mardi Gras in New Orleans. We are working with Evangelist Wayne Northrup, and the organization Answering the Cries Outreach. We are aware that this is something that many of us have never experienced, but yet are thrilled at the tremendous challenge set before us.
These people are our own age...college students just like us. Yet they'll be drinking and participating in sexual activities almost 24/7. We however are going to simply be their friends. Talk with them. Let them know we care about their lives.
I have faced immense opposition about this trip from family, friends, even others here at CBC... but no matter what, SOMEONE HAS TO GO. These people need God to intervene in their lives just as bad as the little african babies in orphanages in Africa.
We send missionaries out around the world to "reach the lost". We ordain and license pastors to pastor great churches in America to reach the lost. But when someone thinks outside the box of Traditional Ministry, many christians flip. Mardi Gras participants deserve to have someone sent to them too. It might as well be me. I'm nothing more than those missionaries sent to Africa, Asia, England, Brazil, Honduras, or Sri Lanka...and they are nothing more than me. We are all sinners who were once caught up in the world. We were deep in sin too... but God sent someone to us in the midst of our sin.
God is sending a group of people to these sinners who are deep in sin. There's a correlation there...but many christians fail to see it that way. It's out of their box, out of their comfort zone, and not according to tradition.
"God is an out of the box kinna guy". That's my new saying. He has to be out of the box in order to have the ability to have such vast relationships with such a vast array of people (i.e. every person on the face of the earth). His method of ministry was out of the box. We went to the sinners...where they were at. He meant them right where they were, no matter what.
So here's to a great week at Mardi Gras... being "christ-like" or "like-Christ"... out of the box.
He's out of the box...to be like him... we are out of the box.
Mardi Gras 2008.
Before you go all judgmental old school on me...just give it a chance.
Central Bible College, my school, is taking a team of 30some students to do outreach ministry at Mardi Gras in New Orleans. We are working with Evangelist Wayne Northrup, and the organization Answering the Cries Outreach. We are aware that this is something that many of us have never experienced, but yet are thrilled at the tremendous challenge set before us.
These people are our own age...college students just like us. Yet they'll be drinking and participating in sexual activities almost 24/7. We however are going to simply be their friends. Talk with them. Let them know we care about their lives.
I have faced immense opposition about this trip from family, friends, even others here at CBC... but no matter what, SOMEONE HAS TO GO. These people need God to intervene in their lives just as bad as the little african babies in orphanages in Africa.
We send missionaries out around the world to "reach the lost". We ordain and license pastors to pastor great churches in America to reach the lost. But when someone thinks outside the box of Traditional Ministry, many christians flip. Mardi Gras participants deserve to have someone sent to them too. It might as well be me. I'm nothing more than those missionaries sent to Africa, Asia, England, Brazil, Honduras, or Sri Lanka...and they are nothing more than me. We are all sinners who were once caught up in the world. We were deep in sin too... but God sent someone to us in the midst of our sin.
God is sending a group of people to these sinners who are deep in sin. There's a correlation there...but many christians fail to see it that way. It's out of their box, out of their comfort zone, and not according to tradition.
"God is an out of the box kinna guy". That's my new saying. He has to be out of the box in order to have the ability to have such vast relationships with such a vast array of people (i.e. every person on the face of the earth). His method of ministry was out of the box. We went to the sinners...where they were at. He meant them right where they were, no matter what.
So here's to a great week at Mardi Gras... being "christ-like" or "like-Christ"... out of the box.
He's out of the box...to be like him... we are out of the box.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Next Time = zero.
It's got to be up in the thousands by now...
the number of times this has happened.
I've become a better person because of it, and I've learned a lot about people...especially those living in bitterness and anger. I've learned that they are miserable and their desire is for everyone else to live at the same level. The things they accuse others of are perhaps the very same things that can be spoken about their own lifestyle.
I won't let this happen to me next time, oh wait I forgot...there won't be a next time. I'm done. For real this time. I will move on.
Moving on with life, with friends, with the man of my dreams, with school, and with being me...Tiffany Hope.
Yes there's hope...more than just my middle name. But it's all found in God and the Holy Spirit.
I've tried, I've begged, I've talked, and I've pleaded... but it hasn't changed. It just gotten worse. I take myself out and away from it...her.
It's up to God and her now... she'll have to answer for it someday.
Until then... I'm not letting her get in my way.
the number of times this has happened.
I've become a better person because of it, and I've learned a lot about people...especially those living in bitterness and anger. I've learned that they are miserable and their desire is for everyone else to live at the same level. The things they accuse others of are perhaps the very same things that can be spoken about their own lifestyle.
I won't let this happen to me next time, oh wait I forgot...there won't be a next time. I'm done. For real this time. I will move on.
Moving on with life, with friends, with the man of my dreams, with school, and with being me...Tiffany Hope.
Yes there's hope...more than just my middle name. But it's all found in God and the Holy Spirit.
I've tried, I've begged, I've talked, and I've pleaded... but it hasn't changed. It just gotten worse. I take myself out and away from it...her.
It's up to God and her now... she'll have to answer for it someday.
Until then... I'm not letting her get in my way.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Rotten Fruit
Bitter, Angry, Jealous, Unforgiving, Manipulative, Controlling, Naggy, and Negative.
If the above are the primary fruits one produces, what can be said about their relationships with others? What does it say about their relationship with Christ? It is Rotten, or it is rotting.
I don't ever want to have people to have to sit and "rack their brains" in order to find one fruit of the spirit that they see I possess and show on a regular basis. I never want to get to the point that some people do.
I don't want to become a hypocrite that is fake and inconsistent. I don't want to be one person at church or in public, and then a totally different person in the home or with my husband and children.
I want to be authentic, real, and the same person all the time...no matter who I am around. I want to have character and good integrity... do the right things when no one else is watching me or around. I don't want to produce rotten fruit and allow it to affect my character as a woman of God and minister/minister's wife. (future)
I see now why some things have happened. Then, I thought they were ridiculous, absurd, and even a little unfair. Now I see, they are only consequences some people have to experience for allowing rotten fruit to grow in their lives. Now that I see... I have to say that I understand now. Although, it affected more than themselves... it was the best option and choice.
Thank you Jesus for pulling me out of the situation and for fulfilling your promise you spoke to me in the midst of that trouble. Thank you for a new heart. Thank you for a new mind. Thank you for new emotions. Thank you for a new life.
If the above are the primary fruits one produces, what can be said about their relationships with others? What does it say about their relationship with Christ? It is Rotten, or it is rotting.
I don't ever want to have people to have to sit and "rack their brains" in order to find one fruit of the spirit that they see I possess and show on a regular basis. I never want to get to the point that some people do.
I don't want to become a hypocrite that is fake and inconsistent. I don't want to be one person at church or in public, and then a totally different person in the home or with my husband and children.
I want to be authentic, real, and the same person all the time...no matter who I am around. I want to have character and good integrity... do the right things when no one else is watching me or around. I don't want to produce rotten fruit and allow it to affect my character as a woman of God and minister/minister's wife. (future)
I see now why some things have happened. Then, I thought they were ridiculous, absurd, and even a little unfair. Now I see, they are only consequences some people have to experience for allowing rotten fruit to grow in their lives. Now that I see... I have to say that I understand now. Although, it affected more than themselves... it was the best option and choice.
Thank you Jesus for pulling me out of the situation and for fulfilling your promise you spoke to me in the midst of that trouble. Thank you for a new heart. Thank you for a new mind. Thank you for new emotions. Thank you for a new life.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Someday...after Everyday
Someday the sad feeling in my heart that follows every goodbye and goodnight won't be so sad.
Someday the loneliness of long boring days won't be so boring and lonely.
Someday the I love you's won't have to be said 700 miles away.
Someday the longing to be together won't nag at my heart and hurt so much.
Someday the tears won't be in my eye every time he tells me goodnight and goodbye.
Someday we'll be in love and be together forever.
Someday.
Until then...
Everyday I must have patience.
Everyday I must put all my trust in God.
Everyday I must respect and love my love.
Everyday I must let God write my own love story.
Everyday I must strive to become a better woman of God.
Everyday.
Someday the loneliness of long boring days won't be so boring and lonely.
Someday the I love you's won't have to be said 700 miles away.
Someday the longing to be together won't nag at my heart and hurt so much.
Someday the tears won't be in my eye every time he tells me goodnight and goodbye.
Someday we'll be in love and be together forever.
Someday.
Until then...
Everyday I must have patience.
Everyday I must put all my trust in God.
Everyday I must respect and love my love.
Everyday I must let God write my own love story.
Everyday I must strive to become a better woman of God.
Everyday.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Judge a tree by it's fruit...
Lately my mind has been stuck on two things... heroes and the fruits of the spirit. Heroes, I'll get into that at a later time. For now, here goes the fruit.
Apple, Orange, Bananas, Pineapple, Watermelon, Grapes, Kiwi, Strawberry, Mango, Coconut, Cantleope... I don't really like any of those. Occasionaly some watermelon or pineapple...but the others are pretty much a no-go ALL the time.
It's true I don't have much fruit in my diet.
It's true that I DO have fruit in my life though.
But it's okay...the fruit above is not what really matters.
(in a way it does if I don't want to become a 400 lb beast someday)
The fruits of the spirit...they matter.
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
My life bears fruit, everyone's life bears fruit. But what kind does it bear. Does it bear those things listed in Galatians 5:19-21 ( sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarelling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties)? At times all of us make mistakes and show evidence of the things listed before this sentence.
But they shouldn't be what defines us and our lives on a daily basis. It should never become the norm.
Our life should consist primarily of the things listed in Galatians 5:22-23...the fruits of the spirit. Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control... because they matter.
For a true christian these things should be evident in their life. Not 24/7/365 and all at the same time because we aren't perfect. We are also human and make mistakes. I said PRIMARILY make up what our life should consist of.
When one doesn't show evidence of the fruit of the spirit in their life as a norm, then I have a hard time believing that they have a true authentic relationship with Christ.
I want it to be evident to others that my life bears fruit...the fruit of the spirit. I want to live my life in a way where people don't have to think and rack their brains about my life bearing that fruit of the spirit. I want it to be obvious.
I want the fruit of my life and the fruit of my relationship with Christ to be that of the spirit.
Apple, Orange, Bananas, Pineapple, Watermelon, Grapes, Kiwi, Strawberry, Mango, Coconut, Cantleope... I don't really like any of those. Occasionaly some watermelon or pineapple...but the others are pretty much a no-go ALL the time.
It's true I don't have much fruit in my diet.
It's true that I DO have fruit in my life though.
But it's okay...the fruit above is not what really matters.
(in a way it does if I don't want to become a 400 lb beast someday)
The fruits of the spirit...they matter.
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
My life bears fruit, everyone's life bears fruit. But what kind does it bear. Does it bear those things listed in Galatians 5:19-21 ( sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarelling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties)? At times all of us make mistakes and show evidence of the things listed before this sentence.
But they shouldn't be what defines us and our lives on a daily basis. It should never become the norm.
Our life should consist primarily of the things listed in Galatians 5:22-23...the fruits of the spirit. Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control... because they matter.
For a true christian these things should be evident in their life. Not 24/7/365 and all at the same time because we aren't perfect. We are also human and make mistakes. I said PRIMARILY make up what our life should consist of.
When one doesn't show evidence of the fruit of the spirit in their life as a norm, then I have a hard time believing that they have a true authentic relationship with Christ.
I want it to be evident to others that my life bears fruit...the fruit of the spirit. I want to live my life in a way where people don't have to think and rack their brains about my life bearing that fruit of the spirit. I want it to be obvious.
I want the fruit of my life and the fruit of my relationship with Christ to be that of the spirit.
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