thanksgiving break... and it's almost christmas!!!

so here are some shots of my thanksgiving break...

on thanksgiving day, we took nicole with us and went to grandma burkey's house for turkey and stuffing in northern indiana (lagrange to be exact). it was great fun! my aunt just had a baby... lydia ann, and she was there, and it was just good to see grandma and some of the other burkeys in the world! :)

uncle pete and jonathan ate this huge tray of food. really gross, but it was really funny too! the plate had the thanksgiving story on it, like a big turkey and pilgrims and indians. so they dug up some pilgrims and indians. :)

some thanksgiving verses...

Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced.

-1 Chronicles 16:8, 15-

It is he who made us and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

-Psalm 100:4-5-

Bejoyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

-1 Thessalonians 5:16-18-

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire".

-Hebrews 12:28-29-

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

-Psalm 95:1-7-

so today, sunday... as i'm getting ready to go back to olivet, dad walks in the kitchen... mom and i laughed so hard! don't you just love the socks!?! and the swimtrunks are to die for! i love my papa jon! :)

OH, IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME!!!!

i set up our christmas tree in our living room when i got back today. alli helped me... we decked out our apartment. it looks amazing!!! i'm so excited! i just wish rach and amandalynn were back to see it!!

allison put lights on rachel's plant... isn't that awesome!?! :) i love it! rach will too!

and this is our living room... and our tree!!! it just has lights right now, but ah, it feels like christmas!!! and i made chex mix and we listened (are listening to) christmas music... ah, it's in the air!!! merry christmas early!

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
-John 1:14-

the fat dutch kid!!!!

DUDE!!!!!!!!!
I FOUND THE FAT DUTCH KID WEBSITE TODAY!!!!!!!!!
TOTALLY GO TO IT AND LAUGH REALLY HARD!!!!

http://www.michounet.com/fatman/

fashion show!

so my room mate rachel had this amazing idea tonight to have a fashion show/photo shoot on our last night before thanksgiving break. boy oh boy was it a blast!! here are a couple of me all weirded up and out for the pictures. i'll try and put some more on laters... although if you have facebook, there's a tons of pics there... and if you don't have facebook you should totally get it cuz it's amazing and there are so many kewl people in the world that will add you and you'll be like... dude, i remember you!! so yeah, www.facebook.com for some good times. :)

weren't those just awesome!?!

so wow... lemme tell you, i am SO ready for thanksgiving break!!! i can not WAIT to go home and hug my momma!!! yeah! one more sleep as rach dawg says!! if you get some time read through isaiah 49... and pretend that God's speaking about you, his child, instead of Jerusalem. how kewl is it that he hides us in the palm of his hand and he conceals us in his quiver!!!

i will praise the Lord always, his praise will forever be on my lips!

bowling!

tonight was our sister-to-sister end of the year/program bowling party at gala lanes. it was great fun. above is my beautiful sister maggie and myself, and below are all of us with multi-colored bowling balls having fun!! we've got brenda with orange, kristina with green, me and pink, katie and blue and joy with red. it was so much fun!!

renewed

meet renewed. well, the revival version that is. you got chris davis in green, amy slonecker in pink, aaron payne in stripes, myself in purple and chris payne in black.


they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not grow faint.
-isaiah 40:31

praise the Lord... let everything within you shout praise!!

wow... lemme just tell you that it's been CRAZY busy lately!! i'm living for thursday. if i can make it to thursday then i can make it... and thanksgiving break is tuesday!! whoopie!! our band, renewed, is playing revival services for a church in kankakee this week which is totally awesome. we're also playing at freshman chapel tomorrow... so pray for us, cuz it's a lot of time, but totally worth it and all for God's glory! i got that job at barnes and noble, praise Jesus!!! and i don't start until after christmas break which is totally perfect... otherwise i'd really be struggling to make it!! i have a couple papers due and am busy tutoring... but other than that i'm searching for moments to meet with Jesus and am continually reminded of his saving grace that is working in my life. be encouraged today and lift your eyes to heaven, from whence does your help come. pray... pray in the spirit at all times, and he will guard your hearts and minds as you trust in him. be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you can see what God's good pleasing and perfect will is for your life. and take heart for Jesus has left you with peace... not as the world gives, but as the Father in heaven gives. peace. be full of him today!


i will sing unto the Lord
a new song, hallelujah, sing praises to Him
i will clap my hands before Him
praise Him all day long
hallelujah, sing praises to Him

Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
Sing praises to Him!!


My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music to You! Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth!
-Psalm 57:7-11


when i think about the Lord
how He saved me, how He raised me,
how He filled me with the Holy Ghost
how He healed me to the uttermost
when i think about the Lord
how He picked me up, turned me around,
how He set my feet on solid ground

it makes me wanna shout!
hallelujah, thank you, Jesus!
Lord, You're worthy, of all the glory
and all the honor and all the praise
and it makes me wanna shout!

thank you, Jesus

WOAH!!

Humble yourselves, therfore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
-1 Peter 5:6-7
DUDE!!!!
so oh my goodness... guess what happened today??? i went to barnes and noble to drop off an application to work in the coffee shop there because i had heard that they were hiring. i've really needed a job like all year, and i really need one for next semester even more than the moment. i gave it all to God and went in there, not really even knowing if i should... i mean, working at barnes and noble would be so awesome, but i dunno if they'd hire me and i dunno. so anyways, i go in... and i had an on-the-spot interview!! right then and there! it was awesome!! i don't know if that means anything... but i passed interview number one and have another interview with the store manager on thursday at 11:15. i'm so excited and nervous at the same time... but even if i don't get hired there, God will totally provide as i continue to cast my anxiety on him, and that was the BEST interview ever so i defintley have hope for the future!! lol. :)
OH MY GOODNESS!!! HOW AMAZING IS JESUS!?!!?!?!?!!

show your power

i just finished my social work test and it's 2:30 in the morning and i'm wide awake... WHOO WHO!!! :) but it's DONE!!! praise Jesus!!!

For the Lord is the One who shaped the mountains, stirs up the winds, and reveals his every thought. He turns the light of dawn into darkness and treads the mountains under his feet. The Lord God Almighty is his name!
-Amos 4:13


Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the hevens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the fathers' sins into the laps of their children after them. O great and powerful God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to all the ways of men; you reward everyone according to his conduct and as his deeds deserve. You performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, both in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours. You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror. You gave them this land you had sworn to give their forefathers, a land flowing with milk and honey. They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law; they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster upon them.
-Jeremiah 32:17-23

sometimes i just don't get how the israelites missed it. could they not see and understand what God was doing? why did they continuously rebel and walk away from God? yet at the same time, i have to stop and ask myself if i am not just like them. do i miss God's plan for my life and settle for what i want over waiting for his will? do i miss the miracles and wonders that he's perfoming daily around me by crediting things that happen to coincidences or results of my doing? am i as guilty as the israelites? am i bringing disaster upon myself? God help me to not miss you and your power. show your power to me so that i would never walk away from you and your plan. and help me to wait for you.

He is the Lord and He reigns on High, He is the Lord
Spoke into the darkness created the light, He is the Lord
Who is like unto Him never ending in days? He is the Lord
And He comes in power when we call on His name, He is the Lord!

Show Your power, Oh Lord, our God
Show Your power, Oh Lord, our God
Oh Lord, Our God

Your gospel, Oh Lord is the hope for our nation, You are the Lord
It's the power of God and it's for our salvation, You are the Lord
We ask not for riches but look to the cross, You are the Lord
And for our inheritance give us the lost, You are the Lord!

Show Your power, Oh Lord, our God
Show Your power, Oh Lord, our God
Oh Lord, Our God

some verses to think about

verses of the day...

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is suffcient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
-2 Corinthians 12:7-10

this weekend was good and relaxing. i got a lot done. i put a whole bunch of pictures from the summer on this here blog... check out archives for july and august. honduras pictures will come soon to the may page, although most of them are at home on my other computer. but be watching! have a blessed day!

yummy pancakes!

today is anna jane myree's birthday, so to celebrate, i made my roommates pamcakes... i woulda made some for aj too, but she's way off yonder in ohio. here's a big smiley one goin' out to you, anna banana, and to mommy... whose blueberry pancakes are THE bestest in the whole wide world!! yum!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA!!!!

the first ones i made weren't the greatest. i made a purse, but broke it so didn't put it on here... but rach dog ate it anyways. :) this blue snowman was amanda's and i accidently chopped it's head off, and the yellow is the last snowman i made, and he kinda looks like he's waving. :) i think he's frosty the snowman through and through!

and of course... you can't eat pancakes without mickey mouse coming to visit! this one went out to rachel. :)

be near

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Wash your hands,you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up.
-James 4:8

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
-Isaiah 40:31

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. His mercies are new every morning; great is your faithfulness, O God. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.
-Lamentations 3:22-25

my thoughts and prayers today go out to andrew. his brother, chris died yesterday from down syndrome. i don't really have a lot to say, just that God has continuously overwhelmed me with himself the past few weeks. and he isn't stopping. today he just filled me with his peace. my friend casey said it well today, "i've stopped praying for understanding, cuz i won't ever understand. i pray for peace." today, my prayer is that God's peace will come down over those who are struggling today with the loss of a friend, or a brother, or anyone else. and that he will draw near and just wrap his arms around each and every one.


Be Near
-Shane and Shane

You are all, big and small
Beautiful and Wonderful
To those who trut in grace through faith
I'm asking to taste

be near, O God
be near, O God of us,
your nearness is to us our good

for dark is light to You
depths are height to You
far is near
but Lord, i need to hear from You

fullness is mine, revelation divine
but, o, to taste
to know You much more than a page
to feel Your embrace

Lord, i need to hear from You
be near, oh God
be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good
be near, oh God
be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good, our good

(psalms 73:28; 139)

how great the grace of God

this blog and these thoughts for today are dedicated to my little sister anna
strawberry shortcake white sugar sweetie pie anna banooney nooney boo sally burkey

i am overwhelmed by the grace of God today! we were singing at the parlor tonight...

You are the only One I need
I bow all of me at Your feet
I worship You alone
You have given me more than
I could ever have wanted
And I want to give You my heart and my soul

I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive
I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive

I exalt thee! I exalt thee!
I exalt thee, O Lord!

Those words like penetrated my soul and I found myself thinking, "I'm alive.. I'm ALIVE! Anna's alive! Anna's ALIVE!! Wow... I exalt thee!! You have given me so much more than I ever could have wanted, and all I want to do is lift you up and praise and bless your name! You are so good and so great. Your grace is so real! You didn't have to save Anna, yet you did." I don't know about you, but I serve a Great and Mighty Gracious God and I am just so overwhelmed and full of him I can't help but explode in praise!

Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call upon him now while he is near. Let men cast off their wicked deeds; let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy upon them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon! This plan of mine is not what you would work out, neither are my thoughts the same as yours! For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than yours, and my thoughts than yours. As the rain and snow come down from heaven and stay upon the ground to water the earth, and cause the grain to grow and to produce seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry, so also is my Word. I send it out and it always produces fruit. It shall accomplish all I want it to, and prosper everywhere I send it. You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills, the trees of the field-all the world around you-will rejoice. Where once were thorns, fir trees will grow; where briars grew, the myrtle trees will sprout up. This mirace will make the Lord's name very great and be an everlasting sign of God's power and love.

-Isaiah 55:6-13

song in my heart

The pathway is broken
And the signs are unclear
And I don't know the reason
Why you brought me here
But just because you love me
The way that you do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If you want me to

Cause I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise
You're not through with me yet
So if all of these trials
Bring me closer to you
Then I will go through the fire
If you want me to

It may not be the way
That I would have chosen
When you lead me
Through a world that's not my home
But you never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone

So when the whole world
Turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear you
Answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering
Your love put you through
And I will go through the valley
If you want me to.
-Ginny Owens