Thankful

This morning my boss said something at prayer that stuck with me.

What if tomorrow we woke up with only what we had said thanks for the day before?

It really got me thinking. There is so much that I am thankful for, but I take a lot of it for granted and forget to thank the Lord for all He has blessed me with.

I am thankful for a Lord and Savior who died so that I might be saved, I am thankful for a mom and dad who taught me about Jesus and brought me up in a Christ centered home. I am thankful that I have three of the most amazing siblings a girl could ask for. I am so blessed to have some of the best friends surrounding me, friends who are always there and who help me strive to be a better person. I am so thankful to be a part of such a wonderful church body with a hunger to reach the "forgotten people" in NWA, US, Kenya, India, Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, Nicaragua, & Mexico. I am thankful for the things that I take for granted each day...food, shelter, clothes, heater/air conditioning, job, car, money for gas.

I'm sure I could go on and on there is so much to be thankful for. What are you thankful for today?

Decisions Decisions Decisions

I teach about decisions and making the best choices possible for your life. I have found myself in the place of having to making lots of decisions.

I recently found out that there is no more funding for Reality Check. (the non profit that I work for) The board and our executive director had to make some tough decisions. After this week I will no longer be a full time employee. I will be a contract instructor. Which basically means I will only get paid for when I am teaching in the schools. My heart is with Reality Check and to finish out the school year teaching where I am scheduled through the end of the year. I believe in the truth that we teach. And think it is very important for students to get ALL the information. Because I believe if you give them all the information they will make the best decisions possible in their lives. I see that all the time.

So now for the decisions. Like I said my heart is to finish. And that is what I plan to do. But there are things like apartment, insurance, and car payments to deal with. So I am in the process of trying to get of my lease and moving back in with my parents for time being. That of course is not my ideal situation but it works! And I am grateful to have parents who love me and who would allow me to move back in with them. I'm so blessed. Also I think I am going to go back to school. I quit going to school because I felt called to work at Reality Check. But now I think it's time to go back. I'm excited to see what God has in store. And I am still praying about the whole situation and what He wants my next step to be.

I do not believe that God is done with Reality Check. I still think He has great things planned for this wonderful organization. I ask for your prayers for Reality Check, for me, and for all the employees. I also ask that you take a stand and call your schools and your school boards and let them know that you want Reality Check in your school. I praise God for everything He has done and for what He has yet to do.

Perspective

Ok so this weekend I decided that I need to clean out my closet. Something that was way over due. The final total was I got rid of 14 trash bags of clothes and 47 pairs of shoes. As I was doing this I had this thought. Cassie you are INSANE. It just really put some things into perspective for me. It is absolutely ridiculous that I could get rid of all of that and still have a closet and dressers full of clothes and shoes. So I made a goal for myself. Not buying any clothes or shoes unless I need them this year. And let's be serious... with a closet full of clothes and 70+ pairs of shoes left...am I really gonna NEED anything? It made me realize how much money I was spending on useless things that mean absolutely nothing. So I am going to spend my money in more useful places. Donating, mission trips, etc. Thank you God for helping me realize this.

journey through the bible

I have made the commitment with several of my church family to read through the bible in a year. I am actually really excited about this. I mean I have read all of the bible at some point in my life but not like this. It is a big commitment that I am determined to stick to. I mean there are tv shows that I make sure I watch every week and things like that. And this commitment is so much more meaningful and good for my life and walk with the Lord. I am thankful to be a part of a church where our leadership encourages us as a family to jump in the word. Love it! I am so looking forward to how the Lord is going to speak to me through this commitment and His word. Exciting! So anyone out there reading this feel free to ask me how it's going. :)

DNOW 2011

This weekend I had the privilege of leading the senior girls during DNOW....I had such a blast with them! The speaker for the weekend talked on apologetics which was absolutely perfect! I think it was just what the girls needed to hear as they are preparing to go to college!

I have seen these girls grow up for 7 years now! When I graduated from high school they were barely in 6th grade. And now they are graduating from High School...WOW time sure does fly.
I am so glad that I have gotten to be apart of their lives over the past few years. I have enjoyed leading small groups, going on trips with them, camps, and just hanging out.
These are most of the sweet senior girls that I love dearly. They each hold a special place in my heart. I am praying for them and all the decisions they have to make in the next few months. Each one of you is amazing! Love you girls.

O the Blood

My new favorite song at the moment. One of my favorite signers singing it. But the words. That is why it makes it my favorite. Take a listen. Let the Lord speak to you through this song.

Oh the Blessing of Friends

This post goes out to my sweet friends Whitney and Carmen :)

I am so blessed to have so many great friends and Whitney and Carmen are among the best of the best!! I am so thankful for them, their sweet spirits, kind hearts, servant's hearts, and joyful personalities. So grateful that the Lord placed each one of them in my life!

Carmen:

I have only recently (like the past year or so) been hanging out with Carmen consistently. But after our first coffee date I knew this was going to be a great friendship. She is always there to listen and gives me advice when I need it! And have I said that she is like the sweetest person ever! Not to mention that she has the cutest one year old!! Carmen I am so blessed to have you in my life and call you my friend. Looking forward to lots of time with you this year. love you!

Whitney:

Where to start where to start. You have been my friend for quite a few years now. But our friendship just continues to grow and grow. You know that you have a good friend when you still keep in touch and remain a part of each other's lives even after you move! This girl has been with me through thick and thin and everything in between. Such a lovely person inside and out. Whit you are one of my very best friends and I love you dearly. Can't wait to see you again in February. Love you!

well....I caved. I guess you could say I am officially a Hogs fan. I have lived in Arkansas for 7 years and have yet to wear a shirt or cheer them on. This year that started to change. My thinking was who says that I can't like two teams! One thing that I still haven not brought myself to do is call the Hogs....I guess that will all come in time! Too bad the first time I became "official" they lost. Oh well..GO HOGS!!

Well once again it has been awhile since I have blogged. Let's see if I can be a little better with it now that it is 2011!

Well lets just start with how the holidays were. My family and I went to Texas like we do every year. I am blessed to have so such a wonderful family. I always have so much fun on our visits! Every time I visit it makes me wish that I lived a little closer!

Love these cousins of mine! I am so glad I got to spend multiple days with them!

Cousins on the Villanueva side of the family with my grandparents. It hurts sometimes to see their health deteriorate but they have lived wonderful lives and even when they are gone I know that I will see them again. I just love this picture. Defiantly a framer.

This is me and my sweet cousin Jacquie! I have so many memories with this girl! love you

And these last to ladies. I could not imagine my life without them. They are so dear to my heart.

All in all Christmas was great. There is nothing better then celebrating the birth of our risen Savior and spending time with the ones you love.