Don'tcha know where home is?

We always say home is where the heart is but sometimes a person's heart just keeps traveling on back to the same old place! To me, Minnesota is home for sure. No doubt. Love it. Could live here my whole life. Vacations for sure, but always come back. There's a few other places I'd want to/be okay with living in ex: Anywhere as a missionary, Illinois/Chicago area, North Dakota, Nebraska, Montana... and the big one. SOUTH DAKOTA! I love that place! That really is the place my heart is getting home sick for right now even though I've never lived there (we almost moved to Sioux City but then ended moving here a year later!) but I've been there a million times and that's where most of my family is.

South Dakota 

= 

A million stars at night 

Crazy mid-summer thunder storms 

A pot of coffee always going 

Hot humid summers 

Pick-up Trucks

Country on the radio 

Hot-dishes and jello salads 

Deep Snow every winter

Meeting up with friends or relatives for coffee

Warm quilts

Cool houses

Nick's Hamburgers

Trips to HyVee and Walmart 

(Because they're the only two grocery stores in town.)

Relatives coming in constantly

Hours of conversation a phone call and doorstep away

Laughs and Hugs 

Taking 10 minutes to get all the way across town

Bugs everywhere in the summers 

(but hey, that's Minnesota too...)

Staying up late watching tv with my Grandma

Laughing with my aunts 

Seeing my counsins' kids running around 

Drives out in the country 

Going to Ward for dinner 

(but if you pass the grain elevator you've missed the whole town)

Seeing my family all the time

Hearing North and South Dakotan/Minnesotan Accents all the time (:

Being related to half the people we end up talking to

Catching up on reading

The Kelo Land News

The 

And of course more coffee. 

I miss it! Where's home for you all?

Purpose And Preparation

Lately I feel like everything I'm hearing is about God's purpose and his plan. It kind of came off of Joshua and then kept on going with everything I hear and read. My devotional the past few days has been about God's plans too. The most popular "plan" verse is Jeremiah 29:11, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.'" But so many other times the Bible talks about God's plan for your life and to keep on no matter what you're facing. 

• James 1:2-4: Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 
• 1 Peter 5:9-10: Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
• Psalm 118:8 “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”
• Philippians 2:13 “It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

I can't think of other verses right now and it's going to bug me! Anyways, I've been thinking about how God is so big and he has something great in store. Like, bigger than I could have ever imagined. And right now is a stage of preparation. I have no idea what's going to happen but I do know that God is working something up. In Joshua, the Israelites went through a preparation period before they crossed the Jordan and defeated their enemies. God was getting them ready for the next even in their lives and journey. You might feel like God isn't really doing much right now in your life, or in the opposite way, life is kicking into high gear and it's getting harder and harder! God is USING that! He is using what you're going through right now SO much you don't even know! Well I don't either, only God does, but it's great. His plans for us are so much more than we can even think about. I feel so naive to God's plans. I want to know right now what's going to happen. That's sadly now how God does things! It's for the better anyways I know (; But, yeah lately I've just been getting this feeling that for however long this period in my life is, it's just getting me ready for whatever is to come because God's doing something big! He's already got it in the works beyond my comprehension and what a plan and purpose it is! 

Joshua 4

The flow of the Jordan was cut off BEFORE the ark of the covenant of the Lord. (Joshua 4:7). What I’m getting from this is that God always prepares the way for us. He doesn’t just send us into something unprepared. God knew exactly what he was going to do with the tribe of Israel and made sure that everything went smoothly. The same thing happens with us. He doesn’t just send us into difficulties in our lives without readying us first. It’s like, a General of an army doesn’t send his troops out into battle without first equipping them and having a plan. Even if they (the soldiers) don’t know it yet, the leader does and he will walk them through it! Wow! Okay sort of just clicked in my brain as I write this. God is omniscient right? Knows everything right? Well then he obviously knows what’s going to happen! In Romans 8:28 it says that God works through and with all things so that everything works out for our good. Sometimes I’m just so confused, okay like pretty much all of the time, even when I think I’m not, I truly am! And I pray, “God I’m just so confused. I just don’t get it. I don’t get it. I don’t get it. I don’t get it. Why? Why? Why are you doing this? What good is there in this? I know that you’re always good and in the end this will end up well and better than I could imagine, so could you just let me in on the secret? Just a little?” That’s not really how things work though. Uh. But yeah God prepared a way for the Israelites to OVERCOME what they were going THROUGH. Nothing stood in their way that was too big for their (and ours! Yay!! Praise him!) God! Do you remember that Veggie Tales song that goes, “My God is bigger than the boogie man, the monsters on TV…” well that’s exactly what was going on here! “My God is bigger than the Jordan, the city of Jericho…” was what the Israelites would have been singing! Also, when in verse 7 later on it the Bible says, “These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”  And then in Joshua 4:21-24, “He said to the Israelites, ‘In the future when your descendants as their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the people so the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is POWERFUL and so that you ALWAYS fear the Lord your God.’” To me this is saying, what’s going on right now is BIG and will be memorable to you and your people (aka family and friends and those who know you) forever! God did the impossible at the moment that they needed it. He knows just what we need and when! And God has done amazing things and will do them again. What he does know is all for a purpose. I have no idea what that might be and neither might you, but let me tell you, God knows! And it’s great. He will teach thousands with what you know and are going through right now. What He has planned is so huge so just walk through right now and rejoice in the fact that God is here. He has prepared a way for you. He is preparing you for the future with what’s going on right now. He is AWESOME in every way possible. He has the future planned. He went with Israel and he’s going with you too. 

P.S. A little update on me, school is still so crazy but God is so good! Praise him! Tomorrow is the last day of school for the week for public schools in Minnesota and thankful that means me too! Yay! And on Thursday my youth group and I are headed off to Rochester, MN for Minnesota Youth Convention. It's like all Assemblies of God youth groups come to Rochester, stay in hotels for a few nights of this annual break off from school we have, and have worship, hang out, and hear from an amazing speaker (: I'm so excited! Have a blessed day y'all (:

-Janae 

Joshua 3 Journal

In my Bible Study right now we're studying the book of Joshua. This is my journal about what I got out of Joshua Chapter 3 so I thought I'd just like to share! Read the chapter and tell me what you think in the comments (: 

Here it is:

Stayed where they were at and waited. Followed the Lord. They KNEW exactly where he was. Not where he was going, but where he was. We always want to know where we’re going and where the Lord is taking us before we go with him, when really we don’t have much of a choice and should just do it anyways. I don’t want to go somewhere without knowing the way there and where the destination is. But, we just have to go with God. I would be SO scared to go right into the Jordan River when, there’s of course a whole bunch of water there! Crazy! But it’s going to happen. That’s where trust comes into this. They TRUSTED God SO much! They didn’t question him they just went. No matter what. Also, I mean they knew the Lord. They didn’t even have to question what was from him. Sure they had the Arc of the Covenant but still, they just knew. I wish I had that kind of knowledge of God to just know right away! So many times it’s like, “Well umm, yeah I THINK this is from the Lord, but I don’t actually totally know. I WANT this to be from the Lord, so I’m going to go ahead and say it is.” Or “I DON’T WANT this to be from the Lord, so I’m going to go ahead and say it’s not.” Or “Okay so I thought this was from the Lord, but I don’t really want it to be any more so, yeah it’s no longer from.” I feel like sometimes is just so hard to know. When it’s in the Bible, sure it’s plain as day, but when it’s just Him speaking to you it’s a lot harder to know. God spoke directly to Joshua, amazing! Okay then at FLOOD STAGE and then stopped flowing! Wow! Okay so if God can do that can’t he do something little? What can’t he do in our lives? I mean, he is just amazing, so why can’t we just trust him a little? Why can’t I just trust what he says and not doubt. It’s all about the doubt. I’m a worrier and so I’m pretty sure the Devil uses that against me. Like a lot. I worry about God’s plans for me. I worry whether I’m getting the right info from God. I worry whether or not it’s from God. I just plain worry too much. I need to know and trust a little more, amen? 

How Great...

How Great....
(In the sarcastic way)
-AP Euro homework for 3 hours
-A test I didn't remember I had
-Washing my hands and splashing water on my jeans during school so who knows what that looked like!
-Biting my nails again when I'm trying to stop (I know, confession time right now if you didn't know this about me!)
-Picking something out in the morning but deciding halfway through the day, "What was I thinking?"

How Great....
(In the BEST way)
-FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) The first meeting of the year was this morning, and my first time ever, and I'm really excited! It's great to know that there are other Christians at Wayzata!
-Bright red nail polish
-Left-over amazing zucchini bread from my parents small group
-Gorgeous fall leaves
-Beautiful sunsets outside my backyard
-My backyard period.
-My family
-My friends
-The fact that tomorrow is Friday and the weekend!!!!!!!! (This one is PRETTY great! Especially considering I'll be getting extra sleep! Yes. This is what I've been looking forward to!)
-Reading this blog  and thinking that her little girl with Down Syndrome is probably one of the most precious and cute things I've ever seen.
-Girls' Bible Studies on Sunday nights
-Playing cards with the girls in the Bible Study from above
-Minnesota Youth Convention being in a few weeks
-Being able to share my faith
-Brooke Fraser's song Something In the Water that I found on this blog that I love. (You should definitely follow this blog and look up the song on YouTube! I love it!)
-Okay yeah, I just had to at this in here: Our God!! I was just listening to Hillsong United singing How Great Is Our God on YouTube and I was thinking, yeah really, how GREAT is our God? I mean, he's so amazing I just can't get over it! Pretty much, it's indescribable.

Let's see, I had to think about things that aren't so great but I could think of a billion more that were so great! Let's not focus on the negative and say, "Wow, this is really great." with the sarcastic attitude but think, "Wow, this is really actually great!" and be with a whole-heart thankful and happy about it! Life is great and so are you (:

-Janae

P.S. Feel free to leave a comment! I love them! Also, what would you viewers like me to write about in the future? I'd love suggestions that are nice and caring!