So as I sit here watching Kitchen Nightmares, doing laundry, and packing all alone in this apartment, I have decided to reminisce on this past school year seeing as today was the last day finals. PRAISE HIM! It has been an eventful one that's for sure, but overall it has been amazing. I'm gonna do two lists so this post doesn't go on forever and get all sappy! This first list is 5 major events that happened to me or that I participated in (fair warning: most involve Tim! haha!)
1. Moved into my very first big girl apartment with 3 of the most BEAUTIFUL girls I know!
(Sidenote: not a huge fan of this picture and we actually took a better one today before everyone parted ways for a while but I don't have access to that yet!)
2. I turned 20! WHOO! Not really an important age but I am thankful that God blessed me with another full year of life!
3. Celebrated ONE WHOLE YEAR with this amazing and hilarious man!
4. Found out that my sister's best friend who is like another sister to me is PREGGERS! OMG! So excited!
5. Finally, I used my entire spring break to move the man I love 757 miles away so that he could pursue his dream. I am so proud of him and can't wait to see him in 9 days!
Okay so this next list is 5 things that I have learned throughout this year. Little nuggets of knowledge!
1. I believe that I have found friends that will last me a lifetime while here in college and how lucky am I that I get to live with 3 of them!!
2. It's the little things! It's the stupid jokes, mistakes, clumsy moments, and sentences gone wrong that make those stressful times a little easier!
3. Hard work pays off. Seriously. That one speaks for itself.
4. God is amazing. The verse below has become my new motto, thanks to the amazing Beth Moore.
5. Finally, I learned that family is the most important thing. Whether it is your actual family, your church family, or your family of friends, it's the glue that holds you together and makes you who you are.
Okay folks, those are my nuggets and life events! If you have any topics you want me to talk about or anything, just shoot me an email: carlyparrott@gmail.com
So first off friends, watch the video below. Make sure you watch the WHOLE THING. Okay, ready, set, GO!
So, you done now? YAY! Good. So, I was on my phone last night before bed checking my various social medias and I stumbled across this video that a friend had posted on Facebook. I have a soft spot in my heart for kids like this boy. I just can't help it. They are so inspirational to me. So I clicked on this link and watched the video and well, I cried, as I am sure some of you did as well. I wasn't crying from pity of him and his situation, I cried because I was so moved and overcome with the Holy Spirit. No lie. It was like being at a worship concert and just feeling so overwhelmed and so blessed, and just basking in His glory. But after I had finished watching the video, I just went straight to sleep because I had an early exam this morning (only 2 more to go, Praise Him!).
However this video has been on my mind ever since I watched it last night. I knew as soon I woke up this morning that it would be the topic for my blog post today. I have been mulling over it and trying to figure out what exactly I want to say about it and how it affected me and how it can affect you, yada yada yada.
This will probably be longest post I've done so far. But it'll be worth it I promise if I can get this out the way I want and they way it should be said.
So while watching this video, like I said earlier, I have a soft spot for kids like Christopher. They are some of the most beautiful people I have EVER met. They are so pure and innocent. They love like no one I know except Jesus. They are the epitome of what it means to love God like a child. They face their own kinds of troubles but still give all the glory to the one who deserves it. It is a gift that I admire and it's the way I want to be. I want to love my Jesus with a blind faith, always trusting and always knowing that He is always in control even when I feel like all hope has been lost. I highly encourage you all to strive to be this way.
So I want to talk about the 2 verses that were put in this video at the end. If you didn't see these, don't fret! They are right here :) The picture directly below is the first verse that appears after the song finishes.
This verse... wow. This is so beautiful. I don't even know where to start with this. They are so many things that can be talked about when it comes to this verse. First off, I will say that Ephesians is one of my favorite books in the Bible. It has so much truth in it. I just love it. Okay, moving on! So, Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus right here. In previous verses, Paul mentioned that since he had heard of their faith, he had not stopped praying for them...wow. As Paul goes on, he says what you see in the above picture that he is continuously asking that these Christians would be filled with Him and the eyes of their hearts would be opened and would be receptive to EVERYTHING God has done, will do, and is currently doing for them through His grace and the hope we have in Him if we believe. HOLY CRAP! Can we just think about this for a second? Though I, as a sinner, deserve NOTHING, I automatically receive this hope that cannot be found anywhere else because Jesus Christ paid my debt on the cross. No questions asked, if I truly accept God, I will have hope. WOW! is that not amazing to think about? It gives me chills, folks. So to anyone who is reading this, or will read it. This is my prayer for you. That God will open the eyes of your heart so that you can see who He is and how awesome He is. This is also my prayer for myself because I am no where near perfect and I never will be. But my God loves me (and you!) anyway. Hallelujah!
This is the second verse that was put into the end of the video.
Another amazing verse right? Let's get something straight though. This verse is not calling for perfection, this verse is calling for (at least in my opinion) a love so strong that all you want to do is seek God in everything you do and say, and by doing this, you see God and all His glory and the blessings He will bestow on you. This is hard, but this is the Christian life. Are you going to screw up? YES! Are you going to wander and stray? YES! Will He always welcome you back home with open, loving arms? YES! So my other prayer for and myself is that we would be pure in heart. That we would seek God in all things and give Him the glory.
So this is the last thing I will say. I am no theologian and I am not a perfect Christian. I make mistakes everyday but the God I serve loves me and all my faults. To Him, I am his beloved. That's my point here, friends. YOU are His beloved.
The Lord makes beautiful things. Everyone is beautiful to Him. It doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, or what you've done, God sees you as beautiful. Listen to this song by a band called Gungor. Its one of my favorites!
If you want more information on Austism and how you can help just click here. I hope you enjoyed this post. Love you all!
ohmygosh guys...it has been so crazy here! I've been studying super hard and trying to sleep! I have already taken 2 exams thus far and I think I've done pretty good...YAY! So anyway, aside from that craziness, this past week has actually been okay.
Last Wednesday was the final RUF of the semester up here. For those of you who do not know what RUF is, it is Reformed University Fellowship and it is just one of many campus ministries here at Appalachian. When I first started at ASU, I went to CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ) for that entire year. I loved going there. I loved the music, I loved the sermon, and I loved the people. However, I reached a point where I felt like I wasn't being fed and wasn't getting anything out of it. I know what you're thinking..."you have to have the right mindset and expect to get something out of it blah blah blah...". I had that mindset, I just knew God was calling me somewhere else. So one Wednesday night, I went with some of the girls from my bible study to RUF, and I fell in love. I knew I was home and right where God wanted me. I have been so blessed and learned so much while listening to Matt Howell bring the word of God. I highly recommend listening to the podcasts on iTunes. If you're interested in that, just search for RUF at App State. Two Wednesdays ago was Matt's last time preaching here at App State RUF because he has been called to lead at UT! We are very excited for him, but we will also miss him. It was definitely an emotional night but I am so thankful that God called me to RUF when he did. Matt has really been a true blessing. He will do great things. I am also thankful for the RUF community. I'm just thankful and blessed.
So something fun that I did this weekend was that I went to see Tim McGraw with special guests, Love and Theft and Brantley Gilbert. IT WAS SO AWESOME! It was truly one of BEST concerts I've been to in a long time and trust me I have been to a LOT of concerts. It was such a great show and Tim McGraw is so good at appealing to his audience. He sang mostly old songs which is amazing considering he has SO MANY! Truly a fun a night and just what I needed before this crazy week!
So another fun thing is that my roommate has brought some of the Goosebump movies for all of us to enjoy! Talk about a blast from the past!
Well, I suppose I should get back to studying and whatnot! So I'll write again soon when things calm down!
