Oh Summer..

Dear Summer,
Why are you leaving so soon? I mean you just got here. Please stay longer. I am going to miss the warmth of your summer sun's embrace. The sweet smell of the great outdoors. Going to the beach. Swimming. Soaking up the sun. Look, I know that September is wanting their turn with us. But promise me something. Next year, you will sit back, kick up your feet, and stay a VERY long time. 
Love,
Carley.




Well bloggers, it is that time of year again. 
We are going to be saying good bye to our beloved friend, Summer. 
But it is time to let go until next year. TRANSITION into a new season. 
No, I am not looking forward to winter and cold and snow, but you know what? I am deciding to have a positive attitude about this transition. 
I am going to have a smile on my face during the entire white session.. and just know that God created the ugly...umm... beautiful, white, fluffy, cold stuff.
Embrace this transition my friends. Don't run from it.
God bless.
Love, 
Carley <3

Faith Like A Golden Key

Bloggers.

Face it. Admit it. Come clean and confess. 

We all want that Golden Key from Caramilk. 

"So what Carley?! What's your point?"

Well. People around the world are searching for these keys. They put videos on Youtube. They break the chocolate bars in the stores to see... well feel... if there are keys in them. I have even heard of people buying car loads of Caramilk bars. 

What's my point? 

If we are capable to put THAT much faith into a golden key, why is our faith in God lacking? Can you imagine what our world would look like if our faith in God was just like people's faith in a golden key? Our world would look so much different.

Look at it this way. 

There is a key to eternity. 

God is this key.

How do we find God? 

Easy.

The Bible.

If we actually open up our Bible and read it from cover to cover. Be studying in the Word of God every day and have faith that God has an amazing plan for our lives, we will win the Grand Prize.

It's time to have Faith Like a Golden Key.

Lets start searching for the Eternity Key!

God bless,

Love,

Carley <3

Keep Running God's Race

As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord- Joshua 24:15

       Lately God has been speaking to me about running hard after Him and no matter what the enemy tries to throw at you, keep pressing in for the goal. I have been really struggling with knowing what God has for me- my destiny, who God wants me to be with, etc.  For the past few days, I have been physically seeing Joshua 24:15 everywhere and it reminds that I need to serve the Lord with everything I have. 

       The other day at church, my Pastor said something that really stuck with me. He said keep running hard after God with no distractions, and one day you will look beside you and the one that God has ordained for you to be with will be right there running beside you.  This doesn't mean that there aren't going to be any distractions. This means that when distractions come, what will you do about these distractions? Are you going to give into the enemy? Or are you going to keep your eyes focused on God and keep running after the goal. Last Friday at my youth group, one of the events we had to do was to lay on the ground with our eyes closed and keep a little cup on our heads. We had to really focus on keeping the cup on our heads as people came around and did whatever they could to distract us. This taught me that the enemy is going to get all up in my face to try to get my focus off of God, but no matter what the distraction may be, I CAN'T CAVE IN TO THE ENEMY! 

       A few days ago, God gave me a vision of log that was sitting just outside the campfire. I asked God why He showed me this and He said This log can only feel the heat of My fire. It only has one more step to be fully surrounded in fire. Carley, you are that log. This week I have been connecting the running thing and the campfire thing together. The revelation? That log isn't going to get itself into the fire. It needs to be picked up and thrown into it. I need to throw myself into God's fire, and once I am in, there is no turning back. Once I am in His fire, I need to keep running after God and keeping my eyes on the goal. 

       Fellow bloggers, keep your eyes on the goal. Don't give. Don't back down. Keep running after God and being on fire for Him. The best is yet to come. 

God bless,

Love,

Carley <3

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!

Hello bloggers!! Well today is the day.... I AM OFFICIALLY 18!!!!!!!!!!! Now,  like I promised, I am going to share my testimony for you all. But I would just like to point out that not only am I 18, but I am also 3 years old today as well. Three years ago today, I gave my heart to the Lord and became a member of my amazing church, Third Day Worship Center. Now onto my testimony. Well.... here it goes:

It all started when my dad started doing drugs and alcohol. Heavily. I blamed myself for everything that happened. From my mom and dad fighting constantly, to my dad always passed out, I even blamed myself  when my parents were separated.  It was awful. I hated my self. I could barely stand to look at myself in the mirror, it was so bad. To be honest, I wanted to kill myself. I blamed myself so much, that I almost started cutting myself. I attempted at cutting, but I could never do it. So that led into me thinking of ways to kill myself. I thought about hanging myself (which I did try to do at one point). I thought about running away from home in hopes that someone would either murder me or I would starve to death. I even thought about getting a hold of a gun and shooting myself. Like I said, it was bad. I felt useless, ugly, stupid, pathetic, hopeless... I always wondered how someone would ever love someone like me. When my parents got a divorce, I came to the point where I was so desperate for something different. I needed SOMETHING that could change my life and changed the way I looked at myself. Sometime after New years, my mom asked me to come to church with her. I thought man is this woman out of her skin?! She actually wants me to go to CHURCH! But I went, just to make her happy. When I walked into the doors of Third Day, I knew this wasn't like any church I have been to in the past. Something about it was different. You could actually feel God there. I mean, tangibly FEEL Him. So I kept going. And going. And going. I couldn't get enough of this man they called Jesus. After going to the church for a while, I started going to Revolution, the youth and young adults ministry. Guess what? I have been going there ever since. So the month of May rolled around. Mother's Day to be exact. And I was sitting in church, not even listening to Pastor. I was thinking I have been going to church for a while now. Am I ready to give my life to God? Right after I thought that, Pastor gave the call for anyone who would like to give their life to Christ. This was it. This was my chance. I shot up my hand and I said the prayer. I just gave my life to Christ. It felt good. I felt new. But something deep within me still didn't feel right. It was not until Culture Shift the following summer, that I found out what wasn't feeling right that day. Tommie Zito had prayed over me, and I was on the floor. I started balling. I heard God's voice for the first time that day. He said to me, Carley, you have never felt the love of a Father. Your dad abandoned you and rejected you, and that's the only type of father you have come to know. But if you will let me today, I want to show what a Father's love really is. I let Him. I felt Him wrap His arms around me that day. I felt Him squeeze me until all the hurt and rejection was gone. I felt the Father's love. For the first time ever, I felt loved. I saw myself as beautiful and I now want to LIVE for Christ. Jesus changed my life. Forever. 

Well y'all, there you have it. That's what God had done in my life three years ago. I hope you enjoyed it and I only pray that this has impacted someone. I am now going to enjoy my birthday with my family :)

God bless my friends. 

Love,

Carley