Transition.... Oooohh transition. The good and the bad.

Hello dear bloggers! Well I have a lot to share with you in this blog, but for starters... I am going to share some videos with you that has been getting me through some things. :) Enjoy. 

Transition. 

Everyone goes through it one way or the other. Some transition is harder than others. Some are for the better, but then there are the ones that are for the worse.

The bad ones could be a Christian who has back slid from God. Or maybe a marriage breaking apart for the wrong reasons.

I have recently watched the movie Soul Surfer For the third time, and there were two clips that really stuck out to me. The first clip is when the youth pastor (played by Carrie Underwood) is talking about getting new perspectives on things. The second is kind of how I am feeling about the transition I am going through (but I will talk more about that after you watch the clips.

Okay. Lets talk about the first video. Lately I have been feeling like the transition I am going through is this gigantic mountain, that looks like I can never overcome. Did you catch the Bible scripture in the first clip? Jeremiah 29:11.  This verse has restored some hope in me about my transition. I have never really noticed this particular scripture until my friend texted it to me and told me to look it up. When I did.. I couldn't believe what I had just read. So you can obviously see my reaction when I heard Jeremiah 29:11 when I watched Soul Surfer. I had to rewind the movie just make sure I heard Carrie Underwood correctly! 

Now the second clip. I am kind of in the same boat as Bethany right now. I am having a real hard time seeing what good is going to come out of this transition in my life right now. You know why though? Both Bethany and I have not yet taken that step back. I haven't gained a new perspective on my transition. Instead I have been stuck on my feeling of standing in the middle of all these brick sky scrapers crashing down on me, and thinking that I am alone through all of this. (Blimey! What a big lie that is!) God is with me. He is covering me, and He will never leave me. Did you catch what Carrie said at the end of the second clip? I have to believe that something good is going to come out of this. I do. I have to believe and stand on God's word, that something good will come out of this transition.

I was talking to another one of my friends about the transition I am going through, and they told me that this is something I need to welcome with open arms. No, its not going to be easy, but then again, serving God with all your heart isn't easy either..

So. You are probably wondering what this BIG transition is that I am going through. Well. I am going to tell you.

....... when the time is right. 

Bloggers, there are still quite a few things that I still need to work through. So I am going to deal with these things, and when I do, I shall tell you what my big transition is. 

How will you know what the blog will be that tells you about my transition? 

Don't worry.

Just look for the blog that will be titled Soul Surfer Has Transitioned!!! 

I know it's a random title... but hey now.... at least you will know what it is :) 

God bless my friends. And remember, NOTHING is too big for God.

Love,

Carley <3

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

Show Your Godly Colors :D

Hello again bloggers! So a few weeks ago, I had a revelation that I really wanted to share with you all. You see, ever since I have started working with kids, God really opened my eyes to what it means to have child- like faith. When it comes to what people think about them, children don't care!
Kids will wear a polk-a-dotted t-shirt with striped pants! Or they will wear neon pink with a puke green color. Or, if you let them, they will sit in their poop all day!
Now I am not saying to go get a diaper and poop in it, then sit in it all day, because that will just be weird.  (If  you do, please don't say that I told you to do so!). What I am saying is the way we need to live God in our lives, is the way children wear colors or patterns.
We as Christians, shouldn't care what people think about us. We aren't here to be people pleasers. We are here on a mission for God and win souls for the Kingdom of Heaven.
We shouldn't be ashamed of what God has done in our lives. We need to to do a little LGL: LIVE GOD LOUD!

Go out there and show the colors that God gave you. He put us on a light stand for a reason. Now shine! 

God bless! 

Love,

Carley <3

Q & A/ Upcoming events!! :)

Hello bloggers!! This blog has two parts to it: Q & A, and just some upcoming events. This is a very exciting blog for me becauseof numerous reasons you will read about later in this blog!

Question & Answer :

"So there is this person named Taylor Tye and she won't leave me alone no matter how much I try." ~Morgan Cameron~

Well Morgan, life is like lemons. You have your sweet parts and then you have your sour parts.... like this Taylor person. God is testing you by squeezing the juice out of you and seeing what you will do with the lemon juice. So what will you do? Will you let that juice get even more sour and bitter? Or will you add the sugar and make some lemonade?

"Do bananas actually make you gain weight? I heard it can, but how do I know? Lol silly question? But do you know the answer?" ~Christina McKay~

Christina, I can honestly say, that I have no idea what the answer is to that. I found this information online, that I think you would find very useful: "Bananas offer a great value of proteins, vitamins and minerals, which BOOSTS your metabolism. They contain a sugar content which works well for quick energy, this might be why rumor started that they make you gain weight, however the sugar is is natural and I wouldn't think to be bad for you. They're actually known to help cure stomach pain caused from stomach acids because they neutralize the acid content and they're known to be digested easily." 
Also Christina.... yes. Yes it was a very silly question. :) 


"What do you want to/ think you're going to do in life?" ~Taylor Tye~


Wow Taylor. That is a very deep question.
I want to do alot of things in life. I want to learn to play the drums, guitar, bass guitar, and maybe even get better at the piano. I want to train my singing voice more to get better at singing, and one of my goals is to worship lead, but that is definitly far down the road. Other than music, I want to go on some mission trips (my goal is to seven different places). 
For work wise, I have no idea what I want to do. I am going to go to bible college first (probably do the three year program) and see where God wants me to go from there. I might go into hair dressing or real estate, but we will see what God wants me to do in life :)
As for family wise, I want to get married young, but not too young, and have five kids. No more, no less. 
Well Taylor, that's some of the things I want to do with my life in a nut shell. 


UPCOMING EVENTS!!


  Just some upcoming events, that you will not want to miss!! 
~This weekend I am going to Horseheads, New York for the Katie Souza Conference. I will make a blog as soon as I get back with pictures and videos :)
~My 18th birthday is just around the corner in less than two weeks! So be sure to read my special blog about my testimony on how I came to know God :)
~Second week of August, I am going to a cottage with my family, so I will be posting pictures and videos along with quick little blogs during that week.


Mark those dates on your calenders and be sure to check out my blog on those dates!
God bless!
Love,
~Carley~


Ps. I will be doing a question and answer series again, so be sure to watch out for those and ask any questions you want :)