lately...

Here are the highs and lows of November for me.  As usual I'm slacking as a blogger.  I am just far too busy!  Practicum, school, life, everything is overwhelming me and I forget about blogging.

• My mom celebrated her birthday!
• One of my dearest friends from high school, Clayton, got deployed to Afghanistan.
• My Grandpa Doug would have celebrated his 76th Birthday!
• President Obama was re-elected.
• I joined a gym!!!!
• I have spent a lot of quality time with my roomie Jen. (we love trashy tv)
• My Grandpa Brennan passed away.
• Mrs. Irene (my role model) found out she is CANCER FREE!
• I got to spend two days of my break observing a special education class at a high school in Birmingham! 
• I got to spend an amazing Thanksgiving break with family.
• I got to spend some time with Hunter that was not interrupted by any school work!
• Auburn lost the Iron Bowl. (surprise!)
• Gene Chizik got fired.

What I have been reminded of this month:

• God has without a doubt given me a calling to a profession that I am so passionate about and I can never be thankful enough for this.
• We have an amazing, miraculous God that we serve.  He is truly a miracle worker.
• I am truly a blessed person and have really been counting my blessings recently.
• I have some of the funniest and best friends in the whole world.
• Although Hunter has a RIDICULOUS amount of school work, the little time we do get to spend together is always refreshing and is filled with sweet moments.  

Tomorrow marks my last practicum day at Beulah High School.

I would say that bittersweet is the perfect adjective to describe tomorrow.

I know that I will be so sad to leave my students.  I have truly grown attached and love each and every one of them for their quirks.  However, I am ready to close that chapter and move onto the next.  It has been a stressful experience, but I have learned A LOT.  I will never forget the experience or the kids and am so glad that I have had the opportunity to do this!

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 

for they will be filled.

-Matthew 5:6

Jesus replied, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

- Matthew 21:21-22

Taste and see that the Lord is good;

blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

- Psalm 34:8

peace. and. blessings. 

I need YOUR help!

Most of you know how important Camp Winnataska is to me.  Even more of you know how important Mrs. Irene is to me and probably you too, if you've ever been to camp!  Please take a minute to read this letter I have written.

Dear friends,

One of my favorite places on earth is Camp Winnataska.  Camp Winnataska is where I came to know Christ and where I met my biggest role model, Mrs. Irene Page.  Mrs. Irene, her husband, and three daughters live in Beulah, Alabama.  Beulah is just 20 miles from Auburn University.  As a freshman, Mrs. Irene welcomed me with open arms and made it clear that her house was my home.  Just months after I started my freshman year at Auburn, Irene found out that she had breast cancer.  Over the past three years Irene has had multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation.  Mrs. Irene had a double mastectomy and lymphectomy.  Her cancer was gone and she had reconstructive surgery. 

In June of 2012, Mrs. Irene had an MRI on her spine and found out that her cancer is back.  It is in the upper part of her spine closest to her neck.  She had one major round of radiation and is now doing chemotherapy again.  She is sick and weary, yet her faith is still as strong as ever.  She will have a PET scan in early November to find out if the chemo is killing the cancer cells or to see if they are multiplying.

I am asking for your help.  With the economy I know it is hard for anyone to contribute money because we all have our own debts.  Please help me to help Mrs. Irene, her husband, and daughters.  As I am sure you can imagine medical bills add up.  Her husband is currently working two jobs.  They have moved to Birmingham to be closer to her appointments at UAB.  Mr. Page is working for Dawson Baptist Church in exchange for their house.  However, they still own their house in Beulah.  They are trying to sell one of their vehicles to omit that expense in their life.  The money they make goes towards their daily life expenses and therefore they have nothing leftover to pay towards the bills that are adding up. 

One last thing, that is so very important.  Mrs. Irene’s faith can move mountains.  This is one of the most inspiring things to me.  Her faith is also one of the many reasons why she is a role model in my life.  Her faith has impacted me and influenced me to be the Christian that I am.  I hope and pray that you would help me in my effort to give back to her as much as she has given to me.

Thank you in advance for your help,

Caitlin Brennan

 Irene and her girls!

Irene and her husband!

Please take a minute to consider helping Mrs. Irene and her family out.  I would like to help give back to her as much as she has given to me, and I cannot do it alone.  If you are interested in giving, my email address is caitlinlbrennan@gmail.com.  You may email me for more details!  Thanks!!!

the cross was enough

the cross was enough.

God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross for us.

for our sins.

He sent his perfect son who lived a perfect life...

to die for us.

sinners.

that's love.

that is a love that we have never known before.

a love that we will never be able to wrap our minds around.

a love that we will never be able to match no matter how hard we try.

a love we cannot comprehend.

a love we cannot compete with.

I have chills.

I mean how amazing is our God?

would you send your child to die on a cross for sinners?

for people that do not love Him or you?

I don't even have children and I cannot imagine sending my child to die for sinners.

people that sin on purpose and by accident.

people that walk through this life with the thought that they can always ask for forgiveness.

I can get divorced because God will forgive me.

I can abuse drugs and alcohol because God will forgive me.

I can have sex before marriage because God will forgive me.

I can not honor my mother and father because God will forgive me.

I can have other idols because God will forgive me.

I can take the His name in vain because God will forgive me.

I can steal because God will forgive me.

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

LOVE FOR SINNERS.

LOVE FOR UNBELIEVERS.

LOVE FOR EVERYONE.

ALL THE TIME.

NEVER ENDING.

that is a love we have never known and will never match.

inspiration for this post:

How He Loves Us by David Crowder Band

Jesus Friend of Sinners by Casting Crowns

Jesus, Son of God by Chris Tomling (Passion 2012)

peace. and. blessings.

Church & ABCD's

Hello blog readers... I probably don't even have blog followers.  If I do, I'm sure I've lost you all by now seeing as how I've been on a little hiatus for the past 3.5 months!!!!  If you're faithful to me... THANK YOU!  I will do my best to not let you down anymore.

This semester Hunter and I have started going to First Baptist Opelika (FBO).  I had a short time of visiting this church my freshman year.  My sophomore and junior years I went to Cornerstone.  Although I did really enjoy Cornerstone, it was time to find a place that Hunter and I both enjoyed.  Whether you do or don't know... He is Baptist.  Which is... different for me to say the least.  I have always been very anti-Baptist.  I finally have come to the realization that it really does NOT matter what denomination you are.  As long as you have a relationship with Christ, know He is your savior, live your life for Him, spread His love, and belong to a church family - it really does not matter what kind of church you go to.  Now... if you go to some kind of snake handling church I might worry about you.  Okay so anyway back to FBO... if you go to/live in the Auburn area and have not been to this church I HIGHLY recommend you visit.  Pastor Steve Scoggins is great at spreading the word of God.  I really like the way he preaches... it's linear and organized.  He doesn't worry about addressing the hot topics or the controversial things most people try to avoid.  He tells it like the Bible says.

Tonight there was a visiting Pastor - Paul Baxter.  He was great.  But this is the whole reason I'm blogging... I wanted to share with you something that he shared with us... the ABCD's of Christianity.

A - Admit we're sinful and selfish.  (Romans 3:23)

B - Believe Jesus is our savior.  (John 3:16)

C - Confess that Jesus is God's son.  (Acts 2:38)

D - Devote to discipleship.  (Acts 2:42-47)

that's all for now.

have a blessed week and don't forget your ABCD's!

peace. and. blessings.

road trip to SC - Day 1

friday.

1:10 PM

Molly, Ramogi (3), Adela (1.5), Fraunk (puppy1), Uli (puppy2), and I leave to head to Bluffton, SC (between Beaufort and Hilton Head) to visit Molly's brother and sister-in-law who have a 4 week old baby girl named Turner.

stop #1

1:37 PM

let Fraunk and Uli out to pee pee and get the kids some McDonald's

stop #2

2:43 PM

Fraunk passes gas... we pull over on the side of the road to let him poop because he has the runs and we don't want him to poop in the kennel in the car.

stop #3

3:34 PM

got gas at a gas station in Reynolds, GA.

I went in the gas station to go to the bathroom and they had no toilet paper so needless to say I walked right back out...

the kids glued to curious george.

straight to you from small town Georgia...

perfect road trip snack... Dunkaroos

7:12 PM

we arrive to Bluffton, SC all alive and well.

starting out I thought... oh this is going to be a long ride. but once we got over those first couple of hours we were smooth sailing!

I got to hold baby Turner for about two hours while she was having sweet dreams. I was in Heaven... (sorry if you can't see the picture well... it was dark)

God Moments Part Two

So I downloaded this new Devotion app... and it is doing great things for me.  It has AM and PM devotions, which is even better!  It's like the devotions are made just for me... which I know they aren't... it's just God's way of showing me He is right here next to me holding my hand.

Well, last night's devotion was Rock of Safety.

"From the ends of the earth, 

I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed.  

Lead me to the towering rock safety."

-Psalms 61:2

In the depths of our despair we can cry out to God when we are overwhelmed.  Pray to him and tell him what overwhelms you, confide in him, share your burdens.  Turn to God for help and he will lead you to a towering rock of safety.

This fits right in with what I have been struggling with.  School is stressing me out, being away from Hunter is hard and I miss him like crazy, not being at camp and being in Summer school is overwhelming me.  The thought of growing up is beginning to overwhelm me, as much as I want it and look forward to it.  Then I read this and I am just reassured that our Heavenly Father is right here beside me holding my hand, walking by my side.  How great is He!

This morning's devotion was Who Long.

"But people who long to be rich 

fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires 

that plunge them into ruin and destruction."

-1 Timothy 6:9

Ask around and everyone will tell you they wish they had more money.  But yet, more than likely, there is food on the table and clothes on their backs.  We must be diligent in our thoughts to avoid longing to be rich.  This greediness leaves us vulnerable to take risks that lead to ruin all for the sake of being rich.  Seek out contentment in the Lord and you will receive many blessings. 

I am also fighting this battle... I fully believe money is the root of all evil.  I was just talking to my mom about this yesterday.  But we make it that way.  I am blessed beyond measure.  I never go hungry, I am working on a college education, I always have clothes on my back, gas in my car, etc.  I definitely do not long to be rich.  I do not want a lot of money but sometimes I do struggle to get by on what I have... but maybe that's because I expect too much?  I don't know the answer.  If we seek contentment in the Lord we will realize just how blessed we are and how little we need.

here's to you having your own God moments!

peace. and. blessings.

God Moment

Well, I used to talk about these all the time... God moments. That are happening in my life.  When a specific prayer or verse just is completely fitting for my life at that time.  I know that is God speaking to me.  Well since church on Sunday at camp, I've been trying to make sure I give God the time to speak to me.  He always listens to me, I need to listen to him.  This was my prayer and devotion for today:

Prayer: Gracious God, speak to me clearly from Your holy Word today and please help me to obey what I hear.

Devotion:  For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.  May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,  so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. -Romans 15:4-7

Just wanted to share.

Have a great week!

peace. and. blessings.

questions

My questions...

Why is it so easy for me to lose track of my relationship with God?

Why is it so easy to do anything and everything BUT dive into God's word? to share His love? to share His word? to think of Him in all we do?

but...

Why is it so easy to be a Christian?

God does not ask much of us.

To love one another, forgive one another as He has forgiven us, amongst others.

We have little to NO requirements.

It is so easy to glorify our God.

He loves us so much - no one can love like He does.

That is TRUE love.

To love someone despite the sins they might commit.

I mean that gives me chills.

The devil is continuously trying to tempt us.  He likes to throw us curve balls, give us flat tires, and just put a cramp in our style - if we let him.  But why should we?  Our God offers so much more.

This post was a jumbled mess and these questions just came to me today. I don't know if anyone else struggles with these things, but I know I sure do. 

peace. and. blessings.

being thrifty.

If you know me I LOVE finding things on sale and being thrifty.

I don't always know the best way to achieve these goals.

However, I found this article on Yahoo! this morning and thought it would be useful.

What to buy at the Dollar Store.

I also wanted to share this blog I follow.

She is awesome!

Life As A Thrifter

here's to happy thrifting!

peace. and. blessings.

twenty one.

twenty one interesting facts or not so interesting facts about me in celebration of my twenty first birthday.

1. The very first car I ever rode in was a limo.  I was taken home from the hospital in a limo.

2. I took ballet, tap, and jazz for five years.

3. I love to sing and I was in choir for 8 years, but don't ask me to sing a solo.

4. I don't like to wear makeup.

5. I love to wear dresses and my cowboy boots.  It makes me feel beautiful.

6. I am slightly OCD about being on time and planning.

7. I think money is the root of all evil. Seriously all you need is love.

8. Growing up I wanted to be an ambulance driver, veterinarian, baby doctor, nurse, and teacher.

9. I have been baptized twice - first time Catholic second time Lutheran

10. I react and think with my heart not my brain.

11. I love babies and children and cannot wait to be a mom.

12. I'm really quite simple - not materialistic or girly girl.

13. My dream is to have a huge family with my own children and adopted children that need love.

14. Summer 2010 I began living a life for and through Christ and my life is forever changed.

15. If I could drop out of school tomorrow to be a missionary around the world and help children in need I would do it in a heart beat.

16. School is not my thing.  I do not like it.  I despise tests.

17. I love to cook and bake and concoct my own recipes.

18. I think that eating out is overrated and expensive but it is so easy to do.

20. I think American's are self centered, selfish, lazy, and disgusting.

21. I believe EVERYTHING happens for a reason.

woah. I cannot believe I am almost twenty one. I mean life is literally flashing before my eyes.  I am so thankful and blessed with every opportunity I have been given and that I will continue to receive.  My parents, friends, and family mean absolutely everything to me.  God continues to bless me beyond belief.  I pray that the next years of my life will be just as amazing as the past twenty one.  Thanks to EVERYONE who has been a part of it, whether you've been a positive or negative influence.

here's to many more birthdays!

peace. and. blessings.

weekend recap

my weekend summed up in this picture:

reading the Bible with Hunter

observing the beautiful stained glass window at our lake house

walking along the lake shore

cooking dinner for Hunter

having Hunter cook breakfast for me

getting some homework and studying done

drinking hot tea together

overall a wonderful relaxing weekend

oh and if you haven't heard this go check it out!

I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Ben Rector

hope y'all had a great weekend!

peace. and. blessings.

walking the walk that we talk

Why is it so hard to walk the walk, yet so easy to talk the talk?

This question could be the question of a lifetime.  I don't know the answer: maybe because we live in a world of sin.  This world is so so so full of sin and the devil consumes us.  

Why am I blogging about this?: recently I have been asking myself this question so much.  Why is it so easy for me to understand what my devotion is asking me, but not easy to carry out what it's asking me?  Why do we not live our lives to glorify Him? HE DIED ON THE CROSS FOR US!  For some reason we cannot devote 5 minute to Him.  Yet we waste more than 5 minutes on facebook, twitter, watching television, blogging, texting, talking on the phone, the list could go on. This has to be a change that I make in my life, and I urge you to make it in yours! Is stalking someone on facebook you barely know worth anything over sitting down and diving into the word?  Is waking up on Sunday for church really THAT hard.  Who cares if you stayed up till 3 a.m. the night before?  Yes, I am aware that I fail at every single one of these things.  I am a huge failure, but God does not look at us as failures.  He looks at our strengths and is right there holding our hands to help us become stronger.  

So my devotion today was on clothing ourselves in Christ.  Every morning when you put your clothes on, you are getting dressed to be a servant of Christ.  To glorify Him: show His love, talk to Him, serve Him, listen to Him.  It was also talking about how our clock is ticking.  We cannot go back to yesterday and we are not guaranteed tomorrow.  Live your life to the fullest today.  That is so hard to do!  Especially on the days when you have so much studying, so many commitments that it just seems like you're at the bottom of a pool of deep water and have no chance of making it to the top.

Sunday after church I went to lunch with Ben & Cassidy and some of their church friends.  I was talking to Cassidy about going to Bulgaria, the trip that they take every Summer.  I have this great passion to go, but the next two Summers are booked with school for me.  So, I shall wait until it is time.  

Anyway... Cassidy was telling me about how in Bulgaria the people will literally stay in church all day just to worship.  To love on God, to hear God's love, see God's love, worship our Heavenly Father.  Do you know anyone in America that does this, because I certainly don't.  These people don't just do this once or twice a year on a weekend.  They do this on a daily basis.  Why don't we do this?  We are such a broken world society.  It breaks my heart.  It breaks my heart that we don't strive for this.  It breaks my heart to know that we are failing God.  Whether or not he sees it as failure that is what we are doing to Him.  Does He deserve that? NO!

"You were taught with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." -Ephesians 4:22-24

Okay, I will now get off my soap box and try my very hardest to go out and serve God to my fullest.

are you wearing your armor of God today?

peace. and. blessings.

scripture + memory = glorifying God

So... I have decided that it is time to take the next step in my relationship with Christ.

It's time to take on the daunting task of scripture memorization.

Daunting for me, because I am not good at memorizing.

In school vocab has never been my thing.

Spelling I can do that all day long.

So anyway, starting today/this week I will memorize a verse or two or three of scripture each week.

This week I'm starting off with two verses, simply because they go together.

So, why not memorize them together right?

It's important to memorize scripture because as Christians we are supposed to know the word of God.

We all know the usuals:  John 3:16, 1Corinthians 13:13, etc.

I probably know 10 verses max memorized.

What a failure. I am failing God. 

I have memorized a verse for every two years of my life. 

If you average out the time and verses I know by heart. 

It's time to glorify Him by learning and soaking up His word.

So I have my verse in a little flower picture holder.

I wrote it on some colored cardstock paper in Sharpie and here it is:

This is in my bathroom on the side wall next to my mirror.

So, I can read it while I'm getting ready in the mornings and getting ready for bed at night.

This weeks verses are:

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. 

For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

- 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

have a great week!

peace. and. blessings.

slutty brownies

so tonight Hunter and I went to Mrs. Irene's for dinner

she requested I bring dessert

I have a recipes bookmark on my computer and I knew I would be able to find a dessert recipe that I had not tried yet... so what do I find...

the recipe to slutty brownies

they're called slutty because they're easy yet dirty (hehe)

which are divine, delightful, amazing... you get the point

what you do:

buy a thing of cookie dough and spread it on bottom of pan

(I used a 13x9 glass casserole type dish)

then place the oreos on top of that

then mix the brownie mix according to instructions on box and pour on top

bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees!

this is what you get...

1/3

Found this on a blog I follow!

Instructions:
Copy the list, bold the ones you've done (with explanations if needed), share with friends.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii 
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity (I wish I could make this bold and in a bigger print... one day)
7. Been to Disneyland 
8. Climbed a mountain 
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (does being The Vision at Grail count? then yes)
11. Bungee jumped 
12. Visited Paris 
13. Watched a thunder and lightning storm 
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child (OH HOW I WISH TO DO THIS ONE DAY)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (I wish!)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise 
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (at some points, but not always. we are such a materialistic society)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke 
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa (I WISH!!!!)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted 
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (snorkeled in Hawaii)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business 
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching 
63. Got flowers for no reason (thank you Hunter)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (just the other day
)65. Gone sky diving 
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp (I really want too!)
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square 
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone 
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican 
82. Bought a brand new car 
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper 
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox89. Saved someone’s life (if giving blood counts, or being a lifeguard)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous 
92. Joined a book club 
93. Got a tattoo 
94. Had a baby (not yet, but one day!)
95. Seen the Alamo in person 
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee 

I've only done 1/3 of these things!

Looks like I have a lot to do!

Or count my blessings that I've been able to do the things I have!

peace. and. blessings.

God's perfect timing.

First, if you have never read Katie's Blog then I highly suggest you stop doing whatever you are doing right now and go read it.  Katie is an AMAZING woman of Christ.  She is truly working for Him and glorifying Him in all she does.

Second, if you have read it well then you already know what she said last week, but I found it very powerful and wanted to share.

So, Katie says,

"But I remember when I wasn’t ready to move to Uganda. I remember when I wasn’t ready to kiss the people I loved the most goodbye. I remember when I didn’t have enough money to start a ministry, and I remember when I wasn’t old enough to be a mother, and I remember when I didn’t know how to parent. I remember when I couldn’t cook for fifteen people and when I didn’t want to share my house and my things and my life with sick people and addicts. I remember when I was afraid of the slum community that now holds hundreds of friends and when I was terrified that my daughter would never walk and when I was scared that we would never heal after tragic loss. And I remember that never, not once, was I really as ready as I wanted to be. And I remember that God kept all His promises, every last one, in His perfect time.

This new season looms and I don’t know what is next. But He doesn’t need me to be ready for this season because He is ready. He just needs me to be clinging to His feet.

Now, God’s perfect time."

What are you not ready for? Or, what are ready for?

I am not ready to leave my family after a long break.  I am not ready for classes to start back after a weekend.  I am ready to graduate from college.  I am ready to have a career.  I am ready to get married and have a family.

Or am I? I think I am ready.  Or I think I'm not ready.  But as God shows me time and time again, it is up to Him.  This is His plan, not mine.  God places things in our lives for perfect timing and perfect reasoning.  Yes, I said perfect.  He is perfect in all ways.  He is all knowing.

Last night, at church we talked about wisdom and how everything is meaningless.  God is not required to give us meaning or explanation.  The more wisdom you have the more ignorant you are.  Nothing has meaning, everything is meaningless.  God gives us things that we enjoy to spread His word and His love.  God does not give us things we enjoy for satisfaction.  All things are for His glory.

"What is crooked cannot be straightened;

what is lacking cannot be counted."

-Ecclesiastes 1:15

"For with much wisdom, comes much sorrow;

the more knowledge, the more grief."

-Ecclesiastes 1:18

"I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;

I refused my heart no pleasure.

My heart took delight in all labor,

and this was the reward for all my toil.

Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done

and what I had toiled to achieve,

everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;

nothing was gained under the sun."

-Ecclesiastes 2:10-11

everyone have a great week!

peace. and. blessings.

Caitlin Gone Teacher

Hey y'all!

I now have a new blog... 

However, it will be containing only educational things for one of my classes.

One day when I become a teacher I hope to continue to use it!

But here it is:

http://caitlingoneteacher.blogspot.com

go check it out

leave me a comment!

I haven't blogged yet, but will be this weekend!

peace. and. blessings.

long weekend

above is my weekend in adjectives.

it was a wonderful weekend in the mountains with Hunter and his family.

I am so thankful for the influence they have in my life.

it was just what I needed to get a jumpstart into this semester.

I hope to have many more weekends like this to come :)

i hope everyone had a great weekend

peace. and. blessings.

name in love

so I started reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan a couple of years ago but put it down... well I brought it home with me this break in the hopes of reading it and tonight saw it sitting on my bedside table... and decided why not? 

so if you know me then you know 1 Corinthians 13:13 is my favorite Bible verse... obviously because that is what inspired my tattoo... but the whole chapter definitely has to be my favorite in the whole Bible.

 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 ⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

 ¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

So Francis Chan says to substitute your name in place of "love" throughout the whole passage. "Caitlin is patient, Caitlin is kind...." By the end don't you feel like you are a liar? If I am representing Christ's love and I am love then I fail a whole lot. 

so here's to my New Year's Resolution:

loving more than I do

and to hoping that those around me will too, but if they don't I will still love

and share God's love!

peace. and. blessings.

and good luck on your New Year's Resolution!