victoriously freed: 2013

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Tonight, I don't have time to write a whole blog post, so I thought I would share with y'all an English paper that I wrote during my first semester. I was thankful that I was able to share about an event that really took place and changed the world forever!

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A birthday is a necessary part of life; without one, there is no life. Many people may not consider another individual's birthday to be an event worth hearing about. However, the unique birth of a royal figure, even one born years ago, will quickly grab the attention of people and soon a celebration can begin that could spread around the world.

Many, many years ago, the birth of a baby boy took place in a way that no person today would want to experience. There were no doctors present, no pain medication, and no comfortable place to stay. In a small barn surrounded by animals and hay, this baby took His first breath outside His mother's womb, and they called Him Jesus. "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord" (Luke 2:11), declared an angel to the shepherds. This verse announced clearly the birth of that boy who would grow up to become a leader among people.

With the proclamation of this royal birth, a celebration ensued. Shepherds and wisemen alike, full of excitement, gathered together to celebrate this birth. The news quickly spread throughout the land, and soon people everywhere wanted to meet this special child, who was born to be their savior.

To this day, as December approaches, people around the world begin preparing to celebrate this occasion. To some this event is just another gift-giving holiday, but to others, it is a day to celebrate the best gift, the birth of the one, true King.

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Tomorrow, don't forget the true reason we celebrate Christmas. Without the birth of our Savior, there would be no Christmas and there would be no reason to celebrate.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

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"If you choose to carry your own burden and guilt and sins, then you are choosing to believe that Jesus dying on the cross was for nothing. He died to save you from those sins and wants to carry you burdens and guilt for you. Let Him"

This is what a very wise friend of mine said to me recently after I had shared with her many things that have been on my heart for a while now. Those words truly spoke to me. Let me explain why.

For those of you who don't really know me, I am very independent. I like to do things on my own, I don't like to ask for help, and if somebody tells me I can't do something, I am going to keep trying until I can prove them wrong. I think that 14 years of sports helped to contribute to that.

Having said that though, the only One whom I will ask for help from is my Savior and Lord. I know He is always here for me and will always help me even when I can't admit I need help.

Lately, I have felt burdened and guilty. My walk with the Lord is not where I want it to be and not where it should be. It's not that I have done this big, horrible act, I just needed to be closer to Him again. He never left my side, I was just wasn't walking close enough.

I have known this. I have struggled with this. But I have told myself it wasn't that big of a deal. I have felt this sense of guilt and the burden that came along with it.

But finally, enough was enough.

As I was singing in church recently the lyrics of this song struck me. The song says:

A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
Should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace
Everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart, in my soul
I give you control
Consume me from the inside out
Let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love you from the inside out

That was when I truly realized that I was ready to stop acting like I could carry this guilt on my own and I was ready to love Him from the inside out and to give Him complete control of me once again.

It was that same night that I talked with the lady that shared with me the words I quoted at the beginning. I am so thankful that the Lord used her to speak to me the words that I needed to hear at that moment.

Now, there is no more guilt and no more burden because the One whom walks beside of me is carrying it for me.

It's amazing knowing that as His child, He will carry all my worries, burdens, fears, failures, and everything else for me. All I have to do is let go.

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Well hey there! I know that it has been a while since my last post, but school and life in general got kinda crazy all at once. But I am back for another post and just in time for Thanksgiving! Can you believe that Thanksgiving is TODAY? It's truly crazy to think about how fast this year has truly flown by. With Thanksgiving today, that means that Christmas is literally almost here! And in my opinion, Christmas is truly the most wonderful time of the year! From celebrating the birth of The Savior to waiting for the snow that [normally] doesn't fall. This is the time for the family traditions, pictures with Santa, cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, opening Christmas presents together, family gatherings, reading the Christmas story and The Night Before Christmas, and so many more!

The best part though, in my honest opinion, is being able to spend time with these crazy, strange, awesome, amazing people I get to call my family. This doesn't just stop with my mom, dad and siblings though. You see, not only do I have the best mom, dad, and siblings ever, I also have the best aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents ever. Whenever the holidays come around, I get to spend time with these amazing people and it truly makes me so happy.

Now, let me tell you just a little about my family. Over the past three years, the Lord has revealed to me how truly amazing my whole family is. This conformation all started when my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. Since then, we as a family (not alone) have been through many journeys that people really don't want to have to go through. And though the journeys may have been difficult sometimes, there has been One Person who has remained the same the whole time: God. Through every single road that we have walked on together as a family, our Savior has been walking beside us holding our hands and guiding us through the difficult times. He [God] has been the provider of peace, understanding, answers, comfort, and even joy in the times when we have needed it the most.

But you know what, His care isn't just there in the tough times, God always provides and never will stop! If that's not completely comforting, I don't know what is.

As this Thanksgiving and Christmas season continues to come around, just remember how blessed you are to have your family to be spending this time with.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

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Is it strange that I actually enjoy my speech class? It's not that I really like speaking in front of people, but for 3-10 minutes at a time, I get to share what is on my heart and people have to listen! That's the part that makes me happy; sharing my opinion and having fun doing it!

So far, I have given a speech about me, my [awesome] volleyball coaches, how-to win a guys heart (in three easy steps), and the latest one, Lecrae Speaks to Us. This one is by far my favorite! For 8 minutes and 20 seconds, I got to share about this guy, Lecrae, and a speech (sermon) that he had given that spoke to me. I decided to share who he is, how he relates to us and what we can learn from him. All of this had to come from the 31 minute speech he delivered at Liberty University back in March of this year.

Basically in this post today, I just want to briefly talk about this speech and a couple key points that really spoke to me.

First of all, in case you don't know who Lecrae is, I'll help ya out. Lecrae is a Christian rapper. But don't get thrown off by that, let me tell you, this guy is amazing! If you don't believe me, just click here.

(This is one of his less-intense songs, but they are all so great. The words in this song are awesome, too.)

Anyway, in the speech at Liberty University, there were many things that really spoke to me. The main thing is the "Sacred/Secular Divide". He goes on to explain what this means by saying that we, as humans, look at this world with two separate views. But as a child of God's we must get rid of the split, combine the two sides, and look at the world by putting on our "spiritual glasses." We have to be able to look at the world with a "Biblical Worldview!"

It gets even better though, because then, Lecrae talks about three steps we must take to get rid of the sacred/secular split.

We must engage the city, culture, and people.
We must love the city, culture, and people.
We must rehabilitate the city, culture and people.

In order to combine the two sides, as a child of The Lord, we must engage, love, then rehabilitate the people around us who are not saved.

An example of this that my mama reminded me of is the woman at the well. Jesus first engaged the woman before He began to teach her.

This is just one of the many things that I learned from this speech, but I found this very important. After all, the Bible tells us that it is our job to share His Word with everyone!

Romans 10:14-15 says: How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

This is just one of the examples where the Scriptures tell us that we are supposed to share His love with people who may not have a chance to hear about God otherwise.

So take this as a challenge, instead of turning away from the lost, engage, love, and rehabilitate them!

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In case you decide you would like to listen to this speech given by Lecrae, just click here. I promise it will be worth your time!

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Sorry y'all, but now that y'all know my major, I will probably be using examples from my classes often. So, let's just look at the first-of probably many-from my Psychology class. Also, let me say that for me, Psychology and Sociology are not just analyzing behavior from a scientific viewpoint, but I want to be able to relate everything from a biblical viewpoint as well. So with that being said, I will now continue.

Wednesday in class we were discussing feelings and emotions. Let me start by saying that I personally am no expert when it comes to emotion. Ask most anyone and they will agree. It's not that I think that showing emotion is a bad thing, just not something that I am good at. Thankfully though, I will just be talking about the lecture, not giving personal examples.

After several minutes of my teacher lecturing he turned on a video that we would watch the rest of the class. The man in the video was a priest and did a fine job talking about emotion and feelings.

He started by telling us how the are two main emotions that all other emotions derive from. There is LOVE and there is HATE. These are the two starting points for all other emotions.

Around the word LOVE, he wrote other words that come from love: peace, joy, forgiveness, tolerance, satisfaction, etc. .

Around the word HATE, he wrote the words that come from hate: self-pity, jealousy, depression, defeat, guilt, grief, etc. .

LOVE leads to HAPPINESS - HATE leads to UNHAPPINESS

Then, he did the unthinkable. He showed how the two ultimate emotions/feelings can actually work together by reminding us all of the well-known question: What is LOVE if there is no JEALOUSY?

Think about it, it's kind of healthy and helpful to be jealous when you are in love. Jealousy can show how much you truly care and that you don't want to lose that person. (However, be careful though, trust is very, very important as well.)

But why am I mentioning this? Because immediately I began thinking of the lyrics from the song How He Loves:

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

Y'all, GOD IS JEALOUS FOR US! The One who created us all in His image is jealous for us! For us unworthy sinners! He wants us to be His. He is jealous for us and doesn't want to lose us to the worldly things that Satan shows us.

Isn't it kind of amazing knowing that Someone so incredibly important is jealous for you?

I know it makes me feel special, but I'm not alone.

So, the next time that you are feeling down and gloomy, don't let your emotions get in the way, instead, smile because you know that He is jealous for you!

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Well, it's official y'all, I have officially declared my major! I am extremely happy, happy, happy, and want to share this exciting news! By the time I graduate from Motlow State Community College, I will be graduating with an A.S. in Sociology and an A.A. in Psychology. With also having completed some classes for my future minor: Physical Education.

This makes me super excited because I'm one of those people who works best with an end goal. Yes, I did pick up extra classes and it may take me longer to graduate, but I'm okay with that! (and, so is my mama.) By having this end goal in mind, I am working towards my goal: being a teacher and a coach!

I have found [one of] MY motivation[s]!

With every paper, test, and assignment, I know that I am one step closer to my end goal!

So of course, I have to ask you a question now! Ready?

What motivates you?

Everyday, what motivates you to get out of the bed in the morning? What motivates you to get through the day?

You sure can't deny the fact that you have a motivation. It's what helps us get through the day, but it can be different for everybody. We all have worldly motivations like coffee, food, money, success, etc... But y'all, we should also have spiritual motivations to! The ultimate one of course being getting into Heaven! Everyday when we wake up, that's a gift that the Lord has given us.

Even the simple motivation of making it to tomorrow should be enough to make it through a bad day.

When it comes to assignments, projects, and other things like this, the Lord specifically tells us to do all things unto Him. Knowing that as His children, we should be motivated to do everything as unto Him! I mean, how could that be any more clear?

So, I challenge you to find your motivation outside of just worldly things. I pray that the motivation to serve the Lord with your all is a motivation that you have! Trust me, that doesn't always happen, life is rough and we get disappointed, but stay motivated and keep pressing toward that final goal! You get to decide that goal though.

Speaking of motivation, I need to get motivated to finish this Psychology paper.. So, on that note, y'all have a great night!

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Recently, I was a part of a group discussion where we were talking about how The Lord had sent Haggai as a messenger of hope after a group of the Lord's people had gone astray and spent many years wasted. And, how, finally, these people could spend their years wisely after having wasted so many.

Well, this immediately got me thinking. What is a wasted year? And how can we consider any year in a person's life to be wasted? It's definitely not that I disagreed with this idea, I just couldn't completely agree without thinking about it a little bit more.

Since I'm all about definitions, the definition of the word wasted is:

1 : not used, spent, etc., in a good, useful, or effective way

So yes, I guess that if your years aren't spent in an effective way, they are wasted, but this still just bugs me. So, the rest of this post is strictly my personal opinion. It is neither correct, nor incorrect. It is just my opinion and thoughts on wasted years.

Y'all, we ALL sin. Yes, all of us. Even the person you see to be the most Christ-like person. Everyday we make a decision on how to live that day. We-as humans-choose to sin on a daily basis. It's in our nature.

But what makes us each different is how we decide to learn or grow from our sinful choices. If we choose to remain the same, living in the same sin, then yes, I guess the years are considered wasted as long as you don't learn from the decision.

HOWEVER,

if you, after the sin, learn and grow from the bad decision, this is not a wasted moment. Sometimes, in order to grow, you have to fall first. I'm definitely not saying that you should go out and make a bad choice, I am saying however, that sometimes in life we get so caught up in ourselves that we don't see our own faults. Instead we judge the people around us, when in reality, we are the one who is not following His will.

So what will it take for us to learn that we need to change? That is different from person to person. In the words of a very wise father, "It's okay to fall, just don't stay fallen."

Once again, I'm not suggesting you "fall", but I am saying that if you fall, DON'T STAY THERE. His grace will cover you and you can come running back into His open arms!

So basically, I do not believe in wasted years, if you learn from them.

Y'all, the best thing I can say here is:

If you continue living in the same sin, you are at risk of wasting years; BUT, if you learn and grow spiritually after living in that sin, you are not wasting years , you are growing and learning from your mistakes. Choose wisely in your everyday lives, it's your choice alone, so what will you do?

To waste or not to waste, THAT is the question!

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Today, as I was sitting in church, I was flipping through the pages of my old bible. To my surprise, a dollar bill almost fell out.

This definitely caught my attention as I thought to myself:

How and where did this come from?

I turned the pages a little more to reveal the entire dollar bill and it's location. It's cozy little home was in the book of 1 Corinthians where Paul is writing to the church in Corinth giving advice to the problems they were encountering.

That's when I remembered the reasoning behind this:

If someone were to pick up my Bible, flip through the pages, looking for something, what would I want them to find?

That's why the dollar bill is there, to draw attention to a specific passage in my Bible.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in it's blessings.

This is what I want people to find underlined in my Bible. This is one of the many truths that I find SO VERY IMPORTANT. This is what I try so hard to do, but fail to achieve so often. This is how I want to live my life, being all things to all people to try to win some for the sake of The Gospel!

Personally, I believe the words that Paul writes right here should be practiced by every child of The King. How else will we be able to win the lost if we don't join them? I'm not saying to join in the actions, but if you don't talk to them, how will they learn? How will they learn about the One who sent His Son to die for us even though we are sinners?

What I am saying is that you can use any situation to witness. The gym. The store. At school. At the park. ANYWHERE you go, you can share His light. And that is what we are called to do, as His children. We are called to share Him with everyone we meet.

One example of this for me:

Because of this verse (and other reasons) I now have not one, but two , tattoos. And let me tell you, they are awesome. I do not regret getting them. They are one way to witness. My first tattoo is on my shoulder. It consists of a simple feather and the word Refuge. Since this is not a very normal tattoo to see, I get to share my answer whenever people ask me what it means. My answer? "He will cover you with His feather's, and under His wings you will find Refuge. . Psalm 91:4"

Every time I get to share that simple meaning, the Scripture, I get to share His Words. After all, the Bible is God speaking to us.

Y'all, nobody on earth is guaranteed another second. So don't waste the ones you are given, use the days you have to share Him with those who may not have another night on this earth. We are all promised an eternity somewhere. Heaven or Hell. What we do with our lives will ultimately decide our eternity. And how we share Him with others may help decide their eternity.

So let me ask you this, of all the Scriptures/Pages/Places in your Bible, where would you keep a dollar?

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"Babe, if I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together!"

Some people will hear this as just another stupid, cheesy pick-up line. However, others may find this to be charming enough to actually work.

What do you think?

Would this work for you?

What does it take for you to fall for someone?

Is it their looks?

Their smile?

Personality?

Character?

What would it take to make you fall head over heels for someone?

If you are someone who really feels like they have to be in a relationship at all times, then it probably won't take much to get your attention. But, guess what. I have some good news for you again:

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE IN A RELATIONSHIP TO BE COOL OR POPULAR OR WHATEVER IT IS THAT YOU ARE STRIVING FOR!

Your self-worth is not--that's right, it's NOT--found in how many boyfriends or girlfriends that you have had. Your self-worth is so much more than that, y'all.

Ladies, let me tell you, it doesn't matter how many guys you date, because one day, the Lord will send the right guy for you. Your Prince Charming! Your Knight in Shining Armor!

You deserve nothing less then a prince, because you are a princess! And you are a princess because your Father is The King of Kings! Never forget that!

Guys, the same goes for you too. It's doesn't matter how many girls you date, the Lord has already picked out the perfect gal for ya! The one whom you will always love and cherish. And you will know her when you see her, because the Lord will reveal His plan to you. Keep your standards high and don't settle for someone who is not right for you!

If God has already set aside the right significant other for you, why keep looking?

It's okay to keep looking, but know you don't have to do the work. Just wait and watch and listen and be ready for the moment when He tells you it's time.

One final thought, sit down and actually write down a list of qualities you find important for your spouse-to-be. It doesn't have to be a long list, but if you actually write it down, you can visualize it better. Once you have that list, don't settle for anything less. (Unless of course you are looking for Spiderman or Barbie. I'm sorry to have to tell you, but they're not real.)

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Beauty....

Recently a well-known band released a song entitled ‘What Makes You Beautiful’. This song states what they consider to be beautiful.

But what is actually considered beautiful? What actually makes us beautiful?

Every time we turn on the television, look in a magazine, or get on a computer, we are hit with the overwhelming characteristics of what Hollywood considers to be beautiful. But, remember, the definition of the word beauty can be different. How so? And what is beauty?

Webster’s online dictionary gives two definitions of this word:

1) The quality of being physically attractive

2) The qualities in a person or a thing that give pleasure to the senses or the mind

So yeah, I guess we could end with that. That is the “technical” definition of the word beauty. But instead of ending it now, let’s make things a little more personal.

Ask yourself:

What do I consider to be beauty? To be beautiful?

Is it weight? Height? Skin color? Eye color? Hair color? Social status? There are so many things that we could add to this list.

Now ask yourself this:

What am I willing to do to achieve this status? This status of being beautiful in my own eyes and in the eyes of others?

Please, answer that question genuinely.

It’d be pretty difficult to try to keep up with the new trends every time they change. So guys and gals, DON’T KILL YOURSELF to try to fit in with the world.

It’s not worth it.

I can absolutely promise to you that no matter how un-beautiful you may see yourself, I know Somebody who sees you and knows that you are beyond beautiful.

And if that isn’t good enough news, guess what: THERE IS MORE!

Now, let me tell you more about this Person who sees you as beautiful all the time, even at your worst moments.

His name is Jesus.

And He doesn’t see you from man’s view point. The view point that doesn’t even matter. He sees you from the inside. He looks at yours heart. That’s some great news ladies and gentlemen.

How can I be so sure about this though?

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

So, let me now leave you with this:

The next time you are getting ready for school, work or Wal-Mart, when you look in the mirror, don’t think about what you look like on the outside. But instead, examine your heart.

As long as you live your life for Him and Him alone, you will always be beautiful. And don't freak out if you mess up, because His grace is so overflowing that no matter how many times we do mess up, His grace is here to make us beautiful again. The real kind of beautiful. The kind of beautiful that we need to strive for. That kind of beauty that matters. The kind of beauty that radiates in our hearts.

Because, in the end, that’s all that matters.

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Hey there y'all!

Before I begin talking about anything special, I just want to tell you a little bit about myself and why I am doing this blog.

First:

Who am I?

I am Elizabeth Grace Kinser, but I go by Beth. Or whatever name you can come up with from Elizabeth. I am an 18 year old college freshman with the dream of being a teacher and coach. I attend Motlow State Community College where I am currently undecided in my major. I graduated in May of 2013 after having been homeschooled for 12 years. When it comes to my college major, I know what I think I want to do with my life, but I am just trying to figure out how to get there.

If you were to meet me in person, I would hope that the first thing you would notice about me is my love for my Savior and Lord. He IS the most important person in my life. When I was only 5 years old, I accepted Jesus as my Savior. Since then, I have made more mistakes then I can even began to tell you..BUT, (yes, that's a big but), no matter how much I mess up in my life, I am continually forgiven by my Father. My "religion" is not a religion, it is a relationship with the only One who can save me.

I also absolutely LOVE sports. I mean, I really, really love them. All of them. I love to play sports and watch them. Which also makes me a really competitive person. Competitiveness is good and bad: it helps me achieve goals that people don't think I can achieve, but it also means that I push myself a lot. I have played competitive sports for 13+ years, soccer being the first. Throughout the years, I have played soccer, basketball, gymnastics, softball, and volleyball. Volleyball was and is my favorite though. I was even so blessed to be able to be the first homeschooler in Coffee County to play volleyball for the local public high school. Talk about one amazing opportunity that helped shape me into the person I am today. It's amazing what one year can do to impact a person!

So, that's basically part of who I am, I'm sure there will be more to tell you along the journey, but for now, I will leave it at that.

Second:

Why did I start this blog?

Because my life is a journey that I want to share with others. No, it's nothing that unique or special, but it is the life that I was given and I want to share that with you. The Lord continually reveals Himself to me in so many ways that are so incredible and I want to share that ~~with you,~~ ~~with people,~~ ~~with anyone,~~ with everyone! Why not share when He has given me these opportunities? I honestly don't know what this blogging experience will be like, but I want to give it a try.

So, basically, if you choose to read this, this blog about my life, you will be reading about:

The Life of a College Student Seeking Him

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