Hopeing the Ball makes the Basket

If your taking a guess that the title is talking about Basketball, your correct. I started Basketball this week, practice is three days a week for two hours. I Love it! I've met some wonderful girls and I have a wonderful coach. I'm not exactly good at Basketball....yet!!! But I'm working on it!!!

Romans 8:25
"But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance"
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me:)" My mom has always told me this from day one in life!!!
2nd Corinthians 4:18
"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."
Its so true because what we can imagine and know what is coming lasts a short amount of time, but what is unseen lasts so long.
I love that because God never leaves us bored, He's always working on us somewhere in our life.
He stays the same always but works in so many different ways.
Trials
Trials is another way that God tends to use for our own good so that we may become stronger within Him, He knows what lies ahead and He knows what we can and cant handle.
Job - is a good passage to read up on about trials, I've only read the first few chapters with one of the small groups, but those first chapters will surprise you how strong Job was in that time of trials.
It first starts out with Job being a wealthy man, but then he lost his home and his family. After all that he went through boils being all over his body and still he did not reject his God and that is exactly what Satan/Lucifer wanted but did not get.
I'm going to try to read the rest of that sometime when I get a chance but I'd encourage y'all to read up on that as well. Break it down, talk about it and acknowledge it in your own life. I know its helped me see what I need to work on.
Acts 20:19"I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews"
When we fall He will pick us up... and we walk steadfastly in His will looking not to the left or to the right but straight forward to Him.:)

Wild at Heart
Katie Jones

"Loving where Im at on the way to where Im going"

"I find it hard to keep moving forward when all that's heading my way is bringing me down"- made up this quote.
This weekend has been a much wanted one, My two cousins came down to visit from small town "Wheeler"  for my grandma (who's not doing so well, but is doing fine now). While they were down, they decided to come to my church Trinity Fellowship. I love my church so much, even though its huge and allot of people come and even though it was once intimidating for a small town girl at one time in me...I love it and has become to love it over the years:)
Well I really hadn't taken that "small town girl" into thought for a very long time. That being said, in a small town, everyone knows everyone, everyone knows every body's business and everyone knows where and what every body's doing and really no change takes place. So dreaming through the night, I had multiple dreams upon dreams about showing my cousins around the church and giving them a grand tour (is what I like to call it...because it is so Big) and the best part introducing them to all my friends, mentors and leaders. What I hadn't realized was how hard it is to come from a small town church to a huge church in Amarillo.

My cousins are Maggie Jones (15 yrs. old)and her younger sister Shelby Jones (10 yrs. old), we grew up together in a small town called "wheeler", where pretty much all my dad's side of the family lives. (except for us and a few older cousins)
Approaching my cousin Maggie, fixing to go into youth group was exciting in so many ways. Then I saw the fearful girl who I'd thought I'd never see again in her, that looked like me when I had first come to Trinity.

1st John 4:18- There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in Love"

Sitting in the service, praying that God would show me how to make her feel more comfortable and to understand was the most hardest thing, then He really showed me I was doing great. I started to think about my first time at Trinity Fellowship and how I thought it was an airport from the way one of the information desks looked like we were supposed to drop some bags off or something and how uncomfortable I was sitting in the middle of a huge crowd when I was so used to a small crowd. Then I thought about what could have made me feel more comfortable and that was to have someone I knew (besides my parents) like a friend.
The more and more I thought about it I felt more at peace...especially since Ryan our youth pastor was speaking, because he never leaves us without a good story to giggle about. So as we were walking out to get into our small groups, she asked questions about the service and gave positive comments that made me want to scream "Thank you Lord!!!". As much as I miss being a small town girl, I would never go back because of how much I've grown so much.....change is good... as long as it's the Father's will.
1st John 4:19-
"We love Him because  He first Loved us."
I love that verse!!!:)
I love my cousin's and my familyso much, without them I wouldn't be who I am today!!!:)
Job 17:12- They change in the night into day; 'The light is near,' they say, in the face of darkness.
Change is good:)


Psalm 27:11-13 Teach me Your way , O Lord, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
Do not deliver me to the will of adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me. And such as breathes out violence. I would have lost heart, unless I has believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
We are all on a road to Him and His path might not be what we want to  do but it always ends way better than our way.
"If God leads you to it He will lead you through it!!!" some quote my aunt had on a picture...but I like it.:)
Have a blessed week!!!:)

Wild at Heart
Katie Jones

Clinging to my Daddy's heart

Growing up I was always worried about: "who liked me? who hated me? and what did everybody think of me?" I really turned myself around when I took a look at...
Romans 8:31-39 says “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won’t He also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one- for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting In the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (as the scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from Gods love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow- not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below- indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

3 main focused questions

·        If God is for us, who can ever be against us? "nobody....ever- in His eyes"

·        Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? "No because between the mountain we stand on and the mountain He stands on He will always make a way for us to get to Him"

·        Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? " No because no matter what He will still love us, in the trouble times and the happy times...its part of the growing stages"

This is a picture of my childhood bear, that I've had since I was 4 yrs. old!

when I was little, I loved the show "little bear" and the teddy bear made that "little bear" in my life. I took him everywhere, never did leave him anywhere and if I did...I was always back to get him cause I just couldn't go without him, he was that special to me. That's how God is with us, He's with us everywhere, He will never reject us, never leave us or forsake us. He holds all of us in the palm of His hand, shining His light upon us so that we might take Him with us everywhere, daily, and spread what we have to shine upon His people.

I Love the song by Kari Jobe- you are for me,  even though were in a time of brokenness...He still is there to give us understanding to grow more freely in His love. "He's there to catch us when we fall", is the way I like to put it. After playing this song over and over. I find myself approaching Him when I'm broken with the phrase " I know You are for me". The words "I know" give an understanding between me and God. The words " You are for me" give such comfort to my heart.

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such there is no law.”

What amazes me with this verse is we all grow within it, where we are showing His Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control to all His people.

Lately I have found myself searching for something but just couldn't find it, because I wasn't where I was supposed to be in God's eyes. Lately He has been leading me back to where I'm suppose to be. He has showed me what I have been searching for, a very long time and that was to be loved but to know it and to find my purpose in life. God's still showing me my purpose daily and Im slowly learning to cling to my Daddy's heart while He wraps me in His wings and whisper in my ear "I love you".


Wild at Heart
Katie Jones

Loved in the Father's arms

Has any of y'all ever just soaked?
Do you know what that is? If not Ill explain it.
In 7th grade I went to Arbor Christian Academy, my Bible teacher was Mrs. Hollis (most amazing bible teacher ever). She taught us how to "soak" by just getting your journal, something to write with and your heart for Christ. She would turn on some praise music and let us go find a place to "soak" around the room. She usually turned the lights off and maybe just one or two lights on. Well that's soaking, we would do this for a little while during bible class each day and I found when I soaked.... I found comfort in His arms. One spring break day I woke up and found my mom in the living room soaking, so I grabbed my journal and pen and sat down on the couch. I didn't know what I was going to be stepping into and it didn't really matter to me at the time because as long as I was with Him, their was nothing better. So at first I just sat there, didn't pick up my pen and start writing to Him (like i usually would), didn't wait for some sort of voice to give me an answer I was desperate for ( like I'd do in class) but I just sat there. Then I heard a soft call to me say " close your eye's sweet one" so I smiled real softly and closed my eyes. Then within moments I felt a warm touch rubbing on my back.:) I knew in my heart it was my Daddy holding me ever so sweetly in his arms, and I was sitting on his lap. I felt completely loved and adored by Him and I wanted more. So as I had my eyes shut, he set me down and held my hand, he started walking me through a variety of flowers among flowers and Butterfly's among Butterfly's dancing through my sweet long curly hair, it was a Beautiful mess (as it would say in "The Shack"). We walked among a path He was guiding me through and later we came to a  sanctuary within this wonderful garden. The sanctuary was freely open and brightly painted with beautiful flowers all around. In the middle of this sanctuary was five or six small rows of chairs decorated with light purple ribbons. They were facing three magnificent golden chairs. He started to show me what that meant through my heart. It stood for "The Father, The son, and The Holy spirit". I was amazed at it all and started looking at everything around me from the flowers, to the butterfly's, to the tall apple tree's that stood above me, to His soft touch that made me feel Him all around me. As we walked, He stopped and picked an apple from the apple tree and handed it to me. Before I knew it, I felt the fruits of His spirit rise within me and so I opened my eyes with crocodile tears rolling down and a sweet feeling....I felt loved... in my Father's arms.:)

Wild at Heart
Katie Jones
 

Hello everyone thanks so much for checking out my new blog!!!

I’m so excited for what God has planned. My goal in life is to make Him known to the world and let Him fulfill people’s lives. We can’t do it without Him… I love that when I asked Him what He wanted me to name my blog he said “Wild at Heart”. I asked “Why this name?” and He said “Katie my treasurer, you are like a little girl running through pastures of wild flowers picking the wounded ones up and putting them in a Beautiful vase. You take such wonderful care of them everyday and you never let them go until the wounded ones are now stronger ones that become my followers that blow from place to place, making a difference.”  I then took a moment to really understand what that meant also and realized that it meant- I am a flower with many seeds that blow off of me into other places that make more and more seeds, my personality is like none other and I can choose to be passionate about anything and everything or I can choose to fall in the ditch that was once my own. I chose to be passionate/ wild at heart about anything and everything.  

Wild at Heart
Katie Jones