These past two weeks of my life have been extremely busy. Two weeks ago on a Thursday I went to a Newsboys concert with my family and two of my friends. It went pretty late, but it was such a great concert! I’m so grateful that I was able to go. The next morning I went on a visit to the college that I will be going to next year. We had to leave around 7:30am, so my Mom, Stepdad, and I were not too excited for that part. We had a really nice car ride there, though. We were talking and laughing, and there was no need to turn the radio on or go on our phones (besides to take pictures… my Stepdad says that my Mom is the “Collage Queen”). Once we got to the college and found the Administration building, our day was filled with a busy schedule. We visited financial aid, I was able to meet my admissions counselor, I visited the dorms and sat in on a class, etc. It was very exciting to explore and see where I would be living for the next four years (during the school year) but, it was a lot to absorb. I had talked to so many people (professors, students, etc.), and I had been given a lot of information. Although, that isn’t a bad thing. It is important to know about the school that you are attending, and the teachers that you will have. I was able to visit the Equestrian Center, and I learned that I could take some classes for credits (Horse 101, Horse 201, Dressage, etc.), even though I am not going to be majoring in Equestrian Studies. I love horses, so I am looking forward to learning about and interacting with them!

This past Thursday I went to a Rochester Americans Hockey game (they won… just in case if you were wondering) with my family, and we all had a lot of fun. Since the game took place at a small center, we were able to sit right behind the glass and the penalty box. I also decided to zoom in on a picture where I made a really weird face, so that I could casually sneak my phone into selfies that people were taking. The next morning I babysat my favorite little girl, which is something that always makes me look forward to Friday mornings. Later on in the day was the start of the Fall Retreat. The Fall Retreat is when the youth leaders bring students from sixth to twelfth grade to a camping site so that they can compete in games (we have a new theme every year), and, more importantly, learn about Jesus! I am so excited that I was able to go as a leader this year! I am one of their small group leaders, so I was also with them when we broke up into our small groups after the lessons. Normally we have all of the girls together with all of the leaders for their grade, but at the Fall retreat we break them into smaller groups with one leader. This camp lasts for the weekend, which makes it easier for students because they won’t have to miss any school since we leave later in the day on Friday every year.

Now, why am I telling you all of this? Well, you see, being busy isn’t always as good as it may seem. It’s nice to have plans so that you won’t sit around all day doing nothing (I am guilty of this), but sometimes you need to stay home and not go out. Always being busy should not be your number one priority. Why? Because Jesus needs to be number one in our everyday lives. I’m not saying that you can never have plans. I am just saying that you cannot let your social or work life consume you. If you do, you will most likely put Jesus on the back burner. When you do that, your relationship with Him will not grow. It may even begin to backslide. I am most definitely guilty of doing this. Whenever I look back and see that I have not been making Him a priority, I realize that my days weren’t as joyful as they could have been. Whenever I start off my mornings with Him, my day is set up for success. When you read His word, you are filling yourself with truths that the world will try to tell you lies about. And when you talk to Him through prayer, He will listen to what you have to say. Think about it this way: The more that you hang out with Him, the stronger your relationship will be. And the stronger your relationship with Him is, the more that your thoughts will be like His, which will make what you want what He wants. Prayer and reading His word may seem like the smallest of things, but they have the biggest affect on you life. Something that has helped me is putting my Bible on the ottoman by my bed. Another idea is to put a devotional in a place somewhere that you know you will be spending time at in the morning.

Romans 12:2

Psalm 37:5

Matthew 6:33

Here are three songs that I enjoyed this week:

1. "Create In Me" by Rend Collective

2. "This Is Living" by Hillsong United

3. "Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace)" by Hillsong Worship