I'm a treasure in the arms of Christ...

When I don’t measure up to much in this life
Oh, I’m a treasure in the arms of Christ ‘cause

I'm forgiven

                                                  -Sanctus Real

You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His
You're beautiful

                                                                                                     -MercyMe

I think one thing that scares me the most (Well, it's on up there anyway) is the fear of failure. The fear of feeling like I have to handle things myself or else by asking for help I fail the other person. The fear of trying things that are new, because if I don't do it right then I may fail myself or just plain and simple embarrass myself. I don't like the idea of letting others down. I don't like the idea of not doing something correctly. I don't like the feeling of failing. Period.

There's something I have to remember. That even though I may feel like a complete and total failure, and I feel like I've failed everyone around me, I'm still a treasure in the arms of Christ.

I just have to remind myself of that from time to time....

-A Little Piece of Me!

In a few short words..

In Destin Florida, 2009, I made a commitment to Christ.
In Destin Florida, 2011, my little brother and my "big brother" were baptized in the ocean.
When I'm with my friends, no matter when or where, youth trips are memories I will treasure in my heart forever. <3

Like the rising sun that shines
From the darkness comes a light
I hear your voice and this is my
Awakening

I am sitting in my pajamas in my condo with the Brady family and my family. The youth trip officially ended yesterday, but Michael, Landon and I stayed here with the families. I'm thinking and remembering all the goofy memories and all the amazing ones we've had on this trip. There are far too many inside jokes and WAY to many "had to be there" moments to even count, but we had alot of fun! One thing that I find particularly funny was the PB&J comment...lol

Molly, Kim, and I ran into each other in Walmart while we were in FL.
Molly:Melissa, where do we peanut butter and jelly?
Me: You get the Peanut Butter, I'll get the Jelly
We get back to condo and Molly starts to make a sandwich
Molly pulls out peanut butter and the *apricot jelly*
Molly: Melissa! What the heck is this?!?
Me: Jelly...?
Apricot jelly is apparently a foreign concept.

That's probably isn't nearly as funny to you as it is to me but it cracks me up!!!!

My "two" brothers got baptized!!! (My blood relative brother, and my best friend) That was one of the most amazing things EVER!!!! I have never been that excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D

Now it's late but I'll hopefully be able to post more later. <3

A Little Piece of Me!

A piece of this and that (super short)

VBS is this week!!!! Super excited about it! Last night was our first night there, and it went great! =D Pictures to come soon!
Leaving for Destin on Saturday!!!
Working on KidzKamp stuff tomorrow with Kamryn!

A tiny piece of inspiration

You may not know me,
but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1 I know when you sit down and when you rise up.
Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways.
Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.
Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image.
Genesis 1:27
In me you live and move and have your being.
Acts 17:28
For you are my offspring.
Acts 17:28
I knew you even before you were conceived.
Jeremiah 1:4-5
I chose you when I planned creation.
Ephesians 1:11-12
You were not a mistake,
for all your days are written in my book.
Psalm 139:15-16
I determined the exact time of your birth
and where you would live.
Acts 17:26
You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:14
I knit you together in your mother's womb.
Psalm 139:13
And brought you forth on the day you were born.
Psalm 71:6
I have been misrepresented
by those who don't know me.
John 8:41-44
I am not distant and angry,
but am the complete expression of love.
1 John 4:16
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.
1 John 3:1
Simply because you are my child
and I am your Father.
1 John 3:1
I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.
Matthew 7:11
For I am the perfect father.
Matthew 5:48
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand.
James 1:17
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.
Matthew 6:31-33
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.
Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love.
Jeremiah 31:3
My thoughts toward you are countless
as the sand on the seashore.
Psalms 139:17-18
And I rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17
I will never stop doing good to you.
Jeremiah 32:40
For you are my treasured possession.
Exodus 19:5
I desire to establish you
with all my heart and all my soul.
Jeremiah 32:41
And I want to show you great and marvelous things.
Jeremiah 33:3
If you seek me with all your heart,
you will find me.
Deuteronomy 4:29
Delight in me and I will give you
the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4
For it is I who gave you those desires.
Philippians 2:13
I am able to do more for you
than you could possibly imagine.
Ephesians 3:20
For I am your greatest encourager.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father who comforts you
in all your troubles.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted,
I am close to you.
Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb,
I have carried you close to my heart.
Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away
every tear from your eyes.
Revelation 21:3-4
And I'll take away all the pain
you have suffered on this earth.
Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you
even as I love my son, Jesus.
John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.
John 17:26
He is the exact representation of my being.
Hebrews 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you,
not against you.
Romans 8:31
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression
of my love for you.
1 John 4:10
I gave up everything I loved
that I might gain your love.
Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus,
you receive me.
1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you
from my love again.
Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party
heaven has ever seen.
Luke 15:7

I have always been Father,
and will always be Father.
Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…
Will you be my child?
John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you.
Luke 15:11-32

Random stuff I feel you should know

Summer. One simple word means so much! No school, no grades, little drama, no homework, no classes, no crazy teachers, nothin! Just the beach, kidzkamp, 5th and 6th grade trip, babystting, hanging out with friends, sleepovers. youth stuff, and general "chillaxing" Thank goodness.
Today hasnt been all that great. =( I totally bombed three of my exams and I am massively freaked out by that!!! Biology, Geometry, and Spanish. SPANISH!!!!! I have made As in that class ALL year and I made a D on the exam. A 74 D! I can not believe it. At All..... =(
I still have all As and Bs on my report card and stuff but I massively devastated by my grades this 9 weeks.

Tate has tonight and tomorrow left. I am SO proud of him for getting into Govenor's school!!!! =D It's definitely sad that he's leaving but it's super exciting that he got into this school for the summer!!!!!! After Govenor School is over he'll move to Virginia. I don't think anyone is happy about the situation, but I know we'll be okay. Lol <3
New favorite song? More Time by NeedToBreathe <3 <3 <3

They are all little pieces of me...

The Bucket List =D

Here's my Bucket List of movies I'm going to see before Summer ends. (Summer is capitalized because it is SUPER important!!!) Anyway, I'll cross off each movie as I see it. I've seen quite a few of these once or maybe twice in theaters, but if they're on the list I want to see them again.Some haven't been released yet, but I still want to see them! =)

1) P.S. I Love You I just have to say that was one of the best movies ever.
2) When In Rome
3) Leap Year
4) Becoming Jane
5) Rio
6) Jumping The Broom
7) Water for Elephants
8) Love Happens
9) Eat Pray Love
10) Beastly
11) Country Strong
12) Remember Me
13) The Twilight Saga parts 1-3 (back to back to back)
14) Steel Magnolias
15) Titanic
16) Fried Green Tomatoes
17) Grace Card
18) Mr. Popper's Penguins
19) The old Winnie the Pooh movie on VHS
20) The new Winnie the Pooh movie coming soon to theaters!!!
21) The Smurfs
22) One Day
23) Spy Kids 4 (hahahahahahahaha)
24) Abduction
25) Footloose (New or Old)
26) In Time
27) Puss in Boots
28) Happy Feet 2
29) Removed from the Bucket List of movies
30) Happy Gilmore? (Only b/c I've heard it was good)
31) Where the Wild Things Are
32) Castaway
33) Forrest Gump
34) Big
35) Inception
36) Da Vinci Code
37) Grease 2
38) Never Say Never (yeah, that Justin Bieber movie...just to say I've seen it)
39) The Social Network
40) The Bucket List
41) Letters to Juliet
42) 13 going on 30
43) Iron Man 1 and 2
44) A Walk To Remember
45) The Prince And Me
46) Ice Castles
47) X-Men Beginnings (saw on 16th birthday!!!)


(If they are underlined they haven't been released yet)

I'm also going to reorganize my room, go through all my clothes and get rid of the ones that a I never wear, make a scrapbook for all my youth group pictures and kidz ministry pictures, go to Shelby Farms and bike at least one of the trails, go to Jerry's snow cones at least once, and hopefully earn some money with the babysitting job I got for every Monday and the sub position I'm hoping to have occasionally with Mother's Day Out at Bartlett.


(updated 1/1/13)

If you can't say something nice, then don't say it at all!!!!!

Gossiping. We all do it. Most of us (I know I'm guilty of it!) do it without even realizing it. We even had a Focus group meeting not too long ago about what gossiping is, why we do it, etc. Here's a lesson I learned the hard way: You never know what someones going through.
The other day, a girl at school was being beyond rude and mean. In that situation it was very easy to talk about her with a friend who was complaining about how she acted to a bunch of our friends. I came home and had a message in my inbox. The friend I was talking to earlier? She messaged and told me that the really rude girl's grandmother died the day before and my friend had just found out. How awful is that?
You never know what someone is going through. I messaged the "rude girl" immidately just saying that I was sorry for her loss and that if she needed anything to let her know.
To me, this was pretty much God's way of telling me that I need to keep my mouth shut when people start talking bad about people. I definitely think it's WAY easier said than done, but it's one of my new personal goals. Try to stop gossiping!!!!
A little piece of me learning something I should've already known