First Blog Ever!

I have been attending GCBI for about a month and a half. I know without a doubt that this was the right choice. I know that I am supposed to be here, still living in Sebring, and learning so much about the Bible, but more importantly, the God who created me. I am enjoying Pastor Randy, Sarah Beth and Cameron, and getting to know my church family more and more. We have already gone through the first 6 books of the Bible and Hebrews. I can look at those books and tell you what they are about and show you God's hand in so many people's lives.
I don't really know how to start this blog and get the ball rolling, other than to just type my heart and different things that are going on in my life. I am living with 11 other people in a dorm setting. Luckily, I have the best roomie ever. She is great and we always have lots of fun together. I am enjoying getting to know everyone on a more personal level. There are hard days where I want to just avoid people, but in that moment, I see that that is what tests my character and shows me and others who I really am. It's like a quote that I have heard Pastor Randy say frequently, "What comes out when you squeeze a tube of toothpaste? Whatever is inside. It is the same with a person, what comes out is what is on the inside." I want my character and insides to be honoring to God and it can be said that I am a woman of godly character.
There are so many things that I have learned in the past month and a half, not everything is from class though.

• I love that in Genesis chapter 17, there is a picture of Abraham intimately praising and talking to God. This is such a beautiful picture of one man's relationship with his Creator.
• The story of Ruth amazes me every time I study it, I love the way that God is able to use Ruth to help restore Naomi's family line and ultimately her life. This story helps me to see how I need to live life with an open hand so that God can take and fill it whenever He chooses.
• In Exodus 7:14-11, the Lord sent ten plagues to the land of Egypt. What is really neat about this story is that each of the plagues that God sent is to represent a god that the Egyptians served. Each plague shows that God has the power over every god that they followed. How cool?
• In Joshua 7 the story is about Achan, an Israelite who purposely stole some of the gold that God told them not to. Then his whole family ended up getting stoned because of his sin. Some of us in the class agreed that we thought it was a little harsh to kill his family because of his sin, but Pastor Randy said something that made so much sense. He said, "Our sense of fairness does not determine what God does." How true? We sometimes get in the mind frame that God has to be or do what we want Him to do. He is God and we are not. Why shouldn't He control what happens in a person's life?
• In Judges 2:20, it says that the Lord's anger burned against Israel. Another quote from class that I know applies to many people's lives is that God gets angry about our disobedience because we are living a lie. We are not doing what He says because we are think that something else is better. What a lie!
• Aside from what I am learning in class, I am also finding that I need to be talking to God more, whether it is to thank Him for something He has done in me or to lean on Him in trouble, I know that He knows my heart, but He wants to hear from me. I need to be having an on-going dialogue with Him, He is my friend and God. Why would I not talk to Him?
  

Today was a good day and now I am going to sign off...I hope this was helpful to some or maybe just lets you know what is going on in my life. Have a great rest of the day!