Prayer Request

Prayer Request for ya'll. Today I sat down in the computer lab and a kid in my Spanish class (where we had just come from) sat down next to me. Sidenote: He's basically brilliant and is Japanese. He now speaks Spanish, English, and Japanese. He deserves a huge high-five from me! Anyways, somehow we got on the topic of Church. He said he thinks he's atheist, but he really respects and admires people who go to church and have faith in something. He said he's a very practical person and can't believe in what he can't see. He said he'd be interested in going to church though. So I asked him if he wanted to come to church with me this Sunday. He said yes!
So, hopefully it works out that he can come. If any of you are in church on Sunday and see him, please make an effort to talk to him. He's a really neat guy and obviously is confused spiritually. Pray that I'll know what to say to him and that he'll have an open and willing heart if he comes on Sunday. Thanks guys!

left speechless

Guess who came to my house tonight? Justin Wiegand. Yes, the Justin Wiegand from Denver. The Justin Wiegand who broke his back. The Justin Wiegand that they said wasn't supposed to survive his fall. The Justin Wiegand who they said may never walk again. That Justin Wiegand walked... walked into my house tonight. He still had his brace and Canadian crutches, but he walked into my house.

God is so incredible. Justin has been such a faith-strengthening person for me to watch. He has completely relied on God and he has consistently given all the credit to God. I don't know how many times I've heard him tell me, "It's not me. It's all God." He would want me to tell you all thank you for all the prayers and everything. I just sat there in amazement. He sat there and talked to me! He's home! And he's recovering! He's walking and he's still Justin. Still the same fun-loving guy. I just can't help but smile when I think of God's power and how He worked in Justin's life and all those around him. If you want to see Justin smile, ask him about the people he met out at Craig Hospital. Sounds like he made some amazing relationships. Especially with Denver church. Joel Leman, for one, (Caleb Leman's brother) obviously had a huge impact.

Lord, Thank You, for bringing him back home in the condition he's in. You deserve all the glory, honor, and praise. Thank You for all the relationships he and his mom made while in Colorado. Continue to work in those lives out there and draw them close to You. I love You, and lift up Your name. Amen.

just some thoughts

Well, my Intro to Lit class is doing to me what I've always wanted to happen to me. To stimulate my thoughts. To provoke me to think beyond what I know. Little did I know it would scare me half to death. There are two guys in my class which seem to know something about... everything. One in particular who sounds so extremely intelligent in everything that comes out of his mouth. I just sit there with my mouth open and he just pours out this knowledge. I find myself being fascinated. I marvel at all the knowledge in the world. I don't consider myself a very smart person. School has never been a very high priority to me. Relationships have always come first, which has honestly really affected my grades in the past. I find myself wanting to know many things about numerous topics, but I also don't have the desire to throw myself into studying and research and staying up to date on current events such as politics or world issues. I would much rather just sit down and have a heart-to-heart with one of the people that do that. I want to know their background, the experiences they've been through, their past, and their hopeful future. I watch people and I analyze people until they pretty much can't be analyzed anymore. This has often become a detriment because I find myself forming opinions and judging them before I really know them. I tell myself to never trust first impressions because they're often extremely far off.
And when it comes down to it... all the knowledge in the world isn't going to stand. It won't save you, it won't affect your personal relationship with Jesus Christ, which is all that really matters, right? Even my investment in relationships won't last forever. On Judgment Day, when all is said and done, all that matters is me and Jesus. Did I live for Him? Did I try to bring others to know Him? Or did I spend my life wishing I was like someone else? Wishing I looked different, thought different, acted different. There's so much more to life than I feel like I've ever been exposed to. And so much I won't experience in my short life here on earth. But, I don't have to worry about that. That's why we were all created differently. God didn't want us all to be clones. And as much as I wish I could change my personality sometimes, He made me how I am for some reason. And it's for His glory. He doesn't make mistakes. He made me just how I am to glorify His kingdom. That's it. What an amazing thought.
OK, I apologize for all the rambling. This entry was more for me than anyone else reading. There is so much going on inside my head right now and I always find a pen or keyboard can help me organize it a little bit better. Hope it made sense.
Keep looking up! <><

my new favorite person

Well, it's official. Today Luke Knapp is my favorite person in the world. He patiently helped me set up my blog while I was practically screaming at him over MSN. Luke, if you were here I'd give you a high five and your favorite candy.

so... how do i do this?

Well... it's not like I was 'against' blogging, I just thought Natalie, that's just one more thing you can get addicted to. More wasting of your time. But then I thought, hey, I want to be able to communicate with my friends! Leave me alone! It was quite the fiasco inside my head, let me tell you. But, as you can see, one of the Natalies must always win. So, here's my blog.