Risk

Challenges are something I enjoy. I love to push myself to be the best that I can be, and exceed my limitations. Bold, fearless, extreme, limitless, emotionless and completely independent. That is what has always defined a risk-taker in my book. I am now realizing that the total opposite can be true.

What if being a risk-taker meant showing weakness and vulnerability, and allowing myself to love? That completely goes against everything that makes logical sense in my mind. Yet, that is what God is asking me to do. He is calling me to be a risk-taker in a different way than I thought possible.

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap i carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable." -C.S. Lewis

In the end, it all comes down to whether or not I completely trust my God and Protector.

With absolute confidence, I trust, because the hands that hold the world are holding my heart.

To Risk

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out is to risk involvement,
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.
To place your ideas and
dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return,
To live is to risk dying,
To hope is to risk despair,
To try is to risk failure.
But risks must be taken because
the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing, does nothing,
has nothing, is nothing.

– William Arthur Ward (1921-1994)

Photography Scavenger Hunt

Advanced EXCEL photography scavenger hunt.

Stapler

{Stapler is derived from the word staple. A staple is a necessary item. Lucky Charms make any day good, and are a necessary item to keep in my possession. Therefore, Lucky Charms are my staple.}

Reflections

{the DMC in a puddle}

Leap

{A new phone is a cause to celebrate}

Fears

{Heights. They go right up there with snakes}

Coffee

{The world's common language}

Time

{because time flies when you're having fun...and working fast}

Love

{she's in love. big time. She and her man, Andrew, make one of the most adorable couples I've ever seen.}

Shoe

{Basketball shoes. Rock on.}

Date

{Dateless}

Passion

{We're passionate, hardcore, and intense about the sport we love.}

Self Portrait

{Attempt at the skyline of the city I love.}

Making a Statement

{Flagpole. Defying gravity}

A Memory

{My favorite stuffed animal and favorite pillow that bring back memories of favorite friends.}

Weather

{Makes the hottest weather bearable.}

Broken

{A big thanks to whoever broke into my car, tried to get the radio out, and left the screwdriver as a present.}

Green

{Go green.}

Music

{Apple is where it's at.}

Dream

{I dreamed a dream of dunking.}

A Tool

{Least favorite tool}

Journey

{That plane contains many amazing journeys that are about to begin.}

Funny

{Funny personified}

Fire Truck

{That goes off and the firetrucks come.}

Don't Worry...Be Happy

This week I'm trying something new. This new thing may seem easy to many people, but it's hard for me. I have to work at it, and ask God to help me do it countless times a day. This thing has helped my outlook so much, though.

Last week, I wrote a blog about counting your blessings. Well, this is slightly similar, but just a continuation of what God's been teaching me through that whole counting the blessings thing.

My new aspiration is to look at the positive and good things in every situation. Yes, I, Whitney Michelle Hall, just said that I am looking at the positive. Growing up...well, long story short, the phrase "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" was permanently ingrained in my memory at a young age. So, that is why this is such a big deal for me.

So yeah, that has been my plan and will continue to be. Forget being uptight and mad or annoyed about everyone and everything. I am giving the situation to God and asking Him to let me look at it through His perspective. Don't Worry, Be Happy, has some lyrics that I am taking to heart.

Don't Worry, Be Happy
by Bobby McFerrin

Here is a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don't worry be happy
In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double
Don't worry, be happy...

Cause when you worry
Your face will frown
And that will bring everybody down
So don't worry, be happy...

Put a smile on your face
Don't worry. Be happy.

Last night at prayer meeting, we discussed discouragement and encouragement, and what encourages us when we're discouraged. The song "Count Your Many Blessings" was brought up. Yes, it's an old-fashioned hymn that isn't heard often, but the lyrics help to put things in perspective for me.

When upon life's billows

You are tempest tossed

When you are discouraged,

Thinking all is lost

Count your many blessings,

Name them one by one

And it will surprise you

What the Lord. has. done.

So often the negative is focused on as opposed to the positive. What if I started focusing on the positive and how God's shown Himself to be trustworthy and powerful? I think my outlook on life would completely change.

I have a choice. A choice that will alter the course of how I live my life. What will I choose?

Optimism or pessimism.

Trust or doubt.

Love or hate.

Truth or lies.

Victory or defeat.

I choose:

Optimism.

Trust.

Love.

Truth.

Victory.

What will you choose?

Impossible Becomes Possible

"Discover the limits of the possible by going beyond them into the impossible."

-Arthur C. Clarke

Luke 18:27 says, "Jesus said, the things that are impossible for people

to do, are possible for God to do."

The past several years in my life, I've seen that verse become a reality. God has changed the impossible to possible.

When I think there is no way, God makes a way.

When the situation appears hopeless, God gives me hope.

God has been stretching me lately. He has broken the limits of what I thought was possible, and has done the impossible. I continue to be amazed day by day, as He exhibits more of His love and power to me. God doing the impossible basically defines my life.

My God is the God of the impossible

He's the God that can do anything

He allows Himself to do

The mountains move, the seas divide

To show that He is on my side

Yes, my life speaks of His ability

He can make things possible for me.

Intensity.

Looking at each of these pictures, I see a common thread.

Intensity.

Basketball is one of my favorite things in the world. I love the competition, the adrenaline rush, the sound of the fans cheering, the feel of running down the court full speed, but the main thing I love is the intensity of the game.

There's nothing like being in the last minute of the game, you're behind quite a few points, but there's still a chance to win the game. It's in that last minute that the hearts of the players are seen. The ones that don't really care give up. The ones whose hearts are in it are the ones who are still playing full-speed when the buzzer sounds.

I'm purposing to be one of the ones who are giving my all for Jesus up until the last moment. Forget living half-heartedly. I want to live with intensity and a fire for God. An intensity that inspires others.

Silent Prayers Get Answered

I have a confession.

Sometimes...okay, a lot of the time, I think that God needs my help running the universe.

As someone said once, He's been waiting around all these years so that I could be born and assist Him with taking care of the universe and everyone in it. Riiiiight.

My stubborn nature likes to take over where my thoughts and plans for my life are concerned. God's been going above and beyond in my life to show me that isn't the case, and that He's got it all under control. There have been three situations lately in which I really wanted to do something, and God made them happen without me having to do a thing about it. He dropped the opportunities in my lap. I'm just trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I don't have to do a thing but just trust He's got in all under control.

"Prayer puts God's work in His hands and keeps it there." E.M Bounds

What if I was willing to pray and give God my desires, dreams, and plans for the future? I think my outlook would drastically change on life. All of the time that I spend trying to work everything out, I could spend serving Jesus and impacting the world for Him. That sounds like a pretty good plan to me.

Things aren't always going to go as according to planned, but I won't give up, because I know I serve the God of the impossible. He gives me the desires of my heart when I don't even know they're my desires. He constantly proves Himself to be trustworthy and faithful.

"I've seen dreams that move mountains

hope that doesn't ever end

even when the sky is falling

I've seen miracles happen

silent prayers get answered

broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do."

Recklessly Abandoned

Reckless. Abandon.

Reckless-marked by boldness, disregard of possible consequences or danger, adventuresome, brave,
not easily influenced as a person

Abandon-to yield (oneself), forsake, to leave completely, surrender,a voluntary decision to give something one would prefer to keep

At first glance, these words seem to imply a sense of being headstrong and stubborn. This is true. The reckless abandon that I'm referring to is headstrong and stubborn. Now, before you get your knickers in a twist, let me explain.

Etymologically, the word abandon carries a sense of "put someone under someone else's control." What has God called us to do? To put our lives under His control, right? Easier said than done. Putting our lives under His control doesn't mean that we automatically become His robots doing everything He's called us to do without struggles. As we put our lives completely and totally in His hands, it's going to get tough.

Because the life we're called to live can and will be challenging, we can't be spineless. It's imperative that we are unyielding, bold, and not easily influenced by others. Jesus didn't ask the people-pleasers to be His followers; He asked the ones that were willing to take a stand for His name no matter what the cost.

One of my favorite songs says it well. "I'm letting go of this life I've planned for me and my dreams..." What's your decision going to be? Are you willing to let go of the life you have planned and embrace the life that He has planned?

Recklessly Abandoned,

Whitney