Wow it's been awhile since I have updated.  I am truly sorry for being away for this long.  There's just been a lot going on that has kept me away from updating and everything.  Christmas is coming up!  Today is the beginning of my Christmas vacation and I am excited!  I hope you all will be able to have an amazing and holy Christmas this year.  May God grant that you and your families stay safe over this Holiday and may He bring you closer to Him.

Love always in Christ,

         ~Amanda~

Hey there my fellow friends.  I am sorry I haven't updated in awhile.  I'll try my best updating more often.  There's just been many struggles in the family and basically in my life.  Please keep me in your prayers.  I'll begin updating like what I've done in my old posts once it gets a little less stressful.  You will all be in my prayers so please keep me in yours. Thank you all.

~*Amanda*~

Hello everyone!  I hope you all had a great 4th of July!  I know I did even though I got burned a few times by some fireworks...oh well being with the family was really a great experience.  I love having family gatherings!  My sister and my little cousin wanted me to sit out there and watch them set off some fireworks so I did that to make them happy for the night.  It was all so great especially having everyone together and celebrating Independence Day!

Today I am going to reflect on how God works in some amazing/mysterious ways.

Isn't it just so amazing how God works through others?  I have a person that I know that God works through many times.  Today made me realize this to.  A friend and I were walking to get some food (a 2 mile walk) and there were some guys that pulled up beside us and asked, "what's your names" and "do you sweethearts want to go to a party??"  By that time we were so scared.  And my parish wasn't that far from this food place.  So we ran across the street and ran toward my church.  The only person I could think of that could help us within the next few minutes was my parish priest.  I said a quick prayer saying, "God, please help us get through this okay"  So we ran and knocked on his door and these guys pulled around the corner and once they saw that Father answered, they drove off.  I asked him if he could give us a ride home and he agreed to do so and took us home. <---This is a great example of God working through people.  If the priest wasn't there, who knows where we would be tonight.  God answered my little prayer by having the priest there at the time to give us a ride home so nothing bad would happen to us.  In a special way, God gives people the power of His protection to have them protect someone else in need.  I am so greatful that He answered my prayer in a very special way.
There may be times that God may not answer your prayer right away or in the way you want it to be answered, but He always answers your prayers even if you don't realize it and He may not answer your prayers in the way you want them all the time because He knows/wants what's best for you!  Our Heavenly Father has done so much to protect us from what's wrong but yet He gives us a free will.  Life is so much better when we put our lives into God's hands and we follow His ways and teachings.  With the help of our Lord Jesus Christ, where could we go wrong?

Today's Prayer:  Lord Jesus, Help us to grow in trust in Your wonderous ways.  Help us to always remember that You are here to protect us during our troubles with this life here on earth!  But most of all Lord, help us to realize that You know what's best for us and that whenever we need someone to talk to, You will always be there to listen to what we have to say and that You'll always be here to welcome us with open arms.  Amen.

I hope all of you will have a great weekend!  May God Bless you and take care of every single one of you.  I will be praying for all of my xanga friends out there (that means all of you!), all those whom are struggling with some problems in life, for those whom are attending Steubenville this year, and many more to come!

Love In Christ,

         ~*Amanda*~

Sorry I haven't updated my posts for awhile.  There's so much going on, but I'm making time to post my entry tonight.  I have been going to adoration once a week and it is so lovely.  I just wish I was able to go to Steubenville this year, when adoration takes place there, it is the most amazing point during the conference.  Being able to spend my time alone with Jesus is the most exciting and cherishable moments of what adoration is about.  I am so thankful for all the wonderful things our Savior has done for me and has let me experience, He is everything to me and I can't imagine not having Him in my life.  I know how it is so hard to get caught up with other things that are happening in life, but set those things aside and make time for God in your life don't keep Him waiting!

Today's post:  Family issues

Family stoms are really difficult.  We all know what it's like to have these "storms" in the family.  Our families go through a hard time in life and it creates these storms which may make us weak in our faith, hope, and love.  We got to believe that Christ is with us to help us if we let Him.  God never promised that these storms are easy to deal with in life, but He did promise us that He will be there to carry us through these hard times in life.  I recommend that everyone who reads this should listen to a song called, "Praise You in this Storm" by Casting Crowns.  This song is basically what I'm trying to get across.  Just because there may be struggles in life, don't give up, you'll get through them with the help of the Holy Trinity, all you have to do is trust and have faith.

For all of those attending Steubenville or did attend Steubenville this year, I hope you had/will have a wonderful experience.  When I went last year, I wished that those days would have lasted forever, I felt so great and I fell in deep love with Jesus.  I hope that all of you will/have realized how great Steubenville really is.  May the grace and love of our God be with you throughout your stay at Steubenville!

Love in Christ,
              Amanda

P.S.- Please pray for a famiy friend (whom happens to be a priest) because he's going to go on vacation then attending a retreat all within 3 weeks.  So pray that he may have a great vacation and retreat and that he may have a safe trip there and back!

Hey everyone!  I hope your summer is going great, mine sure is!  Thanks for keeping my friend and I in your prayers!  My friend is going to get help with dealing with drug, alcohol, emotional, and physical abuse.  Just keep her in your prayers, she needs them most!

Building your relationship with God

You all know how it's so easy to let your faith in God grow weak right?  We all know how it's really challenging to keep your faith strong and to keep it growing.  Here are some steps to building your relationship with God:
1.  Have faith in our Lord
2.  Believe that He is always here for you and that He loves you
3.  Spend time talking to Him in prayer (friend to friend conversation)
4.  Show your love for Him by doing what's right and going to church
5.  Turn toward Him for help and comfort, He really is a great listener
6.  Confess your sins and be sorry for them
These may seem hard to follow, and sometimes they are.  But we got to pray for strength to get through these challenges and doubts.  Whenever you feel unworthy of talking to Christ or even speaking of His name, know that Satan is trying to convince you to stray from God.  Satan makes you feel like God can never forgive you, but Satan is filled with hate, evil, lies, ect.  God loves us all the same and He wouldn't want nothing more than for us to love Him back and show Him that He does mean something to us.  Keep in mind, we may not act the way we should at times and we may go through times of when our faith is weakened, but just remember you can strengthen your faith with the help of God.  God's love is better than any love that we have recieved.  That is why I want to devote my life to Christ for He is my everything.  Without Him in my life, I would be nothing!  So praise the Lord for all He has done and blessed you with.  Keep the faith and use those steps to strengthen your relationship with Him!  Here's something that helps me remember that God is always here for me---> Isaiah 41:10  "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand"  That's a beautiful bible verse I might add!

Here's a prayer for all of you girls/women and boys/men for your vocation!
"Prayer to know my Vocation"
My Lord, give me light and strength to choose that state of life in which I can find lasting happiness.  "Speak, Lord, your servant hears."  Help me come to know and trust the plans you have for me.  Let me especially know how I can best serve You.  Make known to me the way in which I should walk to use creatively the talents You have given me.   Amen.

Here's a morning prayer, short but nice!
Lord, help me to remember that nothing is going to happen to me today, that You and I together can't handle.   Amen.

Here's an amazing prayer for those whom are in need of comfort and for those whom could use some help from our Savior!
"Jesus, Help Me!"
In every need let me come to You with humble trust, saying: Jesus, help me!
In all my doubts, perplexities, and temptations: Jesus, help me!
In hours of loneliness, weariness, and trial: Jesus, help me!
In the failure of my plans and hopes, in disappointments, troubles, and sorrows: Jesus, help me!
When others fail me, and Your Grace alone can assist me: Jesus, help me!
When I throw myself on Your tender Love as a Father and Savior: Jesus, help me!
When my heart is cast down by failure, at seeing no good come from my efforts: Jesus, help me!
When I feel impatient, and my cross irritates me: Jesus, help me!
When I am ill, and my head and hands cannot work and I am lonely: Jesus, help me!
Always, always, in spite of weakness, fails and shortcomings of every kind: Jesus, help me and never forsake me.   Amen.

I surely hope you all enjoyed the prayers that I posted on here.  I know that they have helped me a lot through difficulties in life!  For those who are going to be attending Steubenville this year, you will be in my prayers.  Have fun praising God!  May God bless you and keep you all safe!

~*Amanda*~