The final leg...anticipating a season

Ohh...it's hear...can you smell it?
Spring time! Which means manyt hings..but for highschool athletes just one...
Spring Sport Season...
For seniors...the final leg til' graduation...
For the team...SOFTBALL TIME!!!

I love it.
I love it.
I love it.
Softball is here and I'm excited, because until yesterday evening around 5:00ish, I was excited, but my whole body wasn't too excited.
My feet are craving, the muddy dirt and my ears the snapping of leather gloves or the repellation of an aluminum bat.

Softball will take us to the end of the year.
Softball season finishs May 29th for season games...
Prom is June 3rd..
sports awards June 5th...
Senior week/finals/marching begin ^ (5th)
Graduation...June 11th, 2006 @ 1:30pm at Caribou High School

Laughter, triumph, memories galore...will all pour into these next 1-2 months...closing a chapter of the highschool adventure...the last and final chapter of highschool.
I'm excited though...because as a wise friend once told me...she once read that the greatest joys and trimphs of this life are only the table of contents and cover page of our book of life...the real story and adventure begins when we get to Heaven to spend eternity with the love of our life, Jesus Christ...and it's a book with endless pages and chapters...it's quite silly to thing that this is nothing...each significant day or moment....nothing compared to how it'll be in eternity! Oooooh I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with Jesus! :) T'will be a glorious day!

Below are a few photos of last year...softball season...courtesy of one of my fav. teachers ever Mr. Martin (math). He's awesome!

(ponderings...)

Exactly where I needed to be

Went on a date with Jesus this evening. We walked, talked, and even laughed... the sun shined upon my face, warming the deepest chambers of my heart. Yes, I smiled as I walked and talked with my Jesus ---the passer byers must have been clueless of my joy. I felt like skipping, my feet found the rhythm...wanted to dance, to sing, to chant of his grace, his love and his sacrifice for me.

We read a book together today as well...called The Martyr Song by Ted Dekker. The book spoke of "birds circling" and I chuckled as I approached a corner church and birds, tons of birds, circled and danced in the sky, the sun reflecting windly from their wings. I love that God has a sense of humor and that he desires to spend time with me. He always knows exactly what I need...where I need to be...and what needs to happen. Sometimes letting him is a bit tough, but when I do, I find it most pleasing-- He always knows what's right.

I listened to this song as I walked along with a few others...but this one left abeaming smile on my face...everything, the only things that satisfy, come from Him.

"With rain, with sun
With much, with less
With joy, with pain
With life, with death
The only things that satisfy come from You
They come from You
Everything that's beautiful
Everything that's wonderful
Every perfect gift comes from You
Your grace,
Your heart Your voice,
Your touch Your word,
Your peace Your hope,
Your love
A thousand words could not explain
A thousand worlds could not contain
Every perfect gift comes from You
It comes from the Father of Lights
It comes from the Giver of Life
It comes from the Heavens above
It's coming straight from Your heart
To the people You love"
-Chris Tomlin "everything" from NOT TO US

Romanced to tears

I realize that I've posted this song before...I wrote it on Christmas day of 2005, but this morning I came across it's words in a scholarship I've been working on and I read it, tucked it away and had to go back and sing it. I sang it and was moved to tears. Jesus loves me and wants my time. This may or may not speak to you today, but be blessed dear friends!

"Just close your eyes and smile, it might be awhile...
Patience my love, could I have one more hug?
Place your eyes upon me, fall before my glory.
Could I hear your sweet voice pouring out my love to them?
Take hold of my hands, climb up in my lap, let me be your man!
Dearest, my beloved, you are my friend.
Daughter, you are more then I can stand.
You're so beautiful; I'll take you to your man.

Growing up before my eyes, waiting till you seek the prize,
Of my eternal gift of life, of love, of silence in a crowd.
Sing a song for me precious one.
Oh the journey's just begun.
Hold on tight...watch me fight...I'm taking care of you!"
-Christy L. Zbylut

not-impossible

"God has a history of using the insignificant to accomplish the impossible."
- GOD'S LITTLE INSTRUCTION BOOK for Women

Trusting

"Let the godly sing with joy to the Lord, for it is fitting to praise him.
Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre;
make music for him on the ten-stringed harp.
Sing new songs of praise to him;
play skillfully on the harp and sing with joy.
For the word of the Lord holds true,
and everything he does is worthy of our trust.
He loves whatever is just and good,
and his unfailing love fills the earth. "
-Psalm 33:1-5 NLT

It's so hard to trust sometimes...gah.
Freedom, Freedom, Freedom.
Patience, Patience, Patience.
I need Jesus more than anything.
He is enough.

I just need a little P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E!
How can I?
T-R-U-S-T-I-N-G the One who has never failed me.

the Call

Visitation night was not at all what I had expected.
I'm not quite sure how to describe it.
I was clueless why God wanted me there tonight.
I left feeling more blessed than I felt worthy of being.
Tonight was not for my glory.
Tonight was about Jesus...about His love...His grace...His invitation for life!

Chris was my partner and we visited 2 rooms.
We met a woman named Eva who recommitted her life to Christ tonight!
Praise the Lord!
Prayer time and fellowship was incredible.

Ministry needs to happen each day.
Ministry can not be something that happens 4-5 years from now when I graduate from Bible college.
Ministry is now.
I feel so blessed that God is giving me opportunities to minister now and to do His work.
I couldn't ask for more.
Jesus is enough.
He's all I need.
I'm done with casual Christianity....of sitting at home with my fuzzy slippers on, reading my Bible because my ticket to Heaven has already been punched...I want to go around for the ticket checks that come after mine...to help convince people and show them through love and God's truth that it really is worth getting their ticket bound for eternity punched.
May my every word exalt His name.
May He use me according to His will, regardless of my comfortability with the situation.
May my comfort zone be shattered and refuge sought only in Him.
May my world be turned upside down, shaken and spun around until I'm weak with dizziness and looking up, the only thing that makes any recognizable sense is Him.
I'm crazy about Jesus.
Let my life proclaim this as truth..
My actions as living proof...
My words as loving examples...
Abandoning all I knew before...seeking what's just beyond the door.


I hate it when the enemy torments my mind...today I found peace in this Psalm:

"1 I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?

2 My help comes from the LORD,
who made the heavens and the earth!

3 He will not let you stumble and fall;
the one who watches over you will not sleep." -Psalm 121 :1-3

He is good, so good and His love endures forever!

When we listen...He moves

Thinking about how much I love Jesus...I can't begin to express in words how I'm feeling. Then again I've come to realize that it's more than a feeling. We get feelings about all sorts of things...but this love..this love for Jesus...I don't know, it's like a compulsion, a burning fiery passion that refuses to be squalshed. I can't imagine waking up each morning and walking through the day without Jesus by my side...truth be told..I just couldn't do it! Not at all. I'm lost without Him.

The Holy Spirit is more real than ever. I celebrate the work Christ is doing in the lives of those I love, the community and even my life.

Friends, people are hungry for Jesus. They're craving that substance, that living water that will fill their empty heart's belly for eternity. They've tried to fill that void with many many many things..but none have worked...they've all wilted or rotted away and been left helpless and empty again. My heart breaks to know that there are empty hearts out there, walking around, searching and no one's out there after them, to take their hand and bring them to the place where they can be filled. To show them what a Christian is really like.

This weekend has been incredible. Opportunity is knocking at the door. Will you answer it?
I saw people anxious to know more about church...
I heard a testimony of a life changed around 180degrees & a desire to seek out fellow Christians...
I saw people kneel before Christ and recommit their lives...
I saw new lifes for Christ birthed!!!!
PRAISE YOU JESUS!

The Lord is moving.
Reival is coming.
Tis' so sweet to trust in Jesus.

He is an allsufficient Savior.
His grace is enough.
He is an Almighty God.
He is love.
He is peace.
He is eternal.
His love is unending.
The grave COULDN'T hold Him!

and....He loves us -- so much.
Be blessed in Jesus today!

Breathtaking...

It rained all day on Sunday...
I had every intention of "going on a walk" or "tossing around a softball".
Compromises were made and lessons planned instead.
Laughter and talk filled a stuffy room with anxious minds wandering to and from the window, wishing the rain would stop.

The perfect sky came after the rain cleared and the grey, moisture dampened clouds vanished.
This was the sky just prior to my walk with "my mr. darcy".
Tis' splendid, eh?

(just because...)

(This one ^ is my favorite...it stirred a familiar feeling of *awe* in my soul.)

(2nd favorite...glorious!)
(perfectly sweet..elegant and soft)

*Be blessed in the LORD today friends & may you never be too busy to stop and appreciate God's beautiful gifts to you in the sky!*

"Shaving Tales"

Pepper our cat... has crazy fur that never ceases to grow....as it elongates too much it gets clumpy and tangled...so off she heads to the vet. She's now the Lion Pepper...with only fur on her head and paws. She really looks like a lion!!!

Don't you love to open your Bible and watch words leap off the pages?

"1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD Almighty.
2 I long, yes, I faint with longing
to enter the courts of the LORD.
With my whole being, body and soul,
I will shout joyfully to the living God."

"10 A single day in your courts
is better than a thousand anywhere else!
I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God
than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.
11 For the LORD God is our light and protector.
He gives us grace and glory.
No good thing will the LORD withhold
from those who do what is right.
12 O LORD Almighty,
happy are those who trust in you."

-Psalm 84:1-2; 10-12

Opened my Bible this morning to the great treasure of God's word. He spoke truth to my soul again...I long for Him, I faint with longing. I am so in love with Jesus, it's indescribable. Small groups were amazing tonight. I am so blessed by God with my 8th grade girls. I feel a freedom when we meet, though 1/2 of them are meek and shy like Rebekah, Emily & Kara, but when they speak all I can think is " Praise you Lord!" Then of course there is the loud part of our group, Adaisy, whom I adore, because her personality spurs others to speak. She's an intelligent young lady. Then we have Liana, who reminds me a tremendous amount of myself, in her love for Christ in her heart and her willingness to share. It seems that we have similar hearts for Christ,which is very neat. I'm thankful the Lord has given me a chance to see how I was, in part, at that age. The Lord is good! I praise Him for our time of learning about "Love & Fellowship" tonight. I prepared and delivered my 1st small group lesson ever. Yeeh for Ministry!

To learn more and more about Christ and who He really is, as well as the measureless depth of His love for me each day... is divine!

His Goodness, Glory & Unfailing Love

It's been such a long time since I was able to soak up nature's beauty and capture it on film. I've really missed it. Toting my camera around this week has added an interesting dynamic to my fasting festivities and has at times taken my breath away. God literally stops me dead in my tracks and says "Christy, look what I made for you. Oh, I love how you smile, do you love it? I made this for you!" How sweet to serve a living God who loves us enough to greet us in the mornings with a sweet surise, to kiss us goodnight beneath a blanket of diamond stars, to warm our faces with gleaming sunrays casting through the clever clouds.

I feel as though this week has been an opportunity for me to find an appreciation for nature I was beginning to lose, by not stopping, by being too busy and caught up in me, to appreciate what my soul purpose on this earth is to begin with---to be relational with Jesus and to be romanced by Him - to allow Him to work through me and not "do as I please".

This song was sent to me by a dear friend and has brought joy to my heart...He waits for us...He may be showing me beauty on this earth, but He can't wait to show me the colors I've never seen, to watch me tremble at His feet, to embrace me, to DANCE with me in a field. I can't wait for the day that I can dance with my Jesus in a field full of His gloriously created colors. Eternity is worth it!

"I've been waiting to dance with you in fields full of colors you've never seen. I've been waiting to show you beauty you've never dreamed that's always been in you. And I've been waiting, to see you tremble as you're embraced by a world saturated with my love. I've been waiting for the day when atlast I get to see my child, you are finally home!" -Todd Agnew's "The Martyr Song"

Well my fast officially ends on Monday, however, I must say, the discoveries and victories and realizations of this time are unreal. Though I haven't been completely foodless, I quickly learned that it's not about not eating, it's about pursuing God every morning, making everything else planned around Him. He wants my mornings, my afternoons, my evenings, and the times in between. He wants to give me a hymn of praise and to sing it right then and there, to feel His love and to show my love for Him. He wants to romance me with sunsets and suncovering clouds. He wants me. It's truly that simple. He holds the key to my life. My heart is confident in Him. This could perhaps be considered one of the strangest fasts ever..and I know it's the greatest and strangest one I've ever experienced. As I continue to pursue these final days, I am thinking of those I love, those who've faithfully prayed for me, thought of me and experienced closeness with the father this week as I have. My heart longs for you to encounter the living Creator with such a need that you fall helplessly into His arms and allow Him to work, to privide strength. Let go and Let God guys....there truly is no better way.

Day 3

* Okay, I must confess I ate some chocolate(cadbury eggs), but girl time is approaching and well, my body was going nuts. (however, i won't make excuses.)*
I'm excited to see what God does over the next 11 days. " I feel good, nah nah, nah nah nah nah nah..."

I have a fasting journal that I've been keeping and although I can't possibly type all I've been writing, I felt like sharing a song I sing in Chorus and that took on new meaning to me during my quiet afternoon time today.

I BELIEVE MY HEART from THE WOMAN IN WHITE
by: Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics by: David Zippel

"Whenever I see your face, the world disappears.
All in a single glance so, revealing..
You smile and I feel as though,
I've known you for years
How do I know to trust what I'm feeling?

I believe my heart. What else can I do?
When every part of every thought leads me straight to you.
I believe my heart, There's no other choice,
for now whenever my heart speaks, I can only hear, your voice.

The lifetime before we met, has faded away.
How did I live a moment, without you?
You don't have to speak at all.
I know what you'd say and I know every secret, about you.

I believe my heart.
It believes in you.
It's telling me that what I see, is completely true.
Ahhh I believe my heart, it's not wong.
It says that what I feel for you, I will feel my whole life long.

I believe my heart.
It believes in you. It's telling me that what I see, is completely true.
And with all my soul, I believe my heart.
The portrait that it paints of you,
is a perfect work......of art. "

*Went on a prayer walk this evening. I felt full of this strange strength. My mind is telling me I should be weak...but I felt ALIVE ALIVE ALIVE. The sunset was breathtaking...
Prayer Request: what God will have me doing with my summer & that he'll provide accordingly