beauty before our eyes...

"Your whisper it echoes like a joyous thunder...
Your laughter, it warms me like a summer breeze...
Your anger is fiercer than the sun in its splendor...
You're close and yet full of mystery...
Ever since the day...
That I saw your face...
Try as I may, I can not look away...
I can not look away...
I am captivated by you...
Captivated by you...
May my life be one unbroken gaze...
Fixed upon the beauty of your face..."

Take a walk and open your eyes.
Are you beholding Christ's beautiful creation?
Be blessed dear friends!

a thought on sisters

Thinking about it, I spent a large part of my day with my beloved sisters in Christ, many of them.

The morning began in a small circle at church with some of my fellow ladies from Shiktehawk and P. Scott. We shared and joyed in the Lord together. It was a great time to reconnect and reflect upon what the Lord's been at work doing.

Oh how I have missed Rachelle...I have not seen her in about 3 weeks, but the Lord provided an opportunity to connect for a few minutes and just say hello. Pam and I had a conversation that made me laugh and joy in the resoration the Lord has brought to our relationship that is now a friendship. Then...came Lor. My spirit jumped for joy when I saw her! It was such a joy to worship next to my sister in Christ. Praise the Lord for his goodness! He is good. I got an auntie debbie hug. I also got to see Kristin and we talked about missing my man and our excitement for the summer.

As silly as it may sound to some, when I don't see my "sisters" for a long while, I feel something is lacking. The Lord uses us to build one another up and to spur each other on in Christ. When we wake each morning we have a choice to speak life or death upon those we encounter throughout the day. Perhaps one of the things I love most is speaking life with my beautiful sist ers. Oh I can't wait until the day I get my white stallion and can ride as a warrior for Christ in His army...the day I will worship beside my sisters& brothers in Christ with the angels and Jesus himself. :)

on the riverbank

"5This is what the LORD says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans and turn their hearts away from the LORD. 6They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, on the salty flats where no one lives.
7“But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. 8They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit." -Jeremiah 17:5-8 NLT

Praise the Lord for His promises...be confident in Him and His promises. Stand firm on them!

c'est moi

Well...this is what I look like in the yearbook...and the up and coming edition of the newspaper.
Time has flown since this picture was taken.
Just felt like sharing...no one recieving senior pictures from me will be getting one that looks like this because I didn't buy them.
Mom took a picture of me outside in the beautiful autumn scenery and we made our own!
I dislike very much having people spend money on me...so I got creative!
Enjoy!

cute little creatures

My mom sent me an e-mail that had several silly photos of animals sleeping. These were most certainly my favorites!

Aren't they just adorable little creatures...so relaxed, so free...they can just sleep and think about Jesus all day!
Lucky!

deeper

I spent the weekend away at Shiktehawk Bible Camp in Canada with 30ish Christ loving women at the Women's Prayer Summit.

The Lord brought me to a deeper place than I've ever been with him before. Never have I felt this true all consuming joy pulsating through my body. Never have I felt such freedom, compassion and peace. Never have my eyes shown the Holy Spirit living in me. Never have I found my place among women. Never have I gone to war against the enemy clad fully in my armor of praise. I recieved the baptism of the Holy Ghost and experienced a deep gut wrenching laughter after. I found my true joy, him. I found my true peace, him. My heart is at rest, in him. I have been called by him, for him. I was compelled to step out of the boat and walk on a substance I have no business being on, by him...I'm floating down the middle of the river, his river.

The Lord spoke to me..." Come away with me beloved...", he brought me deeper than ever before. Then, because he is mighty and never finished with us, he drew me even deeper into his spirit and whispered "You'll never be the same beloved, you'll never be the same."

He breathed on me......I am forver changed...never, never to be the same.

(Inspiring: Proverbs 3:24-26, John 16:24, Matthew 5:3 & Ecc. 4:12)

CPR

I must say I enjoyed my evening with two of my most favorite people in the world. Lor, Chris & I took a CPR/First Aid class tonight at the church with my mom's buddy Frank Patane from the Caribou Fire Department. I had an enjoyable time. Besides being slightly too powerful with my compressions, I think I did alright. I certainly had them laughing...I love it when Chris laughs.

I love medical stuff, but I've come to realize that at one point in time, i was very capable of doing well in that field, but the Lord has given me His calling...and through that my heart has been filled with the desire to follow Him. My whole heart has been committed to Him...without any heart for medical studies, I find myself incapable of doing things I used to easily. Wow...perhaps one day the Lord will call me and my future husband into the jungle or desert to do medical things...but until that day, I remain content with my little CPR compressions and praying with all my heart that I never find anyone like that...and if I do, that they'll start breathing again.

Well...tomorrow I get to spend lunch time with Chris. I have a day off from school, just because. I'm getting my senior pictures (which aren't entirely beautiful...but hey.) made and then it's off to Camp Shiktehawk for the Women's Prayer Retreat! I am excited to watch the Lord work and move this weekend!

*I really enjoyed this quote today:
"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have." -Abraham Lincoln

forever

Forever God is faithful...
Forever God is strong...
Forever God is with us...
Forever and ever and ever...

If there's one thing for sure, the Lord's promises always hold true.
I read a passage on a friend's blog the other day (Danielle Flewelling) quoting her brother (Gabe) saying something to the effect of "if you question something there's only a chance of,it's not doubt, but if you question a promise, that is doubt."

I stand on the promises of the Almighty, Jesus Christ this evening, remembering how great he is, that forever he is faithful, strong and with me. He is not man that he should lie. His grace is sufficient. He will provide! Oooooh I am so excited to see God moving and working and changing the lives of my loved ones around me and my own life. Ooohh to be more like Jesus. Freedom from doubts...secure in who I am in Christ...deep deep down...I feel a deep longing to just offer praise for His faithful promises. Though I may not see the fruits of these promises just yet, they'll come and oh...what a celebration and joyous time it will be when the Lord's timing allows for my life to be blessed by his grace and promises. EEeeeehhHH!!!

forever satan is useless...
forever he is pitifully weak...
forever he will burn in fire...
forever, and ever...forever.

The love of the Lord endures! satan has no claim over our lives, our thoughts or our hearts.
BECAUSE...
Forever God is faithful...
Forever God is strong...
Forever God is with us...
Forever, and ever and ever!!!!!!!!!

(belated) Tribute to my beautiful mother: Rita L. Zbylut

My mom is not one of eloquent words...

but when she speaks her wisdom spills into the ears of those

willing to hear.
My mother is beautiful, thoughtful,

lovable and goofy.

Creative, Motivated, Encouraging
and blunt.

Her desire for flavor and something "different"

spices up the life of even the dullest person.

Her smile is like sunshine...

Her laughter makes people question their frowns.

Mom never gives up.

She may be rash at times, but often is straighforward and determined.

On November 13, 1987, she became a mom for the first time.

I'm sure she was petrified, excited, exhausted,
and still

curious, shy, worried and proud.

Mom's the superwoman of Northern Maine.

She loves my dad with all her heart.

She gives 100%+ in ALL she does.

Though she may not claim to have accomplished much,

her beauty, wisdom, love and experiences dig deeper

than what mere words can cover.

My mom is incredible.

I love her!
Happy Mother's Day to the best Mom for me!

I'm thankful the Lord has blessed me with a mother who

pursues His heart and will.

Mom always has a knowing about things...

Her inner strength and heart have been tested time and time again.

She's tough as a button.
Stubborn as a bull.

Huggable as a teddybear.

Compassionate and Loyal as a sister!

I love my Mom!

exciting victory

If you've ever been part of a program, that promises success, strives for success and desires success, however, when they seem to be taking 1 step forward, it's really 3 steps back...you know how it feels to be a Senior on the Caribou High School Girls Softball Team. A Varsity starter for 4 years, (2nd base for 3years and 3rd for this year)...I know what it feels like to lose. It stinks...but afterawhile, you become content. you mark on your calendar the last day of the season, because you know when it will end. There's no spontaneuty or wonder of playoffs...no hope for gleaming success or crediting articles in the paper...just the comings and goings of each day, being content in your position, swinging a bat just because and letting another year slip by with a lovely habitual record of 2-14.

Well I can happily say that this season has been a blue. I can't quite wrap my mind around the fact that we've already had 7/16 games and are trucking our ways slowly to a successful, growing season. We dropped our first 3 games (one vs. PI and a double header vs. john bapst) to start the season, but we decided to step up and turn things around. We were victorious with an at home win vs. Fort Kent followed by a BIG double-header sweep last Saturday vs. Mattanomack (who beat PI earlier on)...then tonight, in company with the rain and shivery cold of Houlton, ME, we claimed another WIN over the Houlton Shiretowners in a 9 inning game! WOOOOOHHHHH!!!! We will follow this up with a double header on Saturday (Caribou vs. Hermon) and hopefully set our eyes and goals a little higher each day!

Sure it feels great to win, wonderful to win...but victory is a temporary high. Losing allows us to become content. I'm done with content. It excites me to see my fellow teammate showing up to practice unexpectant, ready to learn and excited to work! I'm proud to say I'm a member of the CHS Softball team with a 4-3 record on the season so far.

If you get a chance, come on out and catch a game this season, you might just be surprised!

Upcoming games:
5/13/06 Caribou vs. Hermon 12:30/2:00
5/17/06 Caribou @ Fort Kent 5:00pm
(5/20/06 Caribou @ Bucksport 12/2:00)---won't be at these ones (Women's Prayer Summit)
5/24/06 Caribou @ Presque Isle 7:00pm
5/27/06 Caribou vs. Ellsworth 12:00/2:00
5/30/06 Caribou vs. Houlton 4:00 pm

Security

Who IS this young woman? Who AM I? IS my life really valued? Does God really think I'm beautiful?
At times I've questioned my self -worth...value...personality...desirablility.

Do people value my company? Do they really WANT to be around me?

Am I a joyful young woman who's love for Jesus REALLY shines even in the darkest of times?

Sunday morning...I found myself.

All of these questions I've let boggle my minds for months, years, practically my entire life...

were answered.

Jealously, bitterness, fearing of man and at times anger.

Where were these things coming from and why wouldn't they go away?

I needed to open up...and let God KILL the ROOT of evil that had clenched desperately to my heart.

I feel more free than I have ever felt...

I'm not worried about the summer...

I know God is going to prove his promises true.

I feel secure in who I am in Christ & as ashamed as I might have been to say this at any other time...I need to be open...I don't want "No Tresspassing" signs in my life.

I feel joyful, loved, beautiful and full of Christ's water of life.

It becomes so easy to toss aside those little hidden things...to trick ourselves into thinkining we've dealt with them.

We close them away in a drawer and when the going gets tough or something triggers an *emotion*, we go to that drawer and clothe outselves in it.

Well I praise the Lord that the garmet, the root of insecurity of who I am in Christ has been ripped to shreds and burned with the allsufficient grace of God. I can claim and have a deep knowing of who I am in Christ.

I've always known...but my heart has lacked that deep knowing.

I am Christy Lynn Zbylut and Jesus loves me.

I am a Daughter of the King and live because of His grace.

I am me.

I am worth it.

I am desired.

Enjoyed.

Loved.

Cherished.

Wanted.

Needed.

Valuable.

I am...beautiful.

God's creation is marvelous and wonderful...when our eyes are opened to His beauty we notice little things...like spring flowers in front of the house. I didn't even realize I had pretty flowers like this in my yard! What a blessing!

A beautiful day, painted and displayed, perfectly by Him.

"Those who trust in the Lord as as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever. Just as the mountains surround and protect Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds and protects his people , both now and forever." -Psalm 125:1-2 NLT

inteligente

I rarely read e-mail forwards, but lately I've been blessed with some very interesting or neat ones. A fellow NHS pal sent me one called "Christian one-liners" and as I read I found a few I thought worthy of sharing. It's amazing how our minds need such delicate steps to comprehend things on such a large scale of magnificence. We can't even begin to behold the glory our Lord Jesus Christ has...yet sometimes we make him the co-pilot of our lives, eat the forbidden fruits and place question marks where he placed a period! Be blessed

-People are funny; they want the
front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the
church.

-Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

-Don't put a question mark where God put a period.

-Forbidden fruits create many jams

-God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

-If God is your Co-pilot - swap seats

-Don't give God instructions -- just report for duty!

-The Will of God never takes you to
where the Grace of God will not protect you

-The best mathematical equation I have ever seen:
1 cross + 3 nails= 4 given.

senioritis

My mind is screaming inside...
I feel restless...NO MORE TESTS...NO MORE PROJECTS! NO MORE!
Work is getting done, however, there's way too much of it...
It's May...
Softball season is in full swing...
Caps & Gowns are ordered...
Marching 9th in my class...
Scholarships...Goals...
Speeches...Prayers..
Prom...Dresses...
Summer...Financial Aid...Loans...
These are all symptoms of SENIORITIS...or better yet, all contributers.


Graduation is just around the corner...my summer is going to be an adventure! I look forward to the things God's got in store for me and I He's going to teach me about His character, His promises and goodness...I look forward to homefront missions and reaching june 11th with part of my heart catching a plane to Panama...the other part accepting a diploma of hard work and good deeds over the past 12+ years of my life in my right hand, smiling joyfully as I try to gracefully waltz across a recently constructed stage...It's going to be good...good good good...but for now, I'm ready to be done done done with school and on on on with the things to come!!

por que...

It's indescribable how breathtaking You are...

"Prayer is calling on God for help; so it is plain that he is gloriously resourceful and we are humbly and happily in need of grace. The Giver gets the glory. We get help." -John Piper

Photos from a sunset a few weeks ago...rest in Him.
I've got the joy, joy joy joy
down in my heart, where?
down in my heart, where?
down in my heart...
I've got the joy, joy joy joy
down in my heart, where?
down in my heart to stay!!!!!!!!!!