Living Above the Sun Ministries

"Peter said to Him [Jesus], “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?" -Matthew 14:28-31 Last night as I was emailing a friend of mine, my thoughts came together, and I quickly realized I have a Peter problem. I was telling her some of the things the Lord has revealed to me the past few days. I am ADD so I do 100 things at one time, because I can't focus long enough to do 1 thing and take it all in, then on to the next. Hard to explain. When I write I'm on several other sites, and doing other things and my posts eventually get done. It's ridiculous really. I've always liked the disciple Peter, because I can id...

"But you are a chosen people [son, daughter], a royal priesthood, a holy nation [son, daughter], God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." -1 Peter 2:9 Last night and into this morning, I was faced with a lot of doubting thoughts. Am I denying myself things I need? Have I really been deceiving myself? Have I been burying myself so deep in my work and things I do to avoid hurts and sorrows? Is God really not enough for me? These thoughts were not easy to think, were they true? But gosh, I think about all the songs we sing about our Savior, and think of all He has brought me through. Why would I want to feel the pain? Have I not thought about it enough? There is no where I would rather be than hiding in Jesus and His work and ministry. Am I wrong for that? Is He really not the answer? What can man do for me? I'd Rather have Jesus than anything. Are things ever going to st...

When I lived in Wilmington, things were going pretty well. We all bump along in life, but some of the bumps make you sick and nauseous and ready to get off this ride of life. I loved Wilmington, I had friends, I loved my church, I was playing in worship band using my talents for God, I had a job, I had a bank account with a little money, I had plans. However, when you are a preachers kid things don't go as planned, EVER. We had to move away to Charlotte. You all know my testimony. I kept asking God why. I was pretty happy. Since I have lived in Charlotte, it's been a very hard journey, things haven't been easy or like they were in Wilmington. I've not worked much with the economy being the way it is, my bank account was closed, just various things along the way that make me say, "I wish I were still in Wilmington." But then I stop and think, and get out of the emotional moment and think about all the blessings God has given since living here in Charl...

Tonight I went to a thing at my church Elevation where the guys were honoring the girls. It was so refreshing to see. Car doors were being opened, cars valeted, being waited on, a sweet hand written note, decorations, being ushered to our seats! They told us we were beautiful, stunning, gorgeous, pretty, fantastic....It was fantastic! They honored us by speaking life into us. On top of it all, we were all dressed up! We also had our pictures taken all dressed up. However, I skipped that because 1 I was by myself, 2 I felt ugly and fat and 3 girls were driving me crazy...just sayin ya'll. I never went to prom, I've never really dated, so tonight was some what special in that though it wasn't really a "date" thing I felt like I was being treated as if I were on a date. I don't remember ever being honored in that manner by a guy. I can't tell you if a man as ever respectfully told me I was beautiful. A lot has to do with my self image, I've ALW...

One of my weak points is being overly emotional, and blowing things out of proportion, and I give up. I have frequent anxiety attacks at times, and I can be really messed up in controlling my emotions. This is not all the time, just every once in a while. So because of these factors in my life I have found it effective to form a support group of people who I check in with and talk to often. These people help me see perspective, and help get my thinking back in proportion, they encourage me, and don't allow me to slack off. They hold me accountable to things. I go to them for advise, and guidance; It is wise, I believe, to allow only a few people speak into your life. I use my own discernment, but also like another opinion. These people challenge me, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. They help me when I've run out of gas, or locked my keys in the car. I'm truly thankful for not only the help they willingly give me, but I'm thankful for their influence, an...

Since my struggle with this awful problem, and my survival, it is my goal to reach out to those who are in this helpless state of mind and show them the love of Christ, and that hope still exists even when it looks like the darkest hour of life. I struggled with these thoughts as a non-Christian and baby believer. Suicide is a frame of mind, it is more than just an action. The mind must be renewed and changed through the message and Hope of God's word, and His power that is put in us through the Holy Spirit. Can you be a Christian and consider taking your own life? If asked this question, I would answer yes. Though the Bible doesn't give a simple here is what God says specifically answer, the Bible does give helpful principles to stand on. One thing about life and someone contemplating suicide is that it's messy. There is no simple way apart from Jesus to try to manage or explain it. Believe it or not there is a prophet in the Bible who cursed the day he was born, ...

My English Professor taught me a lot this semester, especially in life skills and how to be successful in every area of life. Some great qualities to possess are: Consistency, Initiative, and Attendance. When she lectured on this, she was talking in the context of school, however, this can relate to anything in life. Like rain is consistent, we have to be consistent in work, in things that really matter...no matter how hard they get. It's about "constantly adhering to the same principles and course; not contradicting yourself." Many times people around us will say negative things, and it can get us down and discouraged about a class or work project. That is when we can take the INITIATIVE to step up and tell somebody what's up...right? It's all about being a leader. For me, this is the hardest thing to do because, not only do I fight voices in the world, but like many others, I fight voices in my head saying I am worthless and will never measure up. ...

Working at McDonald's something I have come to realize is that on both sides of the counter we each don't know the first thing about each other. The customer doesn't know anything about me, and I don't know anything about the customer; all we see is the surface. This reality hit me last night as I was working the front counter. After taking a frail looking man's order, another customer came in that knew him. Overhearing their conversation at the counter I came to learn that the frail looking man had advanced lung cancer...all the while having 2 packs of Menthol Marlboro's hanging out of his shirt. Then the customer doesn't know anything about me. All I am is a crew member at McDonald's. They don't know I write this awesome blog, or study Theology and Philosophy. They don't know I'm involved in my church, or go to school. At times it bothers me, because there are some people who look down on me, and look at me like I'm stupid, and...