As Fall Falls Upon Us..

Current Music Love: Viva La Vida Meets Love Story by Jon Schmidt (I've seriously pressed replay a gazillion times on this one....)

Well, school has commenced once again, and I am actually happy to be back in the swing of things. There's something just so exciting about having new subjects to learn about and taking notes on my mini laptop again...(yes, I like to take notes..wierd, I know!) I am lucky to have a good schedule of classes in which I have three days off to do my work; today being one of those days. I was hoping to take a quick trip to the sea today, but alas, the weather was just slightly uncooperative, so I did some taebo instead.

Just a sidenote: If you need a workout that's quick, fun and effective, pick up the Turbo-Charged Taebo dvd..it's such fun and only takes 23 minutes to complete!!

My family and I attended a different church on Sunday than the one that we normally do, and the pastor was talking about Finishing Strong. At first I was like, Huh? I'm just starting things..why should I be thinking about finishing strong? I'm not even off the starting block. Then as I listened, I began to see that it was truly what I needed to hear. I'll share a few things from the message with you..

2 Corinthians 8:11 (NIV) Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it.

Why We Fail to Finish What We Start:
Fatigue: Nehemiah 4:10a (NLT) The workers are getting tired...
"Fatigue makes cowards of all of us." --Vince Lombardi
To overcome fatigue, get help from others!

Exodus 17:11-12 (LB) And as long as Moses held up the rod in his hands, Israel was winning; but whenever he rested his arms at his sides, the soldiers of Amalek were winning. Moses' arms finally grew too tired to hold up any longer; so Aaron and Hur rolled a stone for him to sit on, and they stood on each side, holding up his hands.

Frustration: Keep going; persevere!!
James 1:12 (NIV) Blessed is the man who perseveres..

Failure: It's not how much you fail, its what you do with it. It's too soon to quit!!
God called you to finish the race, not to just start it.

Three Ways to Finish What You Start:
1. Stop making excuses (Prov 22:13, Jeremiah 6:14)
2. Start Immediately (Eccl 11:4, Prov 27:1, James 4:17)
3. Focus on the game and not the pain! (Hebrews 11:26)

Place your focus on the end and not the momentary discomfort.

Depend on God to help you!
2 Corinthians 4:16 (NLT) That is why we never give up...our spirits are being renewed every day.

I realized that there were things in my life that I was making excuses about and not wanting to finish; it was also an encouragement to start off the school year strong and keep up the pace, to not slow down halfway through because things get busy or tough. Hope you were able to find something in this as well!

I got to meet with a few friends on Friday, and also chat with a few through the lovely world of Skype (yay for technology!!) It's such fun to see where life takes all of us. Many of my friends are all over the place/world this season, as they are on study abroad trips, internships, attending new schools and such. The best part of it all is that no matter how far away, or how long we've been apart, when we talk, it's as though no time has passed. I hope it is the same with you and your good friends!

Well, I am off to finish some accounting homework..

Blessings and Perseverance to Finish Strong!!

Candice

10 comments

a girl with a smile said...

Those note were very helpful! Glad you're getting settled in. Enjoy the semester.

Mikelle Jade said...

Good luck with your studies! :)

Taylor Ashley said...

Its not fall quite yet, not for me anyways its so freakin hot here, the second i step out side i automatically am sweating profusely, sick i know! School is pretty crazy i just started this year! a little overwhelming the first little bit but... i am LOVING it [: you have a beautiful blog ! and I LOVE all of the scriptures you have posted !
your truly inspiring!
-Taylor

paislea said...

woooo hooo! i love tae bo! i used to do it when i was like 9. i thought i was sooo cool! now i'm more into p90x!

allisterbee.blogspot.com

Brittany. said...

Looks like you're off to a great start with a goal in mind for an even greater finish!

Love you, Cie! Hope you're having fun at your new school[s]. ;)

Unknown said...

Good luck with your studies! I am so not looking forward to classes haha. Can't wait to read more of your future posts :)

Julia said...

Answer: Actually it wasn't a real hairpiece but some real flowers clipped to my hair:)! Really simple!:P
Lovely post! I start school next Friday and I'm sooo excited:)

Candice said...

Thank you to all of you lovely girls! You're so sweet and your kind words make me smile! :)
Best wishes to those of you that are starting classes! You're going to do great!

JMay said...

omg I am addicted to Tae-bo :-)

Love those pics!

P.S. Good luck w/ school!

Candice said...

thanks, dear!
me too it's awesome :)

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