They actually have some outlets here, and guess what store they had - Nike!!! I found some amazing deals actually, and so I bought a few things. I then went and got coffee with some of the girls. It was a fun afternoon. This evening we came back and had dinner, and then we all hung out for an hour or so. I was playing billiards with my trainer - he was showing me some tricks and stuff...lots of fun :)!!
Tomorrow we practice in the evening and then lift as well, so still a pretty light day. Practice will mainly consist of shooting. We have so many girls hurt, and also we are coming off of playing 3 games in 4 days, so we need to be smart in how we recover.
Here is the link to look at more pictures that I have taken the past couple of days:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100560492670548.2494384.55710205&&l=bfc08a6ddb
A friend of mine posed the question: “What would life be like without a relationship with Christ?” Have you every seriously stopped to think about what our lives would be like without the Lord? I am so thankful that I began my relationship with the Lord at a young age. For some people though, maybe you have recently begun your walk with the Lord, and for others maybe you are still searching and trying to figure out who Jesus is and what He has done for each of us.
I had a few things come to my mind when I thought about the gift of “SALVATION”.
Salvation is:
A. Free - You know the neat thing about beginning a personal relationship with Jesus is that it is free. A lot of other “religions” require action in order to try to “earn” your salvation whether it is through service or good works. The reality of it is, we can’t do enough “good works” to earn our salvation. The only way we have the opportunity to spend eternity with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is if we simply admit that Jesus is Lord, and that we are sinners saved by His Grace!
Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 3:28 – “So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.”
Romans 3:20 – “For no one can be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.”
B. Personal Relationship - I don’t like to say that Christianity is a “religion”. There have been several times when I have had people tell me, “oh you are religious huh?” My answer to them is “no, actually I am not religious…I have a personal relationship with Jesus. I am a Christian, but true Christianity is not about religion it is about a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with Jesus Christ. We actually have an opportunity to communicate with a living God!
1 Corinthians 1:18 - “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.”
C. Freedom – Every single person on this earth is looking for meaning in this world. Some people turn to other people for fulfillment, material things, or even drugs and alcohol. Who or what is fulfilling you? This world is full of many things. We all have many opportunities to get involved with a variety of activities or interests. None of us our perfect, and so we are going to sin. The only person who has ever lived a perfect life on this earth was Jesus Christ. At times, it can be easy to get stressed out, worry, or be fearful of people or things. BUT we don’t have to live in fear or worry; we have the opportunity to live in freedom!!!
I love the freedom and peace that I experience as a result of having a personal relationship with Jesus. The trivial things of this world become meaningless, when our focus is heavenward rather than here on this earth. Yes, we are called to love those around us. The neat thing is though, when we are striving to live for the Lord, our desires and mentality will be not focused on ourselves, but rather focused on the Lord. AND when we are focused on the Lord the veil is removed from our eyes and we are able to see more clearly those around us. There are a lot of hurting people in this world. Each day we have a great opportunity to show God’s love to them.
Take the time today to spend time with the Lord first and foremost. May we not neglect spending time with Him. For those of you reading this who are not even sure if you have a relationship with the Lord, then I encourage you to begin one today! What are you waiting for? Feel free to contact me through my blog or get in touch with someone near you.
1 Corinthians 16:57 “But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 6:11 – “Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
1 Corinthians 7:23 – “God paid a price for you so don’t be enslaved by the world.”
Salvation is free, it is a personal relationship with THE living God, and gives you TRUE freedom! These are just a few things that I thought about when I was thinking about the question of “what would life be without a relationship with Christ?” I would not be free, I would not have a personal relationship with Jesus, and I would not have true freedom. This world is full of struggles that we encounter on a daily basis. Why would we not want to cast all of our burdens upon someone who can carry them for us?
May we take more time to reflect on the Lord’s goodness to us all :)!! He truly makes life worth living and gives us hope.
I also wanted to give you the devotion from "Jesus Calling" today as well:
September 18th
"Seek to please Me above all else. Let that goal be your focal point as you go through this day. Such a mind-set will protect you from scattering your energy to the winds. The free will I bestowed on you comes with awesome responsibility. Each day presents you with choice after choice. Many of these decisions you ignore and thus make by default. Without a focal point to guide you, you can easily lose your way. That's why is is so important to stay in communication with Me, living in thankful awareness of My Presence.
You inhabit the fallen, disjointed world, where things are constantly unraveling around the edges. Only a vibrant relationship with Me can keep you from coming unraveled too."
Matthew 6:33 - "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and hew will give you everything you need. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."
Have a great rest of your day!!! :)
Megan