World-changers.

Quotes from today's church service:
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I couldn't believe it until i saw it. If that's how we look at life then we've got it backwards. We can't see things until we believe in them.

embrace the puffballs in life

Vision controls our perceptions and our perceptions become our reality.

Celebrate what's right in the world, don't wallow in the bad aspects.

I saw an angel in the stone, and i carved to let it out
-Michaelangelo

Are you trying to be the best in the world, or the best for the world?

Are you paralyzed by perfection.

What do you think about when you weave? i weave when i weave.
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So that was today's sermon in my own little scatterbrained way. I really connected with it. I feel like a lot of times i am the first to see the negative aspects of something before the positive. i realised that i needed to understand that although yes bad things are there, it's the heart of the thing that's important. Michaelangelo's angel didn't appear out of nowhere, he had to cut off all the excess. When we focus on the bad parts of life, then we can't see the perfection that's hidden like little treasure troves.
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I was thinking today about the different influences and inspirations of my life. I decided that my main influences is from my families. I've been a part of my church family for 16 years, an extention to the vogt's, a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, and then i have a family of friends, and then i have the family of the whole dalton clan. sarah and shelby dalton's whole family kinda adopted me since birth. her great grandparents are the most incredible people. they tell people i'm their adopted daughter, every sunday i go over and hug 'em and they tell me all about "the girls" and to keep prayin for them and they always just love me. My families together have made me the person i am today. I also started thinking about the people who inspire me the most and have made a list. not very long but i like it.

The Greatest People I have Ever Been Blessed to Know.

*Ruth Odom. Possibly the strongest woman in the world. Who went on a car ride with her family of 5 and came out alive with one son, my dad. She is the strongest, most devoted Christian i've certainly ever met. Her love and her witness is always apparent in her want to pour out onto everyone she sees the love of G-d.

*Nolan and Ilene Christiansan. My adopted great-grandparents. Their hope and faith and perserverance in their prayers for their family always astounds me. Their trust in the LORD and their hope for his promise fills me up with hope as well. They truly never give up, it's incredible.

*Meredith Hollman. i neither have nor will ever meet anyone more incredible in my life. She dealt with cancer forever and never complained, never doubted G-d's plan. She went prison witnessing, bringing them to church loving on them. She always just completely completely astounded me. i have never seen anyone with so much love. you felt in the presence of G-d just being near her. she simply glowed. she taught me missionettes in 4th grade and she was my friend until her death. many times i think that i'm ready to change the world, maybe not the whole world, but maybe just my community's world, or the world of one person. I have never met someone as worldchanging as Meredith. My life has been blessed simply by knowing her and her passion.