Get ready

Just reading through Matthew some more, and this morning in chapter 24, Jesus is talking about the signs of the end times. This has always been an interesting topic to me....

Verses 45-51 are what I want to focus on sharing with you today. Jesus here is talking about how nobody will know the day or hour when He will return....

(The Message translation)

^45-47"Who here qualifies for the job of overseeing the kitchen? A person the Master can depend on to feed the workers on time each day. Someone the Master can drop in on unannounced and always find him doing his job. A God-blessed man or woman, I tell you. It won't be long before the Master will put this person in charge of the whole operation.

^48-51"But if that person only looks out for himself, and the minute the Master is away does what he pleases—abusing the help and throwing drunken parties for his friends—the Master is going to show up when he least expects it and make hash of him. He'll end up in the dump with the hypocrites, out in the cold shivering, teeth chattering."

This just jumped out at me, because I feel like I am more like the person in verses 48-51 at times. I think a lot of people are....

We tend to think that we have PLENTY of time to serve God, and get things right with him.

How many times have you heard somebody say something about "Oh, well I'll get things right one day.."

Guys, this right here is talking about how we don't have time! Get things right NOW!!!

Verse 38-39 says "For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man."

GET READY.....He is coming.

I'm talking to myself when I say that we need to be like the faithful servant described in verses 45-47......serving our Father every single day.

Even when we feel that He won't return for a long time. Even if that were true....if He wasn't going to return in our lifetime....then what about Matthew 12:36

"But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every carless word they have spoken."

We're going to be judged for EVERYTHING!

Let's start waiting and watching for our Savior's return.....serving Him as if He were coming today!

Spoiled rotten

I just have to say that I have the most amazing husband ever! He told me that for Christmas he wanted to take me to Belk to get some new clothes or whatever. He insisted that we go to the Galleria since that Belk is HUGE.

So we went today on our date day for Christmas. Ate lunch at J. Alexanders, which was amazing of course, and then went to the mall. When we got there, he wanted to go to the expensive section and look.

( I NEVER pay a lot for my clothes.....I get clearance, no name brand stuff.)

We looked, and I of course looked at price tags 1st, and said we needed to go to the other (CLEARANCE) section. So we did, and he got upset, and said he should have came by himself, bc he wants me to get some nice stuff.

So we went back to the expensive section. I got 2 pair of jeans and a jacket thing....

I spent much more than I normally would, but he was so happy to see me get some nice stuff. The jeans really are nice, and I know they'll last a long time. I go have to get them hemmed of course, but I'm pretty excited about having them too.

I just had to say how great he is for wanting me to have nice stuff. I never buy anything for myself, and he loves to spoil me rotten and buy me name brand stuff.

He has gotten me 2 Coach purses and a D&B purse over the years....and then the nice clothes today.

Merry Christmas to me (and my Belk card) lol

On another note, I have been falling in love with Dave Barnes and his music tonight! Never really listened to anything of his, and he is amazing! Such sweet songs!! :)

That is all.

MERRY CHRISTMAS if you don't hear from me before then....

1 Peter 3

I have such a compelling to continue sharing what God is teaching me. Maybe this blog is taking a turn into more of a time for me to do that.

Over this weekend, I have learned so much. I feel like I just need to take the next week to dwell on all that God is showing me.

One of the main things He's showing me is of the need to stop living like the world, and believing the customs and things in life it tells us we should do.

This morning, submission was once again brought to mind. This world tells us we (as women) are the ones to run the household. We should tell our husbands when to breath, move, speak, and how they should do so.

But, that is so contrary to what the Word tells us. Let's begin choosing to live exactly as HE wants us to, and forget about what is "normal" on this earth. After all, we are aliens, aren't we!?!

I'm simply going to write what 1 Peter 3:1-6 says, and let God do the speaking to your heart...if you'll let him.

Wives, in the same way, be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do no give way to fear.

deep stuff from Deeper Still

This is going to be a long one....I'm going to try my best to express my thoughts clearly. As clearly as God has revealed His Word to me just now.

I have just returned from the 1st session of the Deeper Still conference. Kay Arthur spoke tonight, and she went through the book of Matthew breaking it down into 4 main truths about the book.

1. Who is the Christ and what is He called?

2. The cost of the cross. Do we understand what it means to follow Jesus?

3. The gain or loss in our lives. The rewards (we gain or we lose rewards)

4. What He has commissioned us to do and what would happen if we did it?

While she was speaking on a variety of things about life, I kept thinking about how I have come to a point in my life lately where I often think that I have enough of God. Here have been some real life thoughts I've had...

I really don't have to read my Bible everyday or spend as much time with Him as I used to. I am more spiritually mature than most people around me. I go to church regularly, and do most of the things "Christians" should do. I read my Bible when I need guidance from God, or encouragement from him....or when I just don't know where to turn in life.

But when things are going good (or when I THINK things are going good) that's when I think that I really don't need God as much.

Oh how wrong my thoughts have been! Kay Arthur challenged us women to go home and search the Word of God...especially the book of Matthew. So I did.

I scanned through Matthew, and stopped at Chapter 10. I don't know what made me stop there and read the whole chapter other than the Holy Spirit doing so. Here is what I have been filled with.

The chapter is talking about Jesus calling the 12 disciples into his ministry and sending them forth.....pretty much warning them of all the persecution they will face and telling them to be prepared. I feel this just as much applies to us today, after all, aren't we supposed to be disciples as well?!?!

He gives them instructions beginning in verse 5 about where to go and what to preach. In verses 9-10 Jesus continues with His instructions saying:

"Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep."

Oh my gosh! What if God called ME and MY HUSBAND to do that?!?! To take absolutely nothing with us as we go and serve God. I can't imagine. More of my sinful thoughts....'

But God, how in the world would we survive? I couldn't raise children moving from place to place, not taking any money or extra clothes! And oh, how I want children in my life!

No bag? That's pretty much saying to just to go with the clothes on your back! No gold, silver or copper?? So surely I could take my debit card, right? That's a huge calling....you'd never call me to do that, right?!?! That's just for those really radical people who move to Africa and stuff....

Well, I kept reading....

Jesus goes on in verse 11 to explain how they will live.

"Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave."

So I am guessing God just answered half my questions about needs being met, huh?

Keep reading....

Verses 17-20

This is where I got scared. More so than the whole, go without anything with you ordeal.

"Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."

My initial thought here was, dear Lord, is this what America is going to be like???? Is Jesus warning us today that we, as radical Christians, are going to be thrown in jail because of Him?

To be honest, I think we (as America) is already headed in that direction....

Praise be to God that, once again, He immediately responds by meeting our needs. He says that it won't be me speaking to the officials (in court, maybe?), but rather the HOLY SPIRIT speaking! Thank you, Father once again!!

Hang in there with me, please.....this is good stuff!

Verse 34, Jesus continues by saying that He didn't come to bring peace to this earth....but a sword! WHAT?? I thought Jesus was the Prince of Peace?!?! (HE IS!!)

But here, he's talking about peace as in us believing that everything in life will be hunky-dory if we just follow Him. WRONG!

Verse 35-39

"For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- a man's enemies will be the members of his own household. Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is NOT WORTHY OF ME; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is NOT WORTHY OF ME; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is NOT WORTHY OF ME. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it"

What's Jesus saying here? That I should turn against my family? No, I don't think he's saying that. What I think Jesus is saying "WHO CARES about what your family thinks......SERVE ME!" "WHO CARES if they think you're crazy for living radically and following me?!"

I know some of my 1st thoughts (and often verbal words) when I think about the thought of moving away from my family are "I can't be away from my parents.....I want them to help out with the grandkids!" or "What about my grandparents.....I want to be here for their final days of life!"

I have tears in my eyes as I type this thinking about all of the excuses that I could go on and on writing. What are yours?

But I think it is plainly written as Jesus said in those verses....

"ANYONE WHO LOVES ________ (fill in the blank) MORE THAN ME IS NOT WORTHY OF ME!!!!!"

Not worthy of God!?!? Wow. We so often think we are entitled to God. As if HE owes us something in life if we even give him $20 or go to church. But Jesus died for us, people! God watched his ONLY SON be slain....just so us selfish, ignorant, sinful, disobedient, hypocrite people could be saved from all of that sin and spend eternity with Him.

And let me just say here, that JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN...no matter what you believe!!!!

God is eating my lunch, here people.....(or should I say midnight snack?)

Just to be real with you some more tonight.....I'll share some of my idols and things God has convicted me to do.

1. Spend MUCH LESS time on facebook and watching TV, and more time devoted to doing some of the things He has called me to do such as to begin using the talents HE has given me in life once again (singing, piano, sign language)

2. That means getting off of my butt (#1) and joining the choir at church.

3. Along those same lines, that means finding out a way to begin playing the piano regularly again, as I haven't played in almost 2 years! And using that talent for His glory as well.

4. And finally, for the past several years, I have said that I want to get my license to be a sign language interpreter. I will also get off my butt here, and practice / learn more sign language and seek the resources to get my license in that area. I know he can use that as a ministry!

Will you please spend some time in prayer with Him now? He may not be calling you to leave everything and serve him elsewhere in life....He may be. I don't know what exactly He's calling Thehubs and I to do, but I do know that I am going to be laying down some idols and placing my Savior back where HE deserves to be in my life.

Christmas survey

So I stole this survey from my friend, Doerun....enjoy and Merry Christmas!!

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? HOT CHOCOLATE any day!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? My Santa never wrapped presents....that's the fun in coming down stairs Christmas morning, and having that surprised look at all the gifts!

3. Colored lights on house/tree or white? Well, I love white lights of all sorts.....but our tree is pre-lit w/ colored lights. I hated it at first, but it's grown on me and it's actually very pretty!

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Actually the 1st time I saw mistletoe hung was at my mother-in-law's house several years ago. I told Thehubs I want some for our house.....doubt we'll actually do it.

5. When do you put your decorations up? the weekend after thanksgiving...

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? gosh, that's a hard one. I guess all the casseroles, and unending supply of desserts!

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? My pawpaw stayed the night with us every single Christmas Eve. That was always so much fun, because we (he, my brother and I) would all sleep in the same full sized bed. Looking back, I think that was mom and dad's way of making sure we didn't catch Santa putting out our toys.....

The most traumatizing memory I have is me going downstairs to get something (probably my brother a drink, since I was always his slave. lol) and finding my daddy eating Santa's cookies, and drinking his milk.......scared me for life! lol

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? See story above....

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? yes.....I remember the year Alan and I convinced mom and dad to let us open just 1 gift Christmas eve night. When we got older (throughout college) we opened all the gifts christmas eve night.

Now we have resorted back to the traditional Christmas morning....

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Ours right now is decorated with mostly Thehub's ornaments.....gold and red with other splashes of color.

My DREAM Christmas tree is white, with black music/ piano ornaments....

11. Snow? Love it or dread it? Love it!

12. Can you ice skate? I've been once...I was pretty good.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Of course.....a HUGE talking doll house. That thing rocked!

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Celebrating the birth of Christ with family!

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? anything mom makes

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? it used to be my pawpaw spending the night....but since he passed away, I guess it's baking stuff w/my mom.

17. What tops your tree? never anything particular. For Thehubs and I, we have a star. it's pretty.

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? neither really.....I don't think Christmas should be about all of that. I don't mind giving, but it's hard when your resources are low. As far as receiving, I guess I don't mind that either....lol

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? I have lots of them.

20. Candy Canes? Yuck or Yum? LOVE THEM!

21. Favorite Christmas show? Show? Rudolph the REdnose Reindeer!

22. Saddest Christmas Song? Not real sure.....

Hope you enjoyed my survey, you should do one too!!!

something different

I bought a HUGE journal a few weeks ago.....

One for me to write some of my deepest thoughts and emotions in. I have always loved to journal, but here lately I don't feel as if writing on here is enough.

There are some things I just don't want everybody to know about. With that said, I may not be writing as much on here.....other than writing about things God is teaching me.

Maybe I'll be back when my life gets more exciting. lol

Lies Women Believe

"Lies Women Believe...and the Truth that sets them free"

That book is AMAZING!

I read it while in college, and have recently picked it up again. Let me just tell you that it is transforming so many areas of my life!!

It includes lies about:

-God

-Yourself

-Sin

-Marriage

-Children

-Emotions

-Circumstances

And provides TONS or scripture to counteract that lie with the Truth of God's Word.

I want to really encouraged you to get the book and read it.....especially if you are married! The chapter on marriage really changed my viewpoints on a lot of things!

Below is a quote from the chapter on circumstances......enjoy!

All of use have seasons when we feel we just can't keep going; we just can't take any more. As with every other are of decption, the key to defeating this lie is to counter it with the Truth. Regardless of what our emotions or our cicumstances may tell us, God's Word says, "My grace is sufficient for you" (2 Cor 12:9). Most of us are familiar with that verse. But, when it comes to the circumstances and trials of our lives, few of us really believe it. What we really believe is, "I can't go on....

*I can't take one more sleepless night with this sick child;

*I can't continue in this marriage;

* I can't bear to be hurt one more time by my mother-in-law;

* I can't keep making it with 3 teenagers and a mother with Alzheimer's living in our home..."

However, whether I choose to believe it or not, if I am His child, the Truth is that "His grace is sufficient for me." (This is assuming, of course, that I haven't taken on myself responsibilities He never intended me to carry. If the burden is God-given, I can go on my His grace.) His grace is sufficient for every moment, every circumstance, every detail, every need, and every failure of my life.

Forgive

I'm learning so much right now, and I'm so thankful for God always teaching new things.

Just wanted to give a quick post on one thing that I'm trying to grasp....

FORGIVENESS.

I have been hurt by some people throughout the past several years, and have held on to such bitterness towards them. Over the past 2-3 weeks, God has been gradually been softening my heart towards that bitterness, and telling me to forgive and let go.

This morning at church, the entire message was on the topic, so I'm guessing that it's time to let go. The pastor brought up 3 different tenses of forgiveness.

Forgive = the thought/ agreement to make the 1st step.

Forgiving = in the process of the matter.....

Forgiven = the done deal. completely let go, and forgiveness has been done.

I have never thought about the matter in that way. I think we all know forgiveness is a process. Just because I say I want to forgive, doesn't mean I have forgiven.

My hurt is not nearly as bad as I know others have been through in life. But while the world says "you have a right to be mad....don't forgive." God's word says "Forgive as you have been forgiven."

I'm working on it.....and with God's help, I will get there one day. Here are some verses that go along with the subject.

Romans 12:14- Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Romans 12:17-21

"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." (prov 25:21-22) Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

The challenge that was given this morning was to pray for that person that has hurt you everyday for 30 days. Pray for blessings upon them... (rom 12:14).

Who do you have to forgive?? Will you begin the process with me today?

Meltdown

I love my job. Really, I do. But days like today make me wonder "Am I really cut out to do this for the rest of my life?"

Here are some real phone calls that I have had today:

*Call from Client: My daughter said she wants to kill herself, and that she's tire of putting up with life....my mother's in the hospital and they don't know what's wrong with her.

*Call from Client: My grandson won't tell me anything that's wrong with him (teenager boy). I know something happened at his mom's, but he says everything's fine. Can you get some information out of him without letting him know I spoke with you? (yeah, that's always easy!)

*Conversation with school system: No, he (18 year old) can't be enrolled in the degree completion program due to not being enrolled in high school, and he can't enroll in high school unless he's enrolled in the degree completion program. (yeah, catch 22!) Pretty much, he should just get his GED, there's nothing we can do.

*From my Supervisor: NEW CASE FOR YOU.....teenager with mental health problems, just got out of the hospital. Dad has no clue about what to do about her horrible behavior. (those are always fun)

And last but not least, I got ANOTHER phone call just a bit ago from the mother of the suicidal daughter....she was talking about it again tonight. After over an hour on the phone with the family, I suppose I'm convinced that the daughter won't harm herself tonight.

And then I had a melt down......

My absolute worse fear as a Social Worker is for one of my clients to commit suicide. Scares me to death.......

So needless to say, the conversations about that today have upset me more than anything else.

Prayers would be greatly appreciated for that young girl. You don't know who she is, but God does....

Newton smewton....

Ok, so this post would be on facebook, but I have too many Auburn fans that would get upset.....

I really really really don't like quarterbacks who completely take over the whole game. That's what running backs are for.

I didn't like Tebow and him always "stealing the show" by making Florida a one-man team, and now I really don't like Newton who is doing the same thing.

AND the announcers constantly talking about the guy doesn't make me any happier! lol

Football is about playing as a TEAM......throw the ball, hand the ball off to somebody else, but if you keep running the ball yourself, you're going to get hurt.

If now now, then especially when the Tide Rolls on you!!!!

Just had to get that off my chest.

ROLL TIDE!

TRUST

Throughout this weekend, every devotion I have, no matter what the passage, it seems like God is telling me to trust.

The book of Daniel..... read it!

Daniel made a decision not to defile himself by eating what he was told to eat. He continued worshiping God despite being told the consequences he would face. The lion's den. DEATH!

Shadrach, Meshach and Abendego (not sure if those are spelled right) even were thrown into a burning pit full of fire because of their service and devotion to God.

Both are stories from the book of Daniel. I read part of it earlier this weekend, and was in awe of these people's complete dedication to God.

But what do we do when told:

"You can't openly talk about religion or pray at work...its unethical.....you will be terminated if you do so"

We shut our mouths. We fear for our jobs more than we fear our God.

When I say "we" I'm really meaning "I/me" because this is what God has eaten me up about lately.

But God saved Daniel from the lions....not a scratch was on him!

God saved Shadrach, Meshach and Abendego from the fire......perfectly unharmed!

And God can and will save you from things today as well.

My mind is going in a thousand different directions right now as I think about the many ways I lack complete trust in God.

My prayer is that I will place all my trust in Him and be devoted and a servant to him just as Daniel and others have been throughout the Bible.

Did they fall? Yes, they were human.

So why do we believe this world when we are told that Christians can't fall....or that you're a hypocrite if you ever sin.

That's not the truth! Get back up, get in the word and He is right there waiting!!

Every. Single. Time!

Renewed

So I must confess that I went to church today for the 1st time in about 2 months. Well, I did go with mom and dad twice while being at home over the weekends.

And let me just tell you.....I am so refreshed! The past 2 months have been the longest amount of time I have been out of church regularly my entire life. I think I have just realized once again how important corporate worship is, and so refreshed today as I have participated in that again.

The sermon was on Sacrifice. The pastor is going through a series on Romans 12-- which is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible-- and the Holy Spirit was certainly speaking to ME!

I'm not kidding when I say that I would know what the preacher was about to say before he even said it....now is that God talking or what?!? lol

I'm so thankful we serve a God who waits patiently. One who doesn't force us to do anything, but allows us to choose to serve Him.

Yet I fail so often....but I'm glad that when I turn back to him-there He is running back to me!

Now I'm reminded of THIS song "When God Ran".

It means so much to me, and has since I first heard it in middle school.

Now on a side note- I have jumped on the coupon band-wagon! :)

I bought 2 papers today, and have spent the past hour cutting them and organizing them in my handy-dandy little box that my lovely cousin, Danielle gave me. You can go to her blog for lots of couponing tips!

Now to listen to "When God Ran".....seriously, take time to listen to it!

Thank You for giving to the Lord

Reminiscing today by listening to some Ray Boltz songs on youtube. The first was "Feel the Nails" as it has been on my heart all week.

Which then lead to "Thank You" which is one of my all time favorites. That is when I had the urge to blog.

This song reminds me of all of those who have served the Lord and influenced my life because of it. Just wanted to mention a few of those people.

First and foremost- my parents. Throughout my entire life, they have been such great examples, and still are! They assured we were in church every time the doors were open. Not to just say we went, but to grow.

Last night while reading my Bible, I came accross this verse which I've never really read before.

Malachi 2:15 (The Message)

"Ad what does he (God) want from marriage? Children of God, that's what!"

NIV- "Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and Spirit they are his. And why? Because he was seeking godly offspring."

Hmm.....so God wants Godly children to come from marriage. Maybe that's what my parents had in mind while teaching us and having us raised in church.

Not only that, but I can remember several times of the 4 of us sitting in the living room doing a Bible Study together. One particular time comes to mind, were we were all on our knees praying and crying out to God together. Not sure how old I was at that time....maybe 10 or 11. But I know I would not be where I am (spiritually, emotionally of physically) if it weren't for my parents "giving to the Lord" as the song says.

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Another couple that comes to mind is Steve and Shari Chamblee. They are now my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. But when I met them at the age of 12 or 13, that was certainly not on my mind.

Their "giving to the Lord" helped me throughout my teenage hears. Steve was my youth pastor at church and taught me so much mainly about the importance of studying and reading the Word DAILY. Shari on the other hand was always there telling me to stay away from boys. lol

But mainly, I am thankful for their service to the Lord because it ultimately brought Michael and I together. That is how we met. Not only at Mt. Vernon where I was in the youth group, but they later answered the call to serve at Pate's Chapel Baptist Church in Jemison. This happened my senior year of high school.

Little did I know that I would attend college 30 minutes from there, which would cause Michael and I to cross paths one again......this time falling in love! God has blessed me so much because of Steve and Shari's service!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some others in my life that come to mind...

*Mrs. Mary Cordes- she taught GA's and Bible Drill at church. I can remember being in her classes from the time I was in about the 3rd until 6th grade.

*Mrs. Guin- (not sure if that's spelled right) but she taught my sunday school class

*Gail & Devane Williams- taught discipleship class on Sunday nights. I learned so much from them!

*Mrs. Dot Beason- sweet sweet lady.....taught some class at some point growing up.

*Sean Thornton- BCM Director throughout college

*Pearline Burns- Director of Savannah Baptist Center (where I did Summer missions in 2007)

And I know there are so many more. I just really wanted to remember a few of them.

Why don't you think back on those who have spiritually influenced your life??

Have you impacted the life of another?

Duties of an aunt

Late Wednesday night, my bil (brother-i-law), sil (sister-in-law), niece (18yo) and nephew (6yo) came for a quick visit. They live in Florida, and we haven't got to see them since the wedding.

This was actually my first time to be around the kiddos as an aunt to them. I knew my niece and older nephew (he stayed behind for school) before Thehubs and I even started dating due to my relationship with Thehubs' sister. Yeah, it gets confusing. But never acted as an aunt- until now! :)

Anyways, they were passing through town to take my niece to college in Nashville. I got to experience how excited and lively 18 year olds are about moving away to college. But I also saw the other side of heartache and sadness of mommy and daddy's little girl leaving them.

I absolutely loved the time I was able to spend with the entire family!!!

I'm so blessed to have such wonderful in-laws!

They are up in TN today and part of tomorrow, then passing back through to stay the night before their long trip home....this time without their daughter. :(

But she's only 3 hours from us, and I've already promised to get her on weekends if she gets a little homesick. She won't have a car, so I told her she has to hitch-hike down. lol

I am an aunt of 7....all from Thehubs side of the family. Yeah, if you know my family at all, you know it will be A WHILE until my brother makes me an aunt.

However, all 7 of the nieces and nephews live out of state.

Florida-2

Tennessee- 1

Arizona-4

This was my 1st experience with any of them, actually being an aunt to them. Weird, huh?

I guess I could move on to other news....

Since they were coming to visit, I went out and finally bought some sheer curtains to hang in the doorway of our laundry room, which is in the bathroom. This has been needed since April when we moved in here.

I also bought a table cloth for our kitchen/dining room table and actually set it with my Fiesta Dishes. I LOVE IT!!

Don't you just love it?!?!?

Only $20 was spent!

$10 tablecloth and $10 on the fake fruit. Everything else I already had.

Next purchase shall be decorative art for the wall. :)

Hicks house news

Guess I should update on a few things that have happened in the Hicks house. (Hey, that has quite a rhyme to it!)

First of all and the most exciting thing is that Thehubs got a NEW JOB!!! That's right- no more crazy hours of selling cars all day every day! Not to mention the amount of stress he was under to make money on crap-pay and getting screamed at by the sutpid-@$$ people that worked there. Sorry for the language but can you tell I hate that place??

LOTS of prayers and applications went out for him to get out of there. You wouldn't believe how relieved we both are about it.

He is now working for a security company in Bham. His schedule did get a bit mixed up, and he was supposed to start doing security at FedEx, but for some reason he won't be able to work there until September I think (and hope).

So for now he's at a Walmart (in the GHETTO I might add) at night!

But he loves it! He's asleep right now, and I'm so ready for him to wake up bc I haven't seen him since last night! Guess that's part of him working nights. I'd much rather him do that then have to work at the hell-hole he was previously at. (No lie- it was horrible if you can't tell!)

On to more news----we are almost finished with the Dave Ramsey class at church. We've missed a few weeks, but get the point of it all. It has helped a lot, bc due to Thehubs changing jobs, we are in between paychecks and Baby Step #1 has helped us a lot this month!

Be praying for both of us as we continue to find a church home. It's tough....

We visited Valleydale, but just feel like it's so big and we're out of place. Even going to the classes there, we don't know 1 single person's name. And for me, that's not acceptable! I feel like we haven't been reached out to on a personal level.

So onward we look.....we're so ready to find a "home" if you know what I mean.

Here is some sorta random news, but I got a new family at work this week and I'm SOOO excited to work with them. One of the things DHR requested for me to work with them is home management. Now that usually consists of basic clean-up-your-house and budgeting kind of stuff. But these people have a pretty neat house, they just said that they have major organization problems. So guess who gets to help them get organized? Yep, yours truly!! I'm thrilled!!!! I think that's what I'm going to start with! They're actually pretty excited to.

I think that's about all for today. My goal this weekend is to get our apartment all cleaned (and organized) because Thehubs' brother and his family are supposed to visit in a few weeks. The guest bedroom closet is FULL of wedding gifts that still haven't been used (and I don't want to get rid of) and some computer junk. That will be my main focus!

Happy WEEKEND!

# 101

So this is my post # 101....guess the apple pie making took the whopping #100 place and I didn't even realize it.

But that's ok, because I want to dedicate this one to "Submission 101"

I know, you're probably thinking, "Geeze, here we go again on crazy wives having to submit to their husbands!" And YES that's right, but I just wanted to share what was revealed to me this morning in 1 verse that I've read many many times before!!

1 Peter 3:1

" Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives" (the sentence continues in v 2)

The phrase "In the same way" is what jumped out at me this morning. I've always referred back to Ch 2 verse 18 for that where it talks about slaves submitting to your masters.

That may be what Peter was talking about, however God revealed it in a totally new way!

Yesterday, I studied and meditated a little bit on the previous paragraph. (2L23-25)

1 Peter 2:23 says

"When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he make no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly."

And this is what I thought maybe Peter could be talking about that "in the same way" we as a wife should submit to our husbands.

Aren't we always supposed to be like Jesus anyways as his child, so why not mimic his behaviors in our marriage as well!?!?

When we feel like making threats to our husbands- DON'T.....leave it up to God!

When we feel like retaliating or griping at their behaviors- DON'T....leave it up to God!

Just some thoughts- you read it and see for yourself what you think. The main thing here is that as wives we should always always always RESPECT, ENCOURAGE, and SUBMIT to the man God placed in our lives! Even when we don't feel like it!

Oh goodness, may I be a doer of His Word and not just a hearer!

Fun in the kitchen!

I have wanted to make a homemade apple pie (crust and all) since the holidays last year.

I finally got around to actually doing it!

So I bought some fresh apples (the only thing I needed) and went for it!

I used a recipe found online, but I can't find it at the moment. Oops...

Apples all cut up (and yes I had lots left over) Mistake #1 :)

I worked on the crust, and batch #1 went in the trash.....mistake #2!

Finally got batch #2 of crust to roll out and stay somewhat together.

Apples added. Mistake #3 was not putting enough apples in the pie.

Next time I'm piling it up high so it'll be all full and yummy!

So here it is- all ready to go in the oven!

Not too bad looking for a first-timer!

Sneak peak!

And the finished product!

Here are some pics of the disaster that my kitchen was in.....

My lovely apron had a tad-bit of flour on it!

In case you were wondering- it says "Mrs. Hicks -Kiss the Cook"

The flour/ crust-rolling station

Mixing/ apple area.

Note the left over apples......

They ended up ruining bc I didn't feel like fixing anything else with them. :(

Oh, and you gotta love the Kitchen Aid Mixer!

Thehubs inherited it from his dad

Now let's finish by discussing what is necessary to change for the next time around...

1. When mixing the dough, use COLD Crisco and Ice water. (I discovered this with batch #2)

2. DON'T use your hands to mix the dough. I did this both time, and that's why it was dry and didn't roll out very well. There's something about the Crisco not needing to be heated up so it won't mix into the flour completely)

3. Use wax paper when rolling out the dough.

4. MORE APPLES in the pie!

5. More people to eat it besides me! (Michael doesn't really like apple pie)

We will serve the Lord!

Joshua 24:14-24

"So now: Fear God. Worship him in total commitment. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped on the far side of The River (the Euphrates) and in Egypt. You, worship God.

"If you decide that it's a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you'd rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you're now living. As for me and my family, we'll worship God."

The people answered, "We'd never forsake God! Never! We'd never leave God to worship other gods.

"God is our God! He brought up our ancestors from Egypt and from slave conditions. He did all those great signs while we watched. He has kept his eye on us all along the roads we've traveled and among the nations we've passed through. Just for us he drove out all the nations, Amorites and all, who lived in the land.

"Count us in: We too are going to worship God. He's our God."

Then Joshua told the people: "You can't do it; you're not able to worship God. He is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He won't put up with your fooling around and sinning. When you leave God and take up the worship of foreign gods, he'll turn right around and come down on you hard. He'll put an end to you—and after all the good he has done for you!"

But the people told Joshua: "No! No! We worship God!"

And so Joshua addressed the people: "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen God for yourselves—to worship him."

And they said, "We are witnesses."

Joshua said, "Now get rid of all the foreign gods you have with you. Say an unqualified Yes to God, the God of Israel."

The people answered Joshua, "We will worship God. What he says, we'll do."

Will you worship God? Will you serve ONLY Him??

I think it's time we get serious!

Savage

Continuation of my Savannah, GA journal.....

"Savage"

This is the name of one of the older girls that caused quite a bit of trouble earlier in the week. Tonight Billy (one of the women leaders in the youth group) told me about when this young lady came down and said she wanted to ask Christ into her life. Billy said that she couldn't remember her name, and asked her to tell her again. Shen she told her a name different from what BIlly remembered earlier this week, she asked her why she did that. The young lady replied with saying that she told her that her name was Savage because that's what she was. Billy then took time to explain to her that she was a princess in God's eyes and showed her the love of Christ.

I remember that girl like it was yesterday...her real name is Libby. I remember all of us being so broken hearted about how she considered herself "savage". But I also remember seeing the light in her eyes after accepting the love of Jesus! Throughout the rest of the summer, this girl was totally different! While she was running away, cussing, and just being flat-out difficult to deal with before she accepted Christ....she was loving, joyful, and much more cooperative after He cleansed her of her sins! Did she have bad days? Of course, but we worked with her, and helped teach her about the Bible!

Amazing representation of what our Lord still does today!

Hope I'm not boring you guys with these Savannah posts.....haven't got any comments. :(

Feel free to comment and share awesome stories of how God has worked in your lives or how you have seen him work in others' lives!

Next post will be about another story of God turning a precious life around.....stay tuned!

Precious little girl

Savannah (3 y/o girl that stole my heart while in Savannah, GA)

June 27, 2010

Savannah is one of the most precious little girls I've ever met! She's been in VBS this week and she has taken up with me a little bit. It broke my heart Monday when we were in class and she was ready for lunch. Then at lunch, she ate so much more than the other kids, probably because she didn't know if she would get another meal that day!! Today, she did the same thing about eating a lot. She also gets sleepy a lot, because she said that she doesn't sleep much at night time. I wonder what her home life is like?

Tonight, she came to the concert that the choir from KY put on at church. After it was over, during the extended invitation we had- she was sitting beside me and I asked her what she knew about Jesus. She began to tell me what all she knew, as I would fill in the gaps. She said "God died, so we can live." This just blessed my heart so much, because I knew even though she is only 3, she gets it....she understands, at least to some extent!

During the closing prayer, she really blessed me and I think I will never forget this moment. She just bowed her head, and started talking to God as if he were standing right in front of her. She was telling him, "Thank you for this house, and thank you for these girls." After she prayed some more, she then said "God, please let my mommy and daddy stop fighting- and help them to love. I just want them to love each other forever." Wow! A 3 year old grasped what we should be like while praying! I think I finally got the whole concept that we should come to God as little children-just like Savannah! She knew how to talk to God, and she taught me so much about prayer!

Update on Ms. Savannah. I was looking at the Savannah Baptist Center's Facebook page yesterday, and found some videos that churches have posted of their trips there. I'm almost certain that I saw her in one of the videos several times. My heart leaped for joy, because you really don't know many times I've wondered about that angel! I hope to email the director to make sure it was her and maybe get an update on her.

Next is about a teenage girl who called herself "Savage"....before meeting our Savior!!

Filipino church

Here's an entry from my Savannah journal as I promised. First I feel like background info is needed.

I, along with 2 other girls my age, stayed at a Filipino church's parsonage located right behind the church. They sorta helped in taking care of us throughout our 6 weeks of serving at The Savannah Baptist Center. Various churches came throughout the summer to do VBS, sports camps and other activities with the children. We helped the teams with whatever was needed.

Ok, so here goes....

June 27, 10007

"About Church at the International Bible Christian Fellowship"

Sunday morning (6/24) we went to IBCF for the 1st time. The service started at 10:45am and lasted until 1:00pm!! I loved it! They had contemporary worship, which was just cd's and some women singing along at the front. After some worship, they had prayer time. First, they sat all the children down at the front and prayed over them before they went to children's church. Then, they spent a while doing prayer requests and then Brother Jesse (the preacher) did a guided prayer. Nobody was worried about the time-they just were happy to be in the house of the Lord! The rest of the service was pretty much normal. We sng a few moer songs, then Bro. Jesse preached. I think the only other different thing was that they did a devotion before they took up the offering and they all read the scripture verses aloud and together.

After church, they always have a lunch and EVERYBODY stays!

This Sunday, the ladies from the church came over for a baby shower. This kind of baby shower is what I want not only for my baby, but also for my wedding! After doing an introduction get-to-know-you game and a baby game, we prayed for her and some people just gave her an encouraging word. We then gathered around her and laid hands and prayed for her and her baby boy. I just thought that was amazing how even during something like that, they were still putting God 1st! WOW!

More to come later on a precious little girl that touched my life!

Savannah

For those who don't know....I spent 6 weeks in Savannah, GA doing inner-city missions in 2007. That is probably one of the most important times of my life, that shaped and molded me into who I am today!

"Why do you mention this?" you may ask. Well, tonight, I was unpacking a box of my stuff from college that has been sitting behind our couch since we moved (And under the stairs at the town house since I moved in w/Thehubs) and found my journal that I kept while in Savannah.

I actually found about 7 or 8 of my prayer journals too, which was awesome! But my Savannah journal is I think the only one that I've kept strictly to record events and not prayers to God.

I think over the next several weeks I want to share with you guys (whoever you are) about some of the things God did while in Savannah. The things that still affect my life today.

On a different note- Thehubs hasn't bought the game for me to start playing, and really hasn't mentioned it. Hopefully, he weighed his risks and decided that going to the pool all the time wasn't worth it. lol But I'll keep you updated if/when I become a "gamer".

For now- we'll focus on Savannah....hope to begin sharing soon!

30-day trial

So Thehubs and I have a deal. I'll save you all the unnecessary details and just cut to the chase...

Beginning sometime this week I will be playing Age of Conan online with an OPEN MIND. His hopes are for me to fall in love with the game, and be a regular player. Now it's a 30 day trial, because that's what you get for free when you buy the game and sign up.

If I like just absolutely love the game, then I guess we'll pay the $14.99 per month for the subscription.

Now his end of the deal is to go to the pool with me anytime I want (and not complain).

If you know us at all- you know that he is a big-time-gamer, and I'm somewhat of a girly-girl.

Therefore- the 30 days of me playing the game is going to be interesting...and the 30 days of him going to the pool with me will be even more interesting!!

After talking with some friends about our little 30-day trial tonight, I decided to blog about it.

Hopefully, you'll be hearing from me.

He showed me a few things about AOC (Age of Conan) tonight, and I must admit, that it's a little more interesting than I was expecting.

I'll try and post about the things I learned, my thoughts about it all, and our fun times at the pool!!

It's looking like a fun 30 days are ahead of us! :)

Mom

Let me just tell you- my mom and I are so much alike, it's seriously scary! Throughout my teenage years, we discovered this while shopping. We would be in the same store, but looking on different racks or something, and both say "Ohh, this is cute!" and hold up the same shirt or whatever! This still happens often!

Now, let me jump to more recently- as in TODAY!

Mom and Dad came out today to hang out with me since my hubs works ever stinkin' Saturday. So we started out and went to a very teeny- tiny flee market in Bessemer. We then went to play Disc Golf off of Green Springs Ave.

The entire time we played, every time I would throw the disc, mom would throw it within 15 feet of mine! And let's just say that we threw it A LOT because we weren't exactly pros.

So that went on for a few hours..... I'm talking, I throw it in the woods-she throws it in the woods! lol

Then we went back to my place. At this point, it's Thehubs, Mom and Dad hanging out and just talking. I get on the computer and hop on Facebook of course and start stalking people showing her different stuff. She then tells me that she wants to show me this game that she always plays at home on Yahoo. We go to yahoo, and she says oh, well it's called "bouncing balls"...find it and I'll show you. OMG.....THAT is the game I play on facebook all the time!

So we once again had a good laugh, and are still laughing about it!

Just had to write about it, because we are seriously all the time doing something just alike!

I told Michael tonight that I hope he likes my mom because that will be EXACTLY what I'm going to be like in 25 years!!

Lead Me

THIS is my new favorite song!!!

Ol' Dave

In case you were wondering, I thought I would give a quick update on THIS post.

The menu did not go exactly as planned.

Due to us going to Dave Ramsey and trying to get out of debt, my lovely husband decided that we could cut back expenses by me stop cooking such "fancy" meals. Ha ha ha....so now when I buy groceries, I get the basics: milk, cereal, bread, lunch meat, salad stuff, and diet coke.

That has been the menu for pretty much the entire month of June! And I must say- we have probably saved about $100- 150 on groceries. I don't really have proof of that, but instead of spending $100+ per week, we're only spending about $50-60.

My goal is to do the really really strict budget thing for the month of July and keep every. single. receipt. so we can see exactly what we spend our money on!

So pb&j, scrambled egg and, turkey sandwiches are pretty much what's on the menu for July! lol

But hopefully if we can stick to this, we can be completely out of debt within a year and a half, and then save to buy a house and have kids!

ha ha ha....yeah, I kinda-sorta have every detail of my life mapped out!

Lies

Quick post here- but I just have to share....

Have you ever just felt defeated? You know, as a Christian, having that feeling of not being worthy of anything- not even the ability to pray openly or read the Word?

Well if so, then you can relate with me. I don't believe I have ever felt that way until here recently. And praise the Lord for revealing it to me, and showing me that it is all lies straight from the enemy.

Some of the things Satan has been filling my head with recently have been:

-Defeat and hopelessness

-I don't deserve anything

-If I don't get my way, then I deserve to be upset (SELFISHNESS)

-I'm not spiritually where I once was or where I need to be...therefore I shouldn't talk about His word, or pray for others until I get back on track

And that's just the beginning!!

This morning, I was writing in my prayer journal and was just asking God all kinds of questions....and it's so amazing how He answers in that still, small voice! He showed me that all the things I have been feeling are from Satan, and that if I just look to the Lord he will renew my strength.

The Lord has already won the battle....we should not feel defeated!

God loves us no matter what, and there is nothing in the world that we can do to make Him love us more or less!

He is always waiting, and there is nothing holding us back from his arms except for the enemy!!

Thank you, Father!!!

THIS song/ video explains it all!!! The enemy has been defeated!!!

Bachelorette

So I'm watching The Bachelorette tonight, and I have laughed my head off!

I mean, Kasey (the guy that has the weird voice)....is SUCH A NERD!!

He was cracking me up with his random songs that were insanely corny!

Then there's the creepy weatherman! ha ha ha....I just wish he would go home! I mean, all he has done during his time with Ali has been tattle-telling on all the other guys!

My favorite is Frank! I like him.....I think they are adorable together and have thought so since their 1st date!

Just thought I'd let you all know, since my husband HATES the show, and I don't know of anybody who watches it......

Time Traveler's Wife

So I just watched "The Time Traveler's Wife" and let me just tell you....I cried!!

If you haven't seen it..you should!

But it just got me thinking....what would my life look like-- how would I act on a day-to-day basis if I knew what was ahead of me? What if I knew how and when I or those around me would die??

I'm thinking I wouldn't argue about the stupid things or get so upset about the things that really don't matter.

So that's my goal- to live life to the fullest. Because after all....we are not promised our next breath! I want my husband to know that if and when I die that I loved him more than anything else.

Just my thoughts for the day- any why I cried like a baby watching the last 15 minutes of the movie! :)

Happy Sunday!

Anniversary weekend preview

So today marks exactly 1 year since I married the man of my dreams. While this time last year I was eagerly sitting in the living room of my parents house watching guests arrive....this year I am sitting in my own living room sick! :(

Friday morning I woke up with a slightly sore throat....had 3 visits and I noticed during my visits that my voice was going in and out. (oh no)

I brushed it off, and during my full day of work, I just kept feeling worse and worse- that "ugh, I'm really getting sick feeling, but I don't want to" feeling. Get home Friday night, cook supper and I'm out stone-cold by 9:30!

Sleep till 9am Saturday with my man, and we begin our amazing weekend that we had planned...well sorta.

Long story short (I'll spare you all the details for this blog, as I am currently drugged on meds), I endured Saturday and didn't let my sickness keep us from enjoying our day together.

Wake up today, go eat lunch, and I just couldn't go on.

So here I am...on my 1st anniversary....sick...running a fever and keeping meds in my system.

My lovely husband is taking good care of me though! As I type this, he's fixing me some fries and grilled cheese for supper! I'm watching The Princess Dairies and will probably be asleep after supper again!

I'm just glad we have many many more anniversaries ahead of us, and I'm hoping I won't be sick for all of them!

I'll post pics and give details about our night out at The Melting Pot later this week!

Ambitious

Let me just go ahead and say that I am certainly not always like this....today I was just in an extra ambitious mood I guess!

Let's see...went to work, had 3 out of 3 visits cancelled so I got home surprisingly early around 4:30!

Sat on my booty for a few minutes, then decided to do my Biggest Loser:Cardio Max DVD so I can get skinny! :)

After that, I was all energized and decided to work on our monthly budget. Did I even mention that we attempted that for the month of May, and it went much better than anticipated. I pretty much lost track mid-month on our spending, but it kept us conscious of what we bought!

So anyways, we are on month 2 of our budget and start our Dave Ramsey classes tomorrow night at church! YAY!!!!!!!!

While I was doing the monthly budget thing, I had the urge to go ahead and map out our monthly menu. I got this bright idea from my BCM director's wife from college. Every single month she creates her entire menu and has it on a dry-erase calendar on their refrigerator. I've always been inspired by that, but never had time (or the need) to do so.

So I finally did it!!!

"So what's on the menu?" you ask? Let me just tell you a few of the amazing things I'm excited about cooking!!

Chicken casserole (classic)

Portobello Panini (From Pampered Chef)

Grilled bbq chicken wraps (random recipe from Winn Dixie I think)

Homemade Pizza (my own personal recipe)

Turkey meatball subs

Cheeseburger Hoagie Subs (Pampered Chef)

Pronto Pizza Patties (ground turkey made into patties with sauce on top)

Chicken tacos (classic)

Buffalo Chicken Pizza (Taste of Home)

Chicago Style Pan Pizza (Taste of Home)

and the usual stuff such as burgers, quesidillas, and breakfast will be in the mix as well!!!

I'm totally stoked, and pretty much already have my grocery lists made for each week! Now the hard part will be staying in my $250 for my monthly budget of groceries and our $75 for the month to eat out on!!!

Wish me luck!!

fun weekend

So my weekend started by just being absolutely lazy!! I'm talking...sit on the couch ALL DAY Saturday and Sunday (minus church Sunday morning) with my cat in my lap watching movies!

It was amazing! I got tired of sitting, and ended up going to my parent's house today which was nice! RIBS were consumed...delicious!!

Now I'm ending out this memorial day weekend with a Strawberry Daiquiri homemade by my sweet husband and watching The Bachelorette!

Happy Memorial Day....remember those who have fallen for our freedom.

I will always think of my cousin especially on this day. Ready this post to see the sacrifice he paid for us...

Lazy days and boredom

Saturdays should be so much better than this....

Let me just vent for a minute and say how much it absolutely stinks that my husband has had to work every stinking Saturday for the past 3 years that he has been selling cars! I'm talking 8-6!

And every now and then they will change the schedules to "short Saturdays" where there will rotate shifts and he'll either work 8-4 or 10-6! (wow, so much better! NOT!)

So that means every Saturday since we've been married I have been all alone (except for the few that he has taken off for a weekend trip or family functions).

Used to, Saturday would be my cleaning days, and I would just clean and do laundry all day. Well, since moving into our new apartment for some reason I have been cleaning on Wednesdays and Thursdays after work. Which leaves my Sats open with nothing to do! Actually today is the first Saturday since we've been here that I haven't been having a yard sale somewhere! Yep-3 weeks in a row, baby! lol

Sorry about the venting, but it was much needed!

So I'm sitting here, still in my pj's....thinking about what to do!?!?

Laundry-no

Pay Bills- maybe tonight

Work Out/exercise- maybe later

Lay Out by the pool- If I had somebody else to layout with me....

Watch PennyLane try to attack a squirrel through the glass doors to our patio- ALL DAY!

Sit here and watch TV- ALL day!!!

UGH, I really hate watching TV all day, bc since I rarely work on Fridays, that's what I do then too. So by the time Sat gets here, I'm tired of sitting and feeling all lazy.

Which brings me to another subject-sleep.

That's pretty much all I do lately! I seriously fall asleep around 9:30 or 10 and wake up with Michael around 6:45. Some days (like yesterday) I go back to sleep after he leaves and sleep until 10! Well, yesterday I sorta slept till about 10, then took another nap from about 12:30-2:30....geeze I'm lazy! Lazy...not pregnant, people! :)

Life in general

I just realized this week that it's been a while since I've done an update on just our lives! That alone should tell you that nothing too exciting has happened, except that we are all moved in and settled into our new apartment. (I think I've already told you that, though)

Since the move to the new place, we decided to look for a church closer to where we are now, so we wouldn't have to drive 30-40 minutes to church. So we have been going to Valleydale. We love it! It's such an answer to prayer, because we did enjoy Calera and wanted somewhere that we would fit in and be able to serve the Lord. Doors have already begun to open. On Friday of last week I received a phone call from a lady inviting us to Sunday School. She was very nice and said that we would be in her class.

This past Sunday we went to preaching again and they were talking about their VBS tshirts for sell. They said that the proceeds go to their summer missions project and trip, but that it's a secret until VBS. Well, the tshirts say "Wild Wild West" and have a cactus on them...so let's think about where that could be?!?!

Let me back up....Valleydale is a HUGE sponsor and support of Steve and Shari (my brother-in-law and sister-in-law) and the whole gang out in Arizona at Grace Fellowship. Just a few weeks ago, Shari told me that they are taking a mission trip out there in July.

So this brings us back to Sunday...I just thought it was so cool how they are supporting our family and going out to help them this summer!!!! But shhh....it's a secret at Valleydale still! lol

As I type this right now, Thehubs and I both are here at home and I'm loving just being able to spend the day with him! Days like this are few and far between! I went to my visits this morning, and have my afternoon open, so I'm doing paperwork at home! LOVE my job! :)

Our 1 year anniversary is coming up, and I don't think we are going to do anything fancy other than spend an entire weekend together. I may make us unplug the computers and turn off the cell phones so it's like we're on vacation or something! I'm just so excited....he's off that Saturday (which NEVER happens) and it's just going to be us!!!

I hope to keep you guys updated about us more, but our lives are really pretty boring at the moment! Hey...I'm not complaining though!! :)

Psalm 78

"In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.

So he ended their days in futility and their years in terror.

Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again.

They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.

But then they would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues;

their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant.

Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them.

Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath.

He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return."

- Psalm 78:32-39

This was such a reminder to me this morning that God knows we are flesh and that we can never obtain perfection. However the psalmist goes on to write that "again and again they put God to the test..." and God later reigned down on them and destroyed them (showing that our sins will not go unpunished).

Thank you Jesus, for paying the price for my sins!

May I not be one that just flatters him with my mouth, lying with my tongue...having a heart that is unfaithful and no loyal to Him!

Happy Tuesday!

uncreated One

As a social worker, we have rules about religion and what we are "supposed" to say and not to say about our beliefs. Well that's pretty much the case in any job these days, and I find that very sad. When I first began my job, even before I had my own case load I knew that God had me here for a purpose....that it would be easy to minister to people and share the love of Christ with them in their time of crisis.

However, as I have worked case after case, I've realized that on very few occasions have I actually shared my faith in Christ and said how powerful He is. (And this was AFTER my client's mentioned their belief in God first!) I've caught myself on a couple of occasions saying things like "Well, the power of prayer is great if that's something you believe in" and "If you're a believer...."

So that leads me to today at a conference I was at. I was in a particular break-out session on sex addiction (and let's not even to there on this one! lol) and the speaker claimed to be "spiritual" and " a believer in God" etc. etc. It wasn't until I heard him make a comment about how addicts have hope and that if your a believer in God or any other higher being then you can use that to overcome your addiction.

That got me thinking. Shamefully thinking about the many comments I have made like that.

It doesn't matter if you believe in prayer.....it works!

It doesn't matter if you believe in God's power....He is powerful!

It doesn't matter if you believe in some other higher being...GOD is the only way!

It doesn't matter if you try and try to break that addiction....without HIM you will still have that void in your life!

So why do we as Christians (and I'm mainly talking to myself here) think that we have to talk to people in a way as to try and not step on their toes or hurt their feelings?!?!?

My prayer today is that I will stop sugar-coating...and be straight forward!

May I boldly proclaim His name not only to friends and family, but to my clients...my coworkers....those at Walmart and Publix.....those who live next door.

It's not about "Oh IF you believe in God blah blah blah, THEN blah blah blah"......

No sir-ree......it's about He is who He is despite our beliefs. If you chose not to believe, then you're going to hell. Simple as that.

Our unbelief doesn't change who HE is!! He is the Uncreated One- who was and is and is to come!

Obsessed

Over the past week I've been spending more time with my Savior than I have in a long time. I think I too often get caught up in just the routine of ordinary life that I forget to stop and think about the One and Only that matters! I'm not promised my next breath, yet I have to worry and plan for tomorrow, next week, next month or even next year! (Anybody else with me?!)

I've just finished reading "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. I posted this post and this blog several weeks ago regarding the book and just picked it back up this week after settling in at our new place.

(Yes, we are all moved and settled in our new apartment in Inverness now)

Anyways.....God has really been speaking to my heart lately and there have been so many times that I wanted to pick up this laptop and blog, but it was like God was saying.... "No, just keep listening--you'll get distracted!" And I know that is so true, because I often get carried away when I get online. Please tell me I'm not the only one! lol

God has shown me that HE is the only thing in life that matters! I like how the psalmist words it in Psalm 62: 7

"My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock and refuge."

My prayer has been that my mind stays focused on Him, and that He molds me into the woman and wife that He wants me to be!

One of the last chapters in "Crazy Love" talks about being OBSESSED with God! I mean, how many of us have made fun and ridiculed those who have taken huge steps of faith...or said that the Lord was leading them to do something that in our human eyes is absolutely crazy?!!? That's exactly what Francis was talking about here....radical, sold out, obsessed people in love with God! Here are just a few quotes he so boldly says that got to my heart and I just had to share! (After all, if my toes are stepped on....I want you to share in the pain!) :)

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People who are OBSESSED with Jesus give freely and openly, without censure. OBSESSED people love those who hate them and who can never love them back.

People who are OBSESSED with Jesus aren't consumed with their personal safety and comfort above all else. OBSESSED people care more about God's kingdom coming to this earth than their own lives being shielded from pain or distress.

People who are OBSESSED with Jesus live lives that connect them with the poor in some way or another. OBSESSED people believe that Jesus talked about money and the poor so often because it was really important to Him. (1 John 2:4-6; Matt. 16:24-26)

OBSESSED people are more concerned with obeying God than doing what is expected or fulfilling the status quo. A person who is OBSESSED with Jesus will do things that don't always make sense in terms of success or wealth on this earth. As Martin Luther put it, "There are two days on my calendar: this day and that day" (Luke 14:25-35; Matt. 7:13-23; 8:18-22; Rev 3:1-6).

A person who is OBSESSED thinks about heaven frequently. OBSESSED people orient their lives around eternity; they are not fixed only on what is hear in front of them.

And lastly....

People who are OBSESSED with God have an intimate relationship with Him. They are nourished by God's Word throughout the day because they know that forty minutes on Sunday is not enough to sustain them for a whole week, especially when they will encounter so many distractions and alternative messages.

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Now back to where God has brought me...

I get so confused sometimes about life. I mean, I'm certainly still trying to figure out everything about marriage and what a Godly wife looks like. So when thinking about serving God and all the things that He wants me to do or be, I get confused because I wonder if TheHubs has to be the leader in EVERYTHING!?!? I know he is the spiritual leader in our home, but when God tells me to go serve those around me whatever that may be.....should I then begin praying for God to reveal the same things to TheHubs, talk directly to ThuHubs about my thoughts, or just do it?? Now I know that option #3 is out of the question because in a marriage I know that NOTHING should be done without talking about it! (This, I have learned the hard way!)

That has been my struggle....I just pray that the Lord continues to show me His ways! I know he puts these questions in my heart to teach me things. So I shall continue seeking Him and learning more!!

The main thing here though is that I become OBSESSED with my Savior...my Lover....my Creator....and my King!