Celebrate!

It's been awhile since I've written anything, so I thought I'd take the time to say hey. Hey.

April has been a busy month. It has marked one year since we lost Grandma Florence, and that has been hard on Kyle. But we get to reflect on the service and how truly she was a godly woman. Truly a life to be celebrated. Then came my birthday and Kyle took me shopping (and I got to steal some time alone with my husband<3)! As long days of school and work have wore on I am now rejoicing in my husband's 24th birthday. Thankful that God created him and found him to a suitable partner for me. Although, I must say-Kyle's idea of celebrating and mine are a bit different. All he wants to do is stay in bed and watch tv-relax. Not me! I love celebrating by going to see a movie or out to dinner! So, to say the least it's been different for me. I made him a cake that didn't turn out so well...my heart kinda sunk when I realized it didn't. But Kyle was grateful-bless his soul! The 24th brought my grandmothers birthday, and while I was sad I couldn't be with her to celebrate, I did call her. She was *VERY* excited about all the cake she got!

As April gives way to May, I look forward to a friends wedding, a weekend spent with another friend, more birthday's and the end of my current classes. A lot to celebrate!

Speaking of celebrating, I've been reading "Found: God's Will," by John MacArthur, and he makes a point in there I find interesting. It's a book that I had to have for one class, and now have to read it again for my current pastoral class. It's a short little read with great points.

MacArthur writes,
"What does it mean to be Spirit-filled? Let me give you a short theology lesson. We will call it theology of the Spirit filled life. When you were saved, the moment you received Jesus Chris, the Holy Spirit came to live within you There is no Christian who does not possess the Holy Spirit, "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His," (Romans 8:9 cf. 1 Corinthians 6:19; 12:12-13). Yet its is amazing how many Christians think they do not have the Holy Spirit. I have sat in church and heard sincere people pray, "O, God, send Your Spirit," and have thought to myself, No, He is here. He is here!I have heard people pray, "God give me more of your Spirit," as if He came in doses. The Holy Spirit is a person; He lives within you. "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost?" (1 Corinthians 6:19) So many times we ask for what we already have! We pray for the Holy Spirit and He is already here."


I reflect on this point both in my own life, and in what I see in others. I believe that MacArthur has a valid point, but I also see that as humans we need to be reminded of things. We need to come back to Scripture and remind ourselves of what God has already promised us, and what He has called us to. A faithful, confident people. Going through this process of waiting for God's calling on our lives is so very exhausting. Seeing Kyle fill out applications and get rejected (or not even answered to is draining. Especially when I know his yearning to help others. So I reflect on this promise:
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you." (2 Corinthians 4:8-12).

Then I am reminded of the hatred of the world, and of my own shortcomings. We recently noticed someone on Facebook who (professes Christianity) outright attacking a group of people in the political context. Friends, are we not to be stewards of our tongues? Aren't our words what not only builds up others, but also builds our witness? I am reminded of Ephesians 4, but specifically vs. 29-"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

Friends, this is a time for celebrating! Not only do we have the promises of God, but we have instruction! We have direction!

I pray this encourages you today, that you see the beauty of God in your life today.

Radiance, Obedience, Reverence

Ahh! God, these people here are ridiculous! They would rather watch you struggle in the snow then help you out, box you in at the grocery store rather than let you by and talk behind your back than be honest with you! Lord, I am just so fed up! I hate it here-I want to move and I feel like we should already be in ministry. I feel like we are waiting, and have been for 2 years now. I'm so sick of Oklahoma!

***This is just some of my daily rantings, put nicely***And God has called my attention to it. Specifically to my attitude, my lack of obedience, and my tendency to complain.***

I want to share with you some verses that I read today and then a lesson God has used on me this week for Obedience.

"Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame." Psalm 34:3-5
I want to be known as a woman with whom radiance flows! How beautiful is that?! I want to be know as a woman who SEEKS the Lord FIRST. I read this and see how much God has been there for me. There are so many fears that He has taken away, and many holes that he has filled in my life-The least I can do as His creation is to SEEK Him.

"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.He gathers the waters of the sea into jars, he puts the deep into storehouses.Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke and it came to be; he commanded and it stood firm." Psalm 33:6-9

Simply Beautiful.

I want to be a radiant woman of God who has reverence for God. Who finally has obedience and finds HIS blessings for my life, not what I think blessings should be.

******Obedience******

God's been laying it on my heart lately to reflect on my obedience to Him. I've made it quite known that I don't like being here, and I always find something to complain about. Which is why the following sermon that I listened to the other day was that much more humbling. This is a sermon by Charles Stanley, and you can find it on his website, but here are the sermon notes.


Obedience Always Brings Blessing

Charles F. Stanley

Memory Verse: Psalm 24:1-5
I. Introduction: I define a blessing as any expression of God’s goodness and love toward us. Answered prayer, miraculous provision, and unexpected favor are some examples. We easily recognize these as God’s gifts. But sometimes He chooses to bless us in different ways. For instance, He grants us strength and joy in the midst of hardship, and He uses our suffering to help us mature spiritually.

When we obey God, we can trust that He will display His goodness and love to us. Those who are wise will watch for His blessings in all their different forms.

II. Biblical Examples

A. Noah’s obedience saved his family from the flood.

B. Abraham’s obedience resulted in his becoming the father of a great nation, God’s chosen people, Israel.

C. Moses led the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage.

D. Joshua won the battle of Jericho by following God’s supernatural strategy.

E. David refused to harm Saul, the anointed king.

F. Jehoshaphat relied on God’s word when the Ammonites attacked Judah.

G. Peter obeyed Jesus’ command to fish in the heat of day.

H. Paul followed God’s will and took the gospel to the Gentiles.

III. Types of Blessing

God’s gifts aren’t always obvious. But when you obey Him, He may bless you with:

A. Peace, joy, and contentment. These internal qualities often result when we step out in faith and obey God.

B. Spiritual growth. We will have more faith to obey the next time God challenges us to do something.

C. Eternal blessings. When we stand before God on judgment day, we will be rewarded for our obedience (see Mark 9:41; Luke 6:21-23).

IV. Suffering Before Blessing

Often, the first effect of obedience is not blessing, but suffering. Sometimes, what God requires of us will initially lead to pain and sadness. We shouldn’t assume that difficulty means we’ve made a mistake or that He has abandoned us. Let’s look at two significant examples of suffering as an initial result of obedience:

A. Moses followed God’s command to lead His people out of Egypt. Not only did the leader experience difficulty in freeing the Israelites from bondage; the people also complained bitterly about life in the dessert once they were released. Despite these and other challenges, Moses is known as the most important leader in the Old Testament.

B. Paul obeyed God by preaching the gospel. As a result, he suffered tremendous persecution, danger, and physical abuse (2 Cor. 11:23-27). However, because he was imprisoned, the apostle had time to write his epistles to the Colossians, Philippians, Ephesians, and Philemon. His obedience resulted in supernatural blessing (see 2 Tim. 4:7).

V. God’s Purposes for Our Suffering

A. To bring us to the end of ourselves. We become most useful to the Lord when we rely on Him completely. If we respond correctly to loss and suffering, we will find blessing through it.

B. To prevent pride. Suffering reminds us that all good things are gifts from God and not earned by our own efforts.

C. To remove idols from our lives. Worshipping anything other than God is a problem. He causes all things to work together for our good (Rom. 8:28). So if He removes a good thing from our lives, He must have a purpose, even if we can’t see it at the time.

D. To deepen our understanding of His ways. When God does something and we aren’t sure why, we can anticipate learning something new about how He operates.

E. To demonstrate His faithfulness to His children. In suffering, you and I have the opportunity to become living examples of the goodness of God. As others watch how we respond to overwhelming adversity, they recognize His loving care.

VI. Conclusion:

If you obey God, can you expect His blessings? Yes. But remember that His choice of blessing may be different from yours. Perhaps He will use suffering to draw you closer to Himself. Or He may use it to remove from your life those things that hinder fruitfulness for Him. No matter what, if you walk in His will, He will bless you in surprising ways.

Copyright 2011 In Touch Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. www.intouch.org. In Touch grants permission to print for personal use only.

January

I'm not sure how big I've been on New Years Resolutions in the past, but as January ends I'm finding stuff in my life that I want to change, and am trying to make steps towards changing. I know one thing that I don't want it to be is something I just give up. I'm a procrastinator and that frustrates me. A few weeks ago I purchased some exercising stuff. I want to loose some of this weight I've gained. I think it's going to help my attitude and just be better all around. Paul instructs Timothy in 1 Timothy 4 that while physical training has some value, godliness has value for everything. Which is another thing I want to improve, is my time with the Lord. I want the Lord's direction for everything in my life and that's only going to happen when I spend time in His word and with Him. In the past year I've found myself complaining quite a bit...and about stupid stuff. This is another aspect of my life I'm trying to change. The final two are school, bucking down and getting it done. And learning to crochet. As odd as it sounds, I've had an odd desire lately to learn...lol. So I welcome your prayers for me as I work on these aspects of my life in the coming year. Please let me know if there is anything I can pray for you for. Blessings.

Do or Don't?

I've been to alot of weddings lately and I must say there are alot of things to love and alot of thing to not love. One of the biggest things that upset me and I find absolutely tacky, is making your guests wait while you and your wedding party go drink on a bus or limo. It's tacky and disrespectful. Especially when you've made this big "to do" in the church. I take my vow to my husband and to God seriously and find it horribly disrespectful when the first thing you do as a married couple is get drunk before you even get to the reception.
I give props to couples who are very tasteful in their reception and care about the finances of their wedding. I know with our wedding, there are alot of things we didn't get to spend money on, but in the long run we are thankful because we've been able to save and use it on other things. A recent wedding I went to, the bride and groom opted to be a bit more savvy with their finances in order to save for their marriage, and their wedding was just as tasteful. Quite beautiful actually.
I don't agree with having an open bar at a wedding. Especially when there are kids present. If both parents drink, then how is that a safe ride home? Another wedding I was at recently, the alcohol was free but you had to pay for non-alcoholic drinks such as pop or water. This infuriates me. So, because I don't drink, I have to pay for mine??
I will give props to weddings who have good food. If you have money in the budget for food, it's always promising to see good home down food.
I give props to the guests who know how to dress for a wedding. A hint to the ladies, blue jeans with stuff written on the behind, paired with heels is NOT proper wedding attire-lets be a bit more classy.
Finally I give props to ministers who actually care about what they are saying before the congregation. I find it very annoying when pastors try to joke so much during a ceremony that they stumble in their words, forget what they were saying or offer up a non-sensical prayer. Things such as "Dear Lord please meet us here," hasn't God already said that where two or more are gathered I will be there?
That is my rantings for the evening.

It's October

It's October. And I am listening to Christmas music, sipping warm apple cider and have my Christmas cards ordered. Alot of people would call me crazy-and that's okay, but I love everything about Christmas. Growing up, the adults in my family tried to make every Christmas special and meaningful. From Grandma reading the Christmas story, to the wonderful aroma of the feast we were to have, to the gifts we gave, and received. Mind you, we didn't have money by any means, but this was when we tried to go all out. It was just special. And that's what I want to show my kids. The wonder of the first snow, the beauty of all the lights strung about, the sweet smell of apple pie-and the fact that Kyle and I will love them enough to explain that Christmas is about Jesus. As laughable as it might sound, Christmas makes me happy. Makes me feel like a kid again, and I relish in that. From getting my hands sticky from cinnamon roll dough, to getting ecstatic about playing in the snow. I can't wait to share that with my kids. And despite how my family is now, I still have a huge love for family, and I want my children to experience that as well. I can't wait to one day dote on my children.

And since it's October, you can already probably tell from my Fall 2010 album on Facebook, that I LOVE fall!

Trust & Obey

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever." -Psalm 23

I learned the above Psalm in the persistent, abiding wording of the King James Bible, from my grandmother. She used to have me read it with her every night before bed. The psalm talks about how God is our refuge and our leader, and with Him we don't want or doubt, or even fear. About how we commit to dwell in His house forever. And when I've looked at my grandmother, that is exactly what I have seen. She describes herself in her yearbook page as having a "studious air" about herself, and I can not think of any better way to describe her.
In the photo's posted, Gram went to high school with Bill Winfrey. Bill is a brother to Jack Winfrey, who has basically became like a father to me. I don't know how much interaction they had as teens, but it's interesting to see how God has had a hand in this whole situation. He leads me, just like the Psalm says. Grandma couldn't have possibly known that Jack & Donna would become a huge part of my life, but that's how God works. And it's been interesting to hear Jack talk about Uncle Jim (Grandma's brother), "Now Jim was a big fella (and he was!!) and I always asked him why he didn't play football and he would always say that he didn't want to hurt anyone!" "He may have been a big fella, but he sure did care about others!"

Even in as I reflect on the many times my husband and I could have met growing up, but never did...but we ended up together. One of Kyle's friends was dating a friend of a friend of mine, and went to our proms. Another of Kyle's friends had a grandmother who was friends with my mom, and yet two more friends went to the church that I went to youth group at...and still I never met Kyle until Vennard.

As I reflect on this verse I pray that my heart continues to be softened by it and that I am continually amazed by God's work. That I learn to trust God more and obey His every word.

Florence Kay

It's a little after one in the morning and I've spent the last few hours messing with my blog design. And as I have been, I have been thinking about a pretty important person in my life. And I've decided I'd like to introduce you to her. She's my Aunt Kay. And over the years she hasn't necessarily gotten the respect or love she has deserved. But thankfully God has softened my heart so that I can see just how beautiful of a human being she is. She is the daughter of Harold Hubbs and Gladys Carriker. She spent many years in the Navy, traveling everywhere. Just a few short years ago she finally retired from the Navy Reserves. While in the Navy, she went to China and bought a China set-which was the beautiful wedding gift that she gave Kyle and I. Growing up, she struggled with homosexuality, but one day gave her heart to Christ and I am proud to say that Christ is in the for-front of her life. She is very much involved with youth for Christ and many other organizations. She builds relationships with almost everyone she's in contact with. She is one of those people who you always want to be around. Her amazing character mixes with her infectious personality and laughter and draws you in. She loves with everything that she is. She sacrifices a lot and would give you the shirt off her back.She's humble and fun to be around. She has taught me what it means to be a woman of Christ, especially when no one is looking. She has shown me what integrity means. In my lifetime, she has been an amazing owner to two wonderful dogs, Kringle & Remington. In the most recent years she has become one of my better friends and I'm better for knowing her. Aunt Kay, I love you, miss you and am thankful you are in my life.