"I stand here in this place
see the glory on your face
I'm taken by the wonder of your name

I'm desperate for your touch
I've never needed it so much
Cause all I want is you"

Little Sister Wisdom

I just listened to my sister, who is 15 (soon to be 16) give my younger sister who is 14 advice about boys. It went a little like this:

"He is so boring."
"Tell him he's boring."

"Everything he says is predictable."
"Tell him! 'Everything you say is predictable. Quit texting me!'"

"He doesn't spell out his words!"
"Just tell him, "Either spell out your words or DON'T text me.""

Just wondering... does that work? Ahhh, great wisdom from the younger ones.

Reasons for Not Finishing

Well, I didn't finish my series of traditions. There are several reasons. First of all, as Christmas drew nearer and nearer, I had less time to do frivolous things such as blogging. Harsh though it is, it is true. So I thought I would finish after Christmas, and here it is today, the day after Christmas and I have no motivation to do so. You see, the thing with traditions is that they mean nothing if they are not done from the heart. If you do a tradition just to do it, the tradition means nothing. You have to love it. There were lots of traditions we didn't do this year. We used to make candy with my Grandmama; she didn't want us to do it this year because she wants us to be healthy. That's love right there. We didn't get to go see a movie on Christmas day because for the first time in my lifetime, we had a white Christmas and got snowed in. I would take that over a movie any time. Sometimes Christmas isn't about following the old traditions, but making new ones.

Christmas Tradition #8: Sugar Cookies

We call it "Cousin Cookie Baking." I speak on behalf of all the girls when I say it is one of the best traditions of Christmas. As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, there are ten granddaughters in the family (mom's side), and this tradition seriously beats all that I have written about before. This is Christmas tradition #8: Baking sugar cookies with the cousins!!!

So how did this tradition start for us? When my mom was pregnant with my sister Christina, she was bed-ridden, and my Aunt Jennifer baked cookies with her two girls (my cousins) and my sister and me. I think there is more... but I'm not sure. We used to always do this on the Saturday after school got out. Now that some of us are in college, live far away, and have jobs, that day does not always work. However, we always find a day to put aside for cookies. This year, CCB is tomorrow!!!

So here is what we do (and there is a LOT that goes into it!): First, we pick a location. When the CCB first started it was always at our house or Aunt Jen's house. When Rachel and Lauren (the youngest cousins) were born, we did not start having it at Aunt Dawn's house (don't ask ;)) instead we have it at the church every few years, then when Nikki got married, we added her house to the rotation.

Okay, so once we decided when and where we are going to have the CCB, we get to work on the homemade gifts.... okay, so that was a lie, most of us wait until the night before to make our gifts. That's right! I said "make our gifts" because only homemade gifts are exchanged at the CCB. Its so cool. Throughout the years, we have come up with all sorts of gifts to make each other, so many that recently (as in this year) it has been hard to come up with cool stuff to make. For instance, in the past we have had all different kinds of jewelry, picture frames, and Christmas tree ornaments. We have also had the really original gifts like our own website, stationary, duck-tape wallets, and t-shirts. Finally, we have the gifts that stay the same every year... or the gift: my sister Christina makes bookmarks every year.

When cookie baking time comes around we exchange our homemade gifts, it is always so fun to see what everyone has come up with... and who has made the same thing :)

Then, comes the best part: the cookies (okay, so disclaimer: being together is the best part, but the cookies... well who can argue with that being the other best part?). We make homemade sugar cookies every year. And ever year we use the same cookie cutters (the tree, the star, the heart, the candy cane) and the same decorations (decorative sugar and red hots and not those little silver balls). We all have rolling pins and aprons that grandmama and grandaddy made for us.

Finally, we always all end up with a little flour on our faces and more cookies in our bellies than on our plates.

Christmas Tradition #7: Girls

I must apologize for my break from blogging yesterday. I was sick in the bed with a sore throat all day! Fortunately, today I am feeling much better... which is good, since I'm going to have to do two tradition entries!!!

I promise this will be the last tradition that revolves around gifts (I'm almost embarrassed by the number of traditions my family has concerning gifts!). Okay, so this started a really long time ago... before I can even remember; Christmas tradition #7 is the Girl's gifts.

In case you didn't know already, my mom's parents, my grandmama and grandaddy, have ten granddaughters. Yeah, absolutely no grandsons (well there is one grandson-in-law). I'm telling ya, it can get pretty wild sometimes. Seriously though, having such a huge family of girls is really what makes Christmas and being with family so great, especially since we are all very close.

So, every year, for the three days leading up to Christmas Eve, my grandmama gives each of us girls a gift. We used to all go up to her house and have lunch everyday for three days before Christmas and open our gifts together, but as we have all gotten older, it gets harder and harder to do so. Still, Grandmama has a special tree and thirty special (little) gifts for each of us the three days before Christmas.

These gifts are not huge, they are not spectacular, but they are special. One time she made us all silk pillow cases. Sometimes she gets us all new hairbrushes, new journals, or if we're lucky, she gets us all books. Most of the time she buys these gifts right after Christmas when everything goes on sale and she saves them until the next year (now that is being a good steward of your money!).

Gifts or no gifts, it's a great way to get us girls together.

Christmas Tradition #6: Sisters.

We have a problem in our family. That problem is not wanting to wait until Christmas to give gifts. So, we have a number of traditions that help us to solve this problem; I am only going to tell you about one of them.

Ever since we were little, my parents have taken my sisters and I to buy presents for each other. When we first began, we always went to the Dollar Tree (everything is a dollar!). Now, we all have a bit of our own money and we are able to go better places to get more quality gifts... like Wal-Mart.

I think it's one of my favorite parts of Christmas.

How does this help with the family problem? Well, beginning four days before Christmas Eve (because Christmas Eve is just about as big as Christmas around here) each one of us girls takes a turn giving our gifts to our sisters. So each day, all of us (but one) get a gift. It's really nice, and we put a LOT of thought into these gifts. The best part...

The first day is today.

Christmas Tradition #5: The Christmas Menu

I know you have seen the endless amounts of Christmas movies depicting families eating duck and baked ham and all the trimmings on Christmas day. Its the norm; its what everyone has on the menu. However, I have never really considered my family normal... nope, not at all.

I'll begin with a Christmas Eve at my grandmama's house (There will be more blogging about this event later). Christmas Eve at my grandmama's house is very... different, seriously, just brace yourself: we eat homemade pizza. I KNOW!!! ITS STINKING AWESOME!!! Who eats homemade pizza and cheese dip on Christmas Eve? No one but us. I love it. Oh, and my grandmama makes the best punch in the whole entire world. I can't even begin to describe it. By the end of the night you would think she had spiked it because everyone is acting so hyped up... but its really just the immense amounts of sugar and all the Christmas joy (disclaimer: she does NOT spike it!).

So, Christmas Eve is over, and Christmas day is here. What's on the menu? Well, my family wakes up on Christmas morning (There will be more blogging about this event later) and we eat for breakfast the same food we eat all day; there is a whole smorgasbord of food. I make sausage balls because they are my favorite. My mom makes the ham rolls, ranch dip, cheese ball, and cinnamon rolls. The past few years my dad has made breakfast burritos especially for Christmas morning. They are delicious. Does this sound like a weird combination? Maybe so, but we just snack all day long.... I love Christmas food!

Christmas Tradition #4: Santa does not bring my presents

When I was a sophomore in high school, a friend of mine told me her mom always hides her Christmas presents around the house, and if she finds them before December 25th, she gets to open the gifts and her mom will go and buy her more.

That does NOT happen at my house.

Where do the gifts hide at my house? Santa definitely does not bring them. My parents never raised me to believe in Santa, and I'm okay with that. I realized at a young age the effort and work that my parents put into my Christmas gifts. I made the mistake of telling my cousins that Santa wasn't real and they cried. They were ages six and eight. I was sixteen. Anyways, that takes care of Santa. So if Santa doesn't bring the gifts and my parents don't hide them all over the house, where are they?

I know exactly where they are. My parents keep all of my sisters' and my presents in their bedroom and closet. If I wanted to I could waltz right in there and look at what they have bought for us. However, I would never, ever, do that. It would ruin Christmas morning!

I also know that my mom keeps our Christmas lists in her purse, she marks stuff off of them and writes on them. I try to steal those lists every time I am with her. I would never read them though... I just like to mess with her.

Christmas Tradition #3: A Billy Gilman Christmas

I think my family used to have a tradition that we bought a new Christmas CD every year. I am pretty sure we stopped that Christmas tradition (we didn't get a new one this year). Now, here is why I believe we stopped this tradition: we just love the music we already have so much there is no room for extras!!!

So, what do we listen to? We listen to good ol' Bing Crosby's "White Christmas". He's the best. "Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas day!!!!"

And we listen to Elvis. He's my dad's favorite. I mean, we'll just have a "Blue oooh ooh ooh ooh oooh Christmas" without him. (How do impersonate Elvis in text? I have no idea!)

We love contemporary Christian artist Nicole C. Mullen and her "Christmas in Black and White" CD. I mainly like her song called... hm. Well its number two on the disk. Check it out.

My mama loves the Vince Gill Christmas cassette. That's right people! We still have him on cassette. Its classy.

Our favorite Christmas CD though, and I speak for the whole family, is Billy Gilman. I am not joking! Do you even know who Billy Gilman is? I seriously doubt it. He was the precious little boy who sang country music and became popular for the song "One Voice." Oh, you still don't know who he is? I didn't think so. Therefore, I have attached a video of him. You will love him.

Christmas Tradition #2: I bought you a nernt.

I have a really hard time keeping the presents I buy (or make) for my friends and family a secret. I also want them to tell me what they got me. I hate suspense. It never fails I will tell at least one person what I got them. For instance, this year my sister Christina said she wanted one of those crocheted ear warmer things. So I told her that was what I bought her for Christmas. Whether she believes me or not (whether you believe me or not) is up to her (or you).
I think my dilemma stems from my mama and grandmama. They always have come dangerously close to telling us what they bought us for Christmas... or so I have always thought. This is Christmas tradition #2: My grandmama started it. She would say, "You want to know what I got you for Christmas?"
"Yes!" I would reply.
"I got you a.... nernt."
"A nernt? is that all?"
"Oh, I got you a neenee!" mama would add, "and a noonoo."
So, until Christmas day all I will know about my gifts are that I got a "nernt" a "neenee" and a "noonoo." Yep, it's weird. It's like Link and Pitts family code, only we get it. And of course, now you get it. So I suppose you can start this tradition with your friends and family. It's quite fun.

10 Days Till Christmas and Christmas Tradition #1

I've been wanting to do something awesome for the month of December with this blog. I wanted to do a letter writing series because I saw that on a blog I follow. I was going to do something creative with the twelve days of Christmas, but I just realized there are ten days until Christmas. Great. However, ten is a good, whole number that has to be good for something, right? So I want to spend the next ten days blogging about ten Christmas traditions that my family has. I love Christmas traditions. Shoot, I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!

Christmas Tradition #1
I don't even know which tradition to pick first. I can't bear to put one above another, so let me just put a disclaimer here that not one tradition is better than another (I'm so excited about this!!!).
One Christmas tradition that my family has is decorating the house on the day after Thanksgiving. My mom's entire family comes over to our house on Thanksgiving, so the house is clean like it should be before decorating. First things first: everyone wears Santa hats... or they are supposed to (we don't even pretend to believe in Santa, I don't get it!) My dad and my sister Rebekah always put up the outside decorations. The red bows on the window panels, the candy cane stripes on the front porch, and the icicle lights that hang from the roof. It's just their thing. Then we put up the tree. My dad puts the tree together and we decorate it: lights first, colored-ball ornaments next, then the gold bows and the white crocheted snowflakes, then all of my mom's snowmen ornaments (mini-tradition: my grandmama always gives my mom a snowman ornament for Christmas, so she has a lot of them!).
After the outside decorations and the Christmas tree are up, things start to get a little sketchy. We have all of these Christmas decorations that just sit around, and every year my mom says she is NOT going to put them all up, but we always do. So everyone starts to stress out because there is absolutely no organized way to put up all the decorations. I always try to take charge. Seriously, if everyone would listen to me, things would go much more smoothly. But this is how things go: Rebekah puts up the smaller tree in the dining room where we put all of our homemade ornaments and country-looking bows and stuff. My younger sisters Christina and Jessica just start pulling things out of boxes and putting them out all over the house where they think they should go. My mom puts on Bing Crosby. It's nice at first, then the music gets overwhelming.
By about 12:00 p.m. we take a break for lunch and examine the house. It's a wreck. So we put everything we did not use back into boxes and back into the closet. We vacuum the floor several times. We go to Wal-mart because after a day of decorating the house we cannot stand to stay in it. We come home and the lights in the window aren't just the headlights from our minivan, but the Christmas tree waiting for us. Christmas has officially begun.

"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.
They shall mount up on wings as the eagles.
They shall run and not grow weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
Teach me Lord to wait."

I LOVE original Christmas songs.... well some of them. This is a good one!

A Night in Bethlehem

This past Friday night was incredible, Praise God! I don't even know where to begin. Therefore, as I usually do, I will begin at the beginning.
Rebekah and I have been "youth leading" at First Apostolic Church here in Bowling Green all semester, and as the semester winds down I realize how much God has really moved in these past fifteen weeks. It was definitely none of my doing, but it has been Jesus who has changed lives this semester. Get this: He is not finished. Not with me, not with these kids, not with the church.
It's more like he's just getting started, and this past Friday night was the kick-off. About a month or two back, Sis. Tammy, the pastor's wife here at FAC asked me about doing a Christmas social for the youth. Her request is one that has made such and impact on my ministry. The entire time I was growing up there were always opportunities to go to church and meet other young people, lately that has not been happening. Sis. Tammy reminded me that it is my turn to minister and to pour into the lives of these young people, so I organized "A Night in Bethlehem: A Youth Social and Worship Service."
...And then I forgot about it. Seriously, and this is how I know that the Lord really had a purpose for this service. I organized, sent out invites on facebook, got a great speaker to come, and then I literally put it on the back shelf. Of course, when I would think about it I would pray and I checked to see how many people had confirmed that they were coming when I got on fb, but other than that, nothing. Then a couple of days before the service I realized that it was coming up, so I asked the women at church to help out with the dinner (that was the social part. We had spaghetti and bread and salad and tons of desserts). I got in touch with the speaker, and I picked out some good worship songs.
6:30, Friday night came along. The lights were hung, the food was ready. No one was there. I freaked out for two minutes. 6:32 people just started to pour in. There were five churches represented there and about 100 people; I was in shock, I didn't expect results like that. The food was great, the fellowship was much needed, but then came the service. Worship was electrifying. That many people singing and worshiping together is...heavenly. And Bro. Joseph Hale did an amazing job speaking. He spoke to the kids about how God used Mary, and she was only 15, which was great for a group of fifteen-year-old kids! And then he gave his testimony, and whoa, it completely blew me out of the water; it hit home.
I realize now that I did not do all I could do in high school to reach my friends. Yeah, I told them about Jesus, I invited them to church, but I did not intercede for them, I did not pursue them, and I hate it. I am so regretful that I wasted so much time. After Bro. Joseph ministered and made an altar call, I watched as the kids just poured into the altar. As I watched my kids from the church here in Bowling Green pour out their hearts to the Lord, I realized that God has given me a second chance to win souls for him, and I just cried because the weight of the responsibility I have for these kids, but also because of the grace God has shown me, it is unfathomable; I don't understand it.
But it's enough. His grace is enough. The success of the service on Friday night is just the beginning of a revival among the youth in this area. I cannot wait.

Six Days and Psalm 23

Well, its almost here: the end of the semester. This morning I took a test and finished up a presentation, so all I have left is three finals... one will be easy, the other two might kill me. I don't want to say this prematurely, but YESSSSS!!!!! Hallelujah!!!! I made it through alive (Don't worry, I'll post this again when I know for sure, right now I'm practicing a little naming and claiming).

Anyways, I really want to share with you some scripture that has really helped me get through the past couple of weeks: good ol' Psalm 23.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie in green pastures, he leadeth me beside still waters.
He restores my soul
He leads me down the path of righteousness for his name's sake.
And though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies
You anoint my head with oil, and my cup runneth over
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all of the days of my life
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

This is probably one of the most popular Psalms there has ever been, but I think so often we take for granted the powerful message that is here. No matter what we go through, no matter the amount of stress we are under, the enemies we face, the evil we come against, God is there. Not only is he there though, he gives us peace, he gives us rest, and he gives us unmeasurable blessings. I am so privileged to serve such a mighty God who cares so much about me. The love Jesus has for me is something I cannot even comprehend. How incredible that time after time he saves me, and like I deserve anything else, he blesses me too.
The scripture says he has anointed my head with oil, and my cup runneth over. I think that way too often I look at the ministry as some kind of burden, something I have to do. But God chose me, the ministry is a blessing. Psalm 16:5 says "Lord you have assigned me my portion and my cup, you have made my lot secure." So, God has assigned me this ministry, my lot is secure, my place with him is steadfast. I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I am amazed by him.

Dancing in the Minefields

It's Christmas

Cold Season

Yes, I am following up my last post about all the good things that have happened this week with this: I have a cold.

Oh I hate colds! They are so annoying! Colds do not make you sick enough to miss class or go to the doctor, they are just bothersome: the runny nose, the sneezing, the sleepiness (I'm already tired here!) and the persistent headache that always lets you know this cold is going to turn into a sinus infection. Stupid Stupid Stupid Cold.

Luckily, its Friday. Which means I will have a cold over the weekend. A good thing? If you are in college you will understand this: Yes. You see, though I have a lot of homework to do, it is not as much as I would typically do during a week. Also, I can go home and let my mama take care of me :)

Funny thing (and a bit off topic): When I was younger, and pretty much still to this day, my mom always gave us Sprite when we were sick. Actually, I think the whole family was in on it. My Grandad would always say, "Have you been drinking lots of fluids? Do you have any Sprite?" What is it with Sprite that makes it good for you when you are sick? I'm thinking nothing, except that when I was younger it tasted better than water.

Now, I can only drink Sprite when I'm sick. Any other time I can't stand it.

I need some Sprite.

Good things that have happened this week:

• I got a free cookie at Subway :)
• Professor Trafton gave the entire class a 5/5 on our weekly quiz... we didn't even take it!
• A kid from church told me he likes it when I preach
• I made a 49/50 on my test for Education!
• I turned in my huge observation assignment
• I got to share the gospel with a student in my PASS session
• I didn't use all my meal plans so I got to get ice cream today :D
• I got to go to my elementary school twice (and got to see my mama and little sis while I was there!)
  
• God gave me peace and showed me favor despite all the stress
• I got paid today!

"For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous;
You surround them with your
favor as a shield."

-Psalm 5:12

Oh Kindergarten

I spent today and Monday in a kindergarten classroom observing for my Intro to Education class. Monday was awesome. Today was wild.

Maybe I'm just starting to get a little worn out from the week, but was it just me or did the kids take a few crazy pills before class? I think it was the latter. Regardless, I always love spending time in the classroom. Every time I go I am reminded of why I am putting myself through so much stress, so much blood, sweat, and tears here in college. As a teacher, one has more influence than, I think, anyone could ever imagine.

Today was the fourth day I observed in this same classroom, the first two days were way back in September. The funny thing: all the kids still remembered me! I know its probably just the fact that I am a visitor, and its a change for them, but they all asked me for help and wanted me to sit by them during class and it just felt really special. I thought at first that this was something that would fade in time, but the kids do the same to their classroom teacher. They all want her approval and love. What an opportunity to change a life!

Its funny though, being in a kindergarten classroom. I am observing in the same school that I attended as a kid, and it seems so much smaller now. I remember kindergarten vividly. It was so scary and all the other kids were bigger than me and scary, and the hallways were so long and scary, and if the teacher ever called on me I got scared.... and I missed my mom.

Yeah, I was one of those kids. I was so small, and so so shy. I don't know what happened to me!

Anyways, I realize now, looking back, that it wasn't that scary and things I thought were a big deal really weren't. It really puts some perspective on things. I know that ten or fifteen years from now I'll look back and say, "you know, that twenty page paper for your C.S. Lewis class was not that big of a deal and it was really not that scary."

Speaking of which, I think I should probably go work on that a little more.

Give me words
I'll misuse them
Obligations
I'll misplace them
'Cause all religion ever made of me
Was just a sinner with a stone tied to my feet
It never set me free
It's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling in love
song by jason gray

More Blessings Keep Coming... In the Form of Subway Cookies!

So yesterday I was on facebook and as I scrolled through my friend's status updates, I noticed that one friend in particular kept updating about nice things that random people had done for her throughout the day. She referred to them as angels sent by God. When I first saw this I thought, "Man! I wish cool stuff like that would happen to me!" My second thought was "Man! I should be that person for someone else!"

Today, I really wanted a cookie from Subway. So I decided to buy one for 49 cents. The lady at the register gave me two for the price of one because the first one was broken... it wasn't really broken. Thank you Subway Lady for being an angel in my life today! Now, I do believe I will pass it on!

'Tis the Season to be Blessed!

I had the greatest holiday break ever with my family! The more I am away from them, the more I realize how truly blessed I am. God has been so good to me! I like to hear about people's families and their traditions. I will tell you about ours. Thanksgiving on my mom's side of the family is celebrated at our house every year. We always eat lunch at 12. Family always gets there at 11. A few more things we always do: My grandmama always carves the turkey (that's right!). My dad, my sister Christina, or my grandad always play the guitar, most of the time all three of them do. I always make the pecan pie.

The whole family is always there (except this year and last year, on which my cousin Nikki had to work... sad day). Emily and her husband Scott are always there. We always have the same menu, if we do not, Uncle Greg will complain. In the past few years my sister Christina always preaches (its not what you think). We ALWAYS watch a movie after lunch and NEVER watch football. My sister Jessica always works the DVD player. My sister Rebekah and my cousin Rebecca are always attached at the hip.

My favorite tradition: we always, and I mean ALWAYS invite someone to Thanksgiving who has nowhere else to go. This has made for quite the interesting Thanksgivings. Two years ago, a pastor from Indiana and his wife broke down a few miles from our house. They came with the pumpkin pie. Last year Rebekah's boyfriend and his nine siblings and their mom came. It was a full house. This year, JJ came back, and my best friend Justin came too. It was fun.
I have already decided that when my mom is too old (or tired) to cook the turkey, I'm taking over. So, in about ohhhhh 20 years, you can come to my house. If you have no where to go next year, just drop on by, you are more than welcome to come and share in our blessings.

I'm Gonna Let Him Take Over Now...

I don't like my last few blog posts, just sayin'. I think they are starting to be depressing, and that is NOT the point of this blog. This blog is supposed to encourage the readers... and me! So here's what I'm going to do: instead of blogging about how stressed I am over school (2o-page paper anyone?) and about how I don't like the cold weather (dear sun, please come back out) I am going to share some encouraging news with you!

My mom asked me the other day why my stories about school and what God is doing in my life have changed so much from last year to this year, and the truth is, because God is doing totally different things this year than he did last year! Having said that, I am going to talk about my youth group here in Bowling Green again. I know I blog about them all the time, but let me tell you I LOVE these kids and, though many times I have walked away from Wednesday night services feeling really bummed and like I didn't do any good, I know God is working. I know He is.

Last week, one of the kids wrote on his card that he wanted to be baptized! That is huge! Also last week, I gave two of the kids a Bible because they didn't have one and this week their little brother came to church excited that he was going to be getting a Bible. You know what that tells me? It tells me that he saw they had Bibles and he wanted one. That is progress for kids who did not even want to be at church. Last night, we started a praise band for the youth. Kids were volunteering to sing. Whoa! Trust me, these kids have not cared about worship before... and somehow, someway, they have started caring and wanting to be involved. It makes me so stinking excited.

Are you feeling encouraged? I am! We should all talk about things that uplift the Lord more often!

Here is some more good news: Thanksgiving is next week. That is the best news I have ever heard. I mean, I will be doing homework the entire time (except for Thanksgiving day, on which I absolutely refuse to work) but it's okay! I get to be home with my family. Yay. As for my last post, I have decided it is okay to have Christmas decorations up. I love Christmas. I think I was just jealous. I want to have decorations up now too. And I want to go shopping for gifts. Man, this is a good time of year. Thank you Jesus!

It's not Christmas Yet...

Well, its that time of year. Daylight savings is over and it gets dark at five in the evening. Not cool. It depresses me. Also, I realized today that I have one and a half weeks before Thanksgiving break and enough homework (due before Thanksgiving) to last me well through next year. Not cool. It depresses me. Butttttt my neighbors have Christmas decorations up already. I'm still not sure if that is okay or not, but it does make me laugh. And I can always use a good laugh.

Welcome to Bosnia

Well, the title of this post is really just a bit of a joke about what has been going on in my ministry lately. Let me assure you that you will soon understand.

I am so pumped! Last Friday night at First Apostolic Church here in Bowling Green we had our first annual "Harvest of Youth." It was a talent show and trunk-or-treat activity for the young people, an alternative to the usual Halloween festivities. It was a great success! Let me also say here that I really had nothing to do with the planning or any of the work that went into this special night, so a big "Thank you" to all the adults at FAC in BG who put it all together.

Now, let me just cut to the chase. The talent show was great (tons of talent), the food was good (who doesn't love a good hot dog?), and the trunk-or-treating was a blast (no knocking on random doors). But the best part? How about the twenty something Bosnian kids that decided to come and promised me that they would be coming to youth on Wednesday nights? YEAH! That was the best part for sure!

I mean, why wouldn't I be excited? These kids are awesome. They know little to nothing about the Gospel and they are so hungry for the Lord. They might not know it, but they are.

I really don't have much else to say about this just yet. Tomorrow night will be my first Wednesday with them. I guess I really just want to call on you, as my reader, to pray for me. Just pray that God will lead me and guide me as an effective teacher. I am desperate for these kids to be saved. I think I would give just about anything for it to become a reality!

Overwhelmed

Well, I have no updates about the youth group this week. I didn't get to go to church tonight because I had to go home to a funeral visitation for my great aunt. (By the way, whoever decided it was a good idea to pictures and music together at a funeral... you are insane). I also had a staff meeting for work tonight, it was just your average staff meeting, I'm sure you are uninterested in it.

I don't know if I have ever blogged about my actual job here on campus that pay minimum wage (no, I'm not complaining!). I am a PASS Leader. PASS stands for Peer Assisted Study Sessions. So, twice a week I lead a study session for students in Professor Joseph Trafton's New Testament (Rels 100) class. It's a blast and I thoroughly enjoy it. I took Dr. Trafton's class last semester and when I discovered that the previous PASS Leader was getting married, I applied for the job, and by the grace of God, I got it! Yay! I really, really enjoy my job. I mean, I get to teach kids about the Bible. What's better than that right?

However, I did not start this blog entry to write about my job (that was free). I entitled it "Overwhelmed" because that is what I am. In good ways and bad ways. Lets start with the bad ways. No, lets just not even talk about the bad ways, I just want to dwell on the good things.

One good thing is that, after 12 days in the hospital, my Granddad came home today! Yay! Plus, the Lord really spoke to him while he was there, and that is always good.
Another good thing is that my weekends are freeing up from now on. My younger sister is in the marching band, so the past several weekends we have been traveling all over Kentucky for marching band competitions, and though I LOVE marching band, I have other things to do! So I'm happy my weekends are going to be a bit more free (even if I will be spending them doing homework).
A third good thing: my reading for my C.S. Lewis class this week was The Chronicles of Narnia! What?! That is so stinking awesome. After reading "Miracles" last week (or four chapters of it) I just couldn't handle another intensely dense book like that again. So Narnia was a great break. We only read two of the books in the series for class, but I'll be honest, I am so tempted to read the rest of them (okay, I admit, I started The Voyage of the Dawn Treader today :).

So, there are three good things. I guess the lesson I need to learn here is that in this life we will often be "Overwhelmed." But we get to choose whether we will be overwhelmed by the great things God is doing in our lives or the attacks of the enemy. I choose the first of the two. I will be overwhelmed, but because of the amazing works God is doing.

" We do not always get what we want, but that does not mean that we no longer want. It means we stay awake to the unmet longing and ache. Wait there. Invite Jesus to come there. "

This too Shall Pass... But bring it on!

This has been a long week. I was looking forward to it being over, until Friday got here, and the week decided it didn't want to be over. My granddad has been in the hospital this week; it has been really strange. He is 68 years old, and this is the first time in his life he has ever even been to the doctor (amazing right?).

Friday night we had a service at our church and my granddad (who is also my pastor) was complaining of a stomach ache. After church, he still had a stomach ache. At four o'clock the next morning he still had a stomach ache. He was in a tremendous amount of pain, it was really scary to me, because I had never seen him like that. So my grandmama took him to the ER, where he was admitted into the hospital with a complete blockage of his small intestine. At the hospital, they pumped his stomach and put him on some pain medicine, hoping his body would just heal itself, but it didn't, and he went into surgery on Sunday morning.

I'm not exactly sure what they found or why his intestine was blocked in the first place. I'm not fluid in the medical lingo and I'm not even going to pretend like I know what I am talking about. All I know is there were no tumors, Praise the Lord! So they fixed him up and said he would probably be released on Friday.

Today is Friday, my granddad is still in the hospital. They had started to give him food, but he then started having pain again. As it turns out, his intestine has not "woken up" since the surgery. So they had to keep him. Let's be honest, this makes me sad, I feel like a little kid. I want him to come home.

However, his being in the hospital has opened my eyes so much to so many things. Ultimately, I have learned that God takes care of his people and he can use the most undesirable situation to teach us that. My granddad is such a wonderful man of God, he is a rock, and yet he is so humble. Today I sat in the hospital room next to him as he told me what God has been speaking to him through his sickness, tears streaming down his face.

I am so privileged, so blessed, to be a part of such a wonderful family. I have such a great heritage. I feel like I have rambled a bit, but I am blown away by God. I can't begin to even do justice to the description of God's grace and mercy in my life. I am so undeserving, yet God sees me and he has shown me favor. This ultimately has come about because of the sacrifice, the willingness, the hard work of the generations before me. I could look at this situation and say "it will pass, it will all be over soon" but instead I choose to say, "lets stay here a little while, lets learn all we can." God wants to reveal himself to us, he wants to show us the true extent of his power.

Blown Away by God

I never thought it would come down to this, but I'm actually blogging instead of doing homework. I feel like I'm using my blog... but it's my blog right? So I guess it doesn't matter how I treat it :)

I had a really cool experience with the youth group last night. I was teaching on worship and I made three points:

1. Worship is an expression of a relationship with the Lord
2. Worship is an expression of appreciation towards the Lord
3. Worship is an expression of "Awe" or being blown away by God

Well, when I got to the end, I asked the kids how often they felt like they were in Awe of God, like they had been blown away by God. I got a few kids who said "sometimes" but I'll be honest, the best answer was from a little boy on the front row who said "never."

Now that is refreshing. What a lesson I could learn from that child. I have learned that I can't help the youth if they don't tell me how they really feel. So for him to say he never felt blown away by God gave me a foundation on which to build. The best part came next though. There is a little girl who comes on Wednesday nights named Alyssa. Alyssa is ten years old and lives in the low-income housing across the street from the church; she walks to church every Wednesday night on her own. I asked the class why they thought they never felt blown away by God during worship and Alyssa said "Because God is up in Heaven and I can't see him so I don't know what to do. It's hard to believe He is there."

Wow, I was so blown away by this answer, but it opened up such an opportunity for me to tell the kids about how God lives inside of us through His Spirit and that He is always with us. I just felt so much of the presence of the Lord in that room when Alyssa told me that. I knew the kids didn't have much knowledge of the Spirit, but I didn't want to force it on them; I wanted them to come to me, and they did.

Every week God just shows me how powerful he is through these young people. Its is so refreshing to know that even if I don't understand what God is doing in my life, in my personal life, I can see his hand in my ministry. It is probably what I would consider the best feeling in the world. I am just so excited to see what else God has in store.

" Whom have I in Heaven but you, and there is nothing on earth I desire besides you? " Psalm 73:25


" There are tears from the saints for the lost and unsaved, we're crying for them come back home. Father, we will lead them home."

Changes

The past few weeks have been absolutely insane. My life has undergone many changes and I know that God has even more in store. At my home church, we just celebrated twelve years of being in Barren Plains, Tennessee. We did so by having a whole weekend full of celebrating with an evangelistic service, a singing, and a church dinner. Oh, and I was ordained as a minister on Sunday, October 3rd.
Yep, you really did read that right. I know, I'm blown away by it too. It was the most liberating and frightening experience of my young life (well, maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but seriously...) It was liberating because I know it is what God wanted me to do and because now I feel as though I have really accepted the calling on my life. It was frightening because I realize how important the duty of being a minister of the gospel really is.
I really just feel so blessed to be a part of the ministry, and so humbled that God would choose someone life me. I am also so thankful for my church family and all the support they have shown and all the prayers they have prayed for me. I just love the Lord so much and I am so excited about what he is going to do in my life and in my community!

It's Just That Obvious

I love how God is everything. For instance, He is the beginning and the end, He is the first and last, He is gentle, yet fierce, He is the High Priest, and still the servant of all. One thing I have learned about God this past week is that He is subtle, yet so obvious. I love it.

Sometimes I wonder, "WHAT AM I DOING????" This past week, that question went through my mind so many times. However, its just like God to show me that I am doing absolutely nothing, and He is doing everything. How does He show me? Very obviously.

The first way God does this is through His word. I read my Bible (well, I most definitely try to) every day. So there I am, in the middle of an everyday activity of mine and God speaks. This week He spoke to me through 2 Corinthians 4 (No, I'm not going to cite it here... go look it up!) These verses talk about how we are just jars of clay and the Spirit within us is a treasure. The part that really got me was that everything we do, the power we possess, comes not from us, but from above! So God very obviously reminded me through these verses that nothing I do is on my own, but only through the Holy Spirit.

The second way God has shown me He is in control is by.... gosh, blowing my mind! I am involved with a ministry here at school through Campus Crusade for Christ in which we minister to international students. Every Monday we have lunch with the internationals and share with them the Gospel. Well, this ministry started for the semester a couple of weeks ago, and our goal for the first lunch was to simply get to know the students: their names, where they are from, that kind of thing. God had such bigger plans. One of the women who came to the lunch sat down, and, after introducing herself, asked "What is the difference between Islam and Christianity?" Whoa! Instead of keeping the conversation limited to small talk, we were thrown headlong into a huge opportunity to share the gospel, especially when she followed that question by, "Who is Jesus Christ?" I was in absolute amazement of the Lord in that moment.

I think one thing I often forget is how great God's plans are for us all; so often we underestimate what He has in store for us. I am definitely a planner, and I have to admit I have been guilty (and often am even still) of planning my life without consulting the Lord. I wish I could have seen a year ago what great plans the Lord had for me even now, perhaps I would have allowed Him to do all of these crazy things in my life a little sooner.

Finally, I just want to tell you about what is going on with mine and Rebekah's ministry at First Apostolic Church here in Bowling Green. This is the most obvious way God has been working in my life as of late. I am in no way qualified to be leading ten to fifteen 6-10th graders. As I've said before, I am in way over my head. However, for some reason, God did choose me, and he IS using me (and Rebekah). It's nuts. Last week, I pretty much taught the kids the gospel. I told them that Jesus came and died for their sins and that they should repent and turn towards him. Afterward, I felt useless. I really didn't think any of it got through to them. One of the girls came up to me after the lesson and instead of telling me about her relationship status with the Lord, she asked me for help with her math homework. At first, I was a little discouraged, but then I realized that in a very subtle, yet obvious way, God was showing me that my duty is to LOVE those kids. If they can see that I love them, and that I am willing to help them (as much as I can, I'm not the math genius in the family) then, they will be able to someday understand the love that God has for them. I just have to love them like Jesus would, and I can do that.

In closing, Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." What a beautiful promise from the Lord, and in those simple words it is so obvious that He has a love for us that passes all understanding. Wow.

Too Good

God has been too good to me. That is the honest truth right there! I mean, right now, in this moment, the Lord is absolutely blowing my mind.
Tonight I found out that my sister Rebekah and I are the answer to someone's prayer. It is such a humbling experience to know that the God of the universe actually looked down and found us as the vessels he desired to use.
Now, you may ask, what happened? Good question. I will tell you. A few weeks back, my grandmama met a lady from Bowling Green, Kentucky, at a church service in Nashville. She then proceeded to invite her new acquaintance to a Ladies Day that our church was hosting (keep in mind that I was at neither event). At the Ladies Day, through more introductions and a little conversation, my grandmama came to find that her new friend is a certain Tammy Hudson, and Tammy's husband is the pastor of First Apostolic Church here in Bowling Green. When Grandmama realized this, she told Tammy that my sister and I both attend WKU, which is literally five minutes away from the Hudson's church. Then, without having ever met me, and having just met my sister for the first time, Sis. Hudson asked if Rebekah and I would be willing to attend their church on Wednesday nights and work with their youth department.
Honestly, I was so honored by such an opportunity and I jumped right on board next to Rebekah, who was just as thrilled as I was. So, where does the answered prayer part come in? Well, right now. Tonight Rebekah and I attended the Hudson's church for the first time this semester. After calling on us to sing, the pastor told the church that when he moved here to pastor, he prayed that God would send to the church a way into Western Kentucky University. Just someone that would bridge the gap, provide a way for ministry. Well, I mean its pretty obvious, Rebekah and I are WKU students, and there we sat, about six pews back at First Apostolic Church, Bowling Green, Kentucky. God sent us there.
I am not writing any of this to brag on myself or on Rebekah or anything like that. Instead, I boast in the Lord that He knows exactly what He is doing. Why he sent me or Rebekah, I have no clue. It scares me to death. However I do know that if He is truly the one who sent us to the Hudson's then He will take care of everything. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for the church and for my ministry as well. Like I said in the beginning, God has just been too good to me... but I'm not complaining! :)

"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are God's children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us."
-Romans 8:16-18

Definition of Profession

This week has been absolutely insane. I can think of no other way to describe it.

This week was the first full week of classes here at Western. I have been excited for almost a month now about school starting, getting to see all my friends, and yes, even going to class! This semester I am getting into some of the classes that are for my major and I have been anticipating them greatly. This semester I will get to observe in classrooms, work with kids, and, in turn, see if I really do want to be a teacher (I'm pretty sure I already know the answer: YES!!!)

To sum up the events of this week, I will tell you that I have already dropped a class. Yep, week one and I'm having to rid myself of the stress of an online Biology course already. Yikes. Anyways, I am not blogging to simply unload on you the stress of my first week of school; I actually have something really cool to share with you.

I am in a class this semester called Educational Psychology; the class is a study of how behavior and the mind effect the total learning process. For this class we have to complete service learning hours as well as journal each week on different topics based on our service learning project. This week, since we have not yet started our service, the journal was about the definition of the term "profession." I found it very interesting that in Webster's Dictionary, "profession" is referred to as a "calling."

I just thought this was so cool because I think that so many people in the church have the misconception that one's calling has to be something like preaching or singing or playing an instrument, and that is so untrue! God has created us all with our own set of gifts and talents and He uses us all in so many different ways! One's calling could be teaching, nursing, or even mechanical engineering! The Bible tells us that every single little thing we do, we should do all for the glory of the Lord.

So if there are any college students out there reading my blog: be encouraged, set your hand to the plow and don't look back! God has called us to our future professions that we might bring glory to Him. And, if you aren't in college, if you are already out there working then remember and be refreshed in the fact that no matter where you are, God probably has you exactly where He wants you!

Crazy in LOVE :)))

Dear Blog,
I am sorry I have ignored you all week. God has been so awesome, it has taken me days to prepare myself to share with you how awesome He is. I am just now to the point that I think I may be able to find words to begin.
Love, Anna

I have literally been trying to write this blog for an entire week. Seriously, seven days have gone by since I started the first draft. I type and delete, type and delete. I just cannot seem to find the perfect words for what is going on in my world right now. So I am just settled to define this blog entry as random. That is exactly what it is going to be.

So, this past week I moved back to Bowling Green for school. Classes start on Monday and I can already tell this is going to be a difficult semester. However, I believe I will make it; I cannot really say much about that yet since classes have not started!

I also moved in my younger sister Rebekah, who will be a freshman this year. Its so interesting to look at all the students who are just entering into this phase of their life and knowing that only a year has passed since I was in the exact same position. One of the things that I truly love about college is how much God can do in one year.

Last year I started school utterly alone. I was confident that God would take care of me, but going to college changed my life way more than I ever thought it would. I found a great connection with Campus Crusade for Christ and this year I am starting the school year with a whole ban of friends who are on fire to win the campus for Christ. I find that when I am with them I long to improve my relationship with Christ, not only that, but I am also empowered to tell others about Him. It is amazing how God has shown me that He is much bigger than I know.

I have found that in certain areas of my life I fail to ask for all that God can give me because I believe that I am undeserving of them (which is definitely true, I am SO undeserving). However, I forget that as our Heavenly Father there are so many blessings God wishes to pour out upon us. The other day I had a bit of an epiphany. There have been so many times in my life where I have put other things (i.e. relationships, activities, television shows ;) in front of God and my relationship with Him soon became stagnant. This week, a dear friend of mine used the phrase "returning to my first love" which refers to the book of Revelation in which God tells one of the churches that they have left their first love: Him.

So this is the thought that I had: Every time I have turned to something other than God, every time I have put something in my life before him, that counts as leaving my first love. I truly believe that. So I got real with God and I repented for ever putting Him second to anything. The truth is before I knew about success, before I knew about boyfriends and books, and singing and blogging, I was in love with Jesus Christ, head over heels crazy in love with Him. It is high time I return to that crazy intense love that I once knew. And you know what? When we make God the center of our lives, everything else will begin to fall into place. All of the things I have longed for will be right at my fingertips. Even more than that, God wants me to have those things! In Psalm 37:4 the psalmist writes "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

What an awesome God we serve to not only die on the cross for us, but to forgive us over and over again. And He doesn't stop there! He wants, WANTS to give us everything we ever desired. I am so amazed by Him.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known, but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." ~1 John3:1-3

"The mind of a sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." ~Romans 8:6

Teach Me to Fish Again

If you ever want to hear God's voice, go to the river. Seriously, I have found that nature can teach us so much about our God.
I have lived in the same area my entire life. My parents built a house in front of the woods; there is a creek back there. I live literally five minutes (or less) from Red River. One would think many of my childhood memories stem from a place such as this one. However, one would soon find that to be very untrue. I have few memories of the river. I remember camping once, wading a couple of times, and, vividly, two baptisms (though I know I attended more).
My Dad always tells us that he spent more time on the river as a child than he did in his own home. He would fish for hours on end. Even after he and my mom were married my dad would go fishing with my grandad, or on his own. However, in the past... lets say 10 years, my dad has found little to no time to go fishing. In fact, he hasn't at all.
He has reasons. He works every single day in a factory and when he comes home he is very tired, but still hauls around us girls wherever we go. On Wednesday nights we go to church, Tuesdays and Thursdays my sister Christina has band practice, Monday nights he gives guitar lessons. Our weekends are always booked. When he doesn't have something planned, he sleeps. I don't blame him!
But something changed this year. My dad pretty much woke up one morning and told my mom, "Gwen, I'm gonna start fishing again." It was like he woke up from his slump. My dad got out his old tackle box, strung the fishing poles, and went and bought his fishing license. He has been fishing at least three times a week since that morning... and its been a few weeks. Tonight, my dad took me fishing.
When I was little and we went camping (my one memory of it) my dad would fish. Every now and then he would ask me to come hold the line while he got "a drink of water" or had to "wash his hands." Every time he asked me to hold the line, I caught a fish. Back then, I thought it was me. Now, looking back, I know he did it on purpose.
When my dad took me to the river tonight, I held the fishing pole, and though the fish really weren't hungry, I finally caught a fish. One of my very own. Want to know how many my dad caught? None.
Nothing against my dad, he can cast a line ten times better than I can and he knows exactly where the fish are hiding. However, I kind of found that sometimes it doesn't matter how talented of a fisherman (or woman) one is, or how long one has been fishing really. Sometimes, it all comes down to chance. To the right moment, the right opportunity, the right time.
And, I think about how we are called to be "Fishers of men." Standing there in the river tonight, I saw some things that stirred up the Spirit within me. I could probably write a whole series of blog entries on them, but I want to share them with you in a more abbreviated format.

1. The further out into the river one walks, the harder it is to see, and the more one has to walk by faith.
2. One can make the perfect cast and catch nothing and one can make the most unprofessional cast and catch something. (You don't have to be a professional to win people to Christ).
3. The deepest, darkest, farthest places are where all the fish are. Do not be afraid to go where the Lord has called you.
4. When one cannot see the bottom, stand firmly and cast. When you stand firm, both feet planted, you cannot fall.
5. There will be rocks, snakes, and other things to trip you up. Keep on walking
6. My dad taught me how to fish. Be a good example.
   
7. The fish we catch will not always be the ones we want to catch. We can't catch the ten-pound bass every time. Nonetheless, a fish is a fish.
8. When you can't see the bottom, step out on faith. You have no other choice.
9. You will meet interesting people along the way (literally).
10. It is always easier to keep swimming forward, than to turn around and go back.
    

I must say, my back-to-school sleepover was quite the success :)

Chasing Sunrises

It has been a very long week for me. I have been longing to blog since about Wednesday, but, as you see, that has not happened. My week has consisted of my truck breaking down, spending the night away from home (unexpectedly), several sleepless nights, visiting friends (also unexpectedly), watching the first season of "Grey's Anatomy," and learning a pretty big lesson from God.

So lets get started shall we? I want to tell you all about it, and let you know how God used my problems to fulfill a purpose. I started out Wednesday morning chasing the sunrise to Franklin, Ky, to babysit two of the cutest one-year-old twin boys in the world. We had a great day. At about three in the afternoon, the boy's dad came home and I went out to my truck to leave. It was dead. It didn't even click. So, in efforts to save the life of my poor little truck, we charged the battery for over two hours and nothing ever happened. I had to have a new battery! Well, by this time, it was late and my parents would be getting ready to go to church. The Calvert family allowed me to stay the night, since I would be coming back the next morning to babysit anyways. Well, this is where God steps in and uses all this mess!
There is a family in Franklin who is very dear to my heart; I have known them for a very long time. About two years ago they started a church there and for about two years I have been trying to get the family I babysit for to go visit that church. So Wednesday night when my truck broke down, I told them I had to go to church! And as much as I would like to say the whole family came with me and decided to become faithful members to that church, it did not happen that way. However, when the boy's mom came to pick me up from church, I asked the pastor's wife to come out and meet her. After a pretty lengthy conversation, we found that they already knew each other, and several people from that church knew her as well! It was so awesome. I ask that you pray with me for this family that God would lead them to the church in His timing. (Which I like to think is now :).
*Shout out to my dear friend Cassie, who married one of my favorite boys in the world, Joel. She is pregnant with their first child!!!!
The next day came and went, my dad came and brought me a battery. He saved the day, and my wallet. I thought I would finally get some much needed sleep when I remembered my family and I had been invited to a revival service at another church that night. So we went and it was awesome.
The next day I had to go grocery shopping (what a chore, right?) and I had a hair appointment during the day. Then, Friday night, I went to Nashville with my dear friends Kristen and Maggie to the engagement party of my best friend Hannah Burney. She was stunning, and so happy. It was so great to spend time with my wonderful college friends whom I have missed so much. Saturday (that's today... nope, that's two hours ago haha) I was awakened by my younger sister yelling up the stairs that breakfast was ready. I spent the day cleaning and preparing for the sleep over that I just finished throwing for all the girls in the youth group at church.
This week has been an absolute blast. Yes, I was very busy, but God was there with me the whole time. From allowing me to introduce my employer to one of my favorite women of God, to bringing all the girls in our church together in fellowship, He has been by my side. He is a great God, and I will continue chasing sunrises until my work for Him is done.

A long drought calls for rain, whether one is talking about the ecosystem or one's spiritual life.

It rained today. Finally.

"If you yourself do not cut the lines that tie you to the dock, God will have to use a storm to sever them and send you out to sea. Put everything in your life afloat upon God, going out to sea on the great swelling tide of His purpose. Eyes will open."
-unknown

Rachel

In my Sunday School class, I am teaching the girls about women of the Bible. Yesterday, we learned about Rachel. It's kind of funny, I've been in church for 19 years (my whole life) and never have I thought of the story of Jacob and Rachel from her point of view. Check it out:
Rachel and Jacob were in love and Jacob, because he had no money, offered to work seven years for Rachel's father in order to be able to marry her. From this point on, as children in Sunday school, we learn that Jacob slaved away working seven years for Rachel. After seven years he was given permission to marry her. They had the wedding, it was beautiful, but the next morning Jacob woke up, not to Rachel, but to her less-attractive sister, Leah. So Jacob works hard another seven years, blood sweat and tears, and finally marries Rachel, the love of his life.
However, I want you to look at this story from Rachel's point of view (bear with me here). Rachel is out taking water to her father, the sheep herder. She finds him speaking with a young man, an attractive young man. His name is Jacob and he is running away from home. She catches his eye, he smiles at her. Jacob begins working for her father, she finds excuses to see him, before long, they are in love. But Jacob has no money to offer Rachel's father for her hand in marriage, so he strikes up a deal. He will work seven years if Laban will allow him to marry his daughter.
Over the next seven years Rachel prepares for the wedding. She picks out her bridesmaids and their dresses; she begins working on a quilt for their new home, she gathers advice from the ladies in the house. Finally, the day arrives, it has been exactly one year. This is the day Rachel will marry the man she loves. Laban, Rachel's father, comes into the room. He pulls her aside to talk to her, give her the fatherly wedding day speech. It is then, that things begin to change. He is not giving Rachel the wedding day speech, on the contrary, he is telling her this will not be her wedding day after all, but her sister's.
Can you imagine how Rachel must've felt? She waited seven years! Seven years for a promise from her father that he was now taking away from her! Yes, Jacob had worked hard for seven years, but Rachel had planned and prepared. Her heart was set on this day, and all for nothing.
If you know the rest of the story, you know that Jacob soon realized he had been tricked and worked another seven years for Rachel. However, even after they married, life was not great for Rachel. She was unable to have children while her sister Leah had many children. When Rachel was finally able to conceive, she gave birth to a son named Joseph. Joseph was favored, but his brothers hated him and sold him into slavery; Rachel believed her only son had died. Years later, Rachel had another son, Benjamin, and she died during childbirth.
Now, why would I tell you this seemingly horribly sad story? Because, though Rachel went through so much in her lifetime, God had a purpose for her pain. Jacob, through Leah, Rachel's maidservants, and Rachel, gave birth to the twelve tribes of Israel. Not only that, but Rachel's son Joseph, went on to work in the palace of Pharoah, and in the end, saved his people from starvation after interpreting Pharoah's dream.
Just think about it, had Rachel married Jacob after seven years, when she thought she would, there would be no twelve tribes, there would be no Joseph.
God's timing is not our timing. Yes, He cares about us so much and does not want to see us suffer, but He also sees the big picture when we can't.

Favorite Quotes

"Maybe the question, 'Do you think I'm beautiful?' is for the purpose of taking me by the hand and walking me into the presence of my creator." -Angela Thomas, from the book Do You Think I'm Beautiful?

"Keep God always first, cheer for the underdog, dream, never give up on your dreams, sieze the day, don't let anyone determine how high you can fly. Spread your wings and fly!" -Shelia Couch, one of my mentors.

"When you realize that life is war, you will know what prayer is for." -John Piper

"When we are in a situation where we realize God is all we have, we will soon realize he is all we need." -Gigi Graham Tchlvidjian

"Sometimes we miss wonderful opportunities from God because we are busy waiting for what we think He should give us. Be less of a reactionary." -Greg Pitts, my uncle and mentor

"So often times it happens, we live our lives in chains not knowing we have the key" -The Eagles

"And the time came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was much more painful than the risk it took to blossom." -Anais Nin

"All I know is, I've got to sit on that throne!" -Francis Chan, from his book, Crazy Love

"Sometimes you just need a day to be fragile." -Becca Jean, my cousin!

"Justice means getting what you deserve, mercy means not getting what you deserve, and grace means getting what you don't deserve."

"In the center of a hurricane there is absolute quiet and peace. There is no safer place than in the center of the will of God." -Corrie Ten Boom

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." -Helen Keller

"Your future is in your mouth!" -Tommy Gandy

"Loyalty to others is one of the greatest elements of courage." -Church Sign

"With moral excellence we receive virtue." -My Grandad, Pastor, and Mentor

When I Say I'm a Christian via Facebook Tyne Appleton

"When I say 'I'm a Christian,' I'm not shoutin 'I'm clean livin;' I'm whisperin: 'I was lost, now I'm found and forgiven.' When I say 'I'm a Christian,' I don't speak of this with pride; I'm confessin that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide. When I say 'I'm a Christian,' I'm not tryin to be strong; I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on. When I say 'I'm a Christian,' I'm not braggin of succes; I'm admittin I have failed and need God to clean my mess. When i say 'I'm a Christian,' I'm not claimin to be perfect, my flaws are far too visible; but, God believes I am worth it. When I say 'I'm a Christian,' I still feel the string of pain; I have my share of heartaches so I call upon His name. when I say 'I'm a Christian,' I'm not holier than thou; I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace somehow."

Message in a bag

Tonight at church we tried something a little different, it was so incredibly fun. Instead of having preaching we played... a game.
So here's how it goes. There was a bag of random items and everyone in the church (who wanted to) would come up to the front and draw something out of the bag. They would then precede to "preach" a message, or really just a one-liner, to the rest of the congregation. So here I just want to share with you some of the great thoughts that came forth during our service :)

Item: Wash Cloth
Preacher: Me!
"Jesus will "wash" all your sins away!"

Item: Troll Doll
Preacher: Rebekah (My sister!)
"When the storms of life mess up your hair, God will tame the storm!"

Item: Detangling Hair Spray
Preacher: Becca Jean
"God will "detangle" the "tangles" in your life!"

Item: OFF Bug Spray
Preacher: Aaron
"Sometimes our lives are bothered by pests, they cause us to itch, swell, and become inflamed. But God will give us a covering that will keep the pest (the devil) away!!!"

Item: Glue
Preacher: Greg
"Jesus is a friend that "sticks" closer than a brother."

Item: Exercise Band
Preacher: Rachel
"You could use this as a slingshot, which God can then use to shoot you somewhere else!"
(Not sure if that one really made that much sense... but she's ten, give her a break.)

Item: Box of Crayons
Preacher: Mike (My Dad!)
"If you really want to know about all the colors of the rainbow, go back to Genesis! God created the rainbow!"

Item: Fruit Scented Bubbles
Preacher: Christina (My other sister!)
"The Spirit of God is "bubbling" in my soul! (In her best black-preacher voice)

Item: Flashlight
Preacher: Nikki
"Jesus is the light in the darkness!"

Item: Ruler
Preacher: Melanie
"God is without measure in my life!"

Item: Flute-o-phone (sp?)
Preacher: Sis. Wanda
"Jesus is the music of life. He is our song in the night!"

Item: Shower Cap
Preacher: Jessica ( my last sister!)
"When life rains on us, God covers us!"

Item: Board Game Hourglass
Preacher: My Mom!!!
"There's no time like right now to serve the Lord!"

Item: Cell Phone
Preacher: Dawn
"You can "call" on Jesus anytime!"

Item: Battery Charger
Preacher: Bro. Pitts
"Charge up with Jesus"

There were so many more who participated, I just can't remember all of them! What I do remember is that it was so fun, and there was so much laughter in the church tonight. It just goes to show that it is possible to have fun in the house of God, while still being inspired by the word of God. Also, it is important that we be instant in and out of season. That our words are always seasoned with salt... that's Biblical!