What a weekend!
My very dear friend from college, Meredith McKinney, came to visit me on Saturday. I love this girl so much! We have been through a ton together and I hadn't seen her for over a year! It was such a blessing that she gave up her Saturday to come to Knoxville and hang out with me. We got to catch up quite a bit and it just made me realize how much I miss spending time with her and my other girls from college. I also got to talk to my friend, Shanna, for a long time Saturday night which was awesome.
I love my husband and I love being married, but I'm beginning to see just how important girl friends are. He can't fulfill every part of my need for friendship, and let's face it, he's a guy and guys don't get about 90% of what we go through!
The lesson for our preschoolers this week was about David and Jonathan. We talked about how important it is to be a good friend and that's what I want to be.
One question that was asked of the kids was "Have you ever had someone decide they don't want to be friends with you anymore?" Every child raised their hand because that's what kids do. They get mad and say "you're not my friend anymore!" They do this because they know it's the ultimate weapon. They know they're going to get you by saying that because friendship is a pretty valuable commodity when you're 4 or 5 or 6 or any age really.
Unfortunately, there are still adults that act like this. I have had friends walk away from me and say they don't want to have a friendship anymore. Pretty hurtful...pretty sad...However, the good thing about a true friend is that no matter how much time has passed or miles are between you or hurt has been had, they still welcome you with open arms and still love you and still stand by you. I am very blessed to have some of those true friends in my life, and hopefully will make more here in Knoxville.
After this weekend, I am going to try harder to be a better friend just like Jonathan was to David. I am attempting to communicate better and reach out a little more.
I hope everyone has a great week! Reconnect with an old friend this week. You'll be glad you did. :-)
Monday, June 27, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
It's been a while
Well blogging world friends, it's been a while since my last post. I have some great God things going on in my life and I need to share them with you!
This past weekend David and I went to Atlanta for my friend Lindsay's wedding. This was a really special wedding. I met Lindsay the summer before I met David. I had started going to Prime at First Baptist Woodstock which is a worship service for young adults. I was seeking community like crazy because I had just broken up with an ex and was needing more community than what my church could offer. I reconnected with my friend, Julie, from high school and went to Prime with her where I met Lindsay and a sweet girl named Ashley.
We all went to Rita's after Prime one night and spent hours talking about how much we wanted Godly guys in our life. Julie was dating someone and Ashley was I think talking with someone, but we all were just sharing how much we wanted to be wives and have great partners. Lindsay and I clicked that night and started hanging out quite a bit. Both being teachers, we spent some summer days by the pool and shared all of our dating woes, stories, and frustrations. We have a lot in common and were in the same place...Ready to find our man!
Well, here's how God fulfills the desires of our hearts.
Julie married the guy she had been dating last summer a few weeks before my wedding. They have a sweet little baby boy now!
David and I got married last July after dating/being engaged for 10 months.
Lindsay met an amazing guy through her next door neighbor. One of their first dates was my wedding! They just got married this weekend and I am so happy for them!
Ashley is engaged and will get married in October!
It is just incredible to me how God hears our cries and sustains us until it's time for our dreams to come true. I can't tell you how many times I thought that I would just never get married because I wasn't good enough or thin enough or something enough. I can't tell you how many times I cried out to God in frustration because there just wasn't a Godly guy in sight and I was so tired of being alone! But then God brought me a man who would love me despite my flaws. God brought Lindsay an amazing man who has vowed to protect her and care for her, and I know he will.
If you are reading this and you are single and wish you weren't (A stage in life I know very well) take heart. I know it seems hopeless, but God hears your cry. He will provide for you because that's what He's promised to do. I could write a whole book on this topic....maybe I will someday...
Here are a few pics from the wedding. Unfortunately I only have a picture of Lindsay on my phone and don't know how to make it appear here. But here are some of David and I.
We also got to meet my sweet new cousins Hailey and Cole on Friday! So precious! The Lord is so good! He healed little Hailey and now she is doing just great! Thank you Lord!
Tiny Cole!
Sweet Haley!
I'll put more pics on facebook...
Oh and one other minor detail from the weekend....We are buying a house! I'll post that story later...
This past weekend David and I went to Atlanta for my friend Lindsay's wedding. This was a really special wedding. I met Lindsay the summer before I met David. I had started going to Prime at First Baptist Woodstock which is a worship service for young adults. I was seeking community like crazy because I had just broken up with an ex and was needing more community than what my church could offer. I reconnected with my friend, Julie, from high school and went to Prime with her where I met Lindsay and a sweet girl named Ashley.
We all went to Rita's after Prime one night and spent hours talking about how much we wanted Godly guys in our life. Julie was dating someone and Ashley was I think talking with someone, but we all were just sharing how much we wanted to be wives and have great partners. Lindsay and I clicked that night and started hanging out quite a bit. Both being teachers, we spent some summer days by the pool and shared all of our dating woes, stories, and frustrations. We have a lot in common and were in the same place...Ready to find our man!
Well, here's how God fulfills the desires of our hearts.
Julie married the guy she had been dating last summer a few weeks before my wedding. They have a sweet little baby boy now!
David and I got married last July after dating/being engaged for 10 months.
Lindsay met an amazing guy through her next door neighbor. One of their first dates was my wedding! They just got married this weekend and I am so happy for them!
Ashley is engaged and will get married in October!
It is just incredible to me how God hears our cries and sustains us until it's time for our dreams to come true. I can't tell you how many times I thought that I would just never get married because I wasn't good enough or thin enough or something enough. I can't tell you how many times I cried out to God in frustration because there just wasn't a Godly guy in sight and I was so tired of being alone! But then God brought me a man who would love me despite my flaws. God brought Lindsay an amazing man who has vowed to protect her and care for her, and I know he will.
If you are reading this and you are single and wish you weren't (A stage in life I know very well) take heart. I know it seems hopeless, but God hears your cry. He will provide for you because that's what He's promised to do. I could write a whole book on this topic....maybe I will someday...
Here are a few pics from the wedding. Unfortunately I only have a picture of Lindsay on my phone and don't know how to make it appear here. But here are some of David and I.
We also got to meet my sweet new cousins Hailey and Cole on Friday! So precious! The Lord is so good! He healed little Hailey and now she is doing just great! Thank you Lord!
I'll put more pics on facebook...
Oh and one other minor detail from the weekend....We are buying a house! I'll post that story later...
Thursday, June 9, 2011
My Rescuer
Sooooo....I want my blog to be super cute...and I'm working on it, but I've been swamped with work lately and haven't had much time. I promise I will be improving it this weekend!! Or at least will try!
I had to post today because I feel like God has been bringing a common theme into my heart for the past few weeks and it's about time I shared it. Hopefully it will encourage you today.
God is our Rescuer.
There it is. Plain and simple. This is a truth that you probably know and would say, "Um yeah of course He is."
Side note: The word rescue inevitably makes me think of the show Rescue 911. I used to watch it when I was younger and LOVED it! Anyways, back on track.
Here's where it started. Last Saturday I read Jeremiah 1. (Pastor Scott is reading through Jeremiah while he is away and challenged us to do the same.)
The opening of the chapter is beautiful and can't be overlooked. The first message God gives to Jeremiah in verse 5 is:
"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations"
How special and encouraging is that! God knew Jeremiah would be insecure so He affirmed him first before He asked anything of him. What a loving God we serve. We used this verse with our preschoolers to teach them how much God loves them and the same applies to you, but that's another post for another day :-)
The first thing Jeremiah does though is give excuses. He says that he is too young and can't speak for God. It's a little encouraging to know that other people are just as insecure as we are right? ;-)
Here's the part that caught me a little off guard though. To encourage Jeremiah, the Lord said, "...do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you."
God doesn't say, "everything's gonna be all right Jerry. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you." He doesn't say, "I will keep you from all harm."
No. He says, "I will rescue you."
In other words, you're going to struggle and you're going to face harm, but I will rescue you from it.
To give God the title of RESCUER, we are implying that we need rescued.
This life is hard and people face all types of hardships. But when you are a child of God, His promise to you is that he is with you and will rescue you.
After reading this passage, the very next day in church we sang the song, Rescue.
"I called, you answered and you came to my rescue and I wanna be where you are."
God has brought that word up a million times over the last week in my heart. What do you need rescued from today?
Is it a job situation? A bad relationship? A financial crisis? A crisis of faith? Maybe you need rescued from yourself. The negative thoughts just take over all the time.
If I can give you one truth to take away today it's this: You will face trouble in this world, but you have a God in heaven who is with you and will rescue every time. All you have to do is ask Him.
Happy Thursday everyone!
I had to post today because I feel like God has been bringing a common theme into my heart for the past few weeks and it's about time I shared it. Hopefully it will encourage you today.
God is our Rescuer.
There it is. Plain and simple. This is a truth that you probably know and would say, "Um yeah of course He is."
Side note: The word rescue inevitably makes me think of the show Rescue 911. I used to watch it when I was younger and LOVED it! Anyways, back on track.
Here's where it started. Last Saturday I read Jeremiah 1. (Pastor Scott is reading through Jeremiah while he is away and challenged us to do the same.)
The opening of the chapter is beautiful and can't be overlooked. The first message God gives to Jeremiah in verse 5 is:
"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations"
How special and encouraging is that! God knew Jeremiah would be insecure so He affirmed him first before He asked anything of him. What a loving God we serve. We used this verse with our preschoolers to teach them how much God loves them and the same applies to you, but that's another post for another day :-)
The first thing Jeremiah does though is give excuses. He says that he is too young and can't speak for God. It's a little encouraging to know that other people are just as insecure as we are right? ;-)
Here's the part that caught me a little off guard though. To encourage Jeremiah, the Lord said, "...do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you."
God doesn't say, "everything's gonna be all right Jerry. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you." He doesn't say, "I will keep you from all harm."
No. He says, "I will rescue you."
In other words, you're going to struggle and you're going to face harm, but I will rescue you from it.
To give God the title of RESCUER, we are implying that we need rescued.
This life is hard and people face all types of hardships. But when you are a child of God, His promise to you is that he is with you and will rescue you.
After reading this passage, the very next day in church we sang the song, Rescue.
"I called, you answered and you came to my rescue and I wanna be where you are."
God has brought that word up a million times over the last week in my heart. What do you need rescued from today?
Is it a job situation? A bad relationship? A financial crisis? A crisis of faith? Maybe you need rescued from yourself. The negative thoughts just take over all the time.
If I can give you one truth to take away today it's this: You will face trouble in this world, but you have a God in heaven who is with you and will rescue every time. All you have to do is ask Him.
Happy Thursday everyone!
Friday, June 3, 2011
Sin Seeps In
So I'm wondering if anyone can relate to this scenario...
I did something wrong...My husband called me out...I denied it...Then reluctantly confessed...Then got mad at him and loudly brought up some of his past mistakes...then felt awful...then finally apologized for my double maybe even triple sin.
What is the deal? I let sin enter one tiny little part of my world and it seeped into everything! It's like when shampoo spills in your suitcase. You think you have it taken care of, but really end up cleaning up shampoo for days! You wish you had never put the shampoo in your bag in the first place, or listened to your mom and put it in a ziplock bag like she said!
Sin seeps in! The thing I did could have easily been taken care of, but my pride got the best of me. My defenses turned on too quickly and I acted like a fool. This is not the woman I want to be.
We are supposed to guard our heart against sin. We are supposed to flee from sin. God knows that if we let in just a little bit...it will take over and sin leads to death.
In Romans, Paul talks about the inner struggle that we all face. He says, "So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law, but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin within me." Romans 7:21-23
I feel pretty crumby about my sin, pretty much all the time. Paul goes on to say, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" Have you ever felt that way? I have! Why do I struggle so much with sin? Because it is a war we all are fighting. If you let the enemy have one tiny piece of your life, he will gladly seep in and take over and your war is lost.
But take heart! We have a rescuer, praise the Lord! "Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7:25
God loves me in spite of my shortcomings last night. He wants to rescue me from my sin and set me high upon a rock, away from the battle! He is my forgiver and deliverer and He believes in me despie my track record with sin. Thank you Lord!
So guard yourself today against the shampoo seeping sin that is lurking around your life. Take precautions. Don't let sin seep into your life....it will take over. And if you fall to sin's sword, get back up again because you have a rescuer in Jesus Christ that will clean you off and hand you a Ziplock baggie for next time.
Have a great Friday!
I did something wrong...My husband called me out...I denied it...Then reluctantly confessed...Then got mad at him and loudly brought up some of his past mistakes...then felt awful...then finally apologized for my double maybe even triple sin.
What is the deal? I let sin enter one tiny little part of my world and it seeped into everything! It's like when shampoo spills in your suitcase. You think you have it taken care of, but really end up cleaning up shampoo for days! You wish you had never put the shampoo in your bag in the first place, or listened to your mom and put it in a ziplock bag like she said!
Sin seeps in! The thing I did could have easily been taken care of, but my pride got the best of me. My defenses turned on too quickly and I acted like a fool. This is not the woman I want to be.
We are supposed to guard our heart against sin. We are supposed to flee from sin. God knows that if we let in just a little bit...it will take over and sin leads to death.
In Romans, Paul talks about the inner struggle that we all face. He says, "So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law, but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin within me." Romans 7:21-23
I feel pretty crumby about my sin, pretty much all the time. Paul goes on to say, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" Have you ever felt that way? I have! Why do I struggle so much with sin? Because it is a war we all are fighting. If you let the enemy have one tiny piece of your life, he will gladly seep in and take over and your war is lost.
But take heart! We have a rescuer, praise the Lord! "Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7:25
God loves me in spite of my shortcomings last night. He wants to rescue me from my sin and set me high upon a rock, away from the battle! He is my forgiver and deliverer and He believes in me despie my track record with sin. Thank you Lord!
So guard yourself today against the shampoo seeping sin that is lurking around your life. Take precautions. Don't let sin seep into your life....it will take over. And if you fall to sin's sword, get back up again because you have a rescuer in Jesus Christ that will clean you off and hand you a Ziplock baggie for next time.
Have a great Friday!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
My Thankful List
I truly have so much in my life to be thankful for. I want to just share some of those things today and "Give thanks with a grateful heart." God is so faithful....
1. My husband. David is a strong man who makes me laugh all the time. I am so thankful God brought us together and allowed me to be a wife.
2. My family, old and new. I am blessed with people who love me and care about me.
3. My job. Even though I still don't completely understand God's timing on this one, I am thankful that I can contribute to my family and earn money while working from home. It's been a difficult adjustment to not have a classroom anymore, but I am thankful for the flexibility and favor of my employers.
4. Our financial situation! We paid off the credit card and are officially out of consumer debt. We have a little money in savings and the ability to save more. We should be able to pay off my car and school debt soon and save for another car. God has blessed us so much and we are very thankful for the financial place we are in now. I love that David is trying so hard to take care of our family this way. Dave Ramsey would be so proud of us! :-)
5. Our house. As hard as it was to say goodbye to our house we were going to buy, I am so thankful that we have our sweet little rental house. It is a great price in a great location and we are so blessed. Who knows when we will buy house, but we will be more than fine until then.
6. My church family and pastor. We started the June preschool activities last night and I just love having a church that is s invested in kids. Sarah Coleman and Linda Kennedy are rockstars and work so hard. Pastor Scott is away on sabbatical for a month and is desperately seeking God's voice for a new vision for Northstar. I think it's so wonderful that our pastor isn't just going through the motions, but wanting God's will for our church above all else. You can follow his adventures here.
7. I'm very thankful for summer and the chance to go on vacation in a few weeks! So excited!
8. Last but not least, I am thankful for my friends who have stuck by me even when I'm really bad at communicating with them.
Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I am completely revamping my blog. Get excited!
1. My husband. David is a strong man who makes me laugh all the time. I am so thankful God brought us together and allowed me to be a wife.
2. My family, old and new. I am blessed with people who love me and care about me.
3. My job. Even though I still don't completely understand God's timing on this one, I am thankful that I can contribute to my family and earn money while working from home. It's been a difficult adjustment to not have a classroom anymore, but I am thankful for the flexibility and favor of my employers.
4. Our financial situation! We paid off the credit card and are officially out of consumer debt. We have a little money in savings and the ability to save more. We should be able to pay off my car and school debt soon and save for another car. God has blessed us so much and we are very thankful for the financial place we are in now. I love that David is trying so hard to take care of our family this way. Dave Ramsey would be so proud of us! :-)
5. Our house. As hard as it was to say goodbye to our house we were going to buy, I am so thankful that we have our sweet little rental house. It is a great price in a great location and we are so blessed. Who knows when we will buy house, but we will be more than fine until then.
6. My church family and pastor. We started the June preschool activities last night and I just love having a church that is s invested in kids. Sarah Coleman and Linda Kennedy are rockstars and work so hard. Pastor Scott is away on sabbatical for a month and is desperately seeking God's voice for a new vision for Northstar. I think it's so wonderful that our pastor isn't just going through the motions, but wanting God's will for our church above all else. You can follow his adventures here.
7. I'm very thankful for summer and the chance to go on vacation in a few weeks! So excited!
8. Last but not least, I am thankful for my friends who have stuck by me even when I'm really bad at communicating with them.
Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I am completely revamping my blog. Get excited!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)