I've renamed my blog to Joy in the Journey. It's very fitting for my life right now. It's also a great song by one of my favorite Christian artists. I've posted the video and I hope you like it. :)
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
The Beginning of the End?
Well, as you can guess or at least see, this blog has become about me and my new journey following Christ. In the last year, especially that last 7 months, my way of thinking and seeing the world has completely changed. Yes, I grew up in church but my eyes weren't truly opened until last year. (You can read about that in my other posts, if you haven't already and are interested.)
Let me start by saying this... When I was younger, my dad would always tell me that Jesus could come back in his lifetime, but truly believed he'd come back in mine. This has stuck with me ever since. I've wrestled with and put off this post for fear of what some might say or think of me. But if I don't do things because of fear, then how can the Lord ever use me for his work? I've even been scared to admit how much I've changed, even though it's for the better. People expect you to be one way and then all of the sudden, your different. Some definitely don't want to hear about how you're a Christian now, and love and worship God. I've decided that I no longer want to stay lukewarm but be proud of what I've become and where I'm headed. No worries, though, I won't hit you over the head with a Bible. :)
I do believe Jesus' coming is soon. When? I don't know but the signs are there. As a whole, we've completely turned our backs on God. We have no love for our fellow man. There is no common sense and common decency or courtesy anymore. (Okay, so that's not in the Bible but it's one of my gripes and, I think, a valid point.) There are more and more devastating catastrophes every week. Everyone wants equality, yet Christians are being persecuted. People are hurting and suffering. I believe World War III is inevitable. Yes, these things have happened throughout the ages but how much longer will He protect us when we've completely turned our backs on him...
The good news is He loves you more than you'll ever know (I can't stress this enough)! When we get to Heaven, we'll know the full extent of His love and glory. It's going to be wonderful but we have to know him here first. We have to return the love and follow His will for our lives. All he wants is a relationship with us and for us to believe, love and know His Son. The ONLY way into heaven is THROUGH Jesus. It doesn't matter how good we are, works won't get us into heaven. Every single person is full of sin and, well, not good. It's through Jesus that that sin is pardoned.
"For it is by Grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast."
~Ephesians 2:8-10
I say all of this because there are so many that I love that aren't saved. They don't know what it's like to feel the love of God and to have that security of knowing where they will spend eternity. My preacher brought up a good question today. How often do you think about eternity? With all that's going on in our personal lives and in the world, I bet hardly at all, if ever. We are only here for a small fraction of time and I believe that time is running out. I'll finish with this saying that I heard from another preacher. Just something to think about...
"For Christians, this world is as close to hell as they will ever get. For the lost, it is as close to heaven as they will ever get."
Let me start by saying this... When I was younger, my dad would always tell me that Jesus could come back in his lifetime, but truly believed he'd come back in mine. This has stuck with me ever since. I've wrestled with and put off this post for fear of what some might say or think of me. But if I don't do things because of fear, then how can the Lord ever use me for his work? I've even been scared to admit how much I've changed, even though it's for the better. People expect you to be one way and then all of the sudden, your different. Some definitely don't want to hear about how you're a Christian now, and love and worship God. I've decided that I no longer want to stay lukewarm but be proud of what I've become and where I'm headed. No worries, though, I won't hit you over the head with a Bible. :)
I do believe Jesus' coming is soon. When? I don't know but the signs are there. As a whole, we've completely turned our backs on God. We have no love for our fellow man. There is no common sense and common decency or courtesy anymore. (Okay, so that's not in the Bible but it's one of my gripes and, I think, a valid point.) There are more and more devastating catastrophes every week. Everyone wants equality, yet Christians are being persecuted. People are hurting and suffering. I believe World War III is inevitable. Yes, these things have happened throughout the ages but how much longer will He protect us when we've completely turned our backs on him...
The good news is He loves you more than you'll ever know (I can't stress this enough)! When we get to Heaven, we'll know the full extent of His love and glory. It's going to be wonderful but we have to know him here first. We have to return the love and follow His will for our lives. All he wants is a relationship with us and for us to believe, love and know His Son. The ONLY way into heaven is THROUGH Jesus. It doesn't matter how good we are, works won't get us into heaven. Every single person is full of sin and, well, not good. It's through Jesus that that sin is pardoned.
"For it is by Grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast."
~Ephesians 2:8-10
I say all of this because there are so many that I love that aren't saved. They don't know what it's like to feel the love of God and to have that security of knowing where they will spend eternity. My preacher brought up a good question today. How often do you think about eternity? With all that's going on in our personal lives and in the world, I bet hardly at all, if ever. We are only here for a small fraction of time and I believe that time is running out. I'll finish with this saying that I heard from another preacher. Just something to think about...
"For Christians, this world is as close to hell as they will ever get. For the lost, it is as close to heaven as they will ever get."
Monday, April 12, 2010
Faith grows even as time flies...
I must start by saying that I hate to come up with titles. They always seem sooooo cheesy! As cheesy as it is, I hope it sums this blog up okay. Anyway, it's been awhile but I have formulated many blogs in my mind, I just haven't had the time to actually type them. Life seems to get busier and time really seems to fly with each passing second. I can't really complain, though. Life is going pretty good right now.
We recently got rid of our DirectTV (which I loved), so that's been an adjustment. We will be able to get local channels and such, when we get a converter box and the required cables but again, time... and money (or lack there of). Again, I can't really complain too much. This has given us more time with the boys and each other. Also, we haven finally gotten our money's worth out of our Netflix subscription.
With the tv-free time, I've been able to read a little bit more. I'm currently in the middle of the book of Daniel (in the Bible, of course) and also, When Christ Comes by Max Lucado. The man speaks on my level. Both of these have spoken to my heart so much. The faith and trust that Daniel had, as well as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. From the three men being thrown into the fiery furnance and Daniel into the lion's den, they trusted God and his will. I often feel as if I don't have enough faith. I can't imagine having enough to face hungry lions but them I'm reminded of this verse:
He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." ~Matthew 17:20
So, I pray and have faith that my faith will continue to grow. And isn't it awesome to know that Jesus prays for us.
Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ~Romans 8:34
We recently got rid of our DirectTV (which I loved), so that's been an adjustment. We will be able to get local channels and such, when we get a converter box and the required cables but again, time... and money (or lack there of). Again, I can't really complain too much. This has given us more time with the boys and each other. Also, we haven finally gotten our money's worth out of our Netflix subscription.
With the tv-free time, I've been able to read a little bit more. I'm currently in the middle of the book of Daniel (in the Bible, of course) and also, When Christ Comes by Max Lucado. The man speaks on my level. Both of these have spoken to my heart so much. The faith and trust that Daniel had, as well as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. From the three men being thrown into the fiery furnance and Daniel into the lion's den, they trusted God and his will. I often feel as if I don't have enough faith. I can't imagine having enough to face hungry lions but them I'm reminded of this verse:
He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." ~Matthew 17:20
So, I pray and have faith that my faith will continue to grow. And isn't it awesome to know that Jesus prays for us.
Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ~Romans 8:34
Monday, January 4, 2010
My Turn around
Well, it looks like I'm having another late night with this blog. I hope this doesn't become a habit. I sure hope I make sense and don't run this thing all over the place. It's late, I'm tired and very hungry. That doesn't make for good focusing. However, I can't sleep and I feel the Lord has laid this upon my heart to share. My first blog back was pretty much my testimony. This one is about the start of this new journey. I haven't shared this first part with anyone, except maybe my mom and husband.
Back in April, a young man died in a tragic car accident. It's every parents worst nightmare. He was barely twenty and his mother's only son. I babysat him for a summer, way back when, and his family is dear to my heart and many others. It was, and still, such a heartbreaking time for so many.
During his funeral, we heard many funny and wonderful stories about his life. But something that stuck with me the most was how he would pray over his meals, even at work, by himself. It was such a quick and simple part of his life, but what a witness it was. I've never really done that, much less teach my child to do that. His parents instilled in him a love for God and it was evident in him taking the time to thank God for a simple thing as lunch. This got the conviction ball rolling in me. Casey and I had been saying we needed to get back into church. I even said something to the extent of "I know where I stand and where I'm gonna go, but we need to do it for the kids". (Don't I feel arrogant and stupid because little did I know what the Holy Spirit had in store for me...)
I knew I wasn't setting the example for my kids. How could I expect them to love God when I wasn't showing them how to love and obey him myself? So from that point, we decided to get back into church. It was kind of a slow process but we encouraged each other and felt the love that was in our church and haven't been the same since! :) Dylan was saved this summer and I just pray that God keeps his hand on him and he continues to grow in faith and love for the Lord. And for Deacon, as well. I was saved in October and Casey re-dedicated his life. I truly feel our family is now on the right track and I believe the Lord used that young man's life and his family to help me see what I was missing and get my family where we needed to be. I hope and pray that my family can be a witness for the Lord, like they were for us.
Thank goodness God allows u-turns. They're called mercy and grace.
Back in April, a young man died in a tragic car accident. It's every parents worst nightmare. He was barely twenty and his mother's only son. I babysat him for a summer, way back when, and his family is dear to my heart and many others. It was, and still, such a heartbreaking time for so many.
During his funeral, we heard many funny and wonderful stories about his life. But something that stuck with me the most was how he would pray over his meals, even at work, by himself. It was such a quick and simple part of his life, but what a witness it was. I've never really done that, much less teach my child to do that. His parents instilled in him a love for God and it was evident in him taking the time to thank God for a simple thing as lunch. This got the conviction ball rolling in me. Casey and I had been saying we needed to get back into church. I even said something to the extent of "I know where I stand and where I'm gonna go, but we need to do it for the kids". (Don't I feel arrogant and stupid because little did I know what the Holy Spirit had in store for me...)
I knew I wasn't setting the example for my kids. How could I expect them to love God when I wasn't showing them how to love and obey him myself? So from that point, we decided to get back into church. It was kind of a slow process but we encouraged each other and felt the love that was in our church and haven't been the same since! :) Dylan was saved this summer and I just pray that God keeps his hand on him and he continues to grow in faith and love for the Lord. And for Deacon, as well. I was saved in October and Casey re-dedicated his life. I truly feel our family is now on the right track and I believe the Lord used that young man's life and his family to help me see what I was missing and get my family where we needed to be. I hope and pray that my family can be a witness for the Lord, like they were for us.
Thank goodness God allows u-turns. They're called mercy and grace.
Friday, December 18, 2009
A New Beginning.
I haven't blogged in awhile. This could be a long one, so I'm just gonna jump right into it.
I can't sleep tonight. I've got a lot on my mind, but, surprisingly, it's good things. I think I'm going to take this blog in a new direction. I'll (try) to update with what my family and I are doing, but really, we are pretty boring. Honestly, I'm not sure where I'll take this blog or where it will take me, but we're both willing participants. Okay, so much for just jumping right in. I'm going to start out with my testimony.
I gave my life to Jesus on October 18,2009. I was shocked! Let me back up and give a little background info. I was born in Hot Springs, AR. I've pretty much been in church (on and off) all of my life. We started out Presbyterian, then switched to Baptist, when I was around 6 or 7. At the age of 8, during vacation Bible school, I repeated a prayer that our preacher said and got saved. I was baptized the following Sunday. Now, at the age of 8, I really didn't know what I was doing. I knew it was the right thing to do but had no understanding of what being saved really was.
When I was 11, we moved to Alabama. Hated it but that's another story and lifetime ago. My parents found us a warm and loving church here. I was about 12 or 13 and like most Sundays, the preacher asked "if you were to die today, do you know where you would go?". I panicked. I didn't want to go to hell. At this point, I realized that I didn't understand much at 8 and that I need to go up and get saved. So I went, I got baptized again.
Skip ahead 14 years or so, and we have October 2009. I'm at the same church, although I'd been to a couple different ones between then and now. (You always find your way back home.) The preacher who baptized me for the second time is back as our temporary preacher, until we call a new one. He is preaching a series on what every Christian should know. One thing every Christian should know is if he or she is TRULY saved. That sermon knocked the wind out of me like no other. I was shocked! That still, small voice they talk about was moving and thunderous. I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest. I was shaking, sweating and tears were filling my eyes. When the invitation was given, I didn't really know what to do. I'd been baptized twice, surely it stuck one of those times. I went to go down the alter but another family had gone up to join the church. This, unfortunately, gave me the opportunity to change my mind about going up and gave my pride a chance to sink in.
I fought this for two weeks. It never left my mind and it felt like I had a knot the size of Texas in my stomach. I tried to justify my salvation and convince myself that I was indeed saved. I even went up to rededicate my life. I thought that would give me peace... it didn't. That night, I was lying in bed and it felt like a boulder fell on me. I knew that I was lost. I'd never truly given my life to the Lord. I went up, again, the next Sunday and I gave it all to Him. I was also baptized for a third time. :) Y'all, I couldn't ignore him any longer and I am so thankful he didn't give up on me! He WILL get your attention. He got mine!
My wish and HOPE is that everyone I know can feel the joy, love and peace that I feel. I've always believed in Jesus, that he is our Savior and that he loved us, but there is a big difference in believing with your head and with your heart. For whatever reason, that connection was broken, until recently. Now, my eyes have been opened to His love and to so many amazing things and I haven't even scratched the surface, which is truly exciting!
Does this mean that I don't have bad days? Of course not! I had one today but knowing that the Lord is right there with me and that He truly cares for me and loves me, makes things not seem so bad. I recover much easier. Does this mean I don't sin? Definitely not! I'm still going to sin and on a daily, if not hourly, basis. But, I should keep a short account of my sins. I'm learning, and I'll share more about this on a later post, that when we are saved, we have two natures. One being our old nature and the new being Jesus. It is an everyday decision to let Jesus lead you and not your old nature. It's a constant battle but I'm sure I'll write more about that later (this is getting super long). God's love, grace and mercy is so amazing. I'm not sure we will fully understand just how amazing until he comes back for us (which I believe is very soon)!
I hope that whoever reads this continues to read this and follows my journey. We all need love and support. If you aren't saved or aren't sure, I hope you will search your heart and consider all that Jesus sacrificed for us. It's a precious gift and the best that you could ever receive. And what better time, then when our Savior was born.
Romans 5:8-9 (New International Version)
8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!
I can't sleep tonight. I've got a lot on my mind, but, surprisingly, it's good things. I think I'm going to take this blog in a new direction. I'll (try) to update with what my family and I are doing, but really, we are pretty boring. Honestly, I'm not sure where I'll take this blog or where it will take me, but we're both willing participants. Okay, so much for just jumping right in. I'm going to start out with my testimony.
I gave my life to Jesus on October 18,2009. I was shocked! Let me back up and give a little background info. I was born in Hot Springs, AR. I've pretty much been in church (on and off) all of my life. We started out Presbyterian, then switched to Baptist, when I was around 6 or 7. At the age of 8, during vacation Bible school, I repeated a prayer that our preacher said and got saved. I was baptized the following Sunday. Now, at the age of 8, I really didn't know what I was doing. I knew it was the right thing to do but had no understanding of what being saved really was.
When I was 11, we moved to Alabama. Hated it but that's another story and lifetime ago. My parents found us a warm and loving church here. I was about 12 or 13 and like most Sundays, the preacher asked "if you were to die today, do you know where you would go?". I panicked. I didn't want to go to hell. At this point, I realized that I didn't understand much at 8 and that I need to go up and get saved. So I went, I got baptized again.
Skip ahead 14 years or so, and we have October 2009. I'm at the same church, although I'd been to a couple different ones between then and now. (You always find your way back home.) The preacher who baptized me for the second time is back as our temporary preacher, until we call a new one. He is preaching a series on what every Christian should know. One thing every Christian should know is if he or she is TRULY saved. That sermon knocked the wind out of me like no other. I was shocked! That still, small voice they talk about was moving and thunderous. I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest. I was shaking, sweating and tears were filling my eyes. When the invitation was given, I didn't really know what to do. I'd been baptized twice, surely it stuck one of those times. I went to go down the alter but another family had gone up to join the church. This, unfortunately, gave me the opportunity to change my mind about going up and gave my pride a chance to sink in.
I fought this for two weeks. It never left my mind and it felt like I had a knot the size of Texas in my stomach. I tried to justify my salvation and convince myself that I was indeed saved. I even went up to rededicate my life. I thought that would give me peace... it didn't. That night, I was lying in bed and it felt like a boulder fell on me. I knew that I was lost. I'd never truly given my life to the Lord. I went up, again, the next Sunday and I gave it all to Him. I was also baptized for a third time. :) Y'all, I couldn't ignore him any longer and I am so thankful he didn't give up on me! He WILL get your attention. He got mine!
My wish and HOPE is that everyone I know can feel the joy, love and peace that I feel. I've always believed in Jesus, that he is our Savior and that he loved us, but there is a big difference in believing with your head and with your heart. For whatever reason, that connection was broken, until recently. Now, my eyes have been opened to His love and to so many amazing things and I haven't even scratched the surface, which is truly exciting!
Does this mean that I don't have bad days? Of course not! I had one today but knowing that the Lord is right there with me and that He truly cares for me and loves me, makes things not seem so bad. I recover much easier. Does this mean I don't sin? Definitely not! I'm still going to sin and on a daily, if not hourly, basis. But, I should keep a short account of my sins. I'm learning, and I'll share more about this on a later post, that when we are saved, we have two natures. One being our old nature and the new being Jesus. It is an everyday decision to let Jesus lead you and not your old nature. It's a constant battle but I'm sure I'll write more about that later (this is getting super long). God's love, grace and mercy is so amazing. I'm not sure we will fully understand just how amazing until he comes back for us (which I believe is very soon)!
I hope that whoever reads this continues to read this and follows my journey. We all need love and support. If you aren't saved or aren't sure, I hope you will search your heart and consider all that Jesus sacrificed for us. It's a precious gift and the best that you could ever receive. And what better time, then when our Savior was born.
Romans 5:8-9 (New International Version)
8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Gravity Wave
This is a video of a gravity wave. We had it happen in our area and it caused lots of wind and there were numerous trees knocked down. I seriously thought that our big pine tree was gonna come down but thankfully there was no damage here. I think the video is pretty amazing.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Bedtime Prayer, Storms
Tonight, I was lying in bed with Dylan and we were saying our prayers. I always say mine first, just so he can get an idea of what to say. This is what he prayed tonight:
"Dear heavenly father, thank you for letting momma lay with me, forget us our sins and bad things are bad things. Amen."
I thought is was funny and cute, maybe because I'm his mom.
********************************
Today, we had some pretty bad storms come through. My babies were at my mom's and Casey, Cory and I were at Smokey's. We heard on the radio that there was a tornado on the ground just a few miles outside of town, headed our way. We had been kinda slow up until this point. As soon as the tornado sirens went off, we got super busy. Now, I'm usually not the kind to turn away business, but it was hailing (sp?) and the wind was a-blowin'. It was not pretty outside. I couldn't believe people were out in that mess. Of course, I guess it could be said that our food is just that good. People will brave a tornado for our food.
"Dear heavenly father, thank you for letting momma lay with me, forget us our sins and bad things are bad things. Amen."
I thought is was funny and cute, maybe because I'm his mom.
********************************
Today, we had some pretty bad storms come through. My babies were at my mom's and Casey, Cory and I were at Smokey's. We heard on the radio that there was a tornado on the ground just a few miles outside of town, headed our way. We had been kinda slow up until this point. As soon as the tornado sirens went off, we got super busy. Now, I'm usually not the kind to turn away business, but it was hailing (sp?) and the wind was a-blowin'. It was not pretty outside. I couldn't believe people were out in that mess. Of course, I guess it could be said that our food is just that good. People will brave a tornado for our food.
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