Alive and Well Nigh Going Crazy! In a Down-Right Southern Way....

I have come to accept my personal blog-cycle. I post for a few weeks and then take like a 4 or 5 or how-ever-long break.

 

*Sorry guys and girls* ....more girls than guys actually :)

 

I have a lot of news and a lot of explaining to do. Where should I start?

 

There's something special come up that has completely taken my attention for the past 4 months. Maybe I'll let ya know by tomorrow exactly what it is. Or next week. Or after July 27th--which by the way is your first clue ;)

 

Hey don't judge! It's one o'clock in the morning and I just finished putting together our invitations!! Just now finished!

 

*That's right.....our invitations*

 

And I'm just a littleee tired.

 

I'll let you think on it. Maybe for a few days. Again, sorry!!!!

 

♥...............here's one more clue...............♥

 

Free to Struggle

You might have to think about this one. I know I had to.

James 1:2-3 says, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience."

And Romans 7:24-25, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."

When we become children of God, some of us tend to hold onto the chains Christ has broken. The chains of old habits, addictions and favorite sins. The sins that He allowed to nail Him to the cross...instead of us. We are free!!! Why do we run back to our prison? God will never disown us, but why do we want to grab our old life back and cling to it like it's our first love or something? There's a song that my brother listens to, and it just hit me today how true this is:

Hallelujah, we are free to struggle

We're not struggling to be free

Your blood bought, and makes us children

Children, drop your chains and sing

 

Be joyful when you are tried. The struggle to be godly works patience in you. Instead of struggling to be free from all the nothingness I felt before I was saved, I am now free to choose to do the right thing (and it is a struggle - check out Romans 7). I I was lugging around such a heavy weight before I met Christ. My sins were awful. And on top of all the guilt and pressure, I knew I would spend an eternity away from God, in hell. Now I will be going to heaven and I am completely, amazingly, miraculously free! My heart feels light and I am hopeful. There is power in His blood. Yes, we struggle. But thank God for your struggles!!! It is all for you, to help you grow, to exercise your faith, to make you patient. The struggle to be free was hopeless on our part. But now our old man is crucified with Christ, and we have resurrected to a new life with Him! He has overcome where we could not and He will continue to do so through us. The struggle against our flesh is of Him and through Him. It is our choice to take hold on victory, as it is ours forever.

 



Life at the Hospital

My grandpa had his second knee replacement surgery today. He's a tough, self-employed man who does amazing carpentry as a side job, and also just for fun :) He's trying to rest in the bed next to me, and more family is huddled in the room with us. His right knee was replaced last year in December and it wasn't nearly as painful as the left knee is giving him right now. He and my grandma will probably be staying at the hospital for the next three days. Last time he had a knee replacement, we came and stayed every day with them -- all day. The only time we spent at home was to eat dinner and sleep.
Going through something like this is made so much more bearable when family is near. Having a knee replaced and then being an invalid for about a month really wears on one's patience.
Staying in a hospital room or waiting room for days at a time can exhaust you!! It's so nice to have people visit and provide a change in atmosphere. Not only does it let them know the patient is cared for, but it also gives them an opportunity to focus on something else. Being in a hospital all day long kind of has a way of causing burn out, even if you're not in an anxious state. It just happens that way.  You either sit quietly next to your relative while they snooze or you sit (and sleep) in a waiting room chair among others who quietly wait for their loved ones in surgery/intensive care/etc.

Don't decide to not visit someone in the hospital because you don't want to "over crowd" them. They will go home exhausted either way. Encouragement is your best bet, and visiting is even better encouragement than a card or a text!!! It is also proven that people heal faster if they are in contact with and are supported by those who love them!

His woman of over 40 years just have him a kiss. I think he hurts a little less now :)

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Proverbs 17:22

Double-Take!!?

 I used to look down on guys for staring at a scantily dressed girl. It made me so mad!!! I mean, come on guys. Do you want to be pure or not? Do you really want to have a pure mind for your wife? Or does every man secretly fantasize about random women dressed in low-cut shirts and short skirts? Is that all it takes!!?
Then I realized that guys were just reacting to something very natural inside of them called hormones and that it is very difficult for the poor guys to keep their testosterone levels from exploding when they see so much skin and -- yeah -- its a big deal! So I started to look down on all the girls out there who expose as much of their bodies as they can without going nude. It really got my blood to boiling! I have brothers, a Dad, and an amazing ♥man♥ in my life. That's not very fair to them when they see girls walking around Walmart dressed in such a way.
But then I realized, not only that the heart of man is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things, but also that we are all extremely pressured by society in the area of clothing. Or lack thereof...

She was walking through the grocery store on a Monday afternoon. She was beautiful. And thin. And blond. I won't even describe her clothes. Let's just say it was February of this year, and though we had 70 degree weather that day, she was not anywhere near a beach! Her long hair was pulled back in a pony tail and had tucked a plumeria flower behind her ear, making her appear girlish and "innocent". Heavy eye make up and glossy lips...anyway...

Bait. That's exactly what she was.

She casually strolled past the fish and meat department. I was expecting a lot of heads to turn, and I was right! It was kind of amusing. The guys who were supposed to be handling raw meat and cutting up fish had all left their posts and congregated together, gawking at her. The male shoppers all stopped what they were doing to look. Men, who were there shopping with other women, stared for a couple seconds and then jolted back to their business. She was totally unaware (supposedly) that, as she passed by, every guy was doing a double-take. Every. Single. One. The minds of those guys were feeding on the bait. Drawn in by the hook that could very possibly lead them down to destruction.  


It fills my heart with sadness. And an urgency to produce change. Sex is selling these days and it is no accident. Women's magazines, even teen mags, are loaded with sex and soft porn. Women are tricked by the lies of society. The devil has so darkened the minds of fashion designers and Hollywood that women and girls buy into every little bit of it! The men are no different. The world makes women look like a toy or a sex trophy and women believe it so men treat them that way. Thanks a bunch to the media, women's magazine producers, and those who set the fashion statements worn by all today. Modest clothes are hard to find! Modest and yet attractive clothes are even harder to find! Its like searching for buried treasure. And yet it is not impossible. There's still time to change the course of history. Just keep what is secret, a secret!!! There's a reason its called 'underwear'. We as women have a responsibility to treat ourselves with dignity even if society doesn't. We have a right to respect and protect ourselves. Will you?

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. Proverbs 31:10 

Confession Time - Gotta Love It

Well since my ridiculous long break from writing, you might not be surprised to find that I have grown into more of a health nut AND sweet tea is still the bomb. I've also been growing in my new life!!! There are three enormous battles I've been fighting and am seeing victory every single day, learning how to be not-like-me anymore, but like Christ instead.

Here they are...

Rebellion
If I could describe myself in one word that completed all of me, it would be "rebellious". Even though I am sure we all struggle with this, I still hate to admit it. Psalm 68:6 has become the lamp to light my path on this subject.
"God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land."

Diligence
Even more hard to admit, I'm not very diligent. Not good at being consistent. I keep my room clean for 2 days and then let it get out of control again (I'm 20 years old for crying out loud!). I will start a new project and sometimes don't finish it, usually because it's not happening as fast as I hoped or it's not becoming what I wanted it to be. There are plenty of verses about diligence, like this one.
"He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich." Proverbs 10:4.
Bottom line concerning diligence: You can't be successful without it.

Forgiveness
We can always learn more about this. I'm learning that I CAN truly forgive those who hurt me (instead of just SAYING I forgive them and not really meaning it) and God CAN show me how to truly and dearly love them. I was never able to forgive until I truly understood the forgiveness of God for the first time. What He forgave me for was a far great wrong than what I could ever forgive anyone for. I have had some awful things said about me and done to me (just like every other human being) and won't go into any details whatsoever, because none of the offences committed against me were, and never will be, as severe as the offences I have committed against God and His Son.
This topic can go a very, veryyyyy long way. But for the most part, I'm telling you people, forgiveness is freedom. This will change your life.
"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Ephesians 4:32

 

 

New Beginnings - 2012

I got saved. I can't explain it any other way. All the other things I've ever written, all the passion I've ever lived with for God, life, and other people...I have found that as deep as it felt, it was all surface. It is possible to know so, so very much about Him and never meet Him. But I met Him. I'm still in awe of what has happened to me!

I'm writing today to let everyone know that as of September 20, 2012, I was no longer the same person. Not sure who's reading, since I haven't posted in almost a year....sorryyyy! But anyway...

My parents raised me in the knowledge of God and all that He is. All He has done. The story of Jesus Christ...how He died for me, rose for me, lives for me and is coming back for God's children someday. I have lived with the hope of something far greater than this world can ever offer. Dad and Mom brought me up in that hope. Taught me the stories and displayed faith through the lives they have lived. In the South, getting "saved" is the same thing as being "born again". In John 3, Jesus tells the Pharisee who came to see Him by night, "Ye must be born again." Born of water through a mother, and born of the Spirit through God's Son.
I feel much like that Pharisee, Nicodemus. Going to see Jesus by night, trying to hide the fact that he knew he needed Jesus, that he didn't have it all figured out. Hypocrite. Aren't we all? But I would hate to die as one. Since I grew up in a Christian home and could quote Bible stories backwards, it might not be surprising to you that I believe in Jesus. That I have followed His ways...or so it seemed that way to me. Some of you reading this may think me very fortunate to have grown up in such a good home. To know of the deep love of God in giving His only Son for my life's sake. I'm glad I grew up in this home. I knew all the stories, I knew the Bible verses...but they were never completely real to me. Now they are. The Bible now has true significance in my life. But not only that.
I love God. And Jesus!!! Never loved anyone more. Have you ever heard the story of the little girl who has tons of pretty dolls to play with, but the ragged, torn doll is the one she loves the most? She holds it close to her everywhere she goes, and strokes its tangled hair. Well, that's me. I was just a good-for-nothing sinner. A miserable creature. And God wanted me to be His. I have never felt so loved in my life than the day I met Jesus.

God made me completely new that day. Its the greatest thing that's ever happened to me! Best day of my life! After calling a friend that day to tell her the news, I also learned from her shared testimony about what had happened to me.

 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."

I had been blinded by the devil. He is definitely the Father of lies. I'm so glad that God's light is greater than Satan's darkness. I was praying and reading John 14 in my Bible that Thursday morning, on September 20, and God's light shone down into my darkness. I have always had to put up such a fight to focus on the Word of God, mainly because I always felt that it never fully clicked with me. I had never "got it". And I had also been struggling with that common doubt that a lot of "Christian" people seem to deal with. The "Am I really saved?" feeling. Its a sick feeling. I had felt that pulling and tugging at my heart, which is a perfect way to describe how it felt to have the Holy Spirit convicting me of my lost heart and mind. And yes...I had lost my mind. Lost it to lies and confusion. Then, in a moment when God knew I couldn't turn away anymore, He whispered John 14:6 to me, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me." And I wasn't lost anymore from that moment on. It finally hit me - the Truth! I finally got it! I smiled and cried and thanked God for the only Way to be with Him. My unbelieving and darkened heart had light poured into it. And now I can rest in my eternal Life!

So from now on, everything written here will be by a true child of God :)