He's my very best friend

Always the Same

I am His, He is mine; Jesus knows my name.

I can rest in His arms; He's always the same.

When I fall, when I call, Jesus takes my hand.

Cleansing me, lifting me, He helps me to stand.

Always the same!

O praise His name!

Jesus never changes, He's always the same.

Always together, His love is forever

Jesus never changes He's always the same.

In His love, I'm secure;

We shall never part!

In His Word I will trust, and give Him all my heart.

In the dark of the night, When my heart would fear.

Lovingly, tenderly, my Savior is near.

Always the same!

O praise His name!

Jesus never changes, He's always the same.

Always together, His love is forever

Jesus never changes He's always the same.

Ron Hamilton

Drawing close to Him

Hello everyone,

I know it's been a while since my last post, and I'm sorry:(

This summer seems to be flying by! My family and I went on our first vacation in 10 years a couple weeks ago! We visited Niagara Falls, the Creation Museum, and finished it off with a WIT conference in Indiana, Indianapolis. To tell you all the things I learned at that conference would take an entirely different and long post-so we'll save it for later:) Suffice to say I came back with a delightful southern accent after being one of the only "northerners" at the conference:)

I just wanted to post something brief that I've been learning in my devotions, it's been a wild ride this year so far, and still so much more to fill in! God has given His unending grace and shield of protection countless times already, we serve an amazing God! And lately, He has been pressing the need to spend more time seeking Him in my day to day life...I read a story that will illustrate what I'm talking about perfectly:

An appointment with the King

"As the story goes, a traveling evangelist in England in the eighteenth century was asked to appear before one of the most prestigious and influential men in the country.  Many had sought an audience with this rich lord, but only a few were granted the illustrious privilege of his company for an evening.

The evangelist welcomed an opportunity to share a meal with this man who was interested in understanding more about his work for Christ throughout the English countryside.  But as the night waxed on and the clock struck seven, the evangelist rose from the table and declared plainly,

"Thank you for a wonderful evening, but I must be going."

Startled by this man's impertinence and disregard for English custom, the rich lord replied,

"Do you not know that my table is the most highly sought after table in England? I receive hundreds of requests each day to gain my audience. Do you have the audacity to remove yourself before our night is through?"

The humble evangelist looked back toward the rich lord with a confidence in his eyes that was shocking to the wealthy kinglet. And in a very certain tone he said,

"I have an appointment with the Lord of Heaven and earth, and I dare not be tired and I dare not be late."

This story hit home with me as I often think of the times I pull all-nighters to be with my friends, watch a movie with my sis, or simply decide to sleep in in the morning because I don't want to get up.  Now, in my house you do have to get up between 7-8 because we have barn chores to do, but we always try and do our devotions before we get out of bed as a way of starting the day right, with Him at the forefront. 

A lady in my church is being convicted about the same thing, she mentioned that if we had to go to work every morning to check in with our boss- we would never be late, we would never look sloppy, and we would make the appointment-because this man\woman is important....how much more so is God!

When I decide to wake up late and end up going out to do barn chores first-it is a rare day that I go back in the house and put aside time to pull my devotions out.  If I desire my relationship with God to be greater and stronger than any I can ever have here on earth, I have to be willing to abandon my self thoughts, my own agenda and realize that every day is the day He might come home, He is looking for His warriors, His princesses, His servants!

Amy Carmichael once wrote a letter to a group of pastors, asking them if they knew any young woman who could come join her in her work. The young woman must have a passion for Christ and a desire to serve Him with her whole heart. Not just outwardly was she to have this display, but it was to be seen as something deeper that was still just as noticeable." Every pastor replied in saying "Not only do we not have any young ladies like this in our church, we do not know where to find one."

I do not want to stand before God one day and say I held back pursuing Him because of my own agenda, He formed me for His master plan, and although He sometimes may hide the path from view...He always is walking right beside me, waiting for me to turn and actually talk with Him! Not just pray once that day, don't just open the Bible once a day, but pursue Him all day and with all my heart!

Well, that's all for now:) This has been on my heart and I hope it has encouraged you in some way, I know for me, to write it out and see it makes it a great reminder!:)

God Bless!

Memorial Day...A day to remember

We set asideMemorial Day Each and every yearTo honor those who gave their livesDefending what we hold dear.In all the dark and deadly wars,Their graves prove and remind us,Our brave Americans gave their allTo put danger far behind us.They made the ultimate sacrificeFighting for the American way;We admire them and respect themOn every Memorial Day.By Joanna Fuchs

This Memorial Day is especially hard for me as it marks the two month anniversary of my Grampa's passing...his service in WW2 and his zeal for his country and family he passed down to all of his kids and grandkids.  I haven't been able to write about him here on my blog as it's still hard to believe he's not here anymore. But praise God for His timing...the day before Grampa died he accepted Christ as his Savior through my Dad's final words with him. We all rejoiced in the knowledge that we will see him again! After 19 years of prayer God opened the door and welcomed His son home...
Memorial Day is so meaningful...it reminds me of the sacrifice Christ made on the cross...Americans have died to keep me safe, to keep their families safe, to keep their country safe...God Bless America!

When I say, "I'm a Christian"

.

"When I say... "I'm a Christian"

I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin."

I'm whispering "I was lost,

Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian."

I don't speak of this with pride.

I'm confessing that I stumble,

And need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian."

I'm not trying to be strong.

I'm professing that I'm weak,

And I need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I'm a Christian."

I'm not bragging of success.

I'm admitting I have failed,

And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I'm a Christian."

I'm not claiming to be perfect

My flaws are far too visible,

But, God believes I'm worth it.

When I say... "I'm a Christian."

I still feel the sting 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!

I'm not sure who wrote this heartfelt poem, but the words are so powerful and true!

I hope this blesses you as it did me.

God Bless!

Happy Easter!

On a cross that was carved from one simple tree

Jesus suffereed and died for the world to see.

Crowned by sharp thorns, pierced and broken by nails.

His enemies were certain Christ's ministry failed.

But soon it was clear that His death had assured

Our life everlasting through the pain He endured.

At the sorrowful moment, we all gained our connection,

To the wonder and joy of His Easter ressurection!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Relationships

Lately the Lord has been pressing the subject of relationships on my heart.  To "date around" or even casually flirt with guys has become acceptable in our Christian culture.  The phrase "the more guys you date the more prepared you'll be for marriage" is a slogan that many girls have fallen prey for.  But dating relationships are usually temporary, God didn't design marriage to be temporary! So how is dating around helping you prepare for your future spouse???

"She (the wife of Godly Character) does him (her husband) good and not evil all the days of her life." Proverbs 31:12

Yes, read in-between the lines: "She does him good all the days of her life."

What is that supposed to mean? Well, I'm glad you asked:) 

I have yet to meet a woman who has been married all the days of her life. But this verse does give us the instructions to begin preparing ourselves for our future spouse...before we meet him!

In a book I recently read there was a statement made by a Christlike young man who said:

"I don't want a young woman who just turns my head, but a woman who turns my heart."

I thought that statement was so heartwarming! We expect and hope that men in our culture will turn into our knights in shining armor(or in my case a preppy cowboy-yes I'm aware of the oxymoron:), but really, have we put much thought into what kind of Princesses they might be looking for and waiting for us to transform into???

The statement "turns my heart" does not mean that a girl simply has to follow the correct code of Christian conduct in order to turn his heart. Give guys some credit, most of them know a Talker, someone who says and does all the right things but has no heart knowledge, from a Walker, someone who does do what they say.

 So what does that mean??

When you give Christ the pen to your love story He won't immediately write a earthly man into the picture...However He does begin to give you a taste of what true everlasting love feels like.

He reaches out to you and begins to organize your day so that the two of you might talk. He has a letter written to you every day of the week, He begins to rearrange the furniture inside your heart to make room for the new furnishings He plans to put in. And yes, these changes sometimes hurt, but if you truly trust Him, why even bother to worry???

To truly have the most amazing love story here on earth there is a few core ingredients required. If you are expecting to feel fulfilled and complete once you get married, be forewarned, your husband cannot fulfill your every desire every minute of the day, there is only one Being I know that can. And your relationship with Him must now begin to form. He has been knocking at your door for too long! Open every door to your heart, let Him carry the keys to every lock...and above all things...do not hold back from Him the pen to your love story!

Contentment in Him doesn't come in the blink of an eye, His plans are all written out to woo you and bring your heart ever closer to His. When a young woman who is completely focused on her Savior comes into contact with other young people in her generation, you can see the difference. Her eyes hold a deep inner glow that emanates throughout her entire being, her actions do not draw applause to herself, but rather they show what a great and mighty God she serves. When she speaks to young men, she doesn't treat any one of them different than another. She looks them in the eye, her speech is feminine and the conversation always refers back to the love of her life, the Being who saved her life. She doesn't stay in just one 'click' of friends, but reaches out to everyone, especially the ones who do not find it as easy to get out of their comfort zones. She serves in whatever area necessary, she doesn't pick and choose.  She guards her heart, she knows what feminine mystery is, it is what she holds in the inner sanctuary of her heart and will only allow her Savior to look at. She doesn't flaunt her knowledge, but listens with interest and respect.

This is a woman who is lost in her Heavenly Father, who knows what it means to live and see what the richness of life is! She has given her all to her Savior and He has in turn shown her what true everlasting love is all about, He has unlocked the door to understanding and poured His loving balm into her heart.

Do you desire this feeling? This intimacy with the King of Kings? As I journey this road right now, I will warn you...you are walking toward the walls of your heart and preparing to right the damage Satan has done...and the Devil will pull out all of his stops to stall and ruin you! But hold fast! You have a greater Warrior fighting for you!

To start this process, write a letter to our Savior. He's written countless one's to us, isn't it about time we answered them? :) Tell Him what you desire your relationship to be like with Him, begin to unlock the doors and hand over the keys. Lift up the pen of your life and place it in His hands, we all know He is a better writer!

I'll be praying for you if you decide to take this journey with me, and may your true love story begin now!

Something different...

Hello everyone!

This week my sister unearthed a clothing challenge through the blogging world, but this isn't an ordinary challenge:) But I'll let my sister tell you about it:)

A Unique Clothing Challenge!

“The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It's the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows & the beauty of a woman only grows with passing years.”
― Audrey Hepburn

 

How true... God wants our hearts to be a reflection of Him and He wants people to be able to see Him in our eyes, actions, words, hobbies, etcetera.  However, although I agree with Audrey that "The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears" I do believe that what we wear reflects our inner heart and if we are to be a reflection of Christ then our clothes are to reflect him as well.

 

So...... I just found out about a "Clothing Challenge" that will be starting tomorrow and ending next Saturday.

 

I've seen several different clothing challenges and each one has a God honoring vision, but I've never felt led to enter any of them.  This one however, I feel is different from the others.

 

* First of all, it is for girls and  guys! 

* It's focus is on the hearts of the wearer

* It is a week "to put a little thought into what message your clothes say for you."

 

The focus of this challenge is as follows:

 

"Not attracting abundant attention to yourself, avoiding over thinking your outfits (and people’s responses to the outfits), and self control (avoiding gaudiness)."

 

The challenge's focus is to wear clothing that is carefully chosen to send a message that honors God, without spending an absorbitent amount of time choosing the outfit.  Our appearance is a reflection of what is in our hearts and our hearts as Christians are to reflect Christ. 

 

I think this will be a lot of fun and would love for more people to get involved!  If you are interested, please go and check out the challenge, sign up and then let others know!  Have fun!

 

So there you have it! Please leave me a comment if you are interested in doing this and of course visit the Challenge site!

God Bless!

Finding the Music in Prayer

I've had this post written for a while, but I dread editing.:) However, it is now finished, I pray it makes you look at prayer and the Savior in a new light!:)

I was going through a book recently that contained all my notes on Sunday worship services, my eye alighted on one topic that I had written about. The title of the sermon was:

"How do you worship in prayer?"

Sometimes the worship in prayer is applied by saying 'amen' when someone else finishes praying. By saying 'amen' it is an ascent that you are agreeing with their prayer and want to apply it to yourself.

A wonderful example of worship applied prayer is this analogy that my pastor was preaching on:

"How do musicians all stay in perfect harmony and know when to play their piece?"

The answer is, they are focused on the conductor. They also have their music to look at for direction.

We have Christ to focus on in worship, our prayer is a conversation with the King of Kings! The music it refers to is our Bible. The Lord has written letters to us showing us His desire and will for our lives. We have an audience with the Conductor 24/7 and His everlasting promises are at our fingertips with His Word.

But if one person in an orchestra decides to focus only on his instrument instead of listening to the others and obeying the conductor, he produces a discord in the music that hurts the conductor more than anyone else. For it is the Conductor's music, His handiwork on display for the world to follow. What an image of sadness is on His face as He tries to direct that person back into harmony.

Only by surrendering our rights and turning to the Conductor can we once again find a union of harmony once again reigning.

So how can you show worship through prayer?
Don't only consider that on Sunday mornings your worship consists of singing the songs right and listening to the service quietly. We are in the audience of a King, our very minds should be focused on the leader and what His command will be!

And in prayer as we listen to His voice and obey the commands He gives us, we are showing an attentiveness to His calling. Then and only then can the orchestra reach it's most beautiful scale, when each brother and sister in Christ shows themselves more concerned in pleasing the Conductor than on their piece alone.

So how is your instrument playing in the orchestra? Is your focus completely on the Conductor and His beautiful music?