Sleep Tight 2011!

Photo used with permission from www.milliande-printables.com

As with each passing year, we all love to reflect on what the Lord did for us, brought us through, and taught us.  We like to see what was done from one year to the next, what was and what wasn't, what did and what didn't.  It's always amazing to me to watch the seasons change.... the Lord has given us such an exciting gift in the four different seasons and the change of colors.

 The year began with high hopes as I anticipated going through a free Nurse Aide class at a local nursing home.  When my hopes were dashed, I was forced to rely upon the Lord and His goodness; His perfect will in every situation is not always evident, but I believe He was teaching me patience -- big time!  After several deep breaths, I resolved to wait on the Lord to open doors for the next step in my life. It felt like I was not using my time wisely, when in fact the Lord was teaching me what "longsuffering" meant in Colossians 1:11.

In March, I was blessed to find a part-time job taking care of a 2 year old little boy whose family has since become dear friends of mine.

In April we celebrated my parents' 25th wedding anniversary with a party of family and old friends... it was such a joy sharing what the Lord had done in their lives with those we don't get to see very often throughout the year.  We were blessed to be able to reunite with my dad's uncle whom we hadn't seen in many, many years.

At the end of May we anticipated our second trip to Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri.  Those of us who were under a certain age (and therefore still referred to as "youth" :-) along with our parents participated in the Annual KSMU Youth in Bluegrass Competition.  Even though we didn't place in the top ten (there's some pretty good family bands out there!), it was double the fun since our Memaw could come along with us!  We met families from last year's competition, enjoyed riding the City's train again, walking under cooling spritzers, and riding scary and strange rides!

In mid-June, Faith (19) joined the ranks of high-school grads of the home!  That brought the grand total to 4, with 4 left to go. :-)

Towards the end of June, we headed out of town again; this time, heading through Wichita, Kansas and on to Calhan, Colorado.  Even though the Kansas heat was just as bad as Texas, it was a breath of fresh air -- literally! -- to be able to spend half a week just east of Colorado Springs; we were blessed to be able to explore a small portion of Mount Evans along with fishing and hiking.

Meanwhile, in July I celebrated my one-year anniversary with our local Pregnancy Center in Sherman!  It was such a blessing to volunteer there until October, when I took a full-time job and had to stop until, Lord-willing, this coming month.  I am looking forward to returning to my once a week volunteer work there, and pray that the Lord can still use me.

September brought us two bluegrass festivals to perform at, blessing us with new and old friends and experiencing the Spirit of the Lord in the most unimaginable places!  We traveled up to the Arbuckle Mountains of Southern Oklahoma and also to the Fort Worth area.

In October, we were able to attend the 2nd Annual Bloomin' Bluegrass Festival where we met and mingled with The Whites, listened front row to The Seldom Scene, Russel Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Special Consensus, among others.  It was such a blessing to spend the weekend with good friends, too.

Also in October, the Lord saw fit to give me a full-time job as a nanny for a 3 year old...something I'd been praying for, of course, for quite some time.  Although I knew the hours would be something I would have to get used to (anywhere from 9a to 9p), I had prayed for the job and couldn't refuse.  However, after 6 weeks, prayer and wise counsel from those who know me best, :-) I put in my notice.  It was one of the toughest things I've ever had to do but I am confident of the Lord's direction in this. 

Early in November, I turned a whopping 25 years old.  Do I feel any older? No.  Any wiser? Not really!  I keep having to remind myself and hopefully, 'act' dignified and refined like a 25 year old woman is supposed to.... :-)

We had a very blessed Thanksgiving, celebrating the day with my beloved aunt whom we had not been able to visit for two years.  It was such a wonderful time of celebrating the goodness of God, along with sharing His bounty with those we love and care for the most!

Christmas seemed to have come and gone in the blink of an eye, but it was an exciting time of secretly shopping, wrapping, cleaning and baking goodies for friends and neighbors.  Oh, and of course, listening to the classic sounds of Christmas to get one into the cheeriness of Christmas!

As the New Year is fast upon us, it is exciting to me to see what the Lord has in store for us as a family and for each of us individually.  There is no reason whatsoever to fear, worry, wonder or fret...if I just keep my eyes upon Him, I can experience the utmost peace that passes all understanding.  By His leading, I am looking forward to getting my shots and then going through Nurse Aide training at our local community college (let's try this one more time!).

May God's will be done in everything I do and everything I say!

The Greatest Gift of All

"Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift."
2 Corinthians 9:15

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.

O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.

"Words: Com­bined from var­i­ous an­ti­phons by an un­known au­thor, pos­si­bly in the 12th Cen­tu­ry (Ve­ni, ve­ni Eman­u­el); trans­lat­ed from Latin to Eng­lish by John M. Neale, Med­iae­val Hymns, 1851.  Neale’s orig­in­al trans­l­a­tion be­gan, “Draw nigh, draw nigh, Em­man­u­el.”

Music: from a 15th Cen­tu­ry pro­cess­ion­al of French Fran­cis­can nuns (the set­ting for the fu­ner­al hymn Libera me); ar­ranged by Thomas Helmore in the Hymn­al Not­ed, Part II (Lon­don: 1856)"

Taken from www.CyberHymnal.org

Thankfulness

God has blessed us so much.  He is why we breathe, why we live where we do, why we have the things we have.

It’s not a common statement to say that God has blessed us.  He has abundantly blessed us.  Sure, there were times when I wondered why He didn’t say yes or work a miracle, but that doesn’t mean I went without His blessing sometimes.

He is always there for me.

No matter what I do, what I say, where I go, or where I am, He is there.  It’s just hard to remember that sometimes because He is invisible to us.  But imagine the great comfort, the wonderful communion that is ready and waiting for us if we just remember that He’s always near!

When I am feeling down, He lifts me up.
When I am feeling sick, He comforts me.
When I am feeling sad, He lets me know everything’s okay.
When I am feeling nervous, He calms me.
When I am feeling upset, He understands me.
When I am feeling forgetful, He reminds me.

He reminds me.
 
What He did for me on that cross those 2,000 years ago was something simply amazing to me.  The mere fact that He chose to bleed and die for MY sins is astounding to think about.  Yet, with all my life’s complications and joys, I somehow seem to forget Him and His merciful kindness.  Then, in the stillness of the night or even in the hustle and bustle of a large family, He reminds me in a beautiful whisper what He did for little ole’ me.

My heart melts at the remembrance of it.  Every atom in me wants to please Him to the utmost.  I want to give myself wholly and completely to Him.

Thanking my Redeemer.
 
I count it a real privilege to thank Him daily for what He did for me.  Do you realize the depth of it?  He suffered and died so that I – of all people! – would not have to suffer in Hell forever.  Can you believe a love like that?

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”* 

Let us never forget to thank Him in return.  It is the least we can do.

*John 15:13

180 Movie -- The Holocaust vs. Abortion

 

My family and I were introduced to Mr. Ray Comfort through watching Fireproof movie and learning more about Kirk Cameron.  

Immediately, we noticed how straight-forward and bold he was.  We studied his videos of him witnessing to just about anybody, and were greatly encouraged to be bold and spread The Gospel.

People generally think of a documentary as dull and boring.  I know.... but this documentary was completely different. 

Ray Comfort interviews 8 people, comparing the Jewish Holocaust to our own American Holocaust: abortion.

Finally, Ray shares the pure Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It breaks your heart to see some of the reactions.

You will just have to watch it yourself... and comment here to let me know your thoughts on it.  It's free: www.180movie.com

This is an issue that is very dear to me.  I am a former volunteer peer-counselor for our local Pregnancy Center, and I learned never to judge a girl by her outward appearance.  She may be laughing off her deep, inner fear that someone might force her to abort her baby... she may want the abortion just because it's not the time to raise a child... whatever her case, she must be sympathized with and then educated.

We all need to be educated!  We take advantage of the breath of life we are blessed with each and every day.

And Yet Another Page...

{This lllllllloooooooonnnnnnnngggggggg post is written in honor of my first-year anniversary blogging!}

It all started back in December 2009.  We had been invited to perform a Christmas program for a local church and the pastor's wife was a staff nurse for our local Pregnancy Care Center.  How the Lord works in mysterious ways!

Not four months before, No Great Joy Ministries had just released a new book for unmarried women called Preparing To Be A Help Meet.  I had been radically convicted to get a move on in my life and start DOING for my Lord, instead of thinking that I was serving the Lord completely by staying home doing laundry.

Let me explain.

Doing laundry for a family of 9 is certainly a work for the Lord.  In fact, 1 Corinthians 15:58 states that our "labour is not in vain in the Lord."  But as a single girl with no family of my own, I must look to the things of the Lord.

"There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband."*

The Lord had placed an interest to minister to other young women in my heart long ago, but I didn't quite know how to go about it.  I felt burdened to help girls realize that there was One man Who would love them like none other.  It grieved me to see that so many of these girls were 'losing their way' and didn't know where else to turn, except to their boyfriends or drugs or alcohol.

When we met that pastor's wife and she began sharing her role at the Center, I felt that God was opening a door.  She told us about their volunteer counselors and about the great ministry going on there.  God was truly working!

The Lord didn't make a way for me to start volunteering until several months later in July 2010.  By this time, I was sure that God wanted me to make it a point to go there and do His work.  He had brought several friends into my path who encouraged me to go through the training to become a peer-counselor for the Center (knowing nothing of my long-time interest in doing that very thing!) saying that I'd make a great counselor.

In September of that same year, I was praying like mad.  I had also felt the burden to return to India, too, but also had a heart for the girls of my own country.  Which did He want me to do?

In the meantime, I learned about the counselor training.  The costs, the times, the classes.  When I discovered it would cost me $30, my heart sank.  I didn't have the money and if I wanted to sign up, I'd have to come up with the money pretty quickly.

A week before the training was to begin, however, one of the ladies came and told me that they had one scholarship left if I wanted to take it.

I almost melted into one emotional heap!  It was clear to everybody that God wanted me to go through the training.  So clear, that it was as if He told me face-to-face.

India?  That would have to wait.  Maybe for months, maybe for years, maybe even for decades. 

 Flip the pages to a year and a half later.  Per the wisdom invested in my dear parents by God Himself,I was encouraged to pray about getting a job and balance the time I volunteered myself with the time I earned money to serve God through various means.

I agreed to pray, but wondered what in the world the Lord would have for me.  I'd been working once a week babysitting for a friend but it was far from sufficient.  Yet, I thanked God for His constant provision -- even in the little things.

It's funny how we can get so caught up in 'searching' when He is there all along.  He never leaves me, He never abandons me.  He's always there.  Always.

I had advertised myself as a nanny on two different web sites.  I had a couple interviews, but they fell through and I began asking God that famous one-word question: why?

God's plan for my individual is so much bigger than I can see!  Why do I ever doubt Him and His capabilities?

I found an ad on one of the websites seeking a full-time nanny for her 3 year old boy.  It was one of about ten dozen ads I'd answered and I was growing weary.  Surprisingly, the person had listed two phone numbers and instead of applying by email, I called her.  And surprisingly, she answered.  She told me she would call me the following Monday to set up an interview, as she was very interested.

Monday came and went without a phone call from her.  I told the Lord that I would sit tight and just give it all up to Him... I'd do whatever He wanted me to do.  Three days later, she asked to meet me at a local Starbucks. And the rest is history -- HIS-Story.

But it doesn't end there.  I was scheduled to start that following Monday, but we only had two family vehicles to work with.  Daddy had to work, and my sister had to work, too!  But in my heart, I just knew that God had something else up His sleeve... if He had provided so amazingly thus far, I was convinced by now that He wouldn't stop blessing me.

Over the weekend, we were invited to clean out a house going to be foreclosed.  The friend who invited us, in a random way, asked if we needed some vehicles.  She went on to say that her son had two vehicles for sale.  We called and talked to him and went to look at them the following day.  Right away, we girls were impressed with the great price and how well they worked despite their looks!  By Monday morning, we girls went to the bank and filed for our first loan.  (But that's a totally different story...)  We were working against time because I was needing to leave for work very, very soon.

But just as we climbed into the car on our way to go pick up the two 'new' vehicles in the last 20 minutes of my time, my new employer called and told me to come an hour later than planned.

Tears formed in my eyes.  My Lord God had blessed me again.

And that brings me back to my work at the Pregnancy Center.  My new schedule allowed only two hours to volunteer when I had been accustomed to 8 hours.  I knew that something had to change.  I longed to continue volunteering, but it was clear to me that God had other plans.

It was time to turn another page in my life.  The Lord had used me and now it was time to move on.  Move on to a woman and her three year old who are starving for God's truth.

May He use me completely.

I know I should never be surprised at what He can do, but I am continually amazed...

He 
     never 
              fails. 


Forever His,
Christy

*1 Corinthians 7:34

Your First Lover

I found these encouraging words from a 30-year-old unmarried woman.  God be forever praised.

"As I have waited for my prince I have grown into a woman who is yes, far from perfect, but who is greatly more prepared now to be the wife Jesus designed me to be when He does bring my prince along.
I encourage you to go deeper with Jesus, to fall so in love with your God, the Author of your life, your Best Friend, your Savior, that your heart, your thoughts are consumed with Him.
Let Him, as Stephen Curtis Chapman sings about, be your 'great obsession.'"

-Taken from Watching For the Morning magazine by
Candace Davidson
P.O Box 842
Big Stone Gap, VA 24219

Contentment...

"But godliness with contentment is great gain."

1 Timothy 6:6

Did you know that the word 'contentment' only appears once in the entire King James Bible?  It's amazing to me that God chose for it to appear right here, speaking of contentment with godliness.

I don't know about you, but I certainly have been discontent a lot.  And yet, what a cantankerous sore it is to the Christian life!  If we let it, it can eat at the soul terribly, leaving you feel guilty, ashamed and somewhat smarter than you were -- or so you hope to be.

I can be discontent over countless things.  Weather, how the day went, I don't have this, I don't have that, I can't do this, I can't do that... you name it, and I've been discontent about it.

Yet, what right do I have in being so?  Didn't Christ give up His very life for my sake?  And now I'm complaining?  Why is it so hard to just rest, be still, and be content?

I believe one of -- if not THE -- most important reasons Christ gave Himself for us, is because we need Him.  We just need Him.  We *are* like sheep gone astray... in more ways than one.

Paul said in Philippians 4:11,

"For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

This was a guy who'd been beaten, robbed, whipped, shipwrecked, suffered hunger, thirst, etc.*  And yet, he says that he learned to be content in whatever state he was.  Wherever he was, whatever he was doing, whatever God had him doing -- he was content.

I have found several practical things I may do to curb my often desire to be discontent.  These are:

• Study the Word of God:
  
  • Do a word study on the words content and discontent using your Bible, a dictionary and a concordance.  Then, make it a real habit -- like brushing your teeth everyday! -- to read Scripture every day.  I suggest the morning time, as your mind is fresh and impressionable.  Seek the Lord to show you what He wants you to study, and He will.  He will direct you.
• Kneel in Prayer:
  
  • Actually kneeling to pray does something.  It makes you feel like you're actually in the Holy Presence of God.  While kneeling, pour out your heart before Him.*  Give up any and all clutches you hold so dear to your heart. 
• Don't Think:
  
  • It's sounds funny, but don't think about the 'what-ifs' of life.  Satan just loves to put thoughts into our heads that feel so good to think about, but when he does, be ready to recognize that it is not a godly thought and then immediately hand it over to the Lord.   
• Relish in His Peace:
  The Bible says that "The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."*  When we give up everything to the Lord, He gives us a peace that is almost overwhelming!  Why worry when we have the God of the Universe looking out to our best interests??
• Trust in the Lord, Delight Yourself in the Lord, Commit Your Way, Rest in the Lord:
  
  • "Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.   Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.   Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.    And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.   Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him..."*

   
  Committing my way,
  Christy-Anna
  
  *2 Corinthians 11:23-27
  *Philippians 4:7
  *Psalm 62:8
  *Psalm 37:3-7