A True Milestone

"He's Been Faithful" - Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

In My Moments of Fear
Through Every Pain Every Tear
There's A God Who's Been Faithful To Me

When My Strength Was All Gone
When My Heart Had No Song
Still In Love He's Proved Faithful To Me

Every Word He's Promised Is True
What I Thought Was Impossible
I've Seen My God Do

When My Heart Looked Away
The Many Times I Could Not Pray
Still My God He Was Faithful To Me

The Days I Spent So Selfishly
Reaching Out For What Pleased Me
Even Then God Was Faithful To Me

Every Time I Come Back To Him
He Is Waiting With Open Arms
And I See Once Again

He's Been Faithful
Faithful To Me
Looking Back His Love and Mercy I See
Though In My Heart I Have Questioned
Even Failed to Believe
Yet He's Been Faithful
Faithful To Me

Today, Milton & I celebrate 25 years of marriage! I am completely overwhelmed, when I think about all that God has brought us through. I will be honest...marriage is not easy! And Milton & I have had many challenges in our marriage. But even when we didn't know Jesus, God was faithful...life was hard, but God was faithful!

There were many times each one of us were ready to give up...but God was faithful! There were times when it would have been so easy to walk away...but God was faithful! Times when neither one of us had the strength to try anymore...but God was faithful! Times of fear & pain & tears...but God was faithful! Times of not being able to pray...but God was faithful!

God saved our marriage 18 years ago and that is why this is such a special day! To be able to celebrate 25 years of marriage is a true milestone for Milton & me!

So, if you ask me how I KNOW there is a God...I know because I have experienced Him! There are no longer questions or failure to believe...I know GOD IS...!!!

"God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." 1 Corinthians 1:9

Little Nuggets of God's Goodness

How cool is it that God uses anyone He chooses to teach us? It may be a child, teenager, young adult, believer, non-believer, family member...anyone! I'm finding that I am learning much of what I believe God is teaching me through the young adults He has put in my life (those who are younger than me which is EVERYBODY). I'm not bitter, though, about being older than my new friends. I'm loving the freshness they bring to my life. And the ONE common denominator with each of these precious people is their love for Christ!

I'm telling you, it is like breathing in a breath of fresh air when I'm with these people. They are "real" treasures...little nuggets of God's goodness to me & my family. As I observe them, I become more & more aware of their genuine love for Christ and their commitment to making sure others know Him. I have been given a front row seat as I watch the next generation take their place to participate in the building of God's church!

It is truly amazing to witness adults in their 20's & 30's serving God. Many arrive at 4:30am on Sundays to unload & set-up for church while others remain afterward to tear-down & pack up. Then there are those who work up to 12 straight hours each Sunday doing set-up, tear-down and everything in between. Another group of servants show up on Wednesday nights for FUSE. I have the privilege of hanging out with these cool guys & gals. These youth volunteers give themselves wholeheartedly to the students. They truly pour themselves into the lives of the kids not only on Wednesday nights but also throughout the week. I love seeing these younger people being willing to step up and do their part for God's Kingdom! LOVE IT!!!

See what I mean? How could I not learn something from this type of experience? God's kids loving Jesus with what they have to offer...their time, their abilities, & their talents! Whether they know it or not, what God has taught me through them is a treasure that has helped me to grow in my walk with Christ.

Thank you, my new, "young" friends!

IT IS CLEAN UP TIME!

To preface this blog I need to let you all know that in my bedroom is all the STUFF that gets cleaned out from other rooms in the house. I have piles EVERYWHERE waiting for me to either find a place to store them or that need to be taken to Goodwill.

Okay, as some of you know, we have a youth ministry that meets at our house on Wed. nights called FUSE. During FUSE I usually go up to my bedroom with the dogs and chill out there until the students start breaking up from their small groups. While I am closed up in my room, there is plenty of time for me to take care of some of those piles, so that when one walks into the master bedroom it doesn't look like the junk room. Actually, that is a perfect time for me to make some order out of the mess that is in there. But, I have chosen each week to sit myself up on my bed and watch tv or play bejeweled on my ipod. You know, take a break.

Well, as I was "taking my break" last night I heard a faint knock at the door. Was I surprised to find Matthan, Vanessa, & Holly when I opened the door. My first urge was to walk out into the hallway and very quickly close my door so that no one was able to see inside. The only problem with that was that there were small groups meeting all over my house and the only place for us to go was in my bedroom. Oh My Stars!!! I was mortified! There we sat amongst all that STUFF! And, it didn't stop there...Lindsay joined us after a few minutes...next it was Michael & then one of the students came in to talk with Michael. I COULD NOT believe it! What in the world was going on here? Then I remembered all those times God reminded me that I needed to take care of that STUFF. He was trying to give me a heads-up. Being the procrastinator that I am I put it off and put if off. Boy was I wishing last night that I had taken some time to do what God had been prompting me to do.

All in all it turned out fine. At least I was able to laugh at the situation and myself. However, looking back on that whole experience I see where the clutter in my room was so much of a distraction that I could hardly enjoy myself with the new friends God has given me. I also realize this is true with the clutter that is in my mind. It keeps me so distracted at times that I don't hear God clearly or enjoy His presence because I am so focused on the mess.

IT IS CLEAN UP TIME! I am constantly working on the clean up of my mind with God's help...this will be a forever task for as long as I'm on this earth. But, the clean up of my room WILL happen very soon! Vanessa, Holly, Lindsay, & Michael I invite you all to come hang out in my room any time...and anyone else who wishes to join us.

BTW, I will NOT be adding a photo of my cluttery room to share with everyone.

He Has Been AWESOME To Me!!!

“I’ve been a mom for 18 years and I feel like my job is ending!” This is what I said after Brittany graduated from high school and started on her journey to becoming an independent woman. Now, four years later, I have realized that it is the natural order of life for Brittany to step away from her family and find the path that God has for her. Whew...that was a tough four years! Lots of stretching, molding and going through fires of refinement! It was hard to focus on God and the work He was doing in me. But He was ever faithful!

Time passes so fast and I realized when Brittany graduated that my time was up. My opportunity to teach her what she needed to know about life and living for Christ and relationships and… Did I tell her everything she needed to know to step out into the world? Did I prepare her properly? It was extremely difficult to let her go and trust that she was going to be able to make the best choices without ME helping her. But what God has shown me over these four years of much growth is that I have been the vessel He used in her life for 18 years. She is His and in His hands is the best place for her. Learning this has been HUGE for me and has made an amazing difference in mine & Britt’s relationship. He gave me peace in knowing it was time to let go and trust that He would carry Britt through her journey.

I love being a wife & mom! It is something I dreamed about for as far back as I can remember. God has blessed me with an amazing husband and two incredible children. It has been a privilege & honor to care for them and to watch them grow in their relationship with Christ. One thing I know without any doubt is that my God never wastes an opportunity to help His children grow and to bring glory to Himself. He has been AWESOME to me!!!

A word for moms of young children...give yourselves a break! If you are seeking God for guidance, He WILL guide you! And remember, when you mess up, God is the Master at turning a mess into something beautiful for His glory!

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. “ Romans 8:28

So this is my first experience with blogging. I'm not at all sure what I'm doing. If you happen to end up here, please bare with me while I'm trying to figure it out.