Thankful

We had a great sermon this morning (November 20) where we were asked by our pastor to write down things that we are thankful for this past year. Some even got up to share - small church style. It was a neat exercise. I was thinking back over the year and thought that there are things I can always be thankful for, but I was looking for something specific. I was specifically thankful for a nephew, another wonderful year of marriage, a new TV, and our girls trip to Gatlinburg....just to name a few. As I was reflecting on our trip this year, I got sad about how Grandma wasn't there. It was just sadness that filled my mind instead of the wonderful time we had. The Spirit turned my attention to a wonderful aspect I had been neglecting in that moment. It was the 22 years I got to spend with my Grandma. I chose in that moment to cherish the one year I got to go with her. I chose to think about the wonderful person she was in my life, the impact she had on me, the wonderful mom she gave me, and how healthy my mom is. I chose to think about the blessing of sharing this with my mom, the memories we've made and will continue to make, and the relationship we have. In addition, God's blessed me with an amazing dad, better than any dad I could imagine. He's given me a wonderful husband to partner with in life who loves me unconditionally. In that moment, I realized the true difference between happiness and joy, and I'm so thankful God works in my life to teach me these things.

2-Year Anniversary

For our anniversary, Cooper and I decided to go to a Cardinal's game. We hadn't been to a game in a while, and I decided I'd always regret it if Pujols didn't sign again with the Cardinals and I missed him play with St. Louis for the last time. So, we thought it'd be fun to go up, enjoy a game, and eat at Ruth's Chris. I had never been before, and what better way to celebrate my recent improvement in gastrointestinal issues by eating a steak, right?

Well, the Cardinals lost 0-7 to the Pirates, but we did see Carpenter pitch. One lady we met in the elevator at the hotel put it very well, "Win, lose, or draw....that's sports, and that's supporting your team. So just enjoy yourself." And we did. You can't beat ball park nachos (or Cooper might say bratworst...yuck!)

My Best Friend's Wedding

My best friend, Elizabeth, got married right around my birthday...the same day as the Royal Wedding to be exact! It was a great time with friends.

Take a look at some pics!

And yes, I got a spray tan. I'm not normally that dark, nor am I into the whole skin cancer thing.

Living in Victory

God is teaching me a lot these days, and I felt the Spirit moving me to share it. I feel as though we overspiritualize things sometimes and forget the truths we know. We sing "Oh victory in Jesus, my Savior forever." We think our victory is future rather than know what it means to live in it in the present.

Many of us have read Ephesians 1 and used it to separate us Christians as far as theology goes. I'd like to explore another possibility. I believe Paul's context and God's intention was to give us a gratefulness of our salvation covering our past, a hope for the future, and an enjoyment of the present. We talk a lot about suffering as though we should be exempt as Christians, but it creates more of a dependence on God. This equals a good thing obviously. I think we think comfort and blessings are the signs of God's love but ignore that suffering, trials, and difficulties are as well.

If God sent His Son to save us from sin and eternal death, which we deserve, then He moves us to worship, glorify, and bring others to Him. That is our purpose and only purpose. Did we forget that our fulfillment comes from Him as well? Did we forget to allow ourselves to be happy in our salvation and our Lord? This means living in victory. Some would twist this to mean an entitlement to blessings, happiness, and no trouble whatsoever. Christ died so that we may live in victory...are we living with as much victory as He died to give us? Are we thankful for every moment and using it for Him? I know I don't always do this, and it's so easy to lose sight of why we are here. But we must allow ourselves to enjoy our life that is rooted in Christ. This isn't out of selfish comfort and desires of our heart but of a renewed mind and new heart. We have been given God himself as a replacement for sins and as a guide in our hearts. We already know the outcome of this world...so why don't we live like we do? The reason is the darkness we face in this world.

I find a lot of hope and encouragement, which I know I desperately need in wise counsel. That wise counsel today was my mother and Joyce Meyer. I thank my Mom for living in victory in spite of difficult circumstances, not letting those circumstances become the focus of her life but allow herself to enjoy it in Christ and the life she has in Him. I think the world of my parents and thank them for always being a light and hopeful even when things were hard. My dad is a wonderful example of this as well as he has lead the family and youth through the years no matter how hard his life got.

I will finish with some words I got from Joyce Meyer, "A renewed mind is stronger than false feelings. You'll never have victory in your life until what you KNOW overrides how you FEEL. Don't sit around empty-headed. You're a sitting duck for an attack from Satan. The more Scripture and positive thoughts, the less you dwell on the bad ones." This is practical advice to me to overcome what so easily entangles us as women...our emotions. They are God-given for good, but Satan can use them for evil.

If you are not a Christian and reading this blog, please know there is grace for your past, hope for your future, and victory for today if you will surrender your life to God, allow Him to be the boss of your life, and turn from your selfish ways. The more holy we view God and get a realistic glimpse of Him and His character, we immediately realize we deserve nothing but death and despair. Praise be to God for His love, compassion, and providence over everything that happens to us!

Heaven is for Real

Yes, it's been a while since I've blogged. It's sad, really. However, I felt like my life was boring and no one wanted to read about it. I realized that while I enjoy people reading my blog, I think I like writing more. So, here goes:

For the first time EVER....I read an entire book in a single afternoon. This was no easy feat with many distractions around me on a beautiful Saturday. However, this book captivated me, mostly because I still grieve very heavily the loss of Grandma. It is encouraging to read about Heaven. And why not? After all, can't we dream about the place we hope for? Through the grieving process, I've heard it said that we shouldn't long for Heaven because our loved ones are there; we should long for it to be with God. While this is a very obvious realization, it occurred to me that it is not that I want to see Grandma more than God one day. It's that my hope in the afterlife gets to include one of my favorite people. I've only known her to be chronically ill. To think that one day I will see her well for the first time is an incredible hope. This is not only encouraging, but it should encourage us to share the Gospel with everyone we love.

What is this book you ask? Why, it's "Heaven is for Real." It's a fabulous true story of a near-death experience of a 4-year-old boy, retold by his dad. Their horrific incident of almost losing their son to appendicitis provided a blessing to many as retold through this book. I don't want to give anything away, but it paints a beautiful, realistic picture of Heaven. It makes it more real than our imaginations could, because the boy actually went there. We all know we ask ourselves these questions: Is there fun in Heaven? What does Jesus look like? Will we recognize each other? What do angels look like? Can we still learn things in Heaven? How old are we in Heaven? Do babies go to Heaven? You know you want to know. And while God has chosen to keep the details private (probably because we can't handle how great it will be), He can and does reveal bits and pieces in His own time and way.

If you know me, I have really odd analogies, but that's because my mind works kind of strangely. Just stay with me. Have you ever found something to be interesting and even exciting, but when you are actually face to face with it, then it becomes a thousand times more special to you? For instance, I like Carrie Underwood. She's one of my favorite singers, and her CD was on repeat in my car for a while. Before long, I tossed the CD aside after wearing it out and thought about giving it a listen every now and then. The time came to go to her concert, and I was listening to that thing like crazy. When actually at the concert, I couldn't have imagined anything in music comparing to her vocal performance. I went around telling people how amazing she sang and how great the concert was. In a similar way, this book renewed my love and amazement with Heaven. By no means am I comparing our eternal fate to a Carrie Underwood concert. What I am saying is that when something becomes more real to you, you can't help but want to share about it and reflect on it. That's what this book did for me.