IF YOU WANT ME TO

I am sharing with you all a song that has meant a lot to me over the years, and even more so lately. Ginny Owens is an artist whom I love, and who has many songs that touch me down deep. I believe the lyrics of this song are relevant to any Christian, you just have to believe the truth that God knows what is best for us, just as our earthly fathers know better than we do as small children.

I have had a long time habit of listening to worship music in bed when I am trying to go to sleep. I remember back when I had a couple of cds that I kept in circulation(I would listen on a discman with big, old school headphones). A few nights ago I returned to this habit, which I had abandoned and the first album I clicked on on my ipod happened to be Without Condition by Ginny Owens. I had not listened to this album for probably at least 6 months, and when I came to this song, I realized it had a little more relevance to my life today than I had ever felt before. I had to share it with my husband immediately. You see, Dan and I have made it a point to share our lessons and experiences throughout this trial, and we feel that is strengthening our relationship with each other as well as our individual relationships with God. As odd as it may seem, I thank God that we are experiencing such a difficult trial at the beginning of our marriage. Because of these lessons we are learning, and the closer we are drawing to each other, I believe we will be able to turn to God and cling to each other anytime trouble comes our way.

Proverbs 31

I have had a rough week. My migraine pain has been excruciating, I have had lots of trouble sleeping, and run fever off and on. Not exactly my ideal week. I think the worst of it has been that I feel cognitively limited. There are many things that I have learned and want to share on this blog, but feel like I am very unable to organize my thoughts well enough to compose a post. As it is I feel like my past posts are very discombobulated and ADDish.

I had pledged to add at least a post a week, so I am going to post my interpretation/modern re-write of Proverbs 31: 10-31. I believe every Christian woman should aspire to be a Proverbs 31 woman. There are so many wonderful principles represented in this bit of scripture that anyone would be exhausted trying to attain them all, but we should all try to become the best woman we can. I took the scriptures verse by verse to try and make it more relevant to women today.

My version of the Proverbs 31 woman

10-A virtuous woman is to be cherished above all else on earth, for she is a rare treasure.

11-She is happy and content with all that her husband provides, never asking for more of her wants.

12-She works hard to please her husband in every way, all the days of her life.

13- She is happy and eager to serve, always seeking new opportunities to reach out.

14-She makes a conscious effort to get the best food for her family.

15-She gets up early, before the rest of the house in order to prepare for the day with spiritual and physical manna for her family.

16-She does research before making any big decision, and then follows through with her plan.

17-She is proactive in exercising to keep her physical body well.

18-She is frugal, and consistently working to better her family.

19-She is anxious to work with her hands.

20-She is eager to help those less fortunate.

21-She prepares her family for coming trials and storms through prayer and fasting.

22-She dresses modestly so as not to show off.

23-She encourages and enables her husband to do his work of ministry out in the world.

24-She finds ways to create profitable goods to sell, and help her family financially.

25-She is strong and dignified and looks forward to what is ahead with gladness.

26-Whenever she speaks, she speaks with wisdom and kindness.

27-She does not gossip, and she ensures all is well at home.

28-She raises her children in the light of God so as they can be a blessing.

28/29-Her husband praises her character and disposition with great respect.

30-She worships God above all other things.

31-She provides such a powerful example through her husband and family that all will see her passionate love for the Lord!

It is well!

I heard the story behind the following hymn a few days ago, and I am really interested in history like this anyway, but it also really caught my attention since it is one of my favorite hymns.  I was at my little cousin’s birthday party this morning when one of my cousins started to really express concern about my health and saying she felt bad, and really wanted to figure out how to help me.  I certainly appreciate her care and concern, but am so blessed that I can honestly proclaim ‘It is well with my soul’! I do not have any fear about tomorrow, because whatever tomorrow brings will not be a problem for me to handle with God in control of my life!

I wish you all a blessed, Christ filled day tomorrow!
 
IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

By Horatio G. Spafford

This hymn was written after two major traumas in Spafford’s life. The first was the great Chicago Fire of October 1871, which ruined him financially (he had been a wealthy businessman). Shortly after, while crossing the Atlantic, all four of Spafford’s daughters died in a collision with another ship. Spafford’s wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, “Saved alone.” Several weeks later, as Spafford’s own ship passed near the spot where his daughters died, the Holy Spirit inspired these words. They speak to the eternal hope that all believers have, no matter what pain and grief befall them on earth.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
 When sorrows like sea billows roll;
 Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
 It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

 It is well, with my soul,
 It is well, with my soul,
 It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
 Let this blest assurance control,
 That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
 And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

 Refrain

 My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
 My sin, not in part but the whole,
 Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
 Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

 Refrain

 For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
 If Jordan above me shall roll,
 No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
 Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

 Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
 The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
 Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
 Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
 The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
 The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
 Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

Holy Spirit to the rescue!

One story of the Bible I have been relating to the last couple days is David’s time from when he was anointed by God, to when he was finally crowned king.  Yesterday was an especially hard day for me. I was in severe pain, and greatly lacking energy.  I was especially frustrated by the fact that it was the second day of the NCAA tournament, and I could not even open my eyes to watch the games!  You’ll have to understand that this is one of my favorite times of year simply because March Madness.  I understand that this is a little petty to most people, but life has sort of been passing me by lately. (I have rarely seen anyone besides my lovely husband, and my friends at Bible study these past three months, leaving the apartment once a week is quite the accomplishment you see. Call me stir crazy!)

I must admit, the main thing getting me through this period is definitely the Holy Spirit!  For many years I didn’t understand the Holy Spirit. I grew up hearing very dramatic stories of people who would be ‘slain in the Spirit’ and start speaking in tongues, as well as thrashing around and so on, which frankly scared me, being raised in a Southern Baptist church where the gift of speaking in tongues was sort of an avoided topic. Because of this, I could not really understand really how I could experience the Holy Spirit without having such events happen to me.  Maybe, the church as a whole has a misunderstanding on the subject?

I will tell you though that over the last few years, I have done a lot more study as well as increased the quantity and quality of my prayer life throughout the day, which combined have shed a lot of light on the subject.  As I have learned, the Holy Spirit is or constant and present contact with the Trinity.  We know that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are one and the same, but think of the three different roles represented, and you will understand the Holy Spirit is how we hear from God, and a way of receiving His comfort.
I know for a fact that God has a very powerful mission for my life.  The hardest part of this trial has ultimately been the fact that I am not out in the public actively seeking to complete the Great Commission.  Now obviously this is a commandment God has given to each of us, and God may have more in store for me than just that, but that is something I am positive of and want to be out actively working towards.  When I first came to the realization that I was not able to do that right now and that it could be a while before I am able, I was bummed, and then decided I was going to study, pray, and worship as often and as much as I can during this time. I will admit that there are times when I am not feeling up to it and choose to watch TV, or allow my thoughts to drift to worldly things, but I have been able to greatly multiply my time and closeness with the Lord.  My hope is that I will continue drawing closed to him and that I will be able to maintain that and even be able to hear the Holy Spirit lead me without distraction once I come through this trial.
Where I am relating to David’s story is when I think of the fact that he had already been anointed by God to be king and therefore knew how he could have a major impact on the world,27 years before it was to happen. David was just a young scrawny, kind of forgotten boy when he learned of the great plan God had in store for him. He had countless trials he had to endure before he was made king. Think of the fact that he was living in caves on the run from his father-in-law who wanted to murder him for ten years! Talk about a reason to stress out, and possibly even lose faith!
Now obviously, my trial has not been near as long, and certainly not as tough, but I do feel like I can empathize a bit.  I hope I will not have to endure such a struggle, but I know that as long as I keep in mind that the Holy Spirit is always with me, I can handle anything.  I can even keep a smile on my face and a happy heart through it all!!  I can honestly say that even though, I may not be living what most people would consider a full life right now, I have never been happier, or felt such wonderful peace!
I pray that each and every one of you who read this will realize the power of the Holy Spirit.  Without Him in my life I don’t know, and certainly don’t care to know where I would be right now.  Even though I am struggling through what would completely devastate and depress the average person, I am able to keep my chin up through it all, knowing that no matter what, my God is with me, and he will not forsake me!!

More than half full

I have realized we have three main enemies as Christians: the world, the flesh, and Satan who uses others as his tools. These are things that we can all have mighty battles with sporadically, or even frequently at times. The best way to protect ourselves is to accept the overflowing cup that Christ provides for us to drink from.

I am listening to a new sermon series that takes me verse by verse through Psalm 23. Pastor Levi Lusko does a great job of using various quotes, cultural references and related scripture to really bring forth the relevance of the Bible to our world today. In the series he speaks on Verse 5 and the fact that Middle Eastern shepherds during David's time would give their sheep a cool refreshing drink of water from a cup before they would bed down for the night. When you think about a sheep's muzzle you can understand that if a cup was only a quarter or half of the way full the sheep would not be able to reach far enough in to get much water so the shepherd would always offer a full cup. The blessing that we are able to proclaim is that Christ has a refreshing, marvelous cup for us to drink out of that is overflowing. Just think about the fact that when we trust in Jesus we have more than we could ever need in life.

I am a natural worrier. Some of my favorite and most dwelled upon verses are Philippians 4:6-7 and Matthew 6:25-34. These verses are so reassuring to me. I especially love in Matthew 6:25 when Jesus states, "is not life more than food and clothing?" I feel like the world encourages pettiness and materialism because the continue feeding into themselves. The Christ centered equivalent I see is that when I read God's word I hunger for it more and more. I would love to say that this is where I naturally turn when I'm worried. Sadly, though, I tend to listen to the world and stress even more. When I think about all the things I want and think I need in this world rather than trusting these verses and knowing that I am God's precious child whom I know he delights in taking care of.

Maranatha!

I finished a sermon series on the book of Revelation last night.  It was a very in depth series that consisted of 33 different sermons going through the book sometimes verse by verse.  I was super enthralled from the beginning since I realized I’d never really studied, or much less read much of Revelations.  I think it is something that many churches either avoid all together, or they focus on the fire and brimstone tribulation, and that’s it.  When I look back at my life and all the sermons I have heard, bible lessons I have been a part of, and all the quiet times I’ve had I can’t recall much about the book.  Of course, all Christians know there is talk about the rapture and the great tribulation, but what more do we know about this book without doing a proactive study?  What I have learned over the past 2 or 3 weeks it has taken me get through this series, is astonishing.  (I don’t want to divulge many details, because I ask you to please do a study yourself.)

 I remember a few years ago in my adult 1 Sunday school class, the subject came up of whether the church will be raptured before the tribulation began, or in the middle before the great tribulation, or if we would be on earth to see it all unravel.  At the time, I had been very week at personal bible study in general, and as I said before, had never really gotten into Revelation, so I could not really say anything on the subject.  I must say that now, after doing this study, I wish I could go back to that morning and tell everyone in my class, just what I have learned in this study. I want them all to know what I now know, because Revelation is purely good news for any true Christian! 

I am definitely more burdened than ever to complete the Great Commission and just win over every person I know to Christ.  There are so many scary, horrific and unimaginable things that are prophesied in the book of Revelation for unbelievers.  I want to shout from the rooftops that I am saved, and would love to be with Jesus tomorrow, but then I think about all the people I know who I have not shared the gospel with, and who may not get the chance to hear it from any other source, which makes me realize that our time is not done on this earth.  Christ is ready to use the Holy Spirit to speak through us to all sinners! I beg any Christian who reads this to read/study Revelation, and the feel that pull on your heart, and most importantly, to go out and spread the word of Jesus in your daily lives. We do not want our loved ones to suffer a day longer in Satan’s grasp!

Prayer requests
My health, this blog, my husband's job search, my ill grandfather, safety for all those on spring break, our presidential primaries, and those who are voting, and for everyone who is reading this, may you be dearly blessed today!

This is my first time ever doing a blog. I want to give a quick explanation. I am 25 at the time I am starting this blog. I have been married for almost 3 months, and have had a debilitating migraine headache for 77 days and counting.  Consequently, I cannot work, but as a blessing have had plenty of time for prayer, bible study (when I feel up to having my eyes open) and listening to many sermons on my ipod. 
A little less than a year ago I realized that I was feeling a call to the ministry. I had previously always considered being in the ministry as being a pastor, which as a strongly raised Southern Baptist believes is not a job to be performed by women. When I finally quit fighting it enough, I realized there are so many different ways to serve, that do not involve church leadership. I had sort of put it on the back burner for most of this time, while putting most of my energy into planning our wedding.  I have recently had it brought back to the forefront of my mind, for several reasons. With it being in the front of my mind, I have done a lot of praying about it over the last week or so, and been troubled a lot with the fact that I feel extremely limited at this point in my life with how I can serve. Since I have been so sick as of late, I hardly leave my house, and therefore have limited contact with anyone other than my husband. When I do get out, it is usually to a weekly Bible study, so I really don't see many non-Christians at all.  It came to me as I was laying in bed praying, since I was having such trouble sleeping: I could find away to journal, or somehow communicate my interpretation of the love and knowledge of Christ. (ergo, you are reading my first blog!)
I would like to commit to posting at least a couple times a week. I will update about what I am learning and experiencing in my relationship with Christ, as well as prayer requests, that I would love for you to share in. Please feel free to provide feedback, and ask any questions you may have.