Turning 30

Well, with exactly 6 days left in my twenties I’m not sure how to feel. I’m excited to be starting a new chapter in my life. I’ve got a great life. Phenomenal family, amazing friends, great job and the beauty of knowing that I worship an awesome God. That doesn’t mean that I’m not a little apprehensive about turning the big 30. I remember turning 20 and thinking that would be the year that God would give me a husband, I would start planning a wedding and get ready to “start my life.” It’s funny looking back on it now. Good gracious I wasn’t ready for any of that when I was 20. I’ve had to grow up, a lot. I’ve learned how to be by myself and be responsible for myself. Does that mean I’m perfect, no of course not, but at least I can go to the grocery store by myself…that’s right I wouldn’t do that when I was twenty.

I remember worrying about how I was going to go to the movies and go out and eat with my friends on the same allowance I was getting from my parents when I was twenty. Now I’m concerned about money in retirement funds and wanting to purchase a home. Wow. Things have changed. I still have some of the same close friends, and my relationship with my family.

I’ve gone from a college student to a college and career counselor. I’ve gone from co-dependant to independent. I’ve gained so much experience and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for my life.

One thing remains the same through the last ten years. I love shoes...but I'd rather go bare footed any time!

Husband

I came across this list in my Lady in Waiting book from college. When I read this list, it's truly what my heart desired at that time. And what a time it was. Shaun had gotten married, and I had yet to really get mixed up in the whole Jessie thing. I was at a place that if i think now, I was open to the possibility of a man that fulfilled that list, but wasn't ready for one. Now, I think I might be ready, but I don't know?. Gosh boys mix me up. One day this is what I know I need and want, the next day I believe that I would be a horrible wife and mom. Oh well...just wanted to post this list.

Spirit Controlled Christian

17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ ~Ephesians 5:17-20

Jesus is Number One in His Life

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. ~Mark 12:30
Broken, Relies Totally on the Lord13 I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me ~ Philipians 4:13

Ministry Minded

1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. ~ 1 Corinthians 4:1-2
Motivator; Man of Visison;

Concerned about Lost Souls

14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! ~Romans 10:14-15

Sensitive Spririt , in tune with needs of others

2Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Gal 6:2

Understands the awesome responsibility of a husband to a wife

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body,[a] of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh Eph 5:25-31

Humble enough to be a disciple and disciple others

19 Go therefore[a] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen Matthew 28:19-20

Man of Prayer

2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving Col 4:2

Family Man

6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it Proverbs 22:6

Baptism

Growing up confused...mom's methodist, dad pentacostal. Going to UMHB confused me more because I saw a lot of politics interrupted within the faith. So I joined the church of christ after a long time of thinking. At the time I think I was searching for something, when all the time, it was truly God's will. One Sunday night the minister talked to us about a passage in James, so I wanted to include these verses because they really are the reason that I was baptized. I got baptised on a Tuesday night, after during an elder's meeting. It was almost 7 years ago...but boy was it awesome.

22But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Don't just sit and listen to the word; react--do not kid yourself.

23For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

Because if you just listen and don't react you are fooling yourself

24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

A liar looks at himself and just continues

25But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

If you follow the will and words of God and do not ignor him, you will be blessed.

26If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.

If you claim to be religious and fool your own heart, you aren't truly His

27Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Do not be of this world, but work with those who can not help themselves, and be of God

It truly was this passage in James that let me know that I should follow the will of God.

Grace

Grace...
I "Stumbled" upon this passaged in 2 Corinthians as I was avoiding work today. The passage is from Paul's 2nd letter to the church at Corinth, verses 7-9.

7And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul was having a hard time and pleaded to Christ to remove his pain...but that's when we are told what we must all remember. HIS GRACE is sufficient for us. HIS STRENGTH is shown and made perfect in our weakness. That's what I struggle with alot as well. I have trouble admitting my weaknesses, from worldly to physically to spiritually.

WOW-- I looked up the word GRACE at Merriam Websters online...and this is the definition--unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification. That's so insane. I have never realized how the actual definition of something could have an impact. What I recieve is totally unmerited. I am so BLESSED to have forgiveness over and over and over again. How crazy. I am given that grace so that I might be renewed and set apart. That's right...set apart. I don't think about it often enough that not everyone has a Savior that did this for them.

I thought of these lyrics as well from a Matthew West song "Only Grace" I think they really get the point across.

There is no guilt here There is no shame No pointing fingers There is no blame
What happened yesterday…has disappeared The dirt has washed away And now it's clear
There's only grace There's only love There's only mercy and believing it's enough

Your sins are gone Without a trace And there's nothing left now There's only grace

You're starting over now

Under the sun

You're stepping forward now

A new life has begun

Your new life has begun
An’ there's only grace

There's only love

There's only mercy and believing…it's enough

Your sins are gone

Without a trace

And there's nothing left now

There's only grace…

I think those words are pretty poweful...I pray that I truly start remembering them.

Why I am Church of Christ

Why church of Christ...
First and foremost, I am a child of God. A twenty-eight year old child, but a child none the less. I picked the verse in the title of my blog from my favorite Bible verse, Psalm 94:19. I truly believe that our only true comfort is resting assuredly in the fact that our Lord and Savior has a plan, sometimes beautiful, sometimes not, for our lives.

Does that mean I believe that we don't have free will...absolutely not. I believe that our choices take us down a path that we need to go down. God knows what route we are going to choose before we even take it...we can fight it all we want, but we will end up where he wants us to.I'm a member of the church of Christ--and I love it.

The church often gets called fundamental, degrading to women, or old fashioned, but as a member( who is female and very well educated thank you very much) I have to disagree. Fundamental, by definition means serving as an original or generating source or of or relating to essential structure, function, or facts--doesn't sound to bad to me. We are a New Testament church, which basically means that we believe that the New Testament is our roadmap of life. We "speak where the bible speaks and are silent where the bible is silent" to quote a much used phrase. It just means that we don't use outside sources as a daily reference guide to life. I read devotional books and church history books all the time...that's not the point. But I don't use a book of prayer or any other form of liturgical press that tells me what the bible says, we use the Bible itself. To me, its less confusing that way...and one of the main reasons that I became a member of the body of Christ.

Secondly, I have never felt that the church has degraded me. I feel as though women are highly revered in our church and in Christianity. I will find it a pleasure, and my purpose to be both a Christian wife and mother. I also, however, am a counselor with a Master's degree, a former teacher, a friend, and sister. I have not taught at church, but know many women who do teach classes on Sundays and Wednesdays. I do however believe that 1 Timothy outlines what formal worship should look like, and women should take a secondary role. Old fashioned--A) Why is that bad, and B) What does that mean? Most often I am questioned about the "wives submit to your husbands" thing. This is so taken out of context in Ephesians...what the bible says is: 22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church.

I look at it like this...its a compromise. Duh.Anyway...off my soapbox...will write more later

Making it Public!

I've had a few blogs before, but I've never made them public. So, I have decided to repost some of my stuff and actually try to write on a regular basis...hope you enjoy! 7 more days till the flirty 30. Or as I like to call it, 29--The Sequel.