2 Weeks of Blessings

I finally have some time to sit and blog a little bit of what has been going on with me the last 2 weeks. It has been a great 2 weeks and I am so thankful that the Lord gave us this oppurtunity to be together and do things together that normal dating couples do!! We crammed a lot into 2 weeks, but everyday was a complete blessing and I enjoyed every single second that we were together, and wouldn't have taken back anything that we did. It was so fun and so amazing.

We had so much fun just talking face to face, just the 2 of us. Laughing together, and well, me being the air-head that I am, say stuff that may have been a bit embarrassing. We were able to go out to eat with friends, head down to Chicago for the day. (A very cold, rainy day, But fun none the less), eat out together..just us, Have Easter lunch with our families, play games with my family, Watch and go to movies, Go to the domes in Milwaukee, go to college group, grow together in Christ in church, and with other couples, enjoy church together, go to -I- am pretty- sure..every mall in southeastern Wisconsin, KOPPS ;), Build-A-Bear, Milwaukee Brewers game with friends and my brother and his girlfriend, and just walk together in the park.

All in all it was such a great time together. I am so thankful and grateful that he was able to come home and we were able to do things together. I am so thankful for this time in my life, even though it is hard, I know that the Lord is working in both of us, and is going to do some amazing stuff in both of us as we are away from each other. I thank the Lord for His many blessings in my life. I am a very blessed girl, in many ways.

Have a great weekend.

Reason for My M I A

Sorry I have been M I A, for the last week or so. Life has been a bit crazy, and there is a lot of stuff just going on with me lately, and I haven't been home much to blog, but I shall surely get back to it Lord willing on Monday, blogging a little more regularly!! My boyfriend has come to town these last couple weeks, and the Lord has blessed our time together, and so I haven't been near the computer nearly as often, so hence the lack of posts. We have had a wonderful time together, which I will be sure to blog about in the near future, and I am thankful to be with him as much as we can, because Lord willing, He will be flying out Saturday and return to his post. So I am grateful for our time together, yet also for the time apart, even though to be honest, its very difficult, I continue to remember the Lord has us in different places at least at this time, for a reason, and we need best to glorify Him where he has put us, and focus on glorifying Him where he places us. And know Him deeper and love HIM deeper in the meantime!!

So I shall just leave you with a few verses that I have been meditating on today.....

"Those who are in Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires........You were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your Spirit, which are God's.'

"God forbid that I should glory EXCEPT IN THE CROSS OF OUT LORD JESUS CHRIST, by whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world."

A Life of Example

As I go through this book I am continue to find things in each of these woman's lives that I want to emulate. This morning I was looking at the life of Mary; the mother of Jesus.

I find this woman's life so incredible. This young women specifically chosen by God himself to carry the Savior of the world!! What an incredible task, and I always wonder what was going through this probably teenagers mind. She was probably in her early to mid teens when she was told she was going to carry God's son. Her response is something that I want to emulate in my life no matter what circumstances the Lord brings my way. All praise and glory went to the Lord. I am sure she was scared and possibly a little freaked out. But she trusted in the Lord and His sovereign Holy plan.

Her song of praise in Luke 1:46-55 is so awesome, it is so clear that her heart and mind were already thoroughly saturated with the word of God. The song is all about God's greatness,His glory, the strength of His arm, and His faithfulness across all generations. She seemed amazed that an absolutely holy God would do such great things for one as undeserving as she is. I wonder the same sometimes the same thing, about the things the Lord does, and blesses me with. I am so humbled and grateful.

I am so encouraged by Mary's humbleness and faithfulness to the Lord's plans for her life. But I don't want my life to reflect Mary's life in a sense, Mary was still a sinner just like you and me, and needed a Savior just as we do. But I want my life to be like Christs. The perfect, sinless, Savior. May I follow Him completely with all that I am for the rest of my life.

Lessons From A Beauty, First Lady, A Harlot, and A daughter-in-law

I see that its been awhile since I have blogged. Life lately I feel just keeps getting crazier with stuff the kids need (which is when I usually blog-when they are napping), Salon overtime, youth group, friends, and trying to relax. Overall, life is going superb, I have nothing to complain about, the Lord is good, and has blessed me more abundantly than I could ever ask for, or deserve. I am daily growing and seeing sin for what it is, Daily seeking repentance, and seeing my need for Christ more and more, and seeing what an amazing God that we have, and for that alone, I have nothing to complain about.

But I thought I would update you on what I am reading through during my personal time. I have read this book before, a few years ago when I was at Bible School, and decided to pick it up again and read it. I remember enjoying it, and learning a lot then, and figured I could learn new or more things from these women. It is the book called 12 Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur. I also hope on planning to read 12 Ordinary Men by John MacArthur as well, after I am done with this one. I am on chapter 4 already and learned and looked at the life of Ruth. I have never studied the book of Ruth so much, but since January I think I have looked at it at least 10+ times. We looked and learned from it at Fort on the youth retreat, and then again at the woman's Bible study for my ABF class, and then now as I am going through this book. Through it all, I have seen just how Sovereign God is, and His plans and His timing are always for the best. Even in the midst of the worst, God is STILL working. I am continually thankful and grateful for this. I learn this more and more as I get older and grow more in Christ. I always think that my time is perfect for stuff, and when it doesn't happen and the Lord does it in His timing, I see how much better it is.

I have also looked at the lives of Eve, Sarah and Rahab. All such extraordinary women whom I can learn from. I won't go on and on, but just a few things are from Eve--living embodiment of humanity's glory, An excellent reminder of what woman's true priorities ought to be, a wonderful illustration of the goodness of God's grace and the perfect wisdom of His will...Sarah-A legendary beauty, desired to be a mother, FAITHFUL wife, EXCELLENT example of submission, Devoted wife, A sinner, A women who FEARED the Lord....And from Rahab...Life devoted to the profane pursuit of carnal self-gratification, a great example of faith, and the thing I took away most from the life of Rahab..She is a reminder that God by HIS grace can redeem the most horrible life.

I am so, so thankful for these women and the many ways I am challenged by them , and encouraged by them. I hope to live a life of submission to my future husband, be that faithful wife, and be a women who DAILY fears the Lord with all that I am. I thank the Lord often for these biblical examples for me to learn and grow from. I encourage you to read the life and stories of these women and hope you learn a lot from them as well.

Thoughts for Tuesday

We must always be accepted for Christ's sake, or we cannot

ever be accepted at all. This is not true of us only "when we believe".

It is just as true after we have believed. It will continue to be true as long

as we live. Our need of Christ does not cease with or believing; nor does the nature

of our relation to Him or to God through Him ever alter, no matter what our attainments in

Christian behavior may be. It is always on His "blood and righteousness" alone that we

can rest. There is never anything that we are or have or do that can take His place, or that

can take a place along with Him. We are always unworthy, and all that we have or do of good

is always of pure grace.

B.B. Warfield

"Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God's majesty."

John Calvin

Valley of Vision

Thou fairest,greatest, first of all objects,
my heart admires, adores, loves thee,
for my little vessel is as full as it can be
and I would pour out all that fullness before thee in
ceaseless flow.

When I think upon and converse with thee
ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,
ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,
ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,
crowding into every moment of happiness.

I bless thee for the soul thou hast created
for adorning it, sanctifying it, though it is fixed in barren soil;
for the body thou hast given me.
for preserving its strength and vigor,
for providing senses to enjoy delights,
for the ease and freedom of my limbs,
for hands, eyes, ears, that do thy bidding
for thy royal bounty providing my daily support,
for a full table and overflowing cup,
for appetite, taste, sweetness,
for social joys of relatives and friends,
for the ability to serve others,
for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,
for a mind to care for my fellow-men
for opportunities of spreading happiness around,
for loved ones in the joy of heaven,
for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.

I love thee above the powers of language to express,
for what thou art to thy creatures.

Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.