Prayer is so important!

Last night I couldn't sleep. I lay in bed from eleven thirty to four in the morning, tossing and turning and counting in my head and wishing I could get to sleep. Finally, I realized something: It had been days since I had *really* prayed. 

Oh, I had prayed quickly- "Lord, thank you for my family, I'm so blessed to have them. And please help my friend feel better with her illness. Amen". 

Those quick prayers are fine and good. I'm not knocking them. We need to be in constant contact with God throughout our day- praying quickly and often is good for us! 

Many small prayers throughout our day keep us in touch with the Lord.

Sort of like how you may not stop and talk to a friend for hours at a time, but, you text them a sentence or two throughout the day to keep in touch.

But a text to a friend now and again is not enough. You will be in the dark about many things going on in your friends life and you will not really understand her heart, unless you specifically and intentionally carve out time to really get to know her. To have long conversations and share eachother's hearts.

That is what I needed. That is what I hadn't done for several days.

I'd quickly spoken to God throughout my day, but I hadn't prayed kind of prayer where the time just flies by because your heart is so wrapped up in the Lord...the kind of prayer that, when you are finished, leaves you feeling like you just poured your deepest feelings with your very best friend. 

That is what I needed so desperately.

I try, when I pray, to follow the example Christ gave for us (The Lord's Prayer) by first praising the Lord and thanking Him, followed by asking for God's will to be done, then humbly asking for the things I need or want, and finally asking God to forgive my sins and be with me to help me turn from sin in the future. Following this example from The Lord's Prayer helps me to stay focused. 

As I lay in bed, I prayed. It could have been an hour or two, I don't know- I just know I was pouring my heart out, sharing everything that was inside of me, talking and talking and talking to Jesus as my best friend.

By the time I was "done" with my prayer, I felt the most incredible peace wash over me. I felt God's calming presence, and I knew the He was listening to His child. And talking to my savior must have been just the thing I needed, because as I finished my prayer, I immediately and easily slipped into a peaceful slumber. 

How many times must we toss and turn in our beds with the worries of the day haunting us, until we realize that we are not alone? Prayer is SO necessary to our hearts and minds. 

My grandparents always had a little plaque on their wall that said, "Have you prayed about it?" As a child and teenager and now an adult, it was always a good reminder to me that if I was worried about something, the very first thing I needed to do was pray. 

As you go to bed tonight, I would encourage you to remember to pray. Don't pray as a routine, or as a ritual that must be done with certain words and certain timing. Purpose to end your day with a heart-to-heart conversation with your best friend. 

Not only does He desperately long to hear from us, but, we SO need that time with Him. 

I believe that you will find yourself feeling lighter, sleeping better, and enjoying a sense of calm you didn't have before. Prayer is good for the heart, the mind, the soul, and the body.  

Sweet dreams!

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. -Psalm 4:8

Winter is a reminder of the fall of man

Today my mom and I spent a few hours raking and bagging leaves in our yard, no easy task since our yard is quite large. We wanted to surprise my dad when he came home from work, since he probably thought he would end up doing all the yard work- it is so much fun to surprise someone by getting work done so they won't have to do it!  While bagging up piles of wet, limp leaves (and seeing the gloomy looking bare tree branches) I was reminded of the fall of man. 

It would be easier not to have trees in our yard at all, so that in the fall and winter we wouldn't have to do all the raking and bagging of leaves. 

But if we didn't have any trees in our yard, we wouldn't get their shade and their beauty in the spring and summer. 

We have to work the ground in order to enjoy the beauty in the spring.

Before sin, man did not toil or labor in order to keep a pretty garden. God made the beautiful garden and kept it perfect for his perfect creation. Everything was the way it should have been, the way God wanted it. It didn't even rain back then- God caused dew to rise from the ground. Man simply ate from the trees and didn't know what hard work was. Imagine not knowing what hard work was! 

It was only after the first sin, after the fall of man, that man began to have to really work to keep his environment livable and sustainable. 

It was part of the curse, the punishment for sin. 

God told Eve that her punishment would be that childbirth would be painful. 

This is something that is unique to humans- those who work with animals have stated that animals do not experience the levels of pain that humans do when giving birth- animals are able to give birth with discomfort, but not pain (barring some unforeseen problem in birth). This makes sense, since animals do not have free will- they simply behave exactly the way God made them to behave! 

But humans, who have free will and chose to go against God's word, now experience pain in childbirth. 

What only animals now experience is probably how God originally designed childbirth to be for all creatures, but human women's childbirth was changed by God to be painful as punishment.

The other part of Eve's punishment was that she would desire her husband and he would rule over her. Some people think this means that originally God had Adam and Eve as more of equal partners, but after Eve caused the downfall of mankind, God stated to her that her husband would now rule over her. 

Adam's punishment was that things would no longer come easily to him- he would not be in the perfect garden anymore, and he would now have to labor and sweat, working the ground in order to make a life for his family. 

So, the bare trees lying on the ground and us spending hours raking and bagging leaves reminded me of how far we are from the garden of Eden and what God intended for us to have. All because of our sinful nature, to go our own way instead of following God's word! 

When we work to rake and bag the leaves, we can really feel the impact of the choices of Adam and Eve so long ago. 

But, the good part is that even though God has punished mankind with toil and labor and seasons of empty cold, He still chooses to bless his wayward children...every year God sends the springtime to us again.  Soon the barren trees will be full and beautiful, and we will be reminded of God's love for us. 

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land. Song of Solomon 2:11-12

Losing Bunny

When Bunny first showed up at our back door, our dog Max didn't treat her like the neighborhood cats he'd chased away, Bunny was always different. She came up onto our deck, hungry and begging, an emaciated mama cat unable to nurse her kittens. We brought her a bowl of milk to start with, and Max, who normally would have charged ahead to get to the milk, just hung back, not trying to get the milk, simply watching her lap it up quietly. When she finished it, he tentatively crept forward and after a few minutes he began gently licking her head. She purred.

Bunny didn't come into our house that day, in fact it would be a few weeks before we saw her again. 

But Max didn't forget about her. Even while she was away, he seemed to know that she was going to be his friend. 

When we finally brought Bunny into our home for good, Max was excited and knew she was here to stay, and he was happy about it- He literally brought her every single toy he had- 

One by one, he laid each of his toys down in front of her, with a little wag of his tail, as if to say, "Im glad you're here to stay now. I've been waiting and waiting for my friend to come."  

Of course Bunny could not play with his toys, most of them were almost as big as she was! 

But, she must have understood the offer of his toys meant he liked her and wanted her around. 

She was never afraid of the giant dog. 

When Max took walks Bunny trotted along beside him. People would come out of their houses to see her taking a walk with her friend.

Bunny was also the only cat allowed the privilege of laying on Max's bed. If any of our other cats tried it, he would poke them off the bed indignantly. But when Bunny laid down on Max's bed, Max just laid down beside her. If she took up too much room, he'd lay on the bare floor next to her instead of making her move. 

Last year on the day before Christmas Eve, we lost Max to a heart attack. Today we had to say goodbye to our Bunny. 

As the veterinarian examined Bunny, she had to tell us that there was no heartbeat: Bunny was gone. Then the doctor leaned down, kissed our cat on the head and told her, "Now you can go be with Max and you can go see your babies."

So Bunny was gone. After a long and stressful night, she had fallen asleep on my shoulder, relaxed and comfortable, ready to drift off into dreamland and leave the world behind.

And I'd like to think that when she woke up, Max was waiting there, along with Bunny's kittens ready to finally be with their mama. 

And just like that day so many years ago, Max will greet her with a little wag of his tag, as if to say, "I'm glad you're here to stay now. I've been waiting and waiting for my friend to come."

The Most Important Day of My Life

The most important day of my life happened when I was just six years old.

I grew up in a Christian household. I was blessed to be born into a family that loved the Lord and tried to live to honor Him.  Had I not been raised to be a Christian, I certainly still could have become a Christian later in life, but, it would have been a much harder road, and there's the possibility I would never have even been introduced to Christ, much less fall in love with Him.  Starting out my life in a family that already knew and loved the Lord certainly gave me an advantage.  (Although I do want to add that people who weren't raised in a Christian household but heard and felt the Lord calling to them certainly have a beautiful and powerful testimony to share!)

Another thing that gave me an advantage is that I'm just not a skeptic.  Some people are very skeptical.  I don't mean just about God, I mean just in general.  They have to see real, indisputable proof or they just can't bring their minds to accept a thing.  I'm not like that.  I never felt the need to have solid proof in order to believe in something.  To me, my faith IS my proof.  The faith that I have in God and the things He had done in my life, in my heart, and in the world are all the proof I'll ever need.  I feel sad for people who cannot believe unless they see.  I remember as a teenager, reading a book about the life of poet Emily Dickinson.  A religious revival was sweeping Amherst, and right and left Emily's friends were going up before the church to declare their faith in Jesus.   Emily wrote about how she, too, wanted to have a strong faith. She wanted to believe just as earnestly as her friends did.  But even though she wanted to believe, she just...couldn't.   I remember crying at that part, thinking how sad it was to desperately want to believe but to find yourself so skeptical, so in need of solid proof, that you end up being unable or unwilling to give your whole heart over.

And of course, the trouble with proof is, once you have it- that’s all you have.  If there was some way for you to PROVE Jesus Christ is who He says He is, then you’d have your proof…but you wouldn’t have faith.   Not really, anyway.  Faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 KJV). Faith is all about not needing proof!  Faith is knowing something in your heart, instead of in your head.

So let me go back to that day- the day I was saved.  I’d always heard about God and Jesus of course, and I’d grown up listening to Bible stories and going to Sunday School, but it never felt personal.  It was just…stories.  I believed them, the same way I’d believe a history book, but it just didn’t really connect to my heart yet.  Until one day, in Sunday School, my teacher ended the lesson by talking about Jesus’ love for us.  Not just a general kind of love, as in God loves the whole world, but an individual love- that Jesus loved each and every one of us.  And He wanted us to be with Him forever.  God cannot abide sin, but Jesus came to take all our sins away from us.  He gave His life, spilled His blood, because only the blood of the savior could wash us clean as snow.

And you know what?

Even if you were the only person in the whole world who needed Him- you, just one little insignificant person- if you were the only person that would or could ever be saved by Him,

He still would have done it.

All of the pain, the humiliation, agony, death…all of it.  He’d do it. To save you. Just you.  He wouldn’t think, “I’ll go through this is it will save a thousand people,” or, “Well, I guess I can do it to save a hundred lives.”  

He did what He did because He thought of the people He loved, and He counted you among them.

Because He loves you.

He knows you inside and out, He knows your heart, He knows every thought you’ve ever had- and despite every wicked thought and deed, your heart is still the most precious thing in the world to Him.

So…

It wasn’t just a story.

It wasn’t just a history lesson.  It was Someone who loved me, Someone who had spent my whole life calling out to me, and waiting for me to answer Him.

So I did.

I raised my hand when it came time for prayer.  And I told the teacher I wanted to pray to Jesus to invite Him into my heart.  She sat down with me, by ourselves, in the corner of the room, and she asked me if I understood what I was saying- if I knew who Jesus was, what He did for me, why it mattered…I was six, and she wanted to make sure I wasn’t putting my hand up thinking it was all a game.  I knew it wasn’t.  I knew even at six years old that I was making an important decision, a decision that would change me.

I felt a mixture of emotions before we prayed.  I felt incredibly excited, more excited than I ever had been before, but I also felt very burdened by the weight of my own sin.  Up until that moment I had no real knowledge of sin or conscience.  But admitting my need for Christ meant acknowledging that my heart was dark.  I thought of all the times I had done things I knew were wrong, and what’s worse, the times I knew my thought life wasn’t pure- feeling angry, feeling jealous, feeling bitter, resentment, laughing at someone, etc- those feelings were not Christ-like, but up until that moment I had never been bothered by them.  Now I saw my need.

My Sunday school teacher explained that if I asked Jesus to forgive my sins, He would, and I’d be washed clean as snow.  It didn’t mean I’d never do anything bad again, but it meant that Jesus would be with me to help me and when I did sin again, He was faithful to forgive me.  She said that Jesus loved me, and if I had decided that I loved Him and I believed in Him, that I could ask Him to come live in my heart, and if I did that, He would always be there.  He would never leave me, not for the rest of my life, and someday, when I died, I would get to be with Christ forever in heaven.

We bowed our heads and I prayed.  I said that I was sorry for my sins and I wanted to ask Jesus to forgive me.  I asked Him to come into my heart and be my savior.  It was such a simple thing, but it was the defining moment in my life.

I felt something then.  More physical than spiritual.  I felt a weight being lifted off me, and I felt a light being placed inside me.  It’s hard to describe, but I felt as if someone lit a torch and placed it directly inside my chest, where the heart is.  A warm glow, radiating out of me and shining everywhere. A light that wanted to be seen! I believe that light was the Holy Spirit coming into me.  And then I knew what God’s love felt like.  It filled me up and bubbled over and I wanted to share it with everyone!  That light has never gone out.  (It may have been dampened a bit when I was a teenager and trying to go my own way! But thankfully, that light was always there, underneath, the Holy Spirit convicting me until at last I was restored.)  When people talk about the moment they were saved, the description of feelings seems to be different for everyone.  And that makes sense, because everyone is a unique individual created by God and God reaches people in different and unique ways.  I’ve heard people say it felt as if a weight was lifted off them, I’ve heard people who said they couldn’t stop crying and people who couldn’t stop laughing and shouting with joy!  I’ve also heard less “exciting” feelings- some people say they simply felt a sense of calm wash over them, a feeling of deep peace when Jesus came into their heart.  The moment you give yourself over to Christ is deeply personal and individual.

So what happened later? Well, as I said, I felt as if I had light radiating out of me. I couldn’t WAIT to share the good news! As Sunday School ended, and my parents came to pick me up, I remember just running to them, and saying excitedly, “I got saved!”

And of course they were happy and shared in my joy.  As a Christian parent, you want your children to know the perfect peace and love that comes only from Jesus Christ.  When I was saved, it was the most important day of my life, but I also think that it was also one of the most important days of my parents and grandparents lives- just as I am sure that someday, when I have children, the day each of them accepts Christ as their personal savior (God willing) will be of equal importance to me- The day they become a part of God’s family will be so much more important than the day they became a part of my family!

After being saved, I then was baptized.  What people need to understand about baptism is that it doesn’t save you.  Baptism is just a dip in a pool, or a sprinkling of water on your head (as a Baptist, I believe is baptism by immersion, rather than sprinkling, because baptism by immersion if the example Jesus gave us.)  Baptism is important, but it’s just an act.  Baptism is just the way to show the community/church that something has been transformed in you!  The real change has to be in your heart- the decision you make to follow Christ.  Baptism is “an outward sign of an inward change”.

Now that I have told you some of my story (there’s more, trust me- I’ve lived a full life since age six!) I’ll show you a couple of pictures, and then I’d love to hear YOUR stories.  Feel free to comment below or email me at BrookeOnFilm@gmail.com with your testimony, advice, questions, etc.  Thank you for reading my blog!

My baptism.

The church bulletin from our church in Cleveland that we went to when I was a little girl and I was saved and baptized at. 

Homemade Ice Cream Bars

I decided to make homemade ice cream bars. It was the first time I ever attempted it, so, I didn't know what they would be like. I tried my best, and the results were yummy but not very pretty. I plan to try again this week to improve them!

 

 

 

Here is the first shot I took, the ice cream is starting to melt out of the sides so it looks a bit messy! But, at least you can see the layers of chocolate and caramel on the top and bottom.

 

 

 Here is another view but by now the ice cream is really melting out! I forgot to take pictures until they were already melting, and that resulted in them being left out too long anyway :(

Here is the other type I made. I made chocolate boxes (five sides of chocolate; the sixth side which was the bottom was left open so I could put squares of vanilla ice cream inside) and then I decorated the tops with Reeses pieces. They look messy because I had a lot of trouble making the chocolate boxes, it was hard to form them into perfect squares, the end result being that they are not perfect. lol.

Why are you still single?

I was at the library when an elderly lady wearing a beautiful sari approached me and asked me to help her locate an item. I helped her, and then she began to talk to me.

She seemed like such a sweet lady. She looked to be well into her eighties, and she relied on a wooden cane to get around. She had the sweetest smile, and her voice was full of warmth.

She was from India, and due to her advancing age, her son and daughter-in-law had invited her to come live with them here in Cincinnati.

She told me that every two weeks her daughter-in-law brought her to our library because we had a collection of books in Arabic, and as she explained to me, she had learned to speak English, but, she could only read Arabic.

After a few minutes, she asked "Are you married?"

"No, I'm not," I told her.

"Why aren't you married? Pretty girl like you, you should be married," she gently chided, with a sweet smile on her face.

As a single woman in my late twenties, I'd be lying if I said marriage is never on my mind.  When your friends all seem to be married at 23 and 24, well, you reach 29 and begin to feel like an old maid!

And then you begin to wonder, "Will I ever find someone? Is there something about me that people don't like? Are my standards too high?"

I do have standards.

Not silly, superficial schoolgirl desires ("I want to fall in love with a tall, handsome doctor who looks like a movie star and is romantic and takes me out to glamorous places!") but rather character traits that I have deemed necessary for marriage.

Perhaps it is a good thing I didn't find someone to marry at 21 or 22, because I would not even think of these things at that age! At 21 or 22, I would just be thinking "we like each other, we get along, he wants to go to church, and I think he's cute".

But now, at 29, I have had more time to come to know what is important in life and in marriage. I have thought of things that I never would have considered years ago.

At 29, the things I look for are:

      <>someone who puts Jesus first in his life and is truly dedicated to following Him
      <>is mature enough to be committed to another person and is ready to spiritually lead a family
      <>patient and gentle, does not have a quick temper, communicates respectfully
      <>humble, knowing that all blessings come from Christ, does not let his ego or his pride rule him

They say that trusting in God also means trusting in His timing. God's timing is always infinitely better than our own.
Remember how I said that the things I looked for at 22 are not the things I'm looking for at 29? God knows that, since He knows everything about me.
Just because I wanted to be married earlier, doesn't mean God thought I was ready to be married earlier...maybe He knew I had some lessons to learn, and some maturing to do before I would be ready to enter into marriage!

So, I have to trust that, if marriage is in His plans for me, that it will happen at the time God has chosen.

If marriage is NOT in God's plan for me, then I have to trust that He has something else in mind for me to do.
Marrying and raising children for the glory of God is a wonderful way to further His kingdom, but, it is not the only way!
God always has a plan and a job for His followers. No one is without a purpose. God always wants to use you to complete His work.
The apostle Paul told the followers of Christ that our desire should be spiritual, not carnal, but, because people "burn" (Paul's word) for each other, marriage as a holy union is acceptable so that we won't resort to fornication.
Paul also said that if one can remain unmarried, that is actually best, because they are free to serve Christ wholly, whereas people who are married have obligations that can prevent them from being fully dedicated to serving the Lord. Those who do not marry have such greater freedom to serve God without distraction, and can do much more to further the kingdom!
If it is God's will for me to remain single, I need to be especially in tune to His voice so that I can dedicate myself to the work He wants me to do.

If it God's desire for me to marry eventually, it is also His will that I make the most of my years of singleness, as I have an opportunity right now to do things for the Lord that I may not have the time or energy to do later if I'm married and have children.

 

One thing I can do while I'm single is pray and read scripture, becoming closer to God and learning all I can about how to live for Him. The better my relationship with the Lord, the happier I will be and the more I will be able to do to serve Him.

With a husband and children, I will be so busy that I will have to try hard to set aside time for my own Bible reading, but as a single girl, I can take all the time I want to lose myself in God's word, and really get to know Him!

 

If you are single and don't want to be, I understand the longings of your heart. I am there too. I would advise you -as difficult as this is- to try not to focus on the lack of a spouse, and instead fully invest your heart and mind in Jesus. If He wants you to marry, He will lead you to that in His timing. If He doesn't, He will show you His plans for you in other ways.

 

But when I say you should focus on Jesus, it doesn't mean I think you have to give up the search for Mr. or Mrs. Right! If you believe that He wants you to marry, by all means keep your heart open to the possibility of a partner. 

What I mean when I say focusing on God instead of a partner, is that you are being fulfilled through Christ alone, not dependent on a romantic partner to fulfill you.

 

When you're waiting for Prince Charming or your Cinderella, don't sit idly by and wait. God may very well intend for you to marry! But, if you sit at home and never go anywhere or see anyone, then God would have to literally drop someone through the roof of your house for you to meet them. Unless you marry your mailman or the UPS delivery guy, chances are a guy isn't going to just show up at your front door! You will have to go out and meet them.

If you are only at home, at work, or at the gym, you will have more limited chances to find someone. Make an effort to get involved in your church, join local organizations, become a volunteer, etc. Widen your chances to meet people. It will help you to be in places where there are other singles, but, even if an organization you join doesn't have eligible singles, you are still meeting people in general and making friends, which could lead to being introduced to someone, friend-of-a-friend situation, etc.

You can also try online dating. This is very helpful if you're having trouble meeting local singles. Online dating is becoming ever more popular and widely accepted.
I think, though, that online dating is really a misnomer; it should be called "online introductions" since you're using a dating website simply to make the initial introduction- the actual dating is done in person.
You have to be careful when doing online dating, and follow some basic safety rules such as:

• You will need an email address to sign up for dating websites. There are many free email services such as gmail, yahoo, etc and it would be best for you to sign up for a new email address which you will use ONLY for the dating website. Don't use your personal email address, especially if it has your name, birthday, or other personal info in it. Never use your work email for this, because then strangers will know where you work.
• Never post your full name, birthday, address, phone number, place of business, place of hobbies/gym/volunteering etc, or any other personal information. You can save that info for when you really get to know someone and decide they are trustworthy.
• If you see someone you are interested in, and you talk a bit on the dating website and you think you would like to meet them, it's best to meet sooner rather than later, because when people talk online for a long time rather than just going ahead and meeting, it can make the actual meeting feel awkward. Also, you don't want to waste a lot of time talking online to someone that maybe you won't have any interest in once you meet.
• Only agree to meet people in public places, where there will lots of other people around, preferably during daylight hours and not when it is dark outside.
• Trust your instincts. Most people in the world are not creepy people, but you can't tell if someone is good just by looking at them, so you need to be smart. If anyone gives you an odd vibe or you feel uncomfortable, trust your gut.
• When you plan to meet someone, let a family member or friend know where you are going and what time you will be back so they can make sure you get home safely.
• Keep your cell phone fully charged and with you and turned on so it is ready if you need to call a friend.
• Never get in car with someone you meet online. If you have been dating for a while and you trust the person, you can make that decision then. I personally feel it is better not to be in a car with someone you are dating anyway due to the risk of temptation! ;)

So online dating is another option you have in the age of ever advancing technology.

 

Regardless of how you decide to meet people, I think you should always try to look your best when you are meeting people. The very first thing people see is your appearance, and so that can determine whether or not they are interested in getting to know you more. It sounds superficial, but, the truth is, humans tend to be very visual creatures, especially guys. When someone falls in love with you, it will be because of your personality and your heart, but, when they first meet you, there has to be some attraction there if anything romantic is to develop!

 

But don't rely solely on your physical attributes. A LOT of what makes you beautiful is a warm smile, good manners, respect for others, a positive attitude and a cheerful disposition. These things can go a looong way in making you interesting to others!

I have seen men date beautiful women that they don't ever want to go out with again because of a "Debbie Downer" attitude the woman had, making her simply not enjoyable to be around! I have seen women be very interested in a man but lose interest quickly when it becomes apparent that the man has a big ego and only wants to talk about himself!

Not everyone can be a supermodel, but people with inner beauty and good social skills seem to radiate wherever they go.

There is a quote I love, by the famous children's author Roald Dahl..."You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely". :)

 

My last thought is, if you are already out-and-about meeting lots of people and you are putting your best foot forward, but you're still not being successful in meeting someone, take a good look at where you are in your journey: Are you ready to meet someone, does God think you have the maturity to be someone's husband or wife? Is there any area in your life that needs to change? Is there something spiritually that is holding you back? Pray and seek counsel about it. It could be that God wants something to change before He thinks you are ready for marriage.

 

Of course you may pray and listen for His answer and find that there may be nothing that needs to change- God may simply be telling you "not yet!" Remember nothing is going to happen until He thinks the timing is right!

 

Or He could be telling you, "I have something different in mind for your life, I have other plans for you, so trust Me."

 

Pray about it, read scripture, and listen for His response. A successful life does not depend on marriage, a successful life is simply one in which the Lord is the captain of the ship. No matter where your journey takes you or whether or not He plans for you to marry, your life is considered successful if you put your trust in Him and endeavor to do His will.

 

 

For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus

unto good works,

which God hath before ordained

that we should walk in them.

-Ephesians 2:10

 

God's Will

I wanted to share with you some thoughts I had regarding following God's direction for our paths, rather than stubbornly trying to forge our own path.

My wonderful dog Max died this past year of a heart attack. He was 13 and a half, an old age for a big coonhound. He was a  delightful (though exhausting!) dog, and I miss him greatly. For most of his life, he was extremely active, into everything, and yes- very, very stubborn!

A few years ago, I wrote my reflections on God's will as it related to my dog Max. I'd like to share with you what I realized while walking my dog:

I wanted to take my dog Max to a lovely park near my home where he could run and play.
However, first we had to get there. And wasn't that a challenge!
 
I knew exactly where we should go,and I knew how much fun Max would have once we got there.
 But Max, who had no idea where we going, was determined to head in whatever direction caught his interest.

He'd sniff the air and want to walk down the wrong street to follow a scent.
He'd waste precious time sniffing the ground (when I wanted us to arrive at the park quickly in order to make the most of the daylight).

Then he'd decide he wanted to run and try to pull me along, when I only wanted him to walk so that once he got to the park he'd have plenty of energy to run in the ample space provided.

I said to Max (yes, I do talk to my dog, and yes, I'm aware that he has absolutely no idea what I'm saying to him). However, perhaps to alleviate my own frustration, I said to him, "Max, I want to take you to the park, and I know you're going to love it, it will be so much more fun than what you're trying to do, so please listen to me and come on!"

Which, of course, he didn't. Because he's a dog.

But, as I walked, I thought- how different am I from this dog, really?

Aren't we all on a walk?

God knows where we are meant to arrive at the end of our walk, and He is trying desperately to lead us there.
Yet we, as humans, who cannot see the end result, only see what is around us, becoming distracted.
We want to go down side-streets that seem attractive, but won't ultimately get us to our destination God wanted us to come to.

How frustrated God sometimes must be that He gave us free will: He KNOWS the path that would be best for us, and He tries to lead us in the way, yet we headbutt Him at every turn, insistent that OUR way is best.

Yet, how wonderful that He did give us free will!
God knows that love is not love unless it is freely given.
How could we TRULY love God if God had programmed us to do so?  Imagine how God and all of heaven must rejoice when we TRULY  love Him: when we WANT to follow Him, CHOOSE to follow Him, and strive to become closer to Him!

          Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;

and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge Him,

and He shall direct thy paths.

-Proverbs 3:5-6

        

    

Family Treasures

Today I was looking through boxes containing valuable family history. I'd like to share with you a few things I found.

These photos are from Great Uncle Stanley's 1916 diary. Stanley Powell was the younger brother of my great-grandmother, Elizabeth (Powell) Witt.

"Saturday, January 22, 1916. A fair day, regular class work. It came to me very strong that we should not judge a person by their looks. Attended literary society."

"Saturday, January 1, 1916. I spent the day at home. Brother and sister and I went to a social at Mr. Durham's that night. Had a good time." "Sunday, Jan 2. Spent the day at home. Brother and I took a walk out on the farm which made me think of past days."

Here is the newspaper which had the letter Stanley Powell wrote to the community before he was called away to service: 

Now, for a close up of the letter so you can read it! It is quite long, but worth the read. Here goes:

Thank you to Darla Rogers Benningfield for the photos of the newspaper article. I have the article, but she took the pictures of it.

It is always a joy to discover such treasures...

                Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children:  

           for blessed are they that keep my ways. Proverbs 8:32

Duggar Daughter Expecting!

I just love watching the Duggar family on 19 Kids and Counting. Unlike many "reality tv shows", the family hasn't changed since becoming well-known. 

They use their television series as a family ministry, sharing their faith and their beliefs with the world and striving to encourage moms and dads to love and appreciate their children and raise them with faith and a strong value system.

Their four older daughters, now adults in their 20s, are a wonderful example for young ladies to follow. 

They have all committed to purity before marriage, and now that two of the daughters have found love (Jill Duggar with Derrick Dillard, and Jessa Duggar with Ben Seewald) they have been very candid with the public about their decisions to save their first kiss for their wedding day. 

I whole-heartedly support this. Why? Because when you are dating someone, the purpose of dating is to get to know that special someone to find out if they are the person God would have for you to marry. 

You need to have a focus on getting to know their heart and mind, and they should be focused on discovering your heart and mind. 

Of course there must be a mutual attraction! 

But, there can be a lot of temptation and the focus is easily shifted away from where it should be. 

Purposing to save the physical side for when you are certain this person will be a part of your future, can really save a lot of heartache later on. 

Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald are currently engaged, but Jill Duggar and Derrick Dillard have since married and recently announced they are expecting their first baby! 

Congratulations to the happy couple!

The above photo is from when Derrick returned home from philanthropic work in Nepal, he was so excited to see Jill after being gone. 

The next photo is after Derrick proposed to Jill- see the ring? Although they hold hands and give each other hugs, they chose to wait to kiss til their wedding day.

           Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, 

   and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. -Genesis 2:24

It's that time of year again- the big yellow books!

It's that time of year again, the time of year when you will come home to find a big yellow book sitting on your front porch! 

Mom likes to do this although she takes some years off, but this year she's going at it full force and delivering phone books to all the surrounding neighborhoods. 

Today we went to pick up the books (all five hundred of them!) as you can see by our packed SUV, and the next few days will be busy, busy, busy with deliveries! 

The stacks and stacks of phone books took up lots of room- it's a good thing we had plenty of space to line them all up!

Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. -Romans 15:2