With you until the end of the age....

I have gleaned so much over the last few years by reading the blogged thoughts of wise sisters in Christ. I was reading the blog of a friends older sister and came across this quote:

"Some fears surface over and over again, especially fear of the future. You tend to project yourself mentally into the next day, week, month, year, decade; and you visualize yourself coping badly in those times. What you are seeing is a false image, because it doesn't include Me. Those gloomy times that you imagine will not come to pass, since My presence will be with you at all times.

When a future-oriented worry assails you, capture it and disarm it by suffusing the Light of my Presence into that mental image. Say to yourself, "Jesus will be with me then and there. With His help, I can cope!"

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

A beautiful truth to take hold of as the new year approaches.

Merry Christmas!

Music

I love music. I sang in the choir in elementary school/jr high, usually have the radio or my iPod playing in the car, love concerts and generally find myself reflecting on especially praise music lyrics. This time of year, there's even more music to enjoy!
I'm planning to share a few of my favorite Christmas music as well as some anytime favorites. If you find reading lyrics boring, feel free to skip those posts hehe. I hope you may find a few new favorites if you choose to read on :)


The first new favorite actually relates to a recent post with some encouragement for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and another with sweet song about a faithful marriage.
Encouraged and excited to find out what God's best may be....

I look around and see my wonderful life
Almost perfect from the outside
In picture frames I see my beautiful wife
Always smiling
But on the inside, I can hear her saying

"Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone."

I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes
They're just children from the outside
I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine
They're independent
But on the inside, I can hear them saying

"Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone."

So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I am called to be
Oh, Father, show me the way
To lead them
Won't you lead me?

To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can't
Don't want to leave them hungry for love
Chasing dreams that I could give up

I'll show them I'm willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this out home
Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Christian lyrics - LEAD ME LYRICS - SANCTUS REAL

Finished DIY!

Remember this project?

Here's the finished product!!
I really love the way it turned out and the ladies I got to hang out with while covering the canvases! Thank you again, Hannah and Maegen!

Bottles and Brushes

I had such a great time with some sweet friends at our first Bottles and Brushes visit. The studio offers group painting classes where an artists guides you through creating the painting of the night.
We did "Red Bird"....and gave it our own interpretation hehe. A couple of the girls I went with aren't big winter fans so they opted not to add snow to their painting. I loved the snow but decided that the painting would fit better with my decor if I left it off. We also opted to personalize the script at the top as well. We were just the class rebels haha
Mine stayed the closest. I just added the scripture reference (Be still and know that I am...)
Amanda used "Dance like no one is watching" and Hannah wrote the Chinese symbols for love and Father.

Here's a couple pics of our fun girls night!

Amen for being a man!

A Real Man

Encouragement to be a Real Woman

Wow! Amen!!
It's so encouraging to see men willing to step up and be Godly men. I'm so thankful for an earthly father and spiritual brothers who have shown me what to wait for. Praise God, Biblical manhood exists!

A few of my favorite quotes from the video:

"you should have to touch her heart and her mind first before you ever touch her body"

"your body makes a promise whether you do or not"

"start studying her heart stop studying her booty or maybe invest the same amount of time in her as you do in call of duty"

"she longs to be accepted, longs to be loved so she gives herself up to another guy's lust"

Battle

Just over a year into my current job, a few months into a new church and home, I've been asking God more earnestly to reveal more of His mission for me. This has been a prayer off and on for years but now that some changes are settling out, I've developed a stronger desire to understand where God wants me to focus. I've asked him to reveal not just interest but a passion.
The course of developing this desire has included growing pains. It's been a sweet yet trying time with all God's revealed. He's allowed me to be reminded of my daily need for His grace while also showing me that trials are so often shared. Vulnerability with sisters in Christ brings healing as we break down what the enemy uses to divide. I shared with my small group something that as cheesy as it sounds really seems to sum up this concept: a scene from Harry Potter. Harry is talking to Luna and she tells him she's not surprised the enemy has tried to isolate Harry. When he's alone he's not as much of a threat. It's this line that has stuck with me since I first heard it. Our enemy does the same thing. He breaks us down and tries to convince us we're the oddball- the only one struggling with something. There's a sweet freeing power in realizing how God has intended for the body to work together and support each other.
For me, reaching a place of understanding in the enemy's weapons of choice for me has helped me recognize the attacks and prepare for them. It's also shown me what my defender has been doing. He's training me to withstand these attacks and point others toward Him. As difficult as some battles have been, the victory in Christ is unmatched. There's nothing like knowing He's fighting for me and He's also teaching me to be strong in the battle.
Vision for my future begins to come together as I see how He's answering my prayer for a passion through allowing me to see battle and be equipped to teach my Christian siblings to do the same. Time to suite up. The General is building an army.