This is wayy overdue! I'm sorry! I have been so bad about updating this thing and .. honestly haven't looked at it in over a year and a half (oops!).
I am going to try and be better about this (keyword = TRY)!
So ... I wanted to start off by giving a little update on what has gone on since I last posted (almost 2 years ago) - wow, time flies.
God has blessed us so much over the past year and a half. I never thought before we got married that I/we would be where we are right now ... but I am sooo abundantly blessed and grateful for God's love & mercy. Soon after we got married, the Lord showed us that we couldn't continue to live out of His will and continue to be disobedient to Him, and glorify Him at the same time ... it's just not possible! The devil was hard at work already trying to break us down (including even our marriage!) ... let me just say ... through GOD, there is NOTHING the devil can do ... nothing! God is so much GREATER and STRONGER and He PROTECTS and PROVIDES and LOVES unconditionally and has been teaching me to do the same. Psalm 46:1 says ... "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Thank YOU, LORD - for being our refuge and strength. There is nothing we can do under our own strength and without God ... NOTHING!!
I don't anticipate too many people reading this ... but those that do, I hope you know that God desires to have an intimate relationship with YOU - yes, YOU! ... that's something I never even thought twice about ... even though I grew up in church ... I "thought" I was a true Christian only because I was there every time the doors opened ... for youth stuff, for praise band practice, for Sunday School & Church on Sunday mornings ... events on the weekends ... World Changers, Ski trips, etc etc etc. I had been baptized and saved BUT ... I was completely living out of God's will ... being disobedient ... doing things that brought shame to God's name ... all the while, still claiming to be a "Christian". James 2:19 says, "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder." .......... Truth be told, I "believed" that God was the one true God. I believed all the things I had learned (or heard) growing up ... but was I living like I believed? Had I really put my faith and trust in Him?? Did the desires of my heart change when I was baptized early on?? Did I really have a true relationship with Him?? NO ............ I DIDN'T!! ...
But PRAISE GOD for opening my eyes and breaking me to the point where I would FINALLY realize life is NOT all about me .......... it is ALL ABOUT HIM!!! Having a true relationship with Him ... REPENTing of my sins (meaning - completely turning away from the things that are/were disobedient to Him and out of His will) and starting to live in obedience to Him and His call for my life. Leading others towards Him ........ Matthew 28: 19-20 says, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
This is God's desire for us all.
Now ... let me just go back saying ... I am in NO way, shape, or form and by NO means completely where I need to be. I KNOW that God has a LOT of work left to do IN me and through me ... b/c I still stumble ... I still sin ... and even still fall ... and my husband & family sometimes gets to see that first hand! ... but they are also the ones that encourage me! We all need encouragement ... and I hope that this is encouragement to YOU.
I know that there is a reason that all this is being typed into my computer right now ... because I haven't touched this in a longg time and opened it up just to update with a paragraph or so of what's been going on since we got married ... and here I am 45 minutes later, still typing.
Anywayyy ... I do want to catch you up on some other things that are going on with US - both of US - me and my wonderful husband, Jonathan! And I especially want to add to all this (with all the other that has been typed so far) .. that I have the most amazing, loving, giving, most supportive and encouraging husband I could have ever asked for. He is such a Godly leader and makes me feel so safe and secure. Again ... God had bigger plans than we ever had for ourselves.
I want to update you on US but I think I'll start another post. When I titled this, it was "Where have we been?" ... and then God lead me to type all this. I think the real question is "Where are we going from here?"
<3
