A Heart of Thanksgiving

I spent a portion of yesterday feeling sad. You see, in the midst of all the hustle and bustle and instagramming of roses & candy that was Valentine's Day, a somber event occurred. Around 1PM, Robert led a small group of individuals in some solemn thoughts about death, as a feeble gentleman sat on the front row, mourning the loss of his wife of nearly 52 years.

52 years. Should God give us until July, Robert and I will celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. These individuals had been married 50 years longer than Robert and I have been. These individuals were married 27 years before Robert and I came into existence. They spent a lifetime devoted to each other, and even as I leaned in and whispered my condolences to this man, he looked to his wife's casket and remarked how beautiful she looked. Their love was the defining characteristic of their lives.

In the midst of the sorrow that surrounds any funeral, you cannot help but feel a sense of thankfulness. And so, today, I felt the need to express my deepest and sincerest thanks to the God of not only the universe, but of my lowly existence. In the wake of such a love-centered day, will you join me, please, in thanking our Maker for the days He has allowed us to spend with our loved ones.

My Maker and My Father, I thank You for this day.
I thank You for the countless blessings You have sent my way.
I offer up sincerest thanks for each day with my loved ones.
Especially, my Father God, for days with my sweet husband.
My greatest need You have supplied, a chance at sweet salvation.
I thank You, my Almighty God, for Christ's propitiation.
I thank You for, not only that, but every other blessing.
Innumerable ones, new each day, I can't begin to start addressing.
So thank you, Father, for this day, and every one before.
And thank you, most of all, my God, for what you have in store.

12 from 12: A List of Blessings

Last year, I started the tradition of listing some of the blessings of the previous year. It was a beneficial backward glance at the great things God had given me (as the Giver of all good and perfect gifts - James 1:17). This year, I want to have the same sense of thankfulness for my Father, and so I will do a post reflecting twelve of the greatest blessings from this year.

12 blessings from 2012

12: A running, working car. For the entire month of October, I was Prius-less. Poor Julius was shop bound after a run-in with a reindeer. It was through that experience that I learned not to take for granted having a vehicle--and not taking for granted having two vehicles between the two of us (Robert and I of course). God has given us so many physical blessings, and through the unfortunate events surrounding the whole deer fiasco, I learned to appreciate them more.

11: A great job. There are a lot of people who don't have jobs, and therefore I am very thankful that I do. There are a lot of people who have jobs who don't enjoy their jobs, and so I am again very thankful that I do. There are a lot of people who have and enjoy their jobs, but don't get the fulfillment that I do, and again I am so thankful. God has blessed me with the opportunity to work in the field of video editing (closely akin to the journalism field), and not only in a field which I enjoy, but working with subject matter that is so rewarding. Every day of the week I get to work with spiritual lessons and sermons, around people who love Christ and aim to do His will. Since I can't be a preacher, I think this is the greatest job I could ever have! I love what I do.

10: Robert's great job. If you aren't a preacher's wife, this may not make as much sense to you. Obviously if you are married to someone who isn't a preacher, you want them to have a good job. You want them to enjoy their job. At the same time, though, their job is theirs, and you probably have your own to deal with. The life of a preacher is far different than that. His job affects everything--including our spiritual life. For most people, if the need arose to change congregations because spiritual needs weren't being met (or some other situation), that would simply mean changing what time you got up on Sunday mornings to accommodate the time difference from driving to church A to now driving to church B. For us, where we worship is everything. If something happens and we have to change congregations, it upends our whole life. I am beyond thankful that the church at East Hill is so loving and caring and wonderful. The elders here are some of the greatest the world over, I fully believe. They have such confidence in and appreciation for Robert, they love us so very much, and they are so spiritually minded. It means the world to the both of us to be able to labor here and serve under their oversight.

9: Growing closer to my sister. Valerie and I have had ups and downs in our relationship, but this year has really been an outstanding one. I have watched her grow spiritually (and subsequently seen myself grow), put herself out there, and take an active role in the church. I am so proud of her and all that she does--not to mention, she's hysterical and I love every moment I get to spend with her.

8: A new house. This process was so beautiful to me. So many (and I mean so many) people told us that buying a home is a ridiculous process, but we were blessed immeasurably by it all. Truly our God and Father was watching out for us and guiding us in this process, as we could not have been more blessed. Through every little detail of the experience, God's hand was there. There were no hiccups, no hassles, nothing! Plus, we got to pick paint colors and flooring details and landscaping design! Truly it was a blessed experience, and I am so thankful to God for being with us through what could have been a quite tumultuous process. Not to mention, having a home (verses renting and not being able to put nails in the wall!) has truly made Pulaski feel like home to me.

7: Monthly devotionals with the ladies at East Hill (aka our TNTs). Every month of the past year we have had at least 20 ladies take part in a monthly devotional, and it has been a tremendous blessing in my life. Getting to know these wonderful, spiritual ladies at East Hill has made me feel like East Hill is my home, and it has been integral in helping my spiritual life. I will forever remember these precious ladies, one of which has already gone home to her reward. I am so thankful for Janet and all of the memories I have of her.

6: Being a part of the food giveaway at East Hill. In the early part of December, East Hill had a huge food giveaway in which we put together over 30,000lbs of food to give to over 500 recipients. That day, I was put at the registration table and so I got to meet at least 80 individuals or families who would be receiving a box. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever been a part of. On that day, I got to ask all of those people if they wanted to have a Bible study with us sometime, and the majority of them said yes. Some of them were so very excited about it, and you could tell they were really searching for Jesus. It is a beautiful thing to be able to meet the physical needs of the poor, and all the more rewarding to show them the Light of the world. That day forever changed my heart.

5: Teaching the teen girls at East Hill. Words cannot adequately describe the love I have for the five girls that come in that classroom every Sunday morning. They have helped me so very much! I have never been in a teaching role like that--the oldest I've ever taught would be 1st & 2nd graders. Having an older group with real questions and real struggles has forced me to dig deeper into God's word and study, and has shown me things from my past that I wish I could do over. Teaching them has really helped me to appreciate forgiveness, because I need it and have needed it so very much.

4: Meeting/Becoming friends with the Clevengers. If you are a Christian, you understand the deep need you have for finding spiritual friends. As a preacher's wife, I have found that having a preacher's wife friend helps all the more with my daily walk with God. Chris and Melissa have been such a huge part of our lives this year, and I pray that God will continue to grant us the opportunities to work together and be together, as their friendship means the world to me.

3: TLN. My amazing husband came up with the idea for a network of podcasts, and this year that dream has become a reality. I have been so blessed to be a part of this adventure, not only in hosting my own show (which is helping with my public speaking nerves), but also in working so closely with other like-minded Christians (and my mega-talented husband!). Getting to know Chris, Melissa, Brad, & Torrey has been a huge blessing, and the technical kick-off for the network hasn't even arrived!

2: Peace. 2012 didn't have a lot of drama, and can I just say that I am super thankful for that one? I have experienced such contentment and joy in 2012, and I can only thank my Father for that one, as the peace that passes all understanding comes directly from Him (Phil. 4:7).

1: Being married to the man of my dreams. Last year, marrying him was the greatest part of my year, and this year, the fact that I've gotten to spend 365 days with him is the absolute best part. As awesome as getting married was, being married is all the better. Waking up beside the love of your life every day outweighs any other blessing there could be. I am ever thankful to God for allowing me to have time with Robert! I love him so, so much, and I have loved our first full year together.

A Month of Thanks: My Home Congregation

For the final November Friday Month-of-Thanks post, I'd like to mention a few things and people that are especially dear to my heart.

I grew up at the Maysville congregation in Gurley, AL. Until college, I'd never even visited anywhere else really. In which case, all of my early ideals and expectations about the church and the people that make up the church were formed at Maysville, and by some especially outstanding individuals. It is to those people that I dedicate this post.

First, let me start with Mr. Tim. Tim is the preacher there, and has been since I was in the 2nd grade (aka since I was old enough to really listen to the preacher). I remember when he first got there--he took the youth group (not just the older ones, but the younger ones that he always paid special attention to) to a skating rink. I remember holding hands with Mr. Tim so I wouldn't fall. I also remember him passing me off to his son--who was my age--and I was highly irritated by it. Little did I know that Mr. Tim was fostering a relationship that would grow to be one of the very best I would have while I lived there.

From an early age, Mr. Tim took special care of me and my sisters. After all, we were the same age as his three kids. Though I knew that he loved and cared for me personally, the ways that he taught me and influenced me generally came from a public setting. Be it "Freed Camp" when he would walk through what the hymns we sang meant or in North Carolina were he would give sage spiritual advice while making us clean up the 'kitchen'. Whenever I was around Mr. Tim, I was learning something.

When I got older, I started understanding more of what he was saying from the pulpit. It's not that I hadn't been listening; it's just that Mr. Tim is one of the most intelligent preachers I've ever heard, and he makes you dig so much deeper into a text than you would normally. When I was younger, I couldn't quite appreciate or grasp it, but as a teen and then college-aged young adult, I craved his sermons and what new thing I would learn.

I know that I wouldn't be the person that I am today if it hadn't been for him. If he hadn't taken me in to his own family, if he hadn't taken special care of our young and impressionable souls before I was technically youth-group aged, if he hadn't provoked me and urged me to be better spiritually, and if he hadn't always believed in me. The most influential thing he ever did was introduce me to Freed-Hardmen, where I met my godly, spiritual husband. A million thanks could never be enough for Mr. Tim.

The second person I need to mention is Lonnie Jones. I'm sure a lot of people recognize the name, as he is a remarkable public speaker. But most people don't know Lonnie like I know Lonnie. He came not long after Tim did, meaning I was still very young. He taught most of our classes on Sunday mornings and Wednesday night, and always spoke to us at camp. He took us on countless youth trips where he was speaking, played games with us all the time, and even opened his home to us nearly once a week for as long as I can remember---fostering the greatest friendships I've ever known.

Lonnie kept us involved. In high school, it's easy to get distracted by different things and hectic schedules and boyfriends and friends and having a car and everything else. Lonnie made spending time with the youth group fun, and something you always wanted to do. There were always tons of us hanging out at his house, or going out after Wednesday night services in the summertime. Lonnie just helped make us like spending time together, because he knew that if you had close friends at church--you were more likely to be there.

One of the key ways Lonnie influenced me--I didn't even realize until recently. You see, I started teaching the teenage girls class at East Hill in September. Sure, I'd taught classes before, but only the little ones (3-5yr olds). When I started teaching kids who understand sarcasm and jokes and, well, me, I started seeing Lonnie's influence. He taught me, through the hours of lessons I heard him give, that studying the Bible doesn't have to be boring---that it shouldn't be boring. Every scripture has a practical application, and it is the teacher's job to practically apply that to the age group. I am definitely no Lonnie, but I'd like to think that this is the approach that I have in the girls class. And I know that a lot of my style comes from him.

Finally, I'd like to thank the 'older' youth group kids. When I was in 3rd-6th grades, my oldest sister and her friends were in high school/college. But they didn't treat us like outcasts, or like the annoying children we were (see for reference mine and Jessie's ski trip video--wow). What they did was include us. They took us on trips to Sonic. They sat with us on the way to 6 Flags. They played games with us and taught us songs at camp. They braided our hair. They taught me alto (thanks Lacey!). They made it "cool" to be in the youth group, and while that's not what having a relationship with God is about, at 10 years old, I needed that perspective. I needed something that made me want to be there, and that group of people were it.

It didn't stop, either. All throughout their college life, they would come back and hang out with us. I can remember the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of high school especially well--going to concerts, hanging out every Sunday and Wednesday night, taking trips together, learning cool music (I still attribute my love of Sister Hazel to Leah and the mixed CD she made for Julia). Those people helped me so much at a time that could have been so difficult. They all still mean the world to me--even if they never knew how much I looked up to them. So thanks Lauren, Leah, Lacey, Juls, Chad, & Weaver. You guys are remarkable. And also..."look at the bones!!"

Bring On the Greed

There's something about this time of year that always irks me. Is it the fact that I'm bombarded by Christmas music on the radio and in department stores already? Partially. Is it because I can't find any fall decor for my new home because stores put up their Christmas displays so early? Partially. Is it because I can't get online without being overwhelmed by Black Friday ads? Partially. But really, it's a conglomerate of all of the above, and it stems from one underlying motivation that just really, really bugs me: greed.

We sit back in dismay when our country elects a leader whose moral compass is basically nonexistent, and ask ourselves how that could have possibly happened. I think in the two weeks since the election we've got our answer: our nation is self-absorbed and greedy.

We can't even celebrate one day--ONE day out of 365-- that involves being thankful. Instead, we brush over that holiday to get to the really good stuff--Christmas , aka "gimme gimme gimme!" Now don't get me wrong: I love Christmas. I love it even more now that I'm married to someone who loves Christmas so much, but let's put Christmas, once and for all, in its proper place---after Thanksgiving! And I don't mean wait to put up your tree or listen to music or anything like that (though please do that), but I mean don't put a holiday all about getting what you want over a holiday that emphasizes thanking our Heavenly Father, the giver of all good and perfect gifts (James 1:17).

It's easy to get carried away. I'll be honest, a lot of my shopping is already done (hello sales throughout the year). But what I have to watch myself on is my attitude. This time of year, attitudes can go south, quickly. Take all of the Black Friday horror stories for example. When our hearts aren't filled with thankfulness, greed takes over. And, I'm not saying that Thanksgiving is the only day you should be thankful. What I am saying, though, is that maybe we should all take this time of year to recharge our thankful batteries, instead of just skipping over the turkey and dressing and heading out into the Best Buy line.

It's not wrong to shop. It's not wrong to shop on Black Friday. It's not wrong to like Christmas (giving is better than receiving). But it is wrong to displace a heart of thanksgiving with a heart of greed. Be careful not to let our culture dictate your heart.

A Month of Thanks: Hope and the Old Testament

In the very worldly sense of the word, November is a month of hope. We sit around, hoping someone makes our favorite dish at Thanksgiving--hoping that our candidate is picked for President--hoping that we get what we put on our Christmas list. Really, we're wishing. We're crossing our fingers and thinking that maybe, if we're lucky, our wish will come true.

Biblical hope isn't a wish; it is an expectation.  Psalm 119:166 says, "Lord, I hope for Your salvation, and I do Your commandments." The psalmist isn't wishing for salvation. On the contrary, the psalmist is confident in the salvation that God has promised to the faithful. Why is he doing the commandments of God? Because he knows that God will give eternal life to the one who keeps His commands. Again let me emphasize that biblical hope isn't a wish--it's an expectation. 

Proverbs 10:28 tells us this: "The hope of the righteous will be gladness, but the expectation of the wicked will perish." When we die, if we're been faithful to God, our hope will be realized and we will be glad. We will have attained our salvation and we will be eternally joyful. On the other hand, if we are not faithful to the Lord, we cannot have such an expectation. The wicked will perish. If you are choosing to live outside of God's commandments, you are choosing to expect (hope for) torment when you die. 

I know that I've been pulling our 'hope' verses from the Old Testament, so let's use one from the New, shall we? Romans 15:4 tells us, "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." The reason that we still use (and love) the Old Testament today is not because its laws and precepts are binding, but because we can draw lessons and hope from the text. I, for one, fall more in love with God when I read about Him in the Old Testament. When I see, through the minor prophets, His love for His people and His pleading for them to return to Him. And, as we see in Romans, one of the reasons we can even have hope (an expectation to live with God one day) is because of what the Old Testament teaches us about His love for us and His plan for us. 

So today, I am thankful for the Old Testament. I am thankful for the stories of old and their relevance to my life today. I am thankful for the psalms and their comfort; for the proverbs and their wisdom. I am thankful for the account of the life of David and his beautiful heart, and the account of Abraham and his faithfulness. I am thankful that I can read about God's love for His chosen people, and realize that He's chosen me (1 Pet. 2:9). 

However, I am also thankful for the hope that the Old Testament provides. I am thankful for all of the promises God has made to us that He has already fulfilled, such as the promise to send a Savior to heal mankind once and for all. And, because He has made good on some of His "big" promises already, I can be all the more confident that He will deliver me when this life is over. 

We can go to heaven and we can know that we are going. We, like the psalmist, can have a hope in God's salvation. Ephesians 2:12 says, "that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." If you are without Christ, you are without hope. If you don't have this kind of hope...this kind of assurance in your soul's final abode...talk to me. I'd love to share with you how I know and how you can, too. 

A Month of Thanks: Marriage

Last week we talked about forgiveness. There aren't many things in life that are greater than that. Without it, I wouldn't have the chance of heaven, nor would I ever get to meet my Savior. I would never be holy or pure enough to see my Father. But with it, so many other things are afforded to me!

Since this is a different Friday, I suppose I should go on with a different topic. Today (and everyday) I am thankful for the institution of marriage, and the commands God gives to husbands and wives.

For the last 16 months I have been married to an amazing Christian man. While Robert is a great person, and would no doubt be very loving and nice according to worldly standards, it is only because of his love for God that our marriage is as wonderful and blissful as it is. Because we both strive to put God first, our relationship with each other has been blessed. Paul instructed the Ephesians in this way:

"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as also Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 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. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes it and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church." (vs 22-29)

Because the Holy Spirit guided Paul to write these words, we can know and experience Godly marriages. Had the Holy Spirit not inspired these words, I may not be in a marriage where my husband cherishes me and protects me. I may not be in a marriage where my husband will give himself for me, and love me as much as he loves himself--really, as an extension of himself. And, were we not guided, I might not want to submit to my husband or respect my husband like I do. I may have trust issues or feel bad about myself---like I had to compete with other women or the internet or other perverse things that our world sets before men's eyes.

Instead, we do have these beautiful, inspired words to live by, thus ensuring that Christians can have wonderful marriages. I have been so blessed to have someone whose main focus within our relationship is to help me get to heaven, and I am thankful for my sweet husband every single day.

A few weeks ago, I was teaching the teenage girls and we were talking about dating. I asked the girls to think about the boys they were dating/wanted to date and think about the characteristics they possessed. Then I asked them to look at the text from Ephesians and think about these questions: Does my boyfriend treat me as well as he treats himself? Does he try to present me as pure and holy, without spot or wrinkle? Would he be a good head to my body? Does he respect my body? Does he nourish and cherish me?

I could tell that some of the answers to those questions were no, and it made me sad. It also made me reminiscent. I dated a few boys who didn't treat me that way. I wasn't cherished, respected, or guarded. When I met Robert, I knew that he was different--and the difference that was inside of him was Christ.

My life wouldn't be filled with nearly as much joy if I weren't married to Robert. And, had God not set up boundaries and given us instruction on how to treat our spouses, I doubt we'd be as happy as we are. I am so thankful that God has given me a man whose heart wants to be like Jesus, and that He gave us the institution of marriage (and the aforementioned guidelines) so that we can have someone urge us along on the straight and narrow as we walk this earthly sojourn.

**As a special note, one of my great friends and a preacher that I greatly respect has written a blog post today about marriage, and it is an interesting, thought-provoking, and wonderful read. Take some time to visit it here.

A Month of Thanks

It is common this time of year to see statuses and posts about all of the things that people are thankful for. I love the sentiment: it is always appropriate to thank our God for the blessings and compassion He has given, which truly are new every morning (Lam. 3:22-24). Along the same lines, I would like for every Friday of this month to be dedicated to thanking God for a spiritual blessing He has given us. Today, I would like to focus on forgiveness.

I am a sinful person. While I try to walk in the steps of my Savior every single day, I'm not perfect. I struggle with complaining, being negative, being critical, judging others, and not doing the things that I should as much as I should (reading, praying, visiting the sick). I try with all of my might to serve my Lord the best that I can, but I fall short day after day.  That is why I'm thankful for forgiveness.  Along those same lines, I'm thankful that I live in the year 2012.

Hebrews 10:4 tells us that the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins. Under the old covenant, people were reminded, year after year, of their sins. They were made to offer tedious sacrifices to God so that their sins could, in a sense, be rolled forward for another year. Then Jesus came. And now we don't need to offer animal sacrifices. We don't have to live in a state where our sins are constantly before us. Instead, since Jesus died once and for all (Heb. 10:10), we can have forgiveness of our sins in an instant. When we are baptized, all of our past sins (and we all have them--Rom. 3:23) are wiped away, and we start anew--clean and pure in His sight. After we have been baptized, we won't remain perfect. We'll sin--maybe even that very day that we are washed. But that is the beauty of Jesus' sacrifice for our sins. So long as we are trying to walk in the light, His blood will continually cleanse us from unrighteousness if we'll confess it to Him (1 John 1:9).  Forgiveness is not available to me, however, if I continually, habitually walk in my sins and don't repent. Forgiveness is not available if I defy God's laws for my life and do things on my own terms. But if I am truly penitent, I will want to tell God that I'm sorry. I will feel guilt and shame for my sin, because I know that I am trampling underfoot the sacrifice Jesus offered on the cross (Heb. 10:28-30).

I know that I am unworthy of this forgiveness. I feel so terrible every single day when I have to ask God to forgive me for my thoughts and actions of that day. I feel so undeserving of the extreme sacrifice Jesus made in coming to earth and dying a cruel, painful, torturous death on the cross...for me. That's why I am so thankful for God's grace in extending forgiveness to me.

The beautiful thing about God's forgiveness is that it covers everything. In our limited, human perspective, we tend to categorize sins. We may think lusting is a small sin, where adultery is a big sin. To God, all sin separates us from Him, and therefore He hates all sin. Whatever sins you have in your live, past or present, can and will be forgiven by a loving and understanding God. If you are willing to repent (to own up to your sins and turn away from them as I recently heard it put by some high schoolers) and submit to God's terms, forgiveness is yours. And not just forgiveness as we sometimes call it--where we 'forgive' it but keep it right near the surface so that every little mistake someone makes we can throw back in their face. No, God forgives and wipes clean. He keeps no remembrance of our wrongs (Jer. 31:34).

I am thankful, every single day, for the forgiveness my God and Father grants me. Though I can empathize with Paul when he calls himself the chief of all sinners--still, Christ has washed me. Thanks be to God for His grace!

Forgiveness is a beautiful gift that we have been given through Jesus Christ. Come back tomorrow for a post on how we can access this wonderful blessing and so many more.