Not 1 but 2 Awards!!!!

I'm so excited!!!! I got to work this morning and checked my e-mail and to my surprise I had an e-mail announcing that I had received my first award and then just a bit later I received another one!!! Thanks to Peggy Ann and my fabulous little sis Kelsey for the awards(:


Here's the first one:

Here are the guidelines:
1. Thank the person who gave this award to you
2. Copy the award and put it on your blog.
3. List three things which you love about yourself.
4. Post a picture you love.
5. Tag five people you wish to pass this award on to.


So here are 3 things I love about myself
1. My Independence (although it sometimes gets me in trouble)
2. My blue eyes(:
3. My love for reading

A pic I love:  I love that this precious boy enjoys this precious horse that I am blessed to be able to share with him.

And last but not least.... 5 people who deserve this award are:

1. Jenny at Cupcakes, sprinkles, and other happy things - She is the lead singer for Addison Road... this is her ya'll, funny, smart, and honest. I've had the privilege of working a few camps in the past with her and her writing reflects her heart and her love for Jesus
2. Kristina at Dew on the Rose - A new friend that God has recently blessed me with
3. Paula at In Passionate Pursuit - this girl was born a writer... check it out
4. Kelsey over at Tattered and Inked - my amazing and talented little sister who got ALL the creative genes but thankfully shares with her less talented older sister(:
5. Amber at The Working Mom - she has a great blog and leaves sweet comments on mine so thanks Amber!!


Blog number 2 is from my sister... here it is:

The directions are to send to 7 however since I'm relatively new to this whole blogging world I don't have quite enough people to hand out awards to. I know of 2 that I see fit to hand this award out to and they are Heather , who has a lovely blog full of fantastic photos and other random goodness, and Tabitha, who writes about a little bit of everything.

Thanks to those who gave out awards and I hope that those of you who received some enjoy!!!

Moday's blessings

#168-184

The weekend

An evening alone with my thoughts

The laughter of my Sunday school children as the act out the days story

Listening to those children recite scripture, this will never get old

A lesson that probably had more of an impact on me then it did for those children listening

How God uses the lessons I teach to others teach me

The story of Jacob

Holding little Lexi and amazed at how fast she is growing

Waking up to the sound of rain

Thankful for the much needed rain, my horse pasture desperately needed a drink

An encouraging comment

The excitement of receiving my first blog awards

Fresh fruit

Two dates planned, one with a new friend, one with and old friend

A clean house

The book of Romans

The beauty of grace

Okay, so as you know from reading some of my previous posts, I have been just a tad bit rebellious..... okay.... maybe really rebellious. My "big sis" won't let me continue, which is a good thing but kinda annoying. My attitude totally reflects my rebellion so needless to say it's been a bit ugly. Sorry to all of you who have to endure my presence as of late. I promise I'm working on it.

So Sunday I made the decision to change my attitude and I won't lie it's been tough. When Paul writes to the Romans about the evil I do not want to do- I keep on doing, I know exactly what he is talking about. Sunday night after I left "big sis's" house where I received a major butt chewing because of my attitude I came home and checked my e-mail. There was a comment on my blog from my favorite blogger Ann@HolyExperience.

Even when I quit.... He's still working.

I was shocked and in awe. It was the last straw and the tears started to fall. I gave up the fight and just laid at His feet with a heart full of shame and longing for His grace to wash over me. He didn't even hesitate. He is always giving out grace, free of charge... on the house... and with no strings attached. And to receive it all I have to do is ask.

I asked.

He gave.

Once again the Almighty wraps me in His arms. He holds me while I cry and reassures His love for me. He knows the battle is hard, He knows my weary heart. He gently reminds me that here in His arms is the only way to make it through the storm. 

I picked myself up, dried the tears and whispered a thank you to my Father. I'm back where I belong. I'm not letting the rain drag me down anymore. I'm letting it wash over me, letting His grace cover me. Drinking in all that I can, allowing Him to renew my spirit. Ans slowly the Son starts to shine through again. Peaking through the dark clouds, rays beaming through the rain, revealing the beauty of grace.

Rebellion is like....

While driving the other day I saw this church marque:

knowing and not doing

is like 

plowing and not sowing

Convicting isn't it?

It hit me square in the face. That is what living in rebellion is like. The field is plowed, waiting to be sowed. Can you imagine a farmer spending days upon days plowing a field, then not bothering to sow it? It's unheard of. It just doesn't make sense. To relate this to my own life I've plowed the fields and even sowed the seeds. After sowing I became tired, weary, and decided to take a vacation. The problem is:

seeds need tending

especially newly sowed seeds

I left... right after planting those small seeds.
Why? The reasons reveal just how weak... selfish... sinful.... and just how far I still have to go. 

A lesson I've learned:

The God I serve does not stop tending His seeds

I may run... I may stop working in the fields with Him, yet He still faithfully works.

Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

I am His. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. There is nothing I can ever do... nowhere I could ever go that would ever take me away from Him. I may let go of Him, but He never lets go of me. I am His vessel and He will use me for His purpose. 

And He has used me. In mighty ways. I see changes taking place around me that are a result of seeds God has sowed partly through my life. Then I stop and realize that those things happened while I was resisting Him.

If I stopped resisting and worked alongside Him, the impact would be even greater.

We sang a song this morning based on a passage in Jeremiah and so as I sought for a way to end this post I searched through this great book, and found this:

While you were doing all these things, declares the LORD, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer.

Jeremiah 7:13

That's a very clear picture of rebellion. You know the funny thing about rebellion is that while your in it it looks so good, makes so much sense. However, when you start to realize it for what it is it's not so good looking anymore. In fact it's rather disgusting  and sounds really stupid. I guess it's somewhat reassuring that I'm not the first one to ignore the Almighty. The Israelite's did, over and over again. As I read the accounts of their lives I often forget that I act just like them. It's so easy to point out other's  faults rather then my own.

Thankfully He still loves us..... even though time and time again I leave Him to tend those seeds by Himself. Life with Him should be so easy... I give Him everything and in return I become His daughter, receiving the best of the land, things I could only dream of. 

It is I that makes life complicated... not Him. It is I that leave, seeking to gain my inheritance my way, like Jacob who stole his brother's birthright which God already planned on giving him. If Jacob would have waited on God's timing he would of received the same blessing yet without destroying his family. It's upsetting to see how much like Jacob I am. So many times I think that my way is better. That He won't give me the things He has promised, or maybe that He doesn't know what it is that I want. Whatever the reason, it's dumb! I'm dumb! Stupid sinful nature likes to think it knows best.... sigh.... why can't I just give up the fight and let Him win? Why do I have to be so stubborn, so hard headed? Sometimes I wonder why He made this way...lol. I ask Him that I often when I'm arguing with Him. Then I laugh because I know that He loves my stubbornness and hardheadedness, just He prefers that I use them to glorify Him and not argue with Him.

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

Jeremiah 33:3

So today this battle ends... I surrender. I'm done with serving the enemy. I'm ready to come home and work in the fields. I'm not listening to my flesh anymore. I'm not letting the enemy win anymore. Today I will fight him with all I have. I will rely on Him for my strength and even when I get weary I will not give up for I know that at the proper time I will reap a harvest, but only if I do not give up.

More gifts to count

#149-167

An unexpected visit with the nephew

A side job that is more about the blessings then the money

More snuggles with baby Ben

Seeing a friend loving on his little boy

Watching a best friend grow by leaps and bounds as a mom

The grateful feeling when USA finally scored the game winning goal to send them to the next round

A church marquee that says this:

Knowing and not doing 

is the same as 

plowing and not sowing

A Father who remains faithful and sows seeds for me

The slow but steady crawl back towards the safety of His arms

A thunderstorm which provides a much needed relief in this horribly hot weather

My young prima donna of a horse who hates this heat more then I do yet stills puts up with my kisses(:

The heat that males my young horse un-ride-able which forces my attention to my old trusted mare

An unplanned but much needed girls night with two of my best friends

A cool swim on a hot day

The warm sun on my skin after a good swim

Money left over even after rent and bills are paid

Fresh home-grown blueberries

A turkey sandwich with slices of my first tomato fresh off the vine

Snow cones on a hot day with my favorite 8 yr old

Rebellion

See, O LORD, how distressed I am!

I am in torment within,

and in my heart I am disturbed,

for I have been rebellious.

Lamentations 1:20

Rebellion... sin....

It crept in unnoticed and then spread like a wildfire. It only takes one spark... one slip up.... one day of not meditating on His Word.

Sometimes the fire can be quickly stopped, other times I allow it to go on...

sometimes I even feed it 

It only satisfies for a moment, or at least I think it is satisfying. How quickly the enemy can put a blindfold on my eyes... how quickly I can forget who I belong to.

Woe to them

because they have strayed from Me!

I long to redeem them

but they speak lies against Me.

Hosea 7:13

It is I who left.

It is I who chose to rebel.

Yet He still longs to redeem me.

How can this be? What have I done to deserve His love? When will I learn to stop running?

He doesn't redeem me because He has to. He could let me fall... suffer for eternity. It would be just, it is what I deserve. 

But He doesn't.

He desires to heal my heart, to hold me in His arms.

He desires me!

Me, a child who often runs away, who willingly casts off His promises. Who makes the choice to rebel even though I know where it leads.

Why should you be beaten anymore?

Why do you persist in rebellion?

Your whole head is injured,

your whole heart affected.

Isaiah 1:5

Rebelling never does me any good. It only drives me further from Him. So why do I stay there, why am I so persistent? My stubbornness is often a great strength but it also does me great harm. 

His command is very clear....

Stop doing wrong,

learn to do right!

Isaiah 1:16-17  

If I don't.... 

If you resist and rebel,

you will be devoured by the sword.

Isaiah 1:20 

But the God I serve is....

Eternally Loving

Forever Merciful

Abundantly giving Grace

Relentlessly Redeeming

Always Forgiving

He made a way for me.... before I ever ran... ever rebelled. He knew that I would so He planned in advance for my sins to be wiped cleaned. 

But He took it one step further....

If you are willing and obedient,

you will eat the best from the land.

Isaiah 1:19

Not only does He redeem me... not only does He love me.... He is also willing to give me the best of the land. 

All I have to do is be willing and obedient.

It really is that easy. It's all on me. He will be faithful. He always keeps His promises.

The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving,

even though we have rebelled against Him.

Daniel 9:9

Still Counting.....

Well Monday came and went without a second to spend on the computer so here is my multitude Monday post.

#132-148

A movie night with three young girls

A clean movie that was also well made with a good plot

Friends who not only encourage me but will also call me out when my attitude is sour

A Father who grabs my attention and softens my heart before by talk with friends

A God who will not allow me to stay in my rebellion

Forgiveness, even when I am so undeserving

Watching two friends exchange vows and begin a journey together

Cool water on my toes in the river after a hot afternoon

Singing 2 young girls to sleep 2 nights in a row

Prayers for best friends with a best friend

A shopping day with my mom and sister

New clothes

Extra cash to spend on earrings(:

An encouraging text from my dad

The best dad I could ever ask for

Giving and receiving encouragement from a young "brother" in Christ

Snuggles with baby Ben