Christmas is almost here!

So, right now I should be packing, but I am avoiding it. What better way to do that than to catch up on my blog. It has been a long time since I have last written! December has been a pretty crazy month for both me and the hubby. I think I am finally adjusting to my new job. I have my good days, and my not so good days--but all in all I am thankful that God has provided me with a job! David (after two weeks of final exams) is finally on a break, which means I get to have my husband back for a while. It is hard having your spouse in school, especially around the end of the semester. I literally didn't see him for like two weeks. He was either at school or stuck in our office studying! There was a lot of stress those two weeks--him being stressed out just makes me stressed out, but God was so good and helped David survive his tests! He did great and finished the semester strong...I am so proud of him! We have definitely enjoyed being able to spend some time together! We added a new addition to our family after a lot of consideration. We have a new puppy named Duke. He is an eight month old Boston Terrier with a great personality! I must admit, I have never really liked Boston Terriers--their buggy eyes kind of freak me out--but I guess Duke is okay. David may love him more than he loves me :) Kitty is still adjusting to not being the only pet...but him and Duke are beginning to play together. I love our little family :) Tomorrow, David and me are heading to Brewton to spend Christmas with my family! I am so excited about seeing them, and getting to spend some time with them. It is going to be great! I hope that everyone has a very BLESSED and happy Christmas with their families! May God bless you all, and may we all be thankful for why we celebrate Christmas in the first place! Jenn

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

December is here, believe it or not. I have to admit that this fact makes me slightly giddy! I absolutely love this time of the year. How could you not? Christmas decorations, pretty lights, Santa Clause, singing Christmas tunes, family traditions, and most importantly--taking time to reflect on the birth of our Savior. The other day, I decorated our home for the holidays, which brought me so much happiness. As I decorated, I thought about the story of Christ's birth, and although I have read it a million times, I had to read it again. The story of Christ's birth is almost magical to me. It is one of those stories that draws you in. And the amazing thing about it is that it is completely true and factual! How powerful our God is! As I read the story, I thought about Mary's character. What an amazing woman she was! She may be one of my favorite characters in the Bible. Honestly, if I would have been in her position, I would have probably said, "God, are you crazy?" and ran the other direction! Mary was a true example of what a servant of God looks like. When the angel informed Mary of God's plan for her, she didn't grumble...she didn't question "Why me, Lord" but instead she replied "I am the Lord's servant...May it be according to Your word" (Luke 1:18). There have been many times in my own life where I wish I would have had the attitude of Mary. There are times when I have felt the Lord leading me to do something, but fear and lack of faith stopped me. I feel like sometimes I almost argue with God like a child-- "But why?" or "Please don't ask me to do this!" If only I had had Mary's spirit of servanthood. It is good to read on in the story. God asked something great of Mary--and He never once left her out to dry. He took care of her and blessed her with HIS Son! We have to remember that as God's children--He will do the same for us. May we always strive to say, " I am the Lord's servant..." Be Blessed! Jenn

Blessings...

It's November, which means that one of my favorite holidays is coming up...Thanksgiving! I have always loved Thanksgiving--the smells of all of the yummy food, the Macy's Thanksgiving parade, and my Daddy's amazing fried turkey covered in my Mom's cranberry sauce made from scratch. I love having a day that is devoted to focusing on what we are thankful for. I love having a day devoted to spending time with people you love (and stuffing your faces!). I wish everyday were like Thanksgiving day. How great would it be if every single day we focused only on what we were thankful for? So often, it is so much easier to focus on the things we don't have or the things that are making us unhappy. I am guilty of this on more days than not. The other day I was out running errands when I saw a homeless man on the side of the road. He was old, and you could tell that he had led a hard life. He looked like he had lost all hope. At that moment--I felt so convicted for all of the complaining I had been doing. I am so incredibly blessed. If nothing else, I am blessed because I am a child of God--who gave His son for me. Take the time to focus on the things you are thankful for. I am so thankful for an amazing husband, amazing family, and amazing friends. I am thankful that I have a job that brings in money to support me and David. I am thankful that I just found out that I am going to be an aunt (AGAIN!). I am thankful that my best friend just got engaged to a great man that I know will take care of her. So many things to be thankful for...I could write a book. As the old hymn says, " Count your blessings, name them one by one...count your blessings, see what God has done..." Be blessed, friends. Jenn

If You want me to...

Any of you who know me know that I love music. Music is like therapy. Have you ever heard a song that sums up everything you are thinking and feeling? I can often hear a song, and remember a certain period in my life where that particular song held a lot of meaning to me. I thought about what I wanted to write today, what I wanted to share about what is going on in my life, and the only way I could think to express it was through one of my favorite songs of all times, If You Want Me To by Ginny Owens. The pathway is broken, and the signs are unclear. And I don't know the reason, why You brought me here. But just because you love me, the way that you do, I'm gonna walk through the valley if you want me to. Because I'm not who I was when I took my first step And I'm clinging to the promise You're not through with me yet. So, if all of these trials bring me closer to You I will go through the fire if You want me to. It may not be the way I would have chosen But You lead me through a world that's not my home. But You never said it would be easy You only said I'd never go alone. So when the whole world turns against me And I'm all by myself And I can't hear You answer my cry for help I'll remember the suffering Your love put You through And I will go through the valley, if You want me to. I often wonder how people survive without Christ. There have been many days where I wonder, "What's the point?" but then I am reminded that I have hope in the Lord. I have a book full of His promises, that will remain no matter what this world is throwing at me. And at times when I feel like giving up, He shows Himself to me. The struggles of this world are always here and are ever present, but Christ has overcome the world. Be blessed! Jennifer

Stillness...

Well, sorry for the lack of blogging lately. My life has been a bit on the chaotic side. I travelled to Tennessee for a long weekend to see Mrs. Lauren Vanderburg tie the knot and started a new job. I have had various other tasks going on (laundry, cooking, cleaning...haha) that keep me busy. Enough of that...time to write. Lately, the words "Be still and know that I am God," have been prevelant in my thoughts. Being still means to stop. To turn everything else off, and just know that God is God. He is the One who is in control of every moment of my life. I must admit that I am no good at being still. It is physically a challenge for me. Even when I am "relaxing," my mind is still going nonstop. It is a challenge to just be still not only physically, but mentally. I have realized how much I NEED God in control of everything. I have realized how much I NEED quiet, STILL time with Him. I am struggling with contentment, and struggling with so many "why" questions--and more often than not--I don't take the time to be still and talk to the Lord about it. Why is it such a challenge to be still? The other day, David and I were driving back from the big town of Orange Springs, FL, and the car was quiet. My thoughts immediately turned to my life. I have to be honest and say that I am so happy to be married and thankful for an amazing husband, but I am having a hard time being away from family and friends in this new place that I not too fond of. I miss having a support system of people who constantly encourage me and help me to grow in my faith. I find myself sinking into this hole so often--this hole of sadness and feeling kind of lost. But as I sat in the car thinking about all this, the Lord reminded me of the millions of things I should be thankful for. He reminded me of how far He has brought me, and although things may be tough right now, He is here for me. He has me right where I am right this second for some purpose. In those brief moments of stillness, the Lord completely comforted me and changed my whole outlook on my life. I am feeling His strength and love more than ever--and feel as if I am ready to do whatever He asks of me. I must always remember that He has a purpose for all things--even when I can't see what it is! Don't give up those still moments with the Lord for anything...take the time to remember who God is. Be blessed! Jenn

A Night to Remember...

My 25th birthday was last Friday. It really was a great day. My hubby spoiled me, and we spent the whole day together (which doesn't happen often, unfortunately). We decided to end my birthday by going to eat at Chili's for dinner. We had actually planned on cooking dinner, but because something came up, we decided last minute to go out to eat. Little did we know that God had us there at the time He did for a purpose. It became a day that will not be soon forgotten by either me or David. Because it was a Friday night, the restaurant was packed, forcing David and me to wait outside. As we were sitting outside chit chatting about life, a man came raging out of the restaurant dragging his little girl by the arm with a painful force. He was screaming horrible things to her--he was saying, "I am going to beat your f****** a**" over and over again as he dragged her to their car, which was positioned right in the front, for all to see. As he shoved her in the car, he said that he would "beat her f****** body to the graveyard." At that moment, my husband ran over to the car and grabbed the man off of the girl. My heart was racing as the man screamed profanitites at my brave husband and threatened to have him put in jail for assault. He told David to mind his own business. But he made it our business when he came out screaming and hurting his young girl. Everyone outside watched in amazement. The manager came out and was asking everyone what was going on, and we thought that she was calling the police--but sadly we never saw the police. I think that I got a huge dose of reality that night. I like to think that our world is good. That people are good. But then you see something like that, you realize how much sin and evil is in our world. I know that there are a lot of people in our world who are good, but Satan has a strong hold on our society. It is scary. As things calmed down, we finally went in to eat. I couldn't get through dinner without crying my eyes out. I was hurting so much for that sweet little girl. No child should ever be treated and humiliated like she was. Whether he was going to hit her or not, his words to her were piercing, hurtful, and threatening and I keep hearing them in my head. David and I keep reliving the moment over and over. I am so proud of my husband for standing up for that little girl. While everyone else watched, my husband took a stand. Pray for this little girl. Pray for her parents. It frightened me to think what this man would do to this innocent child behind closed doors. He had so much anger in his voice. Our children are under attack, and we need to be praying for them. We need to fight for them. If we won't, who will? Be blessed! Jenn

Life as I know it...

Well, somehow it is already October. I must say that October is my favorite month. It just screams FALL! I love this time of the year. It might be my favorite. This month in particular is going to be full of goodness, which I am so excited about! In a few days, I turn 25! I love birthdays...particularly other people's more than my own, but I am thankful I was born--thanks Mom and Dad! I am still trying to figure out how I am already 25...weird! I always tend to reflect on how far God has brought me on my birthday. It is so awesome to see how He worked everything out, brought me through the rough times, and blessed me in SOOO many ways. My year of being 24 was amazing--I got married to the man of my dreams, had a lot of fun times with my wonderful family, gained a brand new amazing family, and moved to a new place! God is so good. I should never complain! I plan on making my 25th year of life one of purpose and joy! Next week, I get the pleasure of being in one of my best friend's weddings! I have always loved weddings, but now that I am actually married, I love them so much more! I get to travel all the way to Tennessee, where you can actually tell its Fall, and see all of my best friends! I am definitely looking forward to some girlfriend time. I feel like it is such a blessing seeing your friends get married. I am excited for my friend to know the joy of marriage. It's going to be a beautiful, fun day! I am starting my new job hopefully this week. Bye bye monotonous days! I am so looking forward to being around kids again...I miss that! I am praying that God will use me in the job He has provided me with! Anyways, October is going to be full of good times! God is good! Be blessed! Jenn