Praise Him for the circumstance. Praise Him for the trial!!!

Maybe I am being emotional, maybe it is my feminine nature, but I just want to say that my heart is happy. I am so thankful that I do not hunger for a riddance of void in my life. I am done trying to fill a hole with an apparition of joy. I am grateful that Christ has died for my sins, paid my debt and now, has given me true peace and joy! But, I don't want to view this joy selfishly as if it was all about me. I want to bask in the sweet aroma of my Savior's death. I want to savor the taste of the gospel, for in it, there is "fullness of joy."

I want to find joy in every circumstance knowing that in every trial God is good. His character is good and therefore he cannot act anything other than what he is. "God is not man that he should lie, nor son of man that he should change his mind. Does he speak and not act? Does he promise and not fulfill." God is good, and therefore good to me!!!!! He is all wise, and therefore knows what is best for me. And He is all powerful, and therefore can and WILL accomplish what is good in my life!!! I believe that God's good is my good. Therefore, I must conclude that when God stretches out his hand and extends his goodness to me, it is not only for my good, but His glory! Praise Him for the circumstance. Praise Him for the trial!!!

"For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless."

Ps 84:11

"By Him all things were created. Things in Heaven and on Earth. Visible and Invisible. Whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities. All things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him they exist."

God never fails us! He fights for us! He is good!

Megan Parker Photography

My mom made me get back into my wedding dress for some fun bridal portraits and mother daughter photos! Megan Parker is a wonderful photographer! We had so much fun!

Robbing God's glory

So, I am really just journaling more than anything, but God just tested my heart, and I must confess the sin that was revealed!!! Basically, I took something that God gave me, and laid claim to it. It was mine, and I viewed as if I deserved all the glory for it! How sinful is that! To think, God so graciously gave me this gift in the first place. This must grieve God, to give his child a precious gift and then that child to take glory for it... But, in the place of contempt and disgust I find joy and forgiveness. Christ died for my sins! He was punished for that very instance of robbing God of His glory! "But he was pierced for my transgressions, he was crushed for my iniquities, the punishment that brought us piece was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us have turned to his on way. THE LORD HAS PLACED ON HIM THE INIQUITY OF US ALL!!!"

I must also testify to the grace of God's redemptive plan. He so graciously taught me about giving God the glory due his name this morning. And to think, he would also graciously reveal this in my life... I wrote this in my journal this morning about Psalm 18... "God saved David from all his enemies. He was grateful. He saw God delivered him; not himself. My application: GIVE GOD THE GLORY DUE HIS NAME!"

How crazy that God would reveal the very thing (or the lack there of) in my heart that I journaled about this morning! I am amazed by his gentleness in disciplining and correcting me. His word says, "How can a young man cleanse his way, by taking heed according to your word (ps 119:9-11). I delight in the law of the Lord (Ps1:1-4).

Lacy Love

Ok, so this beautiful woman you see is none other than Mrs. Tatum... Lace is a wonderful, Christ honoring friend who is one of those wives you strive to be like. Sometimes you fail in your attempts because of the standard put forth by her! She is excellent in all she does! She is a woman who seeks to make her house a place of comfort and refuge! She is a master of crafts, making everything she touches beautiful!

But most of all, she is wise! Searching out my convictions a few years ago, I spent many a nights snuggling with her, asking her questions, rooting out false convictions and building my own. She was one of the first people endeavoring to teach me how to think! She has blessed my life, she is a godly woman! She is Lacy Tatum!

No No my Bo Bo

Now, I shall tell you about one of the most important people in my life... My brother!!! His story...One of reconciliation, forgiveness, power, and my list could not continue unless I say, JESUS!! Christ has done such a work in my brother's life! If you would have known him before, you would have seen the depths of my heart as well, my heart was broken for my brother. He lived a life of foolishness, disobedience, deceit and enslavement by all kinds of passions and pleasures. He lived in malice and envy being hated and hating others (Titus 3:3).

Do you think this sounds harsh to say my brother was all of those things? I make this statement, not to reveal my brother's evilness, but to reveal what Christ has done in my brother. But, when the kindness and love of God his savior appeared, He saved him.

So, I ask you today, implore you, remember your salvation... What Christ has done in your life! Saved you, not because of the righteous things you have done, but because of HIS MERCY!

I am so thankful that Christ has changed my brother's life! He has been rescued!!! My brother's fervency for the gospel, to know Christ more and his desire to make Him known has encouraged my heart these past months! I honor my brother today, because he is a new creation. The old has gone and the new has come (II Cor 5:17)!!!

Laura, Laura, Laura

This is my dear friend Laura... She has such a heart for the world to know Jesus! She has been in my life through a lot of circumstances!!! She was my first friend in college that pushed me closer to Christ!!! She gave me courage to fight! She taught me so many things about myself, Jesus, and others! What a great example of Acts 20:24 she is to me! I thank God for Laura always initiating to me! She is my friend, and I love her!

MeGaN

Today, I want to rejoice for I have a wonderful friend named Megan! She has moved away, and I don't get to see her much... But this woman is an amazing gentle and quiet one who always seeks to put others above herself. Her desire is to know the Lord, to seek him in all decisions, and she is an encouragement to my soul! She is my best friend, and I love her!

100 free christmas cards with your picture on them!!

Hey ladies, I just found where you can get 50 Christmas cards with family pics on them for free. This is what you have to do...

Go to http://www.seehere.com/?cmUploadSubSID=3
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I just did it!!!!
You have until Nov 30th

Oh and before you do the 50 free, you can also get 100 free if you are new to the website... Just type in prints as your code before and separately from the other code with 50 free.

Hope this works for you!!!!

Today, I want to celebrate my good friend Alicia! What a great friend! God has blessed me with an amazing woman who is in my season of life! "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." I have to say, spending time with Alicia is very encouraging and helps mold me into a godly wife and woman!

My glorious calling!

So I was thinking in the shower how I have so many married friends who are in such a different stage of life... Working, going to school, staying at home with no child, staying at home with children, working and going to school, babysitting a grandchild three days a week, and the list goes on, or maybe it doesn't. But, what I was thinking is just how no matter where we are in life, we are called to be helpers to our husbands. For a season, it may help to go to work, or to stay home, or you name it... But, no matter where we are, we are to honor our husbands and be a helper! My in laws have been at home this week with me, and I have to admit, I have been a little anxious that they see me work at home. Will they think Im lazy? Do they know I am helping David? What do they think about me not working? etc... But, I was simply reminded that no matter what they think, God has called me to this season and to be a helper for David, and this is what my family has decided is the best way for ME to help David. I don't need to live in light of others approval (a trivial discipline that I must be reminded of every day!), but live for Christ and what he has called me to!!!! A Helper to my husband, not yours! Hence, I can rejoice! For God has called me out of the pits of hell, when I was living for myself, and he has saved me through Christ's death! And has given me a calling!!! Praise Jesus, God has gave me a glorious calling!!! To be my husband's helper!!!

Let us not become weary in doing good!!!

High Above all the Nations

Ok so through many trials this past month, I am starting to realize that disobedience/distrust is happening in my heart a lot with David. It has crept in so silently and stealthy, that I was unaware of this pattern in my life! God is revealing this to me, by his grace. So, this week my heart has been trying to meditate, contemplate, alleviate what is going on!!! I am not at the finished product, but feel it necessary to pen my heart! This is what I have come up with.

1. Obeying my husband is obeying God: "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. ²³For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior." -Eph 5:22

2. I am called to submit in EVERYTHING: ²⁴Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. I am not called to obey David only when I think he is making a good decision. I am called to obey him regardless (unless it is clearly disobedient i.e. smoking weed). This is a part of my issue because I have let lies come in saying that I have a better decision. God is leading David, and David is being faithful to listen!!!

3. God will bless David's decision because I am obeying him. If I think I have a better decision and lack submission, God will not bless that!: " If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth" Deut 28:1-3

4. To obey David is to love God: "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." John 14:21 This too shows that if I submit to David, God will reveal himself to us!!

5. To truly submit to David should not be burdensome: "This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, ⁴for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." I John 5:2-4
God's word promises that we can have victory in Christ because we have overcome through Christ. I can have victory!

6. Confess it: "If we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." -I John 1:9

7. Meditate on this...God has given my abundant grace, for Christ died for my sins and I stand righteous before God!: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Side note: I am so proud of my husband... He is a great leader. He has so encouraged me with his daily walking with Christ! He really seeks out counsel and is eager to follow Christ! He shows me grace all of the time!!!