Something Humorous

You might believe in courting if . . .

 . . .you talk about Josh Harris as if you know him personaly.

Excuses, Excuses!

Remember the song that use to be on the radio all the time? "Excuses, Excuses, we hear them every day. And the devil he'll supply them, if the church you'll stay away. . . " Well, unfortunatly, we find pleanty of excuses not to serve God even when we are at church. One of them that I've found myself using pretty often is, "Things are harder now then they use to be back then. We have so many more temptations and not enough Godly influence." It sounds great, but is it in the Bible? What scripture can I find to back that up? I did  find a place where Cain slew his brother. That was awful! It's one thing to kill someone who is your enemy or someone you don't know personally, but killing your only brother is pretty crucial! And what about the King committing adultery? Sounds like something that would go on today, doesn't it? Then I came across a place in the Bible where Sodomy was being lived very openly . . . probably just as bad as it is in Callifornia.

Last week I started reading The Pursuit of God (a gift from my great friend Katie!). In the preface A. W. Tozer writes, "Current evangelicalism has laid the altar and divided the sacrifice into parts, but now seem satisfied to count the stones and rearrange the pieces with never a care that there is not a sign of fire upon the top of lofty Carmel . . . They minister constantly to believers who feel within their breasts a longing which their teaching simply does not satisfy." Remember, this was written in 1948, that's 62 years ago. How many of us have thought, "If I could have just lived 50 years ago I would be a better Christian"?

He went on to say, " . . . I wonder if there was ever a time when true spiritual worship was at a lower ebb. To great section of the Church the art of worship has been lost entirely, and in its place has come that strange and foreign thing called the "program." This word has been borrowed from the stage and applied with sad wisdom to the type of public service which now passes for worship among us."

 This world was in a horrible state 62 years ago, yet Christians still lived on strong. I'm sure that if I were to look hard enough I could find even older references to the wicked state of this world, wickedness that we are somehow convinced to believe only exsists in the twenty first centry. But the truth of the matter is this: Christians have been living in an evil world ever sence Eve took the first bite out of the fruit which came from the Tree of Good and Evil. The atmosphere in which we live in does not give us any reason to serve God with less vigor then the great Christians who served before us. May we all strive to be the best Christian that ever lived, in a time when it is need just as bad as it ever was.

My Latest Artical . . .

Being home schooled has given me a different out look on life and a different mind set that most people don't have. I believe that in more ways than one I can honestly say that "once a homeschooler, always a home schooler." Many times I have caught myself telling others, "We're homeschooled" or "I'm a homeschooler," when in all actuality I am no longer homeschooled or in any type of school period! I haven't been taught the three R's by my mother at home in 3 years and I definitely don't have any children of my own to teach, yet I still consider myself to be a homeschooler.

It's a title that I claim with pride. A title that I'm not ready to give up! Even though I'm not technically in school, I still enjoy learning. I may not have any desire to improve my mathematical skills, and learning to spell is an endless task that I don't know if I'll ever accomplish, but I like to learn anything about the human body, and I try to keep up my writing and grammar. Then sometime when I am baking cookies or cooking supper I am reminded of the days when such things were considered part of my schooling. (Home Ec. was always a favorite!)

Yes, I'm still a homeschooler. I can defend my belief in this way of teaching just as good as any homeschooler and I take every opportunity to tell others about my education and how I got it. I imagine when I have my own children I will unconsciously tell others that "I homeschool my children" even when they are too young to even talk. But I can't help it! I love the home schooling way!

Back to the Old Ways

As I'm sure you've noticed, my blog has taken on it's original form once again. This time I didn't change it just because I wanted a new look. This time there is a purpose for the new layout.

For the past 7 months I have not been my usual self and lets just say I like the old me better. I'm not just talking about my taste in blog templates, but every area of my life. I have become very selfish which lead to a lot of other things that aren't pretty or God honoring. Today I decided to step out on faith and change the way I have been acting and get back to where I use to be, closer to God. It seemed like a good idea to go back to my old blog design as a reminder of what the purpose of this blog was meant to be when I started it. Who knows, I may change it to something brighter and more cheery in the future, but for now I kind of like the old Scribe look.

Continuing Christmas Traditions

What do you do when you have . . .

M&M's and chocolate chips . . .

lots of decorator's icing . . .

and sprinkles????

You make Christmas cookies!

And lots of them!

Daddy was really proud of his cookies! : )

We all had a lot of fun carrying on this family tradition! And no matter what they say, my cookies look the best . . . even better than Ryan's! You can get the recipe at my mom's blog. They taste just as good as they look!

Merry Christmas!

His Ways: Part II

So here we are about to do something that seems impossible and unattractive in almost every way. We constantly ask God, "Are you sure? Am I hearing you right?" and every time God patiently answers, "Yes."


Now obeying God has become hard and it seems like we are going through a storm. Thankfully, the scripture doesn't stop at verse 9. Verse 10 says, "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it being forth the bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."



Now what does rain have to do with God's ways and man's ways? Why did God mention this next? I often wonder what man thought the first time it rained? (After the first rain that created the flood.) They might have thought that it was a nuisance, something that disrupted their work and caused their progress to be delayed. Maybe they had something outside that they didn't want to get wet and was now ruined. If it were up to man, (not knowing the bennefits of rain) he might wish it never happened again. But God's ways are not man's ways, neither are man's thoughts as God's thoughts. God knows we need rain, and even though we may not like it at the time, in the long run we will be glad it did rain because it brings forth new growth.



God's word is like the rain. We may not want it at times, but after the rain comes the buds, the seeds, and finally, the bread that we live by. Most of the time we can't see the whole picture. His thoughts are as high as the heavens and ours are so shallow! But God's word will always bring forth something good. It will always accomplish that which he pleases. It doesn't matter if we don't understand. It is so encouraging to be reminded that God's word will acomplish that which he pleases. It is almost as if God is saying, "Don't worry. It will work out just as I planned."

So we go on following his lead. We have faith. We trust.

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried; he is a buckler to all of those that trust in Him." II Samuel 22.31

His Ways: Part I

This is an artical that I wrote about 7 months ago but didn't know if I'd ever publish it. After reading it tonight I thought I'd change a few things and post it. This really encouraged me, I hope it encourages you too.



"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

Lately God has been showing me the meaning of this verse through circumstances in my life. So many times when we read verses such as this we tend to apply it to shallow things. For example, There was a time when I wanted a job working for a pediatric in a nearby town. The interview didn't go well and the doctor never called me back. While this seemed awful, I now realize that God had other plans for me and the place I am working at now is much better than the one I really wanted. I can see how my ways are not God's ways.

But that wasn't a hard test for me. Many people have to go months searching for a job and I can't say that I was exactly desperate for a job since I was still living at home and driving a car that is payed off. That was not an impossible situation.

What about the big things in life? Is this verse still true when it comes to life changing matters such as moving to a place that seems like the worst place in the whole world? (Just a side note: we are not moving and haven't even thought about moving! This is simply an example.) If God were to tell us to move far away from our family, our church, and the place we have lived all our life, to a town we aren't even interested in . . . what should our attitude be? Of course we would say, "Lord, this doesn't make sense! I can see no reason whatsoever why we should move! It just isn't realistic!" But God's word is still true. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways may ways, saith the LORD." After all, isn't this exactly what God told Abraham to do? I'm sure Abraham didn't understand why God wanted him to leave his home and family to go where God told him to. But he did it anyways.

Sometimes obeying God doesn't make any sense. In fact, it can seem embarrassing and impossible! But God is all wise and knows exactly what we need.

To be continued . . .

Desiring to do Right

Today while I was reading a blog I was very encouraged by this girls strong faith in God and strong convictions that she has. As I read post after post about the thoughts she had on serving God, praying, witnessing, and such, I was reminded once again of how far away from God I had gotten. In sadness I thought about how hard it is to get back to where I use to be, but I knew I couldn't blame it on God. Our LORD never makes it hard for us to come back, the hard part is giving up bad habits and start living a selfless life. Sin is fun for a season, but I have come to realize that even when the fun runs out, it's still hard to give up. Even if it is something as small as selfishness or using my time unwisely. I'm reminded of this verse and quote that everyone should live by.

"Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom." Proverbs 18:1

"Sometimes I do what I want to, but most of the time I do what I have to do." ~ Bro. Mark McGaughey

Introducing: My New Natural Salt Lamp

I'll admit it, I spend a lot of time on the internet. Whether it is at work requesting precertification on a patients stay, e-mailing my best friend, or jumping from blog to blog, I can always find something to do on the world wide web! I suppose if you were to compare the time I spend to other's time I might not come out to be so bad, but still every now and then I have to make myself cut back.

A few weeks ago mama sent me this link which identifies where radiation comes from and how it can hurt us. The computer, phone, and microwave are just a few that I simply can't avoid, so this solution sounded really good! Be sure to check the video out . . . it's really cool.

So I started the search for this natural salt lamp. Today while I was out doing some Christmas shopping with my brother Ryan I found it at Rite Aid! I was so pleased with my find!

Tomorrow I'm going to take it to work since that is where I spend most of my time around radioactive waves and if I notice a difference I might just buy one for home too. I think it's pretty cool! : )

On Waiting

The other day as I looked over my blog it occurred to me that some people may not see my title, "Maiden in Waiting", the way I do. I often wonder what a guy would think if he were to see it. Would he think I am this lonely girl who thinks life doesn't start until I am married? Would he think my whole life's goal is to become some man's wife? That sounds a little shallow.

But that's not the way it is. When I think of the term waiting, I think of the true meaning of it. I guess you can say the best way to put it is: waiting not dating. I have chose to wait on the man God wants me to marry instead of dating any Christian guy who comes along. By waiting I am not taking matters into my own hands and figuring things out for myself. I am not playing the fields.

But my life still goes on. I try to stay active at work, home, and at church. I'm not going to wait for marriage to start serving God and enjoying life to the fullest. I'm trying to do that now.

And then there is the other side of waiting that I am looking forward too more and more every day. I can't wait for the day that God calls me home to be with Him in heaven. The day of the Lord's return will be the end of all my sorrows and failures and the beginning of a life truly lived for God's glory and honor. That is what I'm waiting for! A life fulfilled through Christ!

A Great Verse to Claim!

"In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion." Psalms 71:1


I think this might be my new life verse . . . I've definatley prayed it plenty of times!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

To Talk About God

You know God is first in a person's life when the first thing they talk about, when asked how they're doing, is how good God's been to them. I want to be like that one day. So close to God that I want to talk about him all the time no matter who I'm talking to. But even more than that, I want people to know that I mean it when I open my mouth. I'm thankful for Christians like that in my life, I hope to be a blessing to others in the same way.

Looking Ahead

Wistful

::Note:: No, I am not wistful to see any guy. There is none! I just thought the word fit the picture. : )

Photo Shoot

The other day Bethany and I took some pictures of each other, kind of had our own "photo shoot". We aren't expert photogrophers yet, but we have a lot of fun doing it. Here are some we took with and without editing.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

More to come . . .

Great Deals

Today I went yard saling with my family, something we all enjoy doing from time to time. I was so pleased with some of the items I found that I just had to share them! The first things I bought was this beautiful antique purse and pair of white gloves for $2 each. Aren't they so pretty and old fashioned?

The next thing I was happy with was not so much about the item, but the price. I got this purse for 75 cents! It looked practically brand new so I had to ask the lady who was selling it if the price sticker was correct! I love finding deals like that!

I have already used the brown purse and love it. Me and my sisters will probably wear the gloves at a tea part and perhaps if I have the chance to go to another "old times day" at church I may use the snap purse, but otherwise they will be used as decoration. I think this is a great example of the fact that it doesn't cost much to be feminine if you know where to look . . . and don't mind buying used! Now my room has more grace and beauty and my shoulder has another purse to carry!

Internet Free Weekend and a Give Away

So what did I do this past weekend since I wasn't on the internet?

• Friday I watched a movie with my brothers and sisters and just relaxed.
• Saturday Bethany, Amy and I went shopping in a large town near us. (We left at 7 that morning and didn't get back until 5 that evening just in time to eat and head back out to a gospel sing in town. That night we were all in bed early!)
• Sunday, after church, I organized my desk and made some russian tea for myself and a friend.

Now time for the confession. Sunday I did get on the internet for exactly 6 minutes. I was really discouraged and depressed so I didn't really care if I cheated on my own challenge, so I checked my e-mail and read my friends blog really quick. Afterwards I was really glad I did because Katie's e-mail and blog posts really encouraged me and helped get my mind back on track. So next time I might leave room for reading e-mails if it is apsolutly neccisary. The rest of the time was pretty enjoyable.

Before I end this post I need to mention that Miss Jen is having a give away at her blog, Blessed Femina. When I go to her little spot in the web I am always refreshed and filled with creative, feminine thoughts. Stop by her blog and check out her delightfuly give away.

Are You up for a Challenge?

Maybe it's because my life has felt a little stressed lately, maybe it's because I feel the need to spend more time in prayer and Bible study, or maybe it's because I read this article, but whatever the case be, I have decided to go on an internet fast. Not a very long one, just for the weekend. I am not even going to turn my computer on. I think it will be very refreshing to break away from the fast pace world of technology and enjoy the wonderful world that God has created. It will also help me to control my self will sense I really like to spend time on the internet and it's kind of an addiciton. In addition, this will also give me more time to devote to the story I am attempting to write for the 4th annual contest going on at JournEzine.




So here's the challenge.

1. Read Natalie's article, Nurturing Intimacy in a Facebook Generation (or at least the bulk of it sense it is kind of long)
2. Decide when you want to start your fast and how long it will be
3. Stick to it!
4. Write about it on your blog or leave a comment on this post to let us know how it went. Did you enjoy doing other more important things? Did you feel less stress? Are you going to do it again? Or did you hate it and constantly went through withdrawals the whole time?
   

Who knows, we may like it so much that next time we'll want to do a complete technology fast. No TV, no computer, no cell phone . . . it could be interesting!

My Answer to the Poll

Okay, now it's time for me to answer my own poll. But first I'd like to say how surprised I am by the response. I just knew that the majority of the voters would say they didn't like being teenagers, but actually 53% said they like being a teenager and only 30% disliked it, leaving the other 15% with those who are content in every age they find themselves in which you could actually add to the 53% making a total of 68% who enjoy being a teenager. (I hope I didn't' confuse you!)

So I'm sure you've probably already guessed my response by now. I don't mean to sound critical and I certainly don't want to complain or throw myself a pity party, but quite frankly, I don't' like being a teenager. The reason for that is because I know I have an attitude at times, I know I am a "know it all" every once and a while, I realize that I am picky about my clothes, AND I DON'T LIKE IT! I don't want people to see me as the "teenager". Now truly, mama would probably tell you that I am not near as bad as most teenagers, but I am still a teenager. My age still has a 1 in front of it!

Another reason I don't want to live these years over again (when I get through them) is because I never fit in and I always felt awkward. Somehow I think that this may be the case for the rest of my life sense most of the world is living contrary to the Bible which puts me in the minority and feeling awkward may just be a part of my shy personality.

Nevertheless, ever sense I have been working at the hospital as an "adult" with other adults doing adult things, I have felt less pressure. In fact, everyone in my department is either old enough to be my mother or grandmother . . . and I love it! Most adults are much better at controlling their attitudes and they are mature enough to know that it's rude to stare at you with this look on they face that says, "You're weird."

Yes, I realize that I will probably have to deal with attitudes from time to time no matter how old I get and life will never be easy, but I agree with mama: the teen years are not the best part of a person's life. That is a very comforting thought!

What about you?

I've heard both opinions. Some people say they wish they were teenagers again others say they wouldn't go back to those years for anything in the world. Of course I have my own opinion on this matter, but I thought it would be neat to see how many teenagers actually enjoy their young life or how many can't wait to be an adult! This season is definately a big part of our life because this is when we usually make some pretty big decisions that we'll have to live with for the rest of our lives.

So what about you? Do you like being a teenager? Be sure to answer the poll honestly.

Saturday Fun

The veiw when we arived.

This was before we really started having fun!
Isn't it wonderful to be young?

God is the best artest of all. He paints beautiful colors in the sky every night.

My Life the Past Few Weeks . . .

Since it's been a long time since I've posted anything I thought I'd show my face in the blog world so that everyone doesn't forget that I exist. It's clear that my goal right now is not to keep a lot of readers because if that were my goal then I would be failing miserably! Nevertheless, I do enjoy blogging from time to time and maybe one day I will once again be a faithful writer in the Internet world.

Lately I've been reading Miss Jen's blog, Blessed Femina. Every time I visit her (Internet speaking) I drool over her beautiful creations and make good intentions to sew something as elegant as her projects. Tonight I finally put my good intentions to work and started making a weaved pot holder. Since she did such a wonderful job presenting this unique art I won't show you mine, you'll just have to go over to her blog to check it out. So far mine is turning out fairly well and I am having a lot of fun! If it turns out good I might post a picture or two for you to see.

But I haven't been spending my all my time reading blogs and sewing pot holders. In the past few weeks God has shown me how much I don't know about the Bible. It's no secret that I don't like to study, but since I have been raised in church and have been a born again believer since I was 6 I am ashamed to admit to all the things I don't know. I have come across three people, who are completely unrelated, who have inspired me to dig deeper into the Word of God so that I will have a better understanding of how God wants me to live and what he requires of me. After all, shouldn't I have a desire to know why I believe it is wrong to gamble? Shouldn't I be able to know what the Bible says about drinking? What exactly is the purpose of the church according to the sciptures? Isn't it good to be able to talk confidently of my beleifs because I have studied them out myself instead of just taking my parent's or pastor's word? These are some of the questions that have been going through my head. I could probably answer each one in a somewhat true form, but I don't know if I could back them up with scriptures without grabbing a Strongs concordance and Naves Topical Bible. I am starting to realize just how much people take on the beliefs of their denomination without studying them out to see what God says. It is as if we are all living by our denomination . . . not the Bible. But I can't judge anyone because I've done the same thing. Thankfully, it is never too late to give up old habits and start new ones . . . and today seems like a great day to start!

Thoughts on Resisting God

Tonight while I sat at the piano going over my favorite selections a song came to mind. I almost drove myself to the point of going crazy because I couldn't remember the words to the song nor the person who sings it! All I could hear was bits and pieces in my oh-too-short-memory. Finally God brought the person to mind so I got on mama's computer to see if she had it downloaded on Window's Media Player. As I scrolled through hours upon hours of gospel music I caught sight of Bro. Mark McGaughey's sermons. I paused for a minute then went back to looking for the song. Still, I couldn't help but see Bro. Mark's name in my head. Momentarily the song didn't seem very important as I scrolled back up and pressed the play button to, "Ye Do Always Resist".

As soon as Bro. Mark's deep voice sounded on the speakers I felt conviction. I suppose it was because he reminds me of the old camp meeting days when the Spirit of God was real. In those days my heart was very tender towards God and I wanted God to be ever present in my life. During those great church meetings the "in crowd" was serving God.

Or maybe I felt conviction because Bro. Mark seems like a man of God who is completely sold out to Christ. You can hear the compassion in his voice, and can almost see his broken heart at times. He is the man who once said those who aren't living a life sold out to God . . . "They don't know what they're missing!"

The scripture was out of Acts chapter 7, the message was from God. "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye." We've all resisted God in our life at one point or another. Whether it's staying in our pew when God tells us to go the altar or saying "no" when God tells us to go to the mission field, it is sin. It is like turning our back on God and walking away from His will for us. It is a very sad and serious matter that I'm afraid we take too lightly. I believe God's heart is saddened every time we say no to the Holy Ghost. Every time we decide to go our own way we rob our self of a blessing. What about you? Have you resisted the Holy Ghost lately?

A Truth to Remember

About a year ago while I was in a ladies Sunday school class the teacher asked a question that we should all want to know the answer to. "What is wisdom?" Since I've heard this question many times I offered my answer. "Wisdom is not just knowing what to say, but when to say it."

Having all the knowledge in the world will do little good if you don't know how to use it correctly. Giving untimely knowledge is like someone telling me to bundle up before I go for a walk in the summer. Why would I want to do that when it's 98 degrees outside? Maybe in a few months I'll need to pile on the coats to face the cold, but in the summer that advice is going to do me no good.

Wisdom is the same way. When knowledge is given too often or at the wrong time it is not going to sink into one's mind. We have to look closely at peoples lives and be sensitive enough to see those "go ahead" triggers.

Imagine you are a young mother raising your first child. You haven't figured everything out yet but you think your child is perfect despite all the things she does wrong. When she pitches a fit you think she is just going through a stage and as soon as the temper tantrum is over you are back to talking about how sweet your child is. If ever an angel did live, it was her.

Susie, on the other hand, has raised many children and knows that if these bad habits aren't taken care of at a young age you will lose control of your daughter. So Susie goes to you and tells you quite bluntly that you need to discipline your daughter better and she knows the best way to do it if you'll only listen. You would most likely be taken back because you didn't realize there was a problem! You thought you were doing just fine. You might even think, who is she to tell me how to raise my child? She needs to stay out of my business! The knowledge she gave is true, but it was given at the wrong time. If Susie felt the need to talk to her she should do it in a very calm way as if to suggest, but without going into a lot of detail. If you really wanted to know more, you would ask questions.

Now lets look at it in a different light. You realize that your daughter is getting out of hand more and more each day and you worry about how she acts when she doesn't get her way. You may have even voiced once or twice that you just don't know what you are going to do with her. When Susie hears your frustration she is able to reply with a way to discipline her. Since you are looking for a different method of training your child you listen to every word she says not wanting to miss a thing! This is knowledge given at a the right time and is very effectual.

This is just one of many examples. We all need to be reminded how important it is to wait for the right moment to speak. Knowledge given at the right time can make a world of difference.

"Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will

despise the wisdom of thy words."

~ Proverbs 23:9 ~

Me? A Writer?

Last week I had a rather interesting conversation with a friend. A conversation that brought new thoughts to mind and questions that needed to be answered. Here's a tid bit of our talk:

Friend: So what do you guys do around here when you're not playing games.

Me: Well I work everyday and lately I've been studying to get my coding certification. Other than that I like to take walks, play the piano, and write."

Friend: You write?

Me: Yeah, I use to have a Christian magazine for teens. Now I have a blog that I write articles for.

Friend: So you're a writer?

Me: I guess, though not a very good one.

Just for the record, that was the first time anyone had called me a writer. The fact that I've been writing since I was 12 years old didn't seen sufficient enough for me to own such a title of that carried by people like L. M. Montgomery or Elizabeth George.

Oddly enough, it was kind of scary being called that. Being a writer requires a great deal of responsibility and diligence that I'm not sure I want to dedicate to the art of literature. Being a writer means that you not only know how to write words on a piece of paper, but that you are also good with words, and big words too! (I can barely spell the small ones!) Writers have to know how to weave words together to make a simple thing sound beautiful. In my opinion, a writer is someone who has talent in the area of putting words to paper.

Those things don't seem to describe me as well as I wish. I generally write my thoughts down quite frankly without all the frill. Like my hand writing, it can probably be more accurately called "scirbbling".

But then again, I suppose the real definition of a writer (no matter how boring it may sound) is simply: a person who writes. And in the light of that definition I suppose I am a writer. . . but I'd much rather be called a scribbler! :)

But putting all nonsense aside I will admit, this conversation also got me thinking about why I write. I've always used my writing ability to express my thoughts regarding the Christian life, but it goes farther than that. Am I writing to be a good Christian writer remembered by many? Am I writing to become famous in the Christian realm? Am I writing simply for the pleasure of it? Or am I writing for the glory of God?

The answer I should give is obvious - "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." I Corinthians 10:31 - but saying that truthfully is another matter. It is easy to get my focus off track and forget the root of it all. Thankfully, God sends along little things like this conversation right when I need them to remind me to evaluate not just what I am doing but why I'm doing it.

Something Good

Lately my life has not been as wonderful as I wish it were. I don't really know if it would be true to say that so many things are going wrong in my life because it very well could be that I am just experiencing a very big bout of "negativism". I do tend to see the bad things more then the good at times. It is so much easier to blame all my faults on the trial at hand then to suck it up and be strong like the Bible teaches. (Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. ~ 2 Timothy 2:3. That's not an easy verse to swallow!)

But today I am counting my blessings! Someone from our church came over for dinner which was followed by several ours of playing games. We played Taboo, Uno, Pit, Clue . . . pretty much everything on our shelf! What made the afternoon so fun was the laughter we shared, the jokes we told, the teasing we threw back and forth, and the common bond of God's love in our life. It's not very often that we come across people who have the same interests as we do much less the same senserity of serving God. It was so nice to be able to enjoy several hours with another Christian who understands why we live the way we do.

In the midst of all that the devil is throwing my way God gave me something good. Even if a dozen other things in my life seem to be going wrong, I am going to be thankful for the good thing that God has given me today. And if I live day by day - looking for those small blessings - life will be much easier.

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:" Psalms 103:2

The Way Life Is

~written September 5, 2009

Today while I was sewing a pair of culottes (which just happened to be a very aggravating pattern) I stole away for a few minutes to read some articles online and see what everyone in the blog world was up to. I looked at pictures and read about one girl who was making a beautiful apron for her friend; another woman was busy keeping house for her handsome farmer and watching after a rambunctious little girl while another young woman, donned in an quaint prairie dress, visited friends on an old farm. Others portrayed a life full of baking, gardening, shopping at the thrift stores in their spare time and sipping on spice tea while they read a good book. Their lives all seemed so perfect. So full of feminine beauty and old fashioned elegance!

After looking at just a glimpse of these seemingly wonderful ladies lives, I all of a sudden felt boring in my flowered cotton shirt, faded blue jean skirt, and pony tail. As I got back to my sewing I felt as if my life was missing something. I didn’t know if I should make another dress from era’s gone by, bake a loaf of delicious homemade banana bread, sit down with a cup of Russian tea and read that book that I’ve kept putting aside, or get back on my quilt that I started a year ago. Somehow I just felt like I needed to do something to make my life more interesting . . . or enjoyable. But instead my day was spent fretting over a pair of culottes that I had put off making until the last minute. Sitting at a sewing machine and ripping out seam after seam is not exactly what I call a romantic day in the country.

No, my life is not anywhere near perfect. I work a full time job Monday through Friday, I might watch an episode of The Waltons for enjoyment in the evenings, my room isn’t always clean, I usually don’t get around to my to do list until the last minute, and I often find myself stressing over things that I won’t even remember in a month’s time. The fact of the matter is: sometimes life is stressful. Sometimes life isn’t that perfect picture of ease and beauty. Sometimes we will lose the time and even the desire to do those extra little things that make our lives seem special. That’s life. How do we get through each day? Only with God's help.

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

Home Sweet Home

There is absolutely no place like home! After camping in the beautiful smokey mountains for 4 days I have never been so happy to drive on flat land, sit on my bed, take a shower in my bathroom, play the piano, and pet our adorable little dog, Rover. Home has never looked so good! The mountains is a great place to go for a vacation, but I was born a "flat lander" and I remain a "flat lander"!

Delightful Dilligence

"He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand:

but the hand of the diligent maketh rich."

Proverbs 10:4

For the first time in a while I am seeing the

true joy one can get out of being diligent.

It is so nice to stay busy and be

able to see the work I have done and all that

I have accomplished. Diligence

really is delightful!

"For Satan finds some mischief still

for idle hands to do." ~ Issac Watts

A Great Day At Work

Are you wondering why I had such a great day at work that I would blog about it? There are two reasons that come to mind when I think about Friday's work day.

1. I got a new boss who I really like
2. I got a PROMOTION!

Yes, you read that right. I am climbing the ladder! Along with my new responsibilities I will gain some very good experience which I am looking forward to.

It is easy to go with the flow of the work place when I get caught up in the moment of excitement, but God has been reminding me that I need to remember where I my focus should be: Jesus Christ. While my job may be very great, I still need to put God first in my life and go to him for my joy and all my needs. But I am still convinced that there is nothing wrong with enjoying my job since I truly believe God put me here in the first place. God is good, isn't He?!

Today's Happenings

Today when I got home from work Bethany and Amy surprised me with an invitation to Tea! We love having tea parties but usually I am the one who heads them up with mama and the girls, so I was pleasantly surprised when I got the invitation! What a pleasant thing to come home to!

Later I made some Delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for work tomorrow since we are wishing our boss farewell. Ryan begged so much for some cookies and accused me of cooking for my co-workers more than I do them . . . so I let him have a few with a promise that I would make him some more another day. Not that he is lacking in snacks! ; ) Mama always makes sure that if we are in need of a "chocolate fix" or something to satisfy our sweet tooth there is always something for us!

Lastly, I gave Phillip a much needed piano lesson. I get behind sometimes. He did very well and I figured out one of his "learning gifts". (Everyone learns in different ways and I am always being challenged to learn new methods of teaching my 3 younger siblings because none of them learn the same way . . . naturally!) Today I saw that Phillip is very good at taking what I taught him and applying it to every song, not just the ones I taught him on. I was very happy to see this!

It has been a good day. But now . . . it's time to go to bed!

Evening Thoughts

When my heart is so full with questions, doubts, and fears, it is so nice to be able to pour it all out to God! Today I visited a friend's blog, trying to get my mind off of all the unwanted thoughts that keep coming back. When I heard her music start softly my soul was refreshed. "I hear the sound of a mighty rushing wind, and it's closer now then it's ever been. I can almost hear the trumpet as Gabriel sounds the chord. At the midnight cry, we'll be going home!"

My two thoughts tonight are these:

• I don't know what I would do without a God to cast all my cares upon.
• Sometimes it takes heavenly thoughts to get your mind off of earthly struggles.

The Positive Column

This week I have been a little discouraged. During times like this the devil is very quick to point out all the negative things in my life so that I will believe I have every reason to be down and out. And honestly, in the day that we're living in the devil doesn't have too work to hard to find negative facts to throw in our face. If we listen to him, we will always be discouraged because we are living in a very wicked world.


Today on the way to work God brought back to my memory something my parent's Sunday School teacher use to say all the time. He would say, "How has y'alls week been? Have you put all the negative things in your life in the positive column?" Then he would go on to tell about every day things in his life that had gone wrong and how he learned to see the positive side of it.



So what about you? What are you going to do with the items in your negative column? I'm going to try to put them in the positive column.

Picture:: Have you ever noticed that the cross is a big positive sign?

Doing for Others . . . and Yourself

Lately I have been going through a very hard time. I was very discouraged with myself and felt like I couldn't get out of the hole I had gotten myself into. After going through this for several weeks I finally told mama some of what I was going through. After we talked a while she asked me, "So what are you going to do?" I said, "What do you mean?" Like I have heard before, she said I would feel better if I did something kind for someone else.


Fifteen minutes later I was in the kitchen baking a Bluberry Buckle Cake for an elderly couple I really like but don't see very often anymore. Bethany went over there with me to visit and what I thought would be a short visit turned into an hour of good country fellowship around the table. We talked about everything from gardening to the little town we use to live in. After they gave us a hug goodbye and told us to come again I was so refreshed! We enjoyed our visit so much and can't wait to do it again for someone else. (Truth be told, I think I got a bigger blessing then they did!) It was nice to think about someone other than myself and do something homey.


This weekend I did something for myself. After being in the office all week (where I have NO WINDOWS to look out) I'm usually ready to spend some time out side in the fresh air and warm sunshine. So after we got home from a short shopping trip (where I bought a $60 purse for $24!) Bethany, Amy, and I went for a bike ride at a local state park. The whole ride lasted an hour so we were a little tired when we were done! Cold water never did taste so good!

Picture:: This is a snapshot I took at our friends house last year on another one of those wonderful visits!

Cute Post

Have you ever seen a 4-wheeler loaded down with 5 people? I have. In fact, I was one of them. Me and my 4 siblings got on ONE 4-wheeler and drove about 50 yards veeerryy slowly! You can see the picture at my sister's blog. It's very funny! What else are country kids suppose to do when their board?

From the Mouth of a 17 Year Old

"The problem isn't when you fall down. The problem is when you don't get back up." ~ Jacob Renshaw

Photo Tag

I usually don't do a whole lot of tags, but when Bethany sent me this one I thought it looked like a lot of fun so I thought I would play the game too. The rules are: go into your 6th picture folder and select the 6th photo. Post it and your done. There just happens to be a story behind my photo!

This picture was taken at the National Christmas Center in Paradise, Pennsylvania. This was one of the many places I visited with a church group while we were in the Amish Country. (You can see more pictures here.)When this grumpy old man came on our bus to give us an intoduction to the museum I asked Mr. Fred (the trip coordinator) "Is he Santa Claus?" He replied, "No, he's too mean!" I do have to say, if he is going to work at a Christmas museum he needs to stop acting like Mr. Scrooge!

I tag Amy @Under Southern Skies.

Quote of Truth

Don't Ask God to Direct Your Steps
If You are NOT Willing to Move Your Feet!

Learning of God's Abundant Mercy: Part 3

Once she was seated at her desk she opened her Bible again, but this time with more hope. "Lord, please show me what I need to know" she prayed silently.

Natalie read the paper she borrowed from her dad. She turned in her Bible to the reference Luke 15:11-24. She had heard and read the story of the lost son many times, but still she read it again not wanting to miss anything.

Underneath the reference were three points. The first one was, 'The State of a Hired Servant (vs. 17-19)' "And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants."

"I know I am not worthy to be His child," the girl thought. "So why would he take me back into His fellowship?"

She skipped to the next point. It read 'Going to the Father (vs. 20)'. Natalie realized she hadn't prayed about her problem. Maybe if she had went to Him first she would of already been forgiven. But instead she tried to figure out how to fix it herself. "How stubborn of me." Underneath the second point her dad had written the scripture I John 1:9. "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness." The word 'if' was written in big letters and underlined. "My sins will never be forgiven if I don't ask for forgiveness. But first I'll read the last point."

'Sins Forgiven and Fellowship Restored (vs. 20-24)' "The father is always ready to accept his son back into his arms. He waits and urges him to come back and when he does, his heart rejoices and He gladly restores fellowship." ~ Pastor Jones.

Natalie's heart sang with joy! That is what she had been waiting to hear. Her Savior still loves her and is willing to forgive her iniquities.

With a heart overflowing with repentance, she poured out her soul before God. When she had finished her prayer and wiped away her tears of sorrow, she felt such wonderful peace and happiness. "Oh what a wonderful God I have! Thank you Lord!"

Looking down at the paper that she was so thankful for, she noticed a scripture at the bottom of the page. "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy." Micah 7:18 A smile spread across her face as she repeated the last phrase, "he delighteth in mercy."

Natalie realized that no matter how awful her sins are, His mercy will always be sufficient enough to cover them.

To remember in future times, she took out a piece of paper and pen, and began to copy her fathers notes . . . and add a few thoughts of her own.

THE END

Learning of God's Abundant Mercy: Part 2

That evening when Natalie read her Bible, her mind kept wandering. The words on the pages before her seemed so boring. She turned to several different chapters, but each one seemed so familiar and meaningless. "Why should God forgive me? You don't just ignore a friend and expect them to treat you like you didn't do anything wrong. I've ignored God so many times I don't deserve to be drawn back."


Frustrated with her own sins, she closed her Bible and walked out of her room. Plopping down on the couch beside her brother, she watched him and their dad play a game of chess. She never did understand why they like the game so much. She thought it was to mind boggling to be fun. But some how Brandon and her dad never found the game uninteresting.


As she starred at the board game, unconscious of what she was seeing, she suddenly remembered something she meant to do. Getting up off the couch she went to her room and looked through her desk dower. Her dad's birthday was the next day and she had make him a special card. "Oh, where is it? Ah, there it is," she whispered. She took the card and slipped into her parents room which was right across from hers. Her dad's worn Bible was on the night stand where it usually lay. Careful as a mother holding her baby, she placed the card inside the leather cover. As she did so a yellow piece of paper caught her eye. In big letters the words were written, "The Fathers Gift to an Unworthy Son."


"That would apply to me," she thought. Natalie felt relieved and almost happy when she realized there was hope for her. At that moment she realized how glad she would be to get back in fellowship with her Savior. She knew that God had put that paper there just for her.


Just then her brother' exclamation of winning the game of chess was heard from the living room. Remembering where she was, Natalie picked up the piece of paper and hurried out of her parent's room.

To be continued . . .

Learning of God's Abundant Mercy: Part 1

Originally published in 2006

"I've done it again.. I haven't prayed, read my Bible or had any fellowship with God today. Just two days ago I was in perfect fellowship with Christ and I had such joy! Why do I have no desire to talk to Him today? Why does my desire to serve the Lord only last for a few weeks at a time?"

As Natalie washed the supper dishes she tried to think of an answer to the questions that lingered in her mind. Natalie felt like she had failed her Savior again. "Again," she thought. "How many times have I done this same thing- and how many more times will I do it? IT seems like all I do is ask God for forgiveness and start all over again, yet I don't get any farther than before." In the background of her thoughts she could distinctively hear her sister making a loud racket.

"Mom" she called, "can you ask Hailey to stop banging on the piano?"

Mrs. Andrews, pausing in the middle of her cross stitching project, looked at her daughter and cocked her eyebrow. Her ever watchful eyes had seen the aggravated look in her daughter's eyes several time that day and she had heard the same snapping tone come out of her mouth more than once. "I've noticed you not being very patient today" she said. "Never mind about Hailey. You've been inside almost all day and I think it would do you some good to get out of the house. I'll finish the dishes while you go milk the goat."

Natalie, although glad for the chance to be by herself, felt ashamed for the way she had been acting. With downcast eyes Natalie dried her hands, picked up the milk bucket, and walked out the back door. "There's another thing I did wrong today: I'm being impatient. This has been a miserable day."

To be continued . . .

You are What You Think You Are

A few weeks ago mama sent me the link to an article based on the verse out of Proverbs 23, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is." Since that day I have went back to this post twice and have thought about it more than any other article I've read in a long time. It reminds me of the scripture my youth pastor use to quote all the time, "Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom." Proverbs 18:1. God will not force us to stay in His will, so we have to be determined to serve God. We have to make up our mind that we are going to do what is right even when it isn't easy. We have to constantly guide our heart in the right direction. We have to build that desire and consciously separate our self away from worldly things and thoughts. God doesn't change. Therefore, He will always be worthy of our praise and service.

"For I am the LORD, I change not . . ." Malachi 3:6

"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Corinthians 6:20

The Desire of an Eight Year Old

Since I have been in the piano playing mood lately I thought I would share my story with y'all of how I got started. Just for the record: I like to play the piano more than I like to sing! If it came down to it, I would much rather play the piano in front of a large crowd then sing a solo in front of a small one.

It all started when I was eight years old. I distinctly remember hearing my pastor's wife sing, "Sweet Holy Spirit" while she played the piano. I also remember that she was the only one in the church who could play the piano for herself to sing. Everyone else used a tape. (That was before CD's came out!) Mama said that I went to her and daddy and told them that I wanted to learn how to play the piano so that I could sing in church. My parents realized that this could be a passing whim, so they didn't act upon it right away, but told me to pray about it. I obviously didn't give up because soon my parents were looking for a piano!

They came across a lady who wanted to sell her daughter's piano since she had moved out and never came back for it. The lady wouldn't give my parents a price but told them to "take it home, get it tuned, and see what you think." Meanwhile I was spending the night at a friend's house I had no idea that a piano was being moved in to our living room! Then next morning at church mama told me there was a surprise waiting for me at home . . . even some of our church family knew about it because I still remember Bro. Kelly telling me that "You're really going to like your surprise!" The suspense was eating me up! On the way home I told them that I was going to go to my room and close my eyes so that they could just put it in my lap. I was clueless!

When I walked in the front door of our house and saw the piano sitting against the wall I was happy to the point of tears! I couldn't believe I had my own piano!

Soon I started taking lessons from a preacher's wife, I was 9 years old by this time. I loved learning and some people said I learned fast, especially when it came to hymns!

When I was 11 years old the piano player in our small church left to go to another church leaving me to be the only piano player. I only knew 4 hymns, but that was a lot better than singing without music, so we sang those songs until I learned new ones . . . which was pretty fast. Within a year I had learned over 100 songs and was even playing for the youth chior! It was starting to become very evident that God had a speacial plan for me. A plan that involved the piano and singing.

.

I am still amazed at how God used a small desire that he placed in my heart while I was eight years old to do such a work in my life. I am a very shy person and at first glance many would be surpized to hear how often I have to get in front of people to play the piano and sing. Being active in music has helped my self confidence that otherwise may not even exsist had it not been for the piano. When I feel like giving in to my embarassment and quit playing the piano in church God always reminds me that this talent belongs to God and I have no right to quit.

Over the years God has opened up many doors for me and my brothers and sisters to sing and play the piano in church and nusing homes. Sometime I love it, other times I come just short of vowing to never set hands on the piano again! But overall I have a passion for music that will always stay with me. Some day I hope to give piano lessons (besides me brother and sisters who I already teach) so that I can share my love to play the piano for God with others. Who knows, maybe someday I will be an inspiration to a little child which may be the beginning of a life lived for the glory of God through the piano. That would be the most wonderful accomplishment of all!

A Love For Singing

My memories of singing in a youth choir goes back to as far as I can remember anything. Mama has told me many times about the first time I probably sang in the choir when I was only 3 or 4. She said I decided I wanted to get up there with the other kids to sing. After I got in front of the whole church everyone started to smile at "little Jennifer" and I imagine they were all saying "Awww! How cute!" I was so embarrassed that I pulled my dress up over my face not realizing I was showing my undergarments and stomach! As you can imagine, the "Aww!"s turned to laughter! Fortunately, that didn't stop me from singing!

.

But the memories I always go back to are of the days we sang with Mrs. Carol. She and her family loved to sing and they did a pretty good job at it too. She always seemed to enjoy teaching us and chose fun songs that had a great message. Her husband, Bro. Timmy, would sometimes jump in on the choir practice and give us some advise . . . and a few threats! I'll never forget the time he told us that if we didn't smile while we were singing he was going to call on us to testify. That scared me to the point that I smiled bigger than anyone else in the whole youth group! But he didn't just leave us with that, he told us how important it was for us to smile and that if we smiled our singing would sound so much better.

.

From then on I've always sang with a smile. I did it then because Bro. Timmy told me too, but now I do it because I love to sing! I've learned that it's not important that kids learn the different parts or they sound perfect. All God asks for is a joyful noise, not necessarily a perfect one.

.

Now Bro. Timmy and Mrs. Carol are gone and I haven't found a youth choir that I enjoy as much as that one. But we are still singing. The love they placed in my heart (and hopefully my siblings') will last for a long time - hopefully forever.

.

Recently God has shown me that it is now my responsibility to not just teach other children how to sing, but to give them a love to sing. This doesn't mean that I'm going to start a youth choir next week or even in the coming months, but some day God may give the the opportunity to do so. I've already started with my siblings, and I may be unconsciously planning seeds in other's hearts now by simply showing them how much I like to sing to my God.

.

Through this God showed me that God doesn't always require you to serve him in a way that will take you out of your comfort zone. He gives us talents for a reason. My talent lies within making joyful noises to the LORD so I hope I can use it for Him in many ways!

.

"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands! Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing." Psalms 100:1-2

Jesus, Only Jesus

By John R. Rice

I walked the path of pleasure

I toiled for earthly treasure

But peace beyond all measure

I found in only Jesus.

~~~~~

My boasted goodness failed me

No cure for sin that ailed me

God's Spirit then prevailed me

To leave my sins on Jesus.

God's word I long resisted

~~~~~

His Spirit called insisted

Rpenting I I enlisted

With Jesus precious Jesus.

Oh Christ for love unceasing

~~~~~

For blessing e'er increasing

For all my fears releasing

I praise and love my Jesus!

Chorus

My sins are all forgiven

The Chains of sin are riven

And all my heart is given

To Jesus only Jesus!

Picture of Bethany's sunflower.

Turning Back the Pages of Time

When I was 11 years old I started my first real diary. After keeping one for a few years I became a very dedicated journal-writer, sometimes writing every day. This past year I haven't written as much because I am busier and (truth be told) I don't always like to be accountable for the thoughts I am thinking (since I have always tried my best to be honest with my diary).

Tonight I pulled out one of my old diaries, one I started when I was 15 years old. While I was reading the accounts of fun times at camp or at church, I wished I could relive those moments. Moments when everyone seemed to be my friend, church was great in my eyes, I was always at home away from worldly influences, and yes, love was in the air! (Or at least I thought so in my little 15 year old mind!)

But then I read about the mistakes I made, the attitude that I tried to believe I didn't have, and the "big" worries I couldn't get past. I started to have second thoughts about living those years over again! Maybe being a teenager once is enough!

As I kept reading I was reminded of things I hadn't thought about in a long time. One of the biggest blessings was reading the song I use to love called, "Only Jesus." It was a song I learned while I was at Bible camp the year before. I had went back to this song many times when I was having troubles in my spiritual walk and got a lot of encouragement out of it.

Reading about the more care-free days gone by made me remember how nice it was not to have a lot of worries. It makes me want to let go of some things that aren't in my control and simply live my life for God day by day. No, we can't really turn back the pages of time and relive them . . . but we can remember them and learn from them!

Experiencing the Goodness of God

When God blesses . . . nothing seems impossible!

My Man

My man. When you hear those words I'm sure lots of things come to your mind, namely, what you want in your man. Doesn't every girl have a list of desires they want in their future husband? Things like Christian, handsome, kind, tall, gentleman, romantic . . . we could go on and on! Whether you want to admit it or not, all of those things are probably what you really do want! Who doesn't want a handsome husband?

As for me, I made my "list" when I was 12 years old! Underneath the title "What I want in my Prince Charming" I wrote 23 requirements or dreams that I hoped my man would have. Some of them are very reasonable such as

• loves God
• not lazy
• faithful to church
• wants lots of children

But then there are some that aren't quite as reasonable, like "never forgets our anniversary"! I'm starting to think that finding a man who will remember our anniversary isn't quite that important. : )
Lately I've come to realize just how important it is to have those "wish lists". It was fun to think about what we wanted in a husband when we were younger because they seemed reachable. Finding a godly husband didn't seem impossible back then because we had so much time. But when we turn 18, 20, or even 23, we start to get a little desperate. We start thinking that maybe our standards are too strict or our wish list is too conservative. It is especially hard when we are around attractive men who don't meet our requirements. Flattery can be very tempting to accept from the opposite gender when you've never been given that kind of attention, even if that man isn't a Christian.
So today I thought I would write about what should be on those wish lists. (That was just the introduction!) These inspirations were given by God during a sermon my pastor preached a few months ago.
Prayer Warrior
Our first example is Daniel. One of the things he is known for is his prayer life. In the Bible we can read about the time prayer was banned from the city except for prayer directed to king Nebucanezar. (Banning prayer from the schools is nothing new! They were banning prayer way back then as well.) Daniel could have been fearful for his life and prayed in secret, but he wasn't afraid . . . or at least he didn't show his fear. He continued to pray three times a day in front of everyone unashamed! A husband like him will always go to God when our family has needs or hard times come. We should desire a husband who is a mighty prayer warrior like Daniel.
Protective Father and Husband
I think we can all agree that Noah was very protective. When God told him to build an ark, Noah obeyed and took his family with him. He separated himself and his family from the wicked world and spared not just their life, but also their spiritual life. Of course, it was God who actually spared them, but Noah played a big part in the picture by being obedient. Make sure you marry a man who will protect your family from the harm of this world!
Obedient to God
Abraham was tested by obedience like no other man I've read about in the Bible. When God told him to move away from his family - he did it. When God told him to sacrifice his son- he was going to do it until God spared him from such pain. This is a hard thing to ask for in a husband! Sometimes I'm not so sure if I want a husband who is that obedient! I don't expect God to tell me or my future husband to kill one of our children, but God could really test our obedience and we really should obey. All joking aside, I want a husband who is very obedient to God's word.
Strong
Okay, I'm not talking about muscles or the ability to carry heavy sacks of feed on his shoulder (although it would be nice to have such a strong husband!) I was thinking more along the lines of strength of spirit. The man who comes to mind is Job. He was strong! After loosing everything - children, cattle, servants, his income, health - he worshipped God! He didn't give up, he didn't stop serving God, he kept on fighting the good fight! Everyone goes through trials in life, having a husband who knows how to make it through them will be a blessing you could never thank God enough for! We need a husband like Job.
These are just a few of the many characteristics we find in the Bible. We could name many more, but for now I think these will do. If you really desire to marry a man who is pleasing unto God you can dig in to the Word of God and find out what God wants for you and your husband.
And finally I'll leave you with a verse that has encouraged me for a long time.“Trust in the LORD and do good. . . Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalms 37:3-4 For after all, our desire should not be to marry the perfect man, but to marry the man who God has ordained perfect for us. Now that's my kind of man!