"God never allows pain without a purpose in the lives of His children. He never allows Satan, nor circumstances, nor any ill-intending person to afflict us unless He uses that affliction for our good. God never wastes pain. He always causes it to work together for our ultimate good, the good of conforming us more to the likeness of His Son (see Romans 8:28-29)."--excerpt from Transforming Grace, by Jerry Bridges

On my list of book reccomendations, this one is definitely towards the top. An awesome look at God's grace & what it means to truly live wrapped up in it!

my GOD!!!!!!

Psalm 18:1-2--I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
   my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
   my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Wow…how powerful are these words that David wrote so long ago. So much of what God has been for me, and will continue to be for me, is summed up in these two verses. My strength, when I had nothing left to give. My rock, when I had nowhere else to fall. My fortress, when all other shelters had blown away. My deliverer, when I was in the darkest place. My God…the One who directs my path, and leads me by still waters. My shield, to protect me from the attacks I face. The horn of my salvation….the very reason I am saved. My stronghold, the only thing that matters. As I ponder what to do with life, and decisions I have already made, I think about these two verses and realize that all I need to do is really put my faith in who God is and 100% trust that He will be what He says He is in His word!! If only I could practice what I preach J I'm faced with an inner decision, one that is not easy, but I realize and understand that no matter what happens, the Lord will be my rock/fortress/deliverer/strength/shield/and stronghold. If only I hold fast to that which I know in my head and in my heart, everything else will flow with joy and peace!!!

Keep on--

Psalm 33:20-22---Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in Him, because we trust in His holy name. Let Your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in You!

Wow, how encouraging is this when I read it! Just when I need encouragement and comfort, His Word brings it! I sssooo love being in the hands of my Savior, knowing that everything is under His control and not mine!!

Keep on keepin on!

Jeremiah 9:23-24---Thus says the Lord:"Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord."

Galatians 6:8-9--For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows from the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not become weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up!

things i love

With Valentine's Day coming up this weekend I thought it might be appropriate for me to take an inventory of sorts on the things that I love and why, so here goes. First and foremost, I love my Savior, Jesus. Why? Well the hole "dying for my sins" things starts it off (who else would do that for me?!), then there is the fact that He says He loves me in His Word (John 3:16-For God so loved the world (I'm pretty sure I'm a part of the world) J), and nothing can ever separate me from His love (Romans 8:35-39). He is everything to me therefore I can NOT deny Him my love!! Psalm 18:1-2—I WILL love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold! Secondly, my parents J my mom truly is my best friend. She is one of the only people with whom I trust everything to. She gives the best advice, even when I might not want to hear it. I can always count on my mom to listen to me even when I sound like a complete idiot, and she gives great tough love that brings me back to reality. I love my mom. Then there's my dad…ha…my dad. I can always count on my dad for a great laugh when I need it the most, and I can always count on my dad for sensibility when I need it. He is very practical and loving and will never steer me wrong. I've come to realize that everything he does for me is out of love, and I will never be able to thank him enough for being the man he is. He has his flaws, but I love him still. He has taught me more about life than I ever could have imagined, and most of those lessons came from the river, the woods, or the field…and they were the best lessons ever. I love my dad. Little sis, what would I be without little sis J In the past 12 years there have been times when I've literally wanted to slap the poo out of her, but I'm glad I didn't, because it wouldn't have been a very loving thing to do and it probably would have been hard to clean up…haha, kidding, but seriously. My little sister might be one of the funniest people I know, even though she has a very odd way of showing it sometimes. She is athletic beyond comprehension, and has a huge passion…the only problem is, she can't figure out what to do with that passion. Once she does, she will change the world! I love her more than she will ever know. Grandma W-what can I say about this woman?! She is seriously the strongest person I know. She has been through SSOO stinkin much yet still finds her strength in the Lord…she amazes me and I learn so much from her just by being in her presence. If I could choose one person to be like when I'm older, it would be my Grandma. I love her J Grandma G-this woman is also amazing! I've been so blessed to have awesome women in my life that continually pour out love unconditionally! Grandma is no exception! Even when I've just been the worst possible person on the planet, she still shows love, and I'm so thankful for that! I love her J I love my guitar—because it is an instrument of worship for me, and some of the most meaningful times I've ever had have been with my guitar. My dogs—they are the most loyal things on the face of the planet. I can always count on my beagle to jump onto my legs and just love on me J My cousins—they're like my older sister; they give great advice and love me for no reason! My Aunt—she is another great woman in my life and loves me like her own. I honestly don't know what I would do without her. My other Aunt—the one thing I can always count on from her is kindness and love, and sometimes that's all I need. So this is one crazy long post, but writing it has made me realize how many great people I have in my life, and this is just the beginning of the list!! Even though I might not be celebrating Valentine's Day with a boyfriend, I have more love in my life than I know what to do with!!! If you find yourself feeling alone or discouraged during this time, make a list of the things that you love, and I think you'll realize that you are not alone and that love is being poured back into you!! Have a blessed day!!!