News... BIG news...

   So, if you actually read my last blog post, I left a hint of more news than what was in the blog post. But if you didn't, that's okay... I'll still tell you. :)
   I have a secret. Sort of... It isn't really a secret, but neither have I announced it. I've just been enjoying it, but it's time to share it with y'all. I have a Beau. His name is Josh, and we've been getting to know each other for about three months now.
    Now, if you've known me for any length of time, or have been around my blog for awhile, then you know that a few years ago I broke up with my fiance. I went through a lot of trust issues with God after that, and have done a lot of healing these past two years. Earlier this year, I had reached a point where I figured that I was never going to get married, and I was okay with that. I was going to live by myself, with about a half a dozen cats or so, and serve God however I could. But God, once again, had a different plan in mind for me. (Shocking, right? God has a better plan than I do? Who knew? :D)
   So, Details. Because everyone loves knowing the details. :D  My church had a small group for young adults that got together once a week to do a Bible study together. When I got back from Ellerslie, I started going to it again. Josh was in the group, but neither one of us ever really talked to the other person. We had a conversation or two, but nothing major. I had a lot going on, so I didn't make it every week, but I did enjoy it. Then, the group got moved to Wednesday night, and I couldn't go at all since I worked in Kid's Church on Wednesdays. I missed it, but that was okay.
   A few months went by, and in late March/early April, the youth group had a Skate Night as a fundraiser for their mission trip.  I went, and he was there. Since there wasn't anyone else that either of us really knew, we hung out together and chatted. I enjoyed myself, and went home, completely oblivious that God was busy working in his heart.
   A couple more months went by - I joined the worship team, and in early July, I signed up to go on the mission trip to the Netherlands. Then, one Sunday, he showed up to sing in the choir. And then, later that week, there he was at the mission trip meeting. Then, on July 15th, our church had it's annual church picnic, complete with fire truck pulls. Our church never does anything by halves, or the usual way. Instead of tug of war, there was a competition to see which team could pull the fire truck across the finish line the fastest. Since they were in desperate need of women - the team had to consist of 5 guys and 5 girls, no more, no less - I somehow found myself unable to tell Josh no. Then that night, while watching a movie, my phone goes off. I had a Facebook message from him, telling me that he had admired me and my faithfulness and love for God for awhile, and could he have my number so he could get to know me better. After thinking about it and praying about it, I gave him my number. The rest, as they say, is history.
   Now, these past three months have been a bit of a roller coaster, as God has used this to bring many fears that I hadn't realized I had to the surface. I've dealt with fear of rejection, of being left again, of somehow making the wrong decision and messing everything up. And God just keeps on reminding me to trust.  He has the best in mind, and never makes a mistake. Now, don't get me wrong - it's been amazing, and I wouldn't trade these past three months for anything. Josh has been very patient with me as I work through different issues and feelings. This was not what I was expecting would happen in my life right now. But I've come to the realization that life, in and of itself, is one big unexpected experience. And I'm becoming okay with that.
   I'm very happy right now, and we get along really well. We both are actively involved in children's ministries, as well as other areas in our church. My family loves him, and he fits in very well. So, if you think of us, pray for us, as we figure out where God is leading this relationship. We both want this relationship to work, and to bring glory to God, for what other reason is there for our existence except to bring honor and glory to His Name?
   In His Love,
      Christy

Living Life...

     Life has been so busy lately, and somehow the days have run into weeks, and the weeks blended into months. While I wasn't looking, summer slipped away and fall arrived, with all it's colorful glory.  It's grey and windy outside today. The leaves have turned colors and are falling all around.  Soon fall will turn into winter, and I'll have barely had time to breathe.  Soon snow will start to fall, and my world will become a winter wonderland, and everything will be fresh and white. Christmas lights will appear, fires will blaze, hot chocolate will be made, and carols will be sung.
    You may be wondering, what in the world has been keeping me so very busy that I've hardly had time to blog at all?  :) God has filled my life to overflowing with so many blessings and trials all mixed together, that I'm not sure I'd know where to start.
    A couple years ago, I started taking ASL classes, with the hopes of becoming a Sign Language Interpreter. However, by the end of my second class, I was starting to hate ASL. The college I was attending quit offering the evening classes, and I didn't like the professor that they had, so I quit, thinking that at some point I'd try again. Well, earlier this year, the head of the school at our church approached me and asked if I'd be willing to teach the school ASL for half hour once a week. So, I'm currently teaching 17 kids their alphabet and some different signs. It has been an adventure. I was worried when I first started out that it wouldn't work out very well - that I didn't know what I was doing, that I'd teach them something wrong, or whatever. But I moved forward in the face of my fears, and am really enjoying it now. Soon we are going to start memorizing a verse for the Christmas performance. :)
    One other big thing going on in my life right now is that I'm getting ready to go on my first mission trip!  There are about 12 of us or so from my church that are going to the Netherlands in February.  Our church supports a missionary and his family over there, and we will be spending 10-14 days with him, just ministering and doing street witnessing and lots of other stuff. I'm so excited!!! I've never been out of the country before, so I just went and applied for my passport a couple of weeks ago, and now I'm in the waiting game to see when it arrives.
    I'm still involved in our church's worship team. Recently I was moved from playing the keys to playing the piano during worship. That was a big step for me, as I don't really like to be in the spotlight, so to say. Also, I wasn't as confident in my skills as Pastor Bob, our worship leader. But again, I just moved forward and was willing to try it, and so far it's been okay. :)  So now I go back and forth between the keys and the piano, and I'm loving it. I never would have chosen to get involved this way, but I'm so glad that God has other plans for me. And I still work in our Children's ministries department on Wednesday nights. I love being able to give back to others, and point them to Christ. If hadn't been for others being willing to pour into my life, who knows what would have happened. I'm forever grateful for all my various church teachers who took time out of their lives to invest into mine.
    I have more going on in my life, but I think I want save that for another blog post. It's so special that it deserves it's own, not just tacked on to the end of a long post.  That, and if I don't finish this now, I'm going to be late for work. :)  I pray that you all are having a wonderful fall day, wherever you are.
    In His Love,
         Christy

Music Mix-Up Post 31

  Recently, there has been a lot of new things going on in my life, and my biggest enemy has risen to fight me. Looking at me, and how I live my life, one wouldn't guess, but I battle with fear a lot. Fear of being hurt, fear of failing, fear of man, etc... It usually rears it's ugly head whenever I take my eyes off of Jesus and start looking at the raging waters all around me. (Matthew 14:30)  Anyway, recently I added Jason Gray to my iTunes, and I was listening to this song this morning, and I thought I would share it with you. So, may I present, "No Thief Like Fear," by Jason Gray.







This song just spoke to my heart today, reminding that we aren't called to live in fear. One verse that I have been meditating on is 1st John 4:18 - "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." (NKJV)  It has been an exciting but scary ride these past few months, and I'm working on continuing to trust my God and King. I know that He always has my good in mind, and has the most amazing plan in mind.  So, I continue to press on, being willing to do what He has called me to do, even if I'm doing it afraid. 

  In His Love,
     Christy

Roses...

Today I picked the last of my roses. The weather was slightly misty, and so when I picked the roses, they were all dewy, and I had to take some pictures. And since I haven't blogged in a while, I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you. :)

 We have had a few nights lately that have frosted, so the rose has started to wilt and turn purple. I love how this flower hasn't completely opened, but has such potential. 

 This is my purity ring. I have a mild obsession with rings and roses. I think that they are absolutely beautiful together.  And the reflections turned out really cool. 

 This last one is one of my favorite photos. I love the angle with the reflection. I had so much fun taking these pictures. I just put the flowers on our kitchen counter, and they turned out so wonderful. :)

If you look really closely down in the lower left part of this picture, you can see the reflection of the roses in the counter.

Anyway, I wish I had more time to blog... So much has been going on, and hopefully soon I will have time to catch you all up on everything going on in my life.  God is amazing, and life is hard, but really good. :)

   In His Love,

       Christy

Snapshot of Life

Hello Everyone... I hope you all are having a wonderful summer.  God has been so good to me - my summer has been amazing so far, and I'm so excited to see how the rest of this year plays out.

Earlier this summer, as school was getting done, my hours at work were going to be drastically cut. But God provides, and sent more children to the daycare for the summer.  So I have been working every day, which has been such a blessing.  I love my job.  I work at a MAG Childcare - it's a daycare that is in my church.  Some days it's stressful or long, and I leave going, "I'm never having children!" :) But then there are the days were everything goes the way it's supposed to, and the children are little dears, and I feel like my life has purpose. (And yes, I still want to have children lol)

I've joined the worship team at our church!  It was never something that I ever sought out, but I have been so blessed to be a part of it. I currently play the keyboard, but soon they are going to move me to the piano.  That will be an interesting experience.  I've played the piano for many years, but only started learning chords a few months ago.  But God has blessed me with a passion for worship, and I'm learning to trust Him in a different way. :)

I'm also involved with our children's ministries at church. I have learned so much, and count it a privilege to serve.  I went with our church to Kid's camp this year as a counselor.  That was such a stretching experience for me.  It definitely opened my eyes and made me rethink some things. At one point, I lost my phone, but God was looking out for me, and it got returned to me within an hour.

I am so amazed by all God has been doing in my life.  A couple of weeks ago, I was scheduled to play keys for worship, and I had overslept my alarm, and was scrambling to get ready. I left late, and as I went to go get in my truck, it wouldn't start. I was so frustrated, because I was already behind, so I ran back inside, grabbed my dad's keys, and took his car to church.  All in all, I was only ten minutes late, but I felt like I was behind, and trying to get plugged in and set up and all that, and inwardly I was just stressing.  And it was like God just tapped me on the shoulder and went, "Hey, open your eyes. Do you even realize where you are?" And I stopped grumbling and stressing and just paused and realized, I was somewhere I'd never thought I'd be, but I didn't want to be anywhere else. So what if the car didn't start and the morning didn't go how I planned? God is in control, and I am loved.

I'm currently reading through "My Utmost For His Highest" as my devotional, and this little snippet just stood out to me the other day.  "God's end is to enable me to see that He can walk on the chaos of my life just now. If we have a further end in view, we do not pay sufficient attention to the immediate present: if we realize that obedience is the end, then each moment as it comes is precious."

Psalm 63: 6-8: When I remember You on my bed, I mediate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.
Amen and Amen

In His Love,
   Christy

New Blog!

Hey Everyone! I'm starting up a new blog, where I will be reviewing books... Go check it out and follow me! :)

In His Love,
   Christy


P.S. Since I forgot to put the link in the blog post, here you go! Tattered Pages is where it all happens.

I'm Still Alive!

    Hello, my dear blogger friends! This is just a very quick note to say that yes, I am STILL alive! :) My life has been super busy lately, what with work and church and life.  But I am loving every minute of it, and I'm so thankful for everything that God is doing. His Faithfulness is beyond describable, and I am so amazed every day by the little ways that He shows up.  I've been thinking a lot about the song "Great is Thy Faithfulness."  Most of the song is taken from the third chapter of Lamentations, which is actually a really sad book.  But in the midst of all this tragedy, the writer pauses and says, "This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope. Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I hope in Him!' The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him." (Lamentations 3:21-26)  I look at where I am in life, and all that God has brought me through, and I echo Lamentations - "The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him."
    So, I am doing just that... I am waiting on my Lord.  And I am content to be there, to rest in His faithfulness; to learn how to let His Joy be my strength. Falling in love with the One Who made me, Who died to save me.  Learning to live the life that matters.  And I pray that y'all are doing the same, no matter what it looks like.


    In His Love,
       Christy 

A Summation of Ellerslie... maybe.

I have vacillated back and forth about doing a blog post about a summary of my time at Ellerslie... I've been hesitant, mostly because I've been having a hard time trying to describe it. The whole thing was amazing... painful... healing... stretching... stirring... and yet... unless you've been there and gone through it, it might not make sense to you... I've been asked to try and sum up the whole thing in one sentence, or to name the one thing that stands out the most...
   Most of my life I've been thought of as "the good girl," the one who serves and lives at home and does whatever is asked of her, "the strong Christian," etc., etc... but while at Ellerslie, I realized how little I actually knew; I had such a small view of my God, and I kept Him inside the parameters of my views. I read my Bible because that's what "good Christians do," not so I could learn more, not so I could see my Savior living and breathing on every page.  I was content to stay where I was, instead of reaching higher for the standards that are mapped out in the Bible. Oh, I looked good on the outside, but I struggled so hard with various things, especially in the past few years.  And I don't wonder if things would have been different if I had known my Savior better.
   So, in summation, all I can say is this, my eyes have been opened to how much more there is.  My tent stakes have been pulled up.  I'm marching into the unknown, following in the footsteps of those who have gone before.  The "great cloud of witnesses" have beckoned me "further up and further in" and I'm "running with endurance the race that is set before" me. (Heb. 12:1)
   Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence. I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! ~ Ps. 27:11-14
Chazaq Amats!

   In His Love,
      Christy