A new season of life

Two big events happened to me this past year. I turned 18 and I graduated! :)I remember being little and thinking that it would be forever before I turned 18. I also remember being 11 years old sitting on the church pew watching my sister graduate! My how time flies! Here are a few photos from my senior photos and from my 18 birthday. 

Senior photo

We had to do a fun photo.

Senior photo.

Graduation day.

We did a photo shoot before we went to my graduation party.

We decided to put my life story into cakes and cupcakes. I gathered some items of mine and we displayed it on the tables. In the photo above is the beginning of the table. Baby pink cupcakes. Also above the table my mom put some of my baby photos on scrapbooking paper and taped them on the wall. Next I have my cowgirl hat, huntin hat, then a stack of some of my books.

Then I have music notes on cupcakes, a piano, and a record player. We couldn't find a small violin to put on display. Next to that we have a farm cake. Horses and chickens on it. Then in front we put my cowgirl mug.

This cake is my history cake. 1861 and 1940. 

I enjoy hunting with my dad and I did 9 years of classical ballet.

 At the end of the table we had a small wedding cake topper and put a question mark on it. Cause I don't know who I am going to marry! :)

My dad sharing his words of love.

Me making my speech. As you see in the photo I am standing on a stepping stone. My parents surprised me and presented me a stepping stone to stand on as I am stepping into a new season of life. This stepping stone was also a symbol of their lives being laid down for me to walk closer with the Lord in my own life.

My dad's side of the family joining in the celebration.

Me with one of my piano students.

Maw maw, Me, and my momma.

My pastor and I.

                                                            ~18th Birthday~

My darling friend Eden and I

My friend and I had taken of photo together that past Sunday and she printed it and put it into a frame for me :)

That week I got to go roller blading! I haven't roller bladed in a long time.

 As part of my 18th birthday  my mom and I drove to North AL to surprise my friend Bria.

For part of my 18th birthday I picked up 3 sisters and we went to Marble Slab for ice cream! I love that place!

Senior 2011.

                             To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.                                                                             Ecc. 3:1

Oh, Come All Ye Faithful

Christmas has come and gone. I love Christmas! I only wish it would snow down here in the south. When I sing "White Christmas" people think of snow. But I think of cotton, white icing, and white fluffy clouds. I know I haven't posted in a while. I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

 We had three adorable girls come over and decorate a gingerbread house and make gingerbread cookies.

My nephew "Trey" was really excited about opening his presents.

My dad's side of the family over on Christmas Eve.

My famous peanut butter balls. I made about 115 Christmas week.

My gift to Trey. He loves watching Andy Griffith.

Family photo 2011

My daddy

Turtle cheesecake

I love red roses. God's amazing creation.

My cousin "Kole" and my nephew "Trey" awaiting to open their presents at my Maw Maw's house.

Look what Maw Maw gave us!! They were really excited about this present!!

 

Excerpt from Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Mally

Directions are not any help unless you know not only where you want to end up, but also where you are now. Some young people need a spiritual GPS module to give them some guidance. They have no purpose in life. They do not know what they want to do with their future, how to get there, where they are now, or why then are here. Without purpose in life we wander aimlessly, either allowing slothfulness to take control or finding ourselves "busy" but accomplishing very little.
  Take inventory and ask yourself where you are right now. Why does God have you here? What is His purpose for you today? What is His calling for your life? And how are you going to get to your next destination?
  Maybe you're all confused about your life and have no idea what the Lord's plan if for you. After returning from a Christian conference, I asked the Lord what do you want me to do? I want to serve you Lord. But how? Here is the important point: I didn't know what the Lord had in store for my life, but I DID know that there were some areas in my life which I needed to be obedient. First, there were some people I had wronged, and I knew the Lord wanted me to go and ask their forgiveness. Then there were some spiritual disciplines (such as Bible reading,Scripture memorization, prayer, etc.)  that I knew I needed to more diligently apply in my life. As I began to obey the Lord in these "small" areas, He began to open more and more ministry doors for me.
    It will be the same for you. The Lord usually doesn't show us the whole picture of our life right away, but He is always faithful to show us the next step. Each act of obedience opens new doors of ministry and reveals the next step God wants us to take. This is walking by faith--- trusting the Lord with all your heart, acknowledging Him, and knowing that He will direct our paths. It requires obedience on our part. But we must not think that we can skip any of the steps along the way. Obey now and you will reap the rewards later.
  As a young lady, you probably believe that God is calling you to be a wife and mother. This is a very noble calling. In fact, there is no assignment more important than raising a new generation to serve the Lord. Yet, marriage cannot be your ultimate goal in life. You must have a life purpose bigger than marriage. If you don't, you won't be fully prepared for marriage.
  Of course, I don't mean just any "life purpose." I am definitely not referring to seeking after a career. Our culture, driven by the modern feminist movement, is pressuring us as girls to be a successful in the world's eyes, get graduate degrees, be independent, move up in the business world, have small families, and do men's work.This standard of success that the world pushes does not even compare to the calling God has for your lives as wives and mothers. God made us the be helpers to our husbands and to bear and train little ones for the kingdom of God This far more important and fulfilling than any career could ever be.
  So what do I mean by "a life purpose bigger than marriage"? I mean that our life purpose must be to serve the Lord, to give our entire lives to Him, and to bear much eternal fruit in order to bring God glory (Jn. 15:8). Unless we are focused on this "great work" (Neh. 6:3) for God, we will never be fulfilled in either singleness or marriage.
  There are many people God brings into our paths each day who desperately need the gospel, teaching, and encouragement. Purpose to have a ministry mindset everywhere you go. 

How to make a immodest dress...modest

  I bought the pink dress at a thrift store. It was too short so I wore a black skirt underneath. 

It was too low so I wore a tank top underneath.

I don't wear sleeveless that often so I wore a shrug.

Just a few ideas on how to make an immodest dress...modest.

This is how I wore my hair today.

I got this book today!! I can't wait to read it!!! I really love the story of Bonhoeffer.

God watered the flowers today

Here are a few things that I like to do on a rainy day...

Reading. Learning new words. Using my imagination.

While listening to the rolling of the thunder...

Writing letters to far away friends...

Listening to the raindrops falling...

And writing in my journal. 

 Reading, writing letters, and writing in your journal is just a few ideas to do on a rainy day. It's some of my favorite things to do on a rainy day.

"When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul, Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you, To deliver you from the way of evil,From the man who speaks perverse things."
Proverbs 2:10-12

 

 

Divided - The Movie

This is a wonderful movie about the church being "divided".  A challenging look at modern youth ministry. I highly recommend it!!

It's only available till Sept. to watch online for free!!  So please watch it NOW! It's worth your time!


http://www.dividedthemovie.com/#watchlink

What is it to be discreet or to have discretion??

         

Websters 1828 Dictionary

Discretion-------

Prudence, or knowledge and prudence; that discernment which enables a person to judge critically of what is correct and proper, united with caution; nice discernment and judgement, directed by circumspection, and primarily regarding one’s own conduct.

Discreet------

Wise in avoiding errors or evil, and in selecting the best means to accomplish a purpose; circumspect; cautious; wary; not rash.

Strong’s Concordance - KJV

Discretion-------

Ps. 112:5 - A good man showeth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.

Pr. 1:4 - To give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

      2:11 - Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

      3:21 - My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion.

      5:2   - That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.

     11:22 - As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.

     19:11 - The discretion of a man deferreth his anger: and it is his glory to pass over a                      transgression.

Isa. 28:26 - For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.

Jer. 10:12 - He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.

Discreet-------

Gen. 41:33,39 - Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.-- And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shown thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art.

Tit. 2:5 - To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Discreetly------

Mark 12:34 -  And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou are not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

How does Chinese sound?" I asked as we pulled out of the driveway. "Hey, that's great," Eric replied with his typical enthusiasm. I'd only just met Eric and his wife, Leslie, but has already noticed Eric's exuberance and excitement about everything----- even my restaurant suggestions.
"That all right with you honey?" he gently asked Leslie, who was sitting in the back seat. "Sure," she replied sweetly.
Eric and Leslie had stopped by to visit me during a drive through the Northwest. A friend in Colorado had told me about these newlyweds and the little book they had written. Their book told the story of how they had met and grown to love each other without following the typical pattern of dating.
You'd be hard pressed to find two or more romantic people. They adored each other, and it showed. Eric rarely took his eyes of off Leslie. Sitting in the passenger seat on the way to the restaurant, he slipped his hand behind the seat, and Leslie reached forward and clasped it. Holding hands when one person is sitting in the front seat and the other is in the back? I'd never seen that before.
After dinner, while we cracked open our fortune cookies, I had a question. "You two can't keep your hands off of each other,"I began teasingly. Leslie blushed. "Was it difficult keeping the physical side of your relationship pure while you were engaged?"
Eric took Leslie's hand and smiled at her before he answered. "Of course the desire for that was present---- it always will be," he said. "But no, it wasn't a struggle. Leslie and I decided very early in our relationship that we were going to refrain from physical contact until we were married. Our first kiss was at the alter."
My jaw dropped. "You didn't kiss until you got married?"
"Nope," Eric said, beaming. "The most we did was hold hands. And, Josh, we know that kind of standard isn't for every couple. We didn't make that decision to be legalistic; it came from the heart. Everyone, even our parents, told us we should kiss. But we both decided it was what we wanted to do. It was a way to show our love, to protect each other before we were married." And then with a twinkle in his eye, he said , "Let me tell you, Josh, that first kiss was the most incredible, beautiful thing in the world. I can't even begin to describe it. "

This is an excert from I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris. An excellent book. The book that Eric and Leslie Ludy wrote ( the couple in the story above ) is His Perfect Faithfulness. Another fantastic book!