Accepting Jesus

Yesterday was Easter Sunday and in the Christian faith it’s a time to reflect on the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross and celebrate the incredible miracle of Him overcoming the grave. It is because of this amazing event that we are able to be in relationship with God and have our sins forgiven. So today I decided that I want to share with you my faith journey.

My early religious experiences were in the Catholic Church. I was baptized as an infant, attended CCD, made my First Communion, and attended mass.

Over the years, the Catholic Church no longer fit into our family’s life and we attended less and less. When I was in Junior High my mom received a post card from a new church and was intrigued enough to take us one Sunday. I don’t exactly know how it happened, but our family became members or this brand new Non-Denominational Church that was meeting in a school. Definitely not what we were accustomed to.

This new church had everything: relevant services, kid’s ministries, adult small groups, social events, and more. My brothers and I loved the kids’ stuff, and my parents got involved. There was just something awesome about this church. We loved going, made friends, and actually learned about the Bible.

I was at the mid-week youth ministry one week, and that is where everything changed. Like I said, I attended plenty of things growing up, and had a pretty good understanding of faith and the Bible, but I was about to have my world changed.

The woman who taught the lesson that night talked about accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. That was a concept I had never heard before. I knew Jesus died for us, but this woman was talking about an actual relationship with Him. It was a concept I had never heard, but it was something that I really wanted. I wanted Jesus to come into my life and work through me. I wanted to have a relationship with Him and I wanted to expand my faith.

I was in 6^th grade at the time and when we broke into our small group sessions after hearing the woman talk about accepting Christ, our leader offered to pray with us so that we could do just that.

I was excited, and wanted nothing more. So that night, I followed along as she prayed and accepted Jesus myself. It was a pivotal moment in my life and easily the greatest decision I have ever made. 

Niagara Falls Road Trip

There is nothing like vacation. I absolutely love to get away from the day-to-day routine every once in a while to explore and experience different things.

Josh and I are big on vacations, and are lucky to have been able to do a trip each year beginning in the latter part of our dating relationship. These trips ranged from cabins in the North Woods with family or company incentive trips to places like Mexico and the Bahamas. One trip that we have been talking about doing from years is a road trip, and we finally made that happen.

When I heard that they were going to begin construction on Niagara Falls to repair one of the bridges, I decided we needed to go there. I mapped it out, estimated the cost, and presented the idea to Josh. (I’m the planner, he’s not). After a couple months of figuring out if we could afford to take the trip and when we could go, we settled on going over his Spring Break.

This past Monday, Josh and I loaded up the car and headed North. Our plan was to drive up through Canada and then back home through the States. We figured that would give us the opportunity to see so much more than if we took the same route.

The trip was AMAZING and one that I highly recommend. We got to see Ontario, the Great Lakes, Niagara Falls, Clifton Hill, wineries, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and a million things along the way. It was a wonderful opportunity for Josh and I to get away from all the things that are currently on our plate and connect as a couple. There is nothing like being in the car for hours on top of hours, talking, laughing, and bonding. And the things we were able to see and experience together were incredible.

If you are given the opportunity to experience this trip, take it! 

Turn Around

Today I listened to a call for work, and the topic was “The Turn Around.” Which basically references that stage in life when you are going through a lull and need to get back on track.

It was a very timely call. I have been feeling kind of stuck lately, and I really needed to hear what was said. It was especially great because I will be able to apply what I learned to my non-work life as well as work.

Have you ever hit a point where you felt stuck? When you feel like the things you are doing aren’t getting you anywhere, or you aren’t even really sure which direction to go in?

It’s a tough place to be. No one likes to feel like they don’t know what to do, and it can be incredibly frustrating.

Our speaker listed out several points to help work through those times.

-          It’s Normal to hit these points

-          Accept where you are, don’t be stuck on where you used to be

-          Trust the activity of moving forward, not your feelings

-          Use a system of growth, don’t rely on instincts

The one that hit home for me the most was trusting the activity and not feelings. For me it’s incredibly easy to get stuck on how I feel and not even want to put in the activity.

While all the tips are great, I know that I need to rely on God to guide my life. I know that He will open doors for me and give me the direction I need.

Daily Habits

I’ve talked before about those goofy articles, “Random number of things to do before specific life milestone…” I think those articles are ridiculous and don’t hold merit.

Every individual has been given their own desires and goals, as well as a timeline that is perfect to accomplish it. I don’t believe that there is set list of things that need to be done before you hit certain milestones in life, and you shouldn’t feel bad about yourself if you haven’t done certain things or don’t even want to.

It’s healthy to march to the beat of your own drum, and fulfill the different, God-given desires for your life.

With that being said, I do think that there are some daily things you can do (should you choose) that are beneficial to your life and can ultimately help you achieve the things you desire. Now, this list isn’t like one of those articles, it’s simply my opinion and the things that I do daily. If you like how they sound, feel free to implement them in your life. If they don’t, no worries. Everyone is different and you are entitled to that.

1.)    Quiet time with God. I choose to do this twice a day. The first time I do it is right after I wake up and brush my teeth. I grab my Bible, read some Chapters (I’m currently working through Isaiah) and do a day out of my devotional book (Implementing the Scriptures in Your Prayer by Stormie Omartian). The second time is my prayer journaling time. I’ve got a journal that I use specifically for my prayers, and I will just take some time to share with God the things on my heart and thank Him for all He blesses us with.

2.)    Working Out. I love to get my heart rate up and work up a sweat. After my morning Bible time, I head downstairs to the workout room in our apartment building. Working out has always been a great way for me to clear my head, and the health benefits are pretty great too of course.

3.)    Time with your spouse/significant other. This can look like different things for different couples. Obviously, not everyone can be together every day, but a phone call works. Those that do live together, dedicate time each day to talk. Bonus points if you can share a meal together.

4.)    Down time. With the amount of work and stressed pulling on us in this day and age, we often forget to spend time doing relaxing activities, but it’s so important to give yourself some “me time.” Grab a book, watch something on TV, do something crafty, etc. Just don’t neglect yourself.

Authentic Friends

Authentic friends are a rare commodity. 

You know the type. They know your deepest fears, your darkest secrets, your dreams, your passions, your goals for the future, and they are there supporting you every step of the way. Their friendship enhances your life and is a true blessing from God. They celebrate your successes, and comfort you during your struggles. They are what my mom would consider a “fox hole buddy,” someone who is there through the good and bad and has your back.

Friends in general are not hard to come by. 

Finding someone to eat food with, bar hop, see movies, and just generally spend time with isn’t a difficult task. Generally, all you need is to have something in common and you can pretty much develop a friendship.

But those relationships don’t even begin to scratch the service of a relationship with a truly authentic friend. It’s said that having a truly great friend in life is a blessing, and I know that to be true.

I feel like over the course of my life I have been blessed to know really great people and for the most part, but I can’t say that each phase of my life has blessed me with someone I could consider truly authentic. However, from each relationship I have gained a clearer understanding of what it means to have and to be an authentic friend.

And I think that is the key. In order to have an authentic friend, I think you need to be one. So I have made it my goal to make sure I am authentic, because if I can’t be, how can I expect someone else to be?

Obedient to God's Timing

God is working wonders in my life right now. There are so many things that are up in the air right now for Josh and I, that without Him, I would be a psychotic mess.

You see, I am type A. I like to get things handled as quickly as possible. I do not like loose ends or being patient. As far as I am concerned, I cannot relax until everything is taken care of. My wonderful husband on the other hand is not wired that way. He is fine with taking his time and letting the chips lay where they fall. He has always had this ability to just trust that everything would work out exactly how it’s supposed to.

I for years have wanted to feel that way, but since that isn’t how I am wired, it has been a real struggle. And often, it was a struggle that I would lose. I wasn’t content sitting back and waiting, if I could do anything in my power to handle a situation I would.

So right now in our life, we are on the horizon of moving. It’s a daunting process and I’ve talked many times about it before. The big thing on the agenda is to find a place to live, and that has been driving me crazy, and in turn, my husband.

I hate the idea that we are moving in 2 months and don’t have a place picked. It’s stressing me out.

But, I have decided that I am going to trust that God’s plan is going to be perfect for us and that He already has things in motion to bless us with a new home.

Sure enough, after the last 2 or so weeks of prayer and searching for a new place, Josh and I got an amazing lead on one! I was so excited when we got the call, and I just know that it’s because God is opening doors for us, and we are being obedient to His timing.

I know that God has a time for everything and I know that by being obedient to that we will be greatly blessed in the long run.  I encourage you to bring before God the big and the little things that are occurring in your life right now, and trust Him to guide you.

Books and Development

On Monday I decided to take a trip to our local Family Christian Bookstore. I’ve mentioned before that I am struggling with the people-pleaser part of me, so I decided that I wanted to seek out help from a Christian resource.

I haven’t been much of a reader lately, but I know that there are some areas in my life that I would like refined, so I figured there is no better place to start that the Christian bookstore.

One of the books I wanted was “Let God’s Word Empower Your Prayers,” by Stormie Omartian. I had picked up a copy the week before as a gift, and didn’t even think that I would want one too. But of course I spent the next week wishing I had it, so I decided to get my own. It’s a great book of daily devotions, each being only about a page long, that tackles the different ways to incorporate scripture in your prayers. (I’m about 4 days in, and it’s wonderful).

The next book I wanted was for that people-pleaser in me. I spent some time online looking up books on the topic and settled on one by Joyce Meyer. (If you haven’t heard her preach or read anything by her, I highly recommend it).

The title of the book is, “The Approval Fix” and I knew after reading the little excerpt online that it was going to be exactly what I needed. Unfortunately, my desire to not have to wait for it to ship to me was met with having to do exactly that because Family Christian didn’t have it in stock. (The woman who helped me said they can’t keep anything Joyce writes on the shelf, her stuff is crazy popular!)

Reading and continuing to better yourself is important. I think that there is always room for growth, and if you want to adjust a part of yourself or refine it, taking a book out on the topic is the way to go.

Happy Reading!