Lunch with David and Jonathan

Everyday I eat lunch at 11:30 and usually the break room is pretty much empty when I go in. So I thought that would be a good time to get away and be alone with God for a while. The past few days I've been reading through 1Samuel and today I read something about David and Jonathan that has stuck with me all day. This verse was what hit me...20:23 "And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the Lord be between thee and me forever." After I read that I started thinking about the friendship between David and Jonathan. I realized that their friendship was so strong and valuable because God was always between them. God was not only the center of their friendship, but HE was their friendship! A friendship given by God is a friendship that will change your life forever. Remember that without God in it, it holds no meaning or value.

Grace

Today, while I was at work, I kept thinking about a song that we sang in choir Sunday night. The main idea of the song is to be hidden in the shadow of the cross so the world sees ONLY Him. One phrase of the song goes like this.."I'm so thankful Your grace covers who I am..." I thought about that line over and over again. His grace covers who I really am...think about that!

Fun with the Fam

Last night my aunt, uncle, and cousin came down to stay for a few days. It's so good to see family and spend some time with them. We took my cousin to the pool yesterday where she "bapitized" us in the name of the Son, the sister, and the Ghost. I don't think she paid much attention to the word usage during a baptism. So, needless to say, there is never a dull moment with her! My dad finally bought a boat yesterday too! It's a 2006 Bayliner(a ski/ fishing boat). So if anyone has any free time and wants to come spend a few days on the lake, please come down! We love having people come visit!

Blisters and the Bible

I'm sure everyone, at some point and time in life, has had a blister. Well, I have the mother of all blisters on my right foot. I have a total of five in all, but this one blister is abnormally large. I wear eight bandaids and two pairs of socks everyday, but they won't stop multiplying!!! While I was frantically rubbing "the monster" today, a lady that I work with came up to me and started asking me about the Bible. She brought up different situations and asked me how they relate to the Bible. Throughout the discussion, I was able to share the Gospel with her. She didn't talk about it the rest of the day, but I pray that she understood what I was telling her. I guess today was one of those days where I realized how important it is to know why you believe what you believe. Please pray that God will work in her heart and that she will ask more questions. And if anyone has any advice on what I should do about these blisters, please let me know!

Many people have been asking me what it is that I actually do at work, so I thought I would do some explaining............

I'm a CVS Specialist. (I really have no idea what that means, but it sounds important!) I make washer fluid pumps at a very fast pace. First I take the 150 degree plastic off the conveyor belt and and cut all the extra plastic off. Then I take it to the drill machine and drill in all the holes we use to place the grommets in. After the drilling process, I put in the censors, the smaller grommets, and the tubes. Then they go to the testers and then finally to the boxes. We make 261 per hour and try to make 2,088 per day. So, there it is...that's what I do!

This weekend I got to go back home to Tennessee! It was so great to see my family and go to my church. We've only been gone a few weeks, but already it seems like so much has changed. I look at the youth group and see all the new ones who have just come up and it seems so weird that they are old enough to be in the youth group! There is so much potential sitting in those pews. I can't wait to come back a few years from now and see how God is shaping and molding lives in the youth.

Change is definitely not always an easy thing. This move to South Carolina has been very hard at times. There were many days where I was discouraged and felt very lonely, but God is always faithful. On days like this He made Himself so real to me and I always find comfort, encouragement, and hope in His word. Without change there would be no growth. I want to change and grow in the Lord no matter what the circumstance is. The Lord has blessed us with a great church here and I'm joining the choir on Sunday! I can't sing the best, but I love to sing and singing is a big part of every service down here.

Well, that's what has been going on down here and please continue to pray for the ladies I work with. I have faith that He will work in their hearts.

Big Mountains

Sunday morning my pastor was talking about prayer and He said something that has stuck with me this week. When we face trials and testings and we seek God, He doesn't promise to take them away. These trials seem like giant mountains and we see that there is no way around them. God doesn't promise to remove the mountains, but He will give you grace to climb it and He will be climbing right along side of you. This has been a big encouragement to me this week. So many times I "expect" God to just take away this trial that I'm going through but in every situation there is a purpose and a lesson to be learned. The next time you're faced with a "big mountain" remember that He is climbing it with you and He wants to teach you something through it.


Oh yeah, my youth group got home safe and sound! Thank you for praying for them.

A Different Kind of Beautiful

This past week I finished the book of Ruth and started the book of Esther. This is also one of my favorite Bible stories and the Lord showed me something very unique while reading it. In the beginning chapters it talks about the King's demand for the most beautiful women when deciding who should become the new queen. There were many beautiful women to choose from, so why did the king choose Esther? What made her beauty different from all the other women? These are the questions I asked myself and as I began to look deeper into the story, I realized what it was. Of course it was in God's plan that he choose her, but I believe that Esther's beauty was different. Yes, her physical beauty attracted him, but it was an inner beauty that captured him. The "normal" beauty in today's world has no depth or meaning, but when God is shaping and molding a heart HE can use, that is when true beauty is shown. When GOD'S beauty is manifested in a person's heart, that beauty shines to everyone and they see that this different beauty is a reflection of Christ.

Work

Well, today was the first day of work. The Lord answered my prayer yesterday when we (Alicia and I) got a job working in the same plant as my Dad. It's not the easiest or most desirable job, but a little hard work never hurt anyone. I work on the fastest line in the plant making washer fluid pumps for SUVs. For all of you who know me, you know that I have zero skills when it comes to computers and cars, but I know God gave me this job for a reason. It was really hard at first, but I finally got the hang of it. For those of you who love looking really good for work, never work in a plant! Everyday we will wear safety glasses, earplugs, a badge, and steel-toed shoes.( I think the shoes weigh as much as Alicia!) I work with several women on the line and I know that two of them are not saved. Please pray for Roberta and Yolanda. I pray that by working with them and building relationships with them, I will have a better opportunity to witness to them. I'm very thankful that the Lord gave me this job, but I'm not just there to work, I'm there to share His light. Please pray that I will b e a good witness and that God will use me in some way this summer. And remember to pray for my youth group as they are in Mexico. They have a full week of ministry and service and check out their blog.(you can link to it through mine)

Fast Boats and Ruth

Today my dad went boat shopping, which is something he does quite often but never buys anything. Well, today he found the boat he has wanted for a long time. It's a Tahoe deck/fishing boat and it has 190 horse power.(I have no idea what that means other than it makes it go fast) So maybe within the next few days he'll have one.

I love studying the book of Ruth. Everytime I read it, I learn something new and I find things in it that I can apply to my life. In chapter two it talks about how Ruth went to glean in the fields and Boaz saw her there. Of course most of us realize that Boaz was attracted to her, but he looked beyond her beauty and saw her need. He wanted to help provide for her and protect her. When I read this I realized how easy it is to look at people but not SEE them. When you look at a person through Christ's eyes you see so much more than the physical. May God help all of us to see people through His eyes and have a desire to meet their needs.

As I looked in the eyes of the people that day,
I saw the things they didn't have to say,
I saw the hurt and I saw the pain,
I saw the needed love they wished to gain,
They looked so sad and felt so lost,
Because they didn't know He had paid the cost,
So I shared with them His love and light,
And His peace and joy filled their sight,
So when they look in your eyes they should see His glory,
Because it's the eyes of a person that tells their story.

Greetings from S.C.

Well, these past few days have been very busy. I graduated, moved to a new state and had to say goodbye to everyone I love. I had alot of mixed emotions about leaving because I was excited about being a family again, yet it hurt so bad to leave everything I've ever known. But as I look back, I see how God has used so many people to influence my life and that will better prepare me for what His plan is for me here. Even though my heart felt like it was breaking, I knew that God is in full control and that true friends will always be there no matter where I am. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me here. I want to get involved in my new church and make a difference somehow. If there's one thing I've learned it's that my relationship with God shouldn't depend on where I am. Fairview is a great place and I'm so thankful I was raised there, but just because I left doesn't mean that my relationship with God should stop becoming my top priority. God wants to use us wherever He places us. Today I started the book of Ruth and I have to admit that this is one of my favorite Bible stories. It's so encouraging to see how God worked everything out, even though there were hard times and uncertainties God was always faithful. Well, I miss you all and remember to pray for my youth group. They are leaving for Mexico on Sunday. You can link to their website through mine, so check it out and see how God is working. Well, there are about ten boxes in my room that need to be unpacked so I will post again soon.