My Prayers Were Answered

On June 9th, 2018, my prayers were answered. I had planned a surprise birthday picnic for my boyfriend. I had his favorite meal, his favorite dessert and a quiet surprise picnic planned. Did you catch the word in there...surprise? Little did I know that I was going to be the one surprised that evening. He, of course, knew I was planning something, but he didn't know what or where. My family was helping me with my plans.  My daddy bush hogged the area so the grass wouldn't be high, my mother slaved in the kitchen for hours making his favorite fried chicken and sides and my sister helped me decorate the area and set up while I got ready. I had great support. I had candles in a jar to light a path, the quilt, picnic basket, his gifts and a guitar (so he could play and sing) all set up and ready. He arrived and still had no idea what we were doing. So I gathered the basket and we set off. It was still daylight but I planned it where we could be out there during sunset. We arrived at my planned destination and he was thrilled. A beautiful evening just the two of us on the farm enjoying the birds singing and a great meal. As we were eating we had some visitors as well. Two doe and a buck. You would have to know us but that alone would have been a GREAT date, but it was just beginning. After fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, macaroni and cheese, green beans, biscuits and good 'ole southern sweet tea we enjoyed the strawberry trifle dessert I made. He opened his gifts and he then picked up his guitar and we sang some hymns as we watched the sun set and listened to the crickets and the birds join in on the singing. It really was a great evening. As we finished a song he asked me to stay seated where I was and he would be right back.  He walks to the truck grabs something and turns on his lights and starts walking back....in my mind I was thinking "What in the world? He is ruining our candlelit picnic with the lights." He was walking towards me but I could barely see him because of the truck lights. The next thing I knew he was down on one knee with a box in his hand. I gasped and he asked, "Julia Louise Green would you marry me?" I was over the moon excited and didn't hesitate. I immediately replied with "YES"! I was thrilled and by the look on his face I would say he was too! The ring was GORGEOUS and everything I always wanted and MORE. It had sentimental value as well. **I will tell this later.** We were too excited to continue with the picnic so we jumped in the truck only grabbing the picnic basket and headed home to tell the news! Well of course....my family was in on the secret. The BIGGEST secret of the night that I had no idea about. Here I was thinking I was the one doing the surprising. They were all thrilled and very happy for us! My sister had the camera ready and we went back to the spot and took pictures. It was a WONDERFUL night and one I will never forget. I still joke around and say I "planned" my own proposal! HA! Kidding of course, but in a way I did plan the set up just not the proposal itself. The way it worked out is so us, which I love!

The Lord had answered my prayers for a godly, wonderful, caring and generous man. He really is all that and more. I am blessed! Thank you for reading this far. This is our engagement story and I hope you enjoyed it. Below are some pictures of our exciting night!

The deer that visited us during the picnic

My handsome fiancé playing guitar.

 

A Little Life Update

       Wow....it has been awhile. Please forgive the lack of posts and updates. Some of you might be wondering what happened in my sabbatical (ALOT) so today I plan to update you. So here goes.....In short, since I last posted, I have....gotten engaged, married, turned 21, and am now currently expecting our first baby. Yes, yes I know we move fast! HA! But I would not have it any other way! The Lord knows best and we are letting him direct our paths.

          On June 9th, 2018 the love of my life and best friend asked me to be his wife and of course I said yes! We set the date and three months later were married on September 22nd, 2018. It was a beautiful day and THE BEST day of my life. My dreams came true and the Lord answered my prayers! Not only for a godly and loving husband but a fairytale wedding! We went on a week long honeymoon on a private beach and had the best time of our lives. Getting to know one another on a deeper level and relaxing and enjoying ourselves after all the wedding stress! *There really wasn't much wedding stress but at any wedding that you decorate and plan yourself can and will be a little bit stressful.* After our honeymoon we came home and currently didn't have a home due to it being delayed. The company we bought the single wide from was far from efficient and very unprofessional. Oh well....it grew us closer to each other and the Lord. We had to work through something as a married couple right away! We had to deal with permits and inspections until we were blue in the face, but we made it. We stayed with my family for almost two months and finally to our relief and joy the home was delivered and ready to move into. 

      On November 8th we found out we were expecting our first sweet baby! We were shocked and nervous but so thrilled!! It has been a wonderful experience but let me say....morning sickness is REAL! I was sick for the first 4 months of my pregnancy! Whew! It was tough but with the support of my family and amazing husband I made it through that part. Now just to make it through the rest. I am due mid summer and so excited to meet this little one. I am already so in love. We also decided (before we had kids actually) that we will not be finding out the gender. We love the old fashioned ways and the surprise and joy it is going to be when we finally get to meet our baby the Lord has blessed us with! Please keep the baby and I in your prayers as we finish this journey and start another. With all of that being said.... I will post individually about each life event with pictures and in greater detail. I just thought I would start out with this post and go from there. 

      I would love to hear from my readers...would you all like me to keep speaking on the single side of things or broaden my topics to single ladies, married ladies and young mothers? As this is where I am headed and will be starting a wonderful new journey now. Please let me know your thoughts!

 Blessings and love to all my faithful readers!!

 ^"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5-6



The Ephesians 5 Man









We read all these blog posts and book of being a Proverbs 31 woman, and yes we as women need to strive to be a Proverbs 31 woman! I'll post about that later. Today lets focus on an Ephesians 5 man. If you aren't familiar with this scripture read it....here it is! You have your very own checklist of who a Godly husband is supposed to be and what his characteristics are.

²¹ Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

²² Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
²³ For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
²⁴ Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
²⁶ That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
²⁷ That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any suchthing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
²⁸ So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
²⁹ For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
³⁰ For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
³¹ For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
³² This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
³³ Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.


Ephesians 5:25  "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;" Selfless love. Someone who will care for you and take care of your needs.  Jesus loved the church more than he loved himself and he did everything in his power to protect her, love her, and honor her. In this same way husbands are to love their wives.  In a partner, this is something that we should seek. We should hold men to high standards because part of the reason that men {in general} are not stepping into to the calling that God has for them as husbands is because we let them slack. {but don’t be offended when your man holds you accountable to be a Proverbs 31 woman} Husbands and wives are each other’s accountability partners and early on in a dating relationship is when these roles are established. Love is more than a mushy-gushy feeling, it is a commitment that lasts long after the butterflies fade away. Love is all encompassing because it is protecting your mate, honoring them, being faithful to them in every sense of the word, seeing the best in them and loving them like Jesus loves us—unconditionally.

26 "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word"
In Christ we have a new life and are new creations.  The words written in the Bible are truth, are life, are everything to me. To be sanctified and cleansed with the word is to have the word spoken over you. What does God imply in Ephesians 5:26? I think what is being implied is that we choose husbands who are Godly men, men who take the time to read The Word and speak The Word over their wives in all situations. Once you are married, you will spend the majority of your time, thus your life, with your significant other. If a situation arises that does not line up with the Word of God, your man as the spiritual head (1 Corinthians 11:3) needs to know the Word and speak it over each situation. The words written in the Bible are our tools and because words carry power, God wants us to use the words written in our life manual so that our words line up with His.

27 "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any suchthing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."
Perfect is something that none of us are…right? Well, I would agree that no one who has ever walked the Earth except for Jesus Christ himself is perfect but what if your husband loved everything about you? This can be a tall order but God calls husbands to see us as holy and not having a spot or wrinkle. God calls husbands to not necessarily think their wife is perfect but to look at us and love all that they see. Husbands are called to encourage their wives and not focus on what they think are flaws but to instead embrace who their wife is and love every part of her. The truth is, the less you focus on what you don’t like, the more you can focus on what you love about a person. The more someone, especially your husband, showers you with love the more you want to be a better Christian, a better wife, a better woman. No one is perfect but when two people, a husband and a wife see the best in each other there is a sense of balance, a sense they together are perfectly imperfect.

28 "So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself."

29 "For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:"
When two people become one and marry they are spiritually the same being, half of a whole. The importance of putting your partner’s needs above yourself is unlimited. I am not saying that husbands are to put themselves last but when both partners focus on the other’s needs above their own and demonstrate selfless love there is a sense of happiness and fulfillment greater than if each partner focused on solely themselves. The Bible tells men several times how they are supposed to treat their wives. The husband is not to take on the role of the dictator, but should show respect for his wife and her opinions. In fact, verse 28 and 29 exhorts men to love their wives in the same way that they love their own bodies, feeding and caring for them. A man’s love for his wife should be the same as Christ’s love for His body, the church. “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them” (Colossians 3:18-19). "⁷Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered." (1 Peter 3:7).

God has called husbands to rise up to these standards and wives are supposed to help keep them accountable to these standards. Just because God called husbands to these callings doesn’t mean that women are to just go and do whatever they want, like most other things this is a two-way street. What does your husband do that meets the Ephesians 5 version of God’s role for a husband? What does your boyfriend do that meets this list? Feel free to share in the comments! :)

Get Lost Book Study



 

Get Lost- Dannah Gresh

Hey young ladies! I have decided to do a book study using Dannah Gresh's Get Lost. It looks like a great book and I would love to lead you in this study so we can learn more together. If you are interested, shoot me a message and I will add you to the Facebook group. It will start September 21st at 7pm. We will all "meet" on Facebook at that time and discuss what we have learned and I will be going live on some nights, too. No matter where you live or what your doing, you can join in. So let me know soon. All you will need is a device so you can access Facebook and the book, Get Lost. We will have a fun time, so please join me!! :)

 



Synopsis

Have you ever ditched a friend for a guy? Filled your journal with more thoughts about guys than God? Found yourself jealous because that other girl gets all the dates? Maybe it’s time to get lost—in God. Discover how to get so lost in God that a guy has to seek Him to find you. Dannah Gresh traces God’s language of love through Scripture to help you pursue your heart’s deepest desires and seek love the way God designed it to be. Because once you identify your true longings and let God answer them, you’ll know just how to respond when romantic love comes along. With a guided ten-day Love Feast Challenge, Get Lost will help you see for yourself how getting lost in God opens the door to lifelong fulfillment.

 

Review

Praise for Get Lost“So many girls who are longing to be loved are looking in all the wrong places to be filled. Get Lost reaches into those searching hearts, pulls out deepest longings, and whispers brave truths about a feminine heart’s inherent search for love. Dannah Gresh tenderly reveals how to discover faith-filled contentment that will last a lifetime. Get Lost is a generational game changer!”
—Tracey Eyster, author of Be the Mom and founder of momlifetoday.com
“Confusing our desire for God’s love with a desire for a man’s love is easy to do. Dannah helps us understand God’s created design for this love craving, how we should respond, and what a true God-honoring relationship looks like. Her refreshing honesty and transparency reflect an authentic desire for Him. Dannah is wise and a worthy guide to follow.”
—Barbara Rainey, cofounder of FamilyLife Today
“For every girl who has been in relationship after relationship and lost herself somewhere along the way… For every girl who has lost hope that God’s best is really out there when it comes to love… For every girl who has lost something precious and found heartbreak, hurt, and disappointment… Get Lost is for you. So much more than a Christian how-to guide for love, this book will change the trajectory of your heart by moving you from boy crazy to God crazy. Every girl needs to grab a copy and get lost in the wise guidance and biblical love story Dannah weaves so well.”
—Erin Davis, author of the One Girl series
“This is not just another ‘find your man’ book for young women. In this compelling read, Dannah Gresh effectively shows young women how to be lost in God first, so that if God then calls them to relationship, they will be far more able to love their man well. Dannah, you are a treasure, and so is this book!”
—Shaunti Feldhahn, best-selling author of For Women Only and For Young Women Only
“With transparency, winsome imagery, and wisdom, Dannah Gresh tells it as it is. We want boys more than we want God, yet only when we focus on His love, His life, do we find the fulfillment we seek. I got lost in the pages, and I can’t wait to share this book with the young women in my life. Getting lost in God is a message worth proclaiming!”
—Tricia Goyer, best-selling author of Life Interrupted: The Scoop on Being a Young Mom
“I can’t wait to get this book in the hands of every young woman I know. Dannah not only points out the dead end of trusting in a guy for fulfillment; she practically shows you how tp make Jesus the One your heart adores.”
—Juli Slattery, psychologist, author, and cofounder of Authentic Intimacy
“This is one of those books that I learned from as I read but feel like I’ll return to and learn from over and over as the truths continue to digest into my soul. Dannah is easy to read and feels like a trusted friend.”
—Annie Downs, author of Perfectly Unique

About the Author

Dannah Gresh is the best-selling author of eighteen books, including And the Bride Wore White, Lies Young Women Believe (with Nancy Leigh DeMoss), and What Are You Waiting For? A popular speaker nationwide, Dannah has long been at the forefront of the movement to encourage tweens and teens to pursue purity. Dannah lives in State College, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Bob.

 

True Love



You will one day realize that the very relationship you longed for, you already had. You were loved deeply with an everlasting love, and your Prince was waiting with His arms open.

Marriage on earth is only a picture of the spiritual relationship that the Lord wants to have with every one of us. Anything we desire in marriage, we have completely in the Lord. We long for someone who loves us, understands us, listens to us, provides for us, protects us, cares for us --is crazy about us! God gives these desires. Don't you think the One who instills the desires knows how to fulfill them? In every one of these ways, the Lord is far more able to meet our needs than anyone on earth ever could.

An Earthly Picture
Here is a partial list of the ways that the marriage relationship parallels and pictures the relationship God designed for us to have with Christ:
 1. Both relationships are permanent .
 2. Both are intimate.
 3. Both require waiting - waiting for a wedding, waiting for Christ's return.
 4. Both are based on love and commitment.
 5. In both, the two become one - husband and wife become one flesh; those who are saved
     become members of Christ's body (Eph. 5:29-31, Jn. 17:21).
 6. Both are covenants and formed by vows.
     Marriage - "I do"
     Salvation- "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus" "(Rom. 10:9)
 7. Both are exclusive.
     They are not shared by another- no adultery, no idolatry.
 8. Both have a starting moment.
     When you are born into the world, you are neither married nor saved. Marriage requires a
     ceremony; salvation requires a decision.
 9. Both relationships make us complete.
10. Both have a wedding/marriage supper- a wedding banquet on earth, the marriage supper of the 
      lamb in heaven (Rev. 19)
11. Both are sealed with a sign-marriage with a ring, salvation with the Holy Spirit.
12. Both have an authority structure, a head to the relationship to whom the other desires to submit-
      the wife submits to her husband as the believer submits to Christ.
13. In both, even though there is an authority structure, the relationship is based on a friendship- "I
      have called you friends' (Jn. 15:15)
14. In both, the groom must leave his home. Christ left His Father in order to come to earth and win
      His bride. A man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife. (Eph. 5:31)
15. In both relationships, the head is the initiator.
16. Both require sacrificial love on the part of the head.
      A husband is commanded to love as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it (Eph. 5:25).
17. In both, the head is the provider and the protector.
18. In both, the husband prepares a residence - a man provides a home on earth, Christ provides a   
      home in heaven.
19. In both relationships, the bride becomes beautiful by a submissive spirit and inner qualities of 
     godliness ( 1 Pet. 3:1-6).
20. In both, the bride's exclusive desire is to please and serve her head.
21. In both, the bride becomes radiant with joy.
22. Both relationships grow sweeter with time.
23. In both relationships, each owns the other. "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine" (Song of
      Sol. 6:3. 1 Cor. 7:4).
24. In both relationships, each fills the other's heart (ps. 139:17-18, Col. 1:27).
25. Both relationships provide a "satisfaction" that can be found nowhere else. We are satisfied by a relationship with God and by being in His presence. Likewise, we are satisfied by our spouse, even just by being in their presence. *1

How to Fall in Love With Jesus
When you first meet a guy what do you want to do? Of course!

Get to Know Him-  When a couple are in love they want to learn as much as possible about the other. They love and want to share every part of their day with one another. They are suddenly interested in the other person's interests and want to be apart of every moment in each others life.

Seek the Lord. Get to know His interests and what He hates. Be interested in the things He tells you. He delights in your prayers and is concerned about the smallest details of your life.

Spend time with Him- When two people are in love they never want to be separated. They look for ways to be together. They sacrifice all interests and time with friends to spend time together. When we want to fall in love with Jesus its the same way. We need to spend time with Him daily ALONE, with no interruptions. We have to make an effort to spend time with Him.

Love Him and Tell Him So Daily- Everyone who is in love wants to hear the proclamation of love returned. Tell Him He is first place in your life and remind Him often of your love and desire to be loyal to Him. Yes, He already knows but He like to hear it anyways. Right ladies? We definitely understand that.

Demonstrate Your Love by Your Actions- When a lady is in love she wants to please the one in whom she delights. Her life is centered around ,making him successful. Her own ambitions are lost in her desire to serve him. If we truly love Him, we will obey His commandments. We will joyfully pour out our lives for His sake, and our deepest desire will be to bring Him glory.

Tell Others About His Greatness- A bride-to-be has trouble talking about anything else besides her fiancé. His name seems to come up in every conversation. After you've spent a little time with her, you feel that you've heard everything there is to hear about this amazing person whom she loves.
Well, we have a lot of exciting information to share about the One who has won our heart! Tell of the Lord's greatness. Declare what He has done for you. Remind others of Christ's credentials. Be excited when you talk of Him! Seek to turn focus of every conversation to the Lord. If others speak badly of Him, be quick to defend Him. "My mouth shall show forth Thy righteousness and Thy salvation all the day."  (Psalms 71:15)

 There are so many more ways! I suggest reading the book "Before You Meet Prince Charming "by Sarah Mally.

Delight in the Lord-
 Think of all you dreams for a future relationship. Small things, big things. For example: sending good morning or goodnight texts, receiving flowers, spending time together, sharing your dreams for the future, holding hands, etc.. These are just small little pleasures in a relationship but guess what? God wants to do all this with you right now. He wants you to greet Him with a good morning and a goodnight prayer, He sends you flowers of blessings every day, He wants to spend time with you every second of the day by talking to you throughout the day, He wants you to share your dreams with Him, and He holds your hand every second of every day. He never lets go, He holds on tighter as we go through struggles, gives us a squeeze when we need encouragement to go on. If you think like this: you will be blessed by a great relationship with the Lord. So quit pouting and saying you wish you were in a relationship, or had someone to lean on during the hard times, or to hold your hand, or someone to love. YOU DO! You have every bit of that and MORE right now. Christ is the ultimate Prince Charming. He is my true love. Is He yours?

Memory Verse:

"Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Psalms 37:4





*1. Mally, Sarah. Before you meet Prince Charming: a guide to radiant purity. Cedar Rapids, IA: Tomorrows Forefathers, 2009. Print. chap. eleven.

Should Women Be the Ones to Pursue?

"Why not ask him out?" a lady asked me. I responded with a thoughtful look and said "well I don't believe its my place to be the one to seek him out and ask him. I think the guy should be the one to do it." She then looked at me like I was from Mars. "It's the 21st century.  Come on, girls do it all the time." I then said, "Well I'm not like other girls. I believe that God doesn't want ladies to be the pushy, flirty type and ask all the guys out that we run into. I  believe that God will let things happen in His timing and how He wants it to happen." Again she looked at me like I was crazy. She said "Come on, God isn't going to bring someone to your door and say "marry him"."


This was one account of MANY I had with her about guys. You will see what I think about what she said in the paragraphs below...

 I have been dwelling on this conversation lately and wanted to back myself with what GOD says about it. It is hard to decipher what God wants sometimes, but its really simple. He will show you. He will guide you. All we have to do is listen to Him. Simple right? Well who am I kidding. It can be hard at times, but we ourselves make it that way. We have to be in His word and talking to Him daily to hear from Him daily.

I have researched biblical incidents about relationships and this is what I have found.

1. Marriage was God's idea-

 Adam. He was the first man. He and Eve's relationship was the first human to human relationship. Adam was living alone, just he and the animals. He was doing what God told him to do. Genesis 2:15,19-20 says, "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it........And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; an brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: an whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all the cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him."
He talked to God daily. He was CONTENT and happy just living and doing what God told him to do. God decided that Adam shouldn't be alone so He made Adam a help meet.
Genesis 2:18- " And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him."
 Marriage was God's idea. God gave Adam Eve to be his wife.
Genesis 2:21-25-"And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the Adam,and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. and they were both naked. the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."
Ladies and gents...... Adam woke up and found this woman and knew God wanted her to be his wife.
So to me...yeah it sounds like God DID bring Adam a wife to his doorstep. ;) But lets keep looking.

 2. Marriage models the kingdom of heaven-

Throughout scripture you see Jesus referring to the church as his bride.
Revelation 19:7-9 says, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And  he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto  me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Jesus is coming for his bride that we are preparing for him. In the same way, a woman prepares herself for her husband, and then he comes and he takes her as his wife. If it was the other way around, the bride would come for Jesus. The constant symbolic model of Jesus and his bride is a consistent reminder of the order found in scripture of a husband loving his wife as Christ loves the church, and the wife honoring the husband.
As Christians, what we are living for is that final marriage as described in Revelations. Jesus will take his bride, and that is the model that has been set up for us to follow as well.

3.  The man is supposed to lead- (Genesis 3:16)
 A husband is called to provide, protect, nurture, lead, instruct, and give vision to the family. When a woman pursues a man, she is taking on the role of the man to lead, provide, and even to protect.  Often times this emasculates the man, causing the roles to be switched, even in the marriage.
Ephesians 5:22-24- Wives, submit to your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church:and he is the Savior of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands.

As mentioned above, there is a biblical model on the order of a marriage. Men submit to God; women submit to their husbands; Christ submits to God. The submission that the Bible speaks about refers to the woman following the leading of her husband; this does not mean she does not have a voice. As a matter of fact,  a Godly husband empowers his wife to be who God called her too.
The wife should marry a man who she trusts to make good decisions, which in turn allows her to follow his leading.


Proverbs 18:22 says “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”
To find is to look for something and then acquire it.

4. Every woman deserves to be pursued-

There is honor and dignity that is given to a woman when she is pursued and won over. You are worthy of the pursuit. When you read Song of Solomon, you see how he pursues the bride over and over. This book can be taken as a literal love story, or as an allegorical one of Christ’s love for the church—His bride. Either way, He pursues the bride. In the same manner Jesus pursues us daily with His love, calling us deeper into relationship with Him, we should want our marriages to model that. Allow yourself to be pursued to the end; and allow the man God has for you to win your affection and claim you as his.

So I believe we as women are called to wait for our future husbands to pursue us. Will you do your part? Love God, talk to God, read His word, be in a relationship with Him and He will send someone to you. Be patient and enjoy the moment that God has placed you in. Position yourselves to do your part and allow men to do their part.

Faith Makes Things Possible, Not Easy

Hello all of my faithful readers! Well, I am at college and I can't believe I actually have a little time to write. I wish that I had more time over the next month or so but you will probably not hear from me again until November sometime.

       Wow, so where to begin. This journey has been amazing, terrifying, sad and eye opening. I would do it all over again if I could. I have become closer to God now more than ever.

When first arriving, I had to take my dad and uncle to the airport. I cried for awhile knowing that I was letting them go 30+ hours away from me and they were my last tie to home. I went back to the hotel and had a break down. I wondered, "What had I done?, Why did I do this to myself and my family?, Why?".  After calming down a little I turned on the TV to watch a preacher. Dr. Charles Stanley was on. While listening I read a note from my aunt. Wow does God work in mysterious and awesome ways. In my aunts note she wrote Joshua 1:9  and said "God is with you wherever you may go. He will NEVER  leave you nor forsake you." As soon as I got done reading that, Charles Stanley said "When doing Gods will, we should not be afraid or feel alone." Then.....he read Joshua 1:9.

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD they God is with you withersoever thou goest." 

Joshua 1:9

Jesus loves me, cares for me and will keep me. God spoke to me through my aunt and Dr, Charles Stanley. I felt an immediate peace come over me. God told me to come, THAT is why I am here, that why I had done this to myself and my family, that is why! I was overwhelmed by His love for me and his plan for me. 

After the first day of college I knew I was in His will and that He will direct my paths and keep me no matter where I am. This reassurance made the homesickness, tiredness, effort, and hardships better and very much so worth it. I love studying, love this work that I am in and I am so excited for the future. God placed me here to be a witness, to be a light in the dark, and to shine His light unto the world. I am his servant, His girl and He is MY God. I would not be here, in this place without Him. My GOD is an awesome God. 

If you are wondering if you are in Gods will remember this: If you are loving Him you are acknowledging Him and if you are acknowledging Him, He is directing your paths." -Daddy 

My sweet daddy wrote that for me and I was blessed and reassured by it. 

Please pray for me while I am on this journey of midwifery. This semester is intense and I will need all the prayer I can get. Thank you all and I love you! 

" I can do ALL things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Philippians 4:13                    

My Bunk!

My favorite verse, can you tell? :)

My notebook that all my sweet family wrote in and the bottle of bible verses that my mama and sisters made for me, so I could read one everyday.

All of my fam (with some missing), and my Bible verses that I hang up everyday.

 

God's Plan For My Life

Hey gals...and guys! :) It's been awhile. I know in one of my previous posts "My Journey", I touched briefly on my future plans but I thought for all those people out there asking, "Why Midwifery?", I would answer you here!

For all of my childhood days I wondered what my occupation would be. Would I be a nurse, dental assistant, hair dresser (what I wanted to do then), doctor, or just a mommy (I really would love that) ? I didn't know if I wanted to go to college or just get a job and save money until I met Mr. Right. I may not have known what I wanted to do with my life, but I definitely wanted what God wanted for me. As I grew, my love grew for children, but especially babies. I thought maybe I would become a nanny or babysitter but as time went on I knew that was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life or what God wanted me to do. I asked God to show me in due time what He wanted me to do so I could prepare as necessary. As a sophomore in high school, suddenly out of nowhere, midwifery popped in my mind.One day I said, "I think I want to be a midwife." Let me tell you folks, it wasn't out of nowhere, God himself told me he wanted me to become a midwife. And let me say, I was more than okay with that, I was ecstatic. I was looking up schools for nursing and midwifery etc. and I came across the word DOULA. What is that you ask? It is a Professional Labor Supporter. The doula will help the mother physically (from the waste up ;)), mentally and spiritually.  It was intriguing and I thought I would look into it. As I was talking to midwives they said the best way to start out as a student midwife was take a doula course. I did some research and began my doula journey through McDoula Professional Doula Certification.  Now to the previous year (2015) I began to search out the best midwifery school. I came across a college that looked very interesting and fun. (I will not be naming the school as this a public blog and I do not wish to give this information out.)   Come to find out, I had found it three years before and didn't remember I wrote it down. The very next week a midwife mentioned this college to me! Isn't God awesome? I also found out that the midwife that I was working with helps this school out with applications and scholarships. I was beyond excited and I applied right away. In March of 2016 I was accepted.

I now know what my occupation will one day (very soon) be! There are so few midwives today, and there is a need for them. But in foreign countries the need is greater. Will God send me away to be a missionary one day? I believe so, but it may not be even out of the country, it could just be right here in my town as a christian midwife. God has worked so much out. He has calmed my fears, helped me financially and given me a peace that this is His will for my life.
"But the midwives feared God....."  Exodus1:17


 As I will be leaving this fall to begin my midwifery calling which I am so excited about, I would greatly appreciate your prayers. Blessings to all!

Praying for Your Future Husband

Praying for Your Future Husband 

Praying for your future husband is a great way to serve him even before you meet him! Not a simple "keep him safe a pure" prayer, but a genuine heart to heart talk to God about your future spouse. I encourage you to make a list of what you want in a spouse and pray for these things. Spiritual qualities, character qualities and well, even physical, but don't be too dead set on those because when you meet the one, you won't care what color hair or eyes he has. *wink* Would you like to hear some of mine? Okay here some qualities I want my future spouse to have:

• He loves God and seeks Him with his whole heart, personal relationship with God-Deuteronomy 6:5, Jeremiah 29:13
• He wants to serve God, wherever that might take him- John 12:26
• He does not have a love for the world or the things of the world-1 John 2:15
• He will lead his home-Ephesians 5:23
• He is humble- Acts 20:19, 1 Peter 5:5
• He is hard-working- Ephesians 4:28
• A man of his word, Honesty- Luke 8:15
• Loves children and desires a family- Genesis 1:28
• Thoughtful- Romans 12:3

Go have your quiet time with the Lord and let him show you what qualities you want in a husband. He will guide you and direct you. These are some of the things I find most important in a man. I may have left out a few things but you get the idea. ;) Now after you write YOUR list begin to pray for him and ask God to help him with his spiritual qualities, character qualities and his relationship with Him.


Now focus on YOU! Yep, that's right. A godly man will want a godly wife, right?? Correct. So if you are asking God to help your future spouse with his character and relationship with Him then you should too. A godly christian guy will look for some of the same qualities in a girl, you don't want to  be looked over because you yourself did not have some of the qualities, do you? I don’t want a great guy to look past you or me. I want him to look at you and say, “Wow! That is the type of woman I want to marry. That is the kind of woman I want raising my children.”  He is going to want to marry a woman who has similar spiritual qualities and passions as himself.
If a guy is passionate about spending time in God’s Word every day, why would he go for a girl who maybe reads her Bible once every couple of weeks?

If a guy loves his current family and has great vision for his future family, why would he go for a girl who can barely stand her family?

If a guy loves sharing the Gospel, why would he go for a girl who doesn’t see the need to do that?

So, make a list for yourself. There are qualities you need to work on, we all have some. You should know what they are, but if not go to a parent or sibling and ask them to be honest and give them some spiritual and character qualities you should work on. Don't get angry with them now, remember you did tell them to be honest. ;) Then get on it girl! You have a future husband waiting to meet you out there and you sure don't want him to look over you!
God has a beautiful romance prepared for you. Prayer is the key to unlocking the love story....with your future husband and with God, the lover of your soul. -Robin Jones Gunn


Go check out Robin Jones Gunn and Tricia Goyers book- Praying for your future husband. She has some great insight on this subject. http://bookshop.robingunn.com/collections/non-fiction/products/praying-for-your-future-husband

Dating Vs. Courting

Dating vs. Courting

So what's the difference? And what's the big deal with dating? People say courting is dating with a purpose, but what does that mean? Keep reading.

Dating- A lot of people see dating as a must when your 15 and over (now even younger :o). They find a girl/boy they like to hang out and go with it. He asks her to go out with him and that is the start. A lot of kids know the relationship won't last and well its ok, they think they have got to have someone so they can date like everyone else. Do you see any logic here??? NO! And the parents that let them? Well I will not judge, but it is not wise of them. The parents may think that it is all fun and games and they are innocent. If you are dating at age 15 you are more than likely NOT innocent and know more than you should. There is NO innocence in public school these days. You may or may not know it but your kids are doing stuff that you do not know about. Right? I mean you drop them off at the theater with no chaperone and then let them sit alone for two hours? Okay so I could get on a rampage but I won't. So dating is independence. Everyone messes up, and it is easy to do. With dating it is just you and that person, why put yourself in that hard place? It is hard to have self control! We all have weaknesses and for most people this is one of them.
Courting- As stated before, Courting is dating with a purpose, which means they are "dating" and meaning for it to lead to marriage. You are courting this person with marriage in mind. True, not all courtships work out but that's ok. You had to see for yourself that he/she wasn't the one for you. So courtship does not mean you court one person and you have to marry them, NO! As far as courtship goes, it all about accountability. It is about getting to know each other in a group and family setting. How are you going to get to see the real them if its just the two of you? Going on dates (yes, you can go on dates!! :p) with chaperones. Does it mean that the parents do not trust you, or that they or you do not trust the other? No, its so you can stay accountable to everyone, especially GOD. Some things can lead to another without you knowing it and it being too late. When you get caught in the moment its hard to stop.
"Dating, as practiced in the 20th century, has commonly treated boy-girl relationships as a private, personal matter. Courtship sees boy-girl relationships as accountable and therefore open and accountable." ~Dennis Gundersen

Dating- With dating its ok to be physical. Hand-holding, close sitting and kissing is all ok and for some further? Well what does kissing lead to? Yep, you got it!! Now I am not totally opposed to kissing (I will expand on this further down). But, when in the dating realm and its just the two of you...not a good plan. Some think that any physical intimacy is ok! It is not just about catching diseases or getting pregnant. NO! It is what God commanded. He did not tell us that we should not enjoy or ever have sex. Just not outside of marriage! He blesses sex in marriage. Please look these scriptures up!! Proverbs 5:15-19, Ecclesiastes 9:9, Song of Solomon 4:10-15. People say that sex is a bad word! No just not a public word! Agreed?
Courting- Courtship is definitely not physical. I feel that if a relationship is physical we cannot truly get to know the person or some just want the physical side apart that God told us not to be. With courting there is little to no physical touch! It depends solely on what you and your family think is best for you. All people are different and can handle physical touch more than others. For me I think hand- holding is perfectly fine while courting. No kissing! I think you should hold off on that until a bigger commitment so you can focus yourself on getting to know one another. When in engaged I think for some it might be okay to kiss. For me I want to wait for marriage but I also think that couples can get in a MAJOR hurry when there is NOTHING physical at all. Now don't get me wrong, I do not think that you should do any major kissing or more but when there is nothing, and you love each other more and more each day it can be hard. I suggest not have a long engagement either because it can get really tough and if you know you are getting married, why wait? My mom always said "long courtships and short engagements" and it has become my motto for this subject. But I think if you can wait for kissing and NOT rush into marriage then by all means, WAIT! How wonderful to say you waited until marriage for everything!
"Courtship recommends waiting for one romantic relationship that culminates in marriage. Dating recommends a series of romantic relationships as the way to prepare for marriage." ~Dennis Gundersen

In reading my blog you can see that I am all for courtship. Ask God what is best for you and your family. Sorry for the long post, I could write a book on this subject! :0  Love you all! Please give me your imput and thoughts in the comments.


Some good books to look into:
Courtship & Dating- So whats the difference? By Dennis Gundersen
I kissed Dating Goodbye- By Joshua Harris

My Journey

        

          My Journey! 

I was inspired to write this blog to uplift young women in the trials and hardships that we face in this day and age but I have had a change of heart. While I will still be writing encouraging posts I have also decided that I will tell you about my journey through this thing we call life!

My journey started when I was born, but I won't tell you my whole life story, for that would take a very long time. So I will begin with the present!

 For as long as I know I have LOVED little children, especially babies! I did not know what I wanted to do with my life (besides getting married and having children of my own) but I knew that I wanted it to have something to do with babies. The Lord showed me about 4 years ago, maybe longer. I wanted to be a midwife. I knew they were not that popular but I knew this was Gods calling for my life! But the devil crept in my life without me knowing. As I was trying to pursue Gods will for my life the devil came in and tried to deter me. And let me tell you the devil will try to get you out of Gods will fast!! He knows your weaknesses and will try to destroy you. About a year ago I was going under fast, and I didn't know it until one day my eyes were opened! I was falling in Satan's pit!! Lord, what was I thinking?? It all gradually happened, in a span of a couple of years. Satan will pull you under slowly, very slowly so you don't know you are there until you are very deep and its hard to get out. BUT you can!! With God and a few others help, I was able to get out of this pit gasping for air but alive! Have you been there before? I defeated Satan. He didn't destroy my life, he tried but he didn't! So I moved with Gods plan for me. 
As of right now I am in process of completing my doula (I know, you have probably never heard of it!) certification. A doula is a labor and delivery coach. They are there to help you make informed decision and to make sure that your wishes are up held,  help you to understand risks and benefits, act as an advocate for you with the hospital staff, help mom physically and emotionally through labor and help her establish breastfeeding. While this has been a very long journey I am still not discouraged and will complete the course this fall. People will say that the doula journey is an easy path to take, but it has its challenges. It is hard to get yourself  out there and trusted by mothers an families. Your clients have to find YOU and this has been the challenge. But God has been there with me and helped me. A very known midwife came to me and asked me to help her over the next couple of months! I am ecstatic! I will be able to get my doula births in, along with my two beginning births for my midwifery course.

  I am super excited to say that I have been accepted into a midwifery college this fall!! It will be a very long an trying journey but I am excited! So as I begin this journey please pray for me to have strength and peace!

Will You Be My Valentine?

Will You Be My Valentine?

We hear these words every year on February 14th! Usually from a lover, but sometimes from a mother, father, brother, or sister. We all melt when we hear this. Right? We all say "Oh how sweet, of course I will." We normally don't turn them down. Valentines is made for lovers. We are supposed to show our love to another person. I can't say that a guy besides a family member has asked me that. And that is OK! Do you want someone to ask you (besides a family member)?  Guess what?? Someone already is. In fact He asks every day! You say who?? Who could want me that much?

GOD. God wants you that much! There is nothing more romantic. I think this valentines you should answer God. Or turn the question around on Him. Ask Him, "Will you be my valentine, God?" Let me tell you, He will not turn you down!!! He wants to be in a relationship with you. He wants you to live with Him FOREVER. You can't tell me that that is not romantic. He loves you!! And he wants you to love Him too. Will you answer Him this valentines day, or ignore Him? He wants YOU.

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." Deuteronomy 6:5

Do you know the results you will get by doing this??

"And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also." 

1 John 4:21

We will be able to love others more!! Can you imagine loving your family more or your husband/boyfriend more ? Well you can. By loving God and being CLOSER to Him, he shows us how to be closer to all other relationships. 

We can say we love our friends but if we do not love God then we do not know what or how to love. 

"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." 1 John 4:7 

No wonder the divorce rate is high! All these people don't know God, so therefore do not know how to love. God shows us the perfect picture of Love. 

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." John 3:16-17

He loves you so much that he sent His son to die so that we might be saved!!
Look here:

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.......And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Matthew 22:37,39

He tells us again! Love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and THEN you will love your neighbor as yourself. You will put others first and love them just as much as yourself.

Would you like to know how to love more? I sure would!

Have you been ignoring God? He wants you so much. God is asking you to let Him come in your life. Don't miss out on the BEST relationship you could have in your life. He will love you more than anyone, take care of you more than anyone. If you are waiting for prince charming, let God be your Prince, then when your earthly prince comes along you will know better how to love and care for him. 

So ladies, I have a test for you!  This valentines day spend time with HIM, at least for a couple of hours. You will see that He does care for you and love you, you will see that you care for Him and love Him. Then you will say YES!! Tell others how much you love them as well, but spend most of your time with Him this valentines day, He will be thrilled. As will you!:)

The Glory of Womanhood

The Glory of Womanhood

Look at these passages of scripture with me:

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.....And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man." Genesis 1:27;21-22

   Women are a beautiful handiwork of God our creator. He carefully thought us out! Have you thought about everything our bodies do? It is amazing. We were God's last finishing touch to the earth. He saved the best for last. ;) Okay well lets not go that far. Haha A woman was the first to sin. 

We were created feminine. We did not just become feminine because someone told us to wear dresses and gave us dolls to play with. God created us to be feminine creatures. Many argue that the only deference between women and men are our bodies, but scripture differs. Genesis says God created male and female, we women are innately feminine. Femininity is God's gift to us. Be thankful for and do not try to change it! 

 We are called by God to be a help meet. 

"And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him." Genesis 2:18

That is why God created Eve for Adam. She was created to be a helper to Adam suited for him. 

We are to show femininity in ways such as:

• Submit-We are to be submissive to our husband.      

"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husband, as unto the Lord." Ephesians 5:22

But listen, SINGLE ladies, it won't hurt to start early. Be submissive to men in any relationship now (such as your dad, grandfather ect.). That does NOT mean to be used and abused. No, simply respect and try to understand you fatherly figures now. This does not mean that we allow them to pull us away from God and let them try to influence you into sin. We are simply inclined to affirm the leadership and initiative of the men around us. In all of our relationships we should be making room for godly men to practice servant leadership. What matters most is that you single ladies are cultivating the habit of making room for the leadership of the men in your life. Let the fatherly figure  know that you are submitting to them, such as asking them for advice or seek their counsel before you make a decision. We have to resist the urge to talk about them with friend about their actions or publicly questioning their actions. This brings them down and makes them think you do not respect them. We are to be humble in the way we speak and act. We are not to be loud, judgmental or gossiping women. This makes men back off, but most of all displeases God. Be careful to guard you heart and not listen to the cultures way of how women should act or think about men, it all messes with our perspective of how we should view their leadership. 

Now, married women. Your job is to submit to your husband. Try to best serve HIM, not yourself! If you are doing something ask yourself, does this help my husband? You will then find your answer if you need to complete this task first or do whatever you might be questioning. God made YOU to serve your husband! Just like God made men to serve and provide for his family. God did not make us as humans to serve ourselves. Would you like to know the two purposes God made us?

1. For His pleasure!
2. For His Glory!

If this bothers you maybe you should examine your relationship with Him! 

• Nurturing- We should LOVE children and want to care and nurture them. In this society, women want to go to college (this is not a bad thing, but do not let it get in front of getting married and having children), have a career or not to have kids (yes some people plan not to have kids! :o). If you aren't married babysitting or caring for children in general shows your femininity. If you do have children we should delight in our children and want to care and nurture them, not going to parties ect. This will please you husband and the LORD. 

• A love for the HOME- We should want to have a home and care for a house and family! It is my hearts desire! Single women- help your mother (if you live at home or care for your house or apt. like this) around the house with dishes, cooking and cleaning, this shows your love for the home. Caring for your home, married ladies, shows your husband that you love your home that HE provided and also love him. Yes, keeping the house clean is a big thing for men. lol 

Ladies, we have a VERY special role, so view it as so! Don't dread it or complain about it, Love, God, love your husband and love your life, that is all it takes. Stay positive!

Now what are you doing? Get off your bum and go care for your home! ;)