Coffee.

I love coffee in the morning. It is offically the 4th of July. Spending our time with the in-laws. My sweet sister-in-law was able to come and visit. We have 3 dogs in the house which is interesting because they have very different personalities. My mother-in-law is getting her ankle x-rayed as I type because she twisted it last night while we were walking. Not good.

It is hard to understand that life is so short, but yesterday while I was singing yesterday for the first time in my life I was about to say" Jesus I can't wait to see you when I die." You have to understand that I am really enjoying life right now, but imagine this...life will not get any better than this. This is just the wordly stuff, we will be in paradise when we die. How amazing is that? I don't have to worry about Ryan, working, our children (when we have them), our family, and anything else that I have put as an idol down here I this world. I get to focus on my Father in Heaven. Man I just can't wait. I don't think I have ever been this excited. It is like it hit me while I was standing on stage of church, singing to Jesus..."I can't wait to see you Lord."

Are you ready to go to Heaven, if you have a personaly relationship with Jesus. If not, what idols do you need to break down so you can prepare yourself for the day that you meet Jesus.

I feel pretty.

I am thankful for a Jesus that loves me for who I am.

Basketball.

Not really sure the rules and/or strategies of the game. As I sit here during a bb game with Ryan I see that this game is so confusing to me. I am watching people screaming, clapping and cheering the teammates on as the game gets heated.

I wonder what Jesus thinks. Doesn't he want us to be excited and understand the rules of his teachings. I, personally, don't understand all the rules (not sure if I ever will) about what God teaches us in His word, but I am always going to continue seeking what he wants us to know. He just wants us to be passionate about Him.

Just like bb I will continue to learn the rules of the game. I may never fully understand the game, but I will never stop trying to understand. :)  

Prayer.

I need to pray more. This is how we develop a relationship with Him, through our conversations with Him. My prayer for all and myself is to have more of a desire to pray.

Yahweh.

"The name of God."

I think it is the neatest thing to be able to serve a God that wants to know everything about me, and desires a realtionship with me. I don't deserve His grace but yet he extends it anyways.

Thank you God for your loving heart.

Sanctivacation.

I can officially say I have been to Washington State. :)

This past weekend we were able to see our Family: Jack, Erin and little miss Emery Paige. Ryan and I have such a special place in our hearts for this family. They love the Lord and boy are they intentional about showing it. It was such a great thing to watch and see. It was something that Ryan and I have had many discussions about since we have gotten back. We are learning about how to be more intentional with our individual relationship with God, each other, and other people that we come across. As we were flying back on the plan I ran across this verse that pretty much summed up our weekend.

Romans 9: 19. Paul writes, "I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you one presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification."

Sanctification is a word that I haven't really taken seriously. It means "becoming more like Jesus." Ryan and I learned A LOT about ourselves, our relationship and about Jesus which has push us to re-examine our lives to become more like Him.

Thank you Jesus for putting people in our lives that love you.

Going on Vacation.

I am happy to report that Ryan and I are leaving on vacation this Thursday. It is much need time away from our world here in Georgia. We are going to see our family-friends in Washington State. We just love them so much, and our time with them is going to be awesome.

The families that I work with are going to be so blessed that I have taken some time away to rejuvenate. :) Needless to say, I am very happy that we are leaving for a week.

Until than - John 3:30.

Keeping a promise.

I had a child just recently tell me "I am counting on you." What he meant was he was counting on me to keep him safe. He needed someone to help him, well their I was. Only met the child 2 times. He almost brought tears to me eyes. Thankfully, I was able to keep my promise.

I feel that this is a great example of Jesus and our relationship with Him. I look to God to keep me safe. He calls us to battle and tell us to put on full armor of God. I was able to keep that little boys promise, and God has promised us that he will come back for us. In the mean time we are to keep our promise and that is to learn about Him and spead his word.  

*Ephesians 6

Mayster

Our sweet dog, Maye. She is about 1 year and 8 months here. Love her. She has been a great addition. There never is a dull moment with her. Plus, she has been a fun playmate for my husband. They both have a lot of energy ;).

Starting Over.

Life seems to never slow down. I have been consumed with my job as a caseworker trying to help as many people as I can whether they want the help or not. What I have failed to do as daughter of Christ is put Christ first. We are talking about "Make War" at our church right now. It has taught me to prepare for battle. The battle of spirtual warfare. I have not been preparing. It is sad really because I see my sweet husband preparing every morning, and encouraging me to get in the word. Why dont I dive in. Well I have somehow conveniced myself that the world is more important than Jesus.

I am sure many people are in the same boat with me. I am hear to say that I am starting over.

Singing for Jesus.

I have been singing since I have been in 4th grade at school, and than singing at church since I could ever remember. It am so blessed that God has given me a voice. Not just to sing for anything, but for My Father. He is truly the only person that deserves the praise.

I just wanted to talk about the church that I serve at....

Oak Leaf Church:

I have been singing at Oak Leaf for a while now. I am just so thankful that God has given me a opportunity to service Him with others. I only want to use my voice to Glorify Jesus!! I feel that that is what God has asked me to do, so....that is what I am doing.... SERVING JESUS!!

To God be the Glory... :)

New Things.

I have found myself very busy lately: graduating college, starting a new job, thanksgiving holiday, christmas holiday, and now a new year!

Everyday I serve families, and help there lives turn for the better (well this is what I seek). Some are successful, and some are not. Some children are brought into foster care, and traumatically changed for the worse or better. I love what I do. It helps me see what God has given me. It teaches me to appreciate the things that I have been given. A husband that is respectfully, amazing, and loving. A house that is clean, and proper. A vehicle that is reliable, and trustworthy. A family that is supportive, and always there.

I feel that life goes so fast. I am excited about 2011. I am continuing my job as a social worker, and getting better by the day. Ryan is seeking a new path in his career. This year will be the year that everything, Lord willing, will be changing. I just pray that God will be glorified in everything that happens this year.

2 Month Recap Of My Life So Far.

I don't even know where to begin. My life has changed upside down the last couple of months. The Lord has done interesting things.

*I started a bible

study, BREAKING FREE by BETH MOORE. Well that has been eye opening. I love it. It is hard because it is a lot to take in. BUT it has been good for me to learn about God and actually apply Him in my life. One thing that I have learned is that I am very prideful. I feel that is my biggest sin right now. God has been really showing me how to deal with this sin. I don't want to be prideful. It takes me down a path that isn't healthy. It takes away from what God has planned for me.

*Ryan and I went to Nicaragua for a week which was so much fun!! I usually go to Nica for mission trips but this time it was just for fun!! Nicaragua is my heart! I love that country!! Plus I got to make new friendships because we went with people from Ryan's work!! That was pretty awesome.

*I had the honor of singing at Oak Leaf Church over Easter. 7 services in one week!! It was intense, hard, exhausting, challenging, rewarding, and so many more words. BUT the one thing I would have to say is that God taught me that it wasn't about me singing up on stage. It was about Him using me to share Him. It was about God. Not me!! GOD! It is a neat feeling to know that God is being amplified throughout the who weekend. When you take yourself out of the equation than GOD eliminates the church so that people will see Him.

*I have 2 more weeks at DFCS. Almost at 300 hundred hours. Yep, I have almost done what I thought I would never be able to get through. My heart has been shown things that I have never thought I would see before. One thing I would like to say is that I have found where God wants me to be right now. I do want to work in DFCS (don't know which county yet) but I feel that God has place this job in my life so that he can be glorified.

*Ryan and I will be married for ONE YEAR on May 9th! I just can't believe it. I can't believe that time has gone by this fast! It has been so much fun with my best friend. We have learned so much about each other. It is always a challenge living with another person but it is worth every minute. Ryan has been such a blessing from God. :) p.s. Ryan cut his hair...

*Well I have to talk about our Mayester (aka. Maye). She is going to be 7 months in one week. She has been such a neat little addition to our family. She is such a joy. Can be a little frustrating at time but so smart. She has learned so much. We just taught her to roll over yesterday!! :)We are 2 very proud people of our pup! God has taught us a lot through this dog. Never thought I would learn so much through something that doesn't talk...haha!

*My semester is almost over and I will be graduating College in July. I just can't believe it. I can remember my years in Elementary, Middle, and High School. Wow, time goes by toooooo fast!! I never thought that the light at the end of the tunnel would be here!! I can finally say that all of my hard work is paying off!!

**This little blurb will probably be the most important one I write. Please pray for a specific person that, I unfortunately can not give a name or a situation, but what I can say is that this person needs GOD. This person knows God and knows who he is I feel has Him in his/her heart but has choose to go down the wide path of destruction for the time being. I pray that he/she gets out of it. They need your prays!! This verse comes to mind when I think about this person, Matthew 7:13. I pray that they will realize that God the way, the truth, and the life! Thanks for your prayers!

Working with People.

Have you ever worked with someone that clashed with you?

Well I am realizing that I am always going to work with people that I don't work well with. I need to remind myself that it is ok because God made us very different. Why would you want the same personalities around anyways, that would be boring. Even though frustration can kick in sometimes, God wants us to love everyone and that is what my mission should be in the work force. I need to keep positive. I don't need to consistently see all the flaws in that person. God knows what He is doing when he places you with certain types of people. I don't need to judge, I just need to see that good in everyone. That is what God would do, so that is what I should do.

Speaking Up.

Haven't written in a while because my body decided I need to calm down for a bit. I was sick all last week but I am back. Soak up anything and everything.....

I started my week off at DFCS today. Pretty intense. One thing that stuck out the most for me would have to be my house visit for the day. Went to a house a women that has to small children. Well my heart fell for this little 2 year-old boy that was so cute. He kept coming up to me and holding my hand, talking to me, and than he wanted to sit on my lap. Umm, Ok, what I haven't told you is that he smelled. His diaper was so full and he needed a bath. On the flip side of that, I let him sit on my lap and before I knew it the diaper leaked onto my pants. Now if you think about it I should have ben completely grossed out by this situation but to be honest the diaper was not what got to me it was the fact that I never said anything to the mom about his dirty diaper. Why didn't I say anything? I should have made her aware of the diaper. I mean if I had a child I would have wanted to know if my child's diaper needed to be changed. I should have said something light-hearted so she would know I was not judging her. I know that this is such a small, meaningless story but looking at the big picture I should have spoke up. I needed to say something because that mom needed to be told her son needed a diaper change. She honestly could have not known that it was dirty, but on the other hand it smelled bad enough for it to have been on him for a while. I need to realize that I am going to be in even more uncomfortable situations. I need to man up to my responsibilities and say something.

Back Story.

So DFCS this week was pretty interesting....

One thing that really got me this week was a LIPT,Local Interagency Planning Team, meeting that I was able to go to. The purpose is to bring people that can provide different resources from all over Bartow County to help the individuals that need it. My supervisor and I went to it because one of her clients from DFCS was referred there and we wanted to be there for support and help he explain her situation to the group. The group than goes through different ideas for the client so and makes sure she is getting the best services possible to make her situation better. The idea of LIPT is a very good concept!! My supervisor and I got their before our client so we went in and listened to other clients and what there needs were and to see if we could help. This one client was a 14-year-old girl. She was asked, "What can we help you with today?" "What can we do to make your life better?" Well all she had to say was "I don't want to go to school." She went on and on about how she just wanted to hang out with her friends, and didn't want to go to school. She just wanted to sleep. One lady asked her "Do you not see that we all care about you and want the best for you?" All the girl did was laugh and say "WHY?..." The conversation went on for a good 30 mins. It went NO WHERE. She wasn't grateful, she wasn't receptive of our services, she just wanted to sleep, and she was willing to throw away her life for something that wouldn't matter years from now. I was dumbfounded when I sat there. There wasn't anything we could say or do to help that girl.

Needless to say, It upset me. It upset me because we actually cared about her and she took us as a joke. It made me want to stand on the table and scream at her for being an idiot. BUT what good would that do for me? So yeah I just sat there and watched her walk out of the room knowing that she wasn't going to take life seriously. She had so much going for her, and she didn't care!!!! I mean one lady was throwing out her strengths and she was saying "When she is good and listening she is GREAT." It was like she didn't care that someone cared about her and saw that she could be a good girl. I just wonder her back story is. I wonder what has happened to her to feel this way. It makes me look at my own back story and what I have gone through.

So what is your back story? I pray that your back life was something that you have learned from and that your life is better because of it. At the end of the day that girl is going to make her own decisions. I just HOPE AND PRAY that her decisions don't cost her.

A Little Push.

So I have this case that is really bothering me. Really can't disclose anything really so I am going to go around the case and give you a broad idea, and of what most people do in life.

Bottom line I am upset with the fact that people don't take responsibility for themselves and grow up. When a person has chosen to live the lifestyle they have then they need to face the consequences they deserve. I mean it isn't all fun and dandy to wake up and smell the roses but sometimes my friends, YOU JUST NEED TO!! I definitely believe in second chances, because God wants people to have a better life. I am realizing that DFCS workers try really hard at getting the family in a better situation. Why does the family so resistant? Why don't they just sit back and say, "Wow this is my second chance at life and I should doing something important with it?"I mean DFCS helps point people in the right direction so they can, hopefully, get their feet off the ground. I mean we don't spoon feed you, but we do give you a little push!!

I am realizing that I am going to be facing a lot of people that really need a little push. I need a little push in my own life sometimes, but my question to those people is why not take it? It is a free gift!! Just like God gave us a free gift of salvation!! So needless to say I am going to keep pushing people and keep helping them and hope and pray they see my heart as good!!

Learning.

I have been doing a lot of soul searching lately. I want to start out by saying that my experience at DFCS is going to be life changing. Why? For many reasons:

1. I need to quit judging. So this is what God shows me:
Matthew 7:2-5: "2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

2. I need to love people. So this is what God shows me: Luke 6:27-35: " 27 But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

John 13: 34-35: "34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

I have learned a lot more but I feel that these 2 things have really hit me hard the last couple of weeks! By being at DFCS I can love on people and show them a merciful and loving God. That is my desire.

Heart Change.

So....

Holidays have past, school has started, and the biggest internship of my life has begun. I am interning at DFCS (Department of Family and Children Services). This week was my first week. I already got 24 hours under my belt and 276 hours left to go. What I have learned thus far:

- That God has a strange way of making his presence known.

- That even though I feel that a family is dysfunctional it may be something very normal for that family.

- That if I don't watch myself I can become a cold person to people and that is not why I am going into this field of work.

- That children are so important to me and it is so important that they get the best chance at life.

- That my parents have done one heck of a job and I am so blessed to have them.

- That GOD has a reason for everything he does and even though I do not get that reason it does not matter.

I have been absolutely blessed with a supervisor that really wants me to learn and learn it well. She has exposed me to things that I have never seen before. I know that this semester my eyes are going to be opened to a whole other world. I know that I was placed in DFCS for a reason and that is because of God. God will be glorified through this internship. The things I have seen this week has really shocked me and I can only imagine what God has in stored for me.

I am praying for guidance in all the situations I will be placed in, and a heart that will stand up for the Lord God Almighty! This is a time for God to shine!!

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right and pure, and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." - Phil.4:8

Christmas Time is HERE!

Whelp it is here guys! My favorite time of year! We have the Christmas tree up already and a pretty wreath on the door! I am just so over-joyed with happiness right now. I am just so thankful that God has brought my life to where it is today. I get to make so many new traditions and memories with my husband and pup.

Learning a lot these days to have: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and self-control. These words are so easy to type but so hard to put into practice!

I hope that you guys have a great Christmas holiday!! I can't wait to go shopping. One more week of school and than I can focus on Christmas a whole lot more :)

Love you all!!

Take a look at our Christmas tree!! LOVE IT! :)