Faithful Fridays ~ He is With You.

Hi, everyone!  :)

We're spending this long weekend in Alabama visiting family...hence my late posting.  :) 

  Faithful Fridays is a weekly linky party hosted on my blog. I made it so that Christians could have one special day out of the week (Friday) to share something from their Christian walk on their blog. If you'd like to participate, write your post, grab the button from the Faithful Fridays page on my blog (so that it will link back here), and come link up at the bottom of this post! :)   ************************************************************************   I've been trying to memorize Psalm 139.  It's a really beautiful psalm about how God is always with us.    You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

  God is always there with us.  Even when we can't feel Him, hear Him, or see Him, He's still there.  He is outside the limits of time and space, and He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us.  What an amazing love and promise!    "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." -Isaiah 41:10   God bless you guys and have a great day.  :) Joy :)

My Mama's Birthday.

Today is my really lovely mama's birthday.  :)

Such a hot young chick.

Mama, I love you like crazy cakes.

You are the best person I know.  You're my best friend.  You're the person God uses to guide me.  You're the person that understands and encourages me the most.  I can tell you anything.  You're the best mama, the best teacher, the best friend.  I love you to the moon and back!

I'm so glad that you're my mama.  God really knew what He was doing, because I wouldn't be where I am right now if it weren't for you.  I wouldn't be the person I am.

I'm glad I got my pretty brown eyes from you.  :)  

And I hope that today is the best birthday so far, and that the birthdays after this will keep being able to top it.  ;)  

I love you!  8!

Love,

Joy :)

Faithful Fridays ~ Why Pray?

It's Friday again!  :)  This has been a full week--our first week of school!  More on that coming in a later post.  :)


Faithful Fridays is a weekly linky party hosted on my blog.  I made it so that Christians could have one special day out of the week (Friday) to share something from their Christian walk on their blog.  If you'd like to participate, write your post, grab the button from the Faithful Fridays page on my blog (so that it will link back here), and come link up at the bottom of this post!  :)
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Today I'm going to be doing something a little different from what I usually do. 
Bible is a subject for us in homeschooling--that's one of the may things I love about it.  Couldn't really do that in a public school, now could you?  :)  This year, our curriculum has given me some great Bible books to start off with.  One of them is a 40-day devotional by John Devries called Why Pray?

I'm only five days in, but I already love it.  It's hit on some great points.  I wanted to share some of what was written for the third and fourth day, because it really made me think.
Everything from this point on in italics is from the devotional book.  :)
Day 3 Prayer is Holding Hands with God
Prayer is not the ultimate program by which we get God to do things out way.  It's like the act of a little child climbing into the lap of the Father and putting his hand on the hand of the One who is driving.  And it's more.  It's something far better--this mysterious relationship that is so much more than a means to get what we want.  We were made and redeemed to pray.  Prayer is a relationship in which we first of all recognize who God is and how greatly He is to be praised (see Psalm 48:1).
"Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain." -Psalm 48:1
And prayer is the means by which we do that.  All of our communication with God is prayer.  In prayer we are enfolded into God, and God is enfolded into us.  It's like this: when God made us, he made us in His image.  This means, among other things, that we "look like" or resemble God in striking ways.  
Let's imagine that your left hand represents God and your right hand represents you.  The two hands look like each other, but they're not the same, are they?  Similarly, while we may look like God in some ways, as His image bearers, we are not the same as God.  We were made to bear God's image so that we might "fit into" God.  You can picture this by fitting your hands together with your fingers interlocked and your palms open.  Only human beings, who were made in God's image, can "fit into" God in a way like this.  No animal or other creature can "fit into" God.  Something happened, though, in the way we fit into God.  In our picture of the hands fitting together, think of the right hand becoming infested with thorny burrs stuck between each finger.  The right hand has to be separated from the left hand, of course, because the "fit" is too painful.  The right hand symbolizes us, and the burrs symbolize our sin.  When Adam and Eve sinned, the pain of sin separated their "fit" with God.  As long as sin remained, they could not be joined together with God.  
Now, if we are that thorny right hand, there's no way for us to pull out those thorns!  A right hand cannot get thorns out of itself.  It needs the help of the left hand.  So it is with our sin and us.  And that's exactly what God has done.  In mercy, God freed us from our thorny sin so that we could fit together with Him again.  God did this by sending His perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to take away our sin and give us new life.  Think of the crown of thorns Jesus wore on the cross.  Just as that crown was pressed upon His head, so our sins (thorns) were laid upon Him.  
Hold your hands in the traditional way of folding hands in prayer.  Think of your left hand as God and your right hand as yourself.  Every time you pray, you are enfolded into the very heart of God.  This intensely close, intimate relationship is the deepest and most profound relationship any human being can have.  It is for more intimate than any relationship we can have with another person.  
Prayer is a dependent relationship with God in which I am enfolded into Him.
I love that analogy of the thorns--it really brings me back to being thankful for the amazing sacrifice and mercy God's given us.  

Day 4 Prayer is Filling the Gas Tank
Imagine that it's Sunday morning about ten minutes before worship time at your church and that I'm going to be preaching there.  You notice me pushing a big old car down the road.  It dawns on you that I am the guest preacher, and it's clear that I'm never going to arrive on time.  I'm right in front of an open gas station about a five minute drive from the church and I'm passing the station!  You slam on your brakes, hop out of the car, and ask me, what's the matter?  Why are you pushing your car?  I brush some perspiration off my forehead and reply that my car happens to be out of gas.  "Why, then, are you pushing it past the gas station?" you ask.  "Push it into the station, and fill it up!"  "But," I protest, "I don't have time to stop for gas.  I have only ten minutes left to get to church.  I can't be distracted by anything.  I must be on my way!"
My reply is so foolish that it's hard to comprehend.  No one in his right mind would be too busy to fill up if he were out of gas.  No one would push his car pas ta gas station because he was in a hurry to get somewhere.   Think of this illustration whenever you want a good example of a prayerless Christian.  The vast majority of Christians in our society claim they don't have time to pray.  But that excuse is as senseless as my saying I don't have time to stop and fill my gas tank.  Prayer is the relationship in which we stop, right where we are, and are filled with the Holy Spirit.  Without Him we can do nothing.  "Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unlesss you remain in me" (John 15:4).  Just as a branch apart from the life of the vine is fruitless, so we are empty apart from the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.  
Prayer is not a program but a dependent relationship upon God, through which we are empowered and filled by His Holy Spirit.
Prayer is so crucial to our lives and our relationship with our Savior.  And it's such an awesome privilege to be able to go before the Maker of everything in all creation and talk to Him like we would our father our friend.  Because He is our Father and our Friend!  And yet, sometimes, we underestimate prayer, let it fall to the side, and act like it doesn't hold much importance.  But it so does--a lot!  Prayer is our lifeline to God, it's how we connect and feel His presence oftentimes.  
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." -James 1:6
"Is anyone among you in trouble?  Let them pray.  Is anyone happy?  Let them sing songs of praise.  Is anyone among you sick?  Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord." -James 5:13-14
"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." -James 5:16
Prayer is important and prayer is powerful.  It's kind of one of our main love languages to God and His to us.  Take advantage of this amazing gift God has given us, to be able to talk to Him, day in and day out, wherever we are!
God bless you guys and have a great day.  :) Joy :)

Faithful Fridays ~ Bad Company Corrupts Good Character?

Hello, there, everyone!  :)  I'm back after missing a week of Faithful Friday--again, sorry about that!  :)

Faithful Fridays is a weekly linky party hosted on my blog.  I made it so that Christians could have one special day out of the week (Friday) to share something from their Christian walk on their blog.  If you'd like to participate, write your post, grab the button from the Faithful Fridays page on my blog (so that it will link back here), and come link up at the bottom of this post!  :) *********************************************************************** If you've grown up as a Christian, you've probably heard a lot about how bad company corrupts good character and we have to keep ourselves set apart from the things of this world. And that's completely true!  We do have to be careful.  We don't want to be careless with what we feed in to our minds.  Who we hang out with does affect our mind and we have to keep our guard up.  Most of us shy away from the "weird" people.  The ones that have a bad reputation or look like trouble or fit all the criteria of "one of those people," an "outsider." I do this.  It's much easier to just scoot away and not talk to these people rather than reach out of our comfort zone and be the way Jesus was.   But easy and comfortable is not what we're called to be.  Jesus was perfect; He didn't sin, so obviously when He hung out with "sinners," He didn't have to struggle with temptation.  But because Adam and Eve sinned, we have that temptation.  Does this mean that we should just live in our own little righteous bubbles and not reach out and make any kind of difference?  Noooo.   Do we really feel like we have a choice?  Really?  Because I think the Bible is pretty clear.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  Your neighbor is everyone.  Your neighbor is your mom, your dad, your sibling.  Your neighbor is your best friend.  And your neighbor is also that weird girl that no one talks to and that one kid that just gets on your last nerve.  Your neighbor is your rival and that one girl that is just plain mean.   "While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?'" -Matthew 9:10-11
Jesus dined and sat and talked with sinners and "tax collectors."  Ouch.  Tax collectors were the guys that everybody hated.  They were rotten, lying, cheating scoundrels that not only gathered up taxes from the people for the government, but stole extra for themselves.  The Pharisees looked at these people with scorn and disdain.  Jesus treated them like normal people and loved them.   Now days, we have our own sort of "tax collectors."  Whether it be based off of appearances--baggy pants, piercings, tattoos, all black clothes--or the people that have a reputation for being disruptive, disrespectful, or just bad kids.  There's this group of people that we just shy away from. But we don't get to choose who to love.  Jesus has been clear--we are to love everyone.  Our family, our friends, our enemies, and everything in between.  

So how do we handle this situation?  We go into it with the mindset of being Jesus' hands and feet.  That's the mindset we're supposed to have with everything, anyway.  We aren't to join people when they start doing or saying things that aren't godly, but we aren't supposed to judge or reject them, either.  

"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

-Colossians 4:6

So yes, bad company can corrupt good character.  But maybe good company can corrupt bad character?

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God bless you guys and have a great day.  :)

Joy :)

Chats On The Farmhouse Porch

Hi, everyone!  I just want to say quickly that I am so sorry that I missed Faithful Friday this past week.  You guys were probably wondering where I was....and why I didn't even put up a linky list!  We were busy all day Friday, and then that evening we left on a last-minute trip to Alabama.  I apologize!  I'll be back in the swing of it this Friday.


Here are this week's questions from Ms. Patrice!
1.  Do you have any type of air cleaner in your home?
Nope!  :)
2.  What do you do with the spare change you accumulate in your car, purse, pockets, etc.?
Well, I guess if I were smart (or like my daddy), I'd save it all up.  But instead, I usually carry it around in my purse until I want to use it--in a vending machine or when Luke asks for change to throw in a fountain.  :)
3.  What's one chore you wish you never had to do again?
Hmm....probably cleaning the litterbox.  I dislike it.  :(  But I'd really just rather not have to do any cleaning.  ;)
4.  Are you outgoing, quiet, shy, reserved, or life of the party?
Well, I wouldn't say I'm the life of the party, and I wouldn't say I'm shy.  I'm kind of in between.  It depends on who I'm around and what kind of situation it is.  Often when I'm around people I don't know very well or that make me nervous, I'm a bit more quiet/reserved.  But when I'm around friends and family, I'm usually outgoing and fun and energetic.  And sometimes, I'm that way around people I don't know that well.  I guess it just depends.  :)
5.  Have you understood your parents more as you've gotten older?
Yes.  :)  I love my parents, and they're so very wise!  I wish more folks would listen to their parents.  They know more than we do--they've already done this thing!  :)
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Hope you guys enjoyed!  :)  If you'd like to participate in Chats On the Farmhouse Porch, click over to Ms. Patrice's blog!
God bless you guys and have a great day!  :) Joy :)

Christina.

If you've been following my blog for a while, you might remember this girl.

Christina.  I've been friends with her a loooong time.  :)  I love this girl!  She's pretty much the sweetest person I've ever met.  She's so extremely thoughtful and kind.  I'm not exaggerating at all--she's a sweetheart.  :)

Christina and I met at dance back around 2007 and 2008.  We became really good friends in 2008 and 2009, and we've gotten closer and closer.

Christina and me in 2009

Dance recital 2009 with our friend Katie Beth

She's my bestie--we can have serious heart-to-hearts and hilarious late night conversations.  :)

Christina and me 2010

We've kind of grown up together these past few years.  We've both changed, but we haven't grown apart--we've grown together, and I think that says a lot for our friendship.  :)  Christina lives in a different state, almost an hour away from us, but we still stay tight!  :)  We text when we can (although this girl is a very busy, very awesome student!), and we get together when we can.  We've made a tradition of going on a fall break trip the past couple of years.  The first year it was a cabin at a state park near us, and last year it was in Alabama where we have family.

Fall trip 2011

Fall trip 2012

We go swimming at each others' houses.....

I've spent my thirteenth and fourteenth birthdays with her.  :)

Thirteenth Birthday

Fourteenth Birthday

Christina puts up with me with all my weird quirks.  ;)  We "lol" a lot (remember lol rehab?).  :)

She gives some of the most thoughtful gifts....this past Christmas, she made a scrapbook of us that can be added to in later years!  :)

She's like an extended member of our family.  She gets along with Luke so well.  Someone thought once that we had adopted her after Luke.  ;)

We can go without seeing each other for a couple of months and then jump back into our own groove when we do see each other....going back to our heart-to-hearts and jokes.  We share music and movies (I'm in charge of this girl's superhero movie education ;)).

Christina, her sister Tara, and me after swimming (and a sleepover later) at their house last month.  :)

We had a powdered sugar fight!

We share a love for other countries and cultures--Christina is learning French and has family all over the world (including China).  

This girl is one of the best friends I've ever had.  I know we'll be best friends for the rest of our lives.  I'm so thankful for her!  :)

We're besties.  :)

I love you, girl!  :)

Faithful Friday ~ You're an Overcomer.

Hi, everyone!  :)  It's time for Faithful Fridays again!  It sure rolls around quick, doesn't it?  :)

The crazy thing is that when Mama and I sat down to write our posts today, neither one of us had shared our ideas with each other.  Mama casually mentioned a Bible verse, and I said, "I'm using that verse!"  And then we discovered that our posts were titled almost the exact same thing.  I guess this post needs to get out there today!  ;)

Faithful Fridays is a weekly linky party hosted on my blog.  I made it so that Christians could have one special day out of the week (Friday) to share something from their Christian walk on their blog.  If you'd like to participate, write your post, grab the button from the Faithful Fridays page on my blog (so that it will link back here), and come link up at the bottom of this post!  :)

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Life is hard.

That's just the truth, and that's the easiest way to put it.

We are going to to go through things that just put us in agony and heartache.  Whether it be our fears, our circumstances, a sickness, the loss of a loved one, problems in a relationship, our temper, our job, our self-image, or whatever, we're going to have some problems in this life because of sin.

And so you start to think, "Well, what's the point, then?  Why even try?  Is that all I have to look forward to in life?"

But God has promised that we can overcome this stuff in Him.



We are incapable of seeing things the way God sees them.  He sees the entire big picture of our lives and the lives of others, from the start to the finish, and everything before, after, and in-between.

We are only capable of seeing things up close.  We judge situations by our feelings.  We feel alone and like this problem is never going to end, so we believe that.

I believe that.

It happens to everyone.

But we can't continue to go by our feelings.  I know that I say that a lot, and I'm preaching to myself here, but it's so true.

God has promised so many times that He is with us, that He will never leave us, that we'll never be alone.  He's promised that we can do this thing with Him, that He can give us life and help us overcome this stuff.

"The thief comes only to kill and steal and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and have it to the full."  
-John 10:10

"for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."
-2 Timothy 1:7

"No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life.  As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you."
-Joshua 1:5

Wow.  Moses went through some stuff, didn't he?  He was ordered (along with thousands of other baby boys) to be killed as a baby.  Then, his mother had to give him up to the pharaoh's daughter to save his life.  When he got older, he had to choose between a life of luxury and doing the right thing by joining his people and enduring persecution with them.  He choose the right path (which is usually the hardest path, and it was), and he was definitely persecuted for it.  He had to lead the Israelites and put up with their whining and complaining and doubt.

But God was with Him.  He never left his side, and none of Moses' problems ever lasted forever.

God says that His strength is made perfect in our weakness.  So, we don't have to be ashamed of our weaknesses and faults and flaws and problems, because God can use all that for His glory.  He can work it into His glorious plan for our lives.  We don't have to be ashamed or upset about our fears and failures, because God says He can make up for it in our lives with His strength!

We may not understand how in any way on this earth this problem will turn out for good, but God knows.  It may be to help someone else.  It may be to learn a lesson.  It may be to bring us closer to God.  And it may be none of these.  It may be to show us that He's going to be there, even in the worst times.

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
-2 Corinthians 12:9

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."
-Genesis 50:20

God's love is perfect.  We don't have to be self-sufficient and independent and deal with stuff ourselves.  Our God is the God who can take the weight off our shoulders.  He says that His burden is light.  By giving up our struggle for self-sufficiency and trying to do it on our own, we can find freedom.  We can lean on Him and find rest, comfort, joy, protection, and contentment.

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.  For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love."
-1 John 4:18

God promises to help us through the storms of life.  Whether He stops the storm or comes to you in the middle of it to wrap you in His arms, He's going to be there.

And just remember that you're an overcomer in Him.

You're an overcomer
Stay in the fight 'til the final round
You're not going under 'cause God is holding you right now
You might be down for a moment
Feeling like it's hopeless
That's when he reminds you
That you're an overcomer
You're an overcomer
-"Overcomer" by Mandisa

I write to you, dear children,
    because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
    because you are strong,
    and the word of God lives in you,
    and you have overcome the evil one.
-1 John 2:12-14

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God bless you guys and have a great day!  :)
Joy :)

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch

Today is my first day of joining Chats on the Farmhouse Porch over at Everyday Ruralty!  :)  This is something my mama links up with every week, and I've been wanting to join in for a while.  :)


Here are this week's questions!  :)

1. Are you looking forward to fall?

Sort of, yes.  But I don't want to rush summer.  When fall comes, I'm probably going to miss shorts-wearing weather, swimming, and the break from school.  :)

1. What are the three best colors for you to wear, and the three worst?

I think the three best colors are probably brown, blue, and...maybe red?  I don't think I look very good in green, yellow, or orange.  Or maybe I just don't like those colors as much.  ;)

1. What is your favorite kind of juice? If you are not into juice, you can tell us your favorite flavor of soda, tea, coffee, Tang, mud, etc.

I'm not really into juice now, but I guzzled down apple juice and white grape juice when I was a toddler.  ;)  Now I loooove lemonade.  :)

1. Have you ever been in the hospital (at least an overnight)? You don't need to share the ailment, but tell us what the longest time is.

Lol, how ironic!  I just got out of the hospital today.  I'm so thankful and happy to be home.  For those who don't know, I have acute recurrent idiopathic pancreatitis.  Basically, I have recurring episodes of pancreatitis and the doctors don't know why.  This time it was just a short, 2-day stay (thank You, Jesus!), but I've had to stay about eight or nine days before. 

1. Do jingles, songs from ads, and TV or movie themes stick in your head? Do you find yourself singing them? (This question means that I'm trying to find out if I'm the only crazy person who sings quirky stuff!)

YES.  Luke watches these shows that have the most annoying, but catchy, theme songs ever.  Bob the Builder, Super Why, Justin Time, and Wild Kratts, just to name a few.  ;)

God bless you guys and have a great day!  :)

Joy :)