Christmas Day 2007

• We went to my parents house at 8:30am to open gifts.
• Back to our house to get a shower.
• 1pm - we went to Tony's parents house for lunch and to open gifts.
• 5pm - back to my parents house for dinner. Grandma was in a very talkative move as she talked to each of us kids and mom. We started to watch "Riddles & Stones" with dad.
• That evening we read Luke chapters 3-4
• And fell asleep watching "Princess Bride" (that was one of Matthew's gifts to us).

Christmas Eve 2007

Despite how much I wanted to avoid it, we did have to go to town and pick up a last minute Christmas gift. And to think that I had all intentions to finish my shopping by November. Haha. Maybe I'll do better next year. :-) We went to the Wal-Mart in Mount Olive, which was a lot busier than normal, but it wasn't too bad.

Around 4pm, my parents came over to our house and rode with us to White Oak for their candle light service. Very few people showed up, but it was a nice time to reflect on why Christ came to earth in the form of a baby. We sang several hymns, listened to the reading of scripture, and pastor Gene gave a short devotional. It was a very God glorifying time.

Around 7pm, Matthew, Joey, and Brittany all joined us at the house. We each opened up one gift. Then we ate Italian Sausage Roll with salad. It was really good! I was able to decorate the house a little bit. I put the tree up Sunday afternoon with lights only - I decided to keep things simple. Then I decorated the table with a white table cloth and red accents. We enjoyed the fellowship with my family. Dad, Matthew, and Brittany stayed to play Bible Outburst. It was a lot of fun! Then Matthew and Tony watched some of "Megeiddo 1", while Brittany and I laughed at some old digital pictures on the computer.

Christmas Caroling in Wilson

Friday night we joined Brian & Shannon, Bill & Denise, Guerite, Pastor Justin, JB, and all their children to go Christmas caroling in Wilson. We went to a doublewide subdivision, parked our vehicles, bundled up, and walked from door to door singing carols. It was mostly elderly people that came to the door to watch and I really had to fight back tears. They were so excited. We had prepared a little bag with candy canes, a gospel tract, and some information on Christ Baptist Church.

We then went to the Target parking lot, set up on a corner, and sang "Joy to the World". Then Tony proclaimed the gospel to people as they walked through the parking lot. Then we sang more songs. We were able to pass out the remainder of our bags, and several gospel tracts to people as they walked by. A couple ladies stopped to watch us sing; Denise felt led to give one of the ladies a hug. The lady just started crying. We found out that her mother had passed away recently and she was having a really hard time this season. We were able to minister to her and gather around her in prayer - right there in front of Target. It is amazing to think of God's perfect timing in everything!

We finished the night at the Cherries house where we ate chili and homemade tortilla chips. Yes, I Shayna, who does not like beans, ate chili. It was pretty good and I was able to pick out some of the beans. :) I tell you, there is nothing like fellowshipping with the people that you just evangelized with on the streets. It is so sweet and genuine! The Christians that sit in church every Sunday, but never share their faith, are missing out on so much! What a privelage and a joy it is to share the everlasting gospel with a complete stranger. What an awesome duty God has granted to us!

Four Days Away

Well, I didn't have time to put up any Christmas decorations last night. I did get most of my shopping done though. Yay! In a little while I'll be getting off work and going to Wal-mart to pick up a few more items, and hopefully I won't have to make any last minute trips to town this weekend. When we got home from the gym last night, I was looking around the house and realized that I am way behind on house work. I really desire to be a good homekeeper - and to have a tidy, orderly home. It just seems that we are always on the go and I fail to stay on top of it. Sigh. Lord, please teach me how to manage our home in a way that brings glory and honor to your name!

Christmas Traditions

Before marriage, there was one night set aside where all us kids helped mom and dad decorate the Christmas tree. I always enjoyed going through the ornaments and decorations that we hadn't seen for a whole year. Us girls would usually help mom make gingerbread cookies. Christmas music would fill the house. We would always watch the movie "A Christmas Story". Christmas Eve we gathered around the Christmas tree and we each opened up one gift. Then we went to bed, anticipating what was wrapped up under the tree. Brittany & I would usually wake up between 4am and 5am, and go through our stockings; mom and dad always made sure to put some "good chocolate candy" in there and a small gift of some sort. Then we would go back to sleep. I think Joey did the same thing. Matthew on the other hand loved his sleep. :) Christmas morning, we were all pretty eager to open our gifts before mom and dad could even get the coffee brewing. Mom encouraged us to eat breakfast before. When it came time to open the gifts, we would sit around the living room - leaving room in between us to gather our opened presents. Someone was designated to be "santa" - meaning that they would sort through the gifts under the tree and pass them out to the appropriate family member. This usually involved wearing a santa hat. With Christmas music playing in the background, and the video camera rolling, we would watch each other open gifts and would show excitement for what they recieved. Then we would clean up all the torn wrapping paper and save the bows. Then started the long wait for dinner. :) It was always worth it though!! We would usually end the night by playing a boardgame of some sort.

When Tony & I were dating, my family traditions remained the same for the most part. Tony was introduced to our Christmas Eve tradition of opening one gift. Brittany and I still woke up extra early to go through our stockings; and our gifts were opened one at a time as we all sat in the living room. Things that changed: On Christmas Day, after everyone was done opening gifts, I would get ready to go join Tony's family (usually around noon). There, everyone gathered in the living room and someone started distributing the gifts. Everyone was opening up their gifts all at the same time, so you couldn't really see what everyone else recieved, which was definately new to me. It was always fun; and I always recieved very nice, unexpected gifts from my future in-laws. Then we ate all the good food that Mrs. Donna had been laboring over for the past couple weeks. Because his family is much larger than ours, we can't all fit around the table, so everyone is spread out throughout the house. We also use paperplates and plastic cups that are easily tossed in the trash can when everyone is done. After we ate and fellowshipped with Tony's family, we would go back to my parents house. If it wasn't already done, I'd help set the table (with the finest dishes) and help mom finish up dinner. We would all sit at the table and enjoy the meal before us. Then we would usually go for a walk around town. After that, we would load the dishwasher and wash the remaining dishes that didn't fit (as well as complain to mom about not using paperplates. Haha). We usually end the night by playing a board game of some sort.

Since Tony & I have been married, the traditions have somewhat changed. We had the joy of decorating our own home for Christmas. For the past couple years, we've had my family over our house on Christmas Eve to continue the tradition of opening one gift. After they leave, Tony & I have been opening all the gifts from each other on Christmas Eve. We've always had a lot of fun! Christmas Day we go to my parents house first thing in the morning to open gifts, then to his parents house for the afternoon, and back to my parents house in the evening.

This year has been really different. It is now the 19th day of December - which means that Christmas is only six days away. We do not have our tree up; the house hasn't been decorated at all; Tony & I haven't bought gifts for each other; Christmas music has been played very minimally. Why? Within the past few months we have learned of all the pagan roots that surround this holiday called CHRISTmas. And right now I think we are going through the learning process of how to keep Christ as our focus this holiday season. God created everything for our enjoyment. Sinful man has used these things (among others) to worship their gods: decorated evergreen trees, wreaths, mistletoe, stockings, etc. Now does this mean that Christians are now forbidden to hang greenery in their home. I think not. Sinful man has also used food of all types to worship their gods. Does this mean that a Christian can no longer enjoy the food that God created? I think not. The beautiful rainbow that God gave to us as a reminder of judgment and His promise to never flood the earth again, has been used for quite some time to represent the homosexual lifestyle. Does this mean that a Christian can no longer enjoy the rainbow in the sky? I think not! I believe a Christian can enjoy all created things and give glory and honor to the true God. We can eat, decorate our homes, play games, buy and recieve gifts, all to the glory of God!

Tomorrow I will hopefully be able to finish purchasing Christmas gifts for our families. And who knows, depending on the time, I may even put up a few decorations in our home... maybe even some lights. Oh yes, and have Christmas hymns playing in the background. I feel that a form of Hannukah should be celebrated by Christians. We should reflect on what God has done in the past to bring us to where we are today and to look forward to eternity. We should reflect on the fulfilled prophecies and all the promises that God has given to His people over the years. We should rejoice that God humbled himself and became a little baby - so that He could one day suffer God's wrath on the cross; so that He could be risen from the dead three days later; so that He can sit at the right hand of God Almighty, awaiting the day to call all His people home.

For a very good reason, Tony & I decided to exchange our gifts sometime in January. The reason: well after December 25th, most everything is marked down 50% and more! We are to be good stewards of our money. :) We haven't picked out an exact date yet ... but we're making some new traditions, and revising others. Christmas Eve, I believe my family will be joining us at church for a candlelight service. This will be something new to all of us and I know that it will be a delightful time of singing praises to our King.

Jason & Amber Howell

This past Saturday, Amber Dawson & Jason Howell had a wedding ceremony, and I was very much honored to be a part of it. October 27th Amber had called and asked me if I'd like to be her Matron of Honor. Of course I said yes! So a wedding was planned in six weeks and it was beautiful! We were able to reuse the bridesmaid dresses from our wedding - with just a few alterations. I was able to wear Brittney's, Lorrainna wore Amber's, and Misty wore Brittany's. So the only thing we had to buy was our shiny black heels from Wal-Mart. Friday evening was the rehearsal dinner at 5:30pm. It took some time to get everything organized for the ceremony, so we were very hungry when it came to eat. McCall's catered. Tony & I stayed late to help set up the round tables and decorate the fellowship hall with Mrs. Sue, Aunt Judy, Cousin Jordan, and Little Ashtyn. It was a lot of fun and I'm glad we were able to stay and help.

So Saturday was the big day. At around 1pm I go over to my parents house and mom tries to curl my hair for about an hour and a half. It didn't work. Haha. But it did make my hair look a little fuller. We got the church at 3:40pm. Amber's hair was so pretty!! The wedding cake was delivered - three tier cake with white frosting, red poinsetta's all over, and a big red bow draped over it. It was so pretty! Then it came time to get dressed. Amber was such a beautiful bride!! And Ashtyn was an adorable flower girl! :) 5:30pm seemed to arrive quickly and before we knew it everyone was in place as Jason kissed his sweet bride. It was a glorious event!

Road Trip

We got to Nathan & Mary's house Thursday at midnight. We had thought about driving straight through to DC and just sleeping in the car, but Jimmey canceled, which made room for us in the Magnusen car. Praise the Lord! After about four hours of sleep, we were on the road again to join about 20 other seedsowers on the streets of Washington, DC. We met with them at the hotel and had a time of prayer. Once in front of the Washington Monument, it was a really slow start. Not many people were out and about. We walked what seemed like forever to the Union Station and stayed there for the remainder of the day. People were constantly coming and going, which makes for a great place to share the gospel, and that we did. Tony & I also took a little stroll through DC to see the Supreme Court Building. Only after we walked back all the way to the Union Station, did we realize that we were at the back of the Supreme Court Building,which means we didn't get a picture of Moses with the 10 Commandments. Oh well. :) But I did find this beautiful leaf on the way back. Such a reminder of how glorious the Creator is!

Saturday morning we left the house at about 7:30am to meet up with the Richmond team for their Christmas Parade. There were LOTS of people lined up along the streets and most all of them recieved a gospel tract or heard the gospel being preached. Praise the Lord! Tony & I walked the whole distance of the parade, plus some. We walked for We were very tired and grateful to be able to sit on some bank steps and relax as the parade finished. We then ate some lunch at Arbys, stopped by the house for 20 minutes, then met up with some of the Terry family at the VA Beach Parade. It was so nice to meet Jessica face to face. :) It was very cold and windy by the waterfront. We finished up the night at a Mexican restaurant - in celebration of Jessica's 22nd birthday.

Sunday we went to church with Nathan & Mary. It was a really good message about the importance of church membership - taken from Mark Dever's "Nine Marks of a Healthy Church". That evening we went to the Grand Illumination Ceremony at Williamsburg. There were thousands and thousands of people crowded in the historical village waiting to watch a 20 minute firework display. It was really neat. Tony stood up on the stool and began to lift his voice. When he did, everyone got silent. You could hear a pin drop. They were all listening. But when they realized that he was preaching the gospel, many of them started shouting "Shut-Up" and all the voices started talking again, trying to ignore the message. Several people rejected gospel tracts and mocked at the preaching. There was one lady that rejected a gospel tract and said "I'm a Christian and I don't want to have anything to do with what you guys are doing." It is so sad when professing Christians reject the gospel. But God sent several encouragers our way. They were like a bright light in the darkness. There was a 14 year old boy, Andrew, that came up to me and said "may I have some more gospel tracts? I passed all mine out." He and two of his friends had talked with Nathan earlier and he apparently gave them some tracts to pass out. So I gave them each a stack and they said they were going to save them to pass out to their friends at school. :) Praise God! Andrew went on to tell me that when they walked by earlier, his mom gathered the family together and prayed for us. The encounter was such a blessing! And then there were those that stopped and listened intently to the unadulterated gospel being preached. And some stayed and listened as we tried to reason with them about sin, righteousness, judgment, and God's amazing grace. May God open their eyes to the Truth they heard. We got home last night at 2am and got about four hours of sleep before we woke up for work. So needless to say, we are both very sleepy, but it is always worth it! :)

No More Stiches

Last Tuesday we traveled to Rocky Mount for a 7:45am appointment with an oral surgeon - Dr. Barringer. For the past couple months Tony's front tooth has been causing some pain and swelling. And after being shuffled around from dentist to dentist, we've come to the conclusion that his root canal of six years has failed and has caused an infection to set in, which is eating away the bone above that tooth. (I know... it sounds painful). And the solution was to do a "reverse root canal". So two days before thanksgiving, we are sitting in the surgery room and I watch as my dear husband gets poked with several needles all along his upper gum (the numbing solution). I just wanted to go hold his hand to let him know I was still there. After that I was asked to go wait in the front foyer. I wanted to cry so bad ... but I held it in, and prayed ALOT for my husband as they made an incension along his gum, cleared out all the infection, trimmed his root, refilled his front tooth, and sealed it up with five stiches. When they finally called me to the back, Tony was sitting in a very comfy chair with gauze stuffed in his upper lip. He looked pitiful and all I could say was "You're sexy!". Haha. He was! *S* The doctor gave us instructions on how to care for his mouth. And when we got in the car, I took Tony's hand and we thanked God for the surgery and I prayed for wisdom on how to care for my prince charming during this time. (It took all I had to hold back the tears).

Now a week later we found ourselves back in that surgery room to get the stiches removed. It took all of five minutes as I watched Dr. Barringer pull each thread from his mouth. The first four came out pretty smoothly, but the one that was up on his gum was a little tougher and I just knew it was painful and he used a pair of scissors to cut it out. God is so good and His grace is sufficient!!! Lord I thank you for the means you provided so that we could have this procedure done. I thank you for the healing you have brought to him already. I pray that it will continue to heal smoothly. Please ease any pain that he may be feeling and may we trust completely in you during this time. Fill Tony's heart with much joy today and may he give you all praise!

Afterwards, we used our nifty "test" GPS to find a Best Buy and Ham's Restaurant. We enjoyed each others company over a plate of Bacon Cheese Fries and a salad with honey mustard dressing. It was very good (and so good for you). We had a fun time with a round-tuit: "Sweetie, when you get a round-tuit, can you scratch my back." "When you get a round-tuit, can you give me a kiss." "When you get a round-tuit, can you hold my hand." Etc. etc. We had much fun!!!

Birthday Weekend

Well, I ended up working about 5 hours on Friday, which I am very grateful for. I went home and crawled in bed beside my sweet husband and it took me a long time to go to sleep; I think I managed to get a 2 hour nap. We then woke up and traveled to downtown Fayetteville for the Fourth Friday event. There were lots of people there all bundled up. [I tried to sleep on the way there, but couldn't. Tony asked me "are you thinking about tomorrow?" Yes, I was. He explained that's why I couldn't go to sleep, I wouldn't let my mind rest. I was thinking about all kinds of stuff... waking up and cleaning the house, doing laundry, running errands, what I needed to get at the grocery store, decorating the house, Christmas gifts, my birthday meal at my parents house, etc. I was too anxious about tomorrow.] Paul Bridgeman had the prayer station set up and I wore one of the smocks. There was one lady who walked up to the booth with her son. He asked for some money - so I gave him a million dollar bill. :) I asked Theresa if she had any prayer requests. "Too many to name". She has a husband and 2 sons. They just watched the "Passion of Christ" this past week and she said her boys were really interested in it. She's trying to find a good church to attend because she wants to raise her children up in church. She said she has lots of questions about the faith, but her husband was in a hurry, so we didn't have time to talk. I pointed her to our website and she said she would e-mail us with her questions. Lord, I ask that you will give Theresa guidance. Surround her with Godly men & women that will help answer her questions and give her encouragment. I pray that if she is not born again, that you will open her eyes to the truth. May she realize how glorious the gospel truly is. Grant her repentance and may she trust in Jesus.

A younger man walked up to the booth and I gave him a gospel tract and asked if he had any prayer requests. "I have an unknown prayer request". "Okay, what's your name?" "It's an unknown prayer request by an unknown person ... that's the best kind". "Okay, I will keep you in my prayers. Do you have a Christian background?" He said that he was raised in church but has "slid back". He was a very quiet guy, and I could tell he had a lot of stuff on his mind. He explained how much he hates NC. He is in the military and got stationed here a month ago. He's originally from Nebraska. So he has no family or friends here and is just really lonely. As the conversation progressed he explained how he holds lots of unforgivness and bitterness toward people. He has a good relationship with his immediate family. As I presented the gospel to him, he professed many times to being a hypocrite. We talked for a long time about all kinds of things. He was so humbled. I was so humbled; just to see him slowly opening up to me and being so honest. We talked about the gospel, the false Christianity, and God's sovereign plan. "God is in control of all things and he has you here in NC for a reason. We may not know what that reason is... but we can rest in knowing that he is sovereign. One reason is so that you could be walking down the street tonight and stop by this table and have this conversation." We discussed God's plan for marriage as he expressed his concerns in finding a Godly wife. I explained that he must go to sleep in that area of his life and first make sure his life is right with God. He is commanded to be the spiritual leader in his home and during his time of singleness he needs to focus on gaining godly character, getting involved with Christian ministry, and sharing the gospel with others. He was called many times to examine himself in light of God's Law (Exodus 20) and then look at what God did for sinners on the cross (Last few chapters of Matthew). Toward the end I asked "So are you still an unknown person?" "My name is Ken". I introduced him to Tony who talked to him some more, and then we huddled together and prayed. It was absolutely amazing! Lord, please continue to soften Ken's heart. Transform him into a new creation!!

We ended the night with some good fellowship at Applebee's and on the way home Tony & I stopped at the Wal-Mart in Mt. Olive to look at the GPS'.

Saturday
I straightened the house a little bit and caught up on laundry. It was nice to get some things done around the house. Tony went to get his truck inspected; we praise God for his 1995 pickup truck, as it still only costs $10 to get inspected. :) I went shopping in Goldsboro - ran into Brittany at Goody's. So we tried on some clothes just for fun. We met at my parents house at 6:30pm for my birthday dinner. By my request we had breaded steak, sweet potatoe casserole, and a nice salad. It was all so yummy. Then for my cake, mom made a very tasty "Ho Ho Cake". It was so good! Mom and Dad gave me the rest of my birthday gift: a digital photo frame! Yay!!! It will definately get lots of use. My dad even thought to scan some old family pictures into the computer and put them on a memory stick. It was so cool. I thank God for my parents!! :) I also rec'd a $25 giftcard to PacSun from Matthew and a really sweet card from Chrissie.

Tony & I then went to Goldsboro to search for a GPS - didn't find one. We joined Joey & Chrissie at Starbuck's and I had much fun conversing with the both of them. ;) That evening, Tony & I discussed how we want our family to be closer knit and have more meaningful conversation. We are both going to be praying about this.

Sunday
Church service ended with a big bang; right as pastor Gene was getting ready to do the closing prayer, an older man walked out into the foyer and when he shut the door the clock came crashing to the ground - into many pieces. Haha. It was really funny. We ran a couple errands in town and then had my parents over for lunch. We had sandwiches with tomatoe soup and good fellowship (which is the most important). :)

Black Friday

This morning we woke up at 2:50am, got dressed, and drove to the JcPenny parking lot. On this wonderful day following Thanksgiving, God provides lines of people waiting to get into the stores (and just standing there waiting to recieve gospel tracts and be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas). All glory to God. We went to JcPenny, Belk, Sears, Staples, and KMart. We saw a few familiar faces, some more than once: Kelly Mason and her parents, Timothy Gorman, Brooke Patton, Debra from First Assembly, and Brittany Correll. Most everyone was attentive to the message and many clapped or said amen. A few hundred people heard the gospel this morning and I praise God for that! Kelly's grandma asked for some more tracts to share with her church family, so I gave her a stack. Also, I met an older gentleman with a cane named Bill. As I was going down the line passing out the tracts, he said "that's Way of the Master, isn't it?" "Yes sir". He is familiar with the teaching and sees the great need to preach the whole gospel. He gratefully accepted a pile of gospel tracts and I pointed him to our website if he wanted to get up with us sometime. God is so good!! :) He gave us much favor with the cops that drove by and the sales associates and managers that walked out. Nobody said a word against what we were doing. That is an answered prayer for sure! The weather was also not too bad. It was chilly, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't overwhelming.

I then enjoyed eating breakfast with my prince charming at the Huddle House. It is so awesome to be able to share a meal with my dear husband. We were interested in the $99 Navigon GPS that they were offering at Staples ... so we went over there to check it out and do you know there was a long line just waiting for that GPS, and one of the associates was kind enough to tell us that there was only 30 left in stock and it would be a slim chance of getting it. So we didn't wait in that line. But I did find out that you can get the same special online, so we may purchase from there. We also went to Target and Tony bought me a red sweater as part of my birthday gift. He also gave me the gifts that had been hiding in the car for two weeks. Sneaky. Haha. I told him it was a good thing I didn't get the urge to clean the car out. :) He got me the white "eskimo" hat that I wanted and a towel bar that hangs over the kitchen cabinet. I was very much excited and shocked that he was able to keep it a secret for so long. He is so sweet to me!! We made a couple more stops to compare GPS' and then we went our seperate ways. He is at home asleep, and I am at work. Today is month-end so I have to make sure all my paperwork is entered into the system. It is more or less a long waiting game. But God has granted me a cheerful spirit and patience! He is in control!! :)

When Sinners Say "I Do"

Yesterday evening we began reading "When Sinners Say 'I Do'" by Dave Harvey. In the preface he makes the following statement:

"We must not ignore our sin, because it is the very context where the gospel shines brightest".

That is so very true. The closer I grow to God, the more I realize how sinful I truly am. I am a wretched sinner that deserves only hell for all of eternity. There are times that I express impatience; irritableness; anxiousness; fear; and selfishness (among other things). These things may sound pretty trivial, but they are not just simple mistakes ... they are flat out SIN. God utterly despises it! Why? Why would God hate my impatience? Why does God hate it when I'm antsy? At those times it is showing my lack of trust in God, my unbelief, and my discontentment. At those times I am not keeping God first, nor am I glorifying Him. At those times I am calling God a liar because I am doubting His promises. Those are some serious offences against the Almighty Creator. And yet, The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23). The closer I grow to God, the more I realize how sinful I truly am. The more I realize how sinful I truly am, the more amazing God's grace is to me. God has granted me salvation. He has opened my eyes to the Truth. He has put in me a new heart. He has promised me that He will never leave me, nor forsake me. God is sovereign; God is in complete control of all things; He knows the perfect time for everything. He has ordained everything that I am to go through in this life. He has designed each circumstance exactly for me. And He promised to give me enough mercy and grace to make it through. We must not ignore our sin or treat it as something trivial, because it is the very context where the gospel shines brightest!!

A Woman's Beauty Regimen

Displaying a Gentle & Quiet Spirit
This message was given by Carolyn Mahaney and these are my notes...

Every woman has a daily beauty regimen that they follow. Holy Scripture prescribes a beauty regimen that we as women are to follow. It is guaranteed to make us beautiful. 1 Peter 3:3-4 God is not opposed to women making their selves beautiful. This is detailed instructions of how to make ourselves beautiful. God is not opposed to beauty; He delights in beauty. Look at the beauty He created all around us. 1. We see what God condemns 2. What God commands 3. And what God commends.

1. What God Condemns: God informs us what we shouldn’t do. Do not let your adorning be external. It is a straight forward command. What is God forbidding? Braiding of the hair, gold jewelry, and clothing. They’re not forbidden, but they should not be used in abuse. They shouldn’t be the main focus, dependency, etc. These things don’t make us truly beautiful. They’re not the source of genuine beauty. We need to be reminded of this often. It’s not sinful to wear stylish clothing, makeup and jewelry. It is wrong to place too much value on them.

2. What God Commands: We are to adorn the hidden person of the heart—habitually. This is where the main focus should be; on our regenerated heart. We must priority attention to what is on the inside. What is a gentle and quiet spirit? Notice how it is described: it’s an imperishable beauty. Webster’s describes imperishable as “not subject to decay, indestructible, enduring permanently”. A gentle & quiet spirit is not referring to a woman with a quiet personality. A gentle & quiet spirit is a inner disposition of humble contentment and quiet tranquility, rooted in an unwavering trust in God and His purpose. Gentle carries the idea of humility (not thinking of oneself as too important) and contentment. Quiet is the idea of calmly trusting in God and patiently accepting wrong from persecutors and unbelieving husbands. How are we to apply this when someone wrongly mistreats us and sins against us? A gentle & quiet spirit is a steadfast peace because of a steadfast trust in God. How do we react in these situations? Usually we respond with a complaining crusade, anger, pity party, a sinful funk, evil thoughts, lashing out on the person, bitterness, selfishness, etc. That is not the description of a gentle and quiet spirit. We should display a peace that cannot be shaken. How is that possible when we are being wrongly treated? 1 Peter 2:21-23 … Christ also suffered for you… He committed no sin… He continued entrusting himself to him you judges justly. That is how it’s possible; we must continue to entrust ourselves to God who judges justly! This is what drives a gentle and quiet spirit - a steadfast peace from a steadfast trust in God. There is no wrong committed against us where God is not sovereignly involved. God ordains these things to happen specifically to us for our good!! We need to repent and look to God. And when you do, God will restore peace to your soul. Isaiah 26:3 (use as my banner verse for my quest for a gentle and quiet spirit) you keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. This is not a physical beauty, but a beauty that is outwardly evident. These women actually grow more attractive as the years go by.

3. What God Commends: A gentle and quiet spirit is very precious to God. No doubt it’s because God delights in being trusted. Hebrews 11:6 says when we trust God, we please Him. Trust calls attention to the One being trusted. We can acquire a steadfast trust, because we have a steadfast God; a God who is completely trustworthy. Our sins against a holy God (which is the most serious offense that has ever occurred) have been forgiven through the death of Jesus Christ. Now, if God is trustworthy to provide forgiveness for the most serious offences (our sins against Him), then surely He is trustworthy to provide all we need for any lesser offences against us. And He does provide. He directs any sin against us for our good and for His glory! He imparts His power and grace to us so that we do not have to sin in return. 1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. This enables to adorn our hearts with a gentle and quiet spirit which is very precious in His sight. 1 Samuel 16:7 …the Lord looks at the heart.

Being a Woman

Today I re-listened to Carolyn Mahaney's message on the topic of - What does it mean to be a woman? And these are my notes:

In the very first book of the Bible we discover the biblical definition of femininity. Here is woman at her best; before the fall, sinless and godly in every respect (Genesis 1:27, 2:21-22). Woman was God's idea; His creation. Woman was the finishing design of all that He created. God created woman, this requires us to look to Him to discover our identity and purpose in life. I must not accept the cultures view on womanhood. I am to look to God and everything I do must be rooted in Him. My gender is not accidental, I was intentionally born a woman by God's sovereignty, wisdom, and grace. My birth is an absolute miracle of God. :)

In Genesis 1:27 Woman was intentionally created by God as distinct from man, different from man, and complimentary to man. He created male and female. Men and women together are created in the image of God. We are fellow image bearers. Though we reflect his image differently, we must never forget that we share that status equally. Human beings are more like God than anything else in the universe - we must remember this when we are talking to and about other people.

How do we reflect the image of God as a woman? In Genesis 2 we learn that man was created first, signifying his role as leader, provider, and protector. In verse 18, God declared that something was not God is his creation; it is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helper fit for him. We are designed to be man's helper. Each of us has been strategically designed to help those around us. The role of helper is not confined to marriage. We are all called to live out our helper design, during all seasons of our lives.

How can I help?

Application to the teenage girls: You were born feminine and expressly created to be a helper. You are in a season of growing into the roles and responsibility. You are a helper in training. Now is the time to prepare for future womanly excellence. Your parents are the primary individuals that God has appointed to train you in biblical womanhood. Be joyful! How can I help around the house? Around the church? At school? How can I help my friends? etc. Study God's Word and read sound books on the topic of womanhood. Study the example of your mom. View your mom as your personal femininity trainer. And where appropriate encourage and correct the guys in your circle.

Application to the single woman: Carolyn McCulley's book "Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye?" addresses this issue very well. Utilize the question - How can I help? Family, church, friends, school, work? Be careful with your conduct and interactions with men. Allow the guy to pursue and win your heart, and if he doesn't want to, then why would you want him too? Trust God! Encourage Godly men to lead. You will be cultivating the habit of making room for the leadership of men in your life. Refrain from men bashing with your girlfriends. The true helper doesn't criticize, but humbly and gently offer assistance.

Application to the married woman: We are our husbands helper! That is our primary duty. He is called to the task, and she called to help him. Every day of our lives is to be oriented to helping and assisting our husband. This is my delightful duty to our sovereign, wise, and gracious God. Elisa Pinkney (a founding mother of this country) said: "To make a good wife to my dear husband, I am resolved to make it my study to please him." We must study our husband and find out what most helps our own husband. Ask him often how can I help you today? What is one thing that I can be doing for you right now that will help you the most? Don't let your calendar fill up with things that do not help your husband. Joyfully assume the responsibility to manage our homes well.

We are uniquely designed to be man's helper. As we all know, Adam & Eve sinned. While our call to be helpers hasn't changed, because of sin we are incapable of fulfilling this call apart from our savior. Never lose sight of calvary. Because of calvary there is forgivness of sin; for every time we have been self-absorbed, self-centered, self-seeking, rather than seeking to help others. There is forgiveness for every time we have been a burden rather than a help to others. There is forgivness for the all the times we have grumbled, complained, and lazy. There is power to weaken sin. There is grace to fulfill our role as helpers.

I'm claiming the resolution. To make a good wife to my dear husband Tony, I am resolved to make it my study to please him. Lord, please help me and teach me to be a good helper to my beloved husband.

I'm a Mrs.

I am Mrs. Tony Denham! Yay!

6am

May 21st of this year, we made a change in our morning routine. Before this, we had got in the habit of waking up at 6:45am, Tony would get dressed quickly, eat breakfast quickly, brush his teeth quickly and be out the door by 7am. Then I would have approximately 50 minutes to read my Bible, pray, get dressed, eat breakfast, and leave the house for work at 7:50. It was just a really rushed routine and we wanted to be able to spend some quality time together before we went our seperate ways. We wanted to have time for prayer and Bible reading. We wanted a more relaxed routine that brought glory & honor to God.

May 20th, was our first Sunday at White Oak Presbyterian Church. Pastor Gene gave us a book entitled "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment" by John Owen. He told us that he and his wife will usually read some in the morning together. So that evening we set our alarm clocks for 6am and got up Monday morning, read from God's Word and started reading the book by John Owen (Which is an excellent book). The transition was a little tough, and there are still some mornings that we somehow manage to sleep through the various alarms going off. Maybe we'll start working our way up to joining Carolyn Mahayney's "5 am Club". :-)

Blessed Weekend

This past weekend, Tony & I took a trip to the Whole Foods Market in Raleigh. It is so much fun to go grocery shopping with my husband. I get this feeling of "healthiness" just by walking through the store. Haha. We mostly bought some staple items: crackers, granola, walnuts, mac & cheese, shampoo, shower gel, toothpaste, etc. I was excited to find out that the prices I've been paying at Wal-Mart for organic items is actually cheaper than the Whole Foods Market. Praise God! Wal-Mart doesn't have as big of a selection as Whole Foods... yet. Lord willing this will continue to be a growing market. When we were all done shopping, we went outside and enjoyed a carton of Mango & Cherry soy ice cream. It was very tasty!

That evening we met up with Carl, Jim, Brian, and Harry at the Raleigh Downtown Live (a free summer concert). We set up on our usual corner to pass out gospel tracts, talk to people about eternity, and open air preach. God crossed my path with three teenage boys: Allen, Dan, and Ben. Allen and Dan are brothers and have been raised in the Lutheran Church. They had actually just got back from a youth convention. Ben has been raised in the Catholic school. I asked them if they knew the 10 Commandments. Dan said "No, I had to memorize them for confirmation... but I don't remember what they are now." We had a wonderful conversation about God's glorious gospel in light of His Law - the 10 Commandments. Ben asked "what about purgatory?" We took a look at Revelation 21:8 which says that all liars... will have their part in the lake of fire. I asked Ben how he would interpret that; "well, all liars go to hell". And who isn't guilty of telling a lie? The "hard" truth is that every single person deserves to go to Hell for breaking God's Law, but Jesus Christ paid the fine for us by dying on the cross. That is amazing grace!! Allen and Dan chimed in and said that there is no purgatory, when you die you either go to Heaven or Hell. They were all very much excited and gladly accepted a stack of gospel tracts to give out to their friends at school. Dan's mom had recently purchased the New Testament on MP3 and he's been listening to that every day. It was such an encouragment to meet these guys and I pray that they will grow up to be Godly men that desire to please God in thought, word, and deed.

I also have a book recomendation: "A King Without a Shadow" by R.C. Sproul. Tony & I had the joy of reading this book to 8 children Sunday night at a Bible study (it was our turn to watch the kids). It is a beautiful lesson of God's holiness and our sinfulness!