Sweet Provision

This morning I was reading in the gospel of Mark the account of Jesus calming a storm on the sea. The cross references led me to Psalm 65, which talks about the Lord being the provider and sustainer of His people. I am humbled and comforted to know that Christ is in control of all things, and that I have nothing to fear. Here are the words of Psalm 65.

Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,

and to you shall vows be performed.

O you who hear prayer,

to you shall all flesh come.

When iniquities prevail against me,

you atone for our transgressions.

Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,

to dwell in your courts!

We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,

the holiness of your temple!

By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,

O God of our salvation,

the hope of all the ends of the earth

and of the farthest seas;

the one who by his strength established the mountains,

being girded with might;

who stills the roaring of the seas,

the roaring of their waves,

the tumult of the peoples,

so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.

You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.

You visit the earth and water it;

you greatly enrich it;

the river of God is full of water;

you provide their grain,

for so you have prepared it.

You water its furrows abundantly,

settling its ridges,

softening it with showers,

and blessing its growth.

You crown the year with your bounty;

your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.

The pastures of the wilderness overflow,

the hills gird themselves with joy,

the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,

the valleys deck themselves with grain,

they shout and sing together for joy.

(Psalm 65 ESV)

Praying for Peace

My friend Amy posted a link to this blog post on her Facebook page recently. It's a prayer to Jesus about being anxious...and about laying that anxiety at His feet. I love the honesty and humility of this prayer. And I love that I can pray this way, especially in these early morning hours when I am awakened by anxious thoughts.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Dear Jesus, I've memorized this Scripture, taught it, preached it and prayed it
for many friends going through very difficult seasons of life. Today, however,
is a day I humble myself before you and surrender to these commands and promises for myself. It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last.

Jesus, I am anxious, so I need grace even to obey this command. I know you’re not mocking my sensibilities and emotions… you’re way too compassionate to do that. I know you’re not asking me to be a stoic… for you are gentle and humble of heart.I know you’re not asking me to pretend and pose… for knowing you is the end to all such nonsense and non-reality. But clearly, you’re warning me about the peril staying stuck and turning inward with my shock, concerns and worries.

So, by faith, I’m getting up and coming to you this morning, bringing my
earnest prayers and impassioned petitions with me. Jesus, it was you who turned
the chaos of an unformed world into the magnificent cosmos of creation.
Therefore, most certainly, you can enter the chaos swirling all around me and in
me, and bring order and beauty. I don’t know how you’ll do it, I simply know I
cannot do it.

For the things that deeply grieve me, bring your tear-wiping hand. For the things that greatly offend me, keep me from a critical and selfish spirit. For the things that profoundly confuse me, grant me the perspective of heaven and gospel sanity. For the things over which I have no control, give me a fresh vision of the occupied throne of heaven. For the things I do have control over, grant me wisdom and strength to act accordingly. Please help me steward my anger, my sadness, and my weariness to your glory. I don’t want to waste this moment or these feelings.

Now my thanksgiving… Jesus, I have no reason to doubt either your mercy or your might. You gave your life for us upon the cross. You have risen to make all things new. You are unremittingly advocating and praying for us. No one loves us more than you do. I have seen you do astonishing things before. Do astonishing things again.

Please send and set the transcendent peace of God as a sentinel in my
heart and mind. O, loving King of glory and grace, guard and protect my heart
and mind from the lies of Satan… the whisperings of gossip… and unbelief and
cynicism, which are ever stalking in these seasons of stress. So very Amen, I
pray with hunger and hope, in your most blessed name.
(written by Scotty Smith)

While We Were Enemies

In light of the recent news story about burning the Quran, I wanted to give my thoughts on the subject (not that they matter much). My point of view is strictly "religious", but I will make one brief political comment here: As American citizens, Muslims have the constitutional right to practice their religion (as do Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, atheists, etc.), and individuals have the constitutional right to burn religious books. Enough said about that.

To get straight to the point, this is a pathetic example of Christianity. It's no wonder the world is confused by, fed up with, and hates Christianity and those who claim the name of Jesus (not to mention that Jesus said that we'd be hated). These "Christians" have forgotten the Gospel. They have forgotten the kinds of people that Jesus came to rescue. Jesus ate and drank in the homes of pagan, Godless people, and He loved them, healed their sick, and even forgave their sins (!).They have forgotten the kind of people they themselves were before they were converted, if indeed they are. They have forgotten that we are to love our enemies and be kind to them and share Jesus with them, no matter who they are. Yes, I know, everyone is using the "love your enemies" phrase about this whole thing. But those are not my words. Those are the words of Jesus Christ. And who could know more about loving ones enemies than Him? "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son..." Romans 5:10. Jesus bore the sins of His enemies in His own body on the cross and suffered the wrath of Almighty God in order to save them. He loved them to the point of death. So, what are we to do in light of that? Be kind and do good to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists. They, like everyone of us, need Jesus. And we are commanded to show Jesus to them, by our words and our actions...not by burning their holy book and telling them "If they want to have their religion, they can have it somewhere else."

Early Morning Confession

It is 5:00 in the morning, and I am wide awake. This has been happening a lot lately, probably due to the fact that it's difficult to find a comfortable sleeping position when you're belly is the size of a basketball. But I think the majority of the sleeping problem is because there is a lot on my mind lately, and it's really hard to shut it off at night and early in the morning. I can't stop thinking about this baby and everything that goes along with him/her. So many questions, so many things to think about. Will I go into labor early...or near my due date...or past my due date? Will I have to be induced? What kind of birth experience will I have? Will I really be able to do this unmedicated? Why do people keep telling me that I'll probably give in and beg for an epidural? What if I have to have a cesarean delivery? Will our baby be healthy and "normal"? Who will this precious baby look like? Will I be successful at breastfeeding? Will we be good parents?

I confess that these are questions that run through my mind every single day (and at all hours of the night...I'm even dreaming about this stuff). Sometimes I feel so out of control of it all. And I am out of control. Yes, there are things that I can do and ways I can educate myself so as to be better prepared; but the end result is not in my hands. It is in the hands of my sovereign God, the creator of all things. God has made me and designed my body to give birth. He is the one who began and is continuing to form this baby in my womb. I must trust Him. I must give these fears and anxieties to Him. It is in Him that I find a resting place, a place of peace and joy. I must daily seek His face, read His word, rest on His promises. He has commanded me to "Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10) He is God, and I am not. He is in control, and I am not.

"Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you." Psalm 116:7

A Resting Place

My sweet husband has been encouraging me to blog again. I seem to be out of things to write about (even though there is much going on in our lives at present). So, since I am unable to come up with words of my own, I am going to borrow the words of a beautiful hymn written by Eliza E. Hewitt. They have been a comfort to me these past few days.

My faith has found a resting place,

Not in device or creed:

I trust the Ever-living One,

His wounds for me shall plead.

(Refrain)

I need no other argument,

I need no other plea;

It is enough that Jesus died,

And that He died for me.

Enough for me that Jesus saves,

This ends my fear and doubt;

A sinful soul I come to Him,

He'll never cast me out.

My heart is leaning on the Word,

The written Word of God:

Salvation by my Savior's name,

Salvation through His blood.

-Eliza E. Hewitt

Catching Up

Well...summer is officially here. And it's gonna be a hot one! I am already starting to feel the affects of being pregnant during the summer, as it as already been very hot and humid here in Louisville. Thank you, Lord, for an air conditioned house!

I am in week 23 of my pregnancy and can't believe the rate at which my belly (and everything else) is growing. About 2 weeks ago, I began to feel the baby moving for the first time. That is such an amazing feeling and I love it! Sometimes, I can even see my belly moving, and that thrills my heart. I can't wait to see this little one! Oh, by the way, we had an ultrasound a few weeks ago, and everything looks great! If I can get to a scanner sometime soon, I will try and post some of the great pics from the ultrasound.

This past weekend Matt and I went home to see our families and celebrate my cousin Olivia's 2nd birthday. On Saturday we went swimming with Matt's sister, her husband, and their 10 month old daughter Whitney. I think we enjoyed the kiddie pool as much as Whitney did! :) It was so refreshing to just sit in the cool water and relax.

This week is going to be a busy one for us, as we are leaving on Friday for our vacation in Virginia. I have so much cleaning/organizing/laundry/packing to do before we leave! When we get back from Virginia we get to spend about 4 or 5 days in Nashville before we have to come back to Louisville. I am so excited for Matthew to have some days off from work. He has been working so hard!

We have planted a vegetable garden in our back yard, which contains tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, banana peppers, green beans, yams, sweet potatoes, and okra. Matt brought in the first fruits of our labor today, which was two jalapenos and 3 banana peppers! I need to get out there and do some weeding, but the heat and humidity keeps me in the house a lot these days :) I can't wait until we have tomatoes...there's nothing like a good BLT sandwich with home grown tomatoes!

I continue to be amazed at the Lord's goodness and mercy that He daily shows us. He continues to provide for our every need, both physically and spiritually. Some of you may know that I have struggled with being away from my family and friends in Nashville. But I know that His plans are far better for me than my own. I know that He will never leave or forsake me. And I continue to pray for patience and contentment as we seek to know His will for us.

The Right to Refuse

As I was lazily browsing Facebook this morning, I came across this news article posted on Dave Ramsey's FB page. The article features a woman named Diane who had been saving up her money for months to be able to purchase an Apple iPad. When she finally had enough cash, she went to the Apple store, walked up to the counter and told the sales clerk that she wished to purchase an iPad. When it was time to pay for her purchase, she pulled out her wad of cash, only to be told that Apple does not accept cash for the iPad--Credit card or debit card only. Apple claims that this is their policy because they are trying to prevent people from coming in, buying 100 iPads at a time with cash, and then selling them overseas for double the price.

After reading this article, I began reading some of the comments fellow FB users were making. Most of those who commented were upset with Apple, basically claiming that since our paper money is "legal tender for all debts public and private," Apple has no right to refuse anyone's cash. Some were even suggesting that this woman sue Apple. Go figure.

After thinking about this, I see nothing illegal or wrong in what Apple has done. There is no federal law that mandates businesses to accept cash as payment. And there should not be one, because private business owners have a right to accept whatever payment they choose. The federal government has no authority to make such a law. (As a side note, according to the Constitution of the United States of America, paper money is not legal tender. Article 1, Section 10 says this: "No state shall...make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts." According to the constitution, government does not even have authority to print paper money. Yet what does it do but continue to print and print and print until our dollar is all but worthless?)

I don't think that these people who believe that businesses should not be allowed to refuse cash truly understand what they are saying. In reality, they are saying that the federal government should be able to tell private business owners what they can and can not do. It's just like the smoking in restaurants issue. No business owner should be told that he or she can not allow smoking in their business. Am I saying I like smoking? Quite the contrary; I can't stand the smell of cigarettes. But I also can't stand a government who would force private citizens to make their private business non-smoking. That is a right entirely up to the owner of that business. Here in Kentucky, lawmakers are pushing to ban texting while driving. Ludicrous. Am I saying that texting while driving is safe? No, in fact, I don't like it at all and I never do it. But government can not tell people what they can and can not do in the privacy of their own vehicle. If they ban texting, where does it end? There are a gazillion other things that distract us while driving and cause accidents, like radio, eating, drinking, and even talking to passengers. Are they going to ban all of that, too? Back to the Apple store...am I saying I don't like cash? Not necessarily. As someone who does not own any credit cards, I use cash to pay for things quite often. What I am saying is that Apple, as a private company, has the right to refuse cash as payment for their services and merchandise.

I am terribly sorry that this post has gone from giving information to me "getting on my soap box", so to speak. If this article had come out 2 years ago, I would have been right there with most people, saying that I'm going to boycott Apple and that this lady should sue them. But, thanks to my dear husband, my thinking about liberty and government has drastically changed. I am just beginning to understand the purpose of government and what it is and is not supposed to do. Little by litte I am gaining a better understanding of our unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And that these rights are given to us by God, our Creator, and not government; nor can they be taken from us by government.

Land of the Free?

Here is a news article that further shows how ridiculous our country is becoming. In this instance, it is the absurdity of a California public high school that tried to suspend students for wearing American flag t-shirts on Cinco de Mayo, a MEXICAN holiday. They claimed that it might "offend" the large population of Mexican-American students. Where does it end, people?

God's Kindess In Marriage

And the Lord God said, "It is not good for man to be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him. Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken form man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Genesis 2:18-23

I was thinking of this passage of Scripture this morning, and something struck me that I had not given much thought to before. This little story of how woman was created was before the fall, before Adam and Eve sinned. Adam, being a sinless man up to this point, enjoyed indescribable beauty in the garden, along with unending, perfect, untainted fellowship and communion with God, the Creator of all that beauty. And yet, even with this unbroken fellowship with God, Adam was, as the Lord Himself described it, "alone". Not only that, but God saw that it was "not good". How could this be? How could Adam need anything else, when he already had God? I believe that is the way the Lord created Adam. He created him with a human nature, though sinless in the beginning, that needed human companionship and love. It wasn't a sin for Adam to be lonely; it was in his nature. So God, being merciful and kind, gave Adam what he needed. A woman. A wife. The "helper comparable to him" was Eve, and she was "taken out of man". Adam needed Eve, even though he was with the God of the universe every day from the moment he breathed his first breath.

This is such a beautiful picture of marriage and how good God is to give us spouses. God, in His goodness and providence, created me to be someone's helper. That someone is my husband! I was made just for him! And my husband was created by God to need my love and help. That is so amazing! Praise the Lord for His wonderful design and creativity, and for giving me a husband to love, cherish, and be "a helper comparable to him".

Winter in Kentucky

These are some pictures from the property we live on (and where Matt works). We had some really cold weather and a lot of snow this winter....the most I have ever seen! The weather is rapdidly changing now, and I will have some spring pictures to post very soon!

52 Easter Sundays

Tomorrow is known around the world as Easter Sunday, or in many churches, Resurrection Sunday. I remember as a child coloring eggs, hunting them, and receiving Easter baskets from my parents and other family members. Usually, in the churches I grew up in, there was a special emphasis in the sermon on the resurrection of Christ, and the sermon was geared to unbelievers, especially since many of those unbelievers only showed up at church because of Easter Sunday.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong in all of this. But why do we only focus our attention on Christ's resurrection one Sunday out of the year? I hadn't really given this much thought before, but within the last few years my thinking about Christ's resurrection has been biblically challenged. There is a plethora of Scripture one could cite to prove the importance of the resurrection to the Christian faith. I think one of the most well known is from 1 Corinthians 15. In verses 12-19, Paul address those in the church at Corinth who deny the resurrection of the dead, and therefore the resurrection of Jesus. Paul writes:

Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up--if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. (Emphasis added)

Essentially, what Paul is saying here is that if Christ is not risen from the dead, then the Christian's faith is useless and he is still dead in his sins and trespasses. This would make Christians the most hopeless people on the face of the earth. Because of this passage and many others in Scripture, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most significant event in all of human history. It is what our hope is based upon. That is why we can go from spiritual death to spiritual life, because Jesus triumphed over death.

So, all of that being said, Christ's resurrection deserves more than a once-a-year observation. The reason I can have solid faith in Jesus Christ is because He is risen. The reason I have been freed from the death of sin is because Jesus was freed from death. And I will celebrate this each and every Sunday...because He is risen!

Silent Submission

This morning, I sat on our screened-in back porch with my coffee, Bible, and hymnal for about an hour, reading, thinking, and praying. I have been reading slowly through the Psalms this year, and today I came to Psalm 62. In verses 5-8, David writes this:

My soul, wait silently for God alone;
For my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved.
In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.

My heart needed to read this. Life has been a struggle lately. I have never experienced homesickness until now, and it is hard. I had never lived away from my family until I got married and moved here to Kentucky. I honestly didn't think I would get this way. I was completely unprepared for it. I feel very discontent with Kentucky and long to be back in Nashville with my family and my church. My spiritual health has been failing for a while now, and I have wanted to blame that on the fact that we have not really found a church here yet to be a part of. But after reading this Psalm, the Lord has shown me that I am no longer looking to Him for strength. I have turned my eyes from Him to myself and my circumstances. My soul is not waiting in silent submission to His perfect will. I have forgotten that He is a rock and refuge for my weary soul in these times of difficulty. I have failed to trust His faithfulness and sovereignty at all times. And I have stopped pouring out my heart to Him in prayer. So, this morning, I prayed through these verses of Scripture. I confessed my sin of unbelief and distrust in the Lord and begged Him to give me grace to trust Him. I know in my heart that Matthew and I are here in Louisville for a specific time and purpose. But I have stopped believing that. I have become discontent with Christ and have forgotten that He is sufficient. I must daily preach to my soul, as David did, and say to it, "Soul, wait silently for God. He is working all things for the good of His people who love Him. Do not turn your eyes from Him. Do not stop clinging to Him, because He is your strength and your refuge. And He is ever faithful. He gave you His only Son to be the sacrifice for your many sins...will He withhold any good ting from you, soul?"

I know that my struggle with discontentment is not over because Christ has not returned yet to remove sin from the earth. Only when that happens will I be completely free from this. But, as Job once said, "I know that my Redeemer lives..." (Job 19:25) He does live, indeed, and He will never leave me nor forsake me. So I can be content. I can wait patiently. I can rest assured that God is going to use this time in my life for my good and, most importantly, for His glory and the glory of His Son, Jesus Christ. And this, I also know:

What'er my God ordains is right;
Holy His will abideth.
I will be still what'er He doth,
And follow where He guideth:
He is my God;
Though dark my road,
He hold me that I shall not fall:
Wherefore to Him I leave it all.
--Samuel Rodigast, 1649-1708

A Doctor, A Heartbeat, A Lunatic, and an Irish Pub

Yesterday, Matthew and I went to our first prenatal visit at Tri-County OB/GYN in La Grange, KY. It was pretty exciting, and I was a bit nervous, as I have never gone to the doctor for this sort of thing before! Dr. S came in and talked a bit with us, and then he did some standard procedures that are usually done on the first visit. He said that I am 9 1/2 weeks pregnant, and that usually he waits until 10-12 weeks to listen for a heartbeat, but he wanted to go ahead and try based on the size of my body (which he called "thin"...brownie points for the doc!). So, the nurse brought in the little machine and put that really cold jelly on my stomach. Dr. S continued to reassure me that it's perfectly normal to not hear a heartbeat this early in the pregnancy, and that there was no reason to panic if we didn't hear it. After they both searched for about 10 min, they brought in a tiny bedside ultrasound machine so that we could "see" the heartbeat. It worked! There on the screen was my tiny little baby, and there was his/her tiny little heart, beating wildly. It was amazing. I'm so thankful that the both of us are healthy and that things are progressing as they should.

We left the doctor's office to go and get the oil changed in my car before heading down to the Irish Rover to celebrate the baby and St. Patrick's Day with some Irish grub. As we were nearing the pub, we stopped at a red light. All of a sudden, our car lunged forward slightly. We didn't know what happened until we looked behind us and saw that the truck behind us was literally on our bumper. He had nudged us a little, and he was pointing at us. At that point the light turned green and we went through it and made a right onto Frankfurt Ave. where the pub is. The guy in the truck was still behind us, and it was clear to us that he was following us. He kept staying right on our tail, and suddenly he just rammed into the back of our car. That's when we knew that something was not right and that we had to get away from this lunatic. Thankfully, Matt was driving. We quickly turned left down a side street, the truck continuing to follow us. We turned down one ally and then another, and finally found one that our car could get through, but the truck couldn't. At that point, I had called the police, because we thought we might get stuck with this guy in an ally somewhere, and we really had no way of protecting ourselves. He was the only one in the truck, so if there would have been a fight, at least the odds would have been even. We finally lost him and found a parking place. We then checked the back of the car, and thankfully there was no damage at all. We walked over to the pub parking lot and waited for the police. When he arrived, all we were able to do was give him a description of the truck. We never saw the back of it, so we didn't get a license plate number. We thanked the police officer, got a seat at the pub, and tried to enjoy ourselves. Obviously, we were both pretty shaken up. We have NO IDEA why this happened. We are confident that we did nothing that would intentionally anger this guy. We are just very thankful to the Lord for His protection.

So this was our St. Patrick's Day! Our car is fine. We are fine. Thank you, God.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

For the past several weeks, I have been reading through What To Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel. This book has been extremely helpful for both me and Matthew, since neither of us have gone through pregnancy before! It has been exciting to read exactly how the baby is growing and developing each week. For instance, right now I am in the 9th week of my pregnancy, which means I have entered the final month of the first trimester. The baby is approximately 1 inch in length, about the size of a medium olive (I love how the authors usually compare the size of the baby to different foods!). My baby's head continues to develop and is starting to look more baby-like. Tiny little muscles are beginning to form, allowing the baby to move arms and legs. I will be going to have my first doctor visit on Wednesday of next week, and am hopeful that we will be able to hear our baby's heartbeat....so exciting!!

While What To Expect has been helpful and interesting, I have a few qualms about the authors' choice words when referring to the baby very early on. When speaking of conception, the authors write,

"Congratulations--you've conceived! Which means your soon-to-be baby has started its miraculous transformation from single cell to fully formed baby boy or girl...Within hours after sperm meets egg, the fertilized cell (aka zygote) divides, and then continues to divide (and divide). Within days, your baby-to-be has turned into a microscopic ball of cells, around one fifth the size of the period at the end of this sentence." (Emphasis added)

You may be wondering what my problem is with the terminology here. It's not that I have a problem with scientific terms. I know that sometimes they are necessary. My problem with the above paragraph is the way the authors describe the baby as "soon-to-be", even though the baby has already been conceived. Life begins at conception, and therefore, when I conceived this baby that is growing inside of me, it immediately became just that--a baby.

Psalm 139 is a beautiful song of praise to God as Creator of man, particularly focusing on God's perfect knowledge of man. In verses 13-16, David writes,

"For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them."

This is truly amazing! Each one of us, including the little one in my womb now, was skillfully knit together by our powerful and loving Creator. God knows us, inside and out, perfectly, and He knew us that way even before we were conceived! It is the Lord who is forming this tiny little baby inside of me, every step of the way. I am so thankful for this. I am thankful that this baby was not an accident, and this baby is not just a "ball of cells" or "blob of tissue" or even just a "fetus". My heavenly Father knows this child perfectly because He is the One who gave life to this child. So you will never hear me (or my husband) refer to our baby as something that is "soon-to-be". We have a baby, though unborn. And we praise our glorious God, for this baby is fearfully and wonderfully made!

These Are A Few of My Favorite...

Wedding Photos!

News Flash

I know that I said I would post more wedding pictures...and I will. We are getting Internet at our house on Friday, so I will be able to post my little heart out! But I just wanted to let you all know that Matthew and I are expecting our first child!!! I can hardly believe it, but it's true. We are very excited to begin the adventure of parenthood. The past few weeks, I have been absolutely exhausted...I had no idea the amount of energy required to grow a baby! But I have not really had the typical morning sickness, for which I am very thankful. I hope to post more about my pregnancy later, but for now I must keep it short.

From This Day Forward

When I awoke on the morning of December 5, 2009, I couldn’t help but smile. My wedding day had finally come, and I would soon be the wife of Matthew Taylor, my best friend and dearest love in all the world. I got out of bed and went into the kitchen, where I was met by my mother. She smiled, put her arms around me, and told me that she was very happy for me. Needless to say, the tears started flowing, but only for a minute or two. There was much to be done before we could leave for the church. All morning, as my bridesmaids and I were getting ready, I felt very calm and relaxed. I knew that the step I was taking that day was God’s will for my life, and I had no reason to doubt His sovereign plan. After everyone’s make-up and hair were done, we put on our dresses. What followed next was a chorus of oohs and ahhs, along with about 6 cameras flashing furiously. Finally, it was time to leave. My bridesmaids all got into their cars, while my family and I slid into a beautiful black limo that my mom had reserved for us. As we rode to the church, sipping champagne, I couldn’t take my mind off of my groom. We had decided to keep with tradition and not see one another at all before the wedding. I wondered how his morning was going and whether or not he was nervous. I was so excited to see him, and for him see my wedding gown, as he had not been allowed to do so.

When we arrived at the church, our photographer was already in position to capture my family getting out of the limo. We carried all of our belongings into the back room and prepared to start pictures. As I was putting on more lip gloss, I received news that the groom had arrived, and that I was not to leave the room until given permission to do so. The rooms for the girls and guys where almost right next to each other, so Matt was only a few steps away from me the whole time! When the coast was clear, I joined my bridesmaids and family in the sanctuary for pictures. Our photographer was absolutely wonderful. When our pictures were finished, we went back into our little room so that the groom and his groomsmen and family could do theirs. We spent the rest of the time relaxing, snacking, laughing, and re-applying make-up and hairspray.

Finally, our wedding coordinator came into the room and announced that it was time to get in position for the ceremony. The Lord gave us excellent weather that day, though the temperature was in the 30s! As I waited outside, leaning on my daddy’s arm, my excitement began to grow, and I silently gave thanks to God for what was about to happen.

At last, it was time. I heard the ever familiar sound of the Bridal Chorus...the doors opened...we stepped inside the little church, full to the brim with family and friends. At that moment, a wave of emotions swept over me, and I was utterly overwhelmed. And then, I saw him. My groom. The one I had been waiting for and praying for was there to take me as his wife. My excitement turned into pure joy that I could not contain, and the tears began to fall freely from my eyes, which were fixed on no one but Matthew. Dad and I reached the front of the church and stood before Stephen, our pastor and dear friend. The time had finally come for my daddy to give his little girl away. He kissed my tear-stained cheek and gave my hand to Matthew. What followed next was an absolutely beautiful ceremony. We sang a hymn of praise to God, heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ read and preached, vowed to love and be faithful to one another “till death do us part”, and were pronounced husband and wife. Then, after months of waiting and anticipation, Matthew and I shared our first kiss with one another. (And I must say here that all those months of waiting for that kiss were well worth it!)

After the ceremony, we took more pictures, and then Matt and I climbed into our private limo (thanks to my wonderful in-laws) and headed to the Fontanel Mansion for our reception. We arrived at the mansion, made our grand entrance, and commenced to cut our cake. We then mingled with the guests, ate a bit of food, and danced together. Finally, it came time for the bouquet toss and the send off. My Mom had ordered wedding sparklers, which made for an amazing send off! Our wedding coordinator had arranged for a goodie basket filled with food and cake to be put in our limo, for which we were very thankful. We kissed our families good-bye and climbed back into the limo to be taken to the Hermitage Hotel in downtown Nashville, where we spent the night before getting on a plane the next morning for our honeymoon in Naples, FL. (Honeymoon story and pictures to follow soon!)

We have now been happily married for a whole 54 days! I pray daily that Jesus Christ will ever be the center and foundation of our marriage and happiness. To Him be the glory, both now and forever.

(More pictures to follow!)

Free Society

Since getting married, I have started to become more interested in politics and the true nature and purpose of government, thanks to my wonderful husband. So, I have begun reading Freedom Under Siege: The U.S. Constitution After 200-Plus Years by Ron Paul. I don't have a lot of time to elaborate, but here is a short quote I read today regarding individual rights and true free society:

Free choice means that incentive to produce is maximized, since it's assumed that we can keep the fruits of our labor. In a free society, an individual benefits from wise and frugal decisions and suffers from the consequences of bad judgment and wasteful habits. The state should neither guarantee nor tax success, nor compensate those who fail. The individual must be responsible for all of his decisions. Because some suffer from acts outside of their control, we cannot justify the use of violence to take from someone else to "help out". People in need are not excused when they rob their neighbors, and government should not be excused when it does the robbing for them. Providing for the general welfare means that the general conditions of freedom must be maintained. It should never be used to justify specific welfare or any transfer of wealth from one person to another.