It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I love Christmas. And not just a little --a lot! And one of the many things I enjoy about the holiday is the decorations. The world is simply more beautiful this time of year. The wreaths, garland, lights, holly, reds, greens, etc. that pop up everywhere put a smile on my face.

And I love adding touches of Christmas beauty or fun to my surroundings wherever possible (in tasteful moderation, of course) and soaking up those others have placed in my path. I don't have a lot of space or resources to indulge in as much Christmas decor as I would like, but I work with what I have and dream of having an apartment or home of my own to decorate someday. :)

So here's a sneak peek at some of the Christmas delights in my world.

My snowman tea light candle holder

My slightly cluttered bookshelf, aka holder of most of the Christmas decorations I put out in my room

My grandmother gave me this Christmas tree when I was a little girl. I can't remember exactly how old I was, but I've probably had it about 15 years. I'll treasure it always.

A reminder of Christmases past... and yes, despite the fact that I worked at Chick-fil-A for five years, I still think the holiday cows are cute.

Photo of friends... and yet another Christmas candle (can you tell that I love candles, but don't have many places to put them lol)

I hang lights around my walls each Christmas, although this year I'm seriously considering leaving them up. I like the extra light they add.

Our Christmas tree--the picture doesn't do it justice :)

Our tree tells the story of our family. In addition to the ornaments my siblings and I made as kids, we add a new ornament to the tree annually that symbolizes something significant to our family from that year. This ornament is from 2005, the year I graduated high school.

A picture of my MeMaw (my mom's mom), our ornament for 2000, the year she died.

A Kansas ornament for 2007, the year my brother Andrew moved to Kansas City, Mo. (Yeah, he's really in Missouri, but we decided it was close enough.)

I've admired this ornament since I was a little girl. It doesn't have any particular significance, but I like the way the "stained glass" lights up when you stick a Christmas light inside the church.

We have too many "kid-crafted" ornaments to fit on the tree, so my mom rotates them out. This year, a stocking ornament with my five-year-old fingerprints is one of the few that made it to the branches. My brother has one like it, but I think he has it with him. We made them (or more accurately, stamped them) at the Fantasy of Trees.

A nice reminder :)

I've started my own "ornament of the year" collection and I was tickled pink to find this one. I thought I would end up having to pick either a UT or a graduation ornament, but this one combines both perfectly! :)

My car's Rudolph costume. Okay, I'll admit it, this may be a little over the top, but I thought it was simply too cute to pass up. I first saw this on a car a couple of years ago, and I've been searching for my own set ever since. I finally tracked one down this year and I was so excited!

My desk at work

Pictures of friends and family

My miniature Christmas tree

A couple of the directors decked the walls of the production booth with Christmas lights and I love it! They add a very cheery, festive touch to the booth.

The producer's area

And finally, I don't own this Willow Tree nativity set, but I dream of having one some day!

Perfectly saved by His grace!

My pastor has been teaching on grace--the heart and message of the gospel-- for the vast majority of this year. And while some people might get tired of hearing a seemingly recurring message for several months, I haven't. The heart of those messages isn't something grasped overnight, and listening to those truths week after week has been a life changing experience. I seem to understand God's grace more and more as time moves on--and I know I have only started to scratch the surface of it!

This is going to be my first attempt to write about some of how this message has changed my life and perspective. Writing has always helped me sort things out, so this blog post is probably more for my benefit than anyone else's, but I'll post it here for general reading anyway.

I've grown up in the church and pretty much only remember serving the Lord. I was saved at the age of six and have never strayed from that commitment. Obviously, I've progressed and matured a lot in my faith as I've grown up, but one thing I have never doubted is my salvation. I know and believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross and rose again for my sins, so that I can spend eternity with the Father in heaven. However, I have discovered this past year that my understanding of God's grace has been skewed at best and I have been held captive in the chains of legalism for most of my life.

I knew I was saved, but I lived with the mindset, whether consciously or subconsciously, that I had to strive in my own strength to live a godly life and please God. Now I recognize that it was like I was trying to somehow claim to stay in God's good favor by being a fairly decent person. I was essentially trying to say, "God, I deserve at least some grace. Your love and mercy weren't wasted on me. See--I can be a good girl, a good daughter--at least most of the time." I tried to earn his grace, instead of accepting it as the entirely free gift it is, bestowed on a completely undeserving sinner.

Furthermore, I failed to realize that my attempts to "earn" God's favor were pretty much a slap in His face, calling the sacrifice of His son insufficient and not enough.

I knew in my head, but didn't understand with my heart, that God's work of grace on the Cross is a finished work. The Law was fulfilled and we are completely redeemed and justified by accepting God's grace through faith. We are made perfect and completely righteousness in God's eyes through the blood of His Son. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ.

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast."
- Ephesians 2:5-9

As a perfectionist who has always had a drive for excellence, the idea that I could be made perfect and completely redeemed, simply by believing in Christ--no further "works" required--was hard to wrap my mind around. It's so simple, yet so unnatural. My pride didn't want to accept that I did absolutely nothing to deserve God's grace, love and forgiveness and could never earn it no matter how hard I try. Jesus did it all. I did nothing. Yet I receive everything!

I also spent a lot of time feeling guilty or under condemnation for the many, many ways I would fail regularly in my attempts to live a godly life and please God. I have always been painfully aware of my own flaws and mistakes. So while on the one hand, I was trying to earn God's favor through good behavior, on the other, I knew I didn't deserve God's favor. I had a hard time understanding God's love. Because I knew that if love could be earned, I didn't deserve it. So I often felt unloveable. How's that for a confusing mindset?!

But thanks to God's grace, I am completely covered--human flaws and all. Nothing I can do can take that away. And God is so crazy in love with me that he loved and accepted me, even when I was a despicable sinner. Now he sees me as his redeemed daughter, made holy and righteous through the blood of His Son, and still adores me. And even though I am saved by his grace--my salvation is a done deal--he still continues to lavishly pour out his grace into my life, day by day, hour by hour. How awesome is that?!?! The very thought of how much he loves me is overwhelming. We could spend a lifetime of loving God and learning to understand his love through an intimate relationship with Him and still never even scratch the surface of it.

I would be utterly lost without his love and his grace. Lost for eternity, certainly, but also lost in the chains of legalism as I try to live my life for him here on this earth. And the more I realize how much I need his grace to get through even the most mundane days, the more I realize how important it is to keep going before God to ask for His help and guidance in my life, with the assurance that he is not just willing, but eager to be all that I need.

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
- Hebrews 4:16

God wants us to turn to him with everything, instead of thinking that we can handle some of it ourselves. The truth is--and we all know this deep inside our hearts, our pride just won't let us admit it most of the time--we can't do anything on our own. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. Like the old hymn says, "I need thee every hour." God is waiting for us to turn to him, and when we do, he is eager and ready to pour out his grace and help us in our need.

This concept is one I'm still trying to fully grasp and apply and I still fail continually. While I may do it more often than I used to, I still don't go to God with everything as I should or fully rely on his grace in every moment. But I no longer feel condemned when I mess up, because I know that I'm still covered by his grace, even when I fail. Blowing an opportunity to obey God, pray or witness isn't counted against me--but I do try to avoid missing the chance the next time, because I want to spend time with my Lord and I do want to tell others about Him.

There's much more I could say, and perhaps I will write more later in another post, but for now, I'll try to wrap it up. This post is long enough.

If you want to understand more about grace, I would encourage you to really dig into Galatians, Ephesians and other books in the New Testament written by the apostle Paul. He wasn't the only one to address grace, but he did it the most extensively. You can also listen to my pastor's messages at our church's web site. Another good resource is the book Grace Plus Nothing by Jeff Harkin.

And finally, some of you may have noticed that I changed the name of my blog. I named it "The Life of a Journalizm Girl" years ago as a fun play on my name and profession, but now that I'm in a different season and have a new perspective on life, it only seemed appropriate to give my blog a new outlook as well. Thus, the new name of my blog is also the title of this post: Perfectly Saved By His Grace.

Thanks for reading, and to quote the apostle Paul, grace and peace be with you!

The sign of a faithful promise

God is faithful to His promises. Every single last one of them. Totally faithful. Beyond our comprehension.

But sometimes I'm sure that you, like me, have moments where even if you know--at least in your head--that God will keep his promises, the heart needs a gentle reminder that he does.

And what better reminder than some time in the Word... and a beautiful rainbow in the sky?

"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ... Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind of the earth."

Genesis 9:13, 16

On Sunday night, I was relaxing at home when I heard thunder rolling in the distance. Not unusual for this time of the year. In fact, we've had many storms this summer.

But Sunday, I waited for the storm to start then ran to my room and grabbed my camera. I took several pictures out the front and back door, until it started raining so hard our gutters began to overflow and I had to close the doors to avoid flooding the house. ;)

As the rain and winds slowed down, I tried again. And I noticed that the sun didn't wait for the storm to completely finish before it came back out. It was beginning to shine brightly, even as the rain was still moving out.

And I immediately thought, "A rainbow! Maybe there will be a rainbow!" In that moment, it was almost like I suddenly *needed* to see a rainbow. Something in my spirit just responded to the desire to see a reminder of God's promise.

I searched the skies, but didn't see anything. So I went inside and waited for the rain to completely stop, so I could go outside and take some "after the storm" shots.

After a few minutes, the rain had stopped and I went to the back door again and snapped a shot off to my right. And then... as I turned to my left, there it was!

From what I understand, the rainbow was visible across several parts of West Knox County, and was even more prominent a little further west than my house. But I like to think that God put it up there, right behind my house, just for me. :)

Isn't God good? That totally made my day.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

Hebrews 10:23

"The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made."

Psalm 145:13b

A welcome sight

It came! My diploma arrived yesterday--exactly two weeks after graduation (sooner than I expected).

And after four years of working hard for that piece of paper, I must say, it looks quite beautiful! :)

Proud to be a UT grad!

I'm done! Actually, I have been for over a week, but I'm just now writing a quick little summary about it. I am officially a college grad! I graduated bright and early last Thursday (whose idea was it to hold a graduation ceremony that early--and on a weekday?) from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications in Journalism and Electronic Media. It was definitely one of the happiest moments of my life.

I still don't think it has fully sunk in yet, although it does feel like a tremendous weight has been lifted off my shoulders! Graduating is one of those moments that isn't measured and experienced strictly during the hour and a half ceremony or thirty seconds of walking across the stage. One of the first times I really started to realize I was really truly about to be finished, was when I walked out of my third astronomy exam two weeks before graduation. It was a difficult course and thanks to some issues with the way my instructor taught and structured the class, those last few weeks were very frustrating and stressful. But after walking out of that exam, which was much easier than I expected it to be, I knew everything was going to be okay. Since I got to drop one of my four exam grades in that class, and the rest of my final exams were going to be pretty easy, in that moment it felt like the semester might as well be over. I think I smiled, laughed, and felt like I was floating through the rest of the day!

Another notable moment came during the rehearsal meeting. I found myself wiping away happy tears on the way back to my car as I remembered the ups and downs of my college experience: My first two years at Pellissippi and earning my associate's degree. The last two years at UT. The people I've met along the way. And some of the fun and inspiring classes I've had, like American Literature II with Edward Francisco at Pellissippi. Professor Francisco is absolutely awesome. I LOVED our two big projects in that class. I still have the children's book I wrote and the outline for my research project and class presentation on Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War in East Tennessee. It's like he knew I love to write and love history and intentionally planned our class assignments around that!

And of course, I can't forget Lauren Spuhler's Online Journalism class at UT! I really believe the class was a pivotal point in my pursuit of journalism. I knew not long after beginning that course that online journalism would play some role in my future (it does). More than anything, I believe the class provided a means for me to put all the skills I had learned up to that point in print, broadcast, and online journalism to use in practical, meaningful ways--with a wonderful teacher to provide guidance and encouragement along the way. And I loved it.

Bonnie Hufford's Editing class was challenging, but inspiring. I've always loved grammar and that course called on me to use everything I already knew and pushed me to learn more. There were times I thought I could recite grammar and AP style rules in my sleep, but I loved it. And Ms. Bonnie was an awesome teacher! I think her class sealed my fate as a grammar nerd!

I also couldn't help but remember some of the lower points. Like the sheer (and self-inflicted) torture of taking economics and probability and statistics over the summer between my freshman and sophomore years. The cruel and unusual punishment of Mass Communication Law and Ethics with Dr. Teeter and Dr. Leiter as an evening class once a week for three hours. The frustration of astronomy this semester. The horror I felt when I realized the 5-credit-hour precalculus course I took my first semester didn't count toward my major (I hate math. So not only did I take a math class everyday for nothing--it also meant I had to take an additional class to satisfy my requirements! So this math-hater took three college math courses.)

And of course, other outside events tied to college, like connecting with the Harvest CCA group and eventually ending up at Harvest Church. :) I pondered all of those thoughts and more.

The past four years have been quite a journey. An adventure that has been a wonderful and fulfilling experience overall, but certainly not without its challenges. More than anything, my college experience has been a step-by-step journey of learning to trust God on a deeper level and follow his guidance--even when I only have just enough instruction to take the next step, with absolutely no idea what the big picture looks like. *laughter* As a matter of fact, I'm not sure I ever had a glimpse of the big picture. I still don't know exactly why God has me doing this, I just know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is what I'm supposed to do in this season of my life.

I'm very much a planner who likes to have all my ducks in a row, so at times the "not knowing" aspect of the journey felt like it was going to kill me. But God was there with me every step of the way--guiding my steps, calming my fears, putting up with my whining, and reassuring me that he loves me and has a plan for my life. And God has faithfully kept his promises.

I love, love, love learning. So even if school drove me crazy at times, I enjoyed the majority of it and thrived in the academic atmosphere. However, I have been very ready for quite some time to embark on a lifetime of learning outside of the confines of an institution. I was definitely happy to graduate! Even though I'm done with school, I will always be learning something new, whether I'm reading a book, learning a new hobby, etc. The day I stop learning is the day they bury me in the ground!

But all in all, I'm overwhelmed at God's grace and goodness. His grace has been more than enough and he has blessed me far more than I deserve. And I am so thankful!

I also want to take a moment to thank each of you who have supported me, put up with me, prayed for me and encouraged me through this journey. I couldn't have made it without you guys. Love you!

I'm back!

Wow! It's embarrassing to me how long it's been since I wrote a blog post! And I'm honestly not really sure why I haven't written. Yes, I've been busy, but not necessarily any busier than I was last semester. This has just been a very different season. I tried to blog occasionally, but when I would sit down and look at my computer screen, my mind would go blank and I just wouldn't "feel it." A great deal of that could relate to where I was emotionally for a while. I'm not sure what happened, but at some point after the new year (and maybe a little before), I found myself feeling really down. Consequently, I walked around for months with a semi-depressed, indifferent attitude in many areas of my life.

It often felt weird to me to feel that way. School and work were going well. I genuinely enjoy my job and I'm very blessed to have it, and it's my last semester of school. So why wasn't I more excited and happy? As a matter of fact, if anyone had asked me about it, I probably would have either denied that I was feeling down or at least downplayed how I really felt. It just didn't seem right to me that I should be feeling that way.

This has just been a very different chapter in my life. The season I've been in has required me to work a different kind of schedule, going to school full-time is crazy as always, and as a result, I've had an almost nonexistent social life and have been able to spend precious little time with my close friends and family. Over time, that really began to wear on me. I missed the interaction and fellowship more than words can express, and the feeling of disconnection that comes with being away for a while often hurt me to my core.

But...I'm bouncing back. :) For the past month or so, especially over the past couple of weeks, I can feel my joy returning. :)

One example is in the area of school. "Senioritis" hit me much harder than I thought it would this semester. Before spring break, I really struggled to stay motivated to do my school work. And coming from someone who used to spend her breaks trying to get ahead in school work (early in my college days--I have since reformed and taken on the normal student's abhorrence of even looking at a textbook while on break), that's saying a lot. Knowing this, I expected to come back from spring break to spend the remaining six weeks or so agonizing through the rest of the semester. Instead, I've returned with a renewed zeal to hit the books hard, enjoy it, and finish out stronger than ever. What?!?! Where did that come from?? I've been pleasantly surprised by my new attitude and thankful for God's grace and faithfulness to help me finish strong.

An even better example is my recent big news. I will move into a full-time producer position at work at the end of April! I'll have a full-time job--doing what I want to do--in this tough job market--before I graduate!!! Now this really is a testimony to the grace of God! As much as every graduating senior wants things to happen like that, it wasn't supposed to work out that way for me. I was mentally prepared to have to stay part-time for an undetermined amount of time. But a sudden change in circumstances allowed the situation to work out even better than I had dared to hope. God is SOOOOO good!

This new opportunity will also allow me to attend church on Sunday mornings on a somewhat regular basis. Yay! I seriously can't wait. I'm not so naive that I don't realize that my new schedule won't be easy and will still make for a challenging social life. I'm also well aware that there is certainly nothing glamorous about working overnight and super-early shifts, but I'm excited nonetheless. This is an incredible opportunity and I'm praying that God will help me to do well as I move forward. God clearly has me where I am for a reason (which only he knows), and whatever it is he has for me, I want to do it and do it well.

I also realize that although the past four years have often been challenging, I've been crazy blessed when it comes to school. God's met me every step of the way, provided for my needs, and allowed me to do well--much better than I deserve. Seeing the culmination of all that as I prepare to close this chapter in my life is almost overwhelming. As I look back over the past four years, I stand in awe of what God has done in my life. Yes, I've worked hard, but my college experience is certainly not the fruit of my efforts, but rather God's on my behalf!

So even though this season is still different and the one ahead will be too, particularly as I begin to focus on working toward moving out and beginning life on my own as an adult, I'm happy, excited, thankful, and joyous anyway. I can't wait to see what the next chapter of my life will hold. God is good, his grace is more than enough, and his faithfulness is never-ending. We serve an awesome, awesome God!

A white surprise

Sometimes I think God likes to keep us guessing what the weather is going to be like around here.

I was startled this morning to stumble out of bed and start getting ready for class, only to look outside the back door and see a blanket of white! We had about 3/4 - 1 inch of accumulation at my house in West Knoxville.

UT didn't cancel or delay classes (surprise, surprise--it takes an act of God to shut that place down!), but I made the decision to delay my classes by skipping my first one. The roads near my house were reportedly messy, so since my voice instructor doesn't take attendance, I decided to stay home. I enjoy the class, but with snow and an inauguration to watch, I decided to skip today.

My health instructor kindly canceled class because of the snow and the inauguration, so I didn't have to go to class until this afternoon. I'm glad she canceled class, because *sheepish grin* I was going to skip it anyway. I never skip class--but I decided yesterday that I was willing to skip class to watch the inauguration. They only come once every four years, after all--and this one has even more historical elements to it than normal.

So I got to enjoy the snow a little bit this morning. :)

I love the special touch snow gives everything. That blanket of white adds a serene, pleasant feel to everything that gives the entire day a peaceful air. I also enjoyed watching the wind blow the snow around. It looked like tiny grains of sugar were swirling around in my backyard!

Here are some of the photos I snapped in my yard while the snow was still fresh (my mom took the pictures I'm in).

My car covered in snow

Some trees and plants in our yard

The front yard and the street in front of my house

My little brother and me

I tried to throw a snowball at him, but the snow was too powdery

Watching history with mixed feelings

Today, Barack Obama became the first African-American president of the United States. His swearing-in was definitely a moment for the history books, particularly with our country's not-so-distant history of racial discrimination and segregation. I was proud to see that many people in our country have set aside the past and embraced our new leader, regardless of the color of his skin.

But despite the historical significance, I watched the inauguration today with a somber feeling. While I'm proud that our country has made a large step toward healing some of the grievious past racial sins we committed, I simply cannot agree with many of President Obama's policies, particularly on issues such as abortion. The thought of what his election could mean for the unborn in our country is sobering.

However, I don't have a woe-is-me or this-is-the-end-of-the-world feeling about it all. While I don't agree with President Obama on many key issues, that does not mean he will not have my support and respect as the leader of this country. More importantly, he will be in my prayers. My God is a God of miracles and it is certainly well within his power to change someone's heart. God wasn't surprised when Obama was elected and the Bible makes it clear that God establishes leaders in the positions they are in (Romans 13:1). God can use anyone--even leaders not living for Him--to accomplish His purposes.

Sadly, I must confess that I have not prayed for our country's leaders in the past as much as I should have. I think having a president in office for the past eight years who professes to be a Christian and supported many Christian values, unfortunately, led me to relax some and not pray as I should have. Some of our nation's recent events have served as a wake-up call in my life to be on my knees daily--multiple times a day--for our nation and its leaders. The Bible makes it very clear that we should be praying constantly for all of our leaders and I've asked the Lord's forgiveness for failing to do that. In an election year marked by a cry for change and new beginnings, it is my prayer that this "change" and reawakening in my prayer life will stay with me and that I won't make the same mistakes again. I want to stand in the gap and serve as a watchman on the walls for our nation, not simply be part of the crowd, oblivious to the potential dangers around me.

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone--for kings and for all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
- 1 Timothy 2:1-2

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
- 2 Chronicles 7:14

Rain, rain, go away!

I've tried to keep a positive attitude about it, but...I'm sick of rain!

Granted, we need the rain. (My attempt at a positive outlook.) Even though we managed to break even in rainfall for 2008 (thanks in large part to a very wet December!), experts say we really need a couple of years of surplus to make up for the nearly 14-inch deficit in rainfall we experienced in 2007. Although they do caution that to be most effective it really needs to come in the form of a slow, steady shower--not the heavy downpours we've experienced of late.

But in my opinion, the overabundance of rain we've seen lately, while it has its purpose, needs to move on. I need some sunshine! (Actually, the earth does too, to avoid more flooding problems.)

The world simply seems like a happier place when the sun is shining. Winter is usually dull enough after the holidays without the added frustration of days of cloudy skies and perpetually wet conditions.

So I'm thankful to finally see a seven-day forecast predicting at least a few of days where we'll have a high chance of seeing the sun. It doesn't look like the sun will provide any warmth...but hey, beggers can't be choosers. It is winter, after all. I'll take the cold conditions as long as they're paired with sunshine! :)

Dancing with Jesus

I like to dance. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not that great at it--I don't have the natural grace and agility some possess and can't seem to sway my hips just so--but nevertheless, I enjoy dancing. My philosophy on dance is: As long as you're having fun and not stepping on your partner's toes--who cares?

Every once in a while, it's fun to just relax, cast your cares aside and dance. Who cares how stupid you may look. If you're having fun, that's all that matters.

I had a blast dancing around tonight with some of my friends at a wedding. Did I know all the moves some of my friends did? No. Was I one of the better dancers there? Not by a long shot. But was it worth it? Absolutely! I simply enjoyed laughing with my friends as we moved to the beat of the music.

I designated the rest of the evening to just relax, so when I came home I sat down on the couch and started to unwind. As I thought back over the night's events, I heard the Lord gently whisper, "Come dance with me."

Then once again, "Come dance with me. Let me hold you close and lead you through the joys and the sorrows of life. Feel my strong arms around you--gently holding you close, yet firmly guiding your steps. It won't always be easy--but I'll never let you go.... Come dance with me."

So I did. Responding to the moment, I began to gently waltz around the room, basking in my Jesus' presence, savoring his nearness.

But it it goes much deeper a simple response like that. I've taken a "social dance" class (basically ballroom dance with some Latin dances added as well) and I know that while some dances are fun and easy--others take work and practice. In fact, when one is first learning the steps to some dances, it is easy to become frustrated and think one isn't capable of doing the moves correctly. But given time and experience--it becomes second nature. Anyone can dance.

And sometimes, it's hard not to unintentionally try to lead. Just ask me how often I got yelled at for accidentally trying to lead in class (I had a *very* strict teacher and that was entirely against the rules--women are *never* supposed to lead!)! But no matter how tempting it is to try to control the next steps, the dance always goes best when the man leads and the woman follows.

Similarly, there are times when life with God is fun and easy. Life seems effortless and full of pleasure. But other times, when God changes the music and introduces some new steps, it isn't always so easy. It takes work. Lots of hard work. And trust. We have to allow Him to lead us, no matter how much we want to control the next move and determine where we're going and when. It often becomes frustrating, and it's easy to feel like it's impossible to ever learn the dance.

But when we allow the Lord to lead us and teach us--we will eventually emerge victorious and glide easily across the floor with our ultimate lover and Savior, Jesus Christ. We can rest in Him arms, knowing that through it all, He will never let us go.

Are you dancing with Jesus? Are you letting Him take the lead, even when the dance involves new and maybe even intimidating steps? His call to dance isn't just for me. He's beckoning to you, too-- anxiously waiting to lead you onto the dance floor. Will you let Him?

Bring on 2009!

Happy 2009!

I've heard several people say that they are very thankful to see 2008 come to an end, and I have to agree. While I didn't face challenging circumstances on the scale of many others I know, I still dealt with enough personal struggles and interesting circumstances to make me happy to see 2009 come around. 2008, for me, was a year filled with the good, the bad, and a whole lot of the confusing.

My personal word from the Lord for 2008 was to intensely seek after the Lord for direction. I felt like God told me to persistently seek after direction from Him and keep pressing in. Yes, we need to do that all the time--and I do--but this was different. I felt like this was on a deeper level, specifically for 2008. God told me I would receive the direction I need, but not as the result of a quick five-minute prayer. It would be the result of persistent prayer, digging into the Word and seeking God. A few weeks into January, Joe Ewen gave me a word that confirmed this to me.

And God wasn't kidding! I really needed direction from the Lord in a number of areas this year, and I received a great deal of it. Some of it I've been able to act on or see God move in, a lot of it I'm still waiting for God to orchestrate and act on. Most of it is all Him anyway! I just follow along and let Him lead.

And that's not to say that throughout the entire year I sought his direction intently and instantly took everything He said to heart in faith. I slipped up numerous times, but overall, did keep it a top priority for the entire year.

Consequently, 2008 was a year of learning to trust God at a whole new level and have faith that He is going to move--in His time--even when in the natural it seems like I have nothing to go on.

And some of that ties into what I believe God is saying to me about 2009. As I began to seek the Lord about 2009, I felt like he told me to work on what my mouth is doing. That obviously needs to be expounded on and God did give me a better idea of what he was talking about. Yes, I believe that means I need to work on less whining, complaining, pointless conversation, etc.--but more importantly, I feel like God is telling me to cultivate a thankful heart and use my lips to joyfully bring Him praise at all times. Even in those circumstances where He has yet to move. I even believe praise especially needs to be my response in those circumstances. I need to be praising Him in faith that He will keep His promises, even before they come to pass. I need to praise Him for His grace, faithfulness, and goodness in my life and for who He is, with a particular focus on thankfulness. Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks--so cultivating a thankful heart will be a top priority. As with last year's word, this is obviously something I need to be doing and continually working on at all times. But I believe I'm supposed to make it a top priority and take it to a higher level in the coming year.

The Lord is my strength and shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.
~ Psalm 28:7

I share a lot of this with the hope that those of you near me will hold me accountable to this. ;) If you catch me whining or acting depressed and frustrated, please don't hesitate to knock some sense into me and remind me to praise the Lord no matter what circumstances I may find myself in. I mean that.


And that's a summary of some of what God has been speaking to my heart for 2009. I am really believing that 2009 will be a great year and I can't wait to see what God does in and through my life--and the lives of those around me--in the coming year. :)

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.
~ Psalm 13:5-6