God Is Good All The Time

Hey ladies and gents,

The Lord just inspired me and told me I need to say what He has been doing in my life. Even when I can't see Him working God is still good. 

My 2010 graduation with other friends graduating the same time.

Back in 2010 when I graduated from High School I never thought I would be where I am at. I was worried about the future and anxious all the time. 

 I remember worrying anytime I would go out the door of my own home. I would always think of all the things that could go wrong or just might by chance happened. I was an anxious, worried person and very vocal about that with my words. I also was very negative and pessimistic about everything.

2009, My sister Bethany and I at the art museum.

 God by His amazing, seriously His amazing, amazing grace has shown me in this new year of 2013 I don't have to worry. God has got my back as a friend has always told me. 

2012 with friends a local garden.

  So I want to impress and implore you ladies to not worry about the future! Do not worry! I was enslaved to worry and anxiety and pessimism. It ran my life and therefore I was a very negative and un-joyful person. So please repent of your negativity and be joyful, because Christ for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross! WOW! Did you catch that, for the JOY that was set before He ENDURED the cross. It hit me this year that Jesus joyfully submitted to the Father God by dying on our behalf! So God has been teaching me to kill the god of negativity, the god of anxiety, and the god of worry that was definitely competing with Christs Lordship in my life. 

 In 2012, I was much happier, but still worried about every little thing. Now I have experienced freedom in Christ knowing I do not have to be enslaved to fear anymore. I am a servant of Jesus, not a slave to sin. I always was a servant of Christ ever since He saved me at age 7, but I was struggling with the sin of worry so much. I still do struggle with worry each day, but now I am just so much more joyful because I know God holds my life and each circumstance, each thing I come across to do in His hands. Worry does not have to be my life, Jesus is.

 I am not perfect everyone! I have not figured it all out. I cannot do anything, not even blinking my eyes or walking around without God helping me. So daily I am trying to live with Jesus, beside Jesus, for Jesus.Its tough so many times, so many moments are wasted, so many moments are painful emotionally, spiritually, or mentally. But I know God is God and as it says in Exodus 14:14, " The Lord will fight for you, you need only be still!" 

  God will continually fight for us ladies! He is never gonna lose! Jesus Christ has the victory over sin and death. You cannot conquer those sins areas that are tough for you to overcome alone. Jesus Christ has already conquered them, you just gotta let Him conquer them each second, each moment, and each day of your life.

  I decided to take a swing dancing class and go dancing more often this year of 2013. Its something I had always wanted to do, but I was so much of a worrier I had never tried it on my own before. Now I have taken two lindy hop classes and love it. But my confidence is not in my body, my mind, or my image. My confidence is in Jesus Christ the Lord of the universe. In Him alone I give the glory.

 Seriously ladies, Jesus has changed my life and he continues to do so! My prayer is that He would do the same daily in each of your lives as well. God is real, even when you can't hear Him speak through His WORD clearly to you about something you struggle with or you doubt His goodness or sovereign plan for your life. He is still God, He is the same yesterday, today, and for the rest of our lives. Isn't that amazing? He is never gonna change, even when our emotions do. He is always going to be steadfast in Love, Justice, being faithful, and being the Truth.

Besides reading the Bible, two books that have changed my way of thinking about life are A Woman's Wisdom:How the Book of Proverbs Speaks To Everything by Lydia Brownback and Overcoming, Fear, and Anxiety by Elyse Fitzpatrick.

 Do any of you struggle with worry, fear of man or the future, or anxiety? Its ok if you do because I think everyone does to some extent. God just happened to show me that I don't need to worry anymore because He has got my back always and He has your back too ladies.

In Christ with love,
Rebecca

Long Time No Talk

Hi My Dear Readers!

I know I have not posted a blog update in forever (or so it seems!)! Thank you to Alison for asking how I was and thanks for sharing your thankfulness for my blog too. :) I was encouraged and touched by the fact that you noticed I had not posted and missed the posts. Also Vicki you left a comment too on my last post and asked how I was doing. Vicki, in April when I posted about that skirt, if I were to respond now my response would be so different. I am not negative and a pessimist like I used to be, God has been making me into a new creation more and more. He has been sanctifying me and drawing me to His side over these past 4-ish months. God is so so good!!!

I am not going to promise I will be posting more frequently now. I have made promises on this blog before and not followed through, so I will not be making promises I can't keep. The goal I would like to set for myself would be to do at least 2-4 blog posts a month about different subjects I have been learning about. Whether that is a book review, my thoughts on the Bible and what I am learning from God's Word, tutorials for how to take care of curly hair, tutorials for healthy skin care, pictures of what my family and I are up to, etc. I want to be more intentional about what I post and that those posts would be well thought out and build others up in the Lord.

An update about my life, my family has been attending one church now since November 2012, so its been 8 months and I have felt God's peace that this is where I am supposed to be. I praise God He has given me peace about this church, because I was so resistant about this being His will for me right now. I never thought I would go to a church that is as large as the one we are attending. 1,000s of people attend this church, so yes its a mega church. But, every Sunday I have been growing spiritually through the worship of our Lord through hearing from His Word and worshiping Him. I look forward to church, where as, when we were church hunting, it was a dread some days. Thank you to those in my life and through the internet who prayed for my family and I! The Lord indeed has done wondrous deeds in my life, a good church is just one of those wondrous things He has done! God is so so good to us all, no matter what we are going through. My life by far is not perfect, because of my sin, I fall short, but as a friend said the other day," The moment we sin we are already forgiven by Jesus!" WOW! The moment I sin God already forgave me?! Thats just amazing and I just can't comprehend how far His mercies are to us each day.

These verses says what I was amazed about perfectly,

"19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." -Romans 5:19-21

 

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." Romans 5:6

 "Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name!

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits,

3 who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

5 who satisfies you with good

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

6 The Lord works righteousness

and justice for all who are oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,

his acts to the people of Israel.

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9 He will not always chide,

nor will he keep his anger forever.

10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

13 As a father shows compassion to his children,

so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

14 For he knows our frame;

he remembers that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass;

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

and its place knows it no more.

17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

and his righteousness to children's children,

18 to those who keep his covenant

and remember to do his commandments.

19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,

and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his word,

obeying the voice of his word!

21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts,

his ministers, who do his will!

22 Bless the Lord, all his works,

in all places of his dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!"- Psalm 103

" I waited patiently for the Lord;

he inclined to me and heard my cry.

He drew me up from the pit of destruction,

out of the miry bog,

and set my feet upon a rock,

making my steps secure.

He put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear,

and put their trust in the Lord.

Blessed is the man who makes

the Lord his trust,

who does not turn to the proud,

to those who go astray after a lie!

You have multiplied, O Lord my God,

your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;

none can compare with you!

I will proclaim and tell of them,

yet they are more than can be told."- Psalm 40:1-5

(All Scripture is from the ESV Bible)

There are so many more verses and things I could say about the AMAZING God we serve. He is just so big and its been amazing me so much how He is over all He has made and it outside of time and space. My dad and others have always told me, "Rebecca God is so big, He is outside of our comprehension of time." All the more reason for me to be in awe and fear Him!

Have any of you been learning about a certain aspect about God recently or have a favorite verse you have been pondering lately? Or maybe you have some to praise God for? A wondrous deed God has done in your life?Just leave it in a comment below or feel free to email me at ra.stricker@gmail.com

God bless and love in Christ!

Rebecca

A little More About my Beliefs and Convictions

Hey Ya'll,

I was just reading over an  This Birthday Post from almost 3 years ago from when I was 19 and had just graduated from homeschool high school and I was not sure where the Lord wanted me that new year in regards to education. I see now that I said some things in that post I have not kept up with doing on this blog. I want to start putting the music I am studying in the side bar each week. So I will try and do that when I get a chance. But I also noticed something very alarming from this post.

I thought I had just been saved 2 years prior to my 19th b-day. I just wanted to clear up for my own good and for my readers that I believe in justification and sanctification. I do not believe that I was not saved when I was 7 years old and I was baptized. I believe that right there in that moment when I heard the pastor ask anyone to come forward who wanted to except Christ as their Savior, when I asked Jesus to be the Lord of my life He was then the Lord of my life. I was no longer a child of the world, but Gods child fully redeemed by Christs blood. I believe you can only be saved from your sin by Christ having died on the cross and you believing that He endured the penalty for your sin and now has become alive again and lives. Then the fruit of accepting Him as your Savior is wanting to live by listening to His Spirit more and more which is sanctification. 

I will just give a little definition in my own words for sanctification and justification. I am not a person with many degrees or a doctorates in the Bible, but this is what I believe these two words mean. Please do add in your two cents or if I am wrong in my definition please do chime in! :) I mean that. This blog is a place for us all to grow in our understanding of God, so yeah. :) But please do so kindly and in a Christ like manner.

I believe Justification is when we are saved by Christ, that moment we realize our sin is so big that we cannot save ourselves and God says to us I have saved you from your sin by the blood of my beloved Son who was killed and rose again for your sins. And you accept that Christ has done what you or anyone else could not do by enduring the pain of the cross to make up pure and unstained from sin. Of course we still have these sinful bodies, we will not be given new bodies till we go to be with the Lord, but that's when sanctification comes in for each saved Believer in Christ.

Then I believe after we are saved/justified we are being made more and more like Christ for as long as we are alive on this earth. The process of Sanctification is the process of our old selves, our sinful nature becoming less and less prominent and God encompassing us so that we are more and more like Him and long more and more for Him and to do His commandments and follow His leading and not our own wisdom. When we are justified/saved we are given the Helper, who is the Holy Spirit to help us listen to God and therefore become more and more like Christ.

I have been very encouraged by passages like John 14. In these verses Jesus says,“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you."
-John 14:15-17 ESV

So yes I believe that we are living under a Tri-God, one that is made up of three distinct persons, The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. So yes I believe that every Christian who is saved by faith in Jesus Christ has the Comforter, helper, who is the Holy Spirit, and the Father and the Son also are watching over us.

So if this is a shocker to you that I believe in these truths from the Bible don't be surprised. :) These doctrines of sanctification and justification and the trinity are precious to me and I believe important for every believer to understand. I pray the Lord would speak and not me in this post.

God bless you all and if you have any thoughts on this please comment. Maybe the Lord has taught you this about your own testimony as well? You can also email me too at ra.stricker@gmail.com.

Blessings,
Rebecca Ann

Christ Forgave us!

Praise the Lord God did the impossible, He forgave us of our sins through His sacrifice on the cross!! And praise God we can by His grace forgive others because we have been forgiven! We can do that impossible thing, because all things are possible with God. <3>

I want to live like that!!!

Melanie over at Forever His Servant shared this video today and I want to say that this is who we should be in  Christ! We should live recklessly abandoned to Christ! We should abandon this life to live a life in Christ! I fall short of this high calling so many times, but I want to strive to get up with Gods help and live for Christ.

God never will!

via Godsgracefullness

We can be joyful in trials- We will be made beautiful like gold

Hey ladies,

I have been following Courtney's blog for a little over a few months now and have really been encouraged by her blog posts. Definately have a look at her blog for encouragement to walk with the King as she so wonderfully phrases it. ;)

I have struggled with trials this past year of 2011 and still have in this new year of 2012! So I thought I would share some verses and thoughts about this issue. As Courtney says in her video about trials and James 1 our culture says please yourself, its all about your happiness! But that is a lie ladies and don't believe that lie! Your life is not your own, You have been bought with a price and that price was death and you did not have to die because Jesus Christ the author and perfector of your faith died for you! What a living hope we have in Jesus as I was reminded when we read through 1 Peter 1 this morning at my church in discipleship hour. What a wonderful living hope we have in Jesus Christ now! So pursue Him and not your flesh desires. Pursue Gods desires and His path and pursue Him instead of facebook or novels, or TV, or movies, or being beautiful with makeup and clothing like the world says beauty is. Instead make yourself filled with the WORD, good conversations with other sisters and brothers in Christ, watching good movies/documentaries about people of the faith, or reading books that will help you puruse Him and instead of facebook encourage a friend with a real conversation or phone call or letter in the mail!

James 1:2-6 says," Count it all joy, my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your fith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like the wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind."

These verses caught my eye as I read James the other day again for probably the tenth time reading this book all the way through or may even 12 times! I love this book so much, as a friend told me this week, " Rebecca isn't James so practical in his writing! He writes with precise thoughts telling us how to pursue Christ."

I believe that the book of James is so encouraging to the person that has a hard time being joyful as I do many a time. The Lord has been gracious to me these past few weeks into the new year giving me joy! I asked Him to help me be content and joyful and He is been helping me with that. Praise the Lord alone for His Spirit dwelling in me giving me contentment and joy. :)

I read these verses as I have been studying the book of Job and I actually finished reading it this morning and was encouraged. " But he knows the way I take; when he tried me, I shall come out as gold. My foot has held fast to his steps, I have kept his way and have not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandments of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food." Job 23:10-12

So when we go through trials we are being renewed and refined like gold in a fire, we are being made more and more into the image of gold of beauty! But its more beautiful than outward beauty like the fashion industry says we must have in order to be truly beautiful. Its a beauty that is eternal!!! We have the Holy Spirit of the Most High God dwelling in us! We are the temple of the Holy Spirit as it says in Romans 12:12. Praise the Lord we are being refined and made more and more into the image of the most High God who is eternally beautiful and mighty.

I love this song by Laura Story called Blessings and she talks about how the trials of this like are Gods mercies in disguise! What a truth! Gods trials are blessings in disguise refining us into gold. What a hope in Christ Jesus!
So take joy my sisters and face the trial knwing that as Job says He knows the way I take!! When I come out of the trial I will be beautiful like gold and renewed and made holy!

God bless you and walk with the King!

Rebecca

Starting a braided rug and contentment and joy in suffering

 Hello ladies, I know I have been remiss of late not telling you all whats going on in my life. Lots has happened since I did a proper update! The Lord is good and His faithfulness stilll reaches the clouds, its never ending and I am thankful for that! What a comfort. I have been pondering contentment and joy lately. They have been two things I have struggled with my whole life as a born again christian. I always heard the sermons as I grew up that were filled with fluff and really did not tell me that there would be times of suffering in my life as a follower of Christ. I did not start realizing and reading, and hearing that this was not the reality until I was a teenager. I came to realize that life was filled with tough times and joy and contentment started to become a difficult character trait for me to instill in myself. I came to realize that joy and contentment come only from Christ and when we are leaning on Him and His truth instead of our false perspectives.

I have read 3 blog posts today about contentment and I received the book called  Contentment A Godly Woman's Adornment by Lydia Brownbackand have really been challenged and encouraged by her devotionals in there. She said in the devotional today why are we always focusing on the negative, (which is what I tend to do! ) instead of focusing on the little blessing and wonderful things God has in our life right now? Why are we reaching for something we do not have when we should be contentment and joyful for what we do have right now?!

 The verse for the devotional I read today was, "Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said," Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt thaat cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at." Numbers 11:4-6

WOW! The people of God were so content weren't they?! They had food and the Lord was promising them a land just for them where they would not have to be in slavery anymore and it would be filled with milk and honey! But they were not content with the mana he had provided and the promise of a land filled with even more were they?! I think I am like the Israelites so many times! I say God oh I have to eat crackers and cheese and an apple again today for my lunch, that is boring and I have had to eat this every day this week. Is that being content?! No! God has provided nourishment for me that is good for my body and I am scoffing at it. These verses really made me think about am I content? I  in America, the" land of plenty" and I am not content with all that God has provided for me. This made me get a reality check big time!

I have also come to realize that joy is needed even in suffering these past years. I will admit to you all that I struggle with lonliness and depression. Its not chronic or a big state of depression and no I am not taking meds for it, because I have the best meds on the earth! I have Christ my Lord! Every time I feel lonely and I give into my depression of feeling alone and like if I had more friends I would be content and joyful I have to say, " Rebecca you have the best friend you could ever have! A friend that will never leave you nor forsake you! He is the best lover you could ever have, He will never leave you when hes fed up with you or throw you in the ditch when hes tired of you! He gave up his life by being tortured and killed on a cross for you! Look at the cross and remember that your best friend died for you and He's right here with you always!" Then I read my Bible and pray and ask God to help me not give into the temptation from the evil one to give into my self pity or depression. With Christ I can be joyful even when I feel like I have hardly anyone who understands me or also loves my Lord that is in my life. Even when I feel discouraged or not joyful, I can turn around and be joyful because Christ has conquired my sin and conquired death! So I praise God that these past months even though sometimes I have sinned by giving into my fear of lonliness and given up sometimes and just cried. God has triumphed even when I failed Ladies!!! He has conquired my sin when I could not, He has thrown it as far as the east is from the west. So I would encourage you if you are experiencing lonliness or depression or discontentment or lack of joy go to the Father who in the same room as you and embrace Him in prayer and reading His WORD! This always points me to the truth that I have a best friend right there with me that will always love me and He will be there for me when I am down.

Some verses that have comforted me I was at breaking point are
," God is our refuge and strength,
  a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
  though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
 though its waters roar and foam,
  though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
  the holy habitation of the Most High.
 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;  God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
  he utters his voice, the earth melts.
 The LORD of hosts is with us;
  the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
 Come, behold the works of the LORD,
  how he has brought desolations on the earth.
 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
  he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
  he burns the chariots with fire.
 “Be still, and know that I am God.
  I will be exalted among the nations,
  I will be exalted in the earth!”
 The LORD of hosts is with us;
  the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

(Psalm 46 ESV)

So remember that He is our refuge and our strength!!!! We have no refuge in computer time, texting a friend, crying our eyes out, or yelling at others when we have given into the temptation of depression because of lonliness! There is no excuse for this because Christ is our refuge. If we just go to Him He there and He able to take our burden and take away that sin of giving into depression!

"Bless the Lord , O my soul, and forget not his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who redeems my life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." Psalm 103: 2-5

I was reminded by these verses above yesterday that we should bless the Lord all the time and forget not his benefits! Do not forget that He forgives our iniquities and crowns us with steadfast love and mercy! How beautiful and encouraging is that! That gives me joy! :)

Please email me if you need someone to talk to or if you enjoyed this post please comment or email! I just thought I should not keep my struggles under the table. I am not a perfect person and I struggle daily with the sin of lonliness and discontentment and lack of joy. But praise God He is able to give us joy even in suffering and pain!

I have been working on a rag rug the past few days in my spare time when I just have to do something with my hands. I love how its turning out and will post more pictures when I get more progress. I think its going to take quite a while to do! I hope to finish it by spring and put it in my room. Well may God bless you this lovely weekend! Its 50 degrees farenheit here! I cannot believe it! Its like fall and my sister and father and I enjoyed it by walking around the neighborhood while we still can without the bitter cold weather.

Scriptures I am pondering......

this month. I am planning to with lots more effort this year memorize more Scripture. I was able to do that since november and in december I did, but not as many as I had hoped. It really has helped me when I am tempted to sin to recall Scripture. So I thought I would send these your way to encouragement you. When I am tempted to grumble I remember these verses from Philippians 1:14-18,

" Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the Word of life, so that in the day of Christ you may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should rejoice in me."

We should do all to the glory of God and without questioning!! That is so hard! And without grumbling when things are not going our way, we are to submit to the Lords will.
But even more importantly when we have to do something that we don't like will we submit to God. God wants us to do it, then we should even though our flesh says no. Ladies I urge you to do things that are really only done with Gods strength and not our own. Remember we are not our own, we are Gods temple and we are redeemed by His blood, therefore we are not our own. So remember next time you want to grumble, as I really need to remember also, do it with a joyful Spirit of the Lord.


Another set of verses from 1 peter that has really helped me when I am tempted to be vain and want to go and see myself in the mirror to assure myself I am just right( hair, clothing, etc.) is  1 Peter 3:3-6.

" Do not let your adorning be external- the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold , or the putting on of clothing-but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."

Now yes I know you have heard that verse a billion times, but we are commanded to be beautiful by an imperishable beauty that only comes from a love for the Savior and Creator of the Universe! That is an amazing and beautiful gift of a gentle and quiet spirit in the Lord. Only the Holy Spirit can give us that demeanor and attitude. I pray daily to be able to have a Spirit of the Lord. Now this does not mean we must not talk or laugh out loud. It means we know when to say something and when not to say something. We encourage others by our speech and don't put them down. This means we gentle, which does not mean we flit around and can't be strong too. We are gentle with our words and actions, remembering that we are to treat others as Christ treated us, with compassion and mercy. So this is my interpretation of that very familiar Scripture. The Lord has shown me this over the past 10 years since He drew me to himself. Praise God for His Holy Spirit to show us his way through His Word!

So next time you are tempted in an area to complain remember we are not to grumble, but be joyful doing the Lords work! That is so hard for me most of the time, but the Lord has put it on my heart to try to be better at that. So I thought I would share that with you all. Also remember next time you are proud of your nicely put together outfit, with the perfect shoes, hair, and jewelry to remember that your demeanor and gentle and quiet spirit in the Lord is even more beautiful.

In Christ,
Rebecca

Happy birthday Dad!

I thought I would post some pictures of my dad's birthday last sunday! He is a godly man and I am so proud of him. He is always there for me when I need Biblical advice and teaching and he is my protector and a wonderful husband to my mother.

Here are some pictures of the chocolate cinnamon cake we made for him. My mom and sister made the cake and I made the frosting. Its the favorite cake of my dad and I. We have it every birthday for the two of us every year.

I was reading the book Verses of Virtue, which is a book of christian poems by Elizabeth Bealle Phillips and I love this poem by J.R. Clements. I think the 2nd paragraph is a good description of my Dad and the whole poem describes our home. It is full of sinners, but this describes what we strive to have it look like. Espeically I have been trying to make it a more joyful place lately. The Lord has shown me I am sorely lacking in my joy. It does not mean I am completely happy, I won't be till heaven as my sister says; but it does mean I can be joyful because my Savior died for me and with joy set before Him he endured the cross for our family.

God Give Us Homes!! by J.R. Clements

"Homes where the Bible is honored and taught;
Homes with the Spirit of Christ in their thoughts;
Homes that a likeness to heaven have caught.
God give us homes!

God give us homes!
Homes with the father in priest-like employ;
Homes that are bright with a far-reaching joy;
Homes where no world-stain come to annoy.
God give us Homes!

God give us Homes!
Homes where the mother is queen-like in love;
Ruled in the fear of the Savior above;
Homes that to youth most inspiring shall prove.
God give us homes!

God give us Homes!

Homes with the children to brighten the hours;

Building and blooming like beautiful flowers;
Places of sunshine- sweet, sanctified bowers.
God give us Homes!"

I think this is a good description of what my parents try to put into our home. They try to make is a school, church, and a place of God. Its not just a building, its a place where our Savior dwells teaching us daily! Lord thank you for our home!!

In Christ,

Rebecca

Thanksgiving and some verses

I thought I would share with you all a picture of my family from thanksgiving as well. It was a blessed day last thursday with our friends the Raimundos and our grandparents. I am so thankful for christian friends and for my family who keeps molding me into a better person by there examples. Jesus has been teaching me a lot lately, even though I am stubborn and don't want to listen sometimes.


Today has been a nice day so far, I have just created a music playist for the blog and I have started my bible verse cross stitch. I am excited at getting to finally start this project. In case others did not see my post, it is in the post about my christmas gifts for this year. It is a cross stitch that will have a church and the Bible verse from Matthew that says," with God all things are possible." This verse has been very close to my heart lately with some prayers and things that have come up in my life.

I will leave you all with this. As I have school, dinner to make, and some singing to do and, some more crocheted gifts to make.

I was feeling down and unhappy the other day because of some circumstances in my life that I don't like and this is the verse my dad gave me and he said," read this and cast your burden on the Lord."

Psalms 55:22 " Cast your burden on the Lord and he will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved."

The Lord is there I can give him my troubles and He will not let me fall. This verse really made be still and realize that I can't do it on my own. I have to give this to Him!

And this verse in Isaiah has reminded me to be joyful even in times that I don't know why things are happening and why my life is so different than I expected. "You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways." Isaiah 64:5

The Lord will meet us if we are righteous, if we are his children! He is right there with us. Remember to cast your troubles and doubts on Him and trust in His Name! It really has helped me today to realize that all this is in His plan and will mold me and make me joyful and patient. Its molding me to be a better christian.

Have a blessed week filled with the Lords work!

In Christ,


Rebecca