This is really good!

From James MacDonald
Who You Are

You ought to live . . . to please God . . . For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:1-3

As a pastor, I often hear questions about God's will. "What does God want me to do?" is the most common, but there are others: "Where does God want me to live?" "Who does God want me to marry?" "What job does God want me to take?"

This may come as a surprise to you, but the Bible doesn't spend any time on that stuff. God's focus isn't so much on the externals; He wants to change the inner you.

God's will is 98 percent about who you are. Need evidence? Check out 1 Thessalonians 4:1-3: "You ought to live . . . to please God. . . . For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification."

The word "sanctification" comes from a root word that means "to make holy." Sanctification is the process by which God takes sinful people and makes them holy. (It's not really as churchy as it sounds.) Holy is a great word; it means "set apart" or "distinct." It means "different from the sinful world around us." It means being like God.

Next time you are struggling to know what God could be doing, just say to yourself, "He's changing me," and you'll be right. Next time disappointments or heartaches come, try to recognize that God Himself is holding the hammer and chisel.

But why? Here's the hard truth that sets people free: God does not exist to fulfill our purposes; we exist to fulfill His purposes. You and I are here because God wants to demonstrate His power and splendor through our lives, and if you realize that you are not doing that very well, then you truly understand why He wants to change you. He wants to get you to the place where no matter what happens to you or what you go through, you trust Him and follow Him and are committed wholly to His goodness. And so He's coming after you, and He's trying to change you. Let Him do His work in you, and watch Him display His awesomeness through you.

31 and Having Fun!

Yancy has been begging me to go to New Orleans for years now. I didn't really want to go, so I kept putting him off. Well, we finally made the trip down there this weekend for his 31st birthday. Yancy was right after all! It was a really fun trip! We ate A LOT of great food (I came home 5 pounds heavier!) and saw some live jazz- Dr. John and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Happy Birthday, Yancy!!!

Acme Oyster House

Preservation Hall Jazz Band... They were so good and lots of fun!

Central Grocery for a muffuletta... surprisingly delicious!

Antoine's- the oldest family-run restaurant in the country

Cafe Du Monde... I wish I had some beignets right now!

Celebrity Sighting! We ran into Aaron Neville! Yancy walked right up to him like he'd known him all his life. He was really nice and didn't seem to mind. We actually saw him 2 more times after this! (The picture's kinda blurry cuz I was nervous!)

I Have Pictures!

Here are a few of my favorite pics from our ladies conference weekend. Thanks, Stephanie, for sharing them!


The Leadership Team


My Fun Roomies... Kelley, Jamie, Chandra, Me, Rebecca, Stephanie, Brandi, Katie, and Stacy


Silly girls!


Me and Chandra... I was her hostess for the weekend which was lots of fun! We really enjoyed getting to know one another!


And I saved the best for last... Rebecca as "Randra" during our Survivor game! Too funny!

What? I Won an Award?!

My sweet, fun friend, Stephanie, just gave me an award! How fun! Thanks, Stephanie! Here are the rules... I have to tell about 7 things that I love and then pass on the award to 7 other bloggy friends. Here goes...

1. I love, love, love Yancy. I know it's so cheesy, but he really does complete me. God knew what He was doing when He put us together. We balance each other out in so many ways. I'm so proud to be his wife! I'm thankful for the man that he's grown to be and for his willingness to be used by God... plus he's really cute and he makes me laugh a lot! :)

2. I love caffeine. Sadly, I can't go a day without it.

3. I love to bake... cookies, cakes, muffins, brownies, etc. Basically anything that has lots of butter and lots of sugar. And along with this, I love my Kitchen-Aid mixer! It was a surprise Christmas present a few years back from my sweet hubby! It's my favorite thing in my kitchen.

4. I love my family. They have been such encouragers and prayer warriors for me. Their love is unconditional and I don't know where I'd be without them. My Mom and Dad taught me about Jesus as early as I could learn and I respect them so much for being such faithful followers. I know my Mom and Cynthia, my mother-in-law, lift me up daily to the Lord and it just encourages my heart so much!

5. I love my doggies, Charlie and Duke. They really are our first family. They bring me such joy! And I'm so glad that they were here to keep me company while Yancy was working in Huntsville.

6. I love my bestest friend, Rebecca. It's been fun over the years to realize how alike we are. We love food, we love Jesus, we love vacations, we love our girls (see previous post), we love the Fringe, we love The Office. :) You get the point; we just think alike. And she's a great listener. No matter how many times I want to talk about the same ol' thing, she never gets tired of listening! God was so good to send her to me! She, too, lifts me up in prayer daily. Basically, my life would stink without her.

7. I saved the best for last... I love Jesus! How can I not after all He has done for me? As hard as the past few years have been for me, I can say that I love and trust Him more now than I ever have. He is so rich in loving-kindness towards me and His mercies are new everyday. I have found Him perfectly faithful!

So, these are just a few of the things I love. And of course, love is a relative word. I really don't love caffeine and my Kitchen-Aid mixer as much as I love Yancy or Jesus. You all know that, right? Anyway, I'm supposed to tag 7 others, so...

Paula
Maggie
Melissa
Cathy
Kelly
Amy
Katie
Tipi
Jennifer
Allison
Summer

...you're IT! Well, that's more than 7, but I couldn't choose! I want to hear from you all! :)

My Sweet Girls

I love these girls!!! Aren't they beautiful? And, more importantly, they're just as beautiful on the inside! They are all graduating in just a few weeks, so last night was our last night together. :( For the past 3 years, we've been together 1 night a week, studying God's Word and sharing our hearts. How sweet it's been! And now, it's so hard to believe it's over. I'm going to miss them SO MUCH! I love you, sweet girls!

I Knew It!

That is... I knew that God would show up this weekend- and He did!! But before I give an update about the women's conference, can I just say that God is so good?!?! We got great news on Friday! Sysco has made a few changes and even though I don't understand it all, they are going to let Yancy work in this area until our house sells! Praise the Lord! No more Tuesday morning good-byes. No more separation. No more nights at the Holiday Inn for Yancy! No more pressure to sell the house! Hallelujah! God is so good and just encouraged my heart so much with this news! We still will be moving eventually, but we can remain settled here in Auburn until our house sells. Yancy will be up there this week and maybe 1 night next week to tie up some loose ends, but come May, he's gonna be here with me! We are definitely better together! God is just reminding me that through all of this, He is in control. His answer to this prayer was a way that we didn't even know was an option. He's good like that, you know... providing a way when we don't see a way! Thank you, Lord!!!

So onto the women's conference... what a great weekend! Our speaker was Chandra Peele and she was so great! I had the privilege of being her hostess for the weekend, and I so enjoyed getting to know her and her heart for ministry. She is an amazing speaker, full of joy, and so passionate about what she does. God is doing big things through her! She challenged us this weekend to be church ladies that are...

~non-judgemental. "Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7
~loving. "Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them... Love each other with genuine affection." Romans 12:9-11
~influential. "For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved." 2 Corinthians 2:14-16

She asked us to think about church ladies that have influenced us and I'm blessed to have so many! I've had different ladies for different seasons of my life. I pray that, like them, I might be the aroma of Christ to those around me. What a challenge!

I also had such a fun time with all my girlfriends- new and old! We had opportunities to share our hearts, enjoy some beach time, to laugh hysterically and uncontrollably, and just enjoy being together. It was so much fun! And it was so encouraging to be surrounded by women who are wanting to please God with their lives. These sweet girls have faithfully lifted me up in prayer too and I am so thankful!

So that's it. I counted on God to show up and meet the needs of my heart this weekend and He did just that. He is good!

A few prayer requests...

I can't believe it has been so long since I've posted anything! We've had a pretty uneventful month I guess. We're still in between Auburn and Huntsville and still praying fervently for God to sell our house! It has almost been a year since we put our house on the market!!! Unbelievable! I don't know what God is up to, but I'm trying so hard to trust Him.

We're also researching some other adoption options. It's been 2 years since we started all this and we had NO idea it would take this long! We feel like we have done what God has asked us to do and followed up on every lead we've gotten over the past 2 years, but things just haven't worked out yet. For whatever reason, God is delaying in this, too. Again, unbelievable! We have started doing a little more research on some other adoption agencies just to make sure we've got all the bases covered. Please pray for us that we will have wisdom in making all these decisions. We don't want to make a mistake! I know I've prayed so many times over the past few years that I wouldn't be like Sarah (Genesis 15-17) and make a mess of things! As hard as it is, we want to hold out for the perfect child that God has for us. Again, I don't know what God is up to, but I'm trying so hard to trust Him!

Our church is having a ladies conference this weekend in Orange Beach and I am SO excited about it!!! I feel like I'm at a point where I need the Lord to minister to me and I am believing He will! He is enough for every need of my heart! I have such great expectations and I can't wait to see how God shows up- not just for me, but for every lady who's attending!

Thanks for caring for us and lifting us up in prayer! We definitely need it!