Catching up on life and 40 days

Hi y'all!

Life's been pretty busy around here lately, as you might have guessed by the absence of new posts! Steve has been working on youth group lessons and the upcoming Galveston missions trip, I've been keeping an eye on Haddie as she is on different antibiotics for an ear infection (with results now!) and waiting for news about a biopsy to check for skin cancer (so thankful to find out yesterday that it was normal!!)

We're also preparing for a trip coming up next week, so I thought it might be good to combine some highlights to catch up a little bit on our "40 days". :o)

Here's some significant times of spiritual growth for me during my teen years ....

Day #8

When I was about 13 I started to notice a difference among people who called themselves "Christians". (I have to remind you that I considered myself a Christian. I asked Christ to forgive my sins and come into my life five years earlier. However, up until this point, I hadn't spent much time thinking about what it meant to be a Christian.) Now, I noticed that a lot of Christians lived lives that did not look any different than those of self-proclaiming non-Christians. And then I noticed that there were some who stood out from the crowd. I could see something different in the lives of these people, and I began to watch closely to determine what it was. Before long I realized the difference was a relationship with the Lord. These people weren't perfect, but they knew Jesus. They loved him, spent time with him daily in prayer and by reading his Word, and they desired to live in a way that would glorify him, even if meant not fitting in with the majority.

I realized that I wanted that kind of life.

So, in seventh grade, I made the decision to get to know God better and live my life for him.

Day # 9

It turned out that this decision to live for God came at a very critical time in my life. I remember seventh grade vividly. There was excitement about being in junior high. The merger of three elementary schools meant there were lots of new friends to be made... but also lots of scrambling on everyone's part to figure out "who's who" and what your social ranking would be.

Ugh. I remember the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as I saw some classmates climb their way to the top of the popularity ladder, while others were pushed out of more than one clique. I'm sure I wasn't perfect either, but my eyes began to see fickleness for what it was. I began to turn to the Lord daily for help in making choices... looking back I can see that it was in these tough times I began to walk with him.

Day#10

I have loved books ever since I received the "Little House on the Prairie" series for Christmas in first grade. :o) When I was beginning junior high I received another book series. They were about a teenage girl named Christy and the struggles and joys she faced as she began to live her life for the Lord. I remember devouring the books because I so enjoyed the encouragement they were to my own walk with God. I also remember being deeply impacted by reading about how Christy began to pray for the man she would some day marry. I had never thought about this before, but immediately I knew this was important and I began to follow suit. Although I had never even had a boyfriend before, I began to pray each night that God would work in the heart of a guy who would some day become my husband.

Keep reading our "40 days of faith" to find out what became of those prayers! ;o)

Day #11

Throughout my seventh grade year I began to notice a certain freshman boy regularly catching my attention. I didn't know who he was, but I my interest was sparked as I observed that he was someone who could go against the flow - and I admired that! (not to mention there was a physical attraction). ;o)

Dating was not an option for me, as my parents had long ago told me that I couldn't date until I was 16. I was quiet too, and definitely not the type to approach a guy, so quietly I brought my thoughts to God. I prayed and I waited. And my dependence on the Lord continued to grow.

Day #12

The summer after eighth grade I had the opportunity to attend a large Bible camp. That week was a huge highlight in my journey of faith thus far. Seventh and eighth grades had proven to be tough years for me as I strived to live a life that was pleasing to the Lord... but also longed for popularity and the approval of my own classmates. Most days found me realizing that I couldn't do both. And so, I found myself even more overjoyed than usual when the school year came to a close after eighth grade. Mid-summer I packed up my suitcase and headed off to Bible camp with two other girls from my church. My stomach had butterflies as we pulled into the camp and I saw hundreds of teenagers I didn't know. It didn't take long though, for me to relax and begin to enjoy myself. After my past two years, it was so uplifting to my soul to be surrounded by teens and adults who loved the Lord and were seeking to follow him. Every morning and evening my heart overflowed with praises to my God as I joined the rest of the camp in worship. Throughout each day I was encouraged by the counselors and speakers to make choices that would be pleasing to the Lord, despite what others might think. The last evening at chapel was especially moving, as the speaker talked about the joy of life committed to following God. When he gave an invitation for campers to stand who wanted to publicly commit to a life of service to the Lord, I knew that I had to rise. That is what I wanted more than anything in the world.

Stay tuned for more true stories! :o)