Diamonds Littering the Grass

After I finished my Greek midterm this morning, I began walking to my dorm room. While doing so, I removed my glasses to clean a distracting smudge off of one of the lenses. Being careful not to run into anything, I noticed the ground glimmered as though a hundred tiny diamonds had been tossed upon it. I placed my glasses back on my face and realized the glistening atmosphere was gone and I was just left with dew on blades of grass. So, I did what any aspiring theologian would do: I removed my glasses, prayed that I didn’t hurt myself while walking, and pondered the deeper meaning of the revelation at hand.

As Christians, we sometimes get so bogged down with the details of Scripture, the disciplines of Christianity, and the practice of trying to “be good.” When, in reality, we miss glistening diamonds of meaning in God’s word. I believe all of those things are necessary in life; however, if we’re so dependent on the motions of being a “good Christian,” we can miss God’s magnificence. We see God as a dictator of rules and regulations, and not the loving Father that wants us to come to Him. He wants us to come before Him with all of our junk. He wants us to beg Him to take our burdens. Yes, like a loving father, He disciplines; He is just, which seems unfair to us at times, but He is who He is because He is love. He is. He is Yahweh, set apart, holy.  He is who He is. There is none like Him. So, while learning Scripture and disciplining yourself, I believe, is a necessity, don’t make it a hum-drum way of life.

Never stop being moved by God’s word.

Let yourself be open to the Holy Spirit’s conviction.

Pray for a tender heart.  

Cowgirl Up?! Don't Mind if I Do!

It's been a considerable amount of time since my last post, so I must catch everyone up on my super-duper, fabulous life! ;) Well, it's not always super-duper or fabulous...maybe a lil' fabulous, but I'll let each of you decide for yourself!

This past July, I moved to San Antonio, TX to stay with my big sista' while her hubby is deployed. My bestie, Kasey, my Mom, and I packed my stuff up and drove 11 hours to my new home! Saying good bye to them was one of the hardest things I've ever done. However, I see now how necessary it was to get out of my element and be "uncomfortable" for a while. What I mean by "uncomfortable" is not that I didn't like my atmosphere or the people surrounding me, but the idea of having to find your place in a "whole new world." This "new world" led me to affirm life altering decisions that has changed my life completely!

Background: I had been praying for years about where God wanted me and what He wanted me to do with my life, then He slapped me in the face in the most unlikely of ways. When I was around 12 or 13, I realized that God had place a call on my life to go into fulltime ministry. Throughout the years, I questioned whether He really chose me... "God, are you sure you want me? I'm not good enough; I don't know enough; I'm too shy; I may faint or cry if I have to leave home; I'm terrified of speaking to people, much less speaking in front of multiple people at once... God, you may need to rethink this..." After high school, I began questioning whether or not I was the one who actually wanted to be in the ministry and maybe God wanted me to do something else. Nothing had been going the way I expected and I couldn't even find the means to get an education at a Christian institution. Maybe it was all me...

Around October, I was reading a fiction Christian romance that I had borrowed from my mom and I came across a dialogue between the main character, we'll call her Sarah, and her romantic counterpart's little brother, Tom. Tom was trying to decide what major he should choose in college. He must have changed his mind 4 or 5 times before Sarah told him what he should be doing is the one thing that he passionately discussed on several occasions in their various conversations. Tom said that the one passion that was so strong in his life was the one thing that scared him the most. His passion was nothing like mine, but God laid my calling so thick on my heart that for the first time in all those years of praying, I knew that I knew that I knew that it really was God calling me to ministry and not me calling me to ministry. Nothing scared/scares me more than ministry, but nothing satisfies me like it either. A theologian once wrote, "If you can see yourself doing anything else, you should be doing it." Ministry is not easy and God will make you miserable in it if that's not where He wants you.

So, I began checking out several different seminaries throughout the country, some in really nice places, some in not-so-nice places. But God had opened up an opportunity for me to visit Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ft. Worth, TX that March (2012). While at the preview conference, God gave me such a peace and longing for southwestern that I knew that was where He wanted me. In order for me to make the decision to go there though, I had to get over my deeply ingrained financial fears and my fears of leaving my family and establishing myself in a new place, among new people.

Now, Fall 2012, I'm here at Southwestern. I've a host of friends (who've in just a few months become family); I've a longing to establish spiritual disciplines; I've a new appreciation for the calling on my life... God has blessed the past few months like I never could've imagined. God's changed my life more than that scared 12 year old little girl from a lil' town in Alabama never could've imagined.

I've always clung to Jeremiah 29: 11-For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.-God has a plan for you and for me that we may not understand. But we must put our faith and trust in Him.

And now, I also hold fast to 2 Timothy 3:16- All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

For Those Who Give Their Lives...

Memorial Day has come once again. The mall was bustling, and I feel as though my feet may fall off from the hours shopping! This morning was the beginning of Vacation Bible School and I'm excited for the week ahead!

But today is about more than shopping and VBS. Memorial Day is a special time of remembrance for the men and women who have served and died in the armed forces. We are truly blessed to have brave men and women fighting for our freedom. They fight so we can worship freely, so we can choose what we want to be when we grow up, so we can have simple luxuries, like deciding whether we want to torture our feet with high heels or whether we want to eat bacon...

So, I want to share one of my favorite quotes:  "Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you. Jesus Christ and the American G.I. One died for your soul, the other for freedom."

As you crawl in to bed tonight, or whenever, think of a soldier. Pray for him. And Pray for our country.

Soldiers, current and former, who are special to me:

My Brother, US Army

 My Bro-in-Law, US Army

My Daddy, US Air Force

My Grandaddy, US Navy

Old & New...

Today, my church, First Baptist Church of Grand Bay, celebrated 115 years of service to the Lord! I have had the privilege of being part of almost 23 years of those 115, and can't wait to see what God has in store for the future! I've been on multiple mission trips [Kentucky, North Carolina, Mexico, etc], participated in numerous VBS's and Camp Noah's, and have been able to worship with other churches around the area. I'm so blessed to have been part of this ministry.

As I gazed over the congregation this morning, I remembered all of the men and women who have gone on to be with the Lord, especially my Daddy and Grandparents. I praise the Lord for them and their influence on my life. Also, I can't thank God enough for my church family that is still around. I love all of them! I am who I am today because of the people who have come before me and who are with me now. 

This morning so many families, old and new, filled the pews to worship together. Bro. Ken Fields (pastor, 1979-1986) brought the message this morning.  He preached from Proverbs 26:11-18 on how every church needs a fresh vision in order to have a future.

I pray that God continues to bless our church so that we may go and send others into the furthest corners of the earth spreading the Gospel. Also, I pray that we raise a generation that loves the Lord.

And when I think of my church family, I think of the song my sister used to sing all of the time:
"Somebody's Prayin'."  This song has gotten me a lot of hard times. Thank you Elizabeth.

Once Upon a Time...

Once upon a time, there was a twenty-two year old girl, raised in a small town in lower Alabama....

I know what you're thinking: Is Deby really going to start her blog with "Once upon a time?" 

Why no, no she isn't... But why isn't she? Because her/my story hasn't ended. Actually, my story is just barely beginning...

As a recent graduate from the University of South Alabama, I'm still trying to figure out what to do with my life! Yes, I have a degree, but what do I do with it? People say, "Life is what happens when you're planning for the future." Well, if that's the case, then I want to live my life while I explore my possibilities for the future! One thing I know for certain is that God has me right in His hands and knows exactly what He wants for my life. So, while I'm on my journey, I'll keep all of you posted! :]

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." -Jeremiah 29:11