Special Blessing

I wanted to share this real quick. I ran across a blog called “The Better Mom” while I was looking at things on Pinterest that I’ve done to show you (tomorrow). Anyways, I decided to follow it for a while to check it out and see if it was something I’d be interested in staying with – my disclaimer – I have not read all the content on this blog, and therefore by sharing this one post I read I am not necessarily endorsing or recommending this blog as a “Good Read” quite yet. – disclaimer finished! :) whew now on to what I wanted to share.

Some of you know that Kenny and I have had a rough couple of weeks. Its been an emotional time of testing and uncertainty for both of us and I would ask your prayers on our behalf as we have some big decisions to make in the coming weeks. (If you do not already know our situation I would like to politely request that you not ask questions but rather keep us in your prayers knowing that God knows what we need. Thank you in advance.) As I was saying before, I ran across this blog and read one of the posts for today. if you would like to read the whole thing you can follow this link. It was a very good, and to the point post that was worth reading.

The writer of the post was quoting a paragraph from a book she was reading called “Dancing With My Father” by Sally Clarkson (Again, I have not read this book myself but merely received a piece of comfort from this excerpt).

To dance in the midst of terrible suffering is to resolve, “I will not be a victim. I will not allow this situation to determine the response of my heart, because I have this life, this chance to trust God, to show his reality through my circumstances. I resolve to remain strong and faithful because of the loving God who holds my hand.” ~Sally Clarkson, Dancing With my Father

That thought “I resolve to remain strong and faithful because of the loving God who holds my hand.” it makes me continually think “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” – Hebrews 13:5. God has not left us to go through this trial alone, He’s been there all the time and will continue to be here, with us.

The other encouragement from this; my role in the situation at hand and the ones that will come in the future is to resolve “…not to be a victim. I will not allow this situation to determine the response of my heart, because I have… this chance to trust God.”

Bex

Happy Birthday Stephy!

Stephany is my one of Bestest Friends from College and today is her 23rd Birthday.

Happy Birthday Stephy, I hope you have a wonderful day!

A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.  ~Donna Roberts

(can’t touch this, nah nah nah naaaaah!)

My 50th Blog Post

I just thought you all should know that I finally made it to 50 Posts! I am just going to be writing about random things today: Things I’m thankful for, favorite quotes, verses, and random thoughts. I hope you enjoy!

1. This is my Nephew Austin and my niece Mikaela.
2. The number one thing I am thankful for is my salvation but after that it is that I was able to grow up in a godly environment with Parents and Grandparents who encouraged me to serve the Lord with my life.
3. I have always wanted to work with teenagers in some way, I guess its a good thing that God brought me a Youth Pastor to marry.
4.  I dislike working in the church nursery, at the same time, my favorite age group for Sunday School is the 2~3 class. Some people think this is strange.
5.  If its going to be cold it should snow and if its not going to snow it should be 78~80 degrees, is that too much to ask?
6. My two best friends… pondering something important I’m sure!
7. Psalm 57:7 – My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.
8. I have developed road rage since dating Kenny. Let me explain, southern drivers do things like stopping at yield signs, or pulling into a parking space that is on the opposite side of the road. I never paid attention to these things until Kenny pointed them out. Now I find myself yelling through the windshield at the idiot in front of me!
9. Peach is the best flavor for a sucker or slushy.
10. When Kenny and I first met we didn’t like each other at all! I thought he was hot on himself and he says that I was a spoiled teenager.
11. My Grandparents along with my mom, on the left and my aunt, on the right. It was my Grandparents 60 something wedding anniversary! (I do know the exact amount of years they’ve been married, I just can’t post it because they just don’t want anyone to know how old they are!)
12. Pastor Camp did a series on Ruth several years ago, after he read Ruth 1:17~18 he made the statement that those two verses would make great marriage vows. Ever since then I’ve wanted to say them to the man I was going to marry in my vows to him.
13. Romans 8:39 – Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
14. I love my job as a barber. When Dad had his hot dog stand he would ask people if they could figure out what I did for a living, I don't think anyone ever guessed right.
15. In my job, I run into people from all over the place, Ireland, London, Cuba, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida. Its quite an education!
16. My brother Stephen, I think he’s adopted. 
17. Bowl cuts look cute on little boys but when your 27 with one its not cute anymore. At the same time, Mohawks and mullets never look good on anyone!
18. Why is it we drive on a Parkway and park on a Driveway?
19. I don’t have a favorite color, only favorite patterns – polka~dots and certain plaids.
20. The name of my blog, “Life in the Big City,” is just a sarcastic way of saying that I live in a small town that tries to do big things. Sometimes they succeed: Hot Nights and Cool Rides is one of the largest car shows in the Southeast; however, sometimes they fail: Dairy Goat Festival and Parade…. what is that?!?!?!?
21. Kenny and Austin playing “Twister.”
22. Vanilla scented candles and a rainy day go hand in hand.
23. Random facts, quotes, and corny jokes are the greatest!
24. Esther is my favorite book of the Bible. God’s name is never mentioned but you can see Him working throughout the story. That idea reminds me of unsaved people, they may not have God in their life yet but you can see Him working so don’t give up!
25. “God grant me the serenity to accept the people I can not change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know its me.” ~Author unknown, variation of an excerpt from “The Serenity Prayer” by Reinhold Neibuhr

I hope you got some enjoyment out of my ramblings for today. Maybe I’ll have something exciting to post later this week.

Snow!!!!!

I absolutely LOVE snow! I love seeing it fall, I love having it on the ground, and I love living in a part of NC that shuts down when it snows so I don’t have to go anywhere! This year I got to have snow for Christmas Day. It started falling mid-morning and just kept right on coming down all day long. Here are some pictures Mom and I took.

This is my Grandma’s house 

“Don’t knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn’t start a conversation if it didn’t change once in a while.” ~ Kin Hubbard

  This is our house

“To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with Spring.” ~ George Santayana

  Our backyard

“The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?” ~ J.B. Priestly

  Out the Front door

“Snowmen fall from Heaven unassembled.”

Down the street

“There’s one good thing about snow, it makes your lawn look just as good as your neighbors.” ~ Clyde Moore

Thankful Thursdays – The Real Christmas Story

 

A lot of times you hear about families reading Luke 2 from the Bible for Christmas; the story of Christ’s birth. But the story doesn’t stop there! I am Thankful today that Christ came to earth to die for the sins of mankind, more specifically for me!

 

When I was 12 I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. It was the best decision I ever made. God loved us so much that He sent his son, Jesus, to come to earth as a baby (Luke 2). He did this with the single purpose of dying on the cross of Calvary for our sins. This was a gift that Christ gave willingly to each one of us, all we need to do is accept it, just like a Christmas present.

I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas on this Thankful Thursday.

Accept Christ’s gift of salvation today and enjoy

“the real reason for the season!”

Thankful Thursday

 I decided to give some thanksgiving quotes for today. Some are funny and some are serious, I hope you enjoy.

 

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of Thanksgiving. ~H.U. Westermayer

 

Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day and leave out the gratitude. ~E.P. Powell

Thanksgiving was never ment to be shut up in one single day. ~Robert Caspar Lintner

An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day. ~Irv Kupcinet

 The unthankful heart… discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings ~Henry Ward Beecher

Let us remember that, as much as has been given to us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds. ~Theodore Roosevelt

Thanksgiving is America’s national chow-down feast, the one occation each year when gluttony becomes a patriotic duty. ~Michael Dresser

Coexistence: What the farmer does with the turkey… until Thanksgiving. ~Mike Connoly

 God has two dwellings; one in heaven, and the other in a meek and thankful heart. ~Izaac Walton

Perhaps it takes a purer faith to praise God for unrealized blessings than for those we once enjoyed or those we enjoy now. ~A.W. Tozer

Gratitude is the sign of noble souls. ~Aesop

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one of them to say thank you?   ~William A. Ward

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. ~Mark Twain

 

Happy Veterans Day!

 
I grew up in a household that was always proud to support our country and the men and women who gives their lives for our freedom. My Dad is a veteran and as a young girl I spent lots of time at the feet of other veterans who I have developed some treasured friendships. Because of this background Veterans Day just can not go un-noticed!

“But the freedom that they fought for,

and the country grand they wrought for,

is their monument to-day, and for aye!”

                  ~ Thomas Dunn English

“This nation will remain the land of the free

only so long as it is the home of the brave.”

~Elmer Davis

“Freedom is never free” ~Unknown

“I think there is one higher office than president,

and I would call that patriot.” ~Gary Hart

“Courage is almost a contradiction in terms.

It means a strong desire to live

                                         taking the form of readiness to die.”

                                        ~G. K. Chesterton

“In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.” ~Mark Twain, The Notebook, 1935 

Thank a Veteran Today!

P.S. If you are a Veteran or Military Personnel living in/near Rutherford County stop by Spindale Barbershop, 111 West Main, Spindale, for a free haircut.

Thank you for your service to our country!

Happy Anniversary Ben and Andrea Hamilton!

Happy Anniversary Ben and Andrea

For your anniversary I’ve gathered a couple quotes about marriage. I hope you enjoy them :)

“Our wedding was many years ago. The celebration continues to this day.” ~Gene Perret

“Love is the thing that enables a woman to sing while she mops up the floor after her husband has walked across it in his barn boots.” ~Hoosier Farmer

“Love one another and you will be happy. It’s as simple and as difficult as that.” ~Michael Leunig (doesn’t this sound just like Pastor Camp?)

“Without love what are we worth? Eighty-nine cents! Eighty-nine cents worth of chemicals walking around lonely.”~M*A*S*H*, Hawkeye

“Love is not singular except in syllable”~Marvin Taylor

“A happy marriage is a long conversation that always seems too short.”~Andre Maurois

“True love stories never have endings”~Richard Bach

“We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”              ~Author Unknown

I wish you both the very best and a wonderful day!

(all of these quotes are from quotegarden.com/anniversary.html/ )