There is No Plan B

In the last year and a half or so I have learned to like reading. It's amazing how enjoyable something can be when you are not forced to or when it is not in relation to school. I have read several good books in the past year and a half or so. I am not a person who will have a book in her hand ALL the time but I have learned to enjoy it.

I am currently reading "Radical" by David Platt

This Book has absolutely rocked my world!!!

And most definitely brought on conviction. I have loved it and I am making changes that I feel need to be made in my life.

If I quoted everything that I deemed "quote worthy" I would probably just copy the book onto here...So instead I suggest you read it yourself! But, I do want to mention some things that have been on my mind lately.

Last week sometime I read Chapter 7. It took me a while to get through it because I really wanted the things that David Platt was talking about to sink in. This particular Chapter just really hit me hard and had me just heartbroken for people who have never had the chance to hear the Gospel. In fact, I went on to Chapter 8 and then in the middle of this week, I went back and read 7 again.

Some of what He talks about within this Chapter are as follows...

There is No Plan B

Why going is Urgent, not optional

More than 4.5 billion people in the world today are without Christ

More than a billion have NEVER  heard the gospel

What happens to these people when they die?

This is one of the most important questions facing Christianity in America today.

"If people will go to heaven simply based on their Native religious preferences there is no urgency for any of us to go to them. But if they will go to heaven because they have never heard of Christ, then there is indescribable urgency for all of us to go to them. If people are dying and going to hell without ever even knowing there is a gospel, then we clearly have no time to waste our lives on the American Dream."

Feeling the "Urgency" yet??? If not, just wait...:0)

What does the Bible say about people who never hear of Jesus? Are they "innocent" because they have not heard? Is it something that every person is entitled to? And if they do not...Do they get a "free pass" to heaven.

According to Romans 3

10) As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one;

11) There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.

12)All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." 

Platt goes on to say, " There are no innocent people in the World just waiting to hear the gospel. Instead there are people all over the world standing guilty before a holy God, and that is the very reason they need the Gospel"

So if there are a billion people in this world who need the Gospel...How will it get to them?

Let's read Romans 10

13) For, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved

14) How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without  someone preaching to them?

15) And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Based on scripture,Platt breaks it down perfectly for us...

"The simple divine plan for taking the gospel to all the peoples of the world.

God sends his servants>>> His servants preach>>> People Hear >>>

Hearers believe>>> Believers call>>>

Every one who calls is saved"

"Now look back at this progression and ask one question: Is there any place where this plan can break down?....there is only one potential break down in this progression- When Servants of God do not Preach the Gospel to All peoples."

"We are the Plan of God, there is NO plan B"

"God Clearly has decided to use the church- and only the church- as the means by which his gospel will go to the ends of the earth"

"If this is true, then the implications for our lives are huge. If more than a billion people today are headed to a Christless eternity and have not heard the gospel, then we don't have times to waste our lives on the American Dream"

Some people are unable for various reasons to physically go on a mission trip. With that being said, If God lays it on your heart to participate in a mission trip. LISTEN! Do not listen to the enemy when he tells you, "I can't come up with the money, or I can't get off work, or this just isn't the right time" If God wants you to Go...which we just determined through scripture that he in fact does...Then, have Faith. He will provide a way. But, you have to take steps in that direction.

I want to end by telling one of my "God stories"

( I have many, but I'll stick with one for now;0)

In Oct of 2009 I was supposed to leave for Nicaragua to be part of a medical mission trip. The total cost of the trip was around $1100.00. I had been trying to save but it seemed like at the same time a ton of unexpected expenses came up and I was barely holding my head above water financially, much less had anything extra to save for the trip.

I really felt like the Lord wanted me to go on this trip, but around $600.00 was due for the plane ticket and I had no idea where it was going to come from. I got very nervous and started to think maybe I would have to back out of the trip. I was praying and trying to have faith, but I was down to less than a week before it was due and still was not even close to having the money. I put it in the Lord's hands. Little did I know...God had a plan far bigger than I could have imagined as to how He would provide the money for me to go on this trip.

On the Sunday before the Wed that the money was due(still with me?:0) I visited Center point Free Will Baptist Church. Several of my very close friends and people that I look up to go to church there. Most of them claim me as their own and I just love them. Anyway, at the end of the service Bro. Glenn started kinda talking to me and asking me questions about my trip. It was not out of the ordinary, he is always interested in what is going on with me and likes to be updated. He asked me to come up to the front. I still wasn't really sure what was going on, I thought maybe he wanted to pray for me or something. He started talking about how much he and the people of the church loved me, were proud of me, and were excited that I was able to go and that they wanted to help me. He handed me a card. My eyes filled up with tears and I began to cry. He went on to tell me that they had taken up a little over $600.00. I could barely speak. I was so overwhelmed by God and His provision and faithfulness. I could not believe they had taken up that much money for me. He said, "we have taken this up for 2 weeks and we will have one more week to give people a chance to give." CPFWBC is a small church, but they do not let that stop them. They have a HUGE heart for missions and do their part to impact the Kingdom.They gave because the Lord layed it on their heart to do so, and even though I have thanked them numerous times I do not think they will ever know the impact that it made on my life. They were just being obedient to God, they had no idea about the place I was financially or about how extremely stressed out about it I was. They had no idea how much relief came into my life at that single moment, and words can't really explain it. When it was all said and done they gave a little over $700.00!!! They helped me pay for 3/4 of my trip and made it possible for me to go. I will never forget it.

About a week later, I went to prayer at GFBC. We would pray every Wed night for the Generation service to follow on Thursday. After prayer Jody Dial came up to me and said, " I have a friend that asked me if there was anyone going on the trip that needed help financially. I think everyone else is pretty much set...but I wanted to check with you and see if you could use the help?" I let out a huge sigh, smiled, my eyes filled with tears and I began to tell him what had happened the week before, and that I was so amazed at how God was providing. God had also provided for him too! He shared his story with me. It was really cool to share stories about how BIG God is. I love it!

Because all of these people were obedient to Christ, I was able to go and be a part of the medical team.

We were able to physically touch over 1200 people in 3 1/2 clinic days and share the story of Jesus with each one of them. The 2nd village we went to had never heard the name of Jesus before. We treated 800 people in that village alone, and as a result a meeting was held on our last night there, and they decided to plant a church!!! Not only that, but we had many Salvations and about 12 Baptisms the morning we left!!!

I say all this to make several points...

• Do not make excuses for not being able to do what we are called to do. God will provide a way. Have Faith.
• Not just me and the rest of the people that physically went with me to Nicaragua made a difference in these peoples lives and introduced Christ to them...but each and every person that gave, prayed, supported, and encouraged were just as much a part also.
•  If the Lord prompts you to do something...I encourage you to Obey. Whether it be to help financially or just give a word of encouragement, You never know the impact you will have on people or where they are in life. Often times you will receive a blessing in return.
• There are multiple ways to "take the Gospel to all peoples" . Find a way. Impact the Nations. Don't sit around asking God what His will is... We know his will. TO PROCLAIM HIS NAME!

"However, I consider My life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace"

Acts 20: 24



No Pain, No Gain

1/2 Marathon training is now in progress!!!

Since the snow has finally taken a hiatus, and the sunshine has shown its Beautiful face...I have finally found the motivation to start running again!

a little history...

I used to run 2-3 miles on a pretty regular basis. I loved it. I loved the energy it gave me. I loved being outside, I loved having a goal to work towards, and of course I love what it did for my body...minus knee-joint pain ;0) I began getting sick when I ran...I figured it was just something I could "push through" and the competitive side of me was determined to do just that. However, a lot of times my runs would end with throwing up(my apologies to those with queezy stomachs) and/or passing out. I was finally diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse with Dysautonomia. The Dr. said that one of the best things I could do was drink a lot of water and continue running. I still get sick at times, and still not sure why, therefore not really sure on how to prevent it. I have taken several months off but I am starting to miss it and am determined to figure out how to run and not get sick to my stomach, so I'm going with a new approach!

Back to the Basics

I am used to running a 10 min mile, sometimes 9(on a good day). I realize that is not record time, but it's a good time for me. I was also used to running 2-3 miles consistently. So when I go for a run, those are the goals that I automatically tend to set for myself. I still get sick( more often than not lately). So I'm going with a different approach. Not to focus so much on time, but rather endurance. So I started back at square one. Literally, square one. The first day I ran 5min, walked 5min. I made myself hold back, obviously knowing I could go farther but I just wanted to focus on being consistent. I am now up to 2.5-3miles. I am not running it with as much ease as I had hoped, but it is definitely better. My plan is to finish this week out running 3 miles consistently and then to start my 1/2 marathon training plan next week. Only 10 weeks until the race!

Running Tips

I was doing a little research(I'm a dork, I will research just about anything) on running. I just wanted to see what other people had to say and any advice that I could incorporate with the knowledge I already have. There is actually TONS of info and opinions on the subject...some helpful, some not so helpful. Here are a few of the things I found.

Use a Running Program

I just googled different training programs, until I found one that I liked and best fit with my schedule.

(Will post a link once I get Home and check which website it was)

Set a Goal

My goal is to be able to run 13 miles by April 30th

I will be running the Music City Half Marathon and I am WAY excited!!!

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

This is hard for me. I have to make a conscious effort to drink enough. I drink water all of the time anyway, so that is not an issue, but I am just not naturally a "thirsty person". So I just have to force myself to get enough fluid. But I am doing better!

Eat a good high-protein Breakfast, then have a light lunch. Run on an empty stomach- at least two, preferrably three hours after your last meal. Save the carbs for the meal after the run to replenish the muscle sugar-at least an hour after your run.

This was the simplest description I could find. I get completely overwhelmed when you go to counting protein, calories, sugars, carbs etc. Its information overload. Diet is the hardest part of this whole thing for me. I am a french fries, choc covered peanuts kinda girl (not together just in general-I felt a clarification was in order;0)...So eating things that are good for me is a work in progress ;0)

Get a Good pair of running shoes

I have a pair, but I have worn them out. planning on purchasing a new pair in the very near future. I think my knees will appreciate it!

Belly Breathe

I'm sorry, what??? I do not understand what this means. It seems like it would cause me to hyperventilate. But a few different websites reffered to it, so I'm passing it along and plan on figuring out this method.

Cross Train
I signed up yesterday for Bodyshock Boot Camp. Sounds intense, yeah? I have no doubt that it will be! I start Monday. This will be my cross training for at least the next month. Not to mention that swimsuit season is approaching all too quickly! I'm depending on the fact that I will be living on the equator for 10 days to help take care of the pasty/transparent skin problem:0)

Warm up...Then Stretch
This was a new concept to me. I ALWAYS stretch first and sometimes I do not warm up. I just start running. Apparently stretching when your muscles are cold can do more bad than good. So I plan to change this up, in hopes to see better results.

Get a Cute Outfit that You Feel Good in for Motivation
I plan on doing this, but not for my everyday running. Tshirt and shorts that semi- match are sufficient ;0)
However, I am all girl. and a girls gotta look good... I will be purchasing a pair of bright colored, jazzy running shorts with matching shirt to wear on race day! It's actually one of the things I look forward the most. Crazy? possibly...but it makes me happy:0)

Another thing I am looking forward to is crossing that finish line!
I felt good when I crossed my 1st 5k finish line, but I can only imagine the exhilarating feeling you get when you complete your first half marathon...that's a big accomplishment!
I imagine it might be something like this

I am aware this pic is disturbing, but It made me giggle and I feel like something would have to be pretty good to make a pig smile!

Feel free to comment any advice you may have!

A little Bit of Randomness...

I Once was Blind, But Now I see
I had my eyes checked two weeks ago... and was told the very thing I was afraid of..."You have to have glasses and contacts" . I have procrastinated on getting them checked because I knew the end result, But I was beginning to become a hazard on the road and thought it would be best for others if I finally went:0)
I used to have perfect vision, I guess I'm getting old?!? :0/


Most of the time I think I wear my contacts inside out, but I'm learning to distinguish the difference. I am down to about 1-2 min instead of 20... on how long it takes me to get them in and out of my eyes.
My glasses came yesterday

Its only the first day, but Oh my word...It is going to take some getting used to. They have given me a Headache most of the day. However, I have gotten positive feedback, so that's a plus:0)


I also wanted to share a verse I read this Morning
I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is my right hand I will not be shaken" ~ Psalm 16:8
I got done with what I was supposed to read in the One year Bible reading plan a little earlier than normal this morning.I still had some time before I had to get up to get ready for work. I was just flipping through and found this verse.
I just LOVED it. We can do nothing by ourselves, but with God nothing is impossible. It was just a great way to start the day. I felt so empowered! :0)

Give it Away

This weekend we had our first local outreach mission project with our small groups

Mine and Autumn's small group partnered with another small group and had a "Give it away" yard sale in the Desperation Church parking lot this past Saturday. How it works is basically, we set everything up just as you would a normal yard sale except there are no prices! which, that is the part I hate the most...so it works out!:0) We put all of our stuff together and gave it away to people that needed it. Overall, the day went really well. We didn't have as many people as we had expected, but it still went great, and hopefully made a difference in someone's life.

we found a few things we liked!:0)

Other Highlights of the weekend:

"Hallelujah it's Raining Men!"

We had a just dance party...

Favorite quote of the night-

Anna- "Smooth Jeremy!"

Jeremy- " I don't got smooth, I have jerky and awkward!"

Happy 89th Bday to my Great Grandmother, Mamaw Parks!

Seesters!!!



Loving the Least of These

Meet Baby John Wamono!!!

"For my Father and my Mother have Forsaken me, But the Lord will take me in"

Psalm 27:10

His Story

James and John (he has a twin brother) were born on the 15th of April, 2010 in the village of Bududa. Their mother died in childbirth and they were left with their alcoholic father and many other young siblings whom their father was already finding difficult to support. A woman who originated from that village heard of their sad story and called Damali to tell her about the babies. Immediately Sonrise arranged to receive these little ones into our care. The twins were just 2 days old when they were brought to Sonrise. We learned that the babies had only been given water to drink in the village their first few days. Needless to say we were happy to make the transition to milk as soon as they arrived at the home. The doctor has informed us that the twins are normal and healthy. They are steadily growing and doing well.

Today, I welcome a new addition to my family (me and lexi:0)

Nothing that I can say in this post is going to be able to express to you how absolutely excited I am!!!

But for what it is worth I am going to try:0)

John is a baby that I am sponsoring from Sonrise Baby Home at the Orphanage in Jinja, Uganda (where I will be on my mission trip in March) I have known that I was going to sponsor a child for a while, but also knew that I would be going to the Orphanage this year. I wanted to wait and meet the babies and see if there was a particular one that I bonded with and start sponsoring that one.

 God just kinda convicted me in the last couple of weeks, and if I am going to be telling people about the Orphanage and how to start sponsoring...then I should already be doing my part. I began to pray about which one I should sponsor. When you read all there Bios and see there sweet faces in pictures, you want to help every single one of them and it is hard to choose!

Truthfully, I will fall in love with all of them while I am there. How can you not?! and it would have probably only made my decision that much harder. So I chose John...and I feel like he is my own! I am so excited!!! After all, can't you just see the resemblance?!? ;0) JK!

I know that I want to adopt one day, but obviously I am not at a point in my life where that is an option.

I work at Children's Hospital...I am so not ready for a kid!

But I am THRILLED to sponsor one.

I cannot wait to meet him and squeeze his little neck when I get to Africa in March!

My biggest role in his life will be to obviously sponsor him and help financially, but I believe more importantly my role is to anoint him in prayer each and every day. I am so extremely blessed to have parents that love me unconditionally and pray for me everyday. John does not have that privilege, but that is where I have the ability to make a difference. I can be that person for him. and though to the world all odds seem to be against him...Mark 11:24 says,

 "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours"

 I am so thankful for the work that Damali and others there at Sonrise are doing to pour the name of Jesus into these little ones' life. I pray that each and every one of them cling to the truths that they are being taught, choose life, and overcome their "odds"... and in turn, take the name of Jesus to the rest of Africa.

There are so many needs on this earth and countless ways to give yourself away...

God commands us to do so...

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: To look after Orphans and Widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" - James 1:27

If you are not already doing so, I urge you to seek the Lord and ask Him what he would have you to do, to give yourself away... and be obedient to that. This is one of the many things God laid on my heart to do but there are countless other ways to give. Allow the Lord to lead you, but do something.

If while reading this, you have an interest in sponsoring a child from Sonrise you can go to this link www.sonrisebabies.com

and find out more about it, or message me and I can get you more info.

John is approaching his 1st bday on April 15th ( I will be there close to it!) So he is obviously a lot bigger than his pic on the website. As I receive updates and newer pictures from Sonrise I will pass them along!

Happy Friday!!!

Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather!!!:0)

"And whoever welcomes one such child in my name, welcomes me"

Matthew 18:5



Greater Things are Yet to Come

I am new to this, so I don't really know if there is "Blog etiquette". Therefore, I don't really know if its ok to post back to back??? I'm claiming ignorance and doing it anyway!!! :0)

I consider last year a great year... I came to a better place spiritually, made a lot of new friends, and tried and experienced a lot of new things...some of which I will share with you!

My spiritual walk with the Lord was much different last year
 For the first time I felt like I did not have all of this "Muck" to work through in order to get closer to God. I was able to walk hand in hand with Him and allow Him to "grow" me, teach me about myself, and challenge me with new responsibilities. I'm not saying I have it all together by any means. I am human. I am imperfect and I slip up. That is why I am so thankful for God's forgiveness and grace, but I can definitely see How far he has brought me and it is a GREAT feeling!:0) All glory goes to my Father!

                                                                
I ran my 1st 5K!

 

Mercedes 5k with Brittany Pelfrey and Toni Tucker

It would be our luck that there would be snow on the ground! But we toughed it out

official time: 29min 16sec

I also ran The Race for the Cure 5K last Oct

and a midnight run 5K in Cullman

I do not currenlty have pics from that

 1st medical Mission trip to Nicaragua

Elmo, Shey, Jody, Mark(behind me), and myself on our very long and HOT hike to/through the jungle

drawing water from the well for my MUCH needed bath!!!

Partner in crime:0)

Love Her!

Hunter and I on our medical "house calls"

I went Caving for the 1st time. a.k.a "Spelunking"

I loved it!

However, I was not a fan of these creatures...

 tried sushi...

didn't love it, didn't hate it

Learned to like spinach leaf salad

It's a big deal for me. Lettuce makes me gag!

taught myself to sew Children's clothes

minor detail... I went to jail:0/ .... LONG story

total misunderstanding, but nevertheless it was the first time

and it did happen

And last but not least...

I planned, decorated, and directed my first wedding ever for my very good friends

Cortney and Shane Phillips

I was pretty proud of the center pieces:0)

I'm going to take a second to brag...people were asking for my card...That's success in my book!

Candy table

inside the church at Tannehill

Sign in table

Thanks to a few YOUTUBE videos and this friend right here, We were able to pull off a beautiful wedding  for Cortney and Shane. It takes a real man to help you tie bows and arrange flowers on his saturday;0)

Unfortunately,my hair was suffering from the chaos of the day and the fact that I literally got dressed in <2min...but The wedding and Cortney were BEAUTIFUL and that is what matters!

Mr. and Mrs. Phillips

May God Bless your Marriage!!!!

All around a pretty great year

...And This Year I expect nothing Less!!!

21 Day fast

It has already started off to be a pretty great year. My church did a 21 day fast to start the new year off, as we are a new church and want it to glorify God in every aspect. I had never fasted that long before, so I was a little nervous, But I stuck with it and God blessed me for it. He took me to a new level spiritually. I have diligently prayed for Him to set me on Fire for Him. He has been so good and faithful to me. We are reading the One year Bible as a church and I am Loving it. I am looking forward to what God is going to do in my life this year.

I'm leading my First Small Group

Autumn and Myself are leading a girls cooking small group. This is kind of a big deal for me, as I do not naturally just Love to lead things. But Its not about staying in my comfort zone, So I push myself. I have really enjoyed it. Our group is growing and the girls really seem to like it. We get together every Monday night and cook a meal together. We have some domestic Divas in our group and some who can barely operate a microwave, so it is a lot of fun to teach each other and bring different things to the table (No pun intendeed;0) I have also enjoyed getting to know the girls I did not know very well and build relatonships with them. We are responsible for 1 local outreach project a month and 1 foreign mission project a quarter. More on that later, but our first local mission project is this saturday...praying it goes well!!!

Going to Uganda, Africa March 25 thru April 3

to work at Sonrise Baby Home-an orphanage in Jinja

READY FOR IT TO GET HERE!!!

On April 30th I plan to run my 1st Half Marathon with my friend Anna Richter

I know several other people who will be there running also...

Needless to say,It has already started out to be a pretty busy year and God has already blessed me beyond measure. I can't wait to see what He has in store for the rest of the year!



What is Not Started Today, Is Never Finished Tomorrow

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