Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Life Right Now

My friend Annie said that blogging is addictive and yet, I do not find myself having much to say. That is obvious since I haven't blogged since September. But there has been a lot going on recently. Our small group is getting closer than ever. Our leaders' oldest child was baptized on Sunday and seeing them moved, moved me. I always get excited when I see more people coming to Christ, but with this little girl, I was moved to tears. Seeing her parents and realizing what it must mean to see your child become a new creation in Jesus - that was priceless.

Then I read Annie's blog, and I am inspired to write. She is an incredible person and I love reading what she has to say. I am inspired by her marriage and how she and her husband are best friends and they make each other laugh. My husband has been dealing with migraines the past 3 years and it has made marriage tough. When we can't even talk when he gets home because he needs to go lie down, it hurts. I know he hates that he can't be the husband he wants to be. I don't know why these started or what has triggered them, but they really suck. And I hate seeing him in pain - I hate knowing he is in pain. God has blessed us in so many ways, and our marriage has needed a shove in the blessing department for a long while. I am grateful for everything the Lord has done for us - but the one thing my heart desires is still in progress. Dustin separated from the Air Force the end of September and God supplied a job. It will be over in March and he will need to find something else. I am also currently looking for a job. I didn't realize how hard it was to find a job. I have submitted at least 50 resumes and have only had 2 interviews so far - all in the last 2 months. There are definitely many stressors in life, and I really try not to focus on the negative. But sometimes, it wiggles its way inside you and manifests into illness, bitterness, resentment - all that nasty stuff God never wanted us to handle.

Other than that, life is good. God has blessed us with incredible family and friends.

I never really know what to say on here. I just start typing and the words just flow...

Until next time...whenever that is....

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Praise You in this Storm

Praise You in This Storm
words by Mark Hall/music by Mark Hall and Bernie Herms (Casting Crowns)

I was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day. But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.

Chorus:
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away

Chorus

I lift my eyes onto the hills where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth

Chorus

Have you ever heard this song? It is incredible! Today, a need arose in our lives and I sent out a prayer request to our life group. God is so good! It reminded me how much I love that group, and it reminded me that God's grace is evident in everything. Just knowing how much He loves us, and knowing what amazing friends we have, it has just lifted us up. We know we will make it through yet another challenge in our lives. It may take some sacrifice on our part, it may be hard, but we WILL make it through.

I can't express how awesome God is! I heard this song on the radio while Dustin and I were driving home this evening. It struck a chord in me. Then I came home and found THE most encouraging emails from some of the people Dustin and I love and respect the most.

God is good!!! If you are going through something tough right now, I encourage you to find this song and really listen to it. Go to your Creator and know that He is working out everything for the good - because HE is good!

God bless you all! And to those of you who were mentioned here (you know who you are) thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything! We love you all so very much!

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Side By Side

In our small group we are studying Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. Last night we talked about men's need for a shoulder to shoulder friendship with his wife. It was a very enlightening discussion. Those always seem to help more than just reading the chapter. So after small group, Dustin and I proceed to leave and go to our car (Annie was parked behind us and she was talking to Karen, so we weren't going anywhere) where we sat and just talked about what we got out of the discussion and where we saw we were both not always around each other. It showed us that we needed to work on our friendship. I know I like to be where Dustin is, but I always felt it annoyed him, and I could think of so many other things I could probably be doing or would rather be doing. So I would leave and do my own thing, not knowing that it was slowly hurting not only my marriage, but my best friendship. I also realized we do not always like each other, even though we do love each other. That hurts, you know? I kept asking myself "When did this start happening? Where did we make a wrong turn?" It's funny. I kept saying to him, we need to build a friendship, because I don't feel like we have one anymore. But we didn't know how to do it...until last night.

So as we talk, Annie finally finishes her conversation with Karen, and leaves, Dustin and I following her out. Our talk just kept getting better and better. We stopped at Walmart for a vinyl shower curtain liner and some dinner. Usually, we part ways and each go get something on the list to get it done faster, but last night, we stayed side by side. We checked ourselves out, got home, and made our dinner. While it was baking, I watched him play a computer game until dinner was done. We got our plates and headed to the living room and we watched the rest of the Clemson - FL State football game. During that time, I asked him why they always say 1st and 10 and how it proceeds to 2nd and 6, 3rd and 2, etc. So while we watched football together(which I usually really hate doing), he was answering my questions so I could understand even better what was going on. That was so awesome! I enjoyed just learning from him and I actually enjoyed that game. Clemson won by the way...barely! From there we went to bed, where we actually held each other - and told each other how much we LIKED one another. Today, he got home from work, and I was in the office, checking email and such and he came and sat in here with me and read a book while I did my thing. It just made me smile and I told him again "Dustin, I really like you!" He smiled back. So, I signed into my google account to write this blog.

One small victory. I know that we will focus on building our friendship on a daily basis, now that we know what to do. Our small group has been a blessing from the very beginning! This is just another point to how God uses our group to bless everyone in it. Thank you everyone in our Life group, for choosing this book to study! It has been an answer to many prayers! We love you all!

Saturday, August 18, 2007

The Proper Way to Blog

Here I go again. You know, sometimes, you just have to write your feelings and/or thoughts down on paper (or in this case, type it on the computer). ;-) But then there are times like right now, where there is just nothing else to do, so I guess you could call it bored, and so I come in here and try to sound dignified about some problem, somewhere. Of course, I haven't really narrowed it down to just one problem...

I think I may get random...a common thing for me to do. Oh, by the way, if you have been reading all my blogs, I have an update on my post Rambling. My friend Tina sent me a link to a site that does deep sea fishing and is cheaper than private charters, so my family got excited again and are coming out here! Yea! They will be here the end of September. Of course, when they arrive and do the overnight fishing trip, Tina and I will be in Myrtle Beach on a Women's retreat with our church. I am super excited about that! We made spa appointments at the same time so we can go together. I am having a chocolate raspberry bath! Now I have no idea what that is really going to include, but it sounds delightful...as I long as I don't eat my way out of the tub! :-) LOL. No, seriously, it should be really relaxing and a wonderful time to build friendships with other women, and make present friendships stronger. And of course, it will be a wonderful worship experience - how to be a stronger woman of faith. The cool thing is, is when I get back, my mom and step dad will be arriving and my mom and I are going to do a spa day together here. Good old mother/daughter bonding...massages, body wraps, facials, manicures, and pedicures...oh boy! That is something I could get used to! Who doesn't like to be pampered every once in a while? One of my uncles is getting a timeshare down in Edisto where apparently there is a lot of fun things to do there as well. Plus, good ole Charleston shopping and dining make for a special time everyone can enjoy!

...

See? See how I ramble on and on? It's a gift. And no, you can't have it...

Anyone feeling better since reading my blog? :-) lol. You should you know...there was a lot of feeling and heart going into this. (Giggle)

Ok ok...so I really didn't have anything dignified to say at this time, but I am not bored anymore...I entertained myself...especially as I read it over.

Friends, thank you for being my friends...if anything, I hope you uttered a small bit of laughter...Karen, you better have LOL!

Oh No You Didn't

Great discussion going on here re:feminism. What's your take on it?

stragglingband: Oh No You Didn't

Friday, August 17, 2007

Just a little somethin' somethin'

Good judgement comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgement.

I just liked this quote...:-)

Thursday, August 9, 2007

God Wants to Bless Us

Before I start, I just want to ask you to pray that God reveals to you what He wants as you read this. Ask Him to open your mind and heart, that you will receive my words well.

I was talking to a friend this week about something and then again today. It seems God is teaching me a certain principle about Him and I have been given the opportunity to share it with a couple people already. Sometimes, I don't know everything God has in store. And even though I know He is a loving God, I catch myself asking, "Does He really want this for me? Am I being selfish?" Because I feel like so many Christians think that God doesn't want us to live a rewarding life, or a blessed and fulfilled life. Especially, if money is involved. First off, money isn't good or bad. It depends on the person - good people do good things with money. Bad people do bad things with money. And even though I don't agree that material things should be idols, I do believe that there isn't anything wrong with having nice things. Dustin and I are building a business right now, to make money. More money. But I believe we are blessing others with this business and when the money comes in, we have plans for it. I know that if we were blessed with abundance, we would share the wealth. We have so many people we want to help out monetarily. Just like today, I had lunch with a friend who is struggling financially right now, and has been for the past year and a half. If I already had extra cash, you can bet I would anonymously be slipping some into her purse. Now, I do want a nicer home, and a nicer and safer car (yes I know we have a pretty good one right now and I am thankful - but it won't last forever), but is that really so wrong? As long as I am not idolizing it and making it my priority, I believe the Lord wants to bless us like this at times. As much as I believe that God doesn't want us to be poor, He also doesn't want us to hoard. If I had more, I would share more. I believe God blesses those He can trust. Because the money isn't ours anyway, it is His. We are just stewards over it and He decides how much we can handle. Dustin and I have made poor choices in the past 4 years of marriage, concerning finances, but I believe we are learning to make better choices. We tithe every month, whether money is tight or not. We have made that decision to give God what He asks of us. That in itself has made a huge difference. We have faith that He won't drop us on our tooshes. Because He does want us to have a rich life (not necessarily monetarily). At the same time, if you don't believe that He wants the best for you, then you probably won't have the best. We have to believe it before we will ever receive it - that is faith! I heard this expression one time: "If you think you can't, you're right. If you think you can, you're right." How are we thinking? And do we really believe that God wants to pour His favor on us? Now, I have a friend who had a problem with that word, and I understand what he meant. Let me try and explain what I think God's favor is. (Refer to Ephesians 2:7) Basically, you need to expect God's blessings. Make room in your own thinking* - remove negativity and focus on being positive. What I mean by that is, have nice thoughts about yourself, and when things are going not so good, keep an uplifting and faithful outlook. Don't dwell on the bad things - don't criticize and complain that nothing ever seems to go your way. Stay positive. God's favor is His joy, that He wants us to have. Read Matthew 9:17*. God cannot give us His blessings if we are not open to them. Just like in Matthew it says, "You can't put new wine into old wineskins." If we keep a defeated attitude, a faithless attitude, God can't bless that. He wants us to see all that He wants for us. Even though we are here to be His disciples and to make disciples, He wants us to have a great life on earth. Yes, there are rewards in Heaven that nothing on earth can measure against. But there are rewards here too. Don't think of it as being selfish or better than anyone else. Because we aren't. We are saved. We just need to remember that He is a giving God. Faith is believing that good things are always coming your way. Does that mean you won't ever have a bad day again? No, of course not. But keeping His favor in mind and staying positive and faithful through the sludge is how He wants us to live.
Another thing my friend and I were talking about was the fact that there are faithful Christians out there living in mud huts and serving Him in more desolate areas. True. Does that mean they are not living a rich life or have the favor of God? No! They are doing the best that they can with what God has given them in these situations. They chose to do that and that makes them fulfilled. Not everyone is called to do that. But those that are, are faithful and filled with the Father's joy. Why? Because He has placed it on their hearts, it is their dream to do what they are doing. They have the favor of God.
God has had this on my heart for a while now, and I hope that as you read this that you saw how much God wants for all us. Also, I am not writing this out of selfishness, trying to turn His words and meaning into something materialistic. To wrap it up, just know that God truly loves you and wants the best for you.

*From book Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Rambling

I can't believe it is Wednesday already! How the days, weeks, months, and even years fly by! I remember when I was little it seemed that the years lasted so long. It always seemed like Christmas was further and further away each year. Now that I am older, and married, the years flash by in a blink of an eye. It makes me consider what is truly important in life. I am 26 and as I was trying to fall asleep last night, I kept thinking to myself that I am not getting any younger but at the same time I don't think I am ready for a child all my own. I get whims occasionally where I really want to see what Dustin and I can create together. I start imagining going out with my little girl and shopping like I always do with my mom. I still love to hang out with my mommy. (Yes, I still call her mommy...is that a crime????) She is one of my best friends now. And I think that is so cool. But then I start thinking of everything that it takes to care for a child and I get overwhelmed. All my friends have children and I love their kids. All of them. But I see certain things they have to go through and put up with and I thank God that I don't have to deal with that yet. I ask Him if I will ever be ready, if I will ever be mature enough and responsible enough to take care of a child, or children. What a mess... My mom was an awesome mother. I only hope I can at least be as great as she was and still is...

Speaking of my momma, she is supposed to be coming for a visit in September but I think that is going to be postponed now. Just a month probably. My uncles wanted Dustin to put together a deep sea fishing trip for them so he does. But apparently, it costs a lot more to go deep sea fishing in the Atlantic than it does in the Gulf. So, they have backed out, and needless to say, I am rather disappointed. I had been working on accommodations, dining out, and things to do in the Charleston area..which if you live here, know that there is a ton to do. I have lived here for 4 years now and I still haven't done even close to everything that is offered here. Part of the problem is, Dustin and I both seem to have a hard time making decisions. We always want the other to decide so they will be happy and that eventually leads to a crazy cycle. But I believe now, though we still tend to go back to old habits, we are learning how to avoid the crazy cycles because we can see them coming and we just veer off that path. (Wow...that WAS a bunny trail). So now that the deep sea fishing trip is off, all of my investigations are for naught. My daddy really needs to get his tail down here too. He hasn't been here once since I moved here. I wonder if he is avoiding the issue that I am all grown up and have a home of my own...married. What do you do?

Breathe.

Man, this blog thing is fun! Now, I really don't know who would want to read this, but it really helped to unload my mind. Very fulfilling and relaxing. I didn't know I had so much to say. Even if it is just rambling...

Later gators! (You know, we really do have to watch out for those here...there is no way I am water skiing in any of their rivers or lakes here...too many gators. I am afraid they would find me as yummy as the state bird of SC does...you know, the mosquito. Yikes!!!)

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

I have been sucked in...

Well, here I am. Most of friends are doing the Blog thing, and I felt compelled to be sucked into the chaos. To open, as my very first post, my name is Cassie. I live in South Carolina, but I am an original Texan. I am married to a very humble and Godly man, Dustin. We have 2 miniature schnauzers, Bailey and Jasmine. They are, without a doubt, the cutest and the most spoiled dogs in history. The four of us are quite the little family. We attend Riverbluff Church and have made the dearest friends there, our Life Group. They are an amazing group and I continually thank God for a chance to have such wonderful people in my life. They are indeed, a blessing.

As I sit here, pondering, I am listening to the thunder outside and it makes me remember how utterly small we are, yet so powerful at the same time. Our Creator has given us ALL power and authority over heaven and earth through His Son Jesus! As Christians, I think we sometimes forget Whose we are. I know I personally think badly about myself, that I just don't measure up to the world. I have made it my mission to remind myself on a daily basis that I am a daughter of The King. I am royalty, and I am made in His image. Why is it we get so sucked in to what the world thinks of us, and not what God thinks of us? Our devout leader in our small group, Ted G., was moved by the sermon on Sunday and we pulled it apart more last night in group. We have an Audience of One. The One that really matters. He has the final say so in the end, not the media, models, celebrities, our friends, our family. God does. Who are we trying to impress more? The world? Or God our Father? I hope we all strive to impress our Lord and not the world. What can we do everyday that is pleasing to Him? When we are doing things the right way, His way, we can expect opposition. And we can't allow it to matter to us that others don't agree with us or they give us a hard time. We have to know and believe that God is pleased and overjoyed that we are sticking it out, winning the race! It is not all about me. As much as I like to think so sometimes, it just isn't so. There are so many people who need to hear about Jesus and I want to get out there and make an impact for Christ! That is something I really like about our Life Group, we are getting ready to get missional. We are ready to be those witnesses, those disciples for Jesus! God is so engrained in our group. He is always present. Thank you Ted and Pastor Curt for this insight.

I am humbled and honored to be called a Child of God. Whose are you?

Until next post...

In the Sweetest Name I know,
Cassie