Let It Snow

Before we left Seattle to go to Atlanta for Thanksgiving, we got some snow! Being from the South, snow is a winter treat, so I was very excited! It's just so beautiful. The picture is of our new home.

I have now learned how to drive in snow and ice (not very well but I can do it). The city sort of shut down because of the weather. All schools were closed among many other places. I figured Seattle would be prepared for this weather, but they're not. Highways and major roads are cleared but residential roads are not.

The day of our flight to Atlanta, we planned on picking up some skis for me. We didn't realize we had to drive down an icy hill to get them. I have a new saying: what goes down must come up. We couldn't make it up either hill. We kept sliding backwards multiple times. It was really scary! We felt so out of control! Our flight was leaving in less than 2 hours, and we were stuck. I prayed and called AAA. Right when I got through to AAA, Chris decided to give it one more try. We made it and were so relieved! I believe God saved us from the pit we got ourselves into!

It looks like it's going to be a pretty cold winter!

Black and White

One thing I've been learning about God lately is that He is black and white about most things. Just to clarify, I'm not talking about things that are of little importance: tattoos, piercings, drinking, food, etc. But He is very clear on what is black and white.

I think the most important thing to understand is that we live in a world where a battle exists between life and death. Life is God and all that brings glory to Him. Death is from satan and all that brings glory to him.

Words can bring life or death. Let's say a child doesn't do very well on a project. We can choose to speak life or death to the child. By saying, "You'll never amount to anything," we are building up satan's kingdom. But by saying, "I see great potential in you," we are building up God's kingdom.

God is very black and white. Are we speaking words of life or death? Are our actions building up God's kingdom or satan's kingdom? Are the clothes we're wearing causing another to stumble? Are the things I'm watching advancing satan's kingdom? By not keeping my mouth shut, did I speak words of death to another?

When we think about building up God's kingdom or satan's kingdom, it sounds so easy. Of course we don't want to build up satan's kingdom, but there are times when we've all done it. The hardest thing for me are the things I speak and the things I watch. It's so hard to watch a movie or flip on the tv and find a show that's not advancing satan's kingdom. But just remember...

"Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7

"The battle is not against human flesh but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:11-12

We are in a battle against life and death. Which side are you on?

Desert Song

Have you ever heard the Desert Song by Hillsong? If not, you should just look it up on YouTube. Here are the lyrics:


"This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry.
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides.

This is my prayer in the fire
And weakness or trial or pain.
There is faith proved of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flame.

I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain.

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here.

This is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on its way.
I am a conquerer and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand.

I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain.

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here.

All of my life
In every season
You are still God.
I have reason to sing.
I have a reason to worship.

All of my life
In every season
You are still God.
I have reason to sing.
I have a reason to worship.

All of my life
In every season
You are still God.
I have a reason to sing.
I have reason to worship.

All of my life
In every season
You are still God.
I have a reason to sing.
I have a reason to worship.

I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain.

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here.

And this is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow.
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will sow."


While I was sitting on the couch watching tv tonight, God put this song in my heart, specifically one part: "All of my life, in every season, you are still God. I have a reason to sing. I have a reason to worship."

God's character never changes. He's always the same. No matter what we're going through, we can sing and worship Him because we're certain of who He is. The song reminds me of a verse God gave me when we first moved here.

"I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her her vineyards." Hosea 2:14

Some versions say desert instead of wilderness. The wilderness or desert for me is the Seattle area. God's promise to me is true. He has been so kind and tender to me despite my lack of faith. I know he will bless me by giving me "my vineyards." I can't wait to see what He does with our lives!

Fear

Think back to the Wizard of Oz. Remember when they were all going to meet the wizard? This picture portrays their fear. They were trembling when they thought about meeting him. They had a reverence for him but also a phobia of him simultaneously. This is a depiction of how we are to fear God.

“Do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread." Isaiah 8:12-13

Everyone of us fears something. Our insecurities produce many irrational fears in us. For example: fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of being alone, fear of others, fear of change, fear of commitment, fear of intimacy, fear of abandonment, etc.

But God tells us not to fear those things.

"Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28

God tells us not to fear earthly things. The only fear we should have is a fear of God. There are three Greek words for fear: phobos, deilas, and eulabeia. Phobos translates to phobia in English. Deilas means fright or dread, and eulabeia means reverence. Fear of God is referenced with all three fears in the Bible. There are times when we are commanded to have a phobia of God. Just think about that for a second. We should be scared out of our mind at times. We should be fearful of not surrendering our lives to God. We should fear to move when we're not following God. Charles Spurgeon says that when God tells us to go, it would be dangerous to delay.

We must learn to stop fearing earthly things when God tells us to go. If we're fearing, we're not trusting God, which means we're not living in faith.

"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." Hebrews 11:1

In contrast, fear is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen. When we believe that we're going to fail at something, we do. Sometime we even fail because we don't even try. Let's begin hoping and trusting God for great things! Let's make our God given dreams a reality through His power in us!

"You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father." John 14:13

Let's squash our fears, trust in God, and dream again!

The Pacific Northwest

If you've seen TLC's Little People Big World, you'll know that the lady in the picture with me is Amy Roloff. We really love that show. And since we moved closeby, we went to their pumpkin farm near Portland, Oregon on Saturday. We had so much fun! We saw all of their creations on their farm and met people. We met the Roloffs (of course). Amy talked to us about how much she loved visiting Alabama. We also met a family from Aiken, SC that moved to Seattle last year.

We also had fun walking around Portland. It was a rainy day so we didn't do too much walking. We ate brunch at an amazing place called Mother's Bistro. We also had coffee at Stumptown Coffee Roasters. The dogs came with us because I thought 12 hours in a crate was too long, so they have now been to 22 states.

So now we've seen all of Western U.S. And so far this fall, the weather has been great. Today it's uh-mazing!