New Year's Resolution...ha...

No New Year's resolutions here!!...but other cool things for sure!

Where to begin?...

It's been a while since I last blogged...I have so much on my mind lately. Where to pick up from my last blog, is why I keep procrastinating writing on here again.

God has blessed me beyond my imagination. I seriously mean, I could not have planned my life to be this way if I had tried. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but every little detail is in its right place, and only a God so powerful and loving could have done that for me.

So much has happened since August, I can't believe I haven't blogged about it...well, yes, I can, because I have 3 little kids that keep me busy while trying to run a little small flower business and at the same time Halloween happened, Thanksgiving happened, and Christmas happened, and New Year's happened, while living out this crazy busy life of keeping up with a house hold (of which I am awful at!,) attending an in depth bible study (which was amazing!,) two weekends away: going out of town for our anniversary and going to the mtns with my sister and mom, and trying to spend quality time with our extended families as well. It's been busy, and that pretty much sums it up!!!

***As for our anniversary this year, I have to add, it was on November 11, 2011, we were married for 11 years...pretty cool! Something that I AM SO thankful for is my sweet husband who loves me dearly, and for that, I am KNOW God loves me so much for giving me that sweet sweet man in my life, who really is my better half!! We definitely compliment one another!!!***

Getting back to a little bit of God's teachings here, which is why I don't have a New Year's Resolution...I do not want to try to plan out my life, I'll take it one step at a time. I want to follow God's will for my life, not my crazy ideas! I don't want to say what I will and will not do....I learned a lot this year, God showed me a thing or two about how to love as He loves.

My bible study this past semester was on the book of Philippians...one of my favorite books of the bible! I absolutely love it!! I am so drawn to the books of the bible that teach me how to be a better Christian. (Our next bible study is on James...how perfect!! Another great book on how to be a better Christian!) I feel that churches around here don't really teach that. They teach more on how to judge others and what you should or should not do so that you won't be judged. So sad, but sort of true. They are so clicky too...drives me batty!

And to hear the way Christians talk about others, no wonder people who have no faith, can't stand to be around them. I can hardly stand it myself.

My prayer for myself since this study has been to love others the way Jesus loves us...which I know is an almost impossible feet to accomplish, but I am up for trying. I seriously think that is our best way of witnessing to those who are lost.

It's neat, it's almost as if God has taken away from me, my super close friends, either we aren't that close any more or we just can't get together like we use to. It's definitely lessened my chances of gossip. I love that because God knows I have an issue with it, and it's a prayer of mine to stop.

By taking away that part of my life, my heart is starting to be where God wants it to be...in a good place. I look at people differently now. And I think I love a deeper than before.

Real quick, I want to share a neat way that our family has gotten to see God. Preston, this past October, actually over Halloween (which sort of aggravated me,) along with the sophomore class from SouthLake, about 70 kids, went to Honea Path, SC, to help out a ministry called Widow's Watchmen. They helped out a lady whose name is Mrs. Shorty. She is 84 years old and lives in a falling in trailer, the ceiling literally was falling in. She heated herself at night with a heating pad. So sad. Everything about her trailer should be condemned.

I remember my husband coming home from work one day, after that weekend, saying to me, "Deedie, I can't get Mrs. Shorty off of my mind." Her living conditions were just haunting him. He couldn't believe that she lived in such conditions.

After he said that to me, the only thing I could think to say was, "Good." I really didn't know what else to say, because I loved that he cared so much for her that it was literally bothering him. What a testament of my husband's heart for others.

He decided that he was going to try to raise money to buy her a new trailer...that was the only thought that could help him sleep at night.

Soon after that, I was sitting in bible study one Tuesday morning, Preston and I had just been given a little money to help us get out of some debt (sweet gift!) and I can remember sitting in our large group with a feeling that made me want to go and call Preston. We we discussing sacrificial giving. I decided at that moment, that we could give every penny of that money to Mrs. Shorty, that God would provide for us!!! I was and am still knowing that God will provide for us.

Preston went and met with the gentleman over his school. He was on board with Preston to do this. And at the same time, another blessing came, someone told us not to give the amount that Preston was ready to give, that there was someone who would give that amount in our place...that someone has a clue of what my husband's salary is and knows that I don't work. So sweet!! Sort of an Abraham and Isaac story...Preston was ready to give, and God provided so that we could still get out of some debt. I believe whole hearted that God saw our willing hearts to sacrifice our finances for Mrs. Shorty! (However, we still gave, but a quarter of what we had planned, which to us, was still A LOT of money!)

He decided to get that group of 7 or 8 students that worked on her house and figure out a way to raise money to get her a new home. So, the asking began. He got it ok-ed by the "boss man" and then ok-ed it with the gentleman over Widow's Watchmen Ministries, and the letter writing began. Their goal was $10,000 by December 1. They began November 11th, asking for money, there was no time for fundraising, so they just sent out an "ask letter." By December 1, they had raised $20,000!! I'm still blown away by the thought of this. By the giving hearts of others who helped. It is such a testament of how mighty our God is!!!

It's funny, Preston and I tried over and over to raise money for Young Life, and never did it come this easy for us...which is a way that confirms to me that that was not our calling...it was more of a clearing the paths to get to what it was that we were "suppose" to be doing. Still in God's plan and it helped us to get to where we are today, but not what we were to spend our lives doing.

I love getting the opportunity to see this whole deal play out. It has been such an amazing experience. I am so thankful for this on so many different levels. So many different groups of people have gotten to see a glimpse of God's mercy and love because of this. Students, Faculty and staff members, those involved at Widow's Watchmen, Mrs. Shorty, Mrs. Shorty's neighbors, those who are hired to help with the demolition and set up of new trailer, parents of students, and the list goes on and on. It's so sweet!! It's been an amazing thing to see, and I am so thankful. And it's sweet to know that this 84 year old lady is being taken care of.

Love it!!! I love, love. I love that I get to experience it! I am thankful for God's love!!! I am thankful that I don't need a New Year's Resolution, because God loves me so much and is in control of my life with or without a change for the better for the new year. Why would I want to plan my life when such cool stuff happens without my involvement in planning it??!!!!

God is good, people! I pray that you will see God through His sweet people that He LOVES so dearly.

Until next time...