Merry Christmas!

A Couple of Little Things

While babysitting last night, I worked in the kitchen while two girls ate their dinner, and I listened to their conversation. "I just want to die and be with God," the four year old said. And I marveled. Do I long to be with God like that? Is my heart fixed on Heaven? As I go about my work, I'm thankful to the Lord for such reminders, which set my mind on things above and point me to Him.

Shortly after that, I got her to bed and sang to her while I tidied up the room. When I ended the first verse of "Come Thou Fount", she asked me, "What's redeeming love?" Children aren't usually looking for complicated answers, and I replied simply, "It's a big love."

2014 (God's Goodness)

Here are a few pictures from 2014 and some highlights of the year.

Me & Charlotte =)

Time spent in Romans.

Winter vacation.

Piano was a big part of my year again. =)

I played in one last competition.
Mozart's Fantasy in D Minor got me an honorable mention.

My Bible Quizzing team.

Bible Quizzing Regionals.

Snow!!!

Singing in the chorale at the homeschool conference.

A few times a year, we have this 2-day project. =)

Best friend. <3

Singing on the dock with friends.

Tried something new--arranged a song for 4-part harmony. =)

Another year of lessons with my piano teacher. =)

Love this girl!

Only three of my siblings and I were home one night
in the summer, and I made a nice, simple dinner.
We finished with ice cream. =)

Church softball.

Brenna, me, and Dad at the ballpark.

This picture makes me miss summer a little.
So many good memories. =)

Days at the lake!

I absolutely loved getting to
be a part of their wedding day!

Hand-picked. =)

Jacob cleaned out the birdbath one day in the summer and
added the flowers on the water for a nice touch. =)

Best friends. =)

Working at the fair--running the cash register and
 making coffee drinks and milkshakes.

Tiny frog at the church campout.

My sisters. =)

Cake decorating. =)

I made this the night that Jacob scored a
touchdown in his football game. =)

A blue heron in the neighbor's tree.

The seven of us.

Annual Christmas photo of the cousins.

What 2015 looks like:

I've already been enjoying time in God's timeless Word, time in the kitchen, and time at the piano. And also opportunities of getting together with friends, serving in little ways, and just being with my favorite people. =) I'm looking forward to doing more of all these and many more things, AND...

These two are going to Uganda in April!!! =)
I'm not looking forward to being apart, but still excited for
them. I'm already looking forward to hearing all about the
adventures they're going to have over there.

I am blessed. I cannot even begin to say how blessed I am. I am so glad to have the security of belonging to the Lord. So thankful for my Savior. So glad for God's grace. And I am so happy to be part of my family. I am truly loving life. Enjoying this season. Treasuring all of the little things.

Words fail. I don't deserve any of these things at all. God has shown me His goodness--a goodness I do not deserve now and never will. I am blessed.

2015!

Happy New Year! I'm hoping to post a wrap-up of 2014 with pictures soon, but I'll just leave you with this photo for now. =)

10 Ways to Do Him Good

I love Proverbs 31:12, "She does him good and not evil all the days of her life." I have been reminded many times that "all the days of her life" includes right now, even before I've become his wife, even before I've met him. A couple days ago, I was thinking of 10 ways to do him good, right now. Although it certainly isn't a complete list, I hope it will be an encouragement to you, whatever season of life God has you in.

1. Pray for him.

What if he knew, right now, that I pray for him every single day? Prayer is so important, and it's the most powerful way I can be a part of his life right now.

2. Encourage and build up those around me.

Specifically, my siblings. We're with each other day in and day out. I usually just go through the day without purposefully encouraging them. It would be a huge blessing to them if I would just take a little time to look for a way I can encourage them and intentionally build them up. I want to be a wife who is a great encourager to her husband. And God certainly has not left me without people to practice that with right now.

3. Submit joyfully to my authority.

Like my parents. If I obey and honor them with a happy heart, that attitude will most likely carry into my marriage. What a blessing that will be to my future husband! A wife who eagerly submits to the authority God has placed over her. Not grudgingly, but joyfully!

4. Memorize Scripture.

Taking the time to invest in memorizing His Word will not be something I regret! It is important to know the Bible--and know it well. Memorizing it will bless me now and for the rest of my life.

5. Tell people about my Savior.

I have the greatest news on earth, and I am commanded to share it with those who are lost in their sin. Whether it's a stranger, or someone I've known my whole life, I have the honor of being used by God to plant seeds in their lives. I am not the one who saves souls, God gives the increase. But that certainly doesn't mean I don't have a responsibility to tell people about Christ.

6. Don't be afraid to give up what's easy in order to do something hard.

I've heard someone say that "not everything that's hard is good, but just about everything that's good is hard." It's true. And I shouldn't be afraid to leave my comfort zone and forsake what is easy in order to do hard things when it's right and Biblical. Another thought on this, is that I must not be living for myself right now (which is easy to do), and instead, be dying to myself (which is hard). If I'm in the habit of denying myself now (although imperfectly, for sure), then I will be in the habit of denying myself when I'm married, too.

7. Be diligent.

Who wants a lazy wife? I know that I don't want a lazy husband! I also don't want to marry a man who is busy all the time with earthly things that are just fading away. (That's actually laziness, too.) I must be purposeful in the way I spend my time, forsaking laziness and wasteful living, and pursuing what pleases the Lord and what matters for eternity.

8. Read the Word of God.

In order to know God's Word, I must read it. Knowing God's Word blesses me, and also those around me, when I live out what I know. It doesn't really matter knowing what the Bible says, if I ignore it. But I can't live Biblically unless I know what the Bible says. God's Word tells me everything I need to know about living for His glory, and I want to search His Word as a miner digs for gold, relentlessly seeking to know Him more and walk in His ways.

9. Think purely.

It would be discouraging if I knew that my future husband right now, was dreaming constantly of another girl. Just as I hope he strives to think purely, so should I. By God's grace, I must put to death the thoughts that are unholy. I should surrender my thought life to the Lord and be careful to think on what is pleasing to Him. I want to be thinking of excellent things (Philippians 4:8); I want to be stayed (Isaiah 26:3).

10. Be gentle.

I want to speak with kindness. I want to be gracious. I don't desire weakness, but a gentle strength. I want to be the kind of person who isn't fighting for the attention of man. What I long for is that people would look right past me and see my Savior.


So, there are 10 things. I have so much room to grow! Which is exciting to me, because that means God isn't done working on me yet. =)

Living Purposefully

I woke up this morning and wondered what my day would hold. I didn't have many plans yet, and I was excited when I thought of all the things I could do. But I was also unsure, worried that I would waste this day. Will I be diligent? Or will I give in to laziness?

I know my tendency, to choose what is easiest over what is best. I can't live the way that I'm called to live in my own strength. I pray fervently, that I will serve the Lord (and not myself) moment by moment, in dependence on Him.

And I don't want to just live each day in order to finish it. I want to live it well, with a purpose. I see how precious time is, how quickly it's speeding by. I watch the seconds tick away, knowing they will never return to be lived again. I have one life. My days are numbered. Could this day be my last? Am I living like it is? Because one day, it will be.

Learning to Trust Him

Learning to trust Him when you don't know the reasons, when you don't understand why.

Learning to trust Him when something seems inconvenient, when it doesn't seem necessary.

Learning to trust Him when your earthly life seems short, and you cannot grasp eternity.

Learning to trust Him when life is so sweet, and you want to depend on Him through the easy times, too.

Learning to trust Him when He is pruning you, and even though it's difficult, you know that He is doing it for your good.