=)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

fun weekend!

I'm really sore right now. Considering what I did this weekend, I'm not surprised.

Saturday evening, I went to a swing dance. That was my first time dancing, and it was fun! :) We danced for nearly 4 hours. We did swing dance, waltz, and line dance. I didn't really enjoy the waltz, but the other two were great.

Then Sunday afternoon, I went 4-wheeling. I got so muddy, but I didn't care 'cause it was so much fun! I've never done anything like that before, but I'm glad I did. Wow, a year ago I would have been way too scared to do that. I'm definitely breaking out of my comfort zone a lot more than I used to, thanks to the grace of God in my life. I love new adventures! :)

Here are a few pictures from the swing dance.

the Virginia Reel

God is so good!

October was a very good month. It certainly was hard, but it was a good kind of hard.

I thought I had my life straightened out. Then I realized I was miserable. I didn't feel God near me, and I had trouble rejoicing in my circumstances. I tried to figure out what was going on, but didn't get anywhere.

Then God spoke to me through a prophetic word at an M28 meeting. He showed me my sin that was keeping me from enjoying His presence. So I prayed over the next few days that God would help me change, and by His grace, I overcame the sin. I was full of joy for a while, then became downcast again. I was so confused. Why, when I just had a victory, did I suddenly lose my joy?

God again spoke to me through a message at M28. Surprise, surprise, there was another sin I needed to deal with. I was tempted to be discouraged, but God reminded me that He never changes. He was faithful to help me overcome one sin, and He will always be faithful to help me overcome any and every sin that I struggle with. And, praise be to God, He gave me the victory again.

Through those two battles with sin, I learned that I cannot get by without God. I need Him in my life. Prayer is more important to me now than it ever was before, and I love getting up in the morning to read God's Word. My relationship with Jesus is the most important thing in my life right now, and I dearly hope that never changes. I am so joyful! :)

"My heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices. For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let Your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:9-11

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!" Psalm 34:8

God is so good!

picture post :)

birthday girl

Happy 17th birthday, Hannah!

You're such an amazing friend. Love you! :)

God is near

I must remind myself of the truths in this song every day. God is near, no matter what I feel.

When the trials come and sorrows fall on me
You are my strength, the ground beneath my feet
When temptation calls to worry about my life
I will place my hope in the cross of Jesus Christ
And joy will be my song
Yes joy will be my song

For You are near, near to me
You still my anxious thoughts
And You bring Your peace
You are near when I call
You drive out all my fears
And calm this troubled heart
You're near to me

You told me to rejoice in every circumstance
And trust in You alone and in Your sovereign plan
You beckon me to come and bring You my requests
You promised that Your peace would come and bring me rest
And joy will be my song
Yes joy will be my song

For You are near, near to me
You still my anxious thoughts
And You bring Your peace
You are near when I call
You drive out all my fears
And calm this troubled heart
You're near to me

When I don't hear You, You're still near
When I don't feel You, You're still near
When I think that You have abandoned me
You're still near, You are near
You'll never leave me
You're still near
You are near!

girls retreat!

Friday and Saturday (the 9th and 10th) I went on the Mission28 girls retreat. I learned so much about God in those two days, particularly Saturday. The two messages were helpful, but the thing that impacted me the most was the hour and 30 minutes they gave us for personal devotions. During that time, God revealed a certain sin in my life that was keeping me from enjoying Him. Then He showed me what I needed to do to combat that sin and change. The rest of my devotions I cried out to God to give me grace to do what He told me. When I came away from my time with the Lord, I felt joyful for the first time in a long time, knowing that God had forgiven my sin and would help me change. It was so refreshing! :)

On to the more interesting part.
The retreat was at Cherokee Cove in the mountains of Tennessee. And oh my, what pretty views! Here are some pictures from the trip there Friday.

On the way there, we stopped at the Annex Mast General Store. They had lots of neat stuff. I really liked this one shirt they had.

Part of the store was all candy. I wish I would've gotten a picture inside, but all I got was the sign. Oh well, you'll just have to use your imagination. ;)

flowers outside the store

When we got to our cabin, we had some time to hang out before dinner. There was a cool two-seat swing in the back yard.

The back of our cabin.

the mountain view

sunset

inside the cabin

early morning mist

I thought this was cute.

At each bed, there was a Bible verse. This is the one at my bed. It was just what I needed to hear. :)

on our way down the mountain

God is so good!

birthday girl

Happy 17th birthday, Becca! You're amazing! :)