Things I am Thankful for :)

With Thanksgiving approaching, I have been thinking more and more about all the blessings I have in my life. This year has been one of the greatest so far. In January, God began a mighty work in me and is continuing to carry it out each day. I never knew so much could happen in such a short time. I am going to compile a list of just some of the things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving.

* God's unfailing love
* A family that is always supportive and provides unconditional love
* A Godly man that leads and challenges me to be more like Jesus
* A church home at Pinelake Starkville where I am surrounded by believers desiring to walk out
their faith
* New friends that encourage and inspire me daily
* Deep South Pout, a boutique that believes in fashion at a reasonable price and honors Jesus
through their business
* An amazing job that allows me to use my gifts with the elderly while upholding all ethical
practices
* New additions to our family- Lily Kate Mims will be here in January :)

U Turn

As I left work in Columbus tonight, I realized I was hungry and ready to get home. Instead of taking my usual route to Hwy 45, I decided to take a new way that I assumed would be quicker. Did I have a clue where I was going? NO, but I thought my little self could figure it out since I am usually pretty good with finding my way. After I had been driving for a little while, I came to the realization that I had no clue where I was or how to get to my desired destination. As you can imagine, I was frustrated, impatient, and growing angry at myself for making the night difficult. After another 5 minutes of driving, I decided to pull over and fetch my handy GPS. I set the GPS to take me to Pepper's. As I began to drive, my GPS kept saying to make a U-turn. So, I frantically made a U-turn in exasperation. After a mile or so, the GPS continued to say Make a U-turn. You can begin to imagine how unhappy i was. So I turned around again. Sure enough, I finally found Pepper's. 30 minutes after leaving work and with a load of frustration. Have you ever done that? Thought you would venture out and try a new route although you knew a perfectly good way to get where you wanted to go.

What about in our relationship with God? Do we ever do that? Do we decide that instead of following His perfect plan for our lives, that we want to take the wheel into our own hands? We know a better and quicker way, right? Of course not, but that is what we are saying when we choose OUR way and OUR thinking over HIS divine plan for us. My prayer is that each of us would run hard after Him and allow His Will to guide us instead of our faulty and inexperienced paths. With God leading the way, there will be fewer U-turns needed :)

Message in a Mason

Message in a Mason. What on earth does that mean, you ask? Well, I have partnered with Deep South Pout here in Starkville to sell these out of their store. These mason jars are adorable for flowers or various other things. After making them, I place a "message" in the jar. It is a Bible verse. Never know who needs to hear the Gospel.
If you haven't shopped at Deep South Pout, I highly recommend it. The store is adorable and has very reasonably priced clothes, shoes, and jewelry. You can always find something maroon for a State game :)

Wordless Wednesday :)

God has no hands but ours!

The popular story says that following World War II some German students volunteered to help rebuild a cathedral in England, one that had been badly damaged by the Luftwaffe bombings. As the work progressed, they weren't sure how to best restore a large statue of Jesus with has arms outstretched and bearing the familiar inscription, "Come unto Me."

They were able to repair all the damage to the statue except for Christ's hands which had been completely destroyed. Should they even attempt to rebuild these?

Finally, the workers reached a decision that still stands today. They decided to leave the hands off and changed the inscription to read: "Christ has no hands but ours."

Wordless Wednesday :)

Pride

The subject of pride seems to be coming up a lot in conversations. This past Sunday our pastor used this from Beth Moore during a sermon. I immediately wanted to find it and ponder on it. Thanks to my friend Nicole for finding it online. I think it is so true. With pride in our lives, there is no room for humility. As Christians, we are called to have a spirit of humility just as Jesus did.

My Name is Pride,
I am a Cheater
I cheat you on your God given destiny....because you demand your own way.
I cheat you of contentment...because you "deserve better than this."
I cheat you of knowledge...because you already know it all.
I cheat you of holiness...because you refuse to admit when your wrong.
I cheat you of vision...because you would rather look in the mirror than out the window.
I cheat you of genuine friendship...because nobody is going to know the real you.
I cheat you of love...because real romance demands sacrifice.
I cheat you of greatness in heaven...because you refuse to wash another's feet on earth.
I cheat you of God's glory...because I convince you to seek your own.
My name is Pride, I am a cheater.
You like me because you think I'm always looking out for you. Untrue.
I'm looking to make a fool of you,
God has so much for you, I admit, but don't worry...
If you stick with me You'll never know.

My little buddy

This is Wyatt, my nephew, for those of you who don't know him! I must say that he is quite a cutie and the joy of my heart! This is a picture from his 3rd birthday party in April. I know, he looks 5 or 6, right? Well, he is 3. A smart, funny, and loving little 3 year old! Just thought his picture might brighten your day like it does mine. I will leave you with this dialogue from us the other night!

Me: "Wyatt, where is God?"
Wyatt: "With Jesus."
Me: "Where is Jesus?"
Wyatt: "Far away in Jackson"

10 Reasons I Love the Beach :)

Last weekend, we went on a girls trip to the beach. My mama, and my two cousins, Molly, and Abby, have been planning the fun getaway for quite some time. To our surprise, Kate drove down and joined us on Friday. We had a blast to say the least. There are so many reasons I love the beach, but I will spare you and only list my top 10.

1) Time doesn't matter
2) Amazing restaurants
3) Shopping, shopping, shopping
4) Beautiful running environment
5) Quality family time
6) Lots of relaxation and reading
7) Endless amounts of sunshine
8) Sleeping in
9) No housework
10) Nothing to worry about but my tan!

Blessed beyond Words

In January, I began working for MS Home Care in Starkville. I am an Occupational Therapist, so I travel from home to home working with patients. I cannot begin to describe how amazing it is to enter someone's home to do therapy. Think about your home. It is a very personal place and tells many stories. Some are happy, some are very personal, and some are heart- wrenching.

Back in April, I was given an address of a new patient. I didn't expect anything out of the ordinary, although I do remember complaining because the man's home is about 45 miles from Starkville. In my selfishness that day, I hurried in the man's house thinking I could get in and out rather quickly. Upon entry, I noticed the house was very old and dilapidated. The man was a kind elderly man, full of smiles and a loving voice. As I began to conduct the home assessment, I realized the man's bathroom was completely useless. The floor was rotten and his plumbing was not working properly. My heart was broken that day. As I began asking him questions, he told me that he just didn't have enough money to hire someone to fix up his bathroom. God immediately began to work in my heart.

Over the past 2 months, God has been guiding and directing the effort behind a mission project to fix up this man's bathroom. Many men and women donated money and time out of their love for Jesus so this man can enjoy indoor plumbing. God has taught me so many things through this process and project. I am blessed beyond measure in that all my daily needs are met without me even thinking about them. Secondly, God has opened my eyes and heart to the amazing opportunities to serve those in need if we are willing. When we allow ourselves to be a blessing to others, it is us who receive the biggest blessing :)

Day 1

After we demolished his existing bathroom

Firm foundation

Floor has been laid and awaiting shower, toilet, and sink tomorrow :)

New to the blogging world :)

Well, after many conversations with Laura T about the joys of blogging, I gave in and asked her to create me a cute and unique blog! She did just that! I was hesitant about starting a blog due to the belief that I don't have many exciting things to blog about! I will have to see what I can come up with in the days to follow :)