Reverence

Hello, life as a nursing student. Sooo almost 3 weeks in school & I'm already in head deep, but so far so good! Yesterday I had a GREAT day at clinicals. I got a chance at starting 3 IVs & I was SUCCESSFUL at all 3! Definite confident booster. I started out feeling a little rusty, and by the end of the day I was feeling confident & things were running really smoothly. I walked out feeling like I can do this... the feeling I have to remember when there are days I want to cry!

This morning Ry & I went for a run, since we have been slacking lately. It felt good to enjoy the morning together, I'm thankful for the time we get together here at our home. It's the coziest place I can think of.

I'm still reading "Created to be His Help Meet" and it's still challenging me and convicting me. Coming into this marriage, I didn't really know what it meant to be a wifey, and so far I have learned a lot along the way!! Here is a blurb from what I read today:

"You cannot command your husband to love you. But God has provided a way for a woman to cause her husband to love and cherish her. God gave us ladies some keys to the avenues of a man's heart. God made it so that we can actually inspire him to into fulfilling his God-ordained duty. His very nature is made to respond to us if we will only treat him with reverence. God did not give men the wonderful promise He gave to women, that they can win their wives with proper behavior. But women have a beautiful hope based on the promises of God."

Here, it's talking about how we as wives can win the complete adoration of our husbands. It's not by nagging at him, trying to change him, begging him to love us/serve us/fulfill our needs. Instead, it's when we become SELFLESS and SERVE our husbands with reverence. Reverence is not just how you act; it is how you feel and how you respond with words and with your body language. It is thankfulness for his attention and affection. Deference to your man is the true height of femininity. It makes a woman beautiful, gracious, and lovely to all, but most especially to him.

We are to love, encourage, support, and follow our husbands lead. So many times we get frustrated when we feel he is not doing enough for us... but only when we turn our focus on how we can love our husband and reverence him more, will we truly captivate him and allow him to fulfill his God-ordained role. This can be a challenge for me at times! I think of the times that I tell Ryan how I appreciate how he works so hard for us, how he provides us a beautiful home... and I remember how his eyes light up! I think of how happy is he when he comes in from a long day at work to a clean house, a nice supper, and me in a smiling, happy mood! I need to be this way continually!! But we are flesh, and sometimes crankiness, stressfulness, etc. can creep in and steal great opportunities for us to love our husbands. So today I pray that God shows me more ways I can honor my husband as our love grows & that I continue to learn my role as a wife in His eyes.

The Gospel by Eric Ludy

What a way to start the day! The Ludys have been my favorite authors for years and as I looked at their website this morning I ran across this short film they did. Honestly, it's SO worth 11 minutes of your time. Very moving!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPIOkdNL-QQ

PRAISE!!!!

Yesterday morning I was about to have a breakdown. For 2 weeks the pain hadn't gone away, but the past week had been excruiating pain 24hrs a day. None of my meds the doctor had given me were helping and I was about to have a panic attack, not to mention just sit down and cry. At this point, I really thought I had something seriously wrong.

So after the house was empty, I went to my bed and dropped to my knees. I knew I had to show God I was serious... and thanks to some great examples in my life I decided I was just going to stand on God's promises, bind the pain, loose healing, and I just said "God I know that your word says that if a prayer is said WITH FAITH the sick will be healed. Not might be, but WILL be." And after I prayed, I got up and began thanking Jesus for healing me. As I got ready, drove to town, etc. I kept saying "thank you Jesus for healing me"... even as the pain kept going... because FAITH without ACTION is DEAD. I really wanted to show the Lord my faith that day.

Also, I asked my facebook friends to pray for me & my family... AND yesterday I did have some much needed advice that led me to the chiropractor. He found that my neck is completely straight, without the normal curve, probably due to whiplash I got when the softball hit me. He should me how easily it could be pinching nerves that lead to one sided pain, tingling, pinching. So he did a lot of adjustments on me, showed me a certain pillow to sleep with, etc.

SOOOO here is the PRAISE! I woke up this morning for the first time in 2 weeks PAIN FREE!

I wanted to share this, because yesterday was one of the first times, as I told Ryan, that I prayed like "mom and meemaw" LOL but seriously got serious with God, began thanking Him for what He was going to do & then He DID! Not that its surprising, but it really showed me the POWER OF PRAYER and how if we really put our faith into action He has blessings for us!!! Thank you all for praying for me! I'm so excited, even though this seems little, it is huge for me because the pain was actually really starting to wear me down! So I am sooooooooooo thankful to the LORD this morning, I just had to share!!!!!!!!

Day of Declaration

Soooo I'm so excited! Tomorrow night I'm going to a concert! But not just any concert! It's my baby brothers dream come true. His band is finally playing their first gig! I'm ecstatic for him :)

Not only that, but their first singer didn't work out so they recruited RYAN to sing. At first I was scared to death for him, since that's a huge job to fill... but I have been blown away as they practice more and more. His voice has somehow transformed (and it was good to begin with!) to a rock voice born to perform LOL but really, he has definitely surprised/impressed me!!
AND what's even more impressive is that they wrote ALL their songs- music & lyrics.
They are opening for 3 other bands which are more well known I guess. They are playing at Nathan P. Murphys at downtown Springfield, MO... I can't wait to get all dressed up for the concert & be on the front row screaming and rocking out!! haha.. can you say #1 fan??

Anyway, as excited as I am for the concert, I can't wait for it to be over because every night for the past 2 weeks it seems like Ry has been going to band practice... and I have been here alone editing pics & studying :( :( I am sooooo ready to have my husband back!!! We have been missing our nightly tradition of dinner, walk, and couch. I have been cranky this week because I have barely seen him except for "goodmorning" and "goodnight"... so as excited I am for the concert, I can't wait to have my hubby back!

Stay tuned for pics from their big debut.. =]

Whatever you do...

Today, I needed encouragement. I got up super early, made some yummy coffee, actually dressed up for school, and sat down with my bible. I was feeling nervous about going back to school and all the chaos that goes with it, so I prayed that God would give me a word of encouragement! This is the verse that really helped me this morning. Simple, but powerful:

Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

Just what I needed to hear. School may be a minor thing in the whole scheme of things, but it is still of value to the Lord. He says that WHATEVER it is that you do, you can DO IT FOR HIM! So today I went to school with confidence knowing that I could be a student for the Lord today. I will work at it with all my heart! Because I will do it for the Lord!!

So just think, whatever you are doing today, no matter how small, you can do it for the Lord & make it count!!

10 things about me!

1) I love my hubs! LOL, seriously though, marrying Ryan was the best decision of my life. He is my best friend & every day is a new adventure when you are married to person you are meant to!

2) I am a senior in the RN program, so I'm constantly in a book! I know that all this hard work will be worth it, because in one short year I will have the job I've always wanted, not to mention finally making some money!!$$!!! This poor college child would be happy with any salary at this point :) LOL

3) I have recently became a crazy dog lady. I was not this way until Ryka came into the world. ESPECIALLY when Jack entered our family. I am obsessed with my babies. Ryan has to remind me daily that they are just dogs, not real children LOL. (ex: Ryka got a 4 piece chicken McNuggets a few days ago in town). It's bad!

4) I love to run, exercise, stay active, etc. BUT food is my weakness. I'm pretty sure I can out-eat any guy!!! Just ask my friends!

5) If I could be anything I would be a rockstar or actress. Anything to actually be in the spotlight! LOL I have always wanted to be on a drama team, buuuuut have never got the chance to be. I'm always being dramatic!

6) I love being married, but I'm still super attached to my family! And always will be! Daddy's girl right here.

7) I have some of the most amazing ladies in my family. From my loving mom, to my AWESOME pray warrior grandmothers, to my sweet aunts... I don't have to look far for the perfect role models.

8) I have became SUCH a homebody. All I want to do these days is be in my cozy little home with my little family. There is no place like it!

9) I have baby fever. Bad.

10) I have recently became addicted to couponing and getting free samples off of the internet. It is oh-so-much fun and wifey-like.

So Long Summer!

School starts THURSDAY!!
I'm excited, but at the same time I'm so nervous I could cry!
My first year was great. It was by far the most challenging year of my life, but it stretched me and I feel like I grew so much. I made a tight group of friends who I am so thankful for! We really bonded, not to mention made for one great study group. Working in the hospital was so rewarding, at times I wanted to cry I was so scared to take the first step in applying what I learned to an actual person, but every day I would walk out saying WOW I just did that!

This year, the harder stuff comes into play. ER & ICU, harder tests/study material, and preparing for the NCLEX. I think the hardest part has been break, because I've gotten out of the study habit and it's going to be hard to train myself back to having no life except a nursing book!! So please, keep me in your prayers for my final year! I can't wait to finish and walk out of there as an RN with a great job & finally being where I've worked so hard to be!

So today I'm trying to get the house in tip top shape before I am back to the stressed student who hardly has time to clean! I've also been addicted to couponing lately so I'm going to do that too :) And maybe a nap, because going to the gym this morning has already got me tired. I've been on the go lately, so a cozy day at home sounds nice =]

Dead Faith? No thanks!

FAITH. We all say we have it! Yeah, we believe there is one God, sure. We trust Him to help us through hard times, of course. We even say a prayer before we close our eyes to sleep & maybe listen to Christian music on the way to work... But I read something in my quiet time this weekend that challenged me!

JAMES 2: 14-19 & 24

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

This is what God seemed to be challenging me with. Do I just say I have faith? Or am I putting it into action?? Today, I don't want a dead faith!!! I want my actions to show my faith to the world, not just what I say but what I do!

So let's let our faith be alive today!!!

Joyfully

A Joyful Noise! I wish that was what was continually coming from my mouth, but too often it's definitely not so joyous!! This is my first post in my blog, and I want to use this blog to share what God has been laying on my heart, what has been going on in my life, etc. etc. So let's start with what has been convicting me here lately, JOY (or the lack thereof).

I've been married for almost 2 years now (crazy how time flies!!) to my absolute best friend. No one can make laugh, cry, or feel free to be myself like Ryan can. He is 100% made for me-- my soulmate. So why do I sometimes find myself getting upset over the smallest things, being cranky, and making noises that aren't joyful (ex: nagging, whining, etc.)?? Especially when I have no legit reason to be?! FLESH. It's a daily battle to choose to be JOYFUL or to be SINFUL, not to mention a real pain to be around. Luckily, we do have a choice! But it does require work- and will always be a work in progress!! Let me share what I have learned recently:

Ryan has been working extra hard lately because he has been overran with business- what a blessing, right??!! Then why do I find myself whining that he is always working, and then when he gets home a lot of the times he is so tired he falls asleep early and there I am so anxious to continue our conversations, etc. Instead of being THANKFUL I have a husband that works to provide me this beautiful home, vacations, dates, AND allows me to be a full-time student and not work while I finish the RN program; I find myself being cranky, complaining, and feeling deprived of my husband half the time! This was beginning to make the time I had with him LESS FUN because I was constantly getting my feelings hurt over something/nothing! I know my attitude was hurting the situation, not helping it, and certainly not encouraging to Ryan!!

That's when I began reading "Created To Be His Help Meet" by Debi Pearl. I have been learning so much!!! Here is a blurb from the book that convicted me & helped me in my situation:

Practice makes perfect. Life is like that. Most people have practiced hitting the notes of bitterness, sourness, hurt feelings, and frustration so long that their soul finds the discordant notes easily, almost without thought. BUT you don't have to keep on practicing discord; you can practice JOY and THANKSGIVING just as easily, and certainly with more pleasure. Every day, every right response makes the fingers of your soul find the notes of JOY and thanksgiving easier and easier, until it is so natural people will begin to notice!

Learn to enjoy life. Be thankful. Smile. When you catch yourself becoming irritated at circumstances, stop and laugh at the little things that steal your peace. Count your blessings and learn to be appreciative.

It is amazing how much you MOUTH controls your soul. You can smile and with your mouth say, "thank you God, thank you husband, etc" and your spirit is directed into gratitude with joy following. THANKFULNESS IS HOW YOU THINK, JOY IS THE ABUNDANCE IT PRODUCES.

So today I am challenged to not let those negative thoughts come into my mind, stealing my joy! I will choose to be thankful and let that thankfulness produce joy in my life! We have so much to be thankful for- I know Satan tries to blind us from that and steal our joy! But today I won't let him and I will choose to fully enjoy life JOYFULLY! My prayer is that as I cultivate an inner attitude of joy that it will pour out of me into all my relationships, allowing me to be a more JOYFUL, enjoyable, and contagious person to be around!!!

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body, and BE YE THANKFUL. -Colossians 3:15