Fact: Cinnamon Coffee is a gift straight from heaven
Fact: I still have a massive girl crush on Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman
Fact: My son only stops talking or squealing when he is asleep
Sub Fact: We have been going through a lot of advil ^
If the last week of my life got it's own catch phrase it is this: "In God, good change happens" I mean I am cooking southern gal recipes for crying out loud, hello? That's change.
Up until this past month or so I lived in a pretty gray place when it came to believing the best in the about my future. Then our church started doing a teaching series called "Bold." And more than any other series in the history of our family, we have changed for the good. Through boldly believing in God's plan for us, much of our cynicism has melted away. Kel and I are more in love than we have been in years and there is much butt grabbing and couch snuggling in our home again. Rejoice! The reason this series has had such an impact is because it has shaken the dust off our family and helped us believe in the good again. Not all change is bad change.
Watching my Mom go through more than a 20 year battle with depression conditioned me that the power of God wasn't always enough. That you can throw all your best intentions and efforts at life, read your bible and go to church and still sink until you drown in the pain of life. Here is the thing: Depression is a disease I don't have, so is cancer and so is addiction. These illnesses are not of God and he does not send them to us. We live in a world that is sin-sick and fallen but God loves us enough not to control us like puppets. We are in a sick world, we will make sick choices and I don't know why some are healed and some are not. I have stopped beating my head against that wall and started living in thankfulness for my health, both physical and mental. For me leaving behind this gray world of questioning was Bold. Very Bold.
All the grayness of our past year has made us wonder, when God says he has plans for us, what does that mean? Can we trust those plans? We were living in fear of what life might bring. And so through this last month we decided to go bold and believe. Believe that no matter what happens, our future with God is bright. We will obey him boldly, pray boldly, and speak bold faith to each other and over our future. We were challenged and we are changed.
And through these things, life around Casa de Penny is drastically different. Kel is leading us and his college students like never before. And me? I am pursuing my writing career, faithfully believing that my past does not dictate my future. For me the impact of this new way of thinking is like a pebble in a pond, it changes everything.
God is massively powerful and through him people do change. We changed, all we are seeing people around us change too. I am re doing my mind and tearing down all the dark wallpaper, the patterns and textures that forced me to live in fear and worry of depression, heart disease and car accidents. I am plastering my life with God's truth and Boldly believing in a bright future full of romance, laughter and a future following a path I can't see. This path will have more dark valleys as I journey, that is guaranteed for all of us I am afraid.
But I boldly, BOLDLY, believe the best.
PS- Check out the sermon series that shook us to our core. Just podcast it, you can make time, you won't regret it. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose. Actually you have fear, worry and doubt to lose. And that is a very good thing.
Fact: I still have a massive girl crush on Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman
Fact: My son only stops talking or squealing when he is asleep
Sub Fact: We have been going through a lot of advil ^
If the last week of my life got it's own catch phrase it is this: "In God, good change happens" I mean I am cooking southern gal recipes for crying out loud, hello? That's change.
Up until this past month or so I lived in a pretty gray place when it came to believing the best in the about my future. Then our church started doing a teaching series called "Bold." And more than any other series in the history of our family, we have changed for the good. Through boldly believing in God's plan for us, much of our cynicism has melted away. Kel and I are more in love than we have been in years and there is much butt grabbing and couch snuggling in our home again. Rejoice! The reason this series has had such an impact is because it has shaken the dust off our family and helped us believe in the good again. Not all change is bad change.
Watching my Mom go through more than a 20 year battle with depression conditioned me that the power of God wasn't always enough. That you can throw all your best intentions and efforts at life, read your bible and go to church and still sink until you drown in the pain of life. Here is the thing: Depression is a disease I don't have, so is cancer and so is addiction. These illnesses are not of God and he does not send them to us. We live in a world that is sin-sick and fallen but God loves us enough not to control us like puppets. We are in a sick world, we will make sick choices and I don't know why some are healed and some are not. I have stopped beating my head against that wall and started living in thankfulness for my health, both physical and mental. For me leaving behind this gray world of questioning was Bold. Very Bold.
All the grayness of our past year has made us wonder, when God says he has plans for us, what does that mean? Can we trust those plans? We were living in fear of what life might bring. And so through this last month we decided to go bold and believe. Believe that no matter what happens, our future with God is bright. We will obey him boldly, pray boldly, and speak bold faith to each other and over our future. We were challenged and we are changed.
And through these things, life around Casa de Penny is drastically different. Kel is leading us and his college students like never before. And me? I am pursuing my writing career, faithfully believing that my past does not dictate my future. For me the impact of this new way of thinking is like a pebble in a pond, it changes everything.
God is massively powerful and through him people do change. We changed, all we are seeing people around us change too. I am re doing my mind and tearing down all the dark wallpaper, the patterns and textures that forced me to live in fear and worry of depression, heart disease and car accidents. I am plastering my life with God's truth and Boldly believing in a bright future full of romance, laughter and a future following a path I can't see. This path will have more dark valleys as I journey, that is guaranteed for all of us I am afraid.
But I boldly, BOLDLY, believe the best.
PS- Check out the sermon series that shook us to our core. Just podcast it, you can make time, you won't regret it. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose. Actually you have fear, worry and doubt to lose. And that is a very good thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment