Blessings

Ok- I told you yesterday that there were 2 songs that have really encouraged me over the past few months.  Today I'll explain the other song....

Laura Story's "Blessings": **This is not the entire song**

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things
Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?
We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

**I've bolded the parts that have really stuck out to me.**
 
     1. First of all, we are reminded by this song that God hears everything we ask of Him, every desire, every need and everything we think will make us happy.  But you can't miss those few lines that also remind us that He loves us so much that He won't give us lesser things.  Sometimes what we want is not what God wants.  We have to trust that He's got our best interest in mind and that He wants to give us the best. 
     2. Secondly, the chorus is amazing.  The entire chorus should be bolded, but I stuck with just the last part.  What if all the trials we have in life are mercies?  It doesn't seem like this can even be possible sometimes, but behind every trial something good can come of it.  My whole life I have loved the verses from James...

"Consider it pure joy my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds

because the testing of your faith develops perseverance"

James 1:2-3

The verse goes on to talk about what perseverance leads to etc....  But joy in trials?  That is SO hard to do.  But joy isn't the same as happiness is it?  Those of you who have been through hard times understand this.  Joy is deeper, it comes from within.  It doesn't mean everything is just perfect the way you planned, it means that you've accepted God's choices and through that you can find a deeper meaning... a deeper purpose. 

     3. Thirdly, this next verse ends by reminding us that all the while God just wants us to have enough faith to believe in His plans, to believe in His love for us.  Sometimes that seems like we need a lot of faith, more than I have at many times... but then wait...  didn't God say something about a mustard seed?  Yes! 

"Truly, I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain,

'Move from here to there', and it will move. 

Nothing will be impossible for you."

Matthew 17:20

A tiny mustard seed can see you through the hard times.  Isn't that cool? 

So... this song has many reminders in it for me.  I definitely feel this move has tested me in ways I did not plan on, but I'm looking forward to seeing God's mercies through these trials, and praying that I have just enough faith to believe and to find the deeper joy... God's deeper purpose...  God's blessings....

I Will Follow

For the past 4 1/2 or so months our life has been pretty much turned upside down.  I believe God speaks to us in many ways and gives comfort in many ways.  For me, I have had a few solid friends, great verses from the Bible to encourage me and music.  Yep, music...  there are two songs that have "spoken" to me during these months of change.  The first I will talk about today...

Chris Tomlin's "I Will Follow"... here are some of the lyrics:

Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow...

All your ways are good
All your ways are sure
I will trust in you alone
Higher than my side
High above my life
I will trust in you alone

     Obviously, this song can take on different meaning for different people.  However, I distinctly remember hearing this song for the first time after we had come back from our initial Kentucky visit.  I won't lie, I cried.  Right then, I knew we'd be moving and I knew we'd be moving to Kentucky.  Some people may call this a coincidence, some may think I'm completely crazy.  But I truly believe I heard this song as a comfort.  Yes, I cried, but that's because I HATE change and I was completely happy and comfortable with our life in Texas.  The song was a huge comfort because it continually reminded me that God was in control and that by following Him our ways would be sure.   

      A week or so later, Matt called on his way home from another job possibility, I knew he'd made up his mind.  He told me that the other possibility just wouldn't work and he wanted to accept the job in Kentucky.  All I remember saying was, "I know."  I'm sure he thought I was crazy too-- but I did know... I was just waiting for him to come to the same conclusion :).

     Just because I know we're supposed to be here and I definitely feel that God led us here, doesn't mean it's been easy.  In fact, it's been harder than I imagined it would be!  When I hear this song, it still helps to remind me that we have a purpose here, we're just trying to figure it out... and maybe we may never know the purpose... that's where faith comes in, trusting that God has a plan even when we don't see it. 

      So today... I'm thankful for the friends who call and txt and keep me sane, for the time I get to spend in God's word and the verses that He gives me and for constant reminders of God's presence through music!!   

C'est la vie! (It is life)

Ok.. last two questions that I get all the time:  What do you do? How is Matt?

Well... I am definitely not as busy as I used to be and that has been a HUGE adjustment.  However, I'm trying to enjoy the downtime before Caylee comes and learn to just relax.  (That's harder than you'd think!)

So... I do random things... make sure the house is clean, laundry, cook meals (this is a first!), run errands, read (a lot of reading), explore town (I can't get used to all the UK stuff around here... definitely feeling out of place and need some Aggie gear!) and stuff like that.  Yes, it's pretty boring and uneventful, but sometimes it's a nice change from working since I now have time to do all this without getting flustered.  Oh.. and you can't forget yoga... yep, yoga.  Once a week there is a yoga class for pregnant ladies.  I went hoping to make some friends, but that hasn't quite worked out.  The class is a little weird (it's yoga!), but the stretching feels good and it's a nice break from the regular daily events. 

Matt... he's good.  The first month was rough, it's that learning curve for everyone.  The other vets are learning about him and he's learning about them.  This is their "down" season, but they've still remained fairly busy for the most part.  As they give Matt more leeway he enjoys his work more.  If we're both completely honest we still miss Texas and wish we were there, but we're here and trying to make the most of it.  He is learning a LOT more than he ever thought he wanted to about thoroughbred horses and the way these farms work.  It can be intense and frustrating at times, but what job isn't?  He does enjoy working out of his truck!  I personally think it's gross.... you get in and it smells like pills and powders and everything you'd imagine a pharmacy to smell like, but crammed into a smaller space!  I guess he's used to it now and it's convenient for him to have all the drugs with him as he travels from farm to farm.  If I'm honest it also makes me a little nervous... he has SO much with him and I'm always afraid someone will try to steal stuff (plus this stuff is not cheap!), but I guess that's what locked doors are for... and it's not like he ever travels to a "ghetto" or anything... these farms are top dollar, GORGEOUS farms! 

So... that's our life...  pretty uneventful at the moment, but just 3 more months and that will all change!  I'm definitely ready for these months to fly by...

Church

One of the next questions I most commonly get is: Have y'all found a church?

Well... yes and no... we aren't 100% sure yet, so I'll explain.

I have tried 3 churches since being here. 

The first felt like I was going WAY back in time... I even opened a hymnal! Something I haven't done since I was a kid!  They were very sweet, but when you walk in by yourself, pregnant to an older church you get LOTS of stares and sad looks.  I did not go back to that church :)

The second church, Immanuel Baptist Church, was recommended by my ultrasound tech girl actually. Matt was able to go with me the first week.  They have 2 Sunday morning services, so we tried the latest one.  It was very good, still had some older music and we could definitely tell we were in their more "traditional" service.  (No big deal for us, we love that!) The next week I went back and tried their "contemporary" service as well as a ladies Sunday School.  I wasn't too crazy on the service... it was sooo dark- even during the welcome they didn't turn on many lights.  I LOVED the ladies SS class.  They were instantly nice to me, started conversation quickly and very very sweet.  They didn't spend too much time gabbing about gossipy type stuff bc the teacher wanted to jump into the lesson.  She was very prepared, well-spoken and you could tell she really enjoyed teaching these ladies and they really enjoyed learning!  The donwfall to this church is that they currently are looking for a Senior Pastor (according to the tech girl, something not so good happened) AND the second sunday I visited the Music Minister resigned (his family is being called to serve in Hawaii... too bad Matt and I didn't get that option!)  It's always hard for a church in transition because you never quite know which direction they will take, but it's definitely still in the running.

The third church, Porter Memorial Baptist, I have been to 2 times on a Sunday and once on a Wed night.  That's the biggest draw to that church... they have a Sunday night and Wed night service-- very good for us because Sunday mornings are almost always out for Matt.  We finally heard the Senior Pastor speak on Wed night (he was away on sebatical).  He was great- kept our attention for sure.  I will attend a ladies SS class this weekend to see how other parts of the church are.  Even though Matt can't go on Sunday mornings, I plan to.  That's why a ladies class would be perfect... it's never quite my age group of people, but I don't want to go to a couple's class and be half a couple everytime. 

So... those are the 2 we've found.  So far, nothing they've said has drawn any red flags (biblically speaking anyways).  We definitely want to find a place to get involved, but it's difficult! 

Some tips for those of you that have new people visit your SS class....
    *Don't stare at them for a while before talking to them- trust me, we notice
    *If you can, invite them to lunch (sounds silly, but I have been dying to go to lunch with someone and so far that has yet to happen.  Sure, I guess I could invite someone, but when you listen to their conversations you hear how busy they are and don't want to intrude... plus I don't want to sound desperate!)
     *Send follow-up letters. (I received 2 from the ladies at Immanuel and it was just a nice gesture- I realize it's that person's job in the class to do that, but don't neglect it or think it doesn't matter- it does)
      *Try to remember them the next time they return (many of the ladies remembered me the second time and that was so comforting!)
      *Tell them about other things the church offers, but don't overwhelm them

It's hard being the new person, so just keep that in mind the next time you see someone new!  Don't be afraid to ask them either... many times the draw to a church isn't so much the preacher or music (though that is important), it's the fact that someone was nice, someone took the time to notice and shake hands, someone cared...

Rain

Back to the common questions I have been getting since we moved up to Kentucky... this one seems silly to even blog about, but people do ask so here ya go: What's the weather like?
  Well... I wish I could send my Texas friends some of this...

It's a massive thunderstorm that just rolled through.  You can't see the lightning, but there is plenty.  It seems every time the rain comes, lightning always comes with it.  Kentucky has some great lightning!  Today the power went out, which is not normal, thank goodness.  We probably get rain 3-4 times per week and about 2-3 of those times it's accompanied with loud thunder and lightning bolts.  I don't mind the rain, I just prefer not to be out in it, so it means more time at home...

It's not too hot here, although they think it is.  Anything above 90 and you're looking at a heat advisory.  Seriously!  The humidity is a little higher, but the rain always brings it down and cools everything off.  I'm thinking the cold weather is right around the corner and I'm not prepared for that at all!!!

I don't know when the leaves will begin to change colors, but I imagine it will be late Sept into Oct... maybe there will be a little color left in Nov.  I'll be sure to take pictures of that when it happens too! I imagine the farm will be gorgeous if they all change together.... 

There ya go folks... that's the weather!

"But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains

and valleys that drinks rain from heaven." Deuteronomy 11:11

  

Jeremiah 29:11

On the 4th Sunday I was here in Kentucky I went to church and then attended a Sunday School.  It was a women's class and the teacher taught over Jeremiah 29.  What perfect timing!  I have known these verses forever, but she put everything in a new perspective.  So...  here is what we talked about...

The title of the lesson was: When Change Happens (convenient right?!)  She began by giving us a little background to the chapter.  God's people had been exiled to Babylon (she went into more detail than this, but this will be long enough as it is).  Of course, when you're uprooted to a new area you aren't always happy... especially if you are forced as these people were.  There had been many false prophets telling the people that their time there was short and not to worry because the Lord would release them soon.  Jeremiah came in and told a different story... the lesson was split into 3 main ideas based on what Jeremiah was telling the people.

1. Re-establish normalcy in your life:  In verses 5-7 Jeremiah tells the people to build houses, plant gardens, marry, have kids etc.  He basically is telling them that while they are here they need to continue on with their lives.  God didn't want the people waiting around thinking they could go back to their land anytime soon, He wanted them to move on.  He didn't want them living in the past.
      This is a great reminder for us when change occurs.  Any type of change brings disruption to our lives, sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad.  But we have to regain our sense of what is normal.

2. Reject unrealistic dreams: In verses 8-9 Jeremiah is telling them to not believe the false prophets.  He's telling them to guard themselves from un-truths.  The most interesting verse to me is verse 9.  "Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have."  I think about the number of times I try to rationalize why something should be and if I do that in the right way, I can have others around me telling me that I am right.  I don't need people in my life to tell me I'm right all the time.  I need people to tell me the truth- even though it may be hard to hear.  These people were doing the same thing.  They were convincing each other that going home was just around the corner and that their previous life was much better than this one.  Jeremiah was the first to stand and say, "Look, this is where God put you, this is the present.  Stop living in the past and figure out what it is that God wants from you now."  Those are the kind of people we need in our lives. 

3. Remember the Lord is in control: In verses 10-14 (we all know these)... it's a reminder to the people that no matter what happens God is in control.  It's interesting that we focus on verse 11 so much and in the process miss what verse 10 says.  Verse 10 says "...when seventy years are completed..."  This stay in Babylon wasn't going to be short-term.  These people were in it for the long haul- some would never see their land again.  I caught myself during this part thinking that we have to remember that God is in control, but along with that we have to remember that God's timing is different than ours.  Wow- that hit me hard.... 

    I have so many future plans and places to be (Kentucky is not on my list either).  But the truth is, I don't know that.  I don't know how long God has us here.  I don't know why we had to leave Texas at a time when I felt like I needed the people there the most.  I do know a few things:
      * Change has happened, whether I like it or not.     
      * I need to get involved and regain a sense of normalcy up here (which I am trying to do)
      * I need people around me to encourage where I am right now (which luckily I have!), but I need to stop trying to convince myself that this change is short-term, bc it may not be.
      * I need to know God is in control (which I do) and I need to wait for His timing (which is hard!)

    Change is tough... whether it's a move, new job (and a baby!) like us, whether it's a loss of a family member or friend, whether it's a happy event like a wedding, whatever that change is...little or big.... we must always be looking for God's will in our lives and finding ways to create new normals. 

Life is about new normals...  that's what I learned from this message anyways....  

Weekend Visitor!

This weekend my sister came to town! I was so excited to finally have something to do on a weekend. (Matt only has 1 weekend off a month, so it makes for a long weekend when no one is around)  :)  She's never been to Lexington so I tried to hit the spots I knew people normally go to.  Of course, everything here is horse related, so it could get kinda boring if you're not into the thoroughbred racing.  But either way we had a blast!  Here are some of the things we did....

Keeneland:  This is the race track located next to our house.  It only holds races twice a year, but they also have a lot of horse sales and such going on.  If you want to spend a couple hundrend thousand dollars on a horse, it's the place to be!  We were there early enough to watch them train the horses... they were just going too fast to get a good picture of....

Lexington Farmers Market:  Every Saturday from Memorial Day Weekend thru Labor Day Weekend downtown Lexington has a Farmer's Market.  It's so fun!  It's small, but you can taste test things, listen to street performers and more importantly for us.... get Crepes!  I have loved Crepes ever since we went to Paris about 5 years ago...  They are super thin pancakes filled with whatever you want.  We bought this to split.... we put Nutella and bananas in it... VERY DELICIOUS! 

Kentucky Horse Park:  This is a huge park where they have different horse shows.  This particular weekend they had a Reining Show going on that we had friends riding in.  I didn't even think to take a picture as he was riding, sorry (told you I'm getting used to this blog thing)...  but we did go up to see him show.  Matt happened to be off this weekend and was up there most of Saturday helping them out.  It worked out pretty well because he was able to get some business out of it!  Several people needed a vet- IMMEDIATELY- (or so they always think).  He was there to treat their horses and several people in Lexington now want him to begin working on their farms.  Yea!



 The rest of the day Saturday was spent seeing a movie (Crazy, Stupid, Love- I don't recommend it), showing her around the farm, relaxing at home and going to bed so we could go to church the next morning.  Sunday, we were able to go to a church that I have tried once.  I was hoping their pastor would be back in town, but he was still out and his son filled in.  I still like the church and Matt likes the fact that it has a Sunday night and Wednesday night service... that gives us more options since Sunday mornings are typically out for him.  We'll probably go back and try an evening service next weekend.  This was us before church... again... these pictures are not great for a number of reasons, but oh well.   

After church we went to Panera Bread and then Cass headed back to St. Louis.  It was  fun weekend and so far, her being just 5 hrs away is the only plus to living in Kentucky!  Thanks for coming it was great to have you!