A good day to start blogging.

Monday, September 29th, 2008. I have decided to start blogging. I cannot guarantee that I will be faithful each day but I will do my best. How do I start? Maybe by telling a little (or lot) about myself and my family. I'm 42 (soon to be 43) and will never be older than my pastor (inside joke). I think I should start by giving my testimony. I grew up in a family of 4 children. I am the baby. My mother and father took us to church every Sunday and sometimes on Wednesday. We "played church" but inside the home, things were not as normal as it seemed. I made a profession of faith when I was 7, again when I was 23 and finally got it right at the age of 36. I had struggled with the " relationship with God" thing throughout my life and never had clear direction and understanding until I started attending Union Grove Baptist Church in 2000. My husband and I had placed our then 3 year old daughter, Rachael in the preschool in 1998 for daycare purposes and out of this need, a seed was planted. Rachael stayed on through preschool and soon began an official student of Union Grove Christian School. As Rachael began hearing the gospel, she soon began "harassing" her mother to take her to church at Union Grove Baptist. Mom would sometimes drive by visiting another local church but soon found our vehicle wanting to exit at Hickory Tree Rd. After many pleads from my daughter, she and I began visiting Union Grove. In October of 2001, I heard Pastor Kenneth Harris preach and the sermon was on the assurance of salvation. I had never quite heard the message so clear as God directed it that Sunday morning. I knew without a doubt that if I died that day, I would spend an eternity in hell. I did not go to the altar that morning but when back to church that evening. God would not let me get peace even after I left church again that night. I took my daughter home and before I walked into the house, I was in tears. I knew that all the sleepless nights, the dreams, the fears, the disappointments, the failures, and my own insecurities amounted to one thing. I needed to give these things to God, ask forgiveness for my sins, and accept Christ as my Savior. I went inside and told my husband, "I cannot teeter on the fence any longer. I am going to my bedroom to get on my knees and ask God to save my soul." Wow! What a burden lifted that day. I know that God did forgive my sins and save my soul. I know that if I died today, I would be eternity with him. I would love to tell you that my husband immediately got it as well, but that would have been too easy. The more I fell in love with Jesus, the harder the marriage was to endure. I know now that it was only by God's grace and mercy that our marriage was saved. I spent the next 2 years in prayer asking God for strength and comfort. I had Jimmy on every prayer list available and never neglected the opportunity to ask believers to pray. It was not easy and there were times, I wanted to give up. I know now why the book of Job is so precious to me. My daughter, Rachael was saved in 2002 and we were very much involved in our church. One Wednesday evening in August of 2003 we came home from work and daycare to quickly get ready for Wednesday service and sitting in the chair with his bible in hand was my husband. Needless to say when God moves, we are not always prepared. I almost fainted. My husband asked if he could come to church with us and I immediately responded with an astounding YES! My daughter and I quickly placed him in the car (so he couldn't change his mind) and down the road we went. I would be fibbing if I told you that my car was not going faster than the normal speed limit, after all, we were on a mission for God. Arriving for church, I took him to my normal seating area (even though it was the 2nd row, nothing like the front to get his attention). The service was beautiful and so memorable. I don't ever want to forget it. I always tell people that getting saved was the best day of my life but the most memorable one, I desire to be my last thought on earth, was that service, that day, my husband stood up and asked our pastor to have an altar call because he needed to get saved. The sincerity in his voice, the words spoken, and the plea for God's forgiveness will always be with me. My husband went to that altar that night as an old creature but arose a new man in Christ. He has never looked back and I love him dearly for it. We have been married for 17 years but we were joined together in God's eyes in 2003. I am so thankful for what he has done. My cup runneth over. Jimmy is now the director of Reformers Unanimous at our church and I tell you more about the ministry and things that God is doing in our lives in the next blog. For anyone that reads this and wonders, what draws you here to this place, this moment, and this time, I believe God has a purpose for everything. If only to encourage the discouraged or share hope where there may be none. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8