So, I am very excited on several different accounts.  First and foremost, I am a college student again after 23 years.  I am going for a Theology degree....three year.  Looking forward to learning more about my Lord and Savior.


Secondly, I am on vacation for 9 days!  Yeehaw!!!  I am soooo glad to be away from work!  I cannot tell you!  Yes, I am thankful that I have a job such as it is.  God has blessed through it and I am learning patience....never prayed for it, but am still learning it.


Thirdly, Bill and I are running away from home for four days! We have never had a honeymoon or any time away from the children.  Now is the time....23 and 1/2 years after getting married!!  Woohoo!!!


Anyways, I feel so blessed with our church.  What an amazing group of people the Lord has given us.  Our pastor and wife are the most amazing Christian couple I have ever met.  They live what they preach.  They are simple, humble and Godly.  They accept you for who you are.  Truly God has led us to this church to serve Him wholly and completely! Bill is happily ensconced in the music program as music director. He is also taking the Theology course I am.....he was actually the first one to sign up.  Anyways, it is truly a pleasure to be at church when work allows.


I do have a prayer request.  I need a better paying job and that will supply some sort of retirement.  I am not getting any younger.


Thanks to all who read!  I love you and pray for all my friends!!

Counting My Blessings

Today work ended kind of badly.  I got my yearly review.  I was not happy because I was not given a raise.  I was reviewed by someone who does not work with me all the time.  So that is my bad news for the day.  Instead of getting angry, I kept reminding myself that God is in control.  So, I counted some of my blessings.  I think I have way too many to count.  LOL.

I commented to Bill today that I didn't understand how unsaved people can go through life without Christ.  What a lost feeling that must leave in someone's heart.  How empty and vapid life must be.  How temporary is their hope here on earth.

Counting my blessings makes me realize how blessed I am.  I have a husband who loves and adores me (ditto to him from me).  I have three wonderful sons who love me and pester me to no end!  LOL.  I have a lovely daughter-in-law who I hope loves me.  LOL.  Then I have a beautiful grandson and a long-awaited granddaughter to arrive on the scene soon.

THEN, my blessings continue in the form of the Cooper family.  Sokratis and Amy who have allowed us to be their eight children's grandparents.  Amy has also allowed me to be a part of her horse's life which is a lifelong dream to own a horse.

AND, we go to a fantastic church: Lone Mountain Missionary Baptist Church.  We have a Godly pastor and wife; also, there are great people to fellowship with.

Anyways, you get the idea.  Counting your blessings is really a great thing and one, I believe, God would have us do daily.

Oh yeah!  One more blessing.....I have a job.

God's blessings to you all!

Holly

God is Love

We are now attending a great church called Lone Mountain Missionary Baptist Church.  Tonight was our weekly Bible study.  We talked about the total depravity of man.....whew!  Are we depraved or what??  Even as a child of God, we still have that sin nature.  We constantly have to be on our toes to keep our walk with Christ on the straight and narrow.  So we heard the bad stuff.  LOL


Now, we also heard that God is love.  What an amazing thing!!!  It would have been so easy for God to say "Ok, let's see if you can work your way to Heaven.  Ha ha ha!"  BUT, thankfully, God saw fit to send His only begotten Son to this earth to pay that terrible price for us!  Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast."  Grace, I found out, stands for God's Riches At Christ's Expense. What an awesome thought.  Christ paid that terrible price for ME!  Somebody who is a nobody.  We should be in awe at this gift of eternal life that was GIVEN to us!  


If that isn't love, I don't know what is!  We truly have an awesome God!  Another verse in the Bible states that we loved Him (Christ) because He first loved us.  Wow!


We as Christians need to sit down and really ponder what Christ did for us almost 2000 years ago.  It sure should make a difference in how we look at serving our Savior.  I definitely am humbled by it.


Have a blessed day!

God Is Good!!

Bill and I have been through a bit of upheaval in our lives just lately.  We are looking for a new church due to disagreements with our Pastor.  We have taken in our oldest son and his family due to financial pressures in their lives.  We, thank the Lord, have found a 3-bedroom house to rent starting in October.  Let alone all of the little trials that come our way just by walking out the front door of our home.


But, I say all that to say that GOD IS SO GOOD!!!! Even with all the trials and woes we go through, Jesus is with us each step of the way!  What an amazing thought!


One of my favorite books of the Bible is Psalms.  My Bible reading covers a Proverbs a day and then Psalms. I read that day's date, then continue just adding the number 30 to the day's date.  It is an amazing book.  So many of the Psalms just hit close to home.  David teaches us that we can question God and cry out to Him when we need to do so.  So many verses come to mind.  Psalm 23 was a huge comfort to me when my Mom passed away last year.  I am so glad I had that committed to my heart.  In fact, Psalm 119:11 says we should commit the Word of God in our hearts. Psalm 1 shows us that He will bless us if we keep from the worldly things in this life.  I could go on and on.


What I am saying is that Jesus is our refuge and strength and a very present help in trouble!


All glory to God!  


God bless to all!!

Time to post!

Life gets so busy sometimes.  I think we forget why we are here.  I was reminded this week during our Men's/Ladies Conference one thing we are here for:  to have a relationship with our Lord.  As a working wife and mother, I have seemed to have little time to read my Bible and pray.  I grew up in a Christian home with an amazing mother who raised my two brothers and myself alone.  I went to a Christian school and was in church every time the doors were open.  This is not an exaggeration.  I truly did not appreciate the life my mom and God had provided me.  I had Bible class in school.  I memorized Scripture.  Our high school Bible quiz team won competitions.  I was the ultimate Christian teen.....NOT!!

Anyways, this week, our conference was amazing.  Pastor Teis showed us how to pray and what we should pray.  I made the commitment this week to have daily devotions and prayer in the morning when I get up.  It's amazing what a few minutes in prayer and reading the Bible does for one's spiritual well-being.  Nothing around me has changed, but I have that marvelous knowledge and peace that I am in communion with my Savior!

My First...

Well, I just dumped everything I wrote and now have to rewrite.  LOL.


As per the title of my blog, I have hope in spending eternity in Heaven. The Bible tells us that God sent His only Son to this earth to die on the cross for our sins. This Son was Jesus. Everyone can have this hope in Heaven just as I do. If you want to know more, just email me at anjlgrl@gmail.com .  I would be thrilled to talk to you about my Savior.


I will probably add some of my short stories here.  I love to write them.  I hope you enjoy them.


I'm not sure what else to say, so, I will leave and come back when I have more to say!


God bless!