Lion of Zion...

Psalm 24

A psalm of David.

1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to him.
2 For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas
and built it on the ocean depths.

3 Who may climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,
who do not worship idols
and never tell lies.
5 They will receive the Lord’s blessing
and have a right relationship with God their savior.
6 Such people may seek you
and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob.

7 Open up, ancient gates!
Open up, ancient doors,
and let the King of glory enter.
8 Who is the King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty;
the Lord, invincible in battle.
9 Open up, ancient gates!
Open up, ancient doors,
and let the King of glory enter.

10 Who is the King of glory?

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies—
he is the King of glory.


When I went to the St. Louis Zoo with Scott I took this picture. I was enthralled with this lion. I couldn't help but be moved to think of the Lord and His power. He truly is the the King of Glory!!

Grace...

We're doing the rounds. Church shopping as some would call it. We're looking for a place to be part of a family of believers~ to learn and grow beside as we walk on our journey of faith in Jesus. I must admit that the last two Sundays have been tough for me. The South is filled with charismatic churches... and I'm not opposed to them... it's just not where I tend t fit in the best. I'd been praying a lot about all of this stuff this week... a lot about finding a church where Scott and I would both feel comfortable, about speaking in tongues, about the Holy Spirit, about doctrine, etc. This morning we went to Grace Fellowship... and it was just what I was looking for! We both felt great there. We want to find out more about it... so we're going to continue to go there and ask some questions. We want to know that the preacher went to seminary, and more about their beliefs too. The message was straight out of the Word though, and that was EXACTLY what I was looking for! The music was really great too. I was so excited to see that they have life groups that meet throughout the week, and that they are going to offer an 8 week intensive Bible study class starting in August as well. There were LOADS of kids, and they had children's church. The youth group age kids seemed to be plentiful, and it looked like a healthy place. The coolest part was that the message was on the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues, and what the Bible says and doesn't say about it. The Lord really touched my heart because I had been crying out to God for Him to reveal more about that to me in His Word. He reaffirmed what I had found in His Word before, and the doubts melted away. It was really wonderful... in every way. I know that it might not end up being exactly what we're thinking it is just from attending one service... but I'm just so joyous and feel SO uplifted to have found a place that we both really enjoyed this morning, but were also challenged at in the service. Praise the Lord!!!!

OUCH!!!!!

Well, I'm back from the beach with red welts on my right forearm and right side at my waist... you guessed it: a jelly fish befriended me... even though I didn't ask it to hug me!! Ouch, ouch, ouch! They type that got me was a sea nettle I think... stupid jellyfish! GRR!!!

Beach...

So it's Friday, and Scott and I are about to head off to the Y to work out, and then we're off to the beach for a day in the sun filled with smiles and sand castles! I LOVE sand castles. The beach here is beautiful, but I have to admit, I was spoiled by having my first ocean/beach experience be in Puerto Rico!!! In memory of that beautiful place that God took me for a year... here's a few pics! This is me at Cabo Rojo beach... loved it!!!This is me standing in the waterfall at El Yunque... it was such an amazing sight! What a great God we have that He created such a beautiful place for us to live and visit!!BUT.... the most beautiful of all were my kids... they blessed me EVERY day, and taught me more than I could ever have hoped to teach them in a year!! I miss them dearly!

creak....

Remember how I was SO excited about joining the Y yesterday? Apparently, my body was not as excited and decided to tell me this morning as I rolled out of bed! Here's a little picture of how I'm feeling today...

YMCA...

Yeppers... you guessed it! It's time to get fit at the YMCA!! Scott and I joined yesterday and so far I've been there twice... not too shabby, as long as I keep it up! Today we started our life style change of healthy eating, and being more active. So far, so good. We measured various points on our body to watch the weight melt off. Oh, and we hit up the Walgreens for the always dreaded SCALE. Ugg. I swear the thing was broken when we got it. I don' remember weighing that much! LOL!! I posted a picture below of what I look like now... oh, and I dyed my hair blonde ;)
That Puerto Rico sun really helped my tan, huh? Haha. Just kidding! But on a serious note... I'm not setting any crazy goals. Just a few reasonable ones...

1. Put the Lord first and remember the spiritual discipline of self-control.
2. Be healthier than when I started.
3. Be happier with my self image than when I started.

That's it. I'll keep you posted on how this journey goes... please pray for me that it will be a successful one!

Live... from Alabama!!!

Hey, Hey, Hey!! I'm finally back online, and ready to become a regular again! This time of transition has been a CRAZY one, that's for sure! I was SOO excited to see my Baby when we met in the airport in Chicago headed to St. Louis to meet my parents! Scott and I got engaged May 31... the night I got home from Puerto Rico. We spent a WONDERFUL month in IL with family and friends, then we loaded up the Penske truck and bounced our way to AL on July 1st. I'll write more tomorrow... but here's some of our engagement pics and my new favorite accessory.