Randomness: Weddings of 2013, treatment & finale!

Long time, no write :(

I'm so sorry I've been absent for awhile, but I'm back!

I've been busy, busy!

 

One of my best friends got married this past Saturday and I was her maid of honor.

We've been friends since 3rd grade. Crazy, huh?!

I'm so happy for her & feel honored to be a part of her beautiful day!

She was gorgeous AND although it was very hot (outdoor wedding), it didn't rain!!

It was a beautiful ceremony focused on Christ being the foundation of a marriage.

Now the happy couple are on their "mini-moon" and I can recoup from the festivities.

I would never let Lyme Disease get in the way of a beautiful union like 2 of my best friends' weddings the past couple months!

Here are a few pictures from this weekend...

 Getting my hair done!

 Viola! Isn't that a cool hairstyle?!

 The Bride & I :)

 The Brides of 2013

 The Bride & her maids

 

Not only have I been busy with Mindy's wedding, I have continued my IV treatments.

It has continued to be rough because of the dying of bacteria (Herxhiemer reaction), but luckily, I have seen the fruits of this not-so fun treatment protocol.

I went to the doctor a few weeks ago and for the first time in a long time...drum roll please... we can see some improvement! It wasn't a huge improvement, but it's a few rays of light coming through the end of the tunnel. I've only been on IV for a month & a half so that's pretty good...I'll take it!

Hopefully, I'll be able to make even more progress so I won't have to have this lovely (not) PICC line for 6 months, but I guess if that's what it takes, I'll have to tough it out.

Also, our gofundme fundraiser to help pay for this treatment (not covered by insurance) is going really well! Although we have not met our goal, we can feel God providing! If you don't mind, please keep me in your prayers for both healing & finances...thank you so much!

 

Last but not least, I started reading a new book titled, Red Letter Revolution. Woa-it's really good! So good that I've had to put off my finale post of Following in Your Footsteps series. There is too much good stuff that has opened my eyes even more to following in Christ's footsteps. So get ready, the next post will be the last post of the series (hopefully tomorrow)!

Bible Reading Plan:
Today: Isaiah 31-35
Tuesday: Isaiah 36-41
Wednesday: Isaiah 42-44
Thursday: Isaiah 45-48
Friday: Isaiah 49-53
Saturday: Isaiah 54-58

 

 PS- Kindle & Nook have a special sale price on A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans for only $2.99 until the 31st! I'm not paid to advertise this either, I just love the book so much, I figured I'd share this awesome deal with you!

 

Can you do me a favor?

 

You might have noticed something new to my page...

Notice it?

If not, look to the left of the screen...it's a blue box...yep there it is!

 

So here's the deal.

You may know that I'm taking the Perspectives class where we talk about fulfilling the Great Commission and where we fit in.

The class isn't just about being a missionary, but simply changing our mindset and looking outside of ourselves and our own little world and realize that there is a world out there that needs to know the good news of Jesus Christ.

 

In Matthew 28:10 Jesus tells the disciples and us, to go to the ends of the earth, teaching, baptizing and making disciples. God wants everyone, not just Americans or Africans, He wants everyone. All nations. All cultures. All ethnic groups. all people.

 In order for people to learn about this good news of grace, God wants to use you and me to spread it.

 

You may be thinking, "Chelsea, I am not going overseas. I have a career and family here. I'm not cut out to be a missionary."

 

I say, "Whoa, slow down. I'm not recruiting you to be a missionary, however, if that's what God is calling you to do, you need to do it, despite your concerns. When God calls you to do something, you better do it. It's a privilege to be called to further His kingdom and guess what? We are all called to tell people about Jesus. We just may not all be called to go overseas and that's perfectly okay, because surprisingly Christianity is growing faster in Africa and Latin America than it is here in America."

 

With that being said, there are still many unreached people groups that need to hear about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

So I'm asking you a favor...

Even if you're not called to go overseas to spread the Gospel, will you pray that others who are called will be obedient?

Will you pray that the hearts of the unreached people groups will be open?

Will you pray that these people will have visions of Jesus?

Will you pray that they will feel God's presence in everyday life through a sunset or a bountiful harvest or the birth of a baby?

Will you pray that these people and missionaries will be protected from harm?

 

Everyday that box will change to a different people group. Maybe you would like to commit to praying for one specific group for the rest of the month or year. Perhaps you would like to pray for a different people group each day. Either way, these people groups need to know the good news that is life changing. God hears our prayers and we don't need to jump on plane to make a difference, we can make a difference by lifting these people up in prayer.

 

If you want to learn more about unreached people groups, just click on the box on the left side. The Joshua Project is dedicated to fulfilling the Great Commission and discovering the unreached/least-reached people groups.

 

Will you pray for these precious people right now?

Go on...you know you want to.

Have a BIG decision to make?

We all make decisions. We make decisions constantly. You made the decision to read this blog entry. We make little decisions, big decisions, irrelevant decisions, and important decisions. We are decision makers 24/7.

 We must be pros at decision making, but are we?

I don't know about you, but I've definitely had problems in the decision making department. If you are close to me, you know this to be true and you're probably say something to the effect of, "boy ain't that the truth!" I'm sorry guys, that it takes me 30 minutes to make a decision, but in every relationship there is a "decision maker" and a "decision maker-follower"...I'm the latter, so know this, I would be lost without you!

You're probably thinking, "Chelsea, you are 22 year old, college graduate. You should be able to make your own decisions." I know. I'm an adult now. I must make my own decisions. So lately, I've been working on the decision making. Not the small, irrelevant decisions like McDonald's or Burger King (I skipped those...because I'm brave like that... haha) but the BIG, important decision making. Decisions that can affect our walk with God. Well, do you want to hear my secret?

A lot of times we make earthly decisions for heavenly matters. Let that sink in.

 

What's wrong with that statement? Earthly and heavenly don't match up. We can't make stupid, impulsive decisions and expect for our walk with God to be strengthened. Of course, God can bring good out of the bad, but we can't go making unwise decisions and be waiting on a great outcome. For example:

• A woman can't marry a guy just because he is good looking and assume it will be a blessed marriage. This is a heavenly matter, because God calls the husband to be a spiritual leader to his wife. Just because he's cute, doesn't mean he is going to be a spiritual leader for his wife. And vice versa. A wife is called to encourage and serve her husband.
• A man can't accept a job, just because it will satisfy his hunger and love for money and expect that he will be blessed. This is a heavenly matter, because we should work  according to God's call despite how much money we make.

 

Here are my secrets to good decision making skills:

1. Pray/Read Bible - pray for discernment, open mind, & obedience in God's will.

2. Seek counsel - Find someone who has your best interest in mind, knows you well & preferbly, a Godly mentor.

3. Pray again. Never hurts to pray. Pray for open doors & closed doors.

4. Wait. Don't expect an answer right away. Decide when you feel at peace with a decision. If you are still worried/anxious when you make the decision, you might want to do some more praying.

5. Pray for discernment of time/how and courage to make decision.

6. Make decision!

 

Psalm 119:115 - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Proverbs 15:22 - Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart;do not depend on your own understanding.Seek his will in all you do,and he will show you which path to take.

 

So what's your big decision to make? 

I pray that you make a heavenly one!

 

Don't forget your 30 minute fast of your possession! Let me know how it goes! I fasted from mine and got this blog out of it! Funny how God works ;)

 





 

 





Are YOU possessed?

It's that time of the week again..."Sunday's Sermon Notes"!

 

No, silly, I did not mean possessed that way...let me rephrase....

are you possessed by your possessions?

In other words, does your stuff take over your life?

Don't worry, you don't have to tell me your answer.

Think about it for a minute or two.

 

Here are a couple more questions:

Look around you, are you surrounded by stuff?

Do you find yourself buying stuff often?

Why do you buy stuff?

(By the way, my definition of stuff are things that aren't really essential to live.)

 

Pastor Barry talked a lot about stuff today. He related his sermon to King Solomon, the son of David and a philosopher who lived before the time of Christ.

We find in the book of Ecclesiastes that King Solomon has a lot of stuff. He had tons of concubines, slaves, irrigation systems, all sorts of the "cool" stuff back then. He was always wanting more, because something was missing from his life...

Joy. Happiness. Peace. True love.

 

Pause-I've got another question for ya.

Do you feel like you're missing something in life?

Well just like Solomon, when we feel like our life is incomplete or we aren't content,

we seek to to find something to fill it. Most of the time, we fill it with stuff.

 

The latest, biggest tv we want....because our's isn't big enough.

The latest, smartest phone...because our's isn't "smart" enough.

The latest, eco-friendly car...because our's isn't "eco-friendly" enough.

The list could go on. And on.

 

We may not realize it, but we our filling our lives with stuff that does not bring us true happiness. If it did, why do we always have to upgrade?

Or why do we have garage sales to sell our old stuff to get new stuff?

Obviously, we aren't content enough.

 

King Solomon shows us that every material thing holds no meaning. It took him awhile to realize that true joy does not come from the latest, greatest thing, but it comes from having a relationship with God.

 

Pastor Barry said, "God does not keep score on how much stuff you have." He continued to say, "If you think God loves you more because you have more stuff" you're wrong. God does not care if you drive a Mercedes, own an iPhone, or have a 3 story house.

 

I have been involved in a homeless ministry and have been amazed at how happy the people are. They have nothing. Zilch. Nada. Yet they are praising God for their lives. They are thankful. I wonder why...their lives aren't possessed by possessions.

They have time with God! They have time to take in their surroundings, talk to God, and most importantly, listen to God.

 

We find true joy when we are in a devoted relationship with God. No matter how much stuff you own, know this, it does not give you joy. It's much cheaper and richer (at the same time!) to be in relationship with God, than spending money on stuff that is never going to satisfy you.

 

Hebrews 13:5 says, " Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Philippians 4:19 says, "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." It is clear from scripture that all we need is God."

 

Challenge for the week: turn off or get away from your favorite possession (stuff) for at least 30 minutes and read your Bible, pray, or sing worship music.

What are you going to give up to work on your relationship with God?

Let me know how it goes!