Let the sinless one cast the first stone.....

As you already know, same sex marriages have been legalized across the United States of America as of yesterday.  This has caused a wide array of opinions throughout my news feed on Facebook, Twitter and IG.  Some people are rejoicing and some people are mad and being hateful, filled with disgust.....
Let's remember one thing, we are all human, and we all sin differently.  In the Bible there is a story about a woman who had been cheating on her husband, and back then it was the cultural norm to stone a woman who was found in the act of adultery.  So everyone made a circle around her, stone in hand, ready to throw the first one, when Jesus came up and simply said...... "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." John 8:7 KJV....... And you know what all of those people did?  They dropped their stones, one by one and walked away.. Jesus looked at the woman and told her that her sins were forgiven and to SIN NO MORE.... 
As a Christian, AKA and follower of Christ, we are to act as HE would, not as we would like in the flesh.. Jesus could have easily said, yes, let's stone this woman, for she has sinned against God.. But he didn't.. He chose to love instead, and she went on to sin no more.. Perhaps we can do the same in this situation...
Our words in online forums and our words to people face to face mean a  lot, and we, as Christians are representing the One True King EVERYWHERE we go.  In fact, we are the only Bible that most people read.   What is your life showing?  

2 Timothy 2:24-26 says.... "24 And the Lord's servant[a] must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will."

Let's strive to do that... To truly live out God's Word... Let's NOT BE QUARRELSOME, but KIND.. Wait, what?  Yes, KIND.. Not my words, but God's.... Think about when you're a child and you did something wrong, and your parents yelled at you and told you how bad it was... Did it help you or make it worse?  It made it worse, and made you feel bad and it didn't make you want to change!  But think about the times when your parents loved on you when you did wrong, and helped to guide you in the right direction.. Completely different emotions painted in your head at that, right?
Let's aim to be that ''parent'' to people who sin differently than we do, let's get our brothers and sisters on the right track, and pray for our country...

After all, ONE person can make a huge difference and it starts with YOU!  

Anxiety

Yes! I have an anxiety disorder and I'm not ashamed to talk about it.. Mental health is something MILLIONS of Americans struggle with.. It's almost like you have to be hush about it, because if you don't have a gaping bleeding hole in the side of your body, nothing is wrong with you.. But guess what, invisible illnesses are real.. I have struggled with anxiety and OCD since I was little.. Does that make me weird or different? No.. It makes me human... For a long time I thought having anxiety was my own fault and that it was an insult to God and if I just didn't talk about it, it would be okay.. Well no. It's not an insult to God and just because I'm a Christian doesn't mean I am exempt from having any issues. It just means that when I'm feeling anxious or panicked or overwhelmed (almost all the time lol) that I put my trust in the Lord and pray through it versus giving in to my anxiety symptoms and letting it get worse and worse. It's like being a child who is scared and looking to your dad for help.. In the same way, I have a severe anxiety disorder, but I look to the Lord for help to get me through it.. I pray that He uses my anxiety disorder as a way to glorify Him and to help other people who struggle with mental health issues.. I am not alone, and neither are you. I have finally started getting help. Yes, I have a job and I go to school and raise 2 kids, but I still struggle with leading a ''normal'' (whatever that is) life because of it. But like I said, I pray about it and put my trust in the Lord even though a lot of the times leaving the house is HARD... The definition of COURAGE is the ability to do something that frightens one. THROUGH JESUS I HAVE A TON OF COURAGE, and I can't make it through this life without HIM!

ANOTHER Load of Laundry?

Some days all that it seems that I do, is CLEAN.  Clean up after my kids, my husband, myself and the invisible tornado that seems to destroy my apartment, every single day.  As soon as I finish doing all of the dishes in the sink, I look over and there are suddenly more.  Same with laundry, as soon as I get the last folded pile put up, the laundry basket is over flowing. 
It can become so incredibly easy to become overwhelmed.  Walking behind toddlers with a basket in hand can be exhausting.  This life demands so many things.  Working, school work, house chores, playing with our kids, helping them with their homework, being intimate with our spouses, and let's not forget we need to add exercising and making healthy meals to that never ending to do list. 
When all seems crazy we need to put our focus on the One who created us.  God is there with us every single step of the way, guiding our steps, we just have to be willing to see.  Accepting His love and help can change the way you view your pile of dishes.  The Lord blessed you with a beautiful family, full of chaos and smiles, temper tantrums and kisses, messy faces and bubble baths.  When you're tempted to get upset about the never ending to do list, think about what your life would be without it.  Quiet, and empty.  The Lord blessed me with the perfect family for me, and He put me in this place because He knows I can do great things with and for the people in my life.  Let's serve our families.  Put on the same smiling face you put on with people at your work place and at church.  Serving our family is right up there with serving our Lord. 
Yes, it's hard, but with God by your side, helping you through every part of your day, you can do anything! 
Rejoice when your crying baby wants mommy in the middle of the night, you are loved, and needed and wanted.  Smile when your child hands you yet another dirty dish to wash, you are blessed with food to eat and a sink to wash your dishes in, you are nourishing your child, a child that God Himself blessed you with.  Dance when your husband needs you to do something for him, and instead of being upset, try asking him what you can do for him.  You'll see his eyes light up. 
Let's make it a daily priority to SERVE our own families.  To love on them the way Jesus would. 

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Amazing Grace

I had to write this paper for my English class, and I've gotten a lot of positive feed back for it.  Figured this would make a great first post on my blog =)  Feel free to share.. This is my memoir on the day I was Saved.


Being Saved is something many people can relate to, especially here in the Bible belt of the country. We all have our own stories and different circumstances that brought us to knowing Christ, and it’s definitely a life changing experience. Since that Easter morning, my life will never be the same.
I remember waking up excited, but also very nervous. I must have tried a thousand different outfits on. What did ‘church people’ wear anyway? I had no clue. It’s funny because looking back I couldn’t tell you what I wore or how my hair was, or how I wore my makeup. None of that mattered.
I had no idea what to expect. I was raised in what you could call the opposite of a religious family. My dad devoted his life to serving our country in the United States Army, which left my brother and I with our mentally ill mother who turned to alcohol and drugs to numb the pain of her own childhood memories that seem to still haunt her. She taught me that ‘Bible thumpers’ were weird, judgmental, horrible people that I was never to associate with. I had absolutely no prior knowledge to who or what God was and what His Son did for us on that cross, all those years ago. Still, I felt a higher calling and was led to church that Easter morning.
Walking in, there were smiling faces everywhere. There were even people directing us to where we should park our car. I remember the church was made of gray bricks, it was small, but beautiful. There were beautiful plants everywhere outside and in the middle of the sidewalk leading to the entrance was a beautiful stone water fountain. It was an oasis in a desert wonderland.
After dropping our son Elijah off in their upstairs childcare, we slowly made our way to our seats. A few of our friends from the Marine Corps had accompanied us there. I remember the plush, black chairs and the stage. There were fog machines going and lots of lights. I remember the big clock that hung on the back wall. It was beautiful.
Then, the music started and we all stood, ready to worship and sing songs to our Lord. I didn’t know any of the words, as I had never heard them but I followed along as best as I could. I remember just being memorized by it all. I belonged there.
The older, blonde pastor came out after the worship music had ended and everyone stopped and turned around and said “Welcome Home!” to all of the new faces. He gave a great sermon, the true Easter story, as I had never heard it before and no, it didn’t include any Easter bunnies! At the end of the service he asked if anyone was ready to die to themselves and be born again in Christ. I felt a strong feeling come over me. “Do it, do it” it said. So I raised my hand and my husband followed my lead. We made our way up there, nervous and excited, hand in hand. Not knowing where this new journey would take us, but trusting God to lead the way.
We bowed our heads and prayed, “Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe you died for my sins and rose from the dead. I trust and follow you as my Lord and Savior. Guide my life and help me to do your will. In Jesus name, Amen!”
A feeling of relief, like a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders flooded over me. Like all the years I had spent trying to fill this hole had finally been filled.
I was a teen mom, raised in a dysfunctional home and had been through a lot. I didn’t know where to turn or how to live. I tried many things that I am not proud of and nothing has ever made me feel as complete as Jesus. No one on this Earth can love me the way He does.
If anyone can take anything away from reading this, I would hope it would be, there truly is power in the name of Jesus. It isn’t just a saying or lyrics to a song. It’s truth, and real, very real. It doesn’t matter how bad you think you are. No one is beyond the help of God. Jesus didn’t come here to heal the healthy, he came to heal the sick. I am a child of the One True King and you can be too!