My Man

This is the face of the man I love.

He doesn't just make my heart go pitter-patter, it goes deeper than that.He makes me so happy that I could burst! He makes my heart smile. He makes me laugh so hard that I cry. He makes me think and gain new perspectives on what matters most. He encourages and uplifts. HE GETS ME!! I make sense to him. He is my perfect fit. He is like that missing piece to my puzzle. I could live off of his hugs alone....don't even get me started on his kisses. ;-) He takes care of me in a way that I can't even understand. He works hard so that we don't have to go without. He is everything I ever wanted and more. He is literally my dream come true! He is my day to day delight!

But there was a day that I never thought I'd meet my dream come true. As each year passed and I remained alone, I suffered. I cried out to God, not understanding why He would have me wait. I know I'm not old and that many marry later in life than I did but boy! Did it feel like an eternity! I didn't want to but I began to feel like I was losing hope. I occupied myself with family, friends, church, and work but all the while I would be thinking that it would be nice to share this with someone. I used to cry to my friend, Amber, all the time. I confided that the loneliness hurt so bad I could feel it and that I thought no one would come along. She constantly encouraged me and let me know that God had a plan for me. She was right (as usual! ;-) )The day I met Eric changed my life! And my life is still changing because of him. He edifies and I feel like I become a better person because I know him. I call him my super hero because he saved my happily ever after! God knows His children, their wants and needs. I'm no exception. I just had to wait on HIM and His timing because it truly is perfect! I look back now and realize that although I wanted to be in a relationship years ago, I wasn't where God wanted me to be yet. If I had tried to make my timing work it would have failed and I would have had more heartache than before! GOD IS GOOD and I am so grateful for my man that He has given me. I love him so much and could not imagine a day without him. <3

Where is my thankfulness? Where is yours?

I am not posting this because we are getting closer to Thanksgiving but rather because it was simply on my heart.
I work in retail. I deal with the public. Every. Single. Day. Enough said. :-) Yesterday at work, as I was making myself try to think positively and be grateful, I thought, "Why shouldn't I be grateful? I have a job which is more than a lot of Americans right now. I have clothes, I have food, shelter, a car that runs, shoes on my feet, a husband that loves and respects me, a family that is amazing, friends that are beyond this world, a wonderful church, and even better than all of those things: God. Who loved me enough to send His only Son to pay for MY sins on the cross! He supplies all of my needs and satisfies my heart far beyond what I ever deserve. All of what I have comes from HIM!"
Ah, peace and joy started pouring in. Once again, God was knocking on my heart, showing me where I needed to change, and blessing me through the process. Think of it! Even when we can be wrong, He still blesses us!!! AMAZING. He helped bring the attention off of myself and back to Him. Where it belongs. Before that leading of the Holy Spirit, I was frowning and grumpy. After that, I was smiling. Happy. THANKFUL. It led me to think of why so many people I encounter seem so unhappy, unsatisfied, and ungrateful. Remember, I deal with people all day long. All types of people. I am not trying to be negative about the general public. Just telling you what I see daily. And more times than not what I observe is unthankful hearts. I think people (me included) can pull too much attention onto themselves. Everything is about them including, in their minds, what they have. Because of that attitude they have no one to be grateful to. I mean, if they did it all themselves then why would they say, "Thank you!" ???? People need to redirect their focus to God instead of themselves. Imagine if they look to God, instead of their own works, they have someone to give thanks to. I am not trying to be "preachy" or to discredit that people work hard and in turn \ have nice things but to me, any way I look at it, that still goes all back to God. He gave the abilities, the opportunities, and the resources. I have found and observed that when thanks is given to Him, He gives back 10 fold. The material things are appreciated but not the focus. It's like the old hymn that says, :
"Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.

PSALM 9:1-2
1. "I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
2." I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High."

Again, that was just on my heart and I had to share. What are you thankful for? Would you like to share what God has done in your life recently? Please do! I've love to know! :-)

****Stay tuned because I have some fun posts coming up this week!****

Money, money, money!!

1 Timothy 6:10
"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

Luke 12:42
"And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?"

$$$ Money, money, money!! $$$ It seems to be talked about all the time on the news, radio, in church, in regular day to day converstations, and in the work place. Money has been a steady topic in our household for a few months now. Eric has a deep respect for finanacial guru, Dave Ramsey. He listens to his radio show and checks out his website at www.DaveRamsey.com. Recently, we decided to take his classes called Financial Peace University. Eric and I have found this class to be incredibly insightful, encouraging, edifying, and educational. We have a plan for tomorrow and for a few years from now and that feels...well...GREAT! Dave Ramsey sets up everything so clearly and from a biblical standpoint. One of the things I have learned to implement into my shopping is coupon clipping! I always wanted to be a coupon clipper and now, slowly but surely, I am becoming one. I still have a lot to learn in regards to how to combine my coupons with the best deals, etc. but I LOVE seeing money come off my grocery bill almost instantly as each coupon is scanned. It's like money magic!! :-) I just like saving the money plus it makes me feel good about myself. I may not pull in the same money that Eric does but this makes me feel like I do my part beyond my  regular job. Again, I'm not a pro by any means but I'm no dummy either so I am going to share with you some of the sites I use that help me cut back on our spending and how I don't just cut coupons but how I make myself use them as well. Keep in mind....I am still learning! :-)

1. www.coupons.com I use this site weekly or bi-weekly. It is soooo easy! Now that I know it's there I have no excuse not to use it. All I have to do is go to the site, browse through the coupons, click on the ones that I want and at the end I click "Print Coupons." How simple is that?!?
2. www.e-mealz.com I have said it before and I will say it again, I love this site. For the cost and ease of use, this is a great online source. It's a double threat: tells where you to shop and what items to buy that are on sale AND it helps you plan meals!!
3. www.thegrocerygame.com I have not tried this yet but am very tempted to. The lady who created this site says that using coupons is like playing cards....you just have to know how to play your hand. Many items, combined with coupons, end up being FREE!! She was featured on the Food Network and they followed her on a shopping trip. Her original receipt was over $200 but after the amazing combo of coupons + store sales she only spent around $80!!!!! Sounds pretty sweet to me!
4. www.aldi.com Some people have hangups about using generics. I won't say I'm not a label snob. I like to have nice things but I'm also willing to try the "no-name" brands which works well because Aldi Grocery Store is full of them! I do the majority of my food shopping there. Their prices can be anywhere from $.50 to $1.50 cheaper than the name brands at other grocery stores which my wallet and I <3! When it comes to household cleaners, toilitries, I frequent Wal-Mart and {sometimes} Dollar General armed with coupons!
5. How do I get myself to use my coupons? I bought a little plastic divider folder from Dollar General for $1 and I labeled it with the categories that I shop in the most. Mine has 12 tabs which gave me some room to play with when it came to making labels. I cut my coupons (which is the longest process out of all of this but totally worth it), sort them and head off to the store. I then go aisle by aisle with my shopping list and coupon folder out. As I find the items I need that have a coupon available, I take the coupon from the designated area and put it up in the front of my sorter. By doing that I don't have to be the annoying person in line at checkout trying to find my coupons. You know what I'm talking about. Have you ever seen those people still cutting the coupons as they are trying to pay?? Ridiculousness. So to avoid being that person I have them ready and hand them to the cashier at the end. Then BAM! BAM! BAM! Money gets knocked off my bill. I always do a little happy dance internally! :-)
6. What else makes this effective? Per the Dave Ramsey system we are instructed to budget our money at the beginning of each month. It's like an actual meeting and we discuss what expenses we have coming up plus calculate what we regularly spend. Eric and I actually really enjoy this process because we know we are on the same page and we can see what money we are ultimately saving! We then designate cash for certain areas (i.e. groceries, gas, entertainment, etc.) get the cash, put them in the nifty cash envelopes from the Financial Peace class and then we don't have to spend anything else (beyond bills paid online.) We don't have to pull out the debit card at all and {kind of} blindly spend our money. If we need or want something, we have cash exactly for that purpose. This works wonders in our mula saving efforts! And you would never believe the compliments I receive on the envelopes when I use them. Check out the pics and you will see what I mean!
I'll be sharing more tips on saving money! What are some money saving tips you can share with me?

Snazzy cash envelope holder!

Cash envelopes!

I use these to save that!

My lifesaver at the grocery store!

I'm BACK!!!

 Hello Blogging World! I'm back! Now I will not say I will be back every day or even every week but I am here per the gentle nudging of friends and family. I really enjoy the blogging experience (both reading and writing) but sometimes I feel too much pressure to blog when I have nothing to say. I'll admit, I've got nothin'! haha But today I feel I've got something, nothing big. Nothing fancy. Just a story that I hope you all enjoy. (P.S. I am listening to Christmas music while I write this. Yeah, I'm that girl.)


Nearly a month ago Eric and I decided we needed a break. A BIG ONE. We were worn out and needing to get away from it all. Now, no matter how well you know me this should be surprising....we went....wait for it....camping. GASP! I may not seem like the outdoorsey type but I really do enjoy it. Being outdoors in God's creation without disturbance from humanity's design can be quite refreshing. We did toy with the idea of a city trip to Chicago but after considering what we really wanted (and what we wanted to spend) we opted for pitching a tent! So for a few weeks we collected supplies. Some we had, some we borrowed (thanks parents!), and some we purchased. Eric already had a tent so we put it up in our backyard to air out because he had rolled it up wet last time he used it....and so we could sit in it because we are cool like that. :-) We left it out or a few days then we went back to it to box it up we noticed....an odor. Apparently we had a little critter (most likely racoon since we had seen one in the yard just days before) come visit the tent and he left a little puddle for us. YUCK!!!!!!! Off to Wal-Mart we went. We bought a new tent and some water repellent for the tent (lesson learned). Despite the tent incident our excitement was builiding. That Friday, I rushed home from work and arrived home to everything packed and ready to go thanks to the hubby. We set off merrily to our destination. The ride down was really beautiful and pleasant! We sang, held hands, talked about all the fun we would have, and enjoyed the beautiful leaves that were changing colors. After about an hour and a half trip we get to the campsite. Everything was pitch black when we got there so instinctively we go for the lantern. Now.....whoever at Coleman decided it was a great idea to store a lantern like this is a moron. I'm sorry but it was truly such a poor design. We had to yank the base and lid apart that was housing the GLASS lantern (do you see where I am going with this?) No luck, still no luck, then out went the lantern!.....onto the hard ground. Shattered into a thousand pieces. After a brief meltdown from myself and Eric, we pulled ourselves together. Seriously! We could not survive on an island if we fell apart at just the lantern breaking. What were we thinking?!? haha We used our pitiful flashlight to pitch our tent and set up camp the best we could. After feeling a little settled we headed off the camp store on the campgrounds. By the end of the trip we were their best customers! haha We bought a nice new lantern, mantles for the lantern, and a bundle of wood (the first of many.) Back to our campsite we went, freezing, tired, grumpy. We sat around the fire making smores. And get this--that was Hubby's first time eating a smore! That still boggles my mind! Off to bed....which was slightly down hill....because the tent was pitched slightly down hill. Throughout the night I would wake up and crawl back up to my pillow army style! The next morning we woke up still a little wounded from the experiences from the evening before but still surprisingly optimistic for what the day held for us. I went straight to work making a big breakfast: bacon, eggs, hash browns....you get the idea. Bacon cooked up surprisingly well considering it was being cooked on a little camping stove covered in foil to serve as an impromptu griddle....that was also on a slight decline....yeah, the table was leaning. haha While I'm cooking Eric is putting a new mantle on the lantern. He decides to change the other side, even though it didn't necessarily need it, just in case. In the process the thread to the mantle broke and the mantle blew away in the morning wind! FAIL. Another trip was made to the camping store for more mantels, MORE firewood, and some coffee. After the bacon was done, it was time for the hash browns and scrambled eggs. We used the lids and handles from the mess kits as our skillets (really worked well) and the food went in. And it sat there. For a long time. Not cooking. As soon as the food heated up it was instantly cooled down by the aforementioned "morning wind." Thankfully Eric decided to put a lid over the food and it cooked right up. Despite taking longer than we thought, the breakfast was delicious! We cleaned up then headed off to Brookville Lake to go boating. We found a deal where we could rent a pontoon for 4 hours for $100. Score! We were so excited. Even though it was really cold and storm clouds seemed to be rolling in. Our trip hadn't gone well so far so by George! WE WERE GOING TO BOAT! And attempt fishing. Key word: attempt. For the first hour it was really cold but quite fun especially when we got past the no wake zone. We treated that huge pontoon like a sports car, going full speed and doing doughnuts on the lake. Then....the rain came. And it didn't stop. We were pelted with the hard rain drops and soaked through to the bone. BRRRRRWINKLES! So we headed back to the dock even though we had about 2 1/2 hours left. Eric and I didn't care anymore. $100 or no $100 we were going to be warm and dry. Of course when we got to the dock it stopped raining. We didn't care anymore! We practically cried, "SAVE US!!!!" when we got to the dock and the owner pulled the boat in. Again, what made us think that we could handle this?? Opting for warmth and comfort, we went to the local Pizza King and ate subpar pizza. After consuming what one could only assume is thousands of calories and a pound of grease, we explored the town close by the camping site. An antique store was visited as was an outdoorsman's shop. We used the time in the truck to warm up so more. Back to the campsite! AH!!! We left the canvas chairs out and they were soaked. I piled them into the back of the pickup and headed towards the ladies room armed with my hair dryer. I set them down under the hand dryers, pressing the buttons every time they stopped and blow drying at the same time. An hour passed and they were sorta, kinda dry. They would have to do. In the meantime, Eric visited the camp store....ahem....again...and purchased more firewood. Ya' know, the forecast said it would be 65 and sunny. {SIGH} Sitting in our damp, cold chairs we debated for about an hour or so if we were hungry again. Instead of roasting hot dogs over the fire we chose the smores again. Why we ate like 13 year old kids on this trip I have no idea. We inhaled entirely too much camp fire smoke so after our lungs couldn't take it anymore we headed off to bed. Not exactly a comforting thought for myself considering it was like an aerobic exercise just to not slide downhill but off to bed I went! Morning came and were more than ready to head out! After having one lousy experience after another, seeing our home has never seemed so sweet! We had one day left of vacation and what do you think we did? Stayed in our pj's, watched movies, and breathed a unanimous sigh of relief.


THE END :-)




Eric "fishing"...                      

                                                         View from our tent...note the angle.

                                                         Trying out a sleeping bag before the trip.

Chicken Pitas

I am constantly looking for healthy, fast meals because my work hours are so inconsistent. One day I might work from 9:30 to 6 but the next day I might be scheduled 2-9. It has it's pro's and con's but one of the mjor con's is that I can't be there for Eric to make him a nice, home cooked meal. I try so hard to make something ahead of time but sometimes life happens (imagine that!) and I can't seem to find enough time to prep a meal for him. That's even led to him heating up a frozen dinner from time to time! GASP! I hate the thought of that! So whenever I can find something that is healthy and quick I am all about it! I found this great chicken pita recipe from e-mealz.com and it was a home run. 1. It was so easy! I mixed it up, set it aside in the refrigerator and Hubby is able to assemble it himself with hardly any effort. 2. It was yummy! And surprisingly filling! 3. It lasted for 3 meals between the two of us. 4. A lot of the ingredients I already had (most purchased from Aldi)so I didn't have to invest a lot more into the meal. ALWAYS A PLUS especially when your husband is obsessed with doing things the Dave Ramsey way! haha

Chicken Pitas

1 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. Chopped sun dried tomatoes, with oil
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 clove garlic minced  (I use the pre-minced stuff in a jar! LIFESAVER!)
1 1/2 C. Rotesserie chicken, shredded (I used pre-cooked chickenstrips b/c they are cheaper and I can save the remainders for salads. I still shredded it.)
1 Roma Tomato, choppd
1/4 C. Shredded mozz. cheese
3 pitas, cut in 1/2
1 1/2 C. salad greens

Combine first 4 ingredients together in a large bowl. Stir in chicken, tomato, cheese. Line each pita 1/2 with salad greens and divide chicken misture evenly among pita halves. Tadah! That simple.

Pita's are wonderful because they are delish and also low in calories. One piece of white/wheat bread is around 70-80 calories. So a whole sandwhich can range from 140-160 calories with the bread alone. A whole pita can range from 60-90 calories (depending if you get whole wheat, white, etc.). That's the whole pita! Such a savings on calories but not on flavor! Try this little time-saver! It's delightful!

Nearer, Still Nearer

Ok, so I am clearly on a hymn-kick! haha I just truly love old hymns.
"Nearer, Still Nearer" is one of my all time favorite hymns. It's probably one of my top 5. I remember the first time I heard it....I was 13 years old at Camp Peniel in chapel. Hearing the tune made me feel calm, reading the words made my heart cry out to GOD (not myself), and being in a fellowship of people that felt the same way was truly amazing. The peace that fell over the room was overwhelming. There is a purity to the lyrics. It became our camp hymn. Every year we sang it and every year I loved it. I would cry. I would pray. I would feel such incredible joy to be His child and to be given that opportunity to be there and learn more about Him. And I want to share this song with you. The people in the video was not my church group. It's one I found on YouTube (again). Maybe it won't touch your heart the same way it touches mine but I pray that it does. I hope you walk away feeling blessed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJhDcNKr1g4&feature=related

1. Nearer, still nearer, close to Thy heart,

Draw me, my Savior, so precious Thou art;
Fold me, oh, fold me close to Thy breast,
Shelter me safe in that "Haven of Rest,"
Shelter me safe in that "Haven of Rest."

2. Nearer, still nearer, nothing I bring,
Naught as an offering to Jesus, my King;
Only my sinful, now contrite heart,
Grant me the cleansing Thy blood doth impart,
Grant me the cleansing Thy blood doth impart.

3. Nearer, still nearer, Lord, to be Thine!
Sin, with its follies, I gladly resign,
All of its pleasures, pomp and its pride,
Give me but Jesus, my Lord, crucified,
Give me but Jesus, my Lord, crucified.

4. Nearer, still nearer, while life shall last,
'Til safe in glory my anchor is cast;
Through endless ages, ever to be,
Nearer, my Savior, still nearer to Thee,
Nearer, my Savior, still nearer to Thee.

Shape Note Singing

Shape note singing. I had never heard of it before till a few weeks ago. I am trying to learn more about it because it has really caught my attention. From what I have read so far, shape note singing is a form singing used in the early 18th century (and on) in churches, mainly in the South. However, it's beginnings are in England. In America, this tradition of singing still has quite a following. People would sing hymns from a book called "The Sacred Harp." The sacred harp being the human voice sans musical instruments. The sound is definitely a little different and might throw a person off if they don't listen for a few minutes. Shape note singing uses literal shapes for musical notes and each shape represents do,ra, mi, fa, and so on (no pun intended.) When a song is started one will hear "Do la la mi la la do so do ra mi la fa fa do." But then...oh then the music starts! What sparked my interest in this kind of forgotten form of music? I'll admit it. It was the movie "Cold Mountain." I heard a song called, "I'm Going Home" and I was hooked. I looked it up on the ever handy YouTube and from there heard more and more songs. Don't get me wrong! I love piano's, violins, harps, etc. but there is something very simple and beautiful about the sound of human voices coming together just to praise God. There is a book and documentary out about shape note singing. I hope to have them in my posession soon because I really want to feed this obsession! Included is a link to the song that originally turned me on to shape note singing! Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g1UHZwN3ds

And here are a few more for your entertainment viewing/listening:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgnpJiMHJfE&feature=related I really wanted you to see this (although the audio is not favorable)because of the movement of their arms. They do this in "Cold Mountain" too.....assuming it helps them keep count?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BmP1iW5qQg


What kind of music really catches your interest? Do you know anything about shape note singing? Feel free to share! :-)

Sigh...

Have you ever had a time in your life where you feel just emotionally bruised and worn down? Where you just want to curl up in a blanket and hide from the world? I certainly have and this week has been no exception. Just any way I turn I feel like I've made a mistake or haven't been good enough. I am just so grateful I have someone to turn to when I feel this way. The Lord is always there for me, always caring for me, always showing me the way. Honestly, I don't know how those who don't know the Lord get through times like these (or harder.) Without Him, I would have and be nothing. Hymns, along with scripture, are always such a blessing to my heart. "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" is a song that instantly calms me and reminds me that looking at Him will keep me steady. If I focus on HIM, and not the way I am feeling, I can grow closer to Him.

"O soul, are you weary and troubled?

No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

chorus:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!"

Pslam 61:1-4
1. "Hear my cry, O God, attend unto my prayer.
2." From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3." For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
4." I will abide in they tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of they wings. Selah."

I'm "fall"ing in love!

Forgive my nerd-tastic play on words but I just absolutely love autumn! So many of my friends share my sentiments. I've seen so many beautiful and crafty ideas out there!
The other day I sent out a message to a few friends saying, "Do you think it's too early to do fall decor?" Thankfully my fall loving friends said, "OF COURSE NOT!" (maybe the reason I asked them? ;-) ) I immediately started pulling out some fall decorations I had purchased last year. Later that evening, Eric and I went to Hobby Lobby and got a few more small decorations. I've yet to pull out the "big guns." ;-) Then, to my delight, I remembered that I have some fall decorations still at my parent's house. I cannot wait to dig out those almost-forgotten treasures! A few tips:
1. For any seasonal decorations, wait till the season is over (even a month after) and then  buy! You will find some out-of-this world deals! They are practically giving the stuff away! PLUS, you will have some awesome goodies waiting for you the next year. Before I even got married I did this. For example, this past January, I went to Pier 1 and bought some adorable plates and various decorations for practically nothing!
2. I find to make your house feel more cozy and festive, infuse it with appealing scents. I bought $1 jar candles from Wal-Mart: cinnamon roll, mulled cider, and pumpkin spice. I put them in different areas of the house and oh my word! HELLO FALL!! :-) I also bought a room spray for $4 (also W.M.) that is pumpkin spice. I just give a few spritz every other day and it just gets me so excited for the season! These scents smell great but are not overpowering.
3. Get creative! You can purchase some pretty inexpensive supplies that create a luxurious look. Check out the Dollar Tree! I got two scarecrows from there for my front yard that are just as cute as can be!

 A quick dilemma: On my front porch I want to set up some small blocks of hay/straw (pre-packaged from HobbyLobby:$2.99-4.99) and set up some pumpkins and gourds for a nice, fall display. I have seen real pumpkins and gourds at the store for a pretty low price. BUT I have also seen those fake pumpkins that look real and you can still carve for just a few more dollars. Here's my thing: Do I buy the cheapies and just eat the cost because I can't re-use them next year OR do I invest in the fakes and use them for years to come? I guess my struggle is, which work best out doors?? Any advice would be appreciated! :-)

I apologize for the camera quality. I used my cell phone because my digital was charging. Still a work in progress but here you go....
 Centerpiece on the kitchen table
(used a giant leaf plate, giant candle,
and fillers)                                                                  Same image as before

These are actually 2 separate door hangers but I combined them together to give a fuller look.

 

ENJOY! :-)

A Wonderful Lesson About Worry

Last evening I went to my first ladies fellowship at my new church. I will admit that I was a little nervous. I've always had another friend with me to try out new things like this but this time I was all by myself. But in reality I wasn't by myself...God was with me and He gave me the "courage" to be myself and not so shy in front of all these ladies. I loved the time I had with these ladies! We had some yummy food, played a game, learned about some cute crafts to make, poured our hearts out in prayer, read God's word and had some overall great fellowship! I cannot wait for next month when there is another one! The lesson (taught by Pastor's wife) was a great encouragement and I felt compelled to share some key points with all of you out there in blogging land!
We read from Matthew 6:25-34, focusing on verse 26, "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do the reap, nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"
Susan, Pastor's wife, said, "Seeing His creation should remind us that HE is in control!" and that really resonated with me. If God can create the world and all of the things in it, from the big to the small, then why could He not handle my worries? She then went into details about how worry can physically and emotionally cause you damage. Worry may cause high blood pressure, heart attacks, nervous breakdowns, etc. What worry does not  do is strengthen your body. Worry has no pro's or cons. It's all con's. Nothing about worry can benefit you. Worry can even reduce your ability to trust in God! When we are trusting in God, the way that we should, worry will be removed. There is a difference between worry and genuine concern-worry immobilizes but concern moves you to action. Then she gave some cool insight into the verses we read:
Seven Reasons NOT to Worry:
1. (based on vs. 25) The same God who created life in you can be trusted with the details of your life.
2 .(based on vs. 26) Worrying about the future hampers your efforts for today.
3. (based on vs. 27) Worrying is more harmful than helpful.
4. (based on vs. 28-30) God doe not ignore those who depend on Him.
5. (based on vs.31-32) Worry shows a lack of fath and understanding of God. ----This point hit home!! Think about what it says.
6. (based on vs. 33) There are real challenges God wants us to pursue and worrying keeps us from them.
7. (based on vs, 34) Living one day at a time keeps us from being consumed with worry about tomorrow.

It's always goo to be reminded that God is in control and that He takes care of His own. Hope you found this to be encouraging! :-)