And the two shall become one....

McKayla & Brian's wedding last weekend. It was gorgeous. Beautiful scenery....even more.... beautiful people!

The Happy Couple!

Why is Rebekah holding the Bride's Bouquet? I guess she is hoping it will bring her some good fortune, since she didn't catch the bridal bouquet when it was thrown! I love Jennilee's expression on her face! Is she kissing??

Almost our whole family was in this wedding. Mark officiated. Rebekah was the Maid of Honor. Jake was the Ring Bearer and I played the keyboard and sang....what fun!

My favorite part of this wedding was when the groom replaced the bride's "purity" ring with the wedding ring. Mac has had that ring since she was about 13 years old, and she presented it to her future husband as part of the wedding ceremony. How beautiful....to save yourselves for your wedding day.....just as God has intended.

I pray for this couple and all our newly married couples, that they will seek the Lord in their marriage. A chord of three strands is not easily broken. The husband is one strand. The wife is another strand; and the Lord is the third strand!! Couples - please commit your marriage to the Lord - with Him, the chord is not easily broken.

I close with some of the words to the song at the wedding: "Love is Not A Fight" (by Warren Barfield.)

Love is a shelter in a raging storm.

Love is peace in the middle of a war.

And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door.

No, love is not a fight....but it's something worth fighting for!

This is how I choose to feel today....

I "borrowed" this from Janel's blog....love it!

"Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World"

I'm reading this book by Joanna Weaver. It is very enlightening; shedding some much needed light on my ever wandering heart.

In our Women's Bible Study class at church, ("Me, Myself & Lies") we've been discussing the destructive self-talk we, as women, have a tendency to engage in. Well, this new book I'm reading is also talking about similar things. (Is somebody trying to tell me something?)

Anyway, here are a few nuggets I've gleaned from this book so far (I'm only on Chapter 5!):

"We cannot underestimate the effects of what we think about. Garbage in...garbage out. Out of the abundance of our hearts, our mouths speak...our minds churn....our lust burns....our lives overturn."

Instead, we need to think on Phil. 4:8 things....like excellence, truth, purity and righteousness.

"But How?"

I'm glad you asked!

We need a NEW MIND!! (a B-R-A-I-N double wash - to borrow a phrase from a Nicole C. Mullen's song). Scripture memorization is one way we get that new mind.

Here's another way we get it - by "taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ." (II Cor. 10:5).

Joanna Weaver puts it something like this, on page 44 of "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World": "Instead of being led away by fear or an anxious thought, I took a second look at each thought as it came. Many were incognito, disguised to look like ordinary emotions. But instead of entertaining them, I handcuffed the intruding thoughts and took them to Jesus. Together we interrogated them, asking these two questions:

1. Where did you come from? (What is the source - it is real or imagined?)
2. Where are you going? (Will this thought draw me closer to God or farther away?)

If I didn't like the answers to the two questions, then I took the problem to Jesus and turned them over to His custody."

When Jesus said to Mary's sister...."Martha, Martha....you are worried and anxious about many things..." He was speaking to me as well as to that lovely, hospitable lady of Bethany.

He says to each one of us: "Come, My love, sit at My feet and chase fear, anxiety and worry out the door! Come find everything you've ever longed for. Come find a love so perfect that it covers all your faults and pronounces you 'not guilty.' Come find peace for your soul."

I can just hear him now....."Janet, Janet....."

Is He calling your name, too?

Let's trade our "many things" that make us anxious, for His "one thing" that calms our hearts and fears.....HIMSELF......The Prince of Peace.

Please come with me.......to take our concerns to Him!

Happy Mother's Day

Just sending all you moms out there this rose to wish you a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

Love to each and every one of you.

"The King is enthralled by your beauty...." (Ps. 45:11)

"Just Follow Your Heart"....

How many times have our feelings about something been wrong? I know mine have. If I let my feelings lead me into something, it can get me into trouble. Jeremiah 17:9 says "the heart is deceitful above all things." Why, then, do we give people the advice: "follow your heart!" Whew --- according to the Bible, that can be some pretty risky advice.

Feelings can be unreliable. Truth is more reliable. Truth is what I want to base my actions on - not feelings. Don't get me wrong - feelings can be good. Feelings are important. Feelings can even be accurate. BUT, feelings need to concur with the truth in order for them to be worthy of our actions.

I know this is easier said than done - believe me - I know (since we are such emotional beings)! I'm continually working on this. I want to have healthy responses to situations. Here's an acrostic I learned a long time ago that has helped me.

T - Trigger
R - Response
U - Unhealthy or
T - Truthful
H - Healthy

When a "Trigger" event happens (that is something that causes you to feel sad or angry or lonely or any kind of negative emotion), try responding with a healthy "Response" - not an "Unhealthy" one. Remind yourself of the "Truthfulness" of the situation and respond with a "Healthy" attitude. Tell yourself that no one can make you angry.....it's your choice.

So, the next time you are feeling mad or anxious or down, remember to check your feelings with the truth of the situation and make sure they line up. Otherwise, remind yourself that feelings come and go, but truth is reliable. Feelings should serve to strenghthen us, not deplete us!!