2 Pumpkin Shoot

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving! Lu Lu and I just got back from a walk to burn off some of that turkey we ate yesterday :) This afternoon is the Auburn/Alabama game and we are going over to my parents house to watch it. My dad is a HUGE Alabama fan so I'm sure it is going to get a little rowdy around the house! I was raised as an Alabama supporter but when I started to look for which college I was going to attend it was hands-down Auburn. Now my heart bleeds orange and blue! War Eagle, Hey!

Here are some pictures from yesterday. This first one was taken at Raleigh's parents house. It was a little too bright but I still like the picture.



Here's a family shot that was taken after we ate lunch



I love this next picture. The two boys on the ends are Raleigh's cousins. They are in the 9th grade and are both great guys. Gavin is the tall one next to me. He makes me look like a midget! :)



After lunch, we headed out to the Prices' land to do the pumpkin shoot. We had such a good time. Below is a picture of Raleigh before he got ready to shoot his pumpkins.



Gunter teaching KB how to shoot



Here's one of me shooting. I didn't have very good aim!



Lu Lu and Obi had never heard a gun shot so they both got really scared. Bless their hearts they both hid under the toolbox and in the woods!!!!!





This was taken when we weren't shooting. Obi looks a little happier!



Me and Raleigh



All in all, it was a pretty good Thanksgiving day. How was your Thanksgiving? I would love to hear any fun stories!

Have a great day!

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

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0 Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello my blogging family!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!! I just wanted to say a quick hello before we head over to Raleigh's Nan Nan's house to eat our turkey and dressing. Today is going to be a glorious day! The sun is shining, the air is cool, and my tummy is about to be full!

This morning I actually woke up early because I went to bed early so I got to watch the beginning of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. I saw Spider Man and a clip from the West Side Story. My sister-in-law actually marched in the parade when she was a junior in high school with her dance squad. Pretty cool!

After lunch, we are going to the Price's land to do a pumpkin shoot. We did it in his parents backyard two years ago and the police came out on Thanksgiving! ha! I will be sure to take some pictures and post them tomorrow.

I am so thankful to have this blogging family. It is fun seeing the cluster map grow with new readers and continued readers. Thank you for supporting this little site and I look forward to the things to come!

What are you doing today for Thanksgiving? I would love to know. Take care!

"For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer." - 1 Timothy 4:4-5

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

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1 Unknown Caller

One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am." And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down. Again the Lord called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD; The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." The Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" The Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." - 1 Samuel 3:2-10

Have you ever had a moment like Samuel in this story? You hear God calling your name but you don't know who it is? Or, do you hear God calling your name and you aren't ready to listen to what he has to say? Today we are going to talk about God revealing himself to us and how we can learn to listen and be able to distinguish his voice.

Y'all, I'm going to let you in on one of my secrets. Talking on the phone is just not something I enjoy doing. Awful, I know! I am horrible at catching my phone on the first ring. My mom will call me and I usually have to call her back because I can hear my phone ringing in my purse but I just can't find the dang thing! If I don't recognize the number, you better know that it is going straight to voicemail. Or, if I do recognize the number but know that I don't have time/don't feel like talking at the moment, I just let it ring and call them back later.

What if, instead of my mom being on the other line, God chooses to dial my digits? And, when he dials I keep missing the phone every time it rings?!? When I finally do pick up the phone and hear the voice at the other end, my reply is, "Sorry, I believe you have the wrong number."

When I meet someone for the first time, I usually keep the conversation pretty casual. I am sincere but it is rare for me to open up my insides and reveal all of my struggles. It takes me trusting people to finally let them in on my fears, concerns, and thoughts for my life. When we started the blog, I was very nervous about being so open with people that I have never talked to, let alone never even met! But, God put this on my heart to share with others so that is what I am doing.

Friends, I am really struggling with a situation right now. I feel as though God has revealed part of his plan for my life and I am so scared to take the next step. I believe in him and trust in him but it is so far from anything I ever thought I would do. Lately, I feel like God has been saying Christen! Christen! but I continue to go to my modern day Eli. Now, knowing that he has called my name I have to make a decision as to whether or not I will be his humble servant.

Needless to say, I am very overwhelmed. I have gotten advice from family and friends but it is still hard for me to take that leap of faith. Does anybody else struggle with this like I am? I would love to know.

Today, I read some scripture about God revealing himself to women. This one verse is so beautiful and it shows me that he does make himself known to man. It is from Amos 4:13, "He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth - the LORD God Almighty is his name."

While that verse gives me comfort, I am still fearful of what lies ahead. But, I am even more fearful of not listening to God and totally missing the boat. This next verse reminds me of something a granddad would say while rocking on the front porch swing chewing sunflower seeds:

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" - Romans 8:18

From reading scripture, the word reveal has different Hebrew-Greek terminologies, but mainly they all mean to share, to declare something, to bring to light. We all know I am a fan of light and letting our lights shine so it gives me peace to know that God sheds light on a situation so we know which way to go in the dark. The Greek word apokalupto talks about how things are revealed from God through Christ. What does this mean, exactly? My thoughts are that once we have Christ in our hearts we have a sense of knowing that we have to follow him in every decision that we make.

"But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus." - Galatians 1:15-17

I want to be more like Peter. When Christ was revealed to him, he stopped everything he was doing to take up his cross and follow him. He didn't get any one's approval or even check with the other apostles to make sure he was cool in the gang, he just went - right then and there - and started to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Friends, aren't we modern day Samuel's in some crazy way? We just don't recognize the voice that is calling our name? God calls us multiple times and we either finally pick up the phone or we block that number so we never have to listen to what he has to say.

Are you ready to listen? Am I ready to listen?

I would love to hear of how you have heard God and have listened to his plans for your life. Also, before we end the post today, I want to give you a spoiler that cool things are cookin' in the Price house for this blog so stay tuned!

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

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0 Music & Lyrics

Right now, I am sitting at home in my comfy clothes with endless options of what to do today. I could go to the grocery store this afternoon, take the pups to our new favorite park, or I could simply sit on my couch sipping hot cider and reading a good book.

You guessed it...I am on vacation! Please don't be jealous :) I have worked hard for this time off and I am going to enjoy it to the fullest. I really am so excited to have some QT around the house before we head to Dothan for Thanksgiving. I plan on getting some Christmas shopping done and on Monday I am going to have friends over to eat some lunch. These are rare opportunities that I must take advantage of!

On a random side note, I have my i-pod playing in the background and I have to admit that I really like Taylor Swift's new c.d. Am I a teenager? Who cares, I like it and I'm not ashamed to admit it :) Please excuse me because I do not know musical terminology but I really like how when she sings her lyrics it is more like she is talking...does that make sense? I really like her song "The Best Day" when she talks about how much she loves her momma. It is too sweet.

Speaking of music and lyrics (get it...that movie with Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant) the book of Psalm has some really great songs. Check out Psalm 92 which is a song written for the Sabbath day.

It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.

For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of your hands. How great are your works, O LORD, how profound your thoughts! The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand, that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish they will be forever destroyed.

But you, O LORD, are exalted forever.

For surely your enemies, O LORD, surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered. You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured upon me. My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries; my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, "The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is not wickedness in him."

Doesn't that just make your heart swell with love and pride for our God? It gives me such comfort to know that 'all evildoers will be forever destroyed.' All of Satan's evil schemes and ugly plans are one day going to vanish and we will be left to flourish in the Lord's house like a palm tree.

I haven't seen the palm trees in Lebanon, but I do know what Panama City palm trees look like. Panama City Beach is on the panhandle of Florida off of the gulf coast and it is a beautiful white sandy beach. We are heading down there this weekend to stay at Raleigh's family beach house. It is a cute loft-style home that sits on the beach and it is a jewel. Sadly, over the years it has been hit pretty hard by all the hurricanes so it has had some re-modeling done to make it more wind-resistant. When this verse talks about the palm trees flourishing in the house of God, I think about the palm trees that have withstood the hurricanes. Through the wind, rain, and sea these trees have stayed rooted in the ground. That is good imagery for our walk with Christ. We are constantly going to be faced with hurricanes in our life, whether through people being ugly to us or life-threatening challenges that come our way. But, if we continue to 'praise the Lord in the morning and be faithful at night' we will remain rooted and grounded in his house. So, no matter what devastating hurricane comes our way, we will still flourish and stay fresh and green.

'But you, O LORD, are exalted forever'

Friends, what hurricanes have you withstood in your life? Please feel free to share about how you have stood strong through your adversary.

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

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2 Rejoice!

Anybody need some motivation on this Monday morning? I am feeling quite chipper this morning so here are some encouraging words that keep running through my mind.

"This is the day that the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
-Psalm 118:24

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: REJOICE!"
-Philippians 4:4

Friends, I know Mondays are rough but I hope this helps you start your day a little bit brighter! Let's take a moment to praise our Glorious Creator for this wonderful day!!!

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

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2 Stepping Stones

Y'all, my puppy dogs can't get enough of me this morning. I swear, they are too cute when they wake up. When Obi starts to wake up, he lifts one leg into the air to stretch it out. It is really funny looking. Little Miss Lu Lu rolls on her back and she uses her front two paws to rub at her face as if she is rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Both love a good belly rub as well to get the day going.

This morning, Lu Lu was ready for me to get up. I know this because after the alarm went off, she started to lick my face. I know some of you out there will think that is gross and but I really don't mind it because she is so little. After she gets up and I am still laying in bed because I'm not ready to get up Obi starts to nudge her with his head. Even though Obi's head is bigger than Lu Lu's whole body he still manages to be gentle with her. Once he starts nudging, she starts to get snappy. It's like she is the big sister that is trying to get ready in the bathroom and her little brother keeps annoying her. It is pretty funny to watch.

After they are both up and going, we walk across the cold hardwood floor to the kitchen to get some food in our bellies. Obi, being the gentleman that he is, allows Lu Lu to eat her food first. If he starts to get close before she is finished, she has no problem telling him to back off. But, most mornings, they do just fine.

Lu Lu came to us my senior year of college for Christmas. She was so tiny and fluffy and she just loves to be next to me. Right now, she is sitting in my lap not bothering me a bit. You see, Lu Lu has been my little companion these last couple of years. After college, I moved two hours north to Birmingham, which is one of the largest cities in Alabama. Growing up, my mom used to always talk about how much she loved Birmingham and I think that is why I always wanted to live there. To us little city girls, this was the BIG city. When traveling north to Birmingham, the closer you get to the city the more the landscape changes. Being from peanut country, all of our land is really flat. But, Birmingham is known as Red Mountain and it has all of these rolling hills that twist and turn with such beautiful scenery down below. Upon moving there, I was so excited because there were tons of places to shop, eat and new places to explore.

At first glance, Birmingham, like all major cities can seem confusing but after time it really doesn't seem that big. My new motto since living there is "You can't find where you are going until you get lost!" The first six months of my stay in Birmingham, I lived in an adequate sized one bedroom apartment. To me, it was my first time living on my own and I loved the space. It was just the right size and for the first time in my life I had a place all to myself (with Lu Lu, of course). I didn't have to split duties with roommates or get frustrated when the dishes were left in the sink. It was up to me to keep the place the way I wanted it to be.

Of course, living by myself in a big new city was part of my parents letting go. My mom was just a phone call away but she was always concerned for my safety. My dad installed a security system in my apartment and one time in the middle of the night it went off. I have never been more scared in my entire life. I held on to Lu Lu so tight I thought I was going to suffocate her. I kept my bedroom lights off and frantically pushed the speed dial button to call my dad. It took him three times to pick up the phone because it was so late. When I heard his voice, I screamed in a soft whisper, "The alarm is going off, what do I do??????" Thank goodness for my dad. He calmed me down and instructed me that I had to get out of bed and walk to my bedroom door to look at the alarm to see if anything had tripped it. I crept out of bed, grabbed the miniature Atlanta Braves red baseball bat from my closet and quietly tip-toed to my door. When I got to the alarm, it wasn't saying that an entry had been opened. So, I dialed the code into the keypad and still nothing was showing up. Dad, being the thinker that he was asked me if Lu Lu was growling. I told him she wasn't so he instructed me to open the bedroom door and turn on all of the lights in the apartment. As I flipped on all of my light switches, everything looked just the way I had left it before bed. Thankfully, it turned out to just be the alarm battery but needless to say I didn't get much sleep that night.

Many of us want to explore new places and take these opportunities while we are young and fresh out of college. We want to have these experiences so we feel more worldly and even more adventurous. It takes courage to live by yourself or in a new city where you have to start from scratch. My advice would be that if you are going to do it, really engage yourself in your new environment. Get lost, get scared, and get a chance to make your own decisions. I am so thankful for that one short year of being completely by myself because it allowed me to have my personal time to develop as an individual. During that year, I was so ready to get married but at the same time I was also preparing myself for marriage. Life is just one big stepping stone and we aren't ready to take the next step until we have a solid footing underneath us.

I do know one thing is for sure: God lays out each step for me to take when it is time. He will be my comforter in the middle of the night when I am scared-stiff and He will be my guide before I take the next step. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-7)

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

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3 Homecoming

This past weekend was Homecoming on the rolling plains of Dixie 'neath the sun-kissed sky. Homecoming is such a fun weekend because as an alumnae you have the opportunity to re-unite with old friends and as a student you participate in all of the Homecoming festivities such as campaigning for Miss Homecoming, walking in the Homecoming parade that ends with a huge pep rally at Toomer's Corner and so much more. When I was in college, my sophomore year, I was spirit chair for my sorority along with my roommate. Part of being spirit chair was making the homecoming float and boy was that a task! We worked our little fingers so hard around all of that chicken wire!!!! It was worth it in the end when our float was announced winner during the game.

The thing that makes Homecoming such a special event is the feeling of pride we all have for a place that we love. The minute my car turns off I-85 a feeling of warmth rushes over me as I head into Tiger Town. It is the same feeling; yet a little stronger; that engulfs me when I go home to Dothan. Two weeks ago, I just had to go home. It had been a couple of weeks since I had traveled down to Dothan and I just needed some TLC. When we got into town, we stopped at my grandparents house and some how we got into all of their old pictures. I just love thumbing through pictures of them - in high school when my Na Na was a majorette, or in college when my Paw Paw was titled "Jack Rabbit Creel" because he was so fast. He has this great Auburn football picture of him - the smallest player on the team - on the shoulders of the biggest guy on the team. After we said our goodbyes, we went to my parents house. They have lived in the same house for 21 years and it will forever be my home. The smell of spices and wood tickle my nose as I walk into the front door. That Friday night my dad was cooking steaks and mine was melt-in-my-mouth delicious. My mother-in-law truly likes her steak burnt, but I just think that's wrong! I love a juicy light pink fillet wrapped in bacon like it was God's gift to me from heaven!!!!!

Going home was just good for my soul. It gave me a chance to spend quality time with my family and it was a rejuvenating weekend for my spirit. On Sunday, as we made the drive back to Montgomery I was a little sad to leave but I was sitting across from my sweet guy so I knew it was going to be okay. When we decided to move to Montgomery, Lord knows that was the last place on earth that I wanted to live. I just never had a desire to live here out of all the cities in Alabama. But, it was the right decision for us and we knew God was on our side so we settled down in our states' capital. I will admit, the first couple of months were no slice of pie, but now we really do enjoy this city.

I have come to the realization that it doesn't matter where you live as long as you love who you are living with. Being a wife, it is my duty to be by my husband's side. I might not enjoy where we are going or I might even resist the decision but at the end of the day it is what I whole-heartily agreed on when I said I do. While I will forever have a special place in my heart for my home and for my parents, I live with my husband now and ultimately it is his love for me that is of utmost importance in my life. It is our agape (unconditional) love for one another that keeps our marriage as the top priority in our lives. *Agape love is "in sickness and health" love, "for richer or poorer" love, "for better or worse" love. It is the only kind of love that is true love.

*That's because this is God's kind of love. He doesn't love us because we are lovable but because He is so loving. The Bible says, "In this love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10).

God loves us so much. When we accepted Christ into our hearts, we made the choice to make heaven our forever home. What a home that is going to be. No more worry, no more pain, just love and honor and praise forever and ever. Daniel says, "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of ever language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14.)

Now, flip over to Revelation and see how these two different pieces of scripture connect so beautifully. "At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. Then I looked and heard the voices of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and they elders. In a loud voice they sang: Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" (Revelation 4:2-3, 5:11-12)

Don't be scared about going home one day dear friends. Let's just get ready to experience God's full love for the rest of our days.

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

**The Love Dare

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4 Peanut Butter & Jelly

Hey friends,

I don't have much time today but I wanted to take a moment to say hello! Thank you all so much for reading my blog. My hope is that is becomes a source of motivation and encouragement for you during your day and also a tool that will help you develop/grow your own personal relationship with our Father.

Relationships aren't always easy, are they? Some people in this world I just instantly click with and others it takes some warming up to develop our friendship. During this post-college/young adult season of my life, I have realized how much effort it takes to maintain a relationship. I don't know about you, but I feel like I never get a chance to slow down. As a constant busy bee I am used to buzzing around but this season of my life I feel like I need to be drinking energy boosted honey to keep me going! This is somewhat of a problem because I know if I am feeling this way my friends are too so we have to constantly make an effort on both sides to maintain that friendship. Whether it be a phone call, text, or quick facebook message, we have got to try to keep that contact up!

One thing I wish my friends and I did more of are road trips or annual get-togethers. This summer, the girls that I was a cheerleader with in high school had a reunion at Lake Martin. We had the best time re-connecting and it was so funny because we had all changed but we still had our same personality traits as we did in high school. After that weekend, we promised each other that we would make this into a routine and try to have the whole squad attend. Check out this picture of them putting me in a stunt. Next time we are going to go for the full! ha ha





One friendship that I am so proud to have kept up is my friendship with my best friend, Ashley High Carson. We have known each other forever but we never run out of things to say. She and I were in dance together when we were younger and then in high school we became like peanut butter and jelly. We had a large group of friends and had other very close friends, but we always confided in each other and were there for one another when things got tough. I remember one time in high school I had an argument with my mom and I just had to get away. Ashley picked me up in her little white car and just drove me around town until I felt better. Below is one of our more recent pictures when we went to the Beth Moore conference in Nashville.



Ashley, thank you for teaching me what it means to be a true friend. I am so grateful for you to be in my life and I appreciate you always listening to me. I was so proud to stand next to you on your wedding day and I look forward to the more memories down the road! Love you friend!

Friends, take time to catch up with one another. We are always going to be busy but we still should make time for those that matter most to us.

"Of all best things upon the earth, I hold that a faithful friend is the best." -Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

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0 Our lifesaver

If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
-John 14: 15-17

Today, I want to talk about love. We all love different things in life. We love our mates, we love our parents, and we love our new pair of shoes. I have been reading a lot about love lately in the Love Dare book. Love is patient, love is kind, love is a choice that people make to stay together forever. On the human scale of loving someone, I can't imagine ever loving anyone more than I love Raleigh. And my family. I would do practically anything for them out of love. That doesn't mean I always agree with them or like them, but I do love them and I make a choice to love them every single day.

Another thing I love is being outdoors. This morning, as I am typing, I am looking at a crystal blue sky and autumn leaves. What a glorious day! The sound of leaves crunching under my feet, the deep breaths of fresh air I inhale; all of these things are a gift given to me from my wonderful Creator.

The verse that we opened with was spoken by Jesus and how he promises for us to have the Holy Spirit when we accept him into our hearts. *Faith is believing that Jesus is one with the Father and the Spirit and that the Spirit will always stand by Christ's people.

I don't know about you, but I desperately need the Spirit to be in my life every day. This verse calls the Spirit to be our Counselor - someone we can go to with our problems and our needs. He is our confidant, someone we can trust with our problems every single second of every single day.

Do you want to know why we can trust our Savior? Because he is righteous and just. See for yourself in this passage from Psalm 85: 8-13:

I will listen to what God the Lord will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints - but let them not return to folly. Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.

Some of the key words that stand out to me in this verse are peace, love and faithfulness. All of these things are promised to us because of our righteous Lord. I love the imagery of 'righteousness looks down from heaven.' It makes me think about how throughout the day, usually in the early morning or just before the sun begins to set, we see these beautiful beams shining down from the sky. Next time you see this ray of sunshine, think about it as God smiling down on us from Heaven because he knows that we are choosing what is right.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord or fully declare his praise? Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right.
Psalm 106: 1-3

So, if we as Christians are promised to have peace, love, and justice for what is right, why are so many things wrong in our life? Why do we feel so desperate sometimes and like we keep taking all left turns instead of right? I think it is two main things:
1. Satan
2. Not completely trusting God to take care of us

Hear me out on this one. I feel like this earth is a constant battle ground. Somebody or something is always going to be an obstacle that Satan throws at us to make us not trust that God is going to fix it. A lot of times, we rely on our own decision making skills or the thoughts from our mates and family members to get us through the tough stuff. Or, we do take time to give our worries to God but we are still anxious and don't trust that He is actually going to take care of them.

When we desperately seek God, our Counselor, we will realize that all we need is him. It is okay to tell your problems to your loved ones but honestly there is only so much that they can do or say to make it better. God, our Wonderful Creator, Beautiful Savior, the Name ABOVE All Names is reaching out his hand as we are hanging from the ledge saying "Grab my hand, Trust me, follow me!" When we have faith in Him alone, we will be living in his righteousness.

Friends, I think a lot of us are swimming in the middle of the pool. We can't really touch the bottom but we can still swim back to the shallow end if needed. God is waiting for us in the deep end, asking us to take that leap of faith off the diving board to completely and utterly trust him that we won't sink.

I will tell you one thing: Satan is not going to like this and he is going to try really hard to drown you in the deep end. When you feel like he is getting a hold of you, just tell him to go away and hold on to Jesus, our lifesaver.

Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. -Psalm 91: 14-16

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

*Zondervan NIV Study Bible

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