Resilience is defined as the ability to recover from or adjust easily to significant adversity, trauma, tragedy, stress or misfortune. After traveling down the paths I have traveled as a child, a teenager, a young adult, a woman in recovery, and now a mother, I know one thing to be true;
Resilience is Relevant!
2012 was been a great year for us. It was a year of moving forward in many positive directions.
We committed our year to God's will at the start of 2012, and He blessed us in many positive ways.
My Top
Highlights of 2012, not in any particular order
- Joining Source of Light Ministries
- Leityn's surgery and him finally feeling better with much improved health.
- Completing my first year and a half of college.
- Our beach vacation, and enjoying the sand and ocean with Leityn. - Watching Leityn grow. He had an exciting year, learned so much, and made us laugh so many times.
- Signing the contract on our new home. Although we haven't closed yet, I know it is close!
We have so many blessings to be
grateful for!
In 2013, we will continue to seek God's will for our
lives, as we trust what He has in store.
We are so grateful for those we
get to share our life with, and we hope everyone has many blessings in
2013!
I never make New Year’s resolutions. But I do set
personal goals for the year ahead.
I have a few this year and here are some of
the more important ones:
~ Complete the 21 day fast starting Jan. 8th.
~ Read the Bible in chronological order in 365 days.
~ Blog every few days (at least once a week.)
~ Become more active in our small group.
~ Spend more time with my grandfather, two grandmothers, and two great
grandmothers while I still can.
~ Get caught up on and stay current with Leityn’s yearly
memory boxes and scrapbooks (I have resorted to the online version at this point.)
~ Save. Save. Save..... (Time and Money)
Top of Form
January 1 via mobile
(A few days behind on posting.)
2011
was such a blessed year there is no doubt that God hand his hands over our
lives the entire year.
My Top
Highlights of 2011, not in any particular order
·Completing my first 21 day fast.
·Geting Engaged to my Best Friend and the Love of my Life.
·Planning our wedding and sticking to our budget.
·Our Wedding Day.
·Making a life changing decision, for Leityn’s future.
·Being accepted and beginning college, on a full grant.
Getting my new position at The Salvation Army and being able to keep my
position at Center Point.
·Relocating my family to Eatonton.
·Working every day to deepen my relationship with God.
Thank
You God for every moment you gave us in 2011.
The
good times that made us smile, the hard times that made us stronger, and the
blessings that showed us you are real! I will let you lead me through the next
365 days!
Welcome, family, friends and loved ones. We gather here today to celebrate the wedding of Jessica and Tony. You have come here to share in this formal commitment they make to one another, to offer your love and support to this union, and to allow Jessica and Tony to start their married life together surrounded by the people dearest and most important to them.
So welcome to one and all, which have traveled from near and far. Jessica and Tony thank you for your presence here today and now ask for your blessing, encouragement, and lifelong support, for their decision to be married.
Invocation
Eternal God, you have given us the need to love and to be loved and the capacity for both. We pray that you will bless the love which Jessica and Tony proclaim today, and that their love and care for each other may ever deepen. We pray that they may face life’s cares and trials with love and understanding in their caring for one another; and that the life they live may be one of enduring love. Grant, we pray that their life may be a guide and inspiration to those around them, and be with them as they live together in this holy covenant, from this time forth and through all their days. Amen.
The Art of Marriage
by Wilferd A. Peterson
The little things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is at no time taking the other for granted;
the courtship should not end with the honeymoon,
it should continue through all the years.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice,
but in the spirit of joy.
It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have wings of an angel.
It is not looking for perfection in each other.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
It is finding room for the things of the spirit.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.
It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.
Song “Hold You Up”
Scripture Reading Ephesians 3:14-19
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and earth derives its name, I pray that our of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Homily
Wedding Vows
Tony: Jessica, you are a gift to me from God and today, I ask you to be my wife. And through God’s love and grace, I make this commitment to you:
With God as my guide, I humbly open my heart to you as a sanctuary of warmth and peace, where you may always find a refuge of love and strength.
I will love you enough to risk being hurt, trust you when I don't understand. I will weep with you in heartache and celebrate life with you in joy.
I will respect you, encourage you, and cherish you.
As we stand together facing the world, I will walk hand and hand with you when life is good and through every storm.
And no matter what path we travel, always allowing God to be our leader.
Today, I pledge my love to you and to our family.
Jessica: Tony, you are a gift to me from God and today, I ask you to be my Husband. And through God’s love and grace, I make this commitment to you:
With God as my guide, I humbly open my heart to you as a sanctuary of warmth and peace, where you may always find a refuge of love and strength.
I will love you enough to risk being hurt, trust you when I don't understand. I will weep with you in heartache and celebrate life with you in joy.
I will respect you, encourage you, and cherish you.
As we stand together facing the world, I will walk hand and hand with you when life is good and through every storm.
And no matter what path we travel, always allowing God to be our leader.
Today, I pledge my love to you and to our family.
Exchange of Rings
Jessica, I join my life with yours today without hesitation and with an open and trusting heart. Whatever we may encounter, let us encounter it together. Take this ring, and with it my commitment to be the best Husband I can be. I honor you; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Tony, I join my life with yours today without hesitation and with an open and trusting heart. Whatever we may encounter, let us encounter it together. Take this ring, and with it my commitment to be the best Wife I can be. I honor you; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Blessing
Pronouncement of Marriage
You have declared your consent and vows before God and family and friends. May God confirm your covenant and fill you both with grace. Now that Tony and Jessica have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of rings, I announce to you that they are husband and wife together; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Those, whom God has joined together, let no one put asunder. Amen.
Kiss
Presentation
It is with great privilege and honor that I am able to present to you,
As most of you know we were engaged on February 13th, Valentine's Day weekend. I had thought about our wedding day many times before so I already had a vision in my mind. Once I started mentioning my ideas to Tony, we were quickly on the same page and by the end of the day we pretty much new when, where, and what type of wedding we wanted. So the planning started quickly and we pretty much have everything in order at this point. We are having a lakeside, sunset wedding on Lake Oconee with a "Romantic Country Picnic" themed reception to follow. After preparing the details of the ceremony and deciding on most of the decorations, flowers, music, and other things I am SO excited. And I know our day will be PREFECT!! But any prayers for good weather will be appreciated. I am grateful to have my mother and his mother that love doing this sort of thing to help. He picked up his suit on Friday and after 5 short minuets in Dillard's, I found the perfect dress on Saturday. I was having a hard time not showing Tony my dress so I took it to Lindz's house to remove the temptation. Still have to get Leityn's little suit and we will all three be ready to shine!! I've made a promise to myself (and others) that I am going to treat these wedding plans and the day of the wedding just like I do our relationship and keep it simple and enjoy it to the fullest. And despite what may go wrong along the way, I know what matters the most is becoming husband and wife and all the little details will work out!
We looked at our calendar yesterday and we have a busy 2 1/2 months ahead of us, with something planned almost every weekend. But it will all be worth it in the end. I am still working on the details for summer semester at Gainesville State. I meet with my advisor this week and if all goes as planned I will start classes a week after the wedding, on June 6th. The thought of a full schedule of work, school, family, and all the in between is a bit scary but anything worth having takes a risk and hard work, so I am prepared. Hopefully we will be honeymooning on the beach the week prior to classes so I can take a deep breath and relax before it all starts.
I can honestly say God continues to bless us and our life on a daily basis. Nothing is perfect, things happen and we have to deal with life as it comes our way. But, deep in my heart I have a feeling I've never felt before. A sense of security and foundation. A passion for myself, God, my family, my friends, and most importantly the awareness for all God has given me. For the first time ever, it feels amazing to be living my dreams instead of just dreaming of them!!! :)
Thank you so much for all the well wishes and blessings you have all sent for our engagement. We are very lucky to have such wonderful family and friends.
I am a little late writing this blog but it's been a busy few weeks. During the month of January we spent 21-days on a spiritual fast with other members of Free Chapel and all around the world. For the first three days we were on liquids only, then we converted to the Daniel Fast. A spiritual fast is supposed to be a private matter that brings public reward so I didn't want to write my blog while I was in the midst of the experience. I don't really think any words would ever be able to fully describe the things I felt and experienced during this time. I know in the beginning it took structure and self-discipline that I didn't believe I had in myself. But what I did have was the willingness to seek God in my life, through this experience. And through my willingness came the motivation, structure, and self-discipline that doesn't come naturally to me. These 21 days where a huge success and only because God carried me through. While I was fasting I was seeking God's DEFINED DIRECTION for my life. At the beginning of the fast I went to God and presented to him specific desires of my heart. I laid them all before Him and said these are the things I need your help with, these are the things that are in my heart, these are the things only you can change, and most importantly I wanted His will to be revealed in my life like never before. I asked for specific breakthroughs from emotional baggage that I was holding onto tightly and continued to effect my life in negative ways. I asked for guidance and direction for certain relationships in my life. I asked for His help to remove certain character defects that continued to burden my behavior. I asked for financial guidance in our home. I asked Him to reveal to my what His plan was for my life. I prayed continuously for the health and healing for the sick, especially Leityn and all he had experienced in recent months. I prayed to God for the salvation of family members that don't know His love and grace. I asked God to guide us as parents and give us the strength we needed to direct Leityn to Him and away from the worldly things. And most importantly I sought Him to open up my heart so that I may feel His presence like never before.
I realized quickly that fasting isn't about what you do or don't eat. Although this is the main action you take when you declare you are going to fast, the important aspect is you become willing to sacrifice certain things in your life in order to feel closer to God. Prior to the fast we read Jentezen Franklin's book, Fasting (http://www.jentezenfranklin.org/fasting) and it really helped us understand the biblical connection to fasting, what we were doing, and how we should be doing it. The best part was we were able to go to Free Chapel each week and be filled with the Holy Spirirt as we shared our time of fasting with so many others that were doing the same thing. Not only was most of the church fasting but it is a world-wide movement, so millions were experiencing this together. Some of the services we attended where beyond amazing. And the church also gave us the support of fasting blogs from the pastors, a 21-day study guide, online video's the pastor recorded from Jerusalem, and communication with other members that were going strong as well. I am grateful we were able to be a part of Fasting Movement 2011. Our diet was strict and I can happily say that we didn't cheat once. As far as the food we ate, it did feel good to see that I was able to set a goal and stick to it. Being able to fully complete a task is great motivation for your self-esteem. But not only did I fast from food but I also fasted from other worldly things that take my time away from my life and those around me. I spent a week without being on facebook. I spent less time watching tv in the evenings. I tried to focus more on family time, reading God's word, and seeking Him in prayer and meditation. All of these were a challenge in their own way but for the most part we were successful as we could be.
We ended the fast on Sunday, January 30th with a Miracle Prayer service at church. It was a spiritual service were we spent time in prayer for all the miracles people had been seeking God during the fast and we were all anointed with oil. After spending that Friday night in the ER with Leityn running a high fever and sick again, I felt this was an amazing way to end the fast and just in time for his pending surgery on the 3rd. So there we were in service and once again I came to God with all the desires of my heart. And I knew and still know, without a doubt that God is working miracles in our lives every single day. I know I don't have to refrain from eating meat to feel close to God. But at the end of those 21 days, I had an awareness and respect for my personal connection with God that I never experienced before. I was able to feel that connection, motivation, and fire that Daniel must have felt when he knew he was stronger without the King's food and all he need was the strength that God infused in his spirit. The world around us is so full of sin and evil, and I know as a Christian it's not easy living in God's divine light because of all the worldly temptations. I was able to feel a sense of the sacrifice Jesus Christ experienced those forty days and nights in the wilderness, where the devil came and tempted him but he withstood his evil. Never before has a Pizza Hut or Red Lobster commercial looked so good. So, the fast did bring to my life an awareness of the biblical times and the sacrifices people in Christian history experienced for my life today.
Since the fast, life has changed dramatically. I don't want to sit here and make out a list of all the things I expected God to do in my life and check off the ones He's done so far, because that's not what it is about. But I know without a doubt that He listened to the desires of my heart. He heard my cries to him, my pleading to remove what evil had placed in my life, help me with the struggles I have in my heart, and strengthen me through Jesus Christ to live the life He has planned for me. Just three days after the end of the fast, Leityn had a very successful surgery and hasn't been sick since that last visit to the ER. He is so much happier and continues to thrive into toddler-hood. Several weeks ago I woke up and it was literally as if God had come into my room that night and lifted some specific burdens off of my heart. There were some things I just couldn't let go of before. I woke up and I was hit with so much clarity regarding this situation and at that moment I knew exactly why I was holding onto it and exactly what I had to do to fully let go and finally let God. The burden is not completely gone but I have taken the steps to ensure it will no longer burden my heart or life as it was. Freedom from resentment and anger is a great feeling. In the past few weeks,Tony and I were able to pay off some bills and put some money in the bank which feels very good. In even better news, last Sunday we were engaged to be married and have our wedding date set for May 28th. There is no greater feeling than knowing in just a few months we will be a confirmed family of three in the eyes of God. And on Thursday, I got my acceptance letter to Gainesville State College and will be starting classes in June. Talk about God giving us some DEFINED DIRECTION for our lives, I don't know if it gets any more defined than He has made it so far. But best of, I know that all of these things are possible through God and the sacrifices His son Jesus Christ made for me. Through His love and grace, I was given a second chance to live the life He wrote for me. And through praying, fasting, and giving, that is the BEST gift of all.
May all that were fasting have amazing results like I have or to anyone considering it, may God bless you as well.
