October 30, 2008
Happy Birthday!
Today is my sis-in-law's birthday! I just wanted to give a shout out to my beautiful sis in law on her bday. I've never had a sister but I love having her as the sister I never had. She's wonderful. Love you Janelle!
October 26, 2008
Sunday=Family Day
Today was wonderful. I know a lot of people take Sundays to spend time with their family and we did just that today. After church we went out to lunch with my parents which was wonderful then Ryan and I decided to go to Rehoboth Beach for the day with the puppy. It was awesome. We live in such a great area surrounded by beauty and today we had the opportunity to take it all in. I love the beach. It such a gorgeous thing God created that I think I take for granted just because I live here. Here's some pics of my family and I enjoying the beautiful place we live.
October 18, 2008
Celebrations
On the 15th, it was my momma's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! She turned 49 and she'll probably kill me for telling her age but I think she should be proud. She looks dang good for being almost 50. We went out Thursday night to Famous Dave's to celebrate. I had to get the family pic.
And also speaking of celebrations...my parents celebrate their 30th Wedding Anniversary on the 21st. At church we always recognize anniversaries because we believe in marriages staying together but I really think that even tho no marriage is perfect, my parents really grasp the concept of faithfulness to one another and staying together. So congrats to my parentals on their 30 years of being married!
October 13, 2008
Delaware is pretty.
Ryan and I rode 14 miles today in some pretty parts of the slower lower. Here's 3 pics.
Love them like Jesus
So I'm sorry about the book I wrote in my last blog. I started writing this blog and some how it led me to talking about my story. My fingers kept on going and there was no stopping it. So now you know a little bit more about me and I just made it a separate blog. So here is the blog, I intended to write.
Ryan has been doing a series called "Red Letters" for the youth group which was focused to use teachings right out of Jesus' mouth (hence the red letters). But let me tell you, it's not necessarily directed towards youth. I've been getting a lot out of it myself. My hubby has been saying for the past couple of weeks, that as Christians, we are all becoming. We are becoming followers of Christ. Whether we're just starting out or we've been followers for a long time, we are always growing. I am fairly new at "being" a Christian. And there is soooo much to take in and apply to my life. I wanted to fill you in on one of my main focus when it comes to being a Christian. I want...no, desire....to love people like Jesus loved. Can you imagine if the world loved like Jesus? I'm going to quote a little scripture for you, Matthew 22:36-40: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Ok, so I love God with all my heart, soul, and mind. I try to love Him as He loves me. But lately I've been trying to work on that 2nd commandment. Love your neighbor as yourself. I'm trying to love like Jesus. I'm trying to love people no matter their faults, opinions, looks, income, what they believe in, sexual preference, ect. (I could go on and on). But let's be honest....it is hard. I am horrible at making judgments on people and I need to stop. Not like I say them out loud, I just think them. And I desire to STOP. I want to look at everyone and love them. I want to stop judging people by their looks. Looks are what I mainly judge people by and I would really like to stop. So I'm asking you to pray for me in this area and I will pray for you to love the same. Because I KNOW we all pass judgements on people. Let's love them like Jesus.
Ryan has been doing a series called "Red Letters" for the youth group which was focused to use teachings right out of Jesus' mouth (hence the red letters). But let me tell you, it's not necessarily directed towards youth. I've been getting a lot out of it myself. My hubby has been saying for the past couple of weeks, that as Christians, we are all becoming. We are becoming followers of Christ. Whether we're just starting out or we've been followers for a long time, we are always growing. I am fairly new at "being" a Christian. And there is soooo much to take in and apply to my life. I wanted to fill you in on one of my main focus when it comes to being a Christian. I want...no, desire....to love people like Jesus loved. Can you imagine if the world loved like Jesus? I'm going to quote a little scripture for you, Matthew 22:36-40: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Ok, so I love God with all my heart, soul, and mind. I try to love Him as He loves me. But lately I've been trying to work on that 2nd commandment. Love your neighbor as yourself. I'm trying to love like Jesus. I'm trying to love people no matter their faults, opinions, looks, income, what they believe in, sexual preference, ect. (I could go on and on). But let's be honest....it is hard. I am horrible at making judgments on people and I need to stop. Not like I say them out loud, I just think them. And I desire to STOP. I want to look at everyone and love them. I want to stop judging people by their looks. Looks are what I mainly judge people by and I would really like to stop. So I'm asking you to pray for me in this area and I will pray for you to love the same. Because I KNOW we all pass judgements on people. Let's love them like Jesus.
October 08, 2008
My Story
Let me just dig deeper about my "walk" at the moment.
Some of you may know and some may not, but I got "saved" when I was 9 on the beach by my cousin. At that point in my life, I didn't know what it was like to be a true follower of God, Christ, or however you would like to put it. I went to high school, was pretty much a "good person". I partied a little like everyone does...I lost my virginity to my first "puppy love" when I was 17. But to me that was basically the norm. I didn't think that I was out of control in any way. Because overall, I was a "good person". Anyways, after I graduated is where I became a little crazier. I got a job as a server in OC (party central)...not a good idea. I partied every night, broke up with my boyfriend (1st puppy love) at the time and began to be overwhelmed by the many guys I worked with that had a interest in me. Not going to go into much detail but that summer, I made some horrible choices. I calmed down a bit after summer but continued to work there for the next 2 summers all the while making bad decisions. I went to college, stopped working there, and moved in with my 2 best friends. Throughout college, I did pretty well in school, only partied on the weekends with my girls. I'm not going to lie, I had a great time in college. I made some amazing friends who I'm still close to these days. We had a wonderful time living together for 2 years and I don't think I would trade those days in for anything.
Ok, might I add something in that is VERY important. Throughout high school, the crazy summers, and college, I went to church EVERY Sunday. I'd be drunk on Saturday night but I would wake up to go to church every Sunday morning...hung over or not. Obviously, it didn't click for me for quite a while because I continued this behavior for probably 4-5 years. Finally, I had enough. I wanted to try my best to follow Jesus but in all honesty it was a pretty hard decision. 1. I didn't have any friends that were followers of Jesus. 2. I was scared what other people would think of me. 3. I didn't want to lose any of my friends because I "changed".
But I decided on December 4, 2004 to follow Jesus. My journal entry from that day reads, " I made a crucial decision today. No more going out and getting drunk. It's not worth it. I do so many stupid things. It gets me in trouble. I don't just want to hook up with random guys. I want to find a faithful boyfriend. Being drunk and hooking up is not going to get me there. I'm going to be mature, focus my time on God, school, staying in shape, my friends, and my family. Today I got my cross. Today, I'm gonna start being faithful to Him."
God was doing something in me in that moment of my life and I'm so thankful for that. My mom had bought me an early Christmas gift that day and it was my cross necklace. I was determined that if I was going to display such a meaningful reminder around my neck, I needed to get right and follow the One who died on the Cross for ME.
So that's how I came to be. You know the craziest thing is that God brought Ryan and I together on December 19th at a church service. Just 15 days after I made my commitment! I believe whole heartedly that God wanted me to pursue Him before pursuing guys. I believe that God sent Ryan in my life to help me. I believe whole heartedly that God meant for Ryan and I to be together in life. I believe that God is truly amazing for giving many chances to follow Him, for giving me my husband, and to give me so much grace and love.
So that's it, there's my story. I started typing this blog about something else and somehow, my fingers just started going and was led to type about my story. I do think my story is extremely important for youth or anyone who feels tempted. There are a lot of "normals" today in our world. Like sex before marriage...being a virgin before you get married is almost unheard of these days and society says that it's ok to have sex before you are married. Can I just tell you something...if you haven't had sex yet, don't. Don't do it until you are married to the one God sends for you. You don't realize it at the time but sex holds so many consequences. Mostly emotional baggage. Trust me, I made a lot of mistakes when it came to sex. Focus on the Lord and center your relationships around Him.
I'll leave you with my journal entries following my decision to be a true Christian and after meeting Ryan. 12-24-04: "Christmas evening was nothing short of amazing. I got a boyfriend who is possibly the most terrific guy yet. He is amazing. Ryan Fields Jackson. My man of God. He's Christian. He's funny. He's trustworthy. He's a wonderful listener. I could go on and on...smile won't come off my face. Thank you God!" And this one doesn't have a date but I believe it was sometime in January 2004: "Ryan's the true thing. True love. This is a never-ending love. I'm marrying him. He completes me. I love him more than anyone could ever imagine. He's a blessing sent by God." Boy, was I love struck or what? =) One thing I have learned over the years is that I could not love Ryan if I didn't love God. God is in the midst of our relationship. He shows us how to love...how He loves us so we can love each other and everyone else in the same way.
Some of you may know and some may not, but I got "saved" when I was 9 on the beach by my cousin. At that point in my life, I didn't know what it was like to be a true follower of God, Christ, or however you would like to put it. I went to high school, was pretty much a "good person". I partied a little like everyone does...I lost my virginity to my first "puppy love" when I was 17. But to me that was basically the norm. I didn't think that I was out of control in any way. Because overall, I was a "good person". Anyways, after I graduated is where I became a little crazier. I got a job as a server in OC (party central)...not a good idea. I partied every night, broke up with my boyfriend (1st puppy love) at the time and began to be overwhelmed by the many guys I worked with that had a interest in me. Not going to go into much detail but that summer, I made some horrible choices. I calmed down a bit after summer but continued to work there for the next 2 summers all the while making bad decisions. I went to college, stopped working there, and moved in with my 2 best friends. Throughout college, I did pretty well in school, only partied on the weekends with my girls. I'm not going to lie, I had a great time in college. I made some amazing friends who I'm still close to these days. We had a wonderful time living together for 2 years and I don't think I would trade those days in for anything.
Ok, might I add something in that is VERY important. Throughout high school, the crazy summers, and college, I went to church EVERY Sunday. I'd be drunk on Saturday night but I would wake up to go to church every Sunday morning...hung over or not. Obviously, it didn't click for me for quite a while because I continued this behavior for probably 4-5 years. Finally, I had enough. I wanted to try my best to follow Jesus but in all honesty it was a pretty hard decision. 1. I didn't have any friends that were followers of Jesus. 2. I was scared what other people would think of me. 3. I didn't want to lose any of my friends because I "changed".
But I decided on December 4, 2004 to follow Jesus. My journal entry from that day reads, " I made a crucial decision today. No more going out and getting drunk. It's not worth it. I do so many stupid things. It gets me in trouble. I don't just want to hook up with random guys. I want to find a faithful boyfriend. Being drunk and hooking up is not going to get me there. I'm going to be mature, focus my time on God, school, staying in shape, my friends, and my family. Today I got my cross. Today, I'm gonna start being faithful to Him."
God was doing something in me in that moment of my life and I'm so thankful for that. My mom had bought me an early Christmas gift that day and it was my cross necklace. I was determined that if I was going to display such a meaningful reminder around my neck, I needed to get right and follow the One who died on the Cross for ME.
So that's how I came to be. You know the craziest thing is that God brought Ryan and I together on December 19th at a church service. Just 15 days after I made my commitment! I believe whole heartedly that God wanted me to pursue Him before pursuing guys. I believe that God sent Ryan in my life to help me. I believe whole heartedly that God meant for Ryan and I to be together in life. I believe that God is truly amazing for giving many chances to follow Him, for giving me my husband, and to give me so much grace and love.
So that's it, there's my story. I started typing this blog about something else and somehow, my fingers just started going and was led to type about my story. I do think my story is extremely important for youth or anyone who feels tempted. There are a lot of "normals" today in our world. Like sex before marriage...being a virgin before you get married is almost unheard of these days and society says that it's ok to have sex before you are married. Can I just tell you something...if you haven't had sex yet, don't. Don't do it until you are married to the one God sends for you. You don't realize it at the time but sex holds so many consequences. Mostly emotional baggage. Trust me, I made a lot of mistakes when it came to sex. Focus on the Lord and center your relationships around Him.
I'll leave you with my journal entries following my decision to be a true Christian and after meeting Ryan. 12-24-04: "Christmas evening was nothing short of amazing. I got a boyfriend who is possibly the most terrific guy yet. He is amazing. Ryan Fields Jackson. My man of God. He's Christian. He's funny. He's trustworthy. He's a wonderful listener. I could go on and on...smile won't come off my face. Thank you God!" And this one doesn't have a date but I believe it was sometime in January 2004: "Ryan's the true thing. True love. This is a never-ending love. I'm marrying him. He completes me. I love him more than anyone could ever imagine. He's a blessing sent by God." Boy, was I love struck or what? =) One thing I have learned over the years is that I could not love Ryan if I didn't love God. God is in the midst of our relationship. He shows us how to love...how He loves us so we can love each other and everyone else in the same way.
October 02, 2008
My new favorite song!
I love all kinds of music but one of my favs is country. I love country music and even if you don't, test it out to see if you like this song. This is my new favorite song by The Zac Brown Band called "Chicken Fried". Make sure you watch it til the end cuz they jam out country style. Hope you enjoy!
WARNING
WARNING: IMAGES BELOW MAY BE FREAKISH BY NATURE, PERHAPS A LITTLE SCARY, AND JUST DOWN RIGHT WEIRD.
This is what occurs in the Jackson family when we're bored or while waiting for a video to upload. Not our prettiest sides but all in all, quite funny.
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