I AM A BRIDE !!!!!

Lately,God has really been wanting to reveal to me alot about purity,authentic beauty,intimacy and love.These apparently are areas that He wanted to address with me.Through lots of personal situations and "happenstances" I've gotten the hint.I've been still before God and allowed Him to speak to my heart.The most important aspect of this is that God has repeatedly spoken to me "you are a bride" and "you are my bride".
I've heard scriptures about this all my life but I've just recently gotten a sense of what this really means.Scripture tells me that I am the bride of Christ as a member of His church.I also will be the bride of my husband one day. So,what does this mean to me? what does this have to do with purity,authentic beauty,intimacy and love? Well,as a bride of Christ i am purified and loved. I am blameless because of Christ's blood and am able to stand before Him in my white dress.I also am able to be intimate in my relationship with Him because I know He knows everything about me and sees my authentic beauty thanks to Christ's blood.I heard on the radio today an expert on this area describe intimacy as "in to me see".We are so afraid of intimacy because we don't want to be that vulnerable.We don't want to see our ugliness and we don't believe we can be beautiful.But,how great it is to be open,intimate and vulnerable before a God that we KNOW loves us and only wants to make us more holy.Once we're free of the fear of judgement or condenmation,we're more likely to enjoy intimacy as a "bride". As the bride of my husband,God has designed it to be a picture of the relationship I have with Him.The same expert i mentioned before also commented that we can't have an earthly intimate relationship without first having a heavenly initimate relationship.My husband also should expect my purity,authentic beauty,intimacy and love.I'm prepared for this relationship as i've already experienced it with my heavenly husband.My former pastor who is still my spiritual confidant told me just today that He believes the best way for me to know God's will is to know God.He told me that I learn about God as I allow Him to talk to me through
His Word,prayer,music and every day circumstances.If I'm accustomed to this,then I'll be prepared to learn about my husband in the same way.I'll get to know his pet peeves,passions,turn offs,turn ons,quirks,sayings,etc as I spend time with him.I'll be eager for this too as I know the rewards of an intimate relationship because I've been having one with my heavenly husband for a while.So,I am blessed to be a "bride" tonight and to know that I'll always be a "bride". What a great feeling.Scripture also describes this picture of a "bride" in Ephesians 5:22-27.I read this in the Message translation and liked the wording......


Wives,understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ.The husband provides leadershipto his wife the way Christ does to his church,not by domineering but by cherishing.So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership,wives should likewise submit to their husbands.
Husbands,go all out in your love for your wives,exactly as Christ did for the church-a love marked by giving,not getting.Christ's love makes the church whole.His words evoke her beauty.Everything He does and says is designed to bring the best out of her,drsssing her in dazzling white silk,radiant with holiness

a friend's thought that was too good NOT to share

On a fellow believer's blog,we're discussing where to draw the line in condoning non-christlike behavior.How do we love a nonbeliever but remain loyal to our God and our values.Marcie makes a great point and illustrates this topic so well in her post that I just had to share. So happy reading :)



It is important for Christians to take a stand on isssues (abortion, homosexuality, etc...), in doing this we are hating the "sin", not the "sinner".

Reading through Mark this week, I keep coming back to one of the same passages. I think because I see myself. Not in the character of Jesus, but that of the Pharisee.

Mark 2:15-17. Jesus calls Matthew to be a disciple. It says that later that night Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples for dinner along with his fellow tax collecters. Then, here is the part that is convicting to me
"THERE WERE MANY PEOPLE OF THIS KIND AMONG THE CROWDS THAT FOLLOWED JESUS".
When the pharasees saw this they said "Why does he eat with such scum"
Jesus replied "Healthy people don't need a doctor-sick people do. I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough"

WOW. I often find myself being one of the people who "think" that I am already good enough.

We don't give an infant a plate with real food on it and expect them to eat it. Why do we expect non-believers to hold to the principles that believers do? They don't have the same tools. They don't have Christ in their hearts, they aren't submitting their life daily to God's will.

In an age when pride is rampant, it would do us well to remember Jesus' example. It is our job to show Christ to these non-believers. Not by holding them accountable to biblical truths, but by loving them and serving them and telling them of God's great forgiveness and grace.

my nieces (the loves of my life)

If you know me at all,you know about my niece,madelyn. She's been the love of my life for over 2 years now. well,I'd like to introduce you to Anna Elizabeth the other love of my life :) she was born 8/15/2007 and is a beautiful healthy princess !!!!! I'm crazy about these 2 girls. My sister is the best mom ever and she's doing a great job with both of them. I held anna for over 20 minutes last night while she slept. I couldn't take my eyes of her.As a christian,I know God gives life so I feel so blessed by Him right now.God also takes away life so just as i'm grateful that my two nieces were given life,I'm thankful to God that He sustains their lives.He sustains all life.So,as you look at the pics below,praise God,our maker,that we are loved by Him,blessed by Him and sustained by Him !!!!!!

the little things

the title of my blog is about those "special" moments in time.i've written on this subject a few times.however,it's always been to challenge you to take those moments or recognize them.Today,I want to talk about how we're affected by these little moments in time.Today I was blessed several times by people who took that "moment" to say something encouraging to me,to send me an encouraging e-mail or to call me. I can't tell you how blessed I felt.It was a hard day for me emotionally but I think God knew just what I needed. He sent others to me today to be His encouragement. I thank God that I have great people in my life who are believers too and are willing to be used by Him to help others. I love ya'll :)

neat prayer

Dear Lord, I thank You for this day. I thank You for my being able to
see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving
God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep
on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or
thought that was not pleasing to you.

I ask now for Your forgiveness. Please keep me safe from all danger
and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of
gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind
so that I can hear from You. Please broaden my mind that I can accept
all things. Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control
over.
And It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits.
I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use
me to do Your will. Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to
others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak... Keep me uplifted
that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those that
are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those that are misjudged
and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately.I
pray for those that don't believe.



But I thank you that I believe. I believe that God changes people and
God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and
every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love and joy
in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are
met. I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem,
circumstance, or situation greater than God. Every battle is in Your
hands for You to fight.
I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that
sees it.

my testimony

As a christian,people ask you sometimes what is your testimony?This is the "story of your life" and how God came to work in your life.Alot of christians don't feel that they really have a testimony because they didn't have dramatic events in their lives or God hasn't performed miracles on them. There are lots of people who where homeless,involved in gangs,in jail,hooked on drugs,had an abortion,etc that God rescued. These are amazing stories indeed.however,for most christians,it was a quiet
transformation in their life and God is working subtly in thier daily life. We should NEVER belittle those things however.I've always said that it amazes me that God not only sent His son to die for every one of us but that He works in our lives,even if we're not a christian.He calls us to Himself and he uses opportunities to teach us about Himself.He pursues us !!! Let me say that again,He pursues us. He could have just as easily sent Jesus to the cross and left it at that.But,we have His word and His Spirit that He left with us.He puts people in our lives to bless us. That's how much God loves us : ) He does this for all people, believers and nonbelievers.
So,we all have a testimony of how God blesses us on a daily basis.We wake up every morning when God could have taken our breath.
I never thought to share my testimony because I always viewed mine as a basic God being my provision testimony.I didn't have a radical transformation.I wasn't saved from a desperate life,etc.However,I've been reminded lately of something that I don't share that much because it has always been second nature to me.
I was born with a condition called Turner's Syndrome. It's a chromosonal abnormality that affects my bone structure,ability to have children and affects how I learn. I also am deaf in my right ear and at age 4 was diagnosed with a heart condition called tachtycardia (fast heart rate). Now,you may be reading this amazed.But,remember for me,it's nothing as I've never known any other way of life.Also,my parents never dwelled on it either because they didn't want me to define myself by my medical problems.however,over the past few years it has become very apparent that God has blessed me beyond measure and I have something to share.I was able to go to school and had a's and b's despite my struggles.My heart condition was pretty much kept in check with medicine.Between the ages of 4-10 I was in and out of the hospital all the time.Very scary for my family i'm sure but remember I was used to it.I joke that God knew what He was doing when he gave me good veins as many IV's as I've had. I went for several years without any problems with my heart. Then, at the age of 19,my problems started reappearing. They were more severe too. For the first time in my life,at age 19,I was given a medicine called Adincard.They were able to slow down my heart rate.Two more times this happened.I didn't like it either because it may me feel like I couldn't catch my breath and it was scary.I remember asking a friend of mine who was a nurse if everyone else had the same reaction that I did.She said "I don't know as I've never given Adinacard to a conscious person". That's when it really began to hit me that God was really protecting me.i had another visit to the ER with the fast heart rate when my cardiologist said he thought it was time to discuss surgery. We had always known there was a corrective surgery for my condition but never pursued it because I was doing well on meds and the severity of the surgery. However,it became apparent that it was an option we needed to rethink.My dad had always insisted that the surgery would not be done until I was old enough to make the decision myself about it.This in itself is pretty strange as I'm a daddy's girl and he's always protective of me.So,I would have imagined he would have said "whatever it takes".But this time,he gave me the control.As I visited the surgeon at Vanderbilt,I again realized that God was protective and sovereign.It had only been in the past 5 years or so that the study and surgery I was having done was available without open heart surgery. The risk and chances of recovery,etc were much much better than they ever would have been when the doctors were suggesting surgery before.So,I had surgery thanksgiving of 2002.
I've been heart problem free and off meds since then.PRAISE GOD !!! It was after my surgery that a former nurse that I work with pulled me aside and talked with me.She explained that she'd seen alot of turner's patients die as infants or within the first few hours of life.She'd been an ob/gyn nurse.so,she said that it was a "miracle" that i was 30 years old and thriving :) she also stated that people who had as many problems with tachtycardia like I did usually died or ended up having lots of more serious complications.She said I was really blessed. So,as these words are in my mind,I realize that I do have a story to share of God's mercy and provision.God has seen it in His will to heal me and provide for me.Not only that,He blesses me. I am a child of the King and I love to share my "princess" status. i'm truly blessed and I know it .I'm so grateful too. So,if you're reading this know that you too are blessed.you might not have an experience like others but I know you can point to specific times in your life where you were blessed and are blessed. Know that you are loved,dear one, as I leave with this verse from God's Word.......

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful ,I know that full well

Psalms 139:13-14

exactly what my blog is about

My blog is titled "kairos" for a reason.You can read that for yourself.well,tonight,I was reminded two times about kairos.One was while I was shopping at Dollar General earlier. I was just about to check out and this little boy had a dollar in his hand.He was asking one of the sales people if he had enough to buy what was in his hand.It was $1.She said "well,you have to pay the tax on it so it'll be more than $1".The little boy walked away looking discouraged.I called after him "sweetie,how much do you need?" I then gave himm the change so that he could make his purchase.I left feeling like a million bucks :)Then,I came home to read a fellow blogger's story of how God used ants to provide him with an opportunity to witness.Thankfully,this fellow believer recognized the opportunity and grabbed it.
so,tonight,I'm very much reminded of how precious life is,how the little moments are what count and how God gives us EACH and EVERY day for a reason. My prayer is that we're never to busy to see God working around us and to take advantage of it.May be see each day as a blessing to us for us to be a blessing to others :)