In the Middle of the Jordan

Wow. Beth Moore really brought it tonight at Bible Study. At least she brought exactly what I needed to hear from God! Tonight's study looked at Joshua 4 when the Israelites crossed the Jordan River on dry ground after the Lord caused the river to "be cut off and stand up in a heap" - how crazy is that?? (exerted from chapter 3, verse 13). Chapter 4 tells us how there were 12 men, one from each tribe, chosen to go to the middle of the Jordan River while the water was "cut off" (or separated in two) and each of them select a stone to be used later as a Memorial to what God had done. Beth made a point to stop here and talk about where the Lord had those 12 men select the stones from. The Lord told them to go to the middle of the river to get the stones. Why would God want them to select from the middle? There they are, the Israelites, standing in the middle of the river, almost like their half-way point between Egypt (a land where they were not free, but persecuted and held as slaves) and Canaan (their Promised Land). They were looking one way at Egypt and saying even though it was not a fun place to be, it was comfortable and predictable. And then they were looking the other way at Canaan and envisioning all the promises from the Lord, but realizing they were just a little bit out of reach at the moment, that the road ahead was still a long one. They had two choices......go back to the old, unfulfilled, life of agony and despair. -OR- Remember how God had taken care of them thus far, the provisions He given them and choose to be hopeful that He would come through yet again and deliver them into the Promised Land just like He said He would. That's where I am right now. Right in the middle of the Jordan River......looking one way at my former self and all the strongholds that keep me paralyzed, all the fear, all the doubts, all the sinful pleasures, all the manipulation, all the things that have bound me and kept me there because they are habits, even habits that I hate, but they have somehow become safe and comfortable to me. Then I look the other way. When I look the other way, I see the hope of what things could be. I see growth, change, redemption, love, . And although sometimes it feels like I'm chasing a figment of my own imagination, I see a life that is more than I could have ever dreamed in my most wonderful daydreams. I know how the Israelites felt though. They look over there towards Canaan...but they can't quite see it yet, it's just a little too far away. So they wonder if they are chasing the wind or if they are going to be disappointed when they get there and instead of Milk and Honey it's more like Tap Water and Mayonnaise. They had to wonder when they do reach Canaan, if it will really live up to what they have pictured for all those years in their heads. They wonder if they would really liked to have stayed in Egypt....even though they were slaves, they lead lives of certainty.....they would certainly be serving food or certainly be cleaning the palace or certainly be fixing the chariot. But continuing on the journey to Canaan was full of uncertainties. Maybe they even wondered at times if they were really heading in the right direction. Is this really the path that God asked them to take.....did they hear Him right? Maybe He said to take a left back there because Canaan doesn't seem like it's getting any closer. I bet they wondered if there really was a Canaan sometimes.....does it really exist? Or is it like the 4th floor swimming pool at my 3-story high school that we sent freshman looking for? Because they had to wonder sometimes if something so wonderful really did exist. Yes, I feel a kindred spirit with those Israelites. I understand their doubts and insecurities about heading on towards Canaan. I know the fear of the unknown that they were experiencing. I know the tinge of uneasiness in the hearts about whether they were really heading in the right direction. I know the anxiety they felt about being let down if they really never made it there. But I also know the rest of their story. I know that they did indeed make it to their Promised Land and it was everything God said it would be! Joshua 21:45 tells us that "Not one of all the Lord's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled." So this is my hope. As I stand in the middle of my Jordan, feeling discouraged and worn, but hopeful and content all at once, I choose to "hurry over" as Beth said and continue striving for the things the Lord has promised to me. While I don't know how long it will take, I do know that the Lord has a lot in mind for me and that it will go a lot easier if I just choose now to keep plugging away and remember all His previous blessings and provisions in my life. And I can rest assured that following Him into my Promised Land will be so very much more wonderful than going back to Egypt and my former self!

The Past Three Weeks

Well life sure seems to have a way of getting busy....it's been a while since I've made an entry. So, here's a little recap of the past three weeks of my life...

Sept. 14-19 - Hurricane Ike swept through KY (believe it or not!) and knocked out power to a big chunk of the city. So, I was without electricity for about 6 days. Luckily my neighbors are pretty nice and let me plug my fridge into their generator. Although I still couldn't cook anything because I have an electric oven. But I could keep water cold and stay thoroughly hydrated. :)

Sept. 20-21 - I went to visit my grandparents in Danville. My friend, Shannon, went with me. There was a festival at the Constitution Square in downtown Danville. It was so much fun! Each vendor that was selling at the festival had to have hand-crafted their products. So everything we bought that weekend was hand-made. Pretty cool huh? Shannon and I then went from Danville to Lexington for my company picnic. There were pony rides, a corn hole tournament, and BBQ....can't ask for more at a company picnic.

Here's a couple photos from Danville:

Me, Granny and Shannon enjoying the many vendors of the festival.

We ran into my former youth pastor and his wife (Kerry and Kathy) at the festival! Kerry is and will always be one of my favorite people. He was very influential in my life and taught me a lot about being humble, living a genuine Christian life, and how to play "No-Bones" (Among lots of other things!). Kerry just turned 50 - man he's OLD! :)

Sept. 22-26 - I seemed to have something going on every single night (which is the case in any given week of my life). So the week really flew by. On Thursday night though, I signed the papers to put my house on the market (instead of continuing with For Sale By Owner). So, my house is officially listed on the MLS! YAY!! I am believing God that He will sell my house at just the right time. I'm even sure He's already got a buyer picked out. On a side note to this, I had been praying for a several months that my neighbors would move their junker truck out of their side yard (it doesn't run and has weeds growing up alongside it). I didn't want to have to confront them about it, I just prayed that the Lord would move the truck for me! And He did!! The truck is gone and the "curb appeal" looks a lot better now.

Sept. 26-28 - I went to visit my brother's family in Murray. My niece, Boo, turned One, so we had a big celebration. I think she had a lot of fun tearing into her cake. :) My friend from church, Megan, rode down with me and we hung out with Jackie, who goes to college in Murray. We went to an MSU football game, ate twice my favorite Mexican restaurant ever, Los Portales, and went to the lake as well. We also went to my brother's church on Sunday and got to hear him preach again. Here's a few pictures from my Murray weekend:

Jackie, Megan and I at the Lake. We tried skipping rocks, but mostly ended up hurling them in instead.

The kiddos watch as Murray's football team runs onto the field while the band plays the Fight Song.

Boo tore her cakes to smithereens! She didn't eat much of it, but she liked playing in it. Sept. 28-Oct. 2 - I seem to have entered allergy season....it's official. I woke up Tuesday very dizzy, with my head feeling like it was in a glass jar. My ear was rather sensitive to sounds and I pretty much felt like dog-doody. I survived the day though and went home and slept until the next morning. I ended up taking half days off work on Weds. and Thurs. The doc said it was inner ear trouble and she couldn't do anything for it (so much for that $20 co-pay!). My head finally felt liked it was connected to the rest of my body by Thursday afternoon. Oct. 3 - I dropped down to 32 hours at work. Basically I just feel like there are some things that I want to make a priority in my life and they trump working! :) So, I am only doing 32 hours now and taking advantage of having a whole extra day off. I'm hoping to do a lot of studying and finding things out about the Bible and also just to do some volunteer work and help someone else out. Maybe they will see Jesus in me. Today I spent the entire day in my Bible. I've never personally studied God's Word that long in one day (outside of a conference or something). It was a very refreshing day and I hope to have more of them in the near future. Oct. 5 - Huber's Farm! My Sunday School class, er, Life Group went to Huber's for a good ole day of country fun. We took a hayride and picked pumpkins, ate a wonderfully delicious meal, and browsed the market.
Okay, now you're caught up on my life. But enough about me......how are you? :)