New things

Wow, I feel like I have grown so much spiritually over the past year. God has truly opened some doors for us and brought us to a whole new stage of life! I wish I had been recording more of my thoughts since last summer, but there is no time like the present to start over - right? Since Jason's baptism last summer, I feel like I have a completely different husband (different in a WONDERFUL way). He is absolutely on-fire for Christ and has been working at taking on some leadership roles in our church. I can not express how proud of him I am and how amazed I am to see the Holy Spirit working through him in such an awesome way!

We are now preparing for another trip to Mexico. I'm excited that Jason will get to go with me this year and that we will be able to share this experience. Like last year, I will try to share my spiritual journey on this blog as much as I can & will definitely blog every day that we are in Mexico.

On a different note, I was reading an article last night in Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven Connection" magazine, entitled "Defining Your Life's Mission." It was such an interesting read that I actually sat down and began taking notes and writing down what I believe to be my personal "Life Mission Statement." I am vowing right now to act on this daily, to make it my everyday motto & to do my best to really LIVE IT! Here it is:

"As a child of God, created for His glory and pleasure, I will strive daily to become more like Christ in everything I do. Using every talent, trait and passion God has given me, I will not just learn to love others but make a daily commitment to act on all that I learn. I will love. I will serve. I will share, all so that my Creator will ultimately be glorified!"

I've definitely learned to "be careful what you pray for!" A while back, I pleaded with God to use me in any way He saw fit in order to reach people. Suddenly, my husband and I are fully involved in our church and we are beginning talks about leading a Bible Community in our home. I have found myself volunteering for, or at least agreeing to, things that are WAY out of my comfort zone! ME, the shy girl in the back row, is now beginning to see myself as a leader & willing to do whatever He asks of me. I've finally started saying YES, instead of "let me think about it." I'm blown away at His power to change people (especially me)!

What an awesome, awesome God He truly is!! I am so thankful that He stuck with me, even when I turned my back on Him. Looking forward to what HIS future holds for me...