A city on a hill

New church:

Tuesday night was a gift from God! It was Volunteer Training at the new church. OH WHAT A BLESSING! As we stood on that stage, in the middle of that brand new church, I felt the presence of GOD fall all over me. To see the vision God has given Pastor Gene come to fruition, moves me to tears. I am a blessed lady to be apart of what He is doing here in Sevier County, TN. May we never forget where God has brought us from. I will truly miss that old gym where I've been attending church for almost two years now. I'll never forget the joys, sorrows, smiles, and tears that have overtaken me in that place. BUT I am more excited to see what God has in store for the future.

On another note, my little brother is being deployed with the Army. He leaves next Tuesday for a training stint in OK, then off to Iraq for up to 24 months. I thought I was strong enough that emotions would not be impacted by this, but I may have been wrong. Josh and I grew up in a military home, yes we are Air Force Brats of the highest order:). So, we have been use to the deployments. But it's different when its your little brother. Please pray for his safety as well as the safety of all troops everywhere. But more so, please be in prayer for his salvation. I beg God everyday to save him from hell, but the problem is, Josh doesn't want to be saved. :( I think that is the hardest part of all this mess. I fear that when he leaves next week, I may very well never see him again. So, again today, I commit my brother into the hands of an ALMIGHTY GOD!

I've rambled enough for today! May God bless you all! ~Out~BG

welcome...

So, today is my first day of blogging. Welcome to the rambles of a random Christian woman from good ole' Tennessee. I blogged some in college and enjoyed it, so I thought why not give it another shot. Some posts will be funny...some will be sad. Most will be random:) There is a lot going on in my life these days. My church is about to move to it's new campus and I cannot wait!! It's taken a lot of prayer, tears, sweat, and time for us to be where we are. And God has graciously opened the door for us to be a beacon on a hill. God blesses obedience! I have grown a lot since first attending The Gathering. My relationship with God has grown. I begin each day in His presence. He's taught me so much about forgiveness, grace, love, and the power of prayer! He's currently teaching me about fasting. What a MIGHTY GOD I serve! Recently, I have fallen in love with a song by Matthew West entitled "The Motions." Here are the lyrics... "This might hurt, it's not safe / But I know that I've gotta make a change / I don't care if I break, At least I'll be feeling something' / Cause just okay is not enough /Help me fight through the nothingness of life /I don't wanna go through the motions / I don't wanna go one more day / without Your all consuming passion inside of me / I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,"What if I had given everything, / instead of going through the motions?"No regrets, not this time / I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind / Let Your love make me whole / I think I'm finally feeling something / 'Cause just okay is not enough / Help me fight through the nothingness of this life / 'Cause I don't wanna go through the motions / I don't wanna go one more day / without Your all consuming passion inside of me / I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,"What if I had given everything, / instead of going through the motions?" ... I DO NOT want to just go through the motions of life. I want to positively impact the lives of the people around me. I want to get to the end of my life and know that I gave all I could! As I sit here and write this blog, so much emotion overcomes me as I think about the opportunities God gives me each and every day to exemplify Him; a simple hello, a door held open, a comforting hug, a gently smile... at the very simplest. This life has so much to offer, if I just listen to the Lord and follow His lead..... Through Him - BG