Sunshine

I truly love the sunshine!  It makes my whole attitude better.  I am however not a fan of the hot temperatures if I can't be by a pool or an ocean.  I loathe sweating!  YUCK!  Especially in nice clothing.

I would love to hear some God news from any of my blogging friends.  I could use some pick me ups and to hear how He is blessing you in your lives.

Just Some Fun

I don't have a lot to write today, but here are some fun pictures from my weekend.  My weekend started out with God showing me a beautiful rainbow as I was leaving work and the weekend just went great from there!

"Lead Me"

What a great song by Sanctus Real!  This is what I want in a godly husband:

I look around and see my wonderful life

Almost perfect from the outside

In picture frames I see my beautiful wife

Always smiling

But on the inside, I can hear her saying...

“Lead me with strong hands

Stand up when I can't

Don't leave me hungry for love

Chasing dreams, what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight

That I'm still the love of your life

I know we call this our home

But I still feel alone”

I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes

They're just children from the outside

I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine

They're in independent

But on the inside, I can hear them saying...

“Lead me with strong hands

Stand up when I can't

Don't leave me hungry for love

Chasing dreams, but what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight

That I'm still the love of your life

I know we call this our home

But I still feel alone”

So Father, give me the strength

To be everything I'm called to be

Oh, Father, show me the way

To lead them

Won't You lead me?

To lead them with strong hands

To stand up when they can't

Don't want to leave them hungry for love,

Chasing things that I could give up

I'll show them I'm willing to fight

And give them the best of my life

So we can call this our home

Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Not just a great song for married people of for a future spouse but, what a great song to try to live up to!

Have a great and blessed week!

Pray with Me

I desperately desire to be a better christian.  I have been doing a very lousy job for several months now.  I am struggling with just picking up the bible and reading it and even worse, I am struggling to pray.  So, I ask my friends to pray with me.  Pray that I will get that fire back.  I have been a very bad example to many friends and people I don't even know.  I get so weary in waiting to see what the Lord has in store for me.  I seem to fall into a pit when something goes wrong in my life.  I DON'T want to do that any more!  I also don't want to be tested and have any more pain.  But, that is not the way life is supposed to be.  God never said the christian life will be easy. 

This verse was sent to me via my daily email and it is so great!  "As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things."  Ecclesiastes 11:5  I need to moment by moment remember this promise from the Lord.  I WILL NOT understand His ways, but I just have to believe that He will show me in His time.

Thanks for praying with me!  Have a good weekend.

When does life start to make a little bit of sense....

The question I am asking today is one that I am pretty sure a lot of people would like to know the answer too.  Unfortunately, I don't think life will ever make complete sense.

I have been having some thoughts lately about friendships.  I desire a best friend, I have my whole life.  I have been so blessed by some very wonderful friendships, but I still feel like something is missing.  I can get really close with someone and then something happens and the trust is broken or it just feels like that season of the friendship is over.  I have been wondering recently how I can be a better friend and still remain Jill.  What am I doing wrong to prevent that best friendship from happening?  Maybe nothing, or maybe something.  I would like to say I have been praying about it, but honestly I haven't.  Hmmmm....maybe that is my problem.  :)  I think a lot of times I feel mis-understood or I seem to stay in the same stinking place in my life while my friends lives go in many different directions and their seasons change constantly!  I know that the Lord desires me to to be completely fulfilled in Him and I have not done so well with that.  But, I also know that he created us for relationships.  Maybe my standards are too high for people and then I feel let down...So many questions I have and so little answers. :)  I will definitely being praying about this. 

I also desire a relationship with the Lord and I desire to be Christ like, and I find myself failing at this daily, especially at my work place...I definitely need to get plugged in with some christian women and get some accountability.  I do so much better in my life when I have positive christian influence in my life!

Be still, Jill....be still.

8 Dresses...

Do you think I could have a movie based on 8 bridesmaid dresses?  ha ha ha!  I am beginning to think that I could open a resale shop of bridesmaid dresses!  Yes, it is true.  I have been a bridesmaid 8 times.  2 just this year alone.  Though I am so grateful and honored to be in so many weddings, I am ready for a break of them for a while.  I have just recently decided that maybe my childhood dream will change a bit.  I have always wanted a wedding...now after being in 8, I am thinking that eloping and spending the money on a very nice honeymoon sounds A LOT more appealing to me.  The good news is, I don't have to worry about that right now!  :)  All in God's timing, I know!  I would take a picture of all of them...but to be honest I think I finally threw some of the oldies from the 90's in the trash. :)

Life has been interesting the past few months.  Good, but interesting.  I have had some minor drama, but luckily the Lord has opened my eyes to see A LOT!  And I am so grateful for the things that He has opened my eyes to see.  Thank you, Lord for your grace and your wisdom!

Here are a few pictures of my favorite things! 

Whoa, what a ride!

So, the past 4 months have definitely been a challenge.  When your job is not going well, it affects your entire life surrounding you.  I kept trying to remember that Jesus never left me when I was feeling so beat down and defeated.  I prayed many days for endurance and contentment.  After many days of praying and in my moments of not being able to pray my mom fervently prayed for me many times a day as well as many others.  For that, I am so grateful!  Our church is doing a 21 day fast and I started mine on Saturday.  On my list of things to see God change was of course my job.  I prayed for a miracle and that is just what He did.  By Tuesday I quit the job from "the dark place" and was able to have a second chance and a second perspective on how well other jobs I have had really are.  I am also realizing that no job comes without it's rough days.  I am definitely now praying for contentment in my job and to just rely on the Lord even if it turns out to be a second by second situation.  Which in most cases in my life when I am struggling, it seems second by second is too long.  :)  But, all in all, GOD is ALWAYS Faithful!  ALWAYS!

I would love to say I am welcoming 2010 with a new perspective and I am not sad at all to say goodbye to 2009.  With 2009 came many rough spots and the healing of a broken heart.  Though my heart is still a little sad, I am definitely seeing the Lord's hand in His decision.  In November I made a very poor choice that was a rude awakening for me.  I look back just a few months later to see how the Lord was giving me a second chance to turn things around.  I have not desired a relationship with the Lord for the past several months.  I honestly felt abandoned and angry.  Well, November 13th was the day all of that nonsense changed for me.  I have learned that I need accountability.  I need someone to walk along side of me and guide me in a relationship with the Lord and to tell me His truths that I so often don't believe.  Why is it that I will believe the enemies lies over our HOLY and Precious Heavenly Father?  My battle is definitely in my mind.  And it is definitely a spiritual battle that is raging in and around me all the time.  That is why it is so important to stay in direct contact with our Jesus.

I started reading a book called, "I'm Not Good Enough...and Other Lies Women Tell Themselves" by Sharon Jaynes.  Though I am taking my sweet time reading it, it is a FANTASTIC book!  It is filled with such wonderful scriptures and God's truth, just what I need.

I would love to hear of what your 2010 spiritual goals are, please let me know!  Here are mine:

• Find contentment in:
• My career
• My singleness
• Seek the Lord daily even when I don't feel like it
• To meet Jesus in a way I never have before
• To experience a true Spiritual Awakening
• To start living the Fruits of the Spirit

2 Chronicles 7:14

"If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

1 John 5:14,15

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him."

I look forward to seeing more of the positive things the Lord will do in my life in 2010!  I am hopeful to be more faithful at blogging too...we will see.  :)