A servant's heart

Servanthood, servitude. Whatever you call it, that's what has been on my heart lately. I feel this constant need to pray that I will always have a servant's heart. God has graced me with chances lately to see areas where I can be a servant to the people around me, and I have seen areas where other people have been given that chance, and have passed it by....and some many times, all God asked them to do for someone else was something SO SMALL, yet they couldn't do it. This woke me up a little bit. It made me realize that so often, we "liberated" women, have decided that we don't HAVE to do anything for anybody. But, if we would yield to what the Master really wishes for us to do, we would see that serving others is one of our greatest jobs as women of God. We have chances each and every day to be gracious and serve the people around us. Do we take those opportunities? Or do we say, "If I am constantly bowing to others and doing their "grunt work", then all of the equality women have worked so hard to obtain will be for nothing." I myself have been guilty of saying "As long as we are BOTH working, we will BOTH be doing the housework." If only the eyes of our hearts could be opened to how pleased God is when we put others before ourselves. As women, one of our greatest joys should be serving the family that God was so gracious to give to us. I don't have children yet, but I have been given a lot of different callings where I have a chance to serve the people in my life...teacher, youth leader, wife. These jobs are not meant for me to obtain glory and be treated as some sort of royalty. They are meant for me to learn more about myself and the nature of God-by doing for others. One of the biggest places that this is revealed in our lives is in our marriage. After the sparkle and glitter from the wedding finally settle, and you begin to live together as a married couple, who you truly are will begin to be revealed to you, and many times there is selfish underneath. Then you have two choices-continue in that selfishness or ask God to help you to change. I pray that I would always be a servant, someone that people can come to when they need a helping hand-of any kind. I pray that I will be the kind of mother whose children will "rise up and call her blessed". I pray that my husband will feel loved and honored by me every day, not only in the things that I do, but in the words that I speak. And most of all-I pray that when God is searching the Earth looking for someone to do a job for Him, He will find me a worthy servant and call on me.

Have you ever?

Have you ever just been overwhelmed with gratitude for the things God has done in your life? That's me today. God is teaching me so much about His nature and how wonderful He really is. As I learn these things, it makes me want to be more like Him. All I could ever want is to be more like Him because everything good is wrapped up inside of Him! I want to be more like Him, I want to please Him, I don't want Him to feel that His sacrifice was lost on me. Though I have my moments and I even have my days...I love God and I love my life. I am grateful for what I have. I have a wonderful husband, a great family, a church family who loves me, a great new job *I get to move into my new classroom next week*, a wonderful apartment, two reliable vehicles, money in the bank, good health, GREAT friends who are always there for whatever, His word and other wonderful books I can read to be encouraged, etc, etc. I just cannot say enough about what God has done for me. I am even enjoying the fact that He has brought so much rain on us lately...lol. We needed the rain and I enjoy watching it and listening to it.
And for the things He hasn't done *or fixed* yet, I have the promise that He has it all under control and that if I can hold on, He will take care of it. I don't have to worry about the fact that I want children and don't know when the right time is to have them-He will show me. I didn't have to worry about the payroll disaster from my old job-He has taken care of us. I guess the biggest lesson God is teaching me is "DON'T WORRY! I have this under control!" There is nothing too big for God to handle. I used to read that scripture that says Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? and think "Yes, but I can't help it, I was raised that way" or give some excuse like that. Now the Lord is telling me that I can help it, I have to start rebuking those thoughts as they come, and reminding myself that God has never let me down in the past. Besides worrying gives you little more than a headache or a stomachache...lol. I am not saying that my worrying days are over and that I am going to be totally chill for the rest of my life. I am saying that I want the Lord to help me begin to catch myself when I begin to worry about things that He can totally take care of, and to stop carrying around burdens that I was never meant to hold! In other words "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." When will we learn to take our concerns and requests to the throne of God and leave them there, knowing full well He will make everything right? It's simply a matter of not trusting Him to take care of us when we take our problems to Him, then take them back. All the while He is sitting back and saying "I've got this, let me do it!" My biggest spiritual goal right now is to do that-give it all up to Him and then trust Him. I want my heart and mind guarded by His spirit like the scripture says. But it requires me to do something first, I have to let go of having things how I want them, when I want them. I have to relinquish control and let God do what only He is capable of doing! Lord, help me to begin doing that now-today.

P.S. We had a really great 4th of July, I promise pictures will be up soon. I just haven't been home long enough to put them in the computer and post them!

There is freedom, free for all

Update on us...I got a summer job. I am working for Andrea's parents, helping them clean their house and do office work for their business. Her mom is being wonderful about working with my schedule. Daniel has moved from Coastal Bank on St. Simons to Coastal Bank in Brunswick...lol. This saves us money since he drives a gas guzzler of a vehicle, now he works closer to home. He also gets home earlier, which I love. We went to Camp Meeting in Tifton last night, and it was WONDERFUL. It was such a breath of fresh air after all that we have been going through lately, to get to see our friends and worship the Lord in a place where we didn't have to do anything! That is a rare occasion for a minister *and his wife*! Our teenagers had a blast as well, the trip there and back was hilarious which is usual with our crazy group. We didn't get home until after 2 am though, so we have been pretty lazy today; other than cooking, grocery shopping, and laundry-the unavoidable! Tomorrow we have church of course, then we are having lunch at Mom's house. Next weekend we will be going to see Dad, Dawn, and Abby-we are really looking forward to this "mini vacation" and spending time with our family.

Daniel and Jennifer's bedroom

This is our bedroom. It still needs some decorating done, the walls are bare. I haven't found anything yet that I love so much that I want to put it in here. But, we love our balcony and our lake view. And, being newlyweds, we are still so enraptured by the fact that at the end of the day we can fall asleep next to the person we love more than anything!

Our living room

Here are the pics of our living room. I love this room because nearly every bit of it was given to us by friends and family! It's so wonderful when you move into your first place and everyone shows their love by donating whatever they have to fill up your little home. I also love this room because it ALREADY has so many memories-the teenagers wrestling...lol, Chris and Andrea laughing, hanging out with Dad *so glad you came*, and just talking or watching TV with Daniel.

Our little kitchen :D

Our kitchen is tiny, but I love it because this room brings my friends and family together. I enjoy cooking for all of them and sitting around our little kitchen table fellowshipping.

Home sweet home

Here's a few pics of our apartment for my favorite stepmommy. :D Love you guys!
These first two are our upstairs bathrooms.

Graduation party

Here are pics of me with the kids, and a picture of me with my favorite parapro! She will never know how many times she was my sanity this year! :D

First kids, first classroom

Here are pics of the kids in the classroom. I had to clean the room out today because I got a second grade teaching job for next year at Goodyear! Today was favorite hat day, so there are some pics of them with hats on. :D

Harmony Kids Pre-K Graduation Day

Here are a few photos from our Pre-K graduation. It was such a wonderful, emotional day. The kids did a WONDERFUL job. :D I was very proud of them. I am really going to miss my "very first kids". It was emotional saying goodbye to them and cleaning out my classroom. I am looking forward to the summer to refuel spiritually and get some sleep! Enjoy the photos and happy summer vaca everybody!

May-Bring me anything that brings you glory

I don't know if this is just me, but many times when I think life is so tough, I look around me and see that I don't have it so bad. Unsaved people wander through life with no hope, nothing to trust in, nothing to hold on to. But no matter what comes my way, I have a hope and a future in Jesus Christ, His word tells me that. I see people getting so caught up in what they find to be a worthy cause or "soap box", so to speak-but if Jesus isn't the basis for everything you do, you're standing on sinking sand. There is not a thing in this world that will hold you through the good, bad, and ugly-but the Lord. If you're searching for something, look no further. He is the answer to any and all questions.
Lately I have been taking a hard look at my life and realizing that everything that happens to us is not someone else's fault. No, we cannot choose our circumstances most of the time, but we can choose our attitude toward that circumstance. And in a lot of respects, my attitude stunk. The Lord is so wonderful in how He shows us those things, while still holding our hand and letting us know that all is not lost, that He still has a plan for our lives. While I cannot be 100% transparent and share the details of these circumstances, I can share with you that none of us has "made it" yet. I think sometimes the teenagers Daniel and I work with think that Ms. Jennifer has it all together and never gets anything wrong. But let me encourage you in this-we are all striving to be like Jesus every day. It doesn't come easy, your flesh fights you every step of the way. But I would rather struggle each day to become more like Him, than to sit back and relax and never accomplish anything for God's kingdom. I feel it more every day that God has miraculous plans for our ministry, and I cannot wait to see what He will do next. So, Jesus bring the rain. Bring me anything that brings You glory.

February-Awaken my heart

I don't even know where to start. There has been SO much going on. Things kinda took off when John Richeson was here. The results of all that happened in that week will be shown for years to come. Our youth group received fire and confirmation of God's plan for us...so did the church. We went to the Radiant Conference in Ludowici the weekend after that, and it was completely wonderful.We are now doing fundraisers to get ready for Sonfest next month. We are very excited for that..I know it's going to change our teenagers' lives, the way it always did when I was young.
My classroom at Harmony is coming along, I am very proud of our progress. I cannot believe I am finally teaching. I know it's my calling, but lately God has been speaking to me about different plans He has for me. Yes, His plan is for me to teach, but I truly believe He is going to do a lot through my teaching, and I feel that I have another purpose besides that one. It's hard to explain, you'd just have to be me for a day or two, but I know He is preparing me for something. The way that He has anointed/promoted me at work, the doors that continue to open for ministry for Daniel and I. I am just so excited to see what God has planned next.
I feel alive in a way that I haven't felt in a long time. I feel inspired, excited, driven, loved, full, happy. The amount of love that has exploded in my life just brings tears to my eyes. God is teaching me how to love people in a way so deep that the love I have given in the past seems pale and shallow. He is teaching me how to mourn for people's souls, to intercede for their safety and salvation, to love people who would seem "unlovable". As I type this, my eyes are full of tears because I know I didn't do ANY of this on my own, it's a gifting God has placed in me. I needed this love so that I could fulfill my purpose in the tasks He has given me. I just feel so grateful that He thought enough of me to give me this gift of love to give to others. I am so happy to have a place in His kingdom work.
Chris and Andrea are now full time with us at Ministry Center, and I could not be happier. They have become our best friends and we love them SO much. We have a lock-in and a yard sale this weekend, I am very excited for that-it's always great fun when the Homesick crazies get together...lol. We had a spaghetti dinner fundraiser for Valentine's Day last night and Sanctified did some dramas-I am so proud of our drama team, they truly bring joy to others through what they do.
And...Daniel and I will be moving out on our own soon! I am SOOOOOOOOO excited about that. God has blessed us financially lately, and now we are going to get to reap the rewards of that blessing by buying a beautiful mobile home. We could not be happier!
Please keep us in prayer that God will sustain us through all that we have going on right now. He is doing a wonderful job of keeping us energized and full of joy to do all that needs to be done and we praise Him for it!

He's my friend

The next few blogs are old ones from Myspace, just to catch myself up on posting on here. Ya'll-I just gotta praise the Lord for what He's done for me. My first day as a Pre-K teacher was Friday. I worked in my classroom all day, we aren't open yet because my school is officially a daycare-with one Pre-K class. I have a fabulous parapro who has already been a GREAT help, both of my administrators are Christians, and my classroom is beautiful!! It's big, newly painted, has huge windows, full of donated supplies and beautiful newly painted furniture. I cannot believe what the Lord has done. I was so upset when I didn't get those jobs I applied for in December. I could NOT understand what God was doing *but so often when we don't understand things, He is getting ready to move*. I was heartbroken and my self-esteem was low from all the rejections. Then, out of nowhere-this job appeared. They only did one other interview before calling me and saying they would love to have me as their Pre-K teacher. God is so wonderful. I was fully prepared to have to sub until next school year. Instead, I will be a teacher in my very own classroom! I still can't believe it.
The other part about this that makes me ready to BUST-Daniel and I can now start planning to move into our own place. We have been researching apartments and looking for furniture. We are hoping to move the first weekend in March. Thank you, Jesus for all you've done-and for being my friend now and when I was hurting.

Wedding photos...and what not

Okay, so I am still getting used to this blogspot stuff, so this post is kind of a mess. We haven't posted any wedding pictures, and these are the only ones I have on my account on our computer. I know Daniel has more, but I didn't want to switch users and turn off the Ipod...yeah, it's a whole thing...lol. So, here they are. We went to a really wonderful revival on Monday night *after spending the day with Chris and Andrea-fun and funny as always* and then I spent Tuesday with Mom. But Tuesday night, I started feeling AWFUL...and I have been in bed since then. I have had a terrible head cold. Today I am feeling much better....Praise the Lord. We have a really busy weekend with the youth group-so I had to get better. Tonight we are going to run errands for tomorrow night's scavenger hunt. Chris and Andrea are going to be helping with the scavenger hunt, so they are going shopping with us. Tomorrow we are meeting the kids at the church in the morning to go to an elderly lady's home and do her yard work. I am excited that the kids are getting this kind of opportunity, I always enjoyed doing this kind of stuff when I was their age-it always made me feel so grown up and responsible to help someone who can't help themselves. Anyway, then we have to go home and get ready for our video scavenger hunt at 6. Daniel, Chris, Andrea, and I sat down one night at their house after dinner and made a list of 50 wacky things for the kids to do-Daniel and I will be the drivers, Chris and Andrea the camera people. There will be two teams, and they have to complete as many of the tasks as possible in an hour and a half. Then we are all meeting back at the church to eat pizza and watch these hilarious videos. Then Sunday morning we have a drama performance during church, so we will meet at nine to practice. We will also have drama practice that afternoon because we have to get ready for our drama performance during our church's upcoming revival. Everyone is so excited for that. Other than that, my school is trying to get enough students enrolled to open. I am having trouble *at this point, a month later* believing that will actually open this school year. As such, I am planning to talk to the Board of Education about beginning to sub in the next few weeks. Daniel and I are so anxious to be out on our own, I really need to start making money so we can save up and move!

So, that's what's new with us! I am also getting everything ready for the conference I am taking the girls to in a few months, and we have a Super Bowl party planned for that same weekend. AND, we have several fundraisers in the works for the next couple of months to raise money for the Sonfest trip we are taking the youth group to in Orlando. Busy as usual.
P.S. Dad and Dawn-we will be sending you some wedding pictures soon, we have finally figured out how to do that without going totally broke...LOL. We love and miss you!

Events since August....lol

I cannot believe I started this blogspot account and then didn't update it. Daniel and I are both on myspace.com, so I usually just update that. But since Dad and Dawn don't have that, I need to start updating this all the time so that they can stay in the loop with us. I miss them so much, I wish we could spend more time with them. The picture above is of my fourth graders from Satilla Marsh on my last day of student teaching there. Student teaching was absolutely amazing, I learned so much. I miss those children a lot and my last day was very tearful and full of presents *and cake!* Daniel showed up at the school *as a surprise* and brought me roses and cupcakes for the kids!

These are pictures from my Armstrong graduation on December 9th. That was such a proud day for all of us. There were times I did not think I would make it there, so it was an emotional day for me. We also were not sure that Dad was going to make it to graduation that day because Abby was having seizures again, but he did get to be there and it meant the world to me. *Abby is also doing much better since then...yay, God!* Our friends Chris and Andrea were there too, and we went shopping at one of the malls in Savannah and then had dinner at Carabba's. It was a wonderful day. After this, I did a lot of interviewing for jobs, but could not seem to get my foot in the door anywhere. I tried to trust God and know He had a plan, but it was very difficult to wait and understand what He was doing. Well, a couple of weeks ago, I went on an interview at a new Pre-K that was opening in town, and they called the next day to tell me I got the job! It's a brand new school, so we are still waiting to open. I have been working in my room every time I get the chance, and I am so proud of it-it's a gorgeous room and I cannot wait to get the kids in there and start teaching. Both of my bosses *the directors of the school* are Christians, and they were just as excited as I was when I got the job! :)


Here is a picture of the Castors on Christmas Eve. We all went over to my Aunt Robin's house to celebrate Christmas with my mom's family. It was so wonderful having so many new blessings in my life at Christmas this year. Daniel is absolutely the best guy in the world, and though he and I were surviving on one income at Christmas time, he tried to make it as special as possible.
I have other pictures to share, the drama team has been really busy lately and our great friend Kathryn has taken pictures of everything! It's amazing to see what God is doing with our willingness to work with these teenagers! But, we are having dinner at Chris and Andrea's house tonight, so I have to go get myself ready. Happy New Year to all, and...I promise I will update again soon!