In A Valley

It's past 1:00 a.m. and I can't sleep. Probably because I drank 3 cups of coffee to help me stay up and finish school work for my Master's that was due at 11:59 p.m. I finished with 20 minutes to spare. I know what you are thinking. She's not a procrastinator at all! Ha! Now, I can't turn my brain off and I was in bed and for some reason wanted to blog. I haven't blogged in a while so it was a really random thought to have to say the least. This was just on my heart and mind so I thought I would share. This entry is going to be raw and real.  My prayer is that if you have been in a valley, for whatever reason, that you find hope and know that the valley is not where you are meant to stay. 

This post is titled In A Valley because I have been in the valley for a while now. My walk with the Lord has been little to none this past year. I don't remember how or when I decided I thought I could do this thing called life on my own, but it happened slowly and one day I realized that I was in a valley. The consequences of my disobedience have left me self-centered, depressed, angry, self loathing, arrogant, the list goes on. Along the way, I lost the sense of who I was, am, and what I stood for. I conformed to what I thought I had to be or should be in order for people to like me. Everything I wanted and prayed for was just left out to dry while I thought I could handle it all on my own. I haven't gone to church consistently in a year. Typing that makes me feel ashamed and embarrassed. I say and do things that I shouldn't. I think things that I shouldn't. I began feeling alone and isolated and that's when I realized I was in a valley. The only one that put me there was myself. This past year two close family members were diagnosed with cancer, relationships/friendships didn't work out, work is overwhelming, and honestly life is just stressful. I have been feeling guilty and ashamed because I have been trying to carry all these burdens by myself. Tonight, as I was in my bed, mind racing (because I had too many cups of coffee) I had the realization that I was in a valley and that I had been there too long. I asked God to forgive me and asked him to take these burdens I have been carrying. That is when I had the urge to blog. Because I know that many people have times where they feel like they are in a valley. And if my words can encourage you to buckle down and face the valley with confidence, then I am thankful that I had the urge to share my thoughts.

you are reading this, you too, might feel like you are in a valley at this moment. It doesn't matter how you got there or why. What matters is that there is beauty in being in a valley. It is in these valleys where we realize that the only way out is through and by Jesus' strength. One thing all valleys have in common is the realization that we should be dependent on Jesus. Not a spouse, friendship, relationIfship, job promotion, etc. We should totally depend on Jesus for all and in all circumstances. He also uses these times to teach and heal us. I truly believe that. Every valley is different and with every valley comes a new lesson to be learned. This is also when we get to come face to face with His grace. He allows us to drift and have struggles because he has given us free will, but he waits patiently for us to return and when we do, he loves, heals, and accepts us where we are. That is grace. That is love. That is dependable. That is real.  I have cried until my eyes have been swollen this past year. I have been angry, hurt, confused, lonely, jealous, and self-seeking. I tried to carry all of these and figure things out on my own which left me in a deep, dark valley. The good news is, slowly but surely, I am coming out of the valley and trying to seek Jesus for guidance and understanding daily. I am going to mess up, a lot. I will have many more valleys to face. Good news is, there is healing in every valley.


If you took a few minutes out of your time to read this, thank you! I pray that you found encouragement by reading my words. If you are currently in a valley, know that you are not alone and that you won't be there forever! 

2/25/19

WOWWW. I haven't blogged in over a year. In fact, it's been so long since I logged into this account that I had to reset my username and update all of that before it let me log back in. So, y'all wanna know what is a total God thing?? The words I typed above this were a draft that I never submitted or made public over a year ago. It was titled In The Valley and I mean my mouth dropped. Right now, this very moment, I have been in a valley. Life has hit hard and it is beautiful but it's hit me in the face. Let me explain....

I started dating this incredible man, Preston. Our love story is for another post, but God allowed him to come back into my life. Thank you, Lord. We had been dating a year or a little over and I got pregnant. We got married and had a baby a little over a month later. Tucker Lynn Clark entered our lives, January 24, 2019. In the hospital, we found out that Tucker has a heart defect that can thankfully be fixed with surgery. Praise you, Jesus! With the anxiety and hormonal changes giving birth and becoming a new mommy bring, PLUS, the anxiety and worry that my baby has to have heart surgery, I was/ still am a complete BASKET case. Do you hear me??? So, yes, I feel in the valley. I was reminded that I am not in control. The Lord is teaching and building my faith. You see, I carry burdens....fear, anxiety, worry, self-control, doubt, etc.  But in Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus tells us to, " Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For MY yoke is easy and MY burden is light." He wants us to give our burdens to him. It is a day to day surrender. BUT Jesus takes our burdens. He wants us to come to him when we are weary and burdened. He also wants us to come to him with praise 1 Chronicles 16:23-24, "Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare the glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

Through writing and blogging, it helps me to get my thoughts and feelings out, in a sense. I pray that my words are encouraging to you. I pray that God gets the glory for it all. He uses people in different ways and if my story and words can help encourage someone and teach them about the greatest God of all and His love, then I am happy to write down these thoughts and share them with you.


Stay salty,
Annie

He Cleans Us Up

Today, I am off work AGAIN due to yet another winter storm. Laubhan and his team are 2/2 this winter in predicting inclement weather. You rock, Matt! I am a first grade teacher and usually we teacher's pray and hope that this kind of weather comes so we can enjoy a nice, relaxing kid-free day. But we are OVER it. You see, if we miss anymore, we are going to have to make it up on a SATURDAY and some of our summer. Yep, you read right. Instead of the usual teacher prayer that we would miss work, we are all praying and hoping to go in. Like I said we are OVER it. Want to make a teacher mad, take her Saturdays and some of her summer days away. Scary thought. Teacher claws will come out. 

Which leads me to my latest blog….today's entry. I haven't blogged as much here lately. There are several reasons why but one reason is because I like to blog when I feel inspired. Mostly I like to blog when I feel like God is laying things on my heart and spirit to share. Here lately there have been several occasions where he has taken simple tasks that I am doing and reminds me of His grace and mercy. He may speak differently to you, but when He speaks and you hear, it's indescribable. 

So I will get to the main topic of my blog today. He Cleans Us Up. Like I mentioned I am off work today. Typically, I would lay in bed all day and watch Netflix--which I did do before I realized I needed to do some cleaning. At least I'm honest, right??? I decided that I would start in the bathroom and actually paused mid-scrub to come and write before I lost what my spirit was trying to tell me. My bathtub was pretty, ummmm…I will just leave it at that. Don't judge. So I get the Comet and get to scrubbing. Literally, my arms are going to be sore from all the scrubbing. As I continued to clean, I honestly hadn't noticed just how dirty my bathtub was until I had scrubbed off parts of the grime. Then it  hit me square on the head. We, as humans and sinners, don't realize how really dirty we are until Jesus comes and cleans us all up. Except, Jesus doesn't have to scrub. When we come to him and admit how dirty we are and how we need a Savior, he cleans us up right then and there. No Comet necessary. Just blood. He takes the dirt and grime and shines it all up and makes us NEW!!!

 As I was scrubbing, I made that bathtub an altar. I began thanking Jesus for cleaning me up. Daily. Hourly. Monthly. Yearly. I thanked God for sending His son to die for ME! Dirty, selfish, unclean, grimy, me. I, we, you, don't have to scrub away your dirt. You can't do it on your own. You NEED a Savior to do it. Jesus can and Jesus does SAVE.

Is there going to be build up again in my life? Yes, I am a sinner. I am human. But by the grace of God, he continues to clean me up. Daily. Hourly. Yearly. Monthly. His grace is sufficient for you, me, EVERYONE. That's powerful. 

Thank you JESUS for always cleaning me up. You don't have to scrub or use Comet and a sponge. Your grace is sufficient for me! Your blood was, is and will always be enough. Thank you for using a house chore to remind me of your unending grace and mercy. AMEN. AMEN. AMEN!!!!

" But he said to me, " My grace is sufficient for you…"

2 Corinthians 12:9

Stay Salty,

Annie

You Are

You are hope when I've lost all of mine.

You are peace when I don't feel fine.

You are grace when I don't deserve it.

You are courage when I want to quit.

You are mercy when I don't like me.

You are love even when I cannot see.

You are power when my world is crumbling down.

You are contentment when I want what's all around.

You are truth when I'm surrounded by lies.

You are understanding and hear my cries.

You are friend and know me by name.

You are constant and always stay the same.

You are sovereign when there's evil all around.

You are steady when there's shaking in the ground.

You are righteous and make my heart melt.

You are SALVATION and I want to tell everybody else. 

Stay Salty,

Annie

Chasing After the Wind

"I have seen all the things that

 are done under the sun;

 all of them are meaningless,

 a chasing after the wind."

Ecclesiastes 1: 14

Do you ever feel like you are chasing after the wind??? Boy, I have and especially here lately. I'll spare you all the details, but I have just felt………dry, dissatisfied, drained, and down right discouraged--just to name a few. I don't know about you but, it's like I chase after all of these things and once I get what I am after, it doesn't really satisfy me and I start chasing after the next thing that I think will. Isn't it crazy how FAST we humans can become so unsatisfied??? 

 I haven't been in The Word much here lately and I have never read or studied the book of Ecclesiastes extensively, but I woke up this morning wanting to read this book. Thank you, Spirit, because this scripture was EXACTLY what I needed to hear. Even Solomon knew that all of his wisdom, wealth, and power were meaningless without God and would never make him happy apart from God. This was a good reminder for me. The world we live in is an illusion. It promotes that the more you have the happier you will be. Do not be tricked. It is okay to have things, but it is not okay to think those possessions will satisfy your soul. Only Jesus can do that. :)

So let's stop chasing after the wind and find our true happiness in Jesus. 

Stay Salty,

Annie

Psalm 51:10

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

Psalm 51:10

Stay Salty,

Annie

How Can It Be?

"You plead my cause

You right my wrongs

You break my chains

You overcome

You gave Your life

To give me mine

You say that I am free

How can it be."

Lauren Daigle-How Can It Be

Y'all, this song. is. amazing. Thankful for Jesus' love and grace he pours out to me daily. How can it be that someone loves me that much? I hope you find encouragement from this song as much as I do! :)

Click the link and have a listen. Prepare to have it on repeat. 

http://youtu.be/Wt5X91ciE6Y

Stay Salty,

Annie

Early Morning Poetry

Good Morning! It has been a while since I have posted in my blog. I hope you are doing well and are enjoying this beautiful weather. I know I am. 

There have been a lot of things happening lately in my life. Good and bad things. When I say bad, really I mean, things that aren't going my way. You see, I think I have everything under control and tend to forget, quite often, that I do not control anything. Then, sure enough, God humbles me and so I find myself right back at the feet of Jesus pouring my heart and soul to him. 

With that being said, I have picked up writing here and there. I write in a journal. Sometimes it's prayers. Sometimes it's just what has been going on in my life. Sometimes it's prayer request. Sometimes it's praises. And sometimes, its poetry. Very rare is it poetry. I tend to write poetry when I am sad or have faced a life lesson. It helps redirect my focus on the One I am supposed to be focused on. So here is the latest poetry entry! Hope you enjoy!

"You know my deepest sorrows and my heart's desires.

Help me trust your resounding power.

You alone control my life and will. 

When my plan doesn't work, I will love you still.

I know life is one big trial and test, 

but knowing you gives me rest.

Help me not to fix my eyes on the loss.

Instead, help me lay it all at the cross."

Stay Salty,

Annie

Why Do Bad Things Have to Happen?

I find myself asking this same question when I talk to God sometimes. PROBLEM: Bad things happen because their is sin in the world. Solution? JESUS. This is not the way God intended for us to live. Sin entered into the world and that is why we have national disasters, diseases, addictions, and death. That is why Jesus went to the cross. He took our sins upon him, died, and rose again so that we could live eternally with him. One day we (Christians) will be with Jesus in heaven and He will make all NEW things and we will live how God intended us to in the first place. God is sovereign and his ways are ALWAYS best. 
No matter what your situation looks like, God's way is PERFECT. God is good all the time and all the time God is good. Learning that God is sovereign and good has really been where I struggle in my faith sometimes. I have been praying and asking God to heal a really close family member and it seems like the situation has honestly gotten worse. Today, as I was talking to my little sister, I realized, God is good and we had a good discussion about God and his sovereignty. Knowing that and confessing that released a lot of my anxiety. No matter how bad the situation, God has it under control and it is all happening so that his name will be lifted up and glorified. 
If you are reading this, I would like for you to take a minute and say a prayer for my family. The situation we are currently facing has been an ongoing battle for the past 8+ years and has reached a breaking point. I can honestly tell you that this has made my relationship with Jesus so much closer. He has heard me cry and cry asking him to help heal this family member with an addiction countless times. My family is strong and I am so thankful for them. Mostly, I am thankful for a God who hears my cries and has promised me that this current place is NOTHING compared to the place he is preparing for me. 


Until next time….

Stay Salty,

Annie

Faith That Moves Mountains

Have you ever wondered how some people have so much faith?? I have been blessed with an amazing family that believes in and loves Jesus. Many of my family members have an unbelievable amount of faith. I have faith but most of the time it is as small as a mustard seed. 

I serve a God that flooded the world and showed grace to Noah's family, a God who parted the Red Sea so that his chosen people could be freed from slavery, a God who knocked down Jericho by having Joshua and his army MARCH around the city, and a God who allowed his son to die for my sins and RAISE him back up so that I could have a relationship with him FOREVER. If my God can do that, why on EARTH do I sometimes struggle with faith??? 

The thing about faith is you have to be confident and know that Jesus is who God says he is. The Messiah. In Hebrews 11, it talks about faith in action. Here is a verse that stuck out to me as I was reading (Hebrews 11:6) :

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

This verse makes me want to please him. Faith is ongoing. You never get it and then stop needing it. I don't know about you, but I want a faith that moves mountains!

Until next time….

Stay Salty

Annie

People Pleaser

Hello again! I have been MIA for the last few months. Nothing too interesting has happened these past few months, but something BIG is fixing to happen in 2 weeks. What?? I will have completed my FIRST year of teaching on May 23. The countdown has begun. 

Let me just tell you what the Lord has been doing in my life lately. 

I joined First Baptist Tupelo last summer after searching for a church for several months. I knew several people that were members there and got involved in a singles Sunday school class. These people have become lifelong friends and I am so thankful for them. 

I had the opportunity to lead a DNOW small group with my good friend, Laura, back earlier in the year. We lead the 10th and 11th grade girls. After spending 2 days and 1 night with them, I felt like I had known them forever. The Lord began pricking my heart after that weekend. I knew I needed to get involved with youth, and the Lord had opened that door for me. 

First Baptist just recently added a third service. Several months leading up to the new service, each Sunday, in the bulletin, were opportunities to sign up to help teach Sunday school. I signed up to help co-teach with the 10th and 11th grade girls. Right now, I just sit and listen and help with discussion. I have already learned so much and can't wait to continue pouring into the girls that I have met. This morning, one of the teachers gave the girls an opportunity to share about what God has taught them this year since the school year is coming to an end (9 days…who's counting?) . Honestly, I hadn't really thought about what God had taught me this year up until that very moment. As you know, this was my first year of teaching, and looking back at those first few months, I am embarrassed by the way I acted. I couldn't see it then, but God had me right where he wanted me. Things are ALWAYS better in hindsight ;). If you know me, you know that I am a people pleaser. What God taught me this year is that I don't need to seek to please people. What I do need, however; is to seek and please HIM. One of my cousins gave me the reference Colossians 3:23 to read and it says:

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters."

Some days are harder than others, but this verse has been a wonderful reminder of who I am really supposed to please. I am so thankful that God taught me this valuable lesson. I am completely in LOVE with every single one of my first grade (fixing to be second grade) babies. I know that he has placed each and every single child in my classroom for a reason. For that, I am grateful.

So here is my question. Who are you seeking to please? People or your Heavenly Father?

Stay Salty,

Annie

Good

I hope everyone had a wonderful week! I also hope that you found the verse encouraging. I am going to be honest. I didn't do such a good job of learning the last part of Ephesians 6:12. So this week, I am going to do a better job of learning that part of the scripture. 

What I want to talk about tonight and what I have been thinking a lot about lately is "being good". God has blessed me with an amazing Sunday School class. I have made some everlasting friendships this past year and am so thankful that God placed each person in my life. If you are reading this, thank you for encouraging me, caring for me, and building me to become more like Christ each day. We meet every Thursday night for Bible study. Currently, we are reading "The Good and Beautiful God" by James Bryant Smith. His entire book compares false narratives that we have about God to the true narratives that Jesus has about God. I am being completely honest when I say that this book gave me an entire different look on Jesus and who God is. Ultimately, we grow to know and love God through his word, but this book really helped me with misconceptions (false narratives) that I had and helped me fall in love with the God that Jesus knows. In one of the chapters, James Bryant Smith hit on the topic of how we live in a "performance based world". The false narrative in this particular chapter was about how, as humans, we are accustomed to viewing life this way and that if we do "good" we get rewarded. If we make good grades, we get rewarded. If we clean our room, we get rewarded. If we perform well at work, we get a promotion. Jesus' narrative was that we do not have to work hard or do "good" with God. We have to accept his free gift of salvation. The reward we get is to know God deeper and form an intimate relationship with him. Now that's a good reward. 

I am also currently reading a book titled, "Anything" by Jennie Allen. It is my first time reading one of her books and I can already tell that I am going to enjoy her. The entire book is about how we place everything above God. I haven't really gotten too far into the book, but she is talking about how she and her husband were tired of "going through the motions" and so they told God they would do anything to serve him. Hince, how the title of the book came to be. She also hit on the "performance based" society we live in. As I was reading, I kept thinking about how we think we are "good". We try to be "good". We go to church, we make good grades, we say thank you, yes ma'am, and no sir, we pray before we eat and before we go to sleep. All these things that we think make us "good".  It dawned on me that really, I am not "good" at all. None of us are. We are actually born with evil hearts. What makes us "good" is Jesus Christ. I think of the song Forever Reign by Hillsong UNITED. The beginning of the song goes like this:

You are good, You are good, when there's nothing good in me.

Forever Reign-Hillsong

Jesus makes us good. We do nothing good on our on. I am so thankful that I have a Savior that makes me good. Apart from him I can do nothing-John 15:5.

My prayer this week for each of you is that you feel loved by Jesus. I also pray that you put on the full armor of God this week to fight off satan's schemes. 

Stay Salty,

Annie

Armor Continued

Good afternoon! I hope you enjoyed this beautiful Sunday afternoon outside! It was such a pretty day! Thankful that God allowed us to remember what warm weather was like! I got to spend it with some of my peeps and we had a good time. We played, rather attempted, to play volleyball. After that, a few of us attempted disc golf--epic fail. It was fun though. I don't think the trees whose bark I chipped off would agree though! ;)  Needless to say, it was a good time with some pretty awesome people. 

I hope you were able to learn the first part of Ephesians 6:10,11. I also hope that this week when the devil put bad images in your mind that you clung to this verse. Be strong in the Lord and his MIGHTY power. I don't know about you but my flesh sure battled with me this week. Here are a few things my flesh desired this week: a nice new house, new bedding, new clothes, a house at the beach, a long trip to the beach, and the list goes on and on. None of these things will make me happy or satisfy me. The devil and his schemes…He's good at what he does. When I caught myself desiring these things, I would repeat the verse for the week. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take a stand against the devil's schemes. See, I wasn't being thankful for what I did have. I have a nice house, bedding, clothes, a house on the beach--just kidding about that one, and many more materials. That is something the devil is good at too. Make us want more when we already have enough. Like I said, he's good at what he does and that is why Paul instructs us to put on the armor of God so that we will be ready when he strikes. 

For this next week, we will be learning verse 12. Hopefully by the end of the week, you will be able to recite both parts of Ephesians 6:10-12. It will be another verse hidden in your heart! Here is the part you and I will be learning:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Ephesians 6:12

Until next time,

Stay Salty,

Annie

Armor

Have you ever wondered why you doubt and question God? I know I wonder all the time. Let's get this straight. God does not plant doubt, satan does. Satan is the master of deceiving and planting doubt and question. Here lately, I have been doubting and questioning. It's in these times where I call upon Jesus's name and a peace transcends all understanding. During Sunday night service our pastor referenced the scripture Ephesians 6:11. In this scripture, Paul is telling us to put on the full armor of God to help fight against satan's schemes. Let me tell you, satan is good at scheming. He is in the world because in 1 John 4:4 it tells us that the one in us (Holy Spirit) is greater than the one who is in the world. I find that so comforting because, if you haven't noticed, our world is pretty dark right now and only getting darker. It's our duty as Christians to be the salt in the world. We need to preserve what's good in the world. We do that by hiding the word of God in our hearts and putting on the armor to get us ready for the fight.

Remember the challenge I presented to you last week? I hope you enjoyed the scripture reference Galatians 4:7. I also hope that you took the time to really reflect on what those words truly mean. If you have admitted to God that you are a sinner and you need Jesus as your Savior, you are no longer a slave to sin! Jesus bore your sins on the cross!!!! You, my friend, are an heir! Is that not awesome? Me or you or anyone did NOTHING to deserve such a position. It is because God loves us and Jesus knew that we needed him. Man, that's some good stuff and good loving! I hope you feel loved after reflecting and memorizing that scripture last week. 

Sooo are you ready for the next verse to place in your heart? This has become one of my favorite verses. I haven't memorized it yet either but here lately have read it several times. (When I post a verse, I am memorizing it also)--just to let you know! ;) Here is the entire verse but I am going to break it down so that you can take the time to reflect on each word.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Ephesians 6:10-12

The part that I have highlighted is the part that you and myself are going to be memorizing this week. If you want to memorize the whole thing, please feel free to. I just like to break it down so that I can focus on what the verse is saying. Here is the part of the verse that I am going to memorize this week:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes."

Ephesians 6:10-11

Stay Salty,

Annie

Challenge

Lately, I have been trying to memorize scripture. I do not know enough scripture and that is something I want to challenge myself to be better at this year. It really is good to have scripture embedded into your heart. It helps you in so many different aspects of life. I have been blessed with godly family members. There is one that I always go to when I am down and out. Even though she lives in a different state and has to take care of a family, she ALWAYS has good advice to give. It is godly, straight from the Bible, advice. She advised me to pray scripture and when she prays for me over the phone she prays scripture. Not all the time, but most of the time. 
At first, I would try to memorize 3 or 4 scriptures a week. Obviously, that is a lot and I noticed that I wasn't' really applying what I was memorizing to my life. Like a test in high school or college, I would learn the material for the test and as soon as I answered the last question the information was gone never to be used again. I noticed that I was just memorizing and I wasn't enjoying what the verses meant. To fix that problem, I challenged myself to learn a new verse each week. Just one verse so I could really take in what the verse was saying and apply it to my life. 
I am challenging you too. Try to set a goal for yourself to memorize a verse each week. Really sit back and during your quiet time reflect on what that verse means to you. You might be asking yourself where you are supposed to start. Well, to help you out, I am going to post the verse that I am memorizing for the week. If you want, feel free to memorize the same verse as me. If not, you can choose one when you are reading during your quiet time. If there is a verse that really speaks to you, memorize that one. Try to memorize the reference so when the opportunity arrises--and it will--you can encourage someone by saying the verse or telling them where to find it in the Bible. You will be surprised at how many opportunities the Lord allows you to use his word to help encourage, motivate, and love his people with the verses you memorize. 
Scripture for the week:

"So you are no longer a slave, but God's child, and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir."

Galatians 4:7

Stay Salty,

Annie

True Love

As you know, Valentine's Day is coming up. I was reading the other night and came across this quote. It was one of those quotes, where after you read it, you do a fist pump into the air. It is so true of our God and so good that I had to share it with you. Here goes:

"The ultimate love you will ever experience will be between yourself and the One who created you and loves you most."

Michelle McKinney Hammond

I forget how much I am loved at times. Then, I am reminded that I have been bought with a price. If you are single and spending another Valentine's Day alone, remember that you are not alone. Jesus is with you and loves you. Those who aren't single and are currently dating someone or married, don't ever put your man above God. Like my girl Michelle said, the ultimate love you will EVER experience will be between you and your maker. No man will ever fill that spot that God intends for Jesus to fill. When you expect your man to meet the kind of love only Jesus can give you, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Humans always fail. God's love always prevails. 

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

Psalms 4:23

Stay Salty,

Annie

God's Word

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever!"

Isaiah 40:8

Stay Salty,

Annie

Doors

For some odd reason, doors have really been on my mind. I am a sucker for antique furniture and these doors are gorgeous. Thanks, Google! ;) 

I have had many doors open and close in my life. The doors I am speaking of are the ones that God has allowed to open and close. I don't know about you, but I struggle with figuring out which door he is closing and which door he is opening.  I think of the story in Genesis 19. When God spared Abraham's nephew life from His wrath on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. God opened the door for Lot and his family to leave the city before he destroyed it, but it was very hard for Lot to leave the door in which God was closing, closed. Before he was literally dragged out by the angels (Genesis 19:16), Lot hesitated because he didn't want to leave behind the life he and his family established there. How many times have I hesitated before I finally let the door close? When Lot and his family finally leave, the angels instructed them not to look back. Well, Lot's wife just couldn't obey God's command to not look back at the city and she turned into a pillar of salt. She didn't obey. God is a fair and just God, but he does punish sin. Obviously, if you look back at your past, you will not turn into a pillar of salt, but this is a good reminder for us to trust that when God closes a door in our lives, he opens another one. We just have to be ready to walk through it when he reveals to us which doors are opening and which ones are closing.  

I really struggle with letting doors shut lately. My "type A" personality likes to take over and think that I have control on which ones should be opened and which ones should be closed. I pray daily and ask God to help me leave the doors he shuts closed, and to give me the courage and strength to walk through the ones he opens. Thankful that God knows exactly what he is doing when he does open and close doors in my life. :)

"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."

Alexander Graham Bell

Stay Salty,

Annie

Seasons

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens."

Ecclesiastes 3:1

I love how creative God is. While I love all of the seasons, my absolute favorite season is fall. I love the changing color of the leaves on the trees. Especially the really, really, bright red and green ones. It is just another sign of how in control God is. It's his world and creation. 

I have really been thinking about seasons lately. Not the typical 4 seasons though. The seasons I am talking about are the ones we experience in our daily life. Singleness, births, deaths, hurt, anger, sadness, bitterness, peace, marriage, family, and many others that we face during time here on earth. The other night at Bible study a good friend mentioned seasons and how God uses those seasons to mature us in our walk. Although we can't see it at the time, God's timing is perfect. When you face those dark seasons, try to face them without complaining. Philippians 2:13 says, …"for it is God who works in you to will and act in order to fulfill his good purpose." That season you are facing, whether good or bad, has a purpose. There have been seasons I have been through that I wish I would have handled differently. Now, looking back, I can see the lesson that God was trying to teach me in and through those seasons. 

One of my favorite verses is, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances (seasons); for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." When you face any season, the good, the bad, or the ugly, try to remember this verse and give thanks in the season. We aren't instructed to give thanks of our circumstances, but we are instructed to give thanks in our circumstances. 

"Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again."
Sarah Ban Breathnach

Stay Salty,

Annie

Land of Milk and Honey

So you know how in the last blog I talked about how intimate and powerful our God is? Today our preacher at First Baptist Church Tupelo hit a little on that subject. He just said that two people could read the same verse and it mean something completely different to them and how our God is a personal God.

            This morning, Chad, referenced the book of Numbers chapters 13 and 14 during his sermon. His particular sermon was how The Lord told Moses to send some men to explore the land of Canaan that he was going to give to the Israelites. When majority of the men returned back to Moses to give him a report on what they found, they gave Moses these account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak (vicious giants of that particular time) there.”-Numbers 13:27 The Israelites of this particular group referred to themselves as grasshoppers (Numbers 13:33). Chad’s sermon was about facing giants. Chad said that the Israelites minimized God and maximized the giants. How guilty am I of that? That hit home hard.

            As the story goes on, the Israelites eventually begin to panic and say, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?”-Numbers 14: 2-3. Eventually, because the Israelites didn’t obey God, they never got to see the promised Canaan. Read Numbers 14: 33-35.     You see, by Chad reading this, his particular focus was on “giants” or problems. After I read Numbers 14:2-3, I related it to my personal life. Even though God had just delivered the Israelites from bondage under Pharaoh, they still wanted to go back to that dreadful place. They didn’t trust God to keep his word and because of that, they didn’t get to experience the blessing he had prepared for them. How many times have I been guilty of “going back to the past” and wishing that I could go back???? After God had delivered me from my bondage. I don’t know about you but I want to experience milk and honey and the blessings God has prepared for me in the future. Not looking back but looking forward because I know what he has waiting for me is far more beautiful than I could ever imagine or dream of.

            What are you looking back at? What is keeping you from forgetting the bondage God delivered you from and blinding your vision so that you can’t see the blessings he has prepared for you?

Stay Salty,

Annie