Influences

Okay, so I have posted just above nothing for the month of July. Sorry girls. Here are a few of my influences.

People

My Mom
Jamie has often said that is hard to overcome what your parents are, so I have thought to myself before what was my mother that I have become? As I have considered this her faithfulness came to my mind. When I was growing up she took me to church, and it wasn't optional, we didn't skip if we were tired, we just went, and she has continued in that. So she has been a great example of faithfulness for me.

Jamie
I don't even know what to say to convey the emmense amount of life knowledge I have gained from him. There are no words, he has been a great role model and a constant friend, faithful to the Lord and faithful in his friendship with me.

Melanie Bond
She has been a spiritual mother to me, discipled me, and loved me since I was in high school. She has constantly invested her life and prayers into mine and only know that I have my own spiritual children do I realize just how much she loves me.

My Bible Study Girls
By teaching them the Lord has taught me so much. He really has blessed those relationships more than I could ask or imagine. I have got to share and pour my life into theirs for five years! I have such different relationships with each of them, but they all have such a depth of the love that I can only say the Lord has knit our hearts together.

You girls
I can't imagine going through college and not having friends that loved the Lord. I prayed that the Lord would give me godly friends before I went to college and again He gave me more than I could ask or think. You encouraged me and spurred me on so often. I love you all so deeply.

So as I reflect on what I have written here I am amazed at how the Lord has blessed my life with relationships!

Scripture
The one that is coming to my mind is the book of Ruth. I studied it several years ago with my girls and I can remember reading about Ruth and the beauty of her devotion to the Lord and Naomi, and I realized I wanted to be a woman of integrity like that.

Also the beatittudes. I want my life to be characterized by those qualities.

Books
I think John MacArthur's book The Keys to Spiritual Growth. This book taught me so many practical ways to pursue growth in my relationship with the Lord. One thing that especially stood out to me was his recommendation to study the bible by reading a book for 30 days. I didn't realize what depth there was in God's word until I did that and there was still so much left in the book of Ephesians I didn't grasp.

There are other books, but that will suffice for now.

Truths/Learning moments

One of the most important truths I learned in my life is when I began to understand grace. The Lord is so good to me that while I was yet a sinner (not seeking Him and with no desire to do so) Christ died for me because he had chosen me before the foundation of the world!

Last, learning about the supremacy of Christ. He is not a wimp and His people should not walk around living defeated lives because He has defeated sin and death and they are no longer our master. So that is all.

Influences....

Okay... so we were doing really good for a while weren't we.... let's see if we can start back up....

People:
-My father, he was always the leader of house and always set a great example, he is such an amazing man! He set a great example of what I knew I should look for when it came time to finding a Godly husband!

-Jeremy, he amazes me more everyday! He love me so much and really wants to be a Godly husband and shows me this everyday.

-Kara, Telitha, Victoria, and Justin.... the four of you were the first people ever to show me what it was like to have a passion for God and be on fire for him. You have always pushed me to grow in my relationship with God and for that I will forever be thankful

Life Changing Lessons:
-I'm having trouble thinking of Lessons so I'll go with Life Changing moments....
-When I quit softball, that is someting I often think about, if I had kept playing I think my life would have been different (and not in a good way), so I priase God for giving me the strength to quit.
-God reminds me every day of his love for me by how he forgives me for every thing I've done and still continues to Bless me!

Scripture:
-The books of Hebrews has always been amazing to me and showing me how Faith is such an important aspect of being a Christian.

Books:
-Well you know how I am about reading, I tend not to remember the books that I have read, I know they've impacted my life but I still don't remember much about them....
-Books I've enjoyed: The Five Love Languages, Blue Like Jazz, Narnia (I know it's fiction, but the parallels are incredible)

Kara's Most Influential

Where to start...

Most influential people:
- My friend Cindy from home. She is the one who invited me to go to church. I often went with her and am so thankful for her friendship and her return to the Lord.

- My Mentor/Sunday School Teacher Becky Fields. She took us through books of the Bible and rightly divided the Word of Truth. She also helped me understand the doctrines of Grace.

- My mother. She always gave me a balanced answer to my questions and always reminded me not tarnish my testimony by doing something stupid.

- Justin. There are so many way that he has influenced me, he is passionate and convinced. He also is the one who introduced me to Calvinism (the doctrines of grace)and told me to search the scripture.

- Dan Lewis, my youth minister. He taught me that there is an absolute truth and God's word is it! He laid a solid foundation which everything else is built on!

Lessons that were life changing:
- When I learned that I did not have to performed to be loved and that my true identity is found in Christ I found such freedom.

- That as a Christian all I have to do is Love God and do what I want because God has given me the desires he wants me to have. So love God and do what you want!

- That God is sovereign.

Scripture that was life changing:
- The book of Romans. When I read it the summer after my freshman year of college I saw all things differently. I realized God is sovereign over all His creation and we are created to worship him! It was amazing to see that God has chosen a people for Himself and His death on the cross was to redeem those people. He took the wrath I deserve upon himself! This was life changing and I never tire learning these things.

- The book of Ephesians. To learn who I am in Christ and who He is in me! It is amazing!!

Books that were life changing:- The Search for Significance (workbook)
- Just Like Jesus by Max Lucado
Neither are deep but nonetheless they impacted me!
- The Cross Centered Life by C.J Maheny (excellent!!!!!!! points me to the Cross!)

I thank God for all these things!

Most Influential

I have been thinking a lot lately about has influenced me in my walk with the Lord! Lets share some of the most influential things in our lives. Scripture passages, lessons, and people!

5 Things I Dig...

Okay... sorry it took me so long to reply to this...

5 Things I Dig about Jesus....

1. I dig Jesus because he followed His Father's will and died for me on the cross!
2. I dig Jesus because he overcame death by rising three days later and is waiting for me in Heaven!
3. I dig Jesus because he doesn't show favoritism and loves everyone the same!
4. I dig Jesus because he gives me the strength to do anything for His will and God's Glory!
5. I dig Jesus because after everything I've done in my life, he will be there with open arms!

5 Things You Dig About Jesus

Hey Girls! I tagged you both and sinc eyou don't have your own blogs you must each write 5 things you dig about Jesus in your own post!!!

:) Enjoy pondering this!

Unwavering

Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.

Romans 4: 19-21

This to me is profound! I have read this passage many times but lastnight this jumped off the page! Abraham did not waver in unbelief in regard to God's promise! He was fully assured that God would fulfill his promise! God is faithful in so many ways it is amazing!

I think something we fail to remember as Christians is God's promises to us. They are plentiful! If you come across a promise of God to His people while you are reading and studying lets share it with one another and encourage one another. One I often remind myself of is that we are to cast our cares on God. I know this but do I do it? NO! May I learn to live in a life of freedom by living in God's promises rather than bondage by my own ways!

Not only was Abraham steadfast... he gave the glory to God!
Let us be more the Abraham!

Bad Week

Okay, so this week has been not so good when it comes to reading my Bible, and this is a time when I should be drawing closer to the Lord and listening to what he has planned for us! It's been interesting having Jeremy home during the day, I've loved spending time with him, but I guess I just didn't realize that sometimes it is nice to just hang out by yourself to get refreshed, if you are together all the time you can't always talk about how your day went... anyway, maybe that's crazy.
So ladies... just continue to pray for us, I think we might start seriously thinking about moving back to Indiana after May next year... so we are going to start praying about that and see if that's where the Lord wants us to move.... Jeremy told me something today that was really comforting, he said one of the reasons he would like to move there is because it is closer to my parents and he likes my family and would like to be able to see them more often! :) I love my husband....
Anyway... that's all I have for you now...

Meditation

I came across this tonight and thought I would share it with you! I think this is what I am lacking is meditation. Tell me what part stood out too you?

Suck out the sweetness

(Thomas Watson, "The Christian Soldier" 1669)

Meditation is a holy exercise of the mind; whereby we
bring the truths of God to remembrance--and seriously
ponder upon them and apply them to ourselves. It is a
work which cannot be done in a crowd. A Christian must
retire from the world, to have serious thinking upon God.
It is not a few transient thoughts that are quickly gone;
but a fixing and staying of the mind upon heavenly
objects.

As the bee sucks the honey from the flower--so by
meditation we suck out the sweetness of a truth.
It is not the receiving of food into the mouth, but the
digesting of it, which makes it nutritious. Just so, it is
not the receiving of the most excellent truths in the
ear, which nourishes our souls--but the digesting of
them by meditation.

Satan does what he can to hinder this duty. He is an
enemy of meditation. The devil does not care not how
much we read--so long as we do not meditate on what
we read. Reading begets knowledge--but meditation
begets devotion. "Oh, how I love your law! I meditate
on it all day long." Psalm 119:97

Holy meditation quickens the affections. The reason
why our affections are so cold to heavenly things--is
because we do not warm them at the fire of holy
meditation. As the musing on worldly objects makes
the fire of lust burn; and as the musing on injuries
makes the fire of revenge burn; just so, meditating
on the transcendent beauties of Christ, would make
our love to Christ flame forth.

Meditation has a transforming power in it. The reading
of the Word may affect us--but the meditating upon it
transforms us. Meditation stamps the impression of divine
truths upon our hearts. By meditating on God's holiness,
we grow holy. While by meditation we look upon God's
purity--we are changed into His likeness.

Meditation produces reformation. "I have considered
my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes."
Psalm 119:59. If we would spend but one quarter of
an hour every day in contemplating heavenly objects,
it would leave a mighty impression upon us!