ReCreate

How amazing this season of my life is becoming! No credit can be given to anyone but to God. For a year, my relationship with my savior has been growing, and the process has been difficult, frustrating, joyful, and peaceful all at the same time. The difficulties I have faced are of my own pride and of my need to anyalyze and ignore rather than surrender and accept. This has been my path since the day I was saved at age 14. I have had amazing seasons of grace with God but many more have been seasons (year after year) of disobedience, worldliness, fear, anxiety, loneliness, insecurty, shame, anger, victimization...must I go on!

God knows how long I have hurt and how much I have burdened myself with my thoughts, my words, and my choices. He knows it's time for me to love Him, to love myself, and to truly love others. He has given me gift after gift to get me to this point, and now I see what an amazing Father he is. He has given me Michael, the most accepting and loving man I have known on this Earth. The spirit within Michael is so good and so kind and through our marriage, I see a true display of unconditional love every day. Thank You God for Michael!

Though picking up and moving several times in our marriage has been daunting at times, God knew what he was doing with his gifts. I've said plenty that God has planted us in Birmingham for so many reasons and though life looked bleak for the first few months here, I've never been happier in a place (don't get me wrong, I would move back to Australia tomorrow!) We have friends in Birmingham we love and who love us. We have been introduced to a church that is so filled with God's love that I cannot even describe to you the peace I feel when I walk inside on Sunday. We have found a church that accepts everyone from every walk of life. No judgement or gossip is honored - only love and acceptance is allowed.

I am blessed to have found a LIFE group this fall that is amazing beyond words. I have never had the opportunity to share a room with women who love each other so much. And I mean we love each other!!! I never in a million years believed that women could get together in a room without gossip, but it's possible!!! Just add God to the mix, and we all miraculously know how to keep our mouths closed! Well...until we start praying for each other! It's glorious! I don't want this sememster to end because I am having so much fun.

This past weekend, many of us went to our church's ReCreate conference. What a life changing experience this was, and I hope and pray I will be here for next year's conference. Mom, mark your calendar because you are coming with me! I wanted to share a few pictures of some of my LIFE Group Chicks! We grew even closer this weekend.







Thank you for allowing me to share this journey with you. Please pray that my spirit will continue to be open to God's grace. I pray that I will love God first, love those around me, and love myself!

"You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself." Luke 10:27