Uhhgg....

I'm the suckiest blogger on the planet....

Maybe not. But I sure haven't done well, have I? Hopefully this is the start of a renewed desire to discuss any and everything that comes to mind! :)

In my defense, I have been struggling with an illness, quitting my job, buying a house, moving into said house, and preparing to go to Africa. But one thing being an "adult" has taught me.... if you don't make time for it, it will not happen!

This year has been LONG so far, with lots going on. And every single bit of it has been a confirmation that I serve an awesome God, and He is faithfully looking out for me and my family. So neat. :)

Anyways, here's to the renewal of my interest in sharing random aspects of my life with whomever stops by! May I suck less at it in the future. :)

- Bek

My filter.

At bible study this week we started a new study on a rather controversial book.... to go un-named so as to not start a war... :)

Eddie and John (group leaders) introduced this book by stating that everyone has a "filter." You will look at the world a certain way because of how you were raised, your personality traits, how you think, etc. That's all true, but he made the point that as a beliver the way we see the world should be determined by the Bible. God's word should create our filters. And as belivers, we can get into trouble by instaed placing our "filters" over the Bible and trying to make the Bible fit. Make sense?

Eddie and John are wise men. :)

I beleive the Bible is absolute truth. God states in his book that he is ultimately trustworthy, and as a Christian Counselor in training, the majority of work I do (and will do) will be to introduce the Lord as the most trustworthy being a person will ever know. He can save you out of anything, He will love you through anything. He is trustworthy.

As I read the introduction and first chapter of this book, this author starts with the premise that we've all been believing a lie and with question after question invites believers to mistrust the God that created the universe out of nothing and sacrificed his Son for us because he loved us.

WHAAAT?!?

I was absolutely flabbergasted. Uhhgg. We've only started the book, so I'm definitly holding off on making any final judgements.... But it was kind of defeating for me, and it got under my skin. Now when I start counseling I'll have another hurdle to jump with people and God's trustworthiness. And this one from a respected man in ministry. We will see how the rest of the book turns out.

You ever feel that way?

Luckily, we serve an amazing God! And he's bigger than all of our human-ness, thank goodness. :) I'm so grateful for my relationship with him.

Y'all enjoy Fall. :)
-Bek

My favorite: Fall!

No offense to all of you other Hubbies out there.... but I hands down married the most amaing man on the planet! :) I'm a little late, but two weeks ago he brought me these BEAUTIFUL fall colored flowers! Just because.

He's the coolest kid ever.

Fall is my absolute favorite season. I love the colors and the smells; the chilly air and all the fun things it brings like hot chocolate, football, hoodies, and pumpkin pies! And let me tell you Ladies and Gents, right now in Arkansas we are having one of the most beautiful Autumns I remember. YAY! Puts me in an awesome mood. I need to post some pictures.....

When my state (known for it's crazy weather) cooperates, the term "riotous color" is entirely appropriate! The colors of the treees here are vibrant and stunning. Ahhh.... l-o-v-e. :)

Isn't it so neat how the Lord can take a season that is actually nature dying and going into hibernation, and make it so gloriously beautiful?! People, we serve a creative God. :)

-Bek

"I'm Disinclined to Acquiesce to your request..."

"Means no."

One of my favorite few lines of dialogue from the hilariously cheesy Pirates of the Caribbean movies. In my rush to get my thoughts out in that first post, I neglected to do any explaining. Hush, I'm learning. :)

The word acquiesce is defined "to submit to someone or something." Disinclined to Acquiesce actually describes my personality very well! :) But not in the ugly, in-your-face way that's become popular recently.... more like "I refuse to live life by anyone else's rules." A strength and a weakness, let me assure you.

The Lord has taught me a lot about submission in my short 24 years. :) From submitting to a parent's authority to learning to submit to a husband's, I have run the gambit of hard and easy lessons involving submission! It's not something I do really well. One thing I have discovered though, is that I find it much easier to submit to an authority when I am confident that love is the foundation of the relationship.

Satan likes to paint submission to God as limiting and restrictive. Funny thing though.... right after telling you that submission to the Father is icky, he invites you into submission to any number of things that only spell bondage for believers. He is the master deciever, afterall. I learned this vauable lesson in high school. The words, thoughts, pictures and "lifestyles" Satan works so hard to flash at believers in an attempt to distract their attention are actually rusty, rotten things covered in shiny, silver spray paint. He has no love for me; no love for humanity. His entire existence is wrapped up in keeping people from the Lord; keeping the lost lost and keeping believers from being used by God.

Hold that up next to a God who is not only the most holy, eternal, perfect being to ever exist, but also the only one that sacrificed Jesus so I could have a relationship with him and there's no contest. The only proper perspective I can take is that any submission the God of the universe asks of me is motivated by a love so big I can't fully comprehend it. This is so neat to me. :)

I'm so very human and therefore so very imperfect, so I'm always going to need course adjustments.... :) But from now on this girl is going to be extremly Disinclined to Acquiesce to anything that invites me from my heavenly Father's side.

Take that Satan.... You and your stupid shiny spray paint!

-Bek

Today.

I hate the internet.

Hate may be too strong a word....

I'm mildly techno-phobic and don't like how the internet makes hours of my life disappear like snow in Arkansas. (Which is WAY fast, for those unfamiliar with our lovely southern heat!) But this blog has been buzzing around in the back of my head for quite some time and refuses to go away, blast it.

I have several good girlfriends who blog and absolutely love it. "You really need to try this, Bekah!" My dearest K, over at LivingForHisRenown, has told me several times. "Blogs are a great creative outlet. It's fantastic!" 

May I remind you that I'm mildly techno-phobic and dislike the internet? I think all computers are out to get me. You see, I can't sweet-talk them into working right. :) My iPhone, a gift from the very technologically inclined hubby, has one page of apps that isn't even completely full. I mean, I just figured out how to put pictures on Facebook! I'm a little behind as far as tech literacy goes. 

And I LOVE books. Books, journals, scrapbooks, photo albums. Anything with pages I can turn. I love pens and pencils and paper. The smell of pages and ink. I love to record ideas, quotes, verses, and memories. But I haven't journaled like I used to in quite a while. And I miss it terribly.

Enter the blog.

Have you ever had that feeling that you know you know something, but can't quite recall it?

It's right there, hanging out in the back of your head, but you can't quite grasp it? God is doing that right now with me. I'm learning some lesson that I know is huge and going to be amazing.... but for the time being, it's being kept just out of reach. 

It has to do, in part, with following Him.

Not just half-hearted, woo-hoo I love Jesus following him. But, I cannot exist without Him following. Completely devoted following. Right now in our Life Group at church we are doing an amazing study called Not a Fan. Really, it has been life changing. The author said something the other week that has really stuck with me:

"Bruce Thielman is an author and he wrote these words, 'Please don't say anything to me about tomorrow. Tomorrow is a word the bible does not know. The Holy Spirit's word is today.'... Don't say tomorrow. The word is today." 

- Kyle Idleman

Not exactly directed at an anti-technology book lover, but it stuck in my heart all the same. My husband and I are just finishing a LONG wait. For 2 years we waited for the Lord to show us the direction we shoulf take. He thankfully continued to worked in each of our lives in some really neat ways during that time. But waiting is hard. We stuck with it however, and He showed us our path! We gratefully took it and have loved where it has lead us.

But now the wait is over, and he is calling us into action. :) I'm good at action! 

Thus the other half of my lesson, drifting just out of reach. I'm learning to follow Jesus Christ with all of my heart, and I'm learning what that is going to look like for me, as his child. In my circumstances, with my strengths and weaknesses. Exciting right?!

So. I am now a reluctant blogger. :) My sporadic journaling is just not going to do this wild ride justice! The Lord has been really, really good to me and I feel a need to keep a record of it. As a reminder to me, and hopefully an encouragement to others.

There is no telling what all is going to show up here on this, my little blog! :) But it's all done with a heart in love with the God who saved me, and an eye on glorifying Him in everything I do.

So, to quote a favorite southern phrase.... 

Get in. Sit down. Shut-up. And hang on! 

-Bek

p.s. "Shut-up" doesn't really apply.... it's mostly for effect. :)