A Timely Prayer with Timeless Truth

"A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." -Proverbs 25:11



God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.





--Reinhold Niebuhr

Discouraged

I really need to share this right now.

Lately my heart has been very burdened with hurt, frustration, and discouragement. The reasons why, I cannot disclose...but let's just say I've been battling with a lot.

I came with Kyle to work this morning, and have been sitting in Starbucks pondering about a lot. I found my heart very discouraged, and I really had no specific reason why. At that moment, I wrote these words in my journal:

"God, I really need to hear a word from you right now. Please don't be silent. Please speak. I'm expectant and waiting."

I kid you not, literally seconds after writing that, my phone started ringing and it was Kyle's Dad. I chose not to answer at that moment, because I was sad (a.k.a. wallowing in self-pity) and thought if it's important he'll leave a message and I'll call him back.

He left me this message:

"Hey Leigh Anna, I was just thinking about you this morning and usually when someone comes to mind out of the blue like that, it means I'm supposed to be praying for them...just wanted to let you know we're thinking about you and praying for you."

As I was listening to that message, tears rolled down my face as I knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was from God. Kyle's dad had no clue how I was feeling at that very moment, but because of his obedience in listening to the Holy Spirit, through Him God answered my heart's cry to hear from Him.

I know that God cares about my heart and all the little and big things that are going on inside of it...but it sure means a lot when God chooses to clearly show me that He really is listening, that He really cares about me and what concerns me, and that He loves me.

While I have truly done all I can do, and while there is really nothing more I can do with what's concerning my heart, I know for sure that the Lord is fighting for me and my heart in this situation.

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still [Leigh Anna]..."
Exodus 14:14


So if you are discouraged today, know that the Lord really does care and desires to give you a word of encouragement too.




Father, I cannot say anything more to you than thank you. You are faithful. I love you.

Mercy

God is merciful.

Usually when I think about this attribute of God, all I think about is that through salvation in Christ Jesus, God spared me the punishment I deserve.

But what if we approach this truth of who God is when we go through painful trials in our lives. Because of sin, we live in a world of brokenness. For most of us, whether a believer or not, our first reaction when hard times befall us is to blame God, be angry at him, and question why, why, why.

It's inevitable. We suffer because of sin, something that God did not do, but something that we essentially brought upon ourselves.

While it's not God's "fault" at all, his mercy is ever surrounding us. He still chooses to bestow his mercy and goodness on our lives through the hard times. Think about it...

He could very well leave us to hurt and suffer through the pain that we experience here on this earth, but because of his mercy, he longs to be our comforter, our refuge, a lap to sit in and a shoulder to cry on. He chooses to be WITH US in the fiery trials. He chooses to lavish his love on us in our pain, instead of leaving us to bear the hurt alone, the hurt that human sin brought...the hurt that he had nothing to do with.

And in his mercy, God is patient with us while we are busy blaming or being angry at him.

I pray that I remember this age-old, yet new-found truth in my life when the fiery trials come. I pray that I run and cling to my merciful Father, rather than run away from Him.

Thank you My heavenly Daddy.

Daniel 9:9 - "The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.."

Romans 12:9-21

Love MUST be sincere.

Hate what is evil; CLING to what is good.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

NEVER be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

Be joyful in hope
patient in affliction
faithful in prayer.

Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

BLESS those who persecute you; bless and do not curse...

REJOICE with those who rejoice;
mourn with those who mourn.

Live in harmony with one another.

Do not be proud...but be willing to associate with people of low position.

Do not be conceited.


Do not repay anyone evil for evil.
Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with EVERYONE.

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

On the contrary!...

"If you enemy is hungry, FEED HIM.
If he is thirsty, GIVE HIM SOMETHING TO DRINK.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."


Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.




Sweet Jesus, thank you for your living and active Word in my life at this very moment. Thank you for your example of perfect love...and thank you for forgiving me when I miss the mark every day. I want to be like you...help my life to reflect this passage, and only for your glory. Not my own.

Help me to be humble right now...in so many ways.

I love you.

Some Mullett happenings :-)

Well, I've been sitting in Starbucks since 12, and I'm starting to run out of things to do until work at 5.So I thought maybe I'd write down some silly things about Kyle and I since we've been married/in KY.

1. The facewash we've both been using since our honeymoon has lasted us for 106 days and counting. That's impressive.

2. One day on the way to church, right after having a conversation about animal's mating (don't ask how that came up) we passed two cow's going at it on the side of the road.

3. Someone who lives on our side of the building always turns out the stairwell lights and it's driving us crazy.

4. The first meal Kyle and I had in our new home was absolutely horrible! We didn't have time to go full grocery shopping, so we went to the IGA in Wilmore and bought packaged pasta and brauts...it tasted like breakfast sausage mixed with sodium chicken flavored pasta. I guess that's what we should have expected though... Blehhhh.

5. When moving in, our neighbors downstairs had a couch they were trying to get rid of. We were in need of one, so we gladly took it. Unfortunately it was too big to get into the living room...until the boys cut the legs off with a saw. We noticed after the fact that it was property of Asbury Seminary...

6. One night (quite recently) we had our new friends Dave and Stephanie over for dinner. We were all helping make pizza, and Stephanie accidentally dropped a knife on her big toe. She had to go to the emergency room and get stitches that night...but the hospital ER was so great, they were back within 2 hours and still ate pizza with us!

7. On Monday mornings when Kyle has to be at work by 5am...and I have to be at work by 12pm...(note we only have one car) I wake up super early with him (4:15), ride with him to work, and sleep in back seat of the car for 3 hours. It's so much fun! Whenever I come inside after waking up, all the employees greet me with warm Good Mornings and Starbucks beverages! :-)

8. The oven/stove in our apartment has no numbers/temperatures/dials. It appeared as if the tenants before us cleaned it with a wire scrubbing pad and erased everything! Therefore it makes cooking and baking somewhat difficult at times. haha.

9. Just yesterday, Kyle and I were driving on a road that we thought took us to another main road that we needed to get to. As we were driving we suddenly found ourselves in a construction zone/bike path. Some guy in a ginormous tractor stopped to tell us that we were on a bike trail and helped us find the way to the road. Bad signage, Wilmore...

10. Being married is probably the most exciting and fun part of life's journey so far. It is so comforting to know that I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend. It is so overwhelming to know that I have a husband who is proud to have me as his wife and loves me more than I can ever understand. It is so good to know that this love is right, is good, and is exactly what God had planned since the beginning. And it's satisfying to know that I knew He was it all along. :-)

If only we could reconcile

Peace peace, but there is no peace...

Jer. 6:14

The Meaning of Silence

Yet He did not say a word to her (Matt. 15:23).

What are we to make of a Savior who does not answer? The request of the woman whose daughter was demon-possessed was legitimate. Her acknowledgment of Jesus as Lord was accurate; her understanding of His will was appropriate. And yet, as with many of our seemingly appropriate prayer requests, He does not answer "a word."

Our response to His silence is often too timid. We backpedal, saying that perhaps our request was not in line with His will, or maybe we assume that we didn't have enough faith, because if we ask anything - even the removal of a mountain - and do not doubt, it will be done (Matt. 21:21). So we drop the request and do all sorts of interpretive gymnastics to justify the fact that God has not answered our prayer. But deep inside we know that His promises are certain and that we water down Scripture by explaining why we did not experience them.

Children learn much about their friends by playing hide-and-seek. They experience how their friends' minds work. They don't give up when they can't find them at first; an exciting encounter will take place if they keep looking. Might God's silence prepare us for an encounter with Him?

We need to contemplate this silence of Jesus in the Gentile woman's hour of great need. We need to remember that none - not one - of His promises guarantees an immediate answer to prayer. In His silence, He expects her continuing response of faith. She must ask herself: Am I sure of His goodness and His mercy (v. 22)? Am I sure He is able and willing (v. 25)? Do I know that God's blessing is given freely, not earned (v. 27)?.

God often does not answer us immediately, but He encourages our persistence. He invites us in the silence to explore His character, learn of His will, and gain a proper perspective of how we fit into His plans. He tells us to seek and we will find.

"The great point is to NEVER give up until the answer comes." - George Mueller



Written by: Chris Tiegreen

Deceitful hearts

My heart has been on a roller coaster of emotions lately. For some reason writing helps me feel better for just a moment, because it gives me a way to release some frustrations and think things through.

Here's something to ponder on for a second.

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

Jeremiah 17:9


I wish that this truth was kept in front of our faces every single moment of our lives. We live in a world that presses the idea to "follow your heart" "listen to what your heart is telling you" Blah blah blah. It sounds romantic and all...but it's so very wrong and often leads a person down the very wrong path...especially concerning love and relationships.

I remember when I was in highschool, once or twice I allowed my heart and mind to plan my entire life around guys that I liked. It's typical of girls to do it, cause we're so stinking emotional and in touch with all that we feel. Anyways, without even knowing a person that well, I would start thinking "I could totally see myself with this person. we have this and this and this in common. I seriously think he could be the one." And on and on.

We get so caught up in our emotions and put ourselves on cloud 9 and FAR away from reality. We allow ourselves to be deceived by what our heart tells us, and don't think twice of who or what we may push over in the process to get what we think is right. Seriously people, at one point in high school I was convinced "in my heart" I was going to marry this famous Christian music artist who was probably like 35 and already married. Good thing I got over it somewhat quickly. That's messed up. haha.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we must be so careful to differentiate heart signals between God-signals. We mustn't take what we believe our hearts are saying and tell God, "Wow, this must be your will for me!" Instead, we need to prayerfully ask God to examine our hearts and to reveal to us through his Holy Spirit His truth and guidance about whatever situation it may be. Now then, how do you know when it's God speaking or your heart speaking?

Well maybe you should take a step back and reevaluate the situation you've found your heart in. By acting on your heart feelings, could you potentially be hurting someone in the process? Could you potentially be hurting yourself? If you can get past your selfish feelings and put all the factors of reality into place, then you can more easily differentiate truth from feeling. If it's from God, he will make it clear to you, IN HIS TIMING. Too often we push and rush love because we don't want to be alone. We don't want to miss out on "Mr. Right". We don't want to be single for the rest of our lives. But in reality we are taking our trust off of God and putting trust in man...in ourselves. We take control and let our deceitful hearts lead the way. Dude, that's scary.

I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this. I guess I just know what it's like to follow my heart in the wrong direction and hurt myself in the process. And now, I also know what it's like to be the "third party" who gets hurt because of someone else putting their heart before truth.

I gotta get over it though.

But I need the Lord's help and tender love. And maybe just a little more time...
I can't do it on my own.

Agape

I finally got the truth that I have been searching for for over a year now...and it's exactly what I had suspected. Thankfully, I have a Savior who forgave me, so that I can do the same here on earth.

While in one's mind one might think with-holding truth would be for the betterment of another's heart...in reality it's much more painful for both parties. Because in the end, the truth will find it's way out one way or another...and the trust that has been built over time weakens just like that.

But when agape is present between the one and the other...there is always forgiveness and a fresh start. And for that, I am thankful, for nothing can tear agape apart.

My heart is hurting tremendously right now...

Confused

So I wrote this really long letter to a person that I don't really know...and I'm scared out of my pants to send it...maybe because I probably shouldn't. It deals with some issues in the past that happened about a year ago...I've struggled with letting this issue go, and I thought maybe by sending a letter to make things right I'd finally be at peace. But then I worry that it's digging up the past and will only make things worse.

I've prayed that God would spark their heart to say something instead of me initiating the whole thing...but I feel like I'm just being stupid about the whole thing and that will never happen. I'm probably alone in all of this and the other person could care less. I'm at a loss.

I just hate the feeling of knowing that there is possible discord between me and another person...let alone a sister or brother in Christ. I am a peacemaker/keeper and don't like it when I feel that something was left unsettled.

Well, I guess I can only do my best to let God handle it. If only I wasn't such a control freak...giving things up to God would be a lot easier. Bleh.

What's going on?

I am really wrestling in my mind about so much lately.

I have felt so aimless for such a long time.
I've always questioned what my passion is in life. What is it that drives me?

I mean, I have passions such as music/singing or cooking...yet I feel like I'm not driven enough by anything that gives me a goal and direction with life.

Is it because I'm not seeking God about it enough? Is it because of fear? Is it because of laziness?

In all honesty it's probably a combination of all three.

I feel like my walk with God has been so complacent and plateaued for a long time now. I know that I need to talk with him and listen to him in a daily purposeful time of prayer...but why don't I do it like I know I should and really want to? Do I really not care enough to speak with the God of the universe who made me, saved me, and takes interest in my life? I battle with that...and in all reality it's in my complete control...yet I don't do anything about it.

About a year before Kyle and I got married, we actually broke up. I didn't understand it, I hated it, and was so afraid that we really weren't going to be together. God worked a lot in both of our lives during that time we were apart, and by his grace he brought us back together. I am so thankful to be married to the man of my dreams. I am thankful for all that God taught me in that difficult time of trusting in him...but it's almost as if now that we are married and the story had its happy ending...I'm not so desperate to hear His voice anymore. I'm not so eager to spend time with him. It's like when everything is going just as planned, then I don't really seek Him like I did when I was desperate for answers from Him. I HATE IT. I don't want to be in this place anymore.

It's almost like the longer our relationship is stagnant, the more insecure I become in my faith. I have come up with so many questions and speculations about what I believe and why I believe it. It's really scary...the things I've believed all my life were things that I was either taught in school, sunday school, or through my parents...there are very few truths that I have purposed to understand and know for myself beyond what was told to me. I feel so uneducated about God's Word and what it says. Whenever I am faced with a challenge to God's Word, I want to defend it and then realize that I don't know enough to make an educated statement. When I realize things like this, it makes me want to read all of Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Bible, or learn the original Hebrew/Greek. But I never do. I just kinda forget about it, until I'm faced with it again.

I don't know. I'm so frustrated. I don't even know if anyone reads this blog...but I had to empty my thoughts somewhere.

I've been sitting at Starbucks for over 5 hours now. It's hard sharing one car...I mean I love Starbucks...but it's times like this when I start thinking too much.




Maybe I just need to go back to my original high school dream of becoming a famous singer/band with my husband...you never know, I guess.


Lord, help me.

I need to read a good book. Something of substance and worth my time. Something that will cause me to think. Any suggestions?

Clarity

When the brilliant ethicist John Kavanaugh went to work for three months at "the house of the dying: in Calcutta, he was seeking a clear answer as to how best to spend the rest of his life. On the first morning there he met Mother Teresa. She asked, "And what can I do for you?" Kavanaugh asked her to pray for him.

"What do you want me to pray for?" she asked. He voiced the request that he had borne thousands of miles from the United States: "Pray that I have clarity."

She said firmly, "No, I will not do that." When he asked her why, she said, "Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of..."

When Kavanaugh commented that she always seemed to have clarity he longed for, she laughed and said, "I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So I will pray that you trust God."




Craving clarity, we attempt to eliminate the risk of trusting God. Fear of the unknown path stretching ahead of us destroys childlike trust in the Father's active goodness and unrestricted love.

We often presume that trust will dispel the confusion, illuminate the darkness, vanquish the uncertainty, and redeem the times. But the crowd of witnesses in Hebrews 11 testifies that this is not the case. Our trust does not bring final clarity on this earth. It does not still the chaos or dull the pain or provide a crutch. When all else is unclear, the heart of trust says, as Jesus did on the cross, "Into your hands I commit my spirit." (Luke 23.46)

-Angela Thomas from When Wallflowers Dance study

An Elephant's Faithful 100%

By NANCY GIBBS Nancy Gibbs – 1 hr 17 mins ago

The last thing Barack Obama needed at this moment in his presidency and our politics is a prize for a promise.

Inspirational words have brought him a long way - including to the night in Grant Park less than a year ago when he asked that we "join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand." (See pictures of Obama in Grant Park.)

By now there are surely more callouses on his lips than his hands. He, like every new president, has reckoned with both the power and the danger of words, dangers that are especially great for one who wields them as skillfully as he. A promise beautifully made raises hopes especially high: we will revive the economy while we rein in our spending; we will make health care simpler, safer, cheaper, fairer. We will rid the earth of its most lethal weapons. We will turn green and clean. We will all just get along. (See pictures of eight months of Obama's diplomacy.)

So when reality bites, it chomps down hard. The Nobel committee cited "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." His critics fault some of those efforts: those who favor a missile shield for Poland or a troop surge in Afghanistan or a harder line on Iran. But even his fans know that none of the dreams have yet come true, and a prize for even dreaming them can feed the illusion that they have. (See the Top 10 Obama Backlash Moments)

Maybe the prize will give him more power, new muscles to haul unruly nations in line. But peacemaking is more about ingenuity than inspiration, about reading other nations' selfish interests and cynically, strategically exploiting them for the common good. Will it help if fewer countries come to the table hating us? To a point. But it's a starting point, not an end in itself.

At this moment many Americans are longing for a president who is more bully, less pulpit. The president who leased his immense inaugural good will to the hungry appropriators writing the stimulus bill, who has not stopped negotiating health care reform except to say what is non-negotiable, whose solicitude for the wheelers and dealers who drove the financial system into a ditch leaves the rest of us wondering who has our back, has always shown great promise, said the right things, affirmed every time he opens his mouth that he understands the fears we face and the hopes we hold. But he presides over a capital whose day-to-day functioning has become part-travesty, part-tragedy, wasteful, blind, vain, petty, where even the best intentioned reformers measure their progress with teaspoons. There comes a time when a President needs to take a real risk - and putting his prestige on the line to win the Olympics for his home town does not remotely count.

Compare this to Greg Mortenson, nominated for the prize by some members of Congress, who the bookies gave 20-to-1 odds of winning. Son of a missionary, a former army Medic and mountaineer, he has made it his mission to build schools for girls in places where opium dealers and tribal warlords kill people for trying. His Central Asia Institute has built more than 130 schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan - a mission which has, along the way, inspired millions of people to view the protection and education of girls as a key to peace and prosperity and progress.(See an interactive guide to Obama's first 100 days.)

Sometimes the words come first. Sometimes, it's better to let actions speak for themselves.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20091009/us_time/08599192939500

What in the world

So I kinda stopped writing in livejournal like I used to. I would write about my life practically every single day. Who really cares to know about all the details of my day though? I also started this blog a long time ago, but never kept it up. Either way, I faithfully read Chris Baker's blog, which is about anything and everything, and I really enjoy it...probably cause the whole time I'm picturing Chris telling the stuff he writes and it makes me laugh. lol

Perhaps I will try to make it a hobby/habit to blog on this here blogger. Who knows if I'll actually follow through. But here goes!

I'm actually in the computer lab right now waiting for 12:00...I have work today at Jazzman's from 12-3...then I have a five hour break, but have to be back from 8-12:30. It's a long day...but tomorrow is my only day off, which I am really looking forward to. 

It's so nice not being in school. It is hard though to be working the jobs that I am. Working in retail can suck sometimes cause there's so much tedious work that's never ending. I hope and pray that the Lord provides me with a good 9-5 job once Kyle and I get married and are in KY. I don't want these crazy hours. 

Speaking of KY...Kyle and I are going on a mini vacation to Lexington this weekend! We are going to visit with his Aunt, Uncle, and cousins who live out there...we're also going to be checking out our new home!!! We plan on living in Asbury's on campus housing! I'm so excited!!!

Spring break is in 3 weeks. Kyle and I are coming home on the 6th of March. I will be doing ALOT for the wedding. I have to find my dress, bridesmaid dresses, flowers, etc. etc. I feel like I have nothing done! But I know once me and my mom get together, we'll have it done in no time. :-)

I think I'm gonna go. I'm kinda getting tired of writing lol. I think I'm getting a cold...BOOOOOOOO!

Bye.