Another random statement, but one I feel deeply;
 I love France. It is the country I hope to one day live in fulltime. I don't know if it will be in ministry, but if it is, I hope to be able to use my music to teach children of the love of Jesus Christ. I want to show these children how much God loves them.
We hear ourselves say Christ died for us. I think we hear it too often and it become a meaningless statement. For me, I have been reminded what it would mean to give up my life or lose the life of a dear beloved. It truly is amazing and beyond grasp to understand the love of Christ and why he would go to such lengths to save you and me. We are nothing but filth from which we were made.
What I want to know if why there are those who would question what they believe and why they would think it untrue. What is faith? It is the evidence of things unseen. We can't see Christ but he is there walking beside us. We can't see the wind but can feel it physically just as we can feel Christ holding us spiritually.

POINT BEING:              
                        GOD IS SOVERIEGN, OMNIPOTENT, GRACIOUS, LOVING,
                        AND BEYOND FATHOMABLE GRASP SAVE BY FAITH!!!

Ok, so I just wanted to write and get this down on paper and thought you might be interested to read it.

Here goes...

        So, on Sunday nights at church Dr. Ross has been preaching on marriage and the difficulties and trials and beauties of it all. This past Sunday he talked about being single and the joys you can have as a single man or woman serving Christ fully with your heart with nothing to care about except Jesus.            

        Ok, so there's that point of view to be single and then there's the other part, getting married. Being married takes part of you away from God in a sense of having to provide for a family and husband or wife which ever the person is. So, your time is divided. Half of your time you spend caring about the people in your life and you are responsible for and the other part you is devoted to God. The problem though is that you are tied down and you can't go where ever at the drop of a hat, you have a family that you have to consult or husband or wife.

        Ok, so that's the first part on the whole marriage thing. Second, everyone thinks that marriage is about love and sex and all that jazz. Ok, so it is partially but there's more to a relationship than just those things mentioned. You've got to have the commitment to work behind it to give up those little extras and sacrifice willingly for the other person.  People think that if they can just have a little bit of romance that their lives will be great and things will go well. Ok, it might work for a little bit but it won't last forever, so here's the next thing.

         Marriage is one of the most difficult decisions you will ever make in your whole life. It's not something to take lightly. Dr. Ross quoted a statement that he likes to tell young engaged couples, " A good marriage is not something you get it's something you have to work for." Marriage is a commitment to take care of that person for rich or for poor, in sickness and in health till death due us part. Ok, so what does that really mean. It means don't get divorced you make a vow and you don't break it. Be what you say you are. Be a woman of your word. Just because you're in an up hill battle that doesn't seem to be ending any time soon doesn't give you the liberty to end the relationship. You've got to give to the relationship.

           So, now I've given my sh peel on the vows and importance of marriage, this is what I want in my marriage in the man that I marry if I marry. I'm not going to look for him though it will be difficult to not look. If someone comes along I don't care about his looks or what he does, those are material things. What I want that will be most important in my marriage is my relationship with God towards my husband. I want to live a Christ-centered life where I work to make my marriage work. Where, in the rough times I can stand by my husband and we can pray and cry together and know that God is in control and that even when we're drowning Christ is there the pick us up. I don't want to find a man based on romance. But don't get my wrong, I do like romance. I love to watch romantic movies and see them all happy at the end but that's not what a relationship is all about. Put Christ first and everything else will fall into place. I want to be able to study the Scriptures and understand them and though I know I won't be able to get it all I want to struggle with the issues in the bible. I want to know what it means to strive to live a holy and godly life. I want to understand what it means to Love the Lord with all your heart, with all your strength and with all your mind.

So, I've said all this in essences to say that a love based relationship is all that the world thinks it is. There's more to a relationship than just the kissing and holding one another.

        Here's something else, people like to get into relationships because they think it will take away the loneliness they feel. They think that if they could just have someone to come home to or love them that the loneliness would go away. It won't!!!! All of this to say that I don't want to look for that future one in my life even though I know that  I will try at times. I want to focus on Christ and live for Him and if God sees fit to place a husband and family in my life, then I pray that I would always keep Christ at the center of my life that I might overflow with blessings to my family and those around me.

That's all.

Marriage is not a cure all for loneliness."

Thanks for just listening.

So, the day is finally coming. We'll be leaving next Friday the day after Thanksgiving about 4:10pm. I can't wait. I'm starting to get packed and have a lot of stuff to do in the mean time. We as a team have all of our support and Rose and I as of yesterday and 2691 of the 3400 that we need. We did pretty well getting it all. I still wish we could get the rest of it but only God knows if we will.
We sing our whole concert program this Sunday night at church at 7:00pm and I'm hoping that's going to be really good. I have a lot of memorization to do before then. It'll come though.

Ok read you can check out now (this is me chiding myself)
Can you talk about anything else but  yourself?  You keep saying I. Yes, of course you're excited about going to France it's been a dream all your life pretty much, but is there anything you can say besides yay for me? I'm so selfish and not understanding, maybe God will teach you something about humility towards your family in particular. You don't volunteer to help often around the house, and you don't like being asked to help. Something's got to give and you can't have your own way about things anymore. It just can't happen. So, you need to pray. Ok, so I'm going to pray.

Lord, I'm extremely selfish and don't like to help my family. I like helping everyone else but not my family. I don't get a long with them and sometimes simply don't talk to them. Jesus can you help me change that? Can you help me be more accepting of criticsm even if it hurt. Can you help me not be bitter towards my mother? Can you help me love my sisters and be a better example for them especially Rose becuase she's so young? Will you help me love you more so that I can be a better a daughter, a better sister, and a better friend? Will you tear this rotten streak out of me so that I will be more Christ-centered than self-centered? Would you help me to pray to you more and not be tempted by Satan.

The France team is getting ready to leave for France; will you help me be loving to my sister, but also know when to give a little and let out the leash a bit? Would you bless the choir as they sing for you? Would you remind them that we aren't going for pleasure but to spread the good news of your love to a people, who don't like Americans in general but who also don't know you. Would you help us to understand their culture and not try to make them be like the rest of the "typical Americans". I do love the French people very much, but today I was a hypocrite and didn't stand up for the people I love today when a parent said that he doesn't like the French much because they don't like us. That's no good reason not to like the French. They have some traits that go before them but all the French can't be bad, same as not all Americans are bad. Would you help us as team not to be divided from within but to love the French with your love so that they may come to You and know that You love them dearly.
Ok read you make check-in now.
The France team will be commissioned this coming Sunday during the evening service and then we as a group will praying before we leave on Friday after everyone is checked in. I can't wait. Molly and I will practice tomorrow night on the words to some pieces that we're singing. I think we've got most of the music down it's just a matter of getting the words to go with it.
For now, I'm heading off to lala land to dream of  French, Spanish and German words that the choir will sing Sunday night. I hope some of this makes sense otherwise please find me on facebook of email me and I'll tell you what's really going on in my life.
Peace to all and may God be praised in everything we do.