The King's Treasure

(image from http://www.crosswalk.com)

Ladies, my heart is burdened for you. All of you. For the girl who is living out loud for Christ, and feels alone at times. She feels like no one cares, except God. For the girl searching ruthlessly, to fill that deep longing in her heart- my heart breaks for you. And for the girl who has basically rejected Christ and HIS standards (and in that, rejected His love and mercy), my heart breaks because you don’t know the fullness of joy in Christ. You are racing
down a path that is full of all kinds of destruction, and I just want to scream STOP! By your lifestyle, you are asking for an STD. You
are asking for a drug overdose. You are asking for a broken heart.
You ARE asking for destruction. Satan has come to rob, kill, and
destroy you. And if you let him, he by ALL means necessary, do just that.

I have nothing radical to say, but I have heaviness on my heart for you, and ladies like you. We have all meandered different paths and have different experiences. However, there are ties that bind us as women. The longings to be loved, accepted, and just not be confused about who we are! What a relief it would be if we could just figure ourselves out, right?!

Been there, ladies!! Most girls, if not all, go through a pretty funky phase as they are growing up. I know I did. Such an odd-ball I was (and not sure if that has changed ). It took a while for me to grow into my face. I wasn’t happy with my appearance. I didn’t like my nose, wasn’t crazy about the fact I had freckles, could NOT tan, and I didn’t like the way my legs were shaped. That, coupled with the fact that I had some stunningly beautiful friends- HELLO discontentment!!! And on top of that, I had no confidence, and unbearably shy. For once, I wanted to be the “one that lit up a room”, and was the “life of the party”!

While it DOES feel horrible to lack any self-confidence, let me be very clear about something. The underlying issue here is, whether we have the confidence of a Queen, or the complete lack of it, we are still being “me” focused. You may either have the mentality of, “Look at me! Look at me!” or the other extreme- “ I wish someone would look at ME”! Both are wrong. Both are forms of pride. So what is the right perspective?

There are countless books that will tell you how to help yourself. Even the professing church has a version, that’s quite unbiblical. “Be who you are”, they tell us. But, they are leaving off a key ingredient...”in Christ”. I can attest to the fact that without Christ I would be a big, fat mess. I spent a while feeling like a fish out of water. Looking back, how could I be content with myself, when I wasn’t following the path of my Creator? He made me a certain way, for His purpose and glory. So if I wasn’t following Him, on His terms, how in the world could I be content? He created me to have a relationship with Him, but without Him, I would always be incomplete...and would not be able to find contentment anywhere else.

When I was 14 I fully committed my life to Christ. Fully. And I struggled a lot. Believe me. Just because I was living for the Lord did not mean I my days of struggling with who I was, was over. It took around 5 years! I believe as long as you live on the earth, you will deal with fearing man, and wanting to please people. You may want to please people in “good” ways, such as volunteering for absolutely everything, just so people will lift you up and like you. Or because you can’t say no, because that will hurt their feelings. Or maybe you swing to the other extreme, wanting to please people in sinful, unbiblical ways.

It wasn’t until I was about eighteen or nineteen years old that I FINALLY became ok with who I was in Christ. With that, came peace. What sweet peace! Our generation, girls, has such a super-star mentality, even in church. We feel that if we don’t do something that looks all great and big to everyone else, then you need to keep trying to do those big things (even if that is not what He has equipped you for). I didn’t have to be great. I don’t have to sing. I don’t have to be a gifted communicator, because that is not what he specifically designed for me. If he has gifted you in those areas, then great. And on occasion, He may “stretch” you a little by placing opportunities for you to do those things. But for me, it is freeing to know that I didn’t have to be “GREAT” in the eyes of others. I wasn’t designed for stardom. I hope that makes sense. When we know who we are IN Christ, this in not an occasion to say “Look at me”. No. It’s to say “look at Him!”. We should not exude Self- confidence, but reliance upon Him! It’s His approval we should be longing for. Galatians 1:10 says it this way “ Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."

If you try to “find yourself” on your own terms, you will probably fall into a trap of eating disorders, sexual promiscuity, hopping from one guy to another, parties and things like that. Satan knows when we are weak. That’s when he is on the prowl for weak prey. When you feel weak and tempted, pour your heart out to the Lord and dig in the Word of God! When you don’t feel so tempted, read and dig into His Word. Hide God’s Word in your heart, so you will be armed and ready at any moment. You need it everyday.

Ladies, I am in prayer for you. Seek the Lord. Give your insecurities to Him. He already knows about them anyway. As you lay these things at the foot of the cross, remember this, “The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your Lord.”- Psalm 45:11.

















(image from http://www.musiclyric4christian.com/the-bible.html)

Our Story

I have been encouraged by some, to write a note on how Adam and I met, and the love story behind it. I do love to tell it, and am excited to be able to write it. There is a lot to it, so it may be kind of lengthy, and I am sure there are typos and errors, but I don't have the time right now to do lots of editing.

Our Story

Growing up, when all my friends were dating in middle and high school…let's just say the guys were not knocking down the door to get to know me! I was awkward, very insecure, and incredibly shy. While those aren't godly attributes, I do thank God that guys weren't just dying to talk to me…or this could be a very different story. I had crushes, like every other person. I got disappointed. And most of the guys that did approach me, well, lets just say I was FAR from interested in them. God kept me from having my heart broken. even before I learned what courtship was all about. Even though all my friends who dated, seemed to be having a blast, it sure wasn't pretty when they broke up.

Let's fast forward to when I am sixteen ( I think). My youth leaders did a series on courtship. It was a curriculum called "A Match Made in Heaven" by Richard Crisco. It discussed the dangers of dating and how dating is actually practicing for divorce. I won't cover all the material because there is way too much. But, it was then that I realized that I wanted God's best. It was hard. I didn't necessarily commit to the courtship process, but I tried my hardest to keep my heart only for my future husband alone.

In the years that followed, I grew much as a person. I slowly came out of my shell. I was growing in the Lord, and accepting who HE made me to be. I wasn't supposed to be like all the other girls. He made me different. He made us all different. It is so liberating when we realize this and just learn to be ourself! I devoured resources that encouraged purity. I will list them at the bottom if you are so inclined to read…for yourself or for your children.

So now to the really good stuff! Pay attention to the dates. It was the first Saturday night in January 2004. January 3rd to be exact. At that time, we had prayer on Saturday nights at the church. I was praying, and suddenly, the Lord impressed it on my heart to pray for my future husband, right then. I had no idea who this person was. I wasn’t interested in anyone, and I didn't know of anyone interested in me. It was strange, but I prayed anyway. I had read about people praying for their future spouse on a regular basis. There had been times when I prayed about it, if it popped in my head, but nothing consistent. But, this night changed everything.

For the next two days, I pondered why God had me pray for this man. It was a feeling of urgency. So two days later, on January 5th, I began to journal heavily about all that I was dealing with. This journal saw many emotions. This journal saw a lot of growth. I was committed to this man I never met. I prayed for him as often as I thought about it…which was probably close to every day. Not fancy prayers. I would just breathe prayers of protection of his life, or that God would help him resist temptation. Things like that.

As I wrote, God showed me other things. It wasn't just about praying for him. I needed prayer, too. I surely wasn't wife material. There were things in me that God had to do before I could hope to be ready for the amazing thing called marriage.

So all of 2004 goes by, and nothing. No knight in shining armor for me! Then 2005 begins and…same thing. One night, I think late February, I was introduced to a visitor at our church, a guy named Adam. It was just kind of a quick handshake and "nice -to-meet-you" sort of thing. He begins attending our church on a regular basis. He is a nice guy…not to mention good looking…but that’s about it. Then he starts talking to me. Nothing major, just friendly stuff. I notice that he seems to actually LIKE talking to me, and sought me out to talk to me. I liked this. But, there were some problems. He had just become a Christian in February and was still battling an addiction to painkillers. It was tough, because in my heart, I really, really liked him.But, I knew a relationship with him just could not happen. Not then anyway.

In August 2005, things dramatically changed. Adam was miraculously delivered from his addiction to drugs. But, it was much more than just deliverance from bad addictions. He grew in the Lord by HUGE leaps and bounds. I really don't think I have ever seen a transformation, with my own eyes, quite like Adam. He began to read the Bible everyday. Since that time, I think he has missed only one or two days of reading since 2005! Incredible. While I watched all this, I was so excited! I started to see qualities in him develop that I desired in my future husband. But, I still knew I had to give it time. Growing up in church, it was so common to see people passionate and on-fire, only to have them go back to their worldly ways and never see them again. I had to know that this change was real, and wasn't a fleeting passion. We continued to grow as friends. Hardly anyone knew of my feelings toward Adam, though my flesh wanted at least him to know. I think the only ones who knew were my mom, and one close friend who I knew wouldn't share this with anybody. I felt it was important to keep quiet about it, because the last thing I needed was some "friend" telling me to tell Adam how I felt. Or better yet, having that "friend" tell Adam how I felt. So, I continued to wait.

This next part is kinda funny. January 2 (I think) of 2006. I am attending a church meeting. My pastor introduces me to another young man and is speaking highly of him. Basically, this guy wanted to know if he could call me. This gentleman did not attend our church, but I knew of him. I did give the guy my phone number, but felt weird about it. While flattered, the whole time, I was thinking about Adam. That's who I wanted! But, since he hadn't voiced any feelings or anything to me, I couldn't think of an excuse not to (though I could think of a few now!). Adam was also attending this meeting, and as it turns out, was in earshot of this conversation. This sorta lit a fire under his tail.

The next few days were very conflicting for me. This guy would call. He was nice and all, but I really wasn't interested. And I didn't know how to tell that to him, in a nice, honest way. One of my many flaws, is that I beat around the bush…and the person on the receiving end doesn't seem to get the point. My heart agonized, because I did not want to, in any way, lead this guy on. But, then I thought, maybe I should give this a chance. Maybe this is who God has for me, and not Adam.

Then comes a really good day! January 5, 2006. Adam and I met up for lunch at the yummy K&W! We had met for lunch frequently prior to all of this, so this was not unusual. Earlier that morning, my mom told me it was going to be a good day. So I was expecting something. Not sure what…but something! We eat all of our lunch, and nothing. Just normal conversation. Finally, we both are getting to leave and head back to our jobs. I can't remember exactly all he said. I think he just blurted out "Um, what are you doing Saturday night?". Haha! Unfortunately, I really did have plans that night. But was quick to say maybe another night. When I told him, he then proceeded to tell me that he would like to begin a relationship with me and that he called my dad the night before to ask his permission! I’ve heard about young men asking the lady's father for permission to marry their daughter, but not to begin a relationship. It was very honorable of him to seek my father’s permission before entering into a relationship. I was on cloud nine! The whole day I don't think I could stop smiling. Shortly after, I realized the significance of this day…it was 2 years to the DAY that I began journaling about him! I was blown away! Talk about timing! God’s timing.

So begins our courtship. Like I said before, we weren't perfect, and if we could go back, there are things we would do differently. But, early on we were committed to purity. It was awesome, because Adam was actually the one who thought we should save our first kiss for the wedding day. He was not interested in just dating. From the beginning, marriage was in mind. It was so great to not be physically involved, because we really got to know each others personalities really well. We were (and are) very different, but we learned how those things can complement each other.

My birthday is on November 7th. But, this particular year I was going to be away the on weekend of my birthday. Adam wanted to celebrate it early. We decided that we would get together to celebrate it on October 21.

He made dinner for me and gave me this beautiful mirror that I LOVE! Then he hands me this piece of paper and wants me to read aloud. I start getting a hunch at whats going on, but try not to go crazy in case I was wrong. The Paper read :

To My Beautiful Paige

To my beautiful Paige, I give my heart.
To explain my love, where should I start?
First of all; the day I saw you I fell in love.
Now, I know God sent you, like a gift from above.
Knowing you love me is such a blessing to me.
God unlocked my heart, but you were His key.
Knowing that I can love you and you'll love me back;
I promise my love for you will never grow slack.
What a journey it's been, falling in love with you.
I'm so much in love, I hardly know what to do.
I think about you all day; morning, noon and night.
I imagine our future what a beautiful sight.
Speaking of our future, I want to do things right.
I could hardly wait for this wonderful night.
I went to your folks and they said O.K.
Now I hope I don't trip over the words I say.
Just the thought of this moment makes my blood pressure rise.
So just put down this paper so I can look into your eyes…

I wish I could remember verbatim what he said at this point! I know he told me that he loved me and asked if I would marry him. He then opened a box with an incredibly gorgeous ring in it! Of course, without even seeing the ring my answer was a big, fat “YES!” But, let me tell you about this ring. Us women love to look at pictures of engagement rings and wedding dresses and all that good stuff. I liked the princess cut, but I really liked the emerald cut diamond ring. I never told Adam what I liked, but I did tell my friend (now sister-in-law) what I liked and so he found out through her. It was a stunning ring.

After that ring was placed on my finger, he proceeded to tell me something I didn't know about emerald cut diamonds. For that particular size and cut, the diamond has to be very pure, or it will be easy to spot imperfections. He added, that knowing this reminded him of me and my desire to remain pure! Wow! I was so blown away. What a beautiful gift!

Shortly after, we decided on a wedding date of April 14, 2007. During our engagement the Lord strongly revealed some areas that we needed to change. When we compare ourselves to others, its easy to justify certain actions. But when the Holy Spirit convicts us, no matter how good we think we are, we had better obey. Adam had his own home and had a roommate living there. And we hung out there a lot of the time. Again, we were strong and really would just hang out and talk or watch a movie. But, there are a few things very wrong about this. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 says "Abstain from all appearance of evil". In 1 Corinthians 8 it talks about not being a stumbling block to others. It just didn't look good, me being there with him, many times alone. We were involved in youth ministry and how would this have looked to them? We may have been strong and in control of ourselves, but this was sending a message to them that they could do this with no problems as well. By the grace of God alone, we were strong. But, had we had one weak moment, things could have changed dramatically. It's like playing with fire. I am not saying you can never, ever be alone. But there are principles in the courtship process that allow for that in a safer environment then your boyfriends home or apartment. My mom had even warned me about it not looking good, even though she trusted us, but I just shrugged it off (outwardly), though it was still deep in my thoughts. The kind of thoughts you just tuck away and choose not to think of. But in January of '07. God dealt with us and Adam decided that I shouldn't come over anymore. He would start coming to my house ( I lived with my parents) a lot more. It's hard when you know you have sinned against God, but such grace when you repent and do things completely the right way!

FINALLY- April 14th arrives! This was a perfect day in every way. I wasn't nervous. I was sure and really happy! Of course, there was excitement and a little nervousness about the wedding and all those people watching me, and just the fact that I was getting ready to vow my life to another person. But I was sure and I knew this was the man that God designed for me to be with. The weather was perfect. Things ran smoothly. Well except for one part. I had read of a couple who had a footwashing in there ceremony. If you recall in the Bible. where Jesus washed the feet of his disciples as a symbols of servanthood and humility . We wanted to symbolically say, " I will serve you". It was a beautiful moment except for when it was my turn to wash his feet, trying to put a dress sock on a damp foot wasn't easy! You had to be there….it was just funny! But it was a perfect ceremony. We exchanged rings, and vows. " The pastor then pronounces " Mr. and Mrs. Adam Tennant….you may kiss the bride"! That long-awaited kiss finally came! A beautiful kiss! Such a good kiss, I asked him for another one there at the altar! It was surreal and I felt like I was floating! God truly had the best for me in every way. Be encouraged to wait on the Lord and not take things into your own hands.



And that's the beginning of our journey, The romance didn't die at the honeymoon, either. He is still so loving toward me. We aren't perfect and are still learning so much about one another. But I have to say it has been something I would do all over again in a heartbeat! He is an amazing man and I love him to death!

Sorry this was so lengthy, but I felt it was good to get it all down for my own personal use as well.

Thanks for reading!




ON THE PATH TO PURITY...
Here are great resources to assist you on the journey

GUYS
" God's gift to Women"-Eric Ludy
"Every Young Man's Battle"
"Who moved the Goalposts?"-Bob Gresh
"The Purity Challenge"
"The Scottish Chiefs"-Jane Porter

LADIES
"Every Young Woman's battle"
"Authentic Girl"-Leslie Ludy
When God Writes Your Love Story" Eric and Leslie Ludy
"When Dreams Come True" Eric and Leslie Ludy
"And the Bride wore White" Dannah Gresh
"Passion and Purity" -Elizabeth Elliot
"A Return to Modesty" -Wendy Shalit
"Wait for Me"-Rebecca St.James

GUYS AND GIRLS
"Choosing God's Best"- Dr. Don Rannikar
"I Kissed Dating Goodbye"-Joshua Harris
"Boy Meets Girl"-Joshua Harris
"Sex is not the problem (lust is)"-Joshua Harris


WEBSITES
www.ericandleslie.com
www.authenticgirl.com
www.purefreedom.org

Ladies-Go to www.grantedministries.org,

then click on articles and scroll down to "Becoming Esther" by Charo Washer...it's Fantastic

I'm back!

So it has been forever, it seems, since I have blogged about anything. Since my last rambling, we have been blessed with a precious little boy, Wesley. He is now 12 weeks old. What a joy he is!

Thanksgiving and Christmas were wonderful. We are blessed to have good families around us. We had good times of reflection and meditating on the birth and life of our Savior. Now on to 2010!

I am only 25, but it is crazy how fast time flies. I was thinking, it was was 10 years ago that everyone was all hyped up about Y2K! Remember that?? I guess I was 15 at the time and I remember being nervous about it...but, thank goodness...there was no problem.

Our newest endeavor is setting up a side business for my husband. He is an extremely talented artist. He has set up an Etsy site which you can view here http://www.etsy.co/shop/p127design
Adam plans on creating more generic stuff, but he does great custom montages as well. We are very excited about this!

Well, I hate to keep this so short, but I gotta tend to the kiddos!

Paige

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Let's take a stand!

From Operation Save America

Using Violence to Silence the Gospel of Christ

Christian leaders from across the nation will gather in Washington, D.C., next Monday, May 18, 2009, to proclaim from the “gates of hell” (The White House, the United States Congress, and the United States Supreme Court) that Jesus Christ is still Lord of this once great nation.

The theology of the Church house will become biography in the streets of Washington, D.C., on Monday, May 18. The enemies of Christ are using “Hate Crimes” to silence our Christian voice.

“Though our President has recently announced that America is no longer a Christian nation; Though our Congress is presently busying itself with “Hate Crimes” legislation, in an attempt to silence the Gospel of Christ and shut the mouths of those who would proclaim it; Though our Supreme Court has sought to decriminalize every aberrant behavior known to man; Though the FBI, BATF, CIA, the Justice Department, et.al., consider us terrorists; the Church of Jesus Christ will no longer remain a silent obsequious “little lamb” that has never found a cause for which it is willing to die.” Rev. Flip Benham, Director of Operation Save America.

We cannot and will not allow this satanic attack on the Word of God (Hate Crimes Bill) to go unchallenged. We will encourage our United States Senators to stand with Jesus, the Church of Jesus Christ, our Pilgrim Forefathers, and our Founding Fathers and oppose this foul piece of legislation. It was birthed in the very pit of hell. HR 1913, the House version of the “Hate Crimes” bill, was passed by a 249 -175 vote. It is now coming for a vote in the Senate as S.909. President Obama wants to sign this into law before Memorial Day.

Our children will suffer greatly if we do not stand! Yes, they will spend years in jail for speaking from the same Bible that we are able to speak freely from today. Is there not a cause?

“If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed. If you will not fight when your victory shall be sure and not too costly. You may come to a moment when you will have to fight with all odds against you and only a precarious chance for survival. There may be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no chance of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.” Winston Churchill

What: Gospel Proclamation

Where: Washington, D.C. (White House, Capitol, Supreme Court)

When: Monday morning, May 18, 2009

Time: 11:00 AM

Web: Operationsaveamerica.org

Contact: Dr. Pat McEwen (321) 431-3962 or (321)726-0444

Perfect timing

God has a way with timing doesn't He? If you read the previous blog, you will see the challenges I have been facing the past 4 or 5 months. But He has strengthened me and given me peace...and for good reason. We found out last week that God has indeed blessed us with another child! And you know what's even better? My heart is filled with joy! God's timing is perfect and His ways are perfect! I am so thankful.

A season of stretching

It has been a long time since I have posted anything, much less something that was really weighing on my heart. You see, the last few months have been emotionally and spiritually hard on me. God was (and is) really stretching me. Why, you ask?
God has convicted us about our taking control of when and how many children we want. We never used the pill or other abortaficient kinds, but even when we trying "natural family planning", was still putting our control on something He wanted control of. We allow God to access every other area of our lives, except that one. See, God loves children and commands us to be fruitful and multiply. He wants Godly offspring. Only since the last century or so has this been an issue. A hundred years ago, many families were large. I cant remember the exact year, but it was the late 1800's or early 1900's that the average family had 11 people...that's 9 children! I am around many large families that have given this area of their lives to God, and let me tell you...the kids are so great to be around! It's not that I even mind having a large family...I love them...My worry is how fast they will come!
But you know, this is what God has called me to. Some are called to be missionaries. Some to other ministries. But this is mine.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says:
19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

This decision was not easy. Obeying God is not easy. There have been many tears, and there will probably be more. But you know what else? There is peace. The peace of knowing that we are doing what God wants us to do. And I know that the rewards are great! Children are a blessing and a reward from Him! It easy to receive blessings in so many other areas of our lives, but this one is hard because its a lot of work and a lot of sacrifice on our part. But think of it this way, every time you conceive, you are carrying a child that is an image-bearer of God Almighty! A child who has the potential to carry the Gospel to places we can never go! More of His glory can fill the earth!

One book that is jam-packed with scripture and very good points is a book called "Do You Dare Trust God for Your Family Size? : Positively Yes!" by Hanna E. Farwell.

I am not saying I am 100% there. God has been especially gracious these past few months. It's so easy to say that I trust God or that "I surrender all"...but the past little while, it's been harder to say that and remain honest before God. He see us and knows our inadequacies. We are human and he understands that...but he also expects obedience to His word.

So this is where I am at. Pray for me. I love children, and I do desire them. But I also know that the work God has cut out for me will not be easy. But I trust that my faith will grow, my character will be refined, and God can receive more glory from my life.
Love you all!