The Plan I Have For You

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9 I'm going to let you in on a secret.  Even though we know God has this, sometimes we need to let go of things and realize we aren't really okay. 2018 didn't play out exactly like I expected it to.  I lost the job I loved in June.  Trusting God would provide, and he did, I barreled forward into a new position.  It was challenging though.  I started at a very busy time and took on some responsibilities that I just wasn't trained to handle.  There were lots of long days, Nashville traffic and boxes of kleenex. My sister also made a career change and moved from being just 15 minutes down the road to more than 8 hours away.  Having her close had really eased the transition to a new town where I didn't have friends.  Not to mention, I just enjoyed spending time with my sister again after not having that privilege for so many years. Troy has recently ma...

It has been five months since I blogged, and what changes have taken place in those months!  We had settled into the realization that life would soon be changing, and we were praying for God to order our steps.  He quickly set into motion a plan for our lives and ordered every step with the precision only he could do.  Our house sold before we ever listed it.  Less than 90 days from the time Troy started his new job and we started seeking God's will for a change, we were moving into a home in a brand new town. We rejoice in answered prayers!  However, change has not been easy.  Twenty-two years of being in the same place left us comfortable.  We knew people.  We had our routines.  We had people to lean on when we needed them.  We knew were we were to serve and what our role was at that appointed time. Change has happened quickly, and the human nature in me expected instantaneous success in our new area.  After all, God sent u...

In January 2016, I claimed Ephesians 3:20 for our family.  We knew as we walked through this desert time in our lives that there was something greater waiting on the other side.  A few weeks ago, God began to show us the steps he has orchestrated for our family.  We have been praying for a long time for God to give Troy a career move that he really needed financially and emotionally.  The door has been opened, and Troy started his new position two weeks ago.  What a blessing!  The job change, however, is just the start of some changes for the Jones family.  The position is a Middle Tennessee territory.  While his company is being very flexible with the time frame, our house will go on the market later this week.  We are beginning to accept that a new chapter is coming for us.  I'm excited about the opportunity, but for the planner and organizer who likes a path I can see and prepare for, it is a scary ride.  We have lived...

When I started this blog I was writing about taking care of my little kids and pouring Jesus into them where I could.  Now I am looking at a high school graduate and a soon to be high schooler who can look me in the eye.  He's actually taller than me now. How did that happen?  It seems like yesterday we were taking summers to color and play in the garden.  This summer, I've shuttled Noah to countless music gigs and helped Taylor get ready for college. When school ended this year, we took a very much needed trip to the beach as the kids Christmas/graduation present.  I'm so thankful for that week away.  Between activities and work, our family of four rarely gets to sit together anymore, and I know in a few short weeks that time will get even harder to make happen.  That week, we laughed together, and we played together.  We had meals together.  Nighttime fishing on the dock and feeding the resident herron Henry won't be soon forgotten. ...

It has been a while since I have published a blog.  It has been a pretty busy last few months with some amazing God inspired events I hope to share with you soon.  Until then, here is the very best of those. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:13 This is a verse God laid on my heart about four years ago.  It was a transition time in our family.  I left my more than full time job and went back to graduate school.  It has been four hard years, full of plenty of life lessons.  Over and over, this particular verse has stood out.  It is posted above my desk.  It is highlighted in my Bible.  And it is branded into my heart. 9/11/16.  A Day to Remember In the 43 years I have been on this planet I had never given my whole life to Christ.   I've put him in a box, allowed him to work on my terms, and pouted as a child at the times when he didn't let things go the way I expected. It to...

It is hard to believe graduate school is over.  I've always enjoyed the challenge of learning, and as hard as the late nights, early mornings and weekends of pouring over material has been, a part of me will miss it. I'm writing this post today not to brag about the degree conferred upon me last Friday, but to brag on God for the past three years.  While I am extremely proud to have the book knowledge, and soon the piece of paper reflecting that, there were lessons learned that simply aren't reflected in the title I can now add behind my name. When God guided me back to school three years ago, I knew I could do it...the book work that is.  I've always done well in school.  I graduated salutatorian of my high school class, and magna cum laude in undergraduate.  Studying isn't a hard task, and I was taking classes in the area of my passion.  Sure it would take work and dedication, but the degree was something I was confident I could accomplish. It was...

I was just sitting here after church thinking about how incredibly blessed I am.  First Jesus died for a sinner like me.  The past few weeks have been hard but I know he has been pruning away things in my life that needed to go.  It has been an incredibly freeing experience. I've been reminded of what an amazing family he has given me.  They support me and love me.  He entrusted to me two amazingly talented children who love Jesus with their whole heart and aren't afraid to use their gifts for his glory. In less than a month I will walk the stage with my Masters and a 4.0 GPA.  He placed a team of physicians in place to handle two surgeries and to diagnose and treat a chronic illness so I could see my dream become a reality. And he gave me a supportive husband who has let me live out my dream.  Who made the commitment for better or worse, in sickness and in health.  We will celebrate 20 years together in a little over a month.  He has s...

Hope.  It is a huge little four letter word. Without it we live a life of darkness.  It is the ray of light that is able to pierce through places we cannot see. I am so glad to have the hope of Christ Jesus and his promise of eternal life.  It is so reassuring knowing the suffering and pain we have here on earth will be over, and one day we we will spend eternity in his presence. Even though I know I have this incredible promise, I am so guilty of selling short his ability to work in my day to day life. Friday was a road trip day.  I had the radio off, driving and following the directions of my little google app voice.  It wasn't the Google app automated voice that I heard most clearly.  It was the one who reminded me of the verses above, and how I so often settle for less than he wants for me.  Why?  Because I don't bother to ask. This girl has set some pretty lofty goals for 2016, and I am expecting it to be a year of change.   Howe...

Its hard to believe Christmas is over.  It seemed like I blinked and December was gone.  Saturday, I packed away the trees and decorations. The year we married, I started a tradition of purchasing one Hallmark ornament for each of us.  Four family members and 19 Christmases later, I now have enough to decorate an entire tree. Each ornament tells a story in our family.  There's "Our First Christmas" to celebrate the beginning of our family.  A silver tiara represents my "princess."  A red cardinal adorns the tree in memory of mine and Troy's grandmothers who loved red birds.  A little orange striped kitty is for the fluffy little pet who I claimed as my baby for 17 years, and an RV reminds me of the best family vacation we took. I smiled as I carefully wrapped each and placed it in the box. I have to admit I could use a "do over" for Christmas this year.  I spent December in a funk.  Friends around me were battling for their lives with...

I am incredibly excited to share this post from a great friend of mine.  The last year for her has been one of an amazing transformation that only God can do.  Today, she is serving on staff at Women at the Well, a Christ centered program for women dealing with life controlling issues. I am so excited about the opportunities God has given her to minister to other women.   Waiting For most of my life, I thought waiting was about killing time. A passive way to spend the interim between here and there. Twiddling thumbs in the line at the post office. Rocking in a chair on the porch ‘til a waitress calls your name for a table at Cracker Barrel. Those things frustrate me, though. It’s just delaying my preferred outcome. I read a book for a sociology class once in college called the McDonaldization of Society. It was about how our culture has basically trai ned us to expect efficiency to the point that it robs us of experience. The emergence of fast-food restaur...

Exodus 17 8  Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim. 9  So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” 10  Joshua did as Moses [ i ] told him, [ j ] and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11  So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand [ k ] down, Amalek prevailed. 12  But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. 13  So Joshua [ l ] overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. I mentioned in my last blog God has been peeling away my layers like an onion.  A couple of weeks ago I was asked to fill in on a Wednesday night for our lad...

Have you ever noticed how just when you seem to find your comfort zone, that is when God decides to shake things up a bit?  He started shaking things around in my life about three years ago.  Admittedly, I had gotten used to living life earthquake style, as long as I could do it in my shell.  Well now he's started peeling back the layers like a Bloomin' Onion on a tray at the Outback. I'm usually an encourager.  I started this blog to share my encouraging lessons with others.  Let me just be real and tell you something. The words penned in this blog have been very far between lately because I've been fighting a pretty big battle behind the scenes.  Its been hard to sit down and write an encouraging word when you are struggling to stay afloat yourself. I haven't kept it a secret my health has been an up an down battle for the past couple of years.  After this last surgery, I went on a run of headaches that lasted in the range of 50+ days before ...

No matter how strong you think your faith is, Satan will always attack you.  He knows exactly where your weak spots are, and he aims straight for the heart.  I've been trying to find the words to share with you just what has been going on behind the scenes of my usually tough Super woman front.  Can I make a confession to you?  I've been shaking in my boots.  This morning our choir sang an amazing Chris Tomlin song, the one that has been played over and over in my car trying to keep a straight face during a tough time.  As the words poured out of my heart, the memories of singing them over and over the past several weeks on the way to work, on many long, lonely trips to the doctor poured through my mind.  I was diagnosed with a suspicious spot on my left ovary in mid March.  Along with the diagnosis came more tests and a waiting game.  Surgery was scheduled, and the ovary biopsied.  Then more waiting to see what my fate would be....

I do not believe for a moment God puts people in your life by accident.  A few weeks ago, I was given the great honor to preview a book written by a young man who has an incredible God story.  It is his biography, in which he shares the challenges he faced growing up, and how for part of his life he completely turned his back on God.  Even in those times when he didn't believe, you can see seeds being planted.  God miraculously spared his life after a serious auto accident and began to make a change in his heart.  This man, who wasn't even expected to live much less walk, will begin a cross country trek on foot in just a few days to share the message of Christ, coast to coast. I hope you enjoy the blog, and I encourage you to buy his book.   Please join me in covering Jason with prayer for safety, provision and for God to put people in his path that need to hear his message of hope.   Every Step Jason Truett How do you beat a Goliath...