~A Lesson On Obedience~

Our family has been going through a time "not knowing where we're supposed to be." We have been praying as a family and really seeking God for direction. Well yesterday morning, while I was having my quiet time with the Lord, I just sat there in silence and then prayed to God to give us a clear direction, where He want's us to go. So, I opened my Bible and I came to Jonah. I was really shocked by that. I thought to myself "What does Jonah have to do with anything?" So I read the chapter that I was opened to and it read: "And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah rose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord." Jonah 3:1-3
This verse taught me that obeying the Lord is the most important thing, even if you don't want to go to certain places.
Then, I went to Proverbs, and a couple of verses stuck out to me there.
"Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you." Proverbs 1:23.
"But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from all evil." Proverbs 1:33.
Again, these verses are on obedience and the blessings that follow when you obey the voice of the Lord. Then, I went to Deuteronomy, and found this passage:
"But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with all the heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto His voice; (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) He will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which He sware unto them. Deuteronomy 4:29-31.
So, after my quiet time, I was encouraged and had to share it with the family. Now, we are waiting on the Lord, ready to obey His voice when He tells us where He wants us to go.

~Some Happenings~

Yesterday, we all went up to St. Cloud to visit the newlyweds! We brought pizza and had that for lunch and then went shopping with Kelli. It's weird for me to say I have a "brother", since I've never had one before. But, I think I shall enjoy it.

We had a rather scary surprise when we got home yesterday. We had left home about 9 am and didn't get home until 4:30 or so. When we were coming down our drive way, Kristina said she thought my horse, Celtie, was eating over the fence. Kristina's horse has a bad habit of pushing the fence down so he can get the grass on the other side of the fence. I guess the sang is true to a horse "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." :o) So, we drive down there and Celtie is out of the fence! We were hoping that Dakota didn't also find a way of escape, because a horse on the loose is not a fun thing to run after! Thankfully, Celtie had had enough of being out, so she was very easy to catch, and Dakota had not found the escape route out. Celtie had found a hole in the mesh fencing and squeezed through it. (How she did it I have no idea!) Thankfully, she didn't have any cuts. But, as we were doing chores, she was laying down in the barn and was breathing kinda funny. When we searched the surrounding area, where she had gotten out, it looked like she had gotten into some moldy hay that we had thrown out. My first thought was" Great! She has colic!" So, I got her up and started walking her up and down the
driveway. When I was going down the driveway, she wanted to eat grass. If she had colic, she would not want to eat anything. So, that was a good indicator that she didn't have colic, just a belly ache. She probably had to much to eat when she had her taste of "freedom"! We had to fix the fence last night before the sun set, so we only had about 2 hours. We got it done just as the sun sank below the horizon.

We should be expecting puppies around Christmas! I'm so excited! Wouldn't that be a lovely gift!?! If you want to see pictures from our last litters, you can go to our website here: www.autumnacreslabradors.com.

I hope today is not as eventful!

A New Friend!

Me and my new best friend, Celtic Promise (AKA Celtie)

I have been wanting a horse for awhile now. We had some before, but none of them were the right "fit". I wanted one that was just the right height and one that I could train. I either wanted a Quarter Horse or a Haflinger. Well, I found the perfect size, best personality, and one I could train horse. I want to ride english, and most horses around here are trained for western. She is a 2 1/2 year old Haflinger. I was able to bring her home on Friday night. Her previous name was Cupcake, nicknamed Cuppy. But I have decided to rename her, Celtic Promise. Her nickname is Celtie. (Which's rhymes with Cuppy. Well, kinda)

When we were bringing her home on Friday night, it was her first long trailer ride. It was raining so hard we could hardly see. All of a sudden, out of nowhere (as they usually do) a deer comes running across the road! We were trying to slow down, but the wait of the trailer was pushing us forward. The deer made it safe, but then another deer came running out, slipped, and SMACK! right in the middle of the van! We swerved and were able to recover and we had to keep going because of all the traffic behind us. When we got home and unloaded Celtie out of the trailer, my Dad checked the front of the van and not a single scratch! What a blessing! Let's just say, we had enough excitement for a long time.

Well, so much for no more excitement. My sister's wedding is this weekend and we are very busy. My Grandma is coming up from Iowa tomorrow to help out with whatever we need. We are going to spend the night in St. Cloud (which is where the wedding is) Thursday night and won't get back until Saturday night. Thankfully, we have some wonderful friends who are willing to do the chores here for us while we are away. Hopefully, nothing will go wrong and our dog, Angel, won't have puppies while we are away!

OK, last thing that has been going on around here. Our cat, Amelia, had 3 kittens. One died, but the other 2 are strong and healthy. One is a boy and the other a girl.

School is going good. We are taking ASL (American Sign Language) this year which I am really enjoying. We are taking a break though, with all this wedding stuff and visitors coming.

Well, until next time....

(Oops, I lied. I shared one more thing than I said I was gonna.)

An Update and I'm Sorry!!! :o)

Some updates on my life recently! Kelli is getting married in 19 days!! It is coming up so fast! We have got most of the planning all done. Just those few last minuet details that can only be finished a few days before the wedding. We are praying for good weather as the wedding is outside. It can rain after that, because the reception is inside. We are having my Grandma, my Uncle and Aunt and their two children, and a good friend or ours stay here after the wedding. Hopefully we'll have room for them all! It should be a joyous time though. We haven't seen our Uncle and his family for awhile, so that will be nice.

Our great Aunt died a few days ago and we are unsure if she was saved. The funeral is tomorrow in the cities. Hopefully, the traffic won't be bad and will have a good time celebrating her life.

Our dog, Angel, is due to have puppies about a week after the wedding. Hopefully, she won't deliver early!!

School is starting. Yay! My last year! I'm excited, yet a little uneasy, as I am starting a new chapter in my life that will be different. I'm really excited for this school year. We are doing a whole bunch of different things.

Well, that's a short update on what's been going on in my life. I will post pictures of the wedding and rehearsal and all that good stuff as soon as I can!

God Bless!!

Learning in Disappointments

Learning to take disappointments knowing that God has a plan is something I have recently learned. Just because the circumstance doesn’t seem good to you at the time, doesn’t mean it won’t work out for good.

We were on our way to a friend’s house that we haven’t seen in a while; when my Dad got a call from work reporting that there was a leak that needed his attention immediately. Earlier, before we left, there was a bat that he had to go and take care of (if you know what I mean; o). So, we were already behind schedule with that going on, and then having to turn around half way there was disappointing and frustrating. I didn’t handle it the way I should have. But, the Lord has taught me through this trial of what good can come of it. He has already showed me the purpose of this small trial. He has showed me what I need to work on. To not let the little things in life get I all “flustered.” To realize that “all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”

I am so thankful that I have such loving and understanding parents who see me through when I am struggling and are always there to give me their wise council.

~Changes~

Aspiring to Be... As you can see, I have changed the name of my blog. I felt it was necessary as my previous name was not God glorifying. I aspire to be the woman God wants me to be. In the 1828 dictionary, the word aspire means: To desire with eagerness, great, noble, or spiritual. To aim to something elevated; to rise or tower with desire. Aspiring to be Gods. I desire with all my heart to be who God wants me to be. And in so doing, I hope I can bless others with what I am learning. I hope that soon , Lord willing, I will be able to start a newsletter of encouragement, insight, and wisdom from older women to young women aspiring to be godly women. Lord willing, It will go out once a month. With The help of my parents and the Lord, I will endeavor to do so to His glory.

A little update on what's been going on here. We are house training one of the puppies we kept back. It's going pretty good. Hopefully, he'll be fully house trained by the end of this month. On Sunday afternoon, we are going over to a friends house with a whole bunch of friends and are going to have a Bluegrass jam! I'm very excited! I love playing instruments with a whole bunch of people. We are also going to have a volleyball tournament. The first team to win eats first! I'll post pictures when I can. My uncle will be coming to stay with us for a few days sometime soon. We haven't seen him since last year, so that will be a fun visit! That's about it. There is probably a lot more I could tell you, I just can't think of anything else right at this moment! :o) Well, I hope you all have a wonderful, God glorifying weekend!

While Waiting....

Thinking about getting married is a good thing. But letting it consume your thoughts is not God glorifying. God’s Word says in 2 Corinthians 10:5 "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

If we are to be first and foremost, daughters of the Great High King, we must put into practice this verse. It has been a great struggle for me to put this verse into practice. If I keep my mind on what God wants me to do, right know as I am waiting, He will bless me with the strength I need to do His Will for my life.

I have found that serving my father in every way I can, has helped me tremendously. By making his favorite desserts, making sure he has ice tea when he comes home from a long day a work, having a cheerful attitude to make his time at home a true blessings, doing things he has asked me to do for him throughout the day so he can enjoy his time at home… I could go on and on about all the things we, as Christian daughters can do to help our father’s and in so doing, are doing what God wants us to do. We are also preparing ourselves for marriage. When I take my eyes off of me, I find it much easier to do God’s Will. I am so thankful that God has blessed me with such Godly and caring parents who come beside me and help me when I am struggling with something.

I encourage all of you Christian young women, to search the scriptures and really read them for what they are worth. Don't read them so that they go along with what you are thinking. Really read them for what God is trying to teach you through His Word. Pray before you read His Word, and ask God to reveal to you what He wants to teach you. Have a teachable heart, not one hardened by the world’s views. I pray you are encouraged by this post.