Oh How He Loves

2-3-11 I had a really great group of thoughts that went together for this post saved in the notes section of my iPhone. Somehow they got deleted. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to take that as they weren't meant to be heard or if it was just an accident. Either way, here is what I do want to say. If I want to get right down to the root of my issues, everything comes back to unworthiness. I don't feel worthy to be loved. I know some of you are thinking I'm crazy for saying so, but this is the lie that Satan has gotten me to believe for so long. I've believed that when I didn't get a position I wanted, a boy I wanted, a job I wanted, a friend I wanted...it all came back to me not being worthy for that thing. I've played into Satan's game long enough. I won't allow him to bully me into thinking I'm not worthy of the blessings my Heavenly Father wants to bestow on me....because that's the key. I am a child of God. I am loved and worthy of love because He first loved me. You are too if Jesus is your Lord! Whew, let that soak in a minute. He loved me before He knew me. Jeremiah 1:5 says "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee" One of my other favorites is Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a hope and a future" Oh how wrong I have been to let my agenda change the perspective of how God feels toward me. "For I am fearfully and wonderfully made" Psalm 139:14 I'm reading a book right now called "I'm not good enough...and other lies women tell themselves" by Sharon Jaynes. It is filled with such great Scripture on this subject and has helped me realize that it's something everyone struggles with in some fashion or another...not just me! Friend, Let me help you to know there is One who truly LOVES you and He is enough! I'll leave you with a song called "How He Loves" by David Crowder Band which is pretty powerful. I'm so thankful that if no one ever did love me again, Jesus loves me and always will!

James Eunice has been found...

1-31 The Valdosta Daily Times and the Lowndes County Sherriffs Department confirms that the body of James Eunice was recovered at Ocean Pond this morning. My heart is so conflicted right now. I've prayed so many times for his body to be found so that the family might have some sense of closure yet I know with this comes a whole new set of days of grief and healing for them. An overwhelming response from the community doesn't even sum up what an impact James had on the people he knew and never will know. There will be a special prayer service at CrossPointe Church today at 2:30 pm. The funeral is set for Saturday at Cross Pointe. My prayer is that people will cling to God now and in the days ahead. I pray that God would protect the hearts of all those involved and bring His peace in their lives. I pray that God will continue to be glorified in the days ahead just as James would have wanted. Can you imagine that this whole time James has been held in the arms of Jesus as He says to him, Well Done, my Good and Faithful Servant.
I leave you with some words that James wrote in April of last year after losing a friend...
"Take the time to love someone. Today, tomorrow, for the rest of your life. Because when that unexpected day comes that they pass on, you'll be left wondering what you could've done better." -James Eunice

Woo Hoo...Another Baby in the Family!

1-25 My precious cousin, Whitney, and her husband, Jody, are having a baby!!!!! They have prayed for a child for a long time. They live in Oregon and she told me via phone on Thursday 1-20. I had to keep it a secret for the weekend which wasn't easy. I was so excited to share the news on my blog because they are a perfect example of praying for something you desire and long for and God's faithfulness to bless His children in His time. Faith is an amazing thing. I wish I could say that I am able to trust God for everything, but I'm human and I'm working on it ;) I am continuing my study called "No other gods". The writer was single at the time she wrote it. She thought only single people struggled with trying to find their identity. In doing the study, she realized it happens to everyone. We get caught up in being wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, career women, and forget that our sole identity should be found in Christ. So that's what I'm working on now. I'm trying to focus on who Christ wants me to be and be happy with that. My study this morning was on Hannah and how "The Lord had shut up her womb" The question was posed, "How do you think Hannah was enriched by God's closing of her womb?" Wow, what if we looked at every situation that we dread, that brings us pain, fear, and doubt, and ask...What is God doing in me because of this? Just some food for thought today. I hope you all are blessed this week.
Congrats again to Whitney and Jody Duvall and their soon to be little one...coming around August 10, 2011. Thank you God for your blessings!!! 1 Samuel 1:27 "For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him."

Special James Eunice Prayer

1-24 This is being passed around twitter and facebook today.....Special request from the Eunice Family: We, as the people of God, know and understand the power of prayer! Wherever you're at, at 7pm stop what you're doing and pray that James will be found! Join us in this #oneprayer at 7pm

Weekend Getaway

1-21 I went to Columbus this weekend to see my friend, Missy, as a last minute sort of thing. I usually go see her every year in September, but life was just crazy this past year. I didn't have clients on Friday afternoon or Saturday so I jumped in the car. I'm beginning to really enjoy traveling and seeing friends and going to different churches. I have NO earthly idea what God has in store for my life, but I'm just trying to enjoy the time He's giving me and bring Him as much glory as possible.
It had been a dreary couple of days in Valdosta so when I got into Moultrie and saw the sun shining, I had to take a pic. I love how it turned out!
Two of my friend's kids, Shelbi and Matthew
Matthew got a Wii for Christmas and wanted to play it non stop. He plays some of the games better than I do, I must admit.
Ok, so not the best pic of Matthew, but getting a 3 year old to smile when he's ready to go into church and play...this is what you get.
We don't have Mellow Mushroom in Valdosta anymore so this pic is for all those out there craving MM pizza and that amazing Esperanza dressing!
After church, we went to a yogurt place called Chill. All I wanted was a Venti White Mocha from Starbucks...ask and you shall receive!
I thought this was cool. The sermon was on generosity and giving so they projected the word trust on the curtain over the drum kit.
Not a great pic, but I didn't want people looking at me funny for taking a pic in church. The praise band was pretty big. I enjoyed their music as much as the sermon.

Me and my dear sweet friend, Missy, after church Saturday night.
A family friend flies Matthew around on his new bike. He loved it.
We all had a great time of hanging out, watching movies and Missy cooked some super yummy food. She even brought me a Starbucks and a blueberry muffin this morning while I was getting ready to leave. I pray God blesses her for being such a wonderful friend! She also saved me from the no water for city residents of Valdosta this weekend. The power at the water plant went out so the city residents didn't have water for most of the day on Saturday. From my understanding, we are still under a boil water advisory which means having to boil the water before using it to say brush your teeth or wash dishes. Crazy!!!!! I'm just glad I was out of town although I got several phone calls from my County friends volunteering their houses and showers which was super sweet!

On a not so happy note: I found what I thought was some rotting wood on my house. I love having my house and am proud that God chose to bless me with it. I just do not like it that I happened to reopen my savings account last week and now have to shell out several hundreds of dollars to have the wood repaired and painted. Oh well, such is life I guess!

I hope you all are having a great Monday!

UGA loves our Valdosta Wildcats!

1-21 Last night Malcolm Mitchell and Jay Rome, Valdosta High School Wildcat football players, announced their committments to the University of Georgia. As a former Wildcat and a lover of all things Bulldawg, I'm pretty proud! I figured a post was necessary.

James Eunice-a light for Christ in our community!

1-19 I went to the service at CrossPointe tonight. It was a definite different feel from the Monday night service. I thought, in my own emotional mind, that everyone would be more weary because the days continued to draw out with no sign of James. I was very much surprised and happy to find a community of people who had come to praise God and surround the family with love. The music was more about praising God and much more upbeat. There were still tears, but the peace of God was almost palpable in the room!!! The Music leader started off the service by asking the youth if any of them had the opportunity to share the gospel today. There were several shouts of yes across the room. (If only we could all remember what we were put ont this earth to do!) His brother, John, and sister, Lindsey, spoke about their amazing little brother. They both were thankful of the efforts to love on their family and in the search for James.
One thing a leader pointed out was the efforts in the recovery process. They listed the names of the agencies that have been helping: Lowndes County Sherriff's Department, Valdosta City Police Department, Lake Park Fire Department, Volunteer Fire Departments, Moody Air Force Base, United States Air Force, Georgia State Patrol, Georgia and Florida Department of Natural Resources, and countless other volunteers. The effort has been great. Even on facebook, people are reaching out to the family and praying for James to be found. He is making an impact on so many lives right now! Even with my blog, I had no idea that when people googled his name, it would lead them to my posts. God is moving in a mighty way, some of which we may never see or understand. As for me, someone who has lost a loved one suddenly before "their time", I can say now that God's plan is perfect. I have been able to help several young ladies who have lost their Dad and I've been blessed because of it. I pray that whatever the outcome is with James that the life he lived for Christ continues to be a light in our community and that others will come to know Jesus!

Continue Praying for James Eunice!

1-18 I attended a Prayer and Worship service for James last night at CrossPointe Church. There were hundreds of kids, teachers, and parents that came together to sing and cry out to God on James' behalf. It was unlike anything I've ever seen! Lindsey, his sister was there and I got a chance to love on her too! The format of the service was pretty great. They had a guy and a girl lead in a couple of worship songs and then someone came out, read a verse, and then called everyone to pray for something specifically. The first thing we prayed for was for the Holy Spirit to comfort the family and friends of James. Then we prayed for all the members of the search and rescue teams. Lastly we prayed for God to bring James home. One of the worship leaders said that James may be missing, but he is not lost and will never be lost because he is a child of God! He talked about James' close walk with Christ and how he desired others to know Christ and have a personal relationship with Him. It's pretty evident from all the comments on facebook that are being posted that James was a sweet, sweet Christian boy. I urge you if you are reading this post and don't know Jesus as your Lord, stop and seek Him. John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." We are not promised another day! The only comfort in all of this is knowing that if he has passed away, that he is "safe" in the arms of our Lord! Safe by Phil Whickham was one of the songs we sang last night and it's what I want to end this post with. There are services at CrossPointe Church in Valdosta tonight and Wednesday night at 6:30. (You can also watch a live stream on your computer at ustream.com/channel/prayforeunice
God renewed my spirit just by being there.

Pray for James Eunice

1-16 I'm not sure if anyone other than Valdosta people read my blog, but everyone please pray for James Eunice. He is a 17 year old Senior at Valdosta High School who went missing yesterday around early afternoon while duck hunting at a local pond. The details are all mixed up so I don't even want to speculate. There have been Moody Search and Rescue teams, helicopters, and local law enforcement searching for him. Please pray for a miracle. Please pray for wisdom and direction for the searchers, for him to be found, to be healthy, and for comfort for his family as they wait. Thanks!

A Crazy, Emotional, & Fantastic Week

1-8 So I thought after going to Macon Friday night and getting back late and working Saturday that I would spend a quiet evening at home doing some much needed cleaning. I should've known this week would keep me on my toes. Lindsey Davis called me Saturday afternoon to tell me she and Justin were engaged. I'm so happy for them! They've been dating 4 years and he has a little less than a year left in law school in Macon. After dinner with Stacey at Mori, I met Lindsey and Justin and the fam for a celebration at Loco's.
Lacey Davis Stephens and her husband, Shad.
Brenda, her Mama, and Lindsey
She was so cute telling everyone. I think we yelled "What? Engaged" a couple of times
Goober me, but I really am so happy for her!
Tara (soon to be sister in law) and Jake Purvis
Me and Justin
The bling!
1-9 Another normal Sunday family lunch. We sort of celebrated Kristy's birthday with tacos and chocolate chip cookies. (I'll beat myself up later for eating 2 baby cookies) After lunch, we played with Annyson in the living room at Aunt Susie's. I didn't get her until she was almost ready for a nap so this was a really great pic.
Trying to get her to roll over

Checking out Uncle Jay (Great Pics courtesy of Aunt Susie)

Self Portrait. Love You Kristy! So thankful to have you a part of the family. (She was wearing an old sweater of Uncle Stanley's from his super skinny days. sweet!)

1-10 Is it only Monday? (This post is a little scattered so bear with me.) I started doing a mentor/discipleship type thing with Wendy Tillman this am. We are reading through a few books of the Bible together and delving into their meaning. I couldn't stop crying this am. Good Grief. It had nothing to do with what we read. It's been really hard to be gone from Nashville, I'll just be honest. I miss my friends and was really hoping for a different outcome concerning a certain gentleman. (Y'all can all stop rolling your eyes right here) I just felt like I gave another part of my heart out and it blew up in my face, again. Little did I know God was going to use this and some other things and people to draw me into Him. Let me back up a tiny bit...Yesterday in Sunday School we talked about the older son in the Prodigal son story. Jeff asked which one we related to and why? I knew I related to both on some levels, but definitely the older son now. Not that I blame my upbringing in church or the rules of society, but I grew up thinking if you did x, y, and z you would get a prize. I mean when you do good at your job, you get a promotion or a raise. When you get good grades in school, you get a reward. So it's hard for me to desire to be loved and married so much and not think..."Why not me? Where's my Prince?" I'm doing the things you asked/told me to do. I'm trying to follow your steps, Lord. I told Wendy that my Bible Study meets back again on Wednesday and we are starting a new book called "No Other God" by Kelly Minter. It's about idols. She asked me if I thought marriage had become an idol to me. That flew all over me. Probably bc I knew she was right. It wasn't until Thursday morning, my first quiet time with the book, that I realized I had let this thing that I desired and prayed for control my thoughts and actions. I had a great cry with God that morning and am seeking to change things in my life. Thursday night I talked with my friend Kelly who helped me see the issue with the fella had nothing to do with me. (another one of Satan's attempts at trying to keep me sad and depressed.) Needless to say I woke up feeling amazing on Friday morning and can definitely feel God's presence and LOVE working in me.

On a lighter (haha) note, I starting working out again last week. I went tonight and was oddly surprised at how motivating it could be to run/walk on the treadmill while watching football...even if it was Oregon vs Auburn!

1-11 Typical work day, but ended on a super sweet note when I got to SKYPE with my dear sweet cousin, Whitney! I loved talking to her and Jody. It felt like she was here and not in Oregon. Thanks for making time for me. LOVE!

1-12 A sweet gathering of friends and family for the reveal of the sex of Dan & Amanda's baby.

Amanda and her Mom, Mary
tiny bump
We were all supposed to wear the color of the sex we thought it was. I guess Lee couldn't make up his mind.
The Moorman boys all made sweet signs saying what they thought it was. Ashton guessed boy and Bay and Mills guessed girl.
Here we go...
It's a GIRL!!!!!!!!!


Amanda's Dad, Jim, goes in for a hug.
Dan and Amanda with the soon to be Grandparents.

Amanda and her brother, Matt.

I really had no idea what she was having, but apparently we all somewhat thought boy.
Texting the other friends
Her first girly baby present from Mel.

They are so Proud!!!



So happy!
Note to self: Don't get your eyebrows waxed the same day you KNOW you'll be taking pictures. :) Love Ya Amanda and can't wait to meet Emerson Kate Tillman.

1-13 refer to the Monday post. I did go to the gym tonight and kicked the treadmill's butt! Burned 445 calories in 45 min. I made a goal of trying to lose 5 lbs a month until I hit another minus 50!

1-14 Work= typical busy Friday. Stacey's parents came to town so we had a little Phase 10 smackdown. Guess what? I won!! (Well, I won the first game and lost miserably the second. God knows how to keep me humble. lol)

1-15 I've had a super busy day today. I did chair massage at a business from 9-4. I had my business partner, Lauren, there with me in the am session. I kept thinking this is going by so quickly and this seems so easy. I realized it was a breeze compared to the crazy hard work that I did at the Susan G Komen event in Atlanta in October. (I've already signed up to go back this year!) I decided I deserved a little pampering myself afterwards so I made a trip to get a manicure. (You have to shave your legs the day before not day of to get a pedicure so the salt scrub won't burn so I was out of luck in that department. What? Too much information?) I'm at my office blogging like I promised and then I'm heading to the gym! Tune in next week for...who knows???