A New Beginning

So here we go! I am not a journal writing person, but I wanted somewhere to express some thoughts so that maybe I will remember where I was and where I am going. I hope this works!

I was raised in a Methodist from birth. I never stopped going to church, but my attendance was on the decline ever since I got married. I stopped going on a regular basis because of my husband. He believed in God, but there was a problem that occurred with the pastor and him that made him uncomfortable to be there. I didn't want to go without him, so I just didn't go... well not very often anyhow. This was hard because I was a Christian and I had been raised in church. I had even gone to Brazil twice on missions trips. I was missing that part of my life so deeply, but I wanted to share it with my husband as we are now a family with our 22month old son. This opportunity came to us in June 2008. It had been offered prior, but we never accepted it and I will forever regret that!

On June 25th, 2008, my step-father Frannie Stetser passed away VERY suddenly. He had an undiagnosed brain aneurysm. We found out the day we collapsed and he passed the very next day. It was so tragic for our family. I am very close to my mom so I had been there when they first told us what had cause Frannie to pass out. As I saw him lying there, my mortality flashed before my eyes. I knew that day that I had to talk to my husband and we had to get back to church. Life was too short and now I saw that tomorrow is never a good day to do anything.... ESPECIALLY to find God. It had to be NOW!

The journey from that day has had it's lows as you could imagine, but it has been exciting too. Through Frannie's death, we found Pitman Church of Christ. This is the very congregation that Frannie worshiped with and helped guide him through his own transformation from sinner to forgiven Christian. The whole church has been there for Tim, my mom, and me since the day Frannie fell ill. They are the the most genuine, kind hearted, caring, devoted, loving Christian's that I have ever met. It was impossible to not be enticed by their light.

It didn't take long for us to figure out God's will for us. Through weekly bible studies, morning worship, personal study and a lot of prayer, Tim, my mom Sandy and I were all baptized into God's family on September 13th, 2008. It has truly been an amazing journey! The picture at the top of the post was taken right after our baptism.

The changes are evident in the three of us and I am blessed to know that my friends are seeing it too. I wish my family would though. Some of them seem critical of the changes instead of being joyful that we are trying to focus our lives on God instead of sin and trying to raise our son the right way. I am still trying to understand why some people can be so negative about such a wonderful thing. I guess Satan is effecting them. Satan hates when people change for the better, but when you join God's family, it is hard to not change. The bible lays out the instructions so perfectly that if you strive to live according to God's Will, you will have to change! The other night someone told me an acronym for BIBLE. I believe it was Dan Cooper. BIBLE means Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. How perfect is that???? It just makes such perfect sense to me!

So now that I have a bunch of random thoughts I guess I should go back to the great instruction manual known as the Bible and find out where I should go with this blog. I am thinking that I want to write out all the new things I am learning so that I don't forget them. I have a few friends who have been asking questions and maybe this will help them....and me! God Bless!!!