I'm Movin' Out!

Dear Readers,

Exciting news, I signed the lease this week to move in to the apartment on North Main Street! Whoop! So as of this weekend I will be living right in the heart of St. Charles and I'm so excited.
It became evident to me, in making this decision, that to say no to this opportunity I would be succumbing to fear and I would actually be missing a really big opportunity to grow. I feel that Christ is using this as a way of exposing me to a lot of new situations and using me in man different ways.

My boyfriend went back to Kentucky for his next semester at school, although he was able to come back last weekend for our friend's wedding.

 

Matt and Maria's wedding was amazing. It made me so proud of them, amazed by God, and excited to be married myself one day. The ceremony was just priceless and perfect and it was a beautiful outdoor wedding. It's really cool to hear from her from their honeymoon and just love how much they love each other. 

On another note, I've just felt rejuvenated this week. To be honest, my faith and steadfastness have been all but depleted lately. I've been desperate in my prayers and almost feeling like giving up on praying at all. However, this past week I prayed in the car that God would just spur Jeffrey to lead me well with how I was feeling and that somehow He would move through him. No less than minutes later he turned to me and shared his heart that we would make the majority of our prayers out of praise. I honestly in that moment felt angry that he would ask me to be thankful, when it felt like there was nothing good to be thankful for. Later that night he went over with me a multitude of things I should be thankful about and it really convicted my heart.

With no surprise, that Sunday we talked about thankfulness a little as well. Brandon, our Lot Family leader, dared us all to use thankfulness in prayer and said there was no doubt in his mind that we would see our hearts change. This just brought it home for me. Ever since then I've been so much more aware of the grace He's given me in the situation and I feel Him moving me more and more, though His word and so many other things. 

Today, hover, a lot of what I learned was put into perspective.  I was driving to Starbucks on my way to work, however I was hating that this was my method for breakfast because I'm trying to cut back spending. When I pulled up to pay for my order the woman and the window said the car in front of me paid for my order, because the person in front of her had just done the same thing! Sweet! I drove away really excited and praising God for thinking of me in my money crunch.

But right and the window came out of perspective I realized that I was already prepared to pay for that meal, and I should have been ready to extend the grace to the car behind me. I realized that we are all so ready to receive grace, but not willing to extend it again. We really love being blessed, but hardly think to bless others in return. 

I thought of this blog, and all of you who say you get something from it. I thought of the sexual healing project my church is doing and how my heart burns to serve those struggling. I thought of the single moms of St. Charles and the homeless. I thought that all of their faces are Jesus and leaper returning to thank him and going out to shout his name. I pray today for all of you to be blessed by this, because I love you all and I do this to serve you. I pray that you will go out from this and bless others because He has first been gracious. 

I pray we don't forget to extend our hands.

Chelsy.