Tuesday, July 27, 2010

So I Take Things a Little Out of Order

June 28 - Ask your husband every morning how you can pray for him that day. Bonus: Fast and pray for him one day this week.


Well this part of the "challenge" isn't very hard for me. Nathan and I have a time of reading/prayer together every morning. We have worked diligently on communication over the last 15 years and I am not afraid to specifically ask Nathan how he needs me to keep him covered in prayer. I also am NOT afraid to ask Nathan to pray for me. There are times I will call him at work JUST to hear his voice and have him pray for/over me.

I am also participating in a FB (facebook) group that is reading a chapter per week from "The Power of a Praying Wife" and discussing it online. I am learning to pray for Nathan in new and poweful ways. It is exciting!!!

So even though it is out of order I am still working on being the wife Nathan needs, wants and deserves. It's NOT too late to join. :-)

In Him,

Janelle

Monday, July 26, 2010

Realizing that God is FOR ME!!!



Lately I have been struggling with feeling unvalued, unloved, unappreciated and untreasured. Realizing just how fragile my heart is and how people will ALWAYS let me down, fail me, despise me and hurt me. This song will touch you. This song will minister to you. This song will set you free from the quicksand of feeling that you must appease people, please them and make sure everyone around you is happy and likes you. Be blessed today...knowing that HE IS FOR YOU!!!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Praying for your enemies

*Unnecessary Disclaimer*-This is MY blog. Yes it is readily available to whomever. No I'm NOT perfect, I'm NOT a saint and I'm NOT always happy, nice or sappy all the time. This is MY blog. If you don't want to be offended, hurt or other random emotion...feel free NOT to read this next post.

So last night I actually had a name to fill in the blank and it happened to be one that was readily familiar. One that had passed over my lips in much other uses most of my life....how sad is that?

Let me not be so naive or foolish to belive that I would be able to have friends, be a friend, keep a friend my entire life.

You call me "self righteous Christian"...you talk about me in quotes. You defame me, call me hurtful names, tell lies about me, TO me and betray me. You have broken your vows to MANY people including me. Trust is severed, confindences broken, hearts shredded. Kindness taken for granted? What do you know about kindness at this point?

You are right about one thing. This IS heartbreaking. All of it.

It isn't wasted time though. I told my daughter today how grateful I was to have had you in my life and I pray that she is able to have a friend such as you for even a brief moment in life. Yes I tell people things. It's called vulnerability, honesty, accountability. My family knows that I've been hurt. They pray for me and with me. Guess what??? My BEST FRIEND sent me flowers today. He loves me UNCONDITIONALLY. I am so blessed to have Nathan. I'm also blessed to have SO many friends in my life, but MOST IMPORTANTLY I'm blessed to have a relationship with Jesus.
You call this a cop-out. I call it security.

I will continue to pray for you. NOT that our relationship be reconciled. I honestly don't want to associate with you anymore, but I am praying for YOU. Bitterness destroys people. Also God's Word speaks to unforgivess. I WANT to be forgiven by my Father, so I MUST forgive you.

I WILL keep praying for you...for how long???? Until I hear your name and I no longer cry, wince, get angry, think bad things, drudge up old memories, belittle myself, cry, cry, cry....That might take until I'm in glory with Jesus. It's ok. Forgiveness is WORTH it!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

A Glorious Evening

Nathan and I were blessed with a once in a lifetime opportunity Saturday night. God is faithful and gracious to love us enough to make a way for things such as this to happen. Our dear friend Barbara blessed us with the joy and privilege to attend the Gaither Vocal Band concert at the Biltmore Estate. The South Terrace makes a wonderful backdrop for any event, but espcially a conert honoring the One who created that view. I cannot begin to describe to you the color of the sky after the lightening storm. I cannot put into words the move of the Spirit amongst His people. I am inadequate to represent the beauty, splendor, majesty, grace and power of that night. All I can say was it was a glimpse of heaven, pure and unadulterated. It was worship in it's finest state. I pray as long as I am able to that I will remember that evening.

Sure there are little details such as Michael English singing for the first time in four months after his surgery. Or the fact that it was the "Reunion Tour" and it was the Gaither Vocal Band at it's finest (minus Guy..tear, tear). Maybe you are interested in knowing that they let Mark Lowry sing "Mary did you Know". Perhaps to some the finest moment would have been hearing Gloria do the narration on "There's Just Something About that Name". I have some favorite moments too...Gordon Mote singing "Don't Let Me Miss the Glory". Michael English weeping in a state of brokeness, dependance and freedom was moving. Bill practically in tears as he sang to his bride of 48 years. It was remarkable, worshipful, moving and I will forever be grateful to have been a part of it.

I will leave you with a lyric from "Let Freedom Ring". David Phelps sang these words that one again pierced my soul "‎God built freedom into every fiber of creation
and He meant for us to all be free and whole. When my Lord bought freedom with the blood of His redemption His cross stamped pardon on my very soul."

Be free today knowing that if Jesus is YOUR LORD that this kind of worship, joy and freedom will be yours for ETERNITY. I look forward to singing His praises with you forever and we won't have to buy a ticket. Christ already reserved our spot with His blood!! Isn't that cool????

In Him,

Janelle

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Rising to the "Challenge"

So I am trying to play catch up on this challenge I am participating in this summer. I didn't discover it until several weeks into the challenge. The first week was simply to announce to my readers I am participating...check.

Week 2 was to post pics of our "dating days" or to tell about them. Well I don't honestly know how to use my scanner. I hope that I will figure it out so I can post some pics later. However, I will tell you about our early dating days.

Nathan and I met in college. We actually were in a piano class together. I'm sure I had seen him but honestly had not paid much attention. He was simply a classmate. To tell the truth I was slightly interested in his best friend Tim Turbyfill. I also was struggling because I was involved in a serious relationship with my high school boyfriend who at the time was a Marine stationed in Okinawa. I had a feeling that Ben was going to propose upon returning from Japan and I wasn't sure that I could or should marry him. Let's just say I was a CONFLICTED teen. Well one night I had returned to the music building LATE to practice or get something out of my locker. Tim, Nathan and their friend Mike were all there in the lobby of the Coulter building. Tim introduced Nathan and me and instantly it was discovered that Nathan knew my brother Philip. Philip had helped with band camp at Erwin High School (Nathan's Alma Mater). I didn't find this extremely odd. Many people know my brother. *(Here's where it gets a little interesting.)* We were in the building VERY close to "closing time". Tim and Mike wanted to go up to the roof of the building and hang out, but we didn't want to risk being discovered so we hid until the building had been secured. Then we snuck up on the roof. There was a great view of campus and we just talked and hung out (the four of us). If I remember correctly I think Mike was practicing up there. Anyway...it was November 4, 1994. A little chilly that night and I didn't have a coat. Nathan let me borrow his coat. I found out later on that this was a very expensive down filled coat and he was pretty protective of it. Hehehehe. I told him about Ben. We laughed, talked and enjoyed ourselves. I spent more time talking to him than to Tim. He offerred to walk me back to my dorm room. I honestly can't remember if I allowed him that pleasure. I just remember it was a pleasant evening. I remained conflicted. Nathan asked me out several times after this evening. I said "NO" firmly yet nicely each time. A few weeks after our rooftop rendevous Nathan's brother Anthony was in an accident and was hospitalized. Nathan was quite distraught and wanted to see his brother but his car was extremely unreliable. So I offered my car to him. He felt badly that I offered so I told him I would take him. I don't want to drag this out so I'll try and condense this...

I met Nathan's parents in the hospital room and Na's dad said "Oh so SHE's the one??? When are you two FINALLY going to go out???". No tact. Like father like son...hahahaha! On the way home I cried most of the way. I was so conflicted. Watching Nathan and his family pray over Anthony...knowing that he had told his family about me. I was touched. Knowing that I wasn't sure what I wanted..it was ALL too much. I was VERY quiet on the way home (which is ODD for me...lol). When we arrived back at WCU Nathan and I sat in the car neither one wanting the evening to end. Against my better judgement and through my conliction I KISSED him. After that evening we were inseperable. We met November 4, 1994. Got engaged on Jan. 20, 1995 and I changed my last name and became his bride on May 20, 1995.

So there you have it...Nathan and Janelle Flint in a nutshell. There are other details that are important to us, but would probably bore you all. Just know that I am SOOOO blessed to have him as my best friend, lover, husband, soul mate, protector, father of my children and encourager.

In Him,

Janelle

So Here's Part of the "Challenge"

I told you that I would be participating in this summer challenge. Yes I started behind (as I do most things in my life), but I am hanging in there ;-). Here's the challenge from July 4th. I had already completed it so I can cross that one off my list...

Courtney's original challenge

Here's my answer


Be blessed today!

Friday, July 2, 2010

Joining the challenge


Joining this challenge. Yes I know I'm late, but I just recently found this site through my friend Alecia. I'm gonna try and catch up on this challenge. It sounds SOOO fun!
Have a blessed 4th weekend.
Janelle