He leads me in paths of righteousness....

"He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake." Psalm 23:3

Let me start out by saying that this post is meant to be an encouragement. So hang through the dreariness with me for a minute. 

This week has been nothing short of a refining week so far. And it's only Wednesday. I have dealt with 2 intense rejections this week. Neither that I will elaborate on. Both were situations that I genuinely believed that the Lord had brought me to. Yet both situations brought great pain and hurt and questions without answers (at least as clearly as I wanted them). Before dealing with the first situation I was spending a lot of time in prayer and asking the Lord for strength and boldness in what I knew I had to do. In the midst of that, I ended up in Psalm 23 where verse 3 brought about a whole new meaning to what was about to take place in my life and a question that I had to answer: Am I willing to sacrifice things in my life for HIS glory above my own happiness? This sacrifice, I learned, is a lot deeper than what we easily say yes to sacrifice. This sacrifice is giving up things that had grown to mean so much to me. It was trusting what I KNOW to be true of the Lord over what I FELT to be true. Although in the middle of what I believed to be what God had called me to I felt so much pain, I had to choose to KNOW that my God was and is good and he does good things. And in the midst of the rejection just sure as my God was there to begin the healing and comfort and with the promise that he was leading me down this path of righteousness, the enemy was there too, ready with lies. Lies about what this meant. Lies that he has used from the very beginning with Eve: that somehow God is withholding his best for me and asking did God REALLY tell you to do this. But praise the Lord, by His grace and truth that is rooted in my heart, the battle quickly began with the knowledge and truth of His word. 

God has been so gracious to me and with me. To show me things about myself and as humans in general. To speak firm truth, yet remind me of his unfailing and unchanging love. To remind me that it is ok to hurt, but that he came to heal and he did not bring me down this path of righteousness to wallow in my hurt and rejection, but to be my best for His glory. To quote Oswald Chambers, 

"God always ignores the present perfection for the ultimate perfection. He is not concerned about making you blessed and happy just now; He is working out His ultimate perfection ALL the time -- that they may be one even as We are."

One of the reasons I think that I love Psalm 23 so much is the analogy of a sheep and a shepherd and how with any bit of research you will quickly learn that sheep are some of, if not THE, dumbest animals on the planet. If left to their own, their lives quickly turn to ruin. So even though there are decisions in my life that I have made that seem good, I am a sheep making decisions with limited view. But I have a shepherd who sees all and knows all and wants to guide me towards my best. In paths of righteousness FOR HIS NAME'S SAKE. Not for my names sake, but for his fame and his glory. So my prayer is that my faith in the character of God and who I KNOW he is will continue to lead me in path's of righteousness. No matter what the cost to me. 

Keeping in the routine...

So just in keeping with the routine of posting once a week... here is a post. :)


It's a lazy day here for me in Memphis. Kind of. I finally cleaned out my car. I decided it was time when the kiddos I keep told me that it was dirty. I also then asked if they wanted to help me clean it and they joyously said YEEEEEAH. No wonder Jesus talks about us being like children in some ways. Such a willingness to serve without trying to.


Anywho.... since being back from the break I have felt so renewed. God is really doing a whole lot right now in my life. I'll update more on that sometime as things develop. Made my debut in the Commercial Appeal this week with my last name as Hammons and the lie that I coach the kids I mentor in basketball. I actually coach them in life and jump roping and the joys of playing with a white girl's hair. Which is just proves my daddy right when he said you can't believe anything you read. Ok maybe not anything, but I would say you can only believe half. Got the first name right, but the last name wrong, and I do help the kids with homework, but I don't coach them in basketball. Anyway, here are the links if you would like to check them out, get them laminated, and hang on your refrigerator. I'll sign them if you want.


That's all for now.


Every day is 'Thank Your Mentor Day' at Grizzlies


Children Write Notes

Freedom in Promise

Just taking this Sunday afternoon to do some reading. I have developed this habit of ordering books and letting them stack up on my shelf. So I'm trying to be diligent to read well. This afternoon I have picked back up in reading Tim Keller's The Meaning of Marriage. To clear things up, no I'm not getting married. The book was actually put together from bible studies Keller shared, mostly with singles, in his New York church. I think this book is great for all relationship statuses - from "so single" (whatever that means) to happily married for however many years. From a "so single" perspective, it's so great to get out from under this fictional selfish idea that we can have of marriage and see the idea of the sacrificial covenant that it is. Tim Keller gives a PHENOMENAL description on biblical marriage. Anyway, the thing that made me put the book down for a second to write this blog was the chapter on the essence of marriage, specifically the section on "The Freedom of Promising". Here is the quote from the book that is a quote from Lewis Smedes:

When I make a promise, I bear witness that my future with you is not locked into a bionic beam by which I was stuck with the fateful combinations of X's and Y's in the hand I was dealt out of my parents' genetic deck. When I make a promise, I testify that I was not routed along some unalterable itinerary by the psychic conditioning visited on my by my slightly wacky parents. When I make a promise, I declare that my future with people who depend on me is not predetermined by the mixed-up culture of my tender years. I am not fated, I am not determined, I am not a lump of human dough whipped into shape by the contingent reinforcement and aversive conditioning of my past. I know as well as the next person that I cannot create my life de novo; I am well aware that much of what I am and what I do is a gift or a curse from my past. But when I make a promise to anyone, I rise above all the conditioning that limits me. No German shepherd ever promised to be there with me. No home computer ever promised to be loyal help....Only a person can make a promise. And when he does, he is most free. (p. 93-95)

I just loved that. There is freedom in sticking to your promises. No matter what the condition may be after the promise. This is so true in the context of marriage (I'm sure.), but I also know that it is so true in my every day life. It makes me think through how many times I have made promises to people that I have not kept. How many times have my promises been broken because when it came time to fulfill those promises I didn't quite feel like it? It all seems to point back to a recurring theme in my life right now - what I know has to trump how I feel. I KNOW there is freedom in being a woman of my word, and that it is a delight to the Lord (Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 23:21-23).

Such a wonderful book! Tim Keller - The Meaning of Marriage. I would definitely recommend it if you are so single, kind of single, barely single, "talking", first dating, dating, seriously dating, almost engaged, engaged, almost married, newly married, happily married, unhappily married, SO married etc. etc. :)

Enjoy Sunday!

"Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!" Psalm 105:4

 

 

Things I've learned since moving to the city....

Here are just a few things I have learned since moving to Memphis in August in no particular order....

1. Mathiston made Starkville look like a city, but it is in fact not. Memphis is a city. Conversations of where I'm from usually go like this:

"I'm from a tiny town in Mississippi you've probably never heard of called Mathiston."
"Madison?"
"No MaTHISton"
"Oh, never heard of it." (I already said that)

2. Great driving skills:

In order to not get your feelings hurt when someone honks at you, just honk back. Seriously. It works.


3. Target's great, but it's not THAT great.

4. Thrift stores ARE great.

5. It seems the goal for some people is to go in every store they like/school their kid attends/sport their child plays and ask if they have a sticker they can put on the back of their car.

6. I am now immune to the sounds of sirens. In Mathiston that's a MOMENT because you likely know where they're going and will hear within a few minutes of what's happened.

"Call Joe and see if he heard on the scanner where the fire trucks are going." Normal post-siren comment in the Hudson household.

7. Sometimes..ok almost always.. Walmart is just not worth the drive. KROGER PLUS CARD MEMBERS UNITE.


So these are just a few of the things I'm learning here. I absolutely LOVE living in Memphis. I am beyond thankful for the community I have here. God has been so great and is constantly showing me his grace and mercy in my life. I do not know how long I will be here, but I already know that this year in Memphis will be monumental in my walk with Christ as I continue to grow in my time here.

500th Times a Charm Right?

Ok. For real this time. I'm going to be a faithful blogger.

Sometimes I read things and want to share them, but their too long for Twitter and I try to let that also be my standard for Facebook statuses as well. Don't want to get out of hand and clog some newsfeed.

Anyway. I've been reading (I won't tell you how long) When People are Big and God is Small and just wanted to share a quick exert from what I read last night. The chapter is talking about Growing in the Fear of the Lord and this specific section was talking about growing in the fear of the Lord by looking at God's wrath. Here is a quick link from Tim Keller on what it means to "fear" God. Now to what I read:

We have been rescued from deadly peril and endless pain. But as we get farther from the day we were rescued, do we remember what we were saved from? Do we remember that we should have been crushed by God's wrath? Do we realize that, from our perspective, the cross is the greatest injustice that there will ever be: The Perfect One crushed in the place of sinners? And do we remember that there will be a divine judgement when God's wrath will be revealed (Rom. 2:5)? Hell teaches us about the fear of the Lord.

Mmmmm. That's so good. As we have been going through the Old Testament in Downline this semester I am reminded that one of the greatest things I can learn from the Israelites is my constant need to remember what the Lord has saved me from, and to let that drive me to fear the Lord and know that when I learn to fear the God of ALL, all of my others fears (no matter what they may be) vanish.

"I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of  your hands. I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land."   Psalm 143:5-6

Christa

I am Casey Anthony.

July 5th. Two thousand and eleven. A date that will live in infamy. Ok, so maybe it wasn't as devestating as Pearl Harbor, but I will remember that date for a very long time. Mainly because of the stark contrast between that day and the day before it. July 4th the mood was: Yay we love America. July 5th. America stinks. This was the day that Casey Anthony was aquitted of murdering her daughter. Now let me just give you a little background and let you know that I began watching the case on Day 6. I watched it every single day that I could. I became very knowlegable in the judicial system. So much so, my mom was convinced that I could be a lawyer from watching the trial (She truly is my biggest fan. She would cheer me on if I told her I wanted to win the Super Bowl in tennis.) I digress. Anyway, as I watched the trial I, like so many other Americans, was sure that Casey Anthony was guilty of killing her daughter. I was not sure that it was pre-meditated and all of that, but she had something to do with her daughter's disappearance and murder. I, in all of my knowledge and education, just knew that she was going to prison for a very long time. She was SO guilty. Then here comes July 5th. I remember watching and waiting for the verdict. I was ridiculously and unexpectedly so nervous. I'm not really sure why. I remember when they said not guilty of 1st degree murder thinking that she had DEFINITELY gotten manslaughter. Wrong. I was so shocked and just really disgusted as I watched her and her team of lawyers overjoyed at the verdict. I honestly could not watch it. I quickly just tried to forget about it, although this was such a huge deal and it was everywhere. I tried to remember that no matter what I thought this was not the most important judgement day of Casey Anthony's life, and no matter what she had done I needed to pray that the Lord would see fit to have mercy on her and open her eyes to His free gift of grace had she not already received it, because if you understand Hell you understand that we all deserve it and that you would wish it on no one. Which leads to my next point.

It wasn't until a few weeks later, that the Lord really showed me something so great and enlightening in my negative thinking about the verdict: I am Casey Anthony. Casey was put on trial for murdering her daughter. I believe that anyone that has watched any bit of it can agree that she had something to do with it. But she was aquitted. She was found not guilty of murdering her daughter and did not have to pay the price for the murder that I assume she did. So here is where I come in. I am guilty. Everyday of my life I am guilty of sinning against a righteous and holy God. But in my case there is PLENTY of evidence to convict me. Yet because I have accepted the gift of God sending his only son to die for MY sin I am counted as not guilty. I get off free. The punishment for my sin has already been paid and I stand forgiven and debt free. And let me just clarify that I had to accept this gift. It is not my default option and it was not enough for me to just have knowledge of the gift. Just as when anyone offers you a gift, it is not yours until you take it. I am sure we have all bought gifts for someone and they ended up just sitting around our house for a long time. We had a gift for that person, but they had not yet received it. In the same way, we must receive the gift that God has offered us through His Son. And that's more than just some bible school prayer or a sobbing walk down the aisle. It is a gift that leads to repentance and a life change. A gift that continues to give and I grow more and more in seeing my previous state as a totally convictable sinner, enemy against God, but was redeemed from punishment by the blood of Christ.

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew now sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Cor. 5:21

Done.
Christa

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July to everyone!! As irritated as I can be with our society and culture sometimes, I am ever so grateful for the freedom that I have in this country. My prayer for myself and my other brothers and sisters in this country is that we will not take our freedom for granted in the area of boldly proclaiming the hope that we have in Christ. On the day when I celebrate the freedom I have living in this country, I can not help but be reminded of brothers and sisters in other countries that daily risk their lives to share their hope with others. So happy Independence day! Let the reminder of this freedom many of us have urge us to not be content to sit on our freedom, but that we will go about "proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance." (Acts 28:31)