To Top It Off!

Did I ever blog about my cake topper?

.... I didn't think so.

In my post about our wedding cake, I likened the cake to salvation. Salvation is sweet! Salvation is amazing! It is the precious blood of Christ which redeemed us from sin! While thinking about our cake topper, I suddenly had a great revelation!

My God did not just give me salvation, but also SO much more!

Think about it. Salvation would have been enough. God Himself, in all His divine glory came down to this earth. He put on flesh, He lived on earth, He endured trials and temptations. He suffered. He was refused and rejected. He died. And He did it all for me....and for you. He gave all that He was to redeem us from our sin. We did not deserve His salvation. We did not deserve His love or grace, or His pardon. We surely did not deserve His sacrifice. Yet He gave it....and then He gave more!!

When we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, He not only comes into our hearts and lives and SAVES us, but then He blesses us, directs us, convicts us, teaches us, strengthens us, comforts us, and enables us to do His will. Talk about icing on the cake!

Galations 5:22 and 23 says that the fruit of the Spirit (meaning, the proof and evidence of having Him in our lives) is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. James 1:5 says that if we lack wisdom, to ask God in faith, and He will give it liberally (meaning, as much as we need!). Wow! All those wonderful gifts given freely by Jesus to those who call upon Him.

In a wedding, there is a cake. It is beautiful and sweet to the taste - like Salvation. But in most weddings, there is also a cake topper; an added touch on the top. It may be flowers, a figurine of the bride and groom, a crystal shape or, like my husband and I, a monogram letter. It is a personal touch to the cake that is already wonderful and perfect! So it is spiritually. Salvation is already there, waiting to be "eaten"....and to top it off, our great King also places a personal, added touch on top! Blessings! Gifts! ....and more!


Ephesians 1:3"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ."

Ephesians 3:20
"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us."

More of Him

This song has been on my heart all day. Grant and I asked our dear friends to sing the following song at our wedding. Written and recorded by Eric and Leslie Ludy, you can listen to and download the song on iTunes.

In a marriage, it is easy to demand that things be all about us. More of "my way," more of "my needs met" and "my likes." But in reality, for a marriage to flourish and thrive, it should be ALL about more of Jesus.... in life, and in marriage.

I stand before you nowWith a sacred vow
To love you for a lifetime
To give all my heartBut there's One who's there
Where my love will fail
And He is all that I'm not

So now I must decrease
Usher His full glory in
May there be less of me and more of Him

When you see me
May you see reflections
Of One who's perfection won't end
When you hold me
May you feel the touch of
The One who loves much more
Than I can comprehend
When you fall more in love with me
May you fall more in love with Him


As the years go by
May I always try
To draw you closer to your one true destinyMy love for you is great
But it's just a taste
Of what's waiting in eternity

So now I must decrease
Usher His full glory in
May there be less of me and more of Him

When you see me
May you see reflections
Of One who's perfection won't end
When you hold me
May you feel the touch of
The One who loves much more
Than I can comprehend
When you fall more in love with me
May you fall more in love with Him

I Promise To Be There... Occasionally.

My sister had a great status on Facebook this morning that convicted me, challenged me, and inspired me. I'll share it with you:

Does a wife have to write down when to talk, spend time or show love towards her husband on her calender? Does she talk to him just one time a week IF she feels ok? NO! Then we as Christians should NOT do the same to God. We are the Bride of Christ therefore HE is our husband. We should delight ourselves in Him. Lets not cheat on HIM with our pillow, FB etc or even OUR time. He wants to spend time with us.

How true that is! As a newlywed, I understand it in a new light. I would never even think of arranging time on my calendar to "fit" my husband in my life when it is convenient for me. I would never cheat on Him in any way with any one! I would never ignore him throughout the week and save the sweet looks, praising words, and gentle touches for one day of the week. I would never act like I wasn't married when around friends, family, or strangers. How could I?? I have given my all to him and have promised to be faithful and true forever. I LOVE being married and I love spending time with my husband. While he is at work, I spend the day making the house and home acceptable to him; cozy, clean, comfortable. When 5 o'clock rolls around, I'm watching the window, excited about seeing him after a day's work. I work to make it quite clear that I am married; I am taken; I belong to someone.  Why would a wife act differently??

But my sister had a point. Too often we, as spiritual brides and wives, do exactly that! We ignore our Prince throughout the week. We go to work, go to school, go to parties, clubs, the bar, and then pop in Church Sunday morning and put on a grand show. We tote our Bible into Sunday School and read His love letter to us, without being moved or affected...much less changed. We sing the hymns, nod our heads during the sermon, then go home. And as we reach our house, the Bible is put back on the shelf where it will remain for the rest of the week. We do not pray (unless we need something). And we assume that our Groom is satisfied and pleased with our "time."  God, forgive us. We cheat on Him. We are unfaithful to our God, putting everything in the world above Him. We will sleep late and skip Church, we will read books and magazines more than our Bibles. We will spend more time watching TV, surfing the internet, or out with friends than in the presence of God, praying. We use our talents and gifts to glorify ourselves instead of glorifying Christ and leading others to Him. When we asked Him to save us and come into our lives, we relinquished our rights. We gave Him all. And quite often, we take it back later. When we want our way, instead of His, we break our promise to serve Him, obey Him, follow Him, and love Him. We do what is convenient for us, instead of what is commanded of us.

We have made it too easy to forget and ignore our Bridegroom. We don't want Him "in the way" of our activities and plans, because...well, let's face it, He may not like them. Yet, we claim to be His servants, His children, His BRIDE.

I am guilty, too, of not giving my Heavenly Love as much time as my earthly love. I am guilty of being more excited to see my husband, than spending time in the presence of my King.

So it is time to change. It is time to re-evaluate. It is time to repent.

If you are human, like me, then you are probably in the same shoes as I am. So join me in giving Jesus, our Heavenly and Mighty Prince, our ALL...every day, every hour, every moment.

Revelation 19:7 -
"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready."

Eternally Newlyweds

Can I just say right now that I loooooooooove being married?

Can I say that? Good. Thank you. ;)My hubby and I have been married for a grand total of 95 days! ....(which, sadly, is a record these days)

We are still newlyweds. *bats eyes*

Actually, Grant and I have both made a decision that we will work to have the "honeymoon" feeling for the rest of our lives. We want to always be so totally in love that, 20 years from now, people will think we are just newly married. Tomorrow, we want to be more in love with each other than we are today. It takes work. It takes effort. There have been days when we have grown lazy. But all in all, I have to say that we feel more blessed, more excited, more passionate, and more in love today than on our honeymoon. So far, so good!

You know, as a bride and as a wife, I want to feel like a newlywed for the rest of my life. But here is a thought: Should we not feel the same way about our Heavenly Husband? Think about it. Go back in time. When you first asked Jesus to come into your heart and life and change you, make you whole, make you new, and SAVE you, didn't you feel just wonderful?! :) Didn't you feel light and happy and completely at peace? Didn't you feel like you could walk on air? Didn't you want to shout, laugh, and cry all at the same time? You were COMPLETELY in love! You were a spiritual newlywed. :) Why is it that we lose that newlywed feeling towards our Love? Why do we get lazy in our attempt to fall more and more in love with Christ? Why are we slack? Why are we selfish and indifferent? Why do we act so deeply amazed by Him when we walk in Church, but then leave and ignore Him the rest of the week? Or call to Him when we are in trouble? Is that the reason we "married" our Heavenly Prince? Would any wife marry her husband only to give him attention one day a week? Call him only when she needs help changing a flat tire?

It is a profound thought. A convicting one.

As a wife, I adore my husband! Though he is human, I look at him as my Prince and my Knight. I want to be with him all the time. I watch the window and run and fix my hair as 5 o'clock rolls around each evening, when I know he is about to come home from work. I want his thoughts and opinions about everything. I want his approval. I want him pleased. So why are we not the same (and more!) with the King of Kings? Why do we not want to be in His presence every moment of every day? Why do we not anxiously and excitedly long for Him to come to us? Why do we not rid ourselves of the spiritual stench and sloppiness in our lives for Him? Why do we not seek Him in our every decision? Why do we ignore His commandments and standards and rules for our living? Why do we not care about pleasing Him?

I would have to say that we, as spiritual brides, are pretty rotten wives sometimes. We need to get our perspective corrected and work a bit harder. I don't know about you, but I want my relationship with my Heavenly Love to be MORE blissful and amazing every day. I want to be eternally newlyweds with my Jesus! Just as I long and work to keep the passion alive with my husband, I should work harder and long more strongly to keep the Heavenly Honeymoon spirit alive and well in my relationship with Christ.

....it's something to think about.


John 15:9 -
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

Song of Solomon 8:6a, 7a -
Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death...Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it:...

Jeremiah 31:3 -
The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Pamela's Prayer

If you have never seen the inspirational movie, Pamela's Prayer, than you are definitely missing out! My parents discovered this movie several years ago and it was such an encouragement to me in my commitment to chaste living.

This is the trailer of a great and powerful movie that promotes purity and saving everything for marriage. Based on the true story of Pamela Bucklin, it is about a girl who obeys her earthly and heavenly father, and who pursues righteous and pure living....including saving her first kiss for her wedding day. Check it out and be inspired!

Man WANTED!!

One of my dear friends wrote the following years ago and I love it! Let it be an encouragement for all you single ladies out there to 1) make your standards Godly, 2) set your standards high, and 3) trust your future with our God, the King.

Man Wanted: Must be sensitive, honest, understanding, and caring. Must have good relationship with the Lord and be of high moral character. Must be strong for carrying overloaded luggage and must be brave in order to provide protection from bugs and rodents. Must have a working knowledge of the art of giving compliments and must know a good place to buy flowers. Most importantly, must possess large amounts of love to be given freely and often.

"Sometimes my friends ask me how I found a wonderful guy like you.
I tell them I placed a want ad with God."
(Courtesy of Rachelle Wardell)

Warrior Bride

I am SUCH a girly girl. I will admit it.

I adore bubble baths, candles, fluffy pillows, weddings, flowers, and chocolate; I love shoes, old films, dresses and, the tell-tale sign of any girly girl - the color pink. I love being a girl, being a bride, and being a wife. Books, movies, music, letters, or a hug can move me to tears at the drop of a hat.

But I am also tough. I can roll up my sleeves and get dirty. I can fight for justice and I want to defend the weak. I'm a girl, but I can wage war.  ....and that is as it should be.

The Bible says that we, as Christians, are at war. This world is not a peaceful place, especially for a Child of the King. We are constantly battling Satan and his demons as we wrestle and push and fight to live out the Christian life in a world consumed with the lust of the flesh. We are continually at war with our own flesh, fighting to put it to death every moment of every day. And it is hard.

But we must FIGHT!! The Bible tells us, as Christians, to put on His heavenly armor and go to war with sin and self.

Ephesians 6:10-17
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

1 Timothy 6:12
"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses."

As a bride, we fight a lot of things. Stress, fatigue, distraction, irritability, and the occasional overwhelming urge to scream! With all the decisions to make, people to inform and direct, the things to buy, it is hard to keep our cool and remain calm, composed, and graceful. As Christians, it is much the same. We fight Satan and all the fruits of the darkness and of this world. It is hard to die and let Jesus live our lives through us. It is hard to remain kind, loving, longsuffering, patient, gentle, and meek. That is the war we are in! And, believe me, it is an intense war!

So, my words to you (and myself as well).......

BE WARRIOR BRIDES!!