Royal Inheritance...

I love to meditate and ponder the fact that I have a royal inheritance because of Jesus Christ. What a wonderful and glorious thought. Believers are ingrafted into a royal lineage. Think about it. Picture it in your mind's eye. Jesus constantly crowns us with His victory and lavish love. He cloaks us in his most worthy and costly blood. My favorite thing about this royal inheritance is that Satan cannot penetrate or corrupt it. It is completely untouchable; protected and saved for us when we get to heaven. We can also live in this inheritace on the earth. We can make a choice to look intently and to claim this inheritance given by God.

Take heart, if you are going through a season of uncertainty, trust and confidently believe that you can walk in the inheritance God has prepared for you--even now. Don't allow the devil to plant doubt, fear, anxiety, or shame in you. Those are poisonous to the work and will of God for you. Remember, you are His most glorious possession; His most prized creation. He delights greatly in who you are at this very second. He knows exactly where you are and what yuor situation is. Trust in His provision. Receive His rest. Fully expect good things to be born out of uncertain times. He is the God who never fails and is never late. He is more than enough. Allow your heart to feast on all of Who He is.

"But YOU are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God's] own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light." - I Peter 2:9

Servant Stature...

One thing I constantly pray for is that I will always be a servant-hearted disciple. I hope to live in a low estimation of myself so that I can be fit to serve those who are around me. Christ calls me to humility, not pride and a puffed up spirit. I pray that I will be a person who extends a hand up to those in need. I ask the Lord often to give me servant stature just like Jesus did. My favorite story of Jesus is out of John 13 when He washed the feet of His disciples. In my opinion, this story illustrates the true stature of a servant like no other story in the New Testament, other than Jesus on the cross. That is servant stature in its most glorious form. What does a true, gospel-formed servant look like? I believe a servant is someone who relentlessly pours themselves out for the benefit and growth of others in their sphere of influence. I believe it is a peron who walks blamelessly in excellence, but also realizes that mistakes make them authentic tools of God's redemptive power. I believe a servant is someone who walks alongside someone else and assists them in knowing the Way of Christ, no matter how it comes across to those who don't know Jesus; a person who isn't afraid of living against the current of this self-infused world.

I have had too many examples of servants to even begin to list them all here. Do you have men and women in your life who model gospel-formed servant stature? I sure hope so. I am blessed to be surrounded by people who day in and day out choose to deny themselves and yield their lives to the call of the cross. For that, I am extremely thankful.

"Jesus got up from supper, took off His garments, and taking a [servant's] towel, He fastened it around His waist. Then He poured water into a washbasin and began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with the servant's towel." - John 13:4-5

Passion and Purity...

I began a book this week that I have heard wonderful things about. I am reading Elsabeth Elliot's Passion & Purity. So far it is great, but I'm only into the introduction. There is nothing I desire more than purity. I want a pure and fully surrendered heart before the Lord. Josh Harris wrote the forward and I have read his book Boy Meets Girl which chronicles his romance with his wife Shannon. It was excellent. In case you are new to this blog, I will say it again, I LOVE to read. I am really excited to be sharpened by the wisdom and grace of the contents of this particular book. Every review I've read is just glowing. I'll let you know more when I am deeper into the story.

Passion and purity. These two words have lost so much meaning in our present-day society and culture. In the world we live in, love is cheap. Love means jumping into bed with someone of the opposite sex. I do not condone this, but I am called to love those who participate. Let me just say that I think passion and purity have totally different meanings. Last night I read a thought that I adored. She pointed out that, "It is possible to love passionately and stay out of bed." I believe with all my heart that that statement is true. To be honest, I don't want to be part of a romance that is not one hundred percent under the leadership and complete control and authority of Jesus Christ. I just think there are so many rich and glorious things God can teach me if I give him complete reign in the areas of dating, courtship, and relationships in general. I have never been one to date very often, I have only been on one actual date and the result of that date was a huge stain of cherry snowcone juice right down the middle of my shirt. Not a pleaseant picture. And another great guy called me once to come over and have dinner, but I declined because I had to go to a wedding of a dear friend. So, my dating history is almost non-existent. I truly believe with all my heart that God is preparing and equipping me and my future mate for His perfect time and season to manifest this most cherished desire of my heart.

One thought that I learned from Josh Harris is how I treat men in my life. He pointed out that they too, most likely will become a mate for someone--if not me, than someone else. I love that. It teaches me to respect and admire and to love them in a godly, gentle, and humble manner. Having that mental image of the men in my life being a spouse someday really helps me gauge how to appropriately honor and treat them. This brings up another issue. I want to love intelligently and in a way that honors and blesses the Lord. I constantly ask the Lord that I will be a woman who loves well. I want to use my head and to be led in wisdom as I love. I want to be a student of Scripture so that I can love fully, but also love in a way that honors God's Word. Another thing I do daily, honestly, many times a day is pray for my future mate and his family. I pray over his dreams, ambitions, his character, and his good in the heavenly places. There is so much more that I pray for, but those are the major things. It truly is a blesssing to put it entirely in God's hands. It brings so much peace. As I wait, I try to deepen my relationship with the Lover of my Soul.

Waiting Time...

Honestly, I don't like to wait very much. Throughout recent years though, the Lord has taught me just how valuable these times are. Seasons of waiting are part of the journey. In fact, we spend more of our life waiting than we do receiving from the Lord. God is teaching me patience, but I have to say that I still have a long way to go. Truly, seasons of waiting produce so much character and perseverance in a disciple. Waiting really tests how much we want something and it also shows how hard we are willing to work for it. God uses these times to weed out the excess in our spiritis and chisels away at any unneeded character traits. That is the hard part--sitting on the Potter's Wheel as He remakes, repurposes, and restores us as His vesels. A lot of his people come to Him in brokenness and that is exactly how He wants it because brokenness ushers in complete humility. When we are broken, we are at a stage where He can really use what we bring to Him in a way that is totally His and not hyped up on the way we want things to run in our lives. Brokenness gives the Lord a chance to fill us with His power and His life and light.

There are two things we can do during the time God tells us to wait. We can either be victorious and excellent and believe that He is performing a work that will make us better and more prepared and equipped for what we want, or, we can complain and whine and make ourselves, and God miserable. Personally, I choose the first option. God rewards proper waiting attitudes. He sees our hearts and knows our motives and how we wait. The Lord wants to make us stronger, more beautiful, and more into the image of His Son. Periods of waiting are meant to accomplish this goal. So, how do you wait on what you desire the Lord to bring to pass in your life? Do you walk excellently or do you say, "Are we there yet?" or "God, please hurry up already!" I confess that I've been there. I've done that. It dosen't profit me anything to complain. I want a believing, receptive, and expectant spirit so that God can teach and mold and grow who I am.

"Patience is not the ability to wait, it is keeping a good, godly attitude while waiting." - Joyce Meyer

"Humilility says, "God knows best, and will never be late!" - Joyce Meyer

"Lord, I want Your will, in Your timing. I do not want to be ahead of You nor do I want to be behind You. Help me, Father, to wait patiently on You. - Joyce Meyer

A Spoonful of Wisdom...

God is teaching me how important godly, humble, hard-to-swallow wisdom is in life. I desire earnestly to be a wise woman. I have combed the Scripture and I have seen the fruits that true wisdom can bring to life as a disciple, plus good old common sense. Wisdom is often overlooked by many in our society. The American way is excess. God dosen't particularly enjoy excess. There have been times in my life where I have made choices and I have moved ahead of God. In fact, one of those times occurred this week. I hate when I do that. Wisdom teaches to go step-by step with the Lord with our hands in His as He leads and pioneers our path first into something new and exciting. Wisdom employs quiet giftedness. The more gifted we are in an area, the quiter we should be as we carry out the fruit of the gift. I love that thought.

Wisdom also has a lot to do with maturity. Mature men and women know how to walk in wise, God-ordained paths. They weigh their words and their lives. They don't get one step ahead or behind God. They are right at His pace. They know when to speak and when to listen. They know how much of themselves to share. I want desperately to be that person. I am learning. Sometimes it is great, but sometimes God uses wisdom as a speed bump to make sure we are walking in godliness, purity, and His timing. God's speedbumps hurt. But, they produce much needed lessons that help develop thicker and more mature spiritual skin. Wisdom is very beneficial in more ways than one. I do not ever ever want to be wise in my own estimation. That is very very dangerous. It leads to pride and a puffed up spirit. God abhors that. I want to stay far far away from it at all costs. Pride is the devil's playground. He capititalizes on pride and it only brings misery.

"Do not be wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn [entirely] away from evil." - Proverbs 3:7

Choose Your Thoughts...

I have been doing a study on the mind and I have to say that God has really opened my eyes and has shown me how emphatically important it is to have a healthy, sound, victorious mind. Did you know that we can choose our thoughts? This realization has brought me such joy and delight. I have recently finished Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer. I highly, highly recommend it. I am now in the process of going back through and making notes using the many sentences I underlined. My pen was very tired at the end. I'm sure it was throwing a party along with all of the other office supplies I own. Seriously, there was so much in this book that needs to be learned. I feel as though I am still learining and growing from the contents of this powerful book.

"The more time a person spends meditating on the Word, the more he will reap from the Word." - Joyce Meyer (Battlefield of the Mind, p.63)

Paul tells us that if we want to be governed to enjoy God's goodness, we must not be governed and given over to our flesh and worldly desires craved by our carnal, sensual nature (Meyer, 63)

I don't know about you but I want to be totally governed and consumed by the Holy Spirit and His thoughts. I want to be consumed with thoughts that are victorious, productive, encouraging, and edifying. I want to give Satan hell and I want my life to make him really really mad. I want to repel him at every chance that presents itself. I want him to shrink in the Light of Who God is in me. There is a definite war being waged in the heavenlies for our bodies, souls, and spirits. Satan wants to mak us his property. Thankfully Jesus has already obtained the victory upon the cross and through His ressurection. He has cancelled our debt and endowed us with his royal and cleansing blood.

"For the weapons of our warefare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds. Inasmuch as we refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Jesus Christ." - II Corinthians 10:4-5

Choose your thoughts and the things you fill your mind with very carefully. What you think is what you become. Whatever flows out of the heart is what is spoken and believed. (Taken from Proverbs 4:20)

Weekend Report...

My Pa and I before heading back to Abilene

This weekend the entire Cunningham/Glover side of the family gathered in Marlin to celbrate my Pa's 75th birthday. It was so much fun. We had his party at a very popular resturant called The Chicken Place. It is a glorified Chicken Express but they have a nice big room that accomodates our entire family. Laura made his cake and it was adorable. It was such a fun surprise for my Pa. I had such a great time making that memory. I just adore any occasion celebrating the blessing of family. Family is a huge part of who I am and it is so very important to me. Grant and Laura rode down with us so it was really fun getting to spend time talking with them and spending that time together.

Pa's birthday cake courtesy of Laura Cunningham, cake designer and decorator extordinaire

Everyone raved about the cake. I really think that sister of mine has a gift for making cakes. She also really enjoys and is passionate about it. She is thinking about doing it on the side while Grant is in law school, in addition to teaching. I love all of the little details.

We had fun this weekend. I hope you all have someone in your life that you can take the time to celebrate and love on. It truly is a gift.

Kindred Community...

There is something so special about having a group of people in life to share experiences, ideas, dreams, and prayers. I am blessed beyond what I deserve in the community that surrounds me. It is such a cherished part of my heart that I like to call this group my kindred community. I don't think it matters to God how many people surround us in life, but it matters immeasurably the quality of people we choose to surround us. My kindred community is big. But there are four specific members that I am thinking of especially today with a thankful heart. Three of the members are best friends. These are guys who are incredibly authentic disciples of Jesus Christ. I don't know what I have done to deserve such great friends and brothers in Christ. They are all gifts of grace that I truly treasure. K has taught me what a true and authentic worshipper and servant looks like in spirit and heart. B has taught me how to love others selflessly. J has shown me a devotion to people and to the Lord that is unmatched. These three men are incredible men of God who passionately and fervently pursue His heart. I am so grateful for their places in my life.

The fourth person who I am thinking of and thanking God for today is my precious and dear friend Kirsta. Her life is such a true-to-life picture of godliness and humble excellence. She has taught me to many lessons to pick just one. Kirsta has taught me to relentlessly pursue the Lord's character so that it may become mine. She has shown me how gentle and true wisdom are meant to guide and protect me. She is such an unbelievable woman of God and I am blessed to have her influence and love in my life of discipleship.

Kindred community is such a rare and precious gift that is to be cared for and maintained with gratitude, I believe. I can't tell how many times I have been on my knees praising God for this unmerited blessing. I am a better disciple and lover of Jesus because of all of these most precious people.

My Pa's Birthday...

Today, March 18th, is always a special day in my heart. Why, you may ask? Well, the reason is because it is a day of celebration in honor of my Pa's birthday. March 18, 2009 is made extra special because he turns 75. I ADORE my precious grandparents. They are two of the most authentic and generous people I have ever met. These are my Daddy's parents, so you also get a peak at why they are so cherished to me, because my Daddy is so precious to me. My Pa and I have always had such a wonderful and blessed relationship. It is one of the most cherished relationships in my life, for sure. His nickname for me is "Little Angel" and I'm not sure if that is true :) I have loved being so loved on and blessed by my sweet grandparents.

Another interst and love that my Pa and I share is Baylor Women's Basketball. You all know what a loyal and devoted sports fan I am. Now, I'm not as familiar with all of the Baylor women's names, but you can ask my Pa every one of their names and he can spout them off. It's fun to watch him be so excited. My Nana is absolutely hilarious to watch as she takes in a Baylor basketball game. I love when she gets so excited she starts screaming and hooting and hollering! It is such a blast!

The thing I am most thankful for though is the faith heritage of my Nana and Pa. It is such a rich blessing to watch them love and depend on Jesus. I am one blessed young woman.

The Letter...

On Friday, Grant received the letter he has been waiting for for months. This letter held a lot of weight. It held the answer to where Grant and his wife Laura would live for the next three years and start the next phase of their lives. It was a great day of celebration for the Cunningham clan. He got accepted into Texas Tech Law School. I am so excited for this future lawyer. The really fun part about this story is that our family and close friends have been lifting Grant and Laura and this desire of his heart before the Lord as well as the delivery to take place on his birthday. The birthday was on March 12th and the acceptance came on March 13th. Tech was Grant's first choice, so we are all overjoyed that the Lord answered our prayers on his behalf. Sunday night we had a fun family 24th birthday-law-school -acceptance celebration to honor Grant. The above picture is of he and I at that fun occasion. Our closest family friends as well as my grandparents were there. It was such a joy to celebrate this milestone. Grant and Laura are taking a survey trip to Lubbock soon. I can't wait to possibly attend some fun Tech sporting events. I love the Big 12 teams. I am so thankful they will still live in Texas and possibly only two and a half hours away. If they end up in Lubbock, I can foresee many fun family memories being made. Congratulations, Grant!

"Commit your way to the Lord and your plans will succeed." - Proverbs 16:3

Worship...

One of the three deepest passions of my heart is worship. I am ministered to by worship like nothing else in this life. My spirit is filled with a confident joy as I approach the Lord fervently and sincerely in acts of worship. I love to let my heart feast on authentic and extravagant worship. I love to bow all of myself--all of my weakness, humanness, and insufficiencies before an all-sufficient and glorious King. I love to lavish Him with deep heartfelt songs in my spirit. I also love the fact that I can defeat Satan with God's praise. Praise is powerful. I absolutely adore it. I have found a new young woman who is passionate about sweet, authentic worship. Her name is Kari Jobe. She is a worship out of Gateway Chruch in Southlake. I love the CD I downloaded recently. It is so rich. I praise the Lord for giving us the gift of praise and worship.

Baseball...

I love baseball. This has been a love I have cultivated after spending years watching my brother, Grant, as he played. Now, I don't particularly enjoy watching baseball on TV. I prefer to watch it live. Watching a live baseball game is so much fun. My love of America's pastime has even made it into my wardrobe. I really like to wear baseball caps, but I don't wear them very often. I like to watch high school baseball, professional baseball, and collegiate baseball. I love to make family trips to the Ballpark in Arligton to take in a Rangers game. I need to remind my family of that and suggest we make a trip this spring.

I have such great memories of watching Grant play baseball. My family spent years running the Key City Little League concession stand. If you ever are in the market for a concession stand worker, I have very hoaned and time-honored skills. I can make a mean snow cone. We spent many nights out at the ballpark enjoying baseball at its finest. We also enjoyed about ten thousand meals there too. Grant's position was always the catcher. Good thing that was his favorite position. I LOVED watching him grow and mature as a baseball player all the way through his senior year in high school. The love of baseball runs deeply in our family. I think I will always enjoy America's pastime. It has always been my favorite beside high school football.

Transitions...

Transition. That word brings up mixed feelings. In my mind whenever transistions come, I look at them as times to hold even more tightly to the hand and heart of Jesus. In these challenging times, I am faced with a choice. I can either wallow in the past or I can appreciate and learn from the past while looking with hope and certainty in the Lord into the future. I choose the latter. My heart and spirit are going through a season of transition right now. Yesterday during worship, my minister of eighteen years announced his resignation. I am so excited for this new adventure in his life and in his walk with the Lord. He is deeply passionate about this new opportunity. He and his family will stay in Abilene and at Highland and for that I am so thankful. I have sat under Mike's teaching since 1993 when I entered 4th grade. My brother, Grant, was in 2nd grade.

I am really very, very excited about this time for the Highland body. I expected there to be a loud gasp throughout the audience but there really wasn't. I am keeping Highland close in prayer right now because I know that Satan loves to capitalize on times when change comes in an attempt to plant doubt, fear, and dissention in a church. I foresee this time to be one of discernment, growth, and waiting expectantly on the Lord. I am really looking forward to seeing the family the Lord will raise up to lead and love our church. One thing I am immensely thankful for is our eldership. Highland is led by 42 Spirit-saurated and committed men who are ruthlessly devoted to walking in ways of excellence, integrity, and righteousness. These men are wise. These men wait until they know the Spirit is leading their steps. These men are committed to prayer. These men listen to the church body. These men are very pastoral. I am filled with an overwhelming sense of peace and joy in that fact. God is still God. He is still on His throne. He will lead and He will provide the person we need to bring us to the next level of our growth and maturity as a church. Please, please pray for Highland, for Mike, Diane, Matt, Jenna, and Chris, and for the elders as they begin a process of discernment. Pray for God's wisdom to permiate all they do. Mike will continue to preach through July 21st. God is in control and I am praising Him for His faithfulness and ultimate goodness.

There's No Place Like Home...

I love thinking about the concept of coming home to a special, cherished place. I adore being able to come to my parents home on the weekends to visit them and to visit my Westie, Sophie, who lives with them. My parents home just hugs me everytime I walk through the door. It is such a comfy cozy sacred space that is close to my heart. I love coming into a home where I know the Spirit resides. When my family moved into this home we did a very precious and memorable thing. We went through the entire home while it was in the sheetrock stage and wrote scriptures pertaining to the different activities that would take place in each room. For example, in the enrtyway we wrote scriptures inviting and ushering in the Holy Spirit and the presence of the Lord. In the dining room we wrote scriptures about food and the richness of the Lord. I plan on doing the same thing if I am ever blessed to build a new house for my future family to enjoy.

I also love and treasure being invited into other people's homes. I believe the things in a home really speak to what is important in a person's life and showcase their priorities. My theory in furnishing a home is to surround yourself with things that make you feel safe, welcome, and to fill it with things that make your soul smile. One of my favorite things to do in my home is to burn candles. It just fills my spirit with a homey feeling. There is nothing like stepping into your own space that the Lord has blessed you with to govern, keep, and establish. I always remember though that my home is indeed a gift of God's grace and that I am only a steward of the beautiful and warm little comfy cozy home He has given me. Everything that is mine was His first.

I hope you have a cherished place you call home. It is a blessing and a gift given by the Lord.

"I will behave myself wisely and give heed to the blameless way; I will walk within my home in complete integrity and with a blameless heart."

Senior Saints...

I adore elderly people. I think they are precious. This love has grown in me over many years and now I have a passion to serve them and to love on them. In one of my Social Work practicum classes I was blessed to work in a nursing center so I could be around senior saints all the time. I absolutely loved it. Every Tuesday all of the men and women would get together and play Bingo and I adored spending quality time with them as they interacted with one another and with me. One of my favorite things about the elderly population is that I learn so much from them. It truly is amazing what can be learned if you just sit and spend time talking and getting to know their stories. And the really fun part is that they are so eager to share with you. I think anyone can make a lasting difference in someone else's life if they show them a genuine interest and concern. I absolutely loved roaming the halls, knocking on doors, and stepping into one of the men or women's lives for a while. But as is the case in every nursing home, there were also those that were invisible to their families. By that I mean that some of the resident's families did not take the time or energy to come and visit them and to let them know that they were still significant and held an important place in their lives. There were some who spent hours a day just staring at the wall. That broke my heart. It seemed that their spirits were just wasting away and I found that these precious people were so hungry for meaningful interaction. Those are the ones who blessed me the most. After I spent time with them, it seemed like the Lord always found a way to say thank you for my effort and encouragement. In my mind, there is absolutely nothing that is more important than showing someone that he or she is immensely loved and significant. That is my passion. That is the mission of my life--to encourage others and to let them know that I see them and most importantly that their lives are worth something to me and to the Lord. I am so thankful the Lord gave me senior saints to amire, respect, love, and encourage.

Excellence...

There has been one concept that has been rolling around in my head, in my heart, and in my spirit for at least two months now. This concept is excellence. I have questioned what godly excellence looks like fleshed out and purposefully lived out in my daily life before God and before others. What does excellence entail? What are excellent qualities to God? How do I exhibit excellence in every single activity of my life? I earnestly desire to be an excellent woman full of grace and power. I want to be authentically excellent. I want the parts of my life people see and the parts they don't see to be excellent and blameless. I want to go the extra mile and take the extra time to be a person of excellence. I earnestly desire to be a disciple of excellence in everything I do and in everything I say. I do not want to be mediocre when it comes to following Christ. I want to go above and beyond. I have begun to study Proverbs 31 because this woman is not only a great wife, she is a wonderful, exceptional, and Spirit-saturated person. She is diligent. I desire diligence. She takes great care of her home. I want to be a good keeper of my home. She is a great threat to the Enemy. I desire to be a threat to the Enemy. She warns away evil things. I desire to warn away things that are not of God. She walks in righteousness and integrity in her house. I desire that. She is clothed in everlasting garments of godliness. I want those garments. She esteems and honors her husband. I want to honor and esteem my husband when I am married, but I want to do it even more now while I'm not married so that I will be fully equipped and prepared for the role of a godly wife someday. She honors and reverently fears the Lord. I desire to reverently fear the Lord with everything in me. Becoming a woman of excellece takes commitment and devotion, but I think I am up to the challenge :)

For The Love of Reading...

People who know me know that I love to read. Well that love has continued and grown the past couple of months. I have been very blessed by the books I have read recently. Right now I am thoroughly enjoying two great finds: Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer and The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace. Don't worry, I know I'm not married right now, but I want to be fully prepared and fully equipped for that role someday because I am believing God will bring that desire of my heart to pass in His perfect time. Both of these books are just excellent. I have always enjoyed getting lost in stories. I could be very very happy to spend an entire day at a bookstore settled in a big overstuffed chair with a wonderful book. I seem to not be able to resist the allure of good books. Plus, my thinking is if a book will help me mature in my walk with Jesus it is well worth the time. Reading just makes my soul feel really good. I find great joy in it. It is one of my all-time favorite pastimes.