Lessons of the soul and Experiences in 'sweet home Alabama'

Some of the hardest words for me to say is "I surrender. I give it up. No strings attached." Many times, God calls us to do and say the things that are the hardest for us. Why? Because then, and only then, we get to see that He, and only He, can give us strength. And when we have that strength, it will not leave us. We are stronger than we realize. He is stronger than we realize.

When I was 13, I had to say to Jesus, "I surrender my sinful self into your hands." I knew that I couldn't change the selfish and sinful person I was without surrendering it to Him. When I was 17, I had to say to Jesus, "I surrender my profession and future to your hands." I knew that I couldn't accomplish college without his guidance and without surrendering my plans to Him. When I was 19, I had to say to Jesus, "I surrender my confused and hurt heart into your hands." I knew in that moment that my heart was unable to be repaired with His love that conquers all. After that summer, He brought Justin back into my life. When I was 21, I had to say to Jesus, "I surrender the man I love into your hands." I knew that only God knew how to make our paths cross and our future plans combine. And now, at almost 23, I am again saying, "I surrender my plans, dreams into your hands." Because I know that only God knows the exact time He will reveal to me His exact place for me.

In church today, we sang a praise song called "I Surrender". It was a new song to me, but it was amazing how much it connected to my current state. It was so joyful to sing out loud the outpouring of my soul to Jesus! At some point in our busy lives, we all will come to this place at different times, where we must sing and shout to Jesus, "I surrender ALL to you, ALL to you!"
Here's a link to the praise song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KK-9LfKsoo

As our preacher said, "The love of Christ will drive you to do things you'd never do without Him."

Thank you for your prayers as we search for God's purpose for me in Texas. He is so good, and is showing Justin and me more clarity everyday.

Love, R & J

Here are some fun pictures of the past week!
Justin with his ASBC class "The Dragons!". They were doing "The X Factor" challenges.
The wives got to go watch "The X Factor" challenges from the cat walk above. It was so much fun to watch the husbands figuring out the solutions :)

Justin getting ready to score in the Icarus game! The married flight won!!!
Only in Alabama can you go golfing next to a horse farm!!
My first time driving the golf cart!! It was a fun Saturday outing!

Enjoying the Journey

You know how some songs just hit you at the perfect moment in life. Maybe I'm weird, but music has always been a huge part in my life. Tonight as Justin and I drove to explore our new home, this song came on the radio. The song is written around the idea of life being a journey. It was neat because Justin and I were having a conversation about not focusing on getting to the next place, but enjoying every step of the way. Taking in the moments, together. Like my sister Kathy said, no matter where you are in life, there is always going to be trials, it's just about finding the positive. This also makes me think of a verse Mrs. Donna gave us before we left when Jesus says, "but after I have been raised, I will go before you (Mark 14:28) ." This journey that we all are on called life has many mountains to climb, but take joy that the Lord is going before you and will protect and guide you. Focus on the joys and memories along the way while you're climbing. And at some point, find a quite place, and enjoy the view :)

Love, R & J

The Climb lyrics
I can almost see it
That dream I'm dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head sayin
"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking
But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on
'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move

Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby
It's all about, it's all about the climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa

We're here!!!

Well, we made it to Montgomery safely and smoothly. It was hard to leave, but so great to see the housing down here. We had planned for a bedroom w/ private bathroom, but ended up in a suite! It's so nice to have more room than we'd planned!! I am really enjoying trying new recipes, like honey mustard pork tenderloin! Justin has had a blast seeing some of his best buds from Auburn...and our place has become the hangout :) which I love!! so much fun! Here are some pictures of our home for 6 weeks.

...of course there are pics on the fridge already =) more to come!
the bathroom that they clean for us twice a week...i know we're being spoiled.
my own KITCHEN!! clean, organized, and ready to try out some new recipes!
the room...we have TWO closets...his and her's ;)
Den with pull-out couch for guests :D
The view with my aloe plant that has made it through lots of moves already!
view of kitchenette from couch!
my very own CRAFT CORNER!!! *it's amazing*
Justin's Study corner...not as fun as my Craft corner =)


We are super excited about the week ahead...first paycheck, first work week for JB, and I get to go with my family to Disney World!!!! So grateful for how smoothly the first few days have been. I'm loving this time to catch up on some reading, scrapbooking, and having time to enjoy a new place! I'm learning my way around base and enjoyed my first trip to the commesary (grocery store) today...the prices are great!! God is so faithful and loving. We both are continuing to learn a lot about trusting in God, loving each other, protecting your marriage, and having a daily walk and relationship with God. Thank you for your prayers.

Love, R&J

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil." -1 Thes. 5: 16-22