Forgetting to Remember

"I forgot to remember" is what Hannah, a girl in my youth group told me about three months ago. She cracks me up anyway, but that night when she said this I laughed for about three minutes. Apparently she was so caught up in the day that she "forgot to remember" to do something. When I listen to "Hand that Holds the World" by Starfield I feel like this saying. The first words are, "No greater joy, is there than this, to know for what we're meant to live". Or it could say for Who we're meant to live. Or as the Lord is reminding me, for who we are to submit to so He can live through us. But I don't think Starfield could put that much into one line. The point is this: "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days", declares the Lord, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying 'Know the Lord,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the Lord, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." The same God who spoke the world into existence and the same God who holds our lives in His hands and the same God who gives each of us each breath we breathe is the same God who writes His laws on our hearts and calls us His own. We can get so caught up in the busyness of this world and the loudness of everyday that we can "forget to remember" whose we are. There is absolutely no greater joy in this world than to be able to glorify our might God and King. There is also no greater joy than to sit at His feet and let Him hold us and love on us and be called His own. We are forgiven, loved, cared for, protected, and the list goes on and on and on and on and on....and on! Remember.....

Getting Married!!

A beautiful bride to be and the most wonderful blessing Father has placed in my life! Sorry this is so late, but things have been crazy this past week and a half! Well for those of you who don't know....Audrey and I are engaged!!! The Lord has blessed my life far more than words can express through my relationship with Audrey. Patience and character has been built in both of us through the dating process, but now we are finally going to officially get married! The story goes like this.....




Saturday September 23rd at 9:30 am I picked Audrey up from her house. She wasn't ready yet, but I had planned for that so I waited and we finally left about 10:00 from her house. We then traveled to Andalusia, AL. Little town, but they have this great hole in the wall place called the crows nest. She loves it and I had never eaten there, so I wanted to surprise her with a great meal. We then traveled to Blue Lake camp, which is where Audrey met the Lord at 10 years old and it is also where we met on October 16, 2000. Needless to say it is a special place for both of us. There is a little chapel there called Lambuth Chapel where Audrey has always wanted to get married....but seating would be a problem unless we wanted 10 people at our wedding....but the Lord placed it on my heart about 2 years ago that this was the place we would get engaged. We walked in and I could feel His calming presence, which I needed because I was a nervous wreck! So we walked in and sat down and I got my guitar out and we started worshiping the Lord together! How amazing it was to be able to worship our amazing Father with my future wife!! About five songs in I asked her if I could pray....she loves to pray so she immediately agreed! I began to pray for us and the Lord told me to read Gen. 2. And many of you know that this is the chapter where God says that it is not good for man to be alone and the he would make a "helper fit for Adam". Not just any helper would do, but a perfect fit for Adam. I was so excited that the Lord led me to this verse becasue it is exactly what needed to be read. So I was reading this aloud prayfully and then looked at Audrey and began to express, in words that could never express fully, my love for her. I told her that the Lord has created us to be each others "perfect fit". Not any helper would do Audrey....but the perfect fit would only do. I told her that I had loved her from the first day I ever saw her and even before that. He, before the foundations of the world, designed us to be together. So in the middle of this I told her that I would be honored if she would be my wife....pulled out the ring and asked her to be my wife!!! She said...."Really...Right now????!!!!" And then said ABSOLUTELY!! It was priceless...she was so surprised and we began to pray and thank the Lord so much for His faithfulness to us!! The Lord wasn't done yet however.....we then traveled to Panama City and met with Misty Hicks, Audrey's mentor through high school and some of college....it turned out that Misty's two sisters, mother and nephew were all there at Panama City as well. So as a huge blessing and huge gift of grace from only the Lord....Misty's family took Audrey and I out to this AMAZING french resturaunt in Santa Rosa Beach and we celebrated and had the most amazing time!!! The Lord planned it perfectly!! The day couldn't have been any more amazing!! To end the day we went back to Misty's house and they prayed for Audrey and I.....Wow!! I am so thankful to the Lord that this is the way He began our lives together!! What an amazing day...what a wonderful gift of grace!!! How amazing our Father is! I can't wait for Audrey Metcalf to be my Wife! The Lord has poured on His grace for sure!!!

Sitting here in Dakota coffee company listening to "Purest Place" by Watermark I am reminded of God's faithfulness to us. Moving to a new place is hard, especially when either you don't know anyone in the town real well or there is no one your own age to hang with or fellowship with. Both of which I am experiencing right now. The Lord has been gracious to me in letting me have this job as a youth pastor in Enterprise AL. I am so greatful and thankful for it. It comes with its frustrations however. One of which is being lonely. Audrey is only 25 min. away, however, the rising cost of gas prices is taking its toll on my pocket. Also, on a day like today, when she is at a baby shower for a friend I am stuck sitting in Dakota. I could be at my apt. but where is the fun in that right? I was reading John Piper's "Taste and See", highly recommend it by the way, and something he wrote about struck me. He was talking about the life of David Brainerd. He was a missionary to Native Americans in the North East during the 18th century. He died at the age of 29 and most of his life he spent depressed or sick. No matter how tough his life got however he always thanked God for what He had given him. Such as the day he was living at that moment. He was so thankful for being able to breathe and share Jesus with the Native Americans. Here is a quote from Brainerd...."Life in the wilderness is hard. Most of my diet consists of boiled corn, hasty pudding, etc. I lodge on a bundle of straw, and my labor is extremely difficult: I have little appearance of success to comfort me...I have taken many considerable journeys....and yet God has never suffered one of my bones to be broken...though I have often been exposed to cold and hunger in the wilderness....have frequently been lost in the woods...Blessed be the God that has preserved me." This man's life was tougher than most any of us will ever have to expereince. He lived depressed and sick and very lonely for the majority of his short life yet He was always focused on the giver of his life. He never complained that life was hard...he simply rested in the fact that God gave him life in the first place. Many of us are in tough spots. Spots of lonliness and uncertainity and some of us are at the end of our ropes. The writer of Hebrews, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says, "Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2. Often times our lives don't make sense. With our plans in mind life rarely makes sense. But trusting in the grace and faithfulness of our amazing God makes ALOT of sense. Looking and gazing at Jesus....with the end goal of our lives which is spending eterenity face to face with our WONDERFUL Lord and Savior makes life bearable in the lowest of times. William Cowper wrote these amazing words.....

"Judge not the Lord by feeble sense
But trust Him for His grace.
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face."

Praise God that He knows the plans He has for us....and we can trust Him. Praise God that He has gives us the opportunity to Look to Him for our source of Life....when life makes sense and when it doesn't.

New Journey!

Hey guys I am soooo sorry for the length of time with no blogging, but finally I have a free moment. The past two months have been a whirlwind of moving around and desparately seeking a job. As always our Father is faithful, and as always He surprises me again! I am a youth pastor in Enterprise AL! Whoa! I am so excited and blessed to be here at Enterprise UMC....I have some amazing youth and some phenominal adult leaders! I am still going to be taking seminary classes online and eventually going to go back up to Louisville to finish, with Audrey of course! We are doing great by the way, the Lord has continued to pour on His blessings on us! More to come with all that He is doing with this ministry! Oh by the way please be praying that the Lord will pour on His truth in a mighty way!! Lots of these Kids know about the Lord, but that is where it ends. My heart is to see these kids know the Lord intimately and have a intimate relationship with Him!! Thanks guys and I will talk to you all soon!!

In Him,

Shannon

Still waiting...

The waiting game is great....unless you are the one waiting. But hey, what else is there to do but wait. Well that's all I Got right now....

God's merciful ordering

"The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps" Proverbs 16:9

Folks, my mind has been planning alot lately. But the depths of God's mercy orders each of my steps. Thanks to God's mercy, I am now living in Dothan, AL. Many of you know that I was in Louisville, KY this past year attending The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which I am still going to be doing in Dothan, but online for the next year or so. And I am sure that all of you know that Audrey Metcalf and I have been dating for a very long time! So in God's mercy He directed me here to speed up the process of marriage between us! I am hopefully going to propose very soon, that will be another blog story for sure! So as I sit here in an obscure coffee shop, missing my friends in Louisville very much, and wondering what in the world God is up too, I can't help but know that His mercy is so evident through this move. I realize that on my own I have nothing and am nothing. And I also realize that our God is sovereign. So sovereign that He knows what each molecule will do before it even does it. And He knew that this move would happen and I trust that He has me in the palm of His hand, as He says in the book of Isaiah. So I am thankful to Him for His beautiful mercy to me. I realize that I make lots of plans. But I so often don't consider that the Lord is the one ordering my steps. "Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead , you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that." But as it is, you boast in your arrogance ; all such boasting is evil." James 4:13-15. I so often forget to remember that if the Lord wills then it will be. Because that is the only way life will happen for any of us: if the Lord wills it! So thanks be to God for this move to Dothan and for the somewhat disarray of my life! I also trust that He will work all things together for the good who love the Lord! So here is the little recap of my crazy moving life in the past two weeks!

Infinately Awesome::Intimately Approachable

"After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice which I heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this". At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a thorone stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven sprits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,
"Holy, holy , holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
"Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?" And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals." And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are seven spirits of God went out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,
"Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth."

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads and myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" And I heard every creature in haeavn and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Revelation 4 and 5

Infinately Awesome::Intimately Approachable

"After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice which I heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this". At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a thorone stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven sprits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,
"Holy, holy , holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
"Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?" And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals." And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are seven spirits of God went out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,
"Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth."

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads and myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" And I heard every creature in haeavn and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Revelation 4 and 5