UPdate

I know some of you have been wanting to hear how my training for the Crisis Pregnancy Center has been going, so I'll give you a little update.
I have almost completed the classroom part of my training, which is supposed to be about 20 hours worth. I would actually be done, but one of the sessions was canceled due to winter weather. But anyway...I'll be done next Saturday!

After that I will have 5 weeks of orientation. I'm not sure what all that evolves yet, but I believe I will be sitting in on some of the counseling sessions, finding which of the programs I, or rather God wants to focus on, and just learning how things run at the center.

Then after the 5 weeks or orientation.....I should be able to start counseling!!!!

I can already see that volunteering is going to be a huge growing (and yes, sometimes uncomfortable) experience! I have been so blessed by seeing how God has brought together for His work, different people from various backgrounds/family dynamics. Although we may not all be from the same denomination, I see such a love a passion for Christ and for serving Him! It's such a blessing and excites me, to see people get excited about serving Jesus!

One prayer request that I have, is that God would open the door and lead me into the program that He wants me to be involved in. And by "program" I mean, they have different counseling programs for different needs. For instance, there is post-abortion, abstinence, child care training, ect.

I'll leave you with this little tidbit I heard in training:

"Our lives must first go up, before they go out."

New Year, New Challenge

Many times at the beginning of a New Year, I ask God to give me a special verse for that year.
This year I feel like God has laid on my heart the following passage:

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 
Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. Col. 3:1&2




My prayer and desire is that through this year, God will continue to teach to apply these verses to my life. I want to keep them at the front of my mind, as a reminder of what I truly should be setting my heart on.

As things in life press in, and try to distract me from my relationship with Christ, I pray that God will remind my of these verses again.


Has God given any of you a special verse for this year?

Old Year, New Year

As 2011 comes to an end I've been thinking back on what God has taught me and brought me through this year.
In many ways, this past year has been very hard, but God has been faithful to strengthen and encourage me.
There have been times of joy and there have been times of struggle, but I am blessed to see how God has grown me through those circumstances.

Looking back, I feel like this year God especially worked on teaching me to put my trust fully in Him. I tend to be a person who likes a fairly structured plan, so that has been a challenging lesson for me to learn - but a necessary one.

The other main thing that God reminded/taught me this year, is learning to put my joy and delight in Him. There is nothing that can fill the spot in my heart that was meant to be filled by a relationship with Christ; no friend, no family member, no fantasy I might have - only Christ.
I have had to be continually reminded that true joy only comes from God.

Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass.    Ps. 37:4&5


I am excited about how God has been leading me into new areas, and I know He has great things planned for me in 2012!

See you all next year!
Marie

Delighting in Christ

I recently finished reading, "When God Writes your Love Story", by Eric and Lisle Ludy. I found it to be both very encouraging and challenging. If you haven't read it yet, I would highly recommend it! It's a wonderful book for both guys and girls.

I was challenged to "Sing the Sweeter Song", meaning to be seeking and finding Christ as the joy of my life, because no relationship with a man will ever be able to fulfill the deepest desires of my heart (even though at times I might think he could). Sorry if I popped your bubble there. :)

On the wall of my room I hung a little painting I made with the verse written on it, "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Ps. 37:4

There are times when I strongly desire to be treasured by a man, so I hung that verse there to remind me that my delight should be in Christ, not in any man, or fantasy I have. My relationship with Christ is more important than a relationship with a man could ever be.

Photo by: My sister Hannah