Just Call Us Aunt Janna and Uncle Dan!

We have been absolutely blessed over the last week. In literally one week, we became an aunt and an uncle for the first time. Both of our brothers' wives had beautiful baby girls. Britt and Michaela had Caelyn Paige Johnston on February 11, 2011, and David and Audra had Elysen Ashleigh Savage on February 18, 2011. We are so overjoyed to have these new additions in our family. Caelyn and Elysen have both entered into wonderful, godly families who already have so much love for them. It will be so exciting to watch them grow and for their personalities to develop. We are so thankful to God for blessing both of our families with precious bundles of joy!

Caelyn Paige Johnston
7lbs. 7 oz., 21 inches long

Elysen Ashleigh Savage (with Daddy, David)
7lbs. 1 oz., 19 3/4 inches long


Thank you, God, for your wonderful blessings in our lives!

Our Wedding

So...We got married! It was a wonderful day and was so very stress-free! Everything went off without a hitch, and we can now look back on that special day with gratefulness and amazement. Thank you to all who helped us in any way! Also, a BIG thanks goes out to Joe Kennedy for some amazing pictures from our day! Here are a few of his pictures from the day...

 

The Center

I will be leaving very soon to spend a couple of weeks in the Philippines. From the first moment the trip was mentioned, I automatically wanted to go. My pastor looked at me in complete disbelief when I told him I wanted to partake in the adventure. As he looked at me in disbelief, I too, looked back at him in disbelief that he would even assume that I wouldn't be the type to go. I can't lie; I was a bit appalled by his reaction, but what can you do?! His assumption of me was wrong, but I can understand why he thought the way he did. Afterall, I do like for my clothes to be ironed, hair to be pretty much perfect, and makeup done; however, my desire to serve God is much stronger than my outward appearance. Once he got past his initial shock, excitement hit his face. He was so excited to see people actually interested in going and doing something for God's glory.

I knew the trip would cost money-money that I did not have on my own. God would have to provide...and He did! He always supplies every need! I sent out letters to people requesting assistance, and they gave sacrificially. I was so amazed by how God was constantly confirming His call upon my life for this trip. I love watching His plan unfold in the lives of His children.

I went home this past weekend, and everyone was asking me when I was leaving, what I would be doing, how long I would be staying, etc. Everyone was excited for me and very supportive, but you know that there is always going to be someone who will try to put a damper on God's glory because of his lack of vision. This particular church member came up to me asking me when I was leaving, and I told him. He then proceeded to say, "Alright...Well, I hope you don't get kidnapped." I'm not going to lie...I was a bit hacked at his audacity to say such a thing, so I quickly retorted, "Even if I do, I'll be fine." I said that in hopes that it would end the ridiculous conversation, but he clearly wanted the last word. He said, "What? You think they'd give you back?" He said that with laughter behind it showing such arrogance!! By this time, I'm really getting annoyed, so I said, "Even if they wouldn't, I know I'd be in the center of God's will, so it really doesn't matter." With a look of shock that I would even say such a thing, he said, "Well, I guess that's the way to look at it." I looked at him, never batting an eye, and said, "It's the only way to look at it." He finally conceded, semi-smiled, and walked away.

As I thought about that conversation, I realized that this is the vision of so many Christians today...a lack of any vision at all. They want to keep their social club and cliques in the church, never reaching out into the community. Such attitudes of arrogance penetrate the church, paralyzing any potential they may have in reaching their communities, surrounding areas, and the world for Christ. They're too concerned about what the building looks like and what their personal appearances look like and aren't concerned at all about the poor man who can barely make ends meet or the teenager who knows right from wrong, but chooses wrong because it's easy. They judge those who look and act differently than they do because they're too afraid of accepting and loving them will cause too big of a stir...too much of a change. It's fear and laziness at it's worst. They worship a building, instead of worshipping the One who provided it. They act like they're perfect because they don't drink and condemn the alcoholic to whom they never offer a hand of aid. What will it take for those who have been so lackadaisical with their relationship with Christ to awaken and see the desires of His heart...not their hearts?

We must pray and pray hard. An awakening needs to take place, and God needs to receive the glory for it.

There's Always a Silver Lining

Since this is my first post, I want to start off with an explanation of the title of my blog. The title comes from Romans 5:1-5. This is one of my favorite passages of Scripture, as it brought me through a complicated time in my life where understanding did not seem to be an option. When you're in a situation and things happen, and you can't begin to understand why they happen, where do you go? Do you avoid the situation all together and act like nothing happened at all? Or do you face it head on and progress through the battles and eventually come out on top because you have something to look forward to because you know God is going to take complete care of you? Before I go any further, let's look at the Scripture:

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.
And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings,
because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character;
and character, hope.
And hope does not disappoint us,
because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
whom he has given us.

I had become numb to what was going on in my life. I had never experienced this feeling before and didn't understand why it had happened to me. When I would talk to friends about my situation, the only words that could come out of my mouth were, "I just don't understand. It makes no sense to me." I had no emotions. I was absolutely numb. After Katrina, I lived with my parents in north Mississippi for a year, and they witnessed the entire thing. My mom told me so many times, "Janna, you need to talk about it. You need deal with it." I would always say, "I'm fine!" It's not that I didn't want to deal with it; it's the fact that I didn't know how to deal it. How are you supposed to deal with something when you're numb?

That's where the Scripture above came in. I had read it so, so many times before, but God spoke to me, and it was like a light bulb going off saying, "Janna, you're going to be okay." I have always been the eternal optimist, but did not see the silver lining of the situation...until that night. I cried out to God thanking Him for revealing His glory to me. I realized that, although I was numb, I was still suffering. According to this Scripture, I needed to persevere. I sought God knowing that I couldn't do it alone, so I persevered with Him. Perseverance developed my character; and character produced hope. The Scripture is true-hope does not disappoint...as long as your hope is found in Christ. I remember the night so vividly. I automatically lost the numbness. When God speaks, He speaks loud and clear! I still didn't understand why this had happened to me, but I didn't have to. My attitude had changed, and I knew that God was going to guide me and take me through this difficult time. I just had to lean on Him and face it head on.

Looking back on that time in my life, I am thankful for the suffering. God's hand never left me, and He completely spared me from so much that could have happened had I stayed where I was. Eventually, my lack of understanding turned into complete understanding because I persevered through the muddy waters. I am so grateful for where I am today and for God's glory constantly being revealed to me daily.

So what do you do when you're hit with trials that may seem to take away all hope from your life? I assure you that if you pray earnestly and seek the face of God, your perseverance will prove your true character, and hope will abound. Always, always, always look forward to what greatness God has for your life. The greatness He gives you will reflect back on the true beauty of who God is. Give Him the glory for what He has done in your life.