Marr-wage, is what brings us together here today

I have now been Mrs. Karen Wells for almost 3 weeks!! I know, I know, those married couples are thinking... ah, what a short time, still so much to learn. :) Though these past 3 weeks have had some definite, unexpected challenges, Joe & I have grown closer & stronger through them. And I can still say (even more so) that I am so grateful and blessed and blown away that Joe would love me so unselfishly and completely and committedly! My husband's love & faith & faithfulness to God and those around him amazes me, and challenges me to continue to grow in those areas of my life. But I think the thing that awes me the most is what a friend of mine just reminded me of- God's faithfulness. Joe & I have quite the story- not unlike some other couples, but still, quite the story, even before we arrived at this place in our lives. And all I can do is thank & praise God for never leaving either of us in the midst of His weaving our lives together. Sometimes it felt like He had, or that things had gone all wrong, but man, God was in every part of our story, working together what seemed bad to bring so much more good & blessing!

Our wedding day was beautiful! But our biggest hope is that our wedding, lives & marriage will be a testimony of God's awesome faithfulness & love, always at work, always for our best. Thank you, God!!!! And thank you, husband, for walking faithfully with the Lord. I love you so much!!!!

In 29 Days....

I will be Mrs. Karen Wells!! :D Can you tell I'm excited??! Maybe just a tad... ;)

Well, Joe finally moved here, and it is AWESOME getting to see my wonderful soon-to-be husband every day!! It'll just be more awesome when I get to wake up next to his handsome face every single morning.

Hmm... what else is new... sorry it's been awhile since I've updated. No one probably even reads this anymore just because it's been so long. But I finally have a computer to use at our apt. (instead of trying to do this at church). We're just finishing getting things set-up & unpacked, and trying to get life details & wedding details finished up. So please keep us in your prayers if you think of us. And if there's anything we can be praying for you about, please send us a note!

This isn't the most exciting blog ever, but in a month, I'll have more exciting news & pictures to share! Until then, May God continue to be with you, blessing your faithful obedience in your life. Love you all!!

I'd like to introduce you....

To Micah Anthony MacLeod!!! :) This is my adorable 2nd nephew who I just got to spend an amazing week with in blistery Nova Scotia, Canada! It was c-c-cold, but such an absolutely wonderful time! Joe & I and my parents had a really fun time together with my sis & Duane and my other totally cute nephew, Noah. :) He's quite the kid! He loves balls & has already tried several times to share his balls with his baby brother (not quite as well received yet). Poor Micah got a few hits and bounces on top of him. But Noah loves him lots! He is always giving him hugs & kisses, wanting to hold him, and looking around for him to make sure he's there. He loves saying 'ball', 'baby', 'puppy', 'uh-oh', 'mommy' (which is who everyone is to him) and other gibberish. While we were there, he learned to say 'clean bum', though it sounded more like 'ean bum'. :) He also said 'anen' (amen) for the first time, and danced & played, told stories & loved cuddling & reading books. We had a grand ol' time together! And I can't wait to see them all in August again at our wedding! :) But I had to take a moment to have some Auntie bragging time. Thanks for humoring me. :) God Bless!

Thoughts

What interesting creatures God created us to be. So complex, intricate, unique, & delicate. And with that comes amazing joys & celebrations, but also at times, deep struggles & challenging thoughts and circumstances. The human heart, soul, & mind are complex things. They have great capacities to love, but also to hate. To soar, but also to drown. To dream, but also to discourage.

My heart's desire is to be on the positive, up side of things as much as possible. I want to be a wellspring of life, flowing over to help lift others up & bring glory to God. And yet at times I find discouraging, defeating words coming out of my heart & mouth, and choking my thoughts as well. Is it because I am too self-focused at times? Is it because I have done something wrong? Is it because I am too hard on myself? Or is the enemy trying to drag me down the one way he knows how to really get me?

Thoughts. They are constant & never ending. They are free flowing & hard to keep rein on at times. They can lift you up to soar to highest heights, or bring you plummeting down to the depths of despair. How do we rise up & soar? How do we avoid the depths of despair? As Christians, is it wrong for us to struggle with down times of life? Is there a difference in struggling between men & women because of our make up?

Thoughts. Questions. Seeking answers & help to combat this rollercoaster ride of life.

Perhaps I need to continue to pray for God's help in following Colossians 3:2. "Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things."........

I am thankful that God still loves & accepts us even when we don't feel at our best. And that He is always there to help us too.

I think I need to go have some more time of prayer & seeking Him. But thanks for letting me share my thoughts. And I hope your thoughts on your mind right now are encouraging & uplifting to your heart & soul & mind.

I'm an Aunt, again!!! :)

I just wanted to share with everyone the exciting news!! My sister & bro-in-law, Jen & Duane MacLeod, recently welcomed their 2nd son into the world last night. My precious little nephew's name is Micah Anthony MacLeod, and he weighed 9lbs. 9 1/2 ozs., and was 21 inches long. His big brother, Noah, is going to the hospital this morning to see his new baby brother for the first time (how cute!). I'll get to see all of them this coming Saturday, so I am SUPER EXCITED!!!! :D Thank you for those of you have been praying for them. It was a smooth delivery and mother and baby are both doing great. :) God bless you all! And thank God for little, precious miracles such as these. God is so good! :)

Old Testament Reminder

Life has been crazy, constantly on the go, never stopping the past few weeks. Part of that has been starting to explore wedding plans for my upcoming wedding to Joseph Wells, the man God has blessed me with in answering my years of praying for my future husband. I am truly amazed and blessed by God's gift of his love. Thank you, Lord!!! :)

It also has been crazy busy because with the new year and still the newness of my position, we are exploring some changes and trying some different things to see how they will work for the children's ministry (& am still plugging away with the youth ministry too). So with those things in full swing, and trying to prepare for 10-12 days away at my sister's house, trying to make sure everything is covered here, that I have everything done that I need to before I leave and for shortly after I get back. Needless to say, life has been anything but dull and boring. :)

However, in the midst of all the craziness, I have been held accountable in immersing myself in my daily Bible reading, and have truly thirst for this time and benefited greatly from it. Today God spoke a reminder to me. In the 10 Commandments it talks about honoring the Sabbath day and keeping it holy. I realized that I have not been doing that. Sundays, for pastors, cannot truly be a Sabbath day, so it is our responsibility to choose another day and take it for rest. Instead, the day I have had home each week I have been using to catch up on life and stuff here at my apartment instead of seeking God, relaxing, and resting in Him. Well, that changed my plans for the day. I have taken the day to explore dresses online for my bridesmaids, but also to rest, relax, catch up on the lives of my friends, and seek God in quiet time and reading. I have a bunch of work that needed attending to, but I trust that in taking this time that God has set aside not only for Him, but also for my own good, that I will be able to better do my work and minister to others than if I had not taken this time out to rest. It amazes me how God has purposely laid out things for our best interest, and yet we naturally keep pushing ourselves to go, go, go and overlook the reason for our true need of rest- both physical and spiritual. Hopefully as I strive to make this a weekly practice in my life, both myself, my relationship wtih God, my relationships with others, and my ministry will benefit greatly from it. Thank you, God, for looking out for us, especially when we have trouble looking out for our best sometimes on our own.

And make sure you make watching the Superbowl tomorrow night a part of your Sunday/Sabbath day :)- cheer on the Steelers!!! :)

GO STEELERS!!!!!!! :D

End of the Spear

I went to see the movie out in theaters about the mission to Ecuador that began with hope, stung with great pain, but ended in victory. The movie was very good, but it was not the movie that amazed me- it was the story of how a group of missionary families gave all they had to God's service without restraint or hesitation. And here I sit still trying to process it all. My heart is full of mixed thoughts and prayers. Thoughts of how utterly horrible it must have been for the families of those 5 men that were killed. And yet amazement at how they truly loved the people who took their husbands/fathers away from them. In the movie, it is emphasized that no one took their lives away, but that they gave them freely (which also amazes me greatly). I wrestle with the thoughts of if I could really do that. If I could give up my life so that others may have the chance to be saved. Or if I could trust my husband to God enough that if his life would be needed to draw others to Himself, I could trust God enough to let him go. My prayer is for God to help my selfish and small, limited faith to grow where I can truly entrust my life and the lives of those I love fully to Him. God has greater plans beyond what we could ever see or fully comprehend. Our lives play a small part in the grander scheme of things, but each one still plays a very important part. I pray for God's help that I will hold nothing back from Him- that I would give all I have to Him for His work and service. I think giving up my own life doesn't scare me as much anymore as it does to think of those I dearly love giving up their lives. But our lives are not our own, nor is my husband-to-be or family or dear friends my own- they are God's blessing to me for a time, but ultimately His. God, help me to truly surrender them to you. Help them to be found faithful. And please help me to be found faithful. Thank you for using all things to reach people for you. Please help none to perish without the opportunity of knowing you, and I pray that they will. We need to keep praying together for those who do not know Christ to come to know Him before the end of their time comes. God has pressed a few people deeply on my heart, and I hope He has yours as well. Never give up- God is at work, whether we can see it or not. He is faithful. If you want to be challenged and amazed, go see the movie. But even more so, let God do the work in your heart He wants to do so that He can do the work in the lives of others He needs to. Hm.... I'm just blown away by God's great love and what it can do.