24: the year of possibilities

So as the year continues and my friends come to join me in this great age of 24 I try to convince them that this just might be one of the greatest years of life! There is so much to be had at the age of 24. Whether or not if I have convinced anymore I do believe this year (i guess for me I have a big 7 months and 16 days left) holds a great deal for me and I praise God for it!

Let me just bring you up to date on the happenings of 24! For the first time in 24 years I spent my birthday at a theme park...that's pretty exciting right? So I started off with a bang! The month of November brought lots of learning from the Lord through circumstances and a small adjustment of adding 4 children to the family. December sent me across the world! Spent 10 days in India with some of my bestest friends. The Lord continued to open my heart and hands to HIS plan not my own. Changing all sorts of perspectives that I have had for many years.

Then we reach the year 2012! Year year's is always exciting and I have been determined to try new things! January gave me a massage. I have been asking for one of these for at least 3 years and I finally just went and paid for it myself! I needed  wanted it after a long December and so I did it. Why? Because I am 24!

Now I find myself in February and time is not stopping and neither are the possibilities or I'd like to call them blessings! I found myself signing up for a half-marathon... I will let you know in April if I regret that decision. And oh the blessings that February have brought!! I found out last night that I myself will be an aunt... sooner or later! My brother and sister-in-law are adopting! They are super excited to start this process and I'm super excited to spoil the crap out of someone else's child!

As I look forward I see God moving and working in me and through me! So the next 7 1/2 months excite me and when I wake up each morning I pray the Lord to surprise me... so that I will never find myself thinking I am in control or living in a life full of easy predictions. (My God is not predictable! He holds great things for those who repent and believe!)

I recently made this 14 layer chocolate cake! I only made one minor mistake...but it still tasted delicious! 

taste and see that the Lord is good

It is hard to believe that it is already February. What happened to January? What happened to cold nights, hot cocoa, and bon fires? I can't believe we are already down one month this semester, but it is never ceases to amaze me how much the Lord can do in so little of time. 

Over the past month I have had so many encouraging conversations with girls just about how there relationship with the Lord has grown and their hearts have been breaking for the things of Christ. I was almost studded when talking to a freshman this week and she explained to me how for the first time she has truly felt compassion for people. Another conversation I had today about just how joyful she had become since being in the fellowship with believers and coming to realize how great of an opportunity she has to influence her friends and teammates for Jesus. So much has been going on at CSU and I could talk for hours of just how many students are excited for the gospel! And how students are already making commitments to give there summer to grow in the Lord. The thought that it's only the beginning of February is exhausting but also super exciting to me. We still have majority of the semester ahead of us and so much it yet to be done. Please join me in prayer for this campus, for these students, and for students who are still seeking the world to find fulfillment. 

At the first of the year I began reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp in much anticipation for her coming in March for the in-house retreat at East Cooper Baptist Church.  As I have been reading her book and her appeal for thanksgiving the one thing that has truly stuck out to be is how thanksgiving makes moments last longer. When we stop to truly enjoy and are grateful we are able to see the goodness of the Lord in all things. Every moment of the day seems to last for hours. As I have been seeking the Lord and searching my heart to have an attitude of thankfulness I have been able to freely enjoy Christ in everything. In the stressful days of ministry when their seems to be no fruit and even in the days full of laughter. Experiencing the change of hearts in my students has given me much reason to be thankful, and these sweet moments with these girls have seemed like days.  I have truly tasted the work of the Lord, seen that it is more than good, and can have an attitude of thankfulness. 

As I continue to read I will be sure to keep you informed on this attitude of gratitude. 

another one bites the dust...

 Another day... another year! Boy does time fly by! I read a friends blog and she recapped her year through photos so I thought I'd do the same!

2010 ended with weddings and 2011 started with weddings

a caught bouquet.. 

new friends and dance parties

a championship! (i still got it in me!)

another wedding

a winter retreat

another wedding...

A princess party

retreat for the SBP

a CONCERT! Hello Usher!

Graduation

The Summer Beach Project

Road trips with good friends!

another concert... country style

CSU football GO BUCS!

Birthday Surprises...or death threats (still not sure)

a scary birthday for Jigs..

a test of my strength... retreat to the woods?

                                         

my first speaking engagement 

   

another wedding

and yet another caught bouquet 

Thanksgiving fun

a trip across the world

a sweet Christmas

And it ended with a bang in Chattanooga... ready for the blessings of 2012

the journey takes me out of the country!

December 2 - December 12 I had the opportunity of a lifetime! What a privilege is was to experience Christ  in India; literally across the world!

This trip had been in the makings for about two years. Debi, East Cooper Baptist Church's women's minister, had been wanting to take a group of women to India and she finally got it all together. I had heard about the trip many times and hadn't thought twice about going. I was going to NYC with a group of friends and was super excited to see New York at Christmas. Needless to say this was no New York vacation! 

When December 1st hit and I hadn't even started packing I think it hit me...I'm going to India tomorrow! But there wasn't anytime to much think about it. I had too much stuff going on with my ministry at CSU. So that evening and the next day I through some stuff in a suitcase ran some last minute errands and hoped for the best. I knew the Lord was going to show me big things, teach me in new ways, and grow me to a greater faith...it was just getting there. December 2 at 7:10 we loaded the plane and headed north! In the air, on several different planes, and through a time zone or two we landed in Kolkata, India.

We arrived at 4 am on Sunday December 4th. This began a week of serving the people of this city. But to me this week was more encouraging to me than I was to anyone. The people of this place where we call impoverished had more joy than I have seen a long while. The children we meet had the biggest brown eyes with the sweetest smiles. They touched each American heart and were clueless they had given us anything. The week went on and we were in constant motion. Visited a mobile school, a slum school, had a women's fellowship in the slum, spent the day with 9 boys who were all rescued from a train station, gave pedicures to 24 women in a slum inside the city, visited a company giving women in the red light district a second chance, visited a Hindu temple, drove 2.5 hours to minister to people in a village outside of Bangladesh, and gathered with women who have given their life to minister to people in India. Our schedule was full and we did little compared to what the men and women are doing every day for the glory of God.

Everyday in India I was reminded of Matthew 5:14-16.  "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."  The people we came in contact with had a light that shone brighter than any light I had ever seen. Amongst the darkness they were able to shine. They served our Savior Jesus as Lord and the one true God above any other idol that their friends and family gripped to so tightly. Even though these people would be ridiculed, rejected, or tormented these people chose Jesus! 


As this week continues and Christmas is approaching these people gave me the best Christmas present ever. I pray that everyday I am reminded of these people and the light that they have, the light of Jesus. The light of Christ. The spirit of Christmas all year long! 

Lessons from my Father

This blog is uber late, but if you only knew what my past 3 weeks have been like you would understand!

How sweet it is to hear the Lord speak! When I went home for Thanksgiving I was a little bummed because I felt as if "my plans" were all changing and even irrelevant. I had to prep myself before living for Piedmont. Believe it or not life has changed for the little Tindle family!

 I think it was in September my parents became emergency care for four kids ages 10, 7, 6, and 4! My parents haven't had kids is the house for many years. Not trying to call them old, but there baby is 24! So Thanksgiving wasn't just going to be the five six of us anymore. As some like to say, I have four new siblings! That's a family of 10, but wait now that Jamie is also engaged we are at 11! I prayed as I drove home for patience deliverance. And oh did the Lord deliver me. Not from these children and what I labeled chaos, but He delivered me from my own bondage and sin.

On Thursday Thanksgiving a passage kept coming to my mind. It's a commonly known passage and even one I like to use as I present my testimony. Matthew 19:13-15. Brief synopsis: Little children are coming to Jesus, the disciples rebuke the children, Jesus rebukes the disciples, and tells the children to come. I read this passage is a new light. Before I was always the child. Wanting to come and sit with Jesus, desiring to be in my Father's presence. But my Father proved to me that I one wasn't desiring Him and two that I wasn't the child in this passage I was a disciple. I have been living in a jealous state trying to turn these children from the presence of my parents, trying to regain that attention I once had from both mom and dad. Feeling as though they loved me less because they now had four new ones to love. I learned a lot about who I am in Christ, my desires, and my immaturity. Never again do I want to find myself pushing children away from the love of my Savior. These children are receiving that love through my parents. They are seeing Jesus in a way they have never seen Him before and what a blessing for them my parents me to see.

Meet Destiny(10) Bethany(7) Jessie (4) and Lee(6)

The family of 11

I love this picture. You can just see the love my Daddy has for this child. 

We really could be sisters. Teaching her to bake an apple pie

These boys could possibly be my favorite. They would never believe it!

The first, but hopefully not the last.

This weekend I had the honor of being a part of East Cooper Baptist Church's Revolutionary Conference. This conference was for the middle and high school girls. I had a blast. Yours truly was one of the "guest speakers" for the conference. The name of the conference came from Bethany Dillon's song Revolutionary.  Jillian and Alex's (the girls in charge) goal for this conference was to bring to light things girls are faced with but not also taught in the context of the church. They had been praying for this conference for over 5 months and I believe the Lord did big things. Jillian and Alex both desire that their girls will live revolutionary lives. Changed not by the world but by Christ.

My topic for the weekend was modesty. As I planned and prayed for this time the Lord taught me so much about my own personal modesty and just how difficult as women of the Lord it is to be truly modest in not only the way we dress but also in our speech and behavior. I spoke from 1 Peter 3:1-5. I am convinced that this is God's standard for us as His daughters. Now knowing, studying, and teaching from this passage my prayer is that not only these young girls seek to live modest lives so they may glorify God, but also that I may be an example to these girls through my modest behavior.

This weekend was my first time ever giving a talk to an audience. And I can't lie...I enjoyed it! I pray that the Holy Spirit spoke through me and that lives were changed not because of me but because scripture pierced their hearts. I rejoice with my Father that I had this experience and that He equipped me to do this work. I do pray that more opportunities such as this will be given to me. I think it's very sanctifying in the fact the I had to study my topic so well that I knew it forward and backwards. This holds me to a new level of accountability and I think it's a healthy challenge.

Thanks Jill and AL for giving me a chance!