redeemed giveaway winner

We have a winner of the DaySpring Truly Treasured wallet -

It's Molly T! Otherwise known as one of my nearest and dearest friends. I can't think of a more deserving lady. I sent her a text to know she won and she was so excited and thankful. :) Her genuineness is one of the many reasons I absolutely adore her.

My mom on the other hand was disappointed.

;)

Now that my blog is not broken I shall try to blog more often. I think it might have had something to do with my browser?  That's kind of annoying, but I switched it up and it seems to be fine. :)

I cannot believe tomorrow is May 1st.

Sigh.

:)

Congratulations Molly!

DaySpring Redeemed Review {and GIVEAWAY}!!!

Evidently I enjoy doing DaySpring product reviews  for (in)courage's (in)spired deals program during  the month of April? Random, I know. Please {please} hang with me for your chance to win some awesomeness at the end. I'll try to make this as painless as possible. 

For the longest time I thought my bad choices, my mistakes, my troublesome situations, every way I had messed up in the past would remain this ugly junk that when I looked back at it, I just wanted to hide. I think we all have those hurting, broken places that we think will stay that way forever. Or maybe it wasn't even a bad choice, but a result of someone else's choices that we paid the consequences for. I'm quite sure we've all had those moments of saying, maybe not aloud, but at least in our head,

 "God...nothing good can come of this. This situation is beyond hope and...I know You're God but...good luck 'fixing' this." 

And if you haven't said that? Well...ummm...just go with me anyway. 

 One of my biggest "whatcha gonna do God" moments happened last April. The first Tuesday of that month {it was the 5th, I know this because my bff in Dallas had her little baby girl that morning...and...I could go back and check the calendar :) } I announced to my co-workers that I was leaving my current job and going to do something else. I didn't know what the something else was...but it wasn't with them. 

It was perhaps the scariest thing I'd ever done. I had complete faith at the time that God was going to show up and show OFF and BOOM give me a job like that because...well, He's God and He can do that. 

Then months go by. 

And I babysit kids.

 

And I think...

"Ummm...God? ANY DAY NOW would be great. I mean really...You don't have to wait any more!"

And more months go by. 

And I get a job substituting. 

I absolutely love it.  I begin to see the steps I have to take to do what I feel God has called me to do. {Be a Math teacher.}It includes taking this big monstrous ridiculously scary test that includes math that I haven't done in 9 years and passing it. Along with another not AS scary, but scary nonetheless, three-part test and passing IT. 

So I study and study, hours and hours...studying. 

I think it ended up being probably close to 80 hours of studying. 

At least.

Then in January I take my test and I think

"Well, everyone says it is hard and you always do better than you think. 

I know I'm supposed to be teaching. 

I know this is where God wants me.

So I HAVE to had passed."

 Another month goes by and I find out I didn't pass. 

I think...

"REALLY. I'M REALLY SERIOUS THIS TIME GOD. WHAT is going on??"

{I have a slight flare for the dramatic. And being stupid.}

So I set out to take the test again in March. I study my calculus, not as much as I should have, but enough to have a basic understanding of the category that I got a big fat ZERO in on my first test. 

I take the test and feel much more comfortable about it this time. It's the biggest obstacle keeping me from what I know God wants me to do. And if I don't pass, I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do.

 

Fast-forward to this April. I'm supposed to get my results and I feel like I'm going to throw up for most of the weeks in between the test and getting these results. 

The morning of April 3rd. 

The first Tuesday of that month. 

Exactly a year since I made my announcement. 

I'm subbing at the local junior high that day. 

They had asked me 2 or 3 weeks prior. 

3 or 4 other people had later asked me to sub that day, but I was already taken. 

Subbing junior high math. 

That's the day I wake up at 4:30 and navigate my phone to the ETS website. My stomach aflutter. 

I click the link to find my scores. 

I had passed.

Isn't that just like God? 

To work out the details of actually subbing math that day and it having been exactly a year since I gave Him control of my future. 

All the waiting. All the pain. All the hurt. All the days of doubt and tears and wondering when He was going to make something beautiful of my big ole mess.

It had finally arrived. 

In His time. 

He had redeemed it and boy was it beautiful.  

When I came home that day I discovered a package from DaySpring. 

It included their beautiful vintage glass vase and a set of ceramic coasters that have served to remind me that He does make everything beautiful in its time. 

That in ALL things He works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. 

All things. Including the things we have to wait for. 

Sometimes a whole year. 

He redeems.

I love love love the vase. It's sitting on our kitchen table right now and it reminds me of an old mason jar. It goes great with our country kitchen. Really it would look good in any kitchen, or living room or...anywhere. It's an anywhere-it-is-it's-beautiful thing. It says "He has made everything beautiful in its time" on one side and on the opposite "Beautiful". Maybe it reminds me of an old milk jar. The kind that the milk man actually delivered. Not that we had a milk man at any time in my life, but I've seen those jars before. Totally. love. it. OH, and to give you an idea, it's about 4 inches wide and 9 inches tall.

The coasters are just as lovely. And much needed because if there's one thing I got in trouble for the most as a kid, it's not putting my sweating drink on a coaster. ;) I still get in trouble for that NOW. :-/  They're colorful and big enough for your biggest drinks and look GOOD. {Did you see those pictures up there?}

SO...

Don't you want something gorgeous to remind you that God redeems those broken hurting things? 

Well, DaySpring has given me the chance to give away this Redeemed Truly Treasured wallet. 

 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS THING.  

I basically love everything in this Redeemed line.

I don't want to say I'm coveting almost every single piece of jewelry in the line, but...I ain't gonna lie. I am.

Especially a few necklaces and the "Trust" ring.  

Sigh. LOVELINESS. 

So...to win the wallet you have a couple of choices on how to enter. 

{a}  Have a look at the fabulous products in the DaySpring Redeemed line and come back here and tell me which one is your favorite!

{b}  Tweet about this giveaway or share the link on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know you did. 

{c}  Share with us some words about what the word "redeemed" means to you. Maybe a verse or...just anything you feel like sharing.

{d}  What's your favorite "redeemed" song? Let us know in the comments. {Mine is Selah's Unredeemed. I cry almost every time I hear it.}

That's four different ways to win!

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do. 

I'll leave the giveaway open til 10:00 p.m. CST on Monday, April 30th and choose a winner using random.org.

**Disclosures: The vase and coasters were given to me for free by DaySpring in exchange for my honest review. The winner will receive a coupon code for one Truly Treasured Wallet. The code expires on July 31, 2012. Shipping charges will apply.**

Good luck y'all. :)

test #2

I think somehow my blog was broken.

But I think it's fixed?

So...this is a second test post because the first one didn't work out.

;)

test post

if you're weary...

Hiya there.

My name's Rebekah.

I feel the need to reintroduce myself to you since it's been like, oh...2 MONTHS since I've blogged.

:-/

Honestly? I'm weary.

Like...soul...tired.

And body tired.

It's not that Jesus hasn't been close, because He has. I just feel like it's been one thing after another the past month or so. To catch you up, I found out at the second week in February that I didn't pass my big test. :( I know, tragic.

I needed a 123 and made a 109. 'Tis not the end of the world, but, it definitely had me feeling defeated. Boo.

I'm taking the test again in a week and a half. So, prayers definitely appreciated. :)

I guess what finally gave me the strength to blog is we were talking about standing firm tonight at church. The text was Philippians 4:1 and it was just the encouragement I needed to hold on just a little longer. It's been that way. Every time I've wanted to throw in the towel and say, "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH." He's shown me, that He is enough. His strength really IS made perfect in our weakness. He really does give us the grace to face each day. And while trying to live life for Him really IS hard. It really IS worth it.

I'm thankful tonight that He is able to refresh our soul. That He meets our needs in a way that no one else can nor ever will.


I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint. {Jer. 31.25}

praying for a set-up

It's the first day of a new year. The possibilities that this year holds are, at this point, endless.

I should say right now:

I'm a constant Facebook status update checker. And Facebook has made it really hard on people like me to stay abreast of all my friends' statuses with their new mobile setup. Blah, I don't want to sound like I'm complaining, but I'd really appreciate it if they fixed that. None of this is my point.

Even though they've made it hard, I've still seen a ton of statuses (I want to say stati, but I  don't think it's a word) today that have wished God's blessings of health, wealth, and happiness on their friends this year.

I would like to politely disagree.

You know what my New Year's prayer is?

That God would do whatever it takes this year for us to seek Him.

If that means losing your job so that He can show you how He provides. Then so be it.
If it means experiencing health problems so that He can show you how He is Healer. Then so be it.
If it means your friends abandon you so that He can show you how He is the greatest Friend. Then so be it.
If it means losing someone you love so that He can show you how He is the best Comforter.

So be it.

I'm not saying this to be callous. I'm saying it because I truly believe it's what He wants.

It's kind of that "not my will but Thine" thing.

Health, wealth and happiness are not bad things. But if there's one thing I have learned (by experience) it is that we rarely seek God's presence when things are happy-go-lucky. We make gods (lowercase g) of other lesser things when He is the only one that's truly God.

I've heard it somewhere that God knows the best thing for ourselves is Him.

I had a breakdown back at the end of July, my dad and I had a long talk on the back deck at their house. I had ugly-cried, like A LOT and been caught red-handed with my pride on high. I'm not sure there could have been a more prideful person at the time. It was extremely ridiculous, to say the least.

Anyway, he shared a story with me that stuck. I was about 4 months old (or something. I was young, can't remember how old necessarily)  and then there was Mama and my older brother and sister. He had just gotten fired from his job (unjustly - not the point) and was in a real tight spot. What was he to do?

He went to a conference at a local church and met someone that directed him to First Baptist - Red Oak, Texas, and it's pastor, Dr. Harold Henderson. He met with Dr. Henderson, who helped him gain perspective. I don't know how long it was before Dad found a job and everything was "fine" again, but I do remember him saying:

"Rebekah, if you asked me today, Would you go through it again? I'd say yes. 100 times. Yes. Because I met God during that time. I met God and He showed me Himself and I've never been the same for it." 

I know, right? My dad is a smart man.

When he was telling me that, inside my head I was saying YES. YES. 1,000 times. YES. I think I started crying even harder. Mostly because I had found it to be true. I don't think I  had ever met with God as much as I did last year when the rug was pulled out from under me.

I think my job situation, my living situation, all that jazz was a set-up. A huge flippin' set-up orchestrated by God. To show me who He was, is, and will always be.

And who I'm not.

So...I hope God sets you up this year.

Because when He takes away the worldy things, it's because He wants to give you everything.

He wants to give you Himself.