Feeling Yucky!

In the midst of all the Bruster’s craziness this week I’ve come down with a bronchial and sinus infection. I’ve pretty much been couch bound! Today my best friends have been books, tissues, cough drops, Sudafed and Ibuprofen. Thank the Lord for doctors, z-packs, inhalers, and moms that seem to know the cure for everything!!!

Many dear friends have called/text me today asking if they can bring or do anything for me. I’ve felt quite bad for the people that have tried to understand me attempting to talk to them on the phone. Ha-ha it really is a horrible sound! It’s funny that the first question I’ve been asked is, “did I wake you up?” The first thoughts that have come to my mind have been, “well I sure do hope that I don’t sound this bad when I first wake up in the morning!” What an opportunity to practice humility!

I would really appreciate your prayers as there are many things that still need to be done with closing Bruster’s and as of right now I don’t see myself getting off the couch too soon. :-/ Thanks!

Closed....

This past weekend I told some of you, but I know there’s a lot of people that haven’t heard that this past Sunday we closed our other Bruster’s store (the one that’s been open). We knew we would be extremely slow through the winter but up to this point there has been a drastic difference in sales figures (due to the economic down fall) from last year and we knew it was only getting worse. This has been very difficult for my family, especially my dad and grandfather. Everyone is just now finding out because we had to keep it top secret mainly because we couldn’t chance word some how getting to the land owners of the store properties and all the employees…. That has been an ordeal in and of it self!

My dad told me about a month ago he was going to close the store but it didn’t really hit me that is was actually happening until last week when my dad came down with Jonathan for the first time in six months to start moving some stuff into storage. It was actually kind of sad ….I didn’t realize how emotionally attached I had gotten! The whole Bruster’s ordeal has been a long journey for me. There will be many things that I will miss and many things that I will most definitely not miss! I’m so very grateful for all the different things I learned while managing both the stores, but am even more grateful for all that God did in my heart during the two years I worked for Bruster’s. Though at many times this whole process has been pretty challenging for me, I can truly say that God has been good to me! Driving home from the store today with my dad he reminded me that though it’s a BIG bummer the store had to close, in light of eternity these stores will not matter one little bit and that brought much peace to my soul.

Please be praying as we still have a lot of work to do with closing the store. Though it’s not open to customers there’s a lot of clean up to be done and stuff that I’m not even going to try explain. =) My dad also has a long process ahead of him to get out of our leases.

You’re all probably wondering what I’m going to be doing now work wise. Well, I’m going to continue working for my parents…Garden Centers are about to open back up again so I’m mainly going to be working out of our house helping my mom with book keeping and will be doing some on site work every now and then when it’s needed. I will be doing that all the way through June and my dad and I are thinking about some ideas for the fall that we might possibly start up. For me, there’s a lot of things up in the air, but I’m trusting God and am thankful that He already has planned every step I will take today, tomorrow, next year, and the rest of my life. I’m really looking forward to this new season of working in the home with my mom and am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving my family.

I've been resting in the truths that God is Sovereign, that He’s working all of these situations
for our good and His glory, and because He’s been faithful in the past He will be faithful again!

Thank you all for your prayers!

Weekend Fun!

This past weekend was great!

- The weather was simply GORGEOUS!
-Jenn Romanski came to visit from Charlotte!
-Damaris Wells came to visit from Grace Church in Orlando!
-Amber and I went to Gainesville on Friday to go to Stephanie Klinger (now Peterson) and Kyle Peterson’s wedding. During and after the wedding we got to see some dear friends and go to AGCC and hear Allison Gilland sing (David and Angela Gilland sang a couple songs too) while we fellowshipped and played Yatzee!
- Worship on Sunday morning was amazing!
- And we ended the fun last night by watching the Emperors New Groove. That movie never gets old!

The Lord has been so faithful to meet over this past week! I will share some more on that over the next couple days.

Here are some pictures… some of them are from a couple weekends ago.

Feeling Spent?

I don’t have much time to post today but would like to leave you with the following:

Forsake Me Not When My Strength is Spent- Psalm 71:

“...Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come… For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from before my birth…I have been as a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day…. O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me!.... But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone….You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? You have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again… My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.”

Oh how encouraging the above Psalm has been to me today… I pray if you're feeling “spent” today that it encourages you as well!

True and Lasting Joy

"Saving faith is the confidence that if you sell all you have and forsake all sinful pleasures, the hidden treasure of holy joy will satisfy your deepest desires. Saving faith is the heartfelt conviction not only that Christ is reliable, but also that He is desirable. It is the confidence that He will come through with His promises and that what He promises is more to be desired than all the world." -John Piper

Wow! The quote above sure has gotten me thinking! How about you? Is there anything in your life that you’re treasuring more than Christ? Let’s stop and ask ourselves.... Is there anything in my life that would be/is difficult for me to give up? (Car, money, internet, house, cell phone, TV, etc.) Would I be ok if I had to sell everything I have right now? Is Christ more than enough for me?

Godliness is great gain; but only when accompanied by contentment! We should crave things that glorify God, not the things that bring satisfaction to the world, for they are slight and momentary compared to the glory of eternity. It is very easy to come up with reasons and excuses of why the sins of greed and materialism don’t apply to us. But whenever we think getting something material, or getting more of it, will answer our life’s needs, we lack this contentment. Whenever we are deeply grieved at material loss, we lack this contentment. Whenever we get an inordinate pleasure from buying or having some material thing, we lack this contentment. A heart of contentment begins with seeing our material possessions and resources in an eternal perspective. The desire to be rich can really only be satisfied in Jesus Christ, and satisfied with spiritual riches rather than material ones. Everything else falls short. God has commanded us not to be conformed to the world (Romans 12:2). If there is something that we’re treasuring more than Christ, let’s stop and repent and ask God to help us find Christ as the GREATEST joy of our heart.

1 John 2:15-17- “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions- is not from the Father but is form the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

Take all I am, Lord, and all that I cling to
You are my Savior I owe everything to
Take all the treasures that lie in my storehouse
They cannot follow when I enter Your house

Take all my cravings for vain recognition
Fleshly indulgence and worldly ambition
Iwant so much Lord to make You the focus
To serve You in secret and never be noticed

Take all my hunger for all that’s forbidden
Every desire and sin I keep hidden
Search me and know me I want to bring to You
A life that is holy and sanctified through You

Rich Dalmas- SG Music

Crazy Book and Music Sale

If you haven’t already heard about the Sovereign Grace Ministries book and music sale that’s going on for the month of February, then read below:

We’re doing it again. Having a ridiculous sale, that is.

Last year, during the month of February, we reduced the prices of our CDs and books. The response was overwhelming. So we decided to repeat the lunacy. Here’s the deal:

From February 1–28, at the Sovereign Grace store, you’ll find these prices:

* Sovereign Grace books (23 of them, including Worship Matters, Worldliness, and Living the Cross Centered Life): $7 each

* all CDs produced by Sovereign Grace Music (including Together for the Gospel Live, Psalms, Come Weary Saints, Awesome God, In a Little While, and Valley of Vision): $6 each

* all books in our Pursuit of Godliness series (Why Small Groups, This Great Salvation, and others): $4 each

But wait…there’s more!

During February, we’re offering our normal free shipping in the continental US (library rate). But on all international orders we’re offering a discount of 50% on USPS First Class International shipping.

Why are we doing this? Well, we figure that most of us have been affected by the present economic crisis. We want to do whatever we can to make it easier for people to benefit from what we produce. We want to serve churches and individuals by providing biblically informed, gospel-centered resources at a low cost. And we’d really like to give it all away, but for now, that’s not financially feasible…

So we offer the February sale. Enjoy. And feel free to tell your friends.

Get the goods at: http://www.sovereigngracestore.com/

His Grace is Sufficient!

2 Corinthians 12:9- “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Isaiah 40:29- “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.”

His power is made PERFECT in my weakness! How comforting the verses above have been to me today! After being sick for the past few days and waking up again this morning feeling even worse the last thing I wanted to do was get up and go into work. I was feeling weak! Though I was feeling weak and am still not feeling great, the Lord was quick to remind me that His grace is sufficient for me to get through today. He's giving me strength and is increasing my strength every second of THIS day….not just the days when everything seems to be going hunky dory. His grace is sufficient EVERY day and He gives us new mercies EVERY morning (Lamentations 3:22).

Perhaps you are feeling the same today. Are you too feeling weak and weary? Maybe your kids were up late last night watching the Super Bowl and today they aren’t cooperating like you would like on top of all the daily tasks that come with Monday’s. Are you scrambling last minute to study for an exam? Are you walking through a difficult circumstance? Are you having a stressful day at work? Are you sick?......

If you too have been feeling weak and weary today, be encouraged, because as the Lord reminded me this morning, His grace is sufficient through everything and He is increasing our strength this very second!

When darkness falls
Temptations call
And all around me seems undone
You hear my pleas
Supply my needs
And tell me of Your wondrous love

You are the joy in my morning
You’re my song of praise
Just like the new day dawning
Flooding my world with grace

Though trials come
And every one
Can take me further from Your truth
You calm my fears
Dry all my tears
And draw me closer, Lord, to You

In You there’s no shadow of turning
Constant in all Your ways
You’re growing my faith and I’m learning to lean
On You all of my days

By Peter Gagnon
As recorded on Come Weary Saints