Submission

Will any, or will I, pretend to teach the Most High knowledge, seeing he is excellent in all his working, and perfect in all his ways? Then, since I cannot direct him, why am not I submissive to his disposal? Can I predict events, or foresee futurities? No! How then can I promise myself serenity from a cloudless sky? or fear storms from an obscured heaven? when, as to the first, the gathering meteors may suspend an unexpected shadow before the sun; or, as to the second, the gathered clouds may scatter, and let the welcome beams refresh the weary world. So, Lord, as from present appearances, future contingencies cannot be discerned—it is my duty, and shall be my study, to be WHOLLY, FULLY, and FOREVER, at your disposal, to whom all your works, all my purposes, and all my wanderings, are known from the beginning!

O! how the Christian should glory in God's choosing for him the lot of his inheritance, and be content with that condition which Heaven accounts best for him, though not the grandest or greatest; nor the richest or happiest; nor that state he most desires. I am not my own—for I am bought with a price, and dearly paid for too! Would it not be too daring for me to instruct God how to decorate the heavens, how to set the sun, station the moon, place the poles, plant the stars, and guide the wandering planets? Now, I am as much his by right, (yes, in the ties of love, more,) and as much at his disposal, as any of these his other creatures; and if I cannot complain of his conduct with these, why quarrel at his providences toward me?

Another thing which ought to encourage to submission, is, that God's way is not only equitable in itself, but profitable for his people, for the latter end of the righteous is peace; and the end of the Lord is always gracious to his afflicted ones—who chooses them in the furnace of affliction, brings light out of darkness, order out of confusion, real good out of seeming evil; and, finally, brings through fire and water to a place of eternal glory!

Written by: James Meikle, 1730-1799 “Solitude Sweetened”

If………

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

This was a blessing to me and I hope it was to you as well.

In Christ,

Russell

Alive and Well!!!

Hi there everyone! I am still alive and well. I have been very busy the last few weeks and it has been great. As you all know the Huussens came to visit for 6 weeks and it was the best time spent ever. I could go into detail about what happened in the time they were here, but time will not permit me to do so. If you want to see some photos go to my "sweethearts" blog here. She went into detail about what happened the entire time they were here. She is an excellent writer. Also check out my "sister-in-laws" (soon-to-be) blog here. She is the mastermind behind all the photos you will see. She is an excellent photographer! Well.....I must be going. I am not going to have a lot of time to update my blog like I have in the past. My job and getting my house set up for a family is taking a lot of my time. However, if you keep up with Hannah's blog I am sure you will find out how I am doing. =D

Keep pressing on!
~~
Russell

I Am Engaged!!!

Well.......folks, that time has finally come. The courting days are over and the time for preparing for a wedding has come. Last Friday night at 7pm I asked the girl of my dreams to marry me. Bet you can't guess what she said? HA!!! She said YES!!! Woo Hoo!!!

We went and ate at a restaurant called "Black Angus" and it was very good. We both ate very little due to the fact that we were staring at each other the whole time. NO!!! JK!!! We had a very large lunch that day and were still full from that. Still.....it was very good. We both got a salad. It was quite tasty.

She said YES!!!!

And here is the ring. Very pretty isn't it? I think so.

She loved it as you can tell. :)

Here is Hannah and me in 5 months, 22 days, and the hours keep getting less and less.

Momma Leanne kept taking pictures of us the whole time from different angles and I thought this one was very neat.







I think I am starting a trend here. I have given Hannah five bears in the last 3 months. I bought the candle for her at a Cracker Barrel on the way home from Atlanta, GA. She loves the smell of vanilla.

In the end it is a blessing to know that God was in control of this whole thing. He knew we were the ones for each other when we were born. God has led us to this point in time and I am determined to trust him all the way to the finish line. We have had a few phrases through-out this courtship and I must say that Hannah is "the goodness of the Lord that I have believed to see", and it was well "worth the wait" to wait as long as I did for her. Thank you Lord for "satisfying my longing soul and filling my hungry soul with GOODNESS!"


I ask you all to add Hannah and I to your prayer list cause we will need it. Also please continue to pray for Hannah's health. She has had a fever for a few days and cannot seem to shake it. We are seeing a doctor as well and please pray that God will give this doctor the wisdom to find out what is wrong and that He will heal her. Thanks for your prayers.


Also.....because of some current events that are going to be taking place around here I will not be updating my blog as usual and I am sure you have noticed that by now. Things have gotten really busy around here with Hannah and I preparing for our wedding and we are currently having a campmeeting at our church so you can check back if you like but don't be suprised if it is the same for a while. Thanks again for reading and God bless!
~~
Russell

I am Still Alive!

Hello all! I am putting this up to let you all know that I am still alive and well. I am currently in Window Rock, AZ at a revival meeting at Pastor Wilson Calvin's church. We have been through one night and the Lord has already moved in a mighty way. I will be putting up pictures in a few days of the area and some friends in the area. Thanks for understanding.

In Christ,
~~
Russell

God's Wondrous Masterpieces

Wow! What a God! He can do quite a paint job, can’t he? Every painter in the world can try to recreate what God does every day, but they will never measure up to the creation our God creates every single day. And people actually say, “There is no God.” How foolish!!! Look at what God does every single day.

I got a few of these pictures on vacation. The rest are just some pictures I found. Still……what a great God we serve. If he can do this, he can surely take care of any problem you face.

Pray for Hannah!

Hello all! I am just asking everyone of you to please pray for Hannah! She has been very sick lately and cannot seem to shake off the fever she has had! I ask you all to please add her to your prayer list. I would be very greatful and I know she would too.

Through Christ which strengthenth me,
~~
Russell