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JoelleTCC
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Name: Joelle
Country: United States
State: Texas
Metro: Dallas
Birthday: 8/27/1985
Gender: Female
Interests: I tend to be a rather sedate and serious person (not as true now as it was when I wrote this originally...though still somewhat true...i'm arguing with myself now...how much does that totally disprove that statement...ok...so i'm just a little quirky!), unless provoked by an infuriating current event (usually political), a mind-boggling theological issue, or the plain ignorance of some members of society - then I get rather intense. I am currently striving towards "the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit" (and it is difficult given the intensity level I can reach). My deepest longing, however, is to know my LORD more deeply and adjust every aspect of my life accordingly.
Expertise: Well, if I wasn't always at work or at school - or now, spending time with my soon to be husband - then this might be an interesting little blurb (not that spending time with him is not interesting - it just may not be as interesting to everyone else as it is to me)...as it is, I do love to sing (which you know if you've spent more than 5 minutes with me), talk (ditto), run, read, travel (its an expensive hobby), write, cook, dance and so on. I also love cultured events such as opera, symphonies, ballet, and long moonlit strolls along a candlelit path to a shining...I mean...what?
Occupation: Student
Message: message me
AIM:  crystana99
Member Since:
2/6/2005
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| The LORD is so faithful to provide. Really - He has been so incredibly faithful to us! Why that should come as a surprise to me, I don't know, because He is the same yesterday, today and forever, and when He has shown Himself as a faithful provider in the past, why would I think He would be any different today? I don't know. Lack of faith, I suppose. But even when I am faithless, He is still faithful! Praise God! Four years ago, I was stranded in Richmond, VA with a lemon of a Bronco and no money, and the LORD provided my Toyota Celica - completely to my surprise - at no extra cost to me. Praise God! Two years ago, Jared came home from Iraq and needed a new truck and he found one that was a little too expensive, but the man felt the LORD telling him to sell it to Jared, so he lowered the price and sold Jared the truck. Praise God! A year and a half ago, the LORD brought Jared and I together in a completely unexpected and extremely fast way. Praise God! A year ago I got pregnant with the cutest little boy in the world! Praise God! Over the past few months we have known that we needed to get a more family-friendly car (one that did NOT have air conditioning problems, unlike our truck) but there just seemed to be a lot of obstacles. Finally about a month ago, we found a Toyota Matrix on autotrader, and after a week of deliberating just decided to buy it and wait to see whether or not we would actually sell the truck. We had to sell the truck for a certain amount but it just didn't seem like anyone was interested - and then Jared went to AT. And the truck is in his name and he is the one who takes care of all this stuff anyway, so we just kinda figured that all that was going to have to be put on hold for awhile, and we'd just have to try harder after he got back. Well he got 3 phone calls about the truck while he was gone this past week, and he took the number of one guy and gave it to me to call back. I called him and he wanted to look at it in like the next 30 minutes because he was just really eager to see it. So Dr. Allen and I went to show it to him that night and they asked us to drop our price by $2000, but we definitely couldn't do that. And I wasn't even that sure about the whole negotiating thing because Jared didn't really tell me what exactly to do about that, so I just kinda went off of what we had talked about before (and I couldn't call Jared because he was on a combat rifle training thing). And so to make a long story short the guy finally stopped at $600 below our asking price, but we honestly couldn't afford that - I was saying that the lowest we could go was $400 below. And then I finally explained to him why we must get that amount (but Jared did tell me I could go $500 below if I thought we could afford that, but that is the very very lowest) and so we finally settled on $500 below. So the next day (this past Friday) he met my mom and I and we went through kind of a lengthy process trying to get everything figured out smoothly with the bank and all (which was kinda difficult because he didn't really speak English very well), which was difficult too because it's all in Jared's name and he's not here. But anyway, we got it all taken care of and he was able to get our truck, which he was really happy about and we were able to sell it, which we are really happy about.
Anyway...all that to say that the LORD totally provides exactly what we need at exactly the time we need it! I needed the Celica at that particular time. Jared needed his truck at that particular time. We needed the Matrix at that particular time (especially with gas prices and summer). And we needed to sell the truck at that time. And HE PROVIDED IT ALL!!!!! He is the one, no doubt about it, who provided everything we needed at the exact time we needed it! He is so so so good to us!!!!! I remember reading a story about George Mueller (the guy who ran the orphanages in 19th century England) and how one day he was meditating on how God is the same yesterday, today and forever, and then he was just so comforted because he realized that God had proven that He is the provider and always provided exactly what he needed exactly when he needed it, and so then, if God is the same today as He was yesterday, then God would continue to provide for his needs for all of eternity. And I have just been thinking about that recently too. God has just so obviously provided for our needs recently and He will always be the same, that I know He will continue to provide for us in whatever we need. And so that means not that I will necessarily have everything that I think I need, but that whatever happens and whatever we have is exactly what we need! I am just so thankful to You, LORD, for who You are and the fact that You have revealed Yourself to us. How gracious and wonderful of You to do such a thing for us, who are so unworthy of Your notice let alone Your love and relationship. Thank You, Father!
...Father...today is Father's Day and You are the perfect Father. So as I celebrate my own earthly father and Jared, as Judah's father, let me not forget You, and that I am able to celebrate the life of my dad and of Jared, it is because You have revealed Yourself and have condescended to become our Father and to teach these two incredible, godly men how to be fathers - how to be like You. Thank You, LORD! If it were not for You teaching them and revealing Yourself to them and leading them, they would not be the father's that they are...but it is because of You, so I thank You and think of You on this day, for You are the Father of all fathers! Thank You again and again! And I do thank You that You have given me an earthly example of who You are. Some have no example, no conduit by which to know You and see You or for you to come to them and to make Yourself known in such a tangible way. But I do. I know Your love because of my own father's love for me, because of Jared's love for me and for Judah. I know Your compassion, Your provision, Your protection, Your faithfulness, Your discipline and so much more, in such a real and present way because of these men that You have raised up to be fathers here on earth - Your agents to me and to my son. Thank You, LORD! Oh how I love You!
"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knowns that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matthew 6:25-34
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| Sigh...I haven't posted anything on here in awhile. And this is not going to be happy anyway...because Jared is out of town for 2 weeks at his Marine Corp Annual Training out in California. Oh poo! I miss him so much. And even more so today because last night I had a dream that he died in a car accident - and it was really realistic and very upsetting! So I can't wait to talk to him when he calls this evening. He only gets to call once a day because he has to walk to a certain spot in order to get reception, and he only has the time to do that in the evening when he's completely done with all his work for the day. He is doing really cool stuff though - this week, they're spending all their time shooting rifles. Mon - Wed he's at the rifle range and then thurs and fri they'll be doing combat rifle training. And next week he'll be doing grenade training and rappelling (sp?) and other cool things like that. I don't know exactly what its all like, but that's pretty much it, and it's all pretty cool. But I just wish he didn't have to go to CA for 2 weeks to do it. I just miss him a ton, but having Judah makes me miss him even more I think because I miss seeing the two of them together. Jared is so amazingly good with Judah! They just love each other so much! Sigh...I miss my beau!!!!!
And you know, he's going on 3 more trips this year without me. I just can't wait for us to be able to do these things together - when our work will be the same, when our work will need us both. Well, he's going to South Dakota for a missions trip in July (just for about 6 days), and then back to Montenegro (a small country in eastern Europe) in October, and then to India right after Christmas. I mean, I'm so happy to let him go because he's going to work for and serve the LORD, and if my supporting him means that I stay at home and take care of Judah and have to be without him for awhile, then so be it. But I do long for the day that I get to work along side of him! But for the time being, this is what God has called me to, and I am happy to serve Him in this way as long as He requires it of me. I pray that it won't always be this way and that one day I will get to serve Him in a more direct way by laboring for the Gospel with my husband, but the LORD is the one who gives me my task, and I must simply obey no matter what. That is what I told Jared I would do when he asked me out and asked whether or not I could follow him into the mission field, and that is what I've told the LORD even before that...and so now I am being tested in that and must prove my faith in Him who has called me out of darkness and into His marvelous light!
I suppose it does seem silly when I think about it...silly that it takes faith for me to stay at home and do what I've always been doing. To some people that may seem stupid and that it does not take any faith or work or perseverance or patience at all. But it takes all those things and more for me to continue in this path. I want to be out there doing things and accomplishing things and laboring for the LORD in tangible, obvious (to me) ways! I don't like just sitting at home and doing (seemingly) menial things. It's a huge adjustment for someone who had such grand dreams and such a drive to succeed and to go beyond anything I'd ever done and to accomplish so much in record time...and now it is taking me 6 years to get through college and I'm spending most of my time at home, cleaning the house, taking care of a baby, grocery shopping and making dinner for my husband. If the LORD had not, by His grace, completely changed my perspective on life and on serving Him, I could never be happy with this life - not with the kind of personality I have. But I truly find joy in these things because He has taught me that obedience brings more joy than accomplishment. And if taking longer to get through school somehow pleases the LORD, then so be it. If staying at home and changing the bed sheets and folding Jared's socks and making sure he has clean undershirts means that I am serving my husband as God has called me to, then so be it. I would rather do that than anything in the world. It may be hard at times - hard to tame my adventurous, passionate and glory-driven spirit - but I know that it is the best thing because not only am I serving my husband, but my own spirit is being sculpted and strengthened by the self-control and love that I must exhibit in order to live this life.
Thank You, LORD, for changing me the way You have and for making my spirit such that I am content in this life. Truly, our hearts are like water in Your hand - You turn them wherever You wish - because You have made my heart love this in a way I never could have imagined. It is all from You and I pray all for You as well. Be pleased with this life of mine, O LORD! I love You!
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| ...so I posted pictures of Judah on my myspace page if anyone wanted to see pictures...I'll put some on here as soon as I get a chance.
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| JUDAH JARED ALLEN was born Tuesday, April 15th, at 1:06 PM at Medical Center of Lewisville...after 14 hours of labor!  And every minute was worth it in order to bring our son into the world (then again, I don't know if I would say that in that exact way if I hadn't had the epidural for the last 4 hours of labor - Dr. Ivey, the anesthesiologist who administered the epidural, is my hero!!!)!!! He came out at 8 lbs 11 oz and 20 1/2 inches long, which was a surprise to everyone because my midwife estimated him to be about 7 lbs. So he is a big boy - big and healthy and actually very strong! He can already hold himself and his head up. He was able to do that within a few hours of being born actually. He's pretty great! He has a head FULL of dark hair, the cutest little mouth and chin (I think he gets them from Jared), chubby little cheeks (which is fully expected of a baby), and a bunch of serious expressions (wonder where he got that from...lol). We can't tell what color his eyes are going to be yet because right now they're just really dark. Anyway...I don't have any pictures online yet, but I'll post some as soon as I get them on a computer. Thanks for everyone's prayers and support! Praise God for giving us a son!!!! | | |
| Luke got moved out of ICU last Saturday and has been doing physical therapy for a few days now, and he is doing well. Hopefully he'll get to come home at the beginning of next week and just go back up to the hospital each day for physical therapy. Keep praying for him! Thank the LORD for the healing He has done!
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