Its Gods story, not mine.

I started thinking about ways I could use this blog to glorify the Lord. Sure, I love helping my friends and family keep updated on my life, but I want to make sure I don’t lose the focus of what my life is all about…glorifying Him. So, I thought I would share my testimony.

I used to hate to share my testimony, I thought my story isn’t as cool as so and sos and my story doesn’t have a huge transformation like what’s his face, and my story isn’t as interesting as hers, and it isn’t even funny like his. Then a very wise lady told me, that it’s not my story- Its Gods story. It is how he changed my heart; it’s how he turned my life around, its how he found me. So here it goes:

My parents grew up in church, and my grandparents, and their parents too. So I started going to church in my mama’s tummy. And for a while, I figured I was going to heaven just like them, I mean, my daddy was a deacon, I came to church, I didn’t bite kids , or push them down at recess. I’m good right? Wrong!

Here are my parents, just to break this up a little I will share some pictures, and because  I love pictures :)
 

 

 

When I was in third grade I started really thinking about what I wanted to be when I grew up, and what my life was going to be like. Would I get married? Have kids? I knew I always wanted to be a mom, and I knew I wanted to be a teacher, but is that what was going to happen? And how can I know? I started to ask a lot of questions… and one night at Revival I walked that aisle. (Have you ever been to a country church revival? ) If not you should totally go to one. They are awesome, for real! People singing, the preacher preaching, and lives changing- its exciting!

Anyway, when I was in third grade I was at a revival with one of my best friends pictured below:

You know I have to throw some photos up in here…Allison and I were listening to the preacher, and at the end of the service we both decided to give our hearts to the Lord. I remember clearly the service being about how our body is a temple. I sat there in my seat thinking—if my body is the church, then Jesus needs to be in it. And I walked that aisle at Brookneal Baptist Church, my heart pounding, knees shaking, and hands sweating ALLLLLLLL the way to the front.

 

I gave my heart to the Lord that night. Within the next few weeks, my pastor did a class with us during Sunday school hour, and a few weeks later we were baptized. I was told that I needed to read my bible, and pray daily. So that’s what I did. I started praying for my friends at school to come to church, I prayed for my family, and I even got a map of the united states and started praying for the different states. I read my bible, I memorized verses, and I did it because “That’s what I was supposed to do.” See, I never had that huge life changing moment when I was completely living in sin and then turned my life around. In third grade the worst thing I had done was like read a book in bad light or something. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I am by no means in any way perfect, but I had not had this huge change.. so I didn’t really get it. I didn’t understand the love, the passion, and the heart beat like I did years later.  I tried to do the right thing, I started a Christian club called AWESOME POWERS where my friends and I memorized verses, helped in the community and visited the nursing home every weekend. We did this from third on, and we LOVED it.

When I was in fifth grade I had what I like to call my head to heart connection. I knew the bible, I knew the answers, and I knew what was right and wrong. It was then when I understood the value of what I had done when I was in third grade. I had that passion, that longing to know more and to really spend time praying and in the word. Thankfully, I had the routine down, but this time I was not just going through the motions… I had a desire, and I couldn’t get enough of the word of God. I made a prayer wall in my room and prayed for everyone I knew, I posted bulitens on the wall, I added prayer cards from other countries and my prayer life was on fire!! (I wish I could say it stayed this way forever)

In seventh grade I went to a Centrifuge camp. (If you have never been GO!) I loved Centrifuge, and impact, and mission trips, and serving in Brookneal. Seriously, my entire summers as a youth were spent doing some sort of missions and I would not have it any other way. God taught me so much each and every time. Well, at Centrifuge my seventh grade year I felt a calling on my life. I knew that I was going to be used by God in some way. I didn’t know if it was to be a missionary overseas, or a Sunday school teacher in my local church.. .but I knew God would use me someway and I started praying for him to reveal that to me.

Later that year I started teaching a Sunday school class of older women, and this became a favorite time for me. These women at my Favorite Church EVER were so wise, so sweet, and so giving. I loved them so much and teaching Sunday school was a sweet treat! I enjoyed it every time, and still do when I get to go back on occasion. Brookneal Baptist Church was making a huge impact on my life, slowly but surely the people were teaching me in subtle ways. Remember this is the church where my papa went, where my daddy was ordained, and where I had given my life to the Lord, and for that I will always be grateful.

I went through high school like any normal teenager. I spent my days babysitting (boy did this girl do some hard core babysitting- I still pray for each kid I have ever kept! I ADORE them and always will).

). I did a TON of hanging out with friends, playing basketball, running cross country, and trying my hardest to make an impact on my small school. I did not want to be known as  Brianna the smart girl, or Brianna the popular one, or even Brianna the nice student. I wanted to be known as someone who loves the Lord. ( I failed at that many times) I got caught up in the latest gossip in the bathroom, I let my friends down, and I lied. It was also in ninth grade where my besties and I started a group called the grasshoppers. (you can read more about that group in a previous post) but those girls taught me soooooo much, and gave me something to live up to. I know people are always watching, but for sure I knew my girls were watching, and that kept me accountable- which is more than I could have ever asked for. What a blessing.

 

 

 I can’t even describe to you the impact having CLOSE CHRISTIAN friends in high school can do for your relationship with the Lord. Without one of my best friends Brittany, Chelsey Celia, and Andi who helped found “the grasshoppers” I don’t know where I would be today. Seriously. They made being a Christian in high school not only worth it, but fun! I can’t thank them enough.  We had a ball, being together and loving Jesus!

In eleventh grade I started dating a boy. This was a great boy, he loved the Lord, he loved his family, and he treated me well.  He just wasn’t the guy my parents had been praying for. I do however, pray my daughters can have a great first boyfriend who knows how to treat them well, respect them, never pressure them, and also loves the Lord.  That boy and I did devotions together, we prayed together, and it was a relationship I am still thankful for today. He made me realize what it means to let someone else be a leader, and how to trust someone with my heart. (He broke it) but It was a good lesson learned for sure. We broke up my senior year and I was devastated. Not sure if it was because it was my first breakup or because of what else was going on in my life at the time, and that was just something else added to the hurt in my heart. I say all of this because this point in my life is where the Lord intervened in my life and I grew in my faith BIG time!

See, my senior year starting in November, my parents and I started looking at other churches.  This was so hard for me and a huge growing point in my spiritual walk…(long story) but we needed to move to continue to grow and I was beyond heartbroken. See that church was me. (or I felt like it) I loved the people, I adored the fellowship, and it was all I had known my entire life. I spent three days a week in that place since before I was born. It was the church where I gave my heart to the Lord, the place where I preformed many songs, the building where I played many games, made many friends, learned thousands of verses, and grew as a Christian. I. was. So. Sad. When we did join another church at the beginning of December I cried. Not because I was happy to be there, but because I was so sad to be leaving all I had known my entire life. It was hard. Very hard. So I’m in the middle of this battle with my heart already, and then I get dumped. Great right… well actually it was really great.

At this new church there were kids my age. No joke, my brother and Olivia and I held up the youth group at my old church… and at this new place I was able to grow even more in my faith because of people there challenging me and holding me accountable who were also in my school and were my age. It was wonderful. Melanie, the youth leaders wife had been someone I admired for a while, and then she was there... pouring into my life.  I became close to people there that I am still close with today, and that’s because we share the same Love for the Lord, lost people, and missions. I am eternally thankful for how the Lord worked out that entire situation and how he broke me so he could fix me and use me for the way he had planned.

God knew what he was doing, of course and I ended up having the best Senior year a girl could ask for. I spend my evenings hanging out with my best friends, doing stuff with my girls, doing study groups at friend’s houses, being class president, and going to prom with my best guy friend. It was fabulous and I couldn’t have planned it better myself! God is so good!

College at Liberty only grew me more where I met my other half, my best friend Brittany. (you know the impact she had on my life as well.. and if you didn’t go back a few posts)

 

 and then I met the guy my parents HAD been praying for. He is wonderful, a godly leader, thoughtful, loves the Lord, loves his church, loves people, and loves me. He is my pastor, my best friend, and my husband! I am one VERY lucky girl! Ha ha. We dated for three almost four years, and were married in that same church that changed my life. I can’t describe to you how special it was to walk down the same aisle that my parents walked down to be married, the same aisle that I walked down to receive the Lord, the same church that holds most of my special memories as a growing Christian, and I walked down to marry the man of my dreams. Perfection.

That would be the church, the aisle and the man!

 

Now, I am a pastor’s wife, a special ed teacher, and I still try daily to love the Lord and love others. I’m far from perfect, but I strive to do what I can so the Lord can use me to bless others and to glorify Him. I’m praying I am just better today than I was yesterday. It’s hard. It’s messy. But it’s worth it.  And I am so glad God can even use this testimony- His story, for his Glory~