How do I remove this smile from my face?

I know it has been awhile since my last post but I will make up for it - trust me! God has been working in great and mighty ways and He has given me many blogs ideas so stay tuned.

As for right now, I have to take this opportunity to just simply praise Him. The Bible says, "Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord." Psalm 150:6

Well, I have breath therefore I will praise the Lord!

Boy, I am not even sure where to begin. My family and I just got back from a trip to Georgia for my sister's wedding so we can start there. My sister decided a long time ago that she was not going to settle for anything less than God's best in regards to a spouse and this weekend, I had a front row seat to see how He can bless those who are willing to wait and trust Him.

Zach and Amanda are a wonderful couple. They compliment each other well and most importantly, they both not only love the Lord but have fully surrendered to Him. This was abundantly clear throughout their wedding. The programs listed each of their own personal testimony of how they got saved and it also gave God the glory of how He worked to bring them together. The Lord Jesus Christ was the center focus of the ceremony and I am confident He will remain the center focus of their marriage. They both had a strong desire to have the plan of salvation presented so that those in attendance could leave knowing that they can know for sure where they will go when they die. The preacher presented the gospel clearly and simply and three souls trusted Christ as their Savior that day!

I already had a smile stuck on my face but when you hear of 3 people coming to that wedding lost and stuck in sin but knowing that they left as released and redeemed children of God - wooooo - makes a girl want to shout a bit! His hand was in everything and He is worthy to be praised!

With any wedding comes a blending of 2 different families. Our families hadn't met until that week but I have to praise the Lord here again folks because He was in it all. Both families are saved and that is the best common ground to have with anyone but the Lord blessed above what I think any of us could have asked and these 2 families blended together so well that it easily feels as one. He brought sweet fellowship among those from the north and those from the south. Rather than having introduction awkwardness, He overwhelmed us with the feeling of being reacquainted with old friends. A smooth transition such as that can only be crafted by His hand and for that, I praise Him!

I praise Him for all the safety of those who traveled. Some came from North Dakota, Minnesota and North Carolina and God's hand of protection was around them all. He got us there safe and brought us back safe.

While I was decorating a table for the reception, I got a very important phone call from a friend of mine. I had been anticipating this call for months. My friend had been without work for more than 7 months and things were coming down to the wire. If she wasn't able to get a job within a week or two, she was going to have to make some very important decisions and changes. We had spent months praying for God to provide and I have been privileged enough to see God push her to trust Him. He was pruning her like one of his plants and now that she was pruned and dependent upon Him, He began to water her life with blessings. Number 1 - He provided her with a job! I'll tell you what, being a part of a prayer request like that, it fills you up will more faith and trust in Him as well. To see Him come through (just as He always does) and answer the request in His time, for that, I will praise Him!

He is so good. Psalms 113 is a great psalm on praising God but one verse has always stuck in my mind, "From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised." That verse is very true because if you lend me your ear, I could talk all day about how good God is and what wonderful things He has done but I will wind it down here and leave with just one more praise.

I have to praise God for allowing me to be a Sunday school teacher. Although I feel incredibly inadequate for the responsibility, He is able to work through me and reach those kids. He has allowed me to have a unique relationship with the kids in my class and for that, I wouldn't give anything for. When I came home, I was greeted with a giant hug from one of the girls in my class and then tonight, I was lucky enough to be invited to their piano recital. Those little kids, if they knew how much they mean to me... Well, I'll just praise God for them and for the opportunity He has given me to be their teacher.

He is so good. His goodness can be found all around us, no matter if it is in the warm sunny afternoon or the rainbow found after a spring storm, He is always there, always watching for us. He is good and worthy to be praised. Let everything that hath breath, from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord!