Ordinary People, Extraordinary God | Psalm 103:11-12

Hello again darlings!

The other day I posted about being a lamp. How I felt that God was calling me to shine in this world. I know that we are all called to shine, sometimes it just takes some of us longer to figure out how than it does for others.

The same day I wrote that post I had gotten up and gone to work at 7, around 10 that morning, a woman came in to ship a package. She had been visiting my town (I think her mother is in a nursing home here,) and was getting ready to fly home to Arizona. The nursing home had a book sale while she was here and she didn't have enough room in her bag to send what she bought home, so she came to ship the box back to her house. As I packaged up her box she had complimented me on a necklace I was wearing and I giggled and said it was from Forever21 and was probably about $5. She explained that she usually didn't spend a lot of money on jewelry or purses either but shoes were a different story, she told me she had worn heels in her younger years and that her feet had a high arch and were very narrow. I explained that I love heels but I only ever wear them to church because I work on my feet all day. She perked up pretty quick and asked about where I go to church and if I was raised in a Christian home. I told her that my home was not a Christian based home and she asked when and how I had become saved. I told her about high school and how I came to know Christ and in return she told me a little of her story. She had been married and divorced twice and both of her husbands had different viewpoints on Christianity, they were both Christians, but she just never felt right about it. She explained after her first husband had betrayed her with his secretary, she was just like I was in high school. All over the place and drank a lot. However, she had a strong Lutheran background. Then she told me that she was slowly trying to get back into her faith but she just hadn't found "the perfect church." Her story truly touched my heart and I could see that she was encouraged as she left. It gave me joy to know that my ordinary story touched someone so deeply.

This woman was probably in her late 60's or early 70's, it really reinstated for me that it is never to late to turn back to God. It's never too late to grab ahold of His hand and become a light for Him. I had explained to her that when the person who introduced me to Jesus was explaining salvation to me, I kept telling him that I was "too far gone" for God. I could tell she felt this way too.

Let me just say that we are never too far gone for God. There is no where that He cannot go. No depths He cannot reach. No darkness that He cannot bring light to. His love stretches over each and every one of us.

"For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions."

-Psalm 103:11-12

So wherever you are, whatever you're going through...just know that God is right there. Call upon Him if you need strength or love or just to cry. He is holding you in the palm of His hand. Also remember that you don't have to have a PhD to share your testimony, you can be an ordinary person goin throughout your day and an opportunity to help change someone's life can be placed right in front of you. Just introduce yourself and let God do the rest. 

Here is a picture I did just to help remind me of Psalm 103...feel free to use it as a background on your phone or whatever you wish! Love to all y'all!

I Am a Lamp.

Hello darlings. I haven't wrote a blog post in months. I don't know why I am feeling called to blog today, but I know that God has put it on my heart to blog today. Maybe even more than just today. I hate to be that girl who is so sporadic, the one you can't depend on; but at the same time, what's the point in sharing your life and your feelings with the world if you aren't feelin' it?

Let me first say that over the last few months, God has done work in my life. Major work. Now, I was saved four years ago this December so I'm not saying He hasn't been working for all four years. But I have pushed away from Him, tried to hide in the darkness from His light. It doesn't work y'all. But these past few months have been phenomenal. I don't usually want to share my feelings and pour my emotions all over the internet, but I just feel like He is calling me to be vulnerable, to be bold. My thought process on this is that even if no one reads this post, it's out there. If someone comes searching, they might just find what they have been searching for.

I can't even explain the timeline of my life the last few months, I've bought a house, failed two classes, gone through a breakup, been betrayed, been lied to, been heartbroken, been used, gone back to church, dove in head first helping out with the youth, drank bottles of wine by myself, cried myself to sleep, but the most important thing that has happened since the beginning of 2013 is that I have found God again. I have rekindled the fire that burns in my heart, that fire that drives me to be as Christlike as possible. I have found that and I have vowed to never, ever let it go out again. My little light is going to shine.

I don't know when I will post, or what it will always be about. But I can tell you that I am a single girl, I'm a single Christian girl in a world of girls who are having babies at 16 and getting married at 19. In a world where girls lose every ounce of innocence they have before they ever step foot in high school. I am a Christian lady who was not raised in a Christian home. I am a Christian lady in a place full of evil, fleshy desires. And for the rest of you Christian girls out there, it's us against the world. So although I can't promise you when or how much I plan on blogging. I can promise that my light is going to shine. I am going to make every. single. day. worthwhile. And I am going to wholeheartedly serve each and every human being that I can, because Christ died so that I could truly live.

What I'm Doing Now!

Hi darlings! I have many, many things to share with you!!

1) I bought a house, WHAT?! Yes, about a week ago I signed my life away to the wonderful world of homeownership. Prepare yourselves for tons of DIY and renovation project pictures.

2) I've been struggling/slaving at school. Trying to get through this semester is like digging a hole to China, impossible.

3) I've been trying to cut down on social media and spend more time with The King. With Passover coming up I really need and want to get closer to Him. Isn't it funny how your walk with God is ALWAYS hard work, no matter how long you've been "walking?"

4) I signed up to be a Scentsy consultant. I'm really passionate about Scentsy and I LOVE my house to smell good. Seriously, I am a wax cube, Slatkin & Co., room spray HOARDER. Its disgusting, but then again, at least I don't hoard 17,215,261,164.45 bunny rabbits or somthing, that justifies it, right?! So anyways, if you would like some Scentsy products you can order directly from me here. Also, I wanted to point out that I love getting samples of things to test out, I will have an ongoing contact list and send you a sample of the scent of the month with a flyer if you would like. Just email me at aimeeguise@gmail.com and I will add you to my list!

P.S. Until March 31 you can get any of the Campus Warmers for 40% off...making them $21.00 +tax. Some teams are sold out but go check the website to see if your favorite is still in stock!

5) I'm seriously (for real) going to try to start blogging more. Even if it is only once a week or something. I need to document my life y'all!

I love y'all. Let me know if I can pray for you in anyway. XOXO

Literary Junkies Link Up #4

Hi my loves! I've been super MIA lately, again. School started and that has been a crazy house. Also, I'm in the process of purchasing a home. Lordy, that is some crazy stressful stuff to deal with. When I get the house I will for sure be doing before & after of the house since it is super outdated! I'm so excited.

Okay, on to the real business, today is Tuesday which means it's Literary Junkies day! I'm linking up with Taylor and Lesley for the monthly Literary Junkies link up. If you like to read you really need to join us! We read a new book every month :)
Okay...here are this month's questions...

1) What are you reading right now? Tell us about it.

I'm reading a couple of books right now. The first one is When God Writes Your Love Story by Eric & Leslie Ludy. This book is all about handing the pen over to God instead of following your own plan. Yes, it is about finding love but it also is about just handing the pen over to God in general. I've only got maybe three or four chapters in but I'm trying to absorb what I'm reading rather than rush through it. I really like it and I would definitely recommend it for any singles out there or if you have high school aged kids, I feel like my generation could greatly benefit from this.

The second book I'm reading is part of the Bridal Quartet by Nora Roberts, I'm on book two which is, Bed of Roses. I've only got through a few pages on this book. The first book from the quartet, Vision in White, I flew through but I haven't had any time to read lately! It's depressing.

2) Give us the recipe for a good book.
This is actually kinda tough to answer! I feel like all the books I read are all along the same lines. Most of what I read is for fun so it's all chick-lit. Other than that you can pretty much forget me reading a book!

3) Tell us things you've learned from a book recently. Did you learn anything about history? Did you take away a deep and profound realization about the world around you? Or maybe even a beauty tip?
The most recent thing I've learned has probably come from When God Writes Your Love Story. It really opens your eyes to the kind of relationships God can provide, romantically or not. It's very encouraging to strengthen the relationships in your life that struggle.

4) What was your favorite book as a child? 

My favorite book as a kid was probably The Old Black Witch. I made my grandma read this to me all the time! So cute. My copy that I have was my Mom's when she was little so it's literally falling apart and has been duct taped together!

Hope y'all enjoyed this! What was your favorite book as a child?

Testimony Tuesday #1

Hey y'all! I'm really excited today because I'm re-sharing my testimony of faith with you. I posted this a few months ago but I'm hoping you will join me in this journey! I would really love to start a series on this blog with testimonies from any of my Christian friends who want to share how they started their walk with God (and how their walk is going of course.) You don't have to have a blog to be a part of Testimony Tuesday, just email me and I will post it. I'm really hoping that this will inspire people who are down and uplift people who are struggling. Everyone deserves to know their Saviour loves them!

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On to my personal testimony....(Repost from August 5, 2012)

Weeeeell, I hope you have some coffee, a glass of wine, or my personal recommendation some sweet tea cause you're in for a long post.

I can remember when I was young going to church with my mama every so often. I never remember us having a set church or a real church family. We never went to church on Christmas, but usually went on Easter. Our family never had big dinners after church on Sunday. We never read the Bible together. I never knew what exactly God's love was. I had absolutely no idea what prayer was and why we used it.

When I got to high school I started partying, the usual. Then my junior year something terrible happened, to this day only a select few of my very closest friends know what happened. So I drank. Drank to forget, drank to have fun, drank to get through the day. I was 17 and drunk at school. My senior year came and I of course was still drinking. My best friend had moved in with me and found me at home in my bed after work, drinking tequila. This was a frequent happening. I would take alcohol to school in water bottles and drink during class. My parents never knew. I never got caught. Richard and I had just started talking and he was NOT havin' that habit. I remember we weren't even dating and he would yell at me to stop, tell me not to drive home. He wasn't being mean, even though I thought he was, he was just protecting me from myself. Then one day just after Christmas break had started a kid on the newspaper staff messaged me on facebook. I was the editor-in-chief of the yearbook my senior year so we had worked together a lot. He asked my why I was always drinking. He asked why I was in fact drinking that night. He asked how long of life I wanted to live. He asked where I thought I was going when I died. And then he told me something that shocked me, he said, "You drink so much you don't know if tomorrow will be here or not. You could kill someone driving. You could get alcohol poisoning. If you die, do you want to go to Hell?" Shoot, I didn't even believe in heaven and hell then. I thought that was a joke and that everyone went to Heaven. I was almost 18 years old and I didn't realize Heaven and Hell were real!

We continued this conversation well into the morning, probably until four or so. He told me at the end of the conversation that I should ask forgiveness for all my sins. I told him that would be impossible. How was I supposed to remember everything I supposedly did bad and ask God to forgive me? God didn't even want to forgive me. I was a drinking, slutty, 18-year-old, who didn't really care where life took me. Now why on earth would He want me to go to heaven when I died? Was this kid joking? I ended up telling him that I wasn't asking forgiveness, I wasn't wasting God's time when He should save room for people who really matter. Yeah, I was obviously not in a good place that year. Then he said, "Okay," and gave me a prayer to pray if I felt the need to change my mind. Yeah right, that wasn't going to happen in a million years. I was going to Hell.

Sure enough, I stayed sober the next couple days and really thought about what he said. Maybe there was enough room up there for one more sinner. Maybe I still had a shot. A couple days before Christmas I decided to tell him that I was ready. I wanted to ask for forgiveness.

So, I messaged my friend and told him I was ready. He told me the things I needed to say, guided me through the life changing prayer and I was re-born. I cannot explain exactly how I felt after I prayed. All I can tell you is that my life felt much less heavy. I didn't feel like I was a failure. I didn't feel so weighed down with emotions and pain. I felt new. Then he told me I needed to try out some churches and recommended the church that he (and many other friends I went to school with) went to. I freaked out. Oh no, I can't go to church. Everyone is going to think I'm worthless and dirty. Then I'm just going to end up back at square one. Here we go, I thought, I'm just a sinner again, waiting to go to Hell. The pastor from his church came to my house on Christmas Eve, introduced himself to my family, and gave me a Bible he wrote some advice in. It was the prettiest Bible I've ever seen. I thought all Bibles had to be brown and boring, but this one was so pretty and new.

At the time I was working at the hospital in the food service department delivering food to sick patients and new moms. A girl I worked with was the step-daughter of a pastor and had been a believer all her life. Her life was based around Christ. I told her what I had done and that I couldn't go to church. I was terrified to be judged. More terrified than dying and going to Hell. She convinced me after a very long talk that I should come to church with her the first Sunday after the new year. I told her I had nothing to wear but short dresses. So we took a trip to the mall so I'd feel more comfortable in a longer dress. I headed off to church that Sunday and then we had lunch at our favorite restaurant after. It wasn't so bad, there were a lot of older people instead of so many young kids. The next week I decided I would go to the other church.

So, that next Sunday I got up, got dressed, and headed to church. Let me tell you this church is GIGANTIC. Not an understatement. I was terrified. I had no idea where to go. Finally, the pastor asked me if I was coming to the youth room and told him yes. I found a seat and settled in. That day I felt like the message (it was about New Year's Revolutions instead of New Year's Resolutions,) really spoke to me. However, after church got out the drinking didn't stop. I still had the urge to drink.

For the next few months I continued going to church most Sundays. Then our pastor mentioned the bi-annual baptisms were coming up. Oh lanta, when was all this church stuff gonna stop. How much do I have to do here? Of course, they talked me into it. I went to a little meeting about what baptism means, blah blah blah. The morning of my baptism I was just different. I felt different. We had to write our testimony out for the assistant pastor to read before we got baptized and I remember all my family being there. Most of my friends came too. The pastor asked a couple questions and then dipped me underwater. I have never felt so clean and new in my life.

The guy that helped me come to see Jesus actually had his parents video tape us being baptized one after the other and they gave me a copy. I cry every time I watch it. I would never change anything I've gone through, although I know I've made plenty of mistakes, it all led me right here. Being able to share this all with you, in hopes I will inspire someone to take that leap of faith. I look back and see that my life is no where near perfect today but at least I don't have to be scared of where I'm going on judgement day. I love being in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

If you've made it through I really want to thank you for reading my whole testimony. I hope we can become siblings in Christ! If there is anything you need prayer for feel free to leave a comment or email me, I would absolutely love to have you as part of this amazing family! Literally, if you need ANYTHING please don't hesitate to email me at aimeeguise@gmail.com I want to hear from you, I want to pray for you, I want to talk to you about where God is leading you. It inspires me to continue pouring my life out to uplift others.

If you'd like your testimony posted (I would love to have you!) just email it to me at aimeeguise@gmail.com you can include a photo and any social media, your email address, blog, etc. where someone can find you and encourage you if you'd like, if not I can just post your name and keep it as simple as that. I really hope that I can have a continuous amount of testimonies to help people so spread the word!

Thank you again for reading!