A Montage of my Thoughts

Okay, so I probably could post several different posts, but instead, I am going to cram it all into one! God has been showing me some precious truths lately, and I thought I would share a little.

1. He is better than... Girl Scout Cookies and Butterfinger Hot Chocolate on a SNOW day!
We are at a really exciting crossroad in our life as the Bassett family as well as the CityView Church family! Interestingly, it is the same type of decision to be made on both fronts. Justin and I have been blessed by our family to be paying really cheap rent on our great home in south Fort Worth for the past two years, but we have come to a time where we feel God giving us the green light to move up to the Keller area! This means we get to be first-time home buyers, which is super exciting but honestly makes me VERY nervous. CityView has been renting space on Sundays for the past two years from the Keller ISD and is now being led to seek out permanent space to minister better to the community- also an exciting but challenging adventure. For this reason, Rick, our lead pastor asked the body of CityView to take a day this week to fast and genuinely seek the Lord's face; together, our LifeGroup chose Thursday. Carrying a sweet little punkin in my belly who needs daily nourishment, I decided to fast from the sweets that seem to be extra yummy during pregnancy! Somehow, a single Girl Scout cookie in a package was left, and it called my name often during the day. It was a valuable tool to turn my eyes to the King and really ask His will for Justin and me as well as for CityView. Throughout the day, God brought me to some precious stories in His word about the way that He carries out His plans for the good of His people and ultimately for His glory. The verse that penetrated my heart the most though was a simple but strong statement in 1 Corinthians 2:16- "But we have the mind of Christ." There is a lot of places this took me, but ultimately, it reminded me that as a follower of Jesus, I have the Holy Spirit as well as the Word of God which both give me insight into the thoughts, affections, and desires of my Lord. As Justin and I seek out potential homes for our family, God has given us the ability to discern what is wise as well as really great parents and friends to guide us in this new process. As CityView seeks out a new location, He has given the leadership and membership this same mind of Christ to see things from His perspective and make wise choices! What an incredible honor and responsibility we have as a follower of Christ. Thank you Lord for allowing us to have the mind of Christ and to access your vision for our lives and your Kingdom.

2. How well do we celebrate?
And for that matter, how well are we teaching our children to celebrate? Sure, we have birthday parties and serve up the cake and ice cream, but do we genuinely celebrate the life of that person and thank God for what he has done in and through him or her in the past year? We cheer like crazy for our favorite team, but how well do we celebrate the daily accomplishments of those around us. Unfortunately, too often we are consumed by self and fail to be an encouragement to those around us. I must confess that this is often where I find myself- too busy with my own stuff to stop and acknowledge the growth and success of my family and friends, or even worse, I am competitive and rather than celebrate with them, I sulk in disappointment that I have not achieved the same.

Our great friend, Susan, came all the way from New York to visit us a few weeks ago, and we had a great time! While she was here, she taught Elizabeth how to "CHEERS!" with her sippy cup. We laughed about it at the time, but it got me thinking about how well we celebrate with her. I desire Elizabeth to grow up being celebrated for who God created her to be as well as celebrating her Creator and Lord, but how is she going to know how unless she sees it being done well by Justin and me?
I am so thankful for our community at CityView where we have learned from those around us about genuine celebration. At Christmas, as a gift from many of the members, all of the pastors and their wives were able to go out for a nice dinner and celebrate God's goodness as well as to be celebrated for the ways God is using us. Justin and I left that night extremely blessed, encouraged, and refocused on ministry, and this challenged us to celebrate others well. Celebration takes on a wide variety of forms, and I know I have much to learn. It is my desire to grow in this area and for our family to practice celebration in such a way that it points others to Jesus.

3.Ladies, listen to your hubby- especially when you are pregnant!

Alright, so this won't be too thought provoking, but hopefully you will get a giggle! Somehow, as I get older, my desires for birthday and Christmas gifts have gotten rather practical and boring to most. For my 25th birthday, I asked Justin if I could get new glasses! Though he thought that was pretty lame, he agreed, and off we went to Costco where I have gotten glasses in the past and been pleased. While I was looking at glasses, Justin and Elizabeth browsed the exciting aisles of the superstore! After a good deal of searching, I found the perfect pair and took them to get Justin's approval. When I tried them on for him, his response was, "They look good, but they look a lot like your old ones." I assured him that they were similar, but they were different enough. We went ahead and purchased the glasses, and they sent them off to have the lenses put in. I was so excited when they came in, and I couldn't wait to sport my new specs! Upon getting them home though, guess what? I am now the owner of two identical pair of glasses!
Grrrr... my sweet husband was right! Why didn't you listen to your hubby, Ang? I am stubborn, and pregnant or not, I think I know best! I guess I learned my lesson:) Thankfully, Costco has a 30-day customer satisfaction policy and is allowing me to bring them back and get something a little bit different!

So, what is God teaching you these days?