A Day to be Remembered 9.1.12

Today was a simply beautiful day. God was in this day and His glory shown through so many different things, it's hard for me to even know where to begin.

A wedding and a birthday and a love.

A love so strong, no one can break it or buy it or replicate. The love I'm referring to is Agape love... the love poured out to us from God. This love will NEVER fail us, ever! And for that I am truly to be eternally grateful.

Benton and Kristen Oglesby. They are MARRIED now! The ceremony was so special. Vows that they each wrote for the other. Communion taken by the bride and groom. Worship music played and sung by those they love.

The worship song was beyond appropriate. "How He Loves Us..."

"He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us, oh,
Oh, how He loves us,
How He loves us all...

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves.

And we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don't have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about the way...

He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves.

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us...
Oh, how He loves us...
Oh, how He loves us."

God is indeed jealous for us. So many different things of this world are fighting for our attention... sports, relationships, school, the list goes on... But here God is, waiting... just waiting for us to come to Him. He loves us so much that it honestly is SUPER hard for me to grasp. We are a tree and His love is a hurricane. That's how great and powerful HIS love for us is! When we finally realize just how great this love is, it is a beyond amazing feeling that is SO overwhelming! ... all we can say is how much He loves us... He loves us...He loves us.... thank GOD He loves us. Even though we have fallen so far from Him at times... even though I have fallen so far from Him at times, He still loves us and waits for us! THANK THE LORD FOR THAT! 

Something that stuck out to me that the pastor said was that Benton and Kristen each found someone who love God more than they love each other... and I can see and know just how much they love each other, and to think, they love God more than that! That's crazy... crazy AWESOME! I am honored to be related to such great examples and servants of the Lord. Their wedding was such a blessing to me, not only was I blessed to be there at all, but I was also blessed to be able to hear and see such a great message play out in this day!

The weather was perfect too... although I'm sure some would disagree:) 

The wedding was supposed to be an outdoor wedding, but due to uncertain weather, it was moved into the barn. During the wedding the open-barn-door-backdrop was perfect. Not too sunny, not too rainy. Not long after the ceremony ended the rain really picked up it's pace. Soon it was pouring... but before that, we were able to watch the storm roll in over the grassy Tennessee hills. Even the storm clouds seemed like some of the prettiest storm clouds I've seen! The wind picked up speed and we got some real nice rain and my phone even alerted me there was a tornado warning in the area! CRAZY TN! 

The torrential downpoor didn't last too too long though, and soon someone spotted a rainbow, as the sun began to poke it's way out again. I LOVE rainbows! ... and not just because they are breathtaking to look at, but also because of the fact of what it represents... God's promise to us... to His creation!

The storm passed and the sun came out, and the day ended with a beautiful sunset... the trees on the horizon making beautiful silhouettes that I could probably stare at ... or take pictures of, for hours if I ever got the chance... the chance and about the longest sunset EVER! :)

When the bride and groom finally joined us back at the barn after a picture or two;) ... they were able to share a first dance together. That dance was very special to be able to witness. I for one am NOT a dancer and never have been, annd have always sworn I would NEVER have dancing at my wedding... but this dance almosttt made me reconsider... key word, almost:) 

The speeches given by the best man, three brides maids, and Kristen's father were also beautiful. Everything about today reconfirmed to me that even though wedding's can be a HUGE hassle (it seems) and occasionally some drama can present itself, wedding's are still a beyond beautiful thing. In a time where more people seem to be getting divorced than married, weddings are great... but it's not just the weddings that are great, it's the marriage to follow that wedding. As Kristen's dad said (I believe) ... while Benton did pursue Kristen during their dating days... the wedding today is the first day of the rest of their lives together, and Benton plans to continuing pursuing Kristen each and every day. That is awesome guys!!! 

In the wedding ceremony another point that was to be conveyed, was that the marriage covenant is mirrored after the church. While I don't personally know much on this subject, I am now very interested in hearing more about this.... marriage to church.. church to marriage. These verses from Ephesians seem to be a good place to start: 

^{22 "}Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.²⁴ But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, ²⁶ so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ²⁷ that He might present to Himself the church

in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. ²⁸ So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;²⁹ for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also nourishes and cherishes the church, ³⁰ because we are members of His body. ³¹ For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. ³² This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church."

Ephesians 5:22-32

...I also thought Benton's best man said some really great things in his speech that are SO true: 

"...that sacrificial and unconditional love that God has for all of us... it can't, it will not last until death do us part unless you have that. ... it's not easy to have... it's always a struggle...but I look at this couple and I see a couple that is more than ready to take on that challenge...to take it until death do us part!" 

ISN'T THAT AWESOME?!? 

Congratulations to my very 1st, first cousin on his marriage to Kristen, the newest cousin to the family. May everything that was said on this day hold true and be a reminder to you both, for years to come, of what God has given you in each other. Love you both! 

OH annnd, HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY BENTON! <3 <3 

Thee FIRST blog.

Well, here it is. I have a blog. Those who inspired me, my dear father, Chuck Smith and my boss, Sara Luke. (also some persuasion from my boyfriend Evan Heisey) What I will blog about it still completely unknown to me, so I guess we'll just figure that out as I go. I honestly have no idea how to work this blog deal so I may be asking for help from my father, which would be different since he's usually asking me questions when it comes to the internet and such. To start, I will update whoever ends up reading this on my "lyfe" as it is today, on this weird weathered day in January. I am going to Spring Arbor University. After two years at Greenville College, it was time for a change so I am now home again. This year I have lived at home and only taken classes part time at SAU while working as well. Next school year I am planning to live on campus though, which will be another new experience for me... a little unsure, but I think at this point it's another step in the right direction. This past fall I worked at Flavor Fruit Farms here in my home town. That was quite the experience and I actually really enjoyed my fall there. I was on the cash register a lot but was also baking here and there, restocking, cleaning and doing just about anything else you could think of from unloading thousands of HUGE pumpkins and placing them around the farm to eating many yummy donuts. (at least one a day!) After Halloween my season there was over and I was able to take a visit to Greenville, which was super fun but of course invovled some mixed emotions as well, seeing as how I miss all my friends from there an awful lot! This winter I've been quite the bum and I'm sure if you would talk to my parents they would agree;) Starting today I am working at Hawkins Accounting in Vandercook. It looks like this job won't be nearly as fun as my fall job, but I am going to attempt to have a decent attitude about it and maybe even learn a few things I can take with me into the "real world." I honestly have no interest in Accounting, as my major is in Social Work, but a job is a job and I am EXTREMELY thankful to have one! Speaking of my major, in transferring to SAU, I switched from Elementary Education to Social Work. Lots of thought and prayer and searching went into this change and I think I've finally found the major I will graduate with. YAY! Planning to graduate in Spring 2014... a little later than expected, but I will survive. This is getting super long and wordy so I apologize. How about I make a fun little list to finish this first blog up...

Things I am thankful for in this new year:
- Getting to see my family almost every day... I am really enjoying being a part of their lives again... especially the little bros:)
-Having my boyfriend living less than 36 hours away from me. Fall 2011 he was still at school in Arizona, so that made for many hours skyping.... not all bad, but it's definitly nice having him closer:)
- A job ... prayer for my friends who are still needing one!!!
- The list could go on but it's now 1 o'clock am and I'm thinking I should maybe wrap this up. Swell first blog this was. Catch ya later readers, whoever you may be:)

No wait... I'm not done. Another cool thing that happened this past year, my best friend Kelsey Myers got engaged. CONGRATS AGAIN AND AGAIN CODY AND KELS! Their wedding is in December 2012 and I'm beyond excited to be Kelsey's MOH!
Also, can I just say this weather is the weirdest. Snow, extreme meltdown and fog, warmth, tanning, beach days, SNOW! repeat.
Alright. Good day world.

A few recent pics from my lyfe