My King

This spot will be dedicated to uplifting God, The King of my life.

I will start by briefly telling how He convinced me of his love for me.

I was raised in several false religions, from extreme compromise in the assemblies of god to extreme fanatisicism in the Mennonite "come outer's", and then my parents gave up in unbelief and we stayed home.

While we lived in Pennsylvania, a state where God perfected beauty in my mind, and attended a church called "Charity" which was a conglomeration of Mennonites, Amish, Baptists, and people like my family, God used a message that was preached to awaken my soul to its depraved condition. I was 11 years old to the best of my remembrance. But since Truth was not preached, my soul starved before it hardly had the opportunity to breathe. My salvation lasted at the most 24 hours. But I was not innocent any more.

God revealed to my parents that if they remained in this church their souls would wither and die. So out of a burden for their souls, and ours, we headed to where my Dad was impressed that God wanted us to settle-Fort Smith, Arkansas. What was in Fort Smith we did not know but we were going to find out.

On the way to Arkansas we stopped to visit some friends that had moved to Knoxville, Tennessee. Through various instances of cars breaking, spiritual upheavals, funds running out and becoming discouraged we were forced to settle in Knoxville. This was May 1997.

By June or so we were trying to get our schooling together, and ended up at a home school fair trying to sell some crafts. On the way home our van broke, and we were a long way from home. Since we had no friends and needed to get home we started walking to the nearest bus stop which I seem to remember being quite a distance. While we walked a sister from The Church of God of Knoxville saw us and her family decided to stop and see if we needed some help, and to witness to us. They got our number and we nicely got away, since we were not interested in man made religion anymore. The sister then gave the number to Brother Storts.

Some where in July or August I was talking to my sister Trinity and voiced my soul's cry "I wish we could just go to Church!” God heard and was working on the answer.

In August sometime Brother and Sister Storts came to visit us. My parents were not very excited, but God knew what they really wanted. After the visit my Mom was very excited, and Brother Storts was excited, but my Dad was cynical, justly. He told Brother Storts “If you guys are true, God will bring us there".

Through the Storts' endeavoring we finally decided to visit, excepting my Dad, during the Knoxville Campmeeting in September. We fell in love. We had found Elysium. It was evident that this people had the Spirit of God in their midst. We kept coming back, and God began to ground us.

Elysium

My King

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"Aslan," said Lucy, "you're bigger."

"That is because you are older, little one," answered he.

"Not because you are?"

"I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger."

~The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian

Sometime in November the congregation had a revival with Brother Burns, then from Fox worth, Mississippi. Thursday or Friday, the 12th, God again spoke to my soul. This time I was not as clear as to what God was saying because I had become religious in my mind. My mom saw me crying and asked if I was going to the alter, she was not confused as to the state of my soul:), I said I didn't know if I should, she suggested I go and pray, so I did. As I started to the alter God flooded my soul with conviction and I poured out my sins to him...God heard and Forgave me of every last attitude, every last ugly , hateful, part of my twisted nature.

Since I was in the meeting place that God honored, His minister, and wife, had the wisdom to instruct me how to fight this warfare. I went forth with the knowledge on how to defeat the enemy of my soul, the devil.

I was 13 at this time.

Over the next 3 months my knowledge of truth grew and I saw my need for sanctification. After repeated trips to the alter and being counseled to wait a little more, until I understood better, my soul was grieved with the knowledge that I needed MORE!

On a missionary trip the following February, trying to reach out to our former neighbors in Pennsylvania, Brother Storts preached a message on sanctification and my soul drank it up. Finally, I understood what God required of me! In spite of the uncomfortable situation, some of our friends being there, my soul desired to be sealed. I poured out my future to God, every hope, every vision, every aspiration, every trying situation. And God sealed me. This was February 15, 1998 I was still 13.

In young people's service lately we were discussing how sanctification is lived out in practicality; and God helped me to understand a little better what he did for me. When I was 13 I saw sanctification as a necessary work, and an act of obedience to God's will for me. As I grew to the age of 17 or so I had to start thinking about what I would do after highschool...and it was HARD to be in such a position where, hypothetically, I could choose whatever direction I wanted. But since I had given my life into God's hands I knew it really wasn't my choice after all. Anyway, God helped me to see that at 13 He had sanctified me with the understanding I would fulfill the vow I made when I reached the age where I could. In other words, If I was 20 when I got sanctified I would lay my life and future on the alter right away...but since I was 13 and had no authority over my life he waited until the age where I could make that decision and then he required it of me. Anyway, I hope I did not confuse you! I just thought it was really neat.

Since then God has helped me to grow. He has washed me and is still washing me of CHRISTINA FLESH, my second greatest enemy, beside the devil. God has shown me what to consecrate, what to submit, what to pursue and what to conquer.

After High school...

I Graduated from Home Schooled High school in June 2003. I had a burning desire to go to college. In hindsight I see it was partly to prove I could function in college academics, partly because I needed to prove to myself that I could accomplish what I set out to do. The only glitch was that my Mom was afraid for me to go to college because of what she had gone through in college...but my Dad was already looking towards my PhD...Not really:) Since I was trying to balance both worlds like a saint of God, it left me in some confusion as to what I should do.

I went to Bro. Storts and explained my dilemma to him, asking for his advice and counsel. His counsel to me was, "Go two years, get a job, and wait on God." Praise the Lord that settled that decision and everyone involved was fine with it.

I started college August 2003 at Pellissippi State Technical Community College. I was working for my A.A.S in Computer Accounting...I really wanted a challenge! College was a major culture shock...Wow!

Through out the two years I was working on my A.A.S I had to constantly fight to submit my aspirations. Being a focused, goal-driven personality I thought a lot about where I was headed and what I wanted to do. The fight was over letting go of...or just not taking...the controls of my life into my hands. In hindsight, I see now that it was a silly battle to have...but it was serious at the time, and it is what made me. I like school and since I was in college and life seemed prospectless I wanted to plan to go for a bachelor's. Understand me, there is nothing wrong with a bachelor's...even for a girl...if that is what God wants! But the key was that I wanted to plan it...and God wanted to plan it. By the summer of 2004 the battle apexed and I got the victory. I submitted, no matter where, what, or even if I did nothing but work a no name job for the rest of my life. I finished my A.A.S. in May 2005 and worked for an insurance business from January until July 2005.

The exciting part...

In July 2005 the insurance business I worked for was going under and they could not meet payroll, so me and a young sister I worked with were laid off. Glory! I had enjoyed my job but the environment had turned sour.

In August 2005 I was looking for a job, seriously. Bills and obligations were piling up and I was used to working! I took this to God and left it with him. I submitted TONS of resumes, to no avail. One day I was with my sisters and we were talking about my younger sister starting college and the thought ran through my brain, "You have grant money waiting for you at Pellissippi, why don't you go to school this semester for a job?" Notice, the counsel was, "Go two years, get a job, and wait on God." I had done all of it! The two years, the job, and the waiting. I hardly dared to hope that God would be allowing me to go to school again! I knew exactly what I wanted to take...Algebra, English Comp. 2, Botany, and Spanish 3. I talked to Bro. Storts about the possibility of my returning to school for the grants, and if I would go to school it might as well count towards a bachelor's. We talked a long time and God finally made it clear, "Go to college for my bachelor's, keep my life submitted, continue to wait on God, and Witness to the souls I would be around." Yahoo!

Note, God did not change. I just understood. Why didn't God send my to UT right out of High school? Why didn't he let me set up an articulation agreement with a 4-year institution? Why did I have to wait? Why? Why? Why? Because. Because it was his will for me to endure and submit my way to his way.

So in August 2005 I started college again and had no idea how I was going to transfer to a university smoothly and finish my B.S. I took the 4 classes I wanted to, for fun, and prayed God would take care of my life...I wasn't going to force anything. About a month into the semester I received a letter from a private college here, saying “You have completed enough classes at Pellissippi to begin classes with us to complete your bachelor's." Wow. This program is for 18 months, Monday nights for four hours. Wow. All my credits transfer smoothly, and I will start classes with Tusculum College on February 21, 2006.

The part that is amazing to me is that what I wanted to do, God wanted me to do. He just wanted me to let him do the planning! He wanted me to leave my life in his hands, fully consecrated.