Goodly & Living Heritage

Yesterday I blogged about my parents testimony a little bit. I enjoyed writing it like a story (I was always a little creative with my words as a child), as well as being able to take some time to brag on God. Like David, I can say that I have a goodly heritage.

"The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage." Psalm 16:6

Although I do have a Christian foundation in my family, there are many (in most cases) that do not have that privilege. I have a few friends that have this struggle. They sometimes will confess to me that it is hard for them to live for the Lord when they go home to a life that is contrary to what they want to live. I think we can all agree that it's hard to do something, for the Lord or just anything you set your mind to, when you have negativity coming from home. I can be all smiles and super pumped about an idea, but the moment I get some criticism or negative advice from a family member, I dismiss it almost immediately and change my mind. Sometimes this is good, but other times--like if we are witnessing to family-- it is dangerous. Eternally dangerous. Their souls are in the balance of what you and I feel is comfortable. Is it comfortable talking about the Lord, salvation & witnessing to lost family? Not usually. But the Great Commission does not call us to be comfortable and witness when it's convenient. There's no rest periods or vacation days. It is an anywhere you go, whatever you do, whoever you're with commission.  

The truth of the following statement is a very simple truth; total common sense! "Light shines the brightest in the dark." Pretty simple, right? Yet when a little bit of darkness comes in our life we put out the flame in order not to hurt anyone's eyes. I have always had a Christian family (immediate family), so no... I cannot say that I completely know what you are going through if this is you. Because I have close friends that are the only "active" Christians in their home, I can tell you that it is possible to be faithful in church and do right with that home life. It is possible to win your lost family to the Lord. I'm not saying it is easy... but it is worth it. They are looking to you. Yes, they're your parents/aunts/uncles/grandparents/siblings. They may be older than you, and you think that they should be the ones to be leading you. But, as of right now, YOU-- as a saved person-- are responsible for being a witness. YOU are responsible to be the light in darkness. Just as I am responsible to be that light to lost family, friends and who ever I may meet that needs Christ. 

That seemed a little scolding. It wasn't at all! If you know my personality, I am just a very dogmatic person ha ha. With that being put aside, although you may not have a "goodly heritage" in a sense that your parents raised you in church, their saved and so on, but you have a goodly heritage in Christ! If you are saved, Christ lives in you... yes? So you have a living heritage!! You have the necessary tool to start your earthly heritage now! My parents showed that in their life... they made that decision for themselves without a godly influence in their home (well, my Nannie was but she lived in Indiana away from my mom). It is an option!

There is a song called "Goodly Heritage" that is very popular among Independent Baptist churches. At least I've noticed that, because I've never heard anyone else sing it. A lot of times people will preach on the goodly heritage we have at home out of Psalm 16:6. It can definitely be applied that way; but if you read the chapter in context, David says that the LORD is his goodly heritage. 

*The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance* and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. Psalm 16:5-6. 

Bro. Dervin Spears said, "Whatever Jesus gets I get, and whatever Jesus has I have!" I am thankful for what I have been blessed with on earth, but I am also thankful for my inheritance and blessing waiting for me in Heaven! Glory to His Name!

I am thankful for my "goodly heritage" at home. You may not have a Christian home, but guess what... if you are saved, you have a LIVING heritage in Christ! He is the portion of our inheritance in Heaven. You can make the choice to be the one to step out and claim it for you and your future family. 

-Carrie Anna

Trophies of Grace

23 years ago, a young woman fresh out of her teenage years was invited to hear a guy she graduated  with preach his first message. He was the cousin of her boyfriend at the time, and despite not wanting to go to church, she did anyway. She already knew the family, so she wasn't completely uncomfortable. As she sat and listened to this twenty-something preach a 15 minute presentation of the Gospel (that included reading the text, preaching and praying) she fell under conviction and was saved that night. She turned from her past and immediately started going to church and doing her best to serve God.

At this time, in the same town, there was a man having the time of his life... according to the world's standards. He was the drummer in a successful local rock band working their way to "the big time," living the lifestyle of a rock-star (no more detail needed). Although he was having a good time, on the inside he knew there had to be something else to life. He was brought up in a home that believed in God, and he did have a head knowledge, but never had been saved.

In 1991, he was enjoying his normal day with friends & looked out the window of his apartment. There was the young woman walking to her car. He joked with his friends saying, "I'm gonna marry that girl." Little did he know that that young woman worked at the same salon as his sister! After begging his sister to "hook them up," she told him that she was a Christian and wouldn't be interested. Against the odds, they began dating. She'd go see him play in his show, go to concerts... usual dating stuff. Early in the relationship (weeks), he knew she was the one. After confessing this, she suggested they see other people. To no one's surprise, that was quickly changed to "I don't want to see anyone else." Just a few shorts months later in August, they were married

One month later in late September, they found out they were expecting!

Although they were unequally yoked (believer with unbeliever), he still would go to church with her. Sat under good preaching and singing, never went forward.

One night in October, he was sitting in church as usual, but under heavy conviction. When the altar call was given, he stood up, but his hands were completely fastened to the pew. One of the elderly ladies in the church was sitting next to him, the one that helped my mom when she was first saved, and gently touched his hand. He let go, walked down the isle and got saved that night! That night their lives changed forever. They were now a couple that was striving to serve and please God TOGETHER with their life! They started serving in their local church, doing youth ministry as well as trying to start a van ministry. In June of 1992, their daughter was born and less than two years later their son. 22 years later, they are still serving the Lord faithfully! Been at the same church for 17 years and have been serving together in the van/bus ministry for 16 of those years.

The Lord truly works in ways beyond our understanding.

He brought my mom and her family when she was 15 all the way from Kokomo, Indiana to Maryville, TN (where my mom's stepdad is from). JUST so happened to be the same age as the guy who preached the night she was saved (who is our pastor now, Bro. Tom Hatley). Then putting my dad, who is a tad (ha) older than my mom, in the same apartment building as her. And THEN having my mom work with my dad's sister Vanessa at the JC Penny salon. Like, for real. How in the world did this happen? I'll tell you how it happened. 

God made it happen. He has had our family in mind from the day he died on the cross for our sins. He has had our family in mind in every step that has brought them to this place that they are in today. Because of their decision not to just be saved, but to be a dedicated servant to Christ, it forever changed the direction of how my family COULD have ended up. How I could have ended up.

**Take heed to this. One decision can change your life! So when you say that your decisions don't affect others, this is just one example of how dreadfully wrong that statement is. Even as a single person, my mom's decisions changed her life. Same for my dad.**

My dad is not a preacher, but he and my mom are faithful to the Lord and our church. They are very loyal & humble people who would defend the Truth at all costs. They have done well in training Jacob & I in the ways of the Lord. We were always faithful to church. Even having small children they always took us on the route on Saturday and we rode the bus on Sunday. We didn't get "free Saturdays" or "free Sundays" that I hear some kids/teens/adults talk about these days. Free Sunday? You mean, free Sunday... as in no choir practice? Haha

I am not perfect. Neither are my parents. We argue and get mad. We sin. We are human. I could give you a list of things that my parents have done wrong in my eyes. C'mon, I'm 21. But the list of things that my parents have done for me to meet my physical needs, as well as helping me spiritually, out number the bad astronomically. They are hard workers. In their worldly jobs, at home and for the Lord. They both have servant's hearts, and that is something that even big time preachers and evangelists cannot say they possess (trust me, I can tell lol). 

I am so thankful that God's ways are not our ways. We want the easy way out. A cop-out, basically. We want the low hanging fruit. The cheapest and quickest way out. So we have a generic result. But, when God has his way, he gives us a beautiful picture of His love and care for us. So much that he would plan out the details of our lives to make it as happy and blessed as possible while we serve Him. And in some cases, like my parents, He gives us a beautiful trophy of grace. 

-Carrie Anna

I made this post in honor of my parents upcoming 22 anniversary in a week(ish)! My mom turned 44 in June, this is their 22 anniversary and my dad is turning 55 this October! Funny how it's all double numbers :)

Happy Anniversary!

Big Hair Don't Care

When I started this blog, I set a goal that I would post on a weekly basis; but since I am a perfectionist, I am still editing and working on a couple of ideas. Yes. I literally have a folder in my OneNotebook solely dedicated to brain storming ideas for my blog. Yes. I am a nerd.

Anyhoo, I was looking through my blog ideas and decided on one that I very rarely see online: that is the care of naturally curly hair! Even on Pinterest it is hard to find a blog or link with what I'm looking for. My searches always brought me to some girl with pin straight hair who thought that because she bought some sprunch spray from Aussie that she had curly hair, or a blog that was for the care of African American textured hair... neither of which am I. Granted, no hair care blog will ever be perfect. No one has the same type of hair, especially when it comes to curly hair. Here's some statistics for you:
"The average person with natural curls have an average of 2-4 different types of curls growing on their heads."

"Wavy hair is more predominant than curly.  34 percent of women have wavy hair; 11 percent curly." {{from hairboutique.com}}
So when it comes to curly hair, things can get difficult when trying to find the "perfect" hair products. The first step to finding out what products you need is defining your hair type. This includes texture, curl definition & thickness. I'd have to say that my hair is pretty moderate texture wise. It is very soft to the touch (without product), and isn't too frizzy when the humidity is in my favor (though living in Tennessee, that is rare from the months of March-October, ha ha). My curls are also a wide variety of the different types. My curls are pretty spiraled (s/z shaped), but towards the ends of my hair. That causes the hair on the top of my hair to lay "flat" because of the weight, as well as stretch out the defined curls. Having extremely thick hair does not help in the lifting issue either.

*So!* I labeled my problem areas. I have thick, heavy hair which caused my curls to stretch and weigh down my hair. Once I did this, it was pretty simple for me to know what I needed. The only problem, is when I searched online for guidance and expertise I was greeted with a large issue: money. Almost all of the blogs I would read would give a list of 20 different products they used daily, and almost every one was on average $7. I'm sorry, but that is insane to me. I will splurge on my favorite product (Big Sexy Hair) if it's on sale at JC Penny, but I am pretty stingy with when and for what reasons I use it. For everyday use, I pretty much refused to cave in and buy products that would put me "in the hole" financially just for the name of a product.

Through much trial and error, I have found FOUR products that have changed the life of my hair. I cannot guarantee that these will work as great for you, but they are worth the try!

1. Shampoo- Herbal Essence's Body Envy 2 in 1, 23.7 fl oz, $4.97: I know what you are thinking... "NO separate conditioner?? Carrie, you have lost it." It sounds crazy, but this shampoo has given my hair more NATURAL volume than teasing ever has, not to mention it smells AMAZING and lasts all day. I can count the number of times I've attempted to tease my hair on one hand. It was SO tedious and annoying that I couldn't wrap myself around why anyone would want their hair to have body so bad that they would torture themselves. WELL, you're welcome! :) I highly recommend this 2 in 1 shampoo. If you absolutely must have some conditioner (I keep some on hand so I can use it to freshen up my "second day" hair) then just buy whichever non-waxy brand you like.
2. Gel (recently stopped using mousse for gel)- la bella Lots of Curls Styling Gel with Frizz Control, 22 oz, $2.99: I really love this gel for several reasons. I bought the extra hold bottle, but it still has a touchable feel even though it has phenomenal hold. I have medium length hair that brushes at my shoulders, so I used a quarter sized amount. But because of the thickness it goes a long way. It also doubles as frizz control and definitely does it's job! It also smells like fruit loops! Hehe
3. Holding Spray- Aussie Sprunch Spray, 8.5 fl oz, $2.97: This is basically every curly headed girls go-to for holding spray. I used to use Tresemme Curl Lock Spray but it made my hair feel rough. So I switched back to my original brand. I use this in my hair before I dry it with a diffuser and it helps with the definition of my curls. I also keep it in my purse in case my hair needs some extra TLC.
4. Aerosol Hairspray- Aussie Sprunch Aerosol Spray, 10 oz, $2.97: I find this most helpful to keep my hair in place. Again, it keeps my hair feeling soft but holds tremendously. I especially like this hairspray for when I decided to wear my hair up. It controls my fly-aways without making my hair look greasy. Plus for church to keep my poofs under control. :)

For a grand total of $14-$20 every couple of months I can get great quality products that define my curls, prevent frizz and give my hair healthy, natural volume. It may sound silly, but I am thankful that I finally found my perfect quartet of products that make sweet, sweet music that is my hair. Happy hair= happy Carrie.

Happy Styling!
-Carrie Anna

Hair styling tutorial in the near future to follow...