Devotional for the New Year

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.
~Proverbs 3:5-6
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We're fast approaching a brand new year. Yet another year looms before us, full of joys and sorrows, blessings and trials. That may seem scary to some-the thought that the unknown lies before them. But as for Christians, we're comforted and joyful-looking forward to the wonderful blessings that lie ahead. Sure, we know that there will be some disappointments, sorrows and trials, but we know that nothing occurs apart from our Lord's will-His good, pleasing and perfect will. His plans for us are always better than anything we could ever hope for, imagine, or plan for ourselves.(Eph. 3:20)

At the beginning of this year and throughout it, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. There will be times that you have no idea why a certain circumstance is happening to you and you may feel like God couldn't possibly have His hand in it, working it all together for good. But let my testimony serve to remind you that our blessed Lord and Savior does work all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Trust completely and wholeheartedly in Him. He's the only one who is completely trustworthy. He planned, before the foundation of the world, exactly what would happen to us and our families throughout this coming year. So, trust and look expectantly to what the Lord has planned for you this year! :)

During 2008, from the first day of it to the very last, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths! He has promised to do that. Everytime you face some big decision this coming year, before you do anything, ask God for guidance and for His will to be done in your life. Consult His Word, as well, to refresh yourself with what His commands, statutes and principles are. This will help you to make your decision in accordance with Him and His Word, in order to bring glory to Him. And do not make a decision and do something that is contrary to what God's Word clearly says, thinking that that's what the Lord is calling you to do. Just because He may not come down from heaven and personally punish you for what you're doing, doesn't mean that He's calling you to do what you're doing, and that it's His will. Because He will never ever call you to do something that is contrary to His commands!

In conclusion, don't fear the upcoming year! Look forward to it, knowing that God will be there with you and will be leading you every step of the way(Joshua 1:9 & Proverbs 16:9). Trust in Him fully and always and acknowledge Him and His will in everything!

My testimony of God's goodness and His trustworthiness

1. 
   I was born in Conroe, Texas, a city about 40 miles N of Houston. I enjoyed it tremendously-both sets of grandparents lived within about 5 miles from us, and so I grew up really enjoying spending the night with them, having big Christmas, birthday, and Thanksgiving get-togethers, and having some really special visits with them. I now have many blessed and very treasured memories that I will happily carry with me forever, memories that I look forward to sharing with my own children someday. We attended Mims Baptist Church, and there, I grew up with some dear friends. I enjoyed being a part of the children's choir, participating in Bible drill, and having parts in the musicals our children's choir put on. It was all so much fun and I thoroughly enjoyed my life there. The thought of us possibly moving never entered into my mind, and I just assumed that I would live there in Conroe forever.

   
   You can imagine my shock when my father began talking of us moving sometime. He became acquainted with the Chattanooga, Tennessee area and we made our first trip up there to "check it out" in 2001. I wasn't too worried about us ever moving there. I just thought that it was all a bunch of talk that would never amount to anything. A few years later, as we began preparing to move, however, my shock very quickly turned into grief, fear, sorrow and anger. I was very angry with my father for leading us to move. I was angry that (as I felt at the time) I was being torn away from my friends, my family, and my happy life. I cried myself to sleep some nights, just thinking about leaving my dear friends and precious family. I had some fear also as to what I would face in Tennessee- would I make friends? Would I hate it there? We moved on January 26th, 2005-I was 12 1/2 years old and in the 7th grade.

   
   I was so pleasantly surprised when I attended the first Wednesday night meeting of the youth group of our new church, Brainerd Baptist. The girls in my grade immediately welcomed me as if they had always known me and we soon became the best of friends. We had a great time together. However, something I thought would never happen happened. In the late spring/early summer of 2006, Daddy began talking about us changing churches. I thought, at first, that he was just joking for some reason. But he wasn't. Come to find out, the Lord had been working in his heart, changing his convictions to line them up in accordance with God's Word, showing Him the truth of the Doctrines of Grace, and showing him the sinfulness of our youth group and how detrimental it was. Then I discovered that he was searching online for reformed Baptist churches in our area. Once he found one, we would be changing churches and begin attending the reformed one. I was furious. I even remember(I'm ashamed to say) saying something to Daddy such as, "I can't believe you're doing this to me again! You've already torn me apart from my friends once; I can't believe you're doing it again!" I was so upset. I was so happy where I was and didn't even want to think about leaving my friends again. I began to think I must be dreaming-this definitely couldn't be happening again. Could it?

   
   Daddy ended up hearing about a family who was going to begin a reformed theology Bible study on Friday nights, in the hopes that the interested families would one day begin a reformed baptist church. We attended the first Bible study, which was held the first Friday in September 2006. There were 6 other families besides us there. When we began attended the Bible studies, I was so bitter and upset. However, the family who began the Bible studies were planning on beginning the reformed church in the spring of 2008. In the meantime, I thought, I could still attend Brainerd on Sundays and Wednesdays, so things wouldn't really be any different. Plus, I thought, with their plan being so far in the future, things would probably fall through before then. So, I began to calm down and return back to my happy self. However, plans changed, and we began meeting together as a congregation on December 10th, 2006. I was so upset! There would be no more Sundays at Brainerd.

   
   It has now been almost a year and a half since we began meeting together for Bible studies, and our church has been an actual congregation for a year. And I couldn't be happier! I praise God and thank Him every single day for taking me from Texas and for then taking me from Brainerd Baptist and placing me instead in this new wonderful, wonderful church. I not see how detrimental the youth group at Brainerd was. It was very unBiblical. The guys and girls there thought about nothing but who was dating who, what boy liked what girl, etc. I praise God for taking me out of and rescuing me from that place. Since the church change, the Lord has introduced me to Vision Forum and has radically changed me and my convictions. Without knowing it, I had become feministic in some areas. The Lord, in His grace and mercy, has shown me the sinful error of my ways and my past convictions.

   
   Unless God had drawn me out of Texas and out of Brainerd, I never would have been changed. And I never would have met the sweet, likeminded families in our church. They are such dear people. I wish I could say that during the two moves, I had been fully and wholeheartedly trusting in my Sovereign Lord and His perfect plans, and was completely yielded to His will, and not my own. I also am ashamed to say that I was not fully submitting or honoring to my earthly father during the two ordeals. I was terribly unhonoring and did not joyfully submit to him as I should have. I'm so thankful that the Lord grabbed a hold this vile, wicked, wretched heart and changed it and its convictions, to put them in accordance with His Word. I was stubborn, unyielding and angry at Him for moving me-not once, but twice. I'm so ashamed of how I acted during those times. But I'm so thankful that the Lord was patient with me, and didn't allow me to have my own way and what I wanted, but rather moved me and by doing so, forever changed me. Praise Him for His goodness!

   
   I wanted to share this testimony with you, in hopes that the Lord would use it to teach you the following lessons:
   1.The Lord has always been and will always be completely trustworthy. You can always trust in His plans for you, and know that they are for your good, even if it doesn't always seem like it.
   2.God's plans for you are and will always be better than you could ever imagine, hope for, or plan for yourself.

   
   Just trust in Him-He will never let you down!

Any further posts will be referred to Maydenfair.com. Please, referr to that website. If for some reason you cannot log in there, you can continue to post here, and I will transferr it to Maydenfair.com.

www.maydenfair.com

Have a blessed New Year!

Ours subject this month is....A Mayden is Honorable.

Until next time,
Laura H

Website has Arrived!

Hello to all! The website for Mayden Fair has finally arrived! It is not as fancy or well put together yet, like blogger here, but it is at least better because it has several pages of things you want to look at.

Anyway, here is the link to the website! http://www.maydenfair.com/ I hope you will come to visit us! And the authors, you can contact me, if you wish to continue on in this adventure!

Until later, I remain yours in Christ,
Laura H.

In Whatsoever State...

In Whatsoever State
By Jaclynn R.

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Philippians 4:11

Have I truly learned to be content with where God has placed me? With all He has chosen to bless me with, do I still have unfulfilled desires and wants? The biggest desire of many young girls is to be married and become a wife and mother. It certainly has been a big desire of mine. It can become discouraging as you wait for the right guy to come along. Even more so as you get older and older and you wonder if God will ever bless you with marriage. So where do we find contentment and what do we do with the desire? Being content is, in a sense being in a state of peace. Christ is the author of peace. Chris is our joy. He is our life— our true love. Having a husband could bring us much happiness, but it can never bring true joy. Only Christ can give joy. Only in Christ is there true contentment. By surrendering our will and desires to Him (sometimes daily!0 we can find it and keep it. Marriage is not a solution to our problems (including loneliness) and it is not the key to satisfaction— Christ is.
God has a perfect plan for me and for you. I do know what it it is, but since I have surrendered my life to the Lord, I know He is in control and has the say in what life holds for me. Being a wife is a high and noble calling, bit it should not be our life’s goal. Marriage can be a beautiful thing in the sight of the Lord, but so can being single. If God never sends me a husband, I know He does not love me any less than my married sisters in Christ.
Christ said we are His bride and one day He will come for us. In the meantime, we should prepares just as the bride prepares for her bridegroom. While we are waiting, what do we do with our time? Romans 12:12 says we should be: “rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.” In the same way, while we are waiting for our earthly bridegroom, we are to be becoming virtuous women, daily growing closer to the Lord. We can focus on becoming more equipped by learning home-making skills, learning how to take care of children, learning how to serve wherever God wants us to, and learning how to submit to our authority.
If you are not content while single, you will not be content when married. Life doesn’t begin when you become married. Life is happening right now! Paul, in 1 Corinthians 7, has a view on being single versus being married that I think would be helpful for all of us to read. Some of the points mentioned essentially say:
1. In troubled times, you are really better off being single— free to please only God.
2. If you do marry, you haven’t sinned; but take note: it’s not easy to have the necessary double allegiance of pleasing both God and husband.
3. Because time is so short, and the present form of this world is passing away: if you have a husband, love him and obey him, but live for eternity. Live for God. Don’t make it your life’s goal to be only a wife, nothing more.


(c) Jaclynn Robinson 2005

Originally written for Crystal N. Paine’s booklet entitled, A Maiden in Waiting, first published in March 2005.

Hi, Ladies!!

I sure have missed being here on Mayden Fair!! I was on vacation for Thanksgiving from November 15th through November 24, and for the few days following our arrival back home, we were extremely busy trying to get back into the swing of things. Then, last Thursday through Saturday, I was in a pioneer era reinactment (which was so much fun!!). Needless to say, I've been very very busy! And, to top it all of, I had had the beginnings of a cold last week, but that escalated to laryngitis due to the campfires (i.e. due to all the smoke) during the reinactment. I'm beginning to recover, but I still have all of the symptoms of a cold. :( So, that is why I haven't been here on Mayden Fair in a while! But, rest assured- I didn't forget about you all, and it sure is good to be back! :)

I need info........

Help me please!I need to have some information or experiences on homebirth vs. hospital birth. And I need it within the next 8 days. I have a persuasive paper to write, before the school quarter ends, on December 13th. Any or all information would be useful! Please help! Even if it is a second hand information on homebirth and hospital birth.


Thankyou and God bless you!

Laura H.