Special Anniversary

I am late on my blogging but Brandon and I enjoyed a special anniversary on March 30th. This was the day that 3 years asgo he asked me to be his girlfriend. It also marked our 1 year date of being engaged!

The past 3 years have just flew by. We can't even believe all that we have learned and shared with one another. It has all been so wonderful!

It also made us look back at this past year since we got engaged. Wow! So much happend and all so fast! We thought we'd give you a glimpse of the last year. . .

I thought I'd begin at the start of it all.

March 30th, 2006

This is the bench at Citrus Park where 3 years ago Brandon asked me to be his girlfriend . . .

This was also the park where we shared our first kiss!
(These pictures were taken by Laura Moore in our Engagement Session)

March 30th, 2008

Brandon proposed at Ariel's Grotto in California Adventure! The most amazing proposal. I never imagined anything like it. It was perfect!

May 2008
We GRADUATED! Graduating from CBU with Brandon was so special. That school means so much to us.

July 2008

Amongst the wedding planning madness, we headed to Indonesia for 3 weeks. This was an amazing experience that we are so thankful we were able to share with one another. We desire to go back over seas sometime soon; this was a great started trip for us!

August 2008

Our wedding was set aside for a little while so we could focus on celebrating and being a part of so many of our close friends' weddings!

October 11, 2008

OUR WEDDING!

The moment we waited for for 7 months! Our engagement time was perfect and so was the wedding! We were so blessed by all the events that led up the wedding and the day itself!

We will be celebrating our 6 month anniversary of being married on April 11,2009. We can't believe it's already been half a year!
Next week we will be in Clovis with my family for Easter so we are looking forward to seeing many friends and family members!!

And we can't wait for another exciting year!!

The Blessing of Family

I have just been overwhelmed lately as I have been thinking about how greatly God has blessed Brandon and I with such an amazing family. I always prayed that God would grant me a husband who loved the Lord and a family of his that loves God also and that I could love and become a part of. Well God has blessed me with this and so much more!!

For those of you who know the Burns, you know they are some of the easiest people to get along with! Well not only have been so amazing to me but they have been amazing to my family as well. My mom and mom-in-law :o) get along so well! It makes Brandon and I so happy! We look forward to spending many holidays together!

This beginning of our new lives has been such a joy and such a joy to share with our families. It is such a joy to serve them and celebrate with them! So here are a few pictures from the wedding of us and our families!!

This was taken before the wedding when Deena came up the the bridal room. Thank you again so much for doing that!!

My amazing new family

The whole wedding experience was such a special time for my mom and I. I am so blessed by her and am so thankful for the special bond we have!

It was a sweet time for my dad and I as well.

I have also especially been blessed by Ashley, the older sister I never had! I am so sad that Ashley and Jeff and little Rylan live so far away, but we are so excited that their hearts have been drawn to overseas ministry and hope to join them in their ministry some day!

I will continue to post more wedding pictures!!

Where is America and our World Headed?

I just got through taking a look at this article in Time Magazine about "10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now". It gives a good glimpse of what is working right now from topics ranging from Politics to Religion, to Economical swings and to biomedical technology. These 10 ideas will reshape america and the way that American's think, live, use their finances, and hopefully what they put their faith in. Anyways, it is interesting.

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1884779_1884782,00.html

Prayer, Study, Action!!

Before you watch this video I want to warn us all to watch this video in PRAYER, and as you listen be very attentive and intentional because this video gives Christians a huge challenge to truly begin to PRAY and depend upon our Lord, STUDY the Word of God so that we can stand on firm ground against all things that are wrong, sinful, and against God's glory, and ACTION- we must begin to take action again first through prayer by pleading for all to see God's truth on unbiblical stances, and that we would live active lives that display God's truth and goodness and also in love and kindness. Also Pray for President Obama, he needs our prayers and not our insults!

President Obama raises some concerns that unfortunately for many Christians would ring true, and that is the fact that they are not reading their Bibles and they are not able to defend their case with good solid eveidence along with kindness, gentleness, and love. Obama also brings up some thoughts on Church and State issues and how when it comes down to it it really is quite hard to nail down truth and laws in America where it has become post-christian, pluralist, and very liberal. Everyone today is calling for everyone to be tolerant, well actually it seems as if they are always asking Christians to be tolerant, but yet they are never tolerant to our ideas and beleifs. Well, that is because there is no such thing as universal tolerance because someone always disagrees with another, and especially as Christians, we must disagree at times. We must stand on the Word of God and seek for justice, truth, and mercy to be heard and to be brought about. The sad truth is that recently we have been fighting and trying to stand firm on issues that are wrong in regards to the Bible, and we are doing for the sake of the world. It is for all of our good to not allow same-sex marraige, to not allow abortions, to not allow stem cell research. But it is because of sin and its deep affects on all of us until we are redeemed from Christ into faith and repentance that keeps us from seeing the goodness in God's truth. So, until the day that all believe and see God's truth as beautiful, and trust in Christ for all things finding complete joy in Him alone, we must PRAY, STUDY, and ACT!

Why do we Celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

With St. Patrick's Day coming up on Tuesday March 17th I began to ask myself, as I do almost every year, why do we celebrate St. Patrick's Day? Who is St. Patrick?

Here is a short clip on some breif History of St. Patrick's Day made by the History Channel. It grants us an inside look at how God used Patrick in Ireland, as well as how He rescued Patrick not only from the chains he was in on earth, but from the chains of sin that had shackled him! St. Patrick, once converted, became a very zealous and bold preacher of the Gospel desiring for all in Ireland as well as to the ends of the earth to come to the Saving knowledge of Christ!

This is a short video with a reading from one of St. patrick's writings. It grants us an inside look at who Patrick was, how he thought theologically as well as how he practically responded to the transforming Gospel. I am so thankful for his love for Christ and how it pressed him to be willing to lose all things including his own life to gain Christ, and to preach the Gospel to others so that they could gain Christ. St. Patrick is an inspirational man to look too for wisdom and guidance on how to be willing to follow Christ no matter what may happen or where it may take us. I hope you enjoy this reading to God's glory and your joy!

Jesus is the Answer

I was so blessed this week to have a sub job all week. I was at Riverside Christian subbing for the 7th and 8th grade science teacher. It was definitely a challenge on many levels, the main one being that science is probably my worst subject and I had to try and actually teach some of it! The students were pretty good, and all in all it was a long but good week. There were definitely some laughing moments in the classroom which was nice.

I am continuing to enjoy subbing. It has taught me so much about myself and my strengths and weaknesses as a teacher. I feel like God has really used this time to continue to show me what grade level I fit best in and where I can exercise my strengths the most. As frustrating as these middle schoolers were this week, I still love them and I feel they are a good fit for me.

I thought I'd share a cute story from the week:

The 7th graders had a test on Tuesday. 1st period begins and this little boy Adam comes right up to me and says that he's on the worship team and they are singing a song called "Jesus is the Answer." He then proceeded to ask:

"So if I don't know an answer to the test can I put Jesus, since He is the answer?!"

It just made me laugh. I of course told him no but that I'm glad he is understanding that Jesus is the answer to all of life's many problems but unfortunately it wasn't going to get him a better grade on his science test!

Being around so many different students of all ages everyday, I feel like I need to start a journal of all the funny things I hear!

Have a relaxing and enjoyable weekend!
And remember: Jesus is YOUR answer!!! :o)

How to combat Abortion Gently

As this years Election came around I was faced with many questions on how I would vote on the many propositions as well as who I would vote for President. It is a large task to think through all of the political jargon and props that are set before us each election year, as well as trying to get to know the new candidates for Presidency in a matter of about 3 to 6 months. This year, even above others in the past, seemed to be at a higher level of intensity. There were so many ideas that were thrown in our faces such as same-sex marraige and tolerance.America had the choice of either having its first African American President or having its first Women Vice President. Life as we know in America was going to change no matter what we chose. It was inevitable, and it all came so fast. Not to mention the controversial issues such as Abortion, stem cell research, and billion dollar bailouts along with the bad economy all coming to the forefront all at once to Americans. I mean what a task.

I was overwhelmed at times trying to learn as much as I could in order to make wise choices. When it came to choosing which President I would elect it was not so much of why I would choose the candidate that I chose, but rather why I would never choose particular candidates that are running. It also has nothing to do with the ethnicity or gender of a particular candidate for we are all created in God's image and I see all in light of this truth. But rather my choice came down to one issue this year, ABORTION! I can never vote for someone who will willingly and deliberately be in support of killing innocent people who have no voice for themselves to cry out and ask for help. God gives and God takes away, alone! For man to jump in and begin to take lives is a very serious issue and sin, and its implication run deep into all of society around the world. So, how do we as Christians, or as people created by God combat this ethical question?

We fight by learning the facts and truths about abortion, the effects of abortion, the truths and verses inside of scripture, and we kindly and gently with all wisdom present our case without backing down as we plead and fight for those little innocent beautiful little boys and girls who have no voice! When people want to continue to fight for the rights of the women who will have these babies, I say we continue to fight for the women who are still inside of the womb who have no voice to even be heard, but are still beautiful little baby girls.

I mean think about it, if you were aborted when you were only 8 weeks old in your mother's womb, would you still be alive today? NO! Would you have lived to be 8 weeks old out of your mother's womb? NO! You would have had no voice, and you would have never even gotten the chance to live outside of the womb, and you would not be here today talking. We must fight for justice in this matter on ABORTION just as many before us like William Wilberforce, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Prophets, kings and Judges in the Old Testament fought for justice even when it was the minority voice. They fought even when it meant that they could be persecuted, or hurt, or ignored, or beaten, they fought because it was unjust in God's eyes. Let's stand together like this 12 year old girl and let's raise our voices and seek justice to show God's glory!

Most importantly, to combat Abortion gently and effectively we must be in prayer. We must depend upon our Sovereign Heavenly Father who is in control of all things and does all things for His Glory! So, let us lift up our hearts and cries to the Lord to end abortion and to allow everyone to see the beauty of life and to value people no matter how big or small, no matter how developed they are, and no matter how loud they can cry for help or not. Please God change America's hearts and minds to see you and to see the truth about life! Grant them eyes and ears to see what they are doing, and help us all to make much of You!

Our Great GOD and Savior Jesus Christ!

About a week ago now at Church in our Bible study time we were talking about Colossians 1:16 which says, “For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things were created through him and for him.” This passage is talking about who Jesus is- Creator of the Universe, Supreme Being, and God Himself who is worhty of all praise, honor, and glory! It tells us that all things were created through Him and for Him! ALL THINGS! Try and fathom that for a minute............ Jesus is Supreme above all in the world! ALL THINGS were created through Him and for Him!!

Our God is so BIG and truly amazing, and we are so small. Many scientists look at the universe and say what a waste, but I look at the Universe and say what an Amazing and powerful and smart God we have and everything around us cries out God’s Glory. It reminds us how insignificant we are, how low we should think of ourselves, and how we should always be in awe of our Great God! Above and below is an amazing display of God's created universe, and as you scroll down you will see just how amazing and BIG God is, how small we really are, and you will be in awe!

The Bible reminds us that when we see God for who He really is, then everything else in life finally comes clear. We begin to Fear God, we begin to obediently and willingly love, worship, and obey Him, and we begin to share our faith naturally to others.

My hope is that from these pictures we are all reminded of who God is and that it would rightly fix our perspectives of God and ourselves. I also hope that all of us would daily remind ourselves of our Great God and Savior and to think glorious thoughts of Him! If we were all awe struck by God every moment of everyday like we should be, then our lives would be full of joy and our lives would reflect our Lord and Savior the way that we are called to do as believers! God is so amazing, enjoy!

Below are two picture of the Universe that we live in. The first is a broad view, and then the second is a close up shot of a few Galaxies forever away.