A Thought in the Life of a Pastor's Kid

Well, it's that time of year again. Children are picking out their backpacks and getting last minute school supplies. College students are packing their suitcases and preparing to fly off to college. Or, if you're like me, you are ordering your school books off of Amazon, looking over your class syllabus, and making sure your computer is up-to-date and ready for some more online school. If you're also like me, you are probably finishing up some summer classes and looking forward to a much needed week break so that you can just relax. Does anybody else agree that this has been quite the interesting summer? :) I can't believe that I am saying this, but I am actually looking forward to the Fall semester and to getting back to a semi-normal routine. It was back in 2017 that I was nervously opening up my computer and starting a new part of my life. College. I had no idea what to expect and I was excited (and quite nervous) about all that online college would include. I ha...

I cannot even being to describe how much I have enjoyed writing this little series! Not only to encourage other young ladies out there, but also to help me remember to pray for my future guy. But......this will be my last post in the series. I hope y'all have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it! I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic or if this has helped you in any way ;) Or if you have some more ideas on what to pray for, I would love to hear it and add it to my prayer list! Let's do a quick review ~ 1 - Salvation 2 - Walk with God 3 - No Hidden Sin 4 - A Settled Love Question 5 - A Surrendered Will 6 - Past Relationships As I was praying about which points to do next, there were so many that I thought of (honestly, this series could go on for a while...but I do not want to bore any of you) ;). When I am reading my Bible or even just listening to a message, it seems like God shows me more things that I should pray for. It would be ...

Does anybody else feel like time is flying? I realized that it has already been a week since I did my last post in the series. When I was younger, I thought it was crazy when I heard an adult say, "Time goes by faster as you grow older." Now...I realize how true that is! When I started this series, I wasn't sure how long it would go on for or how many posts it would include. I wasn't even sure if anybody would be interested in reading it. But I know that God has put this blog topic on my heart for a reason, and that He will guide the right people to read it. I am definitely not writing this to boost my pride or followers, but I am doing it because God wants me to be a help and an encouragement to other young ladies like myself. Do I know everything about relationships? Definitely not ;) But I have learned some things through experiences that I have had, and I want to do whatever I can to learn from those experiences and grow closer to the Lord through it. Anyway! ...

Between traveling with family, having friends visit, and finishing up some college summer classes, I finally got a chance to sit down and work on this post :) I am going to just skip some of the preliminary stuff and get straight into the next thing that we need to pray for when praying for our future spouse.  We talked about #1 - Salvation, and  #2 - Walk with God. Let's see what #3 is, shall we? ;) #3 - No Hidden Sin Christians have gotten really good at "hiding" sin so that they look good on the outside and in public, but really, they have something in their life that is hindering their fellowship with God. As Christian girls that are waiting for the one that God has for us, we must be praying for our future guy and the things that he may be going through right now. When I pray about this particular point, I pray something like this,  "Lord, if my future guy is in sin right now or has something in his life that is not pleasing to you, I pray that he would g...

     The first thing I want to do in this post is thank y’all for the feedback and encouragement that I have been receiving. You have no idea how much this means to me! It also makes me a little nervous to know that people are actually reading what I write. :) I am praying for you and I hope that this little series can be a help and encouragement in your life.        So we learned that the first thing we need to pray for is salvation. This is so important, and it should be at the top of our list! When I mention the next thing that we should pray for, you’re probably going to think, “I know this already. Why are you even mentioning it?” I’m adding this to the list, because sometimes, we can so often forget to pray for the simple, practical things that we should be doing every day. But I’m getting ahead of myself here ;) Let’s see what the next point on our list is: #2 – A Daily Walk with God               Th...

Well….here we are! Part one of our journey together. I am so excited to share with y’all some things that God has showed me that I need to pray for about my future husband. Before we go any further, I just wanted to stop and say that I would love to hear some feedback from you! Shoot me an email and tell me where you are from and how these posts have helped you (if at all). My goal is to reach young ladies like me who are in this stage of life, so if you know of a single young lady that could be encouraged by some of my posts, please feel free to send them the link! I want to be used of God to be an encouragement to as many young ladies as possible. Honestly, I am honored that you are even here reading this right now. You have no idea how much that means to me :) Alright, are you ready? Because I sure am! If you are anything like me, you have thought and prayed many times for your future guy – the one that God has for you. Also, if you’re like me, your prayer might have s...

        When I was younger, I had always dreamed of getting married at the same age as my mom. She was 18 and my dad was 19. I had everything planned out; I was going to meet my guy, get married at 18, and have a lot of kids. Sounds great, right? ; )     Well….let’s just say that 18 has come and gone and I am still not married. But don’t worry! I am not sitting in my room crying my eyes out day in and day out because I don’t have a guy (I’m not that dramatic, ok?). Neither am I rushing around frantically searching for any guy that will give me the time of day (I’m not that desperate either ;) )        I am 20 now and I know I am living the exact life that God wants me to live. I am right where He has me, and that is the most important thing! Do I still want to get married? Why yes! Of course. God has given me a desire to be a Godly wife and mother and that is my dream. I realize though, that God has not brought the right one into m...

As I sat at the table this morning and opened up my computer to start working on my college classes, I noticed that I had an email from my instructor. ( Can I just stop for a sec and brag on my teachers? ;) It is amazing that even through an online college, the teachers still care about and check on their students. When they see that a student may be struggling, they will quickly send an email and check to see if they are ok, or they will call and simply be an encouragement. This means so much to a college student!) When I opened this email, I saw an encouraging note saying that the teacher was praying for us by name and that if there was anything we need, to not hesitate to reach out. This alone just brightened my morning. Then, to top it all off, she included a Bible verse that made me stop and say, "Wow". It was Psalm 5:3, which says, "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up." After ...

I am taking several classes with my college this summer and one of the classes that I am taking is called Creative Writing. Part of me was really excited about this class, while the other part was quite nervous. I don't consider myself a good writer at all, but I am working on becoming better in that area :) I recently had to write an assignment called What Everyone Knows, What I Know. I had to pick a person, incident, or memory and write about what everybody knows about it. Then, I had to write about something that I know about it. I decided to write about my sister, Elisabeth. I have a unique view of her personality and character and I love her dearly! I thought I would share with y'all what I wrote and let you get a glimpse of Elisabeth from my eyes. Enjoy! "What everyone knows about my sister, Elisabeth, is that she is quiet and timid, and yet sweet-tempered. I have often heard it said that, “Elisabeth is so sweet, I do not think that she could ever speak a bad word...

I don't know who may be reading this right now. Honestly, I don't even know if anybody else has clicked on this link and started this simple part of my journey with me.Why you would want to read my thoughts, I have no idea. I am definitely not an important or wise person by any means. I do not write in a deep, philosophical manner that wows the reader. I simply share my thoughts. I share what God has worked on my heart about. Sometimes, as I write these posts, I cry because I know how much God has used this in my life. I may not know who you are, but one thing I do know, is that God has a purpose for your life. It may sound redundant, I know, but it is so true. ;) As a Christian, it is so easy to pray for God's will to be done. It may even be something that you pray daily, but do you truly mean it? I cannot even being to describe how many times I have hoped for something, maybe even prayed for it to happen, but got discouraged when things did not go the way I wanted (did ...

My friend recently posted on Facebook and said, "Since the virus is titled Covid-19, I want to brighten your day with 19 things that I am thankful for and hope to never take for granted." She then challenged me to do the same. Honestly, I was so excited to write these things down here in a post and to take a moment to brag on my God for a bit :) I have been reading through the book of Psalms lately, and I cannot even begin to tell y'all how many times I have seen the words rejoice, praise, and sing. It has been so convicting to read about how much I am supposed to praise God, compared to how much I have been praising Him ( let's just say...I really need to work on this one ). Anyway, I am so happy that my friend, Morgan, challenged me to do this! So here goes..... 1) My Salvation - of course, this is an obvious one...but one that needs to be said nonetheless. As I wrote this one down, I started thinking about how much more I need to thank God for His sacrifice for...

       The Lord has placed something on my heart today that I thought I would share with y'all! It won't take long at all...I promise ;)         As you know, I am currently in college earning my Elementary Education degree. The classes that I am taking are fantastic and I am literally learning SO much from my education teachers. One class in particular, Classroom Management, is going through a series right now called "When Rules Cause Bitterness". Let me just say...I am loving it! This series is causing me to look at the way I enforce rules and correct. I want to make sure that I, as a teacher, am not causing bitterness in the life of a child because I didn't correct or manage the class in love . When I do have to correct, that student should always walk away from the correction saying, "I know that Miss Brenna loves me."        Anyway! Too make a long story short ;) there was one particular part of the lecture that made me ...

Hey y'all!       I know.....it's been a while ;) Does anybody else feel like 2020 started off with a bang and hasn't slowed down since? Because that is my thought exactly right now. Also, I definitely feel like January went by WAY too fast. Can you even believe that it is already February?? Me neither.       I know that just about everybody has been sharing their New Year goals and focus words lately. Y'all are probably so tired of hearing what other people want to do in 2020, but I thought I would share mine with you as well (I know it's cliche, but oh well ;).        I have one word that I am focusing on for the year 2020. Are you ready to hear it? Because I am super excited to share it with you!  That word is.........drumroll please........ Focus  That's right. Focus.  Honestly, I have no idea how this word came to be my word for 2020, but God has been working on my heart about this, so I th...

    I have been debating what I wanted to do for my devotions next year. This year, I wanted to read the New Testament several times, and I was able to finish it three times! It was absolutely amazing! I felt like I read something new every time I read it. If you haven't ever read your Bible through, I encourage you to do it. You will be amazed at all that God will show you in His Word. :)      So! For next year's devotions I have decided to do character studies. I will take a person in the Bible and study out their life - the things they did wrong and the things they did right. I want to take the things that helped them succeed in their Christian life and I want to apply those things to my life.     I couldn't wait to start these character studies, so I ended up starting now! My first person was.........Ruth! I have read the book of Ruth so many times and I felt like I knew her story and her characteristics, but as I read it again, there were so...

Life has been so busy lately! Between ministries, college classes, and my little side job, it's been hard to find time to do things like blogging. I'm sure y'all know exactly how that feels, right? ;) This morning, as I was sitting here with my Bible, sweet tea, to-do list, and a pumpkin-spiced candle (who's ready for Fall...because I sure am! Cooler weather here we come! Hopefully :) , I just had a sense of peace and contentment. I am absolutely content right where I am. I am not rushing to get to the "next thing" in my life or stressing out about things in my life right now; I am just happy where God has me, and honestly, it is the best feeling ever! I am currently reading through the New Testament again this year, and my schedule led me to John 17 this morning. I read this chapter through and then I stopped and read it through again. If you could have seen me at my desk, you would literally see me pause and say, "Wow". John gives us an incredib...

Does anybody feel like as soon as you commit something to the Lord, He says, "Ok...prove it."? (or is it just me?) In my last post, I shared the lyrics to a song that I think is amazing. At the end of that post, I told y'all that no matter what God's Will is for my life (even if He says "No" to some of my desires), then I would still serve and love Him. Well....let's just say...that the past few weeks have been a time of God saying, "Prove it." to me. And trust me, it hasn't been easy. As many of you know, I do online college with Veritas Baptist College. It is a great college, especially for those who want to get an education, but still serve in their ministries at their local church (like me!). Through a series of events (I will spare you all the details ;), God laid on my heart that maybe for this semester, it wasn't His plan for me to continue with VBC. And........drumroll please.........that maybe the Lord wants me to go to He...

You know how I told y'all that I am always changing my favorite song? Well....I recently listened to a new cd from Commonwealth Baptist College and I now have a new favorite song. The moment I listened to it, the Lord convicted my heart and I knew I had to share it with y'all. ;) I love every word of this song, but what I really want you to pay attention to is the second verse. Verse 1:  The God who spoke the world into existence,     And holds it in his place with His strong hand.      Can meet my need without the least assistance.      No miracle to great could I demand.  And as I come in prayer unto the King of Kings.  And humbly bow before His holy throne.  I know that my petition I can boldy bring And that He delights to give unto His own.  Chorus: But if not, will I choose to love Him anyways?  But if not, will He still be worthy of my praise? His great glory I'll proclaim, if He del...

This year, one of my gifts to Jesus is to read the whole New Testament. I have read it many times before, but this time I wanted to take my time reading it and really study out some things. This is my second time reading through the NT this year and it is absolutely amazing all of the new things that God has showed me! I can't tell you how many times I have stopped and said, "I never noticed that before!" or, "I love that verse!"  Well, this morning, I was reading in the book of Matthew. In fact, I was in the very first chapter where it traces the geneology of Jesus from Abraham. I don't know about you, but sometimes (okay...maybe a lot of times) I just skim through the geneolgies and don't really pay attention to who begat who and so forth. But this time, three names stuck out in particular to me. These names can be found in verses 5-6.... "And Salmon begat Bo-oz of Rachab; and Bo-oz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat Davi...

As you have probably figured out by now, I grew up in a Christian home. Ever since I was a little girl, my parents taught me all about the Bible and how God says that I should live. They taught me to set up standards in my life. Standards for dress...for music...for movies...you name it! Of course, when I was little, I didn't really understand why, I just did what I was told.  But as I grew older, they sat down with me and showed me, from the Bible, what God says about standards. They taught me to not just believe what they say, but to prove it from the Bible. After I proved it for myself, I realized that standards are so vital and important in the Christian's life.  When we were missionaries, we traveled around to different churches trying to raise support. I met a lot of pastor's kids and missionary kids. These families had standards just like my family and it was amazing to see other young people serving the Lord. A couple of days ago, I got to thinking about my frie...

Hey y’all! So I recently read this short story written by a young missionary girl and I thought I would share it. It’s a little long, but bear with me here…..it’s worth it….trust me! (and there might be a little surprise at the end too) "I grew up in a Christian home. I guess you could say that I was riding a church bus since before I was born. Church and ministry were my life and I loved it! I wanted to use my life for God’s glory and I surrendered myself for whatever the Lord had planned for me. But that’s when the Lord called my family to the mission field.  I was so excited about serving the Lord in another country and being a witness for Him. (plus, I got the title of “Missionary Kid”….how cool is that, right?!). This was going to be a piece of cake. I mean, all the books I read talked about all the people flocking to hear about Jesus, so it would be the same where we were going, right?  After being on deputation for three years, and then language school for another ...