Ride ya bike!

For those of you who know me the best....you know I really enjoy riding bikes and  I used to own a awesome pink beach cruiser that I was in love with.. I picked it out freshmen year of high school and then forgot all about it. On graduation night senior year I came home and there was my pink bike. My dad had remembered all those years and it meant so much to me. Sadly, some mean guy stole it my freshmen year of college. I filed a police report but apparently they had better things to worry about and I never found it.

A few days ago I got up from the dinner table and told my family I was going to go on a bike ride (I would be riding a really old bike from 5th grade). My brother said to me (only because he didn't want me to leave him),"would you rather take a bike ride or would you rather go buy a new bike?" I am now a proud owner of a beautiful cruiser.

all pictures were taken on my bike ride today.

Today I took it for the first  ride and I was reminded of why I love riding bikes so much. It is where  I do my best thinking. It is where I do a lot of praying. It is where I do a lot of venting and thanking God. It is where I sometime cry and sometimes smile. It is somewhere, where no one can bother me. It all happens on my bike.

I come from a place where people still hang there clothes on the line and where my neighbors live two corn fields away. A place where there is not a stop light to be found and the only store is a gas station called Weeksville Grocery where we buy red hotdogs and hunnybuns. Today on my bike ride I realized how blessed I am to live in the middle of nowhere in this little town. I think I live in the most beautiful place in the world. I worked at Disney World for a while and people say that it is "the happiest place on earth." I would argue. There, you admire man made beauty. Here, in the country, you can admire God made beauty, making it the happiest place on earth. My favorite thing to do on my bike rides is to soak in the awesomeness of Gods creation.

Today in Sunday school I taught the 2 and 3 year olds that God created the world and everything in it. With that on my mind I appreciated everything a lot more today. God's creation amazes me so much.

I guess the moral of this blog post................is to go on a bike ride! : ).....oh, and be thankful for God's beauty!

"God created the world, and everything in it" -Acts 17:24

Miracle Workin'

Last week at Bible study we were asked to describe God. The point was ... why tell someone about Him if you yourself do not know who He is? Some answers included Holy, Provider, Father, and so on. The very last description gave me chills: "God is a miracle worker... I am specifically thinking of Jordan's friend Katie." The Lady who said this was the same lady who knelt down at the alter with me over two years ago praying for this miracle. I realized that night that I do not daily give God thanks for the miracle He performed.

If you have not heard the story, My very good friend Katie was in a automobile accident on January 7th,2009. That day was the first day in my life I have fallen on my knees both literally and figuratively. Katie's head hit a tree, shattering her skull and causing brain damage. Half of her skull was removed and she stayed in a coma for a long time. When she awoke she could not talk, walk, or really move at all for over a month. When asking my dad if she would live that night of the accident in the ICU, he looked at me with tears in his eyes.... i knew what that meant. He later explained that when the doctor showed him the brain scan, it looked like the brain scan of a "dead person."

I spend the rest of my senior year of high school driving back and forth to Greenville and Norfolk to visit and encourage Katie, participating in fundraisers to help support her medical bills, and most of all praying. I  always knew God listens to me and I believed in the power of prayer... but now I had to live it out. I prayed to God that His will be done whether that be Katie live with me or live with Him. I prayed that He heal Katie, believing that He had the power to do so.

Veryyyyyy long story short............

This Saturday I was in a wedding. When I got to the reception there sat Katie with her beautiful smile, gorgeous brown hair, and sassy attitude. We danced together to "The Twist" and "Cupids shuffle." We laughed together, rolled our eyes together, and though we did not verbally talked about it, we PRAISED OUR LORD together. All I could think about was what a great blessing she is in my life.

Like it was said in Bible study, God is a Miracle worker. He performed a miracle in Katie's life and I will forever praise him for that. Medically... Katie should have never survived that wreck. But God had BIGGER PLANS!

God hears me and He hears you. It doesn't have to be as big of a problem as this. He daily performs miracles in my life.... ones I will never even know about. Lay down your burdens to him. Pray to Him believing He will listen and perform a miracle, whether small or big. If He can heal Katie he can bless your finances. If he can heal Katie he can restore your marriage. If He can heal Katie He can provide you with a job. If He can heal Katie He can take away your anxiety. If He can heal Katie He can fill you with joy.............

Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; and listen to the cry of my supplications. Psalm 86: 6

Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. Philippians 4: 6

[Continue to Pray for Katie. It has been two years and she is still in the recovery process (improving all the time).]

That famous question: "are you dating anyone?"

This week I returned home from college for the summer and have seen all the faces I have been missing for the past several months. I have ran into old classmates, teachers, friends, family, and mentors. Although "how is school" is a very typical question asked of me, a more common question is "are you dating anyone?" ........... the answer of course being "no" then followed by another question.... either "why" or "isn't there some good boys in Raleigh?"

 On top of this question being asked of me 1,234954 times I also work in a bridal boutique 8 hours a day where weddings consume my every thought. As if weddings were not on my mind enough I have spend the majority of my time out side of work  planning, celebrating, and working on events related to a wedding I will be in next weekend.(side note: for the baccalaureate party we went salsa dancing.. SO FUN) ....WEDDINGS, MARRIAGE...... these words/thoughts have consumed my life lately.

Well, the story goes like this.... people don't understand it but I am completely continent single. Though I want so bad to meet that Godly man that I will one day join together with, I don't know him (or at least don't think I do), and am content in knowing God's time is perfect.

Often when expressing my singleness I am criticized and told my standards are "too high" and that I need to be more open or excepting. My standards are very high, but in a very healthy way. God commanded me (and you if you were wondering) to be equally yoked and that is what I plan on doing. I will be single the entirety of my life if that is what it means to follow this commandment.

My brother also asked me this oh so famous question saying, "when are you getting married Jordan?" I responded telling him, "when i find a man who loves me and loves Jesus." He said, "well Daddy loves Jesus." Yes my Dad does love Jesus! I can't marry him, but he has been a great example of what a God fearing man should be. He has set my standards high.

My brother Trent also has plans of when I will get married. In his kindergarten class two little kids were talking about how they were boyfriend and girlfriend and were going to get married. Trent responded to there conversation saying, "MARRIED?, why are you talking about married? ..... that is what you do when you graduate from NC State!"

Though Trent thinks he has it figured out, I really don't know when that time will be, I don't know when my answer to that famous question will be yes, and I don't know when God will lead that Godly man to me. What I do know is that I have a God who comforts and directs my path. I have a God who has a perfect plan. And I have a God who's love is enough for me... without the love from anyone else. I pray that each of you can share this view with me and enjoy your waiting just as I am.

"But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it." -Romans 8:25

“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” - Romans 8:28