Wedding Pictures

http://www.pictage.com/914856
The above link will take you to our wedding pics. Many people have asked me for access to them so here ya go! I am super impressed with them myself. Wandering Heart Photography w/ Sarah Wilson!

Accomplishments galore!

We are obsessed with accomplishment! We all have our certain "accomplishment obsessions". What if mine were to finish that ginormous apple in my hand? you would say... "that's it"? That's not reaching high enough. And I would agree with you.
What about getting over 3 different illnesses in 2.5 weeks? Now that's an accomplishment right? When going for a walk takes it out of you. When simply talking for more then 10 minutes is tiring, then we tend to think harder about our point system on accomplishments.

Recently God has been teaching me a lot about how my accomplishments, and works mean "squat" without Him. I am utterly helpless and hopeless without my God's backing. He empowers. I feel like I have written about this before.... hmmm. A theme maybe? I might just have a lot on my plate. I'm training for a marathon while planning 2 ministry activities next weekend, while teaching ESL, Bible Studies, raising up a team of financial partners in ministry, choir practice, prayer team meeting, small group and spending time with my man. I am not saying all this so that ya'll will be impressed by my time management skills. I'm actually appalled by all of this myself. The funny thing is... you are just as busy and it's normal, expected and encouraged to be "involved" in various "uplifting" activities. But what is all of this "accomplishing"? Really? When you read God's words, listen to the teaching of Jesus, what was important? I'm curious to get your thoughts and comments. Even one-liners would be great.

Pure in Jesus Christ

"Be Healed!" What enters your mind when you read a beginning like that? A televangelist with big hair and gaudy suite, slapping you on the forehead with a "holy handkerchief"? That's what I think of immediately. We laugh and joke about things like that because we don't believe it to be authentic. How does true healing come about? It is only by the power of God. We cannot heal ourselves.

For years I have struggled with the concept of my purity in Christ. I did not see myself as cleansed from my sin. Guilt from the enemy has plagued me for past forgiven sins. I believed the lies that I was unclean. The truth was prayed over me several years ago, I didn't believe it. I wept because I wanted to believe it, but didn't .
Yesterday, the Holy Spirit spoke to me, as in my weakness, His power was made complete. "Today is the day of Salvation!"
John 15:3 " You are already clean/pruned because of the word which I have spoken to you." And, "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from All unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

I have realized yet again, the power of scripture. Satan is defeated. He will attack me again, but he is defeated by Jesus, and I will fight back with truth. I was already pure, a long time ago when I confessed, asked forgiveness and He said... "Of Course I forgive you! I died for you!". Now, I believe it! I asked God what took Him so long to heal me. He said, "I wanted to teach you, grow you, so you could look back and glorify My name for the power of My healing." It glorifies His name more... Wow!

"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³²Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32

Love

It seems a lot has changed in the last 3 weeks. Let me recap.
Hmmm... I got married!!!!!!
And with that comes changes like... last name, living situations, learning to live with a boy, learning not to assume he knows what I meant by what I just said, "sharing" a bed (I tend to take over and sprawl), learning how to choose to love and show in word and deed, and learning how to confide in him more. hmm... maybe I should write a book.. ha ha!

Updating my last name is almost like becoming a new person b/c you have to change EVERYTHING! It's fun to move up in the alphabet a bit, but I will miss the convenience of a 4 letter last name.

The honeymoon was everything it should be; relaxing, fun, exciting, beautiful, and complete with the standard food poisoning and GI tract issues. We learned how to love each other in sickness and in health very soon after saying "I Do".
We are learning how to love our neighbors as ourselves (ask me). There is a lot of choosing joy and love when boxes are strewn all over the new place and the challenge of finding storage in a closet-less place comes into play. We are learning how to make life fun in every situation. I love my husband. He makes life fun, every day! I love how different we are and how complementary our character traits are. I love the way he loves me, from kisses to dish-washing to creating shelves all over the house and remembering sappy things like first dates. There are so many things I'm/we are learning it would take a book to fill... hmm. :)

Engagement

I've been thinking about the word "engagement" a lot. Mostly because it's the state that I've found myself in (for the next 2 weeks and the past 3.5 months). I have decided that those who tell me this time of life is happy and joyous, either don't remember their" engaged to be married" period, or they were engaged for 2 days. It's hard to plan a wedding in 4months, but it would be harder still to wait a year or more like many folks do. Crazy!

A friend of mine gave me a devotional on how the Holy Spirit is our "engagement ring", our guarantee and promise of something better. Jesus said he was leaving to prepare a place for us. He said he would send the comforter and helper. I just finished reading the book, "Safely Home", by Randy Alcorn. He compares this world's beauty to heaven as "copies of the real thing", just shadows of the things to come. What beautiful pictures. We were not meant to be here forever. We are signed, sealed, and almost delivered to our true home with Jesus.
I pray our marriage is a constant reminder to all that there is something better. This world is not our home. We need to help people understand that fact. August 1st. 2010 is the day my earthly "guarantee" is fulfilled. I am so thankful for beautiful pictures created by God to let us catch a tiny glimpse of His perfect plan.

Let my heart sing to you.

It is sometimes hard to explain to people why I do what I do. What I do is easy to explain as far as my job is concerned. I love on int'l students and their families; demonstrating the love of God in any way I can.
I could come up with all kinds of Biblical answers for you. The truth of it is, I believe I know the cure for cancer. If you knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that you too knew the cure... wouldn't you tell the world?

The cancer of the soul is far more painful, destructive, and invasive then any physical cancer. I have seen it work it's black magic on families, targeting first the husband/father and cascading down in ripple effects to the other family members until a whole society is wrecked and reeling. I have been asked recently for proof that the Bible is the word of God, that Jesus is the only way, that God even exists! Evidence exists! Everywhere in fact; in our very hearts and the green brilliance of spring around us. Romans 1: 19-21

But their eyes are blind, their ears are stopped up, and no matter what kind of "evidence" exists, people choose to believe what is comfortable for them. That is the hard and cold truth. My heart cries out to Jesus who said "I am the Way, I am the Truth, I am the Life! No man comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

Why do I share my cure for cancer? Because I must! It is burning inside me like the disease itself. Out of love for my friends,out of love for my savior Jesus, I must tell everyone! Let the Holy Spirit do His job. Let me be faithful to do mine and then let me give up and let the Creator and sustainer do the rest.

Above and Beyond the Mountain Top

This is a love story. It happens to be true. It's not a fairy tale. It's real life.

"I need you from dawn until dusk." Ok..... how long does it take to purpose? I thought he was being rather elaborate. I guess I should know better then to box in a Dickinson. They like to go overboard, above and beyond the average Joe. He picked me up at 4am! Seriously... why? He asked me if I owned any hiking boots. I said... "No...." I thought I had him pinned. We were going hiking in southern Indiana, somewhere, to watch the sunrise. The only place worth hiking is one with an elevation above sea level right? Well, that is true, but I had no clue what I was in for on April 15th, 2010.

He picked me up at 4am. The morning started with our cheesy sappiness brimming up and over. We were both wearing the same shirts as the day we had met each other! Is he rubbing off on me? Yikes! We headed south after laughing hysterically about our outfits. I knew it! We were going to the hills of brown county.
When he slowly pulled into the exit for the Indianapolis airport, all my expectations veered suddenly in a new direction. "Where are we going?" I asked suspiciously. He gave me some ridiculous line about needing to go to the bathroom. At the airport????? come on dude.
We parked in the parking garage and he pulled out the ticket from his pocket. "Where are we flying?!!!!!" I was dumbfounded and completely speechless when he told me we were going to Colorado! My chin must have dropped several inches. I seriously had nothing to say to that. Since when do men take their women on a 12 hr exertion to the mountains. "There just wasn't any place good enough to take you in Indiana. Your brother said it best when he said."There isn't anything majestic here."

We found CiJai's car easily enough. (CiJai is Brent's brother's girlfriend...Jason and CiJai live in Ft. Collins). The car was packed with fancy fun cheeses, our favorite wine, organic apples, water, snow shoes, boots, hats, gloves and snow pants! It was perfect!

We drove to Boulder for breakfast. I am sad that I forgot to take pictures of Lucille's, a local hippy/Cajun style joint located in down town Boulder. But picture an old fashioned house made into a restaurant with homemade hot sauce, blueberry jam and apple butter on the table and two different kinds of recycling receptacles in the bathroom, and I think you will have an idea of what it was like.
After stuffing our faces we drove to one of my favorite places on earth, Rocky Mountain National Park! The day was incredible, sunny and warm. CiJai's snow pants and boots fit me perfectly. Hurray for snow shoeing! I had never been and always wanted to go! We hiked up past two different lakes, Nymph and Dream Lake. Our destination was Emerald Lake, just over the ridge in that first picture above. Imagine a bowl shaped valley with those craggy peaks jutting up on three sides and you have it! Intense beauty!
We sat down for a picnic of raw milk cheese, apples, wassa crackers and our favorite wine and chocolate. Immediately some feathery friends swooped down to claim rights to apple cores, cheese, crackers, whatever they could steal. Check out the look on this guy's face :)
We finished our picnic and hiked up to a different part of the lake. All this time I was waiting... patiently waiting for him to "pop the question". Ok, now would be the time... ok... how about now? no? well then... As we were gazing at the scenery of the majestic mountains soaring up and up around us, I suddenly realized Brent had gotten down on one knee and was pouring out his heart to me on the mountain side. He was joyful and tearful, as expressive as ever, and with heartbreaking passion he asked me to marry him. I had thought of something clever to say that to this day I have no memory of it. Every word in my head left me. I forgot my role in the whole dealio. He got out the ring and I just stared at it! It was amazing, my favorite from our Ebay searches. I suddenly realized he was waiting for me to say something so I stammered out a "Yes.. yes, I will." The catch in my throat grew from my speechlessness into a audible sob. "I want it to be you, me and Jesus, all the way." He had said.
It's only been a weak since the proposal and I still think about that moment and I lapse into dreamy sappiness. What has happened to me? Well, I think I found myself a real man. I man who loves Jesus and me. A man who thinks my weird meal creations are edible, even good :) He fixes brakes, makes cheesy jokes, and treats people with respect and dignity. I'm done looking. August 1st is the day my last name changes to Dickinson.
This is a love story.... not a fairy tale. Jesus is Good!