Autumn is Offically Here!!

Fall is my favorite time of the year! There is something hypnotizing about the crispness in the air (even though we aren't feeling that yet), changing leaves, football games, pumpkin patches, and all the other wonderful things that come with this season. I am praying that God will make just as wonderful changes in me as he does with nature this autumn.

I just started reading, So, You Want to be Like Christ? by Charles Swindoll. I have never read anything by him before, but I love listening to him on His Radio. I am reading about becoming more intimate with God. He wrote about when he was a new Christian and how he was so in love with Jesus. I started to do the same thing. I was only eight years old when Jesus wiped my slate clean. I loved to tell people about Jesus and I prayed about the craziest things. I remember one time I really wanted it to rain for some reason, so I went to the front door and said, "Dear Jesus, I would really like it to rain." Amazingly, it started to rain shortly afterward. There is something so special about a new Christian. Swindoll references the Ephesians when they first learned of Jesus and how they were so excited. Later in Revelation, Paul writes about how the Ephesians forgot about their first love. I have visited Ephesus; I even stood where Paul preached!!! It was mostly just ruins, but this was a city that was divided by religion. There is a huge temple to Artemis. People would come to worship this shrine. Swindoll describes it as the Las Vegas of Jesus' time. Imagine trying to be a Christian in that sort of environment. Although the Ephesians were excited about Jesus, the pressure from the world caused them to "chill". It's so sad to see this same loss of excitement in most Christians. I am praying that this fall that God will help me shed all my fears and become like a new Christian.

I have been a Christian for more than 16 years! That's crazy (but wonderful) that Jesus has been in my life that long. I am happy to say that I know our relationship is more intimate today than it was even a year ago. But, I know that it can become even deeper. To become more intimate with God, I will be trying to imitate him.

On a side note, I just finished reading Multiple Bles8ings by Kate Gosselin. If you think that a reality-TV star's memoir can not bless you, think again! It was such a blessing to read about how they struggled, relied on God, and how God provided. Each chapter began with a verse that was uplifting and encouraging. I recommend reading it!