Abby!

My dear friend, Tina's dog...Abby, is too adorable and I got to take some candid shots of her today! Enjoy her cuteness y'all!

Delight {and be} Features My Blog

Well friends, you can check out this website that featured me this past Friday. Delight is a community of ladies who are passionate about the creative arts, and they featured me in 1 of the 7 categories. You can find me in the {be encouraged} section! If you have never heard my story to begin with...this blog post may help you! I hope you will truly be encouraged through our Lord Jesus Christ!

http://www.delightandbe.com/megan-becker-be-encouraged-with-kristina/

His Teaching Brought Hope

Today I was thinking about what has happened to me in the past, which has brought about the change in me

now. I am constantly reminded of the many challenges I have faced and the many “eye openers” God placed

and still continues to place in my life. I’ve cried tears of sadness and joy. I have grown a faith which didn’t

exist for the longest time. I have seen hardships that have driven my soul to hurt and mourn, but move. I

have fallen, but I follow a God who picks me up. So many tough situations that I have encountered blow up in

my mind. Nevertheless, I am in awe. I am in awe of the fact that Jesus used every single one of the hard

moments in my life to bring me right back to him. Whether it was to teach me patience, or the joyful tears of

remembering I am loved by a perfect God. I can’t tell you how many times in a day I mess up, and I can’t tell

you how many times in a day I have to quickly put into perspective that Jesus Christ is in fact, the only one

who can love me the way I am. What if I told you that having scoliosis and wearing a back brace actually

made me thankful, but what if I told you while in the process of wearing that brace I was being “re-shaped”

by God. There was no way I was thankful. To be honest, I hated that brace! Through it I was taught to be

humble and patient. I think about the big move from California to Pennsylvania that took place just about ten

years ago and how that was a life changing experience. Not just for me, but my entire family. To see God

work through the lowest moments in life, is beautiful. It’s almost like we are blinded when something good

happens, because we don’t know what “good” is! We like the feeling of perfection, but how can I, a totally

sinful human, even begin to try living a “good and perfect” lifestyle. It feels awkward. How can I even praise

God with a humble heart if I had no clue what humbleness was had not I been taught it in a hard way.

Hardships produce growth in Christ. He creates someone like a worthless sinner, into someone beautiful in

His sight. I now live life in a whole new way. To grow more and more like Him everyday. I have faith in His

work and time. It's a process, let me tell you! It's an awesome process though. In this very moment, I can

laugh. I can even smile.

Why?

                       Because He is good.

He Never Fails

                                                                                                        

Have you ever struggled with letting God have full control over your life?

I know I did. In fact, I didn’t really want Him to be in control for a long time a few years ago.

Reason being was: I wanted to be my own person. Run myself in the way I wished, and just be free.

Sadly, because of that decision, I pretty much fell. Fell to the point where all I could do was cry out

to the Lord saying, “God? I can’t do this. It’s too much to bear. It hurts and I need Your healing.”

I have recently been reminded of the redeeming grace that the Lord granted me the past few weeks.

Had I not been brought through some tough and difficult times, I still would have been blind.

There comes a time where we have to realize that God is and always has been in control!

He never stopped; in my case…I was being stubborn and rebellious to His Will. He has a plan, a perfect

one to be exact. Whether or not we want to acknowledge that, it’s the truth. I recently was sitting at my

dining room table a few days ago very early in the morning. Our dining room has a huge window with

a beautiful view. Well I think it does. Anyway, as I sat there I got to see the sunrise! Now, I am not a

morning person and this is a once in a great while experience for me. I loved it. I thought of the verse

that is commonly used, “His mercies are new every morning!” Every morning, I have a hope that

God will get me through the thick and thin. I have faith in Him because He never fails! He has full

control over my life to do with and whatever He pleases. That’s the awesome part. He takes our

burdens and lightens us. To become humble and see that in the midst of our pain and suffering

I can come to a perfect and Holy God, what an awesome story to tell. I am constantly failing and

always messing up, but it’s through His blood that I am forgiven. It brings a smile to my face and

comforts me to know that my life is in the hands of the One who created me and all things. Can I

even begin to imagine what that truly means? It’s too much, to be honest. That’s why I love Him.

He loves me. He loves you. He cares about you. Don’t ever forget that.

The Battle-(A Short Story)

Run away?

Yes.

Wait…what is the cause of this sudden urge to flee?

Anger.

Anger boils within me. Let the anger control me?

No.

Then I should not flee!

But oh, how I wish to leave, and be free of the scorn and bondage of mockery. To vanish, without a trace… to start over again. On my own!

What for?

This, I know  is not wise. Not only do I keep running, but I will never have settled the very situation! To run sounds the easiest, but to stay and under-go the storm…I must. They say that after the raging storm ends, the light shines brighter than ever before. I want to see this light.

What is this?

Do I feel hope?

In the midst of my suffering, I feel a small piece of reassurance. Till that day comes into life, I will fight. Not by words, nor by the physical, but by the spiritual. I could easily walk away, and forget about all that has happened. I could block it out of my memory. I could grow a bitter heart, and never forgive, but no.

That is the devil’s play! He is the greatest enemy! Using every opening he has to attack.

I stand firm. I feel as if I am standing on a balance beam. One side says, “Life,” and the other reads, “Death.” I must run to one or the other! The sinful nature that I carry cried for the death, but the hope and peace that the Lord has mercifully granted me runs towards the life!

I choose Life.

I know that as I walk to Life, my journey has not become easy, but much more difficult. The feeble mind argues with itself. It’s a constant battle! Know this, for even though the storm comes and the battle is heavy to bear, I carry the greatest.

The Cross.

I am fully armored. The King of Kings is coming! With glory that of which has never been known. He is the great forgiver. He brings peace to all who choose Him.

I blink.

The enemy approaches.

Twice I blink.

The battle rages with cries of pain from one end and shouts of praise from the other.

I blink again.

There in the distance, yes. Far off in the distance, I see a bright light.

I pull my helmet off. My heart finds rest in the Lord.

My chain-mail clanks back and forth as I walk atop the hill.

 I have fought the battle, and now I am home.

Becker Family Moments

Notice the season change? Out here on the East Coast, autumn is making its approach! It's very

exciting. I personally think that the fall and winter months bring family together in a much closer way. From

the pitter, patter of feet running down the hallway, to the drip, drip of the rain on my window, I love to watch

and listen to my surroundings. There is always something going on in my big family. School is in full swing

now. Oh, did I mention...we are home-schooled? Yes, all 6 of us. I don't know how my mother does it, but

I honestly am so grateful for all that she does for us! There are many blessings and joys to living with a big

family. Now, I'm not saying it's an easy day ever day...but God is our strength and wisdom. I am grateful

every day for the lives I am a part of. My sister Sydney is my closest friend, and I love her dearly. She

continues to grow every day and I have high hopes for her future. Josiah is now in his "teens" and even

though that's a transition in itself...I really enjoy the fact that I am seeing him develop in the gifts the Lord has

blessed Him in! Then there is Sara, what a little sport! She is so energetic and full of laughter and joy, seeing

her grow from the cute, tiny, baby she once was, into the beautiful lively 11 year she is now, what a blessing!

My dear Kristen, I nickname her Krissy. What a soft, lovely, dear girl she is. With a heart to follow the Lord

at such a young age...it's awesome. Now, concluding with the "baby." Cole! Oh my goodness, that kiddo

brings so much joy to our household. I smile whenever I think about him. I am so, so blessed to have such a

bright little dude in my life, and even more blessed to call him my little brother! So for the record, I really

must sum it all up for my siblings...I love them would be an understatement. Honestly, I really do, there just is

not words to describe it I guess! So before I end this memoir, a super cool moment I had a few days ago

with my fantastic dad is, we are going to memorize the book of James...or attempt too! Will you take up the

challenge as my dad and I have, to memorize this wonderful book of the Bible? I hope you do! I'm excited

about this and I hope you will take it on.


Blessings.

His Love Shines, Put Away Those Lies!

Have you ever wondered, “God, what do you want from my life?”

I have.

Have the endless questions and doubts been raised in your mind, “Well, what if I’m worthless?”

“What if I am not strong enough?” “Lord, I’m not perfect, and I don’t think I’ll ever be.”

I want to ask you, have you ever given over all of those thoughts, worries, and lies to the Lord?

Notice how I said, “Lies.” 

There will not be one day where temptation will not be knocking on your door, sneaking in every possible corner and crack, to make you feel like you are not worth the death of a perfect man.

You will be tempted to believe these hurtful lies and let them sink into you, but let me ask you.

Why become overwhelmed with unwanted grief, when He has shed His light upon you, and continues to seek you continually with His unconditional love? The love we want is there. So, why is it so hard for us to accept it?

Get ready to be blown away, but friends! He accepted us. Who are we? Sinful humans, who deserve nothing. Nothing! Notice how He didn’t accept perfect humans, he accepted sinful ones. Who are you? A sinful human, who deserved nothing. Are you prepared to except this love? A love that will never let you go?

Are you?

Let Christ win you over! Let Him love you with His perfect and unconditional love!

He erases the sin, the lies, the pain, the hurt, the grief. He takes us and molds us.

He’s not finished with you yet! He doesn’t do a half job. Never.

He perfects what He starts, and with time and patience and His love and grace and mercy, you will become something so beautiful and wonderful. Give Him the control to do so. He wants you fully.

Sometimes though, we tend to go to other means of fulfillment. We go to this world where we seem to offer our hope to the worldly treasures more than we do to Christ. Constantly, we seek for something to fill our needs.

I want to challenge you to put away those idols. That “treasure” of yours that offers tales of fulfillment when really, you feel needier. God will come after you. He is jealous for you. He will test you. He wants to know if you love Him, just as much as He loves you.

Put away the lies and see the truth. The truth will set you free.

It’s an exciting  journey and I hope you will seek this one and not let it go. Seek His love. You will never be the same!

Go for it. I dare you!

Sandy Cove-Take 2!

It is July 24, 2012. Well, the past few weeks have been...well, really crazy! Summer Together is winding down and everyone is slowly realizing that summer will be over before we know it. My goodness! Me just saying that is kind of....sad! Sad to think I'll be leaving this site that I've grown so much to love! I have learned so many lessons and new things while living here at Sandy Cove and honestly, I can't see my life without having them. God has been so awesome in exposing me to new situations and events, and really just new things about life in general! I'd like to share something really neat that happened to me about a week ago.


One morning, as I was getting ready for work, I asked God to help me do something I haven't been able to do yet this summer. Well I started praying. 10 rooms had to be cleaned and I prayed for 2 hours straight as I cleaned the rooms. God laid a lot on my heart and I was in awe that I was being used in that way to pray for others and their needs...not even knowing what was going on in their lives. What an awesome God! He works and moves in mysterious ways and I'm so thankful to have the privilege to pray




So now, I want to encourage you to pray. Just start praying and ask God for wisdom! He will grant! Ask God for patience. He will give! Praise God for what He is doing. He is worthy of our praise. As my "big sister" says, "Have you seen what God did today!? He made it rain!" It's a funny way to think about it, but really...how many times do we stop and say, "Have you seen or heard what God did today!?" 

Sandy Cove. I'm here!

Okay, so here is a little run down and heart-to-heart blog post. Many of you, if not all, know I moved to Maryland. I have been here for 16 days so far! Oh my. Well to say the least I am working at Sandy Cove Ministries, and honestly I love it here. God has been showing me and blessing me and teaching me these past 2 weeks, and if it were not for His opening the door, I would not be here. I have learned a lot about living out grace and love and I'm sure more is to come. Grace fits into the picture when it comes to my work. I'm a house-keeper here at Sandy Cove, and I'm getting a taste of what "real" work is like. Ha-ha!

From dusting the furniture, to cleaning the beds, our hotel looks pretty good, thanks to the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. This is my first time living away from home and having a job, so all of this has been taking some getting used too, but God has been awesome, and He has blessed me with patience and endurance through all things. Furthermore, I think working with other people and living with 11 girls has been interesting also! Living out God's perfect love is a difficult task, I have been tested to live out His love these past weeks, and I am starting to understand what love is. Love isn't the silly, over-rated, jumble mess. No. It's the real deal. The test of whether or not you're going to stay committed through the tough, and hard times. Everyone in my department has to work together. Everyone in my dorm lives together. Of course, we are all different!

God has put me in this position to carry out His plan. Do I know what His plan is? No way! Am I willing to let Him have full control over every situation? Yes, I am! It's the letting go and letting God take full control over my life, that ends in peace, because I know He works everything out for good. Let me make it fully clear though, that it's hard and not easy. I'm not perfect and never will be, but my goal right now is to honor God and to trust Him.

So, dear friend, I'm asking you to keep me in your prayers as I live the next 5 weeks here. Well, it's a gorgeous day out and I think it'll be best if I end here. God bless and have a wonderful day!

Aubrey Kosa-Graduate of 2012!

My dear cousin Aubrey graduated! I am so happy for her. I love her so much and can't wait to see what the future holds for her! Much love and prayers go to you, Aubs!

Class of 2012



"We may by cousins, but we look nothing alike, so let's just say we're friends in disguise." -By Megan for Aubrey

Prayer for the Nation

So I finished reading the book of Daniel this past week. First of all, if you have not read this book of the Bible, I really want to encourage you to do so. Secondly, this book has blessed me more than words can describe. There is a chapter in the book where Daniel prays for his people. As I read the deep, encouraging, words I immediately right after, made my own prayer for our nation. If you had read my last post, I talked about my Praise Journal. Well I wrote this to stick in my praise journal and I would like to share it with you. I pray you will take time to pray for our rulers, our country, and our people. Pray they will turn their hearts upon the Lord.

May 10, 2012 - Unto The Nations

There was a foundation built 2,000 years ago. Christ poured out His great love on this troubled and desolate world. He brought everlasting righteousness. Jesus, the same one who was crucified will come again. We cry holy, holy, holy is the one who was and is to come, He is the anointed one was we await the coming of the age. Taken from a verse in Daniel's prayer for his people I also apply this to our generation and people. Daniel 9:19, “O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name." We await the coming of your Kingdom, Lord. Come soon, very soon. Therefore, we follow you, knowing it will cost everything to follow. Our pleas for mercy are great and I pray you will give our rulers wisdom and that they will turn to you O Lord. I also confess the sins of my people to you as Daniel did, Daniel 9:8, "To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our Kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you." Forgive us Lord, before we reach the end. Your promises are great, we hold onto your love, truth, grace, and mercy.

_________________________________________________________________________________

If you have any words of prayer feel free to post them in your comments.

Reflection on my Praise Journal - To God

Dear Friend,

The beginning of this year I created a Praise Journal to God. I can admit that I used to own a diary and would write down silly things ( now let's be honest, who hasn't?) Anyway, I wanted to try something new. I prayed about it and the brilliant thought came to my mind. Light bulb! I would write in a journal on a daily basis of how God was working in my life. I would praise Him in the good and bad times. It has been almost four months since I started and in all honesty, my life has been blessed through this decision. Praising God...on a daily basis! Just being able to go back to the past few months and read how I've been able to grow and learn, let's just say... awesome doesn't even describe the feeling! Now as I reflect on these past few months, I really want to encourage you to do the same. You don't have to write every single day, and believe me...there have been many days that were skipped in my journal. I encourage you to write out your prayers, thoughts, praises, songs, and life...to God! I am so glad I made a Praise Journal and I hope that you will make one if not now, Lord willing, the future.

Sincerely,
Megan

Look up!

My, my! I have not written in a very long time and honestly things have become super busy. I want to take a moment though and just reflect on the sky. Yes, the sky! Have you looked up lately? Recently, I have been just been able to soak in the sunsets and let me just say, they are beautiful! God's creation and handi-work is magnificent. I honestly wish I wasn't so busy so I could just let God's creation bless my eyes more and more! If anything, I'm glad I have a sky to praise God for. A few days ago I caught this awesome picture of a heart-shaped cloud. Check it out!

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Pslams 19:1

Stop, Pray, and Glorify!

            You’re probably just wondering what that heading means. Well, first I want you to ask yourself, “Have I stopped today and took time to glorify and pray to God?” A question that might have aroused in your minds is, “Why is that even important?” Let me give you some insight on why I find it important to pray and glorify God. As we have hit the spring season (for us easterners we got it early this year!) have you ever just stopped to look at the beauty of God’s creation?

            The air is fresh, the sky is blue, the grass is green, and Lord we love you! Yes, my little rhyme for the day, but have you really thanked God for what He has done? We magnify and love the beauty that is around us. Who made nature? God did! Who created you to enjoy His wonders? God did! What are you doing in return? Take a moment to just lift up a prayer of thanksgiving and praise to our Father. Psalm 96:13 says, “Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.” 

Some flowers in full bloom!

Quote

I got this quote from my new favorite website called Pinterest! I truly love this and I hope you will be encouraged by it!