Jesus My Glory

I read this prayer this morning from a wonderful little book of prayers the Puritans wrote called, The Valley of Vision. I thought it was amazing! These writings by men of old all seem to be new every time I read them.

O LORD GOD,

Thou hast commanded me to believe in Jesus;
  and I would flee to no other refuge,
  wash in on other fountain,
  build on no other foundation,
  receive from no other fullness,
  rest in no other relief.
His water and blood were not severed
  in their flow at the cross,
  may they never be separated in my creed
    and experiences;
May I be equally convinced of the guilt
    and pollution sin,
  feel my need of a prince and saviour,
  implore of him repentance as well as forgiveness,
  love holiness, and be pure in heart,
  have the mind of Jesus, and tread in his steps.
Let me not be at my own disposal,
  but rejoice that I am under the care of one
  who is too wise to err,
    too kind to injure,
    too tender to crush.
May I scandalize none by my temper and conduct,
    but recommend and endear Christ to all around,
    bestow good on every one as circumstances
        permit,
   and decline no opportunity of usefulness.
Grant that I may value my substance,
   not as the medium of pride and luxury,
   but as the means of my support and stewardship.
Help me to guide my affections with discretion,
  to owe no man anything,
  to be able to give to him that needeth,
  to feel it my duty and pleasure to be merciful
    and forgiving,
  to show to the world the likeness of Jesus.

               ~The Valley of Vision~

For Jaynie: Our Goofy Sunshine

A few days ago, I was getting ready for bed and our dog, Sunshine came into my room. I took off the vest I was wearing and put it on her. I thought it fit her quite nicely. :)

 While the poor thing was wearing my vest, she started walking around with the hood hanging over her face. She ended up walking right into my bed, and then immediately turned around and bumped into another bed! Then my sister, Tatiana, picked her up and tried to comfort her.

Later, after I brushed my teeth, I came back into my room and found that Sunshine had invited herself onto my bed.

I thought this was a great picture of her looking at my computer like she was interested in it. Sunshine is such a character!

Jaynie, I miss you so much!!! I miss how you make me laugh!

~Cassandra



Starting a Blog…

Two weekends ago, we went to an annual church retreat, which was an amazing experience like always.

One of the most special moments of the weekend was my baptism. I’m going to share my testimony so that you can know what Christ has done in me. Although it’s a lot easier to share it in person than in writing, I will attempt it.

Ten years ago, I was an orphan. I lived my life with two other siblings, one older and one younger. Our birth dad was arrested while he was at home with us and was taken to jail. We also witnessed him trying to commit suicide. Our birth mom was ALWAYS gone with other guys, drinking, doing drugs, and smoking. She would always come home drunk. We would have to feed and take care of ourselves on a daily basis. We were practically living on our own.

We were taken to the orphanage in the year 2000, when I was seven years old. The orphanage became our home for eleven months. Religion was not a part of what we were taught, and we never heard the name of Christ there. Then, in 2001, we were adopted into an American home. I was a “good” little girl as the world would say. I lived a good life, obeying my parents, serving, doing things that weren’t asked of me, but inside I was black. I was defiant in my heart. I didn’t show it on the outside, but I knew I was rebellious. One day I was reading my Bible after getting in trouble at my parents direction (to put my heart on the right path). I thought, “I need a Savior.” So I found Dad, and I prayed to God to take away my sins. However, a year went by and there was no difference in my life, and no fruit. My parents kept asking me to make sure I was really His. I would think about it for a little while and then decide, “I’m His”. As time went on, I realized that I wasn’t really Christ’s.

About two years ago, after getting into trouble again, I was reading my Bible. (Unfortunately, I wasn’t perfect enough that I only got into trouble every three years. :))  I realized that I hadn’t given everything to Jesus, just some things, and I didn’t let Him be my King. That day I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and gave ALL my life to Him. After I did that, I felt an indescribable joy. Since then, I’ve seen fruit. God has increased my desire for His word and joy in serving others for His glory.

There’s a phrase in a song called, “Blessings,” by Laura Story that says, “What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?”. I feel like this is my song because God used my life circumstances as an orphan to bring me to Him.

I decided to be baptized because Christ tells us to, and I wanted to show everyone that I am His, and He is mine.

HE’S MY KING!!!