I'm Back (Again)

I will blog today. I will blog today. I will blog today. I will.....

This has been my mantra for the last week. There's so much to catch you all up on. Well, not really but a few new things have been happening around the Pearce house. Nothing too exciting. Just some dirt bike riding, patch wearing, preschool searching, push up doing, moving watching and small group attending. But first, here's the answer to the last question from my previous post.

My testimony: I know some of you are already yawning and maybe even closing out the page. But let me assure you that this post came with a lot of thought and prayer. You see, in order for me to show you all what an amazing God we serve I have to admit things about myself that I would rather not. Embarrassing things. Things that may cause you to think differently about me. Hopefully, these things point you to the greater picture. A picture of a perfect God who graciously gives us perfect redemption through his Son.

I was raised in a Christian home. I attended a Christian school. I went to GA's and Pioneer Girls (anyone know what I'm talking about?) I knew how to be a Christian. I was a champion Bible driller, memory verse reciter and you wouldn't find any other tapes in my boom box other than Amy Grant and DC Talk! I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was in elementary school and life was great until I reached middle school. This time is difficult for any kid but I think I took it really hard. I didn't fit in anywhere. I didn't have a great group of friends and I was desperately looking for acceptance (from anyone!!) Hello high school! I certainly found acceptance at this point, just not from a healthy source. I found it in guys, parties (and everything that goes along with it.) I experimented with just about everything I could get my hands on (use your imaginations here, it's probably accurate). For a while things were fun but in the back of my mind I knew what I was doing was wrong and destructive. Thankfully, God had a plan for my life. He didn't turn his back on me even when I turned my back on him. He graciously put Marty in my life. At the time I don't know what Marty saw in me. I was a young, messed up girl but he saw past that. He helped me get my life back on track. After we were married we started looking for a new church. We happened to visit The Summit one Sunday and that's when things started to change. We got involved in a small group and formed relationships with other young married couples. For the first time we both had a desire to live for Christ, not just a knowledge of what it meant. Along with that desire came life changing forgiveness and acceptance. We are different people from what we were 10 years ago and praise God for that! Of course we still mess up but we can look back on our past and know that God is good. He brings beauty from ashes and I am blessed beyond what I can ever express. There is no question that God can use any circumstance for His glory. A few years back I heard a song by the band Sonic Flood that basically tells my life story. Here's the chorus:

I will exalt the One who lifted me
Out of the miry clay to heights of eagle's wing.
Words cannot express
All I know is this
You changed me.
You changed me.

I can remember how I use to be
I was so bound but now I'm free
I will exalt the One who lifted me.

This is why the verse at the top of the blog is so significant to me. God has indeed done exceedingly and abundantly more that all I could ask or imagine! How great is our God? !!