My Favorite Gift

My mom always asks us to make a Christmas list. This year, I really wanted an iphone, and I didn’t care much about anything else on my list. And yesterday morning, my Christmas dreams came true! On the way to church with my family, my mother dubbed me the “most excited about a gift,” which is an unofficial title I’ve never before been awarded! So needless to say, the iphone is a favorite. But even with the months of anticipation leading up to the unwrapping of my iphone, another gift has given it a run for its money.

My grandmother made each of us grandchildren a quilt this year. Each is different, customized to suit each recipient. My quilt is, as expected, fancy and feminine, so I immediately knew my grandmother had hit the nail on the head. But a closer look revealed just how amazingly appropriate for me is the quilt my grandmama so carefully crafted. For each quilt, my grandmother selected Bible verses especially intended for each of us, and on mine is monogrammed Colossians 1:9-12.

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

To Grandmama’s joyful surprise, these are a few of the verses God laid on my heart to commit to memory this semester. Grandmama later told me that she’s been praying these verses for my cousins and me daily for years. Once again, I feel that the favor God has bestowed on my life is a direct result of the faithful prayers and faithful lives of my grandparents.

This very special present reminds me of what I have come to realize is the greatest gift (other than Jesus, of course) that I enjoy year after year. It’s the gift of a loving, godly family (on both my dad's and my mom's sides), who celebrates the birth of Christ together. Through silly Christmas games where we use an acrostic to describe the attributes of God, or through homemade costumes and acting out the nativity, or even singing and acting out “The 12 Days of Christmas”—my family loves God and loves each other. I am beyond blessed to be a Herrod.

How funny is it that I share a name with some of the most evil men in history (granted, someone apparently altered the spelling by adding an “r” at some point), yet my family heritage is so godly! What a picture of redemption! I am honored to bear the name “Herrod”—because in that name, I am reminded of Gen. 50:20. What is intended for evil, God intends for good. Surely he has shown love to our family to the thousandth generation!

Blessed,

Jaye

PS - By the way, I flew a plane today! (More to come...)

My grandparents (Dad's side)

(Don't have a picture from Mom's side)

My quilt

A "Brief" Recap

Wow. I stink at blogging. I think my perfectionist tendencies make blogging especially difficult (plus my tendency to ramble and write a very long blog.) Anyway, I’m going to attempt to give a brief description of my first semester of seminary. Judging from the fact that I have not written a single blog since the night before I started seminary, I believe the statement, “Seminary life is busy,” goes without saying.

September—a month of adjustment. I’ve read more pages than I’ve ever read and watched more football than I’ve ever watched! Rather than talking about all the reading, let’s talk about all the football. My roommate and I were so excited to find friends who had cable TV and who also loved SEC football! Saturdays were spent watching intramural football games in the morning and college football in the afternoons and evenings. (I had to make sure I didn’t invest too much of my life in reading!) Our friends pull for various teams, so I also had to expand my sugar cookie decorating skills to ensure that everyone’s teams were represented. Aimee (my roommate) and I have been very blessed by our friendships at The Rose (the house where we spend our Saturdays), and we are thankful for the Lord’s provision of a “typical” Southern schedule during football season.

Football cookies for Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, and Michigan State.

October—a trip home and the most beautiful fall I’ve ever witnessed. Early October consisted of another half marathon with my dad and a quick trip to Mobile to visit everyone I so desperately miss (especially Saraland Elementary and North Mobile.) Later in the month, I went to the North Carolina State Fair, which knocks the socks off of anything in Alabama! What a fun night we had eating fair food, riding rides, and playing with friends!

At the Fair

November—a month of celebrations and surprises. The month commenced with a surprise party for one of my good friends, where we played dodgeball in a completely dark house for a couple of hours. It was a much needed break from responsibility for a night. A few days later, we dressed up and celebrated my birthday at The Melting Pot.

Birthday folks

The next week my best friend and former roommate came for a visit, and the month ended with a Thanksgiving surprise for my family. (My roommate and I led our families to believe that we would not be home for Thanksgiving, and I’ll never forget the expression on my mother’s face when she saw me sitting on the couch that afternoon!) It was a wonderful trip home, and I’m so thankful for a loving family and peaceful home.

When Kristin Came to Visit

December—fast-paced, yet long and drawn out. Time is strange like that. At the beginning of the month, we had another party, which has become a monthly tradition. We had about 50 people and more tortillas and taco shells than I’ve ever seen outside of the grocery store! Then studying for finals took over my life. Hours upon hours were devoted to reading and memorizing, but I think it paid off. (We’ll see if I still feel that way once grades are posted.) One Sunday afternoon, five of us girls sang Christmas carols at a nursing home and had a blast! I’m thankful for an opportunity that reminded me to be grateful I’m able to be “home for the holidays.” Saturday I got a call from my friend who will soon be serving in South Asia, and she asked me to “babysit” her piano for 2 years. Woo hoo!!! And yesterday I arrived in Prattville to be with my family!

So that’s basically a list of “stuff” that has happened in my life over the last few months. For whatever reason, I feel older. Sometimes, it’s a bad feeling (like the time I got dizzy from walking too quickly through the periodicals in the SEBTS library or as I realize that more and more of my clothes just don’t fit), but most of the time, it’s a great feeling. The Lord has been patiently shaping me into the Proverbs 31 woman I so deeply desire to be, and I am hopeful that one day I’ll be able to say that my life resembles hers. I’m stubborn, and I resist the Potter’s hand entirely too often, but He is faithful. What a gracious gift that He never gives up on us! I pray that as time continues, I will submit. Because so far – the journey has been worth it.

Blessings,

Jaye