A Better Way

Yet again I was listening to the radio and heard this song that I have heard before, but this time I really listened to the words. It is called A Better Way by Downhere:

I'm not alone, I really believe
You never go, You never leave
Here and now, You always stay
“I love you” could not be said a better way

It's everything You've promised
There's no greater love than this
From prophets until today
A man laying down His life for His friends
Your sacrifice has spoken,
You gave everything
And “I love you” could not be said
A better way

I am forgiven, I clearly see
It's why You came to do all you did for me
Trading earth with heaven,
You took my place“I love you” could not be said
A better way

Because You redeem, I know what's to come
Everything I could lose here, You've already won
So You have my surrender, with passion obey
“I love you” could not be said A better way

I am so thankful for the love of my Lord! We are undeserving, and yet he gives His love so freely! Because he loves us he gives us the desires of our hearts. Which can sometimes be so hard because I feel so undeserving of the desires of my heart and here He is giving them to me!! How can He love me so much when every day I do things that are equal to spitting in His face!

Guess What!?!?!?

For all of those who do not know yet I have a new boyfriend. :) I know I know... it has been awhile and some of you thought it would never happen, but I am so happy to say that it has! His name is Ben Johnson and he is amazing!! He is in the air force and stationed right now in Aviano, Italy. A mutual friend of ours introduced us and we have had the best time getting to know each other! God has blessed me so much by putting him in my life! God is so evident in his life and all he desires to do is live his life for the Lord. I don't deserve him at all! Please pray for us as we start on this journey. It is difficult that we are so far away from each other, but we know that the Lord is in control and we are trusting Him!! Ben really is amazing! I am so happy!!!

Leaving a Legacy

When I am at work I listen to Klove on my computer. The song Legacy by Nichole Nordeman came on and it reminded me of when I was teaching Esther. There was a week we talked about leaving a legacy. Esther left an amazing legacy and if you have never read the book of Esther I encourage you to! So I have been thinking about that a lot the past few days. I looked up Legacy in the dictionary and here is the definition: Something handed down from an ancestor or a predecessor or from the past. Then here is the chorus to the song by Nichole:

I want to leave a legacy How will they remember me? Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough? To make a mark on things I want to leave an offering A child of mercy and grace Who blessed Your name unapologetically And leave that kind of legacy

About a year and a half after I graduated from high school, Brian Roseberry was killed in a car accident. I didn’t know him real well because he was older than me in high school, but I graduated with his sister. At his funeral I remembered all of these people getting up and talking about how evident Christ was in his life. Story after story of God using him in others lives. He left an amazing legacy that all of those people will never forget. I really had to evaluate my life at that point. I noticed that the only thing Mindee Hill would be remembered for, if she died at that moment, was… not much. I am not saying I want to be someone that people talk about because of what I look like or how funny I was! I want to leave a legacy of Christ. I don’t want everyone to be looking at Mindee when she is gone. I want when they hear my name to think of Christ! To me that is leaving a legacy! So in the song when she states the questions Did I choose to love? Am I loving others whether they are lovable or not? Did I point to You enough? Is my life pointing to Christ? Am I living a life worthy to lead others to Him? What am I handing down to those who will be here after I am gone? That is challenging!

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 says, "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." In the book 'My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers he says this about Paul writing that verse.--- 'Paul said that he was gripped by the love of God and that is why he acted as he did. People could perceive him as mad or sane- he did not care. There was only one thing he lived for- to persuade people of the coming judgment of God and to tell them of "the love of Chirst". This total surrender to "the love of Christ" is the only thing that will bear fruit in your life. And it will always leave the mark of God's holiness and His power, never drawing attention to your personal holiness.'--- Wow!

Weekend in Atlanta

So I am here right now in Atlanta visiting my bestfriend Jessica and her family. We have had a great time so far! I want to post some pictures for those who have not seen them in awhile.

So this is sweet little Caleb.











This is Jess and I.











This is Madison not wanting to be left out.











Madison and Aunt Mindee












This is Madison being silly with Aunt Mindee













I am having a great time! I don't have any pictures of Rick, but he is here too! He is getting ready to grill out some hamburgers. Let me tell you he makes some good burgers! Like 2 inches thick!! I am excited! Jess and I are going to have a girls night out tomorrow. Rick always gives us a night and he takes the kids. He's great!! More later!!

Update...

So God answered our prayers about Jennifer. Just not in the way I had hoped! It did not work out for her to come here. She has had many other offers from families in New York. That is just so far away! So my heart is hurting a little, but also joyful that the Lord is directing her where He wants her and not where I want her!
God is doing amazing things! (big surprise!!!) The bible study I am part of on Monday nights has been so awesome!! Rhonda Sheets was leading it for awhile at her house and really felt the Lord was leading her to pass the torch to Kathy Clark. So for the past months we have been meeting at Kathys where she has led. It has still been so amazing. Well, Kathy is moving to California, and we have all been praying about who the Lord would pass the torch to now. The Lord did not let me ignore my calling! As much as I tried, He made it evident that I was to join Stephanie Schick and Andrea Fisher in taking the torch of leading. Our prayer is truly that the Lord will take the group where he wants it and that we will not stand in the way. Please be in prayer about this!
So as I mentioned God is taking one of my best friends in the world all the way across the country to California. It is hard because she has been my support over this past year! God has used her in many ways in my life and I don't know what I will do without her here. I guess God is wanting me to depend more on Him than her. Which I want to do, but I will miss her so much! She is leaving for CA on June 23rd for a wedding and returning on July 3rd. I will spend the 4th with her and then she is leaving the 5th for Namibia. I so wish I was going with her!! She will then be returning July 23rd. She will then be going back to CA for a class reunion on July 27th and coming back here on Aug.7th. Only to be leaving me for good on Aug. 11 to drive across country in her Hummer to live in Bakersfield, CA. But the exciting thing is that on Sept. 1st I will be meeting up with her in Miami, FL to go on a cruise. So I will be staying at her apartment while she is gone this summer!
So I get to see one of my other best friends in the world in a few weeks when I go to Atlanta to spend the weekend before 4th of July with Jessica. She has always been so encouraging to me! I am thankful God has put her in my life and kept her in my life. Since we met in 1992 she has been there for me through thick and thin. She got married and has had two kids, but our relationship has never changed and I am so thankful for that!
God has showed me over and over again lately that He is in control. That He loves me so much and wants to give me the desires of my heart! That His ways may not be my ways, but the more I totally rely on Him, His ways become the ways I want! (did that make sense?) I just know I am totally in love with my Lord and I never want that feeling to be replaced by anything or anyone!!!
Thanks for listening to my ramblings!!

SO Excited

I know I have not posted in awhile. Things have been real busy, but I have to post real quick about something I am so excited about. Most of you know that I went to Namibia, Africa a little over a year ago. A lot of you know my wonderful friend I met there Jennifer Coetzee. She has been praying about joining a au pair company for the past year. Where she could really end up almost anywhere all over the world. She found out a few weeks ago that she was accepted into the program which was a huge answer to prayer! How it works is she waits for people to view her profile and contact her to ask if she will come work for their family. Then she interviews them and makes the final decision. She has so diligently prayed that the Lord will take her where he wants her. Really wanting to get close to Ohio, but not getting her hopes up. So she gets her first phone call from a family the other day. When the wife said that she lives in Ohio Jennifer had to get off the phone and scream. When she told her that she lived in Beavercreek jennifer had to get off the phone and scream again. Not only is the family 5 minutes down the road from me, but they seem to be great! I won't go into all of the details, but I can't tell you how excited I am! The thing is that as much as Jennifer wants to be here, she still has not said yes. She is wanting to make sure this is what God wants. Wow!! Please be in prayer about this.

Held

Isn't it amazing, when we are hurting, how you can feel yourself being held by God. Now there are many different situations of hurting, but specifically for me it is whenI am not feeling well. I just feel so loved when I feel God's loving strong arms holding me. I can almost hear Him saying "Mindee, I am here and I love you. This pain will soon go away, but then another type of pain may come. Just know I am right here holding you, and comforting you, and I will never let you go." We have such a gentle and loving God. I have been reading this book called "Do you think I am beautiful" By Angela Thomas. She takes you back to the memories of going to school dances and standing there in a corner waiting for someone to ask you to dance. How you sit there and hope you get asked. Now, I went to a Christian school where we never had dances, but we did have the silly little Jr High dance parties at someones house where that same thing would happen. I was always the last person to get asked to dance, and I only got asked because there was no one else there. I am not trying to have a pity party for myself. I say that because it makes what Angela Thomas says mean so much more to me. She says that God wants to know us so intimately, and wants to romance us. That He is the one dying to dance with us. He wants to tell us how beautiful we are, to hold us close and give us that security. The thing is we ignore him asking us to dance because we are so concerned with the cute guy across the room who could care less about our security and our feelings. Who wouldn't know true beauty if it hit him in the face. (okay, those last few sentances were more of my own feelings!) How can we not see the God of the universe standing in front of us begging us to dance? He sees and knows our true beauty and he wants us to see and know it too! I love the feeling of closing my eyes and seeing my Jesus ask me to dance. Wow!