Happy Birthday(s) to ME!

January is a pretty fantastic month for me!!  Interesting that it is the month that marks the beginning of a new year because it is also the month that holds my spiritual birthday, which marked the beginning of a new life for me!!  So, January is a super special month for me for reasons that all work together!!  I give December a strong second because it is when I celebrate my natural birthday (those balloons are from friends from my birthday this past December!) and it is also the month that holds the spiritual birthday of a very special person in my life! 

On January 16, 2010, I will celebrate my most significant birthday!!  My 5th birthday to be exact!  You see, on January 9, 2005, Jesus Christ proved Himself to me in a way that gives me the confidence to boldly stand on His Word all day everyday!!  Just as on the day of Pentecost (recorded in Acts chapter 2), the Lord filled me with His gift of the Holy Ghost!!  It was on a beautiful Sunday afternoon! I remember everything about it--where I was (8 Logan Street Greenville, SC), who was there (Troy, Charity, my pastor's wife, a few dear Mothers of the church, and Elder Humphrey!), what I was wearing (black skirt, pink cardigan, black shoes, black hat), how I felt (GOOD!!! REAL GOOD! NOTHING CAN COMPARE!), everything!!  One week later, on January 16, 2005, I was baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38; Colossians 3:17) for remission of sin and PRAISE JESUS--newness of life!!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

For me, it was one thing to read Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus (John 3: 1-21) but it was another to truly understand and experience what Jesus Christ was telling Nicodemus-- being born into His spiritual family!! (as opposed to my natural family that I was born into on December 4)!  Elder Evans, our assistant pastor, said a few weeks ago that we don't remember the day we're naturally born into this world.  Rather, we rely on what our parents tell us or on a piece of paper (birth certificate) that bears our name and a date.  We trust that that was the actual date that we were born into this world.  BUT, not so on the day of our second & spiritual birth!!  I don't need any paper documentation nor does anyone have to tell me the day of that birth!  You know for yourself without anyone having to tell you a thing!!  Jesus is so wise!!!

Since I failed to do a posting on my natural birthday, I'll give you a brief summary of how it went--I traveled to Athens, GA to visit the BEST hair dresser EVER (yay for a relaxer!), I came back to Greenville for service and had cake & ice cream with my church family, and on Saturday some of my amigos de Greenville surprised me at Myabi for dinner and we had a game night at our house!  Allison gave me Loaded Questions--one of my new FAVORITE games!!  So, we played that and had a smashing good time! 

Alrighty, I hope your 2010 is off to a fabulous start!!  I'm enjoying age 27 (feeling a little old) and looking forward to celebrating my 5th birthday this Saturday!! It truly has been the best five years of my life that's for sure and I just keep learning and growing, growing and learning!  Happy New Years Everyone! 

Happy Birthday To Me,
SG