Blameless Birthdays!

I figured today I would combine what I wanted to talk about into one confusing topic!


I thought January was the month for birthdays, but BOY was I wrong!!!

Here's my montage of HAPPY BIRTHDAY'S!!!! They are not in birthday order. 

Jolaura Bell who has been one of my faithful, devoted best friends for probably almost 10 years now! Wow!  I could have cropped her husband out of the picture, but it would have looked funny with her just floating in the air like that! Jolaura has been there to see Grant and I through our relationship and she was one of my best friends standing beside me at our wedding!


 Matt Tubinis, my favorite brother-in-law! I am thankful that Grant is now not the only boy (besides Dad) in the Morella household anymore (officially). Matt is a youth pastor for Lord of Life Lutheran in Germantown and he is wonderful at it! Kristina and I never would have thought that we would BOTH marry ministers! God works in crazy ways and I know it will be a blessing for Kristina and I to have each other to talk to and compare notes on being minister's wives!

Diana: She has probably known me the longest-Mom! I don't think she's hit her 50's JUST YET...she likes to say she's still 25, which is sooo weird considering I am about to pass that! I couldn't ask for a better Mom and she's turned into a faithful friend as well!


Grace Walker!!! Oh, crazy, GW! I love this girl to pieces! She is one of the most open and honest friends I have out there and if she's thinking it, you know it...that's a good thing! She has a wonderful new blog: A Dyslexic's LIfe: Unedited! and I met her through our mutual friend, Allison. She loves the Lord and works in several different ministries...and... she's getting MARRIED soon! Can't wait! 

Me and my bank account know that there were plenty of other March birthdays but I figured I would honor the latests! HAPPY BIRTHDAY Y'ALL!

Now onto the blameless part of my title! Last night I went to our high school girls bible study at Jessica N's house and we started this new booklet called "Girl Talk". The girls and Jessica and I went the week before to Lifeway to pick out a new book and they unanimously voted on this one. I was thinking that it's so funny how some of the same things I struggled with back in high school are still haunting me today! I think with girls gossip is one thing that will continue to be a struggle. 

Our study began with a talk about our words. It named off a bunch of mean saying that some of us have heard all through high school (or for me and my boy hair cut stage, I heard mostly in middle school...we have pictures somewhere to prove it!) The bottom line of this weeks lesson was that words can hurt. That old saying: "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" is sooooo not true! 

As I was reading this morning.in Matthew where the Pharisees had PLANNED it out to try and trap Jesus into saying something wrong (this is Matthew 22: 15-33), I was reminded that Jesus was tempted in all ways just as we are. They were asking him about paying taxes and whether it was right to pay Caesar or not. Through his words, he proved to be blameless. Also, starting in verse 23 the Sadducees did the same sort of thing by asking Jesus about marriage and if a wife has more than one widow, who will be her husband in heaven... they were also trying to trick Jesus into saying something that was contradictory to his Message. Once again...he was blameless.

Little side note...BTW-verses 30-33 tell about marriage in heaven. I like to think that I will still be married in heaven to Grant, but clearly here in the Bible...I am wrong. It's just hard for me in my womanly emotions to think otherwise. Back to the topic...

All that to say-Jesus was tempted and tried throughout his life...2 examples are above...and he came out blameless. I know we are not Jesus but we are striving to be like that and I think the LEAST we can do is try to watch our words! We read a verse about being accountable for our words (I am not sure if it was this EXACT verse, but it applies all the same):

"Good people have good things in their hearts; and so they say good things. But evil people have evil in their hearts, so they say evil things. And I tell you that on the Judgment Day people will be responsible for every careless thing they have said. The words you have said will be used to judge you. Some of your words will prove you right, but some of your words will prove you guilty" -Matthew 12:35-37

Someone joked that there are a lot of jokes that she wished she could take back, but that is so true. All this to say that I really need to watch my words more carefully...it is something that I am aware of as a girl/woman, but it's good to be challenged regularly on that.


Last subject, we celebrated Amanda's getting married this past Saturday with a brunch at her Maid of Honor's house! Here's a pic! Remember, that extra bit of roundness on me is a baby...don't judge :)

So begins wedding season (actually, it has already began, but here it begins again!)

From left to right, Jenny Beth, Erica, Amanda Nixon soon-to-be-Brewer, me, Lauren McDaniel-soon-to-be-Hannaford, & Audrey.