Isaiah 61:1-3

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."

Some of you are realizing now that this is where the name of my blog has come from! This is a passage I have fallen in love with. God has been teaching me this one very important thing lately: my life and my actions should be to glorify him. That is all that matters! My hope is that at the end of my life when I stand face to face with my savior he will say to me: "Well done good and faithful servant! You were an oak of righteousness, a planting for me that displayed my splendor." 

I think Psalm 115:1 sums it up nicely: "Not to us O Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory because of your love and faithfulness."

May God get ALL the glory as I embark on this adventure in ministry. Much, much more to come in the near future.

With love,
Melissa