Merry Christmas from the Brazzells!

Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas! We hope that each of you will have a blessed Christmas season with your loved ones as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. This Christmas is an exciting one for us as we celebrate as a family of three! Our little Eden has changed our world, and we are so grateful to the Lord for blessing us with this precious gift. 

This year has held many life-altering changes for our family! God has guided every step of the way, and we rejoice in all that He is doing in our lives. 

The biggest change was the birth of our baby girl. Eden Brielle was born on Friday, November 25th at 8:26am. She weighed 7lbs. 14oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. I greatly appreciate all those who were praying for Eden and I. My labor and delivery went wonderfully, and Eden was perfectly healthy! We are enjoying every moment we have with our precious little girl! The miracle of a new life is an amazing testament to the incredible design of our Creator God. We are so blessed and honored that the Lord gave Eden to us. 

Another big event was our survey trip to Australia. We have been praying about this trip for years, and God opened the door for us to go at the exact time He wanted us there. Several weeks ago, Simeon wrote a post telling all about our trip and God's call on our future. Read it HERE. We are so thankful for God's clear guidance and direction in showing both Sim and I that He would have us serve Him in the city of Paramatta, NSW, Australia. Many decisions lie ahead, but we know that God is faithful and He will lead as we follow Him.

Simeon has now been with Cellular Sales for one year. This job has been such a blessing for our family, and it is one that Simeon absolutely loves! He has had the opportunity to take on some leadership/mentoring rolls the past few months. He enjoys getting to train new hires and assist them as they begin with the company. I am still working part time as a Mary Kay office assistant and as a piano teacher. Both allow me a lot of flexibility with my schedule and lots of time taking care of my home, husband, and baby girl.

We are enjoying being a part of all that God is doing at the Temple Baptist Church. Simeon and I are a part of the choir, and we have recently began working with the Collegians for Christ ministry at the University of Tennessee campus. It has been so encouraging to see the students devotion to Christ and desire to reach their peers. We know this is great preparation for us as we will one day be the university town of Paramatta, NSW, Australia! We are also very involved serving in our Sunday School class. I have the opportunity to play the piano, and Simeon enjoys sharing the missions updates from time to time.

2017 looks to be another exciting year for our family! Many great things lie ahead, and we can't wait to see all that God has in store. We have been so blessed by all the amazing people God has put into our lives, and we thank you for your love and prayers for our family. We hope that you and your loved ones have a very Merry Christmas and many blessings in 2017!

All for His Glory,
Brettnay Brazzell

And We're Off!

Psalm 32:8 

"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye."

As we are just a few hours away from boarding the plane and heading to Australia, my mind thinks back to the years we have spent praying and planning for this trip. God has been so good to Simeon and I as He had led us to this point in our lives. From the beginning, our call has been sure, but there have been many unknown details concerning our future and our ministry plans. Our prayer is that God will use this trip to speak to our hearts and give us clear direction as to what the next step for our family is. 

Our hearts are filled with excitement at the ministry opportunities that we will have while we are visiting in Sydney and Brisbane! The Hullana's (pastor of the Southland Baptist Church) have an exciting, expanding work going in Sydney! We will get to be involved in soul-winning outreach and their youth ministry. We will also get to visit the site of their new church building project. We will be with Joe & Melissa Marshall in Brisbane (missionaries). They are doing a great work at newer church plant, and we get to help and participate in their church's first missions conference. We will also be involved in music, teaching, and preaching. 

We have been so encouraged by each of you that have let us know that you are praying for us! There is nothing like knowing our brothers and sisters in Christ are praying for us along this journey! God's presence has been so real to us through this endeavor, and it is in large part to the faithful prayers of our family and friends!

Specific Prayer Requests

• Safety as we travel
• Filling of the Holy Spirit as we minister to others and seek to be a blessing to the families we will be staying with
• Continued health for me during my pregnancy and for our baby, Eden
• God will give us clear direction as we seek His will

All for His Glory,

Brettnay

Missions & Family Update

Many exciting things have been happening around the Brazzell house recently! We are around 2 months away from our trip to Australia, so much preparation is being made. Also, we just found out that our baby is a little girl!! God is so good to us, and He is proving His faithfulness every step of our journey!

We received our travel visas last week which was a huge answer to prayer. Everything is continuing to progress well as we stay in contact with the pastor and missionary family we will be staying with during our trip. We are excited to be participating in different church ministries while in Sydney. We will also get the opportunity to be a part of the first missions conference at the church we will be with in Brisbane. Please be in prayer for all the final details as we draw closer to our departure date!

My pregnancy has been a very easy one, and for that we are grateful. Our baby, Eden, is healthy and strong. We greatly appreciate continued prayers for a safe, healthy pregnancy and baby!

We know that our family and friends are our greatest prayer warriors, and we could never thank you enough for that! We will continue to keep everyone updated as new things develop.


All for His Glory,
Brettnay Brazzell

Coming Soon. . . Baby Brazzell!!!

Simeon and I have some very exciting news to share. . . We are expecting a baby!! Baby Brazzell is due in November! We are so grateful that the Lord has blessed us with this child!

We have talked with our doctor, and our missions plans are still the same. Our survey trip will be in September, and we are praying that from there we can begin the deputation process. The only thing that is changing is that we will have a new missionary recruit joining us on our adventure! :)

Please pray for a safe, healthy pregnancy and baby! Thank you!

All for His Glory,
Brettnay

Alabama Church Plant

   This past week, Simeon and I had the privilege to lead a group of Crown College students to help a pastor start a new church in Chelsea, Alabama. What an amazing weekend we experienced! Pastor Kilpatrick has a burden for church planting. He has bought a store front, and has put much prayer and work into starting this church. We went down to help pass out literature about the church. We covered much of Chelsea in a day and a half and got 20 prospects!

  Our hearts were strengthened and encouraged as Pastor Kilpatrick shared his testimony of starting Gospel Light Baptist Church and now the Chelsea Baptist Church. He shared instances where time and time again, God came through just when he needed Him most. To stand there and see all this man has accomplished, but watch him giving God all the glory was amazing. We serve a wonderful God who delights in answering the prayers of His children, and who rewards us for our total surrender and faith!


Please pray for the Chelsea Baptist Church and Pastor & Mrs. Kilpatrick as they prepare for their first service on Easter Sunday!

WE ARE AUSTRALIA BOUND!!!

Ephesians 3:20 "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,"

God has been at work in an amazing way!! Simeon and I have been keeping an eye on plane tickets for several months trying to find the best deals. Tickets to Australia are very expensive, and we had several challenges to work out with layovers and flight times.

Our Australia missionary friend contacted us Tuesday to let us know that in celebration of Australia Day, several airlines had discounted tickets. God worked out the details of our flights better than we could've imaged, and we got a very good rate!! Praise the Lord!!

We are Australia bound September 12-26. Please continue to pray for us as we still have many details to work out. God has proven so many times that He is preparing our path in this endeavor! Your prayers mean everything to us!

We will write another post soon with more details about our upcoming survey trip!

All for His Glory,

Brettnay Brazzell

Our Lamp and Light

 Psalm 119:105 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

Can it be possible that we are already almost a month into 2016?! Simeon and I have hearts of excitement and expectancy as we begin this year! Lord willing, we will be making a trip to Australia this year. . . we will keep everyone updated as we figure out the details! As we have many decisions and new experiences coming this year, we know that the only place to find the answers our hearts are seeking is in God's Word. Whatever questions you are facing in this year, remember that God says that His Word is our lamp and light. We need not stumble along in the darkness because God has given us light! God gives us enough light to take the next step. As we follow His path for our lives, He continues to give more and more light.

Do you need the light of God's Word to shine in your heart? I believe that all Christians need that light everyday. You may not be facing decisions about leaving the country, but we all have different things on our heart that we need God to guide us in.

It's a new year- I have made resolutions as I'm sure many of you have. One of my resolutions for this year is to read my Bible through cover to cover. A friend from church shared an amazing resource to help stay on track- The KJV Daily Promise Bible.

Read through scripture in a year—and thrill to the promises God makes to you—with The KJV Daily Promise Bible. Featuring the beloved text of the King James Version, every day’s entry features an Old Testament passage, a New Testament passage, and a selection from the Psalms or Proverbs, readable in 15–20 minutes. And each day, a scriptural promise is highlighted, accompanied by a brief devotional thought, inspirational idea, or practical insight. This handsomely-bound volume combines the most trusted and beautiful scripture text with one of the handiest yearly reading formats available. Spend a year with The KJV Daily Promise Bible—it could change your life!

I have been so blessed already this year as I have been daily reading through an Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalm/Proverbs passage each day. There are so many treasures waiting for us in Scripture, all we have to do is read! Our Pastor says, "We need a revolution back to the Bible." How true that is! Let's determine that 2016 will be the year that we all get our hearts deep into God's Word!!

All For His Glory,

Brettnay

Here is a link where you can buy this Bible on Amazon- The KJV Daily Promise Bible

Merry Christmas from the Brazzells!

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas! It’s hard to believe it’s that time of year again! Many things have been going on in our life, so I thought it would be good to catch everyone up! The purpose of this letter is to bring glory to the Lord for all He has done in our lives during 2015, and to share what we have been doing and how you can pray for us!

July 12^th marked our 1^st year of marriage! It has been such a wonderful journey together! We were able to spend our anniversary weekend in Charleston, SC. It was such a treat to be able to steal away for a few days and spend time together!

This summer was full of traveling! In addition to our anniversary trip, we traveled to both of our family reunions. God worked it out that we could go to both of these, and we were so excited! This was Sim’s first time meeting most of my family. It was so good to catch up with loved ones we haven’t seen in several years!

During the summer, I was able to complete the courses required to receive my TESOL Certification (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) through Crown College. This is something I started while I was in college, and I’m so glad I was able to finish it! God opened up an amazing opportunity for me to teach English to a group of international students during the fall semester. The students are such sweet people, and I love being able to teach them English while studying God’s Word together! Please pray that my students will have an open heart and clear understanding as I share the gospel with them!

God opened up a new job opportunity for Simeon several weeks ago. He is now working as a sales representative for Cellular Sales. If you know Simeon well, you know that he loves technology, so this job is perfect for him! We weren’t planning on a job switch, but God had different plans, and as always, we are discovering that His plans for us are perfect! Simeon is also continuing to enhance his skills at web design and computer coding. He has had the opportunity to design several websites for different ministries in that past few weeks.

I am continuing to grow my Mary Kay virtual office assistant business. God has richly blessed me by allowing me to earn an income while I work from home. I work for some amazing ladies, and I love what I do! I am also still teaching piano lessons. This is always a highlight of my week! I enjoy getting to spend time with my students and helping them to develop their talents to use for the Lord. Soon, we will be having our Christmas recital at a local nursing home, and we are all so excited!

Our mission’s plans are starting to come together! We are still praying for specific direction as to what part of Australia God would have us serve in. We have decided to take a survey trip next fall to spend time with several ministries that are there. Through this we believe that God will show us exactly where He wants us, and how He wants us to serve. A lot of planning and preparation will go into this trip, so prayers are appreciated! We will continue to keep everyone updated as the time draws closer, and we receive more details.

In the meantime, God has opened several ministry opportunities at our home church. We hold a weekly service at a nursing home which has been such a blessing and encouragement to us! The people are so sweet, and we all love worshiping Jesus together. We also participate in a weekly ‘Teens for Christ’ Bible Club in a local middle school. Over one hundred different students have attended throughout the semester, and we had 2 accept Christ as their Savior just a few weeks ago!! We also enjoy singing in the choir and leading a prayer group in our Sunday School class.

God has richly blessed us with so many wonderful friends and family members! We love each of you, and are so grateful for your prayers and encouragement. May you have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

All for His Glory,

Brettnay Brazzell

Philippians 1:20-21

Have Faith In God

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

During the past thirteen weeks in our Sunday School class, we have been going through a study titled "Have Faith in God." This is probably my third or fourth time going through this study, but it has never meant as much to me as it has in the past few months! Why is that? Well, there are several reasons.

1. It never ceases to amaze me how you can read the same verses in the Bible, but God can reveal different truths each time. That is exactly what happened in this study. God brought to light the connection between faith and family. I think before as I have studied the people listed in the "hall of faith" in Hebrews 11, I have thought of how their faith affected them as an individual. Abraham's faith allowed God to use him to be the father of nations. Moses' faith allowed God to make him the one who would deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. While all that is true, the faith exemplified in the lives of these people had a direct impact on their families. Take Moses' parents for example, their act of faith in trusting their baby boy to God's control allowed them extra time with him to train him in the ways of Jehovah. Their faith was planted in Moses' heart so that when the day came for him to choose the pleasures of Egypt or the way of his people's God, he could make the right choice! One day, Simeon and I look forward to starting a family. I pray that God can develop the kind of faith in our lives that will impact our children. And I am so thankful for godly parents who's faith impacted me!

2. The point was brought out in this study that God does not choose to use us because we in and of ourselves are worthy or strong enough. If you look at the lives of the individuals listed in Hebrews 11, you will notice that they weren't "super heroes." They were regular people like you and I who had weaknesses. 2 Corinthians 12:19 says that Christ's strength is made perfect in our weakness. What a promise! This truth spoke to my heart. I need not worry that I am not capable enough to do God's work because when I yield myself to Him, He will enable me to serve Him!

3. When we began our study, our teacher told us that when you pray for God to increase your faith, be prepared for Him to answer. At the time, I wasn't exactly sure what all that meant. Over the past several weeks, I have come to have a better understanding of his response. How does God increase faith? Under what circumstances does our faith have the chance to blossom and grow? God often uses trials in our lives to mature our faith. This could be looked at in a negative light. I don't want to have trials! Just like every other human, I love being on the "mountain top." I want life to be smooth sailing. But it has been through some recent trials that God has made Himself known to Simeon and I. We asked for our faith to be increased, and He answered. . . just not in the way that we would've chosen for ourselves. Has it been worth it? YES!! We still don't have all the answers, and we are still trying to climb back up the mountain, but God has proven over and over again to us that He is enough, He is in control, and He desires the best for our lives. I have seen God's hand moving, and that is worth the time in the valley!

You can listen or watch videos of this lesson series at this link- Have Faith In God. I challenge you to listen to these lessons, and I pray that it will bless your heart as it has mine!

All for His Glory,

Brettnay

Teaching English to Reach a Heart

People say there is nothing quite like teaching a child to read, and then hearing them read their first words by themselves. I have not experienced that, but I have experienced something that might come close. . .

This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to finish my TESOL degree (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). It made for a challenging beginning to my summer, but what I received from it was worth it! Yes, I was very excited to receive my certification to teach, but I left with something even more valuable than that! I had developed a love for helping internationals learn English by studying God's Word. Watching them not only reading the Bible in English, but then grasping an understanding of the Gospel in our language is an experience difficult to describe! Many of them were so open to hearing about Christ.

Through this one class, I created friendships that I hope to hold onto for a lifetime! I look forward to seeing how God will use this training in my life as Simeon and I seek to follow God's will for our lives at home and one day abroad!

We cannot begin to express what your prayers and encouragement mean to us! Please continue to pray for us as we seek God's direction and follow His will for our lives at this stage He has us in!

All for His Glory,

Brettnay Brazzell

A Threefold Cord

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 " Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.  For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and

a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

Sunday, July 12th, Simeon and I celebrated our first anniversary! It is so hard to believe that we have been married for a whole year; where did the time go!? 

Several weeks before our wedding, a friend of mine gave me a card congratulating us on our marriage. Inside the card, she wrote the verse Ecc. 4:12 ". . . a threefold cord is not quickly broken." That was the only time I saw that verse written in the many cards we received. It's not a verse I would have immediately thought to write in a wedding card, but it has greatly influenced me since reading it. As I looked it up in the Bible and studied the context, it became a verse that I claimed for our marriage. 

When Sim and I first started dating, we agreed to only grow closer together as we grew closer to God. Now, that hasn't always been the case in our relationship, but we have always aimed to keep that the goal. This verse complemented that desire!

Our first year of marriage has been wonderful. We have had several bumps in the road, but overall it has been an easy year for us. We have enjoyed getting to know one another on an even greater level, spent a lot of time talking about how good God has been to us, prayed together for many requests that were pressing on our hearts, and sought God for His will for our lives. In all these things, our "threefold" cord has been strengthened as we have strove to keep Christ in the center of our relationship! As we journey through life, harder times will come, but I know that when those times come, it will be the threefold cord that we have worked to strengthen that will carry us through!

We've only been married a very short time and are in no place to offer marriage advice. This is just something that God has greatly used in our marriage, and because the authority is from God and not me, I trust it can make a difference in your marriage too!

Make Me a Blessing

Have you ever prayed that God would help make you a blessing to those around you??

When Simeon and I got married, we began praying about what ministries the Lord would have us get involved in. We had several things in mind when a couple contacted us about serving in a nursing home. They had held services there for the past two years and were moving away, so they needed a replacement. We were a bit skeptical at first. . . that was not on our list of ministries we wanted to do. We went with them one Sunday, and God worked in our hearts while we were there! It only took two weeks for us to realize that was the ministry God had for us! We then began to ask God that He would make us a blessing there! God has given us a special relationship with the 20+ residents that attend our weekly service. They have told us on many occasions that it's such a blessing to them to have us there! That means a lot to us, because that is what we prayed for! Funny thing is, throughout the past 5 months serving there, Simeon and I would both say that we feel they have blessed us more than we have blessed them! To go each week and see their faithfulness, and that they are excited about worshiping the Lord, is such an encouragement!

Matthew 5:16 says, "Let your light so shine before men, that they many see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." We have enjoyed watching the people we minister to let their hearts shine for Jesus! They are at a stage of life where they have experienced many things and gained much wisdom, and through it all, they are being examples for Christ!


What ministry has God called you to? You may work in a nursing home, teach a children's class, or work a bus route. In all ministries, we can pray that God will make us a blessing to those come in contact with! And do you know what you'll find? When you seek to be a blessing to someone else, you'll end up being blessed in return!


Earlier this week, the residence held a Volunteer Appreciate Luncheon. As they thanked us volunteers for serving there, I could not help but thank them for the wonderful privilege to get to know them and serve Christ along side them! They gave me this flower pot as a "thank you." What a blessing!!

All for His Glory,

Brettnay  Brazzell

An Update on Our Calling

Many of you know that we are called to be missionaries to Australia, but you may be wondering when are going, what are we hoping to accomplish, where will we be ministering. In answer to your questions, we have no idea! There is no doubt in our hearts that God has called us, and that we will be going there. The specifics are a little hazier for us right now. 

We have been struggling with this a bit because we want to act on what God has put in our hearts! At the same time, we do not want to get ahead of God's perfect timing. Isiah 55:8-9 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." God is working in our hearts in this area. Pastor Tim Cruise from Shining Light Baptist Church was preaching at our church recently, and something he said was such an encouragement to Simeon and me. He said that in the "waiting process" God is not only preparing you, but He is also preparing the place, people, and work that He has for you. There are several areas in our lives where we know God is preparing us, and what an amazing thought it is that while He's working on our hearts here in the states, He is also working in Australia preparing the way for us!

These are a few things that we are currently doing in preparation for God's call. 
1. We started a savings account when we got married that we put money into each month that we will use to take a survey trip. Plane tickets alone are around $2,300 for one person! We would like to spend several weeks traveling around to established ministries as we pray about where God would have us and in what capacity He would have us serve.
2. We are in the process of finding missionaries, pastors, and churches who hold to our doctrinal position and are actively serving Christ in Australia. Websites such as Baptist Friends and Baptist International Missions, Inc. have been so helpful as we contact different ministries. We are praying that through these contacts, we would form friendships, learn more about God's work in Australia, and possibly find ministries to visit while we are on our survey trip.

Simeon and I would greatly appreciate your prayers concerning the things listed above! If you know of any ministries in Australia, please comment and let us know!

We are so excited about what God has for our future, but until He opens those doors, we are enjoying serving him in "our Jerusalem." Acts 1:8 "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." 


All for His Glory,
Brettnay Brazzell

Notice the Roses Among the Thorns

This past week we had our annual Faithful Men's Conference at our church. I was so excited about this meeting! Why you may ask? Because this was my first Faithful Men's conference married to my faithful man! I prayed and prayed that God would speak to his heart. I hoped that Simeon would receive such a blessing from this meeting. As the conference drew nearer, it was as though God said to me, "Just because this is a conference for men, that doesn't mean that I don't want to speak to you." After that, my prayer changed a bit. I still prayed God would speak to Sim, but I also started praying that He would speak to me! Monday evening, Pastor Craig Edwards preached on overcoming depression. His text was II Corinthians 12 where Paul speaks of his thorn in the flesh. Pastor Edwards went on to say that we will all deal with thorns in our lives, but that we should not allow ourselves to be so consumed by them that we forget to see the roses that they produce. This thought hit me like a ton of bricks! So often in my life I focus on my "thorns", but when compared to what other people are dealing they with seem like nothing! At that moment, I stopped and thought about all the "roses" that God has placed in my life!

I would like to share a few roses God has placed in my life. I would love to try to list them all, but I think it would take me years to write of all the good things my Lord has done for me! So here is my concise list. . .

Rose #1- God's Mercy, Compassion, and Faithfulness
   Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." If all I had in life was this one rose amongst thousands of thorns, this should be enough to keep me full of joy and praising my Lord! When all I deserve is death and hell, God reached out His merciful hand to me, wrapped me in His tender compassion, and proved that He is faithful to keep His promises. When I called out to Him, acknowledging I was a sinner and I needed a Savior, He was there to hear my cry. And every morning since then, His mercies have been new! What a rose to ponder on!

Rose #2- My Christ-honoring husband
   Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, ". . . a threefold cord is not quickly broken." IWhen Simeon and I were married, a dear friend of ours wrote this verse on a card. I was amazed at how it applied to our relationship. When Sim and I first started dating, we agreed that we would only draw closer together as we drew closer to God- our threefold cord. We have been married almost 7 months now, and it has been the most blissful, happy time of my life! I am so blessed to be married to a man who loves the Lord and seeks His guidance as he leads our family. Again, what a special rose!

Rose #3- My Christian Family
   Deuteronomy 6:7 says, "And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." Simeon and I both had the wonderful privilege of being raised in Christian homes. Our parents and all our siblings have trusted Christ as their personal Savior. Although I will never realize the sacrifices our parents have made to mold us into the people we are today, I  do know enough to be so full of gratitude! I love my parents, my siblings, and my in-laws. They are some of God's greatest gifts to me. What beautiful roses they are!

Rose #4- A New Testament Church
   Acts 5:42 says, "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. My pastor, Dr. Clarence Sexton, has chosen this as his life verse, and I believe it perfectly describes the Temple Baptist Church. It is so refreshing to be able to worship with other believers who cease not to proclaim Jesus Christ! How beautiful this rose is!

Rose #5- My Faithful Friends
   Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." God has blessed me with such wonderful, godly friends! Some of them I see almost on a daily basis, some we text often, and others I only hear from by email every so often, but each friend is precious. There is nothing quite like having a friend who loves you enough to let you know when you are doing wrong, who encourages you when you need it most, who you can trust to pray for things weighing on your heart. I don't know where I'd be without these dear people in my life. Once again, what sweet roses!

I am writing this blog post more so for my benefit as I reflect on God's goodness, but I hope that you will receive a blessing from it, and that it will encourage you to notice your roses among the thorns. Make a list of your roses as I have done above. The next time you seem overcome by the thorns, pull it out, read over it, and thank God for his unending goodness to you!

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the sweet and precious roses you have placed in my life! As trials attempt to entangle me in their thorns, help me to see past the pain, and see the beautiful roses you are growing!

All for His Glory,

Brettnay Brazzell

God's Been Good

Friends & Family,

Simeon and I are so blessed to have such a large group of what we would consider our "friends and family." What a blessing it is to have godly people in our lives. Because that group is so large for us, we decided that instead of sending out hundreds of Christmas cards, we would give our Christmas/2014 update on our blog. I hope you don't mind! :) Please enjoy reading about what God has done in our lives during this past year. . .

Merry Christmas! I can hardly believe that 2014 is drawing to a close. This year has held so many major life events for Simeon and I. We have seen God answer so many prayers! As I look back, I can say God truly has been so good to us!

One thing that has been special about this year is that due to some of these life events, we have had the opportunity to spend time with family and friends that we have not seen in a very long time! What a blessing it has been to both of us to be able to catch up with some of our past school teachers, Sunday school teachers, childhood friends, and more!

This letter has a twofold purpose. First, Sim and I would like to update everyone on the many changes we have experienced in 2014. Secondly and most important, we would like to take this opportunity to praise the Lord for how He has led in our lives recently! We have so much to be thankful for!

The first major event that 2014 held for Simeon and I was our college graduation in May. We both received our Bachelor’s degree from Crown College of the Bible. Simeon’s major was Missions with a minor in Business. I majored in Secondary Education with an English emphasis. Our college years were so special to us, and we learned so much not only academically, but also spiritually. We will always be grateful for the influence of our teachers and staff at Crown!

The next major event happened on Saturday, July 12^th . . . our wedding day! Outside of the day we accepted Christ as our Savior, this has been the most special day of our lives! It has been so amazing to see how God has brought Simeon and I together, and how He has had His hand in our marriage. We have been married 5 months now and are loving every minute of it! There is nothing like sharing your life with your best friend! Simeon surprised me with our honeymoon- a two week trip to Spain! This was my first time out of the country, and what an experience! We had such a wonderful trip, learned a little Spanish, and enjoyed sampling a different culture!

Since then, we have been busy with daily life. . .

           Simeon is nearing his 2^nd year working as a Financial Counselor at 21^st Mortgage. He is also taking online classes on web design, html coding, and a bunch of other “techie” things I do not understand. Haha!

           I have been blessed to primarily be a stay-at-home wife and work from home. Two days a week, I work outside the home as an office assistant for a Mary Kay Sales Director. I have been doing this for 5 ½ years and love working with my boss! For the past 2 years, I have also been doing the same type of work for other directors online. Another thing I have the privilege of doing is to do office assistant work for Dr. Ed Reese. He is an elderly man in our church who has written many books, compiled thousands of books, magazines, articles, etc. on Christian history, and is the greatest Christian researcher I know. I also teach piano lessons to three awesome kids, and I occasionally substitute teach at our church’s academy. Whew! I think that covers everything! God truly has blessed me by allowing me to do things I love, yet be able to work so much from home.

            Simeon and I are enjoying being active members in our church, Temple Baptist. One of the things Sim and I love to do together is sing, and are thankful to be members of our church choir. We also enjoy participating in the weekly prayer meeting and visitation. What a blessing it is to be a part of a church where the Gospel is preached and the main goal is for people to be won to Christ!

         

   Simeon and I are so blessed to come from Christian families. This past August, my parents moved back to Knoxville from Dover, Delaware. This was a surprise and a huge answer to prayer! We have enjoyed having both sides of the family close. Another very special family event was the Lord blessing Simeon’s older sister, Keanne and her husband Brian with a precious baby girl, Paton. She is the first grandchild on Sim’s side, so his parents are having the time of their lives spoiling her, but then so are we. She is such a joy to us all! My brother, Clay, is still serving in the United States Army in Ansbach, Germany. In May, he will have been there for 2 years. Another answer to prayer was finding out that his next duty station will be at Fort Campbell, Kentucky which is only 3 hours from Knoxville!

That about sums up what 2014 has held for us, and now we are so excited to see where God will lead in 2015! Please pray that we will continue to follow in His way for us!

As many of you know, God has called Simeon and I to be missionaries to Australia. That is all the direction He has given us at this point. We are currently praying through things, learning all we can about the country and missionaries that are already there, and saving for a survey trip we hope to take in the next few years. If you could pray for us in this matter, we would greatly appreciate it!!

I know this letter is very much about my husband and I, but I hope that as you read it, you didn’t just read an update on us, but a testimony of how God is working in the lives of two of His children. The only reason we have been blessed with anything is because of His goodness and mercy! When I was a freshman at Crown College, our Pastor preached on the story of Abraham’s servant going to find a bride for Isaac. He read Genesis 24:27, “And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren.” The point of his message was that as we follow in the way the Lord has set for us, He promises to lead us. This verse has resonated in my heart ever since, and I have seen it played out in my life over and over again!

Thank you for the influence you have had in our lives. We are so blessed to know each of you!

May God richly bless you and your family in the New Year!

All for His Glory,

Brettnay Brazzell

Philippians 1:20-21

Insignificant or Important?

Wow! So much has happened since I last wrote a blog post! I got married to the Love of my life, he whisked me off to Spain for an amazing honeymoon, and now we are settling into our daily routines together. . . yes, we've been pretty busy! But in the business of life, we have made time to seek God as a couple, praying together and studying God's Word. I'd like to share with you something God laid on my heart the other day. . .

I can't take all the credit for this blog post. Some of the inspiration came from a sermon I was listening to by Dr. Tom Farrell, but God took the seed planted by his message and has been developing it in my heart.

There are many things in life we deem important and many things we pass off as insignificant. It is amazing how God repeatedly used seemingly insignificant things in a very important way! I have listed several examples from Scripture of this very truth!

1. The Mustard Seed
Matthew 17:20 " And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."
While some seeds have unique shapes, colors, patters, or sizes, the mustard seed is not one of those! Ranging in size from 1-2mm in diameter, you would probably not even see it if it was lying in front of you. Yet, God chose to use this plain, little seed to make a word picture for us. He said that if we have as much faith as a mustard seed, we could move mountains! So, does God see this small seed as insignificant or important? Important!

2. A Staff
Exodus 7:8-10 "And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent. And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent."

Here we have a simple rod. It was probably not made out of any precious wood, for its purpose was to aid men as they walked. To us, it may not appear to be anything of value, yet God used this rod to show His power before Pharoah's entire court! Insignificant or important? Important!

3. A Scarlet Cord

Joshua 2:21 "And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window."

Joshua 6:25 "And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho."

In this story, God chose a scarlet cord to picture His greatest gift to man, salvation! By Rehab hanging that cord from her window, she saved her entire family! Insignificant or important? Important!

I could go on to list the stones David used to slay Goliath, the widow's mite, the five loaves and two fishes of the little boy, and so many more! Or what about not only when God has used "insignificant" things, but when He has used people we might consider insignificant like Esther, Zaccheus, or even Jesus' mother Mary ??

In each case the item or person, in and of itself, was not important. But there is something in common that made each important and that is Jesus Christ! We are all important to God. If we let Him, He will show us He desires to use us in such an important way! You may wonder why God chooses to use 'insignificant' things and people.  He does it so that when the glory is received for what is accomplished, there is no choice but to recognize that it came directly from Him! 

I know this was a lengthy post, but if it encourages one person, it's worth it! So next time you are wondering if you are important, if anything you do matters, remember that you are important to God! What other people think does not matter! Yield your life to Him, and though you may not be seen of men, God will use you in a way you could never have imagined!

So what are you. . . insignificant or important??

All for His glory,

Brettnay Brazzell

Married but Lonely

   I can hardly believe it; Simeon and I are 3 weeks away from our wedding day! We are so excited not only about that special day, but also about the days and years to follow as we live our life as a married couple!

   The pastor that is performing our ceremony lives 8 hours away, so marriage counseling has been a little different for us. Pastor Brown has sent Sim and I a total of four books. We were to read them, discuss them together, and then write him and let him know what we learned from each book. So, we have spent the past few months reading through these books together and gleaning wisdom from couples who have gained a lot of  life and marriage experience. I know that I personally have learned many things from these books!

   One of the books we read was about communication. Something in the very beginning of the book caught my interests. The author wrote about how people often experience loneliness in marriage. Now he was not referring to couples who were unequally yoked, distant, or not as in love as they once were. He was talking about couples who were Christians and were deeply in love! My immediate thought was, how on earth could I be lonely when I have a wonderful marriage to my very best friend?! That just didn't make sense to me! The author went on to explain what he meant by that statement. Every human being is created with a void inside them, and we all have a desire to have that void filled. We seek for true love, total acceptance, and a relationship that will be our rock through all the up's and down's of life. Most people, myself included, would first think that this is found in a spouse. While you can find all of those things in your life's mate, they will never be able to fill that void in your heart. God didn't create that void in a way that could be filled by a person. The only one who is able to fill that void in your heart is God Himself! So yes, if God does not have his rightful place in your life, and if you are trying to have that void filled by your spouse, you will face that loneliness!

   Simeon is above and beyond anything I could've dreamed for myself! I love him with all of my heart, and I know he is the man God created me for. He is my true love and my rock, yet he cannot fill the void in my heart. We can have a heavenly marriage, but God has to be my first love! Only then will everything else fall into place!

    Now I know some of you are probably thinking, why is she writing about marriage when she hasn't even experience it yet? And to be honest, you are right! But I do know from other areas of life, that we all must put Christ first! He must be the one to fill the void in our hearts! Not a spouse, money, things, family, friends, etc. This principle can be applied to all areas of our lives!

   So friends, as Sim and I are beginning to enter into this new stage of life, please pray that we will always keep Christ first! And I challenge you to do the same! We need never be lonely when we have such a wonderful God and Savior! Deuteronomy 31:8 says, "And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed." God promises He will always be there for us! What a precious promise!

All for His Glory,

Brettnay

Exterior or Interior Actions

Our days are made up of decisions and actions. Each one can be classified as either an exterior or an interior action. Simeon and I are reading Joel 2 this week, and a thought stood out to me today as I read the chapter. . . .

Joel 2:13 says, "And rend your hearts, and not your garment, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil."

The first part of that verse says to rend your hearts and not your garments. What does that mean exactly? I believe that God is speaking of the motivation behind our decisions and actions. Rending your garment is an exterior action. It is an action that is seen by men. We often "rend our garments," yet never render our hearts! Our motivation is to make a show of our works. We publicly do things so that man will see us and  think "What a good Christian they are!" or "Look how much they love the Lord!" Now let me add a disclaimer here, it is not bad to have other people think that or to have people see what we do for the Lord! We just cannot allow that to become our motivation! God instead tells us to rend out hearts. This is an interior action. It may never been seen or known by those around us, but it does not go unnoticed by God!! In this verse, He promises that if we rend our hearts to Him and turn unto Him, that he will be gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness toward us! What a promise!

I'm an English major, and I love studying words. I want to define the words that God used to describe Himself in this verse, and may it bless you as it did me!

• Gracious: compassionate, generosity of spirit, marked by kindness and courtesy
• Merciful: treating someone with kindness and forgiveness, compassionate, giving someone something they do not deserve
• Slow to anger: long-suffering, patient
• Great kindness: goodness, showing compassion

God promises to show all things to us when we rend our hearts to Him!

Let's all purpose today to have interior actions, actions that are motivated only by our love for the Lord and our desire to glorify Him! God gives us all a choice, we can live for Him of live for self and others. What do you choose- exterior or interior actions?

All for His Glory,

Brettnay

Trusting God to Write Your Love Story

In honor of the month of love, I thought I would share my testimony of how I learned to trust God in leading me to my Love! Now, I will warn you up front, this may be quite lengthy. When it comes to talking about how good God has been in leading me to Simeon, I tend to get carried away:)

My "love story" started way before I even knew that a Simeon James Brazzell was walking on the face of the earth! Let's make the starting point my dinner table on my 12th birthday, for it was on this birthday that I received one of the greatest gifts my parents have ever given me, my purity ring. That night, my Dad did a devotion on purity and how God desired for me to keep not only my body pure until marriage, but also my heart and mind! That night, I made a commitment to my parents and to my Lord that I would save myself for the man that God would have me marry.

Now, fast-forwarding to the high-school years. . . as I began to "grow up," that commitment started getting harder than it was when I was 12. I knew the boundaries as far as purity of body, but I began wonder what the lines for purity of mind and heart were. It seemed as though everyone around me was dating and enjoying having a girl friend or boy friend. And oh how I wanted to be a part of that!  I wanted to know that Mr.______ would be waiting for me when I got to Sunday school! I wanted to have a guy to call and text! I wanted to fit in with everyone else! What I did NOT want was to be the one without a date to the Jr./Sr. Banquet, or have people asking all the time why I wasn't dating anyone. Because of these feelings, I began to grow very impatient with the Lord. Now, my parents had told me up front that I was not allowed to date until I was in college, but I at least wanted a "special friend" (as Mom would say) while I was in high school. I spent many hours pining away wondering when I would find my special someone. I also spent too much time watching chick flicks and reading Inspiration Romances (which I now realize did NOT help the situation, but that thought is for another time). Looking back, I see that I wasn't so much concerned with falling in love with a guy, as much as I was falling in love with love! I had painted a picture in my mind of what love is from the movies, books, and examples of the teens around me, and I had fallen in love with that idea of "love"! (which I now know was very far from what love truly is!) But, through it all, my parents kept encouraging me to wait on God and trust Him. I heard a preacher who said that every teen should be praying for their future spouse, whether you knew who they were or not. This thought was so profound to me! So that is what I began doing. Now I'll have to admit that sometimes when I prayed for my man, even though I prayed generically, I would have possible faces in mind, wondering if I was praying for "him." I went through all of high school single. I wish now I would've spent that time devoting myself more to the Lord instead of allowing my heart and mind to be given to this fantasy idea of love. But God was working in my heart. . .

Onto the college years. . . I was finally of dating age! Now, which one is the guy for me?! On the outside, no one would ever have know that I was scoping, trying to find my Mr. Perfect, but in my heart, I was on the look out! I spent my freshman year and the 1st semester of my sophomore year hoping that "he" would cross my path! But then God used different circumstances to make me realize that I wasn't the one who was supposed to be looking!! Really, I didn't have to be looking!! God already had my guy picked out! And when He thought the time was right, He'd bring that man into my life. Finally, after years of pining and searching, I let go! I told the Lord that I was going to leave this in His hands! I turned the reins over to God, and decided that I was done trying to figure it out on my own. What peace filled my heart!! I knew that God was in control! I knew that while God's ways may not be my ways, His ways are ALWAYS best!

I have a best friend who can totally vouch for what I'm about to say. . . It was hardly any time after I turned it over to God and told her that I was not going to look for a guy my Junior year of college that God brought Simeon into my path! The funny thing is that Simeon had been at my church, in my youth group, at my college the whole time! All those years that I was searching for my man, he was right under my nose, and I had no idea! Maybe Simeon will write soon and tell you our story from his perspective. It's quite an interesting one!

As of today, I am 151 days away from marrying the Love of my life! I want to thank God for leading us to each other! I want to thank God for giving me parents who cared about my life and my purity, and who taught me to trust God and let Him lead me. Yes, there are things that I wish I would've done differently, but God used it all to teach me  and to bring me to this point! By God's grace, Simeon is the only man I have ever dated! He is the only man (other than my family) who I have ever said the words "I love you" to. And soon, he will be the man I stand before and pledge my body, heart, and mind to!

Reader, I'm not sure at what stage you are at in life. Maybe you are a parent or grandparent. If so, encourage your children/grandchildren to be pure and to wait on the Lord!! We need your encouragement and prayers more than you'd ever know! Maybe you are a young person. If so, please turn EVERY area of your life over to God's control! And please take a stand for purity!! In today's world, those who are taking a stand and remaining pure for their future spouse are growing fewer and fewer. And while you are trying to work purity in your own heart, I challenge you to start praying for your spouse too! It amazed me when I found out later that about the time I began to pray for my future husband was a time when he needed prayers the most!

Again, I apologize for the length of this post, but it is my prayer that God may use my testimony to be a blessing to even just one person!

All for His Glory,
Brettnay

P.S. I want to end by saying that any good in my life is only because of my Savior and the grace He has extended to me. May He be the one who receives all the glory!