Living By Faith /// Guest Posting by Jessica Boyer

 

  Hello there! I am so very excited to guest post on Emma’s beautiful blog today! Before I begin, though, I think it would be proper to introduce myself to those of you who don’t know me. My name is Jessica Boyer, and I am the eldest sister of two younger sisters who all blog over at boyerfamilysingersblog.com. As it has been a couple years since I graduated from being educated at home, I can safely say that one of the most important things I do now is put all my energy into my family. My sisters are my best friends, and my parents are my constant guides. I love to read the Lord’s Word every day, and books on the Christian faith are fast becoming my favorite reads. My life is filled with: afternoon walks, cooking, sewing, cleaning, organizing, hairdressing, laughing, imagining, praying, blogging, singing, and serving the Lord through each one!

   Well now, Emma has asked for me to write a post on faith, and, given no boundaries as to that vast subject, I would like to narrow it down by talking about this past year in which my family and I learned to follow the Lord by faith as we never have before.

   In the season of Christmas, 2013, we three knew that we wanted to be singers more than anything else in the world. But not your average pop singers. No! We aspired to include a little history in our songs by revamping, restoring and preserving the popular songs of the past, particularly, the swing tunes of the 1940’s, or WWII era. We sang at as many venues as would have us during that Christmas, all the while saving up our money for a very big, and very expensive Sound System (or so it seemed in our naive, girlish opinions). All this time, the Lord had been putting into our hearts the realization of how much we needed to give our talents to Him to use in whatever ways He deemed best. Thus we prayed that He would take what we had and use it to it’s fullest extent. Along with this, we also prayed for that sound system. :) It was by faith that we asked for these things, and God was gracious to hear, and to answer. For, come Christmas morn, we were greatly blessed by our relatives who gave us a check that held all the rest of the funds we needed to purchase our new PA system! How elated we were! It was indescribable the feelings we felt when we realized our dream had come true. We stared at that check to really make sure it was what it was, afterward leaping up in unison,  crying, shouting, laughing and bouncing around all at the same time. The hysteria was uncontainable we were so happy! 

   January was a big month of planning, practicing and praying for the Lord’s will to be done. There were good days and bad, fruit and branches that needed pruning; in it all the Lord directed and we followed. February found us getting our act together, and in the chilly month of March, we were just about ready to say we had a small show. There were a total of six songs we learned in that timespan of three months, and this was due to the round about way we had to practice them. It took just about four months to really get them solid. In it all, we kept our chins up, and learned that practice really does make perfect. But now that we had those songs down what exactly could we do with them? We knew we wanted to sing, but what did that look like? We had an idea that we would eventually become well-known in our rural community, but was that all? And what if our talent really took off, and we had to start touring the country, and get a bus, and live in hotels, and never see our Church family again and, and… Woah horsey! The meltdowns ensued, but so did the Lord’s peace and direction. And this is whenever we began to fully lean on Him to provide what we needed, and take us where he wanted us to go.

   But, like most things, to remember that God was in control was sometimes the most taxing thing to believe in. This may sound funny, but just think about it. If your dreams were to suddenly come true, wouldn’t you want to be the one to get up on that wagon seat and try to steer those horses you have been watching take you to your destination this whole time? Or would you rather let the Lord (who predestined all things to be as they are) take the reigns? We chose the latter, and by faith, we lived a full year of truly becoming well known in our community. In the end, we sang nearly fifty shows in 2014, which meant we were busy just about every week that year with a performance. The Lord even brought us down to Tennessee to sing at a Remembering WWII event, and so we got to travel a bit. Some of the best times though, came when we were least expecting to bless someone out in the audience. People of all sorts came up to us after a show and told us how surprised they were by our passion for wanting to sing the old swing tunes and WWII Ballads. They asked us why and how we chose such a forgotten genre. The girls and I answered that it was because it is a forgotten time and a neglected past that drew us to want to sing it, that we might help people remember. The three of us are history buffs, and so we greatly desire to preserve what this country once knew. Singing these old songs helps us do that with each performance, and the Lord never fails to let His light shine through us on every stage. 

   In the end, I can say that last year we learned what it means to live out Proverbs 3:5, which says: 

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

   Live by faith. Blessings come to those who wait patiently, and to those who are obedient to the Lord’s Word. Truly, we have seen these promises fulfilled, and great is our joy and peace of mind because He lead us first.

So how is the Lord using you to live out your faith? 

Do you ever doubt His providence, or do you hold fast and wait patiently?

What talents do you have to bring before the Lord for Him to use?

Thank you again, Emma, for inviting me to type out my thoughts on your wonderful blog. :)

Blessings to you all,

Jessica, the eldest sister & singer

   Jessica, it was a joy to work with you and to hear what you had to say. Thank you ever so much for being willing to guest post. I've enjoyed having you. Thank you again!

   As Jessica said, she and her sisters blog over at boyerfamilysingersblog.com. Go visit their lovely blog and leave them some thoughts and encouragement! 

<3 Emma