What you know about me?

1.) I will be 23 in August (some days i feel 80) 

2.) I love SALAD- when i was younger I ate so much salad that my mom would restrict me from it 

3.) I am a genuine Chuck Norris fan and have been since i was 3

4.) I have a cat named Luda whom i LOVE ( and if you know me, you know how crazy this is because i HATED cats until this one came along)

5.) My guilty pleasure is RAP music- the oldschool dance kind from when I was in High School like DJ UNK and T Pain and of course LUDA! (hints my cats name :-))

6.) My Papa is my alarm clock. I live in an apartment above my grandparents and he MUST know my daily schedule. If he does not hear the shower running and the floor creaking by 8am or whatever time I have disclosed that i should be up, he calls, i answer, he says, " Gooooooddd Mooorning--chuckle chuckle-" and he hangs up.

7.) I have a gym membership but have not used it in 2 months

8.) I go to the tanning bed on occasions. however i can not enjoy it because all i think about is how i might be roasting my insides all for the sake of a tan

9.) My mom is my best friend...really!!

 10.) I drove a Chevy Z71 all through high school and i LOVED it

11.) My favorite tv show is 19 Kids in Counting-


12.) I work as an Admissions Representative at the college i graduated from, however I have my Bachelor in Social Work and am Licensed as a Social Worker

13.) My heart loves Mission work: Brazil twice, Mexico once, NYC 4 times, Hurricane Katrina Relief in Miss., M-Fuge in inner city Charleston, and two summers at Teen Valley Ranch Christian Camp.

14.) The highlight of my college experience was being the Lady Saints Softball team manager (NOT to be confused with water girl!)

15.) I have a passion for ADOPTION. I do not care if I ever give birth to a child, rather my heart is to bring many children without a home into mine.

16.) I do not like politics


17.) I have been in a relationship for 2 years this October with this stud-->


18.) I do not have a favorite color

19.) I have a lovely family that consists of mother, father, older brother, younger brother, and older brother's new wife







20.) and i have a sister from another mister (well another family all-together)





Well, this is a change of posting for me. I just figured since all of my others posts were so serious, i would lighten the mood a little. I realize that everyone who looks at my post may not have a clue who i am. Of course the most important thing i want people to know is my Faith and personal relationship in Jesus. However, aside from that, there is a lot of other stuff to get to know about me. I am a pretty crazy individual and unpredictable to say the least....and i am more than okay with that.

There will be more odd and random facts to come in the near future, but as for now, this 20 is going to have to hold you over....

Until next time

My Flesh May Fail...My God you NEVER will

"Give Me Faith"- Elevation Church

This song has been on re-play for me over the past week and weekend. It has always been one of my favorite worship songs, however this week i have been speaking the words over in my mind more as a reminder to lift my spirit.

You see, the past 5 years have been challenging for me in some ways.About 3 years ago I found out that i had a tear in the labrum of my left hip. For years i had been having problems and pain with it, however i always just pushed it off. In 2009, i was working at a Christian summer camp and my hip locked up on me as i was sitting on a picnic table. The ordeal turned into 7 hours in a sitting position, maneuvering from table to car to Dr's office to hospital and finally back to the camp. This resulted in orthopedic appointments and an MRI. Since then I have seen a physical therapist and hip specialist. The result of it all was being told that i needed surgery to go in and attempt to repair the tear as well as shave off a small piece of the head of my femur to help from the tear re-occurring. Without the surgery, it will only continue to get worse.Currently, I am putting off the surgery and learning how to deal with the tear without making it worse. This means i am limited to some of the activity i can do.

Also, about 2 years ago, i started having a lot of stomach problems. They were chronic and extremely inconvenient. For a while they kept me from really going many places. I worked and came home, ate and went to bed. After many doctor appointments and ruling out various things, all the doctor could tell me was that i had become a number on the list of the many people affected by IBS. (yes i said it)

I was extremely frustrated and exhausted by the fact that i had no control over my body. I felt like my body was what controlled my decisions and schedule. I also could not help but become frustrated at the fact that at the time i was 20-21 years old and i felt i had the problems of an 80 year old. How unfair was that?

Lets fast forward. It is now June of 2013 and I have learned to deal with my physical issues. It's not fun but i am learning new ways to manage. This past week has been a throw back for me which has brought me to writing this today. My stomach problems flared up this past Thursday which seemed to be one of the most painful episodes ever. Also, for the past week my back has been out of whack. Keeping me up during the night and unable to much during the day. All this being said, the one truth that keeps playing over and over again in my mind and heart is " My flesh may Fail, my God you never will". The other day i was led to the  scripture of Paul's thorn which spoke so much truth into my downcast spirit.
2 Cor. 12:6-10
^"6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool,
 because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, 
so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say,
⁷ or because of these surpassing great revelations.
 Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited,
 I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
  ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,
 for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,
 so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses,
 in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. 
For when I am weak, then I am strong."

As frustrated as i have been over my body, I cant help but rejoice and be reminded that it is through these weaknesses that Christ is glorified. And also, that there is no reason to fear the physical. Whether it be sickness, pain, harassment, abuse,  persecution. If anything, i should fear the Lord who holds the eternal control over my life. Give me sickness, give me pain...one thing that can never be taken from me is the love and peace of Jesus Christ. I want my weakness to become a stone for making myself less and Christ More. I want the power of God to control my problems not the other way around. 

I am so blessed by the reminders of my Heavenly Father. I pray for the strength to give him praise in my weakest moments...no matter how frustrated or OLD i feel.

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About two years ago, I came across this verse. It definitely was not the first time I had read, however it spoke differently to me in that particular season of my life.

The whole passage is amazing in itself. It meet me exactly where I was, bringing comfort and confidence in my spiritual life.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."- Matthew 10:29-31



This verse is hard for me to truly grasp and understand. I believe it because it is the word of God, however my flesh and mind tell me that there is no way my God cares enough to know how many hairs i have on my head. Or that my life and my spirit matter to him. The enemy is constantly plaguing my mind with what-if's and how-cans. 

This verse opened my eyes at a time when everything seemed to be crumbling right under my feet. When poor decisions and the lack of making decisions seems to have poisoned my heart, mind, body, and soul. It was at this time that i read this passage and my hairs stood up. My God whispered in my ear...my God spoke through His soft yet firm voice. He reminded me that I was in the Will of my Father and though i sin and enemy constantly throws hurdles along my path, NOTHING can pluck me from His Will. I am a child of God. He knows every little detail about me. He know my aches and pains, he know my likes and dislikes, He knows my needs and my wants. He even know how many hairs are on my head. He is consumed with every detail about me because I am His child. 

It was that reassurance that gave me the courage to accept the road ahead and begin running the race again with full confidence. Confidence that whatever was ahead, whatever happened to me in my life, was all in the plan of God. Because he values my life and step and my soul and my heart and my.......... The list goes on and on.

Fast forward now. Last night...I am sick and in pain and frustrated. It frustrates me when I do not have control over my body and it does it's own thing. It stresses me out when i realize that my body has the ability to cause me so much pain and discomfort that i feel like I must be close to the light at the end of the tunnel. Sickness and Bethany Poole do not go hand in hand . I am a tough one but when i get sick the world does indeed stop spinning for a brief moment. (okay maybe not...but in my head it does)

Anyway, during some of my moments of relief, i picked my Bible up. I prayed a brief prayer that the Lord would lead me to a scripture and ease my soul. I open my Bible. turn a couple of pages, and start reading. 

Guess what passage i was at?? Matthew 10:25-33...

This time my focus was on the verse right
 before the one about the sparrow.


Matthew 10:28

I need not fear sickness or strife. Nor the obstacles that are thrown in my path as i run the race of life. My life has an eternal seal upon it. Why fear someone or something that can rob my body when i have the promise that my soul will live eternal and my body restored and made new?

I know this is a lot of rambling but this week in itself has been a challenging week for me. I have realized the importance of testimony and standing firm in my faith. I have seen the dangers in compromise and "straddling the fence" as they would say. And on the one day where emotionally and spiritually I was beat, my body started failing me as well. I say all this because i am a sinful human being. I am human and i worry and i stress and i care too much and sometime i care too little. I fail others and i fail myself. I hurt when others fail me. I am human. However, thanks to the word of God, i find security in the moments where everything is going wrong. I find hope in the fact that my God who care for the sparrows, as small as they are, cares oh so much for me. So much that He laid down His life so that mine would one day be eternal. So much that i could live a life without fear of what is ahead of me. Without fear of the pain, physically and emotionally. Rather a hope and security that all things are in His hand.  I need to say this because i need to remind myself constantly. I need to live a life that shows i believe this and not just say it.

I want my words to reflect my life and vice versa. I want to be Free and Redeemed...

Isaiah 63:9

Social Work -A universal Calling

"Isn't the fast i choose to break the chains of wickedness,
to untie the rope of the yoke, to set the oppressed free,
and to tear off every yoke? Is it not to share your bread
with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house,
to clothe the naked when you see him, and to not ignore your own
flesh and blood?"- Isaiah 58-6-7

"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means 

caring for orphans and widows in their distress and 

refusing to let the world corrupt you."

-James 1:27

"Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. 

Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows."

-Isaiah 1:17

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; 

ensure justice for those being crushed. 

Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless,

 and see that they get justice."

-Proverbs 31:8-9

I know this is a lot of scripture but these are verses that have given me direction and guidance for my path in life. These are verses that pushed me through the Social Work program. These are the verses that directed me and encouraged me that i could be a Social Worker in a world that see Christianity and Faith as an imposing force to meeting the needs of the dying world. They do not see it as a force of strength and saving grace as i do.

When people ask me what i do, i tell them I am an admissions rep at Limestone College and then i always quickly follow that with but i have my BSW and am a Licensed Social Worker. I am proud to say that. I consider it a privilege to hold that degree and a blessing to have been led by the Holy Spirit to pursue it. I will continue with this in another post about Social Work and my heart for it but i really want to put all the emphasis of this post on the scripture. The commands that the Lord has given us all as believer and followers who claim the name of Jesus Christ.

MORE than a conqueror

I don't hold tight to my Faith in Christ Jesus because i was raised in a Christian home and it was hammered into my brain. I don't call myself a Christian- Follower of Christ, because I am a blessed resident of the Bible Belt region. I believe what i believe due to the unavoidable, inevitable testimony my life bears to my Faith. People who know may not see or get what i am saying by "unavoidable inevitable" testimony, but people who KNOW ME, do. People who KNOW ME, have watched as I have taken on the duties of a soldier called to battle daily. Those people have seen me take hits and injuries that to some may seem  unrecoverable. Injuries that seep so far that they break not only my flesh, but my heart and spirit as well. Some of these wounds are from battles that i carelessly and defiantly walked into. Battles that easily could have been avoided. Some, however, are battles that only the hand of God has control over. Battles i would have never seen coming. No matter what the battle, there was always a wound. An injury that cut deep setting me back from the actual fight.

I look at my life and the landmines that I have walked through, and i feel my soul crying out that in all these things I am more than a conqueror through Him who loved ME. (Rom.8:37) A conqueror defined by Webster is one who gains mastery over or win by overcoming obstacles or opposition. So, I am not just a conqueror but MORE. I am promised that as i overcome these trials and tribulations, as i walk through this open battlefield full of landmines, i am promised to Conquer and Overcome. Not only will I overcome with my physical worldly abilities, but I will overcome with my Heavenly Father's supernatural powers and abilities as well. I will conquer and overcome in a manner that whatever i am facing will have NO ability to rise up in anyway of defiance after the battle has been won. Think about it... You conquer the last level in your latest favorite video game, but wait. The creator decided to create another game with more levels. Yes you conquered it but you cannot control it's ability to rise again. Or an army conquers a nation but can not control the possibility of the people rising up in defiance. However, with my battles, they are conquered, they are defeated, their power over me is finished. The same conquering that Jesus lavished upon the grave is the conquering i have over my life and the obstacles there in. It is this testimony that causes me to cling wholeheartedly to my faith and trust, even when the trials are unclear and the promise is hard to see. 

I am on this rant because this past weekend I was able to replay a battle in my life that I honestly thought i would never fully recover from. A battle that robbed me physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. A battle that lasted years long. Now, a couple of years down the road and many stressed induced Dr appointments and counseling appointments later, I am MORE than a conqueror!! I am redeemed and made new. For so long, i allowed the control of my situation to restrict my daily routine, my physical well-being, and my relational well-being with others. I allowed it to deceive me into believing that even with Christ i could not overcome. 

Now i stand here today praising God for the mile-stone that was accomplished through and by His Grace alone, this past weekend. I was able to face this battle which I allowed to run, control, and damage so many parts of  my life for the first time in almost 2 years. Not only did i confront my battle, but i stood before it with my head held high, a smile on my face, and the amount of dignity and respect for myself that only God could pour onto me. I stood there as the bigger person laughing and relinquishing the anger that i had allowed consume me for so long. I stood their realizing that through Christ i am made new and the old is washed away. That battle....is washed away. 

This is only one of the many rehabilitative moments I have experienced from the devastating landmines that have hit  my life. Also, this is only one of the many that are to come. Some will be less traumatic and some oh so very catastrophic. But day by day, landmine by landmine, i will forever be reminded of the moment that I stood with my head held high, looked the devil in the face and proclaimed His Victory... My Victory... Our Victory!

To God Be the Glory Forever and Ever...Amen...