Wedding Shoot

My husband and I finally went and got our wedding photos done...a year and a half later. I've been wanting to do it ever since we got married because we never had any real outdoor pictures taken. There never is the perfect time for anything. Life is so busy. However, when I found out I was expecting, we made it an immediate priority.

The two things I prayed for most in my life, God granted me.

First my sweet husband...and now our sweet baby.

Sweetheart, I'm so glad you are mine ~ to have and to hold.

You are so good to me...

 Together we've enjoyed some of the best days of our lives...

You've also been there and helped me through some of the hardest...

You take such good care of me...

You've made me smile when I am sad... and you've laughed with me at the silliest things.

I love being your wife, your lover, your dearest friend, your confidant, and the mother of your child...

Who but God knows what lies ahead of us?

I'm not afraid though, because you will be right there with me...

Living life with you is like dancing a beautiful waltz ~ I never want it to end.

I made the best promise e-v-e-r in December 2011 ~ "Till death do us part."

You hold all my attention, affection, and admiration ~ by just being who you are... the man I fell in love with almost 5 years ago. 

I cherish you...

Maynard Family Update:

We have been married for a very happy year and 5 months in two days, and we are pleased to announce that a little bitty Maynard will be joining our family in January, Lord willing. We are thrilled beyond words. We appreciate your prayers for a healthy, uneventful pregnancy!

We're Getting Married

We're fixing to have a very merry Christmas this year. Yes, that's right! We're getting married on Christmas Day. 46 days to go. I guess it's safe to say that we are just "slightly" excited! =D God's been good to us. Plans are coming along just fine, but please keep us in your prayers. Thanks so much!



Engaged on 9/16/2011

My Betrothed!

It’s been 2 weeks and 3 days since Christmas day, when I asked Lydia for the incredible honor of courting her. Her response will be forever etched in my mind…it was the greatest honor I’ve ever been given.

Courtship life has been fun! No complaints from me. Who would even believe me if I did, right? =)

The Biblical name for this is betrothal. There is absolutely no going back. When God created man, he didn’t give him the choice between Eve, Evelyn, and Ethel. God brought the woman to the man, and that was it. One man for one woman. Period. We do not believe in “trying out” and “dating around” so that you can be sure that you are compatible. You see, when God gave me assurance that Lydia was to be my wife, I didn’t doubt his ability to put compatible people together.

Lydia is the other half of my puzzle…

She’s the dot to my “i,” the cross to my “t”

The butter to my bread, the spoon to my tea

…well, you get the point. =D

But, as I was saying before I got distracted, betrothal is a commitment between two that means that we are growing together, and are meant for one another. We refer to this as “courtship.” This term has been used frequently among Christians to describe a sort of “dating” where a young man or lady will “court” multiple young people before they even get married. This is not our definition. This type of behavior is found nowhere in scripture, and I’ve never heard of the positive effects from this philosophy. If anything, it teaches a young person to devalue commitment and is really nothing less than worldly dating with supervision. I believe your heart is similar to a cake, and that when you enter into any serious relationship with another person, you give them a piece of that heart. As you grow together, you continue to give your whole heart to that person. If you begin a relationship and end it, and then repeat this process multiple times, then you are giving a piece of your heart away. When marriage finally does happen, a young person has to re-learn commitment and put behind him/her everything that they practiced in so-called “courtship.”

Well, I don’t believe in that, and neither does my beloved. Commitment should define every relationship, especially those which lead to marriage. We have decided to do this the Bible way, and have faith that when God said go, it wasn’t to get us involved with someone who he did not intend for us. God’s way is BEST!

Lydia Joy is my betrothed…interpreted, she’s mine, and I’m loving every minute of it. =)

Till next time,

Clay

The Christmas Gift

The Christmas Gift

Here’s a story of Christmas
It’s the greatest one I know
It’s a story of friendship
That between two would grow

A young man; a young lady
Who learned to forgive
And the young man who gave
The greatest gift he could give

He could’ve given roses
Which he already had done
He could’ve written a letter
To tell her how lovely she was

But to show her, for Christmas,
How she had torn his world apart
He decided, on this special Christmas
To give her his heart

By Clayton Maynard

I wrote this poem for a young lady tucked away in the Netherlands! God told me in October that she was to be for me, and so I flew over as the first Christmas visitor they have had in 15 years. I asked Lydia on Christmas day for the amazing honor of courting her! She said YES!! Can you believe it? I am amazed at the tremendous blessings of God upon my life. Can you believe that the most incredibly beautiful person in the world was tucked away in the Netherlands for me? I serve an awesome God.

We look forward to growing in the Lord together over this next period of our lives, following his Spirit to lead us and guide us in everything.

A Favorite Picture of Mine

When God Became Flesh

When God became flesh… this is a concept too infinite for man to fathom. Why God, the Creator of heaven and earth would decide to clothe himself in human flesh, to die for his creation and save them from destroying themselves…it’s truly amazing!

But here on Christmas, we are celebrating, not just the birth of a baby, but the entrance of God himself on this earth as one of us, so he could know us, understand us, and die for us.

I am amazed that God came, but even more that he came for me!

Truly man, afflicted as we are, tempted with every temptation that we are, yet wholly God. Yet he set aside his power of creation to be crucified of it, and for it.

On this Christmas, let’s remember that it’s not the presents that make Christmas, but the presence of the one that came for us.

…cause it’s still the greatest story ever, ever told!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Ladies Meeting Setup

I have been sick for the last two days, and finding myself without much to do, I thought I would put up a few pictures. Although ladies meetings have nothing to do with me, I usually have a lot to do with the setup, cleanup, and eating up of the leftovers. So, I thought since I had a lot of investment in it, I’d put up a few pictures of that.

Somehow food tastes better when you eat it in a nice setting.

Somehow my mom couldn’t bear not to have a Christmas tree, so we settled for this little 3 footer. The way I see it, I have enough work to do without making extra work for myself. Makes sense, right?

These were the able waiters at the party. Many times I have been in those outfits, getting picked on, poked at cause I was at a ladies meeting, getting my cheeks pinched, and being told I was handsome all night (though it may be true). :) I don’t envy you boys… hope you had a blast! :D After setup, I left and went with Russell over to his trailer for a few hours. I’m sure the ladies had a good time, as always.

One Nice Picture!

Just a few friends having a blast at the beach.

(Oh, actually it’s a few friends and a twitter-pated couple!)

Vacation

The Maynard family has been on vacation for the last week, and we have enjoyed ourselves. After visiting some relatives, we played golf today before heading home. The course was phenomenal! Below is the best pictures from golf.

   

 Needless to say because of the pictures, it was beautiful. Now that I’m in the car on the way home, it has started POURING RAIN. I mean it is coming down in sheets. The Lord was good to keep it clear until we were done.  Praise the Lord for a good day and a great week!

If you happen to think of it, pray for me tomorrow. I start school, and it will be groundbreaking day, so pray that the transition is smooth. I’ll let you know probably tomorrow how it went.

Vacationing!

Well, we finally completed the 2 day, 18 hour trip at about 11 p.m. last night. We were tired, but the family was up and waiting for us. The Lord kept us safe, for which we are grateful! My Uncle Tim has a beautiful place up here in Chardon, Ohio. Here are some pics:

That's about it for now...I'll probably put up another post out of Psalm 139 later.

Congrats!

My brother, Russell, and my Dad have just returned from the Netherlands. This was a special trip, especially for Russell and the one he was going there to visit. (oooohhhh!) :D

Hannah Huussen, daughter of missionary Bro. Jake Huussen, was the purpose of Russells trip. Through divine direction on the part of both Russell and Hannah, it is now official that they are courting! (party) Hannah was unaware of his coming until the morning he arrived, though from what I can tell, she is very pleased with the outcome of the visit! :)

Congrats, big brother! You deserve everything God has and is blessing you with due to your patience and waiting on his direction. Staying on your toes and dodging a few bullets was surely worth the prize in the end. Love you, Russell!

Hannah, my sister in one way and soon to be in another, congrats! :) It is truly precious to me to see the Lord's hand guiding the two of you together. I'll try not to hold your choice against you. LOL Actually, it was God's choice, and he doeth all things well! I know it was God's choosing because Russell, for all his good tastes, isn't THAT good at choosing! :) Love you, Hannah!

What's best about the whole thing....IT CAN STILL BE DONE RIGHT!!! So for all the doubters, the mockers, and disputers that would try to discourage, distract, and help God out, stay away from me!! God doesn't need your help, and he'll do a top notch job without your input. Patience pays, and haste wastes! When God sends Ms. Universe into my world (not for a while, I assure you), God will know, I'll know, and Dad and Mom will know. I don't need to go to other churches, college, campmeetings, etc. to find a choice. God's way is best--always has been, always will be.

Thank God for his works toward them that fear him! God be praised! Russell and Hannah, God bless you both! We love you dearly!

Some of my favorite kids!

I love the kids at our church...so here are some pics.

Me with Joshua Steven Channer -- 2 weeks

Christina Channer -- 2 years (A piano player prospect)