God found me at the SEC...

It never fails to leave me awestricken when God shows up in the most unexpected places…

March 7, 2012 - With our minds set on little else than a nine-hour drive and four days of basketball, Kentucky Wildcats ultimately prevailing - of course, my grandparents and I set out for New Orleans and the 2012 Men's SEC Basketball tournament.

Anyone who know's my grandparents knows that their passions are not limited to, but generally focus on: Family, Church, UK Basketball, and Gospel music!

My Grandparents outside our hotel in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

In keeping with my status of "favorite grandkid" (j/k C, P, M and M,) I've introduced them to the wonderful worlds of Pandora and YouTube, and namely the plethora of gospel songs we've been able to jam to while rolling down approximately 600 miles of interstate!

----> I must interject; we switched over to my Oak Ridge Boys station for a bit, and since then Pa has been walking around singing, "…you walk by and you shake that thang and you know I'm not that strong…" concerning Ma. I guess we'll classify this as sweet.

Back on the highway, I had them calling out requests of songs and Southern Gospel artists that they particularly enjoy, and via YouTube, we had any and everything imaginable at-the-ready. Alas, when my grandpa called out his all-time-favorite song, I inwardly groaned. I'm a fairly avid Gospel music fan myself, but like everyone, I have my preferences, and typically, I like to "keep it peppy!" (Just ask my choir director at Church - most Sundays I tell him to "get em' rockin'!") Not to let him down, I pulled up this video for Pa:

"God On the Mountain - The McKameys"

Barely through the first verse, I was hardly able to hold back tears. When I've been literally trying to get away from everything and practically everyone for the past week, God chose the farthest away point I'd reached to remind me that when I think I've shaken everyone else, He's still going to be there with me. More applicably, the friend He is during life's grandest highs is the same friend He is during our tremors and falls. As the song says, "You talk of faith when you're up on the mountain, but talk comes so easy when life's at it's best. But it's down in the valley of trial and temptation, that's when faith is really put to the test."

Trust that I am heeding my own advice; no matter how low you feel or how miserable a circumstance may seem, Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." His love for us never changes. His plan for our lives never falters, and his ability to bring us through any situation is unwavering. Keep praising and thanking Him for what He can and will do in your life, then wait expectantly for your mountaintop to come again. :-)

(If any of the UK Basketball players should read this, let's pray extra hard that your valley against LSU has converted to a mountaintop over Florida!)

Be Blessed,

-Ashlee