Sweet Calmness

I know exactly what I was doing one year ago, to the hour. I had just finished cleaning up the kitchen and our daughter was still sitting at the table sipping her cold, chicken noodle soup and asking if she could get up yet. My husband was watching the weather channel because a storm was supposed to be coming our way. A few minutes later it was a bright yellowish, orange outside our back windows. It was so calm, not a gust of wind in sight. The weatherman mentioned something about a tornado. Our daughter looked at my husband and said in a fearful voice, "Is a tornado comin' to our house Daddy?" We reassured her that the sirens would go off if there was and that it was so calm outside, she had nothing to worry about.

Ten minutes later, our then 7 year old and 1 year old cling to my side as we sat on the couch. My husband anxiously looked out the window. We didn't hear a tornado siren, we just heard wind. A small tree, which is usually standing vertical, was now horizontal as the wind suddenly howls. It goes black outside and the lights flicker, then they go out. Wesley and I looked at each other and say, "Get in the hallway!"

Two seconds later, the window in our kitchen busts out as a gust of wind, rain and leaves hit us in our faces as we stand in the hallway. "Run to the bathroom!" one of us yells. Right outside our bathroom is an attic cubbie hole. Pressure was released and the cover to it, flops around making a loud banging noise. We sat on our bathroom floor in the pitch black, our children are crying and oddly enough we felt peace. We held hands and Wesley said a prayer. In the middle of his prayer, a verse came to me. It was a verse I had read two days before. It wasn't a verse that had stood out at the time. I hadn't made a point to memorize it, but there it was, in the midst of the storm; a verse, in my head. I knew it could have only come from one place.

"Have no fear of sudden disaster...for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared." (Proverbs 3:25-26

Yall-that verse, of all verses came to my mind! Isn't that just amazing? The Lord knew two days before, as I was sipping my coffee, reading my Bible and doing my "usual routine" that I was going to lean on that verse. He knew that tornado was going to hit my neighborhood and He prepared me in advance for it. I am still humbled every time I think about that.

I can remember right after it hit, a friend of ours who lived up the street, came and knocked on our door to check on us. We walked out our front door to total pandemonium. It looked like there was snow covering the streets as the insulation was blown everywhere. There were roof tacks and lawn equipment, trampolines and gutters strewn everywhere. I felt as if I was in a movie and I was dreaming. I had never seen something like that before.

That night we all slept in the hallway right outside the bathroom. We were told that another storm was coming and our children were not about to go anywhere without us in a dark house! We snuggled up together and slept as best we could. Thankfully there was not another bad storm, just a lot of heavy rain. I can remember laying there, listening to the neighbor across the street pounding with a hammer through the lightening and the rain trying to cover up a hole in his roof where the rain was pouring in his living room.

We were SO blessed and SO lucky. That tornado ripped the roof off my next door neighbor and the house next to hers and the houses across our street. My house, the pressure was released when that kitchen window popped out and it saved our roof. It was as if that tornado jumped over my house and kept going. My poor neighbor was in her bathroom with her daughter when her roof poped off and the storm and rain poured in, on top of them. I can't even imagine. Now we didn't come out totally unscathed, but our damage was so small compared to so many.

In the days that followed, we became good friends with our neighbors. I was able to share my testimony many times. There were several people who said they thought they were going to die that night. They were amazed when we said, we really were not afraid.

I have shared my story many times. Just last week, I was registering Foster to get his tubes and the lady working there and I got in a conversation about how the year anniversary was coming up. I was able to tell her how God spoke so clearly to me through that storm. I walked out of the hospital amazed that God was still giving me an opportunity to share.

Now I know that next time (if there is a next time) that a tornado hits, we may lose our house. There were a lot of very good people who lost so much. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. For some reason or another, this time, God had another plan for my family and I.

I am reminded just how important it is to read His Word. He holds the key to your tomorrows. He knows the future while we may have plans for tomorrow-do we really know what is going to happen? I often wonder how I would have felt that night, had I not read my Bible that week. Would I have been scared to death? Would I have freaked out and only scared my children even more? I am so glad that I will never know! What a reminder of how much He talks to us through His Word-if we will only be willing to listen.

PS~As a side note: For those of you who are "date" people, you might remember that the storm hit the night of March 1st. I will always remember it because my brothers birthday was the next day. I am more of a "day" person-I know it happened on a Thursday because my husband couldn't get to work on Friday and given that it is leap year, March 1st will not fall until Saturday. Just had to throw that tidbit in there, for all you technical folks!

A New Day

Last week our two year old had to get tubes put in his ears. When we left to go to the hospital, it was still dark outside. You could feel the crisp morning air and almost "hear" the silence of the earth. I love the way it feels outside first thing in the morning. Everything feels so fresh, so new. The birds are still sleeping in their nests, the sun has not yet risen to light the day. It feels like even the trees and blades of grass are sleeping. It's a new beginning. It is another chance that God has given us, to walk in His light and in His love.

As we drove to St. Francis hospital, we couldn't help but notice the one creation (besides ourselves!) that wasn't sleeping.-the moon. It was huge- I'm talking "E.T. go home" huge! On our way to my mothers to drop off the other children, the moon was really big and on the right side of our car. Later, as we drove past the airport, it was much smaller and right in front of us. After a few minutes and few turns later, is was a little bigger, but on our left side. I commented to Wesley how it is neat to watch the way it "moves"; only it wasn't moving-we were. The moon was stationary the whole time, but depending on where we were, determined if it was closer or farther away, on our left side or our right side. It reminded me of a movie, (though I cannot remember the name) where they talk about their "One True North". I started to think about my own "One true north", the thing that is always there, no matter what happens. It is the foundation that will not be shaken, the part of your life compass that is always there to guide you back to where you need to be.

For me, God is like the moon on that crisp morning. I may decide to go one way or another, but He is still there watching and waiting for me to return to Him-my one true north. At times we may not feel His presence in our lives, but in the words of Job,

"But if I go to the east he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. But He knows the road that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold." (Job 23:8-10).

Even though Job was searching to find Him and couldn't actually "feel" Him-he had faith that God still knew right where he was. I pray I can be like Job and be found faithful and "come forth as gold" like we know he did. This morning after re-reading my post yesterday, I almost deleted it. I sounded so whinny and complaining. My struggles in this life are so small compared to so many others. God has blessed me with so much, yesterday I just had a harder time seeing it. I apologize for complaining. That was never my intent. There will be days where we feel we've lost our way or where we can't see the Light. But never lose hope or get discouraged-He knows right where you are!

Today is a new day, a new beginning and another chance to live the way He wants me to live. I am so unworthy of so many chances, yet He continues to give them. Today, I have found my One True North who was there all along, watching and waiting for me to realize He was there!

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I have many devotion books lying around my house for me to pick up depending on what room I might be in. After writing this, I happened to look at the one in my bathroom while I was getting ready for my day. This is a book that has a very short and simple devotion for every day of the year. Guess what verse it talked about for today-the same one you see written up above! I about fell over when I saw that. God is reminding me and reassuring me over and over again that He is with me and that He cares about all the silly things I care about. What a mighty God we serve!

The Simple Life

A few people have asked me or my husband why I haven't written on my blog in a while. I can remember asking the same question to an old friend when it had been a while since he'd last written. He looked at me and said, "In order to write, you must be inspired, frankly the inspiration has gone out of me." That is truly how I have felt lately.

There are so many things we must do everyday, that it is so hard to find time for all the things we want to do. There are times throughout my day where I start to question my life. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my life, I love being a stay at home mother and I have a wonderful family. But...there are times in the midst of changing the umpteenth diaper and breaking up the 10th argument between siblings and holding a baby so long that I start to feel claustrophobic, that I start to long for a break. I start to daydream about being on some exotic vacation with just me and my hubbie, it doesn't take long for me to snap back to reality, as I hear the baby start to cry again. Anyway...where was going with this?

Oh yeah, this morning...Lucky for me, I did my devotion today. I have quit calling it my "quiet time" because there's not much of it that is "quiet"! For instance, this morning I was trying to finish reading when I was stopped to get more juice, change a diaper, get more cereal and change the TV channel to my two year olds favorite show. Despite all my distractions, the Lord blessed my effort and was still able to reach out to my weary heart.

This morning I read Luke 5:1-11. It is about Simon Peter and his crew who fished all night long with not much to show for it. Jesus tells him to go back out to sea and throw his nets over again. Instead of asking Jesus (who was a carpenter), what he knew about fishing and arguing that he had already spent hours doing that to no avail, he complied and did as Jesus said. As most of you know, Simon Peter caught so many fish, that they filled up two boats and the weight was so great that they started to sink from so many fish! Simon was reminded just how infinite Jesus knowledge is and he saw himself for what he was-a sinner.

I was reminded that so many times during my parenting days, instead of giving things over to the Lord, I hold on to them and try and fix everything. Jesus knows better than I do, how to be a parent. He knows how to be an accountant, a banker, a teacher, a homemaker, a lawyer or anything else we could do. Beth Moore said, "For crying out loud, the One who knows the numbers of hairs on your head could also style them if He wanted! Not one of us does anything for a living that He can't do better." How true those words are. This past Sunday, the sermon was about Paul's prayer for the Ephesians. He prayed that they would "grasp how wide and long and high and deep" the love of Christ is. His love "surpasses knowledge".- We cannot even begin to comprehend how much He loves us.

Sunday night, I was able to meet with the ladies in my Sunday school department for some great food, a fun game and most importantly, a devotion and prayer time. I must admit to being a little nervous to share what the Lord had placed on my heart. Guess what it was? It was all about God's love for us. In Psalms 139, it is very detailed how He knows us inside and out. I had no idea the week before, while I was planning our bible study that the sermon for the same day would be about God's love. It makes me laugh out loud when God does that. He knew before I did and He had a plan that I didn't know about.

There is nothing that is thrown my way that He can't help me with. Instead of going alone, I need to call on Him to be my partner. Today I am reminded that He knows right where I am. He knows my heart and He loves me. Nothing else really matters does it? How simple life would be if all we did was focus on that.

What a Responsibility

The past two Sunday's our interim pastor has been trying to prepare our congregations hearts for our new pastor that is coming the beginning of next month. He has been laying out the role and responsibility that a minister has over his flock-and what our role is as the congregation. It's kind of like when you were a child, you didn't know how to stay out of trouble, until your parents told you what you could and could not do. The Lord has really been opening my eyes to the responsibilities of Sunday School teachers and deacons also. Our pastor talked about a verse I hadn't read in a while.

"Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers,

because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." (James 3:1)

To teach or lead in a church is a huge deal. It says right there in black and white, that you will be judged more strictly. You are held to a higher standard because you are guiding and leading God's children. What a major responsibility! Teaching a Sunday School class isn't something you do to try and reach some kind of "church social status". It's not something you do to draw closer to the Lord-it is something you do because you are already close to the Lord and you want to share in that wisdom He has given you. You must seek Him daily in prayer and be in His word if you are to be a teacher and leader in a church. In the words of Jesus himself, "If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit!" (Matthew 15:14b).

This past week has been crazy and next week will be even crazier. Thursday morning, I realized that next Sunday, the ladies of my Sunday School department are getting together for fellowship and a short Bible study-a Bible study that I am responsible for leading. I realized that in the midst of chaos, I must make time to seek God in prayer and to be in the Word everyday if I am to be equipped enough to lead these ladies. To lead them is a huge responsibility. I started out with a huge stack of bible study books. I started flipping through trying to get ideas on what we should talk about. Suddenly in the midst of thinking, "Oh, this looks good; maybe I'll use this material." I realized-I hadn't even asked God what HE wanted us to talk about! Here I was-with Marion's strength trying to find something on my own accord without even seeking His guidance. I stopped right there, closed the book and started praying. After all-this isn't about me or what I think sounds good-it is ALL ABOUT HIM and how He chooses to use me. I want it to be His words-not mine that leads this group of wonderful ladies.

Right after, and I mean RIGHT AFTER I finished praying, I got an idea of what we should talk about-an idea that was not in a book at all! Then I flipped open another book I hadn't looked at yet and guess what-there in black and white was something I could use with the bible study. I was amazed and how things were starting to align itself. An hour later I got a phone call from a dear friend of mine. We started talking about different things and I invited her to come next Sunday night. I started telling her what God had laid on my heart to share. With enthusiasm in her voice she said, "You will never believe this, but I am doing that same thing in my Tuesday morning bible study and it has been so great!" We laughed at how God reaffirmed what He had told me earlier that morning. God is so great isn't He! When we take ourselves out of the equation and ask Him to use our lives to bring Him glory-He will do just that very thing!

I needed to be reminded that even though my life is so busy, if I am to be a teacher and leader of someone- I MUST make time to seek His Word. It is the VERY BREATH of God Himself! How amazing that is! If I don't read it and seek Him in prayer, I'll be like the blind man who leads others astray. I will be accountable for every word that comes out of my mouth-how I pray that it is His words and not mine!

The Loves of Our Lives

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.

Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands,

you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands

and remain in His love.

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you

and that your joy may be complete."

John 15:9-11

Who do you love? There are many obvious people you can think of I'm sure-your spouse, your children, your best friend, your pet. Who else? I love to see people smile when I pass them in the grocery store aisle. I love to see the older women in my church reach across generational lines and give me a hug on Sunday mornings. I love it when I see a father hold his child. I love to see someone doing something they are passionate about. I love seeing a man hold a door open for a woman. I love to see a grandparent embracing their grandchild. I love to see my daughters eyes light up every Christmas season as we pull into Wesley's parents driveway and she sees their yard decorated in lights.

What things do you love to smell? I love waking up to the smell of coffee. I love the way a campfire smells in the fall time. I love the way the air would smell when my Grandpa would cook ribs on the grill. I love the smell of my mother's homemade rolls. I love the smell of Gain laundry detergent. I love the smell of Pizza Hut pizza! I love the way the air smells so fresh right after it rains. I love the smell of a flower garden when its blossoms are all in bloom. I love the way a baby smells right after they take a bath.

What kinds of things do you love to do? I love it when I wake up early, feeling refreshed and I can sit in the quiet of my house and read my Bible. I love teaching my children new things and seeing their eyes light up when they start to understand. I love watching my children grow older with my husband. I love walking in the park and watching God's beautiful nature play out before me. I love to write and to go to ladies bible study. I love to bake cookies with my daughter and listen to her tell me all about the things going on in her life that I might have missed. I love holidays when my whole family is home and we can simply enjoy each others company. I love to sit on the couch in my living room and watch the red cardinal perch on my back fence. I love doing pottery and making something out of clay and turning it into something beautiful. I love to take pictures and try and freeze those special moments in time forever.

What kinds of things do you love to feel? I love to feel my husband's warm hand in mine. I love to feel his hand on the small of my back as he guides me into a room. I love to feel the soft, cuddly pj's as I hold my child. I love the way your hair feels so soft right after you wash and dry it. I love the feel of crisp, clean blue jeans. I love the way a hot cup of hot chocolate feels on a cold day. I love the feel of my son's soft skin, on my face. I love how you feel when you finally take that plunge of faith and surrender to the Lord-it's the best kind of weight loss!

This is just a small glimpse of so many things that I love about life; to name everything would take all day. There are so many things that we have right at our fingertips to enjoy. I need to do this everyday to remind myself of just how many blessings I do have. So often our minds are focused on what we wish we had or on what someone else has, that we take for granted all the blessings we do have.

This Valentines Day, remember love doesn't just come from God-He is love! As you look around at your life, all the ins and out's of it-thank Him for all the loves in your life. Since He is the source of love-all of those things are His gifts to you this Valentines Day! How unworthy I am to be loved so much!

"Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself."

Matthew 22:37-39

Electoral Peace

We woke up this morning and instantly turned on the television to see how the vote went yesterday. After a very long day which started at 5:15 that morning, we couldn't hold our eyes open past 10 pm to see which presidential candidate won which state. After watching the news I must admit, I felt discouraged and a little worried over our country's future. There is no real candidate that I just love, but there is a few which I really do not like! When I think about what power and control this person will have over not just our country's future, but our children's future. By the time another presidential race will come around, Randol will be in middle school, Foster in 1st grade and Will in kindergarten! Let's take it a step farther if this person gets re-elected for a second term, Randol will be graduating high school, Foster and Will will almost be done with elementary school! WOW! Lots of changes, in just four to eight years. After sitting and thinking about which candidate stood for which issue and the implications of what would happen should their policies become more than just words said in a speech, I started to worry.

You know what? God used His Word to bring me comfort and relief. He reminded me of a very well known verse in Romans, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist, have been established by God." (Romans 13:1)

"But Lord, I can look around at the governments of some foreign countries and see such devastation and horrible things happening to the people. How can you have established that and allowed those governments to do the things they do, to good people?"

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither your ways, My ways," declares the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8)

But, what if our new government, under a new president messes up this wonderful country we are so blessed to live in?

"...That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age, but also in the one to come." (Ephesians 1:20-21)

Don't worry my child; I am still on the throne!

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34) Isn't that the truth!

So, I got the message this morning-I will leave America's future in His hands. It's all I can really do anyway, isn't it? Worrying about it, isn't going to change one bit of the course of our future! How easy it is to forget that!

Seize the Day!

On Thursday, Wesley and I went back to Cuthbert, GA where he graduated from Andrew College. My eyes were awakened to all the places he talks so fondly about. He has so many memories of going to school there. He talks more about his two years at Andrew than his 5 years at Mercer. He still keeps up with a few guys he graduated with, but there's not many from Mercer that he's still in contact with. David Seyle, the Academic Dean from when Wesley was at Andrew was inaugurated as Andrew College's 21st President. Wesley has many fond memories of sitting in this man's office and as he says, "shooting the breeze".

Wesley's close friend Chad, who graduated with him, works at Andrew and is moving to Washington DC. Our trip had a duel purpose, to share with this man whom Wesley has always looked up to and respected in a very memorable day of his life, and to visit with Chad and his wife Jill before they move.

We sat through an hour and a half long ceremony with an 8 month old on my lap listening to the biographies of the speakers lives and then of Dr. Seyle. We were surrounded by much older people who were retired or about to retire. They spoke of their "glory days" and what they did when they were younger, what life decisions they made and what accomplishments they have achieved. I couldn't help but think about my husband and our life together. If we were to write a biography of our lives now, how different the page will be in 20 or 40 years from now. My mother commented to me the other day, that in 20 years our daughter will be my age and I'll be my mother's age. It's not hard for me to imagine being her age, but it is REALLY hard for me to picture my daughter at my age! What will have happened in those 20 years? Where will life have taken us?

When I look back on my perception of how my future was going to turn out-I didn't have a clue! If you would have told me 15 years ago that one day I'd be married to the tall, skinny, cross country runner who came and played Axis and Allies with my dad-I would have laughed in disbelief. If you would have told me 10 years ago that instead of graduating from college in four years that I'd go on a life adventure that would end in so much sorrow, I would never have believed you.

I never would have thought just 3 years ago that I'd be homeschooling one day. I never would have believed 18 months ago, after having a 9 month old baby that I'd be about to get pregnant again. Just about every part of my life has turned out completely different than I ever would have thought. Some turned out worse, because of bad decisions on my part, but mostly it turned out better than I could've imagined-because of Jesus Christ and His part!

What decisions are you making today that will impact your future, your children's future. Should we move into another house? Should I take that new promotion or job? Should I stay at home or work? Should I retire? What school should I put my children in? What church should I go to? On and on our decisions go that will impact us and change the course of our lives. We may all be in different walks of life, but one thing remains the same-none of us know what tomorrow will hold or what changes will happen in our lives. Last Sunday our new pastor spoke on change. He got a phone call one day saying that a close friend of his from his congregation had died of a heart attack at the age of 35. Life happens-change happens. Dr. Seyle said in his speech that the Department of Labor predicts that the top 10% of most wanted jobs in the next 20 years-haven't even been invented yet. The technology that will assist in these jobs hasn't even been discovered. Life changes-technology changes.

We are given a choice, we can either remain in the past always looking back at decisions we made, wishing we could do them differently. We can constantly live with regret and guilt and sadness or anger.

Or we can look back only to share where God has brought us from; what pits He used in our lives to bring Him glory. If it doesn't call for that, we can continue to look ahead and seek God's face for our future. A future in His will doesn't promise a life of ease with no troubles, but it does offer a life full of inner peace. I don't know what my future holds, but I do know Who does. I need to constantly remind myself that I don't have to fear the future or what it may bring or live looking back on mistakes or regrets. Instead I can look ahead and embrace tomorrow and all the blessings it will bring by living a life in His presence.

"Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions,

and enables him to enjoy them,

to accept his lot and be happy in his work-this is a gift of God.

He seldom reflects on the days of his life,

because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart."

Ecclesiastes 5:19-20

Who's Church is it Anyway?

"By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

John 13:35

WOW! There a lot of exciting things going on lately! God is moving in a mighty way-I can feel it, we are on the brink of extraordinary-if we will sit back and watch Him work. This Sunday, our church who has been without a pastor for 9 months I think, is having a candidate come and preach. Afterwards, the congregation will vote on whether or not to make him our new pastor. Talk about pressure, poor guy! A few Sunday's back our interim pastor said that should we vote this man to be our new Shepherd-it will be a declaration of war!

Kind of takes the excitement out of it doesn't it? But...if you think about it-we'll be strapping on our armour and fighting the evils of darkness (which don't want our church to move forward or to get out of the many issues we have) and fighting together-united, under one banner- Christ's banner and under His Almighty protection. All that we have been going through has led us up to this moment, to this choice-will we choose to disregard our differences and fight together, me as the arm, you as the feet, another as the ear, all joined as one body? Lets face it-if we don't, our church will cease to exist, which is exactly what satan wants to happen.

I believe that satan has infiltrated our churches. We start to believe we are right and our Christian brothers and sisters are wrong, but apart from a few main issues, does it really matter? Does it really matter if we remodel the bathrooms in the sanctuary? Does it really matter if the drum player in the worship service wears shorts to church? Does it really matter if we sing contemporary songs and traditional songs-as long as we are all worshiping the King of Kings and bringing Him glory? So many details, that it's easy to get hung up on what I think-what you think and we lose sight of what God thinks. After all- this isn't my church, or your church, it's supposed to be His church. I pray that if this man is "The Guy" that we will follow his leadership and that God will anoint him and guide him as our new Shepherd.

One day I will get to heaven and I know that every word I have ever spoken will be displayed and judged. It doesn't matter if I was frustrated or angry or what the circumstances were, what matters is my heart. What condition was my heart in when I spoke such things? I pray that I will never cause dissent in my congregation, that I will never lead where He has not told me to go and that I can guard my tongue and hold my opinions back no matter how passionate I may feel about a petty issue. This is His church-not mine, I am apart of the body of His church...are you?
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I have to add a side note. This morning when I sat down to write, I had no idea what I was going to write about. I sat, with an open page and a longing to say what He wanted me to say and what you see above is what came out. After I wrote the above post, I sat down and read one of my very short devotion's called, Breaking Free Day by Day by Beth Moore. This is what was written under today's date:

"For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and no one is like Me." Isaiah 46:9

"We make life so much more complicated when we think life is "all about us." The rest of the world never cooperates. No one else got the memo. When we see ourselves as the center of the universe, we live in constant frustration because the rest of creation refuses to revolve around us.
Life vastly simplifies, and satisfaction greatly amplifies, when we begin to realize our awesome roles. God is God. From our perspective, it's all about Him. He is the center of the universe. We seek to please Him. He seeks to perfect us-and life works. Not without pain, but definitely with purpose."
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It's me again-isn't that neat how He does that? I love when He aligns many different areas in my life in one direction. What an awesome God we serve!

What a Morning!

Last night, the Lord brought us some glorious rain...and thunder...and lightening. He showed off last night! And all three of my children were up from midnight to 2am to watch the spectacular show! Needless to say, when I rolled over and looked at the clock this morning, I debated over getting some extra, much needed shuteye. Suddenly, my own words rang in my head, "What will you sacrifice by catching a few extra minutes of sleep? Is it worth it?" (see last post) So, I fell out of bed, wiped the sleepies from my eyes, took some medicine to stop the headache I was starting to get. I sipped on my coffee and opened my devotion.

I cannot tell you how glad I am that I woke up! Oh yall, my heart is so joyful this morning and tears are choked up in my throat. So often when a devotion or preacher or Sunday school book tells me to read just one or two verses, I end up reading the whole passage. God's Word does that to you sometimes, it quenches a thirst and you cannot get enough. This morning was one of those times. I was lead to read two verses in 1 Corinthians and ended up reading the whole section, all about the Wisdom and Power of God. Before I get into that, I'm going to give you some inside info, sometimes when I read a blog and I see a long passage of scripture...I skip over it. I'm so ashamed, but it is often true. Please DON'T do that today! I really feel like He wants me to share; I know He has a message for someone reading this and it might be you-don't risk missing Him!

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength."

(1 Corinthians 1:18,25)

I want you to think of your greatest struggle right now in life. Getting out of bed in the morning, going to work everyday, taking care of your children, maybe finding time to read the Word, holding your tongue...

What is your greatest addiction? It doesn't have to be alcoholism or a "major" addiction. It could be staying on the internet too long, reading up on all the celebrity news, eating comfort food, collecting something, making more money, working too much...

Your greatest fear? Losing a loved one, losing your job, not adding up, being alone, not being a good parent...

Your greatest weakness? When does your soul long for strength the most?

It says right here, in His Word that He is stronger than any of those things! He has the power to rid you of anything that is hindering you from being who you want to be-of who you should be. You don't have to live in fear or doubt or worry any longer! He can break off the shackles that satan has placed around your ankles and the noose you are carrying around your neck. Rejoice! You don't have to live like that any longer!

"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-

the things that are not-

to nullify the things that are..."

(1 Corinthians 1:26-28)

~He's talking about us-YOUR LIFE to nullify, make no more, all the things that are lowly and despised! When He saves us, all of those things are gone forever! I was saved at a young age, but it wasn't until my college years when I went my own way and He came and rescued me from myself, that I could identify with these words. I was so foolish, I had no influence on this world, I certainly wasn't making it a better place. I was as weak as a person could get, as lowly as a person could be. I despised myself, had no self esteem.

But you know what-He came and swept me off my feet. He made me strong and made me wise and will use my life to make this world a better place, if I let Him. He gave me a new sense of salvation that was more real to me than when I was a small child. It wasn't by cleverness He saved me, it wasn't from being an important person or from anything I did-it was by grace.

"...so that no one may boast before Him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written,

"Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord."

(1 Corinthians 1: 18; 25-31)

It is all because of the wonderful cross that we can be set free. If the Holy Spirit resides in you and you are a born again believer, the same power Jesus used to raise the dead and heal the sick...resides in you! Think about that. It is not because of anything I have done to bring me to where I am, it is because of all the things I'm not; all the things that He rescued me from, that I can boast about His mercy, His forgiveness and His love which is more powerful than any love you will ever find here on this earth.

I truly pray you can shake off anything that is hindering you from being who He wants you to be. I pray that I can do that too, day after day, moment by moment. Today, think about what He has done for you, I'd love to hear stories! If you are a believer who has strayed away, come Home today...if you are a believer who is already Home, boast of His mighty power and faithfulness in your life...and if you are not yet a believer and wish to be, I'd love to talk with you!

I'll leave you with the song that popped in my head the moment I read this scripture passage. It is the song I have been listening too all morning as I write this.

Oh the wonderful cross...

The Flip Side of Sacrifice

What sacrifices do you make to be a Christian? A recent Beth Moore devotion has really got me thinking. We often think of sacrificing our time-working in the nursery or teaching Sunday School; sacrificing our money, by tithing or giving to missions; sacrificing our popularity by what others might say about our faith; I could go on and on over what sacrifices God calls us to make as part of our relationship with Him. Going against the World is always a sacrifice in some way, I think.

But now wait...

What if you woke up one day and decided you weren't going to do it anymore? You were sick of waking up an hour earlier to read your Bible. You were tired of your neighbors thinking your weird because you won't let your children watch certain movies. You've had enough of your co-workers saying, "Oh, she's the "Christian" don't say that around her!" Maybe you want to sit in a restaraunt and drink a beer or a glass of wine with your dinner and not have to worry about someone from your church seeing you and wondering how many you've had to drink. What if you decided to live your life like you wanted and throw caution to the wind?

...What would that feel like?

Would there be no more sacrifice? No more trials? No one to talk about you or your weird family? Would you feel a sense of freedom...."Finally I can do what I want to do!"

Well....in reality there would still be sacrifice, only this time you'd be giving up love, joy, peace, and patience (to name just a few of the fruits of the Spirit); all of the things that come out of our relationship with Christ. You'd be giving up His best-for the world's best.

When I glance at the clock in the morning and my body tells me, "You can read your Bible in the afternoon when the boys take a nap! Stay and get a few minutes of extra sleep!", sometimes all I can focus on is what a sacrifice it is to get up and have my quiet time-I never realized that to stay in bed for an extra 30 minutes is also a sacrifice. Who knows what God was going to tell me through His Word...and I missed it...all for an extra 30 minutes of sleep!

Last night we were running late for church. Wesley was suppossed to meet someone in the sanctuary and I was suppossed to be there at 6pm to help with Cubbies Crafts. Before we knew it, it was 5:51pm and we were just pulling out of the driveway. Earlier that day Randol had invited a friend of hers that lives up the street to come with us. Her mother had said yes, she could go. Well, her friend still hadn't showed up by 5:51. Randol was in tears as we pulled out of the driveway. Wesley did a U-turn and went to the girls house. Randol jumped out and ran to the door. She called over her shoulder, "They are putting their shoes on!"

And we waited...

...and waited

...and waited.
I was not feeling very patient. Every minute that dragged by felt like 10. Wesley had that look on his face where he pinches his lips together and was glancing at the clock every 5 seconds. I knew he was calculating in his head how late he was going to be in the sanctuary to meet his friend. I was also impatient, debating over telling whether or not to tell Randol we ran out of time and her friend could come another night.

Finally, out ran two children-neither of which was Randol's friend. It was her big sister and her twin brother-two children I'd never met before. They decided they wanted to go and Randol's friend decided she wasn't feeling well! As we pulled out of a driveway at 6:10pm, God hit me square in the face-I almost left without these two precious children, all because I didn't want to be late. What was more important-me being punctual or bringing two children who don't go to church, to a place where they can learn about the only One who can save their souls? The sacrifice of being late was well worth it! So often in the moment, all we can see is us, not Him and what He's trying to do through us.

One thing I have learned through the years, is that often we are called to do things that in the beginning-we really don't want to do, but as time goes by, His desires become our own and that's when you know-you are walking in His will; in Oneness with Him. What an incredible feeling~ one I'm not personally ready to sacrifice!

Everyday we have to make choices, some small and some very big. Every chioce has some sacrifice, something you have to give up. You have to decide, is it worth the cost? God chose the greatest of all sacrifices, having His one and only Son die in a brutal, horrific way...just for us. And we're complaining about waking up a little earlier or not being able to buy that new thing you really don't need, so that you can give your tithe; or prioritizing our time so that we can do a Bible study? Sounds so small compared to what He did for me.

Tomorrow, instead of thinking about what a sacrifice it is to fall out of bed 30 minutes earlier, I'll think about what a sacrifice it is to stay there and catch a few minutes of extra sleep!

"...But He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after face judgement, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people..."

~Hebrews 9:26b-28a

The Power of Distraction

A few weeks ago, a friend called and asked if Wesley and I'd be interested in writing a devotion together. She was putting together a Family Devotion book for our church. They were asking many different people from all walks of life to write. I was so touched and honored that she thought of us. I often feel so young compared to my peers, that it intimidates me to do certain things. (Especially when I found out they were making 700 copies to hand out!) Wesley and I both prayed that we'd be a vessel He could use and that we'd take ourselves out of the equation. I was amazed to watch and see how God brought us together in one mind over the subject matter of what to write.

I should have expected satan to rear his ugly head in our writing time. Every time we'd get a chance to finish writing, something would come up to stop our progress; a child would wake up early from their nap; an important phone call would come in, one thing after another. Soon, we found ourselves three days past the deadline. We were SO close to finishing, but it still wasn't complete.

I received a phone call on Thursday morning and I said I'd have it in by noon that day. It was mad chaos in my house and Wesley was at work. I called him in a panic. We went over together what we had left to write. I got off the phone and cried out to God to help me finish the devotion and to clear all distractions or to help me focus in the midst of them. I kid you not-within five minutes, Will was asleep for a nap, Randol was reading a book in her room and Fosters favorite show, Curious George came on TV-at a time it usually doesn't come on! I was done in less than 10 minutes. I called Wesley back and he was shocked at how quickly it took me. We went over it together and made a few changes and emailed the final copy in to the church.

I was so blessed through the whole process. We both have a passion for writing, but have never written a piece together. It made me wonder if God is starting something new for us. We got the devotion books yesterday and after glancing over a few others that were written, I saw that ours was totally different from anyone elses. I started to feel paranoid, and doubting myself. Fear started to creep his ugly head in and make me afraid we made fools of ourselves. As soon as doubt crept in, God spoke to my heart, reminding me of my prayer-to be vessels He could use. He reassured me, we did what He wanted us to do and I couldn't let satan make me doubt myself. I was reminded to re-read what we wrote and to stand up and fight back! I could not and would not let satan take my joy!

I wanted to share our piece. You may recognize a little of it from an earlier blog posting I did for September 11th. Little did I know back then, that God would use that post for His glory, months later!
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Our Excalibur

“Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

1 Peter 5:8

It was hot, and sweat dripped from His brow as he continued His wandering in the desert. No food for 40 days. His stomach cried out in hunger. Suddenly, He was given a very tempting idea by the devil; He could turn a rock into bread. He could calm the hunger pains that raged within His belly. How does He respond? By quoting scripture, “Man does not live on bread alone.” (Luke 4:4). Twice more the devil offered Him sweet and enticing temptations, only He resisted and made the evil one flee. How did He do it? He wielded the sword of the Spirit - God's Word.

Are we any different? We are at war-right now, and we're not talking about the Middle East. Our enemy is not like the ones our soldiers are fighting so bravely against. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12).

The enemy has come into our homes, tempting our families. He is in the airwaves and coming through the television screen, infiltrating our minds. He tells us that we are not worthy enough-that God could never love a person like you. He makes us lust for what we cannot have, covet our neighbors belongings and makes us so downright busy that we don’t have time to put on our armor or gather our weapons. Satan helps our priorities get mixed up and before we know it-we are standing in an open battle field with nothing but the clothes on our backs to protect us. We become like sheep led to the wolves for the slaughter. The words we use, the actions we take, little by little become less and less what God would want for us.

The time is now. Draw your sword, face the battle and fight. “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17). God has offered us the most powerful of all weapons - if only we would learn to use it. It is stronger than any man-made sword or gun. It can fight and defeat our worst fears, our doubts and our worries. We must be in the Word to know how to fight back, just as Jesus did in the desert. It is time to “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7).

Don’t wait, don’t hesitate. The enemy is right there peeking over your shoulder as you read this. Are you armed and ready for battle?

Forget New Years Resolutions!

Wow! Am I behind or what? I have never-not-blogged for this long! I haven't read anyone else's blog up until a day ago, I haven't caught up on all my usual people-news. I just checked the web site where I can see the traffic on this blog and I was surprised to see most of you haven't given up on me yet! (Thank you, thank you, thank you!)

I have simply been soaking up my friends and family and trying to make the season last as long as I could! I decided this year to re-prioritize and not be "doing" the whole time. I wanted to enjoy the season and not be stressed out by the end of it and miss out on so many blessings. For instance, I made goodies for my neighbors, because I wanted too-not because I felt like I had too. I will have to remember this strategy next year! It made for a much more enjoyable time. Now as a downside, I'm paying for it by having to play "catch up" on all the things I left alone! But it was worth it!

The Lord really blessed me with a lot of time with my family~good, quality time like I'd hoped for. (There is a difference!) Family is a funny thing. They know you better than anyone else, and they can get under your skin more than any one, but they also love you more than other people. I re-read my last few posts of my hopes for the Christmas season and I can see just how much God was listening! I will treasure this time for a long while.

But, Christmas is gone now and it's time to look towards a new year. Many people are making New Years resolutions and trying to make a new beginning. I must admit, I've never gotten into New Year's Resolutions much. I see them more as a way to disappoint myself because chances are, they won't stick! One of the things I asked my husband for, for Christmas was the new Beth Moore, 90 Days with the One and Only series. Everyday for the next 90 days, I'll be learning more and more about my Savior. It has been good so far. I find myself debating on doing more than one day because I want to keep on reading! (and that's always a good sign!) Everyday I write out a prayer and I am reminded of how often I used to keep a prayer journal. I haven't done it in a while~on a consistent basis. I love to go back and read my prayers and see all the ways He answered them. Little, tiny ways that otherwise I would have missed. He cares about all the tiny details of our lives, details that we often don't tell Him about. He knows what's on your mind, what's bothering your heart. He knows what you wish you could change about yourself and about all your dreams for your future. Those are often things I think we overlook to tell Him.

I'm about to tell you a personal-inside-thing, but I'm in a conversational mood, and I feel like sharing! In this devotion book, my husband wrote me a little something like he always does when he gives me a book. (It is always my favorite part of the book!) This time part of what he wrote said, "There has been and will be no better man to walk this planet. I hope to be more like Him so that I can love you even more." WOW! I can't tell you how much I thanked my Lord and Savior for giving me a man like him!

His simple statement really stuck with me. The more and more I thought about it, I couldn't help but see that simple statement as my personal "New Years Resolution" if you will. If I knew Jesus more and tried to become more like Him, I couldn't help but love those around me-even more. It would be easier to love those who aren't so easy to love. It would be easier to be who He wants me to be this year-and less of all the expectations I have for myself. He could have a whole set of other plans for me; plans I'd miss out on if I didn't strive to be more like Him.

So that's my Life Resolution (forget just for the New Year!)-To know Him more and to be more like Him. I pray I'm more successful at that than I've ever been at any other resolution!

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."

~Proverbs 16:9

*I just re-read my last post and saw that I used this same bible verse. Both times, it was the verse that the Lord brought to my mind. Do you think He's trying to tell me something :-) I love when He does that!

Sweet Memories

Me and My Sisters
On Tuesday I went to my mom's house and had a reunion. My sister Katie and her husband were there from Mississippi and my brother Jeb was back from North Georgia College. My cousins Megan and Nancy were back from U of Alabama and Ga Tech. So many people that I love so dearly were there, all under one roof, talking a mile a minute trying to catch up with one another. I sat and just simply delighted in being surrounded by so much love.

My sister Katie recently found out that her and Theo will be moving to Washington state near the Seattle area. Theo is a recent graduate from pilot training and will flying C-17's there. They will be in WA for three years. I grew up having an aunt and uncle in the Army and having to live far away places. Once a year we'd drive up to Myrtle Beach, SC and they'd drive down and we'd spend a week or two in paradise with my grandparents. One year we drove all the way to Michigan and another, all the way to New York to visit them. I can remember having so much fun and holding on to every moment knowing that once the trip was over, it might be a whole year until I got to see them again. I can't imagine how hard it was on my mom and my aunt having to be so far away from each other.

When I found out that Katie was moving to practically the farthest place away in the US you could get, all I could think of was, "There's no Myrtle Beach to meet them half way. How will I ever get to see her? What if she has her first baby and I can't be there?" So many selfish thoughts ran through my head.

And I heard God's sweet, calm voice say, "Do you trust me? Do you still believe I am in control of not just your life, but of hers as well? Did it happen by chance that they are going there? Was this the Air Force's doing...or Mine?" and my response to Him was, "Please promise me that You will let me go out there to visit and that You will take care of them (Don't you think He just laughs when we add conditions to our prayers?!) Protect Theo if and when he goes to fight in this war and give my sweet, sister a friend out there." I started right then and there praying for the friends they will meet, the house they will live in, the adventures they will go on. The world awaits them.

Then there is my other sister, Kelsey who is going away to college for the first time. She will be joining my brother Jeb at North Georgia on January 3rd. This is my sweet baby sister who loves to come over and read to Randol, she loves being the aunt that can quiet Will when he's crying or that Foster will run up too as soon as she walks into the door. She is the one who so graciously watches my children so my husband and I can have a date every once in a while. She spent the night at my house when Will had his tubes. We are 9 years apart, but I feel close to her, that age doesn't matter. This is the last of the Graydon girls to leave home. This will be hard on my mom. There is something special forged between women, we need each other. We are tied at the heart strings. It is a very special thing. I am so blessed to have the two sisters that I've got and to have such a wonderful relationship with my parents.

Me and my brother, Jeb
Now, moving on from my sisters, there's my brother Jeb. I have a feeling that him living four hours or so away at college may the closest he ever lives here. Being in the Army, he's hoping to be overseas and he's quite sure his feet will have to hit desert sand at some point. Jeb may be my younger brother, but he has always looked after me like an older brother would. He is so sweet and yet so manly all at once. (If that makes any sense!)

I look at my family and I can't help but wonder how different we'll all be in a year from now. Katie and her hubby will have been gone for 9 months, Kelsey will have been away at college for a whole year, Jeb will only have a semester left to graduate, Jackson (my youngest brother) will be in high school. I'll be watching my children grow older. Next Christmas, Will will be running all over the place, chasing his brother, and opening presents. In just a short year so many things will have changed.

This Christmas is extra special for me because for the next week or so, everyone will be home, tucked inside the house we all grew up in. I can't help but want to be over there visiting. I can't help but treasure every moment I have, sitting around the table playing cards or sipping coffee or watching movies together. The Lord has blessed me so much.

Me (pregnant!), Wesley's mom, Kim,
His sister Keri, and his brothers wife, Amanda

Looking at Wesley's family, its a totally different situation. All of his siblings live here within a 15 minute drive of one another. I always feared that my children would miss out on playing with cousins because I am so much older than my siblings...but the Lord answered my prayer in the form of Wesley's sister, Keri. Our children are very close in age and they play together all the time. While my family is scattering all over the place, Wesley's family is all joined right here in our home town. My sisters are all leaving, but Keri and Amanda are close enough to get together with once a week. I pray that our friendships will continue to grow. I am so blessed to have them.

Time changes things, nothing stays the same forever. We are always evolving, learning new things. One day I'll be looking back on the pictures I'll take tomorrow and think, "How could 20 years have passed so quickly?" Every day we are given, is a treasure, it truly is a gift to wake up every morning. Who knows what will happen in this next year, except God Himself? Remember that, when you start to get upset over your husband not taking out the trash, or your child not cleaning up their room. Remember that, when you look around your kitchen and see a huge mess or you look in your checkbook and see a small balance. Life is so much bigger than all of that stuff. Scoop up your loved ones, tell them how much you treasure and adore them. Never waste a minute to get to know them better. Store up your memories because when the moment is gone, the memories are all you will have left.

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."

~Proverbs 16:9

Wordless Wednesday:Will's 1st Christmas

Who Will You Listen Too?

The other day I was enjoying reading back and forth with Randol this cute little book, when much to my surprise the main character lied in plain black and white ink-I was shocked.

I digress, I recently found out that the 3rd book in every American Girl series is a Christmas story all about how the holiday's were celebrated in that time period. I figured that reading those books would be a fun way to do some research and see how our traditions have evolved over time. Randol LOVES anything American Girl, even though the only thing she owns by them, is their free magazine she gets in the mail periodically. The clouds parted and heaven shown down, as my boys both napped at the same time for the first time in like forever.

We were snuggled up on the couch reading this cute story about Kirsten and how her and her Daddy were stuck in a horrible snow storm that threatens their lives. (Real action packed you know). They start to think they are lost when Kirsten sees a big tree and realizes that the cave she sneaks off too, to see her secret Indian friend, is close by. After getting warm in the cave, her Father looks at her and says, "How did you know there was a cave here?" It then goes on to say that Kirsten didn't want to tell her dad about her secret Indian friend or how she sneaks away to play with Singing Bird without her parents knowing, so she tells her dad that she wandered off one day walking along the stream and that's how she found it. Her father then goes on to praise her for being a little explorer, but tells her not to wander off again. The chapter ends with her being rewarded with a piece of candy.

I looked at Randol and asked her what Kirsten did wrong. I was thankful to hear that Randol recognized that Kirsten lied to her father, but my head fell when she added, "But it was her secret friend, maybe her and the Indian promised each other they wouldn't tell anyone about their friendship." Then we had this long discussion about how a lie is a lie...blah, blah, blah. You know the conversation.

Later that night, I was telling Wesley about it to see what he thought. He handed me a section of our local newspaper. On the side column it was titled "Lying is American as apple pie". The small article was all about how lying is apart of our society and how everyone lies and its OK. These were two examples in one day that really opened both of our eyes to just how much satan has unsuspectingly dug his nasty head into society's way of thinking.

And we wonder why there are so many problems in our country! It really got me thinking about all the lies I have told in my life. I lied all the time to my parents when I was in high school (sorry mom and dad!) with a straight face and didn't blink an eye or think twice about it. It was those lies that got me into situations that I shouldn't have been in and left many long term consequences, some of which I still pay today. Something so small can turn into something so big. Isn't that how satan works though? He whispers these small things into our ears and we find ourselves agreeing with him. From the beginning of time he's worked this way, telling Eve, "You will surely not die!" (Gen. 3:3) and then goes on to tell her all the things she's missing out on by not eating from that one tree as she stands in a garden full of trees.

"It's OK, no one will ever find out!"
"Just one time won't hurt"
"Look at what she did, you're way better than her!" and makes us focus on others sins and not our own.

All of these little mind games he tells us, to try to reason our sin.
"You deserve to buy that new car" (even though you can't afford it.)
"It's OK to look, as long as you don't touch"-HA! How many affairs start by people "just looking"?
"Your husband will never know if you buy that! It's what you want, you deserve it!" (only now you will have to lie even more to cover up what you got).

On and on I could go...but what we tend to forget, is what man doesn't know-God does. We can't hide from Him or cover up anything. If we could, why would He have sent His son to die for all of those "little, petty sins"?

The REAL truth of the matter is that we WILL be held accountable on that day of judgement. A sin, is a sin in Gods eyes. He doesn't "classify" sin by saying one is greater than the other. One of the ten commandments clearly states, "Do not lie". It doesn't say, "It's OK to lie about this, but not about that". It says, "Do not lie"-plain and simple, clear as day. No questions asked.

As children, most of us had parents or grandparents or maybe a Sunday School teacher to teach us right from wrong. As a child, I knew when I got caught doing something wrong, my parents were going to punish me. As adults, who is there to hold us accountable? The law of course, but I don't see a policeman outside the doorstep of everyone who tells a lie. It would be impossible to have the manpower to keep up with such a job!

It is the Lord who holds us accountable through His Word and our conscience. The Holy Spirit whispers in your mind, "No, Back Away! Danger! It's not worth it!" That is the voice of God Himself who is telling you that. You have a choice, who are you going to listen too? Don't let satan take your heart captive over something so stupid and so selfish. It's just not worth it!

Stay in the Word, continue to seek His face and His guidance and let Him lead you. He will never trick you, never lead you astray or never let you down. Stay in His shadow and you will be blessed more than you can ever imagine.

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust."

Surely He will save you from the fowler's snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with His feathers

and under His wings you will find refuge;

His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart."

~Psalm 91:1-4

Super Fun Christmas Craft

Keri, (Wesley's sister) and I made these fun scented ornaments with our children last week. I must admit, I was surprised by how good they turned out! I am going to put one in each of the box of goodies for my neighbors. They smell SO good (like cinnamon). Wesley kept asking if he could eat the cookies, because that's what they look like! It's a fun craft for all ages, my niece helped and she just turned 20 months and Randol made them and she's 8! Pull up your sleeves and get ready to have some fun!

Scented Ornaments

1 Cup of regular applesauce (not chunky variety)

1 1/2 Cups of ground cinnamon

1/3 Cup of glue

Assorted cookie cutters

drinking straw

Colored Ribbon

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together ingredients. Form mixture in a ball, wrap in plastic and cover for 30 minutes or so until "dough" stiffens.

2. Sprinkle more cinnamon on a cutting board or waxed paper and turn the dough onto it (we skipped this step and it was fine!) Roll the dough with a rolling pin about 1/4 in thickness (if its thinner than that the ornaments will be too fragile). You can coat the rolling pin with cinnamon if the dough sticks to it.

3. Cut out decorative shapes with assorted cookie cutters. Randol and I used a toothpick to write out "2007" on them. (just another idea!) Use a plastic straw to make a hole through the top center.

4. Let the ornaments air dry, laying on wax paper. It took about 48 hours for ours to dry.

5. Once they are completely dry, tie a ribbon through the hole!

A Week Of Pictures

Wed. Dec. 5th
Here is my sweet Will after having surgery to get tubes put in his ears. God was gracious to have it go so well. And no...I did not plan for his pacifier to color coordinate with his hospital gown!















Saturday, Dec. 8th:
Don't laugh...this too could be your child should you happen to take a shower while your husband dutifully watches your children while he plays his PlayStation! That would be my mascara and eye liner he has put on all over his eyes. I NEVER knew he watched me put on makeup, usually he is running around and will be in and out of the bathroom. Here is proof...your children ARE watching your every move even when you don't think they are!

Tuesday, Dec. 11th

So the plan when my sister-in-law came over was to take a picture of all five grandchildren for her mother. Things don't always turn out the way you imagine them in your head!

Here was out first attempt as they all played on Randol's bed in a made up tent...it didn't go so well so we moved them to the living room couch...

This was the best one....

You know me, I thought, "Just one more picture!"

They didn't think I was very funny!

So if you've been wondering why I haven't been writing as much as I usually do, I apologize! Life has just taken over....

Keeping It Real

This is the time of year for buying things for the ones you love, baking cookies and seeing the excitement in your children's eyes. It can also be a stressful time of year, where we get so caught up in our "to do list" that we forget to sit back and enjoy it. It only comes once a year. This year, I have simplified everything. Usually, I spend days putting up Christmas decorations and hours upon hours finding that perfect gift. I bake and bake and then swear I'll never bake again! I spend the season in such a rush, trying to make everything just perfect. Come December 25th, I am exhausted, worn out and can barely muster up the energy to take down all the decorations I worked so hard in putting up, or eat the last of my goodies and clean up after the mess that was left behind from just one day.

This year, my attitude has been much different. This year I'm slowing down, doing a little at a time and not beating myself up for the things that inevitably won't get done. This year there is no snow village to grace my living room or angels and nativity to greet you as you walk in my front door. There is a Christmas tree with blinking colored lights and that is it. I'm not stressing over Foster breaking something that is precious or already thinking about how many hours its going to take me to climb back up into the attic to put the village pieces away. I have been baking, but a little at a time, I'm dragging out the yummy smells of my homemade goodies! I have realized that Christmas isn't about something to do or places to go. It's not about spending an equal amount of money on your children or worrying that your brother-in-law might not like the couples gift you got for him and his wife. It's not about addressing Christmas cards or making it to the next big sale.

Christmas is a celebration, its meant to be a joyful time. God in the flesh coming to earth, to save our weary, blackened souls. It is about the One true gift which is more important than any of that. As I look at Will, who is only 6 months old, I can't help but wonder, what was Jesus like as a baby? Did He have dimples or a bald head? Did He keep his parents up at night with an ear ache? Did he smile when Joseph walked in the room from a long day at work? Did he like to suck on his tiny toes and clap his hands? He was but just a tiny baby, like my own little man.

Randol and I watched The Nativity Story on TV the other night. I was reminded that Mary was only a young girl and that an angel came to her and asked her to do the unexplainable, the unfathomable. It got me thinking about how her parents and their small, tight, knit community responded to such news. If you saw a girl who was engaged and all of a sudden she was pregnant saying it was God's child, what would you think? I'll be honest, I'd be like, "Yeah right! We aren't stupid!" No matter how nice a girl she was, it would be hard to believe. Mary could have been stoned to death for such a thing, but she told the angel, "I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said." (Luke 1:38).

WOW! I think I might have been tempted to say, "Thanks, but no thanks! Go find someone else!" Then I realized, I have said that to God before. Have you ever had a "Mary Moment"? A time you can think of in your life where God called on you to do something that was out of this world? An idea so crazy, you start to wonder if maybe you made it up? Something that goes against the grain of the world, but matters so much to the Kingdom of Heaven. It may be holding someone accountable for their actions, correcting a close friend or member of your church. Sometimes it could be something small like starting a blog or taking a neighbor to church with you. To the world it looks like no big deal, but to you, its putting yourself on the line and taking a risk (and God knows it) and He asks you to take the adventure with Him and let Him be your guide.

In those moments we are given a choice, will we be like Mary and say, "I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said," or will we choose to say no and miss out on so many of God's blessings?

This holiday season I need to,(as my friend Victoria says),"Keep the main thing, the main thing". That main thing is Jesus and my constant willingness to follow Him, no matter where He leads me, even when I do not understand or want to go, I am still called to follow.

How many things I might have missed out on if I was still trying to live up to a "perfect Christmas" (because there is no such thing!). Snuggling with my son in the wee hours of the morning, watching the colored lights dance along the floor; making cookies with Randol and letting her lick the spoon, singing Christmas songs and dancing around the house with my children in our pj's. Memories that would be lost if I was still running around trying to do everything.

As you rush from here to there over the next two weeks, remember to stop and thank Him for His gift. It's not about what you wish you had or what you need to go do, its about the blessings He's already given you and what He did for you on that "O Holy Night". There is so much to celebrate!

Super Fast and Yummy Fudge!

This recipe is SO easy and SO yummy that I have already made it twice this holiday season (I'm ashamed to say just for my family. We lap it up too fast to share :-)

Microwave Fudge (Sounds weird I know, but it is SO good!)
1/2 C Cocoa Powder
16 oz. Powered Sugar
1/2 C Margarine
1/4 C Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 C Chopped nuts

Mix Cocoa and powdered sugar in a microwave pan. Slice margarine on top. Pour milk on top of mixture, but DO NOT MIX!!!
Cook in the microwave for 2 minutes at full power. (I usually do it for one minute, check it and then for one more minute).
Add vanilla and nuts; stir well.
Pour into a greased (DO NOT USE BUTTER, USE COOKING SPRAY) 8 x 2 in pan.
Chill one hour. Cut into squares.

Yes, it is that easy! In a matter of minutes you can have yummy fudge! I have found that using Bonnie Bell stick butter works best for some reason. And do NOT cover it when you microwave it. It makes it really mushy and it won't harden.

Hope you enjoy! I am all about super fast, yummy recipes and this is a definite winner!

A Tribute to My Man

Today, my Beloved turns the big 3-0! Not so old I know, we're still a bunch of youngins' but it is a birthday to commemorate! I decided that in his honor I'd share 31 fun facts (in very random order!) that you might not know about my hubby!

1. He has no sense of smell-never has. When he was a kid he thought it was all in his mind. He would stare at something and think "smell!" and thought that with his mind, he'd be able to smell it!

2. He loves mustard, black olives and mushrooms.

3. The Lord of The Rings is his favorite trilogy.

4. He loves science fiction books.


5. He'd play Axis and Allies everyday if he could.

6. When he was a child he used to put salt in his little brothers milk. His mother never knew and always made Philip drink it! To this day, Philip doesn't like milk!

7. He had his own tree on the playground in kindergarten. His teacher would say, "Wesley, go to your tree!" His teacher retired after that year and he's proud to say it might have been because of him!

8. He loves green, mint chocolate chip ice cream.

9. He was a lifeguard for many years at the Windsor Park Pool.

10. He loves pie, not cake. Every year for his birthday he spends days trying to decide on what kind of pie he wants me to make him-this year its a peanut butter pie.

11. He loves him some great Georgia football!

12. He loves good, 'ole southern food like collard greens, black eyed peas, mashed potatoes and country fried steak.

13. When he was a kid and got in trouble he would love it when his dad sent him to his room. It gave him a chance to sit and read by himself. His dad soon figured this out, so instead he started making Wesley sit on the couch and watch Nascar-to this day Wesley hates Nascar!

14. There are two things he WILL NOT EAT, chunky tomato's and marshmallows...not even Rice Crispy treats or Lucky Charms cereal!

15. He doesn't drink coffee, but drinks a cup of hot, green tea at least once a day.

16. Changing dirty diapers grosses him out more than anything else in this world!

17. One of his favorite things to do every week is prepare for the Sunday School lesson.

18. He spent countless hours learning about diamonds and searching for the perfect engagement ring for me. Once he finally got it, there was so much going on, he wasn't able to find that "perfect moment". Finally, after two weeks of it burning a hole in his pocket-he asked me to marry him on my parents front porch at 2 o'clock in the morning as I told him goodbye for the night!

19. He loves to play board games of all kinds.

20. His ultimate dream and plan for when he retires is to write.

21. He hopes to one day go to New Zealand, like many other Lord of the Rings lovers and see the beautiful countryside that was used in the setting of the movies.

22. He does not like to hunt, fish or fix things like most men do, but he loves a great book and to throw a baseball with his best friend Seth any day.

23. He doesn't like any type of grape flavored medicine.

24. When he was a kid, his mother had a whole bag of M&M's in the fridge. One morning, he snuck the bag and ate the whole thing. He got so sick that he won't eat M&M's to this day!

25. His favorite color is royal blue.

26. At the young age of five, he told his kindergarten teacher he was going to be a lawyer when he grew up!

27. He calls Randol his Tator Tot.

28. In his second year of college, him and a friend went to go see the Return of the Jedi in theatres on opening day. When the famous light saber fight scene started playing, him and his friend got up and re-enacted the scene with their own light sabers! Much to their enjoyment the theatre crowd cheered them on!

29. He graduated Sum a Cum Laud from Mercer University for his undergraduate degree in History and Political Science.

30. He had always planned on going to the University of Georgia. He was accepted in high school, then decided to go to Andrew College for two years. He was accepted to UGA again, only he thought he wouldn't want to spend five years in one town. He figured he'd go to Mercer for the last two years of undergrad and then go to UGA for law school...only they didn't accept him a third time and he ended up spending five years in Macon, GA at Mercer! Life is ironic sometimes isn't it?