Psalm 71

After I wrote my last entry at 4:30 this morning, I was gratefully able to sleep for a few hours. I woke up and opened the bible. And turned to Psalm 71. And once again, was blown away by how amazing the Lord is and how living and powerful His perfect Word truly is. This is His perfect response to me:

Psalm 71

In You, O LORD, I put my trust;
Let me never be put to shame.
² Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape;
Incline Your ear to me, and save me.
³ Be my strong refuge,
To which I may resort continually;
You have given the commandment to save me,
For You are my rock and my fortress.

⁴ Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
⁵ For You are my hope, O Lord GOD;
You are my trust from my youth.
⁶ By You I have been upheld from birth;
You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb.
My praise shall be continually of You.

⁷ I have become as a wonder to many,
But You are my strong refuge.
⁸ Let my mouth be filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all the day.

⁹ Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
Do not forsake me when my strength fails.
¹⁰ For my enemies speak against me;
And those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together,
¹¹ Saying, “God has forsaken him;
Pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.”

¹² O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, make haste to help me!
¹³ Let them be confounded and consumed
Who are adversaries of my life;
Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor
Who seek my hurt.

¹⁴ But I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
¹⁵ My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits.
¹⁶ I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.

¹⁷ O God, You have taught me from my youth;
And to this day I declare Your wondrous works.
¹⁸ Now also when I am old and grayheaded,
O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to everyone who is to come.

¹⁹ Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high,
You who have done great things;
O God, who is like You?
²⁰ You, who have shown me great and severe troubles,
Shall revive me again,
And bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
²¹ You shall increase my greatness,
And comfort me on every side.

²² Also with the lute I will praise You—
And Your faithfulness, O my God!
To You I will sing with the harp,
O Holy One of Israel.
²³ My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You,
And my soul, which You have redeemed.
²⁴ My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long;
For they are confounded,
For they are brought to shame
Who seek my hurt.

Testimony

This past Thursday evening I got to share my testimony to kick off the 10 week Beth Moore Breaking Free bible study we are beginning. I think there were about 20 wonderful women who showed up for our first night. As I looked around the room I saw a few faces I have known for the full ten years I've been at Athey. I saw some whom I had never met. I had two neighbors come. Our wonderful women's ministry leader. My very closest friend. Friends I have known for a few years and a couple I have gotten close to recently. The Lord chose each of the women who came. I do believe that. And I am pretty certain the fact that now every single one of those women know some of the most intimate and painful details of my life explains why I haven't slept much for the past two nights. This is one of my blog posts where I'm going to just be me. How am I feeling right now? At 4:30 in the morning after my second sleepless night? Hurt. It's really amazing how the enemy can work you over when you open yourself up like I did Thursday. Even after Judy's wonderful prayer that this would not happen. It's happening. I can tell you the day I shared my testimony, things were rough at home. My children were less than respectful numerous times. And I exhibited less than ideal parenting several times. I had envisioned some time alone with the Lord to prepare my heart and notes and my life these days rarely allows that unless it's in the middle of the night. So when my wonderful husband prayed with me and then took the boys out for the evening, I immediately did what I knew needed to be done. I grabbed a goldfish cracker and a communion cup of apple cider :) I had to make due with what was around the house at the time. So I poured my heart out and confessed how completely and totally sinful my heart is. How I fail at pretty much everything I do. How ridiculous it feels to have people call me amazing, incredible and inspiring lately. If they only knew they would see I am so very ill-equipped to help lead a bible study of any kind. How the more I study the Word and spend time with the Lord I realize just how very far away I am from who I hope to be. Often times one step forward, two steps back. And then I tearfully thanked the Lord for He knows all of me and adores me anyway. It's because I'm such a completely ill-equipped, literally uneducated girl who is all too painfully aware of all of her shortcomings that makes HIM so great. What HE does in my life has nothing at all to do with me. It has everything to do with Him. So I gratefully cried lots of tears and just asked Him to speak for me.
Sharing everything I did was a bit surreal. I can't even tell you everything I said in the course of an hour. I said a lot. I remember bits and pieces and that's about it. I looked around and saw lots of tears but I didn't shed any myself. When I was done I had a few wonderful conversations. I did not get to talk to many of the women who came. I didn't get to hug any of the ones that obviously were greatly effected somehow. When everyone left, we tucked the kiddos in bed and then I layed on the couch and fell asleep. The entire night in my clothes. I was too tired to even go to bed. It's amazing how draining it is to pour yourself out like that. Draining in a good way but still exhausting.

I have prayed whether or not to post my testimony in written form on my blog for the "public" to read. For now I am not comfortable in doing so. There are a few people who have asked me for a written copy and I am praying about that as well. It's literally like handing over my heart. And when you hand over your heart you have to use wisdom in who you hand it over to. Does that make sense?

For those of you that wanted to come on Thursday night and could not, and have since asked if I would be willing to share it with them, the answer is absolutely yes. I would be happy to meet with you and share it. Please don't misread my heart on this one. I am not hiding my testimony. I will gladly share it with any of you who asks.

I am so very much looking forward to what the Lord is going to do over the next 10 weeks. I know it's going to be huge. I am so very honored to get to be part of the great work He is going to do. I truly do love the Lord with all of my heart, my mind and my soul. And I love each of the amazing people He so graciously has placed in my life. Please know that I find each of you to be amazing, incredible and inspiring. I am so thankful for all of the encouragement you've given me and each of the prayers you've sent up for me. Some of you have given me a bit of a hard time for not shedding tears in sharing some of the greatest hurts in my life. If you want to see emotion from me, it's when I think about all The Lord has done in my life that brings me to tears. It's when I look at the faces of my amazing sons and incredible husband that I am often overwhelmed. When I consider for even a moment all the grace He has poured out upon me and mercy He shows me each and every day.... it's then I am never at a loss for tears.

My Husband's New Blog

My amazing husband of 11 years has a new blog. That I love. His idea came after the constant frustration of all the bad news that is out there. And all the news that is so inaccurately reported.
His blog is one central location for Athey Creek teachings and Ustreaming, worthy news, conservative political commentary and a host of other great resources. I'm truly married to the wisest and kindest man I have ever known. I am so very thankful for him!

John 13:20

I have grown a huge heart and a greater passion for children more now than ever. I think it's because 7 and a half years ago I became a mother. And then again 5 and a half years ago. And then a third time 14 months ago. I am convinced now more than ever that these three amazing boys I have been given are so much more about the Lord raising and molding me than the other way around. And because I adore these boys as much as I do, I desire for them to choose to be want to be with me at home. And because of that, I want our home to be the one on our street that draws the most of their friends.
Confession time. I haven't always been so great at this. In fact I used to be pretty terrible at this. Why? Because I love a nice, clean, quiet and clutter-free home. And with three boys and an entourage of neighbor boys comes mass destruction. Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration. But undeniable to anyone that has boys is the realization that they can be dirty, loud and simply gross at times :) And of course when you're the "it" house on the street, multiply the dirt, noise and over all boy grossness with each and every one that walks through your front door.

I also, somewhere along the way, turned into a mom on the street that out of a bit of fear and "protection" for my children, kept them relatively hidden at times from other kids on the street who say words or exhibit behaviors that aren't acceptable in our home and shut the door on the rest. Understandable and necessary in some ways. Obviously young children are impressionable and it's imperative to keep a watchful eye.

Recently as I've been praying for the Lord to give me eyes to see what's all around me, I am so very heart broken, challenged and encouraged at the same time. Let me explain. It's easy to see a kid exhibiting bad behavior and suddenly see the kid as the problem and tell your child to stay clear of said trouble maker. But is the kid the problem? Or is the kid simply acting out because their home life is a mess. Um, but I live in Sherwood. Mayberry USA, right? Isn't the population 50% Christian and the other 50% LDS?
I think our "Leave it To Beaver" image has caused people, including myself, to turn a blind eye to the evil that is going on all around us. Evil? Yes. Pure evil. Let's call it what it is.
"But Johnny's parents are still married. They have a beautiful home and lawn, their kids play sports... I don't see a problem." I urge you to ask the Lord to allow you to see more closely. There are so many sins that fly under the radar that can literally destroy a child. Do you realize that? And do you realize the enemy has quite a lot to gain in that process? Let's take families who glorify alcohol and it becomes an idol in their home. Families where the fathers are in their 40s yet act like they're still in a Frat, talk about their kegs, have poker and football parties and in doing so, indulge in a lot of alcohol consumption. And then during a friendly neighborhood block party, watch as their very children begin to be the ones mixing the drinks. Do you see a problem yet?

Let's look at sexual perversion, shall we? Families who allow their children to watch completely inappropriate television, listen to crude music, and quite frankly exhibit sexuality period to their own kiddos through their own serious sinful addictions.
"Oh, come on Laura.. lighten up. It's not that bad."
But what if we looked more closely and got a glimpse inside these homes?

If people are willing to flaunt their sin outside openly on the street for all of us to see, then what are they ashamed of enough to keep hidden?

What is hidden on the inside of the very homes these children live in? I fear even asking.

The world is getting darker and more evil by the day. As believers we are not to just turn a blind eye. Get so "busy" with our carpools, our jobs, our commitments, our after school this and that... And worse, stay in the safety of our own little Christian circles and forget how desperately the children right on our own street need us. How the children in our schools need us. How the children in our church need us. Not because they really need us, but because they need Jesus.
If you live in a neighborhood, you live in a mission field. And I've been convicted and reminded personally to take a look at what Jesus has to say about children in His Word.

But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 18:5

How will children come to Jesus if their families don't know Him? It will be through someone willing to welcome them.

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”
John 13:20

Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
Matthew 18:5

Do we even know what an incredible honor it is to show a child a glimpse of Jesus' love? To welcome a boy who may mess up our homes a little with his dirty shoes? To take the time just to listen to him. To allow him into your home to play with your children? To give him an after school snack?

Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16

We have the incredible blessing of being able to touch the lives of children and bless them in the name of Jesus. If you are a teacher, you are put in an incredible position. If you are a children's ministry helper you have an amazing responsibility. If you are a parent, the Lord is entrusting us with the gift of raising His children. This does not mean doing everything right all the time. If anything, with each passing day I realize how much I fail my children all the time. If we could just switch our focus to Jesus and off of ourselves I know our kids would do so much better. Jesus is always our answer. His Word should be our instruction manual.
Let us not focus so much on which parenting method is "best," which choice in feeding, schooling and vaccinating is wisest. But what if we unplugged and pulled back a bit from distraction and busyness and put our focus on the Lord and purpose to spend the precious time we do have as families diving deeper into Him. Of course we will fail as moms and dads. But let's make it our priority to point our children straight to Jesus who never fails.

Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.

Luke 18:15-17

And then we come across this sobering verse:

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin (offend), it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Matthew 18:6

The word sin, or offend here, means thrown off course. In other words, Jesus says "if you cause one of these little ones to question Me or to be thrown off in their walk with Me, it would be better for you to drown."

Pretty intense warning.

Here is my concern honestly. Why as Christians are we suddenly pulling out of all the very places we are needed the most? Why are we practically hiding in our homes? Why are we only associating with people who seemingly have it altogether already? Of course it's more comfortable for us to keep hidden in our safe "believer-only" circles, to only allow our children to play with children who go to our same church and have the same standard of behavior. I have been there. But are we doing so because we're afraid of something? Afraid if our kids are exposed to the world at all they'll be ruined?

It's all about the foundation we lay down at home honestly. It's making sure our homes are firmly grounded in Jesus and rooted deeply in Him.

And if we do that, what should we as believers be afraid of?

It is in fact so evident that we are in the midst of a very real and very intense battle as the world keeps getting darker all around us. The bible verifies that in Ephesians...

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. - Ephesians 6:12

And I believe the enemy is seeking children more than ever in our country to destroy. Just look at sexuality in children these days. Look at alcohol and drug consumption in kids. It's nothing short of alarming and tragic.

So what do we do? As moms we are so afraid of doing the wrong thing out of a very real and intense love of our children. But do we as believers need to be in fear of our enemy at all ?

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid? ...
Psalm 27:1

Then do we need to fear for our children? I love in Matthew 18:10 that we get to see that each of our children has a guardian angel. A guardian angel? Yep.

Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 18:10

How cool is that? Our children literally have heavenly protection with them at all times. And they have the greatest protector of all with them at all times, Jesus.

Does this mean we aren't on our knees constantly? Of course not. It means we are. Does this mean if I choose public, private or homeschooling I'm doing the wrong thing? No. What about the other decisions in parenting? Breast or bottle? Vaccines or not? Seek the Lord first in all of your parenting decisions ...

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
Colossians 3:15

Let's be thankful for opportunities and options to shine our light before all men. Of course it won't look the same in every family. That's silly. But let us pray diligently for our children and the ones all around us. And let us pray for an opportunity to show them the love of Jesus. And let us be honored that we have been chosen to do so.

I personally am so thankful for the opportunity to evangelize in our neighborhood and local elementary school. I love watching my boys shine their bright lights before their teachers and classmates. We are so honored to get to be a part of that. To demonstrate even a small amount of Jesus' light to children especially, is a blessing too great to put into words.

Anchor of My Soul

So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls... Hebrews 6:18-19

A beautiful song extremely close to my heart.

Legacy

Some thoughts on "Legacy"
Written by: Nichole Nordeman

There are a couple of words in the English language, or more specifically in the Christian language that sort of make me squirm. They are words, usually spoken from the pulpit, that imply direct responsibility on my part, or even worse, expectation. They are not friendly, live and let live words like say.. fellowship. Fellowship is a nice word. It makes you want to go share a doughnut with someone in the foyer before Sunday School. That I can do. But the squirmy words are the ones like... discipleship. A word that begs the question, "How are you actively helping your brother or sister really grow in Christ?" Oh, and here's another one.. accountability. Ew. I just got a shiver when I typed it. Accountability is the kind of word that's right up in your face saying "WHERE IS THE PERSON IN YOUR LIFE WHO IS ASKING YOU REALLY HARD QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR CHOICES, YOUR MARRIAGE, AND YOUR THOUGHT LIFE?"

Pardon me for a moment while I head back to the foyer for another doughnut.

But the word that has always held the highest squirm factor for me is the word "legacy."

Only the topic of leaving a legacy can reduce my normal 5'8" frame to about 3 inches in a matter of seconds. The reason is obvious. "Legacy" conjures up larger than life people. Billy Graham. Mother Theresa. Martin Luther King. Heck, even Bill Clinton gets a library named after him. These are people whose names will be splashed across our history pages for years and years. Remembered for their achievements. Regarded for their service. Respected for their contributions, which were significant enough to warrant a great deal of attention even if that particular contribution was less than honorable... (ahem, see above Clinton reference).

The point is, when people talk about leaving a legacy it makes the rest of us average Joes and Sallys feel insignificant. It makes us want to look in the mirror and say, "Who cares?" Literally. Who? Who does care that you just made your son's sack lunch for the 145th consecutive school day in a row? He sure doesn't. Who cares that you took a second job to pay for your daughter's braces? Not her, obviously. Who even notices that you get to church an hour early to hand out bulletins and greet Sunday morning worshipers? The pastor has never even thanked you personally, and frankly an extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning would be real nice right about now, thank you very little. You know the routine. Nothing I do matters. No one notices my minor contributions to the lives of people around me, probably because they are just that...embarrassingly minor.

Here's my answer to the who cares question. Check out the life of Jesus. I'd reference a particular scripture here, but to be honest, if you randomly opened your Bible to any page within the four gospels you'd find the same thing: Jesus honoring those who were servants. Saving the coveted seat on his right for the most unlikely and probably unlovely dinner guest. Overcome with joy at one who washed his feet with her most rare and costly perfume. Overwhelmed at the selfless offer of a drink of water from a well on a hot and dry day. He tells stories about good Samaritans. He specifically calls twelve guys with pathetic lives, very few skills and a host of interpersonal issues to be his closest brothers and companions. And who inherits the kingdom in His Beatitudes? The meek. The merciful. The pure in heart. Find me one place in the New Testament where Jesus holds up the over-achievers and says to the crowd, "Strive for this! Acquire more wheat to store in your barns! Then build bigger barns! Be learned! Be refined! Be accomplished and revered by many!!"

Not once.

In fact, the people who fit that description can usually be seen in the background, slinking away with the rich, young ruler in Matthew 19.

That's the bottom line.

The world still screams, "Achievement!" And the Gospel yells right back, "Service!" Matthew 20:27 lays it out pretty clearly

"...whoever wishes to be great among you, must first be your servant..."

Still not convinced about leaving a legacy? Check out the checklist God leaves for Jesus in Micah 6:8. It's fairly simple.

"And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?"

My husband and I live in a loft in downtown Dallas. It's an eclectic area with luxury high rise buildings wedged right in next to houses that should have been condemned ages ago. There's an old school little barbershop that shares a storefront with a new agey/holistic health shop. It's sort of a picture of humanity... all of us stuck together in the same little space, regardless or whether we actually fit together or not. We love it. Right smack in the middle of our very contemporary and 30-something neighborhood is a very old, very beautiful, very large cemetery. I have to drive past it dozens of times a day. And I used to wonder...whose bones lie in that dirt? Some of the headstones are so old and weathered that the names and dates are gone forever, as are the people who used to visit them, most likely. What brave war General rests there? Which scientists? What highly regarded philosopher or respected professor or fiery politician is laid to rest there? And who continues to benefit, grow and bear fruit because of their inspiring earthly work? I used to wonder that.

Now instead, I find myself wondering.. whose mother? Whose Sunday school teacher? Whose little league coach? How many people were lowered into that dirt with the least amount of fanfare? Who among them couldn't even afford the most simple of headstones? Who did justice? Who loved kindness? Who walked humbly? And how did it feel when those same people stood before the creator, shoulder to shoulder with the Nobel Peace Prize winners and the Hall of Famers and heard those coveted words that we all hope and pray are on the tongue of our Maker upon our arrival at long last.

Well done.

Well done, lunch maker, bill payer, diaper changer, crossing guard.
Well done, piano teacher, hotel operator, plumber.

Well done, legacy leaver. You indeed were faithful.

I Just Need You

One of many amazing songs by Telecast.

Unbelief

So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief... Hebrews 3:19

* To whom did God say, "You shall not enter into the rest, the Promised Land, the abundance of milk and honey"? I would have thought it would have been to those who worshiped idols or to those who didn't have morning devotions. I would have thought it would have been to immoral men or to those who didn't offer sacrifices. Yet, in reality, the only thing that kept the children of Israel from the Promised Land was their lack of faith.
This is critically important theology, for the singular sin that kept them from blessing was simply thinking God's promise was just too good to be true. Precious people, you can live the abundant Spirit-filled, successful, exciting, thrilling Christian life if, instead of thinking that God can't bless you because you haven't had morning devotions regularly, you say, "I'm a spiritual grasshopper, Lord. But if You want to bring me into this great land of blessing, I'll gladly go in!"
The sin of Hebrews 3 is singular. It's not fornication, as destructive as that sin may be. It's not idolatry, as sad as that sin in. Rather, it's simply not believing how good God is.

* Truly, the basic understanding of most people is that, because God was frustrated with mankind, Jesus came on the scene to calm Him down. But such is not true biblical theology. Jesus came to earth not primarily for you or me. He came to do the will of His Father. And it was the Father's will to save you.

* Biblical Christianity is not about us. It's not about our prayer. It's not about our devotion. It's not about whether we're good or bad, obedient or disobedient. It's not about how much we pray or how little we pray. It's not about where we go or don't go, what we do or don't do. It's about Jesus' faithfulness to His Father. And our failures only make His ministry to the the Father that much more impressive. "If that's true," you say, "if my relationship with God is not about my prayer life, my worship, my anointing, my ministry, then how do I fit in at all? Am I just a pawn, just a piece of the puzzle in the demonstration of the faithfulness of the Son to the Father?"
For the answer, turn to John 17...

I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. - John 17:23

* What if we believed this? What if we really believed that the Father loves us as much as He loves His own Son? We would pray with confidence. We wouldn't have to prove anything to Him or to ourselves. We would be at peace. The repercussions? We would pray more. We would study the Word more. We would worship more - not to earn spiritual brownie points, but just to enjoy our Father.

* Our Apostle and High Priest, Jesus Christ, will not fail - no matter how many times we do - because His ministry is to the Father. And the Father will never frustrate Him.

So do not throw away your confidence: It will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. - Hebrews 10:35-36

*Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary

9.26 - Praying God's Word Day by Day (Beth Moore)

Trying to ignore our enemy doesn't work for very long, especially if you're beginning to be a threat to his dark kingdom

Father God, please help me to keep in mind that my struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).

Help me to be self-controlled and alert, for I know my enemy prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

My faithful Father, whether I turn to the right or to the left, cause my ears to hear a voice behind me saying, "This is the way; walk in it" (Isaiah 30:21).

Psalm 33

¹ Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful.
² Praise the LORD with the harp;
Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
³ Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

⁴ For the word of the LORD is right,
And all His work is done in truth.
⁵ He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.

⁶ By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;
He lays up the deep in storehouses.

⁸ Let all the earth fear the LORD;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
⁹ For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.

¹⁰ The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
¹¹ The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.
¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

¹³ The LORD looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men.
¹⁴ From the place of His dwelling He looks
On all the inhabitants of the earth;
¹⁵ He fashions their hearts individually;
He considers all their works.

¹⁶ No king is saved by the multitude of an army;
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
¹⁷ A horse is a vain hope for safety;
Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.

¹⁸ Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,
¹⁹ To deliver their soul from death,
And to keep them alive in famine.

²⁰ Our soul waits for the LORD;
He is our help and our shield.
²¹ For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name.
²² Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us,
Just as we hope in You.

All Who Are Thirsty

Isaiah 44: 1-8

1 “Yet hear me now, O Jacob My servant,
And Israel whom I have chosen.
2 Thus says the LORD who made you
And formed you from the womb, who will help you:

‘ Fear not, O Jacob My servant;
And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,
And floods on the dry ground;
I will pour My Spirit on your descendants,
And My blessing on your offspring;
4 They will spring up among the grass
Like willows by the watercourses.’
5 One will say, ‘I am the LORD’s’;
Another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
Another will write with his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’
And name himself by the name of Israel.
There Is No Other God
6 “ Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel,
And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:

‘ I am the First and I am the Last;
Besides Me there is no God.
7 And who can proclaim as I do?
Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me,
Since I appointed the ancient people.
And the things that are coming and shall come,
Let them show these to them.
8 Do not fear, nor be afraid;
Have I not told you from that time, and declared it?
You are My witnesses.
Is there a God besides Me?
Indeed there is no other Rock;
I know not one.’”

Notes (condensed) from Jon Courson's Application Commentary:

Here the Lord is encouraging Israel - here called Jacob or "righteous nation," to not be afraid, that He would pour out the water of His spirit upon a dry land. But it also speaks to us personally, for the Lord promises that He will pour water upon he who is thirsty and blessing upon his offspring. To whom does the Lord pour out His Spirit? Simply to those who are thirsty. And, in that, is a real key. We overcomplicate and overmystify the work of the Spirit in many cases when, in reality, the prerequisite for an outpouring of the Spirit upon your life is simply to say "Lord, I'm thirsting for more of You." That's why Jesus said the woman who admits her hunger will be filled (Matthew 5:6)

If you're not thirsty, if you don't have a desire to experience a fuller measure of the Spirit flowing through your life, how do you become thirsty? Ask a jogger or a basketball player. If you start expending energy and start sweating a bit, you'll find yourself thirsty real fast. The key is to get out and start ministering. Start sharing, loving, and caring - for it is when you're in the place on loving your neighbor, of sharing with your friends and family, of witnessing to your coworker, of expending energy, that you begin to thirst more of the Lord.

Lord, thank you so much for the promises of your perfect Word.
Matthew 5:6 tells us "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled."

Thank you for the promise and power of your Spirit and the water of your Word. Please let it continually fill my life to such a point that it must pour out onto those around me. In Jesus' name, amen.

Everything I Need

Psalm 37

Trust in the LORD, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
⁴ Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
⁶ He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.

⁷ Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him...

A Weekend To Remember

This last Saturday was one I know I will remember forever. It was 7 hours spent with the Lord along with a sprinkling of amazing Athey Creek Christian Fellowship young ladies... and 125,000 others worldwide representing over 30 different denominations. Mostly women and a few brave men. Where was I? At a Beth Moore Living Proof Ministries simulcast. As soon as the Lord invited me to go through a wonderful friend at church, I absolutely knew it was He who was calling me there. I prepared and expected to be met, spoken to and changed and I was. When I left, I sat in my car for a long time staring at my steering wheel. I knew I was supposed to go home but did not want to. I knew as soon as I walked through the door distractions would bombard me. And trust me when I say I love the distractions that live in our home :) All 3 of them. They are my gifts from the Lord. Yet I wanted so badly to head straight for the Mountain Top Retreat Center at ACF to get away with the Lord. He and I. One on one. For at least another 24 hours. Heaven forbid even one ounce of what I learned should be allowed to blow away in a storm of distraction. Heaven forbid my own sinful nature should prevent it from penetrating the very depths of my heart and soul. The Lord forbid the enemy to be able to steal any of it at all.
I called my wonderful husband and he asked how it was. He wanted to hear all about it. And I had so little to say. He knew that was a very good thing. I am rarely at a loss for words.
So I came home and tried my best to be mommy and literally could not do it well. I had so much to pray through and to process. So my amazing husband (and yes he is literally amazing, wise, kind, incredible and the greatest man I have ever and will ever know) allowed me to lock myself in our room and do what I needed to do. I took a bath. Then I pretty much just sat there. Then I laid there. I tried to read the bible. I tried to read my notes. I prayed one of the shortest prayers in my life and I fell asleep by 8:30pm. It was pretty perfect. My eyes popped open at 5:30am on Sunday and I woke Brett up. I was ready to teach him a condensed version of what I learned the day before. And so I did. And I had a lot of tears streaming down my face through most of it. He knew that was a very good thing too.
The Lord's message to me at church was perfectly congruent with what I learned on Saturday. And I got what I most needed next, communion. It was one of the best weekends of my life.

I have been praying about what to write as the Lord has clearly re-directed the focus of this blog back to Him. I had no clue where to start. Well I have much more clarity and almost too much to say and write now. I am just going to go day by day with what the Lord is speaking to me.

Before I went to bed last night I was praying about what the Lord would have to say to me last night. He directed me to 2 Timothy. I read most of it but my eyes and heart locked on verse 24.

2 Timothy 2:24 - And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful....

I knew this was huge because our verse on Saturday was:

Proverbs 31:26 - She opens her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

I will tell you right now that there is good reason the Lord spent 7 hours explaining to me what kindness looks like, what it's defined as, what it is not defined as (nice), how it gets replaced by unkindness... irritability.. fussiness... WHO was the literal embodiment of kindness and how to strive to be a woman whose words are seasoned with wisdom and the law (the Torah) of kindness.

I am going to blog what the Lord puts on my heart each day. Really for myself. The more I speak what I've learned, write and type what I've learned and teach what I learn, the more it will become who I am.

Father, I pray with all of my heart that I would become a woman who opens her mouth with wisdom and on my tongue would be the law of kindness. In the name of Jesus, the literal embodiment of your kindness and love I pray, Amen.

New Mercies

<sup>Lamentations 3:22-23

22</sup> Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

²³ They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

I am going to quote directly from my favorite bible commentator, Jon Courson. I LOVE what his online devotion has to teach me today.

The Lord ordered our lives in such a way that every day after about sixteen or eighteen hours, we go to bed and basically “die.” To me, His plan is ingenious because I find that after about sixteen hours of living, I’ve pretty much messed it up. I’ve dropped the ball once too often and fumbled one too many times. I need to die and start over in a fresh way. So I think it’s wonderful that God lets us "die" every eighteen hours.

How I love the morning hours. Whether I spend them at church, in my place of prayer at home, or walking the streets of town on a spring or summer morning, I love the morning when it’s quiet, when I can receive a piping hot batch of mercy fresh from the oven of God’s grace.

I honestly do not love mornings at this point. By nature and probably by nurture I love nighttime. The boys are all tucked in bed and it's prime time for me and Brett to hang out. And then the perfect time for me to get caught up on all that doesn't seem to fit into the daytime hours. Being a mom of 3 busy boys, caring for a home, trying my best to serve my wonderful husband and starting a little side business is simply a lot. There are certain things I know I could let go a bit on. One being the attempt to keep a perfectly clean house. I heard somewhere that trying to keep a clean home when your children are little is like trying to shovel the snow off your driveway in the middle of a snow storm. So true and somehow I keep shoveling away.

Here are some great scriptures confirming the Lord's call for His people to seek Him early each day:

Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Luke 21:38 And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.

John 8:2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.

Psalms 5:3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Psalms 59:16 But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.

Psalms 63:1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

Psalms 88:13 But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.

Isaiah 26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
Proverbs 31:15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

I am so thankful that that we get do-overs every day! Truly if you want things to change in your home and in your life, carving out the time to get yourself out of bed to spend one on one time with the Lord of the universe is key. I love what Oswald Chambers has to say:

The morning is a critically important time of day. You must never face the day until you have faced God, nor look into the face of others until you have looked into His. You cannot expect to be victorious, if you begin your day in your own strength alone.
Begin the work of every day after having been influenced by a few reflective, quiet moments between your heart and God.
Do not meet with others, even the members of your own family, until you have first met with the great Guest and honored Companion of your life - Jesus Christ.
Meet with Him alone and regularly, having His Book of counsel open before you. Then face the ordinary, and the unique, responsibilities of each day with the renewed influence and control of His character over all your actions.
Those who have accomplished the most for God in this world are those who have been found on their knees early in the morning

Every Season

Back to the foundation

When I set out and started our family blog, it was a very Lord-led decision. I was in a place where I was going to take a huge risk and publicly talk about what the Lord was doing in my life. That was two years ago. If you go back to my original posts when this first started you can see/read that real movement was happening in my life spiritually. Then it began to take a turn and become about what our kids are up to and cute pictures.
I never knew why really. I think it started because one particular person approached me in a restaurant who I didn't really know very well and told me she appreciated and loved reading my blog because it wasn't just cute pictures and stats... It was so real. I walked out and became SO self conscious about what I was writing that I just stopped that day. The enemy used the doubt and it worked. He shut me down... because I let him.
Well the Lord is moving once again and one of the things He created me to be is a writer. This little blog is my outlet to share what He's doing. And He wants my blog to get back to that. So it will. I know you all LOVE my food blog and that's all fine and dandy. I do love food :) But I love the LORD more. That's what I will be writing about. I know there may be times when one person reads it and I know there will be times potentially where hundreds could. Please be praying that I can put off doubt and fear and speak with boldness what the Lord is speaking to me. I ask for your prayers and appreciate your comments. It's okay to be lurker but I want this to be a give and take. We are created to be the body of Christ and I need all of you believers out there. Sometimes it may be video.. music... scripture... whatever it is it will be real and I will be honest. That's really who I am and all I know how to be. Thank you dear friends! Here is where I am at today... Please remember the Lord is SO GOOD. Always. Period.

Joshua's Baptism

We got to witness one of the most special and meaningful things as parents yesterday. Joshua chose to be baptized! The last few times the church has announced an upcoming baptism he has always asked about it and if he could do it. As parents this was a bit of a tricky decision. We believe baptism to be a decision a person makes when he or she is fully aware of its significance. And we weren't totally sure at age 7 if he was ready. So we talked with Josh quite a bit about its significance, relevance and who in the bible was baptized and did baptisms and why.
Josh accepted the Lord when he was just 5 and he fully understood what it meant. He has been part of our wonderful church since he was born and because of that along with what we have taught him at home knows much more about the bible and Jesus than I did when I accepted the Lord at 20.
We absolutely did not want to hinder his decision and are truly so thankful for his desire to outwardly show his inward faith in Jesus who is our Lord and Savior and very much Joshua's as well.
We are also blessed with an incredibly gifted bible teacher as our pastor. For the last 10 years we have enjoyed his guidance through the Word of God. It was very special to us that Pastor Brett dedicated Josh as a tiny baby and then baptized him 7 years later.

Luke turns 1

On August 4th our sweet Luke celebrated his first birthday! His party was Saturday and I have to say it was one of the most fun of all the parties I have put together. I chose an under the sea theme to celebrate our first kiddo blessed with a summer birthday! Of course summer means being outside, having picnics and lots of water fun!! We had some great friends over to celebrate and everyone had a fun time.

The Birthday Boy!

The Birthday Banner I made! I LOVED this. So amazing to see Luke's growth and development over the last 12 months! And very fun for the guests to look at.

Party Decor and the spread. I made star fish sandwiches, ham and cheese sliders, sea shell pasta salad, fruit kabobs with sea foam dip, ocean punch and also served wavy lays, goldfish and sea animal crackers to play up the theme.

A View of the deck showing the fun paper lanterns

The Kids' Table


Sweet Babies Charlotte, Luke, Colton and Shayne.

The Big Kids: Cade, Isaac, Jaden, Josh, Matthew, Chloe and Savannah

The Baby/Daddy Club

The stunningly beautiful Jillian and Mindy. And sweet Anya checking out Luke :)

Sea Creature Cookie and Beach Pail Favors. These cookies were a lot of work but I love how they turned out!

The amazing cake and cupcakes made by my wonderful, beautiful, talented friend Summer! Oh my goodness were they adorable and quite delicious too.

Luke's first experience with cake and frosting. He wasn't sure what to think. Just wait buddy! Welcome to the world of all that is delicious!

Opening Gifts

Slip N' Slide Fun!

Splish Splash!!

While Brett took the older boys to church last night, I had SUCH fun with my sweet Luke! I would have to say that his baths are one of his favorite activities right now. He loves splishin' and splashin' in the big ol' tub. He looks so much older to me in these. Hard to believe he will be ONE in 12 short days. LOVE this adorable face!

Culinary Cravings

I started a food blog a couple of months ago and LOVE it. It's a great outlet for me to share with the world what I feel I do best - cook! So if you haven't checked it out, now's a great time! I'm doing a contest right now where you can win a $50 Visa Gift Card! Below is a sampling of what you'll find.

Picture Wall

After 10 years of living in our lovely home, our naked stairway wall is now covered! Yippee! I found this layout on Pottery Barn's site and bought the frames at Ikea. I love how it turned out. The perfect place to showcase our new family pics!

Splish Splash!

Yesterday to celebrate near 100 degree temps, we had our great friends Laura, Kyle, Micah and Luke over for a play date/fun in the pool. Mind you our "pool" is pretty tiny but it's loads of fun for 5 rambunctious boys and kept them entertained!

Kyle, Josh, Matthew and Micah

Silly Boys!

I really love this!

Family Photos

We just had our family pictures taken on my 33rd birthday! It was truly the greatest gift ever. Our friend and a super talented photographer, Randi, took these for us. I couldn't be happier with how they turned out. Love, love, love them!! Here are some of my favorites...