Here we go again...

Wow, how things have changed since I last blogged. I think the easiest way to describe life is by saying that it has been topsy-turvy. In the past few months, I helped organize a Heart Ball for the American Heart Association, quit a social club, joined another board, said yes to co-chairing another HUGE event here in Dalton, quit an old church, joined a new church, gained a job, lost two more (details to come), finally lost my 30 pounds on Weight Watchers, watched a seven year old finish his last day of first grade, watched that very same seven year old as he was baptized in a river, stood in awe as my husband handled another huge Boys and Girls Clubs event, went to Charlotte, went to Texas, went to Atlanta, made new friends, got rid of a few friends (only kidding), began my level III classes, discovered that I am way stressed out, had to stop dieting, and in all of this, 6 blood tests later, was told by the doctor to not stress out…it’s bad for my health! Hmmmm…I wish he had told me that a few months ago. Seriously, my hair started falling out.
I can’t help but sit back and stare awkwardly at the list I just made and smile. I am such a blessed girl. What memories I have made as I have torn through this list. There were lessons learned, many tears, lots of laughter, adventures, fun, and many pictures posted on Facebook. Oh the stories I have for you. I think it is time for me to start blogging again. Stay tuned…

The Faith of a Child

Mathew 18: 3-4

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Let me begin this Blog with a short story…
When God decided to move us to Dalton, I was filled with turmoil, mixed emotions and questions. I felt everything from anger, confusion, and anxiety to excitement, thankfulness, and maybe even a little bit adventurous. God took us from our comfort zone and threw us into the unknown. You want to talk about walking out on blind faith. We grabbed the bull by the horns (as we say in Texas) and told God that we would follow Him wherever He led us. We never once questioned God’s hand on all of the circumstances that brought us to Dalton, but oh my, those “mommy radars” were in full gear. You see, at the time that God decided to move us, Peyton was starting Kindergarten. Not only were we moving to a new state, but now, I had the daunting task of finding a school for my son. God’s timing is often not our own, is it? Not only was Peyton starting Kindergarten, but he was going to have to start late due to the move. All at once we were facing a new state, a new home, new jobs, and a new school in a matter of a month. I felt myself beginning to let go of that bull! The questions began flying. I was never angry with God, but I questioned his timing many times during the transition. So, to make a long story short, God quickly blessed us with an AMAZING private school. Peyton has had the best teachers, he is reading, writing, and he loves to learn. On top of all of that, he LOVES school. It is a rare occasion when he will wake up and not want to go (OK, moms, you know that last part is amazing)!

Now that you see what a gift this school has been for my little man, I want to share with you what happened to him yesterday. During chapel, his principal had been talking about being born again. She explained to the children that she had two birthdays. The first birthday was the day that she was born into this world. Her second birthday was when she was born as a Christian. At the end of the service, she invited the children to pray and ask God to come into their hearts. Now, keep in mind that my son is already a believer. We pray together and he spends every evening with his daddy having devotional time. He knows that he can talk to God and that God is always with him. Today was different though. As he got into the car with me he proceeded to tell me that he has two birthdays now. I was waiting for him to ask me for a gift, but instead, he began to tell me that he asked Jesus to really live in his heart. He said, that after he prayed that prayer during chapel, it was like he felt different; almost like God had given him a present in his heart (his words). We both had tears in our eyes. I am telling you that I could sense a true change in him. He felt different, and I sat there amazed. How often do we take for granted the present that God has given us? I, at that moment, thanked God for touching my son’s seven year old heart, and asked for forgiveness for not having that childlike faith. Peyton received the best gift in the world yesterday and he knew it. May I always remember that when things do not seem to be going “my way”, I need to focus on the gift that lives in my heart and put all of my faith and trust in Him.

Dear Heavenly Father,
How can I express the love I have for you. Thank you for touching Peyton’s heart yesterday. I could feel your anointing all over the place and I can’t wait to see what you have planned for this amazing child that you have blessed us with. I pray that you will continue to touch his heart and lead him down the path that is only paved by You. I pray that you will continue to keep my heart in check and that you will continuously remind me to have that childlike faith. You amaze me…

Amen

Decorating From the Inside Out

This is THE GIRL TREE! Seriously, the picture does not do it justice! It's totally precious! :)

Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

This past weekend I decided to decorate my home for Christmas. Yes, thank you, I am very aware that it is mid November. I can’t help it…I have the holiday itch. However, after having this great epiphany, I began to wonder what my neighbors would think if they knew that I was already decorating my home for Christmas. I mean, seriously, who wants to be known as the crazy Christmas tree lady. I walked outside and took a good look at all of the houses adorned with pumpkins, beautiful scarecrows, and hay bales. It was at this moment that I decided to simply focus on the inside until after Thanksgiving; after all, it is the inside that counts, right? If you think about it, the most important people in my life see the inside for what it is, Christmas Trees and all! I have been obsessed about wanting my home to be perfect before my family gets here for Thanksgiving. All the bulbs on every tree must be just right, the ornaments must be evenly separated so that no two are too close together, and all garland must be hung on the chimney with care. I am happy with the progress so far, but still have a lot to do.

As I was putting up the “girly tree” (see picture), I began to wonder how my “inside” would look if I cared for it as much as I do the inside of my home. What if I designed my heart to be as beautifully decorated as my Christmas trees, and my thoughts to be as straight as my garland? What if I worried more about what my family thought of my inside as much as I worry about what they think of my outside? As we go through this holiday season, please remember that it is the inside that counts. Of course we want to care for the outside, but if the inside is beautiful, the outside will always follow suit.

The storms of This Life

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Is it really November? I honestly can’t believe that my last post was in August. I can feel the daggers. I have had so many of you calling, e-mailing, and questioning why I stopped blogging. The truth, I think I lost my blogging mojo. Do you ever feel that when the storms of life come crashing in on you, that it is so much easier to throw up the brick walls, board up the windows, and hide, pretending that it will all be over soon? As I sit here and write my first blog in over three months, I am in the midst of that tropical storm (it has now been downgraded from a hurricane) and let me tell you that those brick walls are high enough to reach the heavens. Without going into all of the drama, I will spare you the horrific details; my family has had to deal with a spiritual battle that is larger than anything we have ever seen. I am not going to say that I was unprepared for this battle/storm, but it hit us with such shocking and tremendous force, that I found myself running instead of protecting my family and home. As God began to deal with my heart through this storm, He began to show me that even though I have to push through the storms of this life, He is never going to leave me nor forsake me. Sometimes, we have to remember to put on that shield and fight the battles ahead. Most of the time, our storms are small and simply require an umbrella. At other times, the storms are larger than we are prepared for and we need a total shelter. If you are going through a storm right now, I would suggest that you memorize Isaiah 41. Use this scripture to tear down those walls and to allow yourself to let God be your shelter. We will have battles ahead, but if we allow Jesus to carry us through them, there will always be sunshine on the other side.

Heavenly Father, thank you for protecting me as I walk through the storms in my life. Help me to always remember that You are my umbrella and my shelter. I trust You with all of my heart.

Amen

Into The Unknown

Psalms 138:3
When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.

This past Friday we had the pleasure of picking up our new foreign exchange student in Atlanta. Hy Raeyn Oh is from Korea. Her new American name is Laura and so, out of respect to her, I will refer to her as Laura from now on. Anyway, Laura is an amazing 13 year old girl who so desperately wants to learn English. Her father is a pilot in Korea and her mother is a stay-at-home mom. Her father’s wish was for one of his two daughters to attend school in America, and Laura BOLDLY agreed to go. This weekend has been an eye opening, learning experience for all of us. All, that is, except for Peyton. My six year old son has handled this adjustment beautifully. As Robbie and I are walking on eggshells, and talking two octaves louder, because we think that this will help her understand us better, Peyton has her sitting on the floor patiently describing the differences between Patrick and Spongebob or teaching her important things, like how to play board games (see top left picture). Robbie and I rush to the grocery store so that we can find white rice for her, and Peyton is sneaking Popsicles into her room for a bedtime snack. It is amazing to watch how well an innocent child can take something as big as an entire cultural difference, along with a language barrier, and act as if it is nothing. I am so proud of him and must humbly admit that I have learned how to treat others through the innocence of my precious six year old.

As I was thinking about the boldness that it took for this amazing thirteen year old child to leave her family for an entire year, I began to feel guilty for fighting with God when he asked me to simply move to Georgia. Even though Georgia feels like another country, sorry Georgia friends, it is not even comparable to what Laura has chosen to do. I am, also, ashamed of the things that I have taken for granted for so long. Simple things like Wal-mart, Sonic, and even church are fantastic adventures for her. She walks around in amazement every time we take her somewhere. Even our house is a wonderland for her because she and her family live in a very tiny apartment. Oh, Heavenly Father, please forgive me for not counting my blessings and for taking even the smallest things, such as Wal-mart, for granted. I would like for you, my faithful readers, to keep Laura in your prayers. She is very close to her family and misses them very much, but she is a determined little thing. It is not in her mind to go home. She is going to finish the calling that her father has set before her.

OK, here is where I get spiritual. How many blessings and new adventures have I missed out on simply because I have not boldly stepped out in faith? Am I missing out on more? Have I finished the calling that my Father has set before me? Oh, the many lessons I will learn from this amazing 13 year old from Korea. Father, help me to have her faith and her boldness when you call me into the unknown.

Psalms 143:10
Teach me to do YOUR will, for you are my God; may your good spirit lead me on level ground.

Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for not walking BOLDLY in the path that you have lead me down. I want to always be in Your perfect Will and to always say yes when you ask me to go. Thank you for Your many blessings and for sending Laura to us for this season. Help us to show her Your love and to teach her how to build a relationship with you. I can only imagine the many lives she will touch once she is back home. Not only will she continue to follow her earthly father’s wishes, but her Heavenly Father’s too. Amen

Mathew 9:22

Mathew 9:22
Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your FAITH has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment.

I should be asleep right now! It is two in the morning and I have been up with Peyton and his stomach for the past hour or so. Peyton is fine, but I am in “mommy alert mode” and can’t go back to sleep. Peyton rarely gets sick, so when he does, I become this crazed hypochondriac and I check on him every 3.4 seconds. OK, it’s not that bad… it’s more like 3.4 minutes. Regardless, as I was praying for Peyton, I began to think of all of the people that have asked for prayer this week due to sickness in their family. It is so hard to understand why God allows sickness to fall on us or on our family members. I hated to have to watch Peyton suffer through his stomach pains tonight, but I do know that my God is a God that heals. After getting Peyton settled, I looked up several scriptures on healing. I want to share my three favorite scriptures with you at the end of this BLOG. I know that I have several friends here in Georgia and back home that have asked for prayer this week due to illness. If you are one of those people, please know that your name was lifted up tonight. Sometimes, when we are in the midst of a storm, we forget to put our faith and trust in the one true healer (I am speaking for myself here). I pray for all of you that are dealing with sickness or illness in your family. Please know that I will continue to pray, and I wait on all of the good reports that I hope to hear soon. May God bless each one of you. May he wrap his arms of love and comfort around you, and give you the piece and comfort that can only come from Him. I love you all very much and consider myself honored to have gotten a chance to pray for you tonight.

P.S. for those of you wondering, Peyton seems to be fine now. I think I actually hear him snoring! Thank you Jesus! :)

Isiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds, we are healed.
Mathew 9:22
Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your FAITH has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment.
Mathew 14: 35&36
People brought all their sick to him, and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

A little nudge from God

For those of you that do not know, I have an AMAZING six year old son (see picture). Let me just tell you that he is the apple of my eye and an absolute angel. He behaves well in public, makes good grades in school, says please and thank you, and to top it all off, he loves Jesus with all of his little heart. He is a true treasure, and I count my blessings every single day for the gift that God has given me. However, in all of his “awesomeness” (that’s my new word), Peyton is an only child, and at times, tends to act a teeny bit spoiled. Close your mouths, I know you're shocked, but it's true! Now, I will be the first person to throw my hands in the air and take the blame for this. I would also ask that the rest of you out there that have taken part in this so called spoiling, also throw your hands up. Peyton was the first grandchild on both sides of the family…need I say more. He gets it honest, and it is very hard to say the word “no” to those big brown eyes. Today, we spent the entire day doing some back-to-school shopping with his Granny. In the midst of this shopping Peyton came home with a few things that had absolutely nothing to do with his school or with any classroom activities. I too came home with a book and a new pair of shoes. Come on ladies, a $7.00 pair of shoes is a must. I could not walk away from a deal like that. Anyway, as I was driving home, listening to that favorite worship cd of mine, and singing my heart out, I felt a little nudge from God. He reminded me of the children, that my husband has the pleasure to work with on a daily basis, that have their school supplies donated to them because even grocery shopping is a strain on their families budget. I began to thank God for the blessings that He provides for my family and decided to take this day as an opportunity to show Peyton how blessed he truly is. As I pulled my new shoes and my new book out, I asked Peyton to show me all of the things that he bought today that were not school related. We then, together, decided that we would give one thing away to a needy family, for every new thing that we purchased today that was not school related. This actually turned into a family project because daddy scored some new shirts too. When it was all said and done, we had a box and a trash bag filled with items to donate to needy families. What a blessing it was to watch Peyton go above and beyond what I asked him to give. I want to train him to have a servant’s heart and it is so amazing to see God working on him already. What an important lesson we all learned today, thanks to my little nudge from God. He took a really fun day with my son and made it even better.

Proverbs 22:6
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it.

Dear Heavenly father, I am so thankful that You have entrusted me with my child. He is such a blessing to so many people. Help me to train him in the way that he should go. I want him to know You, and to love You more and more every day. In Your precious name I pray, Amen.
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