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.
.

Airport Blues

Psalm 5: 11
But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

I love to sing. There is just something about a favorite song that can really lift my spirits. I usually find myself singing in the most unusual places, or at the most inappropriate times. Now, not all of my “serenades” are inappropriate, but out of consideration to others, I do know that singing my favorite song while going down isle four at my local grocery store might be a little inappropriate, especially when you can hear me on isle five. For all of my local readers, I promise to try and tone it down a bit.

Yesterday, I had to spend about three hours alone in my car. This was a tough drive for me because I had just taken my mom, sister and niece to the airport. I hated to see them leave after a week of spending some much needed time together. As you can imagine, the drive back was a very lonely one. The only way that I was going to make it back home, with my sanity, was to play some of my favorite worship songs. I knew that the music would calm my nerves and ease my sadness. As I was scrolling through my ipod, looking for those worship songs, a thought came to me. What if I cleared off the passenger side seat, asked my Heavenly Father to join me, and sang my worship songs to him, just as if I could see him sitting right there beside me. It seemed like a great idea, and that is exactly what I did. For the entire three hour drive, I sang my little heart out. Not only did I feel better, but I realized that this is what God had intended for my drive all along. For some reason, He needed this alone time with just me. I sang to him just like I know the angels do, and you want to know something, it wasn’t an inappropriate time, and I know I made Him smile.

Psalm 68:4
Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol Him who rides on the clouds – His name is the Lord – and rejoice before Him.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for riding with me yesterday. I am so glad that I was able to spend those three long hours in your presence. I know that sometimes I have to do things that are hard for me, and it is at those times that I will choose to sing to you instead of worry. Thank you for getting all of us home safely. Amen

New Member of the Year

Recently, I was honored by my Junior Women's Group with the New Member of the Year Award. This was such an honor and a surprise. There are so many women in this group who are as deserving of this award, if not more deserving. As honored as I was to get this award, it really made me stop and think. If Peyton and Robbie were to give me an award, would they give me a silver platter that says "mom and wife of the year", or would they give me a plaque that says "volunteer for the community and order take-out award"? It made me realize that maybe, just maybe I have a hard time saying the word “no”. I am beginning to understand that this is becoming an issue because every time my phone rings I crawl under my bed, count to twenty, rock back and forth and hope they hang up before I say yes to something that I really truly have no time for. Now, let me be straight with you, I get my volunteer bug very honestly. Most of the people in my family are obsessive compulsive volunteers! It just isn’t in our blood to Say “no”. As I was looking through my calendar today, I realized that I need to do a little prioritizing. Are the activities, that I have coming up, a priority to my family, to me, or to someone else? Do I have things to do that might drastically effect the time that I could be spending with my husband and my son? Am I saying yes to others because I am trying to fit in with the “whose who” of volunteer moms, or am I saying yes to those extra activities because I feel like God is leading me to them. YIKES! What is a girl to do? One of my favorite scripture verses is Ephesians 2:10.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

This scripture verse reminds me that as a child of God, it is my responsibility to share His love by extending out my hand to help with the needs of my community. My prayer now, is that God gives me the wisdom to say yes to the activities and organizations that He wants me to be a part of, and to say no if it is not His Will. If it sends me running for the closet, the chocolate, or if I start rocking back and forth as I am hiding from the phone, then it probably is not spirit led.

Ecclesiastes 3:1
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven

Heavenly Father, help me to listen to your still small voice. I want to say yes to the activities that You want me to be a part of and to say no if it is not Your Will. Help me to strive daily to be mom and wife of the year and not volunteer of the year. Thank you for giving me the ability to do good works for You!

AMEN!

"STOP THE CAR, LORD! You're Going the Wrong WAY!"

I am a horrible passenger when it comes to riding in a car. I am the type of girl that sits next to my husband and slams my foot into the floorboard because I think he should hit the brakes. I am also the girl that obnoxiously jerks her head around to check the other lane because I think it is way past time to go around the car that is driving 35 in a 55. I am also, very ashamed to admit, that I am the girl that tells my husband what he should have done when the guy that just flew past us honked his horn so rudely. Let's face it, I wouldn't want to ride with me either. For the past year and a half, I have tried desperately to take the wheel, as the vehicle of life, that my family has been riding in, has been slammed and wrecked to the core. I will not bore you with the details of the so called "wreck", nor will I bring up the dents, the scratches, and the bumps that we have faced along this journey. I will tell you though, that I have found myself so often asking my Heavenly Driver to please go the other way, or please speed up, because three to five years is just too long. I have asked my Heavenly Driver to honk at all of the mean people that have flown past me or that have somehow scratched my vehicle. How dare they put a dent in my precious car. Little did I know, that My Driver knew the way the entire time that I was throwing my little hissy fit in the passenger's seat.



For the past few weeks, I have noticed that I am slowly letting go of the wheel. What a feeling it is to finally give up the keys to the car and let God drive you the rest of the way. My friends, I know I am not the only one with dents in "my car of life", but if you choose to let go of the keys, stop telling God which way he should go, and just put your faith and trust in Him, as your Driver, you will never be led down the wrong road. As a matter of fact, you might even be surprised to see that the road that He is taking you down is SO much better. You may have to endure some new scenery, but it will be so worth the time that you get to spend traveling with Him!


Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him,and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3: 5-6

Father, I whole heartily give you the keys to my life. Drive me where you will. Please remind me to look to you when I start to throw one of my, passenger side driver, hissy fits. I love you and I trust you. Drive on...
Amen

Champagne Blonde 8 1/2

I think I have a problem. It all started last fall when I decided to forgo my very pricey yet very talented hair stylist to pay for a very pricey yet very talented housekeeper. Really, you might think this was an easy decision, but oh my friend it was not. My heart was broken right along with the ends of my hair. What was I to do without my hair stylist? I called my mom in a panic, like all stressed out little girls do, because my roots were beginning to show. That was when she referred me to "the bottle". More specifically, to Champagne Blonde 8 1/2...for cool tones. I know that to you this might sound a little crazy, maybe even a little bit off, but I am addicted. I sit before you, typing this out, proudly saying that I am here to face my addiction and get to the bottom of this bottle issue that I so lovingly have. Over the past few months, not only have I tried Ash Blonde, Champagne Blonde and Dirty Blonde, but I even went red, much to my husband's dismay. Today, as I was sitting on the side of the tub waiting 25 minutes for my new Champagne Blonde to cover those nasty roots and the rest of the red, I began to wonder why I feel the need to change my look so often. What is it that causes that stir in me every six to eight weeks to change my appearance. It seems that women, myself included, are always looking for the next big thing. This shirt will make my boobs look perky, these jeans will make my butt look just a little more roundish, Champagne Blonde 8 1/2 will make me look like I did back when I really did have blonde hair. I decided that the only way to kick this nasty addiction was to go to my trusted source, the one who loves me no matter what my hair looks like, and see what He has to say. The Bible tells us that we should take a different approach to our appearance. I Samuel 16:7 tells us that, "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."



Father, please help me not stress so much about what is on the outside, but to put my focus on making the inside pleasing to you. Amen

My Morning Cup

Why is it so easy for me to jump out of bed in the morning for that first, fresh cup of "Joe", but I come out kicking and screaming, in a round about way, to spend a few quiet minutes with my Heavenly Father. As I am preparing my latte, with a half-asleep grin on my face, I find myself wondering why I can't jump out of bed for my "morning cup" of Jesus. I think my goal for the next few days is to focus on my time with Him first, and my coffee second. I think it is time for me to get my priorities in check. Please know that I have not lost sight of the fact that for mine and my precious families sanity, the coffee is a must. However, for the love of my Father and for the sake of my day, I am going to put Him first and leave the kicking and screaming to my six year old.