Surprise

Well I guess the picture above says it all. Yes that's right my husband Matthew and I are expecting our 4th baby. I am still somewhat in the state of shock but somewhat excited now too. Today we announced the news to our church body. I am the 4th women to be expecting in our small church. We have two babies due in December, one in January and mine in Feb. I think I have experianced all the emotions you can have in this past week.
There is something big going on at my church, Harvest Church. We have had two teens get saved in 2 weeks and five babtisms and four ladies expecting babies. I do believe we will have more in every area. Come, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. I will have more to share later. For now suffice it to say that God is good....All the time!

God kissed times

My husband Matt and I just got back a few days ago from a truly God kissed vacation. We went to Myrtle Beach, SC to celebrate our ten year anniversary. Each day was so relaxing and refreshing. Everything was such a blessing from the place we got to stay for such an awesome price to how great the weather was while there. Here are some pictures that highlight our time away.


Our last walk on the beach

The 1st Day we got there we headed to walk on the beach

Enjoying the night, walking on the shore

Matt holding a baby shark that this guy caught

A view from the pier

Heading to the beach

Matt having some time to play the guitar on

our balcony

A pelican that stopped by to say hi

The beach at night

Spring is Here

Picture while driving around on a Sunday afternoon

Daddy and Kids at Sunsphere

The bride to be, AKA my baby sis

Hannah looking at rocks

Daddy teaching the kids how to skip a rock

Sisters looking at rocks together

Me and the older two kids

Another picture while riding around

Spring is certaintly here. We have had some very warm sunny days here as of late in Knoxville, TN. Some days reaching into the 80's. I have found that taking moments out of my day to enjoy the simple things of life have given me a spring in my step so to speak. The picture above was one a took on a Sunday afternoon as me and my husband and kids drove around looking at the dogwood trails. There are so many things to thank the Lord for.

I come from a family of five girls...yep, that's right, all girls. I am the second of the five. Each one of my sisters holds a special place in my heart. These past few months we have been very busy as a church, two weddings only a month apart from each other. We have had one bridal shower after another, and it has been true joy. I have so enjoyed getting to be with not only my sisters by blood but my sisters in our church body. I love them all so dearly. These last few weeks we have been very busy getting ready for that 2nd wedding, the wedding of my youngest sister, Lisa. She is the youngest of the five of us girls and she is the last to get married. These are special times.

This spring like I said has been very busy but very blessed. I have friends expecting their first child, dear friends becoming grandparents, newlyweds basking in each others love and next month, my husband Matt and I will be celebrating our ten year anniversary. I feel so loved, so blessed to be a part of all of these lives. The Lord continues to draw me to Himself and I am learning more and more about the grace of the Lord. It has set me free, it continues to set me free. God's goodness is everywhere. Take joy in the moment. Remember that our strength doesn't come from ourselves but from Christ alone. I will leave you with a few photos from this month of April 2010, a month of blessing for sure.

A Shift in Thinking

Just taking a few moments to share a few things with you, sharing where God has brought me to at this point in my life. I am 31 years old and was saved at the age of 6. I am amazed that I am just now getting some of this but so grateful to the Lord that He doesn't give up on us. I am grateful that He has placed me and my family in a Church with leadership that desires to see each of us grow in our knowledge and understanding of the Lord, and to truly know the Lord. I have much on my heart and so I will try to share a little of where I am.
In the past few months I have had a shift in my thinking. As a Church we have been learning about the grace of God, operating from a place of grace. I really didn't even realize the areas of my life where I was not operating from a place of grace, but the more I heard, the more I knew that I had been missing something. I prayed, I read the Bible, but honestly it was from a place of duty, a place of I had better because that's what Christians do.
Focusing on the grace of God freed me, not from praying, not from studying His word; but from my duty bound thinking. This has been a process but just recently, in the past week I realized that my thinking had changed. Praying became a privilege to me and not a duty, not something you just do because you are a Christian. We are privilege to get to talk to our Saviour, to pour our hearts out to Him. We are privileged to get to read His word and learn of Him and how He would handle things. I am doing the same things but more often, because my thinking has changed. God is not waiting for me to do something wrong, He loves me and cares for me and yes He does discipline His children but it's from a place of love, from a place that He wants to see us grow in Him. I do not have it all together, I have not arrived by any means, but by the grace of God I will continue to grow in Him. Why do you do the things you do, is it from a since of duty or a place of privilege. May I always be teachable, may I always seek His approval and not mans.

Our Stories

I was recently talking with a friend, actually more than one friend and we were discussing how "our stories" matter. The Bible speaks of there being a time for everything. Ec 3:1 "To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven". Where we have been doesn't matter as much as where has God brought us from where we have been. Our struggles; our trials; our joys; our victories...these things have a purpose. The purpose is not reflect ourselves but to reflect the glory of God as he saw us through. What did he do for you? You may be the very encouragement someone needs today.

For me, God took a shy girl, full of insecurities and hurts and He healed me. It was a process, just like most things, but the process was well worth it. Some things the Lord did quickly in me, others took awhile. My hurts are no longer hurts but victories. If I have my eyes fixed on Jesus, I will change, because my aim is at glorifying the Lord, reflecting Him not me. When I am going through a particular hard time, I try to remember that God knows what He is doing. He knows what it is in me that has to change, He can see down the road, He knows where I am going and what it is going to take to get me there.

Just recently I had the chance to share with our youth group part of my story. My trials and struggles will become part of my story, my victories in the Lord if I keep my eyes focused on the Lord. Maybe I will share my story at least in part with you. Be encouraged, my victory is coming, your victory is coming.

A Thankful Heart

No, this isn't a Thanksgiving picture..per say, it was just a family dinner one day about two months ago..but in this picture speaks so much of things that my heart is truly thankful for. I am so thankful for Jesus Christ, for His saving grace that is mine. Jesus gave me my wonderful Godly husband. He gave me three beautiful children, whom I love with all my heart. Our home, provision for us all. A wonderful church home with friends and family that love me for who I am but also challenge me to grow in my walk with the Lord.
The Lord has been so gracious to me, leading me gently in to new places. I have just recently really started to know and understand what it means to give your burdens to the Lord. I have always known that is what you are supposed to do, sounds so nice to say :) But the Lord is showing me how to do this. I am becoming a less anxious person and more able to say, nope not going to give into worry, the Lord knows and knows how to best to handle it. I have enjoyed the sweet peace of the Lord, not because it's suddenly there and wasn't before, but because I realize it HAS been there all along. I am in a different place than I was a year ago, and for that I am truly thankful to the Lord. So much to think and reflect on this Thanksgiving week. I pray that this week you are able to ponder the things that the Lord has given you.

"I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with Thanksgiving." Psalm 69:30

Thoughts on Abiding in Christ

John 15:1-8 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me and I will will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown in the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

I look at this tree (a picture I took in Charleston, SC) and I see a very strong, viable tree, one whose branches are firmly attached to it's life source. I am not sure how long this tree has been around but from it's size, I would say it has been growing for some time now. It is an established tree, one that will not just be blown over by a mere wind. It can withstand probably some pretty powerful storms. The leaves give this tree beauty and shade for the people below. The leaves are simply a by product of the branches having the nutrients it needs for growth, without that the tree would slowly rot and die. It would lose the functions it has, and would be no good to anyone. Such a wonderful portrayal of our life in Christ. We can do nothing apart from Christ, we can try (and many have) but they will not succeed. To abide (dwell) in Christ we are feeding our spirit through a personal relationship with Christ. We desire to know the Lord more, we desire to spend time in His word. Our very strength, joy is in the Lord. Even if we are lacking desire and greater passion, all we need do is ask the Lord to help us, increase that in us, the scriptures says we have not because we ask not. One scripture that I use as a prayer often is Psalm 139:23 "Search me O God and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting." The Lord is so gracious and in his grace and mercy he is sure to lead us in His way, if we ask. In 1 John 1:9 it says "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness". Let us Abide in Christ!