How Blessed Am I...

God has blessed me so many times in my life with amazing friends!  For a few years after we moved, I really had not ONE!  I prayed for just one!  I had the phone to catch up with "old" friends but not one that I could see face to face or have coffee with.  I felt so lonely!  It was a time of leaning on God as a friend and my relationship with Him grew into something that was so amazing!  He was my friend...He showed me His heart and I desired to have His heart!   I am so thankful for that time!  How blessed am I!

Now, after years of praying for a "friend"  God has abundantly blessed me!  I have some people that he has placed in my life for this moment and this time that have been EXACTLY what I needed!  I have learned to continually run to God first but I also now have some ladies I can share my heart with and they love me just the way I am.  I feel so privileged and honored to be in their lives!  They have become my sister's and we have the same Heavenly Father and we share the same heart...to have the heart of our Father's!  How blessed am I!

Over the years, my mom became a friend to me.  I realized she knew WAY more than I thought she did!  I began to share my love for God and she shared her love for Him with me.  ALL the time by living it and I observed it knowing I wanted what she had!  She passed that longing for God down to me and it grew in my heart.  That is where it all began!  I could NEVER repay her for that!  It is why I live and breath!  How do you thank someone for that?  I can't even begin to show her, but mom...thank you!  Because of you, mom...I want so much to have the heart of Heavenly Father!  How blessed am I!

My daughters are also becoming my "friends"!  They are 17, 15, and 13 and growing up!  It is so fun to share the things of God!  We cry together, laugh together and yes, even have those little moments of 'ARGH..." with each other but it is so very precious!  I wonder can your daughter's be your sister's in Christ?  I think so!  What a joy to discover that and after all the years of raising them, you begin to see the rewards!  I have pointed them to God and now...they have the heart of their Heavenly Father!  How blessed am I!

My husband is my BEST friend and words cannot express the love we share!  I am overwhelmed at the way he loves and accepts me and how much he has sacrificed for me!  I can tell him my deepest longings and dreams!  He does not laugh at me when I talk about things that sound crazy.  He just sits and listens and nods his head in agreement.  He has seen my joy and my tears and loves me with a love I never thought I would find on this earth!  He is my friend and we share one desire...to have the heart of our Father!  How blessed am I!

My heart is overflowing with joy because He has given me the gift of friendship in so many ways!  Not because He had to but because He has choosen to and He knew it would bless my heart!  Friends who point me to Him and the cross!  I hope I can be the friend God has called me to be and when this life on earth for me is through, I will have blessed other's because I have had the heart of my Heavenly Father! 

To all of you I have considered my "friend" through all these years...thank you, I am honored to know you and so thankful God has given you to me!

How blessed am I!

Sisters

Sisters are the BEST! I lost my only sister in a

car accident when I was 16 so I never get to

experience the joy that sisters bring!

Yes, there are times when it's not so rosy but the

fun and togetherness FAR outweigh the struggles!

I have watched them grow from playmates to best friends.

They encourage each other and frustrate each other

They share each other's clothes and their hearts too

A life-long bond that will not fade with

time

but deepen

A true treasure to hear them talk about

 the things of Christ and listen to them as

 they help each other learn the ropes

 of growing up

I never had this, but I get to WATCH it right before

my eyes!

The giggles, jokes, and realizing life together side by

 side is truly pricesless!

What a gift from God sister's are!

Turning Hearts Labor Day picnic

It's a new thing, Hearts that are at home and not saturated in the world around them.  Well not really new!  But today in this culture, we have lost all sense of a biblical pattern in our homes.  Even Christians!   Inch by inch, we have suffered the lack of true bible based living.  It starts with small, subtle decisions and before we know it, (or don't know it) we are so far gone, that we don't know how to get back.  The scary part is, some don't even know they are living a luke-warm life.  It has become the norm!  (I'm one that used to be in that category!)

There is a big calling by God to bring families back to where we need to be.  Well, actually, it's always been His plan to have it His way.  But somewhere down the line between feminism and mega churches, we have gotten lost!  But  He is calling us back to live our lives totally surrendered, with NO compromise, to Christ in every area!  Income, children, marriage, schooling, churching, and just plain living!  No more compromise!  No more just coasting through and being desensitized to the truth!  Easy?  NO!  Where do we start?  The one true thing there is left in this world, the BIBLE!  What a great joy to see families surrendering their lives and making a decision to go the opposite direction of the culture and seek their heavenly Father's face! 

We took part, this past Labor Day, in a beautiful display of people desiring to bring families back to truth!  Hundreds of people took part!  The Bates family, from Knoxville, Tennesee (friends of the Duggar family), were the guest speakers.  We had hayrides, looked at cattle (we are city folk so that is an amazing thing for 7 boys!), played games, ate, and learned more about how to seek God in a world that is lost and how to bring others to this joyful way of living, family style!  A life surrendered to the living God and living it out so other's see His glory!  How cool is that!

 Cooler than 2 city boys watching the cows do what ever they do!

 Cooler than even playing football with over a hundred kids!

 And believe it or not, cooler than The Bates Family with their 18 children :)

This is my little guy on the hay ride

 Hangin' out on the fence watching the cows get milked

(remember, we are city people!  Not sure if that is the correct wording!)

we got to touch home-grown gourds

And can't forget this sweet little thing to remind us what family is all about!

Please make sure you are Turning YOUR hearts towards Home!  God will do amazing things when you step out in faith and trust Him!

Foto Friday

I seem to post lots about my boys!
But I guess when you have 8 of them and 7 of them are under your feet ALL day,
they tend to be the ones you have sight of often!
And let me tell you,
I have learned the hard way,
I NEED to have sight of them every moment! :)
Because what one does not think of,
another one will!
We have had a long couple weeks of strep throat going around and it is NOT over yet!
Just think if you will,
13 people passing it around and THEN the ones who got it first,
are getting it AGAIN!
So, yes we have cabin fever and winter has not even hit yet!
But I did catch these sweet little things playing together so
a-d-o-r-a-b-l-y!
And believe me when I say,
I NEED SOMETING ADORABLE TO LOOK AT!

Have a GREAT weekend and PLEASE stay healthy!

In Memory...

Today I have a favor to ask! In memory of Savannah, today would you take a few minutes to pray for those of you who know people who have lost children.

The parents of Savannah, dear close friends of mine, are remembering 2 years ago today when she went home to be with Jesus. I have never had to go through this kind of pain and NEVER want too. I have watched the pain it causes and seen the sorrow and brokenness it causes.

I cannot imagine walking in the door of the home that she once walked through but will never walk through again

Passing the bedroom she once slept in but will never again lay her head on HER pillow

Going to the store that she always went to with YOU and never being able to buy her that outfit she couldn't keep her eyes off of

Seeing her favorite color but not being able to watch her smile in delight,
Christmas without buying her a gift

When her birthday comes and you remember the first time you held her in YOUR arms knowing now that although now she is in Jesus arms YOU will never hold her again in yours

Seeing somebody that would be her age and wondering what SHE would be doing

And I will never comprehend the pain going to that grave sight and seeing my child's name on the stone and knowing I will never again see her this side of heaven!

When you lose a spouse, you are a widow or widower,
When you lose your parents, you are an orphan,
There is no name for it when you lose a child!


Today, Willie and Roland, I think of you and want you to know I am lifting you up in prayer into Jesus loving arms, and know that He is holding Savannah also!

To my dad- I know when my sister, Gail died, you too felt all these things. You were so strong for mom, my brother and I as you walked through the deepest pain of your life! Thank you for holding US up when YOU needed to be held! You were so selfless! Thank you for showing us to look to Jesus and reminding us that this life is just a vapor in the wind and we have a greater hope that soon, we will see her again! I love you!

Savannah's mom has started a blog in memory of her, check it out here www.savannahshope.blogspot.com

Spring photograph

My daughter has been out taking spring pictures and I just love to show off what she has done. I love spring! Enjoy today, everyday is a gift from God! How fun that he gave us things to enjoy just because He loves us! May you feel His love today in a special way today!

 

Women of Faith

I spent this weekend with my mom and oldest daughter at a WONDERFUL women's conference called Women of Faith . I have been going each year for the past 11 years and this year was just as incredible as it always is. Some years I have gone, I have had definite issues I have been dealing with and knew God was going to reveal things to me. Other years, I went thinking I had it all together only to find out that there were issues He wanted to bring to the surface. I have learned that there are ALWAYS things I need to have brought into light, it is just at times, I am to preoccupied to really closely listen. Not real cool, huh?! Well, this year, was one of those years I thought I was going to go to listen to God's word and enjoy just being with Him. Which I did! BUT that was not all God had in store for me! We worshipped with Steven Curtis Chapman Friday night and He told of the pain and heartache him and his family has been through this past year after losing there 5 year old daughter. He said he has never understood the sovereignty of God more and never questioned it more. He was so humble. He also sang a song that God used to stir my heart. It is called Heartbeat. First God used it to reassure me of the value of being a mother, hope you enjoy it also. Then He used Sheila Walsh to show me some other things He wanted to remove the veil from my heart and help me overcome. I can't really share quite yet what that consists of because He is still working on me, but I will be sure to share when I am ready and have more answers. I will give a hint, it is about letting go and letting God! Something I struggle with. So through the tears and the laughter, God renewed my spirit and gave me the desire to once again begin another time of cleansing. I strongly advise any woman that has a chance to attend one of these conferences, to take a weekend and DO IT! It is a great time to come together with other women believers and soak in the love of Jesus! I am including a picture of me with Lisa Welchel (formally Blair on the 80's show "Facts of Life". It is a terrible pregnancy picture of me but oh well, I decided to eat my pride! ;) Have a beautiful Christ-filled day and remember, God is never finished with us until we see Him face to face!

 

Friends

Today, I am reminded to thank God for my friends. Friends who have been there through all the fun stuff and the not so fun stuff!
A true friend is so hard to find. A friend who is still your friend even though you have not seen them face to face for literally months or years! (A phone is a wonderful invention!) In the business of motherhood, there is little time to maybe spend the time with them that you would like, but for all things there is a season and for a friend to understand that and continue with the friendship is a beautiful thing! I believe through all the seasons of my life, God has hand-picked all my friends. (And by His grace, He allowed some of the ones I would have chosen as friends growing up, to go our seperate ways!) I still have contact with those who are really near to my heart. (You know who you are!) I am a person who always has just a small handful of close friends. Those who I can bear my soul to, lifting me up in prayer and think of me often. For those of you who are reading this and consider yourself my friend, thank you! This is for you! To my mother, this is for you also! You have known me since the beginning and choose to love me anyway! :) I thank God for all of you! I thank God for all the seasons in my life that you have helped me and the blessing you have been to me! What a gift! Hug or call someone today thanking them for their friendship. It will bless them!