The Journey Begins

So I begin my journey to see Bailey in Italy!

Too Quiet!

Rawley doesn't take regular naps anymore, but today, things got awfully quiet and I began to wonder....hmmmm...where is Rawley?

This is where I found him:

Yes...that is our bathroom floor! Sleeping!

Fortune or Premonition?

After our Chinese lunch yesterday, this was in my fortune cookie.

So? You say...well, Tuesday I leave for Italy to visit Bailey while she is on her mission trip!

How awesome is that?

I can't wait to post pics as I go!

So Many Possibilities!

Our family seems to be in a season of wondering what God is going to do! I love being here! It means that the possibilities are endless...will things change? will we go somewhere? where does God want us? what does God want us to do? The doors are all wide open at the moment! I love it!

Ben has options: seminary? not seminary? here in SA? not here in SA? too many others to mention!

Bailey has options: stay as a missionary? come home and start work? come home and go back to school? what school? too many others to mention!

I have options: teach Bible studies in the spring? teach one study in the spring? does God want me to serve other places? too many options to mention!

I can't wait to see what God has for each and every one of us!

Blessings

I have found this week that God has really settled our lives down a bit! Praise God! There were two weeks or so when everyday had a deadline of some sort on top of places we had to go and things we had to do...timely kinds of things!

As we were driving to AWANA last night, Ben and I both realized that this week was already much calmer. What a blessing! I love it when God gives me a perspective of life. It's his grace and mercy.

Reminds me of the verse in John 1 that says, "From the fullness of his grace we have received one blessing after another." How true that is!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

I Sucked...God Rocked!

I taught Bible study tonight. I sucked! I usually commit quite a bit of time in prayer and this week I let the ball drop on that. I usually am prepared (even overprepared), and this week I let the ball drop on that too! I am so disappointed in myself for not preparing better. My lack of preparation was so evident to me. I am praying that the women in the study heard completely different words...the words God wanted them to hear!

The bright spot? When I got in the car to come home, I turned on the radio and the words I hear are: "hallelujah! grace like rain pours down on me!" How is that for God's grace? Just the healing words I needed to hear!

Lesson learned? Do all the preparation I need to do and then give the results to God! And know that no matter what, His grace is all I need!

Great Info...Can't Use It Yet!

Ben and I attended a talk by our pastor last night. It was based on a book he wrote several years ago and has lived out in his home with his five children. It's called "The Absolutely Quickest Way to Change Your Teen". It was great and Ben and I came home all ready to use the info on Darby (not quite a teen yet, but certainly thinks she is!).

I get up this morning all ready and then what has happened all day? The kids have all be fabulous! Not one issue needing to be worked on!

How does that work?

Birth of a Soccer Mom!

So today was Rainey's first soccer game. I was willing to go and support him, but to say I was thrilled was quite an overstatement! It was early. It was raining. It was not fun to think about.

But I must say that a few minutes after the game got started, I was hooked! Once the coach put Rainey in, the goals began to happen! He was really tearing it up!
Rainey is #7 and was pretty focused on the ball. He was aggressive without being mean or rude. He just played the game.

That ball you see in the goal....shot in there by Rainey!

There he is right in the middle of the action. He did get that ball away from the crowd!

And proceeded to march it back down the field for...you guessed it...another goal!

All in all, Rainey's team, the Mighty Bears, made 7 goals...Rainey made 5 of them!

I am officially a soccer mom now!

Life

I find that God has placed me in a season where I am very busy. I find also that the busy-ness that is my life has also been ordained by God. I have sought none of it out, but have waited on the Lord to direct my paths where He would want me to go.

I like being busy. Oh...there are days when I think I am going to drown, but in general, I like several things going on needing my attention. There are people that can only do one thing, and they do that one thing really well. I am not like that. I am truly a lazy person...a regular 5-toed sloth! God knew that about me and has gotten me involved in several things with many deadlines so that I stay busy doing things for His glory.

Life can be hard. My days can be overfilled. I can get ridiculously tired. But, God is strong when I am weak...Praise God!

I am Truly Blessed.

I must say that I have been more blessed in my life than just about anyone I can think of! I think back on my life, I look around me at the present, and can only come to one conclusion...God has had a hand in every day, every minute, every thing in my life!

He has made himself known to me so very clearly! He has caused me to feel my sin deeply. I die a little when the Holy Spirit reveals my sin to me! I am grieved, but try to ask forgiveness quickly so that I don't wallow in it and hence, become a vanity of sorts. I am painfully aware of my areas of weakness...those areas that don't make God smile or bring Him glory. I know full well the sackcloth and ashes of David and then the peace that comes with knowing that I have been shown mercy and grace.

This is not to say that I haven't felt pain and sorrow or been an innocent dragged into someone else's sin. I have. I have had people close to me die. I have been rejected. I have lost two babies to miscarriage. I have been with two of my children in the hospital as they come ever closer to death.

But God is there! He has brought me through! He is alive and active! I choose to believe!

A Cupcake Cake

So...my best friend really listened when I said in passing one day that I'd love to have one of the pans that make a cupcake cake. Sure enough, it arrived in the mail for my birthday.
Today is the birthday of a gal who lives down the street and I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to use the new pan! Barbara, the birthday girl, loves purple...so I made a purple batter and cooked up the cupcake cake.

I also made purple frosting.

And then added the sprinkles! And who doesn't like sprinkles? We can't wait until she comes home and sees her cake! Thanks Lisa for a great pan! It's awesome! PS...I think we could charge more than $3 for this cupcake. :)

Humiliating to Humility

God continues to work on me in several areas. But the area that He is focusing much of His energy and my time is...humility. So many circumstances are brought about in my life with the purpose of bringing about some inkling of a humble nature from within me.

I am discovering that "humiliating" and "humility" have the same root word. Which means that I end up finding myself in humiliating situations in order to create humility!

I am discovering that I am slow to learn. You'd think that I would only have to be wrong so many times before beginning to become humble. But no....

I am discovering that I have more pride in me than an extremely large group of lions! I could say that all of my sins stem from pride.

So...all this to say that I have just read the probably the best book I have ever read, and it just so happens to be on the topic of humility. It's called "Humility" by CJ Mahaney. Convicting, encouraging, fabulous! I highly recommend it!

Rainey is Six!

Today is Rainey's sixth birthday! I remember so clearly the day he was born...two years after Sept.11 became 'famous' for such brutality and hatred...we were in the hospital awaiting the arrival of our first son.

Ben and I knew he was a boy, but we hadn't told anyone, except for two year old Kally. Every day, I would whisper in her ear that she was having a brother. Now, you might think that was strange that I would tell a two year and expecting her not to tell anyone. But, what you don't know is that I was almost hoping that she would finally speak to someone...anyone. Kally didn't say a word until she was three...so it ended up that our secret was very safe! :)

As with all of our children, Rainey was delivered by c-section. And as with all but one, my mom and Ben were in the delivery room with me. What was fun about this delivery was that she didn't know that the baby was a boy and Rainey would be their first grandson! It was priceless to see her face when she discovered that she was grandmother to a grandson! I'll never forget it.

Rainey has brought us nothing but joy for these last six years. I am proud to be his mother. I thank God daily for him and ask Him to make me the best mom that Rainey could ever have!

Vomit + Becoming Jane=One Great Birthday

My little guy threw up in the night and it ended my birthday on the sweetest note ever!

Let me explain:

Frankly, this little guy has been quite a toot lately. Don't know if it's his innate personality (fingers crossed that this isn't the reason!) or if he's the youngest (certainly could be with the amount of spoiling he gets) or if it's because he's three (terrible twos have nothin' on the need-a-thrashing threes in our house). Whatever the reason(s), he has been a challenge and a huge handful for us these last couple of months.

Last night, I hear him up moaning and whimpering out in the hall. I get up to see what the problem is and I find him covered in vomit! EEWWW! But being the diligent mother that I am, I quickly get him cleaned up, bedding changed, and then we go to stay on the couch to monitor him for awhile.

This is when the best part of my day happens. We cuddle up on the couch, covered with towels in case he gets sick again and I put in one of my birthday presents...Becoming Jane. He and I sat there tucked in the corner of our sectional with our legs spread out going opposite directions...his down the short end and mine down the longer end. Our heads were together and we watched and made observations. He noticed when the girls had taken their hair down and wondered why they had done that. He wondered why the boys who boxed in the movie, boxed with their shirts off. He wondered what Jane was looking for at a party.

We sat there for two hours with the light flickering from the tv, sound down pretty low so as not to awaken the rest of the house, and just being still. I loved it! What a great way to end my birthday. What a gift that he won't remember, but I most certainly will!

A gift by the grace of God! Thank you.

Are You Ready?

After hearing Dr. Margaret Nikol a few weeks ago, I was convicted to begin learning larger portions of Scripture. She relived the time in her life when all the Bibles were taken away and then posed the question to us if we were ready for it to happen again. Do we have the Word hidden in our hearts so that the physical Bible could be taken but the words would live in us forever?

I must confess that I have small, one-verse portions memorized...mostly from my kids being in AWANA and helping them with their verses. Oh, I have a couple longer passages hidden: the Lord's prayer, Psalm 23, a couple others...

But I came home and decided that I needed to work on longer passages. I started with John 1. God has certainly honored this endeavor and really made it so easy for me to memorize! I am old, you know, and memorizing doesn't always come so easily these days. But this has been a snap and I can only give the glory to God!

I have completed John 1:1-18, which is a summary for the whole book of John and today began Ephesians 6. I am loving getting up in the morning and working on more verses!

So...the question is: are you ready for the day when Bibles are once again taken away?

Blessings!

God has shown His faithfulness to our family in so many ways lately!

1. He has allowed me to go to Italy in a couple of weeks with my mom to see Bailey!
2. Bailey has gotten to Italy safely and is loving it!
3. Homeschool co-op payment night went off without a hitch!
4. First night of Bible study went remarkably well!
5. I have seen improvement in the kids' attitudes lately!
6. Kally has a new friend!
7. Ben has turned in his application for Dallas Theological Seminary!
8. Rainey had a fabulous birthday party!
9. We have gotten to see friends from Little Rock!
10. We have been given some very generous financial gifts lately!
11. Our family trip almost across country was the best trip ever!
12. I see my kids growing in Christ more each day!
13. I have a great group of women I love!
14. God has allowed me to have a women's ministry again!
15. All of our needs have been met...almost all of our wants also!
16. We have skype so that we can talk to and see Bailey!

We are so blessed!

Today is the Day!

So...today finally came and God really showed up! We all went to lunch...our last one as a complete family for a while. We went to our family favorite--Alamo Cafe! (thanks Ben!) Then we all went to the airport to send Bailey off. When we got there, there were a lot of her friends there (a surprise to her) to say goodbye. It was great! We got her checked in, and then just spent time with everyone. My favorite part was when we all got in a circle, held hands, and prayed for Bailey. Right there in the middle of the airport! Soon it was time for Bailey to head through security.....so one last goodbye and lots of pictures and watching Bailey leave.

I must say that though I did cry a bit....it was certainly not my normal amount! God just seemed to give me a great peace through it all! How amazing it was. John 1 says, "We have seen his glory The glory of the One and Only who comes from the Father with grace and truth." I was truly the recipient of that grace this afternoon. I have seen his glory and I am humbled.

Right now, Bailey is on her way to London set to arrive at around 1am. I have sent her into the hands of God and trust that He has her safe and secure in His will.

Bailey Leaves Tomorrow

Tomorrow Bailey leaves for Italy. I have watched her struggle a bit this week with trying to do all the things she wants to do and people she wants to see before she leaves. In a nutshell, I am watching her heart break a tiny piece at a time. I know this. She doesn't know it so much. She just knows that it's hard.

The world is about to open up for her. I know this. She just knows that she will be a long way away without the use of texting. God is working in her and is going to work through her. I know this. She is just confused as to what all is happening.

So, though I will cry at the airport tomorrow, I can't help but smile knowing that her life is beginning! I am proud of her for being a woman of integrity and following through with this even though it is hard for her.

When she comes back on December 15, she will have a different look about her. I know this. She will understand it all then.

Humbled and Happy

I had the pleasure and privilege of teaching a Bible study tonight! It has been over a year since the Lord has allowed me to do that and I am humbled by His allowing me to do it again now. I am, once again, teaching Attending the Bride of Christ by Martha Lawley.

When we moved, I had everything off of my schedule and have waited upon the Lord for determining what to add back in. This semester, He has filled my calendar to the brim, and I am so pleased! He has placed a passion within me these last few years to work in women's ministry. I have found that I really do love it and have a strong desire to see women deepen their relationship with the Lord, but it has strengthened me even more! It is just what I need....accountability, extended time with God, and uses my gifts and abilities for His purposes.

I feel honored and more than humbled to be used by Him.