my haitian son

My mission trip photo's are up! The picture here is one of my very favorite. I am standing with Simon. Last year, Simon and I bonded. It was hard to wait a whole year to see him again. However, I am sure the year seemed much longer to him. He knew I was coming and was expecting me. As soon as I got off the bus, he was standing there waiting with a huge smile and a big hug. I absolutely love that boy.

I came across a quote in a magazine (Real Simple-my favorite!), that made me immediately think of Simon. It reads, "A gift is pure when it is given from the heart to the right person at the right time and at the right place, and when we expect nothing in return."

The last day was hard, knowing it could be another year before we would see one another. We hugged and I cried, then Simon presented me with a gift. It was two carved wooden figures of a man and woman. He gave them to me and said, "This is for you, my mamma. I have one mamma here and you are my mamma too." As poor as they are, he gave away what he had.

Simon's gift was truly given from his heart, to the right person-me, at the right time-a goodbye, at the right place-Haiti, and he expected nothing in return.

Simon, may Christ bless you beyond measure, in ways that I could never comprehend. I love you.

happy birthday, gracie caroline

Monday, December 3, 2001

1:58 p.m., 7 lb. 5 oz., 19 1/4 inches

After trying to have a third baby with no success, we decided to accept that maybe God was going to keep our family complete with two girls. However, He surprised us! Our Father saw fit to lavish us with His grace and give us a gift of a third child. We knew right away that there was only one name for this baby: Gracie, in honor of our Abba's grace.

We had no idea how that name would come to hold the meaning even more. We went into the labor expecting a fast, uncomplicated delivery. However, things quickly changed. To the doctor's horror upon checking me, the baby's cord had been delivered. No time for c-section. It was now a battle for life. Finally after much pushing, pulling and chaos, out came a lifeless, ash colored baby. All I could hear was the nurses yelling out zero's for all of her Apgar scores and the plea's for the baby to breathe. As she was being passed across the threshold of the door into the hands of emergency staff, she took a deep breath and flashed a bright pink. Her cry was the voice of an angel. After all of that, she was a completely healthy baby. Imagine.

What was playing behind the scenes is the most amazing part. A little bit before her birth, some ladies felt an urgency to pray for my delivery. The phone circle started and prayers began going forth to the Father. I can't help but imagine prayers being said the moment she passed across that threshold.

We did not get the delivery we expected, but God delivered more. He delivered us an amazing bundle of grace.
2 Corinthians 8:9, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich". Boy, are we sure rich. Rich in grace.

lancaster family

This morning I was pondering on how thankful I am for our Lancaster church family. You have been so good to us. We are truly blessed. You have been putting Scripture into action! Galatians 6:10, "So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the family of faith."

There are many of you who have played a large part in our transition to LBC. If I had the opportunity to give one of those "thank you" speeches at an award ceremony, it would go something like this....

First of all, I thank God for leading us to this new ministry field. How exciting to roll up our sleeves and work side by side in the coming years.

Thank you to the Pastor Search Team; Barney, John, Sean, Georgia and Della. You all made Lancaster look good! The church body did a great job in selecting you. Barney (Mr. Parker), you have shown your spiritual gift of service over and over. We love you and Loretta (Chris, Kim, Lauren and Parker too! And your cole slaw and sweet potato casserole!). John, I admire your quiet strength. Thank you for your financial wisdom and for always seeing that our accommodations were perfect. Sean, you are just a mess (I say that with love!). Your joy is contagious. You keep me in laughter. You, Page and the boys are very special to us. Thanks boys, for being good buddies to Abbie. And Jennifer, even though you were not on the team, thank you for helping Page with our girls and making them feel incredibly special. Georgia, I love you so much. You are a calming force for me. I can see you are the one who keeps "Toshika" -oops, I mean Rick, under control. ha! Thank you for all the emails that kept me encouraged and informed. Thank you also for loving my girls. Della, you my dear, were the driving force of prayer for the whole process. You are a great prayer warrior (And a good cook! Watch out Barney!). It is so easy to love you and Rodney. Walt, even though you too were not on the actual team, thank you for your advice and leadership in other important areas.

The Crutchfields: Greg and Heidi, you have bent over backwards to help us and it has not gone unnoticed. Thanks for opening your home to us and your third daughter. Heidi, thanks for going house hunting with me and for loaning your husband over to us so many times. We love you guys. Chris and Rhonda, thank you for using your God-given skills to help us with all the house work. And Rhonda, if I am ever sick, I want you to please come take care of me! Your gift of mercy is obvious. Jimmy and Willena, you two are precious. You have lavished us in love, especially the girls. Morgan and Madison, thank you for being good friends to my girls and treating them like sisters. Slade, my eyes are on you. :) Kevin and Spencer, thanks for helping out your dad.

Dana and Leah, thanks for having our girls over and treating them as your own. We will come back anytime for DiChervo Pizza! Leah, I feel a very special connection with you. Maybe because we share a lot of the same type of heartaches. I will never again see a butterfly without thinking of you. Thanks Brianna for being such a sweet friend to ChloeBeth.

Many thanks to those you who helped me paint. And paint. And paint. Sue, are you partly responsible? ha! Thanks for all you and Monty have done. Phil and Vicki, you threw up your sleeves and got started right away. Oh, and don't let me forget Vicki's little "my brother built that deck" stunt. You turkey. David D., thanks for giving up one of your days to help. Misty, I pray for you each Sunday as you bring us our lesson. David E., thanks to you (and your mom and dad!) for helping with all those boxes. Whew! We finally made it. Kathy for your help too. Amee, boy, you stuck it out all week. Thanks for taking away from your daily schedule to help me get organized. Cindy, thank you for the food. Oh, and for the expensive salsa I now have to buy! Thanks Michael for your patience at the hardware store (by the way, what a cute family you have!).

Michael and Sarah, thank you for the smooth transition. We truly love you and look forward to ministering side by side. And thanks Sarah, for being such a great mentor to Abbie. Stephen, Liz and Caden, we love you three! How blessed to have Abbie sitting under your leadership. Daniel, keep it coming! I absolutely love worship!

Allison, I look forward to digging into God's Word with you. Jenny, I love your enthusiasm for the lost. Tina, thank you for seeing about the girls at school. It makes me feel good knowing you are there. Allen and Tami, you have done much for us. Those t-shirts were thoughtful and kind. It really made the girls feel welcomed. Thanks, Allen for all the time you invest in our home. Joanna, thank you for making ChloeBeth feel at home during that first football game. Lori, what a sweetheart you are. Linda, I can't wait for Brad's mom to meet you. Bridgett, boy we had to bond fast, huh?! Wes, thank you for your book. I have a friend, Rebecca, who loves poetry. I will have to share it with her. Sky, thanks for making us feel at home online. Your computer skills are essential! Anna, you are a worker in the church and always enthusiastic when working! Jim and Kelly, you have blessed us beyond measure already. As I said before, not only did we get an incredible doctor but incredible friends too!

To some more kids. Claire, what a sweetie you are to Gracie. Isabella, your little smile makes me want to just squeeze your stuffins' out. Logan, thanks for all the texting to Abbie before she even came. Austin, my eye is on you too. Katie, thank you for being so loving to Gracie.

Now, have you ever seen a speech on an award show? Like me, they are too long and inevitably they always seem to leave out the most important person, like their spouse! Yes, I run the risk of leaving someone out too. However, it was not done intentionally. There are just too many of you to be thankful for! Please know that we love you all in the love of our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

friends and pearls

Ok, ok! I know I am way behind in a new post. However, thank you my sweet sisters for gently reminding me. :) And, no, I haven't forgotten a single one of you in my business. Sillies!

I am reminded of my precious Cedar Hill sisters every time I look at my pearls. My ladies Sunday School class gave this pearl necklace to me as a remembrance of our friendship.

I will never forget that night. They treated me like a princess. We had a lovely meal together with so much laughter that the people around probably thought we were under the influence of "something". From there we went to Mary's for dessert (and the dessert was WOW!). Once we knew the time was getting away, they turned all serious on me. Each one of my beloved friends shared with me the influence I had on their lives. It was a very humbling experience. You can imagine the tears that flowed!

Then! The big surprise of the night. Those girls were giggly all night over a box. It was an odd shaped box. Yet I knew it had to be a special gift the way they kept carrying on about "the best is still to come". Mary handed me the gift and when I opened it, my breath was taken away. They presented me with the above pearl necklace. It even has two small diamonds in the clasp. I knew it was of great value when they presented me with the appraisal certificate in case I wanted to get it insured! However, it has more value than that piece of paper can ever approve. I will cherish it always and pass it down to my daughters one day. How fun to not only pass down a valuable treasure but to also pass down the story behind the necklace.

Mary explained that each pearl represented a lady in our class. Every pearl individually unique (and, yes, yours is still front and center Mary!). Individual pearls all bound together by one string to make one beautiful strand. Just like we are in Christ! The whole body of believers, bound together by Jesus Christ make one magnificent treasure.

Ladies, I love you all very much. Philippians 1: 3 & 4 sum up my thought for you today, "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all."

happy birthday, chloebeth

Wednesday*October 7th*1998 *11:24 a.m.

Ten years ago, God gave us an 8 lb. 1 oz., 20 1/2" gift of love. And we are forever grateful for His gift. She was a short, 3 hour and 3 push delivery. Typical of ChloeBeth, she entered the world quiet with eyes closed, wondering why in the world we interrupted her sleep! What a wonderful birthday it was.

Thursday*December 15th*2005*9:10 p.m.

Three years ago, God gave us a 7 year old sister in the Lord. And we are forever grateful for His gift. She drove us crazy wanting to ask Jesus into her heart. Wanting to be sure, we waited as long as we could, until she insisted she wasn't waiting ANY longer! She was baptized (or baptatized as she called it) on Sunday, December 25th. What a glorious day it was! That year Christmas happened to fall on Sunday, so as we were celebrating the birth of our Savior, we were also celebrating the birth of a new sister in the Lord! And, like with Abbie, her Daddy got the joy of immersing her under the water and bringing her forth as new life in Christ Jesus!

May the verse that I dedicated to all my girls continue to manifest itself in their lives. Psalm 1:3, "He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does he prospers."

Happy Birthday, ChloeBeth, we love you.

home, sweet, home

Deuteronomy 11: 18-20, "You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.."

This is our new home. The one where we will continue to grow together as a family and grow in the Lord.

My friends, MaryLou and Roxanne, cracked up when I told them the address is Royalty Drive. I don't see the humor in it. I mean, what could be a more appropriate address for me???

The most wonderful part of the house is knowing that this is the one house that God set aside for us. I knew instantly that is was the home He picked out for us. I am so amazed at the goodness of God. Especially in the way He answered prayer after prayer concerning this home. And to top it all off, the Lord gave me a sweet friend in the process! The precious lady who owns the home (Joanne- white jeans in photo) has become a friend that I will always want to keep in touch with.

We will be closing on the house on October 15th. Please be in prayer for us and all the many, many details that come with a move. Also, lift up a prayer for my friend, Joanne, during her move.

Any tips or advice to give away concerning a move?

leaving cedar hill

I knew this day would come. I just didn't know how hard it would be. Last Sunday night, Brad had to tell our church family that we would be moving on to another ministry field. Since then, I've been thinking back over the past 7 1/2 years. So many memories come to mind. Some I had forgotten about until now. I thought I would share a few. I won't go into detail on each one. You will know if one applies to you!

I remember...

• Meeting with the Pastor Search Team. Sharing with Cathy our year long struggle to have a third child. Not knowing that I was actually two months with child!
• The kindness of the church body. I don't think I had to cook the entire first month.
• The birth of Gracie. How traumatic it was. Amazing how some of our sweet church family sensed that morning an urgency to pray for her birth. I truly feel that God answered your faithful prayers with our little girl.
• The first men's conference. Remember the service that night? That was bigger than all of us, so we knew it was God!
• Christmas. You all spoiled us so much. Phillip, I will never forget that Christmas you brought basket after basket of food! If I remember right, you even brought the ham!
• Women's Trips. We had some good ones. Birmingham, Lexington, Nashville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg. I know I am forgetting more. Then there were our Camp Linden Get-A-Ways. Those were all wonderful. The Lord brought salvation through those and renewed hearts. Then there were those of you who were a teeny-tiny bit mischievous! Oh, and please don't let me forget the canoe trip we took while there!! You know you all wanted to be in my canoe so you could experience my "expertise". I am laughing as I type this!
• Our 40 Days of Purpose Campaign. We all experienced the Lord like never before. Remember that big final event at the High School gym?
• Easter. That first one we had in the High School gym. We expected the Lord to show up and boy did He!
• Our 5 year church anniversary surprise party. You all blessed us with such an amazing gift. I know you all were like giddy little kids waiting to give that to us. I believe that is the only time I have seen Brad speechless!
• Ridgecrest. Remember THE year? The one that had mishap after mishap? Believe me, I double check for keys all the time now!
• One particular family who used their spiritual gift of giving to bless us time and time again. You amaze me at your generosity. It always came at just the right moment.
• Haiti. How my life has changed since that trip (and not just from the airplane strip or the bus ride through town!). Haiti will forever be on my heart.
• Youth retreats. Remember when Kelsey Vincent put the wig on and pretended to be me after the HS retreat? Coldstream Camp for the Middle School was also great. Rebecca and her giant that looked more like Jason from that scary movie (which I do not watch-you all know how easily scared I get!).

Gosh, there are so many! I am sure more will come to mind in the days ahead. I may have to write part two.

How about you guys? Do you have any special memories of our time here?

Oh, how I love you all so much. James 1:17 says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above". You all have been a very good gift to me from God!

music and slips of the tongue

Psalm 66:2, Sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious. Say to God,"How awesome are Your works!" Verse 4 continues, "All the earth will worship You, And will sing praises to You; they will sing praises to Your name."

Boy, that is exactly how I felt in worship yesterday.When the choir sings,"There is a Fountain", I have to contain myself for fear that you all might think I have finally lost it. My heart swells with an incredible love for the Lord when I hear that song. I even had to restrain myself during the medley of hymns. They were so rich and powerful. Don't even get me started on the sermon. I wanted to do like the guy in Brad's message and run around the room yelling, "That's what I want too!". Then the little slip of the tongue was just too much. I am still laughing. Poor Pooter, oops, I mean Peter! Sorry Brad, I couldn't resist.

My girls are like me. They love music. We just can't be still and sing. I believe there have been times when driving down the road, the person next to us would have thought we were in need of 911. That's just us enjoying singing to the Lord.

Brad and I both have bedtime rituals with the two younger girls. At first, we used to both tell them bedtime stories. Their Daddy would make up these lavish tales about "Norbert the Dragon". Those girls would be hanging on his every word. The nights that I would lay them down they would beg me to tell "Norbert" stories. Well, I tried. The girls and I both knew it was time I quit when Norbert was playing in the field with his friends and the next thing we knew, he was on an elevator at the mall. Yes, I was dozing off!

I decided to do what I can do best. Sing. Not that I can sing well, I just like to sing. Now our new ritual for the girls and myself at bedtime is Mamma singing them to sleep. I sing mostly hymns. My choice of music is contemporary but I felt like they hear that enough. I didn't want them to lose the love of the faithful hymns that are packed full of Truth. Yes, modern worship music is wonderful, but let's not forget the hymns. Let us pass them on to the younger generation so they are not lost. Recently, Gracie has been learning, "I have decided to follow Jesus". I get so tickled listening to her sing it at the top of her lungs while in the bath tub. I know the Angels in heaven must have their ears bent toward that precious little girl as she worships her Savior with the voice He gave to her.

Just to let Brad off the hook with his, *ahem-pooter* mishap, I will leave you with a slip of the tongue from Gracie. Our choir sings the song, "The Days of Elijah". After hearing the part that repeats itself saying, "There is no God like Jehovah, there is no God like Jehovah...", she asked me one day why in the world those people keep singing, "There is no God that likes to hold ya? Don't they all know God would hold you?" Simply precious.

children and church

Whew! I am still dragging today.

Last night was our TeamKid Kickoff party at church. Let me sum it all up for you: A gym full of inflatables, balloons, pizza, coke, cake, ice cream, registration, 23 volunteers, 54 kids, tons of energy and one very, very happy Minister of Education. Although, I might be wrong about the happy Minister of Education. He could possibly be terribly sad that our summer program is over.... (haha!).

Oh, you know, it sure is a lot of work to pull off a successful kids' program. However, the blessing of seeing the smiles on their faces and hearing their laughter make it worth every minute. The best part, though, is knowing we have the opportunity to shape their spiritual lives.

I was watching some of the children play and began to wonder what impact they will make on the Kingdom. One day, they will be serving in the local church, hopefully passing on the faith to other children just like it was passed on to them.

Please let me encourage you to take seriously the opportunities to serve in any type of children's ministry. It is so easy to pass them over, but we simply can not do that! In the book of Mark, Jesus says, "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Right after that is a precious picture of our Lord, Mark 10:16, "And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them." If our Savior finds it important to take the children into His arms, we should do the same. Next Sunday, pass around a few extra hugs to the kids!

brothers, sisters and maps

This post is in honor of my brother in the Lord, Steve Perry. However, we all know him simply as "Stump". One time he told me that I was the sister he never wanted but got anyway. We scrap just like real siblings, but most of the time it could be spared if he would just do what I say. After all, I am always right.

Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death."

Last night, we put that big brother, little sister theory to the test. Stump and his precious, sweet, patient wife, Deborah, took me out for my annual birthday steak dinner. We picked up Stump and his precious, sweet, patient wife, Deborah and let Brad and Stump sit up front so they could navigate (are you already sensing a mistake?). They decided to use "Maggie" (what Brad calls the GPS, which is weird to me) to guide them to the steakhouse.

As we were driving down the interstate, Deborah and I told them the exit was coming up. Do you think they took the exit? No, because they know where they are going. Mistake number two- never question my map skills. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have an incredible sense of direction and am a huge map nerd (Brad calls me Mrs. Randy McNally).

After what seemed like hours later (ok, maybe just 30 minutes later), the men decided we must have missed our exit (you think?). You see, we told Stump when to get off, but instead he wanted to argue that his way was right. After swallowing a little pride, he admitted the exit mistake but then declared we still had to go around some by-pass (by-pass? there is no by-pass). Deborah and I told them the place was about two miles off the exit on the left (where it has always been). But oh, "No" says Stump, we still have to go by the by-pass and then it's several miles down the road. Then he had an insane moment of wanting to make a bet with me! Has he not already learned enough? Does he want to lose his pride and his money? I declined the bet so as not to hurt his spirit too much when he realizes how WRONG he is. After all of this bickering, guess what? Deborah and I were absolutely right. Gee, we must have been going so fast we didn't' even see that "by-pass"....

Me and Stump, bound together by the blood of Christ as brother and sister. I still love him. I know he would lay down his life for me, my husband or my girls. He's the one that said no one would ever mess with his pastor without having to mess with him first. Gotta love him.

distractions and fear

All the worship leaders wore white pants and white tops. The music artist wore white pants and a white top. Then there was MaryLou, Roxanne, and me wearing our white pants and white jackets. Sorry to all the other ladies who did not get the memo! MaryLou and I went ahead and let Roxanne in the picture, even though her jacket isn't exactly white. :)

What am I talking about? Friday and Saturday several of us girls from church went to the Going Beyond conference. If you have the opportunity to sit under the teaching of Priscilla Shirer, you must go. I have heard her several times, and every time I am amazed at how God is using her. That girl can bring the Word!

Today I had the chance to sit down and process all that I took in over the weekend. Isn't it amazing that hundreds of women can be in the same conference, and yet God speaks to each one of them in a different way? One way God spoke to me was through a quote Priscilla shared, "Satan can't destroy us (Christians) but he will do everything in his power to distract us". The distractions will be greatest when God is up to something.

Lately, the enemy has pulled out many distractions against me: I am desperately seeking God's wisdom, trying to discern His will for my family. Well, you can imagine how unhappy that makes the devil! I believe God wanted me to hear this so I can be aware of why there are so many distractions; now I can focus more on Him.

Secondly, building on this same truth, one of the greatest distractions that Satan uses against us is fear. When God is up to something in your life, the enemy will do everything he can to make you fearful. If he can place fear in your life, you focus on the fear so much that you can't see God at work and become paralyzed. One of my favorite scriptures is Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go". How could fear reign over us with a God like that?!

Have you had many distractions in your life lately? It might just be that God wants to do a greater work in your life. What area of your life do you see God moving?

birthdays

Yesterday I celebrated my birthday. It was a good day, spent with some new friends of ours, who made my day very special. You know, I have fibbed about my age so much that I have to do the math to see exactly how old I am! Do you ever look at others your age and think, "Man, they look so much older than me"? I mean, I am thinking I look at least 25? Ok, stop laughing. How about, I feel at least 25....um...well, on the inside anyway! I seem to be stealing a few extra glances in the mirror, too. Just like the other morning. I mean, out of no where this age spot shows up on my face, totally uninvited! And do I remember that wrinkle being so prominant? Guys have it so much easier, don't you girls think so? We spend so much time trying to "turn back the clocks"! And way too much money on beauty products!

All this has me thinking. There is one age that I don't mind one bit. A birthday that comes every year with anticipation and excitement. I actually brag about that age! I relish in the "age spots". Spending money on all the beauty products that enhance this age is a pleasure. I want to look old on the outside and feel old on the inside! This birthday rolls around every March 9th. This birthday is my spiritual birthday. I care so much more about this age than any other! Sometimes when I look around, it makes my heart so sad to see many Christians who haven't aged one bit. The still look fresh out of diapers. We should have such a deep desire to want to grow in the Lord when we realize what He has done for us! His great love for us should compell us to spend time with Him, learning from Him by prayer and His word!

Let's not waste any more time in these last days. Hebrews 6:1(a) says, "Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity". So, between now and your next birthday, let's try our best to look really, really old!

Now, I am going to go eat some more of that cake...you know, the one I got for my 32nd birthday..........

answered prayers

"Mama, I didn't even know we were at school all day, I thought it was just another half day! I had so much fun!" Those were the words that Gracie said the second I picked her up, through bright eyes and a big 'ole toothless grin. God certainly blessed us with much favor this week. The younger girls absolutely love their teachers (me too!). Gracie has already made a "bestest friend". ChloeBeth had a wonderful surprise too. She was hanging up her back pack and was shocked to see one of her sweet friends that she went to school with while at the Christian school. They were both so excited to have each other since they were both new. Now how about that? The same class. Coincidence? We know better!

Tuesday, Abbie and I went to register her at the High School. I was a nervous wreck driving there. Abbie thought it was no big deal, questioning me why I was so nervous. Well, it's not every day that we take our valuable treasure and lend it to someone else's care! But the next day, things were a little different. I had one of those times when a memory is etched forever in your mind. This time on the way to school, Abbie was the nervous wreck. As we pulled up to the place to drop her off, I put on the biggest phony face I could muster and gave her lots of words of encouragement (imagine me breaking down right there and then!). In that moment, she would have loved for me to walk her in and protect her from the unknown (now wouldn't that make a great first impression?), but it was an unspoken truth that we both knew that couldn't happen. She had to step out and do this one herself. And that is exactly what she did. Once home, she was cracking me up telling me about her day. So much for needing me!

I know there will be many hurdles in the days to come, but I place my trust and confidence in a great and mighty Savior. And in the meantime, I will bask in the goodness of these first few days!

Do you have any forever memories of the first days of your children going to school?

laying down rails

Living near a railroad track, the rumbling sound of a train can be heard in the distance. The train, full of power and speed, quickly approaches and the sound of the blowing whistle can be deafening. There is no doubt that the train has arrived! I am quickly reminded of the words of a man by the name of Watchman Nee. He says, "Our prayers lay the track down on which God's power can come. Like a mighty locomotive, His power is irresistible, but it cannot reach us without rails". Lately, I have been laying down a lot of rails! For the first time ever, our girls will be in public education this year. It is a new experience for us all and the anxiety is running high (mainly for me!). This is a decision that comes with much prayer and tears. For all of my wonderful prayer warriors out there, please keep us in the forefront of your prayers. Pray that the girls will be strong in their faith and be leaders, not followers. I am trusting that God will use our girls to glorify Himself. Who knows what this coming year will bring, but one thing for sure, we will be relying on the power of that Locomotive!

In what ways can you say that your children (or you) have had positive experiences in public school?

love in action

Philemon 1:4-5, "I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, becaue I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints."

I thank the Lord for the people that He has placed in the lives of my family who continually bless us. Either by their love , their generosity or their prayers. I tend to lend my mind toward those EGR people (extra grace required- Rick Warren's, not my own) and dwell on the ones who give me fits. May the Lord help me to be more aware of those that are a blessing to my family and to be more thankful for how He uses them to bless us. And in turn, that my eyes would be opened to opportunities to love them back. Often we tell our girls that you can show love by your actions. May I be more aware of how to show love in action.

What are some ways that you try to show love in action?