growing with delight

my little girl is growing so fast.....

to think a year ago she was only 6 months in my belly,

not even ready to enter this word....

and now look at her....

smiling, standing, thinking she's a big girl...

i often think how alike we are to children in our christian walk...

God must smile as we grow and take steps to walk for him..

He must cry when we fall and gently pick us up and say "it's going to be ok, I'm here"

He must ache for us when we must learn on our own

when He can't do it for us

but most of all He loves us

He worries about us

He cares about our well-being

He delights in us

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. Zaphaniah 3:17

He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. Psalm 18:19



lovely linkys:

 

heaven on my mind

my pastor has been doing a study on heaven. 

do you......
     Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Collossians 3:2

what do you look foward to doing in heaven.....

today he said the top the three things we will be doing
1.  worship  (i can't wait)
2.  resting   (i can't wait)
3.  serving the Lord  (i can't wait)

three of my favorite things to do!!

i try to set my mind on heaven......this is not our home....this is brief and fast and we are merely dust....

but to get to heaven i must overcome my fear of death......

what are your heavenly thoughts?

lovely linky
http://www.jumpingtandem.com/
hear it on a sunday

together

when did your relationship with Jesus begin
as a child, as a teen, as an adult
when were you together
on the same page
i knew Jesus as a child
i knew who He was

what he did

who his parents were

i knew Him

but he didn't know me

we weren't together

i could tell you all the stories

all the big parables

but we weren't together you see

until one day

when i fell on my knees

you and Jesus are you together

you are His and He is yours

random

i planted an herb garden this weekend
i know nothing about herbs

it was our first day back from spring break today

just 5 weeks left of the 2011-2012 school year....woohoo

addie has learned to speed crawl

she follows me around everywhere i go

owen entered a writing contest with UNCTV PBS kids

he won 3rd place out of all entries!!

i pray and plea with God for a friend

her family, her baby

wednesday is my anniversary

three years....i love him more everyday

if you know me and have ever talked to me

i talk like this
random
and at the end of the conversation

i'll be back with the herbs

i did learn lemon balm helps with indegestion




lovely linkys
Jen @ Soli De Gloria
Shanda @ On Your Heart Tuesdays

UBP 2012

Welcome to my blog via the Ultimate Blog Party.

Glad you came, enjoy your stay, and come back soon.

Here are some things about the one and only me.

• child of God, Ambassador for Him
• mother of two - a boy, 6, and a girl, 8 months 
• married 3 years this week to a wonderful husband
• grew up on a farm and still live on it
• teach 7th grade math
• teach young adult sunday school
• love friends and family
• enjoy coffee and gardening and reading and cooking and taking pictures and hanging out with middle school students and teachers  and LIFE

Some of my Favorite Post

• My Story
• Put my Jesus on
• Home
• Beauty

Thanks for coming.

Follow me ---> over here some where

Leave some love:)

good bye

God be with you.......

that's how we got to good bye

over the years it was shortened and changed

how i wish is was still God be with you

i think i would like it much better

never been a fan of good bye when it comes to people

i often say see you later instead

good bye seems to be too permenant

maybe i'll start a new trend and go back to the orginal

God be with you.......

forgiveness

i spoke of sacrifice on good friday because on friday thats what i thought it was about, but here on monday  all i see is forgiveness

i gave up fast food for lent.  it was was getting to be a problem.  its expensive and we don't have a lot of pennies to spare.  my weight is an issue and fast food isn't really helpful.  so i gave it up....a sacrifice.  wrong.  i made a sacrifice for me not Him.  sure i was faced with tempation and i prayed for strength.  but one morning about week four i "thought" i was staving.  so i ran up to bojangles before school.  ordered a sausage biscuit, all the while looking around to see if anyone say me.  i sat my biscuit on my console between the seats and in about two minutes as a made a turn my biscuit fell in the floor board, all the parts face down in the dirt. (yes i have a dirty car..i live on a dirt road, i'm married to a chicken farmer, and i have a six year old boy)  i had taken two bites on my biscuit...i cryed all the way to school.   not because my biscuit had fell but because i had.  saturday i confessed my failure to my mom.  she said you didn't eat it, i would have blown off and ate it.  i said "no it was a sign."  she says your right it was a sign.....the sign is God forgives. 

Easter shows us many things with its story, Jesus' sacrifice, His horrible death, He ressurection, His life....living eternally.  But under it all the blanket of forgiveness rest.  With the disciplices, Peter especially, with the two prisioners by His side, with the guards who beat Him and pierced His side.

 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Luke 23:34

me....my sins.....you.....your sins...forgiven

This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Matthew 26:28 

http://www.jumptandem.net/

easter

Good Friday has always been somewhat of an oxymoron to me.  I remember as a kid being so angry....WHY?  Why would they murder him?  He's Jesus.  God's son.  Why did they not understand?  And it wasn't until recent years that as horrible and painful as it was, it was the plan.  It wasn't murder, it was sacrifice.  Sacrifice can be painful, brutal yet necessary. 

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” 1 John 3:16

But because He came, He lived, He died, He rose again.  We have hope, grace, and mercy.  And on the third day, we will rejoice, we will sing, we will shout, we will tell as Mary did that Jesus is alive. 

And we have His promise

“Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” Matthew 28:20

Wishing you an Easter that is a wonderful day and that you soak in the message of the most wonderful miracle and story ever.

storms

storms blow in these days

and not just in the atmosphere

at home
at work
at church
in our health
in our cars
in our finances
and I hear Jesus say
Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
after all He's done for me
why do I question the storm

its outcomes

its scariness





Photograph by Tracy Jolly
Roaring River, NC
taken 4/3/12

 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Mark 4:39-40

piling up

things seem to be piling up.  school piles.  clothing piles.  church piles.  garden piles.  bill piles.  toy piles.  dirty dish piles. 

scary pictures of the tv show hoarders flash through my mind.

but as I hold a sick baby girl with 104 temp who is just so pitiful, the piles don't matter

and i think and God whispers  the piles don't matter. 

whatever you have piled up in you and around you.

He just wants to hold you and let you rest in His arms.

How do you handle the piles in your life?

psalm 92

my sweet girl sings with the choir

she squeals with delight during every song
and then dances in between squeals
when the song is over she looks sad
in her eyes she questions "why is it over"

 It is good to praise the LORD
and make music to your name, O Most High, 
 proclaiming your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night,

to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
and the melody of the harp.  Psalm 92:1-4


the whole church smiles and giggles at her
and i begin the think why don't we all have such joy
we should be squealing in the delight of our Lord

For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD;
I sing for joy at what your hands have done.

How great are your works, LORD,
how profound your thoughts!  Psalm 92:5-6

He should find us shouting out his praises, singing for his joy
just as she does with true, innocent peace
because at the end of the day, this earthly home is temporary
He is in control and we are blessed beyond measure
and this is just the beginning of His goodness

Where will God find you this week?  What great things do you have to shout about?

But you, LORD, are forever exalted.

Psalm 92:8

lovely linkys

Jen @ Soli De Gloria

Shanda @ On Your Heart Tuesdays

Michelle @ Hear it on a Sunday, Use it on a Monday

Jumping Tandem

 

Courtney's Questions

Junior year in college, I decided I needed a job.  So, thus began the job search which lead me to the alumni call center at NCSU.  I applied online, got a call for an interview.  I was terrified.  I had held summer jobs at home, but there was no interview and I didn't work for someone I didn't know.  We know everyone in this small town.  I asked some friends what I should wear and they quizzed me with interview questions.  So, I was ready.  I walk in with my skirt and heels (which you will read more about later) to meet this girl wearing running shorts, a tshirt, and sneakers.  She had beautiful hair, teeth, and makeup on though (never leaves home without it.)  And she said it the most perky voice ever...."Hi are you Karrie?  What's your major?  Are you avaliable these times?  Ok you're hired."    And we became friends....share our cupcakes, get thrown out of bars,  hold my hand "I'm pregnant,"  "will you be in my wedding?" friends.  We have laughed till early hours of the night and now she lives far away and I miss her dearly.  She put me up to this.....Love ya Courtney.

Rules: Post a picture of yourself, tell us 11 things we might not know about you, answer the 11 questions asked of you, then write 11 new questions and tag some friends to play along (let them know you tagged them!)  (where's your pic Court?)

11 Facts
1.  I never read a book in high school.
2.  My first car was a new vw beetle.
3.  I flipped my beetle on it's top on my 18 birthday.
4.  I have made over 15 hand woven baskets.
5.  My house has water on three sides, a creek, a river, and a pond.
6.  I get anxious in cities.
7.  I am an excellent shot with a handgun.
8.  I hardly ever follow the recipe.
9.  I failed Chemistry in college.
10.  I hate to go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink.
11.  I haven't washed my windows in like 2 years (shh don't tell my mother is has been that long).




Courtney's Questions


1. If you could re-do one decision in your life, what would it be?

WOW just one??  I would not have dated so seriously in high school.  Boys are immature and there is so much more to come, you don't have to get married by 21.

2. What's your all-time favorite scent? Not perfume, but.. like.. smell.

CINNAMON - candles, coffee, cookies, hmmmmmmmmm

3. Do you remember your first kiss? Lol. Just take a minute to bathe in the awkwardness...... and then regale us with it.

LOL....ohhh my.....13, braces....at his house...playing outside...his best friend was also there....being the look out, ya know, we certainly didn't want to get caught

4. Speaking of, what's the most awkward moment that you can ever recall?

My first teacher internship.  I was wearing a pencil skirt and heels.  It was a cold, rainy day.  The school I was in had two levels with a big staircase at the entrance.  The stairs had those rubber strips on every step.  They were slick from the rain and my heel caught.  And there I went rolling head over feet to the bottom, during class change.  AWKWARD because I had to come back the next day and embarrassing.

5. What the worst trouble you ever got in in school? Heather Pavel, I did not make you squeeze that fire extinguisher handle.

We were celebrating earth day.  To do so, we went outside and sat in a grassy area and listened to a guest speaker from a local company explain to us how they reduce, reuse, and recycle.  I got bored (imagine that) and began pulling grass and covering my feet, my neighbors feet, legs, arms.....I got yelled at for a good 5 minutes following the speaker.  All I remember is "IT'S EARTH DAY AND YOUR PULLING UP THE GRASS"

6. If you could go back to a place you've visited, where would it be?

Definitely back to Europe...I was 17, ungrateful and uneducated.  I went to the Louvre, for goodness sake, and can remember nothing.

7. Describe the most perfect day of your life so far.

The most perfect day so far in my life was my wedding.  Most (at least 500 of them) of my favorite people, up until that point in my life, were in one place at one time.  It was a beautiful, 72 degree day.  The flowers were blooming, the dress was comfortable, the music was awesome.....it was perfect.  Oh and I married Matthew.

8. Do you have a firm handshake and do you think that matters? PS. I shake hands with the strength of.. the Hulk. I got tired of being squeezed to death, yo.

I shake consistently, not too soft not too hard.  Unless you are my brother, then I'm squeezing as hard as I can.


9. What size bed do you have? Validate your decision. Especially mention if it's a super tall bed. I do not understand the logic. What if you fall out? Wouldn't it hurt way worse?

We have a queen, but just in the last year.  We did have a full, which Owen now has.  Sometimes when we are reading bedtime stories and saying prayers, I think how did we sleep in this thing.  Our bed now is an extra bed my grandmother had, it is not real high or low, just right.

 10. What would you buy right now if I gave you $100?

Pay a bill.  Buy formula and gas.  It's 2 weeks till pay day and the good Lord is going to help me get there with everything I need for my family.

11. Complete this sentence: I feel strongest when I . . . .

hold my children.
 
 

Anyone join in....leave a link to your post in my comments.

 

MY QUESTIONS.....
1.  What is your all time favorite dessert?
 
2.  Where would you go if you could go anywhere on earth?
 
3.   What's the biggest lie you ever told?
 
4.  How often do you go without washing your car?
 
5.  What do try to keep yourself from doing, but some how never seem to get out of it?
 
6.  What do you take to pot lucks?
 
7.  What is your proudest moment?
 
8.  When is the last time you took a nap?
 
9.  What are you currently reading?
 
10.  How often do you go to the grocery store?  What do you usually buy?
 
11.  What was the last thing you prayed for?
 
 

Alright answer away......

pray

My mind spins this morning.  

Prayers for a friend and her newborn son fill my heart.  

And I cry out to God, as David did.

      Hear me, LORD, and answer me,

      for I am poor and needy.

We discussed prayer yesterday. 

I have grown in my prayer life.

I'm no longer prayer, Lord be with the sick people and thank you, Lord, for the butterflies.

I'm doing better at prayer when I wake up

And not waiting till I close my eyes at night.

It's easy for me to pray in times of need,
For things I can not control.
But for things I think I can control, I forget to pray.
And so I cry....    
Teach me your way, LORD,    
that I may rely on your faithfulness;     
give me an undivided heart, t
hat I may fear your name. 
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; 
I will glorify your name forever. 
For great is your love toward me; 
you have delivered me from the depths, 
from the realm of the dead.

                                     Psalm 86

How do you pray?  When do you find it easy or hard?  Have any prayer request? I would love to pray with and for you.

lovely linkys

Jen @ Soli De Gloria

Shanda @ On Your Heart Tuesdays

Michelle @ Hear it on a Sunday, Use it on a Monday

Jumping Tandem

Empty

It's easy to see the empty things, my bank account, my refrigrator, the gas needle, and more and more often my patience.  As easy as it is to see these things, it is as easy to dwell on them.  Their emptiness fills my mind, causing anxiety and stress.  But instead of dwelling on these, today I will choose to dwell on the things that fill; Addie's smile, Owen's laughter, seeds in the soil, studying to teach Sunday school, planning mission trips, sunshine, and the Holy Spirit.

Lovely Linky's:

Five Minute Friday w/ The Gypsy Mama

Fingerprints w/ Beki

trust

In peace I will lie down and sleep,

At night I struggle

my mind races

the anxiety builds

all the bad things that could ever happen

make movies in my mind

for you alone, LORD,

and so i pray

for trust

make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 4:7-8

My pastor started a series on heaven this week.  I'm looking forward to the study. 

What do you think a day in heaven is going to be like?

lovely linkys

Jen @ Soli De Gloria

Shanda @ On Your Heart Tuesdays
Michelle @ Hear it on a Sunday, Use it on a Monday
Jumping Tandem

Aching on a Friday

 Why, my soul, are you downcast?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God.

 

Psalms 42:5

 

my heart aches for You, my Lord.................and so often I ponder why I am so blessed, and yet I search

I ache

 

 

 

Lovely Linky's:

Beki @ Fingerprint Friday

The Gypsy Mama @ Five Minute Friday
Michelle @ Caffinated Randomness

Listen

Have never been good at listening

To really listen

I know He talks
He whispers
He cries out
LISTEN

And what happens when you aren't listening?
Does He stop talking?

I must stop talking first
I must stop getting my 2 cents in before
I must let Him have a turn
What kind of friend am I, never letting him talk?

Have you been listening to Him?  What's He saying to you?

My friend and I sang this at church today.

I come to the garden alone,

While the dew is still on the roses;

And the voice I hear,

Falling on my ear,

The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me

And He talks with me,

And He tells me I am his own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

          He speaks and the sound of His voice

          Is so sweet the birds hush their singing;

         And the melody that He gave to me

         Within my heart is ringing.

          I'd stay in the garden with Him,

      Tho' the night around me be falling,

     But He bids me go;

      Thro' the voice of woe

       His voice to me is calling.

And He talks with me,

And He tells me I am his own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

Linkys I Love:

Hear It on Sunday, Use It on Monday

on your heart tuesdays

jumping tandem

Spiritual Sunday

Heritage of Faith

         soli deo gloria

snow for the soul

what is this??

ohhh....its fun and cold....

yes, mommy take my picture in my first snow

now take me back inside...i'm cold.

I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness;

I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.

Psalm 7:17

Delight

"The LORD your God is with you,

he is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you,

he will quiet you with his love,

he will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17

Delight!!!
5 minutes go

i smile at His delight in me
the sunshine He brings
the blessings he bestows
on me, unperfect me
and yet he smiles down on me
His hands hold me
when things are unnbearable
His hands hold me
when things are unforgettable
He delights in me
i smile at His greatness, His goodness
His perfection

and yet

he finds time to delight in me

(and you too)

Lately

.

Lately, it has been a little warmer than it should be.

I hear the birds singing as I walk to the car in the mornings.

And when I come home they are waiting on me.

My son says the funniest things.

As he played the Wii the other day and his Pawpaw watched and said what he was doing, Owen said "Your being the complicator, PawPaw."  And then with a funny face, he says "is that the right word."  My response, "while your Pawpaw is a complicator, he is being a commentator right now." 

Addie has a tooth.  And almost always has a smile.  She loves music and for you to sing to her.  She doesn't sleep much, unless I hold her.  I think she will crawl soon.

I'm ready to my garden going. 

I am constently amazed by the decisions of adolescents.

I seek worship with the Almighty.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Psalm 91:1

questioning my mission

we are studying colossians in sunday school.  paul's letter of encouragement to God’s holy people in colossae that he wrote while in prison. 

paul makes the following statement in chapter 1 
  Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.  I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—

paul's mission
to rejoice, to encourage, to serve

what is my mission statment?
what do other's see in me?
a mother, a friend, a teacher....

do i rejoice in my suffering or do i complain of my circumstances?
how am i serving God in "my plan" ?
is my mission statement a reflection of my own plans or His?

What is your personal mission statement?

i'll post mine when i get finished writing it.

Lovely Linky's:

Hear It on Sunday, Use It on Monday

on your heart tuesdays

jumping tandem
Spiritual Sunday
soli deo gloria

moments of sweetness

Today, I sat in my living floor surrounded by papers that needed to be graded.  

To my left, my husband and baby girl giggled and rolled in the floor.  

In front of me, my son played angry birds and explained each move he made to me. 

And it was all I could to fight back the tears.  

And if I could freeze time and hold them right there, maybe I would, just for a little while.  

Life happens so fast, and we rarely take time to pause and enjoy. 

The worries of tomorrow can wait.  The laundry, the vacuuming, the dishes, will forever be there.  My house doesn't have to be perfectly clean.

These moments will come and go so quickly. For in a moment, my son will be arguing or not listening, and my baby girl will be crying for food or sleepiness.  And my husband will think of something he needs to do.

But in this moment of sweetness, there is nothing else but each other.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. ~Matthew 6:34

 

lovely linky's 

Hear It on Sunday, Use It on Monday 

on your heart tuesdays 

 jumping tandem
Spiritual Sunday
soli deo gloria