I Know You…

From the time I was born until 18 years of age I lived in the same town and pretty much the same house my entire life. I grew up in a town of a little over 2,000 people and went to K-12th grade with the exact same people. One of the best (and worst things at times) of living in a small town is that everyone knows you. Not everyone knows you at the same level, but 18 years is a long time to interact with people and you learn what they’re good at, what they’ve been through and about their character.You know who to call if you’re having car trouble, if your A/C breaks, if you want some fresh sweet corn on the cob, need the church opened, forgot something at school, or just need some company.

Since high school, the longest I have lived anywhere is our current residence….coming up on 2 years. I have really enjoyed the changes and the traveling, sometimes I even get a little antsy and feel like it’s almost time to move again, lol. The Lord definitely knew that I was going to have to move a lot and gave me a willing spirit and a little gypsy inside that makes moving fun. And, Wade is the best friend I could ever want to move around the country with!

Every once in a while though….I miss the comfort of being around people that have known me my whole life. (of course I mean my parents) but I also mean my friends. When I moved from West Texas, I definitely lost touch with most of my friends and have kept in close touch with only a couple. Most of the time I’m totally great and don’t even think about it…but recently I was sure missing being around people that know me.

I thought about how fun it would be to go plop down on my best friend’s couch, watch her TV, get whatever I wanted from her fridge and not have to answer all the questions that come when making friends with new people. So…I did seek out one of my best childhood friends and told her if she was around for the weekend, Wade and I were coming over. I hadn’t seen her in years, but we picked up right where we left off and she was such an encouragement to me.

The next week I was driving around town, running some errands, still thinking about how I felt largely unknown by most people here….Then…I heard it, soft, but clear as day…”I know you.” Whoa. I was overwhelmed….who did I hear in the car…Jesus. Instantly my heart was overwhelmed by the magnitude of such a gift and such a TRUTH. Instantly I was comforted and at peace. The human heart definitely has the desire to know and to be known and the person that knows you the most this side of heaven is your spouse, but Jesus knows you and understands you in the deepest, closest, most perfect way. I had been looking for that comfort of being known from people…but I did not feel the comfort and peace that came to my heart until I knew, really knew, that the God of the Universe KNOWS me…inside and out….and LOVES me completely and perfectly.

Psalm 139 definitely says it best. Here are a few of my favorite parts from it.
v. 1: O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.
v. 3: you are familiar with all my ways
v 13: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb
v 16: All the days ordained for me were written your book before one of the came to be

I know this truth but sometimes I only know it in my mind, but there are moments when God’s truth just sinks into the deepest part of your soul and you know what….it changes you, and it changes how you respond to the world.

Pictures from Easter…

Wow…this month has just flown by in a bit of a blur… but it’s been a good blur. .

Here are some pictures from Easter. We had a wonderful time celebrating Jesus’ resurrection with family. Sloan is growin like a weed and we enjoy watching all the new things she does and says.

There was a little sand playin…and swingin

being silly…

          

           

and sittin around the fire…

All dressed up for Easter church service…

Mentoring and

It’s hard for us to believe, but we have been mentoring for a year already! After our experience with Epiphany in March, it is clear in our hearts that mentoring is a MUST.

Gospel Village is a ministry that our church has started that partners with the local school district. There is a 3 faceted plan in place.

VILLAGE FRIENDS: Village Friends provides support for leadership and teachers of adopted elementary schools. It allows teachers to focus on teaching by supporting them with acts of kindness, encouragement, and administration.

VILLAGE MENTORING: Village Mentoring is an off-site one-on-one mentoring program designed to form an intentional relationship between a child mentee and qualified adult mentor. Mentors will commit to meet two hours face-to-face weekly with his or her mentee. The goal of each mentoring relationship will be to form relationships that develop a well-rounded student while also earning a hearing for the gospel in the mentee’s life.

VILLAGE EDUCATION: Village Education refers to an after or in-school tutoring and literacy program staffed by volunteers from Gospel Village partner churches.

We have really enjoyed the 2 kids that we have been mentoring. Most of the time we just pick them up and come back to our place to hang out. Pizza is pretty much a staple, lol. We watch movies, play video games, take walks, play putt-putt, make cupcakes, paint nails, visit Barnes and Noble, get ice cream, play at the park and whatever else we can think of. We try our best to be constant, to demonstrate that God loves them, that they are special and that God has great plans for their lives.

Our kiddos are in Junior High…I remember those days…it can be a tough place.

I wish we could say that we have seen a huge change in the kids we mentor, that we’ve made such a difference, but most of the time we don’t really know if we’re making a difference. BUT, we trust that God uses our obedience and continue on. It has been blessing and we look forward to more time with them.

Please pray for us to have wisdom as we encounter difficult situations and try to speak truth into these kids’ lives. Please pray and think about mentoring wherever you are. You don’t have to have a program in place. There’s always a kid out there that needs someone to look up to, someone they know cares deeply about them, and will help them navigate this crazy world. It is a commitment, but one well worth the investment.

First Touch of Spring

I finally removed the dead old plants from last summer and replaced it with something much more lively! Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the amount of flowers at Home Depot, but I saw this little place and decided to stop. This basket immediately caught my eye because of the great colors and variety of flowers.

The planters on the balcony rail are still empty but I hope to get to them next week.

God’s springtime begins with renewal within you. – M. Buchanan

Fun at the Museum

Who says you can’t have fun at a museum? We sure did!

Here’s some pictures of our fun times at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, AR.

This picture started it all…from here the poses just got more fun!!

Me and my buddy George Washington!

Dad really got that eyebrow matched almost perfectly! hehe…

hmmm…I see a resemblance…

 

 

 

 

I didn’t know Uncle Jimmy had this kind of talent! I think I’m going to start calling him,
Tiny Dancer…hehe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look, it’s “Estochio!” Wait, I mean Pinocchio!

Good one, Mom!!

In all seriousness though, this was a wonderful museum! I had a lot of fun admiring the paintings and sculptures. It’s hard for me to believe people can paint such beautiful scenes and that they have the imagination to make such pieces.

What’s even more amazing though is the God who created this intricate, amazing, too wonderful to say world….from…nothing! He is infinite in His creativity and ability! Each of us is limited but the Lord sure did give us great inspiration!

Here are a few more of my favorite pieces from the museum.

 

This looks like a real man’s picture…but it’s actually a sculpture! Everything was so incredibly life like that it was almost creepy! The hair, lips, eyes, skin…everything looked REAL!

This next picture shows how big it actually is…

 

 

 

 

 

 

This version of The Last Supper was made from hundreds, if not thousands, of individual spools of threads that are different colors! And…it was upside down! When you looked through this clear sphere, it allowed you to view it right side up…

White River Fishing Trip

 

Wade and I have heard about the great fishing on the White River for sometime and we decided this was the year for us to go! Instead of going by ourselves though, we thought it was time to get our parents together. We haven’t all been together since our wedding three and half years ago! So my planner, Wade, got all the details together and we went this past Wednesday.

It was every bit as good as we had hoped for!! The weather was perfect and we caught over 150 fish in 2 days! That’s the most fish by far I’ve ever caught, not to mention in 2 days! We were able to be choosey and keep our limit of 5 fish apiece each day.

Wade caught a really nice Brown Trout. Catching a brown trout is rare so it was cool that all but one of us got to reel one in, but you can’t keep a Brown unless it’s at least 24 inches long (and that’s even more rare!).

 

Mom actually caught the first Brown. (that’s the guide, Albee, holding mom’s fish for her). I think she won the most fish caught category! Every time we looked her way, that pole tip was bent and she as reeling one in!

There was definitely some trash talk going on by day two, but I think that just made it even more fun.

 

 

We were also celebrating that exactly 9 years ago Wade and I met each other for the first time in Dallas at an FCA banquet. Neither one of us had a clue at the time that the Lord was introducing us to our future spouse! God was just keeping our story interesting :)

So, for all you singles out there…keep trusting the Lord, you may have already met your future spouse and just don’t know it yet! It was over 2 and half years before Wade and I even spoke again! But God is the Grand Weaver and He is always working His plans out for His glory and our good!

 

 

 

 

Dad was trying to act like he caught this big one, but it was all mine! (he did help me get it off the hook though!)

The river itself is absolutely beautiful…the water is super clear and you can see the shoals and rocks all the way along the bottom.

The houses along the banks aren’t too shabby either. I think I could live in this one.

We learned how Bull Shoals got its name. Cotton used to be transported up the White River on narrow rafts. The rafts were then pushed up the river by slaves that the people called “bulls.” The bottom of the river has flat looking rocks that are called “shoals,” thus Bull Shoals Lake came about.

This was our first Bald Eagle to see in the wild. He sure did look pretty flying across the sky!!

 

 

 

 

 

We all stayed together in a cute cabin by Bull Shoals Lake called The Hermitage.

We brought groceries and took turns cooking each meal.

Mom made her famous carne guisada with beans and rice one night and then Angela fried some fresh caught trout while dad grilled up some burgers another night!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We played horse shoes and sat on the deck, taking in the beautiful views and peace and quiet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

None of us really knew how to play, so we just made up our own rules, lol, and it was very fun that way!

Winston and Toby had so much fun chasing each other around and exploring the woods.

We tried to keep a pretty close eye on them though…lots of hawks were flying about….

 

It was great that we were all able to fish together on one boat! The only guide service that takes out more than 3 more people at a time is White River Family Fishing. We would definitely recommend them to anyone that wants to take a family trip! Our guide, Albee, was great!

 

Here’s my Brown trout!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a few other fun pics from the trip.

We are so thankful for our family and this is trip we will never forget!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Xylitol

We had quite a scare yesterday!
The day started normally and Winston was being his nosey self…I usually always close the door to our bedroom, but I was fixing my hair in the bathroom and left it open…Not long after, Winston tore out of there with my pajama pants, no big deal. I thought he went back for sock…but when I didn’t see him for a little bit, I went looking for him!

I found him tearing into a box of trident gum! I immediately ran and got a treat to trade him with (otherwise I never would have caught the little booger!)
I really didn’t think it was that big of a deal. I called Wade to laugh about it and asked him if he thought I should worry about it. He checked it out online…and the race to the vet began!

Turns out that some gum, Trident being one of them, uses an artificial sweetener called Xylitol. This substance is more dangerous to dogs than chocolate! It causes a rapid drop in blood sugar and can cause liver damage. If it is not caught in time, it can be fatal.

Xylitol can be found in sugar free gum, Jello, cake, frosting and just about anything else that uses artificial sweeteners so be on the lookout!!

Thankfully we got Winston to the vet in time and he is just fine now, but it was scary and the vet bill wasn’t cheap. They had to make him throw up to try and get all the gum out of his system and then they monitored him all day. I had to take him back this morning for one more check up, and all his levels were good – great blood sugar and no liver damage.

I learned a very important lesson! We always do our best to not let him eat anything besides his dog food and dog treats, but I will be even more careful to make sure he doesn’t get into anything sweet! I hope if you were like me and didn’t know about Xylitol, this will help you keep your pet safe!

He Sets the Captives FREE!

Jesus says in Luke 4:18
”He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of site for the blind,
to release the oppressed.”

Disclaimer…this is lengthy but well worth the read!!

What an incredible weekend! We saw God move in a powerful way in the lives of 16 juvenile offenders and the hearts of the detention center workers and Epiphany team members.  I really do not have the words to adequately describe what happened this weekend, but I’m giving it a try…just know…captives were set FREE!

The theme of day 1: You are loved!!

On Day one the boys came in and really didn’t know what to think about us or the program. Our team made a lined walk way and cheered as each boy’s name was called. They walked through the line with hard faces and lifeless eyes. I thought to myself…”this could be a long few days…” little did I know, the days would go by all too quickly…

Our whole job was to love, love, love and listen, listen to these boys. Through activities and talks they were told about how much Jesus loved them and that we loved them as well. By the end of Friday they seemed a little more comfortable and were enjoying at least being able to eat some good food and have a change of routine. We were starting to learn a little more about each of the boys.

I smiled as I watched the boys interact with Wade at one table and my mom at the other. Mom’s so great with kids and these boys just ate up all the attention she gave them. The boys’ respect for Wade was evident and they were very impacted as he told them what he saw in them and how he knew they could make a change.

We discovered that they are an extremely talented and creative bunch – artists, writers, leaders, helpers…

The theme of day 2: Forgiveness

As the boys came in the second morning, there was way more enthusiasm…high fives, smiles, a few shy, side hugs…
We continued loving but also began talking about forgiveness—forgiveness available for them and people they needed to forgive. Early that day they were given a small square piece of paper to write names of people they needed to forgive as the Holy Spirit prompted them throughout the day.

Different members of the team had different “talks" and skits they had prepared in advance. As each person shared about their topic, they also incorporated their life stories…I was totally amazed at how God used their vulnerability to open the hearts of the boys and to show them that other people have been through extremely difficult times as well, but God was with them through it all. We had some amazing team members to work with and many of them had been involved with Epiphany for many years…working diligently.

One of the major parts of day two is a birthday party celebration. Each boy is given a small birthday cake with their name on it and bag of gifts. When the boys walked into the party they could not believe their eyes. They were totally overwhelmed by the moment. Many of them started crying their eyes out. Several of them had NEVER had a birthday cake or celebration EVER! And the rest hadn’t had a birthday party since they were very little. My heart broke to see these boys who really did think that nobody cared about them and it didn’t even matter that they were alive. They just couldn’t believe these total strangers would care enough to do this…maybe they were valuable after all?

After the birthday party, the boys were even more alive and really starting to believe that they could be loved and I would watch them writing names on their little squares throughout the day…

We gave each boy a Bible and then had times to show them how to find scriptures and talked about the different parts of the Bible.
My Star, Esgar, asked me questions like:
--Why is there an Old Testament and New Testament?
--What is a prophet?
--How could God become a man?
--How is Jesus also God?
--Is John 3:16 a page number?
It was such a blessing to be able to share with this young man how to use his Bible, to tell him more of how perfectly the Bible fits together and its purpose.

Saturday ended with a SHABANG!

The majority of the boys made decisions to follow Christ and came to Salvation! I believe that it was genuine. We were then off to the Chapel for a forgiveness service…

The boys were given an opportunity to nail their lists on a cross that had been set up at the front of the chapel (an empty dorm we converted). One by one we all went up and left our burden of unforgiveness on the cross. Afterwards, we sang Amazing Grace mixed with My Chains are Gone….it was such a powerful moment. There in that prison…prisoners were set FREE! Arms were raised, voices were lifted in song, yells of praise and sobs of freedom!

We were so thankful the staff at the detention center allowed our program to run 30 minutes late to accommodate for the moving of the Spirit. It was one of those moments though that we all knew was so very special, one of those moments you wish would never end…

Day 3: Jesus calls you to walk in a new life

Sunday we continued loving the boys and talking about hanging in there after we’re gone. We were able to talk about the Holy Spirit, the importance of accountability and finding a good church home when they are released.

We listened in joy and amazement to the boys give testimonies of the change that had taken place in their hearts since Friday…most of the boys said,

“Before this weekend, I felt totally alone. I didn’t think anyone loved me. I didn’t think I could change my life. But now I know that I am loved, I am forgiven, I am not alone and I can change my life!” (some even said they didn’t even think God existed before or if He did, they didn’t see him as involved in our lives)

We ended the weekend with a cross ceremony. Each young man was given a chance to accept a cross necklace that had been prayed over specifically for that boy. All 16 boys accepted their crosses and openly proclaimed their love for Jesus. One of the female workers at the detention center even accepted Christ!! They did not have to accept the cross, but all did.

As the cross was placed around their neck, Linda would say, “Jesus loves you.” and as they accepted their crosses, they said, “And I love Jesus!!” We all cheered and clapped and praised the Lord…what could be more glorious?

It really was hard saying goodbye to the boys, knowing that we could not be there with them or even check on the regularly. We told them they would be in our prayers, we would write often and those close enough, would be there the 3rd Saturday of the month to visit. We trust the Lord is able to keep those in his care.

So…in closing, if you ever have the chance to participate in an Epiphany…GO FOR IT! It is exhausting, but the best kind. The Epiphany team was absolutely incredible and I am so thankful the Lord lead us to this particular team. What a blessing it was to serve with my husband, my mom and my aunt!

Please continue to pray for these boys as they grow in their faith in a difficult environment. I am excited to see how the Lord continues to move and am confident we will see many amazing things in their lives.

My heart smiled and still does at the thought of Jesus’ praises ringing off those concrete walls…
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found was blind but now I see…My chains are gone, I’ve been set free! My God  my Savior has ransomed me and like a flood, his mercies rain…unending love, amazing grace.

 

 

 

 

Epiphany

The dictionary defines an epiphany in two ways:

1. A sudden realization: a sudden intuitive leap of understanding, especially through an ordinary but striking occurrence

2. The appearance of God

Wade and I have the opportunity this weekend to help with something called Epiphany Ministries. If you have ever heard of or been on a Walk to Emmaus or Chrysalis weekend, this is similar, but adapted for a juvenile prison.

“Epiphany ministries is a short three-day course in Christianity that brings to incarcerated juveniles the message of God’s love, grace and forgiveness. It is an ecumenical (nondenominational) Christian ministry for young people who are in custody.”

We are very thankful for this opportunity to minister to a completely different group that normal and to get out of our comfort zones. We’re not totally sure of what to expect but we do know that God is going before us and with us, so let’s go!

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little apprehensive, but my desire to share Christ’s love outweighs staying home and doing nothing. It’s  also a spiritual check for me…I mean I have to put aside stereotypes that I may have. I really have to mean that Jesus can forgive you NO MATTER WHAT and that He can make you a NEW CREATION! Sometimes just knowing those things in your head is easier than living them out and sharing them with those you know have done some “bad” stuff. But I do believe that Jesus offers forgiveness to everyone, no matter what! And I want to share the greatest news on earth with these boys…JESUS LOVES THEM and YOU!

We would ask for you to be praying for us this weekend. If you would commit to praying for us as some point during this weekend, would you please leave a comment on our blog or Facebook? In this setting we definitely need all the praying people we can get! We will be writing everyone’s names on strips of paper that are praying in order to form a HUGE paper chain as visual for the boys that people they don’t even know care about them and are praying for them. We are told this normally makes a really big impact on the boys.

We are praying for an epiphany in both senses of the word – that the boys will have a new understanding of Jesus’ love for them and that God will show up and move and work in all of our hearts.

Thank you in advance and I look forward to adding many names to our chain!

Puzzles

My parents started my brother and me on puzzles at a very young age and I have loved them ever since. I like how all the colors and shapes mix together in the box just asking to be sorted and fit together.

The easiest part of putting the puzzle together is finding all the edge pieces. The frame comes together rather quickly and I foolishly think, “Man, I am so good at putting puzzles together. I got this frame together so quickly! I’m sure I’ll be done with this baby in no time…” Then the real work begins. Looking at all the pieces clumped together gets to be a little daunting, but since I trust that all the pieces are there, and that they fit together, I dig in.

Hands start sifting and turning all the pieces over right side up, separating them into piles that are similar in color. When that’s done, I usually just stare at all the pieces, pick here and there and realize this may take a little longer than I thought and maybe I’m not such a great puzzler after all… time for a break, lol.

I force myself to step away and do something else, but before long all the pieces laying strewn across our dining table call me back.

Getting that first piece of a group started is usually the hardest part. It’s so weird that I know all the pieces are there but it just takes a while to figure out how they all fit together. I usually don’t even look at the exact color that’s on the piece. Instead, I look for an odd shaped edge and find the partner. Little by little I am able to figure out what goes where and to my surprise, sometimes the pieces were laying right by each other for a while, but until I got more of them in the right place, I just couldn’t see it. I also realize that many of the pieces I thought looked like the right color, are in the wrong group or that a piece I was searching for didn’t look anything like I thought it would.

While I was working on the puzzle tonight, I was thinking about how much of  life is that way. Our whole life is this puzzle, full of millions of pieces. When I try to make sense of them all, I usually get bewildered, but little by little God starts to show me how the pieces fit together. Ah ha moments come and all I can think is, wow. There certainly are pieces of my life that look totally different than I would have originally thought, but the Lord is constantly putting things in order and making a beautiful picture. Sometimes things happen that we can’t imagine being able to fit into the puzzle of our lives and they might just lay there in our heart for a while, until one day, we see just how perfectly that piece does fit. One little grouping will come together and then we move to a new part of the picture of our lives and the process begins again.

If you are in a place in your life where you can’t imagine how the pieces could ever fit together, don’t give up; don’t get discouraged. It may take a while but God knows what the completed picture looks like and He never stops putting things together until it is totally finished.

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Psalm 139:16

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:16-17

Girls’ Night Out

What do you get with 4 women together without their husbands?

Lots of hilarious stories, laughter, encouragement and dessert!

The List Continues…

I am still counting the things I am thankful for throughout the day. Some days I definitely have a more thankful heart than others but my list reminds me to keep looking, to keep counting.

256. Kind words from my husband

257. A gentle smile

268. Green grass poking through last year’s dead remains

269. Mom has felt good for a few days

287. 1500 piece puzzles

289. Tiny spider webs laced with dew glistening in the morning sun

more to come…

If At First You Don’t Succeed…

 

Try, try again :)

I love learning how to do new things! Sewing, woodworking, basketball playing, metal stamping…riding horses..all of these were things I didn’t know how to do at one time, but now I do!

One of the things I’ve wanted to learn how to do for a while is play guitar. My brother started playing when he was in high school and just had such a natural talent for it. He was playing full Metallica songs within a couple weeks of picking it up! My experience was not quite the same. My hands just felt so awkward…I couldn’t get that guitar to make any kind of pretty sound! I was also way too busy with basketball to really give the time it required to learn. So, couple having a brother who is awesome at playing and my awkwardness and you get…someone who doesn’t try to play guitar.

But every time I hear a song that has a guitar piece that I like, I think, “man, I would love to be able to just sit and play a few songs I love, especially praise songs!” So why wait any longer?

My dad was kind enough to lend his guitar to me to start learning on. I went and picked up some light strings and one of my friends strung it up for me.

The first day was much the same as the last time I had attempted to learn how to play over 10 years ago…awkward. I spent an hour trying to get my fingers to play the G cord…all I ended up with was sore fingers and an ugly sound.

I won’t be discouraged this time though and I can now play a G, C, and D. I’m still a long ways from playing a song, but little by little I’ll get there.

I hope that if there is something that you have been wanting to learn how to do, that you will go for it! Start by researching it more and getting a few small tools that will help you begin.

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson