My Favorite Christmas Things

1. Christmas Tree? Fresh!!!

2. Favorite Ornaments? The red crocheted ornaments my mom gave me a few years ago. She made them almost 30 years ago. Bells, Ski Booties with paper clips, and a frame with a picture of Jesus.

3. Favorite Christmas Song(s)? Avalon's version of "Joy to the World", Barlow Girl's version of "O Holy Night"

4. Favorite things to do at Christmas? Get together with friends, Sitting in the living room enjoying the Christmas tree, reading a Christmas novel, and listening to Christmas music. I LOVE the white Christmas lights!!! And opening presents :-)

5. Favorite Christmas Memory? Sexy lingerie from my GRANDMOTHER that I opened in front of my whole family, including my dad, brother, uncle, cousins & my soon-to-be husband! I was completely shocked and embarrassed! Now 10 years later it's hilarious :-)

6. Favorite Christmas Meal? We usually do appetizers on Christmas Eve. This year we are trying out all NEW "appetizers" and NEW desserts. I'm going to make a grasshopper pie for the first time :-) I love making homemade mint covered in chocolate with my mom!

7. Favorite cookie? Gingerbread

8. Favorite place to be? With my husband & my family. I do think it would be wonderful to be in New York City with it snowing one Christmas! :-)

9. Favorite Christmas movie? Charlie Brown Christmas

(I watched Elf for the first time this Christmas & it was HILARIOUS!!! Now Charlie Brown has some competition :-)

Standing on the Promises

Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I now can see
Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.

Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call,
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.

The End is in Sight!

The end of summer. The end of a season. The end of sadness.

I've been long overdue for a post... and I feel like I need to write a brief summary. After the 4th of July weekend, my summer ended up being VERY eventful. In the mix of everything going on, my hormones have been out of sorts, which made some events a tad more complicated and more emotional than they should have been. And then there were a couple of HUGE private circumstances I'm not at liberty to talk about publicly... Suffice it to say, that even though there were some good things to speak of (which I will mention later in this post :-), mostly it was hard, emotional, and I've been very sad.

Went on a beach vacation, which was weird in a lot of ways... tiring, wonderful just because it is wonderful to be at the beach regardless of how you feel and what is going on, and sad because my precious husband had to leave in the middle of the week. Time with Timmy is always cherished and it broke my heart when he had to leave. But I have no doubt he was suppossed to come home. A big thank you to Amy, Bethany, and Chelsea for driving over! I know it ended up being kind of a weird time in parts & there was some tension, and I'm truly sorry for my part in it. I have no doubt God accomplished some eternal things that week, and even though the week turned out to be not what I expected at all, I trust that God will work everything for good and that He was (and is) up to something good. I suspect there was some spiritual warfare going on as well. Thank you God for orchestrating everything You did orchestrate... and thank You for helping me to leave the good, the bad, and the ugly resting in Your capable hands. I trust You & I thank You for letting me see Your hand at work & for accomplishing some true miracles while we were at & BECAUSE we were at Myrtle Beach.

I did get to visit my friend Jenny in Kentucky recently & I know that it was a God-ordained much needed visit. I felt the cloud lift! Praise the LORD! I came back renewed, refreshed, and energized (after I caught up on my sleep :-) Jenny is so wonderfully sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and it was such a blessing to spend time together & pray together. Papa ministered to my hurting heart and encouraged me. I have no doubt that God ordered every one of my steps while traveling home as well. He protected me & He surprised me & Ashlee both with a gourmet lunch :-), time together, and a time of prayer. Jennifer Tinkerbell also got the privilege of reading 4 books to Grace before her naptime & loved every second of it!


God has been faithful to generously provide all we need each month... I stand in awe of JEHOVAH JIREH for how He provided in the months of July & August & how I know He will provide this month!


I started going to a new chiropractor, and I am extremely thankful for Dr. Rob! I can tell a big difference!!! It had been 3 years since I had an adjustment, and it was long overdue.

I read the Shack. Wow. For those of you that haven't read it, I would not dream of giving any details or anything away. It is definitely a must read. I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The best part of the summer has been reconnecting with old long-time friends!!! We have not spent time with them in years, and it has been a breath of fresh air to do so! We have had such a BLAST!!! SO much fun & laughter! We went to Mike & Kelly's house in July, Kevin & Alicia's in August, and we are all going to an amazing cabin in September for the weekend, and I can't wait!!!

Let The Healing Begin!

I was reading at lunch today the chapter titled "The Everlasting Covenant" in the book "Blessings and Covenants" by Andrew Murray. This is his closing paragraph... "Let me speak to every reader who would gladly BELIEVE all that God says. Cherish every whisper of the conscience and the Spirit that convicts of sin......as part of the schooling that is to bring you to Christ... The New Covenant is meant to meet the need for the power of NOT SINNING that the Old could not give. Come with that need. It will prepare and open your heart for all the everlasting Covenant provides.
"And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good, but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me" - Jeremiah 32:40
This past weekend God brought to my attention that I had been holding my husband's attitude towards me on a particular issue against him. So whenever the issue got mentioned, I wasn't able to discuss it like I should have been. I instead felt 9 years worth of hurt all over again and responded to him out of that hurt. I praise God for letting me know I needed to FORGIVE him. What freedom when I forgave! I praise HIM for being so faithful to correct me & let me know when I am wrong. Unforgiveness was continually harming us - over such a silly issue even. Let the healing begin!!! :-)

Ronnie Freeman

Check out his biography. I also just noticed that he has a song "Deeper Still" on his self-titled CD! I cannot wait to hear it!!! His new CD is God Speaking. And his sophmore album We Believe looks amazing too. I want them all!

4th of July Weekend - Camping at Stone Mountain

How wonderful this past weekend was!!!! A much needed get away! Thursday was a little tiring because there were a lot of loose ends to tie up with Eagle Systems before we went out of town & A LOT of packing to do. I took all of our food this time, so there was a good bit more to prepare for. Being able to grill out at the campsite was definitely worth the time and effort to make it happen though. The money we saved was also a big plus! We ended up not getting to the campsite until after 9pm, so we miraculously set up our tent in the dark - WITHOUT THE INSTRUCTIONS! - in record time. We stayed at the same site we did last year... and I think it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The view from our tent of the lake was absolutely awesome. Especially first thing in the morning & at night. The weather was a lot cooler than it could have been for this time of year. Our queen size air mattress was nice & comfy :-) The only things I didn't love: 1) The shower/bathroom building. It was so hot and muggy. They seriously need better ventilation in the building. This was the first time I've ever dreaded going to take a shower while camping... I actually usually love it. 2) The long wait after the Laser Show & Fireworks on the 4th to take the boat back to our campsite. We didn't get back to our campsite until between 1:30 & 2am on the 5th. That was exhausting, but still worth it I think. And it's still better to me than being stuck in traffic the same amount of time, then having to drive home. Other than those minor things, the weekend was perfect & it was so nice to just sit outside (at such a beautiful spot on the lake) and just be. Basking in God's glorious creation. Watching squirrels be so risky jumping dangerously from tree to tree. So peaceful. Such a slow pace. I loved roasting marshmellows over the campfire at night and making a few smores. I loved being at the pool. I enjoyed doing 3 days in my 'Believing God' study (I actually should be done by now. I'm a little behind. It takes me SO much longer than it probably should to do 1 day. It is always in God's perfect timing though :-) I also read a WONDERFUL book by Deborah Bedford "Only You". (Short Read. Love the message. Highly recommend!) I loved spending much needed time with my hubby - the best husband in the world might I add! On Sunday, we did get to eat at Miss Katie's Restaurant in the park (home of the famous hand-tossed rolls :-) This place is in my Top 5 Favorite Restaurants. I love the atmosphere and the food. The lady playing the role of "Miss Katie" on Sunday sang a song for us I had never heard before ("Come to the River" by Ronnie Freeman) I will definitely have to get his music!!! She said he is a prolific songwriter & I definitely agree! Here's a link to the lyrics: http://music.yahoo.com/Ronnie-Freeman/Come-To-The-River/lyrics/6486112 When she sang, it was angelic. God-given talent. We enjoyed hearing her for the rest of our meal as well as she went around and sang at different tables. We were going to do the SkyHike and Miniature Golf, but a thunderstorm arrived, so we sat in rocking chairs on the porch instead & listened to 2 guys play the guitar and banjo and sing all sorts of good old timey songs. They apologized for "singing up a storm" :-) On the way home, we stopped to visit with Mammaw (who "missed the snot out of us" and said she would kill us if we ran off and left her again like that!) I love her. We then picked up Shelby from Nana & Papa's! We were concerned that she wouldn't want to go home with us, since she was spoiled rotten while we were gone, but fortunately she didn't put up too much of a fight :-) I'm SO THANKFUL she got to be with her Nana & Papa while we were away! We finally got home at 10:30pm last night. The ShuTeam got the car unpacked & fell into the bed, happy and blessed!

Deeper Still

We arrived to the hotel at just the exact right time on Friday afternoon! Ashlee rode Marta into Atlanta to meet me and Bethany. When B & I pulled up at the Ellis on Peachtree (the wonderful hotel we stayed at), we saw there was a Marta station right there next to the hotel. We called Ashlee to let her know the station name & I heard her say, "Yeah, I see that...", then we lost connection. We just happened to call her at the brief window of time where she had a signal on her cell! Because she was able to get off at the Peachtree station, she didn't have to change trains and we didn't have to walk to meet each other. She just got off the train & walked right into the hotel just 5 minutes after me & B had arrived! Talk about perfect timing!

We had a tasty, filling Italian dinner at Azio, got wonderful seats at the Arena for the conference, and then had a wonderful time of just being together & sharing after the conference sitting outside on the balcony at the Atlanta Grill... They served me the most amazing Peppermint Tea I have ever had... Not just a small cup of it, but MORE THAN ENOUGH in a carafe that reminded me He does "exceedingly, abundantly above all I could ever think, ask, or imagine" (Eph 3:20). I also got my own personal jar of Ritz-Carlton honey to put in my tea. All for just $4. Back to the hotel for a pillow & tickle fight then off to sweet dreams for all of four hours.

On Saturday, thanks to B arriving at the Arena doors by 7am, we got amazing seats just 5 rows back!

It was truly a miracle that my mom & my aunt Carol got to go to the conference too (Many many thanks to Deidre)! They both knew that God definitely wanted them there. It was a long time to sit & there was a lot packed into a very short time. He sustained them physically throughout the weekend as well. (Ashlee and a friend of Tina's was able to go as well thanks to Deidre!)

The main thing He did in my heart this weekend was to confirm my desperate need for Him. I truly am desperate for Him. His presence. His very present help in time of need... and My time of need is ALL THE TIME!!! HE is enough. It was amazing to praise Him with almost 20,000 women. I also thought the main verses for the weekend were awesome considering how they tie in so perfectly with what He has been doing in my heart.

The verse actually on the Deeper Still T-Shirt:
"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" Psalm 1:3

This next verse was shown throughout the weekend on a video that meant so much to me, I wish I could have a copy so I can watch it again (and again and again...)

"...so they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified." Isaiah 61:3b

My prayer at the beginning of the conference inspired by the opening video... "May the seed go deeper still and the roots grow deep!!! to weather the turbulence of life & bear much fruit!"

He has been teaching me about "bearing fruit" for some time. It's a recent "theme" but also one He started a long time ago as well. It all started with a verse that has become one of my life verses: Ephesians 2:10 "For we are His workmanship , created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Recently He keeps bringing up John 15 which has to do with bearing fruit, abiding in Him, and LOVING. Also, I have always loved Jeremiah 17:7-8 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and whose trust is the LORD. For he will be like a tree planted by the water that extends its roots by a stream. And will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought. Nor cease to yield fruit." From my previous post, you know that HE has been teaching me to SOW THE SEED (apply the Word to my reality) & about the harvest... So to have the picture this weekend of the tree was just awesome.

My prayer & the deepest desire of my heart is to LOVE Him, to be planted right where He has purposed, and to bear much fruit!!!

I have to mention that I had the best cheeseburger I've ever had in my life at Houston's on the way home! :-)

Here's a link to a video from the conference:
http://www.vimeo.com/1258528

All sorts of "little" miracles today

Just one of many...
A much needed eye appointment (scheduled for this afternoon) was cancelled late last Friday afternoon by the doctor due to a death in her family. I put on my last pair of contacts last week, so --without a prescription--no more contacts next week! Also, the last day that Costco has the $30 rebate on my contacts is TODAY. So I desparately needed my contact prescription today. The Emory Eye Clinic is right across the street from where I work at the hospital, so when I got to work this morning, I walked over to the eye clinic just to see if they had any appts today with another doctor. The initial answer was no, followed by a maybe, then another no because that slot was for a returning patient (not a new pt). Then while I was standing there, the 9:00am patient cancelled!!! It was 8:55. The slot was for a new patient, so in I walked. Went back right away. How cool is that! The girl up front said how lucky I must be.... that something like that NEVER happens. WHAT A BLESSING!!! My God was definitely looking out for me.

There were several other "little" miracles today that I wouldn't be able to describe very well or I wouldn't be at liberty to share, but you can rest assured they will be written in my prayer journal, so I can remember how He worked today. I just wanted to brag on my God & PRAISE HIS NAME!!!

Booger Hollow & Hot Water :-)

I had a somewhat crazy, stressful day. I ended up spending my day doing everything but what I expected/needed to do today. I also didn't plan on leaving the house, but ended up driving 3 hours to take my husband a part he needed for a job. As I was rushing to get out the door, pouring myself a much needed cup of coffee to go, I found myself pouring a nice clear cup of hot water instead. I put the filter & the water in, but forgot the coffee part :-) A part of me wanted to cry, but I decided just to laugh instead :-) I did end up buying a cup of coffee after I got back to Cartersville. I passed a new coffee place called Caribbeanz, decided to try them out, & it was WONDERFUL!!! I also got the delight of another good giggle moment when I passed a road named "Booger Hollow Rd." :-)

GodStops

The stop in GodStop comes from the acronym God gave Beth Moore.

Savoring the Observable Presence

It is explained in the introduction of the 'Believing God' Bible study she wrote. Here is an excerpt, since Beth's own words do a much better job of explaining it than I could.


"... In essence, God's glory is any way in which He makes Himself recognizable. When I see a brilliant sunset I know no artist could paint, I recognize God through His masterpiece. Likewise, when something happens in my day that I know is more than a coincidence, I am learning to recognize God in it. Part of our faith-walk experience will be learning to recognize God in our midst by noticing visible prints of His invisible hands. We don't want to miss God when He makes Himself observable! I am convinced that the more we learn to recognize and appreciate His interventions and revelations, the more we are likely to receive them!... The stop in GodStop comes from the acronym God gave me: Savoring the Observable Presence. When God makes Himself observable, we want to stop and take notice. I want to learn to say to myself, That's God! Stop and savor the moment! A GodStop is any means by which God seems to go out of His way during your day to make Himself known to you........ I even consider a GodStop a time when God suddenly catches me in a sin of action or attitude that I didn't know anyone noticed. One way I know I am cherished is because God loves whom He disciplines (see Heb. 12:6). A sudden disciplinary acgtion is a GodStop reminding me that He is ever present and loves me too much to let me get away with something that is displeasing to Him......" - Beth Moore, Excerpt from "Believing God"


I started the 'Believing God' study on April 23, 2008. At the end of every day, there is a section where I can record my GodStops. Recording these moments now, so I can remember them in the future, builds/grows my faith!


A couple of recent GodStops I would like to share:

1. Last Saturday night after the Casting Crowns concert at Atlanta Fest, there was a candlelight service. They passed out fairly large white candles. The one that was given to me was actually TWO candles stuck together, so I got to light one of them in memory of our little one we never met that's with the Lord. After our candles were blown out, I put Tim's candle in front of the two that were stuck together, and it actually just stuck right to them. We now have a beautiful grouping of 3 candles I got to bring home with me as a memorial.


2. Last night, I was reading the Living Proof Ministries blog... First of all, I usually NEVER read the comments to Beth’s posts… (I think that will change.) And with the long day I had yesterday at work, it’s a miracle I even got on the computer & read the blog itself. A comment by Deidre caught my eye... it was about why she could not go to the Deeper Still event this weekend and had 4 tickets. Instead of thinking someone else had probably already taken her up on her kind offer, I decided to go ahead and email her. When she responded that the tickets were still available & she would love for me to have them, I called my mom to see if she would like to go & she started crying. She was blown away because she had just gotten on the web that day to see if any tickets were available & had told my dad she really wanted to go. Well of course the event was sold out… It was so precious for me to see how God provided for her & how He worked to do so. She was overwhelmed with emotion. There’s no doubt in my mind that God has something special planned for her this weekend. He definitely made sure she had an overwhelming desire to go at the last minute & a ticket to get there. How cool God is! :-)

A Whole New World

This whole world of blogging is so new to me. So foreign. I've never been one to be on the internet much... except when I need to accomplish a specific task. Just "surfing around" or reading stuff on the computer has never appealed to me. I'd much rather just curl up with a good book.

Before our 10-year high school reunion almost 2 years ago now (WHAT?! That can't be right!!! TIME ABSOLUTELY FLIES!!!), I think I had vaguely heard of MySpace. Never would have dreamed of actually having a page myself. I'm telling you, it took a lot of courage to do a MySpace page at first. I would NOT characterize myself as a 'paranoid' type person, but I was very leary about what personal information I put online. All of a sudden everything seemed too personal. All kinds of thoughts about random weirdos & even some of the people I work with having access to my personal life in that kind of way went through my head. I had so much fun setting my page up initially, but I still didn't want to invest a lot of time in it.

I never gave blogging much thought until I started reading Warren's blog (a friend from high school) and the Living Proof Ministries blog. I've kept a handwritten prayer journal for years, and blogging will definitely not take the place of that. I can't imagine putting anything I would normally write in that journal online instead. My close friends know what goes on in my heart and my life, and the thought of sharing personal stuff with the world seemed ridiculous. Something started stirring in me anyway... But then there was the very real issue of time & how I didn't possibly have any time for a "silly" blog.

Yet, here I am as you can see :-)... So what happened? I DON'T KNOW! I could throw out some speculations, but the bottom line is that I felt like through a series of events this is something I need to do right now. It's still hard and it's still scary. I really can't imagine what I might have to say that anyone would want to read. I have no idea what purpose this might serve or how it will look. But here goes anyway. We'll see where God leads.... I am going to throw out one idea... It could be that it's part of my journey to be free of what other's might think about me...?? I don't know. I'll just try to leave the "whys" and "hows" to God.

Standing Between The Times

Today is a special day. Today was my due date. For those of you reading that don't know, I had a miscarriage back in November. I was 9 weeks pregnant. God has been so faithful to comfort us as we mourned. I am so thankful that God prompted us to forgive Him as we left the doctor's office in tears and shock instead of celebration. I am so thankful I didn't have to go through the pain of bitterness and being angry at God on top of everything. (It's not that I have to forgive Him because God did something wrong, because He is completely good & He does no wrong.) His presence has surrounded us. He is faithful. He is good. He let us know even then that He was up to something bigger in our lives and that He would get glory/be glorified! He also spoke through Tim that He is FOR US! Of course we don't understand and there are so many questions, but our God knows and understands and He has the answers! And we trust Him. And He is more than enough.

I don't know how to put into words how my study of Psalm 126 in March 2008 ties into this, but to me it is so appropriate as I am living between the times... Remembering the past... God's faithfulness in the past... Looking toward the future harvest with hope..... Currently sowing the seed (the Word of God) - not eating it for immediate satisfaction, but planting it knowing it will then produce a harvest! (Applying God's Word to my reality!)

PSALM 126 (HCSB)
When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
Our mouths were filled with laughter then, and our tongues with shouts of joy.
Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD had done great things for us; and we were filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, LORD, like watercourses in the Negev. (as streams renew the desert)
Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.
Though one goes along weeping, carrying the bag of seed, he will surely come back with shouts of joy, carrying his sheaves.

PSALM 126 (The Message)
A pilgrim song
It seemed like a dream, too good to be true,
when GOD returned Zion's exiles.
We laughed, we sang, we couldn't believe our good fortune.
We were the talk of the nations - "God was wonderful to them!"
GOD was wonderful to us; we are one happy people.
And now, GOD, do it again - bring rains to our drought-stricken lives.
So those who planted their crops in despair
will shout hurrahs at the harvest,
So those who went off with heavy hearts
will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing!

The following is my version of Psalm 126 and was written on March 5, 2008 while doing the Bible study "STEPPING UP - A Journey through the Psalms of Ascent" by Beth Moore.


Standing between the times
Remembering the great things you have done for me
Remembering the laughter, dancing, and glee
Looking back to where I've been
Petitioning You to do it again!


At Jesus Jam, you issued me
Into Your throne room when I was lonely
My troubles vanished, Cares were banished
Filled with such joy in Your presence!


In Jamaica, dancing wildly on the street
Worshipping You on the concrete
Again at Ridgecrest we meet...
You took the shackles off my feet!

Blessed ABUNDANTLY with Timmy!
Hallelujah for JABJA!
Been through the war, now family is restored
What wonderful gifts - These relationships!

I declare
You were there
You DO care
In my despair!

In the process...
On the journey...
Ever drawing me...
Setting me free!
Ever speaking...
Life to me!

Different seasons
Different themes
Revealing Your Word
Even a prophecy

Looking to the future with hope!
Don't want to just get by & cope.
Trusting You to bring the rain...
In the midst of despair & pain.

Standing in faith.
Even though it's hard.
Sowing in tears.
The ground is dry and hard.

Putting Your truth into practice
Focusing on YOU!
Taking thoughts captive!
Obeying what You say
Perservering every day
Forgiving for wrongs
Praising with songs
Not growing tired and weary
Trusting You when I don't see results immediately

Don't let me forget.
Keep me from fret.
Help me to wait.
You aren't ever late!

Bring the rain to water the seed!
My tears are added to grow the harvest indeed!

You spoke & said I'd be the mother of many.
I'm believing You for armloads of babies!

What a celebration at the restoration!

Face to the floor!
There's more in store.
I desire intimacy...
To walk with You closely.
At home with You.
Laughing, dancing, singing my intention...
Worshipping You without inhibition.

Elisa

We just got the most wonderful privilege to sponsor a little girl through World Vision. She lives in a village in Africa that has been hit hard with AIDS. Her parents are still alive & she has 2 brothers. She will turn 4 years old on July 9th. There are no words to express how overwhelmed with emotion I am about Elisa. We are praying for her to come to know Jesus as her Savior and Friend and to walk intimately with God. We are praying that HE will bring joy to her heart, light to her eyes, and put a smile on her face! I am amazed at God's perfect timing & how it is RIGHT NOW that He gives us this opportunity. Yesterday at Atlanta Fest when World Vision was brought up, it was one of those moments that you KNOW you are in the exact place God wants for you to be, there is a larger purpose, and God is up to something huge. I think about how many times I've been in a setting where a World Vision presentation has been made, and how I've never given it a second thought really... Well, yesterday it was a no brainer. It was a God-thing.