My Heart's Thoughts for Today

As I sit down to write this morning, I'm about to pop out of my skin! I have been pouring out my heart to God about a particular circumstance for quite some time. He has responded and given me scripture to encourage me, and also used people to encourage me. But this week, He has just shown up big time. It seems that each devotion, each passage of scripture I read, conversations I have are all pointing in one direction. God is speaking loudly this week.

This morning in particular I sat on the couch with my mouth on the floor, amazed at the timing of one particular thing. Just amazed. Which shows me how much more I need to grown up in my faith. God tells us that when we seek Him with our whole heart we will find Him! Well beloved, He is showing off for me and I LOVE it!

This year has been so hard. Emotionally, financially, spiritually. Every area of our life has been and is still being tested. God has taken me back several years and is forcing me to rely on Him for every need. I am literally praying "give us this day our daily bread." And you know what? He is. He is providing every need. Emotionally, financially and spiritually. He is showing us that He is in the finest detail of every day. He cares about the smallest thing as well as the mountain I'm believing He will move! He is faithful, when I'm not. He is God in the good times and bad. I can't begin to understand why He allowed the events of this year to happen. But today I can honestly say that I don't need to understand. I trust Him. I believe God. He said He would never leave us or forsake us. He said He would provide for all our needs, and He has. He says that He will be with us at all times and He has been. I have been so aware of His presence that it gives me chills at times. I wouldn't trade the last few months for anything because God has showed up and showed off for us so much. He has revealed a little more of Himself to us and I don't want to go back! I hope that makes sense. :)

Out of the Mouth

Do you ever find yourself reading a passage of scripture you've read numerous times and suddenly it comes alive? That's what happened to me yesterday and today. I was reading Matthew 15:1-20 yesterday during my study time when God started to speak to my heart. This morning, I was drawn back to that passage, except I read it in my NIV. It just jumped off of the page and was alive to me.

Starting in verse 16 Jesus is explaining the parable to the disciples. ( I cracked up in verse 16 where Jesus says "Are you still so dull?!!" Wouldn't you love to have seen His face when He said that?) Pretty much Jesus is saying to them, whatever comes out of your mouth,is an indication of what is in your heart. So, whatever we put in will come out. The things we listen to, read, glance at, all go to the heart and will eventually come out. It's why we are so picky about the things we allow our girls to listen to, watch and read. We get one shot at raising up a child in the way they should go, I don't want to knowingly do anything that would cause them to stumble later!

For sometime now, I've been watching a few women. Women who are older than me physically and spiritually. My heart is burdened for women to experience God in everyday life and so I have been quietly listening and watching these women to see how they react to life.

One is my age and lost her husband last fall in an accident. We sing in choir together but I do not have a close relationship with her. However, I watch her each week give a sacrifice of praise. She chooses to worship God even though the world would say to turn and run. She rejoices that her husband is with Jesus and that one day she will be too. Her heart is full of hope, trust and faith in our Lord. HE radiates off of her face, it's contagious! Out of her mouth comes praise, love, hope!

Another is also a widow, a little older. She isn't too sure about change of any kind. Her face is harsh, cold, unwelcoming. The few times I've had conversation with her, I leave exhausted! She worries about everything. Her heart is filled with worry, fear and it is contagious. Out of her mouth comes criticism, insults and fear.

Then I'm faced with a lady who has been divorced a few times. She is now in her longest marriage thus far, but truth be told she's not happy. The children are grown and married, she has her job and her spouse. There isn't much for her to say to anyone. She doesn't understand happiness and it would seem to an onlooker that she likes for trouble to visit others. It gives her someone else to compare herself too. Her heart is filled with hurt, bitterness, and unforgiveness. It is contagious. Out of her mouth comes bitterness, harsh accusing words, fear and worry.

All three women are Christians. Only one is living dependant on Jesus. Only one has godly things coming out of her mouth. Life is hard, each one of these women have been hurt and experienced great loss. Much like each of us. But only one is walking so close to the Lord that she is radiating HIM! Her mouth pours out LIFE to all who are around her! The other two, well it isn't life that is poured out! When I leave their presence, I'm exhausted and you know what else? I find myself being negative.

When I read from Matthew this morning, I thought of these women. Then I thought of my own heart. What is it filled with? What would others say it was filled with? I want to sit so close to the feet of Jesus that He radiates off of my face. Ladies, we have to fill up on the Lord every day in order for His character to become our character.

Proverbs 15:4 says "The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit." If we want to use healing words, then we better be going to the Word and filling up on that.

The older we get, the more our real self comes out. Examine yourself today and ask God to show you what your heart is filled with.

Weekend in Pictures

We had a wonderful weekend. It was a whirlwind of activity, and this morning we are exhausted, BUT it was all worth it. A beautiful wedding is one of those things I love and usually cry through. This weekend proved it.

I'm going to share some of my favorite pictures with you.


This is Chloe and Emma at the bridesmaids luncheon on Friday. The Inn we were at is the Inn Chad and I stayed in on our wedding night. You can't see it from this picture, but over Emma's shoulders is the TN River. It was so beautiful to eat overlooking the water. That's one thing we miss here in GA!

Emily is the only granddaughter on one side of her family. This is her Aunt, our hostess, passing on Emily's Grandmother's tea set. This was a very emotional time as this Grandmother is with Jesus now. The set is stunning and still has the price tags on the bottom of each piece.

Emma and the Bride at the Rehearsal Dinner. This took place at the Hunter Art Museum. Also overlooking the river. Emma was a little disappointed that we didn't get to go through the museum. She is my artist and loves this museum. Fortunately, there are plenty of sculptures outside for her to enjoy! We had to stop to read about each one on the way to the car. Hmmmmm, maybe we will count that as some school time!

Chad, the girls with his Grandmother. She looked stunning. She was so excited about wearing this dress! She kept asking me if I thought it was too long. I told her no, it was the perfect length for an after 5 wedding. Her eyes got real wide and she lit up and said, "You know, that is exactly what the lady who altered this dress told me!" It was so cute. I wish you could have seen her glide out of her house, she was dressed to the nines and felt good about herself, it was priceless.


This is the ONLY picture I got of the bride and groom! Can you believe that?!!! Who was this day about???? Anyway, hopefully my mother-in-law got some I can bum!


Emma taking pictures at the reception.

Emma taking a picture of Nana, Nana taking a picture of Emma!

One tired and hungry little flower girl. The bride is a dietitian and she made sure there was plenty of fruit and veggies at this wedding! Emma was in heaven! Her plate had cantaloupe, strawberries, veggies and a roll. (No meat, well, she had a couple of Chad's shrimp!)

Chad's cousin Wendy. She cracks me up. We haven't seen her in a while so it was good to visit with her. Chad, ever the prankster played a great little joke on her. It was pretty funny. Knowing her, she'll get him back the next time she sees him. (And yes, he deserves whatever he gets!)

Skipping to the car in downtown Chattanooga. It is so beautiful. (Side note for Chad. Did you know that Jim Brickman will be at the Tivoli on Dec. 12? And did you notice that there was a Starbucks in the lobby of the Read House? You know, a great birthday present might be concert tickets, a night at the Read house and coffee at Starbucks. Just a thought. Just trying to be a helpmate!)


We could not resist taking a picture in this storefront.

This couple was just precious. It was very emotional for me for some reason. I watched Emily in the dressing room and was taken back 13 years to my own wedding. I remember standing in my gown waiting to be taken upstairs, when the door cracked and Emily and her mom came in to say hi. Emily was keeping our guest book and was around 11 or 12 years old. Saturday, I stood in the door and watched this young woman in her gown preparing to become one with the man of her dreams. It was too much! How time flies. I looked at my girls and said a prayer for the men they will marry one day. Emily and Jeffrey have been given godly examples of marriage. That was evident as Jeffrey's father read scripture and prayed over them at the beginning of the ceremony. I believe God has great plans for this couple. They are passionate about each other but more importantly, passionate about Jesus.

The legacy theme keeps resounding in my heart and mind. Every decision we make affects future generations. What am I leaving my daughters, grandchildren? May we have marriages that point to Christ in the good and the bad.

Happy Birthday Chloe!!!

Chloe in New Mexico May 2007.

Dear Chloe,

Today is your 9th birthday. Or as you have been telling me, the day you begin your 10th year of life. You took hold of our hearts long before we held you, but once those doctors and nurses handed you to Daddy, we were overwhelmed at how much we loved you. It was more than we could have imagined. You are a gift from God to us and I'm so honored that He picked Daddy and I to be your parents.

Our first prayer for you was that you would have a heart that loved Jesus and that you would accept His gift of salvation at a young age. God answered that prayer. I'm amazed by the way you love HIM. You are a student of His word and you show Him to your friends and family everyday.

I pray that as you continue to grow up you will remember that God's ways are best! Not always the easiest, but His way is the best. Following hard after God is the only way to live a happy life.

Right now in your life you love Webkinz and use most of your daily media time taking care of them on-line! You and Emma are doing great with your karate. I never thought my dainty little girls would be such excellent karate kids! I'm very proud of both of you for doing this. 4th grade is going to be great and I can tell you are looking forward to getting started and back into the routine of school. You love to learn and to read. One of my favorite things to talk with you about is the book your reading. You get so excited about the characters and the story. I really liked watching the movie The Adventures of Ociee Nash with you Monday. You had just finished the book and were very quick to explain to me the differences in the book and movie as we watched. You love acting and learning about the art of movie making. I'm even thinking about giving you an "assignment" to make a movie. When we watch a movie like Narnia, Ociee Nash, H.S. Musical... you want to know all the behind the scenes details. Maybe you will be a director when you grow up! Whatever you do, I pray that you will do it for God. Give Him the glory for anything and everything you do!

Today we will go to lunch, attend karate this afternoon and then hang out with friends at community movie night at church. Sounds like a pretty good day doesn't it!

Happy Birthday Miss P. we love you !!!!!!





Chloe, friend E. and friend M.

M & M & M & M (I'm getting hungry!)

 

These are the birthday girls! (And their mommy and daddy) All of their first names AND their last name start with M. Thus the title of this blog. They turned 1 on Thursday. We head up this evening to party with them! We have heard rumor that one is walking and the other is doing her best to keep up. I can't wait to get some kisses!

Doesn't seem like a year ago we welcomed these two into our family. God answered our prayers, they were healthy beautiful babies. They continue to grow and are interested in everything, especially Gram's pots and pans. It's funny to watch my mom "baby-proof" her house. (They hang out with Gram's while Mommy is at work.) Bless their hearts, their Daddy is a GA fan, we'll let that slide, they do look cute in their red and black! I may try to sneak an orange bow in this football season. Which by the way, is just around the corner!!!!


M & M, we are so thankful that God picked you to be part of our family. We love you and pray every day that you will have a heart that loves God. HE loves you so much and has great plans for your life.

See you Saturday!

Thankful Thursday

I've been reading Thankful Thursday posts on other blogs and decided that it was time for me to start. It originated at Sting My Heart.

This week I am thankful:

*for my husband and children and all our family. They are so precious to me.

*my nieces M & M who turn 1 today. They are just turning into movers and shakers. They make us laugh and we love every minute we get with them.

*our home. God led us to this neighborhood and we have now been here 1 year.

*our church and the new friends he has given us there.

*Chad's job. Praise the Lord that he is doing what he loves and getting paid for it!

*that my Father's mercies are new every morning.

*that God isn't done with me yet. Even when I act like a spoiled brat! (see post right before this if you don't know what I'm talking about!)

*that we will get to spend time with all of our family over the next 6 weeks.

*that God is in control and is still in the mountain moving business.


This list could go on for pages. But for today, this is what I'm most thankful for. I would love to see your list if you have one!

See you Friday!

School, Vacation, Christmas Shopping, Wardrobe

These are all things that were going through my mind between 11:00 pm and 2:30 am last night/this morning.

We homeschool our girls and while we have done a little school each day, we add the full load on August 13. So I'm running through my mind what I need to buy to finish off the curriculum. That leads to how do I tell Chad I need so much $$$$$, he doesn't need that stress right now! So, I prayed about that. God provide the money we need to buy school supplies. He will I'm not worried.

This time next month we will be on a mini-vacation with my Sister-in-Love, her husband and their 2 sets of twins. (yes you read that right) We are all going to Florida to visit my in-laws. We're praying that the pool is in and ready for 6 grand kids to break it in! This will be the first time that we all have been at the in-laws new home and I'm really looking forward to it. The beach is calling my name! Chad needs the distraction and break from the office. Building a business is hard the first year. God is blessing his work ethic, this get-away will be a nice distraction!

Christmas is coming. Fast! We've decided to do a little shopping each month so it doesn't overwhelm us in December. So, I made my mental list and prayed about what we should give each person. Yes, I pray about this stuff. The whole season is to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We love to give gifts in honor of Jesus, so I pray that God will show me what to give each person. It has to be something that is from the heart and that will encourage. BTW- Check Diann's store. I found her last night as I was going through the blogroll. Her blog is over in my Good Stuff links. She has the cutest note cards, t-shirts...... all really Girly Girl stuff! I fell in love with them. Then I clicked over to the retailers list and guess what! Her line is sold at the coffee/gift shop around the corner from my house! How cool is that. (As soon as they re-open, they moved the shop, I'll be there picking up the cards with the coffee cups!)

Wardrobe. I've got several events coming up that I need to dress for. (These events demand that I wear more than my around the house jeans or sweat, I mean yoga pants and white or black t-shirt.) So the first is this Sunday. I'm playing a piano special in the morning worship services. (First of all I have been blessed with some great clothes and I have plenty to wear. I'm not complaining, I'm just trying to figure out what I'm going to wear and this is the thought process that I went through.) Okay.

For Sunday, my first thought was navy pantsuit. Love this suite, very tailored, but then the shoe issue comes up. I still haven't bought a pair of navy heels to wear with this suite. I have a pair of shoes that I normally wear with this suite, but they aren't my favorite with this suite. See my dilemma? If I'm in the choir loft no-one sees my shoes and I'm fine, but there is no hiding them when I play. So it looks like the navy suite is out of the running. My next choice was white linen pants green tunic top. Really cute pointy shoes I got at Steinmart for $7.99 last year. I love this outfit, but not sure how it would look from the side. This is very important girls!! People look at you from the side when you play. I don't want to look frumpy! I'm being vain I know, but I've got to feel good about how I look or my stage fright issues become bigger than they already are and I find myself in the bathroom, on my knees getting rid of anything I've eaten in the last 3 days. It's not fun. To top off the people looking at me from the side thing, our church now does live on-line streaming of our worship services. AS IF 8,000 people are intimidating enough, now we throw in the entire free world! No pressure.

As I think about all this, I ask God why. WHY is this an issue for me? Haven't I out-grown these issues. This is so petty. Then I got tickled and started to laugh out-loud.

I tell people all the time, when you are leading worship, or speaking, or singing in the choir, you are representing God. You are showing Jesus to them. Through your face, your body language.... We should be clothed in a garment of praise. My heart's desire more than anything in this world is to point people to Jesus. Whether I'm singing, playing, buying groceries, or having a cup of coffee with a girlfriend. I want to ooze Jesus! This has been my prayer for a long time. So why in the world am I wide awake at 2:00 in the morning, worrying about what I'm going to look like in a particular outfit! THIS IS CRAZY! I don't normally think like this! Where is this coming from?

I think this was His way of reminding me that I will never stop learning. I will never reach some point of spiritual elitism. And for the record, I don't want to! That would mean that I have put myself on the same level as God. That just isn't possible! If you know me personally, you will agree !!!! :)

The first song I wrote was for a Women's Tea. The theme was Refiner's Fire. The name of the song I wrote was "More Like You" One line in the song is "Whatever it takes, make me more like You." Those lyrics came to mind as I asked the Father to forgive me for being self-centered. I want to bring glory to HIM on Sunday morning. When I sit down to play, I want people to feel His presence as HE plays through me. What am I playing? This is the best part. God impressed upon my heart to put together an arrangement of "I'd Rather Have Jesus" and "Better is One Day".

The line I love from "Better is One Day" comes from the second verse:

"One thing I ask and I would seek, to see Your beauty, to find You in the place Your glory dwells".

I love that and then there's the bridge:

"My heart and flesh cry out for You, the Living God.
Your Spirit's water for my soul.
I've tasted and I've seen; come once again to me.
I will draw near to You, I will draw near to You."

Isn't God cool. When I sit on that bench Sunday, I'll be playing from a heart that is desperate for more of HIM. I want HIM more than anything. He's so much more than we can fathom isn't He? I thank Him that He loves me through these moments. I love how He uses them to show me more of His character. He is so good.