Believing God

I have absolutely no problem believing IN God. I know that He's real. I don't have a problem with that. Now, BELIEVING Him is a completely different story.
I am so grateful that He has accepted me, that I am saved, that I will be with Him in eternity, but I have always had this picture in my mind that He just tolerates me. I think of Him saying "Okay, I'll take that one, she seems sincere in her desire to want to follow me, hopefully one day she will stop messing up. But, I'll take her." Lately, I have been trying to wrap my wee little brain around the fact that He doesn't just tolerate me- He desires me, He loves me, He delights in me! WOW!!

He wants to comfort me:
For I, the LORD your God,
hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, "Fear not,
I am the one who helps you."
Isaiah 41:13 ESV

He watches over me:
The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
Psalm 121:8 ESV

His love for me is incomprehensible:
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:17-19

He delights in me and even SINGS over me!: (not just any singing- LOUD singing!)
The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
ESV Zephaniah 3:17

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."
NIV Zephaniah 3:17


I am choosing to believe God. These truths will take root in my heart as I choose over and over again to simply believe! I pray that you feel His love and you choose to believe Him too!

IT'S A .....

Look real close...closer... closer... Now see the leg bone on the bottom of the picture? See that round thing marked by 4 little dots? Connect the dots.... Now you have an itty bitty.....BOY!!!!

It's Cow Appreciation Day at Chick Fil A!

This will be our 4th year for Cow Appreciation Day! All you have to do is make yourself look like a cow, and you will receive a free combo at Chick Fil A! We usually just tape black construction paper spots all over us, but you can download free cow costume stuff at www.chickfila.com
See you there!!

Still celebrating!

The fourth is just the beginning of the celebrations at our house. The fifth of July is my birthday, and the sixth is our anniversery! We have been married 18 years! (I won't tell you how old I am, you'll have to do the math!)

Sometimes I can't believe that it has been that long. Roger told the kids yesterday that he and I have been together for half our lives! It has flown by- at least the yearlys! The dailies have been a little more leisurely.

It's amazing how much God has allowed us to be a part of his work, it's also amazing how much He has changed us through it. When we got married, I thought I was marrying a Youth Pastor. What a surprise to end up with a husband who is a Pastor and Church Planter. Not exactly what I had expected though God's ways almost never are.

We have been on an incredible journey these years- by golly- we've moved 18 times!!! I am so thankful for the things that I have been learning just in the past couple of years. God is showing me a better way than before, when I was trying to do marriage my way. I am not sure that I can even articulate what I have learned- I think that both Roger and I have grown into it. He becoming even more Godly and strongly taking the leadership reins in our family. Me becoming a little more Godly and giving those reins away.

I am so truly blessed to be married to my best friend. I know it sound cheesy, but I really do love him more today than yesterday!

Thanks be to Jesus, who saw fit to give me the incredible gift of this man!!!

'

The Fourth...

...or rather, the third! Since July 4 landed on a Saturday this year, we decided to celebrate on Friday the third. It's really difficult for us to stay out late on a Saturday night with our responsibilities at church. So, this year, we packed up a picnic and headed to Stone Mountain Park with some very fun friends and about 30,000 others! We had a great time. The weather was beautiful and dry. The fireworks were fabulous!

Feminine Appeal

I am getting ready to lead a study for women on the book Feminine Appeal: 7 Virtues of a Godly Wife and Mother by Carolyn Mahaney. I am so excited about this. When I first read this book, I found so many new ideas about biblical femininity- well, they were new to me! My idea of femininity was based sorely and wrongly on what I had learned from the world. These new ideas were so freeing!! Some were thoughts that I had on my own but didn't know anyone else felt that way- to have them validated by the Bible! Wow! Now that is freedom. If you are a lady at Harbins, I would love you to join us on this 9 week journey (Thursdays at 10am at my house). I think you will be challenged, but I also know that you will be affirmed as we learn God's design for us!

I copied this from another blog. I thought that the writer, Carrie, said it so perfectly:

"True femininity comes from within... a peace that passes understanding, joy abundantly, a light in our eyes, a smile on our lips, kindness on our tongue... it is embracing who God made us to be... confident yet humble, strong yet full of gentleness. She'll be serving those around her, pouring out her life with joy, she'll be on her knees in the presence of her King, she'll be speaking life to those around her bringing them encouragement, hands ready to help, feet ready to go... all done whether in the heart of her home or on the other side of the world serving the least. You can have someone dressed modest and feminine full of worldly beauty and yet missing the the core of femininity, the core of who she was created to be, and you will find an empty woman, empty of life. It all starts from within, yet I think you will see it expressed in every aspect of her life. You will also find women that are not full of natural beauty but somehow they become the most beautiful woman you have seen all because she knows who she is and why she was created, full of joy and gentleness... full of life... a truly beautiful woman."

Are You Kidding Me?

Another rat snake in the barn!! UGH! This one wasn't as big. Roger is changing his name to "Snake Slayer"!!!