It's a Golden Life

I  may never arrive at having it all figured out, but I don't want to-I want to grow through it all. Just when I feel I have a handle on life, a curve ball is thrown and I am pushed off the mound.  Some days, it is difficult to sit back and try to understand the plans God has for your life. It's a guessing game of am I ever just going to "get" what is going on today or tomorrow or ten years from now. Oh, how certain events lead up to an uncertain future.  Sometimes I literally look up to the sky as if He were to be physically staring back at me- deep into my eyes- and I question, "Why?" It's as if I lose sight of God in these situations, when in reality-He is all over them.  Isaiah 40:28   Have you not known? Have you not heard?  The  Lord  is  the everlasting God,   the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He does not faint or grow weary;   his understanding is unsearchable. He does not grow faint or weary as I do. I pray that I...

Malachi had his very first practice of any sport yesterday! We have wanted to enroll him in soccer, football, or basketball for years now, but our extremely busy work schedules and irradic times we got off, made it very difficult to commit to a sport for any of the kiddos. Chi has been pleading and campaigning for sports for years, so we finally made it a priority and signed him up for soccer through the community center. He is on a team with two of his little buddies, and they are so cute together.  At his first practice, Chi was timid at first. He is a perfectionist, so he went super slow trying to control the ball. By the end of practice, he had a little more control and confidence. He will be scoring goals in no time!  It will be so fun practicing with him. I loved soccer (and still do!) and know he will enjoy being a part of a team so much! We are so proud of our little buddy.  I didn't bring our real camera, and tried not to creep or embarrass him too much...  ...

On Saturday (March 7) Halynd was greeted at the door by her Daddy with a bouquet of flowers. She picked out a beautiful dress, painted her nails, curled up her hair, and anticipated the special time she was about to have with her Daddy. He asked her if she would like to go out on a date with her and she blushed and ran away. It was so cute. She finally agreed to go on a date, once her feelings subsided. We went outside and took a few pictures to document the adorableness.  He buckled her in the car and took her to Savoy for some tea and a cupcake. After that, he surprised her with Build-a-Bear to make Olaf (she has been wanting him for soooo long). Then, they went and danced the night away at their first Daddy and Daughter dance at her school. She woke up this morning still wearing the flower pinned in her hair, and complaining of sore feet and legs from dancing. Halynd is so fortunate to have Donovan as a Daddy. I know how he makes me feel loved, cherished, and protected. I can on...

I have been convicted of my selfishness for some time now. What to do with this conviction? I can't help but to think upon the constant phrase Jesus has placed on my mind of "serve my people"-the direction of which We are called to go. The wheels have been spinning for a while now, and am I excited and relieved that there is some momentum gaining.  Something written that Jesus has used in my life to speak volumes of conviction- But I found myself using the word “loyalty” a lot in the summer. I felt like I, as the pastor’s wife, had to be so crazy loyal to everyone and no one could be that for me. I craved someone ANYONE to say –  We’re here! We’re with you! We care about this and we’re never, ever, ever leaving . But that’s not what the Kingdom is about. The Kingdom is about fluid people, walking with Jesus separately and walking together when the time is right. So while I was hurting over people not being loyal to me, I think the Lord was mourning me not wanting them to ...

The kiddos finally got their first few snow days of the season on February 16-18!  Last year was an unbelievable snow and ice adventure all winter long. The kids had-I think- had 16 days tacked on to the end of their school year. That is not the case this year. I love snow days! (When I am not out and about) They force you to hunker down and take it slow. I love having the kids home! There's just something so beautiful about everything being covered with a blanket of endless, white snow. Just a reminder of how Jesus has covered everything with his blood, making it beautiful.  Grand total was 3.5 inches. That's enough to shut down our town for a day or three!  Owen loves the snow! He ran circles like a mad man when he was let out. He also really enjoyed eating the snow and sounded like a pig.  Halynd loves the snow. It was light and fluffy on the first day, so snowman/ball making was too hard. She was happy to make snow angels all over the yard while Owen helped. Paxt...

We are all out here carrying around our wounded hearts like luggage. Dragging around the oversized bags full of forgotten apologies, selfish mistakes, and  damaged relationships-and they are so heavy. Time can be a thief and before we know it, our hearts and minds have run a marathon and don't know what happened.  It takes so much time to set deep roots down in life. To have them spread so far that they are stuck by grace and love-is a difficult and consuming task. Sometimes those roots are turned up and it hurts deeply. Thinking on what Christ has done for us rather than what others have done to us is salve in the wounds. Hurt is real and Christ died painfully to cover it.  Great encouragement comes from the book of Ephesians-With all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.  While our temptation may be to run from pain and hurt, God speaks through the ...

Malachi wants to be an author and an illustrator. He is great at writing stories and a rather impressive artist at the age of 7. He just did his "self portrait" and it's so cute.  His favorite types of books to write are about superhero, science, and snakes. He loves having a couple art kits and will contently draw or color for hours.  I want to remember this part of his younger years in case he changes his mind about what he wants to do when he grows up-which most likely will happen!