~ Happy Anniversary ~

21 years ago at this time I was preparing to walk down the aisle to marry my best friend. 21 years later, I am preparing him to go into the operating room for surgery on his knee. It's been two decades of this kind of wild romance. Haha!

Wow! Our anniversary! 21 years is a long time and I am very proud of that! The vows we took those many years ago echo loudly in my heart as if I were still standing at the altar. If I had it to all over again, I would jump at the chance! There have been ups and there have been downs but one thing that has always remained is the love we have for each other. We praise the Lord for every trial and victory and count it all joy that God allowed us these 21 years.

Today, we begin the next 21 years! Although starting it under general anesthesia, painkillers, and crutches aren't exactly the makings of a beautiful romance novel; it is part of our story, a story that I will cherish forever! I am certain that we will encounter challenges and difficulties and I know there will be times of rejoicing. Through it all we will continue to keep Christ as the center of our marriage and draw closer to him. We will fall deeper in love and lead by example to our children. We will hold firm to the covenant to which we made before God and give him glory. We praise him for his grace and for this most beautiful blessing of marriage!

I have thoroughly enjoyed taking a walk down memory lane with you this week. In a way I felt like we were chatting over a cup of coffee. Reminiscing through those precious years has awakened my soul and given me more respect and love for my wonderful husband. Thank you for joining me and sharing those memories with me!

“…but the greatest of these is love.”

1Corinthians 13:13b

~ Good Morning ~

Good morning!  Waking up on the beautiful Saturday morning cuddled up beside my husband and enjoying this phenomenal sunrise that God has painted into existence!  Oh, how the scriptures of God's splendor and majesty are flooding my thoughts and I am in awe of my Creator today! I cannot think of a better way to begin this day than in the arms of my love, reading the Word, and praising our God together! Looking forward to an amazing day!

"From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised."

Psalms 113:3 (NIV84)

"Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives."

Psalms 90:14 (NLT)

~ Forever I'll Praise You, God ~

Today I choose to give God praise no matter what goes on around me. When the burdens of this world seem too hard to bear, I will still praise HIM. When my heart is breaking today for a mother preparing to release her young daughter into the arms of Jesus because cancer has overtaken her body, I will still praise HIM. When my loved ones suffer job loss and financial hardships, I will still praise HIM. When I see the news of a country that has turned away from God, I will still praise HIM. When the uncertainty of everything around me is heavy, I will still praise HIM.

Why?

Because HE IS GOD!

"Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise The Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone— as though we had never been here. But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments! The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything. Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will! Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the Lord. "

Psalms 103:1-22 (NLT)

So, today, I will still praise HIM! Forever and ever!

"But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more."

Psalms 71:14 (NIV84)

"The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he delivers those who are discouraged."

Psalms 34:18 (NET)

~ Blessed Beyond Measure ~

Today is my day off and as I was enjoying my quiet house and time in the Word after Matt left for work, thinking the kids were still sleeping, my door opened and in walked Callie and Caleb serving me breakfast in bed. Wow! I am honored! Today I get to spend some beautiful time homeschooling with the kids before taking Ben and Callie for their afternoon classes. I love this time with my kids and I cherish every second!

I feel extremely blessed this morning for all God is doing within our family. It has been a true test of faith saying "yes" to God when we went away from the "norm" but God has proved himself so faithful!

Be bold in your obedience to God! He will never lead you off track. His ways are perfect and his plan never fails. Though the road may seem challenging at times, those are opportunities to strengthen our faith and grow us closer to him.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take."

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open."

James 1:2-8 (MSG)

~ Overwhelmed at the Luncheon Meat Aisle ~

Saturday I needed to run to the store and get groceries for the week. Now, any other day this would be totally normal and routine but this particular day I was exhausted from an extremely draining week. You know those weeks that heading into it you have to prepare mentally, physically, and spiritually because your schedule is full with back-to-back appointments and the list of things to get done exceeds the paper you wrote it on? Yes, that was my week. Sleep was an afterthought for the week and my brain was on sensory overload from the amount of balls games we had attended and cheers were still echoing in the deep crevices of my tired mind.

So I awaken Saturday morning, still in a daze, but trek off to the store to stock up our groceries. I went with my sweatpants on, big sloppy sweatshirt, and no makeup. Yes, I was a sight to behold. But my husband reminded me that we live in Burgaw so I looked like royalty. Haha! I believe in some twisted way that was a compliment! Lol!

My first big mistake was that I went with no list! Oh my goodness! Allison at the grocery store without a list, in a sleep deprived state; with the cheer "P-U-M-P pump it up" still resonating in her brain from the homecoming game the night before, is a recipe for disaster. What was going to be a quick trip became a long overwhelming nightmare! I found myself roaming aimlessly from aisle to aisle unable to concentrate and just about ready to cry in front of the luncheon meat. I gave myself a pep talk and pressed on the rest of the way. I returned home to find Matt was waiting and ready to unload the car. He was probably wondering how he would find me when I pulled into the driveway because I had given him the dramatic recap on the way home. He was there in typical "wonderful husband fashion" and gave me a big hug, then took over and put the groceries away so I could regain some composure.

My day did get better! It was just one of those moments when you find yourself completely drained and nothing left to give. It is rare that I have these moments, and believe me, I am not proud of it, but it is also a huge reminder that when life gets overwhelming I need to just take some time and sit at the feet of my Master! Those are times to let others to take some of the load off and get on my face before Almighty God and allow his Spirit to fill me to overflowing again. When I find the stresses of life taking over, I have to stop and refuel on God's Word. If I continued to drive my car and ignore that fuel light that comes on to warn me I'm getting low on gasoline, then I'm going to run out of gas and my car will stop. The same is true for me! If I continue going and ignore the "low fuel light" within me, then I'm going to run out and find myself stopped in front of the luncheon meat, again, ready to cry over whether I need bologna or honey ham! Lol!

I am so thankful for my Heavenly Father! He so graciously picks me up and holds me tight when I'm overwhelmed. He places his big "daddy" arms around me and holds me tight as he whispers his promises in my ear; those promises in His Word where he tells me he loves me! He takes me to scripture that reminds me that He is my portion and He is everything I need to make it through the difficult days. He promises to never leave me. He reminds me to lay my burden on him and he will carry it for me.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV84)

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Psalms 73:26 (NIV84)

"Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone."

Psalms 33:22 (NLT)

Oh, my sweet Father! How I love him so!

I don't know what you face today. It may sound strangely like my crazy day at the store or you may have your own twisted story to tell, but let me reassure you that God is there! He is waiting for you with open arms! He is ready to pick you up when you fall! He is ready to take each burden off your back and carry it for you. You just have to release it!

I am so grateful for a Father that loves me like that! In my weakness He is strong and I cannot fathom where I would be without him! I am so in love with him!

"I love you, Lord; you are my strength."

Psalms 18:1 (NLT)

~ Priority of Marriage ~

I am so thankful for my marriage! After almost 21 years, Matt and I have a wonderful marriage but that is because we work at it. Christ remains the center and we make our marriage a priority. When life gets busy and our schedules get overcrowded, sometimes we just have to call a “time out” and make time to spend with each other. I am so blessed to have a wonderful husband who recognizes when life is getting too crazy and will clear our calendars to wisk me away for a romantic weekend! Aside from our relationship with God, our marriage comes before any other relationship we have. What a great honor to be able to teach our kids the beauty and blessing of marriage and show them just how much their parents love each other.

Matt, I love you so much and I cannot wait for our weekend getaway! ♥

~ Rooted in Christ ~

"My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving."

Colossians 2:6-7 (MSG)

Wow! A powerful word from God this morning! It is straightforward and to the point, just the way I need it! Thank you, Paul, for being bold in preaching the Word! Don't ever doubt for a second that God won't show up when you need him! He is there, my friend, ALWAYS!

I am rooted in Christ! Hallelujah! Roots are very important to this point as plants draw their nourishment from the soil through their roots. We, as Christians, are rooted in Christ so, we draw our strength, our spiritual nourishment through him! Paul tells us here that its time to start living our faith in Christ. We are rooted in him so get out and GO! Submit to God daily, follow his example, and he will give us strength to continue the journey. Give thanks to him and praise his name!

Now, lets get this day started! Woohoo!