On my Heart

So many things are running through my head as I type this… But at the top of the list is my gratitude to the Lord for two amazing gifts He has given me: the gift of my mom, and the gift of allowing me to be a mom.

My mom… I hardly know what to say. She is what everyone wishes their moms could be. She was a hard working home maker who loved us through her words, her hugs, her lap, her cooking, sewing, clean laundry, clean house, her support, and her help in every way. She and my dad were great parterners, best of friends, and wonderful parents. My dad is with Jesus now, but I’m so thankful to still have my mom as a huge part of my life. She is not only my mom, but also my friend. I pray that we have many more years of friendship ahead of us.

Being a mom…When James and I first married, I was very sick, and we were told that we shouldn’t have any children. (For the whole story, see my testimony on my side bar toward the bottom.) However, our Lord had different plans – and I’m so glad that He did! He gave us two children within 21 months, and life has wonderfully never been the same!!!

The kids gave me my Mother’s Day gift before supper on Saturday night, and when we were saying the blessing, one of the children thanked God for healing me and letting me be able to do the things I needed to do in being their mom. I didn’t even know that they thought about that, but I couldn’t agree more!

I talk about my children a lot on this blog, but today, I simply want to say how very proud I am of both of them. I see the Lord growing and molding them into the young adults He has designed them to be, and it is a privilege to be their Mom.

Nathan, our 12 1/2 year old.

Abigail, our almost 11 year old.

As I think about my mom and being a mom, I can’t help but think about my precious beautiful grandmothers, who are now with Jesus. I say this with true gratitude: God blessed me with an incredible herritage, and both moms of my parents loved and served the Lord and their families until the days they died. I’m missing them a lot this weekend.

Another thought that runs through my mind every Mother’s Day is how different this day would be if I couldn’t have had children, or if the Lord had given us babies to love, and they were no longer with us. I know so many women in these two categories, and know that this time of year is very hard for them. I read this blog post via Rocks in My Dryer on Sunday, and was so blessed by the honesty of this grieving mom on Mother’s Day.

There have been a lot of women who have poured into my life, and as I think about them this weekend, my heart is full. My Aunty Bibby is one of these women. She didn’t have children of her own, but loved and treated my brother, sister, and me as if we were hers. She provided for my dance lessons, prom dresses, fun weekends at her house, and lots of experiences she wanted to make sure I would have. On this Mother’s Day, I honor you, too, Aunt Bibby. I love you. Thank you for pouring into my life.

What a privilege it is to be a woman… To have the opportunity to pour into the lives of others~ whether or not we’re the official “mom”.

To all of these women in my life, I arise and call you blessed.

and God’s Girl Pearl and her girl…

You and Your Girl was one of the most valuable conferences I’ve ever attended! Vicki Courtney spoke straight to the heart of moms and daughters with some incredible messages about guarding our hearts. Both Abigail and I were convicted, challenged, educated, and blessed by the whole event.

God’s Girl Pearl (my dear friend Christy) and her daughter (Abigail’s dear friend) made the weekend even more fun for us. We picked the girls up a little early from school on Friday afternoon.

And headed for Elizabethtown, KY. For some reason, about half of the pictures we took of the weekend centered around the hotel’s luggage rack! (Apparently, we don’t get out much!) So, here we are with some mom and daughter “luggage rack fun”…

Some of the things I loved about You and Your Girl were:

*The continual pointing to Jesus Christ as the greatest meeter of our needs and filler of our lives.

*The consistant message to both moms and daughters to stay engaged in a “conversation” together as we navigate these teen years.

*The teaching on Proverbs 4:32 about guarding our hearts and exactly how to do that.

*The individual sessions for the girls, according to their ages and the things they are presently facing.

*Vicki Courtney’s “real-ness”, as she addressed the issues she has, or is dealing with as the parent of teenagers.

*The sweet time of prayer and committment between mothers and daughters.

We moms were given a Proverbs 4:23 bracelet for daughters and one for ourselves. At the end of the conference, Abigail and I knelt together at the “altar”. I got to speak some words of love and encouragement over her, then we put our bracelets on and prayed together. (And of course, tears were involved!)

When I asked her how long she wanted us to wear our Proverbs 4:23 bracelets, she said “4 weeks and 23 days” – so, we’re wearing them for 51 days – reminding us of the special time we spent together at the conference, and reminding both of us to guard our hearts.

When I asked Abigail to tell me the biggest thing she was taking away from the weekend, I had an idea of what I thought she would say. But her answer surprised me. It went something like this: “I didn’t learn anything new – it was all stuff you’ve been telling me. But I learned that I’m not the only one hearing it from my mom, and you’re not the only mom telling these things.”

Because of what Abigail saw and heard on Saturday, I now have more “credibility” in her eyes and ears. I’ll be so grateful for that in the years ahead!

It was an incredible conference, and I would encourage every one of you moms to take your pre-teen/teenage daughters!

And as a weekend bonus: on our way home, we’re sure we saw the “real” Mater (you know… from the movie Cars)!

Have a great weekend! 😉

My sweet daughter and I went to a Vicki Courtney You and Your Girl Event this past weekend. It was an incredible event and the Lord worked in many ways – I can’t wait to post all about it! 🙂 I’ll do that next, but today, I wanted to share a special Word the Lord gave me as the event opened.

In light of my previous two posts, I must admit that over the past week, I’ve been a little “down” about how our world is, where our nation is headed, and what is to become of our children’s future. It seems that the more aware I am, the more overwhelmed I become. There’s a balance I just haven’t found yet.

We’ve been using our voices and stepping out for what we believe. But honestly, I’ve been feeling like our voices sound like little mouse squeaks compared to the loud roar of the “world”. And without intending to, I started listening to the enemy’s lies telling me that we can speak out all we want, but it won’t really make a difference.

So, Saturday morning as the conference began, Kelly Minter was leading us in worship, and we were singing “Savior, He Can Move the Mountains.” I love that song and was singing along, but I was really thinking about what a beautiful voice Kelly has.

All of a sudden, it was as if the Lord Jesus tapped me on the shoulder and said to me, “Are you paying attention to what you are singing? Really meaning the words you’re saying about Me?” I looked up at the screen to these words:

The kindness of a Saviour;
The Hope of nations.
Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.

I was stunned and completely convicted! He was so right! (Of course He was!) I realized that we have taken these “stands” God has called us to take, and we have done them willingly and obediently because we love Him. But I was standing in “duty” ~ not in faith.

I’ve been like the person in James 1:6 “Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind.” I’ve been blown “hither and thither” and tossed by the wind! And I completely disregarded the truth that My Savior, He CAN move mountains! My God is Mighty to Save!!! He CAN save us, this nation, and this world!

When I realized this truth, and sorrowfully confessed my doubt, I felt a huge weight lifted from my heart. It was amazing! 1 John 4:4-6 has a whole new meaning to me (that’s why I posted it as Sunday’s Scripture). No matter what happens in the future, I don’t ever want to doubt again that My God CAN move the mountains!

If you’ve got 7 minutes to listen to this beautiful worship song, please do. If you don’t, the words are posted below the video. Maybe I’m the only one, but I’m guessing that someone else needs to be reminded today that our God CAN.

Yes…Our God CAN! If you’re trusting and praising God that He CAN _____ today, please leave a comment, and I’ll pray in faith with you! I’ll even start the comment section myself. See you over there. 🙂

Everyone needs compassion,
Love that’s never failing;
Let mercy fall on me.

My Saviour, you can move the mountains,
You are mighty to save,
You are mighty to save.
Forever, Author of Salvation,
You rose and conquered the grave,
Yes you conquered the grave

It’s Spring Break! My mom, brother & family, and sister & family all met in Chattanooga to spend a few days together. We stayed in a cabin up on Lookout Mountain and enjoyed some of the tourist attractions offered in that beautiful area.

But the best attraction for me were these darlings… the nieces and nephews (and of course, our children)…

They’re growing so much, and were such fun to be around. And new baby, Ella, was a pure delight. She smiled and cooed and happily went along with the whole gang.

I’m so thankful for our family – and for the friendship that we all share. It was a blessing and a gift to get spend time together with them. (Thanks, Mom!)

Have a great weekend, everyone!