SmellingCoffee.com

... the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ in every place...

You are here: Home / Archives for On my Heart

On my Heart

Thank You!


Tomorrow is Veterans’ Day (as if you didn’t know that… 🙂 )

I had all kinds of other things to post about, but my heart is so overwhelmed with gratitude toward the men and women who are serving / have served in our military that I couldn’t write about anything else.

I’m so thankful for and to those men and women who have given their lives for the security of freedom in our land and around the world.

Thank you to the women – moms, wives, daughters, and friends left behind who are “holding down the fort” and missing their men while their men are away from home.

Thank you to the men – dads, husbands, sons, and friends who have surrendered their moms, wives, daughters, and friends to serve our country.

Thank you to the families who are grieving today over the loss or injury of a loved one in military duty.

Thank you to the wounded soldier (both physically and mentally) who is dealing with a life change because of active duty.

Thank you to the civilian personnel who serve our country in partnership with our military.

Thank you for paying the price for our physical freedom. For each of you, I pray Psalm 3.

I have a lot of enemies, LORD.
Many fight against me and say,
“God won’t rescue you!”

But you are my shield,
and you give me victory and great honor.
I pray to you, and you answer from your sacred hill.

I sleep and wake up refreshed
because you, LORD,
protect me.

Ten thousand enemies attack from every side,
but I am not afraid.
Come and save me, LORD God!
Break my enemies’ jaws and shatter their teeth,
because you protect and bless your people.


(Contemporary English Version)
And, I thank Jesus – for paying the price of our Ultimate Freedom both here in the now, and forever in eternity. “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
To all who serve this incredible country of ours in any way, I thank you, and I bless you in the name of Jesus, Who makes us “free, indeed.”

Jennifer

alt=rss

Married to a Memphis Man

Anyone who knows our family knows that I’m married to a Memphis Man. My husband is one of the most loyal University of Memphis fans alive. His office is decorated in UM decor, all of his t-shirts have something to say concerning “Memphis” (so do many of his dress shirts, belts, ties…), and last year when they lost in the NCAA Basketball championship, friends called and offered their condolences to James! Lots of friends! Through this team’s good and bad seasons (of both football and basketball), James has remained True Blue – and I’m so proud of him for being such a faithful man!

Since Nathan was 3, he and James have had season tickets to the University of Memphis football games. It’s been a father/son tradition for the past 9 years. When they go to games, Abigail and I usually do “girl stuff” – like shop, spend time with friends, or do special things together at home.

But lately, she’s had an awakening to sports, and wanted to see the Tigers she’s rooted for all of her life play. So, we decided to make it a family affair. We packed our Memphis blues and headed to my mom’s for the weekend. and went to the game on Saturday. It was so much fun watching everything from Abigail’s eyes.
Abigail with a player’s mom. Loved her hat!
As we were getting settled in our seats, all four of us made some type of obvious observation of our trip and entry into the stadium.
James: “Nathan, we get here a whole lot faster when it’s just the two of us, don’t we?”
Nathan: ” ‘Cause we don’t have to stop and take pictures everywhere.” (I had to document the trip, you know…)

Abigail: “This college band is a whole lot better than the middle school band.”
and my observation: “This is awesome! Why haven’t we done this sooner??? and When can we do it again!?!”
Our family loves the Memphis Tigers so much – not because they win, nor because they’re popular. We love them because the Dad in the house loves them. Many Saturdays we’ve watched him come away from a losing game aggravated about the mistakes, but already hopeful about the next game. Even in losing seasons, he’s never walked away from being a fan, and because he hasn’t, neither have we.
But, more than he loves the Tigers, he loves the Lord, and has given us a beautiful picture of being a faithful follower of God. Many times we’ve watched James come away from an experience that is frustrating or discouraging, and although he may be aggravated, his faith and hope in the Lord don’t waver. My dad was like that, too. They both have modeled a faithful consistent walk with the Lord for their wives and children to follow.
In Memphis sports, and in real life too, I’m so grateful to have a living example of faith. When I want to give up on difficult situations or people, I remember the faithfulness of those around me, and I’m challenged to press on. I don’t want to be a “fair weather fan”. In the good seasons and the not-so-good ones, I want to be a faithful follower of Christ – so much that He decorates everything about my life – and all who see me coming know that He is the one I’m for!

“Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].” Heb. 11:1 (Amplified).
What about you… do you have someone who has “walked out” faithfulness in front of you and challenged you to a more faithful walk? If so, leave a comment and give them a “shout out,” and share what you learned from their lives!
In the mean time, I’ll leave you with these parting words:
“Much love to each of you!”
and “Go Tigers!”
alt=rss

Catching Up


Hi friends! (If I had some “ocean waves” sounds, I’d be playing them for us about right now, but since I don’t, just pretend with me: whhhhooooosshhhh… swwwwwiiiiiiissssssshhhhh) I now make these noises when I want to be back in my chair at the beach! It helps a little… not really… 🙂

Would you please indulge me for a moment while I brag on the Lord? You know how it is… when we leave “normal” surroundings and visit a different area of God’s magnificent creation, our hearts seem to be wide open for praise – And that’s just what we did!

The gentle rhythm of the waves, consistent gradual sunrises, salmon pink sunsets, white powdery sand, and bright blue skies were medicine for the soul and spirit. Everywhere we looked made our hearts cry out in praise. It was amazing! God was so good to us and blessed our week with His beauty and rest!

Here are a few pictures (I promise – I won’t bore you with all 300 of them!) 🙂


This was a great shot. In this picture, Nathan was skim boarding.


And of course, we took the family pictures – in the same poses every other family who goes to the beach uses. 🙂




While were were there, I “fasted” from the computer, internet, e-mail, and blogging. I missed keeping up with all of my new bloggy friends, but the time off-line was helpful in evaluating where I spend my time and focus, and I saw that I lose a lot of life while on-line. When I first started blogging, I read a tip from another blogger that said something like this: Don’t get so tied up in blogging that you miss living your life.
In all my 4 months of blogging ;-), I’ve never forgotten this. In the future, there’s going to be some additional “living” going on in my life (and no, I’m not having another baby!). Although I’m not at liberty to say what it is right now, I can tell you that it will take some additional time and mental energy. In asking the Lord how to balance everything, He’s called me to clean my plate a little. I’m not going to stop blogging, but Smelling Coffee will be slowing down a bit. I’ll post one or two times a week, and “Frappuccino Fun with Amy” will still be posted on Fridays. (yeah!)
I’ve so enjoyed blogging, and am glad to get to continue – just on a smaller scale. (I have tons of posts in my mind… & I’m praying that the Lord will help them stay right where they are until I have the time to peck them out!) Thank you for being loyal readers and for leaving your encouraging comments. I hope to be catching up with many of you soon!
“True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.” Psalm 23:3 (The Message – our theme for our week at the beach.)

alt=rss
Verified by MonsterInsights