Quick Update...

I have some good stuff to share, but I am too tired to write a long blog...so I will make it in a few bullet points, and then maybe, if I ever find some time to sit down and write, I will fill you in on the details...cause for one, it's REALLY good stuff...

• I had an interview with Seminary today...it was my last step in the process. I didn't feel like it went to well and he told me that I would know in 2-3 weeks. I got a email later this afternoon saying that I GOT IN!!! I am about 95% sure that is for the Counseling program as well. I got my email from the Seminary Admissions and the admissions guy checked my record and told me that he believes that the email is for both the Seminary and the Counseling Program--so in July I will be moving to Kentucky. CRAZY!!!
• God has been answering a decade worth of prayers concerning my brother. This is the good bullet point that would take too long to write right now, but James has pretty much done a 180 degree turn. It has been so crazy, yet exciting to watch. He has a new girl in his life that seems to be really good. He is going to church, praying, asking us to pray for him and on and on and on. It is so good to watch God's faithfulness and answers of prayer. Everything does work in His timing.

That's all for now. How all is well with you guys. Love ya.

New Year...new goals.

2006 was not the best year for me. Nothing terrible happened, just a bunch of odd things and struggles in my personal life. I am taking claim now that 2007 will be a better year. To start, I have picked a theme...it comes from a song on one of Watermark's CD's. I am not sure if they wrote the song or not, but it is called "Friend for Life." The part that I chose to be my theme of my heart for 2007 is....

"Friend for Life, who took my pain.
The cleanising flood, few remain.
So wash over me…till I can’t be seen.
Living water swallow on me. Deepest river wash me clean.
Jesus Savior more of thee. Jesus more of thee. Come and ruin me with your love so no other is enough. Come and leave your mark on me. Jesus, more of thee."

My favorite line is... "Come and ruin me with your love, so no other is enough." I believe that is going to be what I ask most of God this year, please ruin me with Your love, so that is enough for me.

I had this deep stuff that I wanted to share and write about, but I am babysitting in AU (YEAH!!) this week for 2 precious boys (Josh and Caleb Dean)...one is 3 and one is 18 months, and frankly, I am POOPED right now. Can't really come up with logicaly great sentences or ideas...but I wanted to post...I did want to share.

I think I will leave you with another goal for the year. All afternoon (late afternoon), Josh, the 3 year old, has been saying things like (on his own mind you..and randomly) "thank you Jesus for a wonderful day!" "today was a great day because we got to play outside and whenever you get to go outside, it's a great day!" "Thank you God for a good day!"

So sweet...and he really means it. That is what I want to be like in 2007... I want to be full of thanksgiving for all that God does for me instead of full of "self-pity" for all the things that I don't have but feel like I should have. I want to be able to praise God for the pretty days and the ability that I have to go outside and play! I want to have that "faith like a child," where I just believe God is good and that HE loves me, because He said He does...I don't need a billion examples, I just want to believe and rejoice in Him!

"Living water wash me clean. Come and ruin me with YOUR love, so no other in enough."

Dear Lord,
Thank you for my wonderful friends and all that you have taught me through them! I pray many blessings upon their lives this next year. Please protect them and guide them.
Thank you for the many blessings of 2006 that you gave to me, even if I didn't recognize them. Please come and ruin me with Your love this year so that You will be all that I want and no other will compare to You.
Thank you sweet Jesus.
amen

I found this very sweet....

Heart wrenching as well....
I am doing Beth Moore's "David" personal 90-day devotion. I have found that so far a lot of it is not really applicable because it has questions about "your marriage," "your husband," "your children." But God really pressed upon my heart tonight as I read out of 1 Samuel, HIS "marriage," HIS "spouse", HIS "children" and HIS faithfulness....here is how....

I have been studying about how Hannah longed for a child and her promise she made with God if she could conceive. She and Elkanah (her husband) would get up early and worship the Lord (which I think is important--that itself spoke a lot to me--about faithfulness and discipline--and starting your day right--worshiping God first thing). Well, one morning after they got done worshiping God, they "had relations" and God was faithful to Hannah's prayer--He granted her a son. Hannah faithfully raised him and weaned him for 3 years and then she was faithful to her promise with God and turned him over to Eli. Beth puts the scence like this...which so captured my heart tonight...

"Imagine...A tiny three-year old boy, still with creases of satiny baby skin around his plump little thighs, bending his knee and bowing before El Elyon, the sovereign God of all creation. How precious this child must have been to God. How in the world could a child that age have such respect for the God of the universe?"

That scence brings tears to my eyes. She is refering to 1 Samuel: 28, " 'So I have dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord.' And he worshiped the Lord there." He, meaning Samuel, at age 3. Yes, 3 years old. He worshiped the Lord. WOW!!

To answer how he could do that, Beth goes on to refer to Hannah's song of Thanksgiving in 1 Samuel 2...and about Hannah's character...the example she set before her child...way she raised her child...her faithfulness to the Lord. In particular her believe, strong believe, about God....
"There is NO one holy like the Lord; there is NO one besides you; there is NO Rock like our God." 1 Samuel 2:2

Two things stuck out to me tonight--which God has been pressing upon me a lot lately.

1. We are NEVER TOO YOUNG to faithfully and whole-heartedly serve the Lord. He desires us to be dedicated to Him at every age and He has no limits...we place them on ourselves, in particular regarding our age...He is limitless. I often think, when I reach this stage or this age or this year or whatever....but God is saying...NOW...you can do it NOW! He has also shown me this through the new pastor at The Church of BrookHills. Wow--28 and so passionate about our Father--LIVES his life for Him. Amazing.

2. We can have a POWERFUL influence on people's lives. Our character can show other's Christ. We can be instruments in God's great plan by living out our lives so passionately and whole-heartedly devoted to Him, by sharing Him with others. By loving people. By loving Him. By believing in Him...in His faithfulness, and by being faithful in serving Him.

This touched my heart tonight so I thought I would share it with you guys. Maybe God will use it to speak to one of you.

Thank you Jesus for loving me and my friends. I pray a special blessing on each of their lives. May they feel Your sweet love for each of them and have discernment in their lives and choices to follow hard after You. -Amen

Love ya'll

Some Bobo's for ya....

I really don't have time to be blogging, but I am the queen of procrastination, so I am. I have experienced 2 humorous things, at least to me, in the past 2 days, and thought I would share them with you all....they also go as "bobo" situations.

HAHAHA--I just realized that they both had to do with the potty/bathroom!! hahaha

1. I was on my way to B-ham from Mobile yesterday and needed to potty and was hungry so I pulled off at an exit with a Taco Bell (cause that is what I was craving). Well, of course, I went straight to the bathroom. There was a person in there, but there was also an empty potty open, so I went in. Well, the other girl finished before me and when she left, I was still pottying (peeing--potty sounds better) she TURNED THE LIGHTS OFF!!! Here I am stuck in the dark bathroom...with no telling what kind of nasty things around me, trying to finish pottying so I can turn on the lights. It made me laugh! Oh, and she didn't wash her hands when she left. That totally grosses me out when people don't wash their hands after they potty--I don't care if it was only #1...WASH THEM!! I hope she wasn't an employee of the KFC/Taco Bell!

2. I was in my bathroom this afternoon and was washing my hands (cause I had just pottied!!) and I looked over at my toilet. AGH--you'll never believe what I saw--it TOTALLY grossed me out. For those of you who know or remember this, I REALLY have a dislike for spiders--a BIG dislike--let's just say it, a FEAR. Well, I noticed this rather LARGE spider at the top of the bowl of the toilet...right there at the rim, you know where you clean under...he was trying to work his way up to where the seat was....not to get too graphic or anything, but my BUTT was just right there next to that spider. AGH!! What is he had bitten me...or crawled on me???? Oh my--I think I would have had a heart attack right there on the toilet! I grabbed the shower cleaner and gave him a good bath with it and then flushed him down the toilet. bye bye nasty spider!
Now, I am sad to admit, I have a slight "complex" about going to the bathroom--I have to look under the rim--who would have thought that those nasty, sickening things would crawl/dwell there?? I clean my toilet--I promise!

Well, that is all I have for now. I have been thinking about what to fill you guys in about my camping trip with the family over Thanksgiving. I took a few pictures for the blogging world--you guys--but don't really have time to fool with blogging about that yet. These next 2 weeks are going to suck with a capital S, well for that matter a capital U-C-K too!! I have SOOOOOOOOOO much due and SOOOOOO little time.

I hope you are all well. Have a blessed week. I am praying for ya and love ya'll!

P.S....did anyone else get locked out of Amy's blog? I don't have a name/password to sign in--Amy, why you shutting us out of your blog? I like keeping up with your life through it. =(

Les and I have decided....

We think that if you are going to be looking at people's blogs and posting on them...then you need to let us know what your blog is and how we can read yours...aka Lynne, Gabe, and Chris!! And anyone else who might be reading! We want to read about your lives as well. And if you just have a name to read ours, but don't blog, then shame on you!! We want to know about your lives..and would love to hear about it! So PLEASE join the party!!! And get to typing...cause we are ready to know the adventures of your lives...

That's it. Goodnight.
p.s. don't be "BOBO...just be RANDAR" and BLOG!"

no new news.... is that right??

That doesn't look right.... new news.... is that right??

I don't have anything really to write about. I just felt left out because everyone else did and has been posting a lot lately. It's good to see Les and Laura writing again!
I'm just here--barely surviving...(with school and church that is) but am making it.
I do have the fun weekend this weekend with having several old Chrysalis friends coming to visit. That will livin' things up for me a bit for a few days.

Well, that's about it. Hope you are all well. You sound to be. Yea for blogging--it allows me to feel a little bit involved with your lives.

Love and miss...

Sweet Baby!!

I added this one of my sweet Aymee because I think it captures her personality. She is such a joy. My heart longs to be around her more. She is not quite sure how she feels to have a little brother...but I can't wait to watch her love him, teach him, shelter him, and even boss him around! How I love to be an aunt!!



















Malachi is precious! He is a very calm, quite baby. He is rather big for a newborn though! He can't even wear newborn diapers! Went straight to 1's!! And the nurses said he won't stay in 0-3 month clothes for much more than a week or two. He is so sweet! I am glad he is here. I can't wait to watch him grow. Oh how I pray now that God will start capturing his heart...molding in into a heart after Him. I pray that Malachi will grow up persuing our Father with a passionate love, even as a little boy. Protect him sweet Jesus. Guide and love him!!

It was good to be home...even if it was for a short time, which was very busy. I think it does me good to just go home sometimes. There is something about going home. It is good medicine. I had a mix of emotions though. I felt old and young, sad and happy, lonely and protected, and tired and rested (I could go on and on). I think that sums up my life these days though...a mix of emotions. I know the answer would be to dive more and more into our Lord, and I want to....but it just is not as easy for me to do as it is to say sometimes. I want Him to be my All and All...but I can't seem to surrender my all. I am ready for Him to move in me, move me, but I want to hold on to certain things. I want to rest in His love, but I am afraid to trust Him and to let go. I just don't have any answers....

Except that He is love. I see that in my beautiful neice and nephew. What a sweet gift they are.

I am SUPER excited about this coming up weekend. I can't wait to celebrate with Laura, and you all, another beautiful gift and example of God's love!!!

Oh, and WAR EAGLE!!!! That second half is what I call some Auburn football!!! Go tigers!

I hope you all have a wonderful week and I will see ya'll soon! YEAH!