Beautiful Words of a Child

When Selah wants to be held she says, "hold you mommy, hold you!" This warms my heart every time!

As I grow older, it feels as though my heart continues to grow in greater capacities than what most can even comprehend. I love this life...Even on the most gloomy of days...

As motion moves in that forward direction,
I find this crazy notion that I enjoy all the nonsense and the greatness that the present and more so the future have to offer.

Life is so much more than who I was or where I have been.
So much more than my story-the story of others adds to the beauty.

I dream of beaches, gardens, and country homes.
I dream of expression on a canvas of gold.
Of newborn babies, and kids running free
Of laughter and tears shared over and over again-possibly over tea.

I enjoy the wisdom and stories from those greater in years
The magic of silence when someones grieving in tears...

I have so much locked up deep inside. Mostly half-thought...unimportant ramblings like these...

I truly believe creativity is a part of every human being:)

Awesome News

Awesome news! I just won two free tickets to the Exponential Conference! Both Kevin and I registered to win these tickets just this morning through Dj Chuang. Thank you so much dj! Kevin and I went through a church planting assessment this past fall and the major conference recommended was this one. We have been trying to get to this conference for the last couple of years and haven't made it yet. Looks like we are going this time:) Kevin and I are both looking forward to attending next week! Here we come Orlando:)

Recently I have been looking back over the past couple of years and have realized that God has been at work; more specifically in moving us in the direction of church planting. Even through assessment I was excited and encouraged but had doubts about how we were going to work through the hard stuff. I was also frustrated with all the "obstacles" we were going to have to get through or all the "hoops" we were going to have to jump through rather. Still, little by little God has been moving us through each obstacle piece by piece. I am so grateful for this.

Easter Sunday

At Newhope, Ashland we ended the service with this song. It was good to incorporate different forms of creativity into corporate worship.

Romans 3:23-24 (The Message)

God Has Set Things Right
But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we've compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.

Bad Friday

As I woke up this morning I thought to myself..."it's Friday...the Friday before Easter..." Traditionally this is the day remembered as "Good Friday." I cannot help but think to myself, "what is so good about it?" Why do we celebrate the death and suffering of the one who came to redeem us all? As I lay in bed images of pain and suffering, death and desertion were depicted in my mind.

Whenever the subject of death/dying comes up between me and my husband there is one statement he always relays..."Death is the Enemy." I like this. Truly, what comes to mind when you think about death/dying. Some of the words that come to mind are: pain, suffering, darkness, sorrow, funerals, loss, ect. The list could go on and on. Working in a place where you see so many suffer for so long, you tend to look at things in a different way. From my perspective, the dying process for most people is not a joyful experience. So, my question would be, "why would anyone look at Jesus' dying process any different." As Christians I do not think that we should focus any joy on the fact that our savior hung on a cross to sacrifice his life for our wretchedness. I do believe that we should be humbled, and broken by this. And then and only then is there abundant joy because of what happens three days later...

To come: How Death Was Concquered...

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (The Message)

^6-9 Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.

This verse was on the homepage of biblegateway.com today as the "verse of the day." Ever since I have become a parent I have almost constant thoughts and questions as to how am I going to raise her up to be all that God wants her and made her to be??? How am I going to do this? What to do in this situation? And the list could go on...

I think many parents have the same questions and fears that I do. I hope to instill God's truth and love into my children. Even more difficult, I hope to live God's truth and love out in my own life:)

I am currently in the process of reading three very different books...

1) The Shack by WM. Paul Young

2) The Sacred Echo by Margaret Feinberg

3) Why Not Women By Loren Cunningham

Hoping to finish at least one or all of them in the near future. Stay posted for upcoming thoughts and or critiques on these books.