Sunset and Simplicity

One of the great things about the country is you can't miss God's majesty in creation. It is His breath and His gift and it fills me with peace and awe at His majesty and creativity. All this breathed from His mouth and came into existance as an amazing gift for us. I want to see Him in everything, everywhere, every moment, all the time. That is my prayer ... to walk beside Jesus consciously every moment that I breathe. And, maybe, enough of Him will rub off in me and others will be draw to Him, too. Enjoy the sunset and simple beauty ...

"He is the one who makes the mountains and creates the wind and makes his thoughts known to people. He changes the dawn into darkness and walks over the mountains of the earth. His name is the Lord God All-Powerful." Amos 4:13

"The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." Psalm 24:1

"Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" Revelation 5:13

"Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens." Psalm 148:13

"Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen." Psalm 72:19

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Matthew 6:26

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8

"Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7

Christmas Fun at Ole'

We spent an awesome Christmas time in the Hill Country at my parents house. Nothing like being in the country ... limited slow internet and no t.v. Bliss! My parents house is fun and funky and colorful and there is a peace out there that can't be matched. We left Santa a note and he found us out there just fine! :) Five days of "R & R" ... roasting marshmellows, playing Bananagram, eating yummy food, exploring by the river and hunting ... a very Merry Christmas indeed!

Cooking with Grannie!











Keeping warm!












Mmmmm ... marshmellows.









Bananagrams ... what a FUN game!












Santa came!














Oh the joyful faces of Christmas that cannot be matched!









We actually surprised Daddy.










Our reader!












The girl with many hats ....











Grannie got "Cook's Country" magazine ... looking forward to those yummy recipes.









Getting ready to head down to the river.

Explorers ...

The deer hunter.

A Slice of Inspiration ...

“Pain is temporary.

Quitting lasts forever.”

Lance Armstrong

Standing Next to Daddy!

Those who go to God Most High for safety will be protected by the Almighty.

I will say to the Lord, "You are my place of safety and protection.

You are my God and I trust you."

God will save you from hidden traps and from deadly diseases.

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you can hide. His truth will be your shield and protection.

You will not fear any danger by night or an arrow during the day.

You will not be afraid of diseases that come in the dark

or sickness that strikes at noon.

At your side one thousand people may die, or even ten thousand right beside you, but you will not be hurt.

You will only watch and see the wicked punished.

The Lord is your protection; you have made God Most High your place of safety.

Nothing bad will happen to you; no disaster will come to your home.

He has put his angels in charge of you to watch over you

wherever you go.

They will catch you in their hands so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.

You will walk on lions and cobras; you will step on strong lions and snakes.

The Lord says, "Whoever loves me, I will save.

I will protect those who know me.

They will call to me, and I will answer them. I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue them and honor them.

I will give them a long, full life, and they will see how I can save."

Psalm 91

Two Choices

How do you post about something that in some moments seems really huge and in other moments brings joy with the anticipation of what God will do and how He will unfold it? So Monday, my precious husband and I went to the doctor’s appointment that gave a name to the next journey in our lives. It wasn’t so much shocking, as we knew it was a diagnosis that was on the table, but it wasn’t what we had hoped. I was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis). Great to have a reason for the madness I have been experiencing in the last 3 months, but not the most exciting diagnosis until …. God reminded me He is in charge and He is not surprised and His plans are good and healing is in order.

Pretty much it boils down to this …

Choice #1: Give into grief. Sit in despair. Cry and pout and get depressed about my diagnosis. Feel sorry for myself. Quit. Let this disease defeat me. Listen carefully to and embrace all the lies satan is telling me. Give into my feelings, which are not fact. Listen solely to the medical studies and the research that are not terribly encouraging. Focus completely on what I see with my earthly eyes or feel in my body. Worry about the future. Be resigned.

Choice #2: Go immediately and stand by Jesus! Claim victory. PRAY! Listen, wait, watch and obey all His directives. Every day lay this at His feet. Stand in His healing. Watch for and rejoice in all the miracles and God moments He has planned in this journey (so cool)! Know that we are sitting in His hand. Know that healing is imminent. Focus on looking with my spiritual eyes. Completely ignore the nay-sayers, who don’t know Jesus the way I do, and pray they see how awesome and cool He is by watching me. Get out my sword and fight against satan’s lies. Immerse myself in the Lord and what He says. Embrace my life and enjoy my family and write down this entire journey in order to tell every detail of God's infinite greatness that is ever present in our lives. Be a light for Him in this journey! NEVER, NEVER, NEVER give up!

I choose number 2. There’s just no better place than standing with my Jesus. I choose to be a miracle. Now, how cool is that! I choose to have the faith that God will heal me and stand in it. That’s it. To me, it is the only choice. I will choose life. I will choose joy. I will choose Jesus! I know there will be moments that are not easy in this journey, but I know that God has and will continue to surround me with his grace and mercy and we will walk through it together. I have the faith of Abraham. I have the faith of a mustard seed. I have friends who will dig through a roof and lower me to the Father for healing. I have seen His greatness and it is not a one time deal. Praise God!

Let the journey begin!

A Slice of Inspiration ...

"There are two ways to live your life.
One as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle."
Albert Einstien (1879 - 1955)

Christmas Time is Here!

This is undoubtedly my favorite time of the year. I love celebrating Jesus birth, the ultimate sacrifice for us. I love the music. I love the smell of Christmas trees. I love the decorations. I love being with family. I love surprises. I love to watch the girls eyes light up. I love looking at the Christmas lights on peoples houses. I love the food and the fudge. I love all the rich traditions we share in and the new one's we've started. I love watching "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th Street". I love Christmas cards from friends ... what fun to check the mail everyday. And, I love the opportunities that present themselves to give to others. But best of all, I love worshipping God and celebrating Christ being born ... our Savior! Without Him there is no life. To me, Christmas begins with Thanksgiving ... our opportunity to remember how we are so blessed and give thanks and prepare our hearts to give to others in need. I want my children to grow up with a heart for giving and sharing and service to others ... a heart for God. It starts at home. God is so good!

P.S. I caught my little elves daydreaming of Christmas. Thought I would share ...