Family Pictures

We had a ton of fun having our family pictures done.  Lisa Shay does a wonderful job with making this experience an enjoyable one!   http://www.wix.com/lisaqshay/photography

What a Privilege

Sunday, at our home church Billy, Breanna (our daughter) and I along with  Shawn & Lisa had the privilege of sharing our journey in this process of church planting. God's faithfulness to me even in the midst of public speaking is worthy of His praise!!  It was an honor to worship in 3 services with our church body and share our hearts with about 1,000 people by the end of the morning. It is difficult to put into words the depth of this experience and I could think of a million other things I could have shared but I rest in knowing God's plan is sovereign.  I am certain I can speak for our team: Billy, Shawn, Lisa and the kids that we are all being stretched, grown, and molded during this time for our ministry now and what is ahead on our journey.  I am so thankful for the church body that surrounded us to pray and will continue to do so, the power in prayer and the acknowledgment of God's continued faithfulness is completely overwhelming. My heart flip-flops when we attend church. I want to soak in the precious moments of worshiping, serving and learning together. As I sit now with tears flowing, I praise Him for the eternal impact that will be made through this process and in Harrisburg PA. 

http://www.faithnc.org/faith_planting

Toss out the To-Do List today!

As you can imagine the "to do list" can be overwhelming these days with all the preparations we are making for our move; such as getting the house ready to sell, cleaning, organizing, etc.  However, today I left the To-Do list on the kitchen table and Olivia and I headed out for some fun.

taking the time to enjoy shadows
priceless.........

Bubbles!

Perfect day for skipping rocks on the river

  
                   Story time



   "my tummy is talking and needs to
                  filled up"

     "take a picture of me!"

                                  What a great day with my "sweet pea"

I pray, that God will give me wisdom to know when to throw out the To-do list and to always hold it loosely.

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5

IN the game

Last Friday I ventured out with three of my kids and a few others from the neighborhood to the Carolina Hurricanes game (woot-woot).  It was a general admission game so we hiked in from the parking lot passing all the tailgaters with fancy setups that lacked for nothing. (large TVs, grills you name it) The arena was packed so we climbed up all the stairs to the "nose bleed" section.  The kids didn't mind and it was the wow factor of being so high at first.  The game was slow initially and  the Canes scored in the last few seconds of the 2 period.  The kids started to slouch in the seats with their knees in their shirts watching the game with a little less enthusiasm than when we arrived. We decided to take a bathroom break before the 3rd period and went back into the arena on the bottom level where we found seats closer to the ice.   The atmosphere was different it didn't seem as cold, it was louder and more exciting.  There were strangers slapping your hand during a goal and the kids danced around and cheered.  Just out of curiosity I glanced back at our original seats wondering if it was colder and less exciting up there.  My observation proved correct, it seemed the people in the "nose bleed" section didn't appear to be IN the game at all, just watching.
I just couldn't help but think that I had once been in the "nose bleed" section in my spiritual journey. It's not about being on the outside of the arena tailgating, or just watching from far off, its about being IN the game. When I accepted Christ as my Savior, I was no longer camped out on the outside or stuck way up in the stands. Asking forgiveness for our sin and having a personal relationship with Christ is our ticket to get IN the game.  No longer did I have to be like the people that were tailgating on the outside having all the comforts but never experiencing the action up close.  It took the work of Jesus on the cross to get me into the game.  All I had to do was join the team.

Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, Ephesians 2:8-9, John 5:24

Carolina Huricanes "nose bleed section"

 

nose bleed section



bathroom break

New seats close to the action

Final Score Hurricanes 2 Thrashers1