Eli's first joke...

As we were driving thru town, Eli was singing Old McDonald. As we drove past a certain store, his song was "and on that farm he had a Lowe's..." and he paused... and cracked up laughing! He is so funny! And, he thinks he is too!
Then, tonight, we heard an ambulance go by and he said, "Ambulance...pray." A few weeks back we passed a wreck and said a prayer for the people involved. Eli said, "Boo boo's. They cry." And, his eyes got very red like he was going to cry any minute. We quickly said a prayer for the people to get better. Eli was glad to know they were going to the hospital to get band-aids. Preferably with Elmo on them!

Seeing the Lord

"I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance"
—Job 42:–6

There's a huge difference between hearing about God and actually encountering God. Before his suffering, Job based his life on what he knew about God. And that was accurate knowledge, as the next verses show (God says Job was right in what he said about God). However, Job's understanding was deepened by a personal encounter with God. When that happened, all Job could do was repent and acknowledge his own limitations.
—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

God is good, all the time. And, all the time, God is good. I have been freshly reminded of God's protection, peace, and provision this week in several different ways. As the adventure of being a small business owner continues, the Lord has met us each step of the way. He has answered each of our questions. Again, affirming our decision. And, he's provided for us in ways and at the exact moment that leaves us actually encountering him. No if's-and-or-but's about it. It's him.

And, tonight I made Fettuccine Alfredo. Or, as Eli calls it "Fettuccine Play Dough." Adorable.

Getting focused

The last week has been intense. Emotions everywhere, decisions made, plans made, parties thrown, family visited, and work done. Each day I'm one day closer to finishing the marathon of events that go thru October. Yesterday was a full and productive day. I had an impromptu dentist visit, which really made me thankful for insurance and good doctors and staff. And, good kids that are entertained with a big fish tank, a classic planes book, a big toy with lots of metal pipes and wood squares/triangles/circles that travel on them... and their Dad!

The evening was a bit crazy, thanks to the craziness of others. As the story unravelled, it has become apparent that the Lord has some great things planned and Satan is doing his best to get me distracted, overwhelmed, and defeated. My response? It's time for me to get focused on what God has led me to do. Laser focused.

While taking a hot shower (such a great stress outlet!), this verse covered me: "Every word of God proves true, he is a shield to those who seek refuge in him." (Proverbs 30:5) Every.word.of.God. Not the words of busy women, or of business leaders, or of political activists- but, every.word.of.God. And, he is my shield. I could literally see a shield around me, where I am protected and able to focus on the task at hand.

As I enjoyed the true Southern Comfort (Marshmallow Lover's Hot Chocolate) and Dr. Gregory House in my new Razorback pj's with my husband in our fantastic king-sized bed (don't you just love your bed?!), I thought about the crazy storm outside our window. And, again, this verse brought peace to my heart.

With the storms (of all kinds) at full force last night, I was able to relax and rest in the protection of God's shield. Because, every.word.of.God.proves.true.

Now, it's time for my cup of coffee and to get focused on today's tasks.

The Great Pursuit

Wise men still seek Him.

Not perfect, not whole, but wise.

Enough said.

Randomness

We've had a busy week. And, lots of people are doing some really neat stuff. My friend Cindy has started a Cleanse. Anyhow, not sure about all of that, but you can follow her progress at her new blog: drcindyblog.com. Josh, Deb, and Ian recently moved to Rogers and yesterday the kids and I hung out with Deb and Ian. The kids are so funny to watch together! I foresee lots of wrestling matches and games of tag in Eli and Ian's near future!
We ate dinner over there last night. Deb thawed some tilapia, but neither of us had cooked it before! So, I used the trusty internet to get a recipe from Kraft Foods. But, we totally altered it. I said, "Well, I watch the Food Network a lot when I'm at my Mom's house and they always say to not underestimate using the simple things. Salt, pepper, and olive oil." So, that's what I used, plus Tony's, and it was fantastic! I was really apprehensive serving fish that I'd never made before! But, everyone ate it and no one's sick today! PTL!
Well, the guy just showed up to work on my computer. See ya!

Hump Day

My head hurts like no body's business. Plus, I actually can't remember when we had a day without rain. Oh well. I know we need it.
Eli's been fighting a virus. Tonight's his first night in the last 3 to go to bed without a fever. But, he's such a trooper...he didn't know he was suppose to feel sick! Other than being a little cranky, he kept on!
On a very random note...I think our local news lady wears the hair bump thing in her hair. Seriously. It doesn't do her any favors. Oh well, I guess she has a stylist and it's their job, not mine.
I've kinda been in a blah mood today. Maybe lately. I just feel like my to-do list continues to grow and that I'm not doing any of it well. I never thought of myself as a "push over," but I feel like people just "mention" projects/things to do and it's automatically implied that I'll handle it or be an integral part of it. I'm sure I'm being over sensitive. But, seriously, I've got so much on my plate thru the end of October. Yeah, none of it business related. I have recently more-than-once told my husband that I can sum me up as one that doesn't live up to everyone's expectations, so he can get in line with the others. Sad, huh?
But, the Lord is good and he will help me through it all. And, to say no to any future projects. My goal is to not book my schedule with non-work related projects thru the end of the year. This will be hard because of the holidays, but I am committed to trying to keep my schedule open of lots of extras. I want to be available to to my husband and kids- oh, yeah, and our business. I need to have the energy to work on our business!
With that, it's after 10pm and my head/neck/shoulders are throbbing. Sorry for the down and out post. I am blessed and am ready to rest in my favorite bed! Mine!

Where I was...

I'll admit. I remembered yesterday that today was Sept 11. But, I hadn't thought about it much today. I was at the church working and not connected to any media. Anyhow, since I've been home, I've caught up on some blogs and watched a Fox News special on that Tuesday.
Here's my story.
I was a junior in college, at Ouachita Baptist University. I had a strategic management test at 11:00. I skipped chapel to do some more studying. Since I knew 95% of the campus would be at chapel, I went to the cafeteria to study. I got my plate and chose a booth as far away from the food (and staff) as possible. As I sat down to enjoy my scrambled eggs (ok, I know, it's weird the details you remember) and get my books out, I noticed the radio was on. I thought that was really odd. I listed for like 10 seconds and thought, "I guess the staff is all into the Left Behind book series on tape." Seriously. I waited a minute or two later. And, I realized they were listening to the news. And, I remember thinking that that was also odd. And, I just felt uncomfortable. Like, the pieces of the puzzle weren't fitting together. Why was the radio on in the caf? Why was it on really really loud? And, what was this about planes and NYC and LA? I decided I was not going to get any studying done in the caf. The best I could do was go back to the room (since the suite was all at chapel) and check in with Fox. As I excited the caf and began walking to the dorm, I glanced at the flag plaza. The maintenance crew were lowering all of the flags. I immediately knew something was wrong. Really wrong. I took the sharp right turn to go behind the Bible building...and then, there were all the people pouring out of JPAC...at 10:15. Chapel starts at 10 and lasts at least 45 minutes. Students were crying, talking, and mainly speed walking to their dorms. I began running and took the stairs 2 at a time, then rushed down the hall (we were the second room to the end). When I entered the room, Abigail and Tara were on my bed watching Fox (they didn't have TV in their room). It was unbelievable what we were seeing. This was a Tuesday and Tara's brother was to deploy to South Korea the next Monday. I remember calling my Mom at work. I had to call back and have them page her. When she got on the phone she began to cry. I'm sure I did to. She had a meeting at the WMT home office that afternoon. Later to find out that they had to park a long way away b/c of the safety precautions they had to take.
I went to my 11am class. The professor, Dr. Kent Faught, let us postpone taking the test if we wanted to. I immediately left and returned to watch the news. I later went over to Chris' house and I remember us sitting on the couch watching the coverage and talking about gas prices. I also remember going to a special prayer service in the plaza.
I also remember watching the President address the country. And, after watching it again tonight, I remember why I so strongly support George W. Bush. Seriously. Regardless how the last few years of his administration went, I am confident that his leadership after that Tuesday was exceptional. And, something every American can be proud of.
This evening has also gotten my blood boiling again about the coward terrorists. And, here's the bottom line. They quickly encountered who the One True God is...and how the eternal pain and torture of hell makes their actions seem like...well, I'll let you finish that line. Bottom line - they are reaping what they sowed.
I am forever thankful to the many service men and women that have and are and will protect our country. When my path crosses a service person, I always make it a point to tell them that I appreciate what they do for my family. And, I mean it with all heart.
With that. I'm off to hold my little girl for a few more minutes.

Farewell

Here's the deal. I have had a recent friendship that I'm pretty sure was self-gratifying (for the other person). I always hoped for a friendship with this lady because she has a lot of interesting things going on in her life. And, I wanted our friendship to strengthen her ties to our church. She hosted a monthly get-together that I joined...and paid for. I enjoyed it. Learned a lot. Got to meet a lot of new ladies. But, it was at a time where our finances were t.i.g.h.t. But, I believe in following through with my commitments. Immediately after I began these get-togethers, this lady and her family basically quit coming to our church. Oh, you know, they'd stay out too late on Saturday night, or the husband wouldn't "lead" the family in going to church. Just fill in the blank with a good excuse. I noticed a pattern of comments with the ladies in the get-togethers. It seemed they were replacing the organized church with other Christian activities. Kids are in Awanas, members of Christian homeschooling group, members of Christian mothering groups, etc. But, they were not committed to their local church. Weird. For me, at least, Sunday has always been about the Lord's house and the other activities were extra.
Anyhow. This lady friend had some extremely difficult circumstances come her way. During this time, she reached out for help from basically anyone but her church family. While many were willing to help, no one knew of the need. It was sad to me that one would not think of their church family in their moment of need. In the process, our pastor and our church body took the hit via her publishing outlet that for the first time she truly experienced the body of Christ and that it was not found in her local church. Esperame. Or, in English, spare me. This really rubs me raw. But, I made an effort to stay in touch and be supportive (again, my original goal). And, I've really tried my best to release this crazy not-really-friendship to the Lord. As long as she is where the Lord wants her, then, that should be enough for me, regardless of my opinions.
Anyhow, in the mix of things, I believe we have been more than supportive of their business. And, I really believe we don't owe them our business. Basically because I believe they used our circumstances for their gain, and when they didn't need or get the gain they were looking for, then they moved on to the next opportunity.
All this to say, I've done my best to keep my mouth shut about all of this. Because it saddens me. And, I've been having a ton of crazy dreams lately and one was about this lady friend. And, I was shocked at how I treated her. Which, for me, affirmed that I'm still dealing with the unravelling of this whole ordeal.
Anyhow, the final straw was today. While browsing her personal publishing outlet, I noticed that she deleted my personal publishing outlet from her list (which only has about 10 anyway). I definitely believe this is a silent, yet clear, message to me.
So, if you're reading this, lady friend, you may not agree with any of this. But, it's my post. And, I really do sincerely wish you well.
Farewell.

Prep work

Monday was such a full day! This next Sunday is our first services in our new building! {I might have mentioned that before!} So, our whole family spent the day doing lots of little things.
Here are a few things we did and purchased:
-Hanging blinds
-Puddying nail holes
-Hanging foyer decor
-Hanging white boards
-Putting a desk together
-Sweeping
-Hanging bathroom mirror
-Hanging hooks for diaper bags
-Hanging clocks
-Make a ledge for the nursery door
-Scrape extra grout off of the tiles
-Sort out crayons, glue, scissors, hand sanitizor, tissues, trash cans, clip boards
-Install speakers in cry rooms and nursery

And, there is so much more left to do!

Do me a favor...next time you go to church, thank your pastors, staff, and church administrators, and lay people for all the work they do to get the church ready for you and your family to worship.

Cardboard Testimonies

The women at Lakeside Baptist Church gave their cardboard testimony. It was fantastic! There was special music and the ladies (about 25 of them) had written on a piece of cardboard what there life was like before Christ, and on the other side after Christ. They walked up to the pulpit and showed their sign. Pretty sure I crieds through the whole thing!

Some of the highlights were:

"Marriage heading to divorce - Marriage heading to Calvary."

"Pregnant @ 16 - 16 yr old son serving the Lord."

"Didn't understand why God asked me to leave my job without another - Thankful to have 7 months at home before my husband died unexpectantly."

"Colon Cancer - By God's grace, 5 years cancer free!"

"After cancer, doctors said we'd never have children - Forgot to tell the doctors the girls are now 20 and 12!"

"Addicted to pain medication - Addicted to Christ!"

"Pastor's wife, head knowledge of Jesus...lost - Heart knowledge of Jesus...saved...May 1998"

"Saved early in life - lived a wonderful life!"

"Lost 2 babies and all my hair in a pit of self pity and hatred - God lifted me out of the pit and put a song of JOY in my mouth!"

"Wondering - For Sure!"

This was done in preparation for their Ladies Conference, this Saturday, Sept 12 from 9-2pm. Registration is at 8:30 and everything is free! If you have time in your schedule, this would be worth your time to see the Cardboart Testimonies!!!

Recap

Ahhh...it's Labor Day and I'm laboring on the computer! I'll take it! We've had a full and busy weekend! With lots of success.

On Friday we spent a lot of time down at the office working through the requirement for the city. The fire marshall and the city people came and did inspections...along with the forms to complete for getting a business and city license. PTL it all went well!

My parents kept the kids since Chris had his insurance test on Saturday morning. We studied and studied and studied. He called at about 9:45 and told me he passed!!! He said that while he walked to the truck he wanted to tell everyone "Praise the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord!" I love that. I don't know about you, but when my husband spontaneously breaks into praise, it just makes me fall in love with him all over again!

I spent the first half of Saturday cleaning! It means a lot that I took the time for my self and my home. We'v been doing so much lately that our home has taken a back seat. I cleaned bathrooms, baseboards, our shower, mopped, put up the clothes, and some blinds. I cleaned off the kitchen table and did a little fall decorating on it. Well, our home was either super dirty or I did a super job because Chris kept saying, "It's really nice, Kitty. It looks really good." Mental note, I should clean more often!

We spent Saturday night at the Keelings watching those Hogs! WOO PIG SOOIE! And, that's really all there is to say about that!

Sunday we went to Lakeside Baptist Church to see Braden be baptised. When the second person was baptized, Eli said (loudly) "They're in the water! ... Ready!" It was SO funny! Then, he said, "Eli be baptized!" And, it tore at my heart. Soon, my love. Soon.

We've been working feverishly at the church getting ready for our FIRST Sunday...this Sunday! It's a lot of work decorating Sunday School rooms! But, it's so exciting to know that people will come to know Jesus and have their lives changed at the church and thru the church!

This weekend I have seen God's hand of work everywhere. My uncle used to pastor out at Lakeside years ago, and I can see the fruits of his work...and now my cousin is the youth pastor there. The legacy continues. Serving the Lord is hard and long work. But, the benefits are out of this world! Press on! Make yourself available to Him and prepare to be blown away!

Verses to chew on

"For God speaks again and again,

though people do not recognize it. . . .

He whispers in their ears

and terrifies them with warnings.

He makes them turn from doing wrong;

he keeps them from pride."
—Job 33:14, 16–17

Encouragement for Today
Do you wonder if or how God speaks to you? This word tells us that God speaks to us often. We just do not always hear him or recognize his voice. Today, consciously listen for God's voice. Listen for messages of warning and also messages of love. Remember, God whispers; he does not shout. We need to listen for the whisper and recognize his voice. It will always be in the "tone" of Scripture and will never contradict it. If the "messages" you get are in line with God's Word, you can trust them. Listen up!
—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

Covering the sanctuary with prayer

As the third post in a row about our new church facility, I want to share with you an event we had a couple of weeks ago. It was truly fantastic. Before the carpet was laid in the sanctuary we had a time of prayer and dedication for the church. We wrote verses and prayers and thoughts on the pulpit area. It was like a culmination of emotions for what the Lord has done and where he has brought us. And...where we are going! God is doing great things in our church and in our families. We are fortunate to be a part of God's work. He has blessed us richly - first and foremost with salvation and redemption of our sin.


Here are some pictures from that special evening.

Micah (the General Contractor!) and Glenda with Eli

We traced the kids hands.

Mom and Eli.

Robbie


This says it all: "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man."

Pics of the sanctuary

Here is another part of our new church building. It's so exciting to see how it's all turned out because everything goes together! This is a mere miracle because we didn't have an interior decorator or someone that guided us. Well, other than God's guidance. Seriously. Cost drove all choices and it's impressive how well it all goes together! Plus, I like that the colors are not traditional. The sanctuary has a wonderful crisp, yet warm, feel to it. Ready for you to enter the presence of the Lord!

Abi doing what she does best!

Our new piano!

This is a view of the sound booth area and one of two cry rooms. They have 1 way windows for parents of young (and rowdy/restless) kids to take them in there. There are dimmer lights to help with sleeping little ones. Very nice!

This was at a meeting for the FIT ministry. Lots of turn out and interest!

Pics of the preschool and nursery at the new church

As many of you know, our church is 3 years old and only days away from having our first service at our first permanent building! It has been a massive God-sized and God-everything work! Many have doubted...but God has been faithful! We serve Him, not a building, an address, or a man. Praise the Lord for all he has done for us!
These are a few pictures of the preschool and nursery rooms. Well, the painting at least. We'll move furniture in soon.
The verse in the pre-k room is "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!" Psalms 150:6
The verse in the nursery is "Every word of God proves true, he is a shield to those who seek him." Proverbs 30:5
I think if we can teach the children this, they will have a great start!

Hop on over

to Sara's blog. Basically, Sara is one of my bestest friends in the world. The Lord has blessed me so much thru her friendship. Please take a few minutes to check out her most recent post.

Plus...she's now a lover of Sushi King. Ahhh. Sushi King.