If you know anything about our daughter you know that she LOVES playing dress up. Most nights, we are entertained by her in a princess gown doing some sort of performance. Tonight was no different. Enjoy this peek into our little world. I tell her all the time that she is the joy of my heart...I think you can see why.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Heritage of Hope
It has been a rough week at our house. After getting a late start on the week due to the holiday, Jason got noticed late Tuesday night that he was to leave for Louisiana with his job early Wednesday morning to help with the clean up there. They told him not to expect to come home for seven days. Being without him was very hard-we take each other for granted a lot I think, but Raylen and I were making due.
Saturday, Raylen and I went to my mom's to help out with some things at her house, but I left her there in the afternoon so I could get to church to take care of the kids for Saturday night services. On my way to the church I stopped for a coke and while pulling out of the parking lot, a car hit me on my front driver's side. It was a pretty hard crash and my car is really messed up, but thankfully, all I got was a bump on the head and the teens in the other car are weren't hurt at all. The battle now begins with insurance companies, etc. but I am so grateful for God's protection and that Raylen was not with me. Jason got special permission to come home to take care of the situation, so we were so happy to see him pull in the driveway today at noon.
Today in church, I was reminded of something that happened the first night Jason was gone. Raylen got to sleep with me (a treat for her, but good company for me) and we both had a tough time falling asleep with Daddy gone. She asked me to sing to her and so I sang Jesus Loves Me with all the verses. One of the verses says "Jesus loves me He who died..." After I finished that verse Raylen started crying and said "I don't want Jesus to be dead!" I consoled her telling her that it was okay...Jesus didn't stay dead-He's alive!!! That helped for a minute, but she soon started crying for Daddy too.
Since that night, Raylen has asked me several times about Jesus being dead and alive again. I have had the privelage to share with her quick snippets of the amazing thing that Jesus did for us and His miraculous ressurection. Today, as we sang "Stronger" I was overcome with joy that I have a Saviour who isn't dead that I can introduce my daughter too. Think about this: Every other faith in our world is built around a deity that was either once alive or was created by a human. When children of those faiths ask their parents about their gods being dead or alive, there is no hope that the parents can give to the child because death was the final scene for the deity. My faith is different-Jesus wasn't confined to death and burial and certainly wasn't created by human hands. He is God in flesh and by the power of the living God, He rose from that grave and we now have an eternal hope in Him. I have the extreme pleasure of sharing this hope with my daughter-what an exciting gift!
Here are the words we sang today. I hope that it inspires you to gratitude as well for the hope we have that can only be found in the LIVING Christ.
Saturday, Raylen and I went to my mom's to help out with some things at her house, but I left her there in the afternoon so I could get to church to take care of the kids for Saturday night services. On my way to the church I stopped for a coke and while pulling out of the parking lot, a car hit me on my front driver's side. It was a pretty hard crash and my car is really messed up, but thankfully, all I got was a bump on the head and the teens in the other car are weren't hurt at all. The battle now begins with insurance companies, etc. but I am so grateful for God's protection and that Raylen was not with me. Jason got special permission to come home to take care of the situation, so we were so happy to see him pull in the driveway today at noon.
Today in church, I was reminded of something that happened the first night Jason was gone. Raylen got to sleep with me (a treat for her, but good company for me) and we both had a tough time falling asleep with Daddy gone. She asked me to sing to her and so I sang Jesus Loves Me with all the verses. One of the verses says "Jesus loves me He who died..." After I finished that verse Raylen started crying and said "I don't want Jesus to be dead!" I consoled her telling her that it was okay...Jesus didn't stay dead-He's alive!!! That helped for a minute, but she soon started crying for Daddy too.
Since that night, Raylen has asked me several times about Jesus being dead and alive again. I have had the privelage to share with her quick snippets of the amazing thing that Jesus did for us and His miraculous ressurection. Today, as we sang "Stronger" I was overcome with joy that I have a Saviour who isn't dead that I can introduce my daughter too. Think about this: Every other faith in our world is built around a deity that was either once alive or was created by a human. When children of those faiths ask their parents about their gods being dead or alive, there is no hope that the parents can give to the child because death was the final scene for the deity. My faith is different-Jesus wasn't confined to death and burial and certainly wasn't created by human hands. He is God in flesh and by the power of the living God, He rose from that grave and we now have an eternal hope in Him. I have the extreme pleasure of sharing this hope with my daughter-what an exciting gift!
Here are the words we sang today. I hope that it inspires you to gratitude as well for the hope we have that can only be found in the LIVING Christ.
There is Love
That came for us
Humbled to
A sinners cross
You broke my shame and sinfulness
You rose again victorious
Faithfulness
None can deny
Through the storm
And through the fire
There is truth that sets me free
Jesus Christ who lives in me
You are stronger
You are stronger
Sin is broken
You have saved me
It is written
Christ is risen
Jesus You are Lord of all
No beginning
And no end
You’re my hope and my defence
You came to seek and save the lost
You paid it all upon the cross
Let Your Name be lifted higher
Be lifted higher
Be lifted higher
That came for us
Humbled to
A sinners cross
You broke my shame and sinfulness
You rose again victorious
Faithfulness
None can deny
Through the storm
And through the fire
There is truth that sets me free
Jesus Christ who lives in me
You are stronger
You are stronger
Sin is broken
You have saved me
It is written
Christ is risen
Jesus You are Lord of all
No beginning
And no end
You’re my hope and my defence
You came to seek and save the lost
You paid it all upon the cross
Let Your Name be lifted higher
Be lifted higher
Be lifted higher
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Chains are not a fashion statement
Now that I have my political remarks out of the way....
Lately, God has been dealing with me about something and it has lay a little dormant in my heart for a while and was stirred again in church this morning. I may have discussed it here before, but indulge me a bit more please.
The Bible says that before we come to know Christ as our Savior we are slaves to sin. Think about what a slave is, especially in the day of Jesus and even just a hundred years ago or so. A slave usually was bound in some fashion, wearing steel chains and cuffs around his ankles and wrists. Slaves were beaten to encourage work and to punish laziness. Underfed, unappreciated, mocked, ridiculed and threatened with their life, I can only imagine that the souls of these people were filled with hopelessness and even utter disdain for their own lives. In our country's history, when slavery was abolished, the chains and cuffs were unlocked and for the first time, people of a different race could see the light of freedom ahead. Many dark days still loomed for these people (please read The Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Taylor for insight), at least the chains that had once bound their physical bodies were gone.
God has been dealing with me about my own slavery. I was great at constructing it. Sin upon sin, lies upon lies, all as strong as iron weighing me down, wrapped around my limbs controlling my movements and how I felt and viewed the world. With one Name, those chains broke apart allowing me to walk in freedom. What a feeling!! A whole world to run and jump, but at the same time, a desire to please my Hero with my life. But, as I ran I noticed the world hadn't changed. Only me and others who had met my Hero and soon, whether it was to fit in or because it just felt comfortable, I put on those chains again. It was very hard to wear them now though, way harder than before. The locks were broken and when I walked, they would fall and hit uncalloused skin and make new wounds.
Lately, God has been asking me this: Why would you choose to wear chains when you are free? I can say without a doubt, that if I were to offer the heavy chains of an American slave to them to wear after they had been freed, they would laugh at me and run the other way. Why do I have a different response? When Jesus, my Hero spoke freedom in my life, he broke the chains of fear, condemnation, death, self-loathing, hate and sin. But, everyday, I pick them back up. Fear over flying....fear that another person I love will be taken from me....condemnation for my challenges and short comings.....death of dreams and of my purpose in Christ....self-loathing that turns into reverse pride where I am of no use in Christ's cause....hate of others that I don't know or aren't like me.....sin....over and over again...sin. The Bible says in John 8:36, "If the Son has set you free then you are free indeed". I'm going to post this verse all over my house to remind me that chains don't work when they've been broken and that although true freedom is out of style and chains are in, I bear a new mark of forgiveness and new life in Christ. I challenge you too, to examine this week what chains you have been freed from and ones you keep picking back up. If you've never met the Hero who can and will break your slave chains, send me a comment and I would be overjoyed to introduce you....
Lately, God has been dealing with me about something and it has lay a little dormant in my heart for a while and was stirred again in church this morning. I may have discussed it here before, but indulge me a bit more please.
The Bible says that before we come to know Christ as our Savior we are slaves to sin. Think about what a slave is, especially in the day of Jesus and even just a hundred years ago or so. A slave usually was bound in some fashion, wearing steel chains and cuffs around his ankles and wrists. Slaves were beaten to encourage work and to punish laziness. Underfed, unappreciated, mocked, ridiculed and threatened with their life, I can only imagine that the souls of these people were filled with hopelessness and even utter disdain for their own lives. In our country's history, when slavery was abolished, the chains and cuffs were unlocked and for the first time, people of a different race could see the light of freedom ahead. Many dark days still loomed for these people (please read The Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Taylor for insight), at least the chains that had once bound their physical bodies were gone.
God has been dealing with me about my own slavery. I was great at constructing it. Sin upon sin, lies upon lies, all as strong as iron weighing me down, wrapped around my limbs controlling my movements and how I felt and viewed the world. With one Name, those chains broke apart allowing me to walk in freedom. What a feeling!! A whole world to run and jump, but at the same time, a desire to please my Hero with my life. But, as I ran I noticed the world hadn't changed. Only me and others who had met my Hero and soon, whether it was to fit in or because it just felt comfortable, I put on those chains again. It was very hard to wear them now though, way harder than before. The locks were broken and when I walked, they would fall and hit uncalloused skin and make new wounds.
Lately, God has been asking me this: Why would you choose to wear chains when you are free? I can say without a doubt, that if I were to offer the heavy chains of an American slave to them to wear after they had been freed, they would laugh at me and run the other way. Why do I have a different response? When Jesus, my Hero spoke freedom in my life, he broke the chains of fear, condemnation, death, self-loathing, hate and sin. But, everyday, I pick them back up. Fear over flying....fear that another person I love will be taken from me....condemnation for my challenges and short comings.....death of dreams and of my purpose in Christ....self-loathing that turns into reverse pride where I am of no use in Christ's cause....hate of others that I don't know or aren't like me.....sin....over and over again...sin. The Bible says in John 8:36, "If the Son has set you free then you are free indeed". I'm going to post this verse all over my house to remind me that chains don't work when they've been broken and that although true freedom is out of style and chains are in, I bear a new mark of forgiveness and new life in Christ. I challenge you too, to examine this week what chains you have been freed from and ones you keep picking back up. If you've never met the Hero who can and will break your slave chains, send me a comment and I would be overjoyed to introduce you....
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Our Forever Girl is FOUR!!!!
Today is a special day. Our little angel is FOUR today! I really can't believe it and am happy and sad at the same time. I am amazed at how she is maturing everyday and for the first time, I really see a glimpse of our future young adult with her own special personality. We are so blessed to have her as our own and to share in the joy of watching her grow! I love you my Forever Girl!
Ironically, the verse of the day on the right side of my blog today is Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do." What a verse for today to remind me of how God has predestined our little family and we are walking in His plan even today.
No time to post pictures right now, but I PROMISE to post later.
BTW, Happy Birthday to My cousin Emily as well!
Ironically, the verse of the day on the right side of my blog today is Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do." What a verse for today to remind me of how God has predestined our little family and we are walking in His plan even today.
No time to post pictures right now, but I PROMISE to post later.
BTW, Happy Birthday to My cousin Emily as well!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Family of the Month
Hey all! We are so excited to announce that we have been chosen Our Great City's Keller Family of the Month for August. We had the fun experience of being interviewed and photographed and now featured on this community website. You can read all about our adventure here.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Movie Night with the Smiths
One of our favorite past times in our house is watching movies. We have recently become BIG fans of Family Video and we try to rent movies at least once a month. Jason and I have been doing this for many years and recently, I was asked by a friend who doesn't get the chance to watch movies a lot, how we fit all those movies in. Truth be told, for better or worse, movie night has become our date night in our house. Sure, we love to go out once in a while, but for many years, movie night at home was what we could afford. Jason makes the best microwave popcorn ever (!) and we curl up on the couch in the softest blanket in the world we call Guinevere. For that evening, we laugh, cry, disagree and share about the adventures we watch. These nights have become especially special to us since having Raylen. We don't often have a babysitter in the evenings to go out, but last night, my mom had asked Raylen to spend the night. We thought and thought about what to do and where to go....but after a very long and exhausting week, we came 
around to movie night again.
Jason brought home a few that we hadn't seen. One in particular was called Penelope. I had heard some buzz about this movie, but was a little unsure of what I would find with it because the story surrounds a young woman cursed with a pig nose. I know what you're thinking...silly and disturbing. It was quite the opposite. I LOVED it. I cannot wait for Raylen to be old enough to be interested in this type of movie. You will find that you can completely identify with Penelope and her pig nose and you will be encouraged by the time the credits roll.
While I'm talking movies, we watched Bella a few months ago. I HIGHLY recommend this movie. Run, don't walk to go get it. This movie changed my perception on life, affirmed many of my beliefs and brought our family closer together. You will not be sorry for watching.
around to movie night again.Jason brought home a few that we hadn't seen. One in particular was called Penelope. I had heard some buzz about this movie, but was a little unsure of what I would find with it because the story surrounds a young woman cursed with a pig nose. I know what you're thinking...silly and disturbing. It was quite the opposite. I LOVED it. I cannot wait for Raylen to be old enough to be interested in this type of movie. You will find that you can completely identify with Penelope and her pig nose and you will be encouraged by the time the credits roll.
While I'm talking movies, we watched Bella a few months ago. I HIGHLY recommend this movie. Run, don't walk to go get it. This movie changed my perception on life, affirmed many of my beliefs and brought our family closer together. You will not be sorry for watching.
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