Back to Crazy Normal

We call normal around here "Crazy Normal".....Thankfully, Chuck is doing wonderful. Dr. Nichols did reopen him a couple of weeks ago so we are no longer having to do wound care. That is great! Everything appears to be healing as desired. Still no lifting for another month. His trip to Istanbul this Friday has been postponed as the Doctors felt it was better for him to not travel at this time. We trust that is God's plan.

Tolar continues to enjoy 6th grade at Emmanuel. Still, yesterday as I picked him up from school, he mentioned coming back home next year. He said, "Mommy, I don't know 10 kids at school who respect God." He hears kids cussing and talking ugly about teachers. It's been a good opportunity to talk about how even though he is at a "Christian" school, there are kids there who are lost and need to know the love of Jesus. He is learning to be a friend and reach out to those kids who seem lonely and hurting. I am proud of him.

We had a GLORIOUS 8 days camping at White Oak Creek with 3 other families. So relaxing and perfect weather! How wonderful it was....enjoying coffee with my friend, Jana, each morning. Seems it had been so long since I had been able to catch up with Jana, Theresa and Penny. Loved the time we had for each other. Our 9 little boys had a blast, too. God used that down town to speak to me and show me how self centered and selfish I had become about some things in my life. I have been way off base....wanting other people to change....when I know I must be the first to change. It was a good time! Of course, Mr. Jones and Chestnut (the squirrel) went with us.

Two days after we returned from camping, Allyson and I took off for Monroe, La for Jessica's wedding. LONG DRIVE...but totally worth the effort it took to get there. The wedding was beautiful. Jessica was happy and so in love. The West family is so precious and have raised awesome children. Allyson and I were able to just talk and talk and talk.....such a treat. Love my friend, Allyson. She has stuck by me through the tough times and rejoiced with me in the good times. She is a true friend and a gift from God.

Well, I have two kids looking at me waiting for me to help them finish schoolwork.

Oh, I read the biographies of Gladys Alyward and Bill Wallace (both missionaries to China) while camping. Those two trusted God no matter what. They found joy in serving and giving their lives away for the sake of Jesus Christ. Even in suffering, they remained true and cared for others. They were WILLING....to follow Jesus! My favorite quote from Gladys was "What adventure God has given me all because I was willing!"

Right now I am leading a study called "Compelled by Love: A Journey to Missional Living." It's got me to thinking and rethinking about how I live my life and how serious I take God at His Word. Let's see how God leads me in the weeks to come to join Him on mission....

Pictures to come soon....

Life is good....

Well, another year has passed. Turner is now 5 years old and we have somewhat started kindergarten. He is the funnest child. Truly, a joy to live with. He brings happiness (Tait should have been his name) wherever he goes. Trace just turned 9 a couple of weeks ago. He is still a kind and quiet child, dear to my heart. He is now in the fourth grade and loves to be the singer on LEGO Rockband. Time is passing quickly! Tolar is a sixth grader and now attending Emmanuel Christian School. I continue to homeschool his brothers. God has taught me so much in the weeks past as He lead us to put Tolar in school. It was a struggle to discern what God had for us. It was to let go and put him in school. He is so happy and enjoying his days. We have truly seen the goodness of God in this situation.

Chuck is now on staff at our church, Ridgecrest Baptist Church, as of January 2010. God has been so good to us. He loves doing what God has called us as a family to do! It took a few years, but God was preparing us for full time ministry and it has been worth the wait. We are thankful for what God is allowing us to do as a family. Plus, Chuck gets Fridays off:) Ok.....we will enjoy it while we have it. Praise God! As I write, I am at SAMC with Chuck, who had a colon re section on Monday (it is now Saturday). Again, all has gone as expected and Chuck is recovering wonderfully. Our boys have been with friends and family. They have been well looked after. Chuck will be here for another couple of days and then be home a week or so. It will be four months before he can pick up heavy things and play roughly with the boys. This surgery was necessary to remove the almost 20 inches of his sigmoid colon that was eaten up with diverticulitis. He should be healthier now and able to eat more of the foods he enjoys, without getting sick. We look forward to getting him home (hopefully by Tuesday) and things getting back to normal. I am so thankful for friends who have helped us out this week and prayed for us. We are so blessed by God. He provides for our every need!

We started keeping a friend's puppy, Mr Jones, last September while she worked. That way we had puppy with no commitment. I thought it was a perfect arrangement. Well, We all fell in love with that little dog. What matters most though, is that Chuck fell in love with that little dog. Short story....My friend decided to not keep the dog since she was never home. She asked if we would be interested in buying him from her....so Chuck went and got the dog. Mr Jones is like one of the kids. We adore him. Thankfully, Starla and Donnie Wells have been generous enough to let him hang out with their Bruner while we have been up here at the hospital.

Five nights sleeping on a hospital bed.....you get used to it! And I have loved the food here. Before we leave I am going to hunt down the cook and hug her. Seriously!

Quickly going back....God allowed me to go with our high school seniors and college students to Costa Rica in June. Amazing life changing trip. God amazed me how He worked everything out and provided for all our needs. I slept on a top bunk in a room with 11 girls.....taking cold showers (we shared 2) and it was wonderful!

So much God is doing in and around us.......I am always in awe that He, the creator of the universe, speaks to me and allows me to join in on what He is doing. In fact everyday I am learning more and more about His wonderful ways and learning to "let go...He is Big Enough". It is not about what we are or are not "doing" it is truly about our hearts and our willingness to follow Him.

Gosh, have I been away this long?????

I can't believe almost the entire year has passed and I have not posted anything! SO MUCH to tell. Yes, God has continued to teach me as I WAIT on HIM.....wait patiently and wait quietly. The trip with Mom to St. Thomas was wonderful. Mom and I enjoyed ourselves (and our tans). What a blessing it has been to be able to take fun girl trips with my Mom!

I ended the school year worn out and nearly in despair! Or maybe, I was truly in despair. Anyway, it wasn't good. I was not in a good place....just struggling. God continued to put on my heart to pray.....THOSE WHO WAIT ON THE LORD WILL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH<>>>> So, I prayed, some days I prayed it outloud over and over. Believing in the power of the spoken Word...though I still felt weak and discouraged. I told God that I did not have it in me to continue homeschooling. Just plain ole tired and worn out. But I kept praying....and I want to report that HE HAS REFRESHED THE WEARY...just like He promised He would. We completed 8 weeks of school and God has given me the ability to do what He has called me to do. I have asked Him to do it....to fill me with His Holy Spirit, and He has been faithful. Amazing, truly amazing. Our home has been peaceful and I am content!

That leads me to a few more things. Contentment! Another thing I have struggled with for so long. Yep, a grumbling Israelite you could call me. Not proud of that, at all. But I am learning to be content...learning that He is ENOUGH. And it's a good place to be.

There is so much I could say about what God has done in our marriage over the summer. Chuck and I truly experienced a miracle in our marriage. We are so excited about what God has done. He has brought us to a new place and it's very good! That is why we never give up....the best is yet to come. God can truly bring beauty from ashes as His power in our lives is lived out in His strength. I am slowly learning not to "strive", but only to "abide".

Waiting, it's hard. But God is so worth the wait. His timing in perfect! We are waiting in breathless anicipation!

On another note...I turned 38 last weekend. Just last night I went and bought some special toothpaste that is supposed to help remove coffee stains on your teeth. I wouldn't get the strips so many people use. I just couldn't bring myself to spend $30.00 on those things. So I opted for the $6.00 toothpolisher and toothpaste. Does this mean I am really getting older? First, the need for "retinol products", now whiteners for my teeth. What's next?

Refreshed!

How funny to me that I had just earlier written about my life verse that focuses on WAITING. Just now as I was sitting at the school table with my boys, wading through schoolwork...and feeling a bit weary. I glanced down at my Busy Mom's Prayer Journal and saw one of my favorite scriptures and I just smiled and felt REFRESHED. For there, right before my eyes I saw Isaiah 40:31 "Those who WAIT on the Lord shall renew their strength." It just amazes me how God encourages us and give us what we need. When we need it!

Waiting.....

Psalms 27:14 is the first verse I remember committing to memory as a new Christian at Auburn University. This verse is indeed, my life verse:) "Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart. Yes, Wait for the Lord." Waiting is not my strong point, I must say, but I am learning each day to wait on Him. "Though is tarries, wait for it...." Again, I'm reminded to wait.

Last night I did something I have not done in 11 years. I went to a tanning bed. In my younger years I spent way too much time in those things. Oh the damage I did without understanding what I was doing ( or maybe at the time of my life, I didn't even care). Anyway, In five weeks I am taking a trip with my mom to St Thomas (Virgin Islands). Normally a tan doesn't really matter to me. Really, it just doesn't. But I do want to enjoy the water and the beach without totally roasting (not to mention the fact that I do not want to blind innocent people either). So therefore, I will go the tanning bed....but only for these five weeks...then I'm DONE.

Chuck's dad had been doing really good. He still has the drainage tube and hopes for it to come out when he goes back in Feb. But for now, he's doing really good.

Making progress....

Back to our routine...if we have one, that is. The kids and I got back to school on Monday and so far, so good. Just today I FINALLY got the snow village down from the mantle and the Christmas tree is STILL up (the decorations are off and in boxes sitting in the floor). This is the first time since I got married that Christmas things are still sitting around my house. I'm the type that the day after Christmas, I start packing up and cleaning up. Not this year, I guess with age I am mellowing and learning that I just can't do it all. Oh, and it's okay! Eventually, I will get to most of the things that need to be done around here. I failed to mention the 2000 Legos that are in the floor in front of me as I write. Yep, the Star Wars Sandcrawler lies before me...partially put together. I remind myself that oneday these boys are going to be grown and I will miss this mess.
Our new treadmill came in yesterday! Yes, I've given up on making to the gym at 5:15. Just doesn't happen anymore....and you can tell by looking at me:) Chuck put the new treadmill together last night and I hopped on it at 10:30pm. The start of a new thing and my determination to get these extra few pounds off! Tolar even had a good walk this morning. I think we are all going to enjoy it. It will not become a clothes hanger....No way! Lord Willing, I will be traveling with my mom to St Thomas early March. Only 8 weeks from now! Oh boy, I have to get busy to get this body beach ready!
Chuck's dad has been home from the hospital for a week now after being in there for a month after his surgery to remove cancer from his colon and kidney. Today he had a doctor's appointment and they are running another CT scan. If they do find a new abcess, more surgery will be required. We are praying that the colon is healing and that will not be needed. Hopefully, I will hear from them soon and I will update when we know what will happen.

Happy New Year

It's hard to believe it's 2009. Just yesterday we were all scurrying around to save water and food in preparation for Y2K and Tolar was not yet a year old. Now here we are 10 years later. Where did the time go?
Reflecting on 2008. It was a good year. God, again, blessed our family and did amazing things in our lives. For me, some are very personal. God's Word for me at the beginning of 2008 was that I was to forget the past because He was doing a NEW THING. And HE did! That is a personal process, but God showed me through His word in Isaiah 55 that "Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. WHere briers grew mytles will sprout up. This miracle will bring great honor to the Lord's name; it will be an everlasting sign of His power and love." I have seen God work this verse in my life. He has healed me and changed me, thus allowing him to work in other areas of my life as learned to truly forgive others and understand my identity in Christ.
In 2008 we saw God provide every penny we needed for Chuck and I to travel with a missions team to Central Asia. That was AMAZING...that fact that God provided and He sent us together. If He calls you.....He will provide and enable. He is faithful. So many times I hear people say they can't afford to go on mission trips. Well, we didn't have the money either, but we trusted that if God wanted us to go, He would make a way. And He did! Chris Powell, an amazing servant in our Sunday School class, sent Chuck last year. He has already presented Chuck with another check funding a trip for this next year. Chris realizes how important his part in missions is, he can't be the one to travel, but he can be the one to make it possible for some one else to travel. Chris is on misson! We are so thankful for his obedience to God and willingness to GIVE. It just blows us away! God is amazing. We are praying now for the team Chuck will take with him in April, Lord Willing.
In 2008 God blessed us with the opportunity to start camping. That has been so much fun for our family and we look forward to more family fun this next year. We already have 3 trips on the calendar. Grandaddy has been so wonderful to let us use his RV. He said he bought it for his kids to enjoy (since he does not camp). We are loving it and are thankful.
In 2008 we took lots of trips to Grandaddy's place at the beach. The older boys both started swimming this past year. We, also, visited all of our friends with pools over the summer so that they could be in the water often. Tolar has become the best swimmer. Trace is still learning, but had made great progress. Both of the boys also started tubbing on our lake trips. That makes mom so proud. I love the water and love seeing the boys enjoy it, too. Turner, likes to play in the lake water and shallow swimming pools. He's still afraid of deep water.
Overall, it's been a wonderful year and God has blessed our family. I know that I've seen God do new things in my life as I've chosen to forget the past and look to Him!

Starting out 2009.......So far in His word God has shown me Isaiah 46. In verse 9 he says, " And do not forget the things I have done throughout history. For I am GOD-I alone!" Reading on in that same chapter, God has more to say about what He WILL do....and what, I believe the future holds for America (Babylon, as I see it). We are not sure what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future. God's word lays out what will come, and He will do what He says He will do, and we need to be ready. Don't be surprised when disaster comes. God words promises that it WILL come as a result of our nation and world rejecting HIM as Lord and God. Remember what God has done throughout history (Is 46:9). That is our call from God for this time, REMEMBER..... He will fulfill His promises and Jesus WILL come back to take those who belong to him HOME. I'm ready, are you?