Chris Tomlin Concert

What can I possibly say??? WOW!!! John and I went to Chris Tomlin's concert last night for my birthday. IT WAS AMAZING!!!! Our seats were on the 11th row so he was like RIGHT THERE!!! I have to admit that I had to keep from swooning because...well...John was right there, too. But seriously, he was so close, I would swear he looked at me a couple of times!

The concert was PHENOMINAL!!! Israel Houghton and New Breed opened up, and they were really good, too. I knew this concert was going to be good because I have heard many people talk about how amazing the worship is at Chris Tomlin concerts, but really, I had no idea. I wish that I could put into words what it felt like, but I just fall so short. The Holy Spirit was so strong and real in that place and to join with so many thousands of people in worship was absolutely incredible. I never wanted it to be over! I could have stayed there all night singing and worshiping my God. I wish every single one of you could have been there with me...all five of you need to go with me next time!!! As long as it is in my power, I will never miss another Chris Tomlin concert! I have a pic to share with you, but it isn't very good since it was taken with John's phone, and I also have a couple of video clips, but we can't seem to get them to work yet so you will have to wait for those. Here's the pic.



Here is a short video clip that I found on youtube. It is from his concert in Denver just a couple of weeks ago. It is my favorite song, and apparantly Chris' as well! :) I hope you get just a tiny little taste of what last night was like (and we were really that close, too!)

Counting my birthday blessings

I am 35 today. I've really been dreading it for a few weeks now. I don't know why, I just didn't want to be 35 years old. People who are 35 are grown up with lots of kids and resposibilities and stuff...oh wait...that's ME!

SO...as I woke up this morning, I decided that since I couldn't change things, they are what they are, I am indeed 35 years old; I was going to get all the kids and John off to school and work, and curl up in my favorite big, round chair and spend completely unhurried, untimed, unagendad (I know it's not a word, but work with me here) time with God. I was desperate for His presence, for His peace, for His love. He didn't stand me up, He showed up just like the faithful Daddy that He is. I love Him in this moment more than I know how to put into words. I love Him because He has loved me and loved me well.

God didn't show up today empty handed on my birthday, either, because you see, He loves to give good gifts. My birthday gift from God today was like a video of sorts reminding me of 35 years of blessings, 35 years of God's faithfulness in my life, 35 years of walking in His goodness, 35 years of getting to know Him more and more. You see, I gave my life to Him when I was eight years old, but I still believe that as a child, He was with me even before that night when I acknowledged how much I needed and wanted Him in my life.

My life has not been picture perfect by any stretch of the imagination. I can even remember a very Godly woman asking me when I was still a teenager if I ever felt like Job. I assured her that I did indeed, but that I also believed in the same God as Job as well.

From the drama of puberty, to my parents divorcing in the middle of my teen years and then the fiery hell I lived through in the years that followed that to running into a teen pregnancy and marriage just to escape that hell and just landing in another one, to watching my brother, my Godly anchor who prayed over me more than I will ever know, die of cancer and through so many, many more trials and hardships one thing has never changed. God is faithful. He has never left me, He has never abandoned me, He has never disappointed me. God has held me tight, and I can never be snatched out of His hand. He has faithfully carried me through every single hurt and hard time I've ever experienced, and He has made me grateful for those times because I know of His faithfulness. I know of His provision. I know of His protection. I know His grace and forgiveness. I know His comfort. I know His strength. I know His friendship. I know His peace.

God has given me 35 years to seek Him and know Him. I pray that for every day, week, month, year that He gives me beyond this, that I will continue to know Him more and more through every trial, every valley, every deep water, and every mountaintop. And...I pray that you will, too.

"But now, this is what the LORD says-he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel; 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the water, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior'" Isaiah 43:1-3a

question

How does a mother truly repent of the sin of worry if true repentance is turning away from the sin?

I fell out of my car yesterday.

Yes, really, and today I am sitting very gingerly because my behind is very, very sore. Would you like to know what happened? Okay, so it all began when...

We were getting home from school, and I noticed that Jenna had left some papers in the backseat of the car. She had already gotten to the door of the house, and I hollared at her to wait a minute. I opened the back door and stepped up inside the suburban and reached across to get the papers. As I was stepping back down (backwards mind you), I realized that Jenna had come to the door and was right behind/underneath me. I realized this because I was stepping on her!! Somehow or another in her attempt to get out of the way and me trying not to come down on top of her and hurt her, I must have lost my balance and with both hands full and one foot getting stuck between the running board and the car, I landed sqarely on my bottom on the garage floor. Jenna also fell down back behind me because in my falling, I'm sure I must have pushed her. Luckily, she was completely unharmed, but rather worried about her mommy. I was unsure for a minute or two if I was going to be able to stand up and walk what with my throbbing left ankle and the pain in my behind...literally. But, I finally did get up and limp into the house and lay down on the couch (because I could NOT SIT on the couch! OUCH!!)

Well, I managed to not break anything (as far as I know anyways) and even though my ankle was sore for the rest of the day and John had enough pity on me that I did not have to cook dinner last night, my ankle is just fine today. My backside on the other hand, did not fare as well. It is rather bruised and sore, and I am sitting very carefully.

To boil it all down, a mother's instinct is always to protect her child before herself even if it is a pain in the behind!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Okay, so here goes my FIRST EVER NOT ME! MONDAY post!! I always have so much fun laughing at MckMama's post every week and all the others who join in on this carnival so I am going to give it a stab and see how it goes...

I did not get myself in over my head this weekend when we decided to host 10 high school girls at our house for Disciple Now weekend, and I certainly did not help said girls with pranking the high school guys on Saturday night because what kind of example would that be to my daughters?? And, I absolutely for sure DID NOT nearly panic and fall for the guys' retaliation prank on us. I'm way too smart and grown up for that!

I also did not skip out on playing paintball with all these high schoolers to have a little get-away time with my hubby. AND, I certainly did not fall asleep at the movies with my hubby because I did not stay up as late as all the teenage girls in my house.

And last but not certainly NOT least...my nine year old daughter, Joy, did not get in on all the disciple now pranking fun while spending the weekend at the pastor's house (since her room was not completely taken over by 10 teenage girls.)






Happy Monday!!

Jenna's Imagination

Jenna's imagination never ceases to amaze me. She called me into the guest bathroom this morning and told me she had a story to tell me. So once she was all done going to the bathroom and all, and I was walking out of the bathroom ready to listen to her story as we walked down the hall, she stopped.

Jenna: No mommy, you have to stay in here to see the pictures. (pointing to the wall)

Me: There are pictures?

Jenna: Yes, you have to look at the wall (apparantly meaning the "texture" of the paint on the wall)

Me: Oh, okay

Jenna: (while pointing out the lines of texture to help me "see" her pictures) Once upon a time there was a furry friend named Karis who was a puffball. Karis lived in this little hole in the dirt (no there was no dirt on the wall, only lines of texture!). One morning Karis went to visit her alligator friend whose name was Jenna. Jenna lived in a lake and liked to eat the fish in the lake. Karis and Jenna were sad because Jenna had eaten all the fish in the lake and there was nothing else to eat. The End.

I would take a picture of the wall and post it to this blog, but seriously, it wouldn't help, you would see a beige wall.

Have I told you lately...

How very much I LOVE my church? Krissi, I know you are already saying oh brother here she goes again, but really, I LOVE my church! The Spirit of God is so active and present there and in the people and in the staff and leadership. It is truly awesome and I am so very blessed to be a part of it!

A little background before I get into how God spoke to me today very loudly and clearly...I have been doubting for the last couple of weeks. Was it really God who allowed us to buy this house or was it just our own desire that led us here? It felt so much like God had his miraculous hand on the whole thing at the time, but here I am...doubting. I was even telling a friend of mine on the phone YESTERDAY that I was wondering if biting off such a huge chunk and having to struggle and watch every penny was really the best decision or should we have bought a smaller house and been able to live very comfortably without worry, especially with the current economic struggles going on. (Gee, this looks like...hmm...would it have been easier to live by our own power or step out in faith and have to live by God's provision?) Later after I was off the phone, I prayed about it, and I asked God if He would just confirm it to me again that He was why we are here. I was desperate to just be where God wants me and my family.

Okay, so back to the sermon at church today. Our pastor was preaching on something that at the surface seems so simple, but is really incredibly deep and powerful. The sermon was on Jeremiah 29:13 which says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Then he began to explain what all that really meant and he referenced over to another scripture and that is where God showed me again who He is. It is Acts 17:24-28. You can look up the scripture and read the whole thing for yourself (really go do it, it is an awesome and powerful passage!!) but here is where it hit me. "26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; AND HE DETERMINED THE TIMES SET FOR THEM AND THE EXACT PLACES WHERE THEY SHOULD LIVE. 27 God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us." I honestly have not a clue what the pastor said after that for a couple of minutes (at this point, Valinda is saying "something shiny" and yes, God had something shiny to show me all right!) because I was just reading that part over and over again and peace that passes all understanding washed over me and I wanted to weep.

So all of you out there (all three of you who read this blog) can hold me accountable to this. Whenever I come to that place and begin to doubt, lead me back here to this day. I have already written it all down along with a prayer in my journal. I don't take notes in church because I have a tendency to get distracted and miss too much when I do, so I had to write it all down in my journal as soon as I walked in the door at home. Then I decided that I needed to put it on my blog as well so you all can remind me when I start doubting that God DID bring us here, and He DOES have an amazing plan to work through us here. I just need to desperately seek Him, pray, study His word every day, and obey what He commands. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. And believe that He is who He says He is.

Thank you Lord Jesus, that you are big enough to handle my doubts. Thank you for settling my doubts and fears and filling me with your peace. Thank you for being so very near. Jesus, lead me where you will. Amen.

Okay, my family would probably like to have lunch now so I better go!