I made it home for thanksgiving! I'm so glad to be at home and am ready to see my family. Tonight, I'm learning how to make pecan pie-yummo!
I "stole" this from Laura http://www.thehortonfamily.blogspot.com (i wish I knew how to just put her name and it link- anyone??) but I thought it was perfect.
The ABC's of Thanksgiving
A – Amazing Grace
B- babies
C- going to Croatia
D- being a Davis
E-Eternal life
F- friends
G- my grandparents
H- being able to always go Home
I- my independce
J- my BFF-Jessica!
K- the Kiddos in my life (Deanna, Daniel, Abram
L- lazy Saturdays
M- music
N- naps
O- the outdoors
P-PEOPLE magazine
Q-quiet evenings
R- being able to be at home and Read
S- Sephora and Starbucks
T- God's Truth
U- being bundled Under my flannel sheets
V- Very slow times at work
W- being able to work in a ministry and a job that I love
X- Xcitement in my life when God surprises me
Z- getting a good night of Z's
Happy thanksgiving!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
In the Waiting
I know it's been a while...i've had tonsilitis and feel like I've been running like a chicken with my head cut off! But I'm feeling much better and looking forward to a weekend in Natchitoches with some friends for the Christmas light festival....the weather should be perfect!
The Lord has been showing me so much lately, but I've realized that I have a problem in receiving all of it. Being still! I was in bed last night, trying to wind down. My head is usually spinning- my thoughts running over the day, tommorrow, all that stuff. I felt the Lord whisper to me, "I'm doing a great work in you. Slow down so I can show you more!" I want to sit and listen to Him, even if I know the Truth might be hard to swallow. I have so much that He needs to strip away, to make me more like Him, in His image. However, wanting to do it and doing it...very different things.
Last week, God just rocked my world with an answer regarding my post, "Hands Tied Behind My Back." Although the answer wasn't ideal, the peace that I feel is incredible. I know that He heard my cry, heard my prayer, my plea for an answer. He didn't forget about me. It came about in a way that only He could do. Now comes the hard part...waiting and trusting in Him. I tend to "think musically" and there is a song that I love by Greg Long, called The Waiting. If I can remember parts of it.. "I want a peace that goes beyond my understanding and the promise that will come, from the blessing of the waiting." So I will wait. I will wait on the Lord to move in my life, to move big. To move in me. But I'm so thankful that waiting is not passive. Just because I wait on the Lord, does not mean that I do nothing. I will still love Him, I still will seek Him, I will still serve Him, I still will follow hard after Him. I know that it will be worth it...not only the result, but the blessings that will come from waiting on Him. God is never too early, never too late, His timing is perfect. It will not be easy. There will be uncertainty, tears and joy mixed in there too. So I wait for Him.
The Lord has been showing me so much lately, but I've realized that I have a problem in receiving all of it. Being still! I was in bed last night, trying to wind down. My head is usually spinning- my thoughts running over the day, tommorrow, all that stuff. I felt the Lord whisper to me, "I'm doing a great work in you. Slow down so I can show you more!" I want to sit and listen to Him, even if I know the Truth might be hard to swallow. I have so much that He needs to strip away, to make me more like Him, in His image. However, wanting to do it and doing it...very different things.
Last week, God just rocked my world with an answer regarding my post, "Hands Tied Behind My Back." Although the answer wasn't ideal, the peace that I feel is incredible. I know that He heard my cry, heard my prayer, my plea for an answer. He didn't forget about me. It came about in a way that only He could do. Now comes the hard part...waiting and trusting in Him. I tend to "think musically" and there is a song that I love by Greg Long, called The Waiting. If I can remember parts of it.. "I want a peace that goes beyond my understanding and the promise that will come, from the blessing of the waiting." So I will wait. I will wait on the Lord to move in my life, to move big. To move in me. But I'm so thankful that waiting is not passive. Just because I wait on the Lord, does not mean that I do nothing. I will still love Him, I still will seek Him, I will still serve Him, I still will follow hard after Him. I know that it will be worth it...not only the result, but the blessings that will come from waiting on Him. God is never too early, never too late, His timing is perfect. It will not be easy. There will be uncertainty, tears and joy mixed in there too. So I wait for Him.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Answered Prayers
So many times, we mention things for prayer and then we forget to praise Him for the answers...or let people know that they were answered! Before I left for Croatia, I posted some specific things to pray for. I know that many of you (or the few who read this!) prayed for these things. The prayers were felt...it is beyond words to describe. I never in my life had felt the prayers of people before so powerfully- from the days leading up to the trip and while we were there. So I thought that I would share the list and show that they were all answered!! God is good!!
Traveling safety--we had some trouble in Memphis, but we got there safely, despite nearly missing our flight to Germany!
Wisdom in counseling the women- it was so neat, sometimes the words would just come out and I was like "where is that coming from??"
Compassion- i was able to love these women
Unity for the team- both the US Team and the Balkan team--Whoa!!!!! The unity here was incredible...I felt like I had known these women my whole life. We were able to pray and worship together- it was so beautiful.
Strength- we kept going and going
Endurance- - wasn't too bad
Spiritual renewal in the lives of the women- amen!!!! Brokenesss, fresh faith, joy, grace was abound
Laughter for these women- Lots and lots of laughter---a cheerful heart is good medicine.
I am changed....I am not the same. This trip totally transformed my life. I experienced the power of prayer in so many different ways. My God is good!
Traveling safety--we had some trouble in Memphis, but we got there safely, despite nearly missing our flight to Germany!
Wisdom in counseling the women- it was so neat, sometimes the words would just come out and I was like "where is that coming from??"
Compassion- i was able to love these women
Unity for the team- both the US Team and the Balkan team--Whoa!!!!! The unity here was incredible...I felt like I had known these women my whole life. We were able to pray and worship together- it was so beautiful.
Strength- we kept going and going
Endurance- - wasn't too bad
Spiritual renewal in the lives of the women- amen!!!! Brokenesss, fresh faith, joy, grace was abound
Laughter for these women- Lots and lots of laughter---a cheerful heart is good medicine.
I am changed....I am not the same. This trip totally transformed my life. I experienced the power of prayer in so many different ways. My God is good!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
What Family Looks Like....
November is the month for Thanksgiving and is usually when we talk about what we are thankful for (even though we need to be thankful all of the time-not just one time of the year.) Last night, I was reminded of one thing that I am truly thankful for...family. Yes, I'm thankful for my parents and my extended family, but last night I was thankful for my "adopted family."(not really the word I was looking for, but I couldn't think of what else to call it.)
I think that as a single person, you begin to define family differently. The definition changes and your circle expands. I've known the H family for probably all of my 27 years. J and I went to the same church and her parents have known my parents, and she was my children's choir director. She married E and they had D. I changed his diapers! Then they had their Princess D and shortly after that, E became my youth minister. Princess D and I have a bond like nothing else I've ever experienced. I love her like she is my own. She couldn't say my name when she was little so she started calling me "Nana." 11 years later, I'm still Nana. I remember her chubby arms reaching for me to hold her and her sticking her lip out when I didn't do what she wanted me to do. Then came A, who is 100% boy. Ahh, I love that kid. I can still remember him singing "Jesus Loves Me" on the phone to me when he was about 3...made Nana's heart smile. On a recent visit, out of the blue, A asks me, "Nana, are you fam-i-lee?(that's how it sounded!) And I said, "Well, I'm kind of like family." He replied, "Then, how come you don't look like my mama?" (they are all blue eyed and blonde haired--if you know me, I'm not!!) The H's are a constant presence in my life. Besides going to church with them, I would stop by to see them on my home from college on the weekends. When I started grad school, they moved to North La. A year later, I followed.
I can't begin to describe how much this family means to me. E has been a great example of obedience to me. J is the big sister that I've never had. She has listened to me moan about being single, listened to my frustrations at work, and let me crash at her house on the weekends. Last night, we were talking about how the kids were growing up so fast (they are 14, 11, and 6..yikes!) J made the comment about a situation with Princess D. She said, "I wanted to tell her...talk to your Nana about this!" That made me laugh. And feel needed. And feel loved.
As a social worker, my help is often not wanted by people. And certainly, in their mind, not needed. There are many days where I feel defeated, like I'm wasting my time, feeling a failure. And sometimes, being single makes it worse. I know that marriage is not everything, but it would be nice to feel valued, needed.
I've realized that in this season of singleness, God does a variety of things to meet my needs. He has given me friends that are amazing, adventures that I could have only dreamed about, and family that loves me. Even if they look a little different from me.
I think that as a single person, you begin to define family differently. The definition changes and your circle expands. I've known the H family for probably all of my 27 years. J and I went to the same church and her parents have known my parents, and she was my children's choir director. She married E and they had D. I changed his diapers! Then they had their Princess D and shortly after that, E became my youth minister. Princess D and I have a bond like nothing else I've ever experienced. I love her like she is my own. She couldn't say my name when she was little so she started calling me "Nana." 11 years later, I'm still Nana. I remember her chubby arms reaching for me to hold her and her sticking her lip out when I didn't do what she wanted me to do. Then came A, who is 100% boy. Ahh, I love that kid. I can still remember him singing "Jesus Loves Me" on the phone to me when he was about 3...made Nana's heart smile. On a recent visit, out of the blue, A asks me, "Nana, are you fam-i-lee?(that's how it sounded!) And I said, "Well, I'm kind of like family." He replied, "Then, how come you don't look like my mama?" (they are all blue eyed and blonde haired--if you know me, I'm not!!) The H's are a constant presence in my life. Besides going to church with them, I would stop by to see them on my home from college on the weekends. When I started grad school, they moved to North La. A year later, I followed.
I can't begin to describe how much this family means to me. E has been a great example of obedience to me. J is the big sister that I've never had. She has listened to me moan about being single, listened to my frustrations at work, and let me crash at her house on the weekends. Last night, we were talking about how the kids were growing up so fast (they are 14, 11, and 6..yikes!) J made the comment about a situation with Princess D. She said, "I wanted to tell her...talk to your Nana about this!" That made me laugh. And feel needed. And feel loved.
As a social worker, my help is often not wanted by people. And certainly, in their mind, not needed. There are many days where I feel defeated, like I'm wasting my time, feeling a failure. And sometimes, being single makes it worse. I know that marriage is not everything, but it would be nice to feel valued, needed.
I've realized that in this season of singleness, God does a variety of things to meet my needs. He has given me friends that are amazing, adventures that I could have only dreamed about, and family that loves me. Even if they look a little different from me.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Lessons from Croatia
I've got so much to talk about in regards to Croatia!! So I figured I may need to do it in pieces, although the pieces will probably not be in any particular order! I learned so much from this trip. Probably the biggest lesson (and by the far, the coolest!) was more about the Holy Spirit. I've always known God the Father and the God the Son, but while in Croatia, I really began to know God the Spirit. Learning about how He moves, how He speaks to me, how He guides me, how He is unseen yet felt. The whole weekend was Spirit filled and led by the Holy Spirit--probably because the whole thing was bathed in prayer from both sides of the ocean!
On Saturday morning, the morning session was awesome. It ended up being nearly a full hour of pure worship and pure praying--genuinely loving each other as sister's in Christ. I met Sherri at the conference and she was in my small group. Sherri is in her mid forties and lives in the US. Earlier in the year, one of the missionaries came to her church and they kept in touch. 3 ago, God told Sherri to come to Croatia, she wasn't sure why, just to come. So she came with the missionary to the conference and was a huge help and blessing! She really felt like God was calling her out from where she was from--she just wanted to be obedient. During the morning session, I prayed over her. Just praying for wisdom and direction. I often think "musically" and in my prayers, it is no exception. I was trying to think of the words of a particular song while I was praying and they wouldn't come. I just prayed, "Lord, let her run with reckless abandon to You." She shot up and her eyes were wide as saucers and she had this huge smile on her face. She asked me, "What did you say? Did you just say Reckless Abandon? Did God tell you to say that?" I told her yes, it just came out. She told me that three years ago, to the week...she felt God lead her to write this poem, entitled..."Reckless Abandon"! She had never told anyone about it and had not looked it at since. She had the poem on her computer and showed it to me...it talks about running after God. We both just sat there in amazement and laughing...God showed up!! At times during the conference, I felt like a waste of time because I wasn't counseling. But God sent me from the South to Croatia to be there for Sherri. It was incredible!!!! You just have to be willing...you never know what He is up to!
On Saturday morning, the morning session was awesome. It ended up being nearly a full hour of pure worship and pure praying--genuinely loving each other as sister's in Christ. I met Sherri at the conference and she was in my small group. Sherri is in her mid forties and lives in the US. Earlier in the year, one of the missionaries came to her church and they kept in touch. 3 ago, God told Sherri to come to Croatia, she wasn't sure why, just to come. So she came with the missionary to the conference and was a huge help and blessing! She really felt like God was calling her out from where she was from--she just wanted to be obedient. During the morning session, I prayed over her. Just praying for wisdom and direction. I often think "musically" and in my prayers, it is no exception. I was trying to think of the words of a particular song while I was praying and they wouldn't come. I just prayed, "Lord, let her run with reckless abandon to You." She shot up and her eyes were wide as saucers and she had this huge smile on her face. She asked me, "What did you say? Did you just say Reckless Abandon? Did God tell you to say that?" I told her yes, it just came out. She told me that three years ago, to the week...she felt God lead her to write this poem, entitled..."Reckless Abandon"! She had never told anyone about it and had not looked it at since. She had the poem on her computer and showed it to me...it talks about running after God. We both just sat there in amazement and laughing...God showed up!! At times during the conference, I felt like a waste of time because I wasn't counseling. But God sent me from the South to Croatia to be there for Sherri. It was incredible!!!! You just have to be willing...you never know what He is up to!
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