When They Grow Up.....

If y'all have been around my blog for long

then you know of my deep love for 

my boy Dak.

When I first started this blog

he was a freshman in high school.

Things have changed so very much 

in almost six years.  

We have had many happy moments,

and many sad.

We have survived a rebellion of epic 

proportions

and many ups and downs.

Today we just really like hanging out together.

This boy has grown up.

He is still a wanderer in many ways,

but I trust the LORD, 

my Covenant keeping God.

He knows.

He does.

Just as a way of encouragement mama's,

especially of teenagers or even tweens.....

your children really do love you.

They need you.

You may think they hate you.

They don't.

They may spend a season in the wilderness,

love them.

deep.

Pray for them.

hard.

Enjoy them while they are home.

When they leave your house,

it.is.excruciating.

Then when they have lived some life,

with its ups and downs,
and ins and outs,

they will appreciate you.

The look in their eyes will tell you 

they do.

The little, hey mom wanna have lunch.

Means the world!

Dak will always be my little boy,

but he is grown.

I respect him.

I love him.

He is my sweet, sweet son.

Here we are back in the day.

And here we were are on Tuesday.

The above picture was of obligation.

The bottom is because he loves me =)

He is the sweetest.

Silly then.....

Silly now =)

And he plays so beautifully.

I put just a tiny snippet on Instagram 

a couple nights ago.

He really started playing in earnest 

after he moved from home.

Funny how that happens.

I taught him a little while he was here.

He has taught me oceans since he has moved out.

When I think of the tenderness of his heart,

and the gentleness of his music,

I could just cry.

In fact, I did on the way home.

Had me a good cry, 

but with such a heart

of thankfulness to the Father

for letting me be his mom.

I just love him.

MaMa's they grow up.  

Really fast!!

Savor every moment.

Have a Blessed and Beautiful Day ~~ 

Grace.....Rich, Lavish, Beautiful Grace

I've been thinking a lot lately about the Grace of our God.

As you know, if you've read my blog for very long,

my husband calls me "The Old Testament Girl".

I love the OT!

You may be wondering why, and I've had questions as to why as well.

It's not that I would ever want to live under the law.

i fail.

every.day.

fail.

When I think of all the sacrifices that were given to atone for sins

and still it was not enough.

Sacrifice

after

sacrifice

after 

sacrifice,

and true atonement was never reached.

A Savior was needed.

One sacrifice.

One time.

God provided
through His Precious,
Only Son,

Jesus!

The OT points to Jesus.

From Genesis to Revelation.

Jesus.

I love that.

It drew me in from the start.

I love that Jesus is prophesied in the first book of the Bible.

I love that all through the OT you see Jesus coming.

I love that.

I've been reading the book of Joshua,

and last week I read about Rahab the Prostitute 

hiding the spies.

She hid them in the flax on top of her roof,

(for some reason I love that picture)

sent the guards on a wild goose chase,

told the spies to go and hide in the hill country for three days.

By that time, the guards would be back empty handed,

since she'd sent them in the other direction.

What did she want in return?

Safety for her and her family.

She did as she was told.

Gathered her family, 

tied the scarlet cord in her window,

and was saved.

Why does this story interest me so?

Probably because of the outcome.

The outcome long after she had left this earth.

The outcome in Matthew.

Huh?

Yep in Matthew.

1:5

You see, Rahab the Prostitute, 

is listed in Jesus' genealogy.

Scandalous.

Beautiful.

She was imperfect.

She was scandalous.

She had not crossed all her T's and dotted all her I's just perfectly.

But there she is, in the genealogy of our Precious Lord.

How could this be?

Grace.

God's Rich, Lavish, Beautiful Grace.

He loves.

Beyond.

Loves.

When I read stories like this in the OT, 

I am moved to my very core,

because I am not perfect.

I have been quite scandalous at times in my life.

I have not crossed all my T's or dotted all my I's to perfection

or even close.

But.....

Oh how He loves!

Grace

Rich

Lavish

Beautiful 

Grace

is mine through Christ.

I am forever, eternally grateful.   

Grace and Verse.....

I am planning on taking some pictures of my "Grace" 2012 One Little Word album.

I am absolutely LOVING my Word, that God gave me for this year, Grace.

And right now I am in an interesting study on "Common Grace",

and as I have read and meditated on it, my heart has been OVERWHELMED

with the Grace of our God.

Let me define Common Grace as it is defined in this study.....

"Common grace is that benevolence which is poured out upon all men, regardless of their spiritual condition."

Let me give you an example:

Matthew 5:44-45

"But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you; in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.'

Writer of this study also says:

"God is gracious in making provision for the salvation of all men, and in commanding its universal proclamation.  He is also gracious in delaying judgment, thereby giving men, ample time to repent. (II Peter 3:9). One might also imply that God is gracious in not revealing more than He does to those who reject Him, since greater knowledge brings greater judgment. (Luke 12:47-48)."

I am so thankful that God has patience with His children, even when we are "afar off" and have not accepted Him as Lord and Savior yet.  He extends "Common Grace" so we can even live at all during the time before we accept Him, because sin is such an affront to God. 

And even after I was saved, I went through a very long season of disobedience and sin in my younger years.  

God seriously should have flicked me right off the face of His beautiful planet,

but He didn't.  

He was extending Grace, and the writer of this study may call it "Common Grace", but to me,

a recipient of it, it was anything but "Common".  

Yes, this part of the study has been very meaningful to me,

a girl who longs to be in the exact center of her Father's will.

And fails, I know, daily.

But I am SO thankful for Grace.

God's unmerited favor, that saw a broken down girl and chose her as His own.

I am eternally grateful!!!

*****

January 15th Verse:

Isaiah 43:18-19

"Forget the former things;

do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."

God gave me these verses, about a week ago.

I am SO excited!!!

I feel like this is EXACTLY what God is doing in our lives:

A New Thing!!

I feel like we are starting a new season and I am SO exacted for all that God will do in us and through us for His Glory!!

Do you have a verse for the last two weeks of January?

If so, please share, or post it on your blog, let me know and I'll come for a visit.

Have a Super Blessed Day ~~

From Steadfast to Grace.....

In 2011, I felt the Father give me a Word for the year.

And then I found Ali Edwards class, "One Little Word" 

that kept your Word close to your heart through scrapbooking.

I didn't excel in this class by any means, but I was able to build a small scrapbook around my word.

I definitely knew that "steadfast" was my word for 2011.

I found myself being steadfast in many more ways in 2011,

and one of the BIG ways was with 

SSMT.

I stayed steadfast, immovable when it came to that,

and WOW has God used it in my life for good!!!

Anytime you memorize Scripture, God moves.

every.single.time.

He uses it in your life to bring help and healing and in stressful situations,

it calms you down.

I have LOVED every moment of it and continuing on in 2012

to the Praise of His Name!!

If you'd like to join me,

on the 1st and 15th of every month I will be adding a new verse to my SSMT for 2012,

and I am committing this year to publishing my memory verse.

I didn't do so great last year at getting it on here,

but this year I will do better at this.

So my first memory verse of the year is:

Proverbs 4:23  "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

And God has already laid on my heart my next Scripture for the 15th.

I will post it on the 15th =)

*****

So what about my Word for 2012?

I wasn't sure I would have one, but Father placed it on my heart around October,

and I've been SO excited about it and I'm learning SO much.

It is:

I have already started my scrapbook for 2012 for my One Little Word:

GRACE.

I will be sharing more about how I am documenting and how already, it has changed me,

and we're only on January 10th.

So if you'd like to join me on this journey,

Pray.

Ask God for your Word for 2012,

and then start by looking it up in the dictionary,

do a Google Search,

read about it,

open your heart to what God would say to you concerning it,

and open the Word of God.  

He has MUCH TO SAY to us.

I love Him so.

I will be sharing more on 

this year,

and find myself in a beautiful study on it.

So what is your verse for 1/1/12 and what is your Word.

I long to hear it!!

I love you so ~~