One little girl sobbing for Jesus

 Blessed assurance. Jesus is mine!

The Son of Man was lifted up! 

He is RISEN!!! 

Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 

Thursday 4:48am ~ I woke up out of a very sound, sweet, slightly delicious sleep, to pain. It took me a few seconds to figure out what was going on. Oh. A whopper contraction. I never did go back to sleep. And no more contractions followed for a while.


The doctor joked a week or two ago that a pregnant woman at my stage is like a.... lawnmower. He said those whopper contractions are like when you are cranking up an old fashioned mower. He said 'one of these times, it's gonna catch and you'll go into labor.' I've been compared to lots of things. Never a lawnmower. Strangely, I loved it.


We drove over and spent a few hours walking around the Zoo today. I just knew that the smells and walking that go along with the Zoo would help me get the lawnmower started. It was 65 degrees or maybe 70. It felt amazing. Sunshine with a cool breeze. I think my Mom thought I was crazy for going. The Zoo is an hour and 15 or so minutes from home. Maybe it was crazy. But this baby seems to be perfectly content to stay put right where she is. I think she is just not in as big of a hurry to meet us as we are to meet her. So the girls, Brian and I rocked the Zoo. Climbing wall, feeding birds, slurpin slushies, taking pics, admiring animals, wagon snuggling, riding carousels, sliding on slides and the list goes on...


(All these pics taken with my phone or Brian's. I really like the old fashioned look of some of them.)

Evelyn decided on a slushie. The other two got that sugary stuff in a tube. Not sure of the name. The girls call it 'pixie dust.' Of course, they quickly consumed theirs and wanted some of her slushie. She shared like it was her job. Crazy how Christlike she was about it... down to her very last sip. 

Evelyn was beat. Plain-old, crazy-tired, after a fun day at the Zoo. With all three girls sharing a room, giggles, laughter and stories go later in the night than any of them are used to. Little Evelyn is a really good sleeper. But only in the mornings. She loves to stay up late at night. But this night, she was first to be in jammies, first to brush her teeth and first to snuggle under the covers.

After she got snuggled in, she asked me to hand her the bible that lays beside her bed. I was brushing Viv's teeth and getting her ready for bed. When I returned, Evelyn was in tears. She was reading about Jesus dying on the cross. And she cried sincere, hot, sad tears. She's seen these pages, seen these pictures and heard us talking about it hundreds of times. 


THIS time was different. 


She said, 'I don't want him to die.' And she sobbed into my shoulder. I listened to her say over and over that she didn't want Jesus to get hurt. She didn't want him to die. That she loved him. 


I reminded her as I love to, that 'Jesus died for YOU Evelyn. He got hurt and nailed to a cross for YOU. That He loves YOU. He wanted to rescue you from your sins. That's why he had to die.' 


I don't know what happened in her heart that night between she and Jesus. But something was stirring. 

I asked her if she wanted me to pray. She sniffed and nodded yes. 


As I prayed, she raised one hand toward the ceiling. Kind of in a fist. Then eventually she raised them both.


After I said Amen, I asked her what she was doing. She said, 'I was holding hands with God.'

True Biblical Womanhood

True Biblical Womanhood~

"...A Christian woman does not put her hope in her husband, or in getting a husband. She does not put her hope in her looks. She puts her hope in the promises of God...She looks away from the troubles and miseries and obstacles of life that seem to make the future bleak, and she focuses her attention on the sovereign power and love of God who rules in heaven and does on earth whatever He pleases. She knows her Bible, and she knows her theology of the sovereignty of God, and she knows His promise that He will be with her and help her strengthen her no matter what. This is the deep, unshakeable root of Christian womanhood."

(Zoo Camp this week at Riverbanks)Seems as though we, as a couple, and a family, are in a new chapter of life. Although, we're probably always in a new chapter - new challenges, new things that God is teaching us about HIM in a big, real, lump in your throat kind of way. Every marriage, if it is going to be used of the Lord and glorify Him, will go through the fire. If it is going to be more than shallow, deeper than surface, Christ-centered... then all of me will have to GO. And all of him. And be replaced with Christ. God is filling us up with HIM. Without question HE wants us to go to the ends of the earth. Which really isn't the end of the earth, this time, Haiti. But when you are full-time 100% nursing an infant, Haiti is a pretty long way. 'She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.' Proverbs 31:20
'If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.' Isaiah 58:10
The problem is that sometimes we are so focused on the reasons or special circumstances that prevent us from serving God in the way He asks...we can't see the vast oceans and continents God would have us explore. Sooner or later, God meets every trusting child who is following Him and says, "Prove that you believe Me, as you say you do, and that you have taught others to believe."
Then is your opportunity.
God knows, and you know, that there was always a hope in your heart that a certain way would not be yours.
"Anything but THAT Lord," had been your earnest prayer.
And then, you found your feet set on that way, that way and no other.

And so I find myself, a nursing mother to one 5 month old and mother to a two-year-old and four-year-old, leaving for Haiti. In a week. 'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and UNCONCERNED; they did not help the poor and needy.' Ezekiel 16:49King David wrote, "YOU will show me the path of life; In your presence is FULLNESS of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11).
Have you ever noticed the faces of those who try to find life apart from God? The strain of life shows. In our hearts, we know there must be something more, but few have the courage to question prejudices/teachings they get from culture, friends, family and false religion.

Last night Brian and I, both in from long days and hard workouts decided to kick up our heels and watch something mindless on TV. We never watch TV. Seriously. So we STINK at picking shows because we have NO idea what's on, whats good, etc. So we ended up watching that show about addicts where they do an intervention. This is what a microcosm of life apart from God must look like.

Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).

Jesus is the Liberator and ONLY Source of Life.

Jesus came to set us free and to give us life!

"Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36).

AM I living free in Christ or enslaved by MY own fears, traditions, passions, man made laws, what others think of me?

(Big sister asked me to: "Please bring 'my baby' into the shower": Ahhh....SISTERS)
(Can you believe I took this one with my phone. Not bad.)

And if your not sure you can tell them apart in these pictures. This is Carlisle.
And this is Evelyn.




I've missed blogging. I am BACK.
For me personally, I feel better when I eat regularly, sleep enough, get to the gym...
and blog.
(Mom, hope you're happy! Pictures of your babies.)