Our Easter was far from picture perfect. Life is not picture perfect. Isn't that why the world needs a Savior? We serve a risen Savior, and that's why Easter is one of my very favorite holidays!
My sister and parents got to spend Easter with us this year. I'm so glad they were here. We went to an Easter egg hunt on Saturday morning, then it got rainy and cold for the rest of the weekend.
Miles got sick, and we didn't end up getting to go to church. So, we all got dressed up in our Easter duds & took pictures anyway (this was all for mommy & her love of tradition :-), then we crawled back into our pj's and watched Veggie Tales Easter Carol together.
I was pretty dissapointed we didn't get to go to church on Easter. That is one of my favorite services of the year - so full of joy! It made me realize that I don't have to wait until Easter Sunday to be filled with "Eastery" joy. After all - you might be sick on Easter Sunday, and then it's a whole 'nother year until the next... As a Christian, I can live in the power and joy of the resurrection every single day. Sure, the fun traditions and pretty clothes make it "feel" like Easter, but my Savior lives every single day, and that's where my joy needs to come from.
This past weekend, we were able to dedicate our sweet baby Miles to the Lord in front of our church family. Our parents were able to come join us for this special service. What an honor and challenge to stand in front of the church family and our family and vow to raise our children in a Christian home and teach them to know and love the Lord! When I was searching for verses for this day, I found this prayer. I couldn't have said it better if I tried, so here you go - my prayer for Miles...
On a funny side note: My precious Carter was whispering in my ear "Wook, Mommy - Blue People!"
I love him.
Our Pastor - Dr. Mark McClelland
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for this treasured child of mine. Although you have entrusted him to me, I know he belongs to you. Like Hannah offered Samuel, I dedicate my child to you, Lord. I recognize that he is always in your care.
Help me as a parent, Lord, with my weaknesses and imperfections. Give me strength and godly wisdom to raise this child after your Holy Word. Please supply what I lack. Keep my child walking on the path that leads to eternal life. Help him to overcome the temptations in this world and the sin that would so easily entangle him.
Dear God, send your Holy Spirit daily to lead and guide him. Ever assist him to grow in wisdom and stature, in grace and knowledge, in kindness, compassion and love. May he serve you faithfully with his whole heart devoted to you. May he discover the joy of your presence through daily relationship with your Son, Jesus.
Help me never to hold on too tightly to this child, nor neglect my responsibilities before you as a parent. Lord, let my committment to raise this child for the glory of your name cause his life to forever testify of your faithfulness.
In Jesus' name I pray,
Amen.
"Jesus said, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them,
for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
This blog is about my journey into a precious ministry. I am not tooting my own horn, but praising the Lord for giving me a place to serve!!! Here's the story.
This past Spring, a few girlfriends and I went through the Beth Moore study, "James: Mercy Triumphs." It was fantastic! I learned so much about the Bible, the book of James, the person James, and Jesus! I highly recommend the study.
Two of the verses Beth focuses on are:
"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."
James 1:22
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him,
how can the love of God be in him? Dear children,
let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."
James 3:17-18
If that isn't a kick in the pants to everyone in America, you probably aren't being honest with yourself. I know these verses got my attention!!!
It made me think of Mia's speech on the Princess Diaries - you know- one of those movies that I watch now because in a few years I will be greatly outnumbered and watching nothing but action flicks! Back to Mia's speech... She - in all of her teenaged elloquence - says,
"I realize how many stupid times a day I use the word 'I.' And probably all I ever do is think about myself. And how lame is that when there's like seven billion other people out there on the planet..."
I was convicted. I felt as if all my current efforts were selfish - focusing inward - on my own family. While I was trying to be the best housewife and stay-at-home-mommy that I possibly could be, I had forgotten about all the other people in the world who could use my help. I was sewing, cooking, cleaning, getting my family to church, etc... Even though those things are GREAT - they were all about me/us. I knew that I needed to do more - for others, but I wasn't sure where to start.
I decided to start with my Sunday School class. In the Fall, I had stepped up as the Service Project coordinator because we didn't have anybody really doing that, so I tried to focus on that ministry. I haven't exactly done a fantastic job with it, but it's something. I saw a need, and I tried to help out. We now do one service project *about* once a quarter (sometimes more / sometimes less).
That was good, but I still felt as if I should be doing more. The service projects are great, but they really only take up 4-5 Saturdays a year plus the time it takes to send off a few emails. What else could I do?!?! Me - a stay-at-home-mom with 1 toddler, a baby on the way, and no family in town - it's not like I had all this spare time that I need to fill up :-) It was about then that things got crazy preparing for Miles, I went into labor, and we added another precious boy to our growing family.
Many of you know, I don't sleep after I've had a baby. I can't. My mind races. Well, one of those sleepless nights, God reminded me of a ministry that I had heard about - a ministry to babies! It's called the Footprints Ministry. They minister to families of NICU babies at Huntsville Hospital (and a few other hospitals in Montgomery and Birmingham). Anna, one of my friends - the one who taught me how to smock and sew - recently had become the area coordinator for this ministry at Willowbrook (our church).
Footprints gives each family in the NICU a care package. In this package are things that a family of a premature and/or very sick baby would need like a Bible, a camera, toiletries, magazines, gift cards to local restaurants, a baby blanket, a burp cloth, a baby hat, etc... I contacted Anna to see how I could help with the care packages, and she told me that they were always needing people to knit hats and embroider burp cloths because they deliver about 60 bags a month! What could be more perfect!?!?! If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know that I LOVE SEWING, and this was something I could do from home to help those in need. I asked Anna to come teach the girls in our Sunday School how to knit the hats, so that they could get involved too! She is such a precious person, and a fantastically patient teacher :-) She brought a ton of burp cloths for me to embroider and gave me the stuff to make more of these precious hats. I have already started to work! Here's what I get to make for these precious families.
I added the bow & tassle for fun!
So tiny!
I pray that the Lord will bless these families through these gifts and open up doors for souls to be won right there in the NICU. Maybe one day I'll get to give somebody a bag myself! As for now, God's given me the perfect job for this season of my life, and I couldn't be more thankful.
He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed."
Isaiah 53:5
"He is not here; for He is risen, just as He said."
Matthew 28:6
Thank you, Lord, for the precious gift of eternal life paid for by Jesus on the cross. Thank you that Jesus is alive and waiting to see us in Heaven!!!
As we approach Christmas Day, I am trying to keep my focus on the true meaning of Christmas. That God sent his one and only precious son to Earth. I heard this for the first time the other day, and I love it. I pray that we will all focus on Jesus as we go through the hustle and bustle of the next week because he is the reason we celebrate!!!
"One Solitary Life"
He was born in an obscure village The child of a peasant woman He grew up in another obscure village Where he worked in a carpenter shop Until he was thirty
He never wrote a book He never held an office He never went to college He never visited a big city He never travelled more than two hundred miles From the place where he was born He did none of the things Usually associated with greatness He had no credentials but himself
He was only thirty three
His friends ran away One of them denied him He was turned over to his enemies And went through the mockery of a trial He was nailed to a cross between two thieves While dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing The only property he had on earth
When he was dead He was laid in a borrowed grave Through the pity of a friend
Nineteen centuries have come and gone And today Jesus is the central figure of the human race And the leader of mankind's progress All the armies that have ever marched All the navies that have ever sailed All the parliaments that have ever sat All the kings that ever reigned put together Have not affected the life of mankind on earth As powerfully as that one solitary life
