A place of encouragement:

Living By Faith, Walking in the Light, Saved By His Amazing Grace

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

What are they drinking in?



There is something about watching them together. She is getting to know her Daddy.  Each time she stays in his arms a little longer before she cries out to her Mama. She is finding out there is safety and comfort wrapped up in his strong arms.

You can see the bond forming right in front of you. It's forming into that Daddy love. The love that I grew up with, the love that I still know.



And these are the moments they begin to look up to you and watch your every move. They take it in, they take it all in. They absorb what you give them.

Even the ones that are sitting beside you, pretending not to be looking.  They are watching and hearing your every move. 


Oh the love she is drinking in. She will carry this with her for the rest of her life. Being held in the big strong arms of her Daddy. She will know and feel love. That love will be passed down because that's all she'll know. That's all she will know how to give.  You give what you are given. You treat how you were treated. You love how you were loved........... 

There was a mama that knocked on our door a while back. She had two little girls with her. She was drunk and told us that her husband was abusing her. And as she was talking, alcohol filling the air, I was watching her little girls. I was struck with deep sadness, because these two little girls were smiling and carrying on like nothing was wrong.  There was no fear, no tears. I did not understand.........But this is normal to them. This is there life. This is what they asorbed. This is what they drank in.  And sadly this is what they will give, this is how they will treat and this is how they will love.............

56. The drinking in of Love
57. Daddy's arms

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Practice Flights



Tucked away hidden from view, in the safety of their nest are three little babies.




Not a care in the world.....They are not aware of all the dangers that surround them.



Mama stands watch on a fence near by. Her nest is full........... for now. And she'll stand watch, And she'll take good care of them. Until the day comes, the day that they take their first practice flight.



It's bitter sweet for you , for them. You want what's best for them. I want them to be strong in this world. They have to be. And in order for that to happen I have to let go. Let them take their first practice flights.





They are so beautiful in my eyes, they are so precious in His. Some day they will soar through this life with all the strength and love that you gave them. They will be out from under your wing, and you will be so proud. Because your home was woven together with God's love and protection. Your prayers are being heard. He cares for them more than you do. He has big plans for them. So let them go on their practice flights......He is watching over them and they are tucked under His wing while they are away from you.



I know someday  our nest will be empty......but that doesn't mean I have to feel the emptiness. God will fill my heart with what I need. And someday the nest will be full again with daughter-in-laws, Son-in-laws and Grandbabies. And from what they tell me it's even more AMAZING!

51. Practice flights
52. God's Protection
53. A home woven with God's love
54. Tiny baby birds
55. All my little birdies

Monday, June 28, 2010

I am Fearfully And Wonderfully Made!


My little artists are creators, creators of paper ducks and sunshine magnets, popcicle people and yarn bracelets. Without my little creators there would be no sweet creations. Nothing to hang on my fridge.



And with out them I can't make these one of a kind, precious creations appear. Because something doesn't come from nothing and nothing can't make something. It's only logical, it's simple minded at best.


And yet His creations are above and beyond simple. They are the most complex. So complex that we as mere mortals can't recreate them. We wouldn't begin to know how.


A friend once asked me, "But aren't we still evolving?"  "There are people cloning."

That's not evolving......That's taking a cell or two from something that has already been created. The cells were already there. I'd like to see them make a single cell. A cell that multiplies into a million To create Someone as Beautiful as her.

Psalm 139:14 reads; "I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are your works, and my soul knows very well."
In the original Hebrew text, the word 'fearfully' means: with great reverence and heart-felt interest and respect. The word 'wonderfully' means: unique, set apart, uniquely marvelous.


We did not come from a sea of soup. We had a creator and He made us with great reverence and heart felt interest.

You Were Created This Way!




Ps 139:13-16



13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.



14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,



I know that full well.



15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,



16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.


Don't believe everything you hear without doing some research of your own. The evidence is overwhelming if you take the time. You will find that the evolution theory is full of holes and made up facts. It can't stand on solid ground. We discovered a wonderful book called :

 Evolution The Grand Experiment By Dr. Carl Werner.

Friday, June 25, 2010

What I Accomplish While Rocking


A long time ago someone once asked me "Why do you rock your babies?"  "How can you get anything done?"

I looked around the house and it appeared that nothing had been accomplished. Nothing was put away. Dirty dishes in the sink. Dust bunnies in each corner. And I sigh.........

Will my house ever be neat and tidy? Will there ever be a place for everything and everything in it's place? At the time I really had no reply. I didn't know what to say.

But now years later I am still rocking..... my 5th blessing.  All the things I don't accomplish while rocking my babies......dirty dishes, mountains of laundry, chasing dust bunnies....That's not what I'll remember, that's not what I'll cherish. Those things will always be here. They will always need doing. My babies don't stay babies. One day they will fly away from this nest. I have a feeling I will be missing the toys on the floor.  And yes, I believe I will miss the noise and the crazy chaos that comes with it.

What I accomplished is holding, snuggling and bonding with each child. What I remember are the late nights and early mornings. What did I accomplish by rocking my babies? I accomplished a life time of memories. Oh they may not remember, but I tell them all the time how Mama rocked each and every one of them. Rocking their tears away, Rocking their fears away and Rocking them to sleep. No matter how tall they grow I want them to remember, that they were once small enough for me to hold, that they were safe in my arms. Even though there were chores too be done, they were more important than the fleeting dust bunnies and the dishes in the sink. I want them to know that Mama Loved them that much, that she put them first before the chores and the things that really did not matter.

They are not really mine. They are His. He is just letting me borrow them for what seems to be but a breath in this life............And I want to hold on to every moment, every precious little moment. So let the dust bunnies multiply and the laundry do what it does best {Mt. Never Rest}. I'm rocking my babies,  And I'm getting so much accomplished. All the things that really matter most that is.

The Rainbow Flyer







Oh to beable to see what he can see. There was not a cloud in the sky.



He is out with his flying contraption mostly on Saturdays. The brmmm of the engine always lures my kids out to see this strange flying machine, it brings us all out.



We have seen it before, many times and the rainbow flyer still lures us out. And yet man's creation isn't nearly as magnificent as the Creator of all things.

May the bees and the flowers cause you to question their exsistance. How one was made perfectly for the other. And as you see the brilliant blue sky, know that there is no other artist who can paint that way. No other artist can start with nothing and end up with a Masterpiece. His creations can sing, fly, chirp and jump. His firefly has it's own built in light bulb.  Do you know there are so many more creations that we haven't even discovered yet and may never discover in our lifetime?  May God's Creation lure you out and put you in awe and in wonder. Most of all may they cause you to question your exsistance.........For we are His most Beloved Creation of all.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

I Am Broken Part Two



She is sweeping, the broom hits the lamp and it breaks. I look and I find myself smiling at the shattered glass. I catch her by surprise with my wide smile.

Because it's been broken before by her. When she was just little. The first time I lost my temper and yelled.  I can still see her baby blues looking at me and asking for forgiveness. I wasn't willing to give.....to forgive right away. I should of embraced her and told her that it was ok, it's just a lamp, but I didn't. She was broken and I didn't forgive.

Well not when I should of. When I didn't forgive her right away, I was actually telling her that the lamp was more important to me. Oh I would of never said that and I surely did not believe that. But that's what she heard when she didn't hear the words "I forgive you." My prize possesion is not the lamp, my prize possesion is the one who broke the lamp. Can you imagine being unforgiven? How broken you would feel? How shattered you would be?

This lamp has been glued before. It's been put back together and the scars are still there. I got the glue out for the second time.

Forgiveness is like the glue to any relationship. "Mama why are you gluing that old lamp again?" "Why don't you just throw it away?"


 And I replied with a smile, "Because I want to see how many times I am able to forgive, I mean glue this old lamp back together in my life time." The biggest smile came across her face, because she knew she had been forgiven.


"Lord, when my fellow believer sins against me, how many times must I forgive him? Should I forgive him as many as seven times?"

Jesus answered," I tell you, you must forgive him more than seven times. You must forgive him even if he wronged you seventy times seven. Matthew 18: 21-22


I am so thankful that when I am truly broken, He doesn't throw me away........He  is the glue to put me back together again. The scars will be there as a reminder, but my light will shine even brighter than before because I am His prize possesion and I have been forgiven.



Friday, June 18, 2010

That Daddy Love


There is a place up home where the Northern Pine grows tall. There are days when I dream of walking down that old dirt road after a summer rain had cooled the air. Oh how sweet a fragrance the rain and Northern Pine make together. And I get homesick........

The Southern Pine is what I see now, pretty.......but not the same. And I remember the summer evening drives, Daddy behind the wheel. Him pointing at a Mama deer and her fawn. My sister and I with our faces to the wind taking in the sweet smells after the rain. Funny, but I remember his hands on the wheel as he was driving. Calloused and ruff from years of hard work, and yet soft enough to hold.

This man I cherish. Memories abound and when they come to mind I get homesick......His hands still grace a steering wheel. That's how he makes a living. Those hands lead him to me every once in a while. Not often enough, but just enough to keep the home sickness at bay.

This man that used to tie my shoes, dry my tears, and pick me up when ever I fell, is a man that I admire, adore and am so very thankful for. Sacrificing his days to give me a good home. Never once did I hear him complain.......And now that I am all grown and have a family of my own. I know how he feels, that deep burning inside, like a fire that never goes out. That feeling of sacrifice, to give what you have so they can have. It's a love like I've never known and I didn't understand until I..........until I was tying shoes and drying tears. My words seem so small as I tap them out. How can I thank him enough? How could I ever begin to let him know how much he means to me. But most of all, to let him know that I understand, I know how he feels about me. That parent love, is a love like no other. That Daddy love I'll cherish forever! Thank you Daddy, thank you for loving me with that unselfish love. You are Amazing and I love you!

46. Daddy Love
47. Rain and Northern Pine
48. Long drives down old dirt roads
49. Face in the wind
50. Daddy's calloused hands

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

My Mama's Crinolines



They are the best of friends, My daughter and Miss Emily. I love to watch them together, their crazy laughter and never ending energy. 11 and 12, they have known eachother since they were 2 and 3.


We don't live so close together, but Miss Emily's Mama and I try to get them together as much as possible. They have a sweet love for eachother, an unconditional love. They are not afraid to share feelings, to share when one has been hurt by the other. That's what makes their friendship so strong. It's the pure honesty of it all.



When I watch these two childhood friends, memories of two little girls from long ago come to mind. She use to live next door to me. We grew up together, and when we were little we did everything together. Dancing down the street with my Mama's square dance crenolines. Struck with deep giggles and silly laughter. Until Mama got home.

Our lives were very much different. Life for her wasn't easy. Life for me, well..... was much easier, but at the same time I needed her as much as she needed me.  My shell was soft and my feelings got hurt easily. Her shell was strong from years of having to be. She was always there for me and I for her. Her making me strong and me showing her the soft side of life.


And the miles are long. We don't see eachother very much any more, but we keep in touch always. God puts people in your path for a reason.......To make us stronger, or softer. For love and leaning on. For giggly laughter and crying shoulders......I found out a while ago that her and I became sisters, after all these years of playing the role. We are sisters in Him, in Christ. And I couldn't be happier. Can't you just see us dancing down the streets of gold in my Mama's crenolines.


43. Child hood friends
44. Deep Giggly laughter
45. Fluffy Square dance Crenolines