My cup is running over!

I love how God answers prayers.  If you know me for any amount of time I will tell you about my husband.  And, I will tell you about how I KNEW without a doubt that I was going to marry him.  And, if you listen for any amount of time you will hear how amazing he is and how he still is not "everything" I want him to be.  You will hear that he is a Christian but there has not been any discipleship in him.  You might hear how he goes to church but that is about it.  You might hear how I have and continue to pray for him to become the spiritual leader of my home.  From this point forward I am going to change my discussion about him.  I am going to say that he is becoming the spiritual leader in my home.  Let me tell you about last night.

Yesterday we brought C home from school because she wasn't feeling good.  I had a stomach bug last week so we thought she had just caught that.  Around 9pm we realized that she had strep.  D rushed to the after hours clinic to get the diagnosis and meds she needed.  D put her to bed.  He does this often but usually it is "Go to bed." with a kiss, hug and tuck.  Tonight was different.  "Alright let's pray."  I know this might sound silly to someone else but it sent me to cloud nine.

I listen from the other room while I put away laundry.  I held my tears in check and I prayed silently.  I thanked God for his faithfulness to bring Dusty along.  I thanked him that my children have the kind of man that Dusty is and is becoming as a father.  I praised God for all the many little tiny blessings that he gives me each and every day in the person of my family.  I thanked God that Dusty was trying to speak my love language.  I thanked God that he gave me eyes to see when Dusty was truly trying to let me know he loves me.  And as I prayed I put laundry away.

I had kneeled down next to my bed to put a comforter in a suitcase under the bed.  Dusty walked around me.  He kneeled down beside me. He smiled at me.  He folded his hands.  "Want to pray?"

He took my breath away!  Really.  You are asking me this.  Do you not remember a year ago January when I had a melt down and told you that "someday"  I wanted you to pray with me?  Do you not remember that same conversation where I told you that I would continue to pray this and that God answered prayers?  Do you remember that I told you that I would pray this until I got an answer and beyond?

I smiled.  "Go for it."  I said.

And he did!!

"Thank you for today.  It was a beautiful day.  Thank you for giving me Amy 11 years ago.  Thank you for knowing that she is just what I needed.  Thank you for the two amazing children she has given me.  Thank you for my new job that allows me to go to church with my family.  Thank you for bible study.  Thank you for friends.  I know Amy has been praying for them.  They are exactly what we have needed. In Jesus name."

He left it open for me to pray.

"Amen"

"Are you not going to pray?"  I shook my head.  How could I?  I was crying.  I don't know that I could have prayed out loud.  I don't know that I could have gotten out more than thank you lord.

"Happy tears?"

Happy tears are an understatement.  What I was crying was beyond happy tears!

It has been  a long couple of years.  Long but in a good way!  We have recently begun going to bible study together.  (yes,  another answered prayer.) It is not what most people think about "bible study" at the moment.  It might be some day but right now we are just easing into getting to know our group and building on fellowship.

Bible study has been good for us.  We have been to one session.  This last week the couple that shared gave us a little "get to know you" information.  We are in the get to know you part before we actually start a study.  I can't wait to know  a little more about each family.  One of the things they shared was their "family" life verse.  Roman 4:20...

Dusty and I talked at bedtime that night.  Mainly about what he might be comfortable with.  The conversation went something like this...

"At some point would you be okay if we did something like they did tonight?"  This is me feeling D out.

"Talking about myself.  Yeah we can do that.  I don't know that I would be okay leading a devotion but I don't mind if you do."  This is kind of a normal for us.  The two times he has been able to lead something he has been amazing, but I know it is NOT his comfort zone.

But then I got to thinking.  I have a verse that "I" think is our families verse.  Well, let me rephrase that I have a verse that I pray for our family.  But, is it something that I (we) have discussed.  Well, that is different altogether.  No we have not.  So I asked.

"Do you think we will every agree on a verse like they do?"

We talked about the two verses that I made him help me pick out when the kids were born.  I wanted them each to have a verse.  He asked if I had any verses in mind.  I read him the verse that I have been praying for about 6 months.

So I told him that I have been praying Colossians 1:9-12 for each of those in our family.

"We (I) have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding and I pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the LORD and may please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light."

We talked a little more before falling asleep.  No decisions have been made.  I am learning that is okay. God's timing is perfect and until we have an agreed upon verse I will continue to pray that my family live a life worthy of the LORD growing in the knowledge of God.

Dusty doesn't read this.  But, if by some weird chance he does.  At least now you are forewarned that at some point in the future we will agree on a "family" verse.
 

Signs of Brantley

 I posted something like this after Dusty and I saw a play a few years back. It was one where it was dealing with a death of a child.  I just kept staring at this dinosaur that was in a corner of the dinning room.  Something that was just left there.  Some sense of presence that the child had left behind.  For Charlie is posted a shoe.  Just one single solitary shoe.  She was big into Cinderella at the time and we would randomly find her "glass slipper" scattered around the house.  Here is what I snapped of B this week.  All of which show his personality and all of which are so completely B.

A dragon has captured the princess out of C's room and left her on the laundry basket in the laundry room.
The second picture I can not get to upload.  It was of a loaf of bread that had been eaten and left randomly in crumbs around the house.

This last picture is just an obsession of B's at the current moment.  He LOVES Angry Birds.  He asked for them for Christmas.  He has gotten pretty good at shooting the birds across the house with his sling shot.  I was folding laundry one night and found that these two guys had just been through the washing machine.

Charlie's heart for Africa

Charlie has been in LOVE with Africa since she was 2.  One day this last August she informed me that she "KNEW" what God wanted her to be when she grew up.  "God wants me to be a missionary.  I am going to going to be a missionary to Africa."  Today in her homework folder,  I found this paper.
She has been talking about a baby sister for a while.  I thought this writing assignment was just too cute.  And then, I asked her about it.  "This is my baby sister.  Her name is Lily.  She is crying because she wants her African orphan mommy.  She has pigtails.  She is in a box with a blankie and a rattle.  She is in the box because she is getting shipped to our house from Africa.  They gave her to the mail truck.  The mail man brought her to me from Africa.  She likes zebras so she has zebra stripes."

When I asked her where,  Charlie said she got this idea from because her friends (and mine) are getting a brother from Africa.  These dear friends of ours are in the process of adopting a child from Africa.  We often pray for Isaiah.  We often pray for these friends as they wait.  I am touched to see that this kind of everyday life comes out in her school work.  Even if it seems silly that you can buy a sister through the mail with $100.

I just too little!

Brantley drew on the walls this week with a sharpie.  Not in one spot. No  he colored on the floor.  My wood floors.  He wrote on my door, three door frames,  the shoe rack,  his bedroom door, a chair and himself.  Did I tell you he used a sharpie?  Not just any sharpie but a black sharpie?
Three days later he still has sharpie on him.  I think it is just going to have to wear off.  The other places took him 3 hours to clean up.  He cried "I just not big enough to clean my mess."  or "I is too little to make all these marks to white."  or "You is bigger you can do it."  or " I is just too little.  I is not bigger.  I is not so bigger now that I is big like my daddy because I just too little to clean this mess."
Oh,  I love this boy!

My word: KISS

Ali Edwards has had a "word" or one little word as she calls it for a few years now.  2010 my word was blessing.  I wanted to be a blessing to others and found that I was the one being blessed.  Last year my word was purposeful or intentional.  Somewhere around  July I lost focus but when looking back it was those purposeful or intentional moments that got me through the year.  So this year, I have chosen a word. My boss gave it to the staff this last week.  She is not real sure where she heard it but I KNOW that it needs to be my word for 2012.  KISS  K-eep I-t S-imple S-tupid!  

Praying scripture

I read this post this morning.  It was JUST what I needed.  I am seeing a "scrapbook" or sorts in my future. What a great way to keep his promises at my finger tips!  I will make it easy to add to so that as I find things over the years I can continue to add scripture.  I can not wait to get started.

I will also add these:

When Lonely:
Jeremiah 29:12-14
12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you.” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and place where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

When tempted: 

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Any suggests dear friends on other scripture I could add?

A Look Back

2011 has been a very hard year.  It has also been a year of answered prayers.  In January Dusty and I began reading our bible together.  We read John and most of Romans.  I have prayed for this since I knew in July of 1999 that Dusty was "the one."  In February,  I began getting ready for a speaking engagement.  I was going to give my testimony at a women's  retreat.  This was NOT something I have every thought I would do.  In March,  Dusty and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary.  In April, I spoke at the retreat.  And found that God used it to show me just how faithful he has been throughout my life.  In May, I was matched with two incredible women from church through a mentoring program.  Dusty lost his job and Charlie was put on a "Individual Reading Plan." God was so faithful to have given me eyes to see all the ways that this was HIS plan for our lives.   In June I turned 35 (ouch)  and Dusty got a new job.  God's faithfulness prevails.  In July I became a single mom.  Dusty went to Tulsa.  Charlie turned 6.  I had a "break-down" in front of friends.  That was embarrassing!  In August, I opted not to have a birthday party for my little guy who turned 3.  He has not let me forget it.  By September we were in the full swing of school, single parenthood,  new job,  a kindergartner for the second time, and a three year old who is every bit of 3.  In October,  we dealt with parent teacher conferences and Dusty coming home.  No more single mom. No more going to church by myself.   But now,  what does normal look like?  In November,  life was still crazy and I was not coping.  Charlie was a flower girl in Gwen's wedding.  Gwen was our flower girl.  Was she really old enough?  It was a beautiful wedding.  Dusty left for on last week of training.  Charlie had 2 UTI's this month and B two ear infections.  December came.  And, all the "normal"  did not exist.  I did not do a single thing with/for my kids that I normally do in December.  We did not leave nativity  for friends to find.  We did not look at the Christmas lights.   We did not go to Bethlehem.  We did not do our Jesse Tree. We did not do our advent calendar.  We did not read a book every night.  We did not read what God wants for Christmas.  We did not make a gingerbread house, play dough or cookies.   But,  we did have a lot of cuddle time.  We had a lot of family time.  And, I began to get better (Thank you Dr. Grizzle).   2011 would have been a horrible year had it not been for the blessing that God gave me.  God gave me a heart to see each of his blessings.  He gave me an incredible  husband.  I love him more today that I thought ever possible.  He gave me Mary, a babysitter for B and someone I now count as a friend.  He gave me Laurie who took the time to come over each week and study God's word with me.  He gave me Sherry who came over each week and encouraged me.  He gave me Mary who just helped me keep going and is my right hand man in the classroom.   He gave me a sense of belonging.  He gave me friends that I now feel I live life with Duncan's, Murphy's and Hixsons.  It has been a year of great trials and INCREDIBLE blessings!