Old Fashioned Love

Love in Action

Love in Action Team [from left to right]: Jade, Andrea, Brenda, Anna, Melinda, Janna, Carrie, Lori, Rachael, Donna, Lisa, and Kim {not shown}

Today the Love in Action Team met to make the girls at the Kwagala Project necklaces to go in their care packages. We had such a sweet time together making the necklaces, eating lots of yummy food, going over trip details, planning our upcoming fundraiser dinner, encouraging one another, sharing praises, and praying together.

God was so sweet to me as He answered so many of my specific prayer requests as I was preparing for this meeting.

He is such a good God.

Such a loving Father.

I am so excited to serve alongside these women in Uganda!

Today was such an encouragement to my heart!

Praising my very good God for this sweet time today! ♥

In exactly 7 weeks from today 11 sisters in Christ and I will be putting on a woman’s conference for the girls at the Kwagala Project in Kampala, Uganda.

As I have been preparing/praying/planning God has given me such an excitement to be with these girls again. I can’t wait to love on them, arm them with Bibles, bless them with care packages, teach them about their value in Christ, worship the Lord with them [they are going to help lead worship too, THAT is going to be amazing!], brag on God as we share our testimonies with them and hear theirs!

It is going to be beautiful. ♥

This excitement is such a victory for me because I have really had to [and still am] pray through leaving my husband and kids for a week. You would think that having been to Uganda 4 times before would make this 5th trip easier…but it’s not! It is so painful to leave them and truly surrender them to the Lord [over and over again I surrender them at the foot of the cross, and then find myself picking them up again. Lord, help me keep them there!] God has been so sweet to me in my prayer and devotional time to encourage me in this area. My little girls have even been an encouragement to me as they are doing things on their own to bless the children we will be loving on in Uganda! It brings me such joy to know they are truly apart of this team as well!

God is teaching me through the children of Israel’s example in Exodus 20 that if I let fear keep me at a distance from God [like they did] then I will miss out on encountering God’s glory.

He is teaching me that if I want to live a life exposed to God’s glory it will not be a pain free life.

It will not be a safe-at-a-distance life.

But it will be a life most alive.

Life most abundant.

And that is what I want, an abundant-most alive-life filled with opportunities to encounter His glory.

.::praising the Lord today for how gentle, loving, and sweet He has been to me in this process::.

wrapped up in His ridiculous love

“Who among the gods is like you, O Lord?

Who is like you-

majestic in holiness,

awesome in glory,

working wonders?”

[Exodus 15: 11]

I have been meditating on this verse for the last three days.

Do you ever have those days when you are so in awe of God’s ridiculous love that you are on the verge of tears all day long?

He makes me weep in a pew watching a family in Christ testifying that God has called them to their 5th adoption and I pour more tears as 95 year old man rejoices of his NEWFOUND salvation.

My God set’s the lonely in families and saves 95 year old sinners.

He is a merciful, relentless God, who loves His children.

Who is like my God?

I rejoice in my kitchen after finding out that a sister on my team received the final $300 she needed to buy her ticket to Uganda.

What a Provider.

Who is like my God?

Tears pour as I hear answered prayers come out of the lips of my girls who give me their blessing to go to Uganda in March. They tell me that the distance and the missing each-other is so hard but so worth it when it means that mommy get’s to love on orphans.

My God shapes, stretches, blesses, and gives peace to four and six year old little girl’s hearts.

Who is like my God?

On mile three I sing praises and raise hands held high and pour more tears in a crowded gym as I feel the presence of God so heavy and I can’t believe that I can know a God like this.

A God majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, who works wonders, spends time with me.

I can’t get enough.

There is no one like my God.

snow day ♥

Today’s Love List ♥

♥ snuggling with Mr. Metz first thing this morning

♥ having all my babies home today

♥ playing in the snow

♥ rosie cheeks

♥ mulit-colored marshmallows

♥ celebrating with friends whose son is home from Uganda, praying other friends home from Uganda, and beginning the journey with two other couples from our church to their children in Uganda…love, love, love!!!

♥ pajama’s all day long

♥ peach licorice

♥ ladies prayer retreat tonight

exposed.

About ten weeks ago the Lord lovingly showed me an area that I absolutely had to allow [and ask] the Holy Spirit to set me free me from for Ezra and I to truly bond.

my tone.

This is something that I have always struggled with. All throughout my childhood my grandmother would tell me to “be softer.”

I had made huge strides in this area [to God be the glory] but was still greatly lacking.

“We have an enemy who wants to return us to places God has called us to leave.”- Beth Moore

God brought me to my knees about how I impatient and harsh I can be- specifically with my boy.

So there it was-my gross sin that was causing a barrier between a son who I love and I.

I needed to get over myself, get over how I felt in a circumstance, and choose God’s way.

I needed God to change my heart in a big way

- for out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks-

and He did [and still is].

The last ten weeks have been all about daily resolve, praying through each stretching moment, and responding with grace and love.

“Godliness is never accidental. Neither is victory coincidental. Both stem from up-front, daily resolve.” - Beth Moore

God is so faithful.

There have been times in the last month that I have burst into tears after I responded in love-realizing that I truly am getting victory!

God not only is changing me- but He is changing my boy.

his eyes are softer towards me.

his smile is real towards me.

he hugs me tighter.

he is truly connecting to me.

I am absolutely astounded at how when I get out of the way and choose Christ, it is empowering my boy to form a deep soul connection with me.

Oh my heart!

Praise be to God!

A God who wants [and is absolutely able] to make us new!

♥

so proud of my little boy [who by the way is rocking my word on his first day of potty training].

my heart wanted to explode today when at lunch Ezra told me “I am full. I will put my leftovers in a box for later. And mommy I will tell you when I am hungry so I can eat the rest okaaaay.”

praise spilled out of me onto him.

which made him about burst too-the power of death and life are in the tongue-

he is stopping when he is full.

he trusts me enough to tell me he is hungry.

he believes we will provide for him.

beautiful redemption.

what a privilege to be apart of.

all by His grace, power, and mercy.

adoption is at times so messy and hard- but it is also absolutely sanctifying, beautiful, and worth it all.

Today has been so sweet already. ♥

Nate and I went on a little date to Hyde Brother’s Bookstore {Nate’s favorite} and then we stopped at the cutest teeny tiny diner {about the size of a train car} called Cindy’s Diner where we indulged in fountain cokes, cheeseburgers, and fries. This adorable old man cooked our meal on the grill right in front of us. Shortly after we arrived a lady brought in her two kids for pancakes and donuts {what a combo!} and I overheard her say that they were counting down the days until they could eat at Cindy’s. It was really delicious, family friendly, and very adorable!

On the way home while singing along to John Mark McMillan with husband the Lord romanced me with the most beautiful sky. I haven’t seen the sun shine like that it weeks- a beautiful gift from the Lord.

Then, because God is so crazy sweet, as we pulled up to our house I noticed a package at the front door. Our friends, the Brink’s {who just brought their son home from Uganda last week}, sent us the sweetest package celebrating their son’s Jackson’s homecoming! Oh, how it blessed my soul. So amazing to be able to take down the photo of Jackson on my fridge of him at the orphanage-a reminder to pray him home- and replace it with a photo of him in his home, with his family, -a reminder that God set’s the lonely in families, that He is a promise keeper and a way maker.

today has been perfect.

“Because your love is better than life my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live.” Psalm 63: 3-4a

.::husband and I lounging around this morning, loving this time with him::.

Christmas weekend love list ♥

♥ receiving pictures from a sister in Christ on Christmas Eve morning of her son eating breakfast with his daddy. -such beauty in that photo. God brought their family of three home from Uganda last week just in time to celebrate the Savior’s birth. what a gift.-rejoicing with them!

♥ watching tears flood my stepfather’s face as he shared with Nate and I of how God has brought him out of the pit {oh, how He has brought us all out of the pit!} Christmas Eve morning. -By the blood of the Son we have overcome the grave! What a Savior!

♥ watching Maddix draw a picture of the nativity Christmas Eve, decorating her Savior in beautiful colors- i love how she get’s it.

♥ receiving perfectly thought out gifts from Maddix and Sophie for Christmas- a coffee mug with “faith” written on it from Maddix, and an adorable homemade ornament from Sophie

♥ Sskeo sandals from my mom and stepdad

♥ this book from husband

♥ beautiful truth by Katie Davis, “a noisy, smelly, animal-packed stable. a perfect baby wrapped in rags and laying in a feeding trough. so thankful that Jesus doesn’t wait for the world to be ready, but enters right into our mess.” amen. amen. amen.

♥ hearing a new believer worship the Lord Christmas morning at church from the platform -Nathan and I were overcome with emotion as we watched a man who recently fell in love with Jesus raise his hands and sing about our Savior Christmas morning…absolutely beautiful

♥ having husband home for eleven days straight

♥ John Mark McMillan {Nathan and I are obsessed. you should be too.}

♥ God providing in amazing ways last week for Ezra’s finalization attorney fee’s- God is so sweet to answer our very specific prayers

♥ my soul finding worth in Jesus