My Journey

There has been a lot going on in my heart this week. I've been praying so hard for an awakening of my soul and to know and love the Lord like never before. He is answering because of this truth... He is a God that revives the heart. A verse that I have been memorizing and meditating on is "Break up your fallowed ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till his righteousness comes and rains upon you. " (Hosea 10:12). I've spent this week breaking up some hard and barren ground in my spiritual life and as a result, I am experiencing a special time of refreshment that can only be found in His presence. 

These last two years have been a very difficult season for me. I've asked a lot of God because there was so much I didn't understand. I've spent some time in the desert, trodded along in the wilderness, and am now continuing my traveling to the land He has promised me. What I'm able to accept is that there is a divine purpose for where I've been. I just couldn't see it or believe it.

As I was journaling the other night, God revealed something very significant to me. It's one of those things that I thought I knew, but I suppose it needed to be real and fresh to me again. It was a moment of not just knowing God, but experiencing Him.

When the time is right, I know I will be sharing more. There is still a lot of heart work going on and it's all part of my journey.

Delicious

When I go to my sister's to visit, there is one thing I can always count on... delicious food. One night, she made Pesto Phyllo Cheese Bites as a little appetizer.

I, of course, had to share the goodness with my family...

And while I am on the subject of delicious food...

How about Pioneer Woman's Pasta Primavera...

 Enjoy!!!

Jesus Calling

Seek my face, and you will find all that you have longed for. The deepest yearnings of your heart are for intimacy with Me. I know, because I designed you to desire Me. Do not feel guilty about taking time to be still in My Presence. You are simply responding to the tugs of divinity within you. I made you in My image, and I hid heaven in your heart. Your yearning for Me is a form of homesickness: longing for your true home in heaven. ~ by Sarah Young from Jesus Calling.

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. 

Psalm 42:1-2

Dear Sam,

Today we are celebrating your 14th birthday ... we are celebrating you.

When I reach for your hand as we pray, it is a big and strong hand that now holds mine. The day has come too, where I am looking you in the eyes and I know they will be very short lived because one day very soon, you will be towering over me.

It is my prayer that as you journey through this next year, you continue to follow and pursue those passions God has placed within you. He created you for a purpose and you, my dear Sam, have a destiny all your own - one that He has orchestrated since the beginning of time. Dream big because you know God is big.

I pray that your love for Jesus guides everything you do. I pray that you will never be afraid to boldly share your faith and that others see Him in you.

I pray that you will have a love for His Word and that you seek the deep things of God.

I pray that you know the truth that His strength is made perfect in your weakness and that every gift and talent you have is from the Lord above.

I pray that you always know that you are loved so very much by your Father in Heaven and He will never, ever fail you.

Live everyday knowing that you are a soldier for Jesus Christ.

Happy Birthday, Sam. We love you...

Thank you to each and every one of you for your sweet comments and personal emails.

You make my heart happy.

It's late on Thursday night but I just wanted to write and share that today ended up being a really, really good day. 

I spent the day at the pool with my boys and did nothing but relax and soak up some sun. 

We came home, made BLT's and corn on the cob. Perfect summer dinner right?

Tonight was the first night of a new Bible study I am doing. I came home feeling and knowing that this is going to be something significant. I'll share more later, but this is nothing short of being perfectly planned by the Lord. It's a neat thing and I am so excited. 

Good night friends and...

Good Morning

Instead of writing in my journal this morning, I am sitting here drinking my iced coffee as my fingers type out the letters to what is going on in my heart.

Yesterday was a crummy day. I didn't feel well and there has been a circumstance in our life that is requiring a whole lot of faith, obedience, and perseverance.

I went to bed last night feeling emotionally and spiritually drained. I wear myself out when I once again, I focus on the circumstance instead of the One who is in control of everything.

This morning, I woke up to my husband sitting on the bed next to me. Before he went off to work, we sat and talked and I felt that glimmer of hope.  In our room where the sun was lighting up the room, I believed and knew that His mercies are new every morning.

God you are good and faithful. There hasn't been a time in my life when you haven't been.

As I go about the rhythms of life today, be the One who sets my heart on the truth that we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Keep my eyes on you, Jesus. On You.

Radiant

I want you to experience the riches of your salvation: the joy of being loved constantly and unconditionally. You make a practice of judging yourself, based on how you look or feel . If you like what you see in the mirror, you feel a bit more worthy of My love. When things are going smoothly and your performance seems adequate , you find it easier to believe you are My beloved child. When you feel discouraged, you tend to look inward so you can correct whatever is wrong.

Instead of trying to "fix" yourself, fix your gaze on Me, the Lover of your soul. Rather than using your energy to judge yourself, redirect it to praising Me. remember that I see you clothed in My righteousness, radiant in My perfect Love. ~ Sarah Young, Jesus Calling

Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. ~ Psalm 34:5

A Day In The Country

These pictures are from a few weeks ago when I was visiting my sister and her family. We have a friend that lives in the country outside of Nashville and everything about that day said summer.

We sat on the porch, sipped iced tea and enjoyed being together.

It was so hot we pulled out an old wash tub for my niece, Anna Claire to splash around in and cool off. Even with the blazing hot temperature, the water out of the hose was so cold it took her breath away every time it splashed her belly or back. There is nothing that can compare to watching a child do something new - to embrace life and the activities of it in every way. 

Of course, what would a summer day be without ice-cream?

Or enjoying the beauty that fills up the gardens come summertime...

But the best thing about that hot summer day was swinging on the old swing holding a hot, sweaty baby.

What I'm Wearing

It is a passage of Scripture that as a woman, wife and mother, I have read many, many times. It is the all familiar passage that as women, we strive and long to be. The Proverbs 31 woman. We also know her as "the virtuous woman" or the "woman of noble character". There are two words within verse that I saw in a new way. 

They are the words strength and dignity.

And I am clothed with them.

What I saw with a set of fresh eyes, was a verse specifically speaking of a woman. So much of scripture is referenced to man (which please hear me, I have NO issue with), but here is a chapter in which the Author and Perfecter of our faith, has spoken of a "she". I read the words over and over again. "She is clothed with strength and dignity." Here I was, holding onto the sweet and powerful words of my Savior.  He knew what the journey of womanhood would be like. He knew what my journey would be.

There are days when I feel weak and defenseless. There are days when I think to myself, "I've blown it again, if only I were stronger." What I am realizing that instead of giving into the wave of feeling and believing I am weak, I can turn and set my eyes and heart on the truth that I am a woman who has the privilege of wearing strength, and divine strength at that, as a garment. 

I then began absorbing the truth that I possess dignity which means that I am worthy of respect. The reason I have dignity is simply because God Himself gave it to me. I want to be a woman who knows and understands how to apply the biblical concept of respect and dignity correctly. I hope to be a woman that earns it, instead of demanding or expecting it from others. I also don't want to ever lose sight of the fact that there is a great difference between holy dignity and pride.

Strength and dignity. It is a spiritual covering like nothing else. Knowing that I can wake up in the morning and clothe myself with that perfect pairing is exactly the kind of outfit I want to wear. 

Strawberry Cake

It didn't surprise me at all when my sister, Sarah said she wanted something strawberry for her birthday dessert. I wanted to surprise her with something special, so her request gave me the perfect opportunity to try out a recipe from my newest addition to my cookbook collection.

The cookbook is called Classic Southern Desserts and let me just say it is the ultimate treasury of dessert recipes. Each page is filled with beautiful pictures and as far as cookbooks go, photographs are a must in my book.  

On the cover of the book is this beauty of a cake... Triple-Decker Strawberry Cake.

This cake was delicious and one of the prettiest cakes I've ever made. It also has a Strawberry Buttercream Frosting that is out of this world!

TRIPLE-DECKER STRAWBERRY CAKE

1 package white cake mix
1 (3 oz.) packages strawberry gelatin
4 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup flour
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Garnish: whole and halved strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat cake mix and next 7 ingredients at low speed for 1 minute. Scrape down sides, and beat at medium speed 2 more minutes, stopping to scrape down sides, as needed. (Strawberries should be well blended.) Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.

Bake for 23 minutes or until cakes spring back when pressed lightly with a finger. Let cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely (about an hour). Spread frosting between layers and top and sides of cakes. Garnish, if desired. Serve immediately, or chill up to 1 week.

STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

1 cup butter, softened
1 (32 oz.) package powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries

Beat butter at medium speed until fluffy (about 20 seconds). Add sugar and strawberries, beating at low speed until creamy. (add more sugar if frosting is too thin, or add strawberries if too thick).

To My Sister

Today, I am sending you the happiest of birthday wishes.


I love you, Sis!!!

4th of July Weekend

This weekend was full of making memories.

My parents came in from Virginia and my sister, Sarah and her family came in from Tennessee. We started the weekend off with a trip to Young's Jersey Dairy. Boy, did this bring back so many memories of being here when our children were small. Feeding the goats, sitting on the tractors, and of course, a trip to Young's would not be complete without ice cream. The funny thing is, Sam and Ben still get the exact same ice cream they did when they were little... cotton candy and bubble gum.

Anna Claire had the best time playing in the hose...

We celebrated my sister, Sarah's birthday...

Listened to Ben learn new songs on the guitar...

And completed the weekend with a 4th of July cook-out and fireworks...