Disabled and Disarming:)

I hope you can see the very subtle differences in these photos. Caroline is working incredibly hard to push herself up. Can you see the effort? Can you sense the victory in her face?

As I watched her roll around and push up I thought I would capture her strenuous exercise through pictures.

This is something a baby begins to do after just a few months of age....push up.

Caroline can do it now for just seconds at a time.

Then she tires out.

But I had to brag on her effort and tenacity.

She is my disabled child. She is disabled in that she cannot do many things.....talk, eat, hold toys, sit, stand, or walk.

She is also my disarming child. Disarming means winning favor or confidence. She wins the favor of all who meet her. They fall in love with her gentle spirit. Her knowing and deep eyes reel you in and tell you stories that her mouth cannot. So many people have privately disclosed to me of their strange love for her. They don't really know her...yet she has changed them personally.

Isn't that just like God?

He takes something weak, broken, and disabled and uses her to make others whole in personal areas.

Today I just wanted to applaud her! She is my girl. My sweet pea. My little biscuit.

Her laugh takes me places and I am so proud to be her mommy.

1 Corinthians 1:27 "God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."

Could you not...

Whenever you have something delicious to eat, you want others to try it as well.



When you try a great new restaurant, you strongly encourage others to go enjoy it for themselves.



When you see an amazing movie, you use your own words to spread the great ratings.



I'm there. Although it isn't a delicious food, a new restaurant or a great new movie.
It is old news. It is something we talk about often and do on occasion. It is prayer. God has been urging Shep and I to pray like never before. We don't understand why we are so compelled..we just are. It isn't easy....it won't ever be.



I have never been good at prayer. I lose my train of thought. I wonder if I am doing it right. I even drift off to sleep at times.



I believe something bigger is at stake. Maybe it is revival for our town and community. I don't know. Maybe God just wants to see if we will be obedient no matter how much our flesh fights against us.



I just know that I am captivated anew by prayer. Its power. Its authority.


I want undeniable change in my life and in the lives of others....addictions broken, bodies healed, minds cleansed, and families restored.



There is no other way! We want shortcuts. We want the 2 minute versions and expect God do adapt to our meager sacrifice. We want nothing to have to change for us!



In Mark chapter 14 Jesus asked his disciples, "Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."


I want others to "catch" this too. I desire for others to actually do what they say they believe. I want others to see for themselves the power and peace that comes from prayer. It satisfies like no food, no entertainment, or any other pleasure or passion we enjoy.


I look around and I see a lot of people saying they want more of God. They get frustrated that they experience no real lasting change. They are unwilling to do what feels unnatural to them. They simply will not sacrifice their time.

God, help us. Help me! I sense an urgency for your people to pray and it seems like they just won't. I struggle terribly in this area. I need encouragement. Help me to know how to pray, what to ask, what to believe, and what to claim for You. I don't want to offer you anything that doesn't cost me something. Please bring revival to our land. So many are hurting and need a Savior. So many are bound in their own prisons of self junk and need to be set free. So many need to see You as the God you really are...not the watered down version we believe because of what our eyes see. Compel us to pray. Give us perseverance. Give us a mind set of humility and grace. Pour out Your Spirit in ways we've never seen. Take our eyes off of ourselves. Forgive us for not being obedient in prayer. Forgive us for not understanding what could be stake. Forgive us Lord!!

Whirlwind of a week

I must tell you that these weeks where we begin on a Tuesday and end on a Friday are my favorite.

It seems like just a couple of days ago I was posting about playing at The Pocket and here it is already Friday! Yippee...another couple days with my favorite folks.

This week has been a whirlwind of a week.

Tuesday was Zeke's first official teeth cleaning. I don't normally take my kids to the dentist at 2 years old but he had some staining going on. There was definite screaming and flailing of limbs but he made it through just fine.

Wednesdays are always long days because we end the day at church....the kids have Awana and I have choir and praise team practice. I don't mean that in a pessimistic way...it is just the way it is. Long days are tough on young whiny kids....and it is equally as tough on worn-out mommas and daddies.
This Wednesday was long for another reason. I started working again!

That is NOT to say that being a momma is NOT work because believe me...plenty gets left un-done at my house. But, in an effort to help out our family and Shep's business, I have begun working at his office on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

I was a ball of nerves. I haven't been in an administrative work setting since college. But, praise be to God, I wasn't a total wreck. I managed to answer the phones correctly and assist with drafting letters and billing.

Thursday was Bible study day! God showed up and showed off. The video was.....well, there aren't words. WOW! Just really good and super powerful. I am still chewing on all that Beth Moore had to say. However, as I prayed that morning for God to give me words to say to the 20 plus women who would be there, I expected that it would be something encouraging and simple. To my surprise and delight...God had something much stronger in mind. He used my mouth as a megaphone to speak a strong challenging word to the women there and myself. I literally felt the Holy Spirit empowering me as each word came out of my mouth. It was all Him! I had not prepared anything other than pleading before Him in prayer. I love it when He does that!

Today ended the work week for me as I completed my second day at Tilley, Deems, and Helton. I must confess...Shep is a great boss! He is easy on the eyes and I can totally flirt with him and get away with it! There are perks for being married to the boss!!:)

Anyway, I am looking forward to the weekend.

Tonight is Relay for Life at Dellinger Park. I am honored to get to walk for team Chris O'Dell and to get to sing to my God on our praise team at the park. It should be a very moving and rewarding experience. I have lost friends and family to cancer and currently have others I love fighting their fight right now. Their lives and courage bless and encourage me to live my life to the fullest every day. Walking and singing for them will be a privilege.

As for Saturday......GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!

Playing at "The Pocket"

"The Pocket" is a neat place within an hour of our house that is a kids' playground.

There is a natural spring head that flows out of the ground and seeps out into several little creeks.

These creeks are ankle to knee deep and the kids love it!

We went briefly on Friday evening but the kids had so much fun that we decided to go back on Labor Day.

There were lots of people picnicking and playing in the water.

If we can ever manage to combine water with any outdoor activity then we have hit the jackpot! Our kids are in heaven. The sky was bright blue. The water cold and crystal clear. (There were even some folks nearby who put their watermelon in the water near the spring head to keep it cold....yes, we live in the South:) We had sandwiches, cookies, cokes, and funyons! Yummy!

Just wanted to include some pics of my pretty adorable family. Zeke fell several times and bloodied his chin and his shirt. I am finding that this is typical with my boy.

Ava played and posed...as you can see.(Seriously, can you see her hip cocked out??)

Caroline got her feet wet too...here she is walking in the water right near the spring head.



Happy Labor Day!

Blow Me Away!

God has been speaking something very specific to my heart lately.

"You've grown lazy with Me. You have limited Me to what your eyes can see and what you can feel. Where is your passion for Me? Where is your time for Me? Why have you allowed past disappointments and upsets determine what you think I am yet to do?
Rekindle your love for Me.
I have called you to believe for the impossible. Step it up.
Set aside more time for Me.
Throw off all that you think you know of Me.
Let Me blow you away."

These are the types of things that God has been speaking to me. We are doing a ladies Bible study on Revelation and it has only intensified what I believe God is brewing inside of me.

My prayers are so stale.
My beliefs are too small. I talk a BIG game sometimes but at the end of the day...when no one is looking...do I give in to the hopelessness?

Revival is taking place in me.
I am praying that it jolts this town and this community.
We need to see that God is so much bigger than we have made Him to be!

He is giving me joy, kindness, patience, peace, self-control, and perseverance that I cannot drum up on my own. I am reveling in it.

Lord, there is nothing worthy about me. But I do love you. I am selfish at heart. I always look out for number one. However, I desire to know You like I never have. Cover me in Your righteousness and give me the "want-to" in my prayer life. Let others see You in me. Reveal Yourself and blow me away.

Blow Me Away!

Time well spent

I have not posted in a week because I have been on vacation.

Let me first say an enormous THANK YOU to my parents and Ms. Linda for caring for my little ones while Shep and I got away.

I missed them terribly. I cried over them when we left and my arms ached every time I saw other kids their age. Coming home to them was so much fun. It was like Christmas in August...except WE WERE the presents. We were ALL they wanted!

Now back to the trip.

We got to go to Okaloosa Island (near Destin) and enjoy the first part of the trip with some great and amazing friends and then finish off the trip with some alone time with my man.

Donna and Craig are a laugh a minute. We so enjoyed our time with them. It does not begin to make up for the countless hours and work that Craig poured into the campaign but the laughs and talks we had were worth it. We have known Donna and Craig for quite some time but only in the past few months has God opened some really cool doors for deeper friendship.

The other couple might as well be our family. Derrick and D (what I call her) are cherished friends and help us walk and live by faith.
I gain strength just by their presence....we are so blessed to know them! Plus...she holds my feet the fire like no one else I know! (We missed you JP and Lulu :)

I am pretty sure I gained 5 pounds (who cares)?? The food was delicious! I tried trigger fish and absolutely loved it! I read 4 books, learned to do the stand-up paddle boarding, and rode waves til I was sick.

Shep and I watched movies, talked, laughed, slept, and loved every moment we got together!

Every good thing I get to enjoy comes from Your hands Lord. I acknowledge that You are the biggest blessing in my life. My husband, my children, these friends...they are all a picture of Your grace and goodness toward me. I love You. I am filled to overflowing with thankfulness. Help my children to remember and cherish the times and memories made without us this week. I thank You for my parents and Ms. Linda and the love that so easily flows from them.