O' Happy Day!

Is it mean that we buckled Zeke in his car seat and quickly got to the deck to snap some pictures of the girls on their special day? Nah...
Shep and his girls.....Ava was so pumped for baptism day. Caroline was nervous, but trying to be a trooper.
It was officially time. The white robes gave the whole event some flair and made it feel quite ceremonious.
I could just eat them up....such a special day for sisters to share!
Because Caroline cannot sit up on her own, Shep also adorned a white robe to hold her in the baptismal. So...daddy got to really be a part of the experience.
This is Mr. Doug. He serves on staff at our church. Everyone loves Mr. Doug....especially the kids. He is more than willing to make a complete fool of himself for the sake of Christ...and he usually does during VBS every year. What kid doesn't love that?!? Ava and Caroline requested him to do the dunking.
This is Mrs. Lisa. She is the engine that propels our flourishing children's ministry. We are so blessed to have servants that passionately proclaim Christ and make Him come alive to our kids. She is always smiling and shows our kids that Jesus created fun!! (Can you see the fear in Caroline's eyes? She is looking at the water and isn't quite sure what to make of it yet.)
O' Happy Day, Happy Day! You washed my sins away....
O' Happy Day, Happy Day! I'll never be the same!!

Greedy

The past couple of weeks my Bible study has focused on the abundance we have in Christ.

I have already blogged about it a little but I think the topic begs to be revisited.

We have more than we can imagine at our disposal through Jesus Christ.

He is the First and Last and Everything in between.

He is the I AM. He needs nothing and is in charge of everything.

I look at my own life and I see things that I want more of....money, time, patience, wisdom, grace, and faith. The list goes on and on...take my word for it.

As I studied people in God's Word who encountered Him....they walked away with so much more than they bargained for or imagined.

-The widow of Nain met Him at her son's funeral and walked away with her son who was made alive.

-Mary and Martha met him with tears of sorrow and left Him rejoicing with tears of gladness as their brother had been raised to life again.

-The woman at the well met Him thirsty for water from the well and left Him with Living Water that would never run dry.

-The leper met Him covered in putrid, life-draining lesions and left Him glowing with the newness of flesh and life.

-The lame met him from down low and left Him raised up and jumping for joy.

-The woman caught in adultery met Him with shame and sorrow and left Him with dignity, love, and hope for a new day.

There are so many others...but you get my point.

The way we meet Him is NOT how He plans to leave us.

He has an abundance of MORE!!!!

I am NOT saying that Christ always heals physically but He does always heal.

Something struck me as I studied the woman at the well. Her story tells that she left Him and went and told everyone she could find about Him.

See she couldn't keep quiet.

Her abundance was spilling out. It couldn't be contained.

More led to more.....

I want to be greedy that way. I want more of God. I want more people to want more of God.

Did you notice that the people I mentioned were not in ideal situations when they met Christ? They were hurting in some way or another.

And there He was....with them...in the midst of the pain.

Hurt produces the hunger.

Lord I will thank you again for the trials of this life. Each tear has been seen and kept by You. These trials help me tirelessly pursue You....and You don't disappoint. I love you so much, Lord.

Then sings my soul....

This new week did not greet me with great news.

It just seems like there is no end to financial stress.....we are feeling it hard.... as are so many others we know and love.

But still.

It is here and it is ours to deal with.

Hard stuff.

This afternoon I am fighting off the self-pity stuff.

On top of the junk swirling around in my head, I have now had to put Caroline in time-out for the first of probably many times.

I don't know what it is about coming home after school. She will cry and pitch fits for seemingly no reason. This is the time when I wish she could talk to me. But she can't so she resorts to kicking furniture or other things to get my attention. Time-out has to come into play when she deliberately disobeys me. People give me mixed reactions when I discuss behavior issues concerning my handicapped little girl. There is a lot in her life that constitutes treating her differently but we don't coddle rude behavior in this house....even if you are disabled. Believe you me....Caroline's body can't work correctly but her mind is fierce and sharp.

It seems that the only thing that works with her is to be isolated.

But, seriously. I hate doing it.

And it seems like we do it every single day.

Yuck.

Also, Ava is not feeling too great from having her flu vaccine. She is burrowed down in our big chair with a blanket. She is a bit hoarse and continues to rattle off with an occasional cough.

Thankfully one Helton child is enjoying a nap....and I'm sure he and I both will be the better for it when he wakes up.

Anyway I wanted to blog and thank the Lord for an awesome opportunity yesterday.

Isn't that what we are supposed to do when we are tempted to jump head first into a huge pool of "poor pitiful me"??

Be thankful.

So that is what I am going to choose to do.

Yesterday I got to go and sing with two other ladies who I love to pieces. We went to a church about an hour away and put on a little mini-concert. We had the privilege of singing 5 songs in their 11:00 service. I just loved it. There is something pretty awesome about singing praise to the one and only Jesus Christ; but it is even more spectacular when you are singing and you get to see the evidence of blessing on the faces of those listening.

Why?

Not because we are that good.

No.

But because of who we are singing about....our amazing God!

Let me tell you....I know these girls I was singing with. I have known them for well over 10 years and I have personally seen God do extraordinary things in their lives. I believe that they would say the same thing about me. I have watched Him rescue, heal, restore, rebuild, protect, expose, uplift, bless, equip, change, provide, establish, and renew them...and me. Gratitude pours from each of us and we want others to know it. Singing gives us that avenue.

Sometimes I can sing it better than I can say it.

It's like singing gives my soul a voice.

"Then sings my soul my Savior God to thee.
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
Then sings my soul my Savior God to thee.
How great Thou art.
How great Thou art."

Colossians 2:6-7 "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

By the light of the moon..

I have been a little off this week in my bible study. I can tell too.

Andrea without the Word of God permeating her life is not a good thing.

It is fall break here and our ladies Bible study group (which I have the awesome privilege of leading) decided to take a week off from meeting.

Time off is a good thing but I tend to fall behind when I don't have something holding my feet to the fire.

When I know that I have to stand in front of those women, look them in the eye and give them biblical instruction....I better be prepared.

Anyway I have been lagging. It has been a good week. But I can feel the pull of my flesh. My thoughts wander. My heart gives way. My doubts and fears begin their incessant whisperings. I knew that I could not stand one more second away from the Presence of my Lord.

His pull on my heart was overwhelming.

Funny too. It wasn't a pull of discipline....like a parent getting on to a child.

It was more like the pull I feel when Shep has been out of town and I am dying to see him, hug him, and hear his voice.

That was more like it.

Isn't it cool that God wants us to yearn for Him that way?

So...I slipped out into the night and planted myself on our sidewalk. The air was perfect. The sky was full of stars and the moon was shining bright. Then I opened His Word.

My study was focusing on John chapter 15. Jesus is talking about God the Father being the master Gardener and how He is the vine. We, believers in Christ, are the branches of that vine. The Word talks about His love toward us and how we are to remain and abide in His love.

When we do....these branches called our lives will produce fruit.

I thought about the fruit in my life.

Am I producing any??

Do others want more of Jesus because they see Him in me??

Yikes. I'm not sure and I don't think good intentions count.

There are many days spent in fruitless efforts.

Days when I try to make things happen instead of just abiding in Him.

Maybe tonight was fruitful. Not that anyone saw me but I knew I was missing something...Someone. The day is over and done but my heart couldn't rest until I had met with Him. Maybe learning to abide is first understanding when you aren't.

Lord, Your love for me is just indescribable. Thank you for tonight. I loved our meeting under the stars. Your Word spoke to my heart...it always does. I know You want to produce fruit in my life. Sometimes I really don't enjoy that process. It usually hurts and requires sacrifice on my part. Still, I trust You and I know You are worth it. Once I have begun to produce some fruit I usually become satisfied and I want to coast for a while. Because of your great love for me...you aren't. You want to produce even more fruit....much fruit. Help me to be a compliant child. Increase my faith. Forgive my failures. Gain some glory!

Walking the walk

These are Shep's favorite boots.
This is Shep's favorite little boy in them....notice they are on the wrong feet.
I love the thought of him wanting to be like his daddy so badly. So why shouldn't he get out his dad's big ol' shoes and go through the motions of walking in them??
Well, maybe this is why. These cumbersome and heavy boots prove to be too much for his little 3 year old frame. It is inevitable that he will collide the floor in short time...
But usually he gets back up and gives it another go....even if he knows he will fall. Just attempting to walk in his daddy's shoes is worth it!


This is exactly how I want to attempt walking by faith.

Of course I am going to fall sometimes.

My feet are going to seem unsteady. I may even think I am unable to walk the path that has been set before me.

After all God gives us some pretty big shoes to fill.

But progress is worth something.

Each day I grow and mature in my faith. At first the task seems bigger than I can bear. Until one day I put on the shoes and they seem to fit better. I seem to know how to maneuver better. They don't seem as heavy or cumbersome.

Growth has happened. All that practicing has paid off!

Oh Lord how I want to walk in a manner that is pleasing to You! Give me persistence for the days that I seem to fall over and over again. Just as our hearts swell at Zeke trying to be like Shep, I pray that You gush over your kids trying to be like You too!

My undoing...

Just wanted to share a couple of things that might lead to my undoing....either in the size of my pants or the size of my bank account.:)

First of all my throwback favorite these days is a Twix candy bar.

I mean seriously. Is there anything much better than taking that bite and then watching as the caramel forms a thin string between the remaining bar in your fingers and the bite in your mouth?

So good.

Next on my list is the Starbucks Salted Caramel Mocha Frappaccino (pause for a moment...just to give respect to the goodness).

I really don't have words.

Try it and you'll see.

(A special thank you to my sweet friend who got me a Starbucks gift card for my birthday! I am still using it! Uh....actually I have one more purchase and I bet you can guess what it will be!?! It was a wonderful gift and I have loved using it for special treats!)

More

One of the reasons I enjoyed going on a mission trip this past summer was because I got to be immersed in a place with LESS.

Less food.
Less comfort.
Less ease.
Less materials.


Never have I been more aware of the state I constantly live in at home: MORE!

Everyone I know...including me....wants more.

I am not so sure that this is a bad thing, in and of itself.

We start going downhill when we want more stuff.

My bible study this week has honed in on the concept of "more".....in a good way.

When we get a taste of something good. We want more.

I believe God gave this to us.

However, He should be the bottomless well that we are drawing our "more" from.

His mercies never end.
He lacks nothing.
He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Listen to some of the portions from my study and see how they hit ya:

"He (God) calls us to the ongoing act of believing. For many of us the act of belief that secures our salvation is past tense and complete. We have already trusted Christ for salvation. We are now and forever secured, but tragically, too many live in past-tense belief, believing God for little more from that time forward."

"Is the scope of your belief in Christ in the past-tense security of salvation, or are you in the active, ongoing lifestyle of believing Christ? Are we simply nouns-believers? Or are we also verbs-believing?"

There are certain prayers that God will always answer on our behalf.

When we ask for more of the right things....He turns on the faucet and lets it rip!

More of Him.
More faith.
More mercy.
More hope.
More love.
More grace.
More forgiveness.
More goodness.
More kindness.
More wisdom.
More understanding.
More self-control.

Is there anything in your life that more of these wouldn't help?!?

Me neither.

Oh Lord, less of us and more of You. Thank you for knowing and creating us with a thirst for abundance. Let us crave and thirst for MORE of the right things. Everything else is an illusion to satisfy. Only You quench the inner desires and only You can give without running out....how we love You!!!