Girls Fifteen

Back in August after Rachel turned 15 we went out to do their annual pictures of when they are all three the same age. Hannah and Leah turned 16 in September. Having three teenage girls so close to the same age has been such a blessing. There are not many dull moments in our house!

Every time we do pictures they start picking on each other. Which ever two are picking, the other is always posing. They fake laugh with the best of them. The shot of all three with cell phones is not posed. My life is amazing.

MEN

I walked into the bedroom the other day and Michael told me to go look at the bathtub to see if I noticed anything different. We have two bathrooms but the only tub is in ours so the girls use it quite often. Every girl loves a good hot bath. Because of that, there are bottles of every shape and size all around the tub: shampoos, conditioners, shaving creams, and oils. You name it - it's there.

If they are in a hurry or the supply is dwindling in their shower, they sometimes come and get hair products out of ours and take it into theirs.

Michael is not a picky man. He really can't be. He's surrounded by girls - four of us in the house plus our dog Molly, our horses Chigger and Fannie, eighteen hens and two pansy roosters. He will buy the cheapest shampoo and stick it in the corner of the tub, only to find when he reaches for it, it has disappeared.

So when I saw the giant black bottle of shampoo with MEN in big bright letters on the front, I knew what it was he wanted me to see. He did his little fake laugh with his shoulders pumping up and down. I cracked up.

The bottle has yet to leave the tub.

I Will

I'm at the church alone. The doors are all locked up, the lights are out, and everyone has gone home. It's really, really quiet compared to the really, really loud just an hour ago. Our DVD player wouldn't work for our Love and Respect class with the young adult couples, which was okay, because we brought food and ate supper together. The fellowship was sweet. (Third time in 4 days we've had a meal up here. No wonder I can't lose this weight.)

Just reflecting over conversations I've had with several ladies in the last few weeks. Why does God use us? He knows our past - the ugly choices we've made and yet He still lets us do His work. I want to keep doing His work. Most days. Then there are the days where I'm just tired. Tired of people being ugly to each other, tired of marriages breaking up, tired of . . . , well, just tired. One sweet soul asked me if she had to keep on doing the work. I let her talk for awhile and then asked her, "if you don't, who will?" Who will stand in the gap for those precious kids you are praying for? Who will stand up against the enemy trying to destroy your marriage?

You can check out if you want, but what if there is no one to take your place to bring these things to the only One Who can fix them? We cannot risk that. We have to keep on.

Last weekend I was so blessed to fellowship with some mommas and their adorable daughters at a Mother/Daughter camp at Camp Peniel. I wish you could have seen the faces on these sweet ladies. They soaked up the Word and had such a desire to do it right. Made my heart so happy. If it made mine happy, you know God was ecstatic. They wanted to do everything possible to raise godly daughters. They are not lettiing up.

I'm not sure why God chooses to use us, but I'm so glad He does. I might have missed seeing the faces of those amazing moms if I decided I didn't want to be used anymore. Wow.

Jesus, thank You for all the noise. Thank You for the quiet. Most of all, thank You for letting me do the work.

If it Had Not Been for the Lord

Psalm 124:1-8 says "If it had not been for the Lord Who was on our side - let Isreal now say - If it had not been for the Lord Who was on our side when people rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us; then over us would have gone the raging waters. Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth! We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped! Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth."

Monday night at the ladies' Bible study we were in Psalm 124. I asked them to fill in the blank for me as I said:

"if it had not been the Lord Who was on my side . . ."

And here were their responses.

" . . . I wouldn't have made it through my husbands' death." (Her husband died 13 years ago.)

" . . . I wouldn't be here alive." (A year ago the doctors didn't give us any hope that her heart would let her live any longer.)

" . . . I wouldn't be married." (A couple of years ago they were ready to call it quits, but now they've let the Lord into their
marriage.)

" . . . I wouldn't be at this church."

" . . . My son would've died last year." (He had a serious heart attack.)

" . . . My daddy wouldn't have been saved." (Her 86 year old daddy accepted Jesus about three years ago and his life has
changed.)

" . . . My son wouldn't have washed your daughters' feet last night." (Her son is Heath I told you about in the previous post.)

Whoa. God you are so good! The tears were testimony of Your Goodness!

And then there were the ones who couldn't say it but I could see it.

Two mommas who had buried their firstborn; one three weeks ago and the other about eight weeks ago. It's only because of the Lord that they can function from day to day.

We have so much to be grateful for. I know God rejoiced because of our worship the other night just by saying how good He was to us. I would love to hear of his faithfulness and goodness to you. Text, email, or comment and fill in the last part of that verse. If you don't tell me, you really need to tell Him.

Now worship Him.

Washing the Feet

Sunday was the final night of our relationship study with the students and Korey did an amazing job the last four weeks of showing the kids the picture of Jesus as the groom and the church as His bride. Instead of telling them not to have sex before marriage we told them why and how to keep that purity for the Lord.

This last night we had wedding cake and punch and tables set up like a wedding reception. There was someone we set up before hand to help us show the kids that we have to make ourselves ready to be part of the bride of Christ (Rev.19: 7-8). Lisa was sitting there when Korey went over and asked her to leave because although she looked dressed up on the outside, on the inside she wasn't what she appeared to be at church. She was screaming as she was being escorted out of the room. I knew it was an act but it killed me to hear her screaming to stay.

Korey then told about the wedding banquet then reminded them of the skit the first week when a young couple, Leighton and Malllary helped show the kids a picture of Jesus and His bride through a wedding ceremony. Leighton was waiting when Mallary started down the aisle. Instead of the beautiful dress, she was wearing rags, carrying bags and suitcases. Dropping them and eventually falling down, her groom ran to help. He picked up the bags and carried them the rest of the way. He picked her up, told her how much he loved her and promised to protect and provide and love her. He then took her and washed her feet before he left, promising to come back for her as soon as he got their house built. The next time we saw her she came out in her wedding dress looking for her groom. She saw him coming and ran for Him. They embraced and held each other.

After recapping the four weeks Korey invited the kids to sit in a circle and began to wash their feet. It wasn't long before Heath and Leighton also began washing the feet of these kids. Leighton is an art teacher and a former college baseball player. He and Mallary have helped us get kids to concerts and other things when they are needed. Heath is a former champion bull rider and now has a ministry called "Spurrin' for Christ" teaching these boys how to ride bulls. Korey left a career to come teach the students here, and loves them so much. To see these three men on their knees showing servanthood, but even more than that, showing these kids that they will help them keep the dirtiness of the world out of their lives so they can present pure hearts to Jesus, was priceless.