(Monday Morning)
6:50am - “Sweetie, time to wake up.” I said as I dragged myself out of bed to the sound of scampering little feet in the hall.
7:05am - “Honey, you really need to get up…you’re going to be late.” I said (in a louder tone) as I passed again by the bedroom door.
7:10am – “Okay; really…not kidding anymore…wake up!” I said as I quickly opened the bedroom door and made certain to shut it with enough force to make my point known.
7:20am – “WAKE UP!!!! GET YOURSELF OUT OF THAT BED!” I finally shouted; slamming the bedroom door behind me as I stomped into the kitchen to make breakfast for the kids.
A few minutes later as my sweet, exhausted husband wandered into the hallway, my 3 year old son looked up with great enthusiasm and shouted;
“Hey Mom look! Dad’s awake! Now you don’t have to be mad anymore!”
UGGH…like a knife in the heart, the Lord used my son to remind me of how badly I had blown it. In the very first half hour of my day, I had already let my tongue get the best of me. I had disrespected my husband and I had set a horrible example for my children.
James 1:19-20
“My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Your anger can never make things right in God’s sight.” (NLT)
How many times do we allow our sinful nature to get the best of us? How many times do we act as if we have the authority to say whatever comes into our minds or to carelessly use our words as a dagger? How many times do we disappoint our heavenly Father by showing a lack of self control and patience?
According to James, our “anger can never make things right in God’s sight.”
No amount of justification will change this.
Sure, my husband needed to wake up. Sure, God appointed me my husband’s helpmate, and sure, I needed to help him stay on track. BUT, no amount of anger and quick speaking can be justified in God’s sight.
Lord, forgive me for the times when I have spoken too quickly and let my anger brew. Let my life exemplify a life that is being lived in your grace and for your glory. Give me the ability to be “quick to listen; slow to speak and slow to get angry.” Amen.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
The Front Porch
Have you ever thought about how amazing a front porch is? In our city we have many new neighborhoods that are honing in on the importance of front porches. Apparently back before WWII front porches were more commonplace than they are today. Families communed on the front porch and caught up on the day. Ma and Pa sat outside sipping on their sweet tea (okay, lemonade if you’re from the North) while Sally and Jimmie romped around in the yard.
Front porches were a place of serene beauty and slowing down. They were a place of reflection and of rejuvenation. It seems as though they were the epitome of summertime commercials and all things good.
And yet, do you know what one of my favorite parts of a front porch is? Sure I love the slowed down pace with family and catching up on the day; but I absolutely adore the ‘community’ that happens when you make yourself available on your front porch.
In our home we don’t even officially have a front porch. It’s really more like a side terrace (which is a glorified way of saying that we set up a little patio spot on our driveway). Whatever you want to call it; when we’re out in that spot, we are able to watch the world go by. We say hi to neighbors passing through, and old friends stop to catch up on the day. It truly has become a community.
More than anything; it has become ‘community’ that wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t stepped outside of our home to make ourselves available.
I fear that in our busy lifestyles today, we often miss the community of the ‘front porch’. I can’t tell you the number of times that I have probably missed opportunities to be a shoulder or a listening ear to a friend. I cringe to think of the many smiles I have missed or chances to live out Christ that I have passed up. And yet, I have resolved to make a conscious effort in this area.
My dear friend Laurie has recently begun a new blog that the Lord has laid on her heart. It is called, “The View from the Front Porch”. It is a blog that encourages women to look out at the world from their front porches. It reminds us to slow down a bit and to recognize the beauty in our community. Most importantly, it helps us to remember our role as believers in this world.
We are not meant to simply consume ourselves with our own lives…rather; God has asked us care for our neighbors, to carry their burdens and to love one another. What is the view like from your front porch?
What are your stories of “sharing life”?
I’d love to hear!
Please comment below OR better yet, please post your stories and challenges on your own blog and leave us the link in the comments section.
God has graciously blessed us with brothers and sisters to navigate life with. Are you living life pent up in your own 4 walls or are you enjoying the community out on your front porch?
Please see the “Front Porch” link in the right sidebar.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Bear With Me
So sorry to disappoint my faithful 3 (AKA, my mom clicks on my blog 3 times a day), but I will not be having any deep and insightful thoughts today.
Of course, that implies that I have deep and insightful thoughts on other days, and I think we all know that is not true!:)
Point being, I am in the process of revamping my blog so I will not have time to fill your minds with deep thoughts about ipods, lipliner or how incredibly uncool I really am. So sorry to disappoint! I can feel my mom just writhing in pain.
Check back tomorrow for a new look though!! (Great...now I've committed myself...let's pray I get this thing finished by tomorrow!) Hang in there Mom!!
Of course, that implies that I have deep and insightful thoughts on other days, and I think we all know that is not true!:)
Point being, I am in the process of revamping my blog so I will not have time to fill your minds with deep thoughts about ipods, lipliner or how incredibly uncool I really am. So sorry to disappoint! I can feel my mom just writhing in pain.
Check back tomorrow for a new look though!! (Great...now I've committed myself...let's pray I get this thing finished by tomorrow!) Hang in there Mom!!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Handpicked...
There are so many things I will never know.
I can’t tell her about her mother’s talents.
I didn’t carry her in my womb for 9 months.
I’ll never know the way her father laughs or understand her mother’s passions.
There are so many things I’ll never know…and yet;
I know that I am blessed.
James 1: 27
“Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.” (NLT)
I wonder how many times we skim over verses like these in the Bible. Let’s face it; they’re tough verses to read. These verses call us to action. They require sacrifice on our parts. They require time. Sometimes they require a ridiculous amount of faith.
I cringe to think of all of the times when I’ve carelessly read verses like these and taken the “somebody else” attitude. Somebody else will care for the widows. Somebody else is better equipped. Somebody else has a bigger heart and can love the orphans. Somebody else is the one that God is calling.
And yet, He didn’t put stipulations on this verse. It doesn’t say, ‘if you have a big home, God is calling you to care for orphans.’ Or ‘If you can cook a really good meal, God wants you to invite the widow to dinner.’ It simply says, “Pure and lasting religion…means that we MUST care for orphans and widows…”
As God’s beloved, He has given us the opportunity to be His hands and feet. He doesn’t need us, but He allows us the blessing of serving Him in this way. And, according to James, it’s not an ‘option,’ it’s a mandate. We “MUST” care for orphans and widows if we call ourselves believers.
Is God calling you to take a leap to serve Him in this way? Is it a special note to a lonely wife who has lost her best friend? Is it a donation of clothing to an underprivileged orphanage? Is it a shoulder to comfort a hurting brother? Could it even be a child that needs a home?
However ‘big or small’ the action, the fact remains; God didn’t give us a choice to care for these hurting brothers and sisters. He gave us a command to show them love.
When it comes to ‘our story’ there is nothing superhuman that we did. We simply realized God’ calling on our life and, in one of the greatest leaps of faith we have ever taken, we chose to answer that call.
For the rest of my life there are many things that I will never know about my little girl’s past, but I do know that she has been my daughter since before time. I know that she was handpicked by God to be my little Elle and I was handpicked by God to be her Mommy.
What is God handpicking you to do? 
Click HERE for a complete testimony of our adoption journey of faith.
I can’t tell her about her mother’s talents.
I didn’t carry her in my womb for 9 months.
I’ll never know the way her father laughs or understand her mother’s passions.
There are so many things I’ll never know…and yet;
I know that I am blessed.
James 1: 27
“Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.” (NLT)
I wonder how many times we skim over verses like these in the Bible. Let’s face it; they’re tough verses to read. These verses call us to action. They require sacrifice on our parts. They require time. Sometimes they require a ridiculous amount of faith.
I cringe to think of all of the times when I’ve carelessly read verses like these and taken the “somebody else” attitude. Somebody else will care for the widows. Somebody else is better equipped. Somebody else has a bigger heart and can love the orphans. Somebody else is the one that God is calling.
And yet, He didn’t put stipulations on this verse. It doesn’t say, ‘if you have a big home, God is calling you to care for orphans.’ Or ‘If you can cook a really good meal, God wants you to invite the widow to dinner.’ It simply says, “Pure and lasting religion…means that we MUST care for orphans and widows…”
As God’s beloved, He has given us the opportunity to be His hands and feet. He doesn’t need us, but He allows us the blessing of serving Him in this way. And, according to James, it’s not an ‘option,’ it’s a mandate. We “MUST” care for orphans and widows if we call ourselves believers.
Is God calling you to take a leap to serve Him in this way? Is it a special note to a lonely wife who has lost her best friend? Is it a donation of clothing to an underprivileged orphanage? Is it a shoulder to comfort a hurting brother? Could it even be a child that needs a home?
However ‘big or small’ the action, the fact remains; God didn’t give us a choice to care for these hurting brothers and sisters. He gave us a command to show them love.
When it comes to ‘our story’ there is nothing superhuman that we did. We simply realized God’ calling on our life and, in one of the greatest leaps of faith we have ever taken, we chose to answer that call.
For the rest of my life there are many things that I will never know about my little girl’s past, but I do know that she has been my daughter since before time. I know that she was handpicked by God to be my little Elle and I was handpicked by God to be her Mommy.
What is God handpicking you to do?
Click HERE for a complete testimony of our adoption journey of faith.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
And then Jesus sat down...
I can’t begin to tell you how much I was looking forward to this past weekend at the She Speaks Conference. I had prayed for months leading up to the event and I was excited to see how God would speak to me and teach me. I guess you could say that I expected God to be there. At any event like this, I think you assume that God will meet you; what I didn’t realize is that He would be sitting right across the table from me.
I hate to admit it, but just like any human, I can be incredibly judgmental. I don’t mean to be. In fact, I am very aware of that tendency and I make a conscious effort to fight against it. I have come to realize that as women, judgmentalism is one of the greatest tools that Satan uses to keep us from finding freedom and confidence in Christ.
Since I had gone to the conference with my good friend Laurie, I asked her to run ahead and save me a seat because I had a meeting with a publisher and was going to be late for the opening ceremony. I was a little bummed to be walking into the conference late, so I was thrilled to know that at least I had had a friend waiting there with a seat.
As I walked in while the speaker was making announcements, I quickly slumped into my chair, trying not to distract the other women who were intently listening. I then looked around at my table and was immediately struck by how incredibly different each one of the women in these seats were. Different races, different ages, different styles. Without a second glance, I immediately thought to myself:
“Wow, this is quite the mix…I wonder if I’ll have anything in common with any of these women.”
I fully expected to make cordial exchanges of “Hi there, where are you from?” and “How many kids do you have?” and then we would each go on with our lives never again thinking about the encounter. However, as the amazing session came to a close and the lights were brought back up, I looked across the table and said to the women:
“Hi there…I’m Cyndie. I’m sorry that I came in late and wasn’t able to catch any of your names.”
And then Jesus sat down…
As the women at table number 54 began sharing stories and thoughts, something became evidently clear:
Never before had all of us met, but it seemed as if we’d known one another for years.
In a short 5 minutes I met women who God ordained for me to meet.
In a short 5 minutes, I had strangers come into my life who would leave 2 days later as sisters.
In a short 5 minutes, the Lord showed me that His plan is always perfect.
What a lesson God gave me on that amazing day.
How many times do I wrongly judge a situation or let my flesh get in the way of God’s big plan?
Oh, Lord, thank you that your will superseded any of my judgments.
Who could know that after just 2 shorts days, I could meet women who would shed tears with me as we parted ways?
Who could know that God loves me SO much that He even cared about my seating assignment?
Who could know?
5 of the 7 gals from table number 54
Monday, June 23, 2008
It's Official...
Well, it’s official. For many years I have suspected it; but after this past weekend at SHE SPEAKS, I have officially declared it true. I learned many amazing things this past weekend (which I will continue to share with you as time goes on) but one of the biggest things I learned this weekend is that I am just not nearly as cool as I would like to pretend I am!
Rewind to Friday morning as I’m driving to the hotel for this life-changing conference that is a dream come true for me. Obviously, being that I am such a laid-back and easy going girl, I had just thrown some old rags in my bag and headed out the door without a second thought…Okay, not exactly true – let’s try that again.
Being that I am such a dork and really wanted to look like someone who had her act together despite the fact that every shirt I own has permanent snot stains on the shoulder; I had labored over the past few weeks to pick out just the right clothes. After 14 trips to the mall and 6 million fashion shows for my husband, I had finally found the right outfits. For the first time in almost 7 years, I had on clean clothes and the cutest shoes you have ever seen! Woo-hoo! I was well on my way to actually looking like I had my act together!
As I headed to the conference on Friday morning, I threw on some lipliner in the car and glanced in the rearview mirror (of course, not to keep an eye on the traffic, but rather to check out my beautiful pink lips).
“Hmm.. that’s odd. ..I wonder why my lipliner looks a little strange?”
“Oh well, no time for messin’ around. There are lessons to be learned...there are publishers to meet!”
I threw on my lipstick and headed down the highway.
The day went amazingly. Wonderful new friends, incredible times with God, so much information that I thought I might burst, and some great chances to meet amazing publishers. I was feeling very blessed as I laid my head on my pillow that night.
The next morning as I woke up and began putting on my makeup for day two of the “pretend like you actually look this good every day saga”, I became stumped.
“Where is the world is my eyeliner?” I rummaged through my bags and pulled out everything from my makeup case.
“Where is it?”
Immediately, my thoughts turned to my 3 year old whom we all know has a knack for “borrowing” things.
AND THEN IT HIT ME.
“No, oh no! Please, NO! You have got to be kidding me!”
The color drained from my face as I ran to my purse. With my heart pounding I reached in and pulled out my 'lipliner' and all I could do was shake my head and laugh at myself.
And so, there you have it….now it’s official.
You can dress me up and you can give me cute shoes, but when it comes down to it, you just can’t take the dork out of me. It’s engrained….It’s clearly a part of my DNA. And no matter how many publishers meetings I sit through or how many hundreds of “truly cool” ladies I meet, I will always be the one who ends up walking around for 24 hours putting eyeliner on her lips!
Hmm…I wonder if those publishers will ever call?
Maybe they’ll be intrigued by the totally dorky lady who clearly must be confident as all get-out to dare walk into a publishers meeting with the world’s darkest lips ever!
Oh, I am just SO cool!
Please now ladies, don't be jealous...maybe someday you'll be as "cool" as me too! :)
Rewind to Friday morning as I’m driving to the hotel for this life-changing conference that is a dream come true for me. Obviously, being that I am such a laid-back and easy going girl, I had just thrown some old rags in my bag and headed out the door without a second thought…Okay, not exactly true – let’s try that again.
Being that I am such a dork and really wanted to look like someone who had her act together despite the fact that every shirt I own has permanent snot stains on the shoulder; I had labored over the past few weeks to pick out just the right clothes. After 14 trips to the mall and 6 million fashion shows for my husband, I had finally found the right outfits. For the first time in almost 7 years, I had on clean clothes and the cutest shoes you have ever seen! Woo-hoo! I was well on my way to actually looking like I had my act together!
As I headed to the conference on Friday morning, I threw on some lipliner in the car and glanced in the rearview mirror (of course, not to keep an eye on the traffic, but rather to check out my beautiful pink lips).
“Hmm.. that’s odd. ..I wonder why my lipliner looks a little strange?”
“Oh well, no time for messin’ around. There are lessons to be learned...there are publishers to meet!”
I threw on my lipstick and headed down the highway.
The day went amazingly. Wonderful new friends, incredible times with God, so much information that I thought I might burst, and some great chances to meet amazing publishers. I was feeling very blessed as I laid my head on my pillow that night.
The next morning as I woke up and began putting on my makeup for day two of the “pretend like you actually look this good every day saga”, I became stumped.
“Where is the world is my eyeliner?” I rummaged through my bags and pulled out everything from my makeup case.
“Where is it?”
Immediately, my thoughts turned to my 3 year old whom we all know has a knack for “borrowing” things.
AND THEN IT HIT ME.
“No, oh no! Please, NO! You have got to be kidding me!”
The color drained from my face as I ran to my purse. With my heart pounding I reached in and pulled out my 'lipliner' and all I could do was shake my head and laugh at myself.
And so, there you have it….now it’s official.
You can dress me up and you can give me cute shoes, but when it comes down to it, you just can’t take the dork out of me. It’s engrained….It’s clearly a part of my DNA. And no matter how many publishers meetings I sit through or how many hundreds of “truly cool” ladies I meet, I will always be the one who ends up walking around for 24 hours putting eyeliner on her lips!
Hmm…I wonder if those publishers will ever call?
Maybe they’ll be intrigued by the totally dorky lady who clearly must be confident as all get-out to dare walk into a publishers meeting with the world’s darkest lips ever!
Oh, I am just SO cool!
Please now ladies, don't be jealous...maybe someday you'll be as "cool" as me too! :)
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Looks like we made it!
Well ladies, we did it! I say "we" because if you are one of my dear sisters who has been praying for me as I follow God's leading of pulling together this book, then you are just as much a part of this journey as I am!
We made it! The proposal is typed out, ready to go and bound nicely! This will be my last post for this week as I will be leaving tomorrow morning to head out to the conference where I will be soaking in knowledge from women who are already a part of the Christian publishing world. I fully expect to come back brilliant!!!!!!:)
Please continue to pray for me during this weekend. I have two meetings with publishers on Friday (at 3:45pm and again at 7:45pm) to pitch this book. I have put more heart into this project than anything I've ever done and I already feel accomplished just because I finally followed through with a dream. LOOK MOM! I DID IT! :)
However, the fact remains that I believe this book is something that will reach women and help them to see their worth in Christ, SO I obviously would love for it to be published so that women will be able to read it!:) Pray for God's direction and that He would empty me of myself and speak through me during those meetings.
Thank you for everything dear bloggy sistahs! (a little ghetto talk thrown in there)!
You da bomb (okay, I'm done now - can you tell I'm writing this late at night?)!
Have a great weekend!
Peace Out! (Okay, really...I am done now)!:)
We made it! The proposal is typed out, ready to go and bound nicely! This will be my last post for this week as I will be leaving tomorrow morning to head out to the conference where I will be soaking in knowledge from women who are already a part of the Christian publishing world. I fully expect to come back brilliant!!!!!!:)
Please continue to pray for me during this weekend. I have two meetings with publishers on Friday (at 3:45pm and again at 7:45pm) to pitch this book. I have put more heart into this project than anything I've ever done and I already feel accomplished just because I finally followed through with a dream. LOOK MOM! I DID IT! :)
However, the fact remains that I believe this book is something that will reach women and help them to see their worth in Christ, SO I obviously would love for it to be published so that women will be able to read it!:) Pray for God's direction and that He would empty me of myself and speak through me during those meetings.
Thank you for everything dear bloggy sistahs! (a little ghetto talk thrown in there)!
You da bomb (okay, I'm done now - can you tell I'm writing this late at night?)!
Have a great weekend!
Peace Out! (Okay, really...I am done now)!:)
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
I Used To Think...
I never would have said it out loud, but deep down I used to think that Donn and I were pretty good parents.
One stern look at our oldest son and he would snap right back into shape. When he did something wrong it never seemed to happen more than once. I had even gone to the great length of teaching him some sign language so that I could flash the sign for “no” while we were out in public and he would immediately obey. Yup, I thought I had this parenting thing all figured out…apparently God saw it fit to humble me…
And then we had Brekyn.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I love my sweet Brekyn with all my heart. He has a sense of humor that is incredible. One day I fully expect to see him somewhere using that humor (hopefully to God’s glory)! He is also one of the greatest cuddlebugs I have ever known and his smile makes every day brighter…
However, there’s another side to Brekyn. Brekyn really “tests” me. He is strong willed and defiant. He seems to find trouble around every corner and I find myself begging God for wisdom on a regular basis as I try to parent this wonderful little boy with blonde hair, blue eyes and dimples.
Let me just see if I can recall some of the “antics” of the past few days: Hmm…
Well, I think we all know about the ipod (enough said)…
How about the marker that he confiscated and tucked away under his pillow so that at bedtime he could pull it out and draw all over the bedding and his arm… (imagine the planning ahead that went into this one)!
Oh yes, and then there was the time that he left the house while I was upstairs putting Elle down for a nap….Yup…I found him in the neighbors living room! (sidenote: we are now installing locks at the top of the doors).
Hmm…TUMS…let’s just say that he likes TUMS and I have to hide them to keep him from “helping himself.”
And these are just a few of the incidents from the past week!
Just this morning as I was with Ayden, I heard some clammering in the kitchen cupboards and I went out to find Brekyn covered in green food coloring. Now, before you go scrolling to the bottom of the page to see a picture, I will burst your bubble. I decided that I couldn’t encourage this behavior by indulging Brekyn with a photo shoot, so I resisted the temptation (though it would have been a picture for the books!)
After proper disciplining (and quite a bit of time sitting in his bed) I finally got Brekyn some breakfast and asked him why he got into the food coloring.
“I was looking for the TUMS” He said. (well, there’s a shock! Hey, at least he’s honest!)
“Brekyn, don’t you remember the verse that says, Children obey your parents?” I said.
“Honey, when you make bad choices it makes Mommy and Daddy sad and it makes Jesus very sad.”
“I know” he said…. “Children obey your parents….I’m supposed to obey.”
However, as I looked at Brekyn, I had to wonder if any of it was actually sinking in.
Luckily, my camera was sitting right next to me and this time I decided to go ahead and snap a picture. Someday (when Brekyn is all grown up and has turned out alright) it will make me smile I’m sure.
Oh Lord, thank you for humbling me. Give me wisdom and help me to parent my children well and to train them up in your ways! Help me to know that they are taking our discipline to heart….even if it is behind a pig nose! Amen.
One stern look at our oldest son and he would snap right back into shape. When he did something wrong it never seemed to happen more than once. I had even gone to the great length of teaching him some sign language so that I could flash the sign for “no” while we were out in public and he would immediately obey. Yup, I thought I had this parenting thing all figured out…apparently God saw it fit to humble me…
And then we had Brekyn.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I love my sweet Brekyn with all my heart. He has a sense of humor that is incredible. One day I fully expect to see him somewhere using that humor (hopefully to God’s glory)! He is also one of the greatest cuddlebugs I have ever known and his smile makes every day brighter…
However, there’s another side to Brekyn. Brekyn really “tests” me. He is strong willed and defiant. He seems to find trouble around every corner and I find myself begging God for wisdom on a regular basis as I try to parent this wonderful little boy with blonde hair, blue eyes and dimples.
Let me just see if I can recall some of the “antics” of the past few days: Hmm…
Well, I think we all know about the ipod (enough said)…
How about the marker that he confiscated and tucked away under his pillow so that at bedtime he could pull it out and draw all over the bedding and his arm… (imagine the planning ahead that went into this one)!
Oh yes, and then there was the time that he left the house while I was upstairs putting Elle down for a nap….Yup…I found him in the neighbors living room! (sidenote: we are now installing locks at the top of the doors).
Hmm…TUMS…let’s just say that he likes TUMS and I have to hide them to keep him from “helping himself.”
And these are just a few of the incidents from the past week!
Just this morning as I was with Ayden, I heard some clammering in the kitchen cupboards and I went out to find Brekyn covered in green food coloring. Now, before you go scrolling to the bottom of the page to see a picture, I will burst your bubble. I decided that I couldn’t encourage this behavior by indulging Brekyn with a photo shoot, so I resisted the temptation (though it would have been a picture for the books!)
After proper disciplining (and quite a bit of time sitting in his bed) I finally got Brekyn some breakfast and asked him why he got into the food coloring.
“I was looking for the TUMS” He said. (well, there’s a shock! Hey, at least he’s honest!)
“Brekyn, don’t you remember the verse that says, Children obey your parents?” I said.
“Honey, when you make bad choices it makes Mommy and Daddy sad and it makes Jesus very sad.”
“I know” he said…. “Children obey your parents….I’m supposed to obey.”
However, as I looked at Brekyn, I had to wonder if any of it was actually sinking in.
Luckily, my camera was sitting right next to me and this time I decided to go ahead and snap a picture. Someday (when Brekyn is all grown up and has turned out alright) it will make me smile I’m sure.
Oh Lord, thank you for humbling me. Give me wisdom and help me to parent my children well and to train them up in your ways! Help me to know that they are taking our discipline to heart….even if it is behind a pig nose! Amen.
Monday, June 16, 2008
The Yard Sale from Heaven...
Some friends throw each other babyshowers when a new baby comes into the family...
Well, my friends think a little outside the box and they threw us a YARD SALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As many of you know, Elle has blessed our lives in many ways. I wouldn't trade the experience we have had for anything in the world. When we first looked into adopting, we were told that it would cost at least $20,000.
Of course; since we're just ROLLIN' IN THE DOUGH (because every family in ministry is), the $20,000 didn't scare us at all! Okay, just kidding. We were TERRIFIED!
Walking this road and watching the Lord answer every prayer has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. He has done so many miraculous things to bring our daughter home to us and just this past weekend we watched as He continued the miracles!
My dear friends Jennie and Laurie called in the troops and asked for items to be donated to a yard sale that was benefitting Elle's adoption. By the time Saturday rolled around I had more stuff in my house than I could have imagined. We had an amazing day and when all was said and done, we had raised $371 to help pay off the tiny bit that we still have remaining for Elle. PRAISE GOD!
Praise God for good friends, praise God for children and praise God for yard sales!!!!!!
Well, my friends think a little outside the box and they threw us a YARD SALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As many of you know, Elle has blessed our lives in many ways. I wouldn't trade the experience we have had for anything in the world. When we first looked into adopting, we were told that it would cost at least $20,000.
Of course; since we're just ROLLIN' IN THE DOUGH (because every family in ministry is), the $20,000 didn't scare us at all! Okay, just kidding. We were TERRIFIED!
Walking this road and watching the Lord answer every prayer has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. He has done so many miraculous things to bring our daughter home to us and just this past weekend we watched as He continued the miracles!
My dear friends Jennie and Laurie called in the troops and asked for items to be donated to a yard sale that was benefitting Elle's adoption. By the time Saturday rolled around I had more stuff in my house than I could have imagined. We had an amazing day and when all was said and done, we had raised $371 to help pay off the tiny bit that we still have remaining for Elle. PRAISE GOD!
Praise God for good friends, praise God for children and praise God for yard sales!!!!!!
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