people.

My God is still in the business of miracles.

Of moments and instances and points in time where His good, and His faithful, and His persistent ways are made known. Celebrate with my friend Erika today!

Erika's story is one of two that I know that have stories which have touched my heart this month in celebration this month. One of two mothers who has faced every. single. difficult. day. of waiting and wanting and trusting and fighting and contending for a baby.

And she is the second one to testify of the greatness of that final moment, when everything changes.

(Song by Meredith Andrews, listen to it here)

You were reaching through the storm

Walking on the water
Even when I could not see
In the middle of it all
When I thought you were a thousand miles away
Not for a moment did You forsake me
Not for a moment did You forsake me

After all, you are constant

After all, you are only good
After all, you are sovereign
Not for a moment will you forsake me

You were singing in the dark

Whispering Your promise
Even when I could not hear
I was held in your arms
Carried for a thousand miles to show
Not for a moment did You forsake me

 After all, you are constant

After all, you are only good
After all, you are sovereign
Not for a moment will you forsake me
Not for a moment will you forsake me

And every step, every breath you are there

Every tear, every cry, every prayer
In my heart, at my worst
When my world falls down
Not for a moment will you forsake me

 Even in the dark

Even when its hard
You will never leave me
After all

And after all, you are constant

After all, you are only good
After all, you are sovereign

Not for a moment will you forsake me

Not for a moment will you forsake me

Not for a moment will you forsake me

What We're Reading

(image from Amazon)













(image from Amazon)

Fun little rhyming book about friendship, encouragement and being brave.

Also great for instigating "pout pout" faces from small children.

Which is the best of all.

two letters to parents

Letter One
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamie-bruesehoff/parents-kids-church_b_3909085.html

Link above includes article and interview with blogger who wrote it.

See original blogpost: http://www.iamtotallythatmom.blogspot.com/2013/05/dear-parents-with-young-children-in.html


Letter Two:
http://themattwalshblog.com/2013/09/15/dear-parents-you-need-to-control-your-kids-sincerely-non-parents/

a link list

Have read a bunch of stuff lately that I loved or made me think or both... enjoy!


FYI (if you're a teenage girl) - a post on social media appropriateness

Grace for the Working Mother And her Guilt - a post on mothering

26, unmarried and childless - on embracing the stage of life of those we know

The Mirage - on seasons of spiritual dryness

Are you Free Not to Drink? - a look at alcohol acceptance in Christian circles

Why I don't use the F-word - a look a profanity and gray-area words

3 Phrases Christians should stop quit relying on - a look a phrases that Christians use that may do more damage than good

Why You Should Delete Snapchat - a look at the very real lack of privacy in social media

sneaky snake.

Y'all.

I could have died today.

I mean, not really, technically, I guess.

But still, it felt like it.

So, if you are my facebook friend, you are already in the know that we are organizing a Consignment Sale this weekend for local families. We partnered with the local 4-H club and a portion of proceeds go to their club and we are utilizing the "Ag Center" which is the official title for the large metal warehouse that they hold hog shows and the farmer meetings in.

(and yes this is relevant, I promise)

So today, we went to the Ag Center to cut on the air conditioner, unload the two truckloads and two trailer loads of items and racks and all the stuff that we had to have to be ready to get started tomorrow for official seller registration.

So, I'd been in the building about 30 minutes - finding light switches and breaker boxes and unloading my vehicle and turning on AC units - when I looked up and saw this guy, just hanging out.

 

um. yeah.

 

 

So, I watched him for about 5 minutes and he wasn't moving, so I called the Extension Office and said "Hey, there is a petrified snake at the top of the rolldoor - maybe it got caught or something - it definitely looks dead, but can someone come get it out of here?" to which the kind lady said "yes, but the guy who would do that is out of town, but he can get it when he gets back" to which I'm good, I mean, its dead after all. Not thrilled about it, but I can deal with it.

 

 

So I keep on keeping on for about 3 more minutes, and then I look up... and IT. IS. MOVING. It has abandoned the frozen position above and it IS. MOVING.

 

i.can't.even.breathe.

 

 

So I call the Extension Office back and the lady says "so what's up with the snake?" and I'm like "OH, you know, ITS TOTALLY NOT DEAD. IT. IS. MOVING." and she squeals and I squeal and we talk about that it is MOST DEFINITELY moving, and who can come kill it, like now?? Because I can't wait on the guy from out of town when there is a LIVE. MOVING. SNAKE. in the building with me. And I'm not LEAVING because then its UNACCOUNTED FOR in the building that we are going to be using for the next three days.

 

 

So, after about 3 minutes that felt like 20, the snake FELL OFF the door and I almost died. So I did the only rational thing and called my husband to come bail me out of this snake predicament. Because even though I convinced myself to go locate a shovel, I knew I wasn't getting close enough to trust my ability to actually kill a snake that is alive and moving.

 

After about 2 minutes, an official looking truck from our wonderful city pulled up and out got animal control with leather gloves and a snake pincher thing and I just tried.to.keep.calm.

 

So he came in and managed to find the snake and after moving 10 tables that the snake was hiding behind, pinched him up with the holding stick thingy.

 

Out of sheer need to know if I had the potential to die from that snake, I found out it was an oak or rat snake - so no, it couldn't have killed me.

 

BUT.

 

STILL.