Ahh...Family Time

Wow, I just noticed it's been 10 days since my last post...I have no idea why! Anyway...

What a great weekend! It all started Friday afternoon. I was on my way back to Mooresville from Huntersville, called Keith to find out what his plans were when he finished up at the school around 2:15. I figured he was planning to go straight to the church to work for the afternoon...the typical plan. We talked briefly, confirming that he was in fact planning to work that afternoon. I had planned to take Ella to the park for lunch & some play time, but decided that I would go and help Keith prepare for RCC's Saturday financial seminar instead so he could come home earlier. I called him back and much to my pleasant surprise, he had decided to go in early Saturday morning to work and come home instead. I told him my plans for the park and we decided to meet there for some play time.

The park was great. Beautiful day, warm and sunny with a nice cool breeze...perfect! Ella played and played and we enjoyed some much needed family time. Then Saturday after the seminar, we spent time talking and hanging out at home, cleaning out the garage, going to dinner with some of our closest friends, followed by some great deck time (which I personally love), deep conversation, and awesome coffee. Sunday afternoon we had more family time and then went out for ice cream Sunday night.

While this may sound normal for many of you, this kind of family time is hard to come by for a church planting Pastor working two jobs. It was an incredible weekend for us.

The greatest part...the enemy orchestrated a weekend of attack for us that backfired on him. What he intended for evil, God used for good in our family bringing us closer together, reminding us what's really important, and bringing us to a deeper place of like mindedness in this journey. We are still working through this strategic attack of the enemy on the unity of the body of Christ, yet I am happy to say, he lost a huge battle this weekend, because the unity of our family has been strengthened once again to it's core...we are still one in Spirit and completely focused on God's will for our family and calling on our lives!

My God IS a great big God!!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

VT Tragedy

My mind has been spinning all week since I got a call from a friend asking me to pray for her brother and his friends who all attend Virginia Tech. She proceeded to share with me the few details known at the time of what was happening. I had not had my television on, so had not yet seen the reports. Her brother, who was supposed to be in class in the Engineering building that morning, had decided to skip class. Praise God he was in the "wrong place at the right time!" and that his friends were all safe as well. This whole thing weighs heavy on all of us and we will never be able to make sense of it all.

I can't seem to put my thoughts into words, but I read a post today, (recommended by a friend - Mike Jones) that summed it up so well. All I can say is, "Amen!" I can only pray that this tragedy brings forth the same passionate response in every believer out there. We don't have time to waste, we can't continue to blindly walk past people everyday that need to know Christ and allow busyness, fear, or anything else to stand in the way of us doing what we have been commissioned by God to do...Give them Jesus!! I pray for the boldness to walk it out!

What's This?

Well we have officially entered the "What's This?" stage at the Devine pad. By that I mean, "What's This...Mommy....What's This...Mommy, Mommy, MOMMY!...What's This." 24/7, every second, every day...So, I ask you Moms out there what are some constructive ways to channel this incredible time of learning so that by the end of the day you're not ready to pull your hair out for hearing the questions and MOMMY demands. It is a great time and amazing how much they learn during these windows, but this one can get a bit taxing by the end of the day.

This morning...in an effort to keep things peaceful for a while I decided we would make Ella's scrambled eggs together. I kept her informed each step of the way what everything was and exactly what we needed to do...she stirred, added the salt & pepper, and even help scramble them (briefly of course). We topped them with cheese, and sat down to enjoy a scrumptious breakfast. An entire 45 minutes...no, "Mommy, what's this." It was great!

Sunday celebration at RCC Rocked today (okay, yesterday at this point)! It was a great service all the way around. (check out the RCC Staff blog here to find out more) I had lunch with a friend after church and then came home to crash and spend the rest of the day relaxing and doing as little as possible. Ella was spent because she didn't sleep well last night (which of course means I didn't sleep well either)and we had to be at church at 8am, so a nap was definitely in the line up! We had lots of time to play too...it was really nice.

I am so looking forward to my hubby's return tomorrow. I've decided I don't like it when he's gone for more than a day or two. This 8 day thing is a bit much. He has been missed! I can't wait to see him and hear about his trip to the Dominican.

That's my day!

Thank You Mommy...

My beautiful girl turned 20 months old today (15th). Hard to believe how fast she has grown. She is talking like crazy now. One thing that amazes me about her is that she is constantly following anything I do for her (no matter how insignificant) with, "Thank you Mommy...". I've really been shocked at how appreciative she is of even the smallest effort on my part. I gave her a box of animal cookies in the grocery store the other day to occupy her and keep her-I mean me-sane while we shopped, (I know...your saying "COOKIES?" - Hey, you gotta go with what works sometimes!) My point is that her initial response was, "Thank you Mommy." One that is pretty much expected in the Devine home, but it was the thank you's following every cookie she put in her mouth that really melted my heart. (I would have given her a gallon of ice cream at that point, but don't tell her that!)

So pondering this got me thinking, how many of the seemingly insignificant things in our lives do we take for granted? We just keep on keeping on, without a lot of thought to so much that happens during our day. What if we took the time to really pay attention - to stop and say, "Thank you" for all the little every day blessings God provides. That's a huge part of living a life of worship everyday. Once again...my little girl inspires me! He pours Himself out for us in so many ways...isn't it time we take notice?!

Got a comment today on my 39 & holding post from Esther Jones...I noticed on her daughter-in-law's blog that she just celebrated her birthday too. Happy Birthday Esther! How cool to hear from her. It's been a long time, but I still enjoy keeping up with her IL crew through their blogs. It was good to get to see them when they visited NC a few weeks ago.

Thanks for the encouragement on this whole Birthday thing Esther. I feel the same way inside...I still feel like the little girl full of energy who couldn't wait to take on the world, and now I have a little girl of my own. Wow!

As Esther so beautifully put it...our spirits were created to live forever with God - it's just our house that gets old. Well, the homeowners warranty has almost expired, so I better get a good maintenance plan in place!

39 & Seriously Holding!!

Turned 39 a few weeks ago. I was surprised at how hard it hit. I began asking all those reflective questions about life. What have I been doing these last 39 years? What do I have to show for it? Have I really been used for God's glory? How in the world am I going to have 2.2 more kids before 40? Will my body ever feel 25 again or better yet can it ever LOOK 25 again? Where do I go from here? How much time do I have left? What dreams am I holding on to and will I ever see them come to fruition? Why do I have feel this sense of urgency sitting on my chest? Oh My Gosh...my life could be half over (realizing of course it could also end tomorrow)! The positive I grabbed hold of was that I am part of a family of long lifer's. My Grandparents have all lived to be in their 90's. Only a couple of major medical issues can be found on either side. So, the way I figure it, I have at least 40 more years to go! 40 years should give me plenty of time for any "do overs" I deem necessary! 40 years to see my dreams fulfilled. 40 years to affect the lives of my children! 40 years to make a difference for the Kingdom! AT LEAST 40 years...

Barring any unforeseen events...

Unless of course, my Prince shows up on His great white stallion and takes me away to live happily ever after with Him in Paradise. (Talk about a dream realized!)

Where's My Peeps!

Found this great shirt for Ella at Old Navy before Easter and couldn't resist. She had to have it!

Been sitting here thinking tonight about how much I've been missing my man this week. Then I got to thinking that I have not had one day where Ella and I have had to ask the question, "Where's My Peeps?" My "peeps" have been right here for us the whole time he's been gone! God is good and he has orchestrated this time beautifully. I can't say thanks enough to my "peeps" for being there for Ella and I. I look forward to spending time with more of them this weekend. YOU GUYS ROCK!!

Thick & Thin

Our friends Alan & Tywonn were here visiting from Florida this weekend. (You gotta come to God's country every now and then!) They were here to visit and to talk to Race City Church about their upcoming mission trip to Africa. We love having them here and everytime they leave us to return to Florida, we miss them even more than before. Friends like Alan & Tywonn are a rare breed. It seems like it gets harder and harder to find people who truly are committed to real relationship. You know, the iron sharpens iron, here for each other through thick and thin, unconditional love, know you better than anyone else kind. They truly have been there for us every step of the way, and I can only hope and pray that we have served our friendship as well as they have!

Keith & I talk about "real" relationship all the time. It is so great to have a relationship with someone you can share anything with...the good, bad, and ugly...and know that they will not use that info/circumstance to judge or question your character because they have taken the time to get to know you at a heart level and desire most to encourage your spiritual growth.

If you don't have a realtionship like this...I encourage you to find one! You will never be the same! The key is remembering relationships go two ways, so don't expect someone else to do all the work.

By the way...If your interested in what God is doing in the lives of Alan & Tywonn and there mission to reach Africa, check out their website at www.thedavidsonmission.com. They have a great blog as well!