Devine Art Gallery

Note from an extremely proud, slightly biased mom:  

Not only is my child brilliant, 

she is an incredibly gifted artist as well.  

Check out these masterpieces!

 "Look Mommy I'm drawing a sun, I'm putting the legs on it now."  

     Joella Grace Devine

 

 "Look Mommy, I drawed a Giraffe!"

    Joella Grace Devine

  

Girls Night Out

Great time with the girls last night at our 2nd official "Pastor's Wives Gone Wild" outing. I know...dinner at Red Rocks, a walk to Walgreens, good adult conversation and coke on a park bench may not seem all that wild to you, but in the world of Mommy's / Pastor's wives - it ROCKS. Seriously!  

I am enjoying getting to know my fellow Pastor's wives better. They are all incredible wives and mom's and are all so gifted and talented.  God has put together an incredible Lead Team at Mosaic. Keith & I are so blessed to be part of that team. These girls inspire me!  They are real, they are fun, they are committed, and they seriously care about each other. I look forward to more time with them.

Left to right in the pic...me, Jessica Noy, Carrie Davis, Shannon Phelps, Ashley Fazal.  Heather Gutierrez was unable to join us last night...We missed you girl!

10 Little Fingers & 10 Little Toes

I've spent the last three days in Charleston with my sister, her husband, and my brand new baby nephew - Logan McRee Seel, 7lbs/3oz, 19 1/2". He is gorgeous! Us Turner girls sure do make beautiful babies ; ) He's a healthy, strong little man - check out his 10 Little Toes aren't they the cutest things! Everything checks out...10 toes, 10 fingers and all the other necessary parts. I have had such a great time helping them get set up and playing with Logan. (Yes, it does give you the baby bug...so, if you don't want it, stay far, far away : ) Here are a few pics I took of the little man for you all to enjoy.

There's No Place Like Home

Did I just do that? Use a title based on THAT movie...

Yes, I did.  I know, some of you can't believe it either.  But it's true...There's no place like home! We made it back from Greenville tonight.  Had an awesome time visiting my sis and really enjoyed swimming and spending some time in downtown Greenville last night.  It's really a beautiful town.  That said, we are so glad to be home hanging out with Daddy.  We missed him lots while we were gone!  Ella's first request was for me to put her in Daddy's chair and cover her up.  Five minutes later - sound asleep.  Safety and security at it's best : )  

Hangin' with Aunt 'Chelle - Japanese Style

Hanging with Aunt Michelle today in Greenville, SC...meeting the Rice Man, watching "fireworks" and eating with "pork chops".  Incredible Japanese Food - told Ella I felt like I ate twice as much as I really did - her response..."Me too Mommy.  I must go back to Aunt 'Chelle's now and take a rest."

Look forward to another fun day in Greenville tomorrow!

Tagged

Okay Ms. Nay...I guess I'm "IT" now.  Below are the rules:

These are the rules:

1) Link to the person who tagged you.

2) Post the rules on your blog.

3) Write 6 random things about yourself.

4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.

5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.

6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

6 Random things even you may not know about me...

1.  I love to play Jacks...I Rule!  Don't know what it is about the challenge of bouncing a ball and picking up a hand full of Jacks before catching the ball again, but I love it.  Actually, I love competition - Spades, Dominos - whatever, it doesn't matter.  And yes...I love winning!

2.  I love pottery.  Especially pieces that are pretty but useful.  A great pottery vase and some fresh flowers can change my mood and perspective in a flash!

3.  Speaking of flash...I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY!  You will rarely see me without a camera in hand.  I currently have 12,000+ photos of my beautiful girl, not to mention the many other subjects I love (flowers, anything outdoors, family, etc.).  Crazy I know...yes, over the top...but through my eyes every moment is an opportunity for the "perfect" pic.  

4.  Speaking of perfect..."Hi my name is Mandy and I'm a perfectionist"... and that's all I'm going to say about that.

5. My dream...land, cape code style house with wrap around porch, full finished basement (kitchen, bath, bedroom or two, and living area), floor plan that has an incredible flow for entertaining, in the mountains - overlooking a lake, in ground pool for the summer, lots of flowers, lots of fruit trees, large garden, huge kitchen table that seats at least 12, large kitchen with commercial stove and double ovens.  A place people desire to hang out at so that Keith and I can love on them, feed them, and even house them when there is a need.  You may not believe it, but I'd love to cook all day, can/freeze my own fruit & veggies, grow my own herbs, have my own pottery studio/photography studio/a large loom for weaving /killer craft room in general-Basically be Martha without all the public pressure and stress...Maybe someday!!  Seriously, Keith & I would love to have a home that is used for ministering to others and meeting not just emotional needs but the physical ones as well.

6.  DISC personality assessment - CD / Strengths Finder assessment - responsibility, significance, achiever, belief, relator.

No one left to tag...so I'm done now : )

Returning Soon to the Blogosphere!!

This blog is currently undergoing a face lift...soooo glad it needed one before I did :D  For those of you who have faithfully been checking my WAY out of date blog for updates, I will be re-entering the blogosphere soon.  Hope you enjoy!

The Exciting Winds of Change

Wow, the winds of change have been blowing in the Devine world lately and I couldn't be more excited than I am right now. As of October 14th (6 years to the date from our 1st official SonLight Fellowship service in 2001), it became official...Race City Church merged with Mosaic Church of Charlotte, NC. It has been a wonderful time of transition and relationship building. Incredibly, everyone at RCC has been excited about the merger and we have not had one single negative response. Outside of a couple of families that simply live too far away to travel to Mosaic (at exit 18) each week, everyone has made the transition - we have such an incredible church family! Why did we merge? So that we could be more effective at accomplishing the mission God has called us to for His Kingdom. With more people volunteering and greater resources, we can make more of difference in our area for Christ. What does RCC have to offer Mosaic? A heart for relationships, our deep family connection, and seasoned leadership. Our people have so much to offer, they all genuinely care for others, and they desire to make a difference for Christ. It doesn't get anymore real than this wonderful group of people.

What does all this mean for the Devine's? As of November 1st, Keith will be part of the Pastoral Staff of Mosaic. It's an awesome opportunity for him and he is excited to get started. We have already been so blessed by the relationships we are building at Mosaic - they have cared for us so well throughout this transition process and the way they have reached out to our RCC family has been incredible. We already feel like part of the family and that means so much to us!

As for me...I have the opporunity to focus on being my husband's wife and Ella's Mommy first and foremost, with waaay fewer distractions. I will be able to take the time to seek out where God would have me serve as a part of Mosaic and how I can be most effective for the Kingdom without being spread too thin. My prayer is that it means more peace, more productivity, and an opportunity to go deeper in my walk with Christ - on a personal level first and then as a part of the Mosaic family.

God confirmed this merger in our hearts and the hearts of those we have been working with at Mosaic in so many ways, one of which was to provide us a buyer for our building before we even put the building on the market. How huge!!! We close this Friday, November 2nd. Another huge confirmation was a prophecy given to Keith at a Wednesday morning prayer meeting with other local Pastors. A man visited that morning and gave several words of prophecy. He gave Keith a scripture...Ezekiel 37:15-28, you can read it here. This came in the midst of our discussions with Naeem and as we were praying for confirmation that this was the direction God would have us take RCC. Doesn't get anymore clear than that!

All I can say is, "Thank you God for your blessings and provision. Thank you for your direction. Thank you for your confirmation. Thank you for blessing our family (not just Keith, Ella, and I - our RCC family). Thank you for the lives that have been changed through this ministry and thank you for the lives that are going to be changed as we move forward. Here we are Lord...use us for your glory!"

BTW, you can read more about the merger here. Also, take time to check out my friend Andrea's blog about the merger here...It's called "Family" and it really blessed me!

Perspective...

Well this certainly has been an eventful month. First we celebrated Father's Day - a great but very busy weekend. Then we made plans to celebrate our 14th anniversary (Tuesday, June 26th) with a trip to Charleston for the week and a nice dinner out while my sister spent some quality time with Ella. As it often seems to be with great plans, we ran into a pretty big snag on Saturday the 23rd. Some friends came by to pick up our 4-wheeler (we had sold it to them). Keith pulled it out of the garage to help them load it and decided to run it down the street right in front of the house to make sure all systems were a go. Don't know how it happened because I was inside giving Ella a bath and our friends didn't see the whole thing either, but somehow Keith lost control of the ATV and had a face to face confrontation with the asphalt. He managed to get up, come inside and call me downstairs. I found him covered in blood, obviously needing stitches in his nose. Then, the questions started. What happened? What did I do? Why didn't Mandy come down when I called her? Sure signs of a head injury...(his second). Needless to say, I grabbed Ella out of the tub, threw some clothes on her and rushed him to the emergency room. BTW, outside of a slightly bent handle bar, the 4-wheeler made it through the accident just fine - which of course means that Keith took the brunt of the fall. His injuries included a broken nose with stitches in it, lots of bad looking road rash, a very sore right arm and shoulder with a possible fracture in his hand, bruised kidneys, and a head injury reflected by a large bruise on his forehead. So we spent the night in the hospital and settled in at home on Sunday for a week of recovery rather than a week of celebration in Charleston. I must say, it could have been so much worse than it was and after 14 years I'm pretty attached to my man, so I was just glad to have him here with me on our anniversary. Now we are in the process of recovery and praying that the lingering affects of the head injury and his other injuries will soon pass and he will be good as new! Keith's birthday is coming up on July 25th and hopefully we will be able to find some beach time to celebrate then.

It's amazing how a freak accident like this puts everything in perspective. I realize how blessed I am to have my husband by my side even for a moment. Even the things that we considered "big things" going on look so much smaller now from my viewpoint. You know, the Lord doesn't promise us tomorrow. He doesn't promise us that we will have our loved ones tomorrow. The only thing we can bank on is that we have this moment - right now - and what we do with it really does matter. Keith and I found a quote the other day that said, "What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it." If I take a look at my life and put everything in perspective, are my priorites in line? Am I spending my time on the really valuable things in the this life? Am I loving and encouraging my spouse? Am I training up my child in the Lord? Am I operating as a light in the darkness of everyday life for others? Am I going about the busyness of the day...or am I going about God's business for me today?

What I know is I don't want to miss the truly important things of life...not a moment with my husband, my daughter, or my family...not a moment of God's plan for my life. I want to live the abundant life I have been given right here and right now. I want to experience the true joys of life rather than focusing on the minors!

We are So Blessed!

It's Father's Day...the day we honor the men in our lives for the love, support, and commitment they pour out on their children. I grew up with an incredible Dad who was always an integral part of my life. He's always been my hero & example - a man of character who walks in integrity and teaches His children to love and respond to the Lord. Of course, as most girls do, I desired to marry a man as much like my Dad as possible. Let me tell you...I believe the Lord placed that desire in me, and 14 years ago this month gave me the desire of my heart. While Keith and my Dad are very different in a lot of ways, they are so much alike in the things that really matter in this life - men who's lives belong to Christ, men of character, true to their word, walking in integrity, living out humility, taking responsibility for their mistakes, standing strong in the face of adversity, and standing firm in the midst of war waged by the enemy.

I am amazed as I watch my husband love and pour into our beautiful little girl. He is an incredible Dad and I know that one day she too will be looking to spend the rest of her life with a man like her father. I am even more amazed as I watch him love, pastor, and disciple the people God has placed his life.

They say, "If you want to know a man...really know who he is...ask His wife." I say, "you live with someone for 14 years and you know...really know who he is." Without question, my husband is a wonderful, loving husband and father, a faithful friend, a man of God, a wonderful teacher, a loving pastor, a great example of what it means to 'walk the walk', a humble servant leader, and a trustworthy partner in Christ!

So Keith, your girls say to you today...be encouraged, know that you are loved beyond measure, know that you are honored today for being all of these things and more. We love you, we stand with you, we lift up your arms, we praise God for you, and we celebrate you! We are so Blessed!!

Great Weekend!

This past weekend was great! There was a lot going on, but it was all so much fun. First, my sister came in on Friday night and stayed with us until Saturday. She wanted to practice some preschool assessments on Ella before she began doing them officially on Monday. It was really a neat thing to watch and I am proud to say that my girl is a pretty smart little cookie! She knew things I didn't realize she knew. We had a really good time with Michelle and wish she could of stayed longer.

Saturday was my niece Kaitlyn's High School graduation. My niece Jordyn had graduated the Thursday night before. Props to my girls for all their hard work! I can't wait to see where the Lord takes them from here. They are incredible young ladies. This week they are cruising to the Bahamas to celebrate. Hope they are having a blast! (btw, they were four when Keith & I got married - 14 years ago). Okay, I feel oollllddd. We enjoyed the graduation ceremony and the family time after.

Then Saturday night we went to a cookout at the home of some friends along with the other ladies from our Thursday morning bible study and their families. It was a blast. Tad & Leah Beth are great hosts. We ate some awesome food, played some kickball, talked and laughed. It was great!

Unbelievable! My girl is almost 2 years old

It's hard to believe I am already planning for Ella's 2nd birthday party. She is growing up so fast, and there is absolutely nothing she doesn't say at this point. We have decided to spend a couple days at a park in the area that has tons of great things for kids. We will camp with the grandparents (Keith's parents) on the lake 3 nights and, on Saturday, we have rented a shelter to have her official party. Everyone coming can plan a full family day if they want and meet us at the shelter for a lunch cookout and celebration. It is going to be so much fun for Ella and her friends. Train rides, a carosel, paddle boats, nature center, petting barn, aquarium, mini golf...you name it.

Fun! and the cost is minimal...