My Hope is in the Lord

If you have read THIS PREVIOUS POST, then you will not be surprised to learn that our dear family friend went to be with the Lord on December 26.  He was 84 years old.  He left 4 children and their spouses, 12 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren, and many, many dear friends.  The memorial service at the church was beautiful, and the brief ceremony at the cemetery even more emotional, as there was an honor guard.

As we hugged our friends, and prepared to leave the cemetery, his daughter (my girlfriend since 6th grade) held me and said, 

"I pray that Jesus returns before you EVER have to go through this!"

It was a blessing that took my breath away.

It made me more aware of three things.

1. How raw and real my friend's grief was - even though she is a believer, and knows that she will see her beloved parents again in Heaven.

2. How much I love my parents.

3. How much I look forward to Jesus' return.

The words of this old hymn came to me today...
My hope is in the Lord, who gave Himself for me.
And paid the price of all my sins at Calvary.
For me He died, for me He lives,
And everlasting light and life He freely gives.


No merit of my own, His anger to suppress,
My only hope is found in Jesus' righteousness.
For me He died, for me He lives,
And everlasting light and life He freely gives.


And now for me He stands, before the Father's throne,
He shows His wounded hands, & names me as His own.
For me He died, for me He lives,
And everlasting light and life He freely gives.


His grace has planned it all, 'tis mine but to believe,
And recognize His work of love, and Christ receive
For me He died, for me He lives,
And everlasting light and life He freely gives.

(Hymn lyrics and Music by Norman J. Clayton)

Faith+ Bloggers - Part 2

This is Part Two of "Faith+ Bloggers."

If you missed the first post, you can scroll down, or find it HERE. 

Grab a cup of tea, and let's get started with more favorites!

* Melissa Michaels is at The Inspired Room - a decorating blog.  She believes in "authentic living" - living a life that really works for you.  I confess that I pour over Melissa's blog.  Her home is so welcoming and has "grace" written all over it.  She has a style that is just so warm and welcoming, and says "sit a while" - and boy, wouldn't I like to!  Who wouldn't like to think that their home looks that welcoming!  I love this quote from Melissa: "I enjoy finding joy in living my own life and reflecting that joy in my surroundings."  Thank you for the inspiration, Melissa!  {You know JOY is my word for 2011, so Melissa's quote intrigues me!}

* Nester at Nesting Place says, "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful."  She uses her blog to share creative decorating ideas, and give decorating encouragement.  She has a beautiful home, but also one that her family feels free to really USE and live in -- it's not just a show place.  Nester has an amazing attitude about all the changes that her family has faced -- makes me wonder what my "attitude" looked like a few years back when my sweet husband was unemployed.

* Emily is Nester's sister.  You'll find her at Chatting at the sky: a place for your soul to breathe.  Emily is the wife of a senior high pastor, and shares lots of insights on faith - as well as beautiful pictures.  Her blog is a breath of fresh air - every time.  I often leave her blog having an "ahaaa!" moment.

* I have just recently come across Cyndi Spivey - Walking in His Grace and Traci at Beneath My Heart.  They are also sisters.  Yesterday (1/3/11), Cyndi and Traci began a series together called "Organizing your Heart and Home 2011."  It runs every Monday in January, & sounds like a good place to begin the new year.  I'm going to check it out.

Well, those are my current favorites.

What is your favorite faith-blog?  C'mon - share with us!

Faith+ Bloggers - Part 1

When I started blogging, I never dreamed that I would become part of a community where there is so much camaraderie, and genuine concern and care for one another.  As a Christian - a believer in and follower of Jesus Christ - I didn't know that I would find so many fellow-believers who were blogging about things they love, and sharing their faith at the same time.  Now mind you - there are believers of every shape, size, and color, and therefore believing bloggers who share their faith on many different levels.  But, that's what makes us all unique and different.  There are Christ-followers who write about...following Christ.  But, there are also Christ-followers who write about family, baking, cooking, and organizing, homemaking, entertaining and decorating... you name it!  LIFE!

Here are some of my favorites:

* You'll find Amanda at i am mommy and i am baker.  I am in awe of her sweet creations, and am especially impressed with her cut-out cookies, and cakes (as previously mentioned on this blog).  I especially love her reliance on God in all things, her ability to put a positive spin on negative things that come her way, and how (between her blog and twitter) she calls for prayer and passes things on that we can be praying for as a community of believers.  She has a sweet and tender heart.

* Rachel's address is No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane.  She will boldly tell you that nothing really matters but Christ.  That's what it's all about.  Rachel is a young mom, always challenging herself to be a better person - stronger in her faith, and being honest along the way - which I so appreciate.  She recently had a baby, and her story of the delivery and "her plan" is inspiring.  She had to let go of her plan, and recognize that whatever God had for her was even better.  How many of us have experienced that?  Rachel shares from her heart - something I love about her.

* Do you know Susie Davis - the good news girl?  She is a pastor's wife, and the author of several books.  Susie has so much to share, and such a sweet spirit about her.  You know we make impressions on one another as much through our written words as in person...and Susie makes an impression.  She has such good insights, and gently shares them in a way that makes you think.  She's also got a lot of good recipes to share - amongst other things!  She's the lady behind The Joy Challenge, and I have come to realize that she and I have so much in common -- MUCH to be thankful for, and JOYful about!

* Sandy Coughlin can be found at Reluctant Entertainer.  I received her book for Christmas, and I am enjoying strolling through the pages, and gathering information as well as courage to become a better entertainer.  I so admire Sandy, and all that she shares on her blog.  I've written about her in a previous post, but since then, I've gotten to know her even better through her book.  Sandy says she has a "normal" family (you know, the kind you and I like to tell ourselves we have?), and entertains as a way to get to know others.  She believes that ultimately, we should be having guests into our home to bless them, and not to impress them.  She also wants us each to use the gifts and talents that God gave us to bless others.

* Then, there is Kayla Aimee: only slightly neurotic who has recently (almost 8 weeks ago) given birth to a sweet preemie - Scarlette.  Oh, the stories that she has shared about the struggles that her little girl has endured in her short life.  Yet, Kayla Aimee's faith is ever-present.  She is such an inspiration!  Each of her posts prods me to pray for her sweet miracle baby.

These are some of my favorite spots to stop for a visit - but I've got more.  Come back soon for Part 2!

Happy 2011, Friends.

Here's to new beginnings, honest offerings, and sharing our faith!

The Best Laid Plans...

...often get messed up, and you have to "settle for" Krispy Kreme!

Wow, that doesn't sound half-bad, does it?

Here's my story (and I'm stickin' to it!)  

On New Year's day, our family set off on an adventure to the local outdoor ice-skating rink.  It had rained earlier in the morning, but the rain had stopped, and the temperature was a balmy 55 degrees.  I was imagining that this would be a perfect day for ice-skating -- NO FROZEN TOES OR FINGERS!  Along the way, we noticed all of the places on our route that were closed for the day.  Of course.  It's a holiday afterall... of course.  I started thinking to myself, "hmmm - I didn't check to see if the rink was open."  I confessed that out loud to my family, and they all did a little eye-rolling.  But, we were on an adventure, and so we forged ahead.  The streets of downtown were, umm, let's just say - deserted.  That should've been our sign.  We turned onto the ice-rink street, and let's just say there were lots of good parking spots.  And then - there was the rink - empty, closed, of course.  What was I thinking, you ask?  I was not.  I'm just an over-eager mom - trying to take advantage of any opportunity for the family to do something together.

Well, my husband is big on adventures.  I love that about him.  You'll laugh at what came next.  He kept on driving to nowhere in particular, and we passed a cemetery.  I said, "Oh, I think that place is the oldest cemetery in the city."  And my husband turned in.  Really.  The next 15 minutes or so was filled with "ooh, look at that one," and "over there!" - as we read dates back to the late 1800's, and names that were familiar to our city.  As we pulled out of the cemetery, I started recognizing names of streets, and realized where we were... close to the only Krispy Kreme store left in town.  Another thing that I love about my husband is that he is good at taking hints, and he loves Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  {Okay, that's two things.}  By then, the kids were catching on, and urging my husband to head to Krispy Kreme -- which he did.  Guess what?  Krispy Kreme is OPEN on New Year's Day.  Bless them.

Warning!  Doughnuts out of focus contain the same amount of calories as doughnuts IN focus!

 "Doughnuts" backwards in neon.

p.s.  It wouldn't have been a good day for ice-skating after all.  On the way home from our abbreviated adventure, it poured.

So, what did YOU do on New Year's Day?

Check this out. (Love it!)

Meadowbrook Farm - a beautiful blog!  I love that Teresa leaves all of her colorful flowers in her header all year long.  Wait until you see all of the gorgeous pictures on her site.  You will want to LIVE at Meadowbrook Farm!  This is eye-candy at it's best.

Choosing JOY

And my word for 2011 is... (drum roll, please)  

J O Y

Do you love words?  I DO.  Through the Christmas 2010 season, the word "JOY" has shown up over and over again in my life.  Most of the time, it was delivered by fellow-bloggers who had great things to say on the subject, things that I really took to heart and tried to apply in my own life.  It showed up in lots of other places too.  It was interesting to see the JOY that was all around me if I was just more aware of it!  I gave a lot of thought to what brings me JOY, and what robs me of JOY.

So, why not carry on with the idea for 2011?  I want to be intentional about the way I live, and the way I react to life around me - and that doesn't just have to be at Christmas-time, right?

In the mean time, I'm looking for something that will be a tangible reminder of my word.  I'm keeping my eyes open, so I'll let you know what I come up with.

Check this out. (Love it!)  
Our Friend, Ali Edwards has another surprise up her sleeve.  Actually, it's no surprise that she has come up with another creative idea.  This one is all about WORDS.  You can read about Ali's idea HERE.