My Sweet Valentine

Here's Anna with her Valentine box for school. She coordinates nicely with it. 

She loved her Valentines especially the chocolates that came with some. In that respect, she's definitely my daughter!

Baby Dedi "KATE" tion

One of the advantages of Ken being the families pastor is he gets to dedicate his grandchildren. I always get so excited about these. He really takes time to wait on the Lord so he's not only guiding parents in dedicating their child to the Lord but wants to see what God might have him speak over the them. One thing is for certain, God has great things in store for Kate.

Was yet another special day for all of us!

Ta-dah!

Anna can definitely make us laugh and it is effortless. What a natural!

Special Visitors

Several weeks ago my dear friend from college, Stacy, and her family stopped by. I always treasure times with this awesome girl even if it's just for a bit. Feel like we pick up right where we left off last. She is not just  a friend but a sister-in-Christ. We grew in God a ton in college. We probably thought we knew it all then but life has shown us how to lean on the Lord all the more. 

Thanks for stopping in Stacy! Loved seeing you and the beautiful family God has given you!  

Life Changing Book

Over the past month or so I keep thinking of a book I read over a year ago and I am thankful for the freedom it has brought to me. Wanted to share.

Unfortunately, life here on earth can afford times of offenses. If you've never experienced any, I am happy for you. And these offenses can be formed against others and against God. Over  a year ago our church was in what one of our spiritual fathers rightly termed "a time of times and a season of seasons." God was wanting to do some great things especially amongst our leadership if we would yield to him. The yielding began and God started showing me some offenses in my heart that I had never realized. Others might have precieved them. (Why is it that sometimes others can see things so clearly yet we do not?) All that said my sweet daughter kept takings a random book off the book case and giving it to me. Mind you, it was a book I had never read called The Bait of Satan by John Bevere. I decided to crack it open and give it a try and at the onset I realized I needed to cotinue on prayerfully because it was tailored made for where I was. The book dealt with offenses and boy, did it open a can of worms in my world! God began to showed me a ton a junk in my life from being offended at a church leader years ago following one conversation and how it was effecting my perception of things with my current church leadership. He went even further to point out how my first bad encounter with authority outside the home set the tone for the way I viewed authority from then on out. In the first grade I had been wrongly accused of a minor thing in school and from then on out I had always been defensive towards authority and felt prompted to show I was right. It had really set up a strong-hold of pride in my life. Wow, only God can get to the root issues in the heart and mind. Felt like I was constantly confessing things to God during this time and ended up confessing things when appropriate to others. I am so thankful for the truths Bevere challenged his readers with. This soul is eternally grateful for the liberty the book brought to me.

All this said, I wanted to encourage others if you have offense in your heart you can be liberated from it!  Praying you get your own "time of time and season of season" as well!