A Life of Gratitude

Tonight as we were putting our boys to bed, Dylan asked if I would lay with him. This doesn't happen often so, of course, I said yes! Tomorrow is Dylan's 8th birthday! I can't believe I just typed that number, how can he possibly be 8 already? As I laid in his bed with him tonight, I couldn't help but picture that sweet little baby that the doctor placed in my arms 8 years go on this night at 3:00am. He has grown so much. He isn't a little kid anymore. He is so smart and so handsome. He is so knowledgeable....seriously, he knows more about most things than I do! He is so kind and so fun to be around! We talked about all sorts of things while we laid there. I'm truly amazed at his little mind! He told me that he would rather get a sneak peak into Heaven than to have a million dollars. We talked a lot about what Heaven will be like. He also said the he knows life is a precious gift from God! What 8 year old says that? He's got such a sweet old s

Do you ever get caught up in life and forget all that you have to be grateful for? Maybe that's just me. I've noticed lately that when I start to feel frustrated or aggravated with things in my life, if I stop and take a few moments to ponder all of my blessings, my mood seems to change. Maybe that's why the Bible says "G ive thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18. God knows that gratitude will cause our perspectives to change and our joy to be full.  This afternoon I was able to spend some time alone in the hammock while the baby was napping. Bethel Music was playing on my phone and the breeze was blowing through my hair. I felt God say to me, "Things are so different now than they were 10 years ago, aren't they?" My mind started to ponder what I would be doing at that moment if God hadn't totally changed my life around. That line of thought suddenly caused to me to feel overw

During my quiet time this morning I read Psalm 37:3-4. It says, " Trust in the   Lord   and do good;  dwell in the land   and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight  in the  Lord ,  and he will give you the desires of your heart." I've read that verse many times before but for some reason today, I couldn't get that verse out of my head. I just kept thinking about what that really means....do those who trust and delight in God enjoy safety and receive the desires of their hearts? That isn't always true though, is it? There are many Christ-followers that don't enjoy safety and don't get what they want. So why is that? Does that mean God's Word isn't true?? Of course not. It means that there is more to this verse than meets the eye at first. So I asked God to explain it to me and these are the insights He gave me... I've heard it said that being in God's will is the safest place we can be. So if God wants us serving in the jungles of

Today our family went to Mount Pisgah. We hiked along some trails at the Cradle of Forestry and then decided to visit a couple of waterfalls. I don't know what it is about waterfalls but lately, I just can't get enough of them! They just scream God's creativity and cause my heart to praise Him! In fact, this entire trip I've been seeing things that have caused me to worship the Creator. I can't even imagine what Heaven will be like...He has designed such a beautiful world here, Heaven is going to be more than we can handle! My Evan and me at Looking Glass Falls Looking Glass Falls in the Pisgah Forest Moore Cove Waterfall They're standing behind the waterfall! Even prettier in person! Isn't this incredible? Today I am grateful for the beautiful creations God has allowed my family to see today. The older I get the more in awe I am of the One who formed those mountains and placed those waterfalls at just the right spot! I love hav

I'm learning very quickly that as my boys get older, life is going to get more and more exciting!!! It's a good thing God healed my back, huh?  I don't think I realized how grateful I am for God's miraculous touch on my body until this vacation began! We've been walking all over the place, riding all sorts of rides and barely sitting down the past couple of days. The last time we went to Tweetsie Railroad, I couldn't ride anything except for the ferris wheel because of my back injury. I was so afraid that I would injure my back further and I knew I would be in increased pain for days if I did. This time, just a few months after God healed my back,  I rode everything my boys wanted me to! It was sooooo exciting for all of us. They've never gotten to experience vacations with a Mommy that could participate in those activities. And, I've never gotten to experience these things with my boys. I can't even express the joy that filled my heart as I rod

This is our view for the week! Not too bad, huh? While our Furniture Market guests enjoy our home, we'll be sleeping on the side of a mountain! It's so peaceful and gorgeous here. I'm looking forward to several days in the mountains with my sweet family! I love the saying on the plaque. It says, "We don't have WI-FI. Talk to each other. Pretend its 1995." Haha, they actually do have wi-fi but that's so funny! I love these fellas so much! The Cabin we're staying in. It's gorgeous! The boys are enjoying the pinball machines! Today I am grateful for such precious friends that have opened their home to our family. We're getting to vacation in the mountains in one of the most beautiful homes I've ever seen! I am also thankful for time together as a family. We have lots of fun things planned for the next few days. It should be a wonderful time! God has blessed us tremendously with a week away together!

I heard the greatest analogy earlier today. A KLove listener called in and was talking about  Matthew 11:29-30. It says,   " Take my yoke upon you, and  learn from me, for I am  gentle and lowly in heart, and  you will find rest for your souls.     For  my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  They went onto say that a yoke is a frame or bar worn on the necks of two work animals so that they can share the load while plowing a field. So, in these verses Jesus is encouraging us to take HIS yoke upon us. His yoke is easy and light so we'll be sharing in that workload when we lay our yokes down and pick His up. The person sharing then said, "It's like we've been pushing and pushing, and then Jesus asks, what are you doing, I've got the tow truck right here!" It's true. Even in the ins and outs of everyday life, we often forget to include Jesus. We don't mean to but we often try to do it all on our own. We are tugging on the issues of life w

Today is National Sibling Day. I don't know that ever realized this day exsisted before but I'm super glad that it does! It's made me think a lot about how grateful I am that my little boys have one another! Now that we have three little boys (no longer babies), I honestly can't imagine them growing up without one another. Yes, they argue and get on each other's nerves (as siblings should, I suppose) but they also love each other more than words can describe. I absolutely love watching them play together and hearing them talk to each other. They are helping one another become the little people God created them to be!  Proverbs 17:17 says, "A friend loves at all times,  and a brother is born for a difficult time." I truly believe that God placed these three littles in our family to be brothers and  friends. My prayer for Dylan, Evan, and Tyson is that no matter who else comes and goes in their lives, that they will alway

Lately our 4 year old has added a new layer to his temper tantrums. When he doesn't get what he wants or has to do something he doesn't want to do, he starts yelling, "Mommy doesn't love me." Nothing could be farther from the truth but it hurts so much to hear him say that. I love that boy more than words could ever express and my wanting him to clean up his legos doesn't change that!  Every time this happens I sit him down and hug him and tell him how much I love him and try to understand what would make him think that. I've realized that its just his way of lashing out because he's angry, since things aren't going his way. As I was talking with him earlier today I heard God say to me, "Don't you do the same thing to me?" Uhhhh, I hate to admit it but y.e.s. When things don't go my way, even though I don't yell out in anger, I often react in the same way my 4 year old has been.  Part of me starts to wonder why Go

A couple of years ago Bryan and I started doing some little tricks on the boys for April Fool's Day. They thought it was hilarious! When Dylan realized April Fool's Day was coming up he started trying to figure out what we might do this year!  First, we put saran wrap on Dylan's door so when he woke up this morning, he got a big surprise! Next we gave Evan a bowl of cereal..... That was frozen!!! Then, when they tried to put on their shoes, they were suddenly too small....stuffed with toilet paper! When got back from running errand, the boys noticed some bird eggs outside. So of course, Bryan picked one up and ate it! \ Evan was furious! He grabbed the other eggs and ran with them!  Dylan was disgusted! Little did they know, these were candy eggs! And lastly, we drew a spider on the toilet paper, just to startle these silly boys! I know, I know, we  maybe setting ourselves up for some crazy pranks in