Just Lovin' Life

8 moves in 7 years

In a matter of moments, we got married...moved to Breckenridge, moved to Dallas, moved to a different apartment in Dallas, moved to Eagle, moved to a new home in Eagle, sold our new home, moved in with mom while we finished building a house in Eagle, moved into our new home, sold our new home, moved in with mom while under contract on a new home, and plan to move into our new home next month! Wow! If you counting, that's 8 moves in 7 years. All while, building a business and having three babies! I'm tired. Lets just pray that this home is ours for a while. However, a wise aunt once told me that I should expect this being married to an architect/builder/developer. Oh, goodness! Please no! I remember, just moments ago, moving in with Jim right after we got married saying, "I never want to live in a construction site." (this was as he was adding a room onto our current/1st house in Lubbock). I should have known then :-) All things considered, we are truly blessed. We CAN move!

Oh, Lord, thank you for moving us! Thank you for keeping us and protecting us. Please continue to do so in our next venture! We need you to travel the path before us, opening and closing any doors that we can't. Thank you for selling our homes in your perfect timing!

Mark Hunter Talbot

To process. What to process? I just know that I need to process. What a strange gut feeling a funeral, a death, a life can bring. Total and complete heavenly sent joy at its fullest combined with full pain from head to toe. Pain that penetrates my heart and overflows to the seat next to me.

Lord God Almighty, come soon! Come quickly. Bring your mercy upon your people, your followers. Bring us out of this pit. Reunite mothers and fathers with their babies lost to a fallen world.

435 Ten Minute Moments

So, I've come to the conclusion that running, or better yet, training for a marathon is a total spiritual experience.....far out weighing all of the physical realm. As Paul wrote it best, I do what I don't want to do and I don't do what I really really really want to do. Man! What a mind game every morning is, just trying to get out of bed. To all my fellow marathoners, WOW! I don't even consider myself a "runner," just crazy at this point.

I'm two months out from running 26.2 miles, and spend many moments questioning what I'm doing. So, all said, I've decided that at this point, I'm not doing anything, but the Lord God Almighty that created this body, and the brain inside that birthed this crazy notion, He is the One doing it ALL.

And on a final note, He is the One that will protect me through it....I mean from the numerous reports of bear and MOUNTAIN LION seen on Brush Creek Road. Oh Lord, please protect me!!!

Matter of No Moments

So, I woke up this morning with "the knowing" in my belly. Then, reflected on all the mornings that I felt so similar....the first day of Jr. High school, the day after all the cheerleaders had been elected in 9th grade, the day after I got my first car, the first day of college, the day after I got engaged, the first day of our marriage, the morning after A was born & J & B, and today. Yesterday, we received an offer on our home and today we wait for their response after our counter. I feel so "in the knowing" combined with such anticipation for tomorrow. What will God bring our way? Then in this reflection, I've come to remember how God is always "in the knowing." Its so hard to grasp how he can meet me in my moment and be in the next one at the same time. However, after settling into this concept, I can feel such relief and peace. It is there where the Lord of all creation brings His sovereignty to light. Its all I can do but wait, wait on the Lord.
Oh, Father God, help me to wait. Help me to wait on you and your timing and your blessing. Help me in my impatience. Help me where I loose faith and trust in you. Cover me in your blood of righteousness and full sight. Cover me in your love and embrace me so that I feel comforted and protected. Help me to be a help to my husband and encourage him in these decisions. Bring us together in unity over our choices. Holy Spirit unite us in direction. Lord you are above all else.
Amen

The Power of Three

I have to preface this all with the fact that God's power is never limited to blessing a family with three children, nor in having any at all. This is only a description of where the Lord has taken me in having three kids.

So, I have this image given to me last night as I was lying in bed. This overwhelming feeling came over me, which doesn't happen often. I just really felt as if I were standing in front of the Lord's throne with Christ at His right hand, and me holding a huge platter stacked with my daily junk...laundry, our new home to build, our home to sell, J being potty trained, my family's health, prayer for the lost and newly found, a garage sale, new jeans I want, homeschooling...you get the idea. The next thing I know, is that I dropped the platter right in front of me and it exploded, shooting and shattering these things everywhere. God's eyes lit up with delight, as he said, "My precious daughter. I'm so glad to have your entire being. All of this junk has cluttered your view of me. Now you can see me just as I have always seen you."

I then realized that He had to allow me to load my plate so full, to the point of me not being able to handle it all on my own, to then be able to let it all go and have him carry it all for me. As I look back on my life, thus far, I don't see my plate ever being this weighted. I believe that what topped it off was the blessing of three children. Before any one of them were born, I woke up every morning with total serenity; whether that be going to work after a day of high school, finishing a final exam through college, managing my wedding, starting a career, or delivering three babies. All seemed to be good and enough. Now, my days are so packed with life, beginning at 5:30am and ending at 11:00pm. I actually can't do a load of laundry without praying for the Lord's strength and blessing over it. I can't lift a finger without asking for His hand to go first. This is a good place, but nevertheless, a place of pure humility and helplessness. What a great place for God to put us all. I pray to stay here, even when life slows and things are "controllable."

What a blessing it is to be a mom of three. Their precious lives have moved mine to a new dimension of life.

Starting Over in Grace

So, I've really been out of commission for awhile now. Really, in no mood to blog. I've felt like the last month-and-a-half has been such a blur. My life has been turned upside down with "stuff." Christmas was fun, but so full of chaos that Christ was lost for me. I don't even think that I opened the Word the entire week of Christmas. We packed, we traveled, we visited, we packed again, we traveled again, we did laundry, we hosted parties and we did more laundry. All the business just flowed right in to 2008. All was good and all was fun, but empty. I really missed Gods voice. I really missed me paying attention. So, 2008 keeps rolling, but I hit a wall last week when I surpassed an incredible women's Bible study just so that I could spend a day at home. It was weird...turning down something so good, just for time. It made me realize how the church can become a point of pressure (self-inflicted). I woke up to realize that there really can be too much of a good thing. However, even with that wake up call, God sat me on my bootie today by allowing an upset stomach and a huge headache. Where are my priorities? Where am I spending my time? Where are my thoughts focused? As you can see, this day has been devoted to reflection, in hopes that I get back into the swing of things and back to what really matters.
Lord, let me focus on you and your Kingdom. Let this overflow in my life's matters. Let your love penetrate others through my life and family.