Going to the Chapel

Late last week we made the quickest of trips to GA to see my sister get married and to help with the festivities. Here's a sneak peak into our adventures.

We left Texas at 12:30pm on Wednesday and drove straight through to Georgia. We arrived at 2am. We had called ahead to see if we could get our room early at the Inn we were staying at for the wedding. We weren't sure if we would drive all night but if we could we wanted to be able to get in our room. We had read on the Inn website that they don't man their office 24/7 so if you're coming in after hours they needed to know in advance so they could...leave a light on for us ...or in this case, leave the key in an envelope, with our name on it,  taped to the office door!!! I guess they are pretty trusting!

The next day we had a few hours to spare so we went to one of Georgia's best attractions, Callaway Gardens. We went to a bird show, the butterfly atrium, the vegetable gardens and drove around the gardens to see all the things we hope to come back to do at a later date. It was beautiful.

We met back at the pool at the inn, where my sister and soon to be groom, Genay, were. As we were pulling in we saw my brother, mom and step dad checking in. Soon the entire family was dipping their feet in the cool pool water....and my own two fishes were all the way in, sword fighting with the pool noodles. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and came back to the officiant's cabin to get instructions for the next morning. Headed back to the inn for showers and hit the hay.

The weather could not have been more gorgeous for the wedding...the bride was stunning..and my own two kids were pretty darn cute. Savannah was the junior bridesmaid and Tucker was the ring bearer. I played the piano, Bruce did the video, my niece was the flower girl ...truly a family affair.

After the short ceremony my mom had prepared a scrumptious lunch for everyone. We shared a meal with the rest of the guests and the married couple and packed up so the couple could have some privacy..which I don't really think they got until they made it home the next day...but still.

We enjoyed the next 48 hours with the rest of the family and headed back home via Duck Commander in Monroe, Louisiana. No sighting of the beards, but had fun snooping around.

Waiting on official bridal pics before I post pictures of the bride. She was beautiful...and the groom was handsome too! Wishing them the best as they begin their new life as one.

Survival of the Fittest

This is the time of year that things get a little crazy at our house.

I'm sparing you the details because your schedule is just like mine. 

I'm no super woman, so casually, last week I announced to Bruce that for the next three weeks we are on survival mode. Then I explained that we would be greeting any unexpected visitors at the door and we would step outside so they would not see the horrible condition of the house...or the left over to go containers from our favorite eating establishment or the laundry that has overtaken my den. We would also not be hosting any sleep overs for the kids, any tupperware parties, book clubs, boy scout meetings or small groups. I then suggested nonchalantly that there may come a time where it's every man for himself. 

And in a moment of pure genius, Bruce said, "OK, what can I do to help you?" ...I'm telling you I'm a blessed girl. 

There was a comfort in those words. Someone who really knows me, knows my tendency to overcommit, to underestimate the amount of work really required for a certain task, someone who is aware of my faults....He could have said a million other caddy things...but instead offered a helping hand. And I took it. Pride in my back pocket and humility on my lips, we mapped out our strategy for the next few weeks...the laundry, the allergy stricken kids, the taekwondo, the piano lessons, the Bible studies, the jobs, the meals. We've got a better handle on it...because someone offered to lend some support. 

Isn't that what God does for us? We get in over our heads and so many times He rescues us from ourselves? No guilt, no shame, no condescending tone of reprimand. When I come to Him overwhelmed, with my list of things I don't know how I'm going to accomplish, He gives perspective, peace, His presence, guidance, strength and comfort. And in humility we can either grab His nail scarred hand or we can continue in our own proud strength. 

I know, for myself, He's given me more clean starts and helping hands than I deserve. If you need one today...all you need to do is reach. He's waiting. 

PS - (I still don't recommend an impromptu visit to the house..it's kind of an "enter at your own risk!"). School's out in 2 weeks!!!

Gideon's PAB

"The international ministry of The Gideons has handed out 1.7 billion Bibles since December of 2012." These were the words that opened the 2013 Hopkins County Gideon Pastor Appreciation Banquet last Tuesday night.

I tried to picture what 1.7 billion Bibles would look like all piled up in stacks and stacks on the floor and my mind was unable to even fathom what that looks like. But thankfully the Gideons know exactly what that looks like. As I sat listening to the testimonies of men and one very vivacious Auxiliary lady, tears filled my eyes to hear how hungry the rest of the world is for the Word of God... Men and Women in Costa Rica with hands cupped around their small New Testament and placed at their hearts, thankful for the opportunity to have a personal copy of HIS Word. Stories of crowded closets in China with people nearly sitting on each other to be able to hear God's Word preached by telecast to their hungry souls....these were the stories I heard. These were the stories that gripped my heart. These were the stories that convicted me.

How careless we are in America, where a Bible sits in a car between Sundays, where the dust can be blown off the front cover or where 3-4 Bibles can be found in a home. The Gideon businessmen have made it their passion to get God's word into the hands of men, women and children so that it can change them, save them, free them, heal them. The same thing God's Word has done and is doing for me....

And...shouldn't everyone have that opportunity to hear, to know, to be changed, freed, saved, healed?

I think so.

You can learn more about how you can personally be involved in the Gideons by clicking HERE .