walk life together

A couple of weeks ago I had the  privilege to drive a group of ladies from my church to Frisco, Texas to a ladies conference.  We had such a great time!

The conference was called "dotmom."  (http://www.lifeway.com/dotMom/c/N-1z13wdb?type=events )  It was an absolutely fantastic conference with great speakers. Angie Smith, Vicki Courtney, and Priscilla Shirer were absolutely wonderful.  The breakout sessions leaders were great as well.  I learned, was reminded, and was definitely challenged to "step it up" as a mom. 

" ...do not provoke your children to anger;

but bring them up in the discipline

and instruction of the Lord." 

Ephesians 6:4 

I came home with a ton of books. 

To add to my ton of books. 

All unread and waiting for me to finish reading Historical Philosophy of Curriculum....(the title even bores me!)
Oh summer-where are you?

Here are some of the thoughts I wrote down at the conference (which means I needed the reminder or I am stinking at right now!):

• Your children are not puppets in your show (beware of ruining the moment to put pictures on social media)
• Be intentional!
• Be unpredictable to your children, especially your teens (impromtu date to PJ's for coffee...)
• Put the phone down in the car.

I could keep going, my notes were PAGES!

There were so many moms at this conference.  All writing things down.  I could see the pencils smoking across the room as each speaker spoke!  We need help.  We needed reminding.  We need mentoring.  We need each other.  And mostly we need Him!  We are Proverbs 31 women trying to do it all NOW!

"Her children rise up and bless her;

Her husband also, and he praises her..."

Proverbs 31:28

This journey of parenting is tough.  Full of so many seasons.  Diapers, Thomas the Tank Engine, ABC's, us reading books to them, them reading books to us, T-ball, pitching machine, Kid pitch, piano lessons, multiplication,  tween years, teen years, car keys, ACT scores, college applications.   Attitudes, smiles, crying, laughing, throwing fits at Wal-Mart, giggles as you tuck them in, disappointment, failures, successes, growth.

"There is an appointed time for everything.

And there's a time for every event under heaven-"

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Being a mom is one of the greatest blessings in life.  It is the main ministry we have.  This family we have is here to reflect His glory.

So I encourage you today, encourage the "moms" around you.  They may be in your Sunday School class, a friend, a teacher, a younger lady you know.  Encourage them.  Share with them. 

• share good places you know about that moms can use to find out information on movies (http://www.pluggedin.com/ is a great site!)
• share boundaries you found that work for the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing
• share how you worked through the "girl drama"
• share good homemade baby food recipes
• encourage them to pray for their children
• encourage them to love their husbands

Family is so important.
One of my most favorite verses is found in Psalms. I pray it for my family almost everyday.

"God be gracious to us and bless us,

And cause His face to shine upon us-

That Thy way may be known on the earth,

Thy salvation among all nations."

Psalm 67:1-2

Stay strong moms (and dads!)!  Keep seeking Him. 

Warren and I are rooting you on in prayer!

Remember

I have a ton of these.  In them hold some of the greatest joys of life and some of the most embarrassing cries to the Lord.  Precious moments between me and God.  In the pages of the books I have celebrated with Him.  Cried to Him.  Questioned who I was.  Desired something more.  Made commitments (of which I did not carry out a week later!).  But I am so thankful for them.

These journals lay on my shelf untouched.  They stay untouched until I need to remember. 

I find myself picking them up when I need to be reminded where I have been.  I need to be reminded that God saw my needs and and heard my cries.  I need to be reminded where I am headed on this journey of life.




Journal entry from 1999








I  prayed prayers of guidance for the first days of ministry for our family 14 years ago. I read about the places of joys and struggles.  I find difficult times of decision.  When I read the entries I can't help but think of Nehemiah 9:9-15 and unfortunately at times I read times like Nehemiah 9:16-20.

And all the while He saw.  He's El Roi.  He heard.  He made.  He knew.  He lead.  He provided.  He spoke.  He gave.  Truth.  Good words.  Compassionate.

 

 

I had no idea AWANA clubs would be what needed to happen.  WOW!

hard decisions in life.....

Heavy yet Happy hearts....

 

Our first week in ministry 1999





Ever been there?

Yet there are those times like in Nehemiah 9:5-8 where all you can do is thank and praise Him.

Remember.  Take time and jot your prayers down each day.  A day will come when a sweet reminder of God's faithfulness in the past is what lights the way in which you are to go today. 

"...to light for them the way

In which they were to go."

Nehemiah 9:12b

 



 



Do Something Radical

Happy New Year!  I don't know about you, but I thought the Christmas season FLEW by!  I was very proud of myself, I had all of the Christmas decorations put up before school started back!  The new year also brought a time of resolution.  I am an organizational nut, so I LOVE resolutions.  (even though I couldn't tell you my resolutions 2 months later!)  As part of the resolutions, I started a money saving system.  I saw this on Pinterest of course!  You put the dollar amount that matches the week amount in the jar.  So week one-one dollar, week 24- 24 dollars, week 52-52 dollars, and so on.  Thought it may be something fun to do.

Week One -Saving System

 

I also tried to organize closets, cabinets, and drawers before school started back.  Oh my!  What an undertaking!  How embarrassing to see the BAGS and BAGS of junk we got rid of.  How do we accumulate so much STUFF?  Elise's was really bad, but she is now organized (for a week or two!).

 



 And yes, school is back in full swing!  I have began working full-time at Hugh Goodwin Elementary this semester.  Everyday I have the privilege to do some interventions, teach some math, teach a DI class, and recess duty!  Now on rainy days like this week, recess duty is NOT a privilege.  It is WORK!   I also started Block 2 in college.  There are days when I just want to hurry the days away. Then I look at Tyler and I am fine with the schoolwork taking forever.  When I graduate college, Tyler will be finishing up his junior year of high school.  The seasons of life pass so quickly.  But I am so excited the direction the Lord has our family going.

Just one of the $500 worth of books

As this new year and semester was beginning, I just had a burden to have a fresh word from God.  Have you ever been there?  It seems like the holidays were dragged down with problems, strife, and just a sense of unpeacefulness. Times seem difficult and I don't like it.   I am a person who likes freshness, security, direction, purpose, and peace.  As I have been struggling and wrestling with God about some of these things in life, He kept bringing me back to a passage in scripture.

"And MY people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek MY face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and heal their land."

2 Chronicles 7:14

As I dwelt on this scriptures, I knew what was needed.  I needed to SEEK HIM.  What does that look like?  How do I seek HIS FACE?

I knew that meant prayer and a place of being humble.  It also meant turning from my wicked ways.  This starts with me no longer being wrapped up in me.

I had picked up the book '7' months ago.  When I saw the book in a monthly magazine Warren receives, I was immediately drawn towards it.  I have picked it up to read at least once a month, but would always put it down because it was nothing I was willing to do.  If you are not familiar with the book by Jen Hatmaker, you need to go to her website. www.jenhatmaker.com

As I flipped through the pages of this book I realized many of these areas were owning me.  Not intentionally.  But they were.  I knew that I needed less of my kingdom and more of God's.

"For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on.  Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing?"  Matthew 6:25

 

Worrying about food, clothes, money, things.  This is exactly where God is finding me these days.  He finds me craving chocolate chip Teddy Grahams and cool whip frosting (to dip them in, of course!)  everyday when I get home from school.  He finds me wanting a diet coke and those wonderful bubbles in it EVERY hour of the day.  He finds me desiring to buy cute clothes AND shoes AND jewelry AND purses and HOUSEWARES from Target every time I see that great red bulls eye.   He finds me wrapped up in everybody's whereabouts on Facebook. He finds me wrapped up in myself helping no one and too busy to passionately care.   It's at this point, famished, a little beaten, wanting to "fix" my "emptiness/tiredness/struggles"  that I need to remember Him like I haven't at any other point in life.  I NEED HIM.  I need something RADICAL and FRESH to keep me going.  I need something to fill me up and HE is the only one.

"Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain NEW strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary."

Isaiah 40:31

So I took the radical challenge of '7'.  I started reading the book and actively following along.  A week later we began the workbook version in my Sunday School class.  (By the way ladies-if you don't have a class, Lorrie Moudy is a FABULOUS teacher and always takes us through wonderful studies!) I began January 1, 2013 with chapter 1 of "7".  30 days of only 7 foods.  I chose these foods based on their simplest form that would be good for me.  I am not a meat eater, so the 7 I chose was:
spinach, sweet potato, peanut butter, apples, blueberries, 100% whole wheat bread, and tomatoes.

And water.  Lots of water. 
A little side note is I am still drinking coffee.  There is just something about winter that makes a quiet time and coffee a necessity in a cold sun room at 4:30 am.

I am not drinking diet cokes.  (Big deal since I could be the poster girl or a great stock holder in the company due to the amounts I drink!)  I also use salt, pepper, and olive oil to prepare my food.  I am now on day 12.
I have wrestled, struggled, questioned myself (and God!), been totally ashamed of how "controlled" I have been by food, and found myself spending more time doing the things that are good & right and less time standing in the fridge/pantry wondering what I will eat.  So I eat the same thing every night.

I will update you at the end of this 7 journey later this year. 

"And I shall give them one heart, and shall put a NEW spirit within them..."

Ezekiel 11:19a

Looking forward to what the remaining 6 challenges hold in store.  I know HE will rock my comfort zone.  And I am thankful!  Looking forward to the continued NEW and fresh word from the LORD.  I need it. 

"Behold, I am making all things NEW."

Revelation 21:5a

Happy New Year from G5!

The Favored One

Today is totally unplanned.  A very hard day to say the least.  I think I am having a harder time being patient and making wise decisions.  I got a call this morning that my dad has been admitted to the hospital, put in ICU, and now being transferred via ambulance to the Oklahoma Heart Hospital in OKC.  Warren and I are trying to make decisions and get things in order here in El Dorado to possibly head that way in the next hour or so.

I don't like this one bit.



Me and my dad back in the day



As I am waiting to hear what the doctors in OKC say, all I can think about is Warren's email he sent to the parents of students in the youth ministry a few weeks ago:

(From Warren's email)

Thru the Christmas season I’m doing some devotionals from the “YouVersion” Bible app on my iPhone. Today’s devo brought up the angel Gabriel calling Mary “favored.” I wonder if a physical representative from the realms of glory showed up in my room and told me that I was favored by God how I would react. The initial thoughts probably would be that my life had just turned comfortable, that everything was worked out, smooth-sailing. “Favored by God” would surely mean that He’s going to mow down my enemies, provide riches, and release all the stresses of life. But that is NOT what it meant for Mary. Very soon after she heard those words, her betrothed, Joseph, would consider divorce. Her community would ridicule and scorn. She would soon take a journey to Bethlehem that was dangerous. She would very much be concerned about the provisions for her family. She would be giving birth to whom she thought was the Savior of the world … in a stable. Physical worries, financial worries, relationship worries … none of that sounds like “favor.”

A lot of Christianity today focuses on the “favor” of God making it sound like a life of ease and comfort. However, in reality, following God does not mean a life that is trouble free and one where all your dreams come true. The mother of Jesus alone teaches us that. “Favor” means, very simply, that God is willing to use you, willing to speak through you, willing to work through you, willing to show Himself strong in you. And often, that happens most in difficult and trying situations. God’s favor meant that God had invaded Mary’s life. He was no longer a concept, an idea, a thought. He was no longer a story. He was no longer Someone high above and distant. He WAS near… active … personal … acting … guiding.

Deeper into the holiday season, my prayer is that we sense God’s favor on our lives, not a life where “all our dreams come true,” but a life fulfilled knowing that God is working on us, in us, and through us. “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.” Luke 1:30

What comforting words today.  Lord, I need Your favor.


I will keep you posted on my dad~ MG

Baby Jesus costs too much!

Tomorrow I am heading to Little Rock with some gals from school for a couple of days at a Reading Conference.  I am so excited about the conference and the things I will (hopefully!) learn. 
While we are in Little Rock, I am pretty sure we will do some shopping and eating!  I personally don't have a whole lot of shopping to do.  Over the past month I have done an excellent job (for me!) at ordering some Christmas gifts for the kids.  In fact, I have all of Elise's Christmas shopping finished!  I have been detouring Elise from seeing the UPS, FedEx, and USPS deliverers and have hid the gifts well (or at least I hope so!). 

SHHHH....Don't tell Elise the hiding spot!

The Christmas season is beginning!  Downtown El Dorado businesses have began their open houses.  The stores are beautiful!  The City is doing their Lighting Ceremony on Thursday.  People are putting up their trees!  Oh my!  Didn't we just take all that stuff down???

I tried my hardest this past week to get in the "spirit".  I thought that a visit to Seasons or Wreaths and More would motivate me to put up the Christmas tree.  I even purchased some wrapping paper and a few decorations while I was there.  But it is just not happening.  The pumpkins are still working just fine for me.

My Christmas "motivation" pile!

When I was shopping last week and having such a hard time at getting "antsy" about decorating for Christmas, I remembered the story about Ethan.  Our Ethan has always been a interesting kid.  The things he says is so random.  The way he does things is so....so....I can't even describe it.  He has always been like that.  Very obedient for the most part. (He has caught the teenage attitude bug lately, urghh!) 

Ethan and Tyler at the Razorback basketball game

A couple of years ago Ethan was really into playing Farmtown on Warren's Facebook account.  He was very committed to making sure he harvested those crops.  He would plant corn, rice, pineapple trees, and Christmas trees all together on a 5 x 5 piece of "land."  I would periodically check on it to make sure he was doing what he was supposed to.  On this particular day, Ethan and I were sitting on the couch.  He was real excited about his plot of land.  He showed me all the newest things he had a bought.  He had some new palm trees, a pond with a yacht in it, and even some camels.  As he moved around on his land something caught my eye.  It was a nativity.  Wise men, Mary, Joseph, Angels, animals, and a stable.  But something was missing.  Jesus.  I looked at Ethan confused and said, "Where's Jesus?"  Innocently he replied back to me, "He cost too much."

"And this will be a sign for you;

you will find a baby wrapped in cloths,

and lying in a manger."

Luke 2:12

Every year at Christmas I remember this conversation I had with Ethan.  I remember the shock I was in when I saw his nativity.  He had everything else about Christmas perfectly placed.  Bought. Wrapped.  Hung.  But no Jesus.  He had the story in mind.  The important story there.  Good intentions.  He wanted Jesus, there just wasn't anything left.  So Jesus had to be left behind.


The Christmas season is here and I don't want to miss HIM.  I don't want to have good intentions and no Jesus.  I don't want to have everything else perfectly in place and realize I  have no more money or time for Jesus.  I need to choose wisely how I will "spend" this Christmas season.

"For a child will be born to us,

A son will be given to us;

And the government will rest on His shoulders;

And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:6

I will soon need to put that tree up.  We love it so! We love all the fun that goes with it!  The music, the HOHOHO, the candy, the gifts, the excitement like a child.  It is the most wonderful time of the year!

Elise, Uncle Wade, Ethan, Santa (Warren), Tyler, and Poppa Gene.  Christmas 2004

 But I cannot let beautiful tinsel or gorgeous red ornaments get me in the "spirit."  Instead I need the ONE who makes all things beautiful and shed His blood for me.  I need Him to fill my heart with His Spirit. That is what Christmas is all about.  I don't want to miss HIM!    I don't want to be shocked that I missed Him in 37 days when I am taking that tree down. 

"Do not be afraid;

for behold,

I bring you good news of a great joy

which shall for be for all people..."

Luke 2:10

 

"...a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11b

 

Put on your shopping shoes, check that list twice , grab that big handbag, make memories, and be sure to stop for  a Starbucks along the way. (I suggest a caramel brulee)  Just be sure you don't pass Jesus by as you go.   Happy Black Friday Shopping!

Elise, Warren, Ethan, Poppa Gene, and Tyler.  One of the very last time Poppa Gene played his fiddle.  Christmas 2004





The power of days

On Saturday Warren, Elise and I went to Ethan's last 7th grade football game.  The 7th grade Wildkittens A and B teams went undefeated this season!  What a fun time they had.  What makes it even more fun is how much they like each other.  Best friends. I love to watch these guys together!

Ethan-#77

"A friend loves at all times,

And a brother is born for adversity."

Proverbs 17:17

After the game we stopped off at Michael's to pick up a few things I needed for school this week.  I haven't been to Michael's in a long while.  It was a Texas Michael's to boot (We were in Texarkana).   I was like a kid in a candy store in Michael's.  I liked everything!  Elise and I were flying through the aisles as Ethan and Warren waited for us in the vehicle.

Growing up in Texas means that I did homecoming Texas style until I was 16  (I moved to Arkansas when my parents divorced).  This consisted of a larger than life homecoming mum.  It jingled and jangled and blinged and tore your shirt down all night long!  But oh the joy of having one!  Even better was having a mom that could make them!  This meant weekly,  and at times daily,  trips to Michael's (and Garden Ridge Pottery).  When I saw those many aisles full of homecoming mum making supplies, I became giddy.  I wanted to grab one (or two!) of each just because it reminded me of my mom.

My oldest son was running a cross country meet in Lake Hamilton on Saturday.  He was getting to run with friends from Waldron (where we lived previously for 11 1/2 years).  Only this time he was running against them!  Last week Tyler posted on Instagram  a post that said:

So much wisdom is in that phrase. 

Time is powerful.... Our days do so much for us.  It's what God uses to put us back together. To heal us.  To make us whole. 

"...I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him..."

Isaiah 57:18

Wal-Mart put out their pumpkins AND santas last month.  These two seasons remind me of my mom so much.  She was a Halloween baby.  Born on October 31.  And more than anything she loved Christmas.  She loved Christmas gifts, icicles on the tree, and making Christmas candy so very much.

It was 8 years ago.  I had no idea that this picture would be the last Christmas to spend together.

"...And in Thy book they were all written,

The days that were ordained for me,..."

Psalms 139:16

 

Our dear friend in Christ, Neil Cherry would knock on our door in the middle of the night to ease us into the news that my momma had passed away.

 My heart ached.  Broken. 

"If  I say, 'Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,

and the light around me will be night,'

Even the darkness is not dark to Thee."

Psalms 139:11-12a

It was a month after we buried her that Dr. Larry Brown called  and checked on me one afternoon.  It was my 28th birthday.  All I could do was listen.  It still hurt so bad.  He said one of the few things that day that I remember from that time and still minister with.  Time will heal the pain.  The memories will become sweet.  God will carry you through this time.

"Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am weak;

heal me, Lord, for my bones are shaking."  Psalm 6:2

Beauty from ashes.

"To grant those who mourn in Zion;

giving them a crown of beauty instead of ashes."

Isaiah 61:3

My security blanket was lost that day on November 19, 2004.  The one I called when my heart was lonely.  The one I called when I felt joy.  The one who would shop til you drop with me.

The one I worried about.  The one I wanted to take financial burdens from.  The one's broken heart I wanted to heal.

The one who could make Garth Brooks seem in the room, the one who spoiled my babies rotten, the one who forgave easily.

8 year later, I miss her.  There are times I just want to pick up the phone and dial her number.  There are times I wonder what her Facebook page would look like (she would have loved it).  I would love to shop one more time for a homecoming mum.

But God healed my heart.  He took my pain and mourning and turned it into joy.  I can sing because of His faithfulness to fill the holes in my heart.

"I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever;

To all generations I will make known Thy faithfulness with my mouth." Psalm 89:1

 

His word says He makes beauty from ashes.  He makes all things new.  Behold He is doing new things.

The Lord has so much compassion on us.  He provides just what we need to make us well.  Just when we think we can no longer breath from the hurt, He holds us and we breath again. 

We just have to choose to let Him heal us. 
And then tell the story.
 I was wounded, broken, empty.  He picked me up, filled me, and made me walk again.

We all need a beautiful day.  Sometimes it just takes time.  But it comes. 
Trust His heart when you can't trace His hand.


Today I stand in awe of His mighty ways.  Thankful for the promise of heaven. 
Makes me a little homesick.

"...for I go and prepare a place for you.....

I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life......"

John 14:2b, 6a

My man

I am a blessed girl.  When I think about the road to the pit I was headed on 20 years ago, I cringe.  (Did I just say 20?  EEK!)  In one of my first blogs (Run and Never Stop) I talked about my story of Christ rescuing me from that pit I was headed to.  In my blog, A Call in Texas, I shared about how God called us into ministry.  Those are the two foundations in my life.  The rocks.  The reasons.  The rescue.

"For who is God, besides the Lord? 

 And who is a rock, besides our God?"  2 Samuel 22:32

But right in the middle of those two life changing times, God brought me my man.  Warren G. 



It was at this time of year 19 years ago that I was beginning my junior year of high school and he was about to leave for his sophomore year of college at the University of Arkansas. I had only been in Arkansas for about 8 months.  My parents had divorced and my mom moved us to Arkansas from Texas to be closer to her family.

Warren in Razorback band at UofA

 

Me playing in band at halftime and cheering the rest for MHS

 My younger brother, Kyle was at the FBC Mansfield, AR basketball court playing ball with some guys.  I was on my daily jog around town when I stopped to relay a message to Kyle from my mom.  That's where I started talking with Warren.  I had seen Warren around that summer at church and with some friends.  But it was that day that we spoke to each other.  After a good while of standing around talking, Warren asked Kyle and me if we wanted a ride home.  Probably not a great idea getting in the car with a semi-stranger, but we did.

Little did I know, this was the man God had for me, for life.  The one I would marry 2 years later, drive crazy for the next 19 years, devise plans for disciplining our children with, physically walk many miles with, dream with, travel with, minister beside, laugh with, dance in the kitchen with, hide behind when I felt weak, cry with, gain strength from, and in the depths of my soul, dread the day I would ever be left on this earth without.

That's my Warren.

"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine,..."

Song of Soloman 6:3

 

This past week a precious family from our hometown lost their husband, dad, and grandfather.  A man still young and so very kind.  Gary would stand outside the doors of Upward with Pam for many years at FBC Mansfield and greet those that entered.  Their daughter was Tyler's first grade teacher.  Such a godly family.

Pam posted on her Facebook later in the day after his death.  "Made it home. Long drive."
After I read this post I walked into the living room, wanting to tell Warren what she had said.  I also just wanted to tell him how my heart ached for them. 

I told him what the post said and I lost it.  Nothing else could come out of my mouth.  My eyes were filling with tears.  I turned around and walked out, my eyes flooded.    My heart was broken for Pam.  I saw my man sitting there in the chair and could not imagine life without him.  This is who I do life with.  I couldn't even imagine her pain.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

 I fear no evil; for Thou art with me;"

Psalm 23:4

 

This Friday (28th)  is Warren's birthday.  Elise and I love throwing a party.  Streamers, balloons, cupcakes.  So much so,  that when she was little, we would throw parties for her baby dolls.  The boys would ALWAYS roll their eyes.  I am sure now they wouldn't even participate.

We always ask Warren what he wants for his birthday.  His answer is always the same year to year.  Peace.  He wants peace.  On my birthday I want a piece of cake.  But no, all he wants is peace.  Peace?


So I began dwelling on what to REALLY get him this year. Peace just didn't seem like a gift.  I wanted something I could wrap up and put a bow on top.  Or better yet, throw in a bag with cute tissue paper. 

 It was during this time of planning that Gary passed away and I couldn't shake what Pam must be feeling.  Couldn't even begin to know.  As I was praying for the family, that gift request of Warren's  came to my mind.  Peace.  So that's what I prayed for the family.

Peace.  God's Peace.  Peace that surpasses all understanding.  Peace He leaves with us.  Peace in the midst of storms.  Peace in the land.  Peace in our lives.  Peace made in families.  Peace like a river.  Peace given by the Prince of Peace.  Peace with God.  Peace, Patience.., Peace through His blood.

Peace. 

He came to give us peace, to place peace in our homes, bind us together in peace, to be peace to us, give us peace of mind, multiply peace in our lives when we need it the most. 

Peace. 


Peace to seek, peace that guards our hearts, peace when we are far or near, Peace in a dark world, peace that is open to us, Peace and joy, perfect peace.

Peace.

As Elise and I plot out the final touches to his birthday week, we want to give Warren the best gift ever.  Maybe Razorback tickets?  A new razor?  A shirt?   IPhone 5?  Oh, he would love a truck!  Old or new!

But one thing is for sure, we could never give a better gift than God has already given His children.

Peace.

It is a gift that never ends.  Never gets old.  Never wears out.  Never misses a pass.  Never fades.  Never gets dents.  Never changes. 

It is a gift that gets us through life. It's what we will need to walk through this life.  It makes the joys complete and the hurts heal.  It's what binds families and faith. 

Peace. 

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you..." John 14:27

 

 

Happy Birthday to my favorite person on this earth. 

Overwhelmed that God would choose you to be my man!