Peachtree Road Race 2012

This year Doug and I decided to sign up for the Peachtree Road Race again.... Last year it was a great group we went with  :) BUT this this year was a little different... little group BUT the Lord knew exactly how this year would pan out! it ended up being Doug, Alexis, Stephanie and Bowen.... they had a blast and it was Alexis' 1st 10 k... she ran the entire course except for the water stops!, sooooo proud of her and her drive that the Lord has given her!.... she ran it in 1:04:25 In her age group(14 and under) she was 113 of 953.... she was happy and so were we!...

Before........

After............

on the medal stand!

hoping the silence is over... HOPING!!!

as I said in my previous post the Lord had me in a very much be still place, you know kinda like a desert place...if he has ever taken you there then you know EXACTLY how I was feeling... lonely ... not knowing what was God is doing, not really sharing whats "really" on your heart, just a place of set apartness... is that really even a word, probably not but for me it will be!... the last blog i posted was May 28, sooooooooo many things have transpired through this LONG silence.....
lets start.... with the thankful list...

121.Finished school
122.beach trip
123.spend the nights
124. Doug and his drive to be more Christ like
125. Alexis and her inner beauty
126. surprising Doug at work for his birthday
127. Lori and our friendship
128. seeing two ladies from 1st Methodist tonight at church.. love you Jo and Ms. Dee
129. kiddos playing at the playground last night
130.worship songs
131. sitting under Doug while on break in youth
132. getting to keep Jeremiah for Todd and Jen
133.homeschooling
134. spaghetti with the Hendrix's today
135. catching up on Michele's blog
136 not freaking out when I saw an up close snake LOL
137. running with Stephanie on a Sunday morning before church
138. HIS GRACE
139. Caleb taking lanes punishment for himself  , much like Jesus did
140. adoptions that are done!
141. messages from friends LONG ago and saying that my words have encouraged them!
142. heart of Julie... making flowers
143. Jen G loving on my Caleb  like one of her own
144.  van with 250,000 miles and still running
145. mom who listens to me even when she thinks I am CRAZY!
146. sewing machine
147. Christina and her heart to be a servant
148. water
149. toilets that are unclogged
150. pastor that is challenging me to examine my heart

One of things that God has revealed to me while coming out of the desert is that he will get you where he wants you!...  back in January of this year I worked at a conference called Passion, many of you may be familiar, but I needed something to carry my wallet and a purse was just too big so I made a bag (sling) to take... well we got there and several people made comments about it and ask where I got it and I said I made it and they all said you need to sell those... well that was not gonna happen....kiddos, school, activities, church, friends, etc... when would I have anytime to do this!... wellllllll one of the ways i used these bags was to give as presents to my girls friends for birthdays , etc... well about 1 month ago someone ask me about them and I started saying that I made them for the girls and after that conversation I said this sounds sooooo stupid!!!!  does this have anything to do with HIM?? Does this GLORIFY HIM??  and of course to some degree the girls loved them and they carried there bibles in them.... sooooo the Lord kept impressing on my heart bags for HIS GLORY... NOT MINE!!!....sooo many of you know that my heart is VERY moved toward discipleship so how could these bags be used....and then he revealed to me the plan.. HIS PLAN!!!  discipleship ready bags to sell here and ALL money go to missions AND bags to go on mission trips.... YES!!! thank you GOD for revealing this to me and then you RECEIVE GLORY!!!!.... the name is SOUL BAGS and as of right now 15 bags for Brazil, 100 for Uganda, and don't know the number yet for China!.. AMEN!

be still.....

God sure has a way of sending you to a place where he wants you...

 I have not only been very busy with end of the year activities, but just getting back from a sweet camping at the beach mini vacation.... I feel like my head is spinning most days....

I have lately been ask the question "where are you at in the adoption process?" and simply my answer is God has us in this waiting place.. NOT quite sure why but he pretty much has me in the be still place... for those who know me that is not easy as my life with 4 kiddos, husband, dogs, cat, commitments, etc, I have the life of go, go, go... although God has been doing a work in me on that as well~! 

I want to reveal so much of what the Lord has been doing but again he has me in this stillness! Doug and I are praying through so much and all we want to do is be obedient!. We want our  life to reflect Jesus.. That means being fully obedient to the Father! what does that look like?? We are becoming so much closer to getting our house on the market .. obedience! We are praying ... obedience!  Scrubbing the scriptures....obedience! 

As I even write getting the house on the market... I say Lord if it is YOUR will! Whether it sells or not.. AMEN! 

I know he has plans for us.. BIG plans...What does it look like?? I wish I had the puzzle pieces already put together BUT if that were the case then I would not be depending and leaning on HIM! so as you feel lead please pray for us, that we would be obedient! and still! until he reveals what HIS plans are for us!

In Christ,

Angela

6 + 4= FUN!

This past week Caleb had testing so I would take him to the Greenwoods each morning and drop him off and pick up 3 greenwood kiddos!... It was a FUN week and we had a great time making crafts, making "shows", and overall just having fun!.. On Wednesday Jen needed to go to a meeting so I kept all the kiddos for her and I got some great shots of the kids having fun together... memories to last a lifetime!

He was chosen!

Praise be to God that he chose our son,  to be adopted into the forever family! It was a beautiful night about 4 months ago ... Alexis came down saying that Caleb was crying and that God had been stirring in Caleb's heart, so Caleb came down just BROKEN!... we ask what was wrong and he said he was broken by his sin and that God wanted him to live for HIM!... it was about 10 o'clock at night and so we calmed him, prayed with him and that night he repented and believed!... what a GLORIOUS night that was!.. we wanted to be certain that this was a heart change, we wanted to see fruit in his life because scripture says:
 
1 Cort 5:17&18   Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

you will be different, you will look different, you are a NEW person!

we wanted to see a new Caleb and so we did!... he took the new Christians class at church and we knew that he was ready for baptism. so months later he was ready to profess to the world that Jesus was his Lord and Savior!  It was beautiful as my sweet husband baptized him with PRECIOUS words... made lots of people water their eye! I wish I would have had it on tape :) I did not but I will remember those words "this is my boy" and "I am proud of the son God gave us"..



sweet memories that day!

weekend breakdown.....

wowzers it has been a weekend... FULL but BLESSED!!!!  Friday we started with a packed day, we had field day at Lanes school .....................  the big kiddos helped on the blow up slide , Lane did her activities and I seemed to have chased Andrew EVERYWHERE, but he is at that age and I will LOVE this stage :) we then headed home to get some "rest" because Alexis had a soccer game later that evening!... That girl LOVES soccer and so thankful that God has given given her that ability to play! so we had her game she scored and it ended up being 1-1... all the while we were at the game Lane was having a BLAST at my nieces birthday party it was a spend the night and with 7 year olds the level of noise was pretty loud I'm sure!... Saturday as we were getting ready for Alexis' soccer game we got the call it was forfeited by the other team... shew.. I have to admit I was thankful we needed to get some MUCH needed work around the house to get it on the market so we headed to McDonough to get some groceries (Aldi) my NEW FAVORITE store! got back and got busy.. we got so much done and we are one step closer! we then piled in the living room that night and Doug made his "famous" popcorn and we watched Rango.. not my favorite movie.. we actually stopped it :( slept like a rock that night and ahhhh Sunday... great day in the Lords house, love being with my Faith family that  encourages, holds me accountable, challenges and loves me, ohhh how if you are not in a church like this oh what you are missing out on! we can't walk this walk with Christ alone, He never meant for you too! we need those other believers to walk with us in the good and bad times of life!... I am thankful to be on this journey of life for HIS glory!... I loved what Brother Don said " we have a beginning date (birth) and an end date(death) what really counts is the dash! What are we doing to spread is name, are we taking care of the poor, do you look different than the world, are you in Love with our Lord??? love each one of you reading!


Angela

Mug for the camera...

often times when I download the pictures on the computer I can usually see who has been tampering with the camera!... well..... it was Alexis!.. I have seen these pictures and it has reminded me of the purity in her, she is a loving, caring , sensitive, smart, eager to please, nurturing and servants heart child of the most High God!... I love her so much and I am so excited to see how the Lord will use her as she gets older, I admit it is a hard spot to be in when the Lord says he will use your children, some may go overseas into a volatile area where professing Christ will get you killed, and with all that I know I am suppose to raise her up to go!.. 
we tend to want to play it safe but I am to raise her to go........ the question becomes IS HE WORTH IT!... yes, yes, yes.... 

not sure what the Lord has for her but I know I can't fail at my job to raise her to go.......



Matthew 28:19-20
New International Version (NIV)
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”




I just LOVE this girl!