Time Away

In three days my husband and I will be having some time away with each. This will actually make our second trip away this year for a weekend and leaving the Boo bear with his Nana and Papa. We are headed to Callaway Gardens. I have never been there, so I am actually very excited about the trip.
I gotta admit...we need the trip. It seems like right before we go on a trip away, the Lord starts working on us heavily about some things...this trip would be no different. We already keeping telling each other, 'we can talk about that this weekend...or let's address that this weekend'. I like knowing we can sit down, pray, not be interrupted and re-connect with each other. We feel the need to do that now more than ever. Please pray that as we enjoy each other's company this weekend, the Lord would speak to our hearts in a mighty way. I want more of you, Lord.

Enjoy Him today -

Karen

Closer to 100...

This post will be numbered as my 95th post! I can't really believe it!! I thought about doing a 101 in 1001* for my 101st post, but I honestly don't think I can come up with some specifics things that I want to do. Is that sad? I think I am afraid of failure. They would have to be God-inspired things and I don't know what He's going to have me do in the next 3 minutes, yet alone the next 3 years. I have some things on my heart that I would like to accomplish, and more importantly some things I want the Lord to accomplish in my life, but not some things I want to post to the whole world about. That's just my thoughts.

So, how is everyone? I tell you what...everyone is in a time of needing prayer right now. Do you feel that way? I sent out a prayer request to some of my dearest and closest friends and I got at least 6 emails back for them asking for prayer for their family and their needs. I had one friend of mine who commented at although we don't see each other often (she lives on the other side of the big city), we can still email each other and share our prayer concerns and trust that each other is lifting our family up to the Lord. That, my friends, is what I call, true friendship. I think the Lord is honored by that kind of friendship and I am even more honored that the Lord chose those women and I to be friends. It has been a true blessing.

If you are looking for a daily devotional online, you should check out Laced with Grace. The ladies on this website are incredible women of God and only want to give you the opportunity to allow God's word to transform your mind. Check them out!

Have a great Thursday!

Karen

*If you want to know more about 101 in 1001, you can Google it and you will find all sorts of people who have done a list and how it originated.

Tags: 101 in 1001, Devotional, Prayer

Pictures

I know. I know. It's been a while since I posted some pictures, so in an effort to appease my fan base, I now present to you...the boo on vacation.

This is Boo and Emma Grace at the mall about a month ago. Emma Grace's mommy is my friend Mandy at Mickey's Girls. Mandy and I have been friends since 1998 and some of the first memories I have of her are participating in Flags All Night at Six Flags. We later made a small group together with 3 other girls where my life grew with the Lord and changed drastically. We got married the same year and she moved to Texas right before my wedding. I got to visit her on Memorial Day weekend the following year in Austin. The next year Mandy got pregnant and as she was still waiting for Emma Grace to arrive I called to tell her I was expecting a little one as well. The day I found out I was going to have a C-section, I called Mandy, since she was already experienced and she helped walk me through an unknown time. Emma Grace and my boo are just under 8 months apart. I don't get to see Mandy that often, but when I do, it's like picking up right where we left off. This past weekend I got to see her again as we enjoyed the wedding of Jeremy's cousin, who is also the daughter of Mandy's parents best friends, and Mandy's daddy performed the ceremony. Did you all get all that???


READY FOR DISNEY! Here we are at my aunt's house and this kid is so ready for Disney World! He packed his own bag and wheeled it around till we left. He did the same thing at home before we left on the trip, but I didn't manage to capture it because I was too busy reasoning with him of why we could not leave at night, after his bag was packed, and why we had to wait till the morning to leave.


Greer Family at Disney! Here we are at the Magic Kingdom. The sky was so beautiful out that morning and that picture was taken approximately around 8:30 AM. I was up at 6:15 and started waking Jeremy, Boo and my mom a little after that. I couldn't sleep, so I figured no one else should either. hee hee. I think I was the most excited...although, after seeing some of the characters, maybe Boo was.


I DON'T WANT TO RIDE DUMBO! Yeah, too bad. I know, I probably should not have chose Dumbo for his first ride, but we were right there and he was so excited...and then, we had to stand in line for a few minutes and he got to watch it work, and then, he didn't want to ride it. Well, again, too bad...he pretty much cried the whole ride and then when we got off, he pulled a Kernie and said, That was fun! ARE YOU KIDDING? Fun for who is what I was thinking... Seriously, I didn't torture him or anything. He loved every ride after that.


EEYORE! Boo likes Eeyore and he was about the only character that he would take a picture with. The day before this when we were at Magic Kingdom, our camera stopped working right as we got to meet Mickey Mouse. Fear not, we have a picture taken by the professionals.


The vacation did not end at Disney...we spent some good time with family and Papaw came to see us!!! We all went out on my grandfather's boat and my dad (Papaw) is showing Boo about fishing. Jeremy is overseeing.

We had a really wonderful time on vacation. It's hard to believe a month has almost passed since we were down there. Boo is changing so much and learning masses amount of information at a time. Everyday he comes home with more statements and questions that sometimes I don't have answers for! :) I love that his little brain is soaking up lots of information.

Hope everyone is enjoying the day today, whether rainy or sunny, it's always a great day in the Lord!

In Him-

Karen

Hear My Praise, Oh Lord!

From the mountains to the valleys
Hear our Praises
Rise to You
From the heavens to the nations
Hear our Singing
Fill the air

Hear Our Praises by Hillsong United

Sunday night was a time of reflection and worship by the choir at our church. It was an amazing experience and as always, the Lord did not disappoint. The choir was full and the testimonies were filled with richness of the Lord. "Somebody's Praying Me Through" was the title of the night and as I sat and listened to the songs, to the testimonies of God's great power and love, I was in awe yet again. I lifted my hands to worship during the song above because I wanted my praise to rise to Him. I got the image of me standing on a mountain and raising my hands in reverance to Him.
Keeping in the spirit of song and worship, we got Chris Tomlin's new CD, See the Morning on Friday night. It's been less than a week, and I think I already have overplayed it...well, maybe not overplayed, but it sure is getting used. We got the Special Edition, since we wanted to extra songs and oh my...so worth it! In fact, songs 11-14 are my new favorites. To give you an idea of how much I have listened to them...the boo bear knows the words to Song 12, Enough. He says, with much joy, "God is more than enough for us!" I agree whole heartedly. The Lord is absolutely more than enough for me. Whatever He gives me in life, well, it's more than enough. I don't really deserve anything, none of us do...we are sinners; but the grace and love of Jesus Christ and most importanly His blood on the cross, that's enough...it's more than enough. It's the ultimate in enough.
It's been a wild year for us...and I predict the Lord has more great things in store in the coming year. It was a year ago this week that I came home from a week long hospital stay for complications with my gallbladder. I sometimes can re-live the absolute pain and recovery that I made. I honestly thought I was dying. I went a whole week without seeing my son and it was the most heartbreaking thing ever when I came home and he still wasn't too sure about me. It took him quite a few days to allow me to do things for him again. The months following that I began losing my hair because of the trauma to my body and all the medications I had taken. My hair was the one thing I really loved and it was gone. I cried once over it. After that, I gave it to Him. After all, God knew the number I had on my head, so He obviously knew the number I didn't have. :) I lost 50% of my hair by the time it was all over. My dermatologist assured me it would come back over time, and a year later, it is mostly all back and all curly again. It is truly a gift from the Lord. See, all during those months, the Lord was assuring me that He was in control, and I was learning to trust Him step by step to bring fruition to those things He started in me.
Around that same time, the Lord called me back to work. I wasn't thrilled about it, but I knew I needed to do it for my family. I felt Him telling me to locate a center for David first and then He would provide the job. As I sent my resume out, I looked at places to keep David around the places to work. I found a great church that has a full-time program and I just knew that was going to be the place for us. The job I got allows me to drop David off there and pick him up on my way home. It was not easy to leave him each day. I missed him, but I didn't let it show at work. I am in a position that I never thought I would be in and they hired be because of my faith. Because I am a pastor's wife. On the retreat I took with my office in August, it confirmed to me that God allowed me to be in this position for a reason. They had interviewed for months for this job and all that time, God was working on my heart, renewing my strength in Him, and getting me ready for these tasks. I don't know how long God will keep me here, but I do know that I am forever changed by the people I have met.
When I was little, the Lord created in me a desire for music. Now, I am not musically inclined, and I don't think I sing all that well (I can keep beat and on key, but that's about it). But all those years ago, he instilled that purpose in me...when I accepted Christ, He began working on that purpose of worshipping Him. The Lord can speak to me through a song in a matter of seconds. My hearts enjoys worshipping and singing praises to Him. I am so amazed at how worshipping Him can change my outlook and attitude on something so quickly.

Hear my praise, Oh Lord! Hear the cry of your child. I love you. Thank you for instilling in me a purpose to worship You and the reason why I worship You. May my life sing the praises of Your name and Your renown.

Over at Faith Lifts the girls are talking about Purpose this month. If you get a chance and you want to chat about Purpose in Life, What is God's Purpose?, What is my own Purpose?, etc., you should click on over there. I promise it will inspire you to dig deeper in your life and pursue all God has to offer you.

In Christ-
Karen

Tags: Chris Tomlin, Faith Lifts, Purpose, Worship

Faith Builder

The girls at 5 Minutes for Mom came up with an idea of building our faith and I have been an active reader for the weeks since it started and today I decided to participate. The discussion question is a great one, plus I had the most incredible worship experience last night, so I want to share share share!

Discussion: What does it mean for our hearts to start beating more and more like God’s? How could this change the way the world sees Christianity?
And then the big one:
When it comes to church, what do you think God has in mind?

My heart to beat more like the Lord's? Oh, I have said those words a hundred times in the last few days. Lord, you truly are more than enough for me. The Pastor posed a great question yesterday during his sermon. "How can I love the Lord and be a follower of Him and not be concerned for the lost?" WOW! That opened my eyes just a little wider. What have I done lately for the lost? What lost person have I loved, talked with, shared Christ with? I believe the Lord absolutely wants us to be concerened over the lost. That was the heart of His ministry. He came to seek and save the lost. My heart needs to be more aligned with Him in that facet. On Saturday, my family and I got up to go work at the local school planting flowers and helping clean up their outside classroom. It was an incredible experience for the three of us and yes, even the little boo-bear got his hands dirty helping Jeremy and I plant some flowers. His allergies were acting up all over the place, but he was a trooper getting down in the dirt, planting and shoveling...it was really a sight. One lady I worked with pulling weeds asked me if we had children there at the school. I said No. She asked, "So you just came out here to work and volunteer." I kindly replied, "Yes". She was amazed. Praise be to God! I enjoyed pulling those weeds, and I know my dad is reading this thinking...she kills plants for a living, don't let her near your flowers!! :) HA! Later that night when David was reciting His verse about loving our neighbors as ourselves, we explained to him that working at the school was just a small part of loving your neighbors. It was a hands on experience that we could teach our son. It was showing Him just a small glimpse of God's heart. It certainly challenged me to desire the Lord's heart more and to open my eyes more to the opportunities we have to be serving.

I would like to think in my finite mind that if the world saw the compassion and love of Christians that it would shake their world, but the fact is they see more Christians not acting Christ-like than anything else. Jesus never gave up doing the will of His father, so we, as followers of Him, should not give up either. If you can show one person God's Love, then isn't it worth it?

The last question is a tough one. I think the Lord wants His bride (the church) to honor Him. I see lots of ways the church does not honor Him, but that's only my perspective and my view. The church absolutely has to adopt the heart of Christ to function well. If the church isn't on their knees, seeking how to be more like Him and serve Him, then the pursuit is after our own agenda. I don't have a lot of answers on how to combat pride and how to make the people tithe and how to please everyone in regards to worship, but I do know that the Lord is pleased by the worship of His people. He blesses those who are obedient. He pursues the hearts of those who are not in His flock. He challenges the weak to be strong. And He loves. He loved us with His life and we ought to fall on our faces on just that fact alone. The church won't run perfectly until the Lord comes back, so we should entrust the men God has called to pastor and lead the church and go from there. Our former pastor said, "Trust God, and leave all the consequences to Him." I love that!

I hope you enjoy the others at Faith Builders today!

In Christ-

Karen

P.S. - I will write later about my worship experience. :)

Tags: Faith Builders

I'm BACK!

I AM BACK! I HAVE RETURNED!
Did you miss me? Awww, come on, be honest. You did! :) ha. I was on vacation last week and this week, what's my excuse? Well, actually, sickness. The kind where you think your body is actually going to explode from all the pressure building in your head, yeah. That kind of sickness. Both Jeremy and I had it and we suspect Boo had it before us, while we were on vacation and then gave it to us on vacation and so we could come home and finish it out. Thanks boo. No, really, thanks. hee hee.
Oh my goodness...so, where do I begin? Disney? Okay, good, that's my favorite part of last week.
Disney - It rocked. The Magic Kingdom was awesome and we enjoyed two other days at MGM. Why MGM you ask? Well, my bosses' gave me 6 tickets and we didn't know what we were able to use them on until we checked in to our hotel. So, on Tuesday when we checked in we threw our stuff in the hotel room and headed to MGM, the only place the tickets were good for. David, who was running a slight fever by this time, managed to take it all in and enjoy himself. Disney Playhouse was our savior and he could have watched that all day. We saw some characters and he even ate some pizza and played games. I was amazed at him. He did such a good job. On Wednesday, we took in the sights and sounds and rides of the Magic Kingdom. It. Was. AWESOME!!!! No lines. No waiting. Just FUN. We all had a great time. He rode Dumbo with me. We all rode the Teacups. He met Mickey at his house, which was so nice and Mickey even kissed me on the cheek. :) He drove the Race cars, shot the green men on Buzz Lightyear, watched the parade with all the characters, ate wonderfully, sang "It's a Small World" when we got off the ride (priceless, I tell ya, just priceless!!!), saw Peter Pan and Pirates, Pooh and all his friends, and so much more. One word? AWESOME. We can't wait for next year, as Jeremy is already planning.
Vacation with the family - Always an Adventure. We got to see a lot of my family while down in Orlando. My dad came over for the day. My grandfather got to see David and do lots of high-fives with him. We got to ride on the boat (although, by then, I was sick and didn't feel great at all). I got to see my grandmother in the nursing home, which was hard, but definately needed for me. The family has a lot of stuff going on right now. If you get a chance and the Lord reminds you, say a prayer for my family, from grandparents and their health, to all my aunts and uncles and dad, to all the grandchildren.

In Christ-
Karen