My Precious Girl

My Precious Girl,

There are many thoughts I want to share with you, as you are hard at work growing inside me. As the days draw nearer to your arrival, the emotions I feel are too numerous to count. I lie awake at night imagining your features and I wonder if the baby in my dreams even comes close to who you really are. I don’t know the color of your hair and I have yet to see the depth of your character. I’m clueless as to which foods you prefer or even how you enjoy spending your time. I am unsure of your name (and I promise we are working on this!) But let me tell you what I do know to be true.

You are meant to be here Sweet Thing. God ordained you to come at your appointed time to this generation. As I type He is knitting your tiny body together. But before He even began that work, He knew you. He dreamt your specific purpose. And just as He made your little heart start beating, He will carry out His good work in your life. You are fearfully, and wonderfully made in the image of the Maker of heaven and earth. His love for you reaches farther than ours for you ever could. He is crazy about you!

The world will try to convince you otherwise. Part of the reason I’ve loved being pregnant with you is that as I go from here to there, facing the reality of the world, I know you have been safe and sound. But very soon, you will be here and forced to face its challenges yourself. Life will not be easy Baby Girl. You will fall down and I won’t be there to pick you up. But it’s only then that you will learn to stand up again. As you go through life there will be activities undeserving of your time, clothes unfit for your character and boys unworthy of your heart. People will try to persuade you that the source of your worth is found outside of your Creator. At times the storm of lies can cause you to lose sight of Him. Never forget He is the only way and He is the only truth. He overcame the world; you better believe He can overcome cliques, gossip and jealousy!

As your parents, we are committed to you. When we first saw your little bean shape, Precious Girl, not only was it love at first sight, it was a wake up call. I’ve discovered it’s when we’re head over heels in love that we need to be planted in the Word the most. I can’t wait to introduce you to Barbies and musicals and mint chocolate chip ice cream. But most of all, I can’t wait to introduce you to Jesus. Following Him isn’t the greatest part of life, it is life! I don’t want to tell you what living for Him is like, I want to show you. (And it is fabulous!!) I’ve never done this Mom-thing before Baby Girl. My inexperience and flawed nature will lead me to make mistakes. Be confident that just as God will mold you more and more into a woman after His heart, He is doing the same to me! We are praying for His wisdom. There will be times when Dad and I make a hard decision. And you will be so mad at us, you could spit. There may be slammed doors echoing throughout the house. You are a blessing Sweet Thing, a reward to us. Raising you is part of our calling and we will not take it lightly.

Well Baby Girl, my eyes are getting tired. But know that my heart is full. As I say to your Daddy almost daily, “The anticipation is killing me!” But Jesus has a little more work to do in us before your arrival. God has an incredible calling for you. It will take sacrifice but it will be worth it. So rest well Baby, rest well.

Mom

showered

A couple of weekends ago, Danny and I were able to go back to Missouri to lead a retreat Danny started five years ago. (How can that be??) While we were there we had a baby shower! One of my mom's best friends Linda, her daughter Brandy and my sweet sister were the gracious hostesses. We had a fabulous time, and were completely showered by everyone who came. The best part by far was seeing all of our friends and family. Being away from them is by far the hardest part of going where God leads. Because for now, His anointing for us is so far away from them! Thank you, thank you to everyone who braved the snow to come and celebrate with us. I had such a sweet time of fellowship that I wasn't able to take any pictures until the very end. Here are just a couple we took as we were cleaning up.








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preparing for baby

As I type this, it's almost February 22. We officially have two more months until baby's due date and we are feeling the anticipation of her arrival to say the least. We have kicked it into high gear since we got back into town. Whether it's cleaning out her closet, inquiring about day school, or catching up on laundry, our house has been the backdrop of feet scurrying from here to there and minds fixated on the unknown of her impending arrival. Our conversations span the "what if" spectrum as we try to imagine everything from what she'll look like in her new swimsuit to how much she'll enjoy watching the Royals with her dad. And the emotions, (or more likely, the hormones) are just as varied. Sometimes I crack up at how clueless I am about becoming a mom and then there are the moments where I'm on the verge of freaking out. For example, some of these baby outfits are impossible to figure out! Is it a play outfit or jammies? How in the world can you tell when everything is a one piece? This poor baby's incompetent mother could very well be taking her to church in clothes intended only for the privacy of her crib! Tonight Danny and I went to this meeting at church called "Saving for Your Child's College Education." We learned in 18 years the average cost of four years at a state school will be $170,000. That's enough to wear any pregnant woman out. I'm going to bed now. :)

happy valentines day!!

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
John 13:34-35

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:8

"The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving kindness."
Jeremiah 31:3

"The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love."
Psalm 103:8

"Praise be to God who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!"
Psalm 66:20

"How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings."
Psalm 36:7

"But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation."
Psalm 13:5

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:38-39

Had to add a picture of my valentine. How'd I land such a looker?? :)

baby's room

Well, we've made it to the third trimester and I think it's safe to say my nesting has officially taken over. Last weekend my mom and my brother came for a visit and went straight to work on Baby's room. I've been cleaning her room out for the past month because before we found out she was on the way, it served as the office/junk/storage for anything- that- doesn't- have- a- place room. You know that one room in your house that when people come over, you just close the door and pray they don't ask what's in there. :) Anyways, it got a serious make-over this past weekend when Nana and Uncle Bubby painted the entire thing! They did a fabulous job, and I still can't believe how good it looks. Hope you enjoy the pics!!

Whoa belly!


Bubby taping the room.


Hard at work!


She can't be a Nana!


All done. What do you think?


Even she made the trip. :)

ministry thoughts

The God of Glory has called you.
You have a ministry.
In Christ, you are enough for that ministry.
Never forget that showing God off is your ministry.
No matter what, keep your heart in your ministry.
Unveil your face and serve others with authenticity.
Always remember that the power is in God's Presence.
Let nothing come between you and intimacy with God.
Keep moving forward from glory to glory.
Let God thin that veil.
Remember, ministry is not about position.
It's about people.
Let name after name be written on your heart.
Do not seek great things for yourself, seek a great God.
As you leave this place, go in a fresh anointing.
He who turns water into wine turns wimps into warriors.
You have a ministry.
Go fulfill it.
~Beth Moore

I love, love, LOVE this. I have it hanging in my office right behind my computer so that I see it everyday. It would be equally appropriate to be hanging in my car, or on my bathroom mirror or written right on my hand. It is so easy for me to get caught up, discouraged and sidetracked in the details of ministry on a daily basis. Feelings get hurt, communication gets jumbled. So often I find myself caught up in the storms blowing around me that I lose sight of the One who has called me to ministry in the first place...the One who makes ministry possible. Danny says to people all the time that ministry is some of the best times in life and some of the hardest. A wise teacher once told me that there will always be challenges in ministry. (Amen!) But she thinks that's how God arranges things so that we'll never be tempted to love ministry more than we'll love Him. After a year and a half, I've come to agree with her. And not only do ministry struggles create a deeper longing for God, but they develope a complete dependence on Him. Praise God that while He calls all of us to be ministers for Him, He is the One who does the work!

"You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant- not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."
2 Corinthians 3:3-6

go tigers!!!!

I am so proud to be a Tiger. Danny and I spent the last four days in Dallas for seminary classes and for the Cotton Bowl, and it was fun!!! It's so cool (and humbling!) how God blesses us out of nowhere. Danny had a ticket hook up through a mutual friend and when he gave the man our check the guy ripped it up and said giving us the tickets was going to be his good deed for the day...well actually for the year. :) Then he told Dan to have fun and study hard in seminary school. Isn't that crazy?!? The seats were amazing and we ended up sitting right behind a friend from college. The weather was bea-u-tiful and we cheered our hearts out. Our tigers played so well (go Tony Temple!!)...it was a great day to be wearing black and gold. The trip was extra special for us because it'll be our last little vacation before baby gets here. (Bless her heart, the poor thing still doesn't have a name.)