The Dean's List!

Victoria has just finished up her freshman year of college!  The year just flew by.  We are so proud of her.  She worked hard to earn her scholarship to SIUE!  And she worked hard her first year - making the Dean's List!  Hooray for Victoria Hope!

And while I am celebrating her - during the Spring semester she got a fun new haircut.  Here are a few shots for you to see.  Isn't she beautiful?

The Story of a Verse

This Spring Steve and I attended a Redemption Group with a group of people from Trailhead Church. Haven't heard of them?  They are "an intense small group that digs deep into difficult and seldom-discussed areas of life, such as abuse, addiction, and trials of all sorts".  If you don't know anything about Redemption Groups check out the website here:  www.redemptiongroups.com.  We had a long, but rewarding weekend.  Something really cool happened that I thought I might share.

Groups are divided into men's and women's and Steve and I had much different experiences.  We both were excited to hear what the Lord wanted to show us through our interactions with the other participants.  Being an introvert it was a very long few days, with lots of people time.  I often strugglee to hear God in groups.  One evening near the end of the weekend my leader gave me the chance to sit quietly and be alone.  In that moment God very clearly spoke to me.  He sent me to Isaiah 30:15!  I rejoiced in my few moments of quiet time alone with His Word.  Then went off to see Steve before dinner.  He had just sat while his group prayed over him.  One man in particular prayed a verse over Steve.  You'll never guess - Isaiah 30:15!!  How glorious of God to give us the same verse almost exactly at the same time and yet call out something different in that verse to each of us.  Isn't God glorious?

So I leave you with Isaiah 30:15

For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel,
“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
But you were unwilling,
                                                                                ~ESV

Esther-palooza 2012!!

Wow!  My second-born is turning 17.  I can hardly believe it.  Esther-palooza is a month long celebration of that very fact.  It began a little early this year with Esther's prom.  Here are some picture of our beautiful vintage woman.  Check her out!

 Esther always has a very distinct idea of how she wants to look.  And she is VERY frugal.  So we had to combine both of those factors to come up with a look she was happy with!  Not an easy task.  She found a dress that would work - for $5 at a Goodwill shop.  Then she found the accessories to accomplish the look she wanted - lace gloves, a lace flower for her hair and a pearl bracelet to match her pearl necklace that her dad had given her last year.  We took the dress apart, cut off the train and about ten inches of the length, added some lace, and ta-da!!  Great vintage look.  Total cost:  $27.  

She borrowed cool peep-toe champagne patent leather heels from her aunt.  That lasted about 20 minutes - long enough to get a few shots and decide comfort was more important!!  So she pulled out her all time favorite Vans - and the look is complete.

 This is my favorite shot of the night!!  The perfect Esther photo!

Can't wait to see what else Esther-palooza brings this year.

My Dad

We celebrate my dad in the month of April.  He turned 68 this year.  He doesn't seem 68.  Today I looked at a few wedding pictures - of me and him.  He does look older when I see it in pictures... but every day I see him he seems the same.  Look!

That look in the picture on the right is one of my favorites!!  This is him now.  Isn't he handsome?

I cannot begin to describe to you how grateful I am for both of my parents.  I know without a doubt that they are one of the most amazing blessings I have been given.  As I celebrate my dad, I am grateful for all the ways that he has molded me.  He has instilled in me a deep love for the gospel.  I have watched him fight for the truth of Scripture since I can remember.  He loves the Word of God.  What a gift to all of our family!  He has given us a heritage that will be seen for generations - witnesses who will testify to the goodness of God long after my dad is gone.  

I can remember being little and Dad sitting beside me on my bed as I cried and cried, overcome with worry about who knows what subject - school or snakes or sisters!  He patiently answered each of my questions and helped me to learn to trust God's sovereignty.  I have so many favorite moments:  thinking I was gonna die giving birth to Victoria - and Dad standing at the foot of my bed saying "This too shall pass."; crying together for hours the day before I got married  because I would be moving from Kentucky all the way to California; hiking in the Smokey Mountains thinking a bobcat was going to get me; the joy of hearing him explain the gospel to my children, the list goes on!  

Dad is one of the hardest workers that I know.  He has also given me a love of gardening... not that I will ever be able to keep up with him!  But I find pleasure in it.  I am thankful for what I have learned from him about it.  

How can you describe your dad in one short space?  I can't.  But I know the I love him so very much, just like I love my mom.  I love to watch how both of my parents love each other.  It brings me comfort and joy and hope.  Thanks be to God for this beautiful gift.  Happy birthday, Dad.  

St. Patrick's Day Movie

Well, I have been sick on and off for four days... so my plans for the day are limited. But I am oh so tempted by this:

The Quiet Man is one of my all time favorite movies. It is beautifully filmed and directed by John Ford. The stars, Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne, are perfectly cast. I highly recommend you watch it - tonight at the Wildey if you can! Here's the official movie trailer:

But be warned! This film is pretty controversial. Listen to an Irishman explain it. This is Gabriel Byrne talking about the film and its passion, controversy, stereo-types, and importance.

As you watch, pay particular attention to the music. It will stick with you. And there are many memorable lines. Look out for these:

"Who gave you leave to be kissing me?"

"What manner of man have I married?"

"No playing patty-fingers in the holy water!"

"I'm no gal to be honked at and come a-runnin'"

"Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of havin me own things about me"

Let me know what you think!

My Mom, Birthdays, and Basketball Memories

Happy birhtday to my mom! She is 64 today - 20 years older than I am. We were reminiscing about Kentucky Basketball this week. It may mean nothing to you, but this is the 20th anniversary of "the shot" - the game winning shot by Christian Laettner which gave Duke the last second win over Kentucky in the NCAA tourney in March of 1992. I remember that night so clearly. We were all sitting in the living room of the house I grew up in in Kentucky. We were getting ready to celebrate another Kentucky win - until Laettner, with 2.1 seconds left, shot that nightmare shot. All these years later you can go to a UK game and see "I Still Hate Laettner" t-shirts. We haven't forgotten.

As we talked about that night my mom reminded Steve and I that she had just turned 44 - which is how old I will be soon! It was a strange thought to look back and see her then and look at myself now. She was so young! Man, I was so young!! I was pregnant with Victoria. Oh so long ago and yet some days it seems like just yesterday. This year I can watch Kentucky basketball and the NCAA tourney with my mom and my daughter - who herself is almost 20. My brain cannot fathom this! We have all changed. It is a beautiful thing. My mom is a beautiful woman. I can only begin to describe her to you in a few short sentences. She is a servant who loves the Lord Jesus Christ first and foremost. She loves and serves her family faithfully and

self-sacrificially. She has taught me much about caring for others, community, cooking, being a wife, being a mom, and growing in my faith. She and Dad are both such blessings to me and my family. I am grateful!!

It was fun to talk about "the old days" and look back and remember how thankful I was for Mom then. But little did I know that the older I get the more thankful I would become for her - and for dad. I love them both! So, for Mom's birthday, let me celebrate her! I thank God for the gift He has given me.

I have shared this Wendell Berry quote before, but I will share it again. This expresses how I feel about my mom: "As I went about my work then as a young woman, and still now when I am old, Grandmam has been often close to me in my thoughts. And again I come to the difficulty of finding words. It is hard to say what it means to be at work and thinking of a person you loved and love still who did that same work before you and who taught you to do it. It is a comfort ever and always, like hearing the rhyme come when you are singing a song."

Growing Up and Becoming a Man...

Well, my youngest just turned 13. I am partly in denial. And partly, I am so proud of him I just can't stand it! God has blessed us with three amazing kiddos that are growing into three amazing adults. When I look at the girls I am just so excited for them and the things they are getting to do and learn and experience. They are becoming independent and growing into women who are smart and talented and in some ways wise beyond their years. Isaac is just beginning on that road himself.

Today he and I talked about all the "lectures" (his word, not mine!) that I have been giving him over the years. We have tried to prepare him to be an adult who isn't afraid of work and who knows that "the world doesn't revolve around you!". Steve and I try to help Him figure out how the gospel speaks to who he is in Christ and what his actions should be.

This week I have been struck by the magnitude of one of the battles quickly approaching: pornography. Yuck. All wives fear it. But mothers - I hadn't realized that I would fear it more as a mother than a wife! We have discussed it (insert thankfulness here for Steve - most of this falls on him!) and avoided certain video games and prepared him for conversations with friends. But even a quick trip to the grocery store reminds me of what is waiting for him right around the corner. And it makes me angry - but more so it makes me worry. What's a mom to do?

A mom is to have hope! The God who gave Isaac to us has also loved and cherished and fought for his heart way more than I have ever even dreamed I could. This is another opportunity for me to trust. Can I trust God in this moment? Absolutely! I am reminded of the quote "Trust in Allah, but tie up your camel" Obviously we are doing our best to prepare and equip him! We will continue to pray for him. But in the end I have to entrust my son to the

God who can protect him.

Equally important, I think, is the community of men who are walking alongside Isaac. Not only does he have a dad who is fighting for him and a grandpa who prays faithfully for him, but he also has a group of men who are looking out for him.

All these things give me hope. My heart is happy and hopeful! Here's to trusting that we as a community can send out young men who do not have to lose this battle!