Happy 85th Birthday, Granny!!

Updates are lacking...these will come in threes!

This year marked the 85th year of my sweet Granny's life. She is such a gift to our family and we all gathered for a big, family celebration of this momentous birthday. In honor of my Granny, I want to share with you some of the things I love most about her:

• She has the most tender heart of anyone I know. We joke that if there were still professional mourners, my Granny would have a very successful career! Granny is known to cry during Oprah, commercials, tender moments, birthday celebrations, and many other things. When my grandpa retired from preaching, their church gave her a towel that was monogrammed as her "Crying Towel." I like to think I get my tender heart from her. While mine is not AS tender as hers, I know that years of living life, loving and losing those that are close to her have made my Granny the sensitive woman she is and I LOVE her for that!
  
• My Granny loves to dance! Granny loves her some Michael Buble and tells anyone who will listen that "He is sexy!" She out-danced her first Michael Buble CD and needed a new one to dance to. When Aimee and Luke got married, she informed our friends at a shower that "she would be the one dancing at the reception." Well, she made no exception for our wedding. One of my favorite memories of our wedding day was seeing Granny come out to the dance floor, grab Jon's hands, and jive her way into everyone's heart. In fact, here's a picture that totally captures that moment (taken by Marks Moore):

• I love Granny's sense of humor and zeal for life. Even at 85, she knows how to crack some pretty funny jokes and laughs often. Last spring, she travelled to Hawaii with my grandpa, uncle, and aunt. I mean, really! I hope I'm living my life to the fullest when I'm her age.

We had a wonderful time celebrating her birthday and don't you worry...I took lots of pictures! Here they are!

Granny, Mom, and Claire

Showing off her singing card...to whom, you ask?

Why, to her great grandson, Austin, of course! 

He shares her love for dancing. They danced together.

Here she is with said "Michael Buble CD." Don't be 

fooled by her serious face...she takes him very seriously!

My cousin, Jill, gave Granny 85 one-dollar-bills.

I mean, who doesn't want to fan their face with 

that kind of stack? 

Granny, we love you and are so grateful for your presence, love, and encouragement in our lives. As dad prayed, here's to 85 more years with our sweet Granny!!

You Are For Me

Do you ever find yourself in awe of God's graciousness? Tonight has been one of those nights for me...realizing the abounding grace that God continually pours upon my life. I am so undeserving, yet so grateful because without it I would be a mess!

As many of you know, Jon and I are on the brink of making important decisions. I find that when I think too hard on what might lie ahead, I become overwhelmed and fearful, and don't even know where to begin to prepare myself for said decisions. I have realized that when I become overwhelmed and fearful, I make myself a prime target for Satan. It's in these moments that I forget that God is for me. As Jon said in his blog about the sovereignty of God, He desires my ultimate good. What more could I ask for?

I've found myself clinging to a few verses, using them to remind me of the graciousness, faithfulness, and loyalty of the Lord. 

Isaiah 58:11, "And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong. You will be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail."

Psalm 33:20-22, "Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you."

I am encouraged that wherever I am in life, the Lord is guiding me and will satisfy my desires. As my soul waits for him, my heart will remain glad BECAUSE I trust in his holy name. His steadfast love is what I will learn to put my hope in.

I have been listening to Kari Jobe's new CD and I HAVE to share this song with you. It embodies what I'm feeling and I encourage you to buy it off iTunes and let it minister to your soul. Go. DO IT! :)

You Are for Me

So faithful, so constant

So loving and so true

So powerful in all You do

You fill me. You see me.

You know my every move.

You love for me to sing to You.

I know that You are for me.

I know that You are for me.

I know that You will never forsake me in my weakness.

And I know that you have come now, even if to write upon my heart

To remind me who You are.

So patient, so gracious

So merciful and true

So wonderful in all You do

You fill me. You see me.

You know my every move.

You love for me to sing to You.

A Post From My Hubby!

Jon had the opportunity to write a blog entry for GBC's college blog. It was such a wonderful reminder to me of God's sovereignty and I wanted to share it with you all! Enjoy!

I am God and there is no other…my counsel shall stand and I will accomplish all my purpose.” Isaiah 46:9-10

“He works all things after the counsel of His will.” Ephesians 1:11

Have you ever meditated on the sovereignty of God? The sovereignty of God should not be a doctrine that strikes fear (other than a reverent fear) into us, but instead should be a doctrine that calms our fears. Too often this doctrine is simply fiercely debated without practical application. So I want to ask all of us a question to think about: What are the practical implications of God’s sovereignty in our daily lives?

For most of my college years at Texas A&M, I did not know what I wanted to do with my life after college. I feared the future and what it would bring. Once I started thinking about vocational ministry this fear actually increased! I decided to start my journey by becoming a college intern at Grace Bible Church. The thought of raising support, while being newly married and having the new responsibility as “the provider”, drove me to lean on God to be my True Provider. I began to understand that He alone is in control of my life. This was a wonderfully liberating concept for me.

For those of us who love God and are in Christ, nothing can ultimately come in the way of Him doing the deepest and highest good for us. His sovereignty tells us that He will provide for what He has already planned. If His plans are different from our plans, we can trust in His ways, because He is good and is seeking our highest good.

Whether you are thinking about life after college and how you will find a job in this rough economy, or struggling through a rough and dark time in life, or raising support for a summer project mission trip, or even worried about what’s for dinner, you can lean on God’s sovereignty. Why? Because He is good, kind, merciful, and gracious.

Let us “commit our ways to the Lord; trusting in Him, and He will act” (Psalm 37:5).