04.30.23

April Showers bring May Flowers, right? 

Very thankful for travel mercies and our safe driver on this rainy, rainy day!

And arriving in the church parking lot at the same time as the youth group was a bonus...

the unloading of all the retreat materials went a whole lot quicker that way!!

04.29.23

Excellent teaching | Good Discussion | Sweet Fellowship 

Glad for some downtime and a super tasty lunch at this hidden gem!!

This is My Father's World

by: Maltbie Davenport Babcock

"This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears

All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.

This is my Father's world: I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;

His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father's world, the birds their carols raise,

The morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker's praise.

This is my Father's world: He shines in all that's fair;

In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;

He speaks to me everywhere."

04.28.23

Super grateful to be included in another BEP Women's Retreat!

Good and Faithful servants (and friends, too!) who keep welcoming me back after all these years!

 

04.27.23

Valet checked luggage is one of my favorite "Simple Joys"!!

Oh, and I'm pretty excited to be leaving on a jet plane for some time with friends too!!

04.26.23

Blue Front twice in one week?!

I'm the luckiest!

Grateful for my friend, Kay who came out on a dreary day for fellowship and warm treats!

And for her sensitivity to wrap me up in prayer when my tears started flowing...

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship,

to the breaking of bread and the prayers."

Acts 2:42

04.25.23

Thankful to share a meal as a family on a random Tuesday evening!

We even managed to get a table in our favorite server's section 😉

04.24.23

We needed to revise our Monday routine and this was definitely not disappointing!

Thank you, Rachel for being creative and even more for your prayers!

04.23.23

Looking back to the pruning (04.05.23) that I did not want to do...

the pruning that hurt me to do...that probably didn't feel so great to this hydrangea either...

Did it suffer? Do plants feel things? Am I personifying a plant *way* too much so I can make a point?

Yes. Of course I am!

But, Look how much growth has occurred in just three short weeks! 

So much new life!

I wish I could say that much fresh newness happens to me that quickly.

That's not usually the case.

But there is always room for growing.

Thankful that the LORD always has room for me to grow.

Even when I'm suffering. Maybe especially in times of suffering. 

Even suffering that does not seem to make sense. 

I did not want to get out of my very comfortable bed this morning to go to church.

But God had so much goodness waiting for me there!

Goodness in His people, the words of songs we sang, and this teaching on suffering...

Isaiah 50:10 

Light on Dark Clouds: Doubt

Steve Teter 

(click on the title above if you'd like to listen and be encouraged too)

"Who among you fears the LORD

and obeys the voice of His servant?

Let him who walks in darkness

and has no light

trust in the name of the LORD 

and rely on His God."

Isaiah 50:10

04.22.23

Bravo to the cast and directors of this delightful and thought provoking play!!

and giant hugs to Dawn who always makes me feel more loved than I deserve!!

"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret:

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly;

what is essential is invisible to the eye."

"The Little Prince"

by: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

04.21.23

Celebrating some new life of spring!!

This was a very happy discovery this evening!

04.20.23

Today was filled to the brim with all kinds of good gifts...

proctoring those cool kids again...

abundant grace from Aunt Frances & her eye doctor when I slept right through appointment time (!)...

sharing a cool, true story about baseball brothers with my buddies...

but what was super fun and perfectly timed was THIS!

Getting to peruse the professional wedding photos from Rockstar Richardson with Emma!!!

04.19.23

Community Group in the Oasis was a big joy this evening!! 

04.18.23

What a gift to be able to spend my morning with some super sweet third graders!

Getting to proctor state testing a few days this week is an opportunity I don't take for granted.

It reminds me how to pray for and cheer on teachers and students in my life! 

 

04.17.23

Hooray for sunshine and fun friends!!

"A cheerful heart is good medicine..."

Proverbs 17:22

 

04.16.23

Watching the bare maple trees start to sprout their leaves this weekend has been exciting!

 

04.15.23

Thank you, LORD for 

sunshine

blue skies

white fluffy clouds

a walk on the farm with Bess

a family picnic on the porch of the old cabin

laughing with Laura

toasted Heath chip cookies on the grill

beautiful new blooms

a warm Spring day

Your presence no matter what I *feel* like

"Praise the Lord; Praise God our Savior!

For each day He carries us in His arms."

Psalm 68:19

04.14.23

Rain and pain threatened to stop our walk today.

I am very thankful that neither did.

This walking with words with my Dear Friend is one of my favorite things.

Thank you, Rachel for holding space for laughter and tears and always pointing me to Jesus!

...and mentioning this from the April 11th entry in 

New Morning Mercies :

"No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make his blessings flow

Far as the curse is found,

Far as the curse is found,

Fas as, far as the curse is found.

What was the mission of Jesus?... 

....from Revelation 21:5 " Behold, I am making all things new."

...Your Redeemer knows.

Your Redeemer understands. 

Your Redeemer cares.

...Be encouraged, your Redeemer is at work!"

New Morning Mercies

by Paul David Tripp 

04.13.23

Thank you, God for ending the day with such beauty

 

04.12.23

Very thankful for my guy bringing some of the farm 

(and a lot of his energy) to town to ready our yard for spring!

04.11.23

Happy Gotcha Day, MG!!

Rejoicing with this dear family on this special day!! ♡

"The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD make His face shine on you and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn His face towards you and give you peace."

Numbers 6:24-26

04.10.23

I don't know whose idea it was to space out appointments in the big city today, 

but since it meant discovering this great new coffee shop, it sure was a good one!!

04.09.23

Happy Resurrection Day!!

It was a beautiful day of worship, church picnicking on the grounds at the Y,

Sabbath rest in the Oasis, and a breakfast for dinner feast!

And then, these bright smiling faces gifted me with quite the bouquet for my kitchen! 

It was a day of joy. And some sadness too. 

I sure am grateful God can handle all of it. 

"When I Survey the Wondrous Cross"

When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of Glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast

Save in the death of Christ, my God.

All the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to His blood. 

See, from His head, His hands, His feet,

Sorrow and love flow mingled down.

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a present far too small.

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all. 

04.08.23

I loved getting out this little treasure from my talented friend as I set the Easter table!

04.07.23

Watching my (and my Mom's) elementary school come down has been bittersweet.

Some days have been more sad, but I think that's due to the timing of it all. 

As we drove by today, I noticed all that remains is rubble in front of the bright NEW school...

Then the word "construction" leapt out at me...

sometimes I have to tear down the comfortable, familiar, well loved parts of life...my bad habits...

to get to construct -build up- a brighter, kinder, wiser, stronger me. 

04.06.23

Hooray for Happy and Thoughtful Mail from my BGF! ✞

 

04.05.23

Prune: verb - to remove (dead or superfluous twigs, branches, etc)

 from (a tree, shrub, etc), especially by cutting off 

I did not want to admit that the recent freezing temperatures had gotten the best of this favorite plant. 

There were no buds on it like this time last year. The stems were dry and brittle. There was no life. 

There was no choice. It had to be pruned back if it was going to have any chance at all. 

It hurt to cut it back as far as I did. But with the dead twigs gone, some green leaves peeked through! 

I'm looking forward with hope for what can grow now!

04.04.23

Thankful for a super sunshiny day for lots of fun at the farm!!

Uncle Scott is the BEST driving instructor!!

 

04.03.23

Kentucky Spring Break Shenanigans

Such a joy to get to share rehearsal time with Bess and Enoch!

And no visit to Athens is complete without a Mayfield's Ice Cream treat!! 

04.02.23

I love to see these start to bloom along the back edge of our yard! 

The earth heralding new life...the dark of winter is over...

and Easter is coming soon!!

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He,

humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

Zechariah 9:9

04.01.23

It was a good day for being still and finding out how Eva's story ended.