Here is some things that were encouraging to me this morning, from my heart to yours:

Lord, I need You – Matt Maher and Audrey Assad

I Shall Not Want – Audrey Assad (lyrics below)
From the love of my own comfort
From the fear of having nothing
From a life of worldly passions
Deliver me O God

From the need to be understood
From the need to be accepted
From the fear of being lonely
Deliver me O God
Deliver me O God

And I shall not want, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want

From the fear of serving others
From the fear of death or trial
From the fear of humility
Deliver me O God
Deliver me O God

And I shall not want, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want

No, I shall not want, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want

When I taste Your goodness I shall not want

The following quotes are from a video (linked below) on restlessness:

“I wish I had an answer, a sort of spiritual band-aid for the great gaping hole between my theology and my practice. Cause I believe in God. I believe He is enough for me, and yet, some days, a lot of days, I live like I just don’t get that. I wish it was different. It’s tough to admit it, even to myself, but I am pretty sure I am not alone in this. So when my friend and I sat down to this song, we did so believing, but also honestly just hoping that our restlessness really is a door to the heart of God because it reveals exactly how much we need Him. St. Augustine says in his confessions, “You have made us for Yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” He is our first beginning and our last end. So our restlessness reveals the Greatness of the God who made us.

“I do think that that rest can be found here, in some way, that there is a supernatural place of rest to be found. I do think that you have to look really hard for it, in some ways. You have to take the clutter out.  Clear out the things that are crowding it out. And just kind of put your ear to the ground, listen for the footsteps of God, you know, walking past you.”

“Gardens” worship song at 5:15 of the 9 minute video below (although the whole thing is good food for thought):
Restless: On Silence and Worship

Thanks for letting me share!
Praying that your heart is encouraged and strengthened by the Lord today.

It’s been a long day.
Not bad. Mostly fun and enjoyable. But still long.

The hubs is at a guys’ game night this evening, and due to little Prince’s longer than usual mid-morning nap, our schedule was off. So we didn’t get to meet daddy for dinner.

So I’ve had the kids all to myself since 8:30AM this morning.

For most, this may be no big deal. No sweat. Easy Peasy.

We’re getting there, me and my kiddo crew, but honestly, it just depends on the day. One day at a time.

Like I said, today was a good day. (yay)

But still, come 8:00PM, I’m done. I’m ready to have some ‘alone’ time with my cup of coffee and my Kindle, and whatever else I can find to dive into that may demand more than 30 seconds of my attention – because that is NOT happening during the hours of 9-7 these days.

Ah, the wonderful potential that evenings can hold.  (and all the parents of littles said amen.)

So, to my surprise and excitement, a friend of mine linked on Facebook that you can watch the current Hillsong Conference live.

Done. The rest of my evening is set until Jordan gets home.

But sure enough, I knew it was too good to be true -both kids going down for the evening without another peep.

The Sweetness is notorious for the calling and questioning and sneaking out of her room, reminding us that we have left the most random, obscure things in her room that should not be there, etc. etc., ad nauseam.

9:15PM, I see a little hand peek around the corner of the office wall.
Potty break.
You got 2 minutes.
Go.

As she finishes, she walks back into the office, seeing the Hillsong Worship team singing on the computer monitor.

Me: “They are worshiping Jesus, baby. Do you like it?”
Nat: “Uh, huh. But I want them to sing the holy song.”
Me: “The holy song?”
Nat: “Yeah, worship His holy Name” (1,000 Reasons, Matt Redman)
Me: “Well, baby, I can’t control what they are singing.”
Nat: “Can you play it? Can you find it?”

What else do you do at 9:20PM after a long day solo with the kids, but have an impromptu worship moment with your 4 yr old daughter?

My heart overflows.

She is now back in the bed.
I can hear her through the monitor now “sing like NEVER before, o my soul.”

Yes, baby. Sing like never before.

“Through the praise of children and infants You have established a stronghold against your enemies,to silence the foe and the avenger.” – Psalm 8:2

Another version says that You have ordained praise from children and infants. I love that.

I don’t really know the profound truth that is held within this verse, but I do know that hearing her worship Jesus breaks strongholds of fear and doubt in me, because in those moments I know that God is moving, that He is answering my prayers that He will capture her heart one day, and I can continue to choose to trust Him.

 

Thank You, Lord, for Your faithfulness, and choosing to reveal Yourself, Your hand and how You are moving in my life and the life of my daughter, in such a sweet way. Thank You that I did not, in my exhaustion or impatience (which easily could have happened) shoo her away, telling her it was past her bedtime. Thank You for the ways that You interrupt my normal routines and make my life extraordinary with You. I truly have a beautiful inheritance. 

My baby girl turned 4 on Tuesday.

Holy molies, where has the time gone? Whoever originally said that the days are long and the years are short was totally right.

I am not sure I even want to attempt to put into words what this girl means to me. The Lord has used her to teach me so much about Himself, myself, and how wonderfully joyful and messy this life can be. This girl is a whole lot of me in a little body that looks a whole lot like her daddy. I wouldn’t have it any other way (well, maybe the whole lot of me part. But I trust that God knew what He was doing when He designed her precisely, preciously, and perfectly).

I just wanted to share some of our fun day together as a family! Jordan was able to take a half-day off in the morning to celebrate with us, which was SO special for that little girl. The day really was just perfect.
(Sorry for the poor quality of the photos, but I don’t have a fancy smancy camera, and I decided a while back that I’d rather enjoy the quality of being in the moment than worrying about the quality of a photo. So we’re just going settle for cell phone pix for the time being.)

The Day started out with Natalie waking up to our home being transformed into a party house (i.e, streamers in the living room, hanging from the hallway doorway, and in the kitchen). She had two cards, a birthday hat, and a decorated chair waiting for her in the kitchen.

High Five for Birthdays! Continue reading…