bowling with daddy
at the park
pretty little lady
in the woods
bowling
chalk
karis and her friend justice
karis and daddy
trying on the bathing suitSaturday, May 29, 2010
PICTURES :)
bowling with daddy at the park pretty little lady in the woods bowling chalkkaris and her friend justice karis and daddy trying on the bathing suit
Virginia, Bangs and Love
Its been a great week so far...although, now that I am thinking about it, it didn't start out so great. Sunday morning I woke up with the feeling of the flu coming upon me. Needless to say I spent all of sunday feeling miserable, laid out on the bathroom floor. It must have been just a 24-hour flu, because monday I felt 99% better. Noone else in the house got it, thank the Lord. We are making a trip to Virginia next week for a summer visit. We'll be in from the 5th until the 11th. It will be good to see everybody-- we are finding that our schedule while we're going to be there is pretty full--hopefully we'll see YOU! So--we're gettting ready for the drive and a two year old trapped in the car for a day! We'll be armed with lots of snacks and DVD's.
I recently got the urge to chop off all my hair. You ever get that feeling? Like you just need a change? Well- i decided against chopping it ALL off, and decided to get some bangs. It's a brave change for me-- I've had about the same hairstyle since I was in 7th grade...so it was time to take a risk...live a little. Luckily, I really like them! Now, how I'll feel about them in the humid Alabama summer, I'm not sure...but I'm sure I'll make it:) Here they are.
Karis is growing like a weed---She's talking in sentences and developing a little personality. She seems to be loosing her "baby" look... Its crazy how fast she's growing. Here's some pics of us and karis the last couple months.(can't get them all to load...I'll try and put them on another post:)
easter @ ms. karens
easter @ ms. karens
The past several weeks God has just been speaking so many things to us...it would be impossible for me to describe it all in one post. But, He has really encountered us with his love in a way that has set us ablaze on the inside. His love is just so unbelievable. I just think about Jesus, who before the world was created, chose death on a cross for me.
If I was the only one here, He would have still done it. Without Him, I can not love. It takes God to love God. I have realized how incredibly small I am in this big picture called eternity. I have come to the realization that God does not need me. It's not going to put Him in a pinch if I don't do what He says. He LOVES me and wants me to be involved but He doesn't NEED me. He's pretty self sufficient. Yet He wants me. He loves that I choose to love him. It is an amazing thought to consider being loved by the creator of all that is and all that will ever be. Much more to come on this in the days to come.
We are all doing really well and about to start the super busy summer season at the Ramp.We are believing for hundreds of hearts to be set on fire by the Holy Spirit. We're excited to see what Gods gonna do!! Thank you again a thousand times for all of your support--if it wasn't for your prayer, love and generous hearts, we wouldn't be able to do this. Look forward to seeing you all in Virginia soon!! Keep burning!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Why Hamilton?
This week will mark 6 months since our move to Hamilton. The time has seemed to go by so quickly. God has definately given us a grace to be here, away from what was normal, what was comfortable and our support system. Just wanted to give you a 6 month overview and where we are.
Six months ago we drove away from our home, away from all that was familiar. We drove away from our families and left our "ministries" behind. We were going to the wilderness to sit at the feet of Jesus. Over the course of the last 6 months, we have encountered so many different emotions: Sadness, Happiness, Frustration, Lonliness, Clarity, Confusion, Love, Aggrivation and every emotion in between. The first month and a half, while emotional challenging, was glorious spiritually. It was like the glory of the Lord was in our home. And then came the desert.
One day in January I woke up and my quiet time was sandy. I'm sure any of you who have walked with the Lord for any length of time have encountered this: a pulling back of the Spirit in order to provoke a deeper seeking. This dry, desert provoking went on for several months. I got to a place where I felt so frustrated. Here we are surrounded by burning hearts encountering the Lord, and I am eating sand! Why Lord? It was so hard. So lonely. So unemotional. Thank the Lord for Molly being close by with listening ears. We talked about the dryness. The lonely desert. The daily application of spiritual disciplines even when you don't feel anything. We recalled the life of David--whom at times in Psalms seemed to be in the desert! Then she told me something that changed my perspective on what I was going through. She said, " When you take the time to pray and read your word and try to get into His precense, and you don't feel anything and you don't feel like your getting anything...those are the times that God looks at you and you are the most beautiful. He loves when you do what you are supposed to do, even though you are getting nothing tangible, emotional or measurable in return- your doing it just because you love Him." After that conversation, the desert didn't immediately leave, but I did start pursuing my quiet time with a different perspective. In April the faucet was turned back on!
Since coming here, I have been seeking the Lord to know Him more. To hear His voice clearly. I wanted a description of what God wanted for us here in Hamilton. I mean, obviously to get at Jesus' feet, but a more full description. So in April, during a IM chat with a friend from back home, I got a pretty descriptive download from the Lord about why we are here and a really interesting comparison. The Lord gave me 3 reasons that we are in Hamilton...
1)To know Jesus and learn to love Him. 2) To be in a secluded place where He could stamp a name on us: to name who we are to Him and our assignment on the earth. Also in that to learn to be that free from the opinions of man. 3) To learn to live day in and day out what we profess with our mouths to be the truth. To do it with no compromise in order to establish a firm foundation that He can build on.
Let me just say, I was super excited to get this. Its like glue holding together the last 6 months! Although I know this will be an ongoing process, I more understand why we've been going through what we have while we're here. Before Eric and I moved, we talked about the Lord using our season in Hamilton as a "bootcamp" of sorts. We received a prophetic word before we left (and before we told anyone we were leaving). The Lord said that the next season was going to be very lonely. That God was going to strip everything away that we depended on so that we would learn to lean only on Him. He would strip our family, friends...anything that we leaned on. That it would be a very emotional season with lots of tears". I guess when we heard the word, although we knew it, we didn't really consider it until we were in this stripping away process. During this download from the Lord, I also got such a deeper understanding of our time here, truely as bootcamp. Think about bootcamp: In bootcamp you are trained physically, you learn to listen, be quiet and take commands. In bootcamp everything that is you is stripped away--your clothes, your hair, your job, your family. In bootcamp you all end up looking the same, dressing the same, marching the same. To some degree, you are stamped with a new identity. You become just one of many. Without bootcamp, you can' go any higher up in the military: its a necessity and non-negotiable. While you will make friends there, your purpose in being there is not friendship. In bootcamp your body will cry from being pushed to a place its never been before.While you are surrounded by others, you are alone. It has a time limit. Not everyone makes it through. Bootcamp provides the necessary foundation for whats next in military service.
For us, Hamilton is bootcamp...maybe the totality of bootcamp, maybe only part...but it is stripping us. It is teaching us to only rely on the Lord. We are alone. Our bodies are crying out. It is giving us a foundation. We are learning to listen and take commands. We will be just one of many in this army. This revelation has been so amazing to me. Following it, eric and I have both had the most powerful encounters with the love of the Lord, we will never be the same. His love is enough. His love sustains. He loved me first and thats why I love Him.
Until next time...
Six months ago we drove away from our home, away from all that was familiar. We drove away from our families and left our "ministries" behind. We were going to the wilderness to sit at the feet of Jesus. Over the course of the last 6 months, we have encountered so many different emotions: Sadness, Happiness, Frustration, Lonliness, Clarity, Confusion, Love, Aggrivation and every emotion in between. The first month and a half, while emotional challenging, was glorious spiritually. It was like the glory of the Lord was in our home. And then came the desert.
One day in January I woke up and my quiet time was sandy. I'm sure any of you who have walked with the Lord for any length of time have encountered this: a pulling back of the Spirit in order to provoke a deeper seeking. This dry, desert provoking went on for several months. I got to a place where I felt so frustrated. Here we are surrounded by burning hearts encountering the Lord, and I am eating sand! Why Lord? It was so hard. So lonely. So unemotional. Thank the Lord for Molly being close by with listening ears. We talked about the dryness. The lonely desert. The daily application of spiritual disciplines even when you don't feel anything. We recalled the life of David--whom at times in Psalms seemed to be in the desert! Then she told me something that changed my perspective on what I was going through. She said, " When you take the time to pray and read your word and try to get into His precense, and you don't feel anything and you don't feel like your getting anything...those are the times that God looks at you and you are the most beautiful. He loves when you do what you are supposed to do, even though you are getting nothing tangible, emotional or measurable in return- your doing it just because you love Him." After that conversation, the desert didn't immediately leave, but I did start pursuing my quiet time with a different perspective. In April the faucet was turned back on!
Since coming here, I have been seeking the Lord to know Him more. To hear His voice clearly. I wanted a description of what God wanted for us here in Hamilton. I mean, obviously to get at Jesus' feet, but a more full description. So in April, during a IM chat with a friend from back home, I got a pretty descriptive download from the Lord about why we are here and a really interesting comparison. The Lord gave me 3 reasons that we are in Hamilton...
1)To know Jesus and learn to love Him. 2) To be in a secluded place where He could stamp a name on us: to name who we are to Him and our assignment on the earth. Also in that to learn to be that free from the opinions of man. 3) To learn to live day in and day out what we profess with our mouths to be the truth. To do it with no compromise in order to establish a firm foundation that He can build on.
Let me just say, I was super excited to get this. Its like glue holding together the last 6 months! Although I know this will be an ongoing process, I more understand why we've been going through what we have while we're here. Before Eric and I moved, we talked about the Lord using our season in Hamilton as a "bootcamp" of sorts. We received a prophetic word before we left (and before we told anyone we were leaving). The Lord said that the next season was going to be very lonely. That God was going to strip everything away that we depended on so that we would learn to lean only on Him. He would strip our family, friends...anything that we leaned on. That it would be a very emotional season with lots of tears". I guess when we heard the word, although we knew it, we didn't really consider it until we were in this stripping away process. During this download from the Lord, I also got such a deeper understanding of our time here, truely as bootcamp. Think about bootcamp: In bootcamp you are trained physically, you learn to listen, be quiet and take commands. In bootcamp everything that is you is stripped away--your clothes, your hair, your job, your family. In bootcamp you all end up looking the same, dressing the same, marching the same. To some degree, you are stamped with a new identity. You become just one of many. Without bootcamp, you can' go any higher up in the military: its a necessity and non-negotiable. While you will make friends there, your purpose in being there is not friendship. In bootcamp your body will cry from being pushed to a place its never been before.While you are surrounded by others, you are alone. It has a time limit. Not everyone makes it through. Bootcamp provides the necessary foundation for whats next in military service.
For us, Hamilton is bootcamp...maybe the totality of bootcamp, maybe only part...but it is stripping us. It is teaching us to only rely on the Lord. We are alone. Our bodies are crying out. It is giving us a foundation. We are learning to listen and take commands. We will be just one of many in this army. This revelation has been so amazing to me. Following it, eric and I have both had the most powerful encounters with the love of the Lord, we will never be the same. His love is enough. His love sustains. He loved me first and thats why I love Him.
Until next time...
Friday, May 7, 2010
$4 to Olive Garden and a $12.80 check
God cares so much. Although most of the time we fail to recognize even the things He does for us each day, He still cares, still loves us and in spite of our lack of recognition of Him continues in His quest of showing us again. I just want to share a funny, amazing, God breathed moment that happened to us yesterday. It was such a faith builder. A nudge from God. I love that He loves to do that!
Yesterday we made our one weekly trip to Tupelo to see civilization...aka the mall, restaurants and a real sized walmart. We have been taking karis to the mall each week to ride the carousel as a reward for using the potty. So we finally get there...and the operator is gone to dinner! (now this is after we have already walked around the whole food court trying to get "cash back"...eventually leaving the mall, going to walmart and getting cash...then coming back to the mall.) By this point, karis is pretty frustrated about the whole thing. She just wants to ride!! So while we wait for the lady to come back, we decided to walk around the mall. We walked to the end of the mall into Belk, hoping to spot a good mothers day gift. After finding nothing we proceeded to walk through the back of the store, and make the loop to go out.
As we're walking, a woman from Olan Mills came up behind us and started telling us about a coupon she had- a package of pics with no sitting fee and like 30 prints for $12. The whole time I'm thinking that it's a coupon--like a special their running for mothers day, and she's just handing them out. During the conversation, Eric and I say nothing to each other--we're just listening to this lady about the coupon. Then-- eric pulls all the cash we just got to ride the carousel out of his pocket. Im thinking, "He must have a word from the Lord to give this woman some money." So He counts the money--gives it to the woman. And we just bought a COUPON FOR OLAN MILLS! (which i stilll didn't realize til we're walking away from the woman) lol. So--I'm completely frustrated that we wasted $12 on this coupon we're never gonna use. Eric bought it thinking that, because I looked so interested in what the woman was saying, that i WANTED him to buy it!!! (Wow--not the greatest communication:) )
So--we're walking out of Belk. I'm on the verge of tears because we just WASTED $12 that we could've bought dinner with... and eric is in shock that I didn't realize we had to pay for the coupon. (I know $12 sounds like nothing--but when you are one income family and that one income is $8.60 an hour, part time....$12 is a lot! AND- we have been working to become good stewards of what God has given us-- so I felt like I had BEEN robbed of $12!!! )
***Just a side note-- We recently listened to a sermon from Mike Bickle at IHOP about giving extravagantly to God. He gave testimony after testimony of how God gave back to him when he gave. And so--we have challenged ourselves to give.***
So as we're walking to the carousel, eric is telling me not to worry about it. "Maybe the lady needed another sale for the day. ..it was only $12...it's no big deal." Then he says it..."God can give it back." I'm thinking--$12 is not that big of a deal to God! Well we get to the carousel-- pay the $2 to ride (eric and karis ride and i watch and wave:) When the horses slow down, signaling the end of the ride, THE LADY STARTS IT UP AGAIN!! (By the way-- we see this lady every week and she is not the most friendly type. I would have NEVER NEVER NEVER expected her to let karis go again, FOR FREE!!) So we're up $2. We leave the mall laughing, saying God has $10 more to go.
We head over to Olive Garden because Eric wants a good salad. In the center console I find a survey receipt from the last time we went to Olive Garden. The ticket says if you call in within 2 days of eating and complete the survey, you get $4 off. Well it had been WELL over 2 days! But I said "Well, we'll give God the chance for $4 more." So I call, and accidentally hit one of the numbers in our coupon code twice. Thinking, "oh well", i continue listening as the recording says, " We are having trouble retrieving your ticket ID. We are going to go ahead and give you the code for the coupon."
I'm trying to find something to write the code down...completely astonished--laughing hysterically that this is happening. So we're halfway to $12 right? We finish our time out, drive home and get out to check the mail. In the mail is one envelope of junk mail and 1 envelope from Dominion Virginia Power. Eric gets in the car saying, " I hope this isn't another bill-- we've been in Hamilton for almost 6 months." He opens the envelope and its a check for $12.80!!! I know. Crazy. Right?? By the end of the night-- we made money!!
It just brought such a fresh experience to giving and seeing God at work. I'm not saying God always is going to give back what you give, but He just might...and more!! I encourage you to listen to the message from Mike about it. I'll try and post a link:) Keep giving. But only give what costs you something! God is so faithful!!
Mike Bickle - Give Extravagantly: The Joy of Financial Power Encounters
Yesterday we made our one weekly trip to Tupelo to see civilization...aka the mall, restaurants and a real sized walmart. We have been taking karis to the mall each week to ride the carousel as a reward for using the potty. So we finally get there...and the operator is gone to dinner! (now this is after we have already walked around the whole food court trying to get "cash back"...eventually leaving the mall, going to walmart and getting cash...then coming back to the mall.) By this point, karis is pretty frustrated about the whole thing. She just wants to ride!! So while we wait for the lady to come back, we decided to walk around the mall. We walked to the end of the mall into Belk, hoping to spot a good mothers day gift. After finding nothing we proceeded to walk through the back of the store, and make the loop to go out.
As we're walking, a woman from Olan Mills came up behind us and started telling us about a coupon she had- a package of pics with no sitting fee and like 30 prints for $12. The whole time I'm thinking that it's a coupon--like a special their running for mothers day, and she's just handing them out. During the conversation, Eric and I say nothing to each other--we're just listening to this lady about the coupon. Then-- eric pulls all the cash we just got to ride the carousel out of his pocket. Im thinking, "He must have a word from the Lord to give this woman some money." So He counts the money--gives it to the woman. And we just bought a COUPON FOR OLAN MILLS! (which i stilll didn't realize til we're walking away from the woman) lol. So--I'm completely frustrated that we wasted $12 on this coupon we're never gonna use. Eric bought it thinking that, because I looked so interested in what the woman was saying, that i WANTED him to buy it!!! (Wow--not the greatest communication:) )
So--we're walking out of Belk. I'm on the verge of tears because we just WASTED $12 that we could've bought dinner with... and eric is in shock that I didn't realize we had to pay for the coupon. (I know $12 sounds like nothing--but when you are one income family and that one income is $8.60 an hour, part time....$12 is a lot! AND- we have been working to become good stewards of what God has given us-- so I felt like I had BEEN robbed of $12!!! )
***Just a side note-- We recently listened to a sermon from Mike Bickle at IHOP about giving extravagantly to God. He gave testimony after testimony of how God gave back to him when he gave. And so--we have challenged ourselves to give.***
So as we're walking to the carousel, eric is telling me not to worry about it. "Maybe the lady needed another sale for the day. ..it was only $12...it's no big deal." Then he says it..."God can give it back." I'm thinking--$12 is not that big of a deal to God! Well we get to the carousel-- pay the $2 to ride (eric and karis ride and i watch and wave:) When the horses slow down, signaling the end of the ride, THE LADY STARTS IT UP AGAIN!! (By the way-- we see this lady every week and she is not the most friendly type. I would have NEVER NEVER NEVER expected her to let karis go again, FOR FREE!!) So we're up $2. We leave the mall laughing, saying God has $10 more to go.
We head over to Olive Garden because Eric wants a good salad. In the center console I find a survey receipt from the last time we went to Olive Garden. The ticket says if you call in within 2 days of eating and complete the survey, you get $4 off. Well it had been WELL over 2 days! But I said "Well, we'll give God the chance for $4 more." So I call, and accidentally hit one of the numbers in our coupon code twice. Thinking, "oh well", i continue listening as the recording says, " We are having trouble retrieving your ticket ID. We are going to go ahead and give you the code for the coupon."
I'm trying to find something to write the code down...completely astonished--laughing hysterically that this is happening. So we're halfway to $12 right? We finish our time out, drive home and get out to check the mail. In the mail is one envelope of junk mail and 1 envelope from Dominion Virginia Power. Eric gets in the car saying, " I hope this isn't another bill-- we've been in Hamilton for almost 6 months." He opens the envelope and its a check for $12.80!!! I know. Crazy. Right?? By the end of the night-- we made money!!
It just brought such a fresh experience to giving and seeing God at work. I'm not saying God always is going to give back what you give, but He just might...and more!! I encourage you to listen to the message from Mike about it. I'll try and post a link:) Keep giving. But only give what costs you something! God is so faithful!!
Mike Bickle - Give Extravagantly: The Joy of Financial Power Encounters
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