We MUST...

stop playing "Christianity" and START living it.

My heart hurts.

Why is it that there are 147 MILLION sick, starving, lonely, hurting, hopeless children?

But there are 2.1 BILLION people that profess to be Christians.

WHY aren't we, the BODY of Christ, taking care of them?

We MUST do something.

Every day we have a choice. To HELP. Or not to help.

We have a choice to live out the Word by WHAT WE DO or not.

We MUST stop standing on the sidelines cheering on those that are doing the very work that we are ALL called to do.

We MUST stop talking and start ACTING.

We MUST.

For the children.

For our Savior.

"You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did." James 2:22

The question, as always, is WHAT are you going to DO?

Birthday Girls

Our lovely Elizabeth is such a sweetheart... She not only grows more beautiful physically each year...
but the beauty of the Lord shines through her more and more as she seeks to love Jesus with her whole heart.

Two sisters born on the same day 6 years apart!

Both such beautiful blessings to our family!

Our precious Abigail is so full of life...

The baby of our family...

She reminds me to enjoy each moment of my children's lives... because they grow up way to quickly!

There is no greater joy than to see our children walk with Jesus and grow in Him each day!

Happy Birthday my beauties! I love you so much!

Summer Vacation

The beautiful lake we visited...

The captain of our boat...
as long as we were in the middle of a wide body of water with no forseeable obstacles!

A child at heart... it's a beautiful thing.

Our bottled water ad...

doesn't it make you want to go grab a bottle of water?

Our boy...

Enough said ;)

It is such a blessing to have children that are friends with each other...

It was so good to get away and hang out with these amazing kiddos!

Mixing Up Words

Last week we took our children to a cabin on Lake Ouachita in Arkansas. It is a beautiful place! Our cabin was lovely. The deck that overlooked the lake became our favorite spot very quickly.

An added bonus was that there was a hot tub on the deck. The children loved the hot tub. It became our favorite thing to do in the evening after dinner.

Upon reading the rules posted regarding the hot tub, the rule that my youngest had questions about was "Children should exit the hot tub every 5 minutes to avoid becoming overheated".

I explained to my youngest, in simpler terms, that it meant they needed to get out of the water to "cool off their intestines" every 5 minutes or so. She said "Okay! I get it". It became somewhat of a joke for us all.

As we were enjoying our last evening in the hot tub, our son (obeying the "cool off your intestines" rule) got up to sit on the edge. One of his sisters noticing this with the intention of teasing him about "cooling off his intestines" said...

"What are you doing? Cooling off your testicles?"

Ooops.

Do You See What I See?

Remember the women and children from the rock quarry that needed help?

These are the beautiful women God used to rescue them from a hopeless situation. They started a non-profit organization called Convergence Uganda and developed a plan to help the women from the quarry.

They rented a piece of land for the women and their children, where they will get a new start in life. A life filled with hope for their futures and for the futures of their children.

Part of that plan (the part that our family had the awesome opportunity to help with!) is to build a school for the children. I am excited to report that the school is progressing much faster than originally thought. I just love it when God moves in a way that is undoubtedly Him!
I am thrilled beyond words that God allowed our family to be a part of this project. I am blessed to know Jen and Amanda and to witness God's provision for these beautiful people through them.

The next step is to build homes for each women. Convergence Uganda is in the process of fund-raising for the homes. Visit their blog to read more about this amazing project and how God is providing!

Do you see? God has called these women and they have answered. Do you see? God's plan is to rescue the helpless. Do you see? Where there is love... there is action.

My little "Squishy"

...came to stay with me all week while her mommy and daddy took a little vacation.


It was pretty rough... with all the cuteness and cuddles... as you can see.

What Does God Expect of Us?

I started reading "The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Sterns this morning. (Thank you, Erin, for the recommendation!) I got through the introduction and prologue when I stopped.

I really want this truth to get into my heart and yours...

"Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which

Christ's compassion for the world

is to look out;

yours are the feet

with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands

with which He is to bless us now."

Saint Teresa of Avila

Now, I know this in my head, but what I truly want... is to make certain I actually LIVE it out.

Did you read it? Read it again. Let it sink in. Do you get it?

We must get this in order to make a real difference in this world for Christ. We MUST be the body, the hands, the feet of Christ in this world.

For that is what He calls us to do.

That is what He expects of us.

Stolen

I stole this picture... but I don't think she will mind...

This boy has stolen my heart...

It amazes me that after everything that he has been through in his young life... he still finds joy.
He finds joy... because he loves Jesus. He worships the One that created him. He adores the One who sent him a new mommy and daddy.

He said, "I used to weep out of sorrow, but now I weep for joy"...

Oh my heart... Stolen.

I ♥ Faces

This week's contest theme at I Heart Faces is "Funny, Silly Faces".

I figure my funny, silly, Nathaniel should have his picture entered into such a contest. This boy is constantly making our family laugh!
This picture was taken before a playoff game last season. My dear boy here wanted to let the other team know that they could "bring it on"!

Be sure to check out their website for more faces.

"The Blood Song"

I am always inspired, encouraged, amazed and blessed when I read Bring the Rain . If you haven't ever read that particular blog... I encourage you to check it out. You won't be disappointed.

When I saw this video on her blog, I just had to share it. Enjoy!

Ava's 3rd Birthday

It's hard to believe that 3 years ago this precious girl came into our lives and made me a Grandma!

Being her "Gigi" blesses my heart and brings me such joy.
She was so excited to see her brand new doll house from her Mommy and Daddy...

and blowing candles out was so much fun...

My goodness! the cupcakes were yummy!

But Oh! we were soooo sad when the party was over...

I love you my precious girl! You are a delight!

On my heart...