Temporary Home

Last night as I was laying in bed praying, I started thinking about how I'm so ready to be in my own home again. I'm so appreciative that my daddy and stepmom have opened their home to us, but there is just nothing like having your own home. The good news is this is temporary for us. In God's timing, He will open the door to a new ministry, a new community, a new place to call home. (We are so ready to be serving in a church again. We really miss it!) As I lay there thinking about all this I felt the Holy Spirit say to me, "this is all just a temporary home." Indeed it is. This world is only a temporary home for us. For those of us who are children of God, we will one day be with the Lord for all of eternity! Then, we will truly be home.

I have become so near-sighted lately focusing only on the here and now. Living in this transition period, it is hard to make plans even for a month from now because you just don't know. I think and pray almost all day long about our next move that I have forgotten my true purpose for even being here on earth, and that is to bring glory to God no matter where I am. Bringing glory to God with my life draws people to Christ so that there will be more and more souls who will be with us when we finally make it to our heavenly home.

There are several places in scripture that talk about waiting on the Lord. I love the description that one of my college professors shared on this subject. Often when we think of waiting, we think of being idle, still, bored, longing for the next great thing. My professor, Dr. Jill Branyon, reminded us of a waiter in a restaurant. The waiter is very busy serving guests. In fact, waiters would not be very good at their job if they just sat around. That is what those who wait on the Lord should be like...someone who isn't idle but is serving. So as we wait on the Lord to reveal his direction for our lives, I know that He has us here right now for a purpose. I just have to quit being so near-sighted and selfish and look beyond myself.

A Closer Look

Right now, Sesame Street is on. This is Parker's favorite show. I sat him down in front of my daddy's tv to watch, and I keep watching as he scoots closer and closer to get a better look. Now, this tv is a 52" (I think; It's huge) so it's not like he's not getting a good view from anywhere in the room.

My, how that makes me feel guilty. Not for sitting my child in front of the tv, but for not taking after him when it comes to getting a closer look at something I love. I love God's Word because it is a direct way to my Savior's heart. When I sit down to read scripture, am I digging as deep as I can in order to be tranformed into the image of Christ? Sadly, no. I'll admit, sometimes I read God's Word and not know what I just read. I love those times when the Lord just grabs my heart with a piece of truth, and I keep thinking about it all day long. That could happen every day if I would discipline myself to always take a closer look at His Word and do what the man in Psalm 1 does who "delights in the law of the Lord" and "meditates on it day and night."

Thank you, Parker, for teaching me something even though you don't even realize it.

Side note: Isn't it amazing that a bunch of puppets have captured the love and attention of children 40+ years?!

Warning about BellaBands

In case you're wondering Bellabands are a piece of stretchy fabric that allows pregnant women to keep unbuttoned prepregnancy pants on or too loose maternity pants on or same thing for postpartum. I bought one to try out on Saturday (I actually bought a cheaper version called the BeBand made by Bellabands.) and wore it for the first time today. I have finally started to poke out a little bit which makes me feel better because in between the first trimester nausea and the finally starting to look a little pregnant time period I often wondered if I was actually pregnant. Anyways, back to the point, I wore it today on my outing to the OB for a doctor's appointment, and afterward Paul and I went to Walmart to pick up a few things. Like most pregnant women, I had to make a trip to the restroom while I was there. (FYI, I really don't like to use the restroom at Walmart because they are always nasty, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.) After I left the restroom and met back up with Paul, he quickly informed that part of my belly was showing. I had put the Beband back in place, but I had not put my actual shirt back down. They were made out of the same fabric and were the same color so I hadn't noticed. I'm just so thankful that Paul was close by and told me about this! So, my warning about BellaBands or BeBands or like things: Make sure you pull your shirt down over them or you will look a little silly.

Parker at 18 Months

During our moved, Parker turned 18 months old. I can't believe my little baby boy is a year and a half already. It just makes me wanna cry if I think about it too much. He just amazes me everyday as he grows and learns. He keeps picking up new words although he doesn't always use them to communicate. Anytime anyone laughs, he'll join in, which just makes you laugh even more because he's so doggone cute. When his daddy gets home, he's stuck to him like glue. We will watch for him to pull in the driveway and Parker just can't contain his excitement. I absolutely love watching Paul and Parker brush their teeth together. Parker will even try to spit like his daddy. It's their little special activity. In fact, as I was watching them tonight, Parker pushed me out of the bathroom and shut the door!

He is a very lovable and snugable little boy. He will squeeze you around your neck and say, "mmmm." He will do this over and over again. He loves to take baths. He has also become obsessed with trains. He loves Elmo or as he says "Melmo." He loves to eat but is picky about the texture of his food. He enjoys going outside when the weather is nice and pick up sticks. He is so special to us, and we love him and enjoy him more and more everyday!

It's Been a Week

It's been a week since we moved out of our house in Pinewood and into my childhood home in Bethune. Last Saturday was tiring. In fact, the whole weekend was tiring. But, finally everything got packed up and put into a storage unit or brought with us here. It is a miracle that most of our belongings fit in to a 12' X 20' storage unit! Parker is getting adjusted. He has more things here to get into since this house is not as baby proof as ours was. We are continuing to pray that the Lord would open doors for where he has us next. We are learning patience and trust. We are eager to get somewhere where we can make our next home, a place to settle in and call our own. We would appreciate any prayers for us.