Life with my sister

This photo popped up on Instagram last week and it has consumed me ever since. Shocker, huh? Jesus laughs. Who knew? If you think this is irreverent than you need to click off here right now because your holy toes are about to get stepped on. We always see the stoic Jesus or the wounded Jesus.  I don't think He wants to be seen that way and I am pretty certain he does not want His children to be seen that way. Serious and wounded is how we are taught to see Him in pictures. I like to think this is the true picture of who Jesus is. Love is all over this face. I can't help but smile while looking at it. None of us know what He really looks like and we all see Him differently. The Bible tells us to count it all joy through trials of many kinds. I am no Bible scholar. I have a degree in communications and a minor in home economics. I took an old testament course in college and made a C. But, I have been washed in the blood, raised in the Bible belt as a Southern Baptist who...

Isn't she lovely?! Here she is at home in her recliner. God loves this woman, that is for sure...and so do we. Our mama is now back in her place recovering by herself, with visits each day from loving family and sweet friends who live near by. Praise Jesus for this smile on my mama's beautiful face. She did it!! She has had a rough month but the bad is over and only good is to come from here. Her strength is better with each passing day due to her determination to get well and do for herself. We never anticipated her to be at home without help at this point. What a praise this is. Mama told me she is doing so well because she is loved. She needed to be reminded how precious she is to so many, and that has been accomplished through this for sure. I spent the weekend getting her comfortable and secure at home. It was fun to spend quiet, quality time with my mama. I worked hard, rested well and loved watching her prove to herself she could do this on her own. I am the one who pu...

Today our dear mama is having a portion of her colon removed. Julie and I have made the pilgrimage home to care for her. Before you read any further, please pray for our mama. Her name is Kathy and she is a jewel. Pray for her to have peace, the surgeon to have a steady hand and sharp mind, pray for her to have rest and a stress-free recovery. March is Colon Cancer Awareness month. I find it an ironic blessing that all this came about this month. Mama had never had a colonoscopy and her doctor had been on her about it for a while. She finally scheduled one. She hated every minute of the prep and the waiting on the procedure proved to be a bear also. She had to wait for hours. We got updates from our Aunt J, who had taken her, and it went from comical to maddening, real quick!( My favorite part was when Aunt J told her she would take her anywhere she wanted to eat afterwards and she told Aunt J she just wanted to go home and eat scrambled eggs. I still laugh about that.) After the proce...

The other day we had used up all of our plastic cups and our regular glasses. I don't know what it is about our family of six, but we can go thru glasses and cups like crazy. I'm pretty picky about my cups. My favorite cup is a red plastic cup. It reminds me of my local Pizza Inn when I was growing up. I have a history with these cups. When we were first married I accidentally took one from a restaurant in our small town. I was mortified and returned it quickly and quietly to the owner. He, however, didn't let it remain quiet, and reminded me frequently of my accident. He knew I wanted that cup. We had these same cups at our last church, I took one home and intended to take it back. But since I didn't know my last time there was my last time there I still have it. And I love it! But, back to the story. I was thirsty, I had no can coke and no plastic cup. (HORRORS!) I was becoming stressed about the situation. My thirst won out over my need to drink from my favorite cu...

Randall, 'Thew (Hollye's hubby) and Stephen This picture will make me laugh outloud until I am old and gray. Today it made me cry a little bit. Joy. Pure joy it is to have family to embrace in good times, bad times, and the awkard inbetween times. I know of so many families who fight with each other, compete with each other and disregard each other. I can't imagine what that must be like. Today I count it pure joy to know we may not live near one another, yet we are one in the bond of love....bonded with crazy glue and Jesus! Pray for Julie and her precious family as they move out of Star City this week. It is tough yet exciting at the same time. I find myself crying just thinking about the hope and fear they all six feel right now. What a reward they will reap in heaven for following Christ's leading. The grit and grace they are all showing through this is awe inspiring to this little sister and auntie. Counting it all joy takes on a whole new meaning for our little Ju...

This little season of life is teaching me a lot. Keeping life simple is one of the main lessons I am learning. In that I am reminded how simple it is to do right, act right and think right. It cuts out so much drama. Focusing our energy on what really matters and making the best of those things is the key to happiness, I think. I feel I am more sensitive to others now. For that I feel blessed and cursed! I find myself saddened for those who choose to make life harder than it has to be. It has made me so much more aware of how often I have failed, and still fall into that trap of life. We are all sinners and fall short of the extravagant glory of God, no doubt. I just want to make it a point to keep it simple and do right. I think it is so much harder to stay in the grey and black areas of life and make life more complicated than it has to be. I am no perfect girl, and no one to model after, but I hope my quest for simplicity and purpose can be an example for someone else who is tired o...

Henry and I decided to head west on a moments notice. We set out on our journey and half way there our car decided it did not want to continue on that journey with us. It was 107 degrees that day. Thankfully we were in my old college town and we had our sweet Lindsey there to take care of us. She was an angel that day, for sure. I love how something that could have been really stressful, chaotic and scary turned into a fun memory. Thank you to her Uncle Troy for taking us to supper and making fast friends with Henry. Thanks to Mrs. Edna (her mama) for coming to make sure we were okay and making us smile. Lindsey, you are a lifesaver of a pal and I am so glad you love me more than your luggage! hee hee Marmie came to the rescue and picked us up and took us to our final destination...her house. Henry was so happy to see her and give wet kisses. It was a great week to come and a much needed one. The trip here was a bit more than I bargained for but God knew I needed to be here and show...

"A thousand times I've failed Still your mercy remains And should I stumble again Still I'm caught in your grace Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame My heart and my soul, I give You control Consume me from the inside out Lord Let justice and praise, become my embrace To love You from the inside out Your will above all else, my purpose remains The art of losing myself in bringing you praise Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise From the inside out, O my soul cries out" When I fail at the tasks put in front of me, when I stumble in my walk, when I fall flat on my face from pride, when I let others influence me and their judgements consume me, when all else fades I am reminded that He is Everlasting and that is all that truly matters. Thank you Jesus for never letting your light fade in me, for letting your purpose remain in me and for giving m...

This morning I was finishing up my run and this song came on my ipod. I have heard it a zillion times, but this morning it was rather refreshing. It IS so wonderful to be here now. I hope your Friday feels wonderful! Abby

This is what our yard looked like yesterday morning when we woke up. I have not seen it today because we have chosen to stay with Rick & Diana another night. We still have no power. My work has power, but Randall's does not. We will head back in the morning so I can work and hopefully he can start cleaning up the yard. We plan to visit our old neighbors over the weekend, and hope we can still make the trip. We have been looking forward to it. It makes me sick to my stomach to think about my oak trees being destroyed. I hope they can be saved. We will have to get on a waiting list with a tree service to have them assess the damage. I had dreams of hanging a rope swing from the big oak in front of the house for my children. Randall said that is what I get for having plans for the trees! If you know Randall, that made you laugh. Please continue to pray for those in our area who do not have a warm place to go. Many of the smaller towns/areas will not have power for weeks. The powe...

That is what Abby said when I talked to her just a few moments ago. They have been without power since last evening and when the limbs of their trees would snap and fall she said it sounded like bombs going off. They are safe and sound, playing card games and telling stories. They have been to Walmart to buy batteries (and who knows what else) and said the line at Mickey D's was really long. She said over 80% of the town is without power and all the shelters are full. Please be in prayer for those people who are without power and without a place to go. Pray for warmth and peace. Our cousins Sarah and Brandon, the parents of the beautiful Grace and Molly, are also without power. We here in South Arkansas are doing just fine. There is no ice, no rain, no sunshine, just a little cold. But above freezing. Stephen thinks he will be called out to do disaster relief work somewhere in the state soon. He works on the chainsaw crew and cuts down and moves downed trees. A wonderful service of...

Do you know what I'm talking about? Everything is achy, PMS, can't stand the voices of your own children, have 54 things to do but can't seem to get the first one done, want to decorate for Christmas but it isn't even the middle of October yet. You know what I mean? There are weeks that go by when I think I have this mom thing under control. And then it all comes crashing down. I realize that my lapses in disciplining my children over time have rewarded me with disrespectful, disobedient children. And it isn't that I don't know better. I know all the Bible verses, I've read all of Dobsons books, I am a Babywise mom(Oh how I love the first Babywise book!), I have 4 children and homeschool them, how could I be doing this all wrong?!! I'm supposed to love my childrens voices, enjoy cooking breakfast and lunch for them, and enjoy our time together. But then there are days like today. What is that verse again? Isaiah 40:11 ...and (He) shall gently lead ...

What a comfort: "There's a bigger picture you can't see. You don't have to change the world, just trust in me. I am your creator I am working out my plan and through you I will show them I Am." If you have read our blog from the first post until now, you know I love Ginny Owens. Her songs speak my heart. I love it. I started singing (belting it out, actually. Poor Rand.) this song in the shower tonight. I have no idea where it came from...it was totally out of the blue. I love that about my God and this quirky personality He blessed me with. It makes me laugh. Our family is going through a challenge right now (I will post about it more in the days to come) and this song hit my heart's cry tonight and gave me assurance that it is not up to me to make it better. I just need to simply be . Through me He will show them who HE is... I love that! Seriously, how do people go through trials without Jesus? Amazing. Abby

Nothing like it in a 250 square foot apartment with one window, thanks to a real fine furnished microwave. The cleaning lady is due any minute and I know she is going to love my aroma today! (She better mop this week or she is really going to be loving the angry side of me) Oh me, $1,300 a month for this fine living space, I might add. Can you tell I am a bit bitter about the space and the price?! Oh yeah, I am not paying for it so why Should I care, but I do. I am a nice, honest person, I reckon. I just know my house note is cheaper than this and that just seems a bit insane to me when I compare the two. (my microwave also doesn't burn popcorn) I am enjoying the journey, none the less. Yesterday was a test all day. Poor Rand helped me pass the test with a good pep talk last night when he got home (Yes, we are trying to refer to this place as home). I am glad I am on this road with him. This morning I found a Walmart gift card with $21 on it in my wallet from something I returned ...

This gives me goose bumps! This Young at Heart group will "ignite your bones". Wow! Abby

For those who know the “real” me, you know how easily excited I am. The calmness in my soul lately is truly the work of the Lord. I love experiencing him shaping and molding me through all these uncertain possibilities on my horizon. Sometimes I think Randall thinks I have grown numb to it all because he can’t fathom why I am not on edge about everything before us, as it is my nature (He is slowly being convinced). I am finally in a place in my life where I am honestly trusting God to take care of all things. Scripture is coming alive to me like never before. Last night while lying in bed, I started reading Romans 12. (As my favorite verse is Romans 12:2) I was like a black man preaching at the Temple of Deliverance, proclaiming God’s word aloud in our bed! Randall was a good sport to sit through it as I am sure he was thinking, ”Could you not do this earlier in the day. Why do you wait until bed to get inspired?” I think I am finally growing up, maturing and blossoming into the woman ...