Ain't God Good!

What I'm lovin most this week...

• Seeing God grant repentance and restore a passion for Him in the lives of His people.
• Being encouraged and humbled that the Lord would use me in such a powerful way.
• Having my heart bonded in friendship with a precious couple who have a passion to serve God with their lives.
• Seeing my hubs exercise his gift and passion for teaching the Word of God.  God's grace amazes me each time.
• Last but not least...gaining a sister in Christ as the Lord opened the eyes of the sweet pastor's wife to reveal she was still lost in sin and in need of His salvation!  Whoop Whoop!!

Thank you to all my sweet sisters who have

 prayed for God to move this week.  

He did!!

Linking up with Kristy  and Jeannett.

  

Stephanie :)

Embracing the camera...sorta

This is my first time linking up with The Anderson Crew and Embrace the Camera.But I have a confession to make.As much as I like taking pictures, I really hate having my picture taken.I used to. But not lately.It probably has something to do with the 30 lbs I've gained.I do love the memories a picture holds and the story it will tell years from now when I'm gone.That's why I smile and endure the click of the camera.Maybe one day soon, I'll be back to embracing it.Click.

Stephanie :)
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Oh, The Beach

Am i inspired by the beach?Um.. Yes!Something about getting up before everyone,  having my toes in the sand, hearing the waves crashing, coffee in my hand and reading God's word  all at the same time! Yes, please!
We have been going every year now for 11 years (except for the year Katrina hit) and it has been incredible how our family has changed and grown through the years.  We have gone from kiddie toys to boogie boards to boyfriends coming (who we made sleep in our closet in our room!) to son-n-laws and now back to kiddie toys for grandkids.  Wow.   I wish I was at home to share a picture or two from the beginning.  So much fun. So much change. So much still yet to come.
Talking about  beach inspiration...here is a poem I wrote on one of my very first beach trips.  So long ago, that the girls were still small. It was one of those mornings when I left everyone sleeping, slipped down to the beach with my coffee, bible and  my notebook. The poem itself isn't anything amazing but what blesses me when I read it is remembering where I was on my journey with the Lord.  It was in the very beginning of my love affair with God's word.  I had been reading through the book of Job and specifically chapter 38.  God answers Job and describes His greatness... You know the chapter when God says.."Where were you when I made this...Where were you when I made that..."  And He states that He told the waves of the sea how far they could go and exactly where they must stop. I was in awe of God the Creator that morning as I looked at- and felt- and smelled- one of His mighty works as I was reading about it.  

The Sea


As I sit and admire this sea so vast,
My respect, its waves so loudly demand.
I ponder its contents underneath its blue blanket,
My imagination runs wild in my head.


This world I can’t see that lives underneath this blue
My emotions are many inside,
Amazement and awe of God’s handiwork
With each break of the loud boastful tide.


Fear creeps in as I think of the control  
These waves have over my small in comparison frame.
The creatures within that can destroy if they choose
And with them they bringing much pain.


Then I’m reminded of my awesome Savior
Who’s shelter I have in His wings.
My mind may race away with my fears,
Then His love and security He brings.


I no longer fear the strength of the sea
For my Father who loves me designed it.
He knows each piece of sand on the ocean floor,
He purposely handcrafted it’s contents.


His security and shelter is the beach that I relax on
As I gaze out at the ocean top.
For He’s in  control when He told the sea,
“This is as far as you come.  Here your proud waves must stop”.

four generations

Dreaming of this years trip.A little over a week away."squeal"! I can hardly wait!
Stephanie :)
linking up with Gussy Sews  Inspiration Workshop.Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

One Foxy Great-Grandma

Happy Birthday Momma!

You had it going on back then....











And you still got it now!

I love you:) 

Oh, if only everyone could have a momma like you! 

*WARNING: when I return to my computer, I will write a post that more adequately describes your 

amazing  "fantabulousness"*

Stephanie
ps. Linking up with kyristina today.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Outside my little world

This week my posts and comments will be brief.

My hubs is preaching a week long revival and my time will be limited.

Kicked off things yesterday and the Lord brought a great Word.

I am anticipating the Lord "cleaning up" some hearts this week starting with mine first!
  I am also humbled that He would choose to use me and Nick for such a calling.
 I -we- don't take that lightly.

Please pray that lives will be transformed and revived this week!

Thank You.  To Him be all the glory!

Here are a few random pics of silliness. I love my life the Lord has blessed me with. For reals.

"On the Road Again.."

Us headn out yesterday.

Lovin we get to stay in a hotel all week together.
 Hotels always makes it feel like a mini vacation!
So thankful for the church blessing us with such awesome accommodations!

Got this text from Lydia as we were literally pulling out the driveway.

This is their first time that they are staying with some of our friends instead of their grandma (who happens to be out of town this week too.)

Pray for them! (and me too!) lol! Those crazy girls.

...I think in Lydia's excitement she accidentally texted "I'm" instead of "in".....

Remnants of time with the grandkids

Opened the back seat of our car to grab our bibles  right as we were headn into church and found this. Nothing like sticky Capri Suns in the back seat.

Coerced Lydia into a pedi before I left. :)

"How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?  And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?  And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written:

"How beautiful are the feet of those 
who preach the gospel of peace, 
Who bring glad tidings of good things!"

Romans 10:14-15

Thanks for the prayers!

Stephanie :)


linking up with heather and stacey and carissa today.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Thinking On and Thankful For......

Happy Friday Y'all!  It's time to share what I've been thinking on and been thankful for this week...the good, bad and the ugly...


Thankful for...

Packaging up some custom made headbands for a friend to be shipped out!  

Thankful for...                  

 This.

And this.

Because it leads to stuff like...

This.

 and this!

and this!

I'm thankful for this...

A birthday card from a dear friend at our church who always remembers our birthdays. She is older than me.. Some would call her "special".  They would be totally right...she is super special. 

  This one is for Lydia (who loved the fact Carolyn put a heart sticker on hers)

Lovin this...

My big splurge of the week. A $.50 magnet for my fridge.

It just screams "Go create something!!" to me. 

I'm thinking on and thankful for and loving this...

Pics from my bee-u-tiful daughter and our little man, Nate!

Thinking on this....

the mess I have got to clean up.  Ughh!

It seems like everywhere I turned this week, folks 

were sharing pics of their amazing craft rooms and spaces.

Well this is mine. The kitchen table. Uh..and I'm messy.

My family may start a revolt or something soon to reclaim their "eatin space".

(umm and yeah, that's a gun propped up in the corner. Which reminds me of something else I'm loving... I shot my first armadillo this week! Yay me!)

And last but not least 

I said I would share the good, bad or ugly...

My daughter came home all excited from a trip she had gone on that included some shopping..

She says ,"Oh. My. Goodness. Mom.  Wait to you see this dress. You will LOVE it.  Cuz it is SO retro!".

Ok People! When did the 80's become retro?!  As in "cool retro" not tacky_lets make fun of_retro.. I was expecting something awesome from the 70's or something.  This looks just like a sweater I had in the 10th grade and I'm almost positive I saw Dr. Huxtable wearing something with this pattern on the Cosby Show!

Yeah.. I now get why my mom doesn't get my love for vintage 60 and 70's stuff.

Too funny.

Hope you have a great weekend.

What's been are your mind that you are thinking on and thankful for?

Stephanie :)

Linking up today with my friend Kristy 

and a new friend, Jeanette

Thanks for the Inspiration

This week for Gussy's Inspiration Workshop she is letting us choose our inspiration!
What inspires me.

Well, there are so many things that inspire me! How do I  narrow it down?

First and foremost, God's word inspires me.  My tastes have changed through the years.  I mean, when I first got married country blue and geese were all the rage! And the seasons of my life have changed...I just enrolled my baby for college classes yesterday. sniff.  And with the change, so have the sources where I search for inspiration. (Twenty-three years ago Pinterest was just a misspelled word!) All that will change constantly, yet Gods Word will never change and it will always be  there to inspire and convict and transform me.  
 Yesterday, Today and Forever. 

Of course my husband of 23 years ( next month! Ahh!!) inspires me every day. His passion for the Lord and desire to share that with others inspires me to want more of Jesus.

My 3 daughters inspire me to be a better mother and friend and example.
They are leaps and bounds ahead of me from where I was at their age.  Inspiring.

The lady on the left is my mom-n-law..she is super inspiring but we'll save that for another day :)

My granddaughters inspire me to think of my legacy, of the brevity of my life and to focus on the most important stuff.... which usually turns out to be the little things.

I'm so thankful these will always be a constant source of inspiration in my life.

And I'm also thankful for my most recent source of inspiration.....

YOU!

I cannot begin to describe what a blessing to have met so many inspiring new friends through blogging! Y'all are incredible! I've met women who have not only endured but embraced unthinkable obstacles and tragedies in their lives. Precious ladies who have lost children..women who have had to bury the love of their lives and those who have journeyed the long road of depression.. Ladies who have been chosen to be the moms of children with physical challenges and some who are still longing to hold a baby in their arms after years of trying.  I could go on and on. Y'all have shared your struggles, your failures and your triumphs with such raw honesty.
Y'all have walked down unthinkable roads that you never would have chosen for yourself but yet you have chosen to praise God anyway. 
That inspires me!

You inspire me to trust God more.

You have inspired me to knock down a few walls in my life and let people in.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

You have enriched my life.

In fact you have inspired me so much I'm stepping out and gonna have my very first link up!
(Oh, I'm nervous!  I mean, what if no one links up?)  

God has used you in my life these past few months.
 I want to hear about the people God is using in your life.
Is it your best friend since kindergarden? Is it your pastors wife? Your husband?  A new blogger friend? The stranger you met at walmart? ...The big moments and the little moments and everything in-between that God has used to encourage you and teach you and show his love to you.
My sweet sister-n-law, Heather, had a "God Moment" over cheese at walmart with a old man God sent her way to remind her of His great love for her. You can read about that here.  She will inspire you.

This life is about people. Those we impact and those who have impacted us.

Hope you'll link up and share what God is up to in your life using people.

wordless wednesday

"The end. I'm done", said Julia Rose :)

Happy Wednesday!

Stephanie :)


ps. linking up with Kyrstina today.