"O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree"

 Addy "helping" Daddy put up the tree.  

She's such a big help!

Here we go...

Almost there....

"Ready, Set, Go!"

"All done!" Merry Christmas! 

Loved This by Sarah Mae on "Incourage" Blog....

“God calls us, as He did Adam, to come out of hiding. No amount of spiritual makeup can render us more presentable to Him.” -Brennan Manning, Abba’s Child

Naked.

Totally exposed; completely bare; free.

For awhile now the clothes have been coming off, piece by piece, as I discover how bare I actually already am, and what it means to really be covered.

The first covering was given to Adam and Eve when they realized just how bare they were; it was uncomfortable and embarrassing; there was shame brought on by the fact that their sin was exposed. They were naked, and they knew it, and so they hid from the One who knew their nakedness before they did. For their sake, and out of His kindness, God covered them in a coat made of skin (Genesis 3:21). You don’t get skin without the kill. And so there it was, the first sacrifice, the spill of blood so that the people would be covered and their shame hidden.

And still we hide. Even though God knows every woven piece of our being, we hide. Our eyes are wide open to our failures, and so we cover because we don’t want to be found out. We give pretense and we try to be and do in order to be accepted and loved, but what we forget is that God sees past all of it; He’s sees our bare selves and He loves us anyway. We can’t be more or better and think that we will some how get closer or be more loved by God; He loves us in spite of ourselves. And yet, He offers a covering still. He offers a covering of blood so that will be free to walk with Him in the garden without shame or pretense or posturing.

He offers the opportunity for freedom.

Our new covering is on the inside, over our spirits, and it transforms us from being shackled to sin and frees us to stretch into our new selves without fear.

We don’t have to hide from God (this is actually impossible anyway), and we don’t have to hide from people (oh, this one is possibe, and quite frequent).

We are cracked and swollen and desperate. And He already knows our mess.

I’m saying, let’s be messy and honest. Let’s not try to super glue the cracks, but instead let the Holy Spirit work through them to bring light to a messy world. You can’t let your light shine if you try to patch up the cracks.

So here  I am, losing my clothes, getting closer to naked. I wonder if this is really what sanctification is about? Not becoming more, but becoming less, until we are fully bare.

Covered yet naked. A gracious mystery that I am falling into. And it’s gloriously freeing.

“If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others.” -Brennan Manning, Abba’s Child

By Sarah Mae

There's Something Terribly Wrong with this World at Times....

I read this poem on a mother's blog whose six-year old daughter is losing her battle to brain cancer.  This was sent to her by a follower and although it won't make things better for her, I pray that it brings her comfort in her most difficult days ahead.

"A Prayer"

Refuse to fall down
If you cannot refuse to fall down,
refuse to stay down.
If you cannot refuse to stay down,
lift your heart toward heaven,
and like a hungry beggar,
ask that it be filled.
You may be pushed down.
You may be kept from rising.
But no one can keep you from lifting your heart
toward heaven
only you.
It is in the middle of misery
that so much becomes clear.
The one who says nothing good
came of this,
is not yet listening.

― Clarissa Pinkola Estés, The Faithful Gardener: A Wise Tale About That Which Can Never Die

Our Little Dancin' Machine

She really loves to dance!

Our Little Lady Bug

Trick or Treat! 

Sweet Friends, Addy and Coop 

Happy Halloween! 

Tickle, tickle, tickle!

Weeeeeeee!!!

Yummy Popcorn!

Brrr, it's cold!

Walking and Talking...sweet friends, Addy and Mila! 

Sweet Friends Along the Way....

                           

HOTTY TODDY!!! GO REBELS

     Yes, I post random things on my blog.  But, random things with meaning.  One very special person in my life wrote a blog about his college football team that brought goose bumps to my skin.  My hubby, Danny, is so excited about the new coach of the Ole Miss Rebels.  I'm not a football fan, but I’m becoming a huge fan of this coach. 

     Some say when you marry a person you marry his family/friends. I'm going to also add: you marry his football team.  I can't wait to see what this new coach will do in these players’ lives.  Coach Freeze is a man of faith so I will not be surprised if God works His amazing power in some of these players through Him.  It will be so amazing to watch the transformation.  It will be a process because they are in the wilderness as Coach Freeze mentions, but I fully believe his integrity and faith will take them to amazing places even if they don't succeed in winning every game. 

      Here's to Ole Miss football and their new head coach. May God be with them this season and show the team what it's like to really "win". 

If you watch any of this video, please watch the last 12 minutes.  It proves what this coach is all about:

How the West was Won: The Beginning of Restoration

As the season opener draws near, I can once again feel the excitement building inside of me. We are on a journey Rebel Nation, and it will take time. However, the seeds of success have been planted and are being watered. I remember my skepticism in December when Freeze was hired. I remember judging his lack of experience and wondering why we "settled". With my heart hardened, I watched the press conference at the Ford Center where Freeze was introduced as our new head coach. Less than 30 seconds into his speech my heart softened. In an moment of vulnerability and transparency, Freeze nearly broke down allowing everyone watching to see how grateful he was for this opportunity. As he continued, something inside of me began to change and an unfamiliar feeling began to stir in my heart... Hope. Freeze went on to lay out a plan to restore our program. While any coach could have and would have come up with a plan, Freeze's passion for the Lord, heartfelt desire to be here and confidence in our future is not something we would have found in another candidate. Yes, we have a long, tough road ahead and I think, for the most part, we are all well aware of it. Freeze is recruiting character and building character among existing players. The latter is far more difficult and a few consecutive losses early on could cause the weaker links to fall back into a hole. But that's why this is a process. Character transformation takes faith and time. Not an easy task but I'm encouraged by how far some of our players have come in only 9 months. As the title suggests, I truly believe great things await our program under this staff but these things are not likely to happen as quick as we would all desire. If you agree so far, you will also agree that our task as fans is also a tough one. We must remain committed to the current staff and stay optimistic. Below is an awesome 20 minute compilation of the beginning of the Freeze Era. 
Makes me proud to be a Rebel. Hotty Toddy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4it8JRZeGbY&feature=relmfu