Full of Joy

I can imagine all of Heaven rejoicing when a miracle happens on earth. Miracles are happening every day- even in our family this week! We have another story (the Word of our testimony, Rev. 12:11) of God’s healing taking place. When my oldest daughter, Basye, was one year old she got her first pair of glasses. For the previous 18 months she had been wearing a helmet for 23 hours a day. The day after she was cleared from wearing her helmet, we were told she needed eye surgery and glasses. 8 months later, her big brother started showing signs he needed glasses, too. Jase got his first pair of glasses on Valentines Day of 2017. He was three years old. For the last 7 years we have prayed healing over both Basye and Jase’s eyes. Two different times, our pediatrician suggested our youngest daughter, Tatum needed glasses, too. We stood in faith, refusing to believe the words spoken over her. We asked friends to stand with us in faith and prayer, as well. She has seen an ophthalmolog...

(For the full scope of this story, first check out my previous post, “Last Day”.) A couple months ago, my older brother and one of my nephews stopped by our house for a few hours. They had been visiting my parents in PA, and were making their way back home to NC. They brought a bunch of stuff with them, including a large bag my Mom had sent containing special items she had saved for me (and my kids) from my Grandma’s house. I sifted through the bag and looked at a couple items, but got so overwhelmed with grief I set it aside. It has sat in my room ever since. I walked by it multiple times a day for weeks, but was never ready to look through it. All this time, it was a comfort for me to have it sitting there next to my bed. Until today. As a family we were purging a bunch of stuff and organizing things in our attic. Maybe because our bedroom was finally organized, it felt like the right time to look through the bag . I closed our bedroom door, lifted the bag onto ou...

“Where is my Starbucks Iowa coffee mug? I’ve used it every morning for the last 4 months, without fail. I don’t want to drink my coffee in anything else. It’s probably dirty, and in the dishwasher. I need to tell Chuck not to put my Iowa mug in the dishwasher. Oh, the dishwasher is clean. There it is.” This morning I mindlessly filled up my Starbucks Iowa coffee mug, added my Silk Mocha Almond Creamer (that sounds so extra!) and continued putzing around. I pulled out my prayer journal intending on spending some time with my Big Papa (AKA: God), and noticed a little flaw in my mug I hadn’t seen before. In a split second, I was flooded with sadness. Grief gripped my heart and squeezed. I knew what to do. “It’s ok. Let the pain come. Feel the sadness. Cry the tears.” It wasn’t about the mug’s flaw. It was about my Grandma. The last time I saw her…. *** “Hon, I think you should fly out to Iowa to see your Grandma…” It had been my Mom on the phone. “Your Aunt Sara called, and it s...

Recently I read an encouraging Word from Nate Johnston . In it he mentioned, “So set the table by faith.” I kept thinking about it, and pondering what the Lord might be saying. The next day, our whole family trooped into Costco. I saw a big pack of popsicles, and snatched them up right away. I knew it was God’s idea for us to keep popsicles in the freezer so anytime we have kids in the backyard, we have a fun treat to offer. Over the next couple of days, I also began to sense the Lord prompting me to buy supplies for S’mores. I even mentioned my intentions to Chuck and the kids. We were all excited about the idea! Again, I knew it was God’s leading for us to have S’more supplies on hand so we could whip up a fire at a moment’s notice when friends or neighbors stop by. It crossed my mind multiple times, but I hadn’t gotten to the store to purchase anything. Then it happened. Tonight after dinner two middle school neighbor boys knocked on the back door, and asked Chuck if they cou...

Do you ever have a seemingly silly dream? Years ago our kids started talking about RV campers. The kind where they could “run around while Papa drives”. One of my favorite shows of all time is Frasier . There are a couple episodes where Martin- the Dad of the main character, Frasier, gets a Winnebago. He calls it the Road Warrior= RDWRER on the license plate. That show makes me laugh out loud so hard! Anybody else? Recently our dear friends purchased a camper, and my dreams clicked into overdrive. I think seeing it as a reality for my actual, real-life friends made me think of the possibility of it happening for our family. Now don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely no desire for camping or the outdoors. The problem is Chuck and the kids are all so crazy about the idea of camping together. I just can’t get myself to do the tent thing. This is why it’s our big “silly” Family Dream to have an RV. We can all go “camping” together, while Mama spends her days “indoors” if we had one. ...

"Jesus saves my life every day." I have spoken this statement to family or friends on more than one occasion these past 9 months. Compassion for the weak, the wounded, and the hurting has grown in my spirit. People deal with their pain and heartache in vastly different ways. There is no right or wrong way to grieve and walk in pain. Sometimes grief and pain leads us to toxic patterns or debilitating addictions. It makes sense to me why some would take pills, or drown their sorrows from a bottle. People who are suffering are constantly trying to find a way to anesthetize their pain. I have longed for the same. But what I have experienced is that there is Jesus. I've been slightly disappointed to discover that He doesn't anesthetize my pain, but He shows up every day with me in my pain. I recently read a quote by Dr. Larry Crabb describing this very concept. It oddly brought me hope. I quit looking to Holy Spirit to remove my grief, but instead started to look for H...