My Babies are Growing Up!

Yesterday evening Isabelle went out for her 1st real hunt with Kevin. On Saturday night, they just went to "sit" in the stand. A 7 point buck came right under them - about 7 yards away. It would have been an easy shot for Isabelle - but they didn't have her bow. It was just a "scouting" adventure. So she caught buck fever & couldn't wait to go out last night. I was helping her get all her gear & camo together while we waited Kevin's arrival.

While that was occuring, John Michael was close by, but with his back to me. Out of nowhere, (still not sure if he meant for anyone to hear it) while rubbing his chin he said, "I've got some hair on my chin, huh!" I quickly said, "what did you just say?" Very coolly he said, "I have some hair on my chin. . . it's really small, you can't see it." I had to turn away so as NOT to laugh at him. It was hysterical!!! About 1 week ago, he was in the bathroom watching Kevin shave. Kevin had such a hard time with that shave, because John Michael had a radar lock look on him. He would move his lip or neck as Kevin did - he would touch his face as Kevin did. Kevin had such a hard time keeping a straight face. John Michael was very intent & very curious. I guess he's been thinking about shaving & facial hair every since!

In the meantime, the 2 hunters were ready to go!!! Isabelle was ready to shoot, but unfortunately they didn't see anything but a squirrel. She was very disappointed, but she knows that you see something different each time you go out. So she says, "maybe next time."

Crazy Love!

This post has been a long time in the making . . . .the last 9 months of my life have been a great rollercoaster. I have felt like I've been riding WildFire at Silver Dollar City - which goes super fast, upside down, & has many loop-d-loops. Over the last 9 months, I have felt great joy like I'm soaring above the tree tops feeling no weight at all. At other times, I have felt like someone has punched me in the stomach just as I feel as I make the first huge drop on the Wildfire & my stomach is in my throat. But through it all, one thing remains - GOD'S CRAZY LOVE for me!

Everyday of these last 9 months, I've asked "God what are you trying to teach me?" Sometimes, in desperation I literally mean that question for a specific day. Other times, I have perspective over the course of the last 9 months & really the last 5 years & ask that question wanting to know the bigger picture He is working on. Some answers have been very clear - like "I want you to fully trust me - for EVERYTHING."; "I want you to be patient & trust MY TIMING."; I want you to be fully at rest & to be content, even though you don't have a home & no prospects in sight."; "I want to use you wherever I put you, even if it doesn't seem to make sense."; "I want you to only desire for me & know that I fully fulfill you - even when you are so very lonely." and "I want ALL of you - not just what feels comfortable - I want you to let go & take risks for me!"

In the last 2 months, we have begun attending a small church near to where we are building our home. God led us to this church very directly & told us very clearly that this was the place He was preparing us to go to. About 4 weeks ago, the pastor began a preaching series based on a book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. For Kevin & I, it has pulled together all of what God has been teaching us for the last 5 years & so much more. God has been showing us that He is crazy in love with us & He wants us to be crazy in love with Him so that we can have crazy love for others. As He has done this in us, our lives have taken a complete shift - we aren't living for ourselves, we aren't pursuing the things of this world, we view each day in light of our eternal home, and we are able to take risks for Him. (Like moving to SE Kansas, not just for a job, but because He told us that He had been preparing us to serve Him in a very specific way here.)

I don't usually so highly recommend books, because I think the Bible is the most inspiring, encouraging, life giving book out there. But this book relies heavily on scripture & it makes very clear what Jesus teaches in scripture & what God desires for each of His followers. Do not read this book if you do not want to grow in your relationship with Christ. It asks some hard questions & asks you to really examine your heart. I believe this book is divinely written for such a time as this.

I want to share a few things from the book in hopes that something will stir your heart & challenge you to read it. We are living in tough times - Gods commands for us are not "if we feel like it" or "when we have time". He has called us to be fully commited, sold out for Him - to live lives that stand out from the crowd by loving Him & loving others. I hope you are challenged to give it all for Him.

pg. 58-60
(Jer 4:1-10 - read it first) "Take some time to really think about it: God knew you & me before we existed. When I first digested this, all of my other relationships seemed trivial in comparison. God has been with me from the start - in fact, from well before the start. . . . My existence was not random, nor was it an accident. God knew who He was creating, and He designed me for a specific work. . . . Through this illustration (v. 6-10) I realized that I don't have to worry about not meeting His expectations. God will ensure my success in accordance with His plan, not mine. . . . so why when we constantly offend Him and are so unlovable and unloving, does God persist in loving us?"

pg. 67 "Has your relationship with God actually changed the way you live? Do you see evidence of God's kingdom in your life?"

pg. 68 "Other Christians told me I was "good enough." But it went against everything I was reading in the Bible, wo I began comparing all aspects of my life to scripture. I quickly found that the American church is a difficult place to fit in if you want to live out New Testament Christianity. The goals of the American Christianity are often a nice marriage, children who don't swear, and good church attendance. Taking the words of Christ literally and seriously is rarely considered. That's for the "radicals" who are "unbalanced" and who go "overboard." Most of us want a balanced life what we can control, that is safe, and that does not involve suffering."

pg. 85 "Jesus call to commitment is clear: He wants all or nothing."

pg. 101-102 Gal 5:13-14 "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command; "Love your neighbor as yourself."
"Do you understand what this passage is saying? When we love, we're free! We don't have to worry about a burdensome load of commands because when we are loving, we can't sin. Do you feel free in your Christian life?"

This is a tiny portion of what has impacted me in this book & I'm just finished with Chap 6. Each Chapter takes a few days to ponder & get honest about. Now is the time to get serious about God - our culture has caused us to all become very complacent in the church. Let's get "radical" together!

Winter Birthday & Weddings?

This past weekend, we celebrated Isabelle's birthday with my family, but it sure felt like we were celebrating Christmas. . . the weather was frigid! We were all dressed in warm clothes & our winter coats - WOW!! Who knew? My mom made Isabelle an "outdoor" cake, per her request - it was complete with deer, a creek, rocks & trees. . . She loved it. The "trick" candles were also a HIGHLIGHT . . . they kept relighting after she blew them out. She'd never seen that before. John Michael hadn't either & he was belly laughing so HARD - it was hysterical.
We have been studying Ancient History & Isabelle is really intrigued with all of it, but really enjoyed the Egyptian Playmobil she got from my parents.

After our birthday celebrations, we attended the wedding of our sweet friends Kevin & Joy Colvin - it was OUTSIDE!!! All the guests were in their warmest winter clothes, except the bride & her bridesmaids. They shivered through the whole wedding. We were blessed to be apart of their special day! Congrats!

After our wonderful weekend, it was capped off today with an amazing award. Isabelle was given a compassion award that included a $10,000 award for the Global Orphan Project. She'll be able to build 2 more houses. Check out http://artsfororphans.blogspot.com for more info.

Happy Birthday Isabelle!

What could be better than celebrating your 8th birthday for 4 months? That is exactly what Isabelle has been doing. . . if you keep up with our posts, you'll remember that we gave Isabelle a bow for her 8th birthday back in June. So she's been practicing & enjoying that, but definitely waiting for the day when she could say she is "officially" 8. That was yesterday! We celebratedlast week with Kevin's parents with a dinner & presents. Yesterday, on her actual b-day we took her to ride the Branson Belle - per her request. It was great fun, but rain showers shut out our afternoon plans to hit Silver Dollar City. That was a bummer, but we still had fun! You'd think the fun would end there, but she'll get to celebrate some more next weekend with my family. Here are some photos from our festivities. . . .

Isabelle requested Spaghetti for her birthday dinner, which was a surprise to me as tacos are her favorite meal. I found out she really wanted hot butter bread!

Aren't these 2 cute? I could just squeeze them! John Michael got Isabelle a new Wii game called "Cooking Mama" Cook-Off. She played this at a friends house & really wanted it! She was excited!

This is a book that her art teacher illustrated! She was so excited to have her very owned signed copy . . . the author is also a local gal.

A new butterfly box from Grandma & Grandpa.

. . . THE BRANSON BELLE . . .

Stocking the Pond

We were invited to fish the neighbors pond last Saturday. They heard about our land & our fishless pond, so they told us we could fish & keep whatever we caught to stock our pond. The morning started slow . . . but ended very well. We caught blue gills, 2 bass, & 1 crappie. The kids were very excited. We put the fish in an old cooler for the trip to their new home!