Mother's Day 2012

Moms rock the house.  We all know it's true.

Today, the people that helped make me "MOM" rocked the house.

Caroline and Chris woke up earlier than usual so that we could cuddle and chat in bed before church.  We opened the blinds, let the sun pour in, and listened to the birds sing their hearts out. 

This Sunday we began a series based on the Book of James.  As a congregation, we spent the entire service praying, singing, and reading the entire Book of James a chapter at a time.  My sweet tot made me so PROUD as she stood and shared some powerful verses on behalf of the children's ministry...

James 1:19-27

New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

Listen to the Word and Do What It Says

 ¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, pay attention to what I say. Everyone should be quick to listen. But they should be slow to speak. They should be slow to get angry. ²⁰ A man's anger doesn't produce the kind of life God wants.

 ²¹ So get rid of everything that is dirty and sinful. Get rid of the evil that is all around us. Don't be too proud to accept the word that is planted in you. It can save you.

 ²² Don't just listen to the word. You fool yourselves if you do that. You must do what it says.

 ²³ Suppose you listen to the word but don't do what it says. Then you are like a man who looks at his face in a mirror. ²⁴ After looking at himself, he leaves. Right away he forgets what he looks like.

 ²⁵ But suppose you take a good look at the perfect law that gives freedom. You keep looking at it. You don't forget what you've heard, but you do what the law says. Then you will be blessed in what you do.

 ²⁶ Suppose you think your beliefs are right because of how you live. But you don't control what you say. Then you are fooling yourselves. Your beliefs are not worth anything at all.

 ²⁷ Here are the kinds of beliefs that God our Father accepts as pure and without fault. When widows and children who have no parents are in trouble, take care of them. And keep yourselves from being polluted by the world. 

The  pride and love in my heart was undeniable, and it was the perfect set-up for the next item on the service agenda. 

My handsome, strong, loving husband took faithful steps into the water and shared his baptism testimony.  As I watched him disappear and then rise again out of the water, I felt our son kick with purpose, and the fullness of the Spirit was so big that I was sure I'd burst.

God is so good.  He loves.  He protects.  He restores.  He heals.  He encourages.  He gives LIFE.