as of late

stephy and blair

me

cousins

me and steph my little sister

my boy

mr thom and me at lifeway w the new beth moore bible study

I Think I Am On to Something...

Proverbs 25:11 (NIV1984)

¹¹ A word aptly spoken
is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

I love me a word fitly spoken! Can I just say I am a little fatigued and feel like a chicken with my head cut off from moving, having a newborn, and trying to raise my six year old. I don't know how people do life without Jesus. Seriously. The overarching cry of my soul as of late are things like this:
"Lord, I need You.
Lord, fill me.
Lord, conquer this aching in me.
Lord, don't let me miss You in the day to day.
Lord, I want to know You.
Lord, You are all I really have in this life.
Lord, HELP ME!"

I want what the Psalmist cries out for...I want Him to teach me to number my days aright that I may gain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12). I know if you are reading this that you probably want the same things in the deep down of your heart. So much of my lack of fellowship or peace at times is a refusal to not only confess my sins but to repent of them. To turn from them. We can be walking in the light and not feel His presence and have to walk by faith and not by how we feel. Yet we seem to shy away from the whole theme of repentance in this Western culture we live in. We lack peace. We lack contentment. So many times we feel like maybe we have lost our way, yet God wants us to return to Him with all of our hearts and walk with Him and be blameless like He told Abraham after his whole attempt to help God out with an heir to the promise. I love that God is a God of fresh beginnings. It is never too late to fall on your knees or your face before Him and return. So, I was reading this section in the Jewish Book of Why about death and mourning. I don't have time to site everything I am thinking of you would be here all day but in the Beatitudes when Jesus is saying "blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" he is speaking in the Greek language of a mourning over sin. When we mourn over our sin we will be comforted. Because in our repentance there is a rest and comfort for our soul that no amount of pills, or alcohol, or entertainment can provide. The pure in heart will see God and if we are to be pure in heart it is going to mean some confession and some repentance. There is just freedom in coming clean before the God who already sees, who already knows, who is ready to forgive.
So, let me get on to the small clip I was reading (BTW, I am always fascinated with anything about Judaism that can help me glean more into the scriptures of Jesus' day and time):

Why do some Jews follow the custom of placing the deceased on the floor and of then pouring water on the floor?

In biblical times the pouring of water was a way of expressing a person's or a nation's sense of guilt. It was a way of acknowledging God's displeasure with man's actions (Judges 20:26) or of expressing remorse at a time of calamity (Joel 1:14).

Although no longer widespread, the practice of pouring water on the floor where a deceased lay is considered by many a way of notifying people who enter a room that a death has occurred. It originated in the Middle Ages, when it was common belief that the ghost of the dead was present after death and was dangerous to ungrateful relatives. This custom, in a variety of forms, was practiced in many cultures. Primitive man believed that spirits could not cross bodies of water and that the ghost, if it made such an attempt, would fall in.

So, I probably didn't have to include the last part but I am making a point. Tonight Morgan was talking to me about a girl that she is having trouble getting along with at school. Don't you hate that it starts that young? We have talked about it everyday and tonight I said, "Morgan tell Jesus. Pour out your heart to Him and tell Him you don't like her. Be honest with Jesus. Ask Him to change things and then we will see Him work." So she begins to do just that in the back seat. It reminded me of the following verse:
^{Lamentations 2:19} Arise, cry out in the night,
as the watches of the night begin;
pour out your heart like water
in the presence of the Lord.
Lift up your hands to him
for the lives of your children,
who faint from hunger
at the head of every street. (emphasis mine)

Not only does The Lord of Hosts want us to pour out our hearts about whatever is troubling us, it just hit me like a ton of bricks with the implication of pouring out my heart like water in the presence of the Lord. If you will connect the earlier paragraph about how pouring water out in ancient times was symbolic of a person or nations guilt we are also to come before the Lord in lamentation of our own sin and just pour it out before Him acknowledging that we are dead to sin and we too want to leave that dead person on the ground with our old man, our sin nature. A true believer in Christ should wrestle with sin. We should not have peace when we are wigging out in a heap of sin. Romans 6 does way more justice on this matter than I could ever do. You and I in Christ are dead to sin and made alive in Christ yet we live in a fallen world and we continue to sin and need forgiveness and restoration. God is the re-builder of walls. Whatever seems broken down, maybe even burned down, and beyond repair God can and will speak life into. We don't have to stay the way we are. We can be cleansed by the washing of the water of the Word and made free to walk in obedience. Maybe you have blown it and others don't want to let you be free but when we encounter the Lord He is faithful to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Then, we can have confidence before Him...the only One who matters.
Make us right Lord. Thank You that even when we have blown it beyond measure You cleanse us and restore us. Fortify our walls Lord and may You be our Refuge and hiding place.
You are Worthy Lord. Free us from our guilt and the pride that keeps us from pouring out our hearts in confession and repentance. Help us Lord. Thank You that You are intimate and loving and that Your discipline is even merciful.

Psalm 62:8

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

⁸ Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
Selah

Lamentations 2:18-20

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

¹⁸ The hearts of the people
cry out to the Lord.
O wall of the Daughter of Zion,
let your tears flow like a river
day and night;
give yourself no relief,
your eyes no rest.

¹⁹ Arise, cry out in the night,
as the watches of the night begin;
pour out your heart like water
in the presence of the Lord.
Lift up your hands to him
for the lives of your children,
who faint from hunger
at the head of every street.

²⁰ “Look, O LORD, and consider:
Whom have you ever treated like this?
Should women eat their offspring,
the children they have cared for?
Should priest and prophet be killed
in the sanctuary of the Lord?

UPDATE on BABY BOY

So baby boy is 10 weeks old! UNREAL!! It is so hard to believe that 2 months have already come and gone! Here are some recent pics of the little mister. I am so in love!!


Here is Blairsy on his first beach trip! I took him and Morgs this past weekend and they were both sick! It was like as soon as we set foot in the condo they were sick. We were still thankful to get away and see the beach!

And the reining queen of my heart! It looks like she was the only one at the beach because it was sort of windy and cold. Here she is at 75 months! LOL

Fist pump for the tigers! Or maybe the Lord was ordaining praise! I will go with the latter!

sweet girl trying on clothes at the outlets in Destin.

LOVE these smiles. I was so worried he would be a grumpy boy but he is so sweet!


Here he is in a hat I had made for him that he is wearing for his baby dedication on Sunday! Morgs had her baby dedication 6 years ago on October the 9th and his is Sunday, October 9th! So sweet!


HELLO~~~ I can hardly stand all of the cuteness! LOVE HIM!!!

Baby boy and I at the beach! Here I am at 381 months!! HAHAHAHAHAHA

Love this man! Dr. Erwin Lutzer...sermon on his 70th bday

This sermon blessed me so much! If you are not familiar with Pastor Lutzer you can listen to him for free on www.oneplace.com. He is such a sound teacher and I so enjoyed getting to hear some of his testimony.

Beth Moore's new bible study: :James, Mercy Triumps" !!!!!!

Y'ALL!!!! I am dying to get my hands on the new Beth Moore study on James!!! Here is the Lifeway link! I will begin stalking my local Lifeway and calling my precious friend in receiving, Rhonda, to find out when it gets in. It is scheduled to be released in November! CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!