Month: February 2017

When I read this today, my heart was just so full of hope. It is so true that when I finally gave ALL the pieces of my life to Him, that void in my heart was gone, and finally I was complete. The more I loved Him and learned about Him, the more I wanted to live the right way and get my act together. My life has been a new book, but now I allow God to write all the chapters. I am mostly thankful for His grace time and time again. His love which is so unconditional no matter what we do, He loves us anyway. It is so good to know I don’t have to live with guilt and shame from my past, that He forgave me and gave me a do-over at life, time and time again. I cannot imagine life without Him now, I just sit back and let Jesus take the wheel. I know the hope and the plans he has for my future are good, and that my friend is a very comfortable place to be.

Psalm 18:20-24 The Message (MSG)

^20-24 God made my life complete
when I placed all the pieces before him.
When I got my act together,
he gave me a fresh start.
Now I’m alert to God’s ways;
I don’t take God for granted.
Every day I review the ways he works;
I try not to miss a trick.
I feel put back together,
and I’m watching my step.
God rewrote the text of my life
when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

 

Ronnie and Christie

I cannot even begin to tell you how excited my heart Is today. My children have been the light of my heart since the day they came into the world and always will be. And now today, my daughter will get to witness the joy of their own child being born. I was remembering back 26 years ago, May 19, 1990. I remember how anxious I was about giving birth, I was a hot mess. But the minute she came and they laid her on my chest, all my pain was gone and joy took over. I remember my seven-year-old little boy asking “why do we have to do this on my birthday, can the doctor put her back in there for a while.” It was so cute, but the minute he laid eyes on her and she grasped his finger, he loved her to death. Yes, she came on my son’s birthday May 19, 1983 I remember celebrating his birthday a week early since my due date was May 19^th. My heart is just full of joy, happiness, and now a love for new baby Kyler than you can ever imagine. If I would have only seen then, the short amount of time I would have had with them before they were grown and out on their own, I would have done a lot of things differently. From a mom who has caused a broken mess throughout a lot of my past, I lost some of the most precious years of my children’s lives, although I was there, I wasn’t there, if that makes sense. Seize every minute with your children. Make them the most important thing in your life. No matter which path they have chosen in life, it may not be what you had picked out for them, but love them anyway. Support them no matter what, and realize that God has extended grace to us over and over and over again, it’s time to extend that same grace on to our children and love them unconditionally like never before. I have been home in the bed all week sick with the flu and it just makes me sick that I am not able to be there for his birth. But my baby girl knows, her mommy loves her, supports her, and that my heart is right there beating next to hers today. We will see him just as soon as I get well.

Welcome to this world today Baby Kyler

We love you,

Paw Paw and Maw Maw

I was listening to this song this morning and I have needed to hear this after these troubling past few weeks. Satan has been coming at Ronnie and I in all directions. Every area of our lives Satan has hit us on. (Which must mean the Lord has something big He is wanting us to do.)When I heard the song and the words to it, it just rested my spirit so much. We have really been struggling with a family issue with one of our children. What really hit me so hard is the part that say’s “Leave behind your regrets and mistakes, forgiveness was bought with the blood of Jesus Christ.” It brings me back to the day He hung on the cross, beaten, kicked, spit on, bloody, humiliated, and went through a kind of pain, none of us could have ever bared. He did that so we do not have to carry guilt and shame, He took all that for us so we would not have to ever take that on ourselves anymore. The other part of the song goes bring your sorrows and trade them for joy, from the ashes a new life is born. I’ve had tears running down my face and soaking that in, I am trying to not let guilt and shame creep back in with me.

I have had to realize that even though I am a Christian now, others may not be ready to forgive me. I have to rest in His arms and know He will take care of these issues in His timing, not mine. Sometimes in families, it is time to lay that loved one at the foot of the cross at Jesus’s feet and say, ” Lord they are yours” then let it go. Taking our hands off the situation allows God to take over and go to work. He does a much better job than we ever could. Our prayers for you this week will be, if you are in a broken family situation of any kind, whatever that may look like, and you to may have issues with your children. We agree in prayer with you to be able to take the hardest step of your life, and that is laying it at His feet and letting go. Remembering He will make all things right if you surrender to his will.

Ronnie and Christie

Are you hurting and broken within?
Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin?
Jesus is calling
Have you come to the end of yourself
Do you thirst for a drink from the well?
Jesus is calling

O come to the altar
The Father’s arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ

Leave behind your regrets and mistakes
Come today there’s no reason to wait
Jesus is calling
Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy
From the ashes a new life is born
Jesus is calling

O come to the altar
The Father’s arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ

Oh what a savior
Isn’t He wonderful?
Sing hallelujah, Christ is risen
Bow down before him
For he is lord of all
Sing alleluia, Christ is risen

O come to the altar
The Father’s arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ

Bear your cross as you wait for the crown
Tell the world of the treasure you found.

As we were leaving for Birmingham for the weekend, we were loading our car and my sweet friend that lives next door, was walking our way with her dog and her precious foster child. As they approached our car I noticed the sadness in the little girl’s face. I proceeded to ask her what was wrong, and she silently stood there. About that time my neighbor looked at me and said “she was supposed to have visitation with her mom today and her mom did not show up”. While looking at that sweet little face of the 8-year-old child, my heart began to sink, leaving me speechless. My neighbor spoke up and said, but she got a new bike today, still not a smile from the little girl, we went to McDonald’s today to, still no smile, she also got some new cloths today, not any emotion in her little face. I went to hug her and told her sometimes mommy’s can be so stupid. I told her about when I was a stupid mom making poor decisions with my children. I told her that one day her mom would come around to, just don’t give up hope. I kind of poked and picked at her a little and then I saw a small glimpse of a smile with total sadness behind it. As we got in the car to leave for Birmingham, my heart was broken, there is nothing worse than feelings of abandonment from a parent which were so apparent in her. Which then leads to all kinds of issues especially with a little girl, who longs to be mommy and daddy’s little princess.  There are parents out there who try to have relationships with their children, and the child says NO WAY, then there are those who like this small child that material things that were given to her that day, were not enough to make her smile she just longed for her mommy. I am so grateful to know that my papa (“Jesus” longs for me that way, and every one of you that way) It is so good to know when we feel some sort of abandonment that we always will have Jesus to run to, who will show up for us every time. Nor will he ever leave us because of any of the wrongs that we do. He loves us unconditionally, my prayer for this little girl is to find His love, never failing, no-condition, holds us tight in His arms, speaking to her heart through his word, a real true love for her that she will never have to question.

Please continue to pray for our neighbor Amy, I have seen several foster children come and go, but for her and her husband to have the heart to do what they do, is just amazing.

Ronnie and Christie