Nap Time

I love it.
But, not for the obvious reasons (having time to clean, shower, eat, etc.).
It's the rocking, singing, snuggle time before he sleeps, and the warm weight of his not so little baby body after he's sound asleep in my lap.
Sure, I look forward to my approximate 2 hour window of free time every day.  But, to be honest... I spend a lot of that "free time" in the glider with my sleeping boy.
It is not lost on me that these days of rocking him to sleep won't last much longer (most of the articles and books suggest that I should be putting him in his crib when he is "drowsy but not yet sleeping.")  My little boy, who used to fit in the cradle of one arm, and now has feet that reach past my knees as his curly head rests on my shoulder.  He's so big.

I hope I never forget these moments I share with my son.  The times I think he's sleeping only for his head to pop up with his crooked, teethy smile... Or when he puts his soft hands on my face and pulls me in for kisses (which really consist of him ramming his face into my mouth over and over again).  He always has a sippy tucked under his arm as he drifts off.  Occasionally he'll want it placed on the table beside us..but will quickly change his mind.  The babbling baby talk that always ends in the same word.. "ball."  The search for the most comfortable position..will he scrunch up with his head on my chest?  Or, will he sprawl out on his back with his legs reaching farther down my legs every day? 

And when sleep finally catches him... the slow, steady breathing.  Sometimes with the whistle of a stuffy nose..is there any sweeter sound??  His soft curls that smell of lavender shampoo and sunscreen.. and how his hot-natured little body immediately gets sweaty once he falls asleep.  I love everything about this time of day.  And I had to write a blog to document some of my thoughts..because I know a time will come when I don't remember this stuff.. but, these are the moments that make me profoundly grateful to be a mom.

Luke's 1st Birthday [Part 2]

I loved planning Luke's birthday.  Although we were in the middle of moving and had most of our stuff in storage, any excuse to get festive is enough for me.  I already have [more than] a few ideas for his 2nd birthday!  We were set on a happy monster themed party and there were tons of cute ideas of Pinterest.  We originally wanted to have his party at our house, but we closed 2 days before his party...there was no way.  Thankfully, our church has an awesome space for parties!

My parents and Matt's parents both came to help celebrate with us...we are so incredibly blessed with such loving, supportive family.  Not many grandparents would drive from Columbia and fly from Michigan for a birthday party.  Luke is so loved.

I am still obsessed with how Luke's invites turned out.  I searched Etsy for the perfect invitations but couldn't find any that weren't primary colored or Monsters Inc..  When I contacted 2birdstudios about a custom design, they delivered in a huge way!  I highly recommend this awesome couple.  If your idea can be sold in their shop they don't even charge a design fee!  I wanted a 'Where The Wild Things Are meets chalkboard friendly monster'...they nailed it.

Highchair Bunting

Googly eyes turned everything into monsters!

We had Luke's favorite foods for lunch!  Chicken nuggets and fruit. (haha)  We also had white chicken chili and zuppa toscana for the adults, chips and salsa, cupcakes, and monster popcorn to take home!

Monster Popcorn favors

My mom setting up the cake table

She made this cake from scratch!  Too pretty to eat (funny story there lol).

Birthday Boy's 1st look at his party!

 Balloons were the best decision we made.  All the kids loved throwing them around..cheapest entertainment ever.

He was so excited to have his best buds around.

Shout out to my dad's decorating skills on the poles. :)

We love you Grandma and Papa T!

Naked baby partying hard.

My mom made sure Luke got plenty to eat. LOL

Unwrapping gifts was a hot mess- but he loved the paper!

The wagon was a big hit!

MAYHEM

The perfect cake smash picture did NOT happen.

More than the awesome cake, balloon games, and multiple drums Luke got- we were so blessed by our families making  it a priority to celebrate with us.

Happy Birthday bubber!  Just 9 more months until you turn 2!  Better start planning now..

(*note* all bunting and pennants were handmade- this was the most budget friendly party imaginable. lol)

Luke's 1st Birthday [Part 1]

The week of Luke's birthday was a crazy one!  We closed on our house (after a few weeks of waiting for the government shutdown to end), packed up our stuff, moved into our new house, and had my family and Matt's family in town to celebrate.  Needless to say, posting a blog about the festivities was not high on my list of priorities.  So, here I am, 3 months later...posting some pictures from his big day!  This post contains pics from his actual birthday (October 30) and the photo project we worked on throughout his 1st year!

 I know I post enough pictures and statuses about my little guy- but, I can't say enough how much fun and wonder he adds to our lives.  He's curious and smart and energetic and animated and hilarious and an absolute delight in every way.  The first year flew by (in retrospect).

1st Birthday Breakfast

Monthly Pictures

1 Month

2 Months

3 Months

4 Months

5 Months

6 Months

7 Months

8 Months

9 Months

10 Months

11 Months

1 Year

Celebrating with a festive photo shoot!

Next I'll post pictures of his birthday party!

LIVE Later: BlessED 3

Sunday was our last night of the BlessED series.  I have thoroughly enjoyed this one because it is practical, challenging, and encouraging stuff for all believers- those new in Christ and those who have been loving Jesus for years.

The last 2 weeks Matt has taught almost exclusively from the Beatitudes, focusing on the "poor in spirit" and "meek" verses.  This week was a little different.  Unlike most of his sermons, this one was broken up into 2 parts:  BEING a blessing, and then recognizing our possession of every spiritual blessing.   I'll be honest.. the first part of his sermon made me a little uncomfortable.  Not in a bad way...but, in a "Oh snap..I do this" way. 
He asked how many of us bless our food, pray for safe travels before a trip, and pray before bed.  I do all of the above.  I pray fervently over Luke as a put him to sleep..not just about his future and his character, but that his sleep would be blessed. 
Matt wasn't saying that any of this is wrong, just that we need to be balanced in our prayers.  Whew.  Ok, I am all for balance.  As much as we ask for blessing, we need to be asking to BE a blessing.  "God, how can I bless You?" 
God warns about repetitive, showy prayers (dinner table, anyone?).  He wants the real stuff.  He wants our day to day hurts and questions and doubts and fears and laughs and hopes and everything.  He wants to bless our food and travels too... but he wants the real stuff even more than that.

I'm sure this message made a lot of us question how we pray..that can be uncomfortable.  I can't deny that some days my prayers look very similar to those from the day before.  Father deserves more than that.

Back to switching up our prayers from "bless me" to "bless You"... If we're made in His image, and He is the Blesser, shouldn't we be a blessing?  It's time to be honest with ourselves- are our prayers shallow, selfish prayers that rob God of any room to display His glory and power?  Are we robbing ourselves of the incredible purpose found in carrying out His will for us to bless others?

The 2nd part of Matt's sermon was some of the most raw preaching I've heard from him.  Powerful stuff:  We have already received every blessing!  We have already received the fullness of Jesus!  That fountain has been opened up and is flowing... We are in possession of every spiritual blessing.  When we got the Spirit, we got the blessing.  Some of us don't recognize it. Why?
We don't know about the blessings of God because we aren't in His Word.
1 Peter 1:3
Romans 8:17
John 1:12
Romans 8:37
Ephesians 2:6
John 14:2
All of these verses contain blessings and hope that we spend time asking for over and over again. 
Once we understand that we've already been blessed we can walk IN those blessings and fight FROM those blessings.
We need to recognize, tap into, and operate out of what He's already given us.
That way we're always ready to BE a blessing to others.
All good stuff.  But it got better.

Matt asked this.

How can we expect to walk in & experience the blessing of God when we barely believe in the Blesser?

Whoa. It was like the air was sucked out of the room.  There it is.  We are an intellectual generation trying to figure everything out.. we seek and search and question and doubt and wonder and dream.  At the end of the day, a choice HAS to be made.  Then and only then can we begin to move forward in our faith and recognize those blessings.

I won't try to recreate what Matt said.. But, he loves Jesus and desperately wants our students to know the Jesus that he knows.  So many miss out.  So many never encounter and get to know the True Savior King.  Because, once you know King Jesus it is incredibly hard to go back to anything normal or mediocre.

Anyone who was at LIVE this week knows that something shifted.  After service students were getting to know God on their own.. there was no emotional, fabricated altar call.  It was just people communicating with their Savior and taking a step of getting to know Him.  I'm still blown away by the texts and messages I've gotten from students who finally came to terms with some stuff.  I'm thankful for students who are after authentic faith and deep relationship with Jesus.  This is an exciting time to be alive!

Father God, thankyou for Your Word and for every spiritual blessing you have already given us.  Forgive us for not recognizing and activating those promised blessings.  Help us to exemplify Your nature of being a blessing to others.  We want to know You deeply.  Thankyou for Your Holy Spirit that comes in to restore and empower us.  We love You. Amen.

LIVE Later: BlessED 2

LIVE (much) Later would be a better title for this post.  I'm determined to keep myself accountable with blogging, so better late than never!

Last week, Matt started his series on the Beatitudes with a discussion on what it is to be "poor in spirit" and why those who are poor in spirit are blessed.  To be impoverished is to be dependent on others for many basic needs; as followers of Jesus, we need to be aware of our spiritual poverty so that we look to the Provider, Sustainer, Healer, and King- Jesus.

This week, we looked at Matthew 5:5: "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."

To be honest, I've never given this verse a second thought.  The idea of being "meek" does not appeal to me, nor would I use it to describe myself.  In fact, outside of this Scripture, I wouldn't normally consider the word "meek" to be a complimentary adjective.  I'm so glad my husband taught on this verse!

Webster's Dictionary defines meek as "having or showing a quiet or gentle nature; not wanting to fight or argue with people; enduring injury with patience without resentment; deficient in spirit and courage; not violent or strong."  .... deficient in spirit and courage?  That does not sound like the type of person that Jesus would bless or let "inherit the earth."

The Greek word used in this verse is "Praus."  This word, "praus", was also used in describing 3 things:

soothing medicine

gentle breeze

broken colt

What do these 3 things have in common?

All 3 are powerful, potentially deadly things that are under control.  So, the picture that Jesus is painting with His use of the word "praus" (that we have translated to "meek") is something strong that is under control.  Let's work with a new definition of meek and disregard Webster.

Meekness:  strength under control

Matt gave some examples of Biblical men that exemplified meekness.  Abraham (who preferred his nephew, Lot, even though he had every right to display his power and authority in choosing what land to inhabit), Moses (who stood before Pharoah and led 2,000,000 people around for 40 years), and, of course, Jesus.
Jesus.  The man who broke down the gates of Hell, raised the dead to life, stood up to the forces of nature- this Man let men crucify Him. Spit on Him.  Mock Him.  The ultimate display of strength under control.  For the sake of love and restoration, He preferred mankind over himself.

These men did not consider their personal preference worth fighting for- they only considered God's plan and purpose worthy of fighting and sometimes dying for.. meekness.

In my personal preference, I am to walk in meekness.  Prefer others.  Choose what hills to die on and what hills to surrender.  In His plan, walk in strength and power and boldness.

The Bible promises that the meek will inherit the earth.

Matt used a lot of basketball analogies in this series (which was a little over my head at times LOL)..But, one thing he said struck a chord with me.  In all sports, a fair amount of trash-talking and arguing happens (between players, fans, coaches, refs...).  My husband talked about his own strategy when playing pick-up basketball:  meekness.  He tries to always defer to the other player.  Instead of taking the bait when fouls are called, he lets the other team have it "their way."  Although it isn't easy to swallow his pride, especially in a competitive atmosphere, he knows it isn't worth a fight.  And what happens when he wins?  The victory is so much sweeter after the other team has had their way for the whole game.  I think this is a little glimpse of how it will feel to those who inherit the earth.
Like a great, cosmic pickup game- Jesus will hand  the earth over to those who have walked in meekness, even when they felt they had the "right" to defend themselves.  Won't that be the sweetest victory ever?

The result of meekness is greater than the responsibility.  The blessing is better than the burden.
That's how it works in the Kingdom.
You won't always see the fruit of your sacrifice right away, but rest on His promise that there is MUCH to be inherited.

I'm loving this series because these are Jesus' words on how to live a life of blessing and purpose.  What better way is there to start off a new year??

God, help us to recognize those moments that call for meekness and humility.  Give us eyes to see our own pride and the strength to operate out of a teachable spirit.  I want to trust that YOU are my Defender.  Thank you for Your Holy Spirit that enables us to walk in meekness, despite how unnatural that can feel.  Amen.

LIVE Student Ministries meets at 6:30pm on Sunday nights at Church Alive.  Follow us on Twitter: @LIVEfvnc and on Instagram: LIVEfvnc

LIVE Later: BlessED 1

This week my husband preached on the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5, otherwise known as the Sermon on the Mount.  For the next 2 weeks we'll continue studying some different ideas found in Jesus' sermon that have to do with what blessing is, what it isn't, what brings it, and what repels it.

Our first focus is in verse 3: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven."
What is it to be truly poor?  Impoverished. True poverty is a lack or shortage of necessary things (money, food, shelter).  Those who find themselves in this situation must rely on the help of others.  That help might come in the form of government aid, the church, family, food banks, etc.  In an age of "first world probs" many of us have never experienced true poverty.  This verse is easily misunderstood or even overlooked.
 Jesus is saying that to inherit the kingdom of Heaven you must recognize the impoverished state of your soul and be dependent on and desperate for the help of the Holy Spirit.

In Luke7:36-50 Jesus is eating with some Pharisees when a woman (we can only assume she had been a prostitute) came in and began weeping, anointing Jesus' feet.  At this, the Pharisee questioned Jesus for allowing the woman to touch him.  Uhoh.
What does Jesus do?  He tells a parable.  We all know it:  2 men owe money- 1 man owes a substantial amount more than the other.. both debts are forgiven.  This is a huge deal if you pay attention to context:  in Jesus' time, you were imprisoned until you were able to repay the debt.  Problem: how could you earn money to repay the debt if you were imprisoned?  Exactly.  Life-sentence.
So, both men have had their debts forgiven, thereby avoiding life in prison.
Jesus asks, "Which of them will love the moneylender more?"
Simon responds, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
Jesus then brings it all home, in case the Pharisees missed it: He points out that she washed his feet with her tears and anointed him with priceless perfume while the Pharisee didn't even greet Him with a kiss (a big deal at this time in history).
She loved Jesus more because she was aware of the debt that had been forgiven.  The Pharisees had yet to see that they had a debt that needed to be forgiven.

Your sin, no matter how little or how much, gets you the same punishment as every other sinner.

To be poor in spirit, like the woman in Luke 7, is to remain aware of the debt you once owed that has been forgiven.  To be poor in spirit is to be aware of how much we desperately need God.
Paul called himself the "chiefest of sinners."  He was poor in spirit which meant he was fully empowered by God's blessing.

The Pharisees walked in spiritual pride, unaware of their wretchedness and unable to accept the free gift of forgiveness.  If you are spiritually prideful you cannot experience God's grace and blessing.
In order to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ you have to know you need a Savior!

God, help us to remain poor in spirit.  Thank you for loving us freely and without limit!  Thank you for your work on the cross that allows us to experience debt-free forgiveness.  Thank you for your blessing.  Tuck this Word into my heart so that I never forget the revelation.  Amen.

LIVE Student Ministry meets on Sunday nights at 6:30 at Church Alive in Fuquay Varina, NC.
Church Alive's weekend services are Saturday nights at 6pm and Sunday mornings, 9am and 11am.

churchaliveag.org

LIVE Later [my resolution]

I love blogs.  Little Baby Garvin, All About The Henderson's, , Love, Taza, The Pioneer Woman, Stilettos And Diapers, Mrs. Lusko , among others...  These women offer real looks into their lives and give me hope that I can still be me while also being mom.

One of my very favorite blogs, The Preacher's Wife, belongs to Holly Furtick, wife of Pastor Steven Furtick.  She challenges me on every level.  If you take the time to read her posts, you can't help but notice something:  She loves and supports and adores her husband.  She recognizes him as her pastor.
And this doesn't make her weak.
She is a strong, independent, anointed woman- and she supports her husband.  That's right...you can do and be both.

This is not a new concept for me, but it is something I have failed at over and over and over again.  We live in a culture that tells women it is weak to be submissive to men who will fail them anyway.  Watch some primetime television if you disagree.  
Oh wait, we do have 50 Shades Of Grey... submit yourself to the point of dehumanization and shame.
So those are our options?  No way.

I'm learning that as I give Matt the respect and support he needs according to Ephesians 5, it releases an atmosphere that cultivates my own creativity and calling.

 ³³ However, let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband [^[f]that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and ^[g]that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly]. -Ephesians 5, AMP

When we align ourselves with this Biblical principle (whether your husband is doing his part "loving you as he loves his very own self") we align ourselves with the promise, favor and blessing of God.  It's cause/effect.  Walk in the way of the Lord and you will experience His blessing.

ANYWAY.
Back to Holly Furtick.  Every week she posts a "Monday Morning Commentary" on the message her husband preached.  Not only is this enlightening to read, it's a way she supports and reveres her husband.  She's helping advance the Kingdom and supporting her husband all at once.  She's using her creative gifts and being a fan of her man.  I love it.

As part of my resolution to better respect and esteem my man, I'm going to the go the way of Holly Furtick with LIVE Later.  That's right.  My own commentary on Matt's message from our Sunday night service.  I know I'm biased, but I truly think Matt is a gifted communicator and I love sitting under his teaching.  However, in the past I've gotten distracted during his messages as I help in the sound booth or check in on Luke or be the "shh police" to our students.  No more!  You will find me front and center with my journal and iPhone ready to take notes and agree and clap.  Then, you'll find me here with a recap!

I encourage you to be more proactive in your church service!  Whether your husband is the preacher or not, your pastor deserves your full attention!  If you trust that he is God's man for the house, you have to trust that God is anointing him to deliver His Word.  So really, it's a matter of reverencing the Word of God by way of respecting the man delivering that Word.  You'll experience greater blessing for it, I know!

Stay tuned for the first LIVE Later!