- Corrie ten Boom
Sunday, March 27, 2011
so many stories, so little time...!
The past 2 !/2 weeks have been INSANE. I've literally not had time to sit down and collect my thoughts...an therefore no time to update the blog. But there is SO much to report on.
Until I can post properly on each subject, I'll give you a little pictorial preview:
1. John Swinton Townsend Bailey. Born March 11, 2011, 8:25 am. 6 pounds, 5 oz. 19 inches long. AND PRECIOUS...
4. NOISE (more on that later)
Until I can post properly on each subject, I'll give you a little pictorial preview:
1. John Swinton Townsend Bailey. Born March 11, 2011, 8:25 am. 6 pounds, 5 oz. 19 inches long. AND PRECIOUS...
2. The world said goodbye to a dear, precious man of God. Bradley Coker left us way sooner than we thought was right - but God never gets it wrong. I've yet to really process his death...all I am sure of is that He is dancing with Jesus right now.
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| Bradley was a lover of Jesus and His children... |
3. March 14th, 2011 - my 1 year anniversary of living in Jax.
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| don't be fooled by the pretty lights...it's a strange place |
much more to follow, so...
Thursday, March 10, 2011
more to love...
I have the distinct priviledge of being 'Aunt Lizzy' to these adorable two nuggets:
When Betsy was born, my whole life changed. I never knew I had it in me to love something so much...she was (and still is) perfectly precious in every way. She quickly became one of my best buddies. There aren't many people in this world with whom I'd rather hang out with more.
Being Betsy's aunt taught me so much about God's love for us. My brother and sister-in -law lived just around the corner from us and were so generous in allowing us to spend a lot of time with her. In the first 365 days of Betsy's life, I probably got to see her 350 of them. I remember when she was just a little baby, I'd hold her and look into her eyes and melt... for the first 6 months or so, every time I would give her that last bottle of the day and rock her to sleep, I would weep. She would look up at me with such trust, such love. I would often think that the simple and silent exchanges Betsy and I had with eachother held much of what God's heart is for all of us. She was such a gift to me - she IS a gift to all of us!
She truly is a beauty:
And then came James. Monster man, monkey man, one man wrecking crew, SWEET BABY JAMES. James came to us 3 years after Betsy. I have to admit, looking back, I was so worried that I had reached my love capacity - that what I had, I had used up on Betsy. But to my surprise, God taught me something else about our ability to love...it grows. When that tiny little boy came into this world, I melted all over again. It's like God gave me a whole new love tank just for James...and I didn't have to share it with Betsy because she has her own. James was the snuggliest little baby I've ever known...so sweet, so happy. I would babysit for Betsy and James every other Monday night and nothing made me happier than to be with those two. James, as I would feed him and rock him to sleep, would stick his finger in my nose. This was a mere forshadowing to the rascal we have on our hands. James is the wild man of the family, the entertainment- the one that keeps us chasing and keeps us laughing.
He is the definition of JOY:
Tomorrow, at 8am, I get another tank. Baby Bailey #3, who in every way is a miracle (seriously - defeated ALL odds to get here) will make his or her way into this world. I am about to burst with excitement. I cannot wait to make new memories with this little one - to love (her) and to learn from (him). If it's a girl, I can't wait to buy her pink things and tell her she's a princess. If it's a boy, I can't wait to buy him a dump truck and tell him he's a prince. I can't wait to smell that sweet little baby's head and kiss it's face. I can't wait...I can't wait...I can't wait..................!!!!
 |
| Betsy Boo and Jamesey boy |
Being Betsy's aunt taught me so much about God's love for us. My brother and sister-in -law lived just around the corner from us and were so generous in allowing us to spend a lot of time with her. In the first 365 days of Betsy's life, I probably got to see her 350 of them. I remember when she was just a little baby, I'd hold her and look into her eyes and melt... for the first 6 months or so, every time I would give her that last bottle of the day and rock her to sleep, I would weep. She would look up at me with such trust, such love. I would often think that the simple and silent exchanges Betsy and I had with eachother held much of what God's heart is for all of us. She was such a gift to me - she IS a gift to all of us!
She truly is a beauty:
And then came James. Monster man, monkey man, one man wrecking crew, SWEET BABY JAMES. James came to us 3 years after Betsy. I have to admit, looking back, I was so worried that I had reached my love capacity - that what I had, I had used up on Betsy. But to my surprise, God taught me something else about our ability to love...it grows. When that tiny little boy came into this world, I melted all over again. It's like God gave me a whole new love tank just for James...and I didn't have to share it with Betsy because she has her own. James was the snuggliest little baby I've ever known...so sweet, so happy. I would babysit for Betsy and James every other Monday night and nothing made me happier than to be with those two. James, as I would feed him and rock him to sleep, would stick his finger in my nose. This was a mere forshadowing to the rascal we have on our hands. James is the wild man of the family, the entertainment- the one that keeps us chasing and keeps us laughing.
He is the definition of JOY:
Tomorrow, at 8am, I get another tank. Baby Bailey #3, who in every way is a miracle (seriously - defeated ALL odds to get here) will make his or her way into this world. I am about to burst with excitement. I cannot wait to make new memories with this little one - to love (her) and to learn from (him). If it's a girl, I can't wait to buy her pink things and tell her she's a princess. If it's a boy, I can't wait to buy him a dump truck and tell him he's a prince. I can't wait to smell that sweet little baby's head and kiss it's face. I can't wait...I can't wait...I can't wait..................!!!!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
'I had a dream my life would be...'
Last weekend was the annual St. Andrew's women's retreat on Hilton Head. As always, it was a fabulous time. Lots of fun, lots of laughs, lots of tears. Being a part of the St. Andrew's community has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. Just about everything I learned about living in community and loving with the heart of Jesus I learned from being a part of the St. Andrew's family. I'd say that the biggest challenge of this past year has been how to function without the community of people that I have grown to love on the deepest of levels.
This year, the women's retreat, albeit wonderful - was different for me. I was an attendee from another place. For the first time in 5 years, I had no responsibilities, no leadership role to fulfill. Man, was that different. The hardest part, however, was leaving. As we wrapped up, all of my friends packed up and headed 2 hours north and I went 2 hours in the opposite direction. It just felt so...well, if I'm honest...wrong. I literally spent the next 3 days figuring out how I could follow my dreams in Florida but live in South Carolina. Guess what? That can't be done. (BUMMER).
The 'theme' of the weekend was 'Fearless' and our speaker did a fabulous job challenging us to look at our lives and how we are/are not living into what God has called us to. One of the most memorable moments of the weekend was when we watched this clip:
I dreamed a dream - Susan Boyle from Phuc Mai on Vimeo.
I've seen this a billion times but there was something about being in a room full of women who were confronting their fears and lost dreams that made it one of the most powerful moments of the weekend. It was as if we were all watching it for the first time, cheering Susan on as she chased a dream that up until that moment, everyone had written off. Our group of ladies were captivated by what unfolded and by the end of Susan's performance, many of us were in tears, many of us were on our feet and everyone was cheering. It was a real turning point in the weekend...a real stake in the ground where things began to wake up in the hearts of my sisters around me. It's amazing how quickly we can lose hope. All odds were against Susan when she walked out on that stage. What if she had received all that judgement and chosen not to sing?
What I am most challenged by is that I, regrettably, am no different from anyone else in that audience. I cannot say that my reaction to her would have been any different. That makes me incredibly sad. How are we so conditioned to look at someone and make such ugly and condemning assumptions about them? It really made me wonder about how many people I have had the opportunity to encourage but didn't -- how many people were influenced by my judgement of them and subsequently did not go after something that was in their heart of hearts to pursue. I'd like to think that I don't have quite that much power and influence over people but I do. We all do. When I was in the 3rd grade, my very large and angry music teacher told me I couldn't sing and I never pursued music again after that day because I was sure she knew what she was talking about. I'm not saying I'd be on Broadway today had she not said what she did but I do believe a bit of my confidence was bruised that day - and it just goes to show how careful we have to be with the people in our lives. I know I was convicted about how well I love people. I feel like I love some people well but there's a whole lot of room for improvement. What's the point of any of this if I am not loving everyone around me like Jesus would?
This year, the women's retreat, albeit wonderful - was different for me. I was an attendee from another place. For the first time in 5 years, I had no responsibilities, no leadership role to fulfill. Man, was that different. The hardest part, however, was leaving. As we wrapped up, all of my friends packed up and headed 2 hours north and I went 2 hours in the opposite direction. It just felt so...well, if I'm honest...wrong. I literally spent the next 3 days figuring out how I could follow my dreams in Florida but live in South Carolina. Guess what? That can't be done. (BUMMER).
The 'theme' of the weekend was 'Fearless' and our speaker did a fabulous job challenging us to look at our lives and how we are/are not living into what God has called us to. One of the most memorable moments of the weekend was when we watched this clip:
I dreamed a dream - Susan Boyle from Phuc Mai on Vimeo.
I've seen this a billion times but there was something about being in a room full of women who were confronting their fears and lost dreams that made it one of the most powerful moments of the weekend. It was as if we were all watching it for the first time, cheering Susan on as she chased a dream that up until that moment, everyone had written off. Our group of ladies were captivated by what unfolded and by the end of Susan's performance, many of us were in tears, many of us were on our feet and everyone was cheering. It was a real turning point in the weekend...a real stake in the ground where things began to wake up in the hearts of my sisters around me. It's amazing how quickly we can lose hope. All odds were against Susan when she walked out on that stage. What if she had received all that judgement and chosen not to sing?
What I am most challenged by is that I, regrettably, am no different from anyone else in that audience. I cannot say that my reaction to her would have been any different. That makes me incredibly sad. How are we so conditioned to look at someone and make such ugly and condemning assumptions about them? It really made me wonder about how many people I have had the opportunity to encourage but didn't -- how many people were influenced by my judgement of them and subsequently did not go after something that was in their heart of hearts to pursue. I'd like to think that I don't have quite that much power and influence over people but I do. We all do. When I was in the 3rd grade, my very large and angry music teacher told me I couldn't sing and I never pursued music again after that day because I was sure she knew what she was talking about. I'm not saying I'd be on Broadway today had she not said what she did but I do believe a bit of my confidence was bruised that day - and it just goes to show how careful we have to be with the people in our lives. I know I was convicted about how well I love people. I feel like I love some people well but there's a whole lot of room for improvement. What's the point of any of this if I am not loving everyone around me like Jesus would?
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.8 Love never fails......13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
I was challenged recently to insert 'Liz Bailey' in place of 'love' and boy was that a wake up call. I am SOME of those things SOME of the time but I certainly fall short MOST of the time. My prayer is that I would be so bound to the heart, mind, and spirit of Jesus that I would be ALL of these things to ALL people ALL the time. Now that's a dream worth chasing...But the greatest of these is love.
I'm back...
Wellllll...I officially failed at what I set out to do in regards to my blogging aspirations. But what it comes down to is that everything that I so brilliantly decide for myself turns out to be really ridiculous. So, I have recently taken on a new attitude towards everything that I decide is a good 'plan' for myself: EFF it. (excuse my French - at least I didn't REALLY say it). I'm sure that will raise some eyebrows (Mom and Dad, everything is ok, I PROMISE) but I'm just choosing to get off that all too tempting treadmill that seduces us into believing that we have to have it all together and figured out. In ten days, I will have lived in Jacksonville for a year. ONE WHOLE YEAR. It seems like yesterday. And it seems like a lifetime. It's been the most freeing year of my life. It's been the hardest year of my life.
It all sounds WAY more dramatic than it really is. All is well and life is good. I've got much to be thankful for and little to complain about. I'm just re-visiting the last year and realizing how much effort I've put into things that don't matter. Time to scale back, get simple, appreciate the things that are right in front of me...
More on all that later........
to all of you (all two of you, mom and dad) who have been waiting patiently for me to post, I love you.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way"
It all sounds WAY more dramatic than it really is. All is well and life is good. I've got much to be thankful for and little to complain about. I'm just re-visiting the last year and realizing how much effort I've put into things that don't matter. Time to scale back, get simple, appreciate the things that are right in front of me...
More on all that later........
to all of you (all two of you, mom and dad) who have been waiting patiently for me to post, I love you.
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