Awestruck by the Transforming Love of Christ

This weekend marked a very special highlight in a series of incredible "spirit changing" events that have happened in my life this summer. God has stirred an awakening in my soul and a hunger for His word that consumes me like never before. I see how far I've been from Him, even as a Bible believing Christian, attending church and trying to "live a good life".... I have been missing out on being transformed by His word in a real way because I've neglected Him. I didn't put any importance on reading God's word because honestly I was kinda lazy about it and I was convinced it was ok and I was doing fine because hey, I've heard God's word all my life in church.... I knew it well enough, right? Oh my how wrong I had been! The Bible is truly the only book in history that brings LIFE to those who read it. I sincerely struggled when first coming to the realization that I needed to learn more of God's word. My faith was seriously tested. I questioned all kinds of things and shed a lot of tears. But God is faithful and true and He has said in His Word that "You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29:13

I am overwhelmed and truly awestruck as I am learning, as if for the very first time, about my God.

Thank you Jesus for your mercy, thank you for the people you have put in my life who lovingly have been accountability partners for me, who have witnessed to me (in recent times and through the years) through the way they live and believe, for friends who have dropped everything to load up kids in their car and drive to my house and pray over me in my front yard, who have held me while I cried and encouraged me with your scriptures. Thank you for the ways they have witnessed to me without even knowing it. Thank you for my family and friends from all stages of my life. I pray each of us will know your transforming love and grace and be able to share it with our families and friends that your word will be spread throughout the earth.

This weekend started out with a Girls Trip to Ft.Worth with some awesome friends, yay!

 Ashley, Jennifer, Fawnda and I were invited by our sweet new friend Jeanne (who has been the music ministry leader for LIFE Outreach International Ministries with James and Betty Robison for over 30 years) to attend the taping of a Bible Study series taught by Beth Moore at their studio. To say we had an amazing time would be an understatement. The Bible study Friday night and Saturday morning was spot on and so relevant to our lives, and the fellowship with these sweet friends was priceless.

*So for any of you who watch "Wednesdays in the Word with Beth Moore" you may see us in the audience, right next to the stage, in her upcoming teaching series. :)

                                     Ashley, Jennifer, Beth Moore, me, Fawnda, and Jeanne

Carley's Baptism

And to top it all off, the most incredible blessing came on Sunday morning when family and friends joined us in watching our precious daughter Carley make public her profession of faith in Jesus Christ through baptism. Carley has been asking us about doing this for over a year now but we wanted to wait and give her time to gain a deeper understanding of what it meant and why she wanted to do it. When we met with the pastor to talk about her decision we were both so moved by her pure and simple faith and so proud of her.

After she came up out of the water and was wrapped in a towel, I walked with her to the bathroom to change and on the way she said, "Mom I didn't know it would feel this way. It feels so good."


This little girl inspires us with how much she loves God and how she always wants to tell people about the Bible and pray for people. She told me this morning after seeing a movie that talked about missionaries that that is what she wants to be someday. Wow! Lord prepare us (because we certainly know how imperfect and prone to wander we are). Where you lead, we want to follow.