He gave...

The past few weeks our church has been doing a series based on Max Lucado's book 3:16. The services were awesome and you can go here to listen. Here are some thoughts I took away:

• God is love; it's not something He does, HE IS LOVE.


• He gave....these are probably the two most powerful words in John 3:16. I don't know how long I've known this verse, but it took my six year old about two seconds to help me understand it! We didn't attend church on Easter because both kids and I were sick. So while we colored eggs, we discussed what Easter is and how John 3:16 relates to it. Joshua kept saying, "he gave, it's about God giving." Right on Little Man, right on.


• Heaven and Hell- they're real places, with real consequences. My pastor Mike did a great job explaining that heaven is an eternity spent with God and hell is an eternity spent without Him. Sadly I don't remember the last time I sat in a church service that made the distinction clear. It was a great closing to this series.

You've Got A Friend

Today I read this post about friendship. At the end there is a link that says "because I can't resist" and of course I couldn't. What a blessing for me. I needed a bit of encouragment today and this was like having a lullabye from God. He sounds a little like James Taylor, but just close your eyes and let the words speak to you. Hopefully it will encourage you too!

Happy Easter!

Happy Birthday Hannah!

My girl turns 10 today...double digits!! We celebrated this weekend with her BFF by getting our nails done and seeing College Road Trip together. The nails are fantastic as you can see, the movie was good. (Funny in the beginning and end, but a little slow in the middle.) Tonight we have the family dinner, Mexican, of course. My girl loves her some Mexican food, some Hannah Montana and some Softball. She got Hannah Montanta lipgloss and a watch, some cool clothes and a new softball bat.

It seems like yesterday. She was born on a Thursday afternoon, 7 pounds, 12 ounces and 21 inches long. But alas, it's been a decade! Time really does fly.

Have fun sweet girl. We love you bunches, but God loves you the most!

Opening Day at the Ball Park

I love Spring! Flowers blooming, the weather is milder, and we can get outside and play. That's exactly what we did this Saturday. It was opening day at my son's baseball park, so we were off to get the season started; his last season of T-Ball. T-Ball is a great form of entertainment...the kids are so young and so funny to watch as they figure out exactly how to play this game called Baseball. One little guy really got my attention.

He had made it to third base. Then when the next guy hit the ball, he should've ran to home plate. Unfortunately, he wasn't so sure about that or maybe he didn't know where it was! He started to run, but then he stopped and froze. Desperately he stood there, looking around. Everyone was screaming; the crowd behind him, the crowd behind first base, the coaches, the other players. He couldn't decide who to listen to. Then suddenly he spotted his parents behind first base calling his name. His eyes locked with theirs, they pointed in the direction of home plate and he took off! He was SAFE.

We were all cheering and laughing. It was such a great moment.

I couldn't help but wonder, would I recognize my Father's voice...in all the noise, the chaos and confusion. Would I be able to filter out and focus in on God's direction for my life?

"The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." John 10:3-5NIV

These verses teach us that we can know God's voice, we can recognize it above others. How? By spending time with Him, by knowing His word, by hanging out with God. Get to know God today, spend some time with Him.