I have to record all that went on tonight, or another day will pass, and I’ll forget the good works of the Lord. It happens so easily… forgetting, that is.

The Lord even warned the Israelites of that very thing. He had brought them out of Egypt, and had saved them from a world of slavery… but He knew that their hearts were bent to forget Him and His grace in their lives, so He gave them this warning:

“Beware lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and his ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; lest, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart becomes proud, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” –Deut. 8:11-14

So, here’s an account of the second half of today:

I went to sleep around 3pm with a slight headache, and woke up an hour later with a migraine. After taking medicine, I got dressed, and headed to the church to meet up with the youth to go laser tagging. The headache has passed (or so I thought), but on the ride there, it returned along with an immense nausea like I hadn’t felt in years. I was sick and miserable, but after taking quick turn off at the closest exit, and getting some fresh air, I felt quite a bit better. My close friend, Barb, was driving and was so gracious to pull off our mapped route and risk getting lost simply to accommodate her sick passenger. After taking a wrong turn, and apparently, the long way to CiCi’s Pizza, we arrived, ate dinner and headed off to Laser Web. I was unpleasantly nauseous, tired, and just wanted to be home and in bed by that point.

From that point of the night on, my flesh was broken down and weak. It’s truly amazing what happens when flesh turns off, and the Lord moves in a way that only He can. He adorned the evening with little manifestations of His grace, and it was wonderful.

I didn’t feel up to participating in the laser tag games, so during that time, one of the women from our church and I were able to just sit and enjoy each other’s company. She and I had never really talked much, even though I believe she and her family have attended JWF for quite awhile now. We didn’t share life stories or anything ultra deep… Actually, we spent most of the time talking about music (low and behold, we both share a common love for Journey :)), and how a relationship with the Lord changed her listening repertoire. I now know just a small bit more about one of my sisters in Christ.

The rest of the time at LW was great, but the ride home was even better. One of our Adopt A Horse girls has been coming to church, and came as Barb’s “adoptee” tonight. She has a hard life at home, and is at times quite a distracted, unsettled little girl. Lately though… I’ve seen a change. I can see it in her eyes, in the way she finally accepts hugs (and even initiates them sometimes!), and I hear it in her voice when she quietly says “love you too” after I tell her I love her. On the long ride home (it was just Barb, Brooke, and I in the car), she played with my hair while she talked about how much fun she had and listened intently while I told her just how passionately Jesus loves her and knows her every thought. She fell asleep in the backseat to the sound of Barb and I talking, and woke up when we pulled in her driveway.

After dropping her off, I wasn’t feeling quite up to driving home yet, so… while we sat in the car, the Lord granted me yet another great bit of time with a sister in Christ. We talked for 45 minutes about the Lord, His word, relationships, the blessings (and at times, trials) associated with being single, etc, etc… Just in that short amount of time while talking with her, and hearing about some of the things that the Lord is doing in her life, a few things that I’ve been wrestling with these past few weeks were settled in my mind and heart.

We were both tired, and it was getting late so I stepped out into the brisk air, warmed up my car and headed home. I pulled into the drive, and thanked the Lord that the Excedrin had finally kicked in 100%... I got out of my car, looked up and saw the clearest, most beautiful sky. It absolutely and very literally took my breath away. The night could not have ended in a better way.

Anneliese Honor English

She was born to Darwin and Arlena at 7:45 this morning... 8lbs. 2oz.... 21 inches long... strawberry blonde hair, and Darwin's chin...

I can't wait to meet her... :)

I wonder if anything can give me as much pleasure as looking back on the day and noting just how productive it was. I know that the Lord absolutely gives strength for the moment, and that was the kind of strength that I needed today. The dishes are done, 2 loads of laundry washed, dried and put away, dusting, and vacuuming done... etc. After all that, I was tired, but knew that a visit to the grocery was needed so, off to Kroger I went... I was in and out of the store in 30 minutes, back home and off to our weekly singles get together at Barbs.

Usually, after a day like that, I'm certainly not in the right mood to write a blog entry, but one can't have a gloriously productive Spring day, and not share that with others. :)

I'm hoping to increase the number of times I update this... In the past, I've attempted to begin writing again to no avail, but hopefully, this goal will pull through and you will see more of me in the blogging world.

As for an update on the English family... Last I heard, labor wasn't going as planned, so a C-section was a potential option, but Arlena does not seem to favor that at all. We're praying that the Lord allows her to give birth naturally, and that Baby English is here very soon.

With that, I guess I'll say adieu. I hope to be posting some new pictures soon... 2 maternity photo shoots, along with a very fun family p. shoot... so keep checking in.

Goodnight. :)

The time change isn't the easiest thing to get used to, but with it comes a great blessing. On my way to classes this morning, I was able to see the sun rise.

My Lord is an outstanding artist.

Whew...

I've been meaning to hop on here and write, but it seems that every time I do, the words refuse to come out. Either I forget what I wanted to say in the first place, or I get scared all of a sudden to expose those thoughts to the world. Not that the world reads my blog... probably only a very small few... but I think the world of those very small few (eh-hem... Lauren!).

It's been a RESTLESS few days, but here I sit, relaxed as ever. I'm thankful for the Lord's goodness, and for His CONSTANT faithfulness even in those moments when I think my heart may just explode. Mom was home Wednesday, and Thursday morning while we worked with blood, sweat and tears (sometimes literally) to get some very scattered paperwork together and partially organized. I don't know that I ever want to see a highlighter, or a copy machine again.

If I'm being honest here, I have to say that I'm not the most pleasant person to be around when I'm stressed/overwhelmed... but in the words of a friend "The Lord grants repentance during our fleshly moments!".

I wish I could come away from these past two days with profound instruction, but all I can say is this: during times of weakness, the amazing character of my Lord is more evident than ever, and as a I said earlier... I'm thankful.

Well, I'm off to finish the housework to the oh-so-peaceful sound of Chris Botti and his trumpet.

"... I know there's so much for me to catch up on. Each of you has your own little nuance... your own precious gift. Each has a different smile, and a beautifully unique personality. I want to know those things about you well: Lauren's quiet grace, Becca's infectious laughter, Alex's pure innocence, Carly's random, adorable comments, Lindsay's mature confidence, and Reagan's sweet, creative spirit. I can't believe we're not only related spiritually to one another, but physically! What an amazing gift the Lord's given to me!"

I didn't know I'd get so attached to these girls. I went down for a visit on the 18th of this month, and it was... to say the least, incredible. I don't know that it's enough now to see them every 5 to 6 months...

Little ladies... :)

Here's a snippet from the photo shoot with the Corder girls! I was able to see Becca hold Ruthie for the first time... Let's just say that her excitement made it pretty easy to get some good shots of her and her new little sister... :)