The Horton's New Favorite Song!

Your Love Never Fails!

Nothing can separate
Even if I ran away
Your love never fails

I know I still make mistakes
But You have new mercies for me everyday
Your love never fails

Chorus:
You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There maybe pain in the night but joy comes in the morning

And when the oceans rage
I don't have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails

Verse 2:
The wind is strong and the water's deep
But I'm not alone in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails

The chasm is far too wide
I never thought I'd reach the other side
But Your love never fails

Bridge:
You make all things work together for my good

An Attitude of Gratitude & Current Ramblings...

I don't do separation well. At all. I was doing better Monday-Wednesday, but tonight I'm a wreck. It's only 2 more nights without my spouse but geeze! The cats are too. They hiss at Dad whenever he comes into our house. They meow constantly at me asking where James is. I love my husband so much & can't wait until he gets off that church bus Saturday evening! He can't get here soon enough & the kitties agree. I cannot WAIT to hear all about the trip & everything God has taught him.

Extremely grateful for my mom's cooking/food preparation for us this week. Haven't eaten fast food AT ALL for the entire week & it feels great. I feel so much healthier & even though I haven't even thought about being hungry in the past 5 days, I still just feel better & less "preserved". I need to discuss with James meal planning & really focusing on eating more at home (& learning to love left overs) because it is WAY more cost effective and healthy. I need some really good tried-and-true recipes for a meat, cheese, and potatoes kind of husband. Any ideas?

Our power bill was only $192. PTL! For people who keep their thermostat on 68 degrees always, that is very good for July.

Today was a quite lovely day to myself. Woke up, had some quiet time, went to water aerobics, & then spent the afternoon treating myself to a manicure, pedicure, and brow wax. Yes please. And the best part was, because my frequent customer card was filled up, I got everything half price!! That means I paid the same amount for all three services that I'd normally pay for just my pedi. Things like that really make me happy, although I did feel guilty for the "splurge" since my husband is in a third world country sweating his brains out.

Tonight, we grilled ribs & I went by BBQ Shack and got slaw (love) and their stew. It was delish. Dad worked on our deck steps for the third sweltering night in a row and they are going to be much more stable & safe now. He also discovered a hornet nest under our step & seriously killed like 10 of them. So thankful that no one was stung & that he found them. We had no clue they were there.

I've decided I don't want our TV to hang above the mantle, because its fine & out of the way where it is. Plus, we really need a family portrait canvas up there instead of the knick-knacks currently adorning it. We can spend the money on a nice portrait instead of a wall mount.

I was going to use our blower to suck up all of the leaves getting on my last nerve around our porch. I went to get the blower from the storage building and opened the door to a lovely black snake. I screamed for Dad to bring the shovel but it slithered behind a piece of wood & Dad talked me into letting it live. Better a black snake than something poisonous. I figured that was a sign I shouldn't suck up the leaves & let James do it when he returns :) As long as it gets no where near my house, I'm fine with our decision to let it live.

Wanting to do something to really tone my arms. They are developing into "Smith" arms as my mama says & I'm being driven crazy over it. I think I've built muscle at the Y over the past few months & didn't "lose" the fat on top of it so its left me with "beefy" arms. Yuck. Gag.

Looking forward to spending Friday night at Summer's house (saw FB chat of possible catchphrase & apples to apples=LOVE) & then spending a day with the ladies at the mall on Saturday before James & mama come home. Yay for girl time & (window) shopping!

Have I mentioned my father is the bomb dot com? Because he is. I've felt like a queen this week just spending time with him & not really doing anything other than some simple jobs around the house. He's come in every day sweating and exhausted from working in the heat for eight hours, yet after a "power nap", he's ready to go help do something for me, something for us, something for our home. What a blessing this man is! I've determined his "love language" for me as his child is "acts of service". I love him so much & am thankful for the way he lives his life, works so very hard to provide for his family, and has a servant's heart. (Read any of "The Five Love Languages" books by Gary Chapman if you haven't for more info about "Love Language")

This morning while reading my Bible, I came across this passage:

But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. 1 Corinthians 15:10 (NLT)

Sometimes I really feel like, for whatever reason, that I am "too blessed". I've had/have/experience this special favor from God. All of us as His children have this favor. Geeze, what a great "problem" to have, right? God has given me SO much & I don't deserve any of it. I just don't fathom WHY He loves me enough to bless me with everything He has--Salvation, Amazing Husband, Best Family in the World, Great friends, great job that I love(I cannot believe year 3 is upon us!!!), good health, nice home, nice "things", food to eat, clean water to drink, the list could continue infinitely. I guess if I could "get" why He does these things for us, He wouldn't be God, right? While I'm certainly not wishing He'd take away any of those or not continue to bless my life, I need to do a better job of making sure that there are more "results" of those blessings He's given me. My life needs to exemplify praise for His abundant grace & mercy and His protection over my life. Those results should be using my life even more to glorify and honor Him. And also to praise Him even MORE for what He has done, is doing, & will do in my life.

Speaking of praise, this girl's got it going on! When I get to Heaven, can I *please* sing just like her?

Christy Nockels 

(Waiting Here For You)

Absence makes the heart grow fonder....seriously!

Warning: more of a personal journaling rather than public entertainment!

So this sounds completely PDA, mushy, and a little silly but I am missing James SO MUCH...and he has only been gone 13 hours! Yeah, really, I'm THAT bad. I hadn't thought much about him going to Mexico without me-I just knew he needed to go and that I would enjoy some quality time staying with my dad while he was gone. That was it. Despite having an absolute blast going on a daddy-daughter date to see "The Zookeeper" (fabulous, BTW) and having a much-needed day of rest, I am managing to become a slightly overly emotionally attached wife in need of hearing from her husband. I'm afraid I will cry tears of joy when I finally hear from him. Gag, I know! Temporary Separation is good, I am fully aware. I thought time away would be good for our relationship (and I know it IS!) but I never thought I would suffer from separation anxiety! I'm not that kind. I know I will feel better once I hear they landed safely (should have been in Cancun @ 4, through customs with luggage by 5, and on their way with Mauricio (missions leader) by 6. So here it is, 6:31 and I'm a little restless. I know international travel & its nerve racking tendencies...but I've allowed an extra 30 minutes for that. What would I do if James had to travel for a living? I don't think I could handle it.

Mental note: I can't blame all of this on being emotional...we actually haven't spent one single night apart since getting Married last June. Not one. So these feelings are normal...right?

Summary of today:
1. 5:00am--see my mom, husband, & other close friends off for the airport.
2. 6:30am--awake, wishing I was going through TSA pat downs with them.
3. 11:00am--oops! finally fell asleep I guess, Dad thought I needed to rest today, so we missed church.
4. 12:30pm-My mom loves us SO much she had a roast with all the fixins' prepared for us for lunch. De-lish. I thoroughly enjoyed! BTW, my dad has a new fascination with oranges in his sweet tea & it is DIVINE. Why haven't we thought of this sooner?
5. 1:30pm-Trying to work on grad school paper due tonight....not happening! I miss my husband!
6. 2:00pm-Get ready to greet the day & head out on our daddy-daughter date. Love him.
7. 3:30pm- Laughing hysterically @ Kevin James & talking animals. I will own that movie!
8. 5:30pm- Slightly homesick as I stop by, finish some laundry @ my house, check on our kitties (obviously already missing us), and discuss some home improvement with dad. (Insert really missing James now)
9. 6:30pm- writing this blog post, anticipating a phone call any second.

God is SO good at teaching & stretching us....and we're only 13 hours in. I'm so glad James decided to go despite having second thoughts! God is going to use him & grow him this week!

"Wherever you go, I will go; & wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, & your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, & there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, & more also, if anything but death parts you & me" (Ruth 1:16-17)

20 Facts About The Horton's!

       In honor of our one year anniversary, I decided to make a list of things about us that many people may not know. 

       

       1.     We are messy house people.  We're forever flawed. He converted me from an organized, clean-freak into a follower of the creed “boring people have immaculate houses”. Our philosophy is life’s too short to worry about cleaning house all the time!

2.  We have scary obsessions to our kitty-children Walter & Wallendy. Both cats have 50+ names that they go by. On our last trip away, we spoke of them frequently and are considering installing a “kitty cam” for while we are away. There’s got to be an app for that!

3.  We have really good conversations on long car rides. Like all the way to or from the beach without turning the radio on once.

4.  We don't always like each other-like when he leaves his dirty laundry laying around or I leave UFOs in the shower….  but, we ALWAYS love each other :)

5.  We don't always go to bed at the same time.  I always go first.  James rolls into bed anywhere from 15-30 minutes later, usually after his last “Wikipedia” moment of the night. I’ve converted him from a morning person (gag) into a night owl! I love that we both have summers off to stay up really late, work on stuff around the house or watch TV, and then go out really late for a Taco Bell run. We’re fat.

6.  We endure each other's TV show addictions.  We could discuss Snooki and the latest “Teen Mom” for hours and I can also name at least 15 Braves players without any assistance. He has come to love “Say Yes To The Dress” and I can sometimes tolerate Monday Night Raw (sometimes, the theme music is getting very old). It’s called compromise.

7.  I talk a lot and am very sociable.  James talks a lot around people he is comfortable with, yet people sometimes think he’s shy/stuck up.  However, we're both really people-people at heart.

8.  We are both very good at ping-pong. This allows for some very serious competition, in which I am most frequently the World Champion.

9.  We *love* to take walks around our neighborhood after a long day at school. Less frequently, we love going to the Y and then become gluttons at McDonald’s or Pizza Hut afterwards. We are fast food junkies with a desire not to be. He once even tried Zumba with me! He had all the women laughing 20 minutes in….and proceeded to fall out in the floor. HA! J Not as easy as it looks!

10.  James drinks lots of milk.  Like 2 gallons a week. I drink lots of Diet Coke.  It could be worse.

11.  We often do the exact same task very differently.  However, we frequently read each other’s mind and say the exact same thing at the same time. Weird.

12.  James is one year and 3 months older than me but doesn’t act like it. We were both born in months that start with “A”. He has a really good memory of when he was young. I don’t exactly, but I remember having a very happy childhood.

13.  James is really good at making me laugh at inappropriate times. His manners are few and far between. I love him for that.

14.  We share a love for missions. We constantly say “I smell Haiti” (whenever somethings on fire) or “I wonder what our Haitian babies are doing right now?”

15.  We both LOVE the smell of coffee but neither of us drink it. We’ve considered buying a coffee pot and making coffee just for the smell in the mornings. Is that weird?  I’m sure when we have kids we will need it!

16.  I’ve recently converted James into an agriculturist AKA a person who hearts FFA. He never understood it and thought it was for rednecks until this past week at the National Ag In the Classroom Conference. A changed man!

17.  We both cry when watching “The Notebook” and pretend we are the characters. Who doesn’t?

18.   We both agree that doing laundry is - by far - the worst household chore to do. His version of helping me is throwing EVERYTHING into the washer at once, pouring in a whole cup full of detergent, and pushing the button. When he helps me put the laundry away, I find many things placed in the wrong spot or just randomly laid on the bed. I try not to complain J

19.  I love that my family loves James so much (how could you not?). It means a lot to both of us. He’s a show-stealer.

20.  I'm a teacher, he's a teacher. We love our jobs. We love living life together. We compliment each other, challenge each other, and do not merely co-exist.Together we live, laugh and learn. We love to eat, spend date nights in Teacher Stores, and plan our futures (and it doesn't matter if people say "Gag me"). We're totally BFFs.

I love you, James! I'm so looking forward to the many years together to come! I'm thankful that God placed us together! You are everything I need and want in a husband and I thank you for making me so happy! 

Here's a Yoohoo toast to many more years of good health, happiness, and lots of laughter!

What do the grave stones mean? What is our memorial?

Today was our Memorial Day service at church. I was glad that it was focused more on a Biblical perspective of what memorials are and should be, rather than the Lee Greenwood love fest that I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for the sacrifices of the men and women who have died for our country and feel blessed to live in America, with every freedom imaginable....but I'm just not the patriotic American I used to be. That being said, I gained a new perspective from today's message and it had nothing to do with America. It had a lot to do with sacrifice, legacy, and how my life needs to be about pleasing God.


The scripture from today was out of Joshua 4:1-9. I really cannot go back and recap the story because God was speaking to me while I was listening and I sort of had twelve kinds of things running through my head at once. First, I got to thinking about what my funeral will be like. Who will attend? What will it look like? What words will be said of me? Will I not even experience death but be raptured up when Jesus calls us home? 


I can remember the best "funeral" that I ever attended-it was a friend of mine's dad's funeral who had lost his battle with colon cancer. It was not a funeral but rather a church worship service that took place at The Grove in Maysville. Wow! His family spoke of fond memories, of what a Godly man he was, and how he served others. We sang songs. We praised God. They had a reception. People were smiling, hugging, and laughing---not your typical funeral. It was nothing short of beautiful. Those folks took literally the verse that says "to be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord" and they knew their father was in a better place than any of us. I pray that my funeral is something close to that. Please sing my favorite Christian songs and donate money to missions/children in poverty in my memory.


Now that my morbid moment of the day is over, I want to continue contemplating what my memorial will be. What will I leave behind? Will the way I have lived my life leave people knowing my heart? Will I have pointed to Him? Every day, I try to pray "May I be a light in this dark world for You. Help others see You in me and use my actions and words for Your glory". 

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16

It's not going to matter what my eulogy says. It is not going to matter what some preacher stands up and says about me. It is not going to matter what my grave stone says. What matters is how I treat people and what they remember about me. This reminds me of a quote from the wise old fella Oswald Chambers. 

"The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack."

What matters is that I lived a life of obedience for my Heavenly Father accomplishing His will for my life instead of chasing my own. What will people remember about me? Did I choose to love them as I should have? Did I make a difference? Will people genuinely have good things to say about me or the usual superficial compliments? Will I leave a legacy that points people to Jesus? We've all heard the usual "you can't take it with you when you go" and yet we still want more money in our bank accounts, more things to fill our houses, and the list of "more" goes on and on. That want of more keeps us from leaving the kind of legacy that I believe God wants us to. The kind of memorial that really matters.

"Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:15

Geeze, I need to work on that.... For about two months after we got back from Haiti the second time, I couldn't even buy food without feeling guilty. Seriously. I would feel sick and disgusted with myself every time I even thought about buying an outfit. Now I'm wanting a new summer wardrobe, a renovated front yard, a luxury vacation, and eyeing those cute, redesigned Kia Sorentos. And for WHAT? What this spoiled-rotten American girl needs is yet another trip to a third world country to get myself back in gear. To remind me of what's really important and what I'm really here for. Here's my personal prayer for this coming week that I just happened to find at the most appropriate time (I love God's humor).....

"Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word." Psalm 119:37

and

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal". Matthew 6:19

God doesn't tell us to give up things merely for the sake of giving them up or to look "Christian" in the eyes of others. He wants us to sacrifice ourselves and live humbly before Him so that we can know Him and be about His work more than our own. For us to be focused on what's really important in this life--our memorial for Him.

A memorial is not meant to honor a person, it's meant to honor God. 

Who or what will your memorial honor?

I appeal to you therefore, brothers,by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world,but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2

Thank you, Lord, for reminding me of these things today-so vividly that I know it only comes from you! I pray that my memorial honors You every step of the way......I've got WORK TO DO!

Because I'm really into music worship and it always seems to speak to me.....here are some songs that go along with my thoughts today & leave me shouting "Thanks, Lord!":

Legacy- Nichole Nordeman 

(Wow, just looked up the lyrics to this & we're pretty much on the same wave length)

I Refuse- Josh Wilson

My Own Little World- Matthew West

Only Love Can Save Us All...

When I like musicians, I really like them. I go all in or don't go at all. I've been obsessed with Chris Tomlin for several years and needless to say, he is still number one on my playlist. However, I must thank my dearest husband James for introducing me to this guy:

Dave Barnes

I know, CUTE-E! Check out his music. His style reminds me of Keith Urban/Chris Tomlin/John Mayer. And, he's not just a pretty face with a nice voice....these lyrics make me misty-eyed! Many of his songs speak to me SO much! Dave speaks with a lot of life experience-trials, struggles, sorrow---and he uses his music as a testimony to how God has always helped him through. Look out Chris Tomlin, you may be booted out of the number 1 spot before long.....

Wisdom

A Successful Life According to Solomon

Tonight's message at church was from (Proverbs) regarding the true measure of success of one's life and the difference between intelligence and wisdom. Solomon is known as one of the wisest men in the history of the world (apart from Jesus Christ) and his perspectives are rather intriguing to me. I'll share a few of my notes/thoughts as I promised myself I would start doing. (Thanks, Wayne!) You never know who is reading this out there in the cyber world and I can only pray that the people who may need it do!

Proverbs 2:1-15

¹ My son, if you accept my words
   and store up my commands within you,
² turning your ear to wisdom
   and applying your heart to understanding—
³ indeed, if you call out for insight
   and cry aloud for understanding,
⁴ and if you look for it as for silver
   and search for it as for hidden treasure,
⁵ then you will understand the fear of the LORD
   and find the knowledge of God.
⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom;
   from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
⁷ He holds success in store for the upright,
   he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
⁸ for he guards the course of the just
   and protects the way of his faithful ones.
 ⁹ Then you will understand what is right and just
   and fair—every good path.
¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart,
   and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
¹¹ Discretion will protect you,
   and understanding will guard you.
 ¹² Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
   from men whose words are perverse,
¹³ who have left the straight paths
   to walk in dark ways,
¹⁴ who delight in doing wrong
   and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
¹⁵ whose paths are crooked
   and who are devious in their ways.

In order to have Godly wisdom, one must first be willing to receive that wisdom. With wisdom becomes responsibility and with that becomes stewardship. The beginning and essence of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. A fear of the Lord is respect and reverence for God and seeking to obey Him and His plan because it is the right thing to do. Knowledge of the Word and wisdom through application of the Word are two very different things....

What would happen if I sought God's wisdom like money and all the things that money can buy?

What would happen if I treated my Bible like my cellphone?

Wisdom isn't just something to get you out of your problems or something all old folks have.....it keeps the problems from occurring.

And here's the kicker-

If the love of God ever quits motivating you...

The fear of God should!

It is my prayer that I would always be motivated by the love of God rather than out of fear of His chastisement. I pray that I would seek Him first and rather than just having knowledge of Him and the Word, I would truly experience Him and seek out the wisdom He wants for me--knowledge applied throughout my life to bring glory to His name!

Currents...

Current Playlist
"Here for You" Passion 2011 CD & any Zumba song that happens to be stuck in my head....(Prum! Prum! Prum!)

Current Nailpolish
Nails - old yellow polish that should've been removed about 2 weeks ago!
Toes - yellow with hot pink polka dots

Current Drink
Half & Half- Diet Pepsi & Cherry Pepsi (first one in a week....but nobody can drink water with Pizza Hut!)

Current Food
Blah.....Pizza Hut tonight after James' softball game

Current TV Show
WWE  Wrestling (not by choice!)

Current Wishlist
-fun new summer clothes
-new Zumba/workout clothes
-a maid/housekeeper!  HA!
-to be out of school June 3 instead of June 8 like I originally thought!

Current Needs
Summer vacation---can't come soon enough! Haitian Kids! Grad school to be over! The adorable new coral Toms.....

Current Triumphs
My students made so much progress this year despite lots of challenges! James & I are finally conquering the mess that is our yard. And it feels so good to accomplish things together to spruce up our house!

Current Bane(s) of my Existence
Grad school! Post-planning days when my over-achiever syndrome has already gotten almost everything done!

Current Blessing
Too many to name!  Despite all the stuff I complain about, I have it pretty darn good!

Current Outfit
Sweaty "Love Japan" t-shirt and shorts...yuck!

Current Indulgence
Ross Dresses

Current Excitement
Less than 13 days until a mini-vacay with the fam, a month & 3 days from our first wedding anniversary (we made it-woot, woot!!), and a month away from our trip to Ft. Lauderdale to the National Ag in the Classroom Conference!

Current Mood
Content! :)


What are your currents?!?  

A Contemplation of the Cross...Why Good Friday Really Is Good!

Every year James and I have a tradition of going to Passion City's Good Friday service at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Alpharetta. I always look forward to hearing from Louie, worshiping with Chris (and whoever else), and most of all, taking the time to contemplate the cross and what Jesus has done for me-every day, but especially on Good Friday.


So our afternoon started out pretty cool because we saw this guy--

& I immediately thought of this verse. Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24 


According to Facebook, this guy walked from somewhere in Habersham down to Toccoa Walmart and back-apparently 28 miles. What a trek! What an awesome ministry opportunity for Easter weekend. James & I both got a little misty-eyed and wanted to stop and hug him. This was such a great reminder of how we should all be taking up the cross, dying daily to ourselves, for the cause of Christ.


And after eating Chipotle (Thanks Ida for the giftcard!) we headed to Alpharetta. Thank goodness we brought two blankets and a hoodie, because I underestimated April showers and it was a freezing, damp, and windy night under the foggy ATL sky. 


Kristian Stanfill opened the service by singing "How He Loves"---one of my most favorite songs ever. I love the lyrics: 

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree, 

Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy. 

When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, 

And I realize just how beautiful You are, 

And how great Your affections are for me. 

And oh, how He loves us oh 

Oh how He loves us, 

How He loves us all 

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree, 

Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy. 

When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, 

And I realize just how beautiful You are, 

And how great Your affections are for me. 

And oh, how He loves us oh, 

Oh how He loves us, 

How He loves us all 

He loves us, 

Oh how He loves us, 

Oh how He loves us, 

Oh how He loves. 

And we are His portion and He is our prize, 

Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes, 

If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking. 

And heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss, 

And my heart turns violently inside of my chest, 

I don't have time to maintain these regrets, 

When I think about, the way… 

That He loves us, 

Oh how He loves us, 

Oh how He loves us, 

Oh how He loves. 

Yeah, He loves us, 

Oh how He loves us, 

Oh how He loves us, 

Oh how He loves. 

Yeah, He loves us, 

Oh how He loves us, 

Oh how He loves us, 

Oh how He loves.

Him? Jealous for ME? He wants me to spend my time at His feet because He loves me more than I'll ever know. The God of Heaven that created all things is JEALOUS for me--What a great feeling for GOOD FRIDAY! 

Oh, have I mentioned that we got there right on time around 7:30 and were barely able to find a seat on the crowded hill? There were over 12,000 of us packed in there. PTL! Wouldn't have missed it for the world!! I love seeing so many people ready to celebrate Good Friday and it gets more packed every year!

After Kristian finished, my favorite singer of all time came out to lead worship. I know James gets soooooo tired of Chris Tomlin 24/7 but I really can't help it. I'd love to be able to attend Passion every worship service! (They meet on Sunday nights in different places all over ATL....)

Then, Louie came out and started doing his thing. If you've never heard a sermon from Louie, I highly suggest it. He has such a way of explaining how great God is and really makes you think.  In fact, I bet the Good Friday service is already on Youtube.

He read from Colossians 1, which happens to be one of my all-time favorite chapters of the Bible. To tie in in with Good Friday, he spoke specifically about Jesus rescuing us from the dominion of darkness so that we have the forgiveness of sin. He went on to discuss the trinity and how Jesus has been around since before the beginning of time and how we are all created by Him and for Him.

¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Doesn't this just make you want to shout "Thank you Jesus"!?!?! Moving on...more about the being created by Him and for Him--how many times to do we stop and actually think about that? It's so easy to get caught up in the hooplah of life that we forget to stop...wait....and think that HE is how we got here and WHY we are here! We are not here for our own purposes or to control our own lives, but to live for Him and bring glory and honor to His name. Louie goes on to re-emphasize this with a passage from 1 Peter 2:

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy....

But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. ²¹ To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
 ²² “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
 ²³ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. ²⁴ “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” ²⁵ For “you were like sheep going astray,”but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.



 We have LIFE. POWER. TRIUMPH. HOPE. All because of HIM--and what do we choose to do with it? Hide our victory under a rock or declare Him to the ends of the earth? When Jesus breathed His last breath, he said "It is FINISHED." Death is finished. Guilt is finished. Shame is finished. Self-righteousness is finished. Sin is finished. 

Thank you, Jesus, for bearing the burden of my sin so that I can live victoriously through You. Thank you for dying so that I might have life everlasting. Thank you, God, for the hope I have in You because I know You conquered death at the cross.

Louie went onto my favorite part of the night where he used a metaphor for symphonies and how we are all part of God's symphony. He talked about what everything--heavens & earth and everything in it--must sound it to God. He showed some examples of stars and how they vibrate and give off different pitches--all 200 billion times 200 billion of them. Talk about a symphony. I just wish you could hear it! And then he talked about how even though we can't hear seed pods bursting, God can. Louie showed some videos of whales singing their songs and added them to his remix. Before we knew what was going on, Louie had this symphony playing of different stars, whales, and eventually---us singing worship. It was so cool (for lack of a better adjective).  Louie then talked about how everything in and above the entire world is singing praises to Him- yet He cares for us most because we are made in His image and desires a relationship with us. Louie talked about how if we are living our lives for self, then we are not being a part of God's symphony (or at least we are "out of tune"). He also talked about how ultimately Jesus just wants us to be the part of His symphony that He created and that it doesn't matter what it sounds (looks) like to us, because His view/hearing is the only thing that matters. This is a perfect explanation of Psalm 148.

Praise the LORD from the heavens; 

   praise him in the heights above. 

² Praise him, all his angels; 

   praise him, all his heavenly hosts. 

³ Praise him, sun and moon; 

   praise him, all you shining stars. 

⁴ Praise him, you highest heavens 

   and you waters above the skies.

 ⁵ Let them praise the name of the LORD, 

   for at his command they were created, 

⁶ and he established them for ever and ever— 

   he issued a decree that will never pass away.

 ⁷ Praise the LORD from the earth, 

   you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, 

⁸ lightning and hail, snow and clouds, 

   stormy winds that do his bidding, 

⁹ you mountains and all hills, 

   fruit trees and all cedars, 

¹⁰ wild animals and all cattle, 

   small creatures and flying birds, 

¹¹ kings of the earth and all nations, 

   you princes and all rulers on earth, 

¹² young men and women, 

   old men and children.

 ¹³ Let them praise the name of the LORD, 

   for his name alone is exalted; 

   his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. 

¹⁴ And he has raised up for his people a horn,^[b] 

   the praise of all his faithful servants, 

   of Israel, the people close to his heart.

So I said all this to say that I believe God is asking each of us this important question-

What song are you singing for Me?

Happy Easter, Everyone! May we let the meaning of the day overflow our hearts & minds! 


ps. Every year James and I buy a Good Friday t-shirt for all of the proceeds to benefit some world disaster. Last year, Haiti. This year, Japan. Is that where we are headed next? Maybe!

pps. It's also good to know that everyone hasn't forgotten about Haiti also. Louie spoke about his trip from a while back and about how even though the news & media have turned to something else, God still has a lot of work for the Body of Christ to accomplish in Haiti. Needless to say, I'm barely holding back tears at this point. They took up a love offering for Haiti-Rising as we watched a video of a boy's daily walk to school in Haiti through the city of Port-au-Prince. Anyone want to guess how tore up I was? Just a little :-) .....

Look @ this face!

If you have a little extra money & are feeling generous on this Easter weekend (or just want to check out the site), PLEASE go visit now!!

www.haiti-rising.com

Love y'all!

My Bucket List

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." -Helen Keller

Dana's Bucket List

1.) Go on a Long Term Mission Trip
2.) Be Completely Debt Free
3.) Drive on the Road to Hana (Maui)

4.) Own My Own Monogramming Business or Bakery
5.)  Have a really nice sewing machine
6.) Go to Japan

7.) Build Our Own House (that includes a giant bathroom & closet...I don't really care about anything else)
8.) Wear a size 6
9.) Visit Georgetown Cupcakes in D.C./Georgetown

10.) Be able to give away/tithe more than we live off of (PLEASE Read Crazy Love...so inspirational)


The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate; to have it make some difference that you have lived, and lived well." Ralph Waldo Emerson

11.) Bless a Stranger
12.) Run a 5K
13.) Direct a Wedding
14.) Donate to Locks of Love
15.) Go On A Carriage Ride With James

16.) Read through the ENTIRE Bible (without cheating through the OT lineage)
17.) Work at the Soup Kitchen on Thanksgiving/Christmas with my family
18.) Have a picture taken with Chris Tomlin (meet someone "famous" that I actually like)
19.) Catch a Foul Ball at a Turner Field

20.) Go on a Roadtrip Across America

21.) Ride in a Limo
22.) Go back to NYC (and actually get to see a Broadway Show)

23.) Be Voted Teacher of the Year
24.) Overcome My Fear Of Flying
25.) Take My Parents to the Grand Canyon or cruise with them to Alaska
26.) Go to Africa

27.) Adopt a child from Haiti/Africa (please, nobody go crazy over that...it's a bucket list, okay :-)

AHHH!!! Love this little girl!!! (& her sister)




28.) Have 1 carat diamond earrings (there's a little materialism coming out in me)

29.) Visit Charleston & Savannah

30.) Be completely "caught up" on scrap-booking
31. ) Go on a Gondola Ride Through Venice

32.) Tour the Ancient Roman Ruins
33.) Visit Jerusalem 
34.) Go to Australia
35.) Zipline (legitimately through some rain forest or over the ocean, not through a cow pasture)

36.) Go to Sandals for our anniversary 6.26

37.) Have a kid in the FFA
38.) Have a kid who is an "athletic superstar" (You can guess whose idea this is)
39.) Meet Jack Johnson (came really close on our honeymoon!)

40.) Do the Daniel fast

41.) Visit the Louvre

42.) Go Dancing with James (somewhere besides a wedding)
43.) Go to the UNICEF Snowflake Ball in NYC
44.) Swim with Dolphins
45.) Spend the night at the Georgia Aquarium

46.) Renew our vows
47.) Celebrate my parent's 50th wedding anniversary

48.) Celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary
49.) Raise a happy and healthy child (no, not any time soon, people! I've got too much to cross off this list!)
50.) Spend two weeks straight at a beach


“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...to leave the world a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” 
-Ralph Waldo Emerson


51.) See a Cirque de Solei show
52.) Go to the Kentucky Derby & Wear One of Those Fancy-Smancy Hats

53.) Sing a duet with James @ Church & Rock It for Jesus!!!!
54.) Go to the World Series (to cheer on the BRAVES, of course!)
55.) Ice-skate at Rockefellar Center @ Christmastime 

56.) Go with my mama on a mission trip (hint, hint)
57.) Do one of those photo-a-day for a year things
58.) Complete grad school and get a pay raise
59.) Have a grown student come back to me and tell me what a difference I made in his/her life
60.) Save $1000 and spend it all on a shopping spree for myself (without feeling really guilty like I always do when I shop)
61.) Save $1000 and spend it all on OTHER PEOPLE
62.) Live somewhere besides Toccoa
63.) Become fluent in another language....be it Kreyole, Spanish, Japanese, whatever....
64.) Own several pair of TOMS & do "One Day Without Shoes" ( couldn't do it this year or last b/c of being in school that day)

65.) Buy James a new guitar as a complete SUPRISE!
66.) Have my own signature recipe for something
67.) Read David Platt's new book "Radical Together"
68.) Finally get Hercules, the chocolate lab puppy with gorgeous blue eyes

69.) Do something radical for Jesus
70.) Takes James to the Georgia National Fair in Perry

71.) Pay for the meal of the person behind me in the drive-thru 
72.) Make 500 dresses for Little Dresses for Africa/Haiti
73.) Go without Diet Coke (or any carbonated beverage) for an entire week
74.) Make a really cute cake
75.) Go a week without a computer or cell phone
76.) Complete a Beth Moore Bible study
77.) Memorize a Bible verse a month, at least
78.) Attend Passion 2012
79.) Try 5 New Foods (0/5)
80.) Drink only water for an entire week
81.) Go to Secret Church
82.) Purchase a cute little stamp with our monogram and address on it

Kind of like this

83.) Find someone from my past and apologize

84.) Plant a tree each year we are married

85.) Wash someone's feet (I soooo wish we had done this at our wedding!)

86.) Become an expert on one book of the Bible

87.) Be completely organized in my tools & resources for school

88.) Experience a miracle

89.) Fast for an extended period of time

90.) Buy five outfits from J. Crew

91.) Cut my hair and like it

92.) Find a really good hair stylist & stay "faithful"

93.) Win something on 104.7 THE FISH

94.) Convince James that wrestling is fake

95.) Help James decorate his own classroom

96.) Make a Daily Quiet Time a Top Priority

97.) Win Free Chick-Fil-A for a Year (again!)

98.) See lost family/friends come to know Jesus (HE knows who they are!)99.) Adopt a World Vision Child

100.) Blog my way through this list!

“Life is too short to let it pass you by. We only have one shot at this and then it's gone.”

Alaska or Grand Canyon?

2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV) 
⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

"If you're bored with life - or you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things - you don't have enoug