devastate us

yes, i've been such a bad blogger. lots to say, can't say lots.

i really was praying for 2012 to be a turnaround year.

what a stupid thing to pray. everything in our life God can "turn around" for our good. each day is filled with potential from Him, and plans for our paths, no matter what is thrown at us.

thus far this year has turned around...in the wrong direction.

friend devastated by news

husband with no job again

daughter in therapy

friends struggling to help their children through mentally tough stuff

i guess these are not the things i wanted to be typing when i thought of the new year. these are all going in a very hard direction, but who am i to say it is the wrong one?

as we are all trying not to freak out, or at least freak out with hope, we are all just going day by day. maybe that is how we should always live our lives? stop worrying about our future because God gives us now, and holds our futures as well. i completely believe that He protects us by not giving us glimpses into our future. would any of us think we could handle it at all??? my answer is no. i don't want to know. each day has enough worry for itself. just like the Word says.

there are so many good things. i know that. yet the hard stuff does not get easier relative to the amount of good things going on. the hard stuff is just hard. it stinks. it is embarassing. it can consume. it changes plans. it changes families. it changes your babies. it changes peoples' perception of you. it changes your view.

but.

it cannot change our heart. we say that we've had a heart change, in the good sense of the phrase, or our hearts have changed toward something or someone, in the not so good sense of the phrase. yet i believe the Holy Spirit has sealed our hearts for eternity with Christ. do i think that there can be a crack in the seal, so to speak, that lets in some yuck? nope. i think that has to do with our minds. our minds can convince us of anything, and our feelings can pour out all over something, but our heart is still sealed, captured, held by Jesus.

some of my favorite verses state that:

yet my covenant of peace will not be removed, says the LORD your God...Is. 54:10

you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit...Eph. 1:13

because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath...Heb. 6:17

i know a covenant God makes is not broken. sometimes i feel like our hearts can be stomped on and smushed and thrown to the wolves...but the seal never breaks.

i keep saying the word devastation when i pray for my friend. it is like a dry land with no water to drink and no shade to sit under and no strength to get up and walk. you can hear the rushing river somewhere, calling to you. just getting there is the problem because you cannot go above or below or around the devastation. you have to go through it.

nothing that happens along the way can crack the seal on our hearts, though. we are His in every "turnaround" on this earth.

i've been singing this song lately, too. speaks volumes.

Your face is beautiful
And Your eyes are like the stars
Your gentle hands have healing
There inside the scars
Your loving arms they draw me near
And Your smile it brings me peace
Draw me closer oh my Lord
Draw me closer Lord to Thee

Captivate us, Lord Jesus
Set our eyes on You
Devastate us with Your presence
Falling down
And rushing river, draw us nearer
Holy fountain consume us with You
Captivate us Lord Jesus, with You

Your voice is powerful
And Your words are radiant bright
In Your breath and shadow
I will come close and abide
You whisper love and life divine
And Your fellowship is free
Draw me closer O my Lord
Draw me closer Lord to Thee


Let everything be lost in the shadows
Of the light of Your face
Let every chain be broken from me
As I’m bound in Your grace
For Your yoke is easy, Your burden is light
You’re full of wisdom, power and might
And every eye will see You


do we want His devastation? His presence captivating us?

i will take that any old day of this 2012, because i am still HIS.

Some sweet pictures we missed from the end of 2011

So sorry about the picture bombardment of Christmas festivities. I had zero desire to say anything about it at the time and too many posts to ever catch up. :)

Christmas was so great with family. We loved relaxing and having no schedule and seeing friends. It is way too hard to get up with a 6 or 7 on the clock now, but the break was worth it.

Hope all of you are ready for a new year...I definitely am.

Erica Kacey, aka Skeet, got ENGAGED to Derrick!! Wooooohooooooo!

Bling and Ashley's surprise visit

Sweet sisters skateboarding

Ashley embarassed at work because her cuz takes pics of her

Crazy Curls jumping and scooting the yellow guy at the jump place

Sweaty Mak and Hollyn

Archer cracking the girls up

Girlies

Christmas sweetness

Bubba reading to AJ

Mailey got stuck in Archer's carseat then fell asleep. We were all hoping she wasn't yelling for help and we didn't hear her!!

Aunt Mel bonding time

Outside picnic

Mailey loving on baby Kate Ellen

Kate wondering why this girl keeps loving on her

Grandaddy and Granny hugs