Six years ago my husband, who was a financial adviser, and doing well I might add, was called into the ministry

to preach the Gospel.

We had a precious two year old little boy, just learning the ropes of having our own little family, when we sold everything and took the leap of faith of setting out to serve the Lord in what He was calling us to do!

We moved into a mobile home, had one car, and Britt was now unemployed and a full time student again. Soon after moving into our new home, Britt was able to start working for his home church as their secretary to make ends meet and he also started preaching at a small, country church

45 minutes from our home on Sundays.

God was working... I was falling apart...

In the midst of all the changes that were taking place in our lives, we were blessed with a sweet baby girl... She was my world... But, soon after her birth, I began experiencing extreme pain but the doctors were perplexed as to what it could be.

 The conclusion... I would have to have a hysterectomy.

In the meantime, my grandfather, who is very dear to me had become extremely ill... After months of doctors visits we were finally given the dreaded news none of us were prepared to hear... He had lung cancer. (never smoked a day in his life by the way)

The news for me was almost unbearable... I felt lost and so lonely even though I was surrounded by many loved ones.

I spent most of my days with him after that.

 I would sit and cry with him, share small moments of laughter, and talk about the future we hoped to spend together gardening...

I loved my grandaddy more than any little girl could....

He died six months after he was diagnosed...

My heart still aches with grief...

One year later, my grandmother, who also lived with my parents became sick very suddenly... We rushed her to the hospital where we would soon find out she had colon cancer and was in the last stages. Memaw never left the hospital... She died a couple of weeks later... Our family was devistated...

In the meantime, my daddy, whom I consider the greatest man on earth, was diagnosed with being in the end stages of cirrhosis of the liver from having Hep C.

More to handle... More pain....I was falling apart

A little girls' nightmare to say the least!

I say all of this to say that the past six years

 I've felt like Britt and I have been in the wilderness...

The pain that I've had to deal with has been unbearable at times and to be honest, I don't know how I'm still here.

By the Grace of God for sure!

I've had to come to terms with a lot of emotions that I haven't been able to deal with because for the fact that I'm a stay at home mother, I home school, and I'm with my children 24 hours a day, 7 days a week... They don't need to see mommy breaking down, or falling off her rocker;  so I've done my best to keep it all bottled up.. Not letting them see what was really happening to mommy inside...

I was hurting... the pain unbearable...

It's been a difficult road and I am happy to say that my life is overflowing with joy these days.. I'm on the road to recovery...

God has shown me that the only way through the pain and trials of this life is through Him! You can't take on these battles and struggles on your own, as I was trying to do, you have to give them to God and soak in as much of Him as you can to get you through!

I also just want to say a very special thank you

to an absolutely Amazing husband who has been there with me every step of the way...

He's led me with strong hands,

stood up for me when I couldn't stand,

He's shown me he's willing to fight,

That I'm still the love of his life...

Even though there's been times when I've given up on myself...

He has never given up on me...

He's fought for me...

He's loved me through it all...

You're an amazing husband Britt...

Thank you for holding me up when I couldn’t' stand..

I love you and look forward to finally reaching the Promise Land with you!

It's going to be an amazing adventure!

Let's do this!

Kisses....:)

Humbleness...

Have we forgotten?

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others.

Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

6 Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Lord, help us to Always to remember others before ourselves...
to live a life in obedience to You...
thinking of others as better than ourselves...
Help us, Lord, to give up More for others
and show us how to  live an abundant life with Less ...
That's what You did Lord...
Help us to be more like You!

Strive to be Different!!

Ready...AIM...FIRE!!

It's a Silly String kind of Day!

Hope you're having a Beautiful, FUN Day too!

Love ya'll!



Hey Batter.. Batter ..SWING!!

There's nothing I love more than watching my little guys play ball!

Notice I say, my little "guys"?
That's because I consider all these
little boys one of mine!:)
 I just love each and every one of them...
They're little personalities are all so unique,
 yet they all are so dedicated to one thing... playing ball!
 I'm gonna miss these little guys when the season is over...

My heart already hurts...

Coach Britt giving a motivational
 speech before the game!

My little ballplayer:)

"Sure Coach Britt... Sure...."

Peyton

Cam (the next ALLSTAR!)

Isaac

Can I get a NECA!!!

We won tonight! So proud of our little guys for playing so hard!

Go NECA!!

Black Berry Pickin'

This weekend was a little crazy, as usual,

around here with baseball going on and all.

But, we also had my nephews for a couple of days as well, so it was double crazy! lol.

(No, really, my house would be over- flowing with kids at all times if I had my way about it!)

But, we did manage to take a little walk and enjoy some beautiful sunshine and look for black berries' along the way...

 My little red-head nephew, Dawson:)

 Maggie May

 Our little Warriors!

Before the walk we had to get warrior paint on

and "look for bad guys!"

 They were so dedicated to finding the perfect black berries....

I think we ended up with "5":) lol

No Cobbler today! hehe

Love ya'll! Strive to be Different!

Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? (Matt 6:26)

Aren't my little girls precious?!

This is a cute, little craft we did in Sunday School this morning as I told them about Jesus taking care of the birds, so of course He will take care of us!

I think Maggie may have went a "little" overboard on the glue for her Birds' Nest... Check out her dress!:)

Such a "simple" truth that Jesus shares with us, isn't it?

Oh to have childlike faith....

Happy Sunday ya'll!

From childhood to old age... our lives are a living testimony of what God has done for us. No matter how old we are, our lives are still being used by God to testify to others!

Are you a living testimony to those around you?

"But I will keep on hoping for you to help me;

I will praise you more and more.

I will tell everyone about your righteousness.

All day long I will proclaim your saving power,

for I am overwhelmed by how much you have done for me.

I will praise your mighty deeds, O Sovereign Lord.

I will tell everyone that you alone are just and good.

O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood,

and I have constantly told others about the wonderful

things you do.

Now that I am old and gray,

do not abandon me, O God.

Let me proclaim your power to this new generation!

Your mighty miracles to all who come after me.

Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens.

You have done such wonderful things.

Who can compare with you, O God?

You have allowed me to suffer much hardship,

but you will restore me to life again

and lift me up from the depths of the earth.

You will restore me to even greater honor

and comfort me once again."

Psalm 71:14-21

I love this Psalm...

We can be assured that no matter what our age is

or how our body seems to fail us,

God still has a plan for us and

is using us as a living testimony for Him!

Proclaim His Mighty Power and Righteousness

to this New Generation!

That should be our Testimony!

Love ya'll! Strive to be Different!

-

Also, as I came across this Psalm, it brought to mind, my own sweet grandaddy that loved the Lord and lived his life as a living testimony to so many.... I shared below my thoughts and some pictures not long after we lost him....

Grandaddy

A couple of years ago we lost one of the greatest men I ever knew. I still think of him often throughout my days..... my heart still aches with grief.....Thought I'd reshare this post as I think of him today...

I love you Grandaddy

my daddy and grandaddy

Not long before he passed, out in the yard, his favorite place to be:)

He and my daddy have always been carpenters, so this is very dear to me.

His workshop

His chicken pen and shed

You could see this swing from my driveway and I always remember seeing him and granny sitting here during the evenings where they often shucked corn and hulled peas.

Grandaddy LOVED his birds!

He had ghords and bird feeders all over the yard.
He loved to sit and watch them from the kitchen table.

His storage room back door
(it's funny the things you find dear to you after losing someone you loved so much... I can still see him walking through this door)

His workboots in the storage room.

None of us could move them after he died for a long time,

but I think someone finally did.

You could always find grandaddy in his storage room,

or his so called "mancave" working on something.

Wretched and worn from all the years of hard work

You often found him sitting here by himself in the afternoons. I always imagined he was probably having a little talk with the Lord.

Friends and family would often gather on the front porch to enjoy some good fellowship and share old memories.

This banana tree has been here as long as I can remember.

I still visit it often because it reminds me of him...

It has the most beautiful fragrance.... he always loved that tree.

As a child, if I ever heard the tractor crank up,

I ran outside as fast as I could to hop on and ride with him.

(One of my most favorite memories with him)

He loved his gardens. We always thought we would find him out there one day when it was his time to go. The past few years, we would sit and talk about our gardening... I will always treasure that time with him.

I love you Grandaddy...

Thank you for always being a Living Testimony in my life

and the lives of so many others...

For forty years the people of Israel walked through the wilderness... searching, stumbling, making all the wrong turns, all for the fact they took their eyes off God and tried to make their own way....

Ever felt like you were walking in the wilderness?
Searching, stumbling, making every wrong turn at once...

God's Word gives us hope when we find ourselves there!

"Remember for the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would really obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to our and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people need more than bread for their life; real life comes by feeding on every word of the Lord. For all these forty years your clothes didn't wear out, and your feet didn't blister or swell. So you should realize that just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you to help you."
"So obey the commands of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and fearing him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with springs that gush forth in the valleys and hills. "(Deut. 8)

-Thankful for your Promise Lord! You will never leave me, nor forsake me, but will teach me to walk in Your ways and to live by Your Word alone! And then you will Deliver me and bring me into a land of Your Abundance and Promise!

Love ya'll! Strive to be Different!

Happy Easter from us!:)

Resurrection Story by Mrs. Lisa

at church this morning...

Thank You for the Cross Lord....
Maggie Mae

I don't know what's going on with Nate's hair???:)

Kisses for mommy

Daddy and kids

They're pretty cute:)

My mini Me:)

The Easter Bunny DID come!:)

While we do still carry on the traditions for our children, it is very important to us that they know the "truth" behind these "Special" holidays that we celebrate...

So, they know that santa and the Easter bunny are "traditions,"

but JESUS CHRIST is the "truth."

Amen

Happy Easter! He has RISEN!!

Love ya'll! Strive to be Different!