Ten things on Thursdays

Defend the cause of the fatherless... Isaiah 1:17

Yesterday, I mentioned that at Saint James on Sunday we are having a service for Orphan Sunday. Today I was looking on the Orphan Sunday website and came across a perfect list to work for my blog post.

Ten Ways Every Christian Can Care for the Orphan and Waiting Child

1. Pray for them

Tape a waiting child’s picture to your dashboard and pray for the child every time you’re in a car.

Organize an evening prayer vigil at your church and pray for children in foster care or an orphanage overseas.

2. Speak Up for them

Carry a waiting child’s picture and show it to other believers. Ask if they, or someone they know, would give this child a home.

Become a court appointed special advocate for a child in foster care.

3. Provide for their needs

Give sacrificially to a reputable orphanage. Financial gifts can be designated for specific items and aid needed by orphans.

Organize a drive in your church to collect school supplies for children in foster care or shoes for orphans overseas.

4. Support those who support them

Mow, baby sit, or organize meals for a week for foster parents. Pray with them and tell them you appreciate what they do.

Encourage a family adopting by hosting a shower for them.

5. Protect them from harm

Become a foster parent or emergency foster parent.

Raise money to build a children’s home to help remove children from the streets.

6. Visit them where they are

Go on a mission trip to an orphanage as an individual or family.

Take dinner to a foster group-home on a regular basis.

7. Give sacrifically to them

Support reputable orphan care organizations on a regular basis.

Contribute generously to an adoptive family to help offset their costs.

8. Encourage them to press on

Sponsor a child, support them financially, and encourage them through your letters.

Become a mentor or tutor to a teenager in a foster group-home.

9. Adopt them into your family

Give a child a home through international, domestic, or foster care adoption.

Adopt a young adult who has aged out of the system.

10. Mobilize your church for them

  Be a catalyst in your church for starting a sustained orphans ministry.

If your church already has an orphan ministry, get involved!

Worship Wednesdays

 

  I'm not going to lie, I almost forgot it was Worship Wednesday! My days are off from being out of town but I love the pleasant surprise of it being a Wednesday. Today's song is special to me! This is one of the first songs I ever remember hearing Chris sing at church and therefore it has always been a personal favorite. So why am I sharing it with you today you ask? Well this Sunday are Church is having a special service for Orphan Sunday as November is National Adoption Month. It is going to be a special time I know since I have some dear friends who are in the planning process of it because Adoption is something they are super passionate about! More on them a later today because they are an AMAZING family and you should know all about them. Well, this Sunday Chris is leading worship at our church for Orphan Sunday and will be opening up the service with this song... Marvelous Light. Enjoy and remember that God does love you and has taken you out of any shame or darkness your sin may have produced and brought you into his unending love and light.

 

Into marvelous light I'm running
Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross You are the truth
You are the life, You are the way

I once was fatherless
A stranger with no hope
Your kindness wakened me
Awakened me, from my sleep

Your love it beckons deeply
A call to come and die
By grace now I will come
And take this life, take Your life

Sin has lost it's power
Death has lost it's sting
From the grave You've risen
Victoriously

Into marvelous light I'm running
Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross You are the truth
You are the life, You are the way

My dead heart now is beating
My deepest stains now clean
Your breath fills up my lungs
Now I'm free, now I'm free

Sin has lost it's power
Death has lost it's sting
From the grave You've risen
Victoriously

Into marvelous light I'm running
Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross You are the truth
You are the life, You are the way

Lift my hands and spin around
See the light that I have found
Oh the marvelous light
Marvelous light

 

Where am I?

I know I know, just when I start to be a regular blogger I disappear! Fear not, I was just on a sweet vacation with my awesome hubbs. We went to St. Simons for a long weekend and what a wonderful time we had- fun, relaxation, delicious food, cozy accomodations! We couldn't have asked for more. Here is a slight preview of Chris hanging out at our friend's Aletha and Bo's coffee shop Wake Up Coffee Company. I will give more details on the vacation to come but for now I shall rest- a busy busy week ahead.

Beadboard = CoMpLeTe!

  Well it is done! My sweet husband stayed up WAY past normal hours too many nights this week to finish the tedious work and it was well worth it. If you know Chris you know he is a perfectionist and this was no different!

This is one of the walls and thats our changing table! It looks sad and empty because the baskets aren't full yet and there is no changing pad on there yet but all to come!

Sorry the lighting in this picture is so bad. Here is another wall and that is our rocker/glider in the corner!

Curtains and wall hangings and crib all to come!! Thank you Chris for working so hard!

I hope everyone has a great weekend, Chris and I are going to a birthday party for our friend Adam tonight to celebrate him turning 30 on the 8th and then tomorrow bright and early we head to St. Simons Island, GA! More details will come about that after we get back but lets just say I'm ECSTATIC!



Ten things on Thursdays

  Its already Thursday again? Crazy how time flies?! Well my baby shower is coming up in about three weeks so I've had baby things on the mind recently. I was thinking about all of my favorite baby items and so I made a top 10 list. They are (in no order)... Mind you- I have no idea if any of these items are actually "worth it." Many of them I just think are so darn cute I can't stand it!

1- Nap Nanny: How can you not want a giant one of these for you to take a nap in! Precious and I'm a sucker for anything minky...

2- Bestever mat- Lamb: Well first off I'm a huge lover of anything lambs. Add a super soft mat for Hutton to lay on the floor and be super comfy. I'm in love!

3- Chicco Travel System: Well all of my mom friends have loved their Chicco's and I think the red is awesome! Perfect for Hutton! Is it weird that a stroller makes me feel grown up?

4- Samsung Video Baby Monitor: I've always wanted a baby monitor because I know I'll be psycho and once Hutton is in the crib I will want to be able to see him all the time. Awesome thing about this- we can plug it up to our tv and we can watch him on the tv in the bedroom, or the livingroom!

5- Timi and Leslie Diaper Bag: Is it a purse or a diaper bag? Definitely stylish enough to be a purse but a diaper bag still! My mom has almost convinced me not to get this because she wants me to get one I can wash... but it has water resistant lining and the outside is faux leather so its hand washable. Hmmm- I'm not totally convinced against it yet!

6- Crocheted beanies and booties: Seriously? Is there anything more precious than baby beanies and baby booties? I'm in love- maybe I should learn to crochet!

7- Daygowns: I have a weakness. Chris thinks these are the worst things ever. When I mention them and show them to him even in blue he says, "You're gonna put Hutton in a girl's dress?" I still can't help it! This is what I want to take Hutton home from the hospital in SOOO much!! The blue is in gingham and has little blue sailboats down the middle.

8- Baby Auburn Gear: You didn't know my plan was for Hutton to say "Mommy", "Daddy", and then "War Eagle?" Haha a girl can dream! We all know he'll be sporting orange and blue from birth though!

9- Baby Bathrobes: I completely understand that this item is not a necessity; however, have you seen anything cuter?

10- Last but not least, our Jenny Lind Crib: I was in a Jenny Lind crib when I was a baby and I love their traditional sweetness! Ours may be in next week :)

Thats all for Thursday folks! Alert: the beadboard is completed minus a few touch ups so I will be posting a nursery update tomorrow!

Worship Wednesdays

 Happy middle of the week! I hope everyone is enjoying their Wednesday as it is winding down. This weekend Chris and I are going to St. Simons to celebrate our anniversary. We're celebrating a month late but this weekend was the best time for us to travel. In honor of our first anniversary (celebrated a little late) I'm posting a song today that our sweet friend Christy sang in our wedding. I hope you enjoy hearing it and reading the lyrics as much as I did. It was so special for her to sing right after I was given away and standing there with Chris in the middle of the most special day of my life. I thought it was such a beautiful parallel between the love of Christ and the love God gives us through our spouses.

Choose- Christy Nockels

(Warning: Video below is not official but still worth watching!)

Let me be in love with what You love
Let me be most satisfied in You
Forsaking what this world has offered me
I choose to be in love with You
I will choose to be in love with You

Let me know the peace that's mine in You
Let me know the joy my heart can sing
For I have nothing Lord apart from You
I choose to call on Christ in me
I will choose to call on Christ in me

For in the fullness of who You are
I can rest in this place
And giving over this, my journey Lord
I see nothing but Your face

Let me know that You have loved me first
Let me know the weight of my response
For You have long pursued my wandering heart
I choose to glory in Your cross
I will choose to glory in Your cross

And I bow down...
Humbly, I bow down...
Humbly, I bow down...
I bow down...

I bow down, I bow down
my beloved- here I am
I bow down, I bow down to You...

Engagements!!

What a special thing happened last night!! A little before 5 I got an exciting phone call from my friend Melissa telling me she was EnGaGeD!! I knew it was around the corner and was so thrilled!!

We all love weddings! Below is a sweet picture of them right after the engagement! He took her on a hot air balloon ride. She truly was flying high!!

Almost exactly two years ago Chris and I got engaged and I remember that feeling of being filled with excitement about the future and the new life ahead!! So congratulations Clay and Melissa... Chris and I are so excited for such a special couple!!

Nursery in Progress

  Let me say, I had an amazing weekend. Now, I'm exhausted. How can our weekends be so exhausting? Aren't those supposed to be for rest? Oh well! Getting ready for a baby is exhausting; yet, I have a feeling having a newborn in the house is MUCH more exhausting.

Well Chris and I tackled our first home project this weekend! He did all the shopping to prepare Friday night and then Saturday he did most all of the prep work and put up one panel of the beadboard. Sunday I got to jump in and help! Yall- it was so much fun! I wasn't exactly sure how Chris and I would handle a house project like that together because we had never done one before. In addition, our working styles are SOOOO different. I tend to rush through things and get them done very quickly but not always to perfection. Chris is much more of a perfectionist in his work; however, it takes him longer. Turns out we worked great together! Here is a little preview of our progress...

This last picture is of shutters that I bought at Scott's in Atlanta and am painting blue to put on the wall in the nursery! They have multiple layers of paint underneath so painted over it gives it a vintage look which I love! I will have more updates tomorrow as we continue to work tonight!

I hope everyone has a great week!

Gloomy Friday

  It happens to be rather gloomy outside but nothing could stop me from being excited that it is FRIDAY!!

What will your weekend consist of? Ours will look at little something like this...

A little chicken pot pie for dinner tonight...

Tomorrow Chris will be installing the beadboard in the nursery... wish him luck!

I can't necessarily say I will cheer for LSU, but I won't be cheering for Bama. So I will mainly be neutral with a little more love extended on the Tigers side. What can I say? Go Tigers comes naturally!

I will probably debate a little more about how I want to organize Hutton's closet/dresser. What to hang? What to fold? I'm having so much trouble with this decision!

And last but not least some of our best friends are going to be in town, Jonathan and Amanda Solvason! We can't wait to see yall!

I hope yall have a wonderful Friday and a great weekend ahead of you!!

Ten things on Thursdays

  I've decided that on Thursdays I want to have a 10 things list. Maybe it will be 10 gift ideas, 10 things I want, 10 best movies, who knows where it will go! I decided to start it off with 10 things you may not know about me. Enjoy :)

1- I’m terribly insecure. I am way too consumed by what people think about me. I could list you stories for days of the stress it has put on me. This is something I’m really trying to give up especially before Hutton gets here. In the past I have let myself get physically sick over the thoughts of someone being mad at me or thinking I look bad. Deep down I have to get over this idea that I’m not good enough for… (Insert whatever it may be.) Part of this is truly learning to walk into the person that God made me to be and not try to be someone else or try to change for someone’s benefit.

2- I have always wanted to be a writer, even since I was very little. I learned to read very quickly and at the age of 5 would sit down with my grandfather (Papaw) and read the newspaper. I grew up consumed in books and the love my mother had of children’s books was passed on to me. My deepest desire would be to write a children’s fiction novel. In addition, over the past year I have had this new desire of songwriting. First let me clear something up, I have NO musical talent. I leave that field all up to my AMAZINGLY talented husband. What I do love about music are the lyrics and I have this passion to write songs that truly mean something to me and other people would love. I’ve actually written some songs- I’ve only shared them with a few out there in the world but they do exist.

3- I’m terrified of becoming a Mom. Don’t get me wrong, I’m beyond thrilled. I’m just nervous about remembering all the important details during those first few weeks. Then beyond that I’m worried about the 18 years following that! This pregnancy thing seems busy and Hutton’s not even here yet!

4- Part of me wants to move away from Montgomery. Now, if/when it ever comes down to this I don’t know how I would feel because both Chris and my families are here and I love that. At the same time though I have lived in Montgomery my whole life and I only went away to Auburn from 2004-2006. There is so much out there and so many places and I just wonder what it would be like to move to a new place and really not know anybody and just start over!

5- I have so many fears! Fears of scary movies, fears of flying, fears of dying, I could go on and on! It is really a bad thing. If you tell me about something bad happening to someone else, my fearful side kicks in and I imagine it happening to me and will then worry about it. I must work on this!!

6- I LoVe to shop. Some of you may know this about me but it’s definitely a sickness. My only excuse is that I don’t only love to shop for me, I love to shop for anyone and everyone. Gift giving is one of my favorites and I love to pick out things that I think people will love. When Chris and I got married and I told him we needed a place in our budget for random gift giving (not birthdays, Christmas, showers, etc.) he was VERY confused!

7- I wish I could sing. I love to sing- all day long. I sing to Jacks, I sing to Hutton, Chris hears me sing. The only problem is I can’t sing in tune AT ALL! I used to be really embarrassed about my lack of singing ability. So much that the first 6 months Chris and I dated I wouldn’t even sing around him AT ALL. EVER. NADA. ZILCH.

8- Half of my job involves speaking in front of people. The last job I had almost 95% involved speaking in front of people. I think I’m scared of speaking in front of people. That sounds weird I know as I say “I think.” This is the issue- I don’t feel scared or nervous but suddenly when I start talking I can feel my face getting red from blushing and I can feel my voice trembling. Why? I have no idea!

9- I’m an organization freak! I dream of those closets where everything is labeled and perfectly in its place. I want a pantry where everything has its bin/container to be placed and nothing is ever out of sorts. My clothes are broken down into dresses/skirts/pants/tops and then color coded within those categories.

10- I love to make lists and I live by them. Maybe that is why I decided to devote a whole day of my blog each week to a list!

Worship Wednesdays

 Some of you may know that worship is a pretty big part of Chris and my lives. Being involved in worship at St. James is actually how we met. I will save that story for another day but you may know that Chris plays and sings in our praise team at church. He plays both acoustic and electric guitar and has an awesome voice! Yes, I completely understand that I am bias but in reality, he's really talented. Anyway, worship consists of so many different aspects but I'm starting something called Worship Wednesdays that will consist of me posting a praise song every Wednesday that really speaks to me or something I see going on so that I can share it with you. When I decided to start this I knew exactly what song I would use first. Jesus Culture is one of our favorite worship bands out there and we love their cutting edge style. When I first heard this song it spoke to me in so many ways which I will explain below.

Here inside Your presence
Taken by the wonder of You
Here inside Your glory
We give our lives fully to You

We cry Holy, Holy are You
We cry Holy, Holy are You

Your love it burns inside
Our hearts are satisfied by You
Your love is our reward
It’s why we ask for more of You

We cry Holy, Holy are You
Our hearts are burning, burning for You
We cry Holy, Holy are You
Our hearts are burning, burning for You

We are Your burning ones
We are consumed by You
We set our lives apart
We are consumed by You

So let this love be like a fire
Let our life be like a flame
Fill our souls with Your desire
Let our passion bring You fame

So much of those words speak to me as I desire to be more and more consumed by God instead of the things that we allow to consume ourselves. I made that last line bold though for a reason. That line has always stuck out to me since the first day I heard it. What if I was like that? What if you were like that? What if we were so consumed and so passionate about God that we truly brought him fame.

Fame: The condition of being known or talked about by many people, especially on account of notable achievements.

Now, God definitely does fit this definition. He is talked about by many people and talked about because of what He has done. However, when I think of fame what comes to my mind is Hollywood! Those people who you want to go pick up the latest People magazine to read about their lives and what they are up to. The people that fill up an hour of Entertainment Tonight or E! News daily. God is definitely talked about (mainly on Sundays) but I don't see people RUSHING out the door to hear the latest story of what He did in someones life. I pray that we can all live this way- that our passion truly does bring Him fame.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

  CHRISTMAS

Okay, I can't help it- I'm one of those! If Chris would let me, we would be pulling the boxes down from the attic tonight. Now, considering we're also in the middle of painting and installing beadboard in the nursery the timing would not be perfect. I love it though, I'm currently listening to Brenda Lee on Pandora sing me Rockin Around the Christmas Tree. I was in a shopping center last week and saw them putting the lights on the trees and it made my heart skip a beat. I love walking into crowded stores with a scarf around my neck and Christmas music playing as I'm surrounded by red and green everywhere.

I love Christmas for a multitude of reasons, number one being that that is when we celebrate God's gift of His son being born to save us! However, I do still love the commercial part of Christmas. I love that Christmas has sounds, smells, colors, and everything else that make me know that it is Christmas time!! So with my love of the commercial Christmas, this little note from Nordstroms makes me sad.

Don't get me wrong- I totally understand it. Our society does try to make Christmas a 3 month long event. We shouldn't ever complain about a shortage of Holidays in the Fall... Halloween consumes the shelves in October, Thanksgiving gourds and fall colors are everywhere in November, and we all know what December is like.  So Nordstrom, I get your point, but I'm still sad! It makes me wonder though what it would be like if we celebrated Jesus' birth all over the place everywhere in the same ways we celebrate Santa and the other hype that surrounds us November and December. My goal this year is that as long as I'm listening to Christmas music and enjoying the red and green that surrounds me, I'm going to celebrate Jesus being born all of November and December as well!