One Crazy Beautiful Sunday

5:30am. Normal people are usually asleep, especially on a Sunday. Not me.

I awoke to the sound of our house phone ringing. Wondering if I should get up and go answer, since I'm the closest, or wait to see if whomever is calling will ring the cell.

*Insert Ringtone Here*

"Hello"

"Jennifer's water broke."

"What?"
"Jennifer's water broke. Are you even awake?"

"Well, I am now..."

And thus begins my last Sunday home before spring semester '10. With a phone call about my cousin's water breaking. A week ago she had a false alarm. Now the little guy has to interrupt my last good night of sleep for a while. It was a welcomed interruption though :)

So after waiting a few hours to leave--due to Great-Grandma having to teach Sunday School--we ventured to Springfield to meet the little guy.

More like sit around and wait for the little guy.

After being there for approx. 5 hours, with little progress being made on mommy/baby's part, my sister and I decide to make a food run for everyone. 3 stops. 20 minutes max. And what happens.

"Hurry back, he's coming soon."

Wow, thanks for the great timing guys.

Needless to say, within the next hour, we (all 10 of us, other than mom & dad) welcomed Zander Michael Gene in to the world :)

He is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. A perfect little boy.

I'm not sure what was more touching, getting to welcome this new Imago Dei into the world, or seeing the love and joy flow out of my family's heart as we heard the news. It truly was the perfect ending to Christmas break.

7lbs 10oz, 22 inches long. aka: Perfect :)

As my Grandma said--his Great Grandma--"You just want to sit there and hold him, and never put him down."

I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!!

I pray, even now, that our Lord would draw Zander in to Himself and save him from his sin. Even this beautiful little baby is born in to a depraved world and needs his Savior.

I can't wait to tell him about Jesus :)

Love you, Zander!

Passion & Purity

"What has been like water from the well of Bethlehem to you recently? Love, friendship, spiritual blessing? Then at the peril of your soul you take it to satisfy yourself. If you do, you cannot pour it out before the Lord. How am I to pour out spiritual gifts, or natural friendship, or love? How can I give them to the Lord? In one way only-in the determination of the mind, and that takes about two seconds. If I hold spiritual blessings or friendship for myself they will corrupt me, no matter how beautiful they are. I have to pour them out before the Lord, give them to Him in my mind, though it looks as if I am wasting them, even as David poured water out on the sand, to be instantly sucked up."

Elisabeth Elliot, "Passion & Purity"

"God never allows pain without a purpose in the lives of His children. He never allows Satan, nor circumstances, nor any ill-intending person to afflict us unless He uses that affliction for our good. God never wastes pain. He always causes it to work together for our ultimate good, the good of conforming us more to the likeness of His Son (see Romans 8:28-29)."--excerpt from Transforming Grace, by Jerry Bridges

On my list of book reccomendations, this one is definitely towards the top. An awesome look at God's grace & what it means to truly live wrapped up in it!

my GOD!!!!!!

Psalm 18:1-2--I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
   my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
   my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Wow…how powerful are these words that David wrote so long ago. So much of what God has been for me, and will continue to be for me, is summed up in these two verses. My strength, when I had nothing left to give. My rock, when I had nowhere else to fall. My fortress, when all other shelters had blown away. My deliverer, when I was in the darkest place. My God…the One who directs my path, and leads me by still waters. My shield, to protect me from the attacks I face. The horn of my salvation….the very reason I am saved. My stronghold, the only thing that matters. As I ponder what to do with life, and decisions I have already made, I think about these two verses and realize that all I need to do is really put my faith in who God is and 100% trust that He will be what He says He is in His word!! If only I could practice what I preach J I'm faced with an inner decision, one that is not easy, but I realize and understand that no matter what happens, the Lord will be my rock/fortress/deliverer/strength/shield/and stronghold. If only I hold fast to that which I know in my head and in my heart, everything else will flow with joy and peace!!!

Keep on--

Psalm 33:20-22---Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in Him, because we trust in His holy name. Let Your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in You!

Wow, how encouraging is this when I read it! Just when I need encouragement and comfort, His Word brings it! I sssooo love being in the hands of my Savior, knowing that everything is under His control and not mine!!

Keep on keepin on!

Jeremiah 9:23-24---Thus says the Lord:"Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord."

Galatians 6:8-9--For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows from the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not become weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up!