Our Church's Altar

Almost exactly 4 years ago we had our sweet daughter Baptized. Conincidentally I was asked to write the cover of "The Steeple," our weekly church bulletin. It happened to be printed on the very day that we gave our child over to God, promising to pray for her, alongside my incredible church family, and to raise her to love our Lord, knowing that she belongs to HIM.

This is what I wrote ...

Have you ever thought about our church’s altar? Many incredible events take place here. The altar at First United Methodist Church holds a very special place in my heart. It is where my roots lie. Thirty years ago, my parents were married here. As infants, my brother and I were baptized here. I received my first Bible, was confirmed into this church as a sixth-grader, and sang in the children’s choir at this altar. I have spent many Sundays praying, confessing my faith, asking for forgiveness, and spending time with the Lord here at our altar. It is a very safe and comfortable place for me. Three and a half years ago, my husband, Jason, and I walked down the same aisle to be united in marriage together, and soon my brother will as well. Now, as we prepare to have our first child baptized at that same very special place, I am reminded of how meaningful First Church is to me.

1 Samuel 1:27 reads, “For this child I have prayed.” My daughter is such a blessing to us and she was prayed for since I was just a little girl at my church’s altar. Once we learned of our exciting news of becoming parents, I continued to pray not only for a safe delivery of a healthy baby, but also for our child to have a deep yearning to follow Jesus. To have her baptized at such a special place where so many amazing and meaningful events took place for me is truly a gift. Baptism is one of God’s many gifts to us, and my church is such a gift to me and my family.

It is only through God’s love and grace that I am able to stand at our church’s altar and receive His love, and what a perfect place to do it, with the ones I love, at First United Methodist Church.

Birthday Boy (My Friday Favorite!)

I can hardly believe that today I am wishing my sweet little boy a Happy 1st Birthday.

Wilson, you have brought so much joy to us and all our family.

You are a happy, loving, little boy, full of energy, with a funny sense of humor and full-of-life attitude.

You absolutely adore Ella and have begun calling her name.

You follow her around wherever she goes.

Your eyes twinkle when you see her and you tremble with excitement.

As parents, it brings us so much pride and happiness to see the love and friendship you and Ella share.

For this child, I have prayed.

1 Samuel 1:27

You have your daddy's determination and drive, which I love.

You light up my life each and every day.

You, Wilson, are the absolute perfect addition to our family.

I pray each day that you will allow God in your heart, serve Him, be a witness for Him, let Him guide your every footstep and lead you down His path, and bring all honor and glory to Him in all that you are and do.

My son, attend to my words, incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and healthy to all their flesh.

Proverbs 4:20-22

I pray for your wife, and that God leads you to a kind, genuine soul who also loves and serves our Lord.

And I pray that God shows us, your parents, how to teach you His ways.

We already see so many incredible qualities in you and we are so very proud of you.

Each and every day with you is so special and we look forward to all the fun times ahead.

(By the way, today you climbed out of your highchair and onto the kitchen table. You like to give me a nice scare ... several times a day! Can't wait to see what this next year holds - some excitement I'm sure! But that's just one more thing I love about you!)

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord.

Psalm 127:3a

God's Land, Birthday Wish, and Silhouettes

Ella said to me last night, "Momma, did you know that all the clouds, the stars, and the whole earth is God's land? It's His land, Momma."

Yes it is, Ella. It sure is.

Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground‑‑trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:8-9

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

Psalm 95:1-7

VOTE in the new Bible Verse poll. This is my way of encouraging both myself and you to open our Bibles and learn just a little bit more. Write these verses down so you can refer back to them later, maybe when you need some uplifting words or some extra encouragement.

I would love to hear from you as to what your favorite verse is. The verse from last week that had the most votes last week was one that I absolutely love and refer back to often ...

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

A very special Birthday wish to my adorable niece, Anna Chapman, on her FIRST birthday today. I cannot believe it's been an entire year! I think about what an exciting day it was for us all this time last year. And she will be welcoming a sibling in March! We are so blessed.

For this child, I have prayed.

1 Samuel 1:27

And lastly, these are my silhouettes I had done of my children by Clay Rice. I'm trying to figure out where to hang them.

He is an extremely talented artist and it was absolutely amazing to watch how he does these. You should look him up. He also wrote and illustrated this book, which is beautiful. You should look him up and have him come to your town!

God is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine.

Ephesians 3:20