Why I have been a blogging slacker

I have been a blogging slacker. Our life has been full of basketball for both boys, church committments and just the craziness of life. We are fine and healthy and surviving day by day with a full calendar but with lots of "awesomeness" on the horizon.

Last week we were in full preparation for Mike and Kyle to head to Gatlinburg with over 30 youth and 10 chaperones for the Holston Conference's Resurrection weekend. They had an amazing mountaintop experience with God and frankly Hope, David and I did as well here in Marion. We watched the live streams of the worship and preaching here at home in our pajamas and I have been profoundly affected by the powerful messages and the idea that God chose us.

Only a handful of adults went with the youth so many of us Moms stayed at home and watched livesteam. If I was this touched watching it at home on my Ipad, I cannot imagine being there. What a wonderful weekend for our youth (the future of our churches) to spend time learning about our amazing God that chose us.

During the Saturday night session, the preacher, Reggie, used this song to relate the youth to the idea that God forgives our past, you just need to trust Him with your future.






Be born in me
Be born in me
Trembling heart,
somehow I believe
That you chose me

This song pierced my heart that regardless of how unfaithful I have been to God in the past he still chose me. I will never understand why he chose me to be a superintendents wife. My skin is not thick enough for this job sometimes and my feelings get hurt. I will never understand why God chose me to mother a baby with an IQ of 64. I will really never understand why God thought I was tough enough to watch that same baby endure nine months of hell called cancer treatment before his ninth birthday. On this side of heaven none of this makes sense, but I can and will say that God makes sense every. single. day.

I am so thankful and humbled that Jesus pursued me in my early twenties when I was dealing with an unfaithful boyfriend who had broken my heart. I gave my heart to Jesus then and I will continue to give it to him every day of my life. I have certainly not upheld my end of the deal in terms of faithfulness, but he has never left me or been unfaithful.

When Jesus pursued me I was broken hearted over a silly boy, but God had someone better in mind for me. My heart is so thankful that God also gave me a man that was man enough to spend his entire weekend and lose lots of sleep and sanity to chaperone five middle school boys. Every picture that I saw on facebook from the event or that someone texted me I looked for my boys. My heart is overwhelmed that God gave me a man that gets it that these kids need Jesus and that he was willing to give up his weekend plans to worship our God with these kids.

I also was overwhelmed thinking of my thirteen year old listening to these powerful sermons and being touched. I pray that my kids have the same moment of coming face-to-face with God and surrendering it all for him. We want to protect our kids from all of life's heartaches, but that silly breakup in my early twnenties tendered my heart to need a Savior and ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me.

I am so thankful on this Sunday night that we are all together after a great weekend of taking time out-the boys in Gatlinburg and us here in Marion via Ipad- to remember that life is about surrendering to the One who came to give us truly abundant life.