Crazy Love

go to www.crazylovebook.com and click videos then click just stop and think!

currently reading this awesome book! Check it out!

E-Women's Conference

I wanted to share with you a little of what God has shown me this weekend! I went with my Mom and a handful of other ladies from our church to the Extraordinary Women's Conference. The conference theme was "Free to be REAL!" I loved it. We are so missing out on that as Christians. We are sinners too for crying out loud! Not these perfect little people who always do good. NO we are sinners just as the Lost.... the only difference is we have accepted Christ's perfect forgiveness and continue to! So we need to stop acting like we have got it all together and start living life side by side of those who are in need of a Savior and share our HOPE with them! And once again lets get to work and stop being lazy in our walk with the LORD.

My favorite verses the Lord opened my eyes to this weekend was found in 2 Cor. 3 starting in verse 13... it's talking about how we have a veil over our eyes and can't see Jesus! (Now we can take this in the terms of Salvation... but for those of us who know God, I think we need to do a re-evaluation of our commitment to our Savior. I LOVE verse 16 where once again our loving God gives us once again another chance to turn back to HIM! He says that whenever we turn to HIM, the veil is taken away! WOW! It's like, hello, there is our answer! But He doesn't stop the goodness there... He goes on in verse 18, sharing that with unveiled faces we reflect the Lord's Glory!!! And that we are being transformed into HIS likeness with ever increasing glory!!!


You say, yeah I want that... but how do I get from here to there? The answer is in verse 17... it says, "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Freedom!" We are all in bondage to something and He wants to bring us freedom from that very thing, allowing us to live a life full of Hope, Contentment and Holiness that will bring HIM glory! So, let's take some time to slow down in our busy lives to focus on our Loving God and spend some time with Him. He alone is worthy!


After digging into that passage, the speaker, Angela Thomas, then said a statement that is oh so true... "You can live your whole life- die too and go to heaven, and still miss what God had for you!" How sad to think that could be us! But WAIT... you are still breathing... so that means you can change NOW. Ask HIM, "Lord, what do you want to do in and through my life, and give me the strength to do it!"- that has been Clay and my prayer in the past few weeks!

Bottom line... the World won't know what a MIGHTY God we have, unless we are REAL enough to show and tell them!!!!!! So let's stop trying to portray this "perfect, I've got it all together" life to the LOST and let them know we still need our God and His strength and forgiveness everyday... just like them!

--Christi

Girls Preschool Graduation & Program

Chastity and Cherish after their program with their Award's and Diploma. Sissy lovin's! Cherish went over to give her sissy a hug. They are sweetie's!
Cherish with her teacher's Mrs. Pam and Mrs. Louann saying "CHEESE!"

Chas with her Sweet Teacher's Mrs. Kim and Mrs. Crystal! It didn't take her long to love these caring ladies. We have been blessed with such great teacher's for our babies first preschool!

The girls did great in their little program the other night!!!! And, I actually didn't cry! It was so much fun from Cherish singing a little solo, unexpected by everyone, including herself when she started on the wrong song very loudly!!!! I loved it. It was the B-I-B-L-E! Then as Chas and her class came out on stage Cherish yells from the audience to "SISSY" for her to sit in the "RED CHAIR" bc that's the one she had sat in for her part! :) Oh I love these days! And Chas had her own little speaking part which she did fantastically on! I never thought my little Chas would be the one to get up in front of a crowd to say a part- but she did and I was so proud of her. She has come a long way since moving here! I love to see her feel free to be herself! Then the ending was the biggest blessing to my heart- although no one but our family knew it.... Chas's line was.... "We hope you enjoyed our show, now will you please join me for our blessing!" Then they ended by her whole class singing a prayer to God. But it wasn't just any prayer. It was our family prayer that Chas must have taught them! When Chas was a baby and we started teaching her to pray, we wanted to teach her to pray more than just for the food but to thank God for our Family and Friends and also to tell God we love him... and so she had to have shared that special blessing along with her whole class and in turn everyone who attended! Right then the Lord showed me what a difference one little girl can make! I love our babies! And look forward to seeing what the LORD is going to do in and Through their lives, even if it is bittersweet letting them grow up!

I am going to try and get some of their video up loaded on here, but we just got a new video camera, so it might take a little time figuring out how to do it!

Thinking...

"I get nervous when I think of how we've missed who we are supposed to be, and sad when I think about how we are missing out on all the God wants for the people He loved enough to die for." --Francis Chan

Okay so I picked up and started reading one of Clay's books called CRAZY LOVE (Author Francis Chan) and already I'm swept away. Man we Christians are totally missing Gods Picture! Okay... so more to come on the book as I continue reading, however, I wanted to share some verses that have been on my heart the past couple weeks. I'm sure many of you have read them before... but I'm going to share them from the Message Version Bible hoping God sheds a new light on the meaning to your heart as HE did to mine...

"Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat- I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?" Luke 9:23-25

I was researching these verses some as the first is what my Dad has tattooed on his back along with a cross and now many more. So I have known this first verse a while, however never truly dug deep into it. But when I read it in this version- I was blown away. WHAT IN THE WORLD... It totally sheds a light on worldliness. God totally wants the opposite than what most of us are striving after. Think about it... We think, "I need to get in control here- God says let me lead!, I don't want me or my family and loved ones to have to suffer- God says embrace suffering!, I have to get something to help me through this, God says self-help is no help at all!, I NEED this, I have to achieve that, I will do that but want this in return, God says Self-sacrifice is the way, HIS WAY, to finding your true self!"

To be real honest with yall a couple weeks ago I started really getting frustrated with myself and other "Christians." And after much praying, I feel God allowed me to get to the point where I am totally fed up with the AVERAGE Christian life! I have told many of those I am close to how I'm completely SICK OF this Boring life! I want more! And so as I began reading this book today, this is how the preface begins... "This book is written for those who want more Jesus. It is for those who are bored with what American Christianity offers. It is for those who don't want to plateau, those who would rather die before their convictions do." Now that is what I am talking about! Come on guys get on fire for God. We are so missing out on an awesome life He is offering us!

--Christi

Innocence of a 5 year old

We had the opportunity today to take our students to Stadium Fest at Samford Univeristy. It was an awesome time of worship led by Chris Tomlin, Kevin Derryberry, Rush of Fools, and Jeremy Camp. The Word was definitely brought too by Rick Burgess, Bill "Bubba" Bussey (both from the Rick & Bubba Show), Louie Giglio, and Scott Dawson. Many people came to Christ and I just have to say...I was challenged incredibly by the Holy Spirit! However, the thing that hit me the most was after the concert during the Fireworks show. Our five year old, Chastity, was sitting in my lap as I was holding her tight because of the loud, booming sound of the fireworks. While her little eyes just kept watching the fireworks go up into the night sky, her mind must have been at work because what was about to come out of her mouth was amazing. She said "Daddy, do you think God is okay up there?" She was concerned about the fireworks hurting Him. Since that moment that her mind was at work, my mind has been at work. Although the colorful fireworks that we see light up the night sky do not hurt God, it has caused me to stop and wonder... "How many times do we allow the 'fireworks' of our lives to hurt God? You know, those times when we just blow it! As much as it bothers me when I fail the Lord, it must bother Him so much more. When we blow it, it's about like that firework that has just been lit and all you see is a little blur of light going up into the sky. Once it peaks, it makes a loud boom, and totally explodes. I hate when that "boom" happens in our lives. But what blows my mind is this... although we mess up and "blow it" at times with the Lord, his mercy and grace is sure to follow. It's as if once we "hurt" God, He can't wait for us to repent of that sin and learn from it so that He can lavish us with the beauty of His love. It's amazing that God can take what we have made a mess of and "blown up" and shower us with the beauty and magnificence of Who He is! Is that a license to sin...surely not. The book of Romans says, "Shall we continue in sin so that grace may much more abound? May it never be!" However, I do want to say this..."Thank You so much, Lord, for pouring out Your love on a sinner such as me! Forgive me for when I hurt You. Thank You for the reminder from the innocence of my precious five year old daughter! May I constantly remember this incredible reminder that You have given to me tonight! I love You, Father!"
-Clay

Easter

My Beautiful girls heading to church to celebrate Easter!

Chas would tell us that Easter is all about Jesus dying on the cross and now He is alive again after 3 days!

Cute Cherish!

Chastity with her basket from the Easter Bunny!

Cherish Baby with her basket the Easter Bunny brought her!

The girls getting into their Easter Baskets!

Granddaddy surprised the girls with Real Bunnies for Easter! Chas so excited to hold her bunny for the first time!!!

Sweet Cherish and her bunny!

Petting her bunny.

Feeding her bunny a little carrot and lettuce.

The girls enjoying the bunnies! Cherish named hers Alice (after one of her favorite people...Mrs Alice) and Cherish named hers Zoey!

On the way to the lake!

Cherish was actually great at casting her little rod! Although we kept it safe by not adding any hook to hers- she just caught her purple fish EVERY time! Miss Independent!

Cute fishin' girls!

Clay got a bite and called Chas over there to fish with his pole and "She caught one!!!"

She was so proud of her 1st fish!

Daddy was proud too!

Church Egg Hunt

Chas and Gracey havin' a blast together on the slide!

The girls woke up a little under the weather but still insisted on going to the Church Egg & Jelly Bean Hunt and they had such a blast!!!