Meet our Sweet Girl!

Hey, y'all! Just a quick Friday post to update you on LAST Friday's post!  Thanks for all of your sweet comments about our "little girl" that we are sponsoring through Compassion International! Her packet of information and photo arrived in the mail yesterday! And, y'all, she is JUST PRECIOUS!! Here, see for yourselves!



This is Monica! And I fell in love with her sweet little face all over again! She has parents and a sibling, but is in an extremely poverty stricken area. It just makes you want to go there and love on these babies and their families and bring them back home with you!! Thankfully, we are able to sponsor her and pray for her regularly. One day, I hope and pray that I will have the  opportunity to meet her and her family. We will see if my plans are the same as God's plans!

I loved your comments about the children that you too have sponsored! What a blessing....to US! Monica's birthday is in a few weeks...she will be 6! As much as I would LOVE to have a birthday party for her with cake and ice cream and presents, I sit here in my sunny kitchen and wonder what can I send her? I cannot send packages. I can send flat paper items that fit in an envelope. Bookmarks? But does she have books? Sheets from coloring books? Same question...does she have crayons? Do y'all have any ideas that you would be willing to share to help make this sweetie pie's birthday a little more special? I would greatly appreciate it!

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend! We are hosting a Chocolate Fest for the ladies at our church in the morning! Then, we have a speaker who will be sharing a beautiful love story from God. I cannot wait! I'll let you in on a little secret--for those of you who don't know me personally! I am not a chocolate eater at all! Can't stand the stuff! or the smell! Yes, I am normal (I think!!!). This is a chance to show some agape love to my sisters in Christ who breathe and live chocolate! I will smile and take pictures! Now, if there is white chocolate, move out of my way! I love me some of that! Pictures next week!

Sweet blessings,

Photo a la {Mode}

Hey everyone! I am linking up with Patty--who is an amazing photographer, writer, mom, wife and friend! She only lives about 4 hours from me, so....I won't be doing lunch with her and other bloggy friends in Tennessee at noon! Bummer!



85mm lens, 1/125, f.5.0, ISO 100



As a photographer, I want my pics to really pop and give you a "wow!" I still have not figured out how to achieve that using my blog format! My pics are fixed at a certain size, and I cannot undo this unless I create a new blog. Well....I happen to LOVE this blog! Not changing it!  But, in a few weeks, I hope to have a new blog that goes along with my business to showcase my pics of clients! Hopefully, the pop and brightness I wish to achieve will be evident! If not, I need to find a new business!

If you look on your camera, there is usually a little green box. It's a helpful box especially if you are taking pics inside and using low light. The green box does all of the thinking for you--pretty much! It's the automatic setting on your camera. It is your friend!

When I first got my camera (which was the Canon xsi), I kept it on the green box. Good pictures but not much room for creativity. And, I'm one of those people who likes to try things that might be a little different. A friend took me to the park downtown and showed me a whole new world! If you look on top of your camera, the letter "M" sits there....usually very lonely! She made me set my camera to "M" and I have not looked back! Now, "M" is good, but it really helps to UNDERSTAND the wordage behind this letter....which I am still working on mastering! Most of it, I get. There are still some gray areas! Patty has a link on her site that takes you to several wonderful lessons on using your camera. If you are truly interested in better pics, I encourage you to grab your favorite beverage (sweet tea here!) and chill out for awhile and learn! Then, take your camera and go shoot something! I just went out on the deck--jammies and all!--and shot these pics. We are learning about the shutter speed, the aperture, and the ISO setting (remember the film numbers from the dark ages? 100, 200, 400, etc.? That's the ISO! See, I do know something about this stuff!)



85mm lens, 1/125, f.4.5, ISO 100



Other questions to answer: What camera do you use and what is your favorite lens? I upgraded to a Canon 7D (love it!) and either shoot with my 50mm lens or my 85mm lens. If you use a point and shoot, what do you have and do you love it???

Anyway, hop over to Patty's and read her beautiful blog. Y'all have a great Wednesday!

Sweet Blessings,

It's a GIRL!!!!

Hey, y'all!
I am so excited I'm about to pop! After much prayer, more prayer, research, and sermons, my family has grown from the 4 of us to 5! And, we have pink balloons on the mailbox!

God has been doing a work in my heart through His Word, sermons, and your blogs! God can use the internet for His Glory! Little by little, He has revealed to me that He wants me to "go." Well, I wasn't sure exactly what He meant! That little word encompasses a lot! As an adopted child, I am a HUGE advocate of adoption. So is my Hubby--who also was adopted :). For this season, to "go" is to go into the heart and home of children in poverty, in brokenness, and to share the love of God. Physically, I will be here in SC. But spiritually, my heart just fell in love with a precious child of His in Guatemala. I can't hop on a plane tomorrow and go get her. She has a mom and step dad and two siblings. But, she is one of the "least" of those that Jesus taught us about. So, we are doing the next best thing!

We have agreed to sponsor her through Compassion International. It's a wonderful organization--trust me, I have spent a LOT of time researching this organization! Here's the link for you to visit yourselves. Her picture just made me melt into a pool. And, her name is the same as one of our best friends growing up --our next door neighbor to be exact. She is five and doesn't go to school just yet. Y'all, after I filled out the paperwork, and submitted it, I immediately went BACK to the website to see if her picture and availability were still there. They were not!! She's ours!!!! Such a small thing, but I did a happy dance.

I went to some of the You Tube videos to see more about the children, and sponsors and their visits. I have used half a box of kleenex! Take time and watch some of these. It's a Friday, the weather is pretty nasty over most of the country, and you need to see this if you've never watched them before.

It will take 15 days--and I WILL be counting!--to get her information packet and picture! I cannot wait!! I'll share all of this with you when it comes! And for those of you who sponsor children, thank you for your compassion! We see those little pitiful faces on ads in the sidebars of blogs, but do we really do anything about it? We (I) think, "Oh, someone else will sponsor them. I am really on a budget." Well, I am becoming that someone else. Someone who needs to step out of her safe little box and share the blessings that she has received. It's only 38.00 a month. We (as a family) spend more than that if we go out to eat a meal--even McDonald's and Chick-fil-a are costly when you have teenage boys! Mercy! So, we can give up one meal out a month to give to Compassion.

And, now, her sweet little name.....

Monica!

If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.  Proverbs 21:13

Go, step out of your comfort zone and see what God has planned for you!

Sweet Blessings,

Scripture and a Snapshot

"Then comes the roaring of the thunder--

the tremendous voice of his majesty.

He does not restrain it when he speaks.

God's voice is glorious in the thunder.

We can't even imagine the greatness of his power.

He directs the snow to fall on the earth

and tells the rain to pour down.

Then everyone stops working

so they can watch his power...

No wonder people everywhere fear him.

all who are wise show him reverence."

Job 36: 4-7, 24

This was a portion of my reading through the Bible yesterday in the book of Job. I simply camped out at these verses and was still before Him.
Join me over at Katie's for more lovely pictures and beautiful Scripture.

Sweet blessings,

Eli-WHO?

(DISCLAIMER: This picture is a year and a half old....my hair looks a lot better!!!)

Hey, y'all!


I've been deep into His Word this week at Wendy's website studying the book of Job. Yes, the Old Testament character who was so obedient to God. He was blameless and a man of integrity. One day, the Accuser asked God if he could test him. He wanted to see if bad things happened to Job, would Job still honor and fear God. Job did pass the test! But, he went through TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE trials. His children were killed. His servants and livestock were killed. His wife left him. He had awful boils all over his body. People spit on him, and the list goes on. And yet, he still claimed that he had done nothing wrong --Job was innocent before God. Job simply wanted God to tell him what he had done because there had to be a reason all of this had happened.


Now Job had three friends. These friends, after finding out what had happened to their buddy, came to the city gate where Job was and sat with him in silence for a week. Can you imagine not speaking for an entire week? Mercy!


Then, the three friends tried to help him figure out what sin he had committed for all of this to have happen. They inquired, and Job defended himself. This banter went on for quite awhile. (Many chapters, people! Many chapters!)


Remember, this was happening in a public place where others were walking by and hearing their conversation. Personally, I think I would have found a quiet little cafe in the land of Uz and hung out there to discuss all of this! Just sayin'!


Finally, another character enters the conversation. His name is Elihu. Elihu's name means "He is my God." Well, first Elihu tells Job and his three buddies that he has been listening and has not said one word because he was younger and since they were older, they SHOULD be wiser! Listen to this young whipper snapper:


"I am young and you are old, so I held back from telling you what I think. I thought, 'Those who are older should speak, for wisdom comes with age.' But there is a spirit within people, the breath of the Almighty within them, that makes them intelligent."


Did you listen to that last sentence? Really listen? As young as Elihu was, he "got it!" He realized that the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts and is the one who gives us spiritual wisdom. He was trying to get this across to Job and company!


Elihu goes on to say: "For God is greater that any human being. so why are you bringing a charge against Him? Why say he does not respond to people's complaints? For God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it. He speaks in dreams...He whispers in their ears and terrifies them with warnings. He makes them turn from doing wrong; he keeps them from pride."Job 33: 12-17


I don't know about y'all, but I believe that Elihu was on to something! He knew how to listen and hear the voice of God. He had the gift of discernment. And, he was willing to share that gift with Job. Would Job accept this gift? I'll find out in tomorrow's reading of Job 34!


My question for you all is do you have an Elihu in your life? Someone who sits back, observes, listens, prays, and then speaks what the Lord has place on their heart for you? I DO! She's in the picture with me! I am blessed that several of my close friends could have their middle initial E. --as in Elihu! This chickadee is my accountability partner. We pray together, share together, laugh together and cry together. She helps me stay focused especially on my ADD days!Everyone needs an Elihu in their lives!


Praying that you ask God to send your Elihu to you soon! And if she/he's already there, tell them how thankful you are that they truly listen to you!




Sweet blessings,

Scripture and a Snapshot

I wanted to share this photo that I took last Sunday morning at Isle of Palms, SC. This was my Sunday morning worship time with the Lord. I showed up, camera in hand, and He showed off in a mighty way! Wow! It was worth the wait and the cold temperatures! I hopped out of bed, literally threw on a huge coat and hat, grabbed my flip flops(I always wear flipflops on the beach whether it's 100 degrees or 30 degrees!) and headed to the beach. And, my pink polka dot flannel bed pants/pajama pants were not as warm as I had hoped! I did not include a picture of my ensemble, but you can imagine!



God's beauty never ceases to amaze me. From sunrises to sunsets to majestic mountains and the never ending tides. From microscopic insects to hydrangeas to hoot owls. From a baby's birth to a new tooth coming in. All of these are His creation and His to share with us. What a blessing we receive each day.

Join me at Katie's for more Scripture and a Snapshot posts.

Sweet Blessings,

Sweet Shot Tuesday

If you could see the look on Child #1's face as he rares back to throw that snowball, you would be able to visualize the amazing snowball wrestling match that took place in our yard yesterday. Back yard, side yard, front yard....everywhere. They had a glorious time rolling around in the snow! Join me at Darcy's for more fun pictures today!


With a new year upon us, many of you have made New Year's Resolutions. I chose not to! I am
instead looking at one word to be my goal this year. So many of you had a "word" for the year weeks ago. I didn't! Why didn't God give me a word? Well, you have to ask, which I did. But you also have to listen! And that means being quiet enough to hear Him! Last week while running, I received my word!



Pursue.



Not pursuing food or exercise or great shopping deals. Nope, pursuing Him! I have been chasing after Him for some time now. Chasing was not exactly the word that best described how I felt. It was pursue. I am pursuing His Word so that I can better know Him and try to be more like Him in my days to come. I want to have the joy and compassion and peace and self control and love that we hear about in Galatians. It is not something that I can do alone. I need to rely on His strength moment by moment. Staying in His Word with Bible Studies is a wonderful way to be connected. I am again reading through the Word with Wendy Pope this year and loving it! Also, I will be starting a study next Tuesday on Ephesians at church. We sorta got snowed out today!


So, how are you going to pursue the LORD this year? Bible Studies, retreats, mission work...share with me!


Sweet Blessings,