Charles left Wednesday to go to Montgomery to prepare for his wedding this weekend, and unfortunately, had to take Noah with him. In an effort to help me cope with my loneliness, Charles has sent me pictures (one good thing about the Iphone) of Noah and Riley. I promised you more pictures so here you go…sorry, but being that he’s still a puppy, most of his spare time consists of napping…plus sadly, nap time is the only time he will stay still enough for us to snap a picture.

I love Christmas. Its everything I love in day, Jesus, giving, family and food…and I must confess I don’t mind the receiving either. But as I have approached my second Christmas as a married woman, I have begun to consider the traditions that I, along with Charles, hope to create for our family in the years to come.

Growing up, Charles and I had very similar traditions. Of course we both gathered together with our family, but one thing that both of our families did was that before any gifts were opened, or even passed out, we would read aloud Luke’s account of the birth of Christ . Our families did this for two reasons: to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas and instill in us an understanding and expectation of the gift of Jesus Christ coming to earth.

I cherish that our parents did this for us both. Charles and I have talked about ways to do that all the more in our family. It’s our prayer that our children will understand their individual need for Jesus, but we also would love for them to understand the sovereignty in his birth…why he came as a baby, born of a virgin, who Herod was…the intricate details of it all. Why? Well, we believe that if they understand the truth in the beginning, they’ll understand the truth when it counts the most…his death on a cross. If they understand why he came when he did and how he did, then by God’s grace, Jesus’ dying to pay their penalty for their sin will not only make sense to them, but they’ll long for it! There will certainly be no greater Christmas gift than to see the joy of Christ in my children’s eyes one day.

Of course, the salvation of our children’s hearts is not in our meek hands (PTL!), but we can certainly train them in the way that they should go (Prov. 22:6) and do our best to preach the gospel (1Cor. 1:16-18) in all that we do, especially at Christmas. We will certainly continue the tradition started in our own families in the reading of the birth of Christ found in Luke. However, I love the idea of the advent calendars. If treated in a Biblical fashion, they allow us to reflect on all that led up the Jesus’ birth, and most importantly, HOPE for His birth. Today I was reading “Girl Talk” (I know…) and found this one book that I would love to use to help instill that sense of expectation and longing for Jesus Christ in our children’s hearts. The book has several advent excerpts from some excellent author’s…top notch if you ask me. I plan on buying it for future traditions, so I thought I’d share it with you too.

Praying you all have a Merry Christmas as you rejoice for the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord that He has come and is coming again!

If you know me and my hubs, then you know we are animal people through and through. Growing up, I always wanted a BIG dog. Well, to say that least, I was lucky to have the little Shi-Tzu that I had, and even HE was a gift from my grandfather. You see, my dad, is not a fan of dogs in the house…though if you ask me, he doesn’t seem to like them outside either. But that’s another story… Anyways, our family never had a fenced in back yard so the margin of possibility for us to get a dog was below zero. Then my grandad stepped in and offered to get us a puppy for Christmas one year. Somehow, my dad caved in. Funny enough, that dog has lived 15 years and I think my dad has dreaded every single one of them. (That TOO is another story!) Then there’s my mom who truly has a soft place in her heart for animals, however she prefers only those that don’t make a mess in any way (if thats possible…). So, like I said, I was truly lucky to have any kind of dog in my life growing up.

However, once I got to college, I promised them that when I got married I would have a whole ”pack” of BIG dogs…you know, to get me warmed up for my future children (yeah, right?!) . Well, when I married, I happened to marry one of the biggest BIG dog lovers out there. To say the least, the Lord knew what He was doing (as always). Charles had his own black lab who I had grown to love during our dating relationship, so of course, when we got married,  I not only got a husband but Riley, my first BIG dog.

Riley was 7 years old at the time and completely trained. When we walked Riley, no leash was needed. When we left Riley at home alone, we always came home to a fully-assembled home. He never barked (unless threatened) and loved being around people. So pretty much, Riley is hailed in our family as the one perfect dog/child (we will be in for a rude awakening come time for our first child, I’m sure…). Well, as age has continued to creep up on Riley and his hips continue to weaken, we continue to savor every minute with him. Charles and I talk a lot about the days when Riley will no longer be around, and in doing so, have for some time considered getting a second dog while Riley is alive, so the puppy can learn from his example and also so Riley can have a playmate again. Plus, I have to live up to what I said about getting my own “pack.”

Well, this past weekend, Charles and I put hands and feet to our thoughts and words, and began searching a new puppy. We, of course, knew we wanted to get another male lab, though this time we decided to go for a yellow one. We called breeders right and left, and eventually we remembered to check out the newspaper classifieds. The first ad I saw, I called. I found out that the breeders were about 20 miles up the road, so the next day Charles and I went to check them out.

As soon as we got there, the woman I spoke with over the phone greeted us with a puppy in her arms. “He’s the biggest,” she said. (Keep in mind, the bigger the better with us!) Of course, I immediately took him. She escorted me and Charles to the other yellow male puppies. The other ones were definitely smaller, and to our dismay, much more hyper. I put the puppy I was holding down so that Charles and I could see him interact with the other puppies. The others immediately flocked to him, bu he  turned away from the others and curled up in the corner with his face to the wall. Sure he was shy now but one thing I know is that a puppy doesn’t stay shy for long. After an hour of playing with the puppies and talking to the breeders, we knew he was the one for us. We picked him up and walked out to sign the papers. As we walked out that door, we were officially one dog closer to our “pack.”

Here he is…we named him Noah.

More pictures to come later…and stories too I’m sure.

This past Thanksgiving was officially my second as a married woman…and in our family the married women do all the cooking. Being that I love to cook, I counted it pure joy to be able to use some of my elbow grease. Last year, mom asked to take charge on the sweet potato casserole. We found one that was from Texas called “‘Slap Your Momma Good’ Sweet Potato Casserole.” Well, to say the least, I didn’t want to slap my momma good after eating those…as a matter of fact, I didn’t want to to slap her even the slightest bit. What I’m trying to say is that they were nothing special.

This year I came armed with a new recipe that I knew would conquer. It was the Pioneer Woman’s recipe, so I knew it would bring me victory (and redemption for that matter). She is one of my favorite blogs to watch. She provides style and character to her food, but never sacrifices flavor. Like I said, I knew I was in good hands with her. So, I got started following the recipe. I got to the end of the recipe and realized that my crumble topping wasn’t all that “crumbly.” Rather, it was creamy, almost like a thick icing. I went back to the recipe to double check my work, and there it was… 3/4th of a stick of butter NOT 3/4th CUP of butter…and in case your math is not that great, that is DOUBLE the BUTTER. No wonder it was so deliciously creamy!! But hey, it’s hard to mess things up with butter…so with the help of my hubs, I just added more pecans and brown sugar to make a perfect carmelized crust…or what I hoped to be perfect.

It actually did come out beautifully, but looks only get you so far. So after the prayer was said, my hubs immediately jumped into that casserole. With his fork still in his mouth, he groaned in approval. Others followed behind him, and after one fork-full myself, I couldn’t resist but to agree whole heartedly. Pioneer Woman wasn’t kidding when she said that this recipe would change your opinion about those old sweet potatoes. Though I’m not sure I will use all that butter next time (for the sake of our arteries), this recipe will always be served with my Thanksgiving feast. Oh, how I love new traditions, especially those with “double the butter.”

P.S. If you’re wondering whether these were “Slap Yo Momma Good”…well, I would say yes, but I could never do such a thing, no matter how much butter was added. But I would imagine that if there was ever such a thing as good as that, then this would be it- so maybe tell your momma to be stand clear, just in case.

This may appear as a random post (especially considering that I’ve proven to be so sporatic these days in my writing), but I cannot pass it up.

One of my favorite blogs to read is Girl Talk. No, it’s not a blog for 13 year-olds, nor does it require a plastic telephone and game board plastered with pictures of the “hunk” of your choice. It’s actually a blog authored by Carolyn Mahaney, wife to CJ Mahaney of Sovereign Grace Ministries. Carolyn, along with her three daughters maintain the blog, providing women with an outlet of wisdom and encouragement (woman-to-woman). Carolyn and CJ trained their daughters to love the Lord and His Word, and this blog is evidence of that. To say the least, if you’re a woman, you need this blog. Note I said, “need.” So anyways, back to my post…

Lately the focus on Girl Talk has been the role of faith in motherhood. I loved this series of posts because it provides truth that mothers everywhere need to hear, and probably need to hear everyday (especially if you have a house full of kids right now).

I, of course, have no children, and therefore, cannot speak with full authority when I say this, but I believe that mothers commonly plague themselves with anxiety, fear, and guilt… all of which are a form of disobedience to God. These three sins are a result of wrong thinking….and by “wrong” I mean prideful. Allow me to explain…as mothers, even as wives, women put too much weight on their “performance.” We think that perfect mothers exist and from perfect mothers, come perfect children. And if our children do not perform with perfection, then ultimately we, as mothers, aren’t perfect. And as long as we aren’t perfect, then we will never be successful as mothers or wives. And as a result of our imperfection, our children or marriage will never be successful.

This is wrong on a number of accounts. However, the main principle is that we, as wives and mothers, must first examine our understanding and need of faith. Just as we weren’t enough to be perfect for a perfect man and God Himself in Jesus Christ, we certainly will never be perfect for the handful of ”rugrat sinners.” Who do we think we are??!

Here’s what Girl Talk has to say about that…

Faith toward God is the foundation of effective mothering. Success as a mother doesn’t begin with hard work or sound principles or consistent discipline (as necessary as these are). It begins with God: His character, His faithfulness, His promises, His sovereignty. And as our understanding of these truths increases, so will our faith for mothering.

You see, it is relatively easy to implement new practices in parenting. But if our practices (no matter how useful) aren’t motivated by faith, they will be fruitless.

The Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6). Fear is sin. And as my husband has often graciously reminded me—God is not sympathetic with my unbelief.

Why? Because fear, worry, and unbelief say to God that we don’t really believe He is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ps. 86:15). We are calling God a liar.

Even in the most trying situations with our children, we have much more incentive to trust than to fear, much more cause for peace and joy than despair. That’s because, as Christians, we have the hope of the gospel.

Let us all become women of faith, with eyes FIXED solely on Jesus Christ, our Lord. He has saved us from myself, and that is worth every bit of my heart.

“Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons…that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to [a]fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.”~ Deuteronomy 4:9-10

Today, we have a new President. Whether we agree or disagree with the nation’s decision, our responsibility is the same…to pray for our President, Barak Obama. Yesterday at our Seminary’s chapel service, Dr. Al Mohler led our seminary community in a prayer for our nation. As he prayed, he pled for mercy and yet praised the Lord for His sovereignty. His prayer was so encouraging, as He reminded us of our unrelenting need for God. No matter who is in office, we still need God the same. As Dr. Mohler put it so well, “There is no election as to who You (God) will be…”

For more reading, I encourage you all to read Dr. Mohler’s blog post from this morning. I pray that you will do as Dr. Mohler encourages, and consider ever more your responsibility to pray for our nation.

This week is a big week for my parents because it’s move-in week for them! They have always wanted to design their own home. Timing never worked out and mom never found “the” houseplan. The Lord was looking out for us considering that He would later move our family to Mississippi. Well after three and half years in an apartment there in Mississippi, Mom and Dad have finally completed their home. Dad is excited to have a yard that he can work in, and mom has absolutely no carpet to vaccuum! (For those of you who know my parents, you understand why it’s a perfect home for them!)

We are scheduled to have Thanksgiving at the new homestead this year. It will no doubt be a great time of celebration as we consider all that the Lord has done for our family in the past, and will continue to do in the new home. We are so thankful for the Lord’s goodness in this way! And I must say, I’m so proud of mom and dad…it’s been a long-time coming…

I wrote this a week ago, but failed to post it. Pardon my laziness/fear.

Charles has always been an “artist” of a sort. Growing up, he was hailed as one of the best guitarist in Montgomery. But after watching him play sports, teach doctrinal truths, socialize with others, clean up around the house, I’m now fully convinced the man can do anything well. He would object completely but it’s true.

Anyways, needless to say, life is always exciting with Charles. For example, last weekend, Charles did a wedding in Callaway Gardens (Pine Mountain, GA). He and his assistant, Devin, thought it might be fun to take me and Cara (Devin’s wife) along with them… you know, to make the time go by faster. No, but seriously, as their school schedules and work schedules are quite demanding, Cara and I were excited to hear about a road trip with our hubs. We spent Friday night in Nashville with Devin’s family (and a precious one I might add) and then woke up bright and early to head down to Callaway. We arrived in time for lunch and then saw the boys off to the wedding.

Meanwhile, we weren’t sure what to do about whether or not to drive back to Nashville immediately after the wedding or just spend the night in Georgia. Being that country roads, darkness, and sleep deprivation don’t exactly mix well, the boys put us up in the new resort hotel there in Callaway for that night (Good move!). With only the clothes on our back, the four of us spent the night, each couple to their own bed. Nevertheless, the amenities were extremely nice and the beds were especially GOOD.

Early the next morning, we headed back to Nashville where Charles and Devin were scheduled to shoot pictures for a local high-end children’s clothing store. It was so much fun, as Cara and I served our husbands as “hand-maidens” as we tried to entertain the children at the shoot. The clothing was precious and the pictures that they shot were even more impressive.

Finally on Sunday evening, we headed back home to Louisville. It made things hard on Monday morning, but I came home overwhelmed with gratefulness. Grateful for a husband that loves me and includes me, and a husband I can serve. Grateful for friends to share in the blessing with. Grateful for the safety He provided us. And grateful for the relationships we develop through this business.

I was especially grateful for that the Lord gave me eyes to see His goodness in it all because quite honestly, I sometimes get so short-sighted that I fail to see the big picture of it all. At times, I disconnect the present time with our future years in ministry; but the truth is that photography is not just a means to get through seminary. Like seminary, it too is training us for future ministry. This business that the Lord has given us is not about us, but is a pedestal that He has given us to spread His gospel. It’s still part of the ministry we’ve been called to. Every bone in Charles’ body wants to be a preacher one day. But for now, his “flock” isn’t a group of people packed in the pews of a sanctuary every Sunday morning. Rather, Charles weekly gets to preach the gospel in marriage, as he shoots pictures for brides every week. I can’t tell you how many conversations we have had with couples regarding their relationship with Christ, and how that will play into their marriage. I can honestly say that I don’t know if we’ve ever seen the fruit of those conversations, but that’s not our job. Despite the fact that we carry a lot more heavy equipment these days, our task now is the same that it will be one day when Charles stands in the pulpit as a cupbearer of the Good News of Jesus Christ, and that is, to declare the glory of His Truth.

The Lord is good to have blessed us with such a “portal” to share our faith. Beyond that, He is good to have reminded me of His graciousness in my life. May He continue to give me His eyes to see all that He is up to, and in turn, a courage to tell all about it!

Monday morning I was driving to work listening to the Christian radio station, and they were discussing 2 Corinthians 12:1-10. It’s the familiar passage where Paul speaks of his thorn in the flesh, and how God used the thorn to keep Paul looking to Him for strength. Though Paul’s thorn made him weak, God’s power made Him strong.

That night I received a call from my little sister, Bethany, or “Peep” as I call her. She called to remind Charles and me to pray for her as she had a huge test the next day that would pretty much determine whether she could continue on in nursing school. She called with sincere concern in her voice for fear that she may not succeed. She had already taken the test on Friday, but being that you could only miss two in order to pass, she, along with most of the class, was given a second and final chance. She spent much time in study but was still plagued with concern for possibility of failing the test once again. As Bethany expressed her concern on the phone, I was reminded of 2 Corinthians 12:1-10. I am thankful that the Lord gave me that passage that morning as it not only encouraged me and Bethany (i hope), but it also I gave me so much more faith as I prayed for God’s power in her during the test.

Ultimately, it wasn’t up to her “scholastic ability.” In Bethany’s eyes, one of her greatest weaknesses are her test-taking skills. Every Friday she has “validations” where she has to perform specific skills that she had learned that week, and every Friday she passes with flying colors. Yet, taking a written test isn’t as easy for her (so she says, but I think she’s brilliant!); thus, she was worried that she would fail this important written test, and ruin her chances of ever being a nurse. As the phone call came to an end, I told her that instead of worrying, to rest by trusting in His power. I got off the phone almost to tears out of concern for her. Charles and I turned off the TV and prayed aloud for Bethany, begging for His power to be displayed in her, come test time the next day.

Tuesday came, and boy did God show his power in her “weakness!” Bethany called with joy in her voice to say that she made a 100 on the test! I was so proud of her diligence in her studies, and doing all that she could do to make sure that she knew the material…the rest was up to God, and more than anything at that moment, I was so grateful for God’s goodness to her during that test. It was encouraging no doubt to Bethany, but certainly to me to be reminded of His power and goodness to all His children. I certainly have no good thing to offer on my own; rather, any good in me and any blessing I have received is simply a result of a gracious and powerful God working through my weaknesses.

There’s no doubt that nursing school will never be easy for Bethany (as for anyone). But more than just the fact that it’s a complex program, I hope she always sees it as one way the Lord is using to push her closer to Him, just as Paul’s thorn did for him. It is my sincere prayer that one day when my little sister has graduated nursing school, passed her boards, and is walking into those hospitals doors on her first day as a registered nurse, I hope she always remembers the Mighty Hand that used her ”weakness” and “made her strong.” To GOD alone be ALL the glory!

“to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”-2 Cor. 12:7-10

My dad is known for forwarding on good blog reads to his girls (in an effort to hold our minds accountable). He forwarded this one to me today and it’s pretty awesome. Definitely worth a read. If you think you’ve heard John Piper before, you haven’t…not until you’ve heard him to the sound of some good “bass” or “bump” in background. This is definitely worth a listen. Not just for your ears, but for your heart too. If nothing else, I just all the more pumped about getting to hear him in two days!