Remind Us

Last night we attended a funeral for a relative.
It has really brought me to a place of pondering life and what we leave behind.

Last night we also watched the Spurs win.
In light of the funeral, I watched these players-- most with national and maybe even international reputations. Some of these players' names will go down in history. They make LOTS of money, have LOTS of fame, and receive LOTS of "glory" here on earth. Some covet their lives.

But when we die the ground is leveled. To death, we are all the same.

It's hard to avoid sounding trite when referencing this subject, but I think there is really something to learn here.

When we die, we take nothing with us. Standing before the Lord, no earthly "glory" matters.
No approval from our peers.
No favor with leaders.
Not any of our things.
Not our matching living room sets.
Not our cute outfits.
Not our figure or physique.
Not our opinions.
Not our identity as wife, husband, mom, friend, sister, brother, etc.
Not our credentials.
Nothing.

So what does this mean for us? What are we investing in?

This has really challenged me. We invest so much in what gets left behind. I want Jesus to take me to a place where all of that is left behind and I press on ONLY for the prize-- only for Christ Jesus my Lord. Sometimes I lose sight that life is fleeting. That this is my ONE opportunity. That Jesus made me for Him. Not for them.

I want to be made holy.
I want to long for His presence.
This is not our home.

I want to invest my life in...
the poor.
the orphans.
the widows.
the hurt.
the angry.
the empty.
the broken.
...the glory of Christ.

He "wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth". 1 Timothy 2:4

Do I want all men to be saved? Do I live my life toward that end?

This affluence is blinding us.
Most of us can't see past it.
...Or we aren't looking.

I am not above it. I want it. I pursue it. But every encounter with Him reminds me that this is not my home. That my cute home will not go with me. That His purposes are higher than mine.

And this is my ONE chance.
I will live for Him.
Everyday I must die to self.
Everyday I must put on Christ...
who "made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant..."

What does Christ-likeness really look like??

Are we brave enough to ask that question? Are we brave enough to think that maybe we really aren't entitled to all of this?

Brave is indeed the right word. Because encountering truth shakes people. It changes us.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
James 1:27

Do we really believe these words?
I want my life to echo them.
Change me Jesus.
Change us.
And everyday remind us we're desperate.
And we take nothing with us.
Remind Us.
Every day.

Sweet Tooth?

I think this is hilarious - talk about sweet tooth!

Texas Man charged with Stealing $250,000 Worth of Skittles

Sisters & Surprises

Ok. Here's my fam in short. 4 girls.

Amy.
(lives in Thailand, dating an Aussie)

Mary.
(married to Matt, mother to Chloe)

Kaye.
(married to Scott, mother to Grace)

Sally.
(that's me)

In that order.
Clear?
Good.

(Kaye, Mary, Amy, Sally)

Kaye lives in Orlando and was wanting some company but was under the impression that she wouldn't be seeing any of us until August. When we would talk on the phone she would say, "Sally, I'm not going to see Jude until he's 11 months old! He'll be walking by then."
Sadness.
Well Mom, Mary, and I devised a plan to go to Orlando and surprise Kaye.
She had NO IDEA we were coming. Not a clue.
Scott, Kaye's husband helped arrange the surprise, clear Kaye's schedule, and keep the secret. He did an awesome job! I could hardly speak to her that last week,
I was so afraid of spilling the beans!

So the three of us jumped on a plane at 6:30am with two babies.
We arrived in Orlando and rented a car.
We drove to surprise Kaye and Grace.

Mary had the idea that we should surprise her in parts. Mom should go to the door. Kaye would be surprised and cry and have a joyful reunion.
Then the doorbell would ring and Mary & Chloe would be there. Surprise, Cry, Joyful Reunion.
And the Jude and I...you get the point.
What a wonderful idea.
And this is how it played out.
I'll spare you the first video of Kaye answering the door for Mom cause really you can't see or hear anything! But here's the picture my Mom took of Kaye's face when she answered the door.
Here's the video of Kaye answering the door for Mary and Chloe. Kaye passed Mary right up and hugged Chloe! Turn the volume up for this one.
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And here's the video Mary got of Kaye answering the door for Jude and I. So fun! Sorry that the last part of the video is dark, enjoy the audio.
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The last one is all the babies playing together right after we arrived. Precious!!
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Here's adorable Grace just zonked after an afternoon of shopping.
And Grammie with the precious babies!!And Aunt Mare Bear with cute Gracie!
(aren't they beautiful???)
You can check out more pictures and a fun video at Chloe and Gracie's blogs.

It was a blast to be all together and we are so thankful for the wonderful relationships we share. There's only one thing that was missing that made the weekend incomplete-- AMY.
We love you Amy and we miss you TONS. We can't wait to hug your sweet face!

Happy Joys (Girls' Weeked and Crawling!)

**If you're just stopping by for Jude Videos, scroll to the bottom of the post. :0)

Here we are!
We've been busy, busy, busy with support raising in Houston and have enjoyed time with our families and new and old friends! Jude has been such a blessing from the Lord. He has successfully switched to a 10pm-10am sleep schedule to accommodate our evening meetings with potential supporters for our ministry in missions!
We've just been so thankful for where the Lord has us and the people He has brought into our lives! We're learning to trust Him more everyday (with some stubbornness) and are praying to be on the field by October! Only He can do it!
Here's a little recap of our last month or so...

The weekend of my birthday, my wonderful husband

gave me an amazing gift!

A Jude-less Girls' Weeked!!!

See...no baby pictured here!
That's right, no Jude! Jon kept Jude for a full 48 hrs so I could relax and enjoy my girlfriends who, in the span of a year will be scattered about the country (and world)! This was the 2nd Annual Girls' Weeked and we sure did have a blast!!!
Our wonderful hosts were Jen & Grant (pictured below) in good ole Baton Rouge.
We enjoyed so many laughs and so many tears. We spoke truth and encouraged each other. See, we're all going through big life changes. We are learning contentment as we're all headed in different directions, some leaving family and friends, and some staying here watching them leave. But God is faithful and we are so blessed!!
I am so thankful for these special treasures in my life. We sure are a good match.
God has given me so much JOY because of them!!
Happy Girls.
Me, Linds, and JoVanna.

We just don't have an ounce of silliness or drama in us!
Jen and I imitating ourselves in a not-so-successful-photoshoot.

One indication that your purse is too big--
if by the end of your shopping trip you need a shoulder rub and nap!!
Joanna and her cute-yet-not-so-functional purse!
Just for the record, I did NOT carry a purse for this shopping trip and I had BOTH hands free for shopping! This was a well enjoyed little treat!

I don't have a picture for this one, but I must say thanks to my sweet friends that bought me my first pair of GREAT jeans since Jude was born! This means I was essentially jean-less for 7 months people. Wow. It's amazing that I survived. Thank you ladies for my special jeans!

Lindsee (aka Momma Long Arms) took most of our close-ups.
and finally, we enjoyed the 2nd Annual misspelled Girls' Weeked Funfetti cake!!
Okay, answer me this: Why, on a GIRLS' weekend aren't we eating CHOCOLATE for our annual dessert???Next year is Montana '08!!!
Judging by the looks of things, there just might not be much shopping... ;0)
******************
So, at the end of this super great weekend, I kissed my baby and my wonderful husband and praised the Lord for great friendships, a retreat to refresh, laughter, and my favorite two men in the world.

THEN....

The next day it began.


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Yep, he's CRAWLING!!
I'm so thankful I was here to see it!!

This boy has SO much personality!! He's started yelling while he's eating. I'm not quite sure what he's trying to tell us...but he gets really worked up between bites. Here he is!


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Our New Look

We do hope people consider us to be knowledgable about the Bible. But I must confess...We don't know THIS much!! Lately when we've tried to access our blog, instead of getting Jude's cute face, this is what we see. The site is titled something like this...

Abundant Bible
A mega-site of Bible, Christian and religious information and studies. By God's mercy, one of the largest Bible-centered sites on the web (app. 6000 pgs). If it's in the Bible, it should be on this site.

If our blog is going to be rerouted to anything...I guess this site isn't too much to complain about. I wish I could say I knew as much about the Word as this site does!

Are you experiencing the same problem?? Do you have any idea how to fix it?? We would love your help if you have any ideas!