There's just something about...

There's just something...

About friendships and shared story.

Like...

Meeting your first friend as a newly married woman...

After moving far from the only home you've ever known.

There's just something about watching...
Your husbands heart be knit to another man's...
Through feasting... belly-laughs and...piggy-back rides.

There's just something about...
Having your firstborn's first word...
Be the name of that couples' offspring...

To reveal...
In greater ways...
Our God is a God that loves friendship.
He is so blessed when we enjoy His favorite creation...
Each other.

And as we treasure His gifts...
The joys expand...

Until we feel like we are bound to run out of space.

His goodness...

Immeasurable...

His gifts...

Uncontainable...

His love...

Unfathomable!

And just when you think...

It would be impossible to form new ties...

As sacred as these...

There's just something about His Spirit...

That loves to do the unpredictable...

By leading...

Us on The Fast Track...

To MORE...

What a Great Daddy we have!

He is so very Good.

day of thanks...

What can I say?

It is the season of harvest...

And the view out my window...

Adds to the bounty of blessing...

Stored up in my heart.

The sun is warm and bright...

Smalls are laughing...

Bellies are fed...

Doors slam with the sounds of togetherness...

The bouquets of blessing...

Are in full bloom.

My hands filled-full to the overflow.

The Rose of Sharon is alive and well today.

We count our abundance...

As the multitude of sirens have played...

Over and over...

All day long...

Reminding us...

Of branches once covered in blooms...

Now bare...

From loss and struggle...

My soul sings for them today too.

Oh how I long...

To bring His bouquet today...

Lavish His hurting people.

With the aroma of His hope and love.

So I pray...

With extreme thankfulness...

Use me...

Use us...

Use our harvest...

To feed the hungry.

To line the darkest walls of earth...

With new blooms of life.

We are a blessed people.

May everyday be a day of thanks.

everyday tools...

The tools of learning...

Have had a sharp blade in my story...

Trimming away excess...
Revealing the innermost parts.

Most days...
Are challenge-filled for this old brain...
Lots of stumbling still occurs...
As I walk onward in this journey of "becoming."

The call to be a learner...

It's risky...
Costly...
Humbling.
Believe it or not...
It's something I have had to learn how to do.

For a year and a half now...
Thanksgiving...
Has been an underlying theme in our family...

Choosing joy...
A tool that has been...
Shaping and forming...
Allowing...
Me...
Our smalls...
And those we encounter...
To see Papa's heart...

Not just on holidays...
But Everyday...
Everywhere!

Oh how He longs...
To release His big love in our growing hands...

If only we would trust...

In The Perfect Love...

If only we would allow The One that casts out ALL fear...

To lead us back...

To the carving board of thankfulness.

Yielding our shape...

To the power of His tools.

It's there we truly see...

The beauty of His heart...

Revealed...

On the inside of the fruit...

Thankful for The God...

That uses everyday tools...

Like being thankful...

To speak to everyday girls...

Just like me.

important...

Yesterday...

An important day in our story.

Pulling out an old marker from Hope's House...

We prepared it for Faith's House.

Just a year and a half ago...

We laid hands on the tent over on Ridgegate...

A critical time in our lives to write out truths...

Hanging them  high on our doorposts...

Wow... that seems like a lifetime ago!

Yesterday..
We were allowed to bless another tent.
This time...
Asking The Daddy of the church to come and anoint...

Recalling in my heart...

The importance of his presence...

The last time our family blessed our home... 

I had an orphaned heart in regards to church...

Pastor having just been fired.

Recounting is so valuable in regards to gratitude!

Good Pastor read...

The treasured words that have been stored up since the beginning...

Filling little hands with big promise...

Blessings were hammered in deep...

There's just something about nailing love into a space...

That causes the once destroying...

To be broken OFF!

As Papa Doug invited the smalls to come alongside...

Equipping the next generation...

For future ministry...

Oil of gladness overflowed...

My eyes took in...
My ears heard...
And my heart was touched by the power of prayer.

With Papa Doug and his princess pointing the way...

All Hopefuls entered in to the sacred...

Blessing a home with 100 years of story.
Now adding our chapter.

It was an important day...
The walls of this home and the walls of my heart...
Are forever changed by what occurred.
I can only dream of...
What will and won't be...
Because of the agreements and worship that took place.
Learning to become a more intentional agent of change.

Thankful and expectant!

obey...

The last 24 hours I have been processing...

What happened in the beginning...

In the garden...

When mankind not only disobeyed God...

But obeyed the enemy.

The fruit from that moment...

Continues to rot...

Our bellies...

Our hearts...

Our minds.

The call to take every thought captive...

To the obedience of Christ...

To be transformed by the constant renewing of our minds...

It's not a call leading to drudgery...

Rather a safeguard of love...

Protecting from death.

Listening to the devil's lies...

Entering into agreement with his suggestions...

It's like trying to give something power...

That only leads to destruction.

Oh...
How often we let the enemy speak through others...
Letting them misspell our name...

Letting lies snatch the crowns...

Covered with His red affection.

Allowing what is true to be turned upside down...

Making way for the stealer to snatch...

The reign from His "more than conquerers."

I have grown weary of the lies...
I hate them.
As believers we have confused humility with untruths.
A very clever trick.
No more!
Patterns must be broken...
Whispers of the enemy...
Shut out!


My heart...
It's on a mission...
Burning to break the paper chains...
Restoring...
Crowns of truth...
Back on the heads...
Of His beloved.

They are available to us all...
Thanks to our Unbreakable Covering.

Not only does he protect...
But He has given us the mind of Christ.
What a gift!

May I be faithful...
In all gardens...
To obey the ONE TRUE GOD!

For His fruit is so much sweeter...
Than anything I've tasted.

May we know Him more!

Sabbath...

Sabbath...

A day for creativity...

An intentional opportunity to gather...

Partnering at The Painter's table...

Where "new mercies" sheets abound...
And are freely given.

 

A day for remembering...
The easel of wood...
That held up the most beautiful art this world has ever known...

Allowing us to enjoy the new colors that flow...

From such sacrifice.

All because of the blood...
And the washing with water.

Sabbath...

A day to offer...

Our hearts...

Our hands...

Our whole-selves...

As a living canvas.

The smallest hands...

Often the most gifted artists in His gallery.

 Uniquely using who we are...
 Expressing affection for who He is...

Marking our world with graffiti-love...
It's what makes Sabbath and every day...
ALIVE!

May the world be marked by the "Christ in you" painting.

Sabbath Blessings,

The Hopefuls.

crazy...

Call me crazy...

But I am learning...
That even in the coldest of seasons...

It is a blessing to serve...

To use the tools we have been blessed with...

To scrape away the frosty layers...

Allowing vehicles...

Intended to transport...

To deliver greater distributions.

SO thankful...

Papa has put me in a place...

To watch and learn.

To view what it looks like...

To give my life away...

For little this turkey-mama...

To be a basket-filled feast...

For His Kingdom!

Call me crazy...

But there is no better time...

To be a servant of God...

Than today! 

Blessed to be entrusted with harvest hands...

He chooses to use us...

What an honor!