The heavens declare You are God and the mountains rejoice!

There's a particular Christian song that I absolutely love to sing and I often wonder what it must look like for the mountains to rejoice, but then I see something like this and think to myself, "they look as if they are rejoicing!" The chorus says:

The heavens declare You are God
And the mountains rejoice
The oceans cry "Alleluia"
As we worship You Lord
For this is our song of love.

I miss singing this song with my dear friends from our praise team at our former church, but I also love where God has brought us. There's just nothing quite like this in Texas! On Sunday afternoon, after walking outside of the chapel to a gorgeous day, the kids and I went sightseeing and played in the snow. These are some of the pictures we took while out enjoying God's magnificent creation.

It's a NEW year!

...and with it comes new opportunities, new adventures, new friends, new challenges, new _____________(you fill in the blank)! I'm still thinking it should be 2007, that it doesn't seem possible that 365 days flew by. It made its mark on my life, but I still can't believe its gone! The biggest/most challenging (yet rewarding) changes would be that my husband became a Chaplain in the Army after being pastor for seven years of a church we helped start, moving far away from friends and family, and our son joined the Air Force. Most of my journaling on those topics can be found at www.militarychaplainswife.blogspot.com. I'm not sure what 2008 holds in store for me and my family, but I look forward to whatever the Lord wills. I know there will be change and times when life seems difficult...because that's just the way life is...but I still live in anticipation of a new year and all that it has to offer.

I give God praise for all that He has done in our lives in 2007. I could never have imagined it would turn out the way it did, but as I flipped the calendar on January 1st I quickly looked back over 2007 and felt blessed. God has been good! He IS good...all the time!

Wow!

It's the strangest thing to go back and read about the beginning of the journey we are on now. It's not always easy, but I never doubt that this is what the Lord's will is for our lives. I'm grateful the Lord has brought us here. Why? Because He has a plan and a purpose and that's what matters most. I haven't journaled here in a long, long time. It's fun to go back and read old journal entries. It did my heart good to read some of the things I had written so long ago.

Postings HERE are few and far between!

I don't really post here very often anymore. I guess because most of what I am about these days seems to have a lot to do with where the Lord is taking us and falls more under my blog: militarychaplainswife.blogspot.com. I don't want to forsake the other things that happen in my life, but I see how so much of what is happening, and has been for months now, is to prepare me for the years ahead.

A few Sundays before Kevin left for training, a friend at church said it really hit her one day about the reason God must have given us twins. These two boys will always have each other no matter where we go. They've always been best of friends. Isn't it awesome to take a look back and think about the many ways God works to take care of his children, to prepare us for what he desires for our lives?

If you stumble upon this blog, just know it may be a while before I post on this site...but feel free to check out the other. I'm usually posting on that one!

All grown up!

Today we had a wonderful graduation party for our daughter. She will walk across the stage tomorrow, even though she actually completed high school early and has been in college. I am so proud of her and the wonderful young lady she has become. I feel very blessed to be her mom!

How do you see God?

This precious little girl standing in front of my husband at his commissioning service, giving him a card, thinks he is God. Her mother used to tell me what she would say, but then we started to hear it for ourselves. She's never been able to convince her otherwise...

Here's a few of the things she has said that keep us all laughing...it's so cute!

One Sunday she and her mom were walking past "Pastor Kevin" (that's what she keeps telling her daughter) when she told her mom she was going to say hi to God. My husband, not hearing her say that, asked her, "How are you this morning, little girl?" (as he patted her on the head). She ran back to her mom and said, "God talked to me!"

A week or so later I was walking by, with my husband a few steps behind me, and heard her tell her mom she was going to say hi to God. I just giggled and watched as her eyes brightened as she approached him. This time we filled my husband in on the news that she thought he was God, to which he replied, with a laugh, "I wondered why she always looks up at me that way!"

Still, no matter how much anyone tries to tell her he's not God it doesn't work.

A few weeks ago, her older sister came back in after church had dismissed and wanted to know more about what it meant to be a Christian and asked Jesus into her heart. I was out in the hall packing away some things when someone asked her where her older sister was. To which she replied, "Talking to God!" It was so matter of fact...

Knowing we are leaving soon, the mom has tried so hard to help her understand that he is not God and a new pastor will be coming in soon. All of us hope she will soon understand so she doesn't think God is leaving her...what a terrible thing that would be!!

Last story I have. This Sunday she saw my husband, Army uniform and all, and asked him "How did you get here?" He replied, "in my truck!" With her eyes as wide as could be and an expression that would melt your heart, she replied, "YOU have a truck?"

She is so cute and I only wish you could see her face in this picture. As you can see, she melts his heart!

Way to go, Karl!

Yesterday my son passed his physical entry test into pararescue. Now all we are waiting on is the MEPS eye doctor to get back and look at his eye and, hopefully, he will be accepted into the Air Force on June 7. He's so excited and training hard every day. As his mom, it's exciting to see the determination he has. I know he will be a great soldier and make our country proud!

He and his dad are training together every day. It makes me smile and cry all at the same time. They are great, godly men and I just can't help but think about all the people they will impact in the years to come. Though it makes me extremely sad to be losing them in some sense (now I have to share them a little more), I am happy to see God at work in all our lives. He's sending us on a great adventure for HIM and HIS glory. How can I argue with that?!

This is a picture of my husband (middle), his brother (left) and Karl (right).

It was taken at our farewell party last week.

Treasured Moments

I'm sitting here with my oldest son's head on my shoulder. I love that he's never been too old to love on his mom. Yesterday we were at my in laws and we were relaxing on the back porch when he crawled up in my chair and laid his head down on me and just sat there for about 30 minutes. I cherish those moments...especially now that I know it can't be that way forever. He's my first-born and I've loved every minute of the last nineteen years of raising him. I couldn't feel more blessed that God chose me to raise him!

In just a few short months he will serving in the Air Force. I'm so proud of him! I know this is something he feels very strongly that the Lord would have him do with his life and I admire him for making the choice to follow wherever the Lord leads. His home-made card to me thanked me for supporting him and all I could think was no, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to love on and support you. He's such an awesome young man and I don't for one moment take for granted the relationship I have with him.

I will miss him more than words could ever express!

Karl, thank you for being such a wonderful son. For being such a joy to raise! You make me so proud and I love you more than you will ever know! I know you will have a HUGE impact on those you come into contact with in the military. Thank you for being a willing instrument to be used in God's hands. I pray He will guard your life and bring you joy and happiness in your new adventure.