Some people are worth melting for.

I don't like cartoons.

I try, oh so very hard, but I get so antsy and haven't finished one in years.

That was.... until.... Zoey and I went to see FROZEN today.

I don't know if I was over emotional to begin with, or if the movie is JUST THAT GOOD, but I was enthralled the entire time and even elbowed my girl during some of the good parts. We even stopped on the way home and bought the soundtrack (the boys had to sit on the couch and listen to the entire thing while their sister danced around the room... how did she memorize those songs after one listen?) 

The day was just amazing.

I love spending time with her... and holding her hand... and sharing a laugh.

She might not have a Anna or a Elsa, but she has me... and I'll build a snowman with her anytime!

and in all things... session 49

Things I am thankful for on January 25th, 2014....

1. Psalm 77:14-15
2. Friends who speak God's truth into my difficult situations
3. God's promise of healing, restoration and comfort
4. My new devotion journal
5. Baby gut giggles in the early morning hours
6. My Thermos water bottle with sip lid... I'm not a fan of straws & squeeze bottles!
7. Sibling affection... unprovoked
8. The beauty of snow
9. My husband's tenacity to learn new things
10. The turnout of youth we had at our last Encounter Prayer Mtg last night from 8pm-minight.... teenagers praying instead of partying... love love love.

vision is kind of like birth.

Back in 2010, my brother Tommy filled in for me in Legacy and started a series on Vision so that I could have maternity leave with Elijah. He started the week before I was scheduled to deliver and had a wonderful idea (he always does) to incorporate my pregnancy and birth into his message. It was the perfect illustration.... going through the process of bringing a vision to fruition is very similar to bringing life into the world and is a very Biblical concept. The problem (and with Tommy there is always a "problem") was that he wanted to interview me right before giving birth and immediately after (we didn't even discuss anything in between... he values his own life too much). At the time I did it because I knew it would be a powerful live object lesson for the youth, despite the fact that I don't even allow people to photograph me when I'm pregnant. I just found a few of the unedited videos on the computer in the youth room and was in love with them. Granted, I look horrendous and am slightly out of it for the "after" video, but it was very powerful to see the correlation of what I said back then to what God is doing in my own life currently. It was weird... it was like my 2010 self was encouraging my 2014 self. It's funny how God works. I debated so long about putting this on my blog because I've never been a big fan of puffy "pregnant Lori," but I wanted to have a place where I could refer to it with the kids and maybe it can speak to someone else as well. I am so grateful I went along with one of Tommy's crazy schemes... honestly, I wish I would have done it with all 4 kids.

(The "before" video is having a lot of trouble loading,
so I was only able to put up the "after" at this point.)

[Is 49.2]

ramblings: i haven't had coffee yet, so this one is a doozy.

As children of God we talk a lot about our callings.

We seek God in prayer, immerse ourselves in Scripture and request the insight of mentors to find out what the will of God is for our lives. We realize the importance.

Maybe..... just maybe.... God not only has a plan for each of His children, but has placed us strategically in family units because those gifts and passions work together to fulfill the calling God has for the family as a whole.

The church, on a large scale, has done a somewhat poor job at encouraging those callings in fellow families and has erred on the side of competition, judgement and comparison. It seems as though because we deal with a guilty complex most of the time, we find more time to explain why that family is doing it wrong, than seeking God on how we can do it right.

Where is this coming from?

Well it comes from discussions on...

-why certain schooling solutions are more holy.

-how job endeavors add or take away from the real parental mission.

-when is the most Godly time to hold on -or- to set free.

-who should be the loudest voice in a child's life at certain age brackets.

and the list goes on and on....

(I don't even have the energy to mention the discussions you have when your child is an infant.... who knew God's entire eternal plan for a child's life could be altered because of supplemental formula)

I tend to always lean toward simplicity, but to me it's uncomplicated.

Seek God. Obey His leading. Change the world.
and to be completely honest, I believe in a God who is big enough to do the impossible in each of us... whether we study at home, at a private institution or a public school.

So I pray that I stumble on the side of grace, love and support... that my arms wrap around and encourage God's plan in others instead of pushing it away because it's different than mine. We all benefit from following God's lead and seeing others abort their God given mission, no matter what it is, should grieve our hearts and evoke encouragement, advocacy and intercession.... not malice, pride or self-justification.

Selah.

jacob's dream

After much encouragement from numerous friends, I have been reading "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp. [Do yourself a favor and start it today]

Let me say that it has been a perfect time for me to be immersed in this book. I'm taking it a little slower than most books I read and have re-read chapters and have gone over my highlights many times over.

Something that was mentioned briefly in chapter 4 has kept me coming back for more. In fact, I went on my own personal search of the significance of this Bible story in my life, and why it has haunted me for weeks. Ann Voskamp said this, "It's not the gifts that fulfill, but the holiness of the space. The God in it... This is supreme gift, time, God Himself framed in moment. I hardly breathe... and time is only of the essence, because time is the essence of God, I AM. This I need to consecrate: time. Make every moment a cathedral giving glory..."

She references Genesis 28, where Jacob has just woken up from his dream of ladders and angels and then states in verse 16, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”

Unaware?

Is it possible that I could utter a similiar phrase today?

Am I unaware of my Almighty God standing before me? Breathing on me? Dreaming over me? Am I too preoccupied, too absorbed, too engrossed to recognize His touch?

I have started each morning with a simple prayer....

"God, let me be aware..."

The results have been life-altering.

It's interesting to me that a few chapters later we find Jacob wrestling with God so intensely that he gets injured and then renames that place "Peniel" because he encountered God face to face. Seems as though he purposed to no longer be "unaware."

I purpose that too.

To no longer be UNAWARE.

I prayed to an older song by Jason Upton this morning, "Jacob's Dream"

Try it.

 

christmas outtakes.

I yelled and laughed until it hurt.

 It was the most stressful picture taking adventure yet....and the box was destroyed before I got one good picture. Some of the poses I told them to get in where hilarious when they did them. My poor children...

ramblings: our home.

Our Home.

It's full of life.

Fights. Sarcasm. Hugs. Shoves. Passion. Laughs. Worship. Tears. Yells. Tickles. Dancing. Creativity. Time-Outs. Jokes. Feeling. Boo-boos. Songs. Strength. Encouragement. Assistance. Pain. Cheers. Whispers. Unconditional Love.

I think the interesting thing about our homes is that we experience all things in this sacred place. It's the place I have felt the highest high and the lowest low... laughed till my gut burst and cried because my heart broke. I have asked God my deepest questions kneeling at my fireplace and have felt His presence the strongest laying in my bedroom. I have prayed prayers of salvation, healing and peace on the floors of kid rooms and have paced my front room in cries of desperation to God for days. We have discovered the adventures of Moses and Elijah tucked in the covers of our bed and have danced songs of joy in our family room with the speakers about to blow.

It's here that we experience God in real time... in real life.

I pray that our home continue to be a place where God can reach us... touch us...
and ultimately live with us.