makes me wanna shout!

This week has made me wanna shout - sometimes with frustration, sometimes with confusion, sometimes with hurt because of what other people are going through, BUT mostly with JOY! Hooray! 

First, happy birthday to the best, cutest, most loving, sweetest, and all the other good words PawPaw in the world!!! 

I'm so thankful for my grandparents - Nanny and PawPaw. Thankful for the examples they have been to all of us. Thankful for their legacy. for their marriage. for their laughter. for so many memories at their house. They love us well. And I'm thankful for my mom and aunts and uncle - they have sacrificially taken care of them over the last 6 months. Are they not the CUTEST??? 

 Nanny and "her man" 

Nanny with her cake she helped mom make for PawPaw's birthday.  Hate we weren't there to eat it with them!  

So READ this crazy God story.  He blows me away.  Why do I ever doubt Him? I just don't know. Why do I limit Him? 

God is FAITHFUL -
Yesterday our adoption social worker contacted us and said Belize needed extra originals of forms that we did not have originals for... Because they were already in Belize (why they needed ANOTHER one is beyond me... but we just do what we are told). 

So... For the first time, I did not freak out. I really didn't. I TRUSTED - Jacob actually freaked out this time. We called Lifeline (our home stdy agency) to try to figure it out and get the paperwork we needed. They were great! BUT Jacob and I are going out of town next week so I wanted to get the papers and mail them TODAY.  When we are told to do something for our adoption, we do it IMMEDIATELY... a delay in this process will NEVER be our fault.  WE WANT OUR ERIC HOME! Then, Lifeline said "To get the papers today would be an act of God, you know that right?" I said, "Yes, I know that." (we are dealing with the government...)
So, I hung up the phone and said, "Lord it will take an act of YOU to have the papers ready today. You are able."
I waited for 2 hours... Got a call... And I just drove to Montgomery, ugly crying the whole way (in a car with no AC which made it uglier) to pick up these impossible papers. I jammed out to Kari Jobe's CD and bawled because God is just SO good. He loves us so much. He LOVES Eric. He is taking care of Him. He will WIN! He will show His faithfulness. He is in control!
Yep, He is in charge of EVERY detail!

Those impossible papers... are now in the mail on their way to our adoption agency.

BOOM! 

This study is RoCkIn' My WoRlD!!! 

I am learning to be a Daniel in our Babylonian world. I think so many people assume Christian living in America is easy, no stress, and care-free... it's all about prosperity and Starbucks. It's easy... because we make it easy.  Living like Jesus in our culture is TOUGH. We are bombarded by CULTURE -

self-centeredness

self-righteousness

self-interest

SELF... ME ME ME ME...

Daniel lived in a culture just like ours - Babylon.  The words used to describe the FALL of Babylon in Isaiah are this: 

“Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure,
    lounging in your security
and saying to yourself,
    ‘I am, and there is none besides me.'

Isaiah 47:8

Sound like the American culture? OH YES! We live in a culture that makes us believe that "I am, and there is none besides me... no one else matters..."  I am busy so you other people who don't matter in the Walmart line... get out of MY way. I want THIS and will do whatever I have to do to get it... because I am... and no one else matters. GROSS! 

We are called to live a life of integrity. We are called to live like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  When everyone else bowed down to the gold statue... they stood for the Lord... even if it meant being thrown into the fire! We should live like that - WITH INTEGRITY. We should stand for the Lord when everyone else is bowing down to the gods of culture and the rules of tradition... even if it means a fire.  BECAUSE... GUESS WHAT?!?!

When King Neb (that's what I call him) threw them in the fire (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), he didn't see 3 men in the furnance... HE SAW 4 MEN walking around just talking! Jesus (who has, will, and always will BE) was with them! WHAT?!?! That's stinkin' awesome! So... when you stand up for the Lord... get thrown into the fiery furnace... Jesus is right there with you... loosening the things that bind you (the only thing burned on the three were the ropes that bound them)... and refining your faith!! TAKE IT WITH JOY! 

We are in the fire... waiting for our Eric. But... I know with NO doubt... Jesus is waiting with us! He is good. He is refining us like NEVER before.  And I will choose to wait with JOY! I will choose to wait and SERVE. I will choose to wait and PRAISE Him. He is good! 

BE a Daniel in this culture!