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! 

Meet Nanny & Pawpaw

Meet the grandparents...

Nanny and Pawpaw.

Are they not the cutest things you've ever seen? 

I know... they are.

They are wonderful. They have taught me... their 5 kids... their 9 (i think) other grandkids... and their growing number of great grandkids SO much. Right now my nanny is in the hospital because she broke her hip :( I hate I'm not there with her, but her children love her well and are taking care of her. But, with her being in there and needing some extra prayer and attention, I have just been thinking about all the things I've learned from these precious people and how great they are! 

What I've learned from Nanny & PawPaw:

-what it means to love your spouse. Every time Jacob and I get to visit with them, I always say, "I hope you always love me like my Pawpaw loves my Nanny." And he always says, "Well, if you are anything like your Nanny... I will because I'll always be entertained." :) They definitely love each other well... 

- how to love your family well. They both sacrificed so much for the people they loved. Nanny would constantly be cooking when I stayed with her... we would get done with breakfast, she we be getting our requests for the lunch menu... just because she loved us.  A lot of times she would cook multiple meals - red beans and rice for my cousin, mac & cheese for me, and regular stuff for the adults.  Pawpaw would work tireless hours but then still have time to sit and be with his family. He would take his grandkids fishing. They both came to EVERY SINGLE dance recital I was in. They sat through hours of strangers' kids dancing to see me in my dances... priceless.

- Nanny taught me how to be a lady - poots and all! :) She's the one who taught me about walking farts, "pull my finger," and burping! 

- Nanny showed me that it's all good when family is together... no matter what... even if the bread is burnt. 

- Nanny has taught me that a boy will treat his woman like he treats his mommy... I think it's true. 

- Pawpaw always showed me he loved me, supported me, and would defend me... no matter what. 

- that walking on the ceiling is the best thing - my Pawpaw probably threw out his back from picking me up and letting me walk on the ceiling so many times.

- Pawpaw taught me how to listen and make my words count.

- Nanny continues to show me how to laugh... have fun... and enjoy being me. 

- Pawpaw taught me how to be a good fan... even when your team is awful. Poor Pawpaw holds out on the Braves and watches every game, EVERY year... 

- Nanny showed me the beauty of fake teeth! Haha! I begged her to pull out her fake teeth and say, "GIVE ME SOME SUGAR!" every time I was with her. HILARIOUS! 

- It's never too late to change and do something new! They made changes in their lives late in life (words they used, habits they had, etc).  

- GOD IS BIG and GOOD! I have seen so much goodness in their lives - from just being great grandparents, to being healed of colon cancer and aneurisms and more, to giving us all GREAT joy! 

I've learned so much... and it's definitely not over yet.  If I could sit and write for hours... I wouldn't have enough time to type all I've learned. They are wonderful... and super cute! 

When I grow up... I wanna be my momma... and then my nanny.