Offer and Acceptance

I am sure many of you are expecting this to be a post about our house in NWA and oh how I wish it was but its not. This has been a post that has been on mind for awhile and I just feel now is the time to type it out. I have been praying for months, well over a year, for an offer and acceptance...please Lord, just bring us an offer that we can accept and lift this burden from our shoulders. I have found that God does answer your prayers, just sometimes with a twist of the unexpected or with a sense of humor. He has answered my prayer. He did bring us an offer and we did accept....it just has nothing to do with our house in NWA.

The Good Lord offered His word, His way, His church, He has offered us a life of faith and hope, He has offered us a life of forgiveness and promise, He has offered love and thanksgiving, He has offered riches of great abundance, He has offered glory, mercy, and peace, He has offered us everything that we need to fill our soul, He has offered us a future of prosperity, He has offered us trust, strength, and purpose, He has offered righteousness and power, He has offered His blessing, He has offered us a future that our earthly being cannot even begin to comprehend, a wealth that makes every "rich" person appear to be living in poverty, He offered His firstborn, only Son, He has offered the everything and the all to everyone that is born into this world.

The Offer is so big, overwhelming, and out of realm of thought and human reasoning that so many go on living life without signing on the dotted line....the offer is there sitting in front of you, since the second you were conceived, many walk around with the pen in their hand for years without signing the offer, the offer that will provide them with more wealth, riches, and promise than our imagination will stretch.

God answered my prayer....He brought us an offer, it's been in front of me my entire life with the pen in hand. The WOW factor by inking my name on the paper and signing the offer....the acceptance takes over. It's no longer just an offer, it's an offer and acceptance. A phrase that will never have the same meaning it once did. He has laid the offer out there for all of us, it is our responsibility to Him to accept it, accept Him and His word and all His many works and live our lives according to HIM. It's not enough just to believe He exist........I have believed in God for as long as I can remember. Oh! How the view of the world changes when you just don't believe in God but you are actively, presently, believing Him! If you haven't already, take the pen out of your pocket and do the very, best thing you will ever do and sign on the dotted line...join the two words in your life, Shout to roof tops " I have an offer and an acceptance"!!!!

"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6

Small Town USA

Reasons I love living in a small town:

The daily paper has stories about people you know and pictures of kids you know

You can go home on your lunch break and have time for errands too

Getting caught in traffic means you got stopped by one of the 5 red lights on Main Street

When meeting someone for the first time, the first question they ask after learning your name is "Where do ya'll go to church?"

Festivals!!! The whole town closes down and everyone seems to walk around with a smile on their face:)

Fundraisers for your neighbors who need help...not just big organization fundraisers, we have those too, but fundraisers for the little girl at St. Jude's who goes to your kids school and who's parents work down the street.

The downtown square on a beautiful day...its like a scene from a movie...all the little stores with doors wide open, people sitting on the court house lawn, mothers pushing strollers, little boys running around in sports uniforms...just picture it!

Small talk. You can't go anywhere without seeing a familiar face and chatting for a few minutes.

Having the time to run to Claire's school for a Valentine's Day party or just to see her and get a hug:)

Bless this House...

My Monday draws to a close with this saying that hangs on our wall, may the same blessing ring true for your family and home.....

March 7, 2010...We joined our first church as a family

and Claire took her first communion.

Oh! Happy Day!

Oh! Happy Day!

It just makes me want to sing! Yesterday was such a heart warming moment for our family. The three of us walked to the front of the church and joined our congregation! We joined our first church as a family...what a wonderful feeling!!! I am so excited about all our church has to offer and can't wait to watch Claire sing in the children's choir, play the hand bells, or who knows this may be the place she walks down the aisle!...I know I am getting way ahead of myself. I have so many wonderful childhood memories of my family going to and being involved in church and I am thrilled about making those memories for Claire. My heart is full!!!

Yesterday was also communion at our church, anyone is welcome to take communion at our church. We went and got Claire from the nursery so she would be with us to join the church and of course we carried her up to the altar for communion. I let her take a drink from my little cup...it was tooo cute. She got her own "cookie", ate it and of course wanted another "cookie". So let this be noted as Claire's first communion! Praise the Lord!

Everyday

Everyday Miss Claire.... ....rocks her baby, Mae, and puts Mae "night night", which means Claire covers Mae up with the little polka dot blankie; Claire might not have a blankie but Mae does....

....blows Daddy's duck calls as if she is trying to get all the ducks in the county to our house...

....rides her horsey...backwards...she has to change it up a bit, forward got too boring....

...dumps all the blocks out of the bag to build "Claire's Tower"....

...makes her Momma the proudest and happiest Momma in the world....everyday!

His Answers

HANDY CHART

BELIEVE HIM and the answers He provides

You say: 'It's impossible' God says: All things are possible (Luke 18:27)
You say: 'I'm too tired' God says: I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)
You say: 'Nobody really loves me' God says: I love you (John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 )
You say: 'I can't go on' God says: My grace is sufficient (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)
You say: 'I can't figure things out' God says: I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5- 6)
You say: 'I can't do it' God says: You can do all things ( Philippians 4:13)
You say: 'I'm not able' God says: I am able (II Corinthians 9:8)
You say: 'It's not worth it' God says: It will be worth it (Roman 8:28 )
You say: 'I can't forgive my self' God says: I Forgive you (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)
You say: 'I can't manage' God says: I will supply all your needs ( Philippians 4:19)
You say: 'I'm afraid' God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7)
You say: 'I'm always worried and frustrated' God says: Cast all your cares on ME (I Peter 5:7)
You say: 'I'm not smart enough' God says: I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30)
You say: 'I feel all alone' God says: I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)

I just loved this and had to share it...you never know who might need to hear one of these many things!

Blue Eyes....and My Monday

What a joy! Miss Blue Eyes will be 17 months next week and everyday is a new day....she is teaching us new things each day! When it comes to ABC's Claire's version goes like this, A, B, C, A.....we haven't gotten to D yet. Then there is 1 and 2, but no 3 yet. My favorite is colors....Claire is saying yellow, white, gray, brown, pink, red, blue, orange, green, and I love hearing her sweet little voice say purple. What's funny, when you point to a color and ask her what it is the answer is always pink. Claire's Dictionary: dog, puppies, stay, thank you, please, outside, no, eat, bite, me, movie, night night, mae (this is her doll), book, mouth, nose, ear, head, eye, cheese, coat, milk, water, cupcake, phone, tractor, truck, play and the list goes on. Some of my favorites are when she says "let's play"! and when you ask her name "clar car wade". She is such a great communicator and does things you ask her to; putting things up in her closet, putting things in the trash, washing her hands, going to get ready for her bath, cleaning up her toys....truly learning new things each day. Some days I am in awww at what I just saw her do or what she just said.

We have already had to have our first mother daughter talk because Claire has a "boyfriend". Every morning I drop her off at school she runs to find "Ty Ty" and they give each other a big kiss....some mornings they are running so fast towards each other they bounce off each other and hit the ground. He is always there before Claire arrives and he is always waiting for her, if he is not there she looks around the room "Ty Ty" "Ty Ty"....I just can't help but wonder what they are thinking. Must be love "puppy love"!

My Monday ... ...I've always loved this

“If there ever comes a day when we can't be together keep me in your heart,

I'll stay there forever” ~ Winnie the Pooh