~Going Home~

Going Home:

Jesus took his best friends to a mountain. He blessed them and said,"I want you to teach people about me."

Then Jesus went up into the clouds to go home to heaven. His friends looked for a long time.

Suddenly two angels said, "Why are you still standing here? Jesus has gone to heaven, but he will come back again."

The friends remembered that Jesus once said, "There are many rooms in God's house. There is plenty of room for all of you."

Jesus' friends knew one day Jesus would come again and take them home to live with him. This made them happy.

This is an excerpt from:
The Beginners Bible for Toddlers

I was reading this story to the girls this morning and Marlee immediately says "Mommy, I'll bring all of the pacifiers for the babies and Maggie when we go to Heaven...Ok??" I literally started crying and praying "thank yous" immediately to Our Father in Heaven for bringing me this precious family.
I'm still amazed daily by our wonderful King of all Kings and give Him the glory in all that I do. I love the fact that these little girls are so excited about getting to Heaven to see Jesus...."There is plenty of room, Mommy!"

~The Broken One....The Real Me~

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. Micah 7:8 (NIV)

His question made me stop and think. It was a simple comment, said in a teasing manner, but it instantly struck a chord in my heart.

I was cleaning out a kitchen cabinet, which had become cluttered with items that I rarely used. One of those items was an old broken can opener. I handed it to my nine year-old son and asked him to throw it away, but instead of just tossing it into the trash can, he asked if he could keep it. Why in the world would a little boy want an old, dirty, useless can opener?

He continued to try to convince me that he needed to keep it, until I finally said, "Honey, it is broken, I don't want it or need it anymore, so throw it away please." Then came his question, "Well if I was broken, would you just throw me away?"

Huh? This conversation about a silly can opener had gotten way too complicated. I assured him that I would never throw him away, no matter what, because he was too valuable to me. I gave him a hug, and he skipped off into the den to watch TV, while I stood there stunned, pondering his question.

I was reminded of a time when I was so broken, and felt dirty and useless. I remembered how a bad decision I made as a young girl caused me to spend years believing that I had no redeeming value in God's eyes. I recalled the regret that suffocated my heart for years, and how I felt God could never really love a sinner like me. I vividly remembered the overwhelming pain and regret of feeling broken, and void of worth, beauty or value.

But a smile came to my face as I remembered the day when God healed that brokenness. Sitting alone on a pew during a worship service years ago, tears were pouring down my face. I begged God to forgive me for my sins, just as I had done for years, but this time it was different. This time I felt God's presence and believed in His forgiveness. For the first time, I had heard His voice ring in the ears of my heart, reassuring me that I was way too valuable to be thrown away.

The following day I realized something was different. My past was still my past, but I was no longer broken. The damaged pieces of my heart were mended, and I set out on a wonderful journey to discover my worth in Gods eyes, not my own eyes. I believed that I really was too valuable to be thrown away, and that God not only could love someone like me, but that HE DID.
Are you feeling broken today? Do you see yourself as someone who God could not possibly love? Do you spend each day condemning yourself for past sins, current habits, damaged relationships, poor choices, or even self-harming behavior?

Do you wish you could stop feeling broken, or stop continuing a pattern of sin in your life, but simply do not know how? Do you ever feel like you are just too messed up to be "fixed"?

Friend, despite what you may think, you are not beyond repair. You are nothing like that dirty, broken can opener. As a child of God, you are precious, beautiful, and yes, even more valuable than gold. Whatever your situation, God can mend that crushing feeling of hopelessness and brokenness. With faith, ask Him to.

Will you delight Him by accepting His grace, mercy and forgiveness? Will you give Him the opportunity to mend you today?

Dear Lord, forgive me and heal me. Mend my brokenness. Give me hope. Help me to see myself through Your eyes only. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

By Tracie Miles

***So, this was written in a daily devotional that I receive via e-mail every morning.....It was like I was reading my exact thoughts. It is amazing to me how
God uses so many different ways to speak to me. WOW-we have an AWESOME and FORGIVING God that loves us no matter what!!! He truly sees the "Real Me". Thank you!***

~which brings me to this song:
Natalie Grant
The Real Me-

foolish heart looks like we're here again
same old game of plastic smile
don't let anybody in
hiding my heartache, will this glass house break
how much will they take before I’m empty
do I let it show, does anybody know?

CHORUS:
but you see the real me
hiding my skin, broken from within
unveil me completely
I’m loosening my grasp
there's no need to mask my frailty
cause you see the real me
painted on, life is behind the mask
self-inflicted circus clown
I’m tired of the song and dance
living a charade, always on parade
what a mess I’ve made of my existence
but you love me even now
and still I see somehow

CHORUS:
wonderful, beautiful is what you see
when you look at me
you're turning the tattered fabric of my life into
a perfect tapestry
I just wanna be me

CHORUS:
and you love me just as I am
wonderful, beautiful is what you see
when you look at me

~News at Our House~

Tomorrow Keely will be taking the TAKS test....it is a modified version, but still she has to take it. I am praying that she does her very best and doesn't get frustrated. Lately she has been changing a bit, which always has concerned me in the past and I guess now it is truly no different. She has the best of days and then some of the worst days in history. I just don't know if we are always doing the absolute best for her. Recently I have been torn between taking her off all of her meds, but then in the back of my mind I find myself doubting if that would be a good solution. She does have a part of her brain that is not functioning correctly, so I don't want to hinder her growth if that these meds will help her. Her last big seizure was a few months ago, so then it makes me wonder if she would start having more seizures if there were no meds at all? I just guess tonight I needed to vent some concern;=) We all have those moments.

On to other news.....

I am going to have a hysterectomy on April 6th. This is such a true blessing for me. I have had issues for the past 3 years and am ready for some relief. After the surgery I will be in the hospital for a couple of days. Right now I am working out like a mad woman to insure that after I recover I can resume back at the gym with out loosing much momentum. The gym is kinda a comfort zone for me if that makes sense? It is the one place that every thing I do is completely for me and up to me. When I am feeling better about myself on the outside then my mental state and spiritual state seem to be so much better.

Sis is back working on MWF, so I have Cannon and Mason on those days. We have been having a really good time. They are such sweet boys and like coming to play at Aunt Nay's house. Of course, the girlies are loving every second of them being here. "Their Cousins Cannon and Mason" are what they like to tell everyone.

Eric is back in town for awhile and wasn't affected by the recent lay-offs(PRAISE GOD) and I am still working up at the church in the Children's Ministry department. This has all been such a wonderful blessing to Eric and I. We love working up there, but of course are ready for the new Children's Pastor to come and lead our kiddos. I like doing this, but it is not my calling. I feel like I am being called in to Women's Ministry. God is control and that is what is so amazing to me....He will take care of all of our cares and concerns no matter how big or how small they may be.

Tyler is doing GREAT! He is loving his horses and is probably ready for school to be out so he can hang out with Ginger and General all day. He is in band this year, but honestly it is not his thing at all. He is more of an outdoors kinda kid, so he doesn't put the effort into practicing as much as he should.

M&M....
Marlee is this sassy(in a good way) little girl who has never met a stranger and so excited to be on the go. She likes to talk to everyone she sees and meets.
Maggie May is more quite and reserved, but is such a big helper. She is changing all the time and even knows how to count to 11. They both love to sing, dance and pretend to be little mommies. (And the best things is they are both potty trained!!)

I guess this is pretty much a catch all for blogging....I love doing my blog even if it is a bit rambley(totally my made up word;=) at times. I hope you all are doing GREAT and having a fabulous week!

~Marlee McKenzi Giles~

So, I thought that it would be soooo cute to have the girls pictures made in these old dresses and hats.....with such great intention came Miss Maggie May crying and crying and crying. Marlee was having such a wonderful time doing the photos that I decided that I would have to go ahead and just have her photographed by herself. This was entirely too hard for me to do, so clearly it won't ever happen again. Here are the AWESOME pictures of Marlee....