Vessels and Flowers

Hey Friends. I know you guys have been hearing us plug the life changing women's book Vessels and Flowers. Before we could not find copies. We just kept hoping a praying for something to come through for us to be able to find more copies.. Well.. GOD IS GOOD!! Sweet Mrs. Sally, one of the authors, found Brittney's blog. How great is that! Their website is up and running and a copy is only 12.95! For those of you who have not heard of the book please feel free to ask me what it is about. It is kind of the same idea as the Love Language books, but to me, way more in depth. YOu learn what vessel or personality type you are and then there is a spiritual gifts test in the end. It has been life changing for me and other friends. I no longer compare myself. I know who I am and the way the Lord made me. Please feel free to ask me anytime. The website is vesselsandflowers.com! Much Love!!!

BETTER THAN A HALLELUJAH Lyrics - AMY GRANT

BETTER THAN A HALLELUJAH Lyrics - AMY GRANT: "Better Than A Hallelujah lyrics
God love a lulluby
In a mother's tears at night
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes

God love the drunkard's cry
The soldier's plea not to let him die
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful, the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

The woman holding on for life
The dying man giving up the fight
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes

The tears of shame for what's been done
The silence when the words won't come
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

Better than a church bell ringing
Better than a choir singing out, singing out

We pour out out miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful, the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful, the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

(Better than a Hallelujah sometimes)
Better than a Hallelujah
(Better than a Hallelujah sometimes)





these lyrics are submitted by BURKUL

Send 'Better Than A Hallelujah"

A revolution of ragamuffins

I have the most precious friend in my life. One of the most amazing things that I have learned through my dear friend is vulnerability. She calls herself a ragamuffin. Always in desperate need of her Savior. I had the priveledge to walk with her through some very hard and painful experiences. What I saw was the most amazing picture of beauty! The Lord loves our vulnerability. He would much rather us admit that we need him desperatley and share our struggles with our brothers and sisters than to walk around like we have it all together.. totally terrified that we will one day be exposed. Praise God for a BRAVE friend. Who dared to show me her need for her Jesus. I will never ever forget the way the Lord continually shows up for her. He blows my mind.. This vulnerability from my dear friend has inspired me to be the same when I muster up the courage. What we have found is vulnerability breeds vulnerability. This idea is catching on more and more. It is almost like pretending to have it all together is so last year! haha! This morning I was listening to christian radio and spending a little time in scripture while Micah was in the swing. Amy Grants new song came on. I was moved to tears. WOW. "We pour out our miseries, God just hears a Melody!" Beautiful picture of being rescued by such sweet grace. I decided to share this. Hope you are moved as I was! There is so much beauty in being a ragamuffin so I have learned!
"The humble will see their God at work and be glad, Let all who seek God's help be encouraged."
-Psalm 69:32
"I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repenting hearts" -Isaiah 57:16

We need Him! We ALL need Him!

A Volunteer, Not a Victim

On this Good Friday I am reflecting on the person that Jesus was and still is! Yesterday in my Bible study, something brand new was revealed to me about the person of Christ. I was reading in Luke. I began reading in chapter 5 where Jesus goes to Simon ( who would become Peter) and John and James. They are just fishermen trying to make it. Empty nets from a night that did not bring fourth a single fish. Probably tired, and disgusted at the wasted effort. Then Jesus shows up.. He tells them to pull up there nets again. FULL OF FISH! Talk about a magic trick and having your mind blown! I would be a follower wouldn't you!? Then I moved over to verse 27. Jesus goes to call Levi, a lowly tax collector, who would become Matthew to follow Him. It says that they asked Jesus why He was hanging out with such "scum". SCUM. Sad huh? In chapter 7 verse 34, Jesus tells us that He was called a glutton and a drunkard and someone who hung out with sinners!!!! haha! That is the good news! You see, Jesus was not a people pleaser.. He was a revolutionary! He was not a victim, but a volunteer on the cross! And He came and lived, and died, and was risen again for ragamuffins like you and me!!! John Eldrege asks in the book "Wild at Heart," Do you think Jesus was more like Mother Teresa or William Wallace?" How on earth have we managed down the course of all of these years to make someone SO COOL uncool!? He spent His life wowing fisherman and busting up peoples judgements, and then with full knowledge of His fate, He volunteered for a horrible death for you and for me.. and then friends... HE DEFEATED THE GRAVE! and tells us of feasts and celebrations to come! What a warrior! How cool is HE!? and He calls us friend! Happy good friday and Easter Sunday to all. He's alive!

Goodbye Big Red Tahoe

First of all, I am loving this blogging thing and I want to thank those of you who actually read it from time to time. haha. I don't feel quite cool enough for you guys to spend your time reading my life stuff, but I so enjoy writing it! Those of you who know me know that when I was in high school, my very first car was a big red Tahoe. 95. Two door. My mother, being very over protective, made me get this monster instead of a miata because she said if someone hit me in it, I had a better chance of living. haha. OHHH Judy. I remember being 15 and looking at in on the car lot and thinking.. "Ok.. I can make this work. All she needs is some furry zebra seat covers and we are in business." Once my seat covers were in tact, I cruised that thing everywhere! I remember my key ring being SO large and full of crap that you could use it as a lethal weapon. Big red was cool in high school for two reasons. 1) We played how many people can fit in that thing alot. and 2) All the boys wanted to drive my 4x4. The Tahoe followed me to college and was quickly named the DD bus. I have always been the mothering type and a friend or two or five would call me to come pick them up after a little too much of a good time. It burned up the highway between here and Murfreesboro with my music blaring. Dad and me took Big Red on two road trips together. One to Texas for my Grandad's funeral. And one to Ohio. The floorboard would be full of pork rind crumbs and the cup holders housed many used Styrofoam coffee cups when Dad was the navigator. The Tahoe followed me into married life. My husband quickly grew attached and it became his vehicle. Even though it was a gas guzzler, He loved it just the same. It came in handy for hauling during his man projects. A few months ago we began to talk of Old Red's fate. " Now that we have a child, we really need another SUV that is fuel efficient." I told Jeff. He agreed and we began the search for a new SUV. After awhile the perfect match showed up for us yesterday. A used Saturn Vue. Leather, DVD, the whole shebang. It carried with it an incredible price. Just what we had been looking for! So excited! But... deep down... a little sad. The Tahoe's fate... A nice man who has a son and will use it to take his son fishing. What a nice thought. Ok. I can live with that life for Old Red. All of this made me think about how 15 seems like a few days ago but actually it has been 10 years! It is so funny how life changes so fast. You go from looking in a vehicle and thinking "How many friends can I fit in here?" to "How many strollers can I fit in here?" This morning at 5:30 am, I heard it crank up for the last time in my driveway. I laid in bed a little sad. Goodbye Big Red! It's been great growing up with you!

Actually Listening

I am totally inspired by my friends. I plan on writing more about them just to share them with the rest of you! They are incredible and I learn from them time and time again. My dear friend Jade is one that just rocks my socks. Jade is a tiny little person with blond hair and fair skin and big pretty lips. She reminds me of a little pixie. Jade is always sharing the latest thing she has learned or the latest book that gave her a revelation. You know how Oprah has a book club? Well so does Jade! And I am all up in it my friends! haha! I know she is just a person and she has stuff like we all do, but I tell you with the most honesty my friends, Jade has worked through so much and she is an incredibly disciplined individual. This is why she is always reading a pushing herself toward growth. After a conversation with her I realized something that I think makes my friend Jade so amazing. She wakes up in the morning and prays about her day. She invited the Lord into her agenda. She invites him into the tiny places I would never think of. What to eat... Who to go see... Later I got on the phone with Brittney and we, as usual, were talking about some kind of diet and exercise program. She shared with me that she had started inviting the Lord into her workouts and in her diet after being inspired by Jade to do so. What an amazing thought! I sat amazed. I do not think I had ever even thought about asking the Lord about what I would eat or about inviting him into the tiny little parts of my daily agenda! I guess I had always thought if I accomplished everything I set out to.. juggled everything I set out to.. and prayed a few times during the day that was enough. I decided after that light bulb went off that I would begin to invite the Lord into my agenda. The next day was CRAZY for me. I had more to do than I could think about. I woke up, fed the baby, drank my coffee, and stated pumping out my to do list. All of the sudden I was convicted to pray for my day. I looked down at my to do list and said " Ok Lord, not my agenda but yours today. Help me to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit ." Later that day I was in a tissy! Overwhelmed! I still needed to go grocery shopping, cook dinner, give the baby and bath, and on and on and on. Just then baby on hip in my laundry room, my phone rang. My friend Hannah was calling to come see me and hang out. She wanted my help writing a paper. Just as I was about to tell her today simply wasnt the day, Jesus showed up. He reminded me of my prayer. I told her to come on! I forgot the laundry, we ordered Sushi and hung out and I helped her finish her paper. That night ended up being one of the best nights I had spent with a friend in awhile. At the end of the night she informed me that she loved me and it meant so much that I would help her. I was glad I did. I was glad for once the laundry sat there and the grocery shopping didnt get done but I had listened. This concept being to catch on in my heart. So my dear friends, I am currently in a state of ACTUALLY LISTENING! Who woulda thought. haha. Every day I am asking the Lord to set me on His agenda and not my own. I am praying to be sensitive to the Holy spirit that I would know who to hang out with and what to do with my time. For once my friends... I am actually listening!