Are your hands full?

This week has been crazy and hectic. We have appointments today, tomorrow, and Friday as well as a wedding this weekend. Monday Reese started the week off with a bang and a good laugh. Check out the details here.

On my way home from work Monday night I was listening to the Billy Graham radio station 106.9. Charles Stanley or Chuck Swindoll was on (sorry, I heard both that evening and don't remember which was on at the time). He was talking about a book that he had read and quoted this line, "God can not pour His richest blessings into hands that are full."

This really struck me. I couldn't help but think of all the times I have held onto things and probably missed the blessings that God had for me. It was just one more reminder to me to LET IT GO! Let go of the grudges, let go of the hurt, let go of being in control, etc. LET IT GO and let Him richly bless your obedience.

A Little Encouragement

"One Heartbeat At A Time"


by Steven Curtis Chapman from the album This Moment


You're up all night with a screaming baby. You run all day at the speed of life and every day you feel a little bit less like the beautiful woman you are. So you fall into bed when you run out of hours and you wonder if anything worth doing got done. Oh, maybe you just don't know or maybe you've forgotten... You, you are changing the world one little heartbeat at a time. Making history with every touch and every smile. Oh, you, you may not see it now but I believe that time will tell how you, you are changing the world one little heartbeat at a time. With every "I know you can do it." Every tear that you kiss away. So many little things that seem to go unnoticed. They're just like the drops of rain over time they become a river. You’re beautiful, so beautiful how you’re changing the world, yeah you’re changing the world.

A New Law

A Facebook friend posted this video. I couldn't help but think about how often I walk through life blind and begging for a new law rather than living in GRACE!

You Found Me

Over the last couple of years I have become a fan of The Fray. This week they released their newest album. I Of course, I quickly added to my I-Tunes library. I really like the sound of the new single You Found Me, however, I am having a hard time making sense of it. Here are the lyrics:

You Found Me
I found God on the corner of First and Amistad

Where the west was all but won

All alone smoking His last cigarette

I said where You been, He said ask anything

Where were You when everything was falling apart

All my days were spent by a telephone

That never rang and all I needed was a call

That never came to the corner of First and Amistad
Lost and insecure, You found me, You found me

Lying on the floor, surrounded, surrounded

Why'd You have to wait, where were You, where were You

Just a little late, You found me, You found me

In the end everyone ends up alone

Losing her, the only one who's ever known

Who I am who I'm not and who I want to be

No way to know how long she will be next to me
Lost and insecure, You found me, You found me

Lying on the floor, surrounded, surrounded

Why'd You have to wait, where were You, where were You

Just a little late, You found me, You found me

Early morning the city breaks and I've been calling for years and years

You never left me no messages, You never send me no letters

You got some kind of nerve taking all I want
Lost and insecure, You found me, You found me

Lying on the floor, where were You, where were You

Lost and insecure, You found me, You found me

Lying on the floor, surrounded, surrounded

Why'd You have to wait, where were You, where were You

Just a little late, You found me, You found me

Why'd You have to wait to find me, to find me

Any thoughts on the meaning? I am kinda lost on this one. I guess I have had a hard time getting past the whole cigarette line. I have a hard time picturing God with a cigarette.

Shout Outs

In preparation for our adoption, I have been trying to take advantage of as many resources as possible. A hand full of friends have suggested books that I have been trying to read, along with ones that I have found recommended on the Internet. I want to take a minute to give some Shout Outs, as our students would say, to these great resources.

Before I have mentioned Before You Were Mine, Parenting with Love and Logic, and Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew. Someone also recommended The Five Love Languages of Children, but I haven't gotten to that one yet. I would also like to read some books about attachment.

Besides books, I have tried to find blogs and other websites, as well as pod casts. One podcast in particular has been such a blessing. The Foster Parenting Podcast with Tim and Wendy is one that I would highly recommend. They are Christians and are currently fostering to adopt two girls. They are very honest and share as much about their experiences as much they can. If you have ever considered adoption or foster care, I would highly recommend that you take a listen. It puts a lot of things in perspective for you.

Well, those are my adoption shout outs for now. I will keep you updated on future finds. If you have suggestions, please pass them on.

Weekend Review

We really enjoyed our quick trip to Knoxville. It was good to get away and hanging out with Taylor and Sara was great. If you are Bryan's friend on Facebook, you will see some of the foolishness that went on. We were welcomed home on a somber note though. While we were gone, my Grandma was visiting our cousins in NC as one of them is in the hospital. Yesterday, they took him, Harder, off the ventilator. As of this morning he was still holding his own. Harder is in his 70's or 80's. We will miss him, but we don't want him to suffer.

Last night I found out that Tanner Odum, a friend from high school, was killed in a car accident. If you are in the upstate, you may recognize him as the owner of Big O Dodge. This broke my heart as his dad was killed in a motorcycle accident just a few years ago. Please pray for Bev, Tanner's mom, as this has to be so hard. I can't imagine what she is dealing with. I know that Bev loves the Lord and He is walking with her through this. Better yet, He is carrying her through.

On a lighter note, in preparing to leave for the weekend, I did some house cleaning. I made good use of the time by listening to a few podcasts. There were a couple of adoption ones that were well worth checking out. Thinking of Adopting and the Foster Parenting Podcast with Tim & Wendy. They were fairly short ones, so go on Itunes and check it out. The Foster Parenting on is a couple talking about their personal experiences with their soon to be adopted children. They are Christians, and it is very practical.

Also, The Simply Youth Ministry Podcasts are great. I personally like the ones with Doug & Kathy Fields where they talk about youth ministry and Marriage. It is very honest and to the point. Check it out!

Give Me Your Eyes

"Give me your eyes" This phrase strikes fear in heart of anyone who attended Calhoun St Elementary school in the late 70's and early 80's. Ms. Eugenia Lee, the art teacher, would always say this. I never understood what she meant by the phrase. In my mind, she was expecting me to take out my eye balls and hand them to her. All I could think of was the bad ending of one of those scary choose your own ending books. I now understand that she was asking for our attention. She wanted our eyes focused on her.

Like our Heavenly Father, she knew that we get the instructions and follow them, if we would focus. Last summer I fell in love with a new artist (it just so happens that he won a dove award for new artist of the year) named Brandon Heath. A few weeks ago, I heard those dreaded words, "Give me your eyes", on the radio. All of the sudden that phrase took on a brand new meaning for me. Heath's new song, Give me your eyes, is incredible. I knew immediately that I had to purchase it so I rushed on over to his website and then Itunes. Take a look at these lyrics:

Looked down from a broken sky traced out by the city lights. My world from a mile high best seat in the house tonight. Touched down on the cold black tile hold on for the sudden stop. Breath in the familiar shock of confusion and chaos. Are those people going somewhere? Why have I never cared?

Give me your eyes for just one second. Give me your eyes so I can see everything that I keep missing. Give me your love for humanity. Give me your arms for the broken hearted wasn't it far beyond my reach? Give me your heart for the once forgotten. Give me your eyes so I can see again again yeah yeah.

Step out on a busy street see a girl and our eyes meet. Does her best to smile at me to hide whats underneath. There's a man just to her right black suit and a bright red tie. To ashamed to tell his wife he's out of work he's buying time. Are those people going somewhere? Why have I never cared?

I've Been there a million times. A couple of million eyes just moving past me by. I swear I never thought that I was wrong. Well I want a second glance so give me a second chance to see the way you see the people all alone.

This song hit me like a ton of bricks as we were preparing for Memphis. Without even realizing it, people cross my path everyday that are going somewhere. Their journey has become intertwined with mine. Did I ever stop to think why we intertwined? Did I ever care where they were going? It is so easy to get caught up in our own lives and forget about those around us, especially the ones we don't know. How many opportunities have I missed? How many times could I have been Christ to someone?

I don't want to miss anymore opportunities. I have had plenty in the last few days in dealing with all of this fraud stuff. My prayer is that my attitude has been one of compassion, one of humility, one of Christ. I am counting down the days until I can purchase this whole album. No doubt, it will be incredible! Until then , Lord, give me your eyes!