Salvation

I am so grateful and thankful for salvation. This may seem like a bit of a repeat, but as I have been reflecting on this month, I could not even be grateful for anything if I did not have the grace of God in my life. And by God's grace and I have salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. I have done nothing to earn this gift, but God has changed my heart to live for Him by His grace and work in my life. I am thankful that I am saved and I am thankful that God is still molding me through the Holy Spirit living inside of me. This salvation is a free gift and I know that I can now life my purpose, which is to bring God glory in everything I do and proclaim His Name to all people. God is so great!

Lord, You are a great God and I praise You for saving me, an undeserving sinner, by Your grace. Thank You that there is nothing I can do to earn Your favor and that Jesus has earned Your favor for me by living a perfect life and dying the death I should have died and rising again to new life so that I can now live with You forever giving praise and glory to Your Name. Thank You so much for this eternal gift that nothing can compare to.

Prayer

I am so thankful for the privilege to pray to my God. This past month I have been very neglectful of this privilege and have struggled a lot. As a child of the One True God, through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, we have the ability to come before the throne and talk with our Father, to have a personal relationship with Him. In the last week I have been reminded of this privilege as I seek to reconnect with my God. I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit living in me to convict me and move me forward in Christ-likeness by praying to my God. May I return to the desire God has given me to be a prayer warrior and pray in the power of the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ.

Father, help me to pray and commune with You through the power of the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus. Thank You that You call us to pray and that You use the prayers of Your saints to accomplish Your good work.

Gabriel is 1!

 No, I did not forget Gabriel. I saved him for today, Thanksgiving day, which is also his 1st birthday. Today my 4th blessing is 1 year old! I cannot believe it has already been 1 year since he was born, nor can I believe I have a Thanksgiving baby. But that's God for you. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday so it seems appropriate that God would bless me with a child whose birthday falls then.

Gabriel has gotten so big and I am so thankful for his life. This boy is not afraid to be heard and makes his opinion known. As the 4th child he wants to be sure he is not forgotten. Trust me when I say, he is not. He loves to explore and put everything in his mouth. We thought he might be thinking about walking, but not so much. He is super fast with his crawling and keeps up with his siblings just fine. He is beginning to sign a little which is so helpful. He, like everyone else, loves to laugh. It does not take much to make him laugh either. Listening to him crack up is music. I am excited to see what God does with his little life.  As Jim has been learning Hebrew we have learned that Gabriel's name is better translated "mighty man of God" (instead of God is my strength) which I pray he will be. God really did name this little boy as we completely changed our minds about a boy name when he was born.


God, please make Gabriel a mighty man of You! Thank You for his precious life and for a year with him. You have blessed our family far beyond what we deserve and I know  you will do great things with Gabriel's life to bring You glory.

Traveling

With a nurses schedule, it can be very difficult to travel for the holidays. I'm so thankful that this year Jim was able to get the weekend after Thanksgiving off so we could travel to North Carolina and Georgia to see family and friends. This is such a huge blessing, especially since the policy for vacation during holidays will change next year. We have been able to see my aunts, uncles and several of my cousins and will get to see a little of Jim's family as well as friends we have not seen in a couple of years. It has been so challenging to get back since moving to Kentucky and I am so thankful we have the chance this year.

Thank You, Lord, for the opportunity to travel and see family and friends for the holidays. This is such a great gift from you and perfect timing for us with our schedule this year. Please continue to allow us to have wonderful surprises so that we can see those we care about more frequently.

National Novel Writing Month

This one may seem silly to some, but I am so grateful for National Novel Writing Month. I have been working on a novel for about 15 years and have been wanting to finish it for quite some time. In fact if you read my monthly updates, I had mad this a goal for the year and all but given up on it. I found out about this group on our church writing group page and it peaked my interest. When I learned Gidget would be going it as well I said, that's it, I'm doing it and going to finish my novel before the end of this year (and hopefully before the end of November). I was unable to go to most of the write ins, but Gidget and I had a few of our own and I have done a lot of writing when the kids are resting or in bed on the weekends. The goal for these novels is 50,000 words and currently I am over 43,000 typed (I have some more written that I will type later). God is so good at orchestrating things to help us accomplish the goals that He has for us. I know what I'm writing now will need a lot of revision, but at least it will be finished!

Thank You, Lord for National Novel Writing Month. Thank You for this time to work on a story You have helped me work through over the years. May many be encouraged by it and seek You as they read it. May it bring You glory!

The New Baby

I am so thankful to be pregnant with my 5th child. We finally got to see him or her on Friday morning and it was so amazing. I have 5 children! How amazing is that? I am so thankful that though I am completely unworthy, God has decided to bless us with 5 kids. God has already done so much in my heart with this pregnancy. We have also had wonderful opportunities to talk about God's goodness with many including our kids. They talk about the baby and what gender they think the baby is. For awhile Jamey was saying he would be sad if it was a girl, but the last couple of weeks he has stopped saying that and is now saying it is a sister. Only God knows if he's right, but it has been a blessing to talk to Jamey about God giving us what is best for our family, even if it is not what Jamey wants. I don't know if he understands completely, but clearly God's grace is in his life to stop saying he will be sad if he doesn't get what he wants. I am so excited to see what all God does with this little one!

Father, You are the giver of all good gifts. Thank You so much for the gift of another precious life. Please save this child for Your Kingdom and Your glory and may they do amazing things in Your name so that many will know Your greatness.

Gidget White

Today I am thankful for Gidget. We met at the Science Center during a play time for toddlers and just started talking. Who knew it would bud into a great friendship so quickly! She has 2 kids that my kids love as well. We see each other regularly and have such wonderful thought provoking conversations. I love that we come from different backgrounds and I have learned so much from her. One of the most fun things this month has been writing together. It is always fun meeting other writers and having time to write together is a lot of fun. It has been wonderful getting to know Gidget the past few months, and I am excited to see where our friendship will go.

Thank You, God, for my dear friend Gidget. Thank You for time to hang out and get to know each other. Please bless her family with Your grace.

Nora Allison

Mrs. Allison is such a blessing to me and so many others. I thank God that she is here in Louisville and is connected at both Sojourn and Southern. I have learned so much sitting under her teaching. She is wonderful at leading women as she is over the women at Sojourn. She is encouraging and lives what she teaches. I have had the privilege of taking Leadership with her through SWI, which has helped me in learning how to lead women in the church. I was also privileged to take Lessons in Prayer with her and again learned so much. I love to pray and it was helpful learning different kinds of prayers and seeing how people prayed in the Bible. She has taught me so much. Mrs. Allison has also been a tremendous help in getting Childbirth Conversations started at Sojourn. We have only had one class thus far, but she is such an encouragement and also great at giving constructive feedback to help improve future classes. It was also helpful to have her be able to figure out logistics. Mrs. Allison is such a wonderful woman of God who has a heart for the women of God and I am so thankful to know her.

Thank You, Father, for Mrs. Allison, a woman after Your own heart who desires for all women to be women after Your own heart. Thank You that she cares for the whole woman, spiritually, emotionally and physically, the way You care for women. Please continue to bless her ministry as she teaches other women to follow You and lead other women.

Sarah Sloan

I am so thankful and so blessed by having Sarah Sloan in my life. She is the wife of our International Pastor at Sojourn and from the time we met she has been such an encouragement to me. Her quiet spirit, love for her Lord and respect for her husband shine through in all that she does. When we first met I was struggling with how I fit here and questions about how we should live as Christians. She came along side me and shared her heart and the Bible with me to help me muddle through. As I felt called to begin a women's prayer  time for the nations she talked me through what that could look like, handed me the reigns and said go for it. She has encouraged me when I felt like I was doing nothing and my work was all for nothing. This past year I watched her as her husband suffered through cancer. I cannot tell you how much I learned from just watching her stand by his side, pray for him, and love him like Jesus. She takes the wedding vow "In sickness and in health" very seriously. She is an example of A Proverbs 31 woman and a Titus 2 woman yet is so humble. I thank God that I can serve the Body along side such a woman after God's own heart. They are now in the process of adopting and I know God will give her the grace to be a wonderful mother.

Lord, I thank You so much for my dear friend and Sister, Sarah. She is such a blessing to so many. Thank You for giving her the grace to be an example of a Godly wife. Please be with them as they adopt and prepare them for the life You have for them as parents.

Caroline Bales

I'm so thankful for my friend Caroline. I met her at playgroup and we connected from the start. She loves Jesus and His people. She desires to be real and to be in others lives. She is a wonderful host and I thank God for her hospitable heart. We had our last babies just a couple of weeks apart and it has been fun watching them grow and learn together. It is such a blessing to talk about things and share our hearts. We also do not see each other as much as I would like, but she is such a blessing in my life.

Thank You, Lord, for Caroline and her heart to see Your people grow together in love and community. Guide her in knowing how to encourage others to live as You would have them live.

Ann Daugherty

I am so thankful to have Ann Daugherty in my life. She was one of my first friends here. We lived in the same apartment complex and our oldest boys are a month apart (ironically our second boys were born a month apart 2 years ago). We met regularly both in her house and playgroup and talked about life and how God is involved in everything. She really has really helped me in understanding diversity and how to talk things out in a loving Christ centered way. I'm also thankful for her love of educating women in childbirth. This is a passion we share and she has helped in educating me in some of the issues I was not as aware of in my medical background. She is so patient and loving but real. We also do not get to hang out as much as I would like, but when we do see each other it is always an encouragement.

Father, Thank You so much for putting Ann in my life. She has such a heart for You and seeing Your Kingdom come on earth. Please continue to to guide and bless her and Luke as they seek where You would have them go and what You would have them do.

Ashley Wells

Today I am so thankful for my friend, Ashley Wells. She is such a real and honest person, who loves the Lord and seeks to follow Him daily. She is about to adopt 4 children into her family and I would encourage you to go and read more of her story on her blog. The journey God has taken her through has been very challenging, but she has come out more Christlike and is still growing in His character. We do not get to see each other often enough, but every time we see each other it is encouraging and a breath of fresh air. Having 4 children I have an understanding of her struggles, but I always say, I was able to ease into my four, she got her 4 all in one day. But that is who she is. I'm so blessed to have Ashley in my life. Please be in prayer for this family as they adopt their kids on Friday!

God, thank You so much for Ashley and what You have taught her and so many others through her story. Thank You that she is finally adopting the children she has been praying for for so many years. You are a great God and I know You have great plans for her and her precious family. Be with them as they transition to being a family without the system involved. I know they are all anxiously awaiting this day!

MOMStogether

I am thankful for MOMStogether, a group of ladies that gather once a month at Crestwood Baptist Church. We eat, talk, get encouragement and learn about different ministries in the area and how people are living on mission. It has been a blessing to meet new women in the area as well as connect with other Sojourn women. My kids also love their time in classes as they get to learn as well. It is such a blessing to have my kids there but with people who are teaching them about God at the same time. It was such a blessing when we had Gabriel as a few women from this group brought us meals, even though they live a long ways from us. It is great to see the Body serving each other even when we regularly attend different churches.

Father, thank You for the women at MOMStogether who love you and desire to see women love you more. Thank You for their care and encouragement.

Playgroup

When we moved to Louisville, I found out Sojourn had a playgroup on Tuesday mornings. I am so thankful for this group. It has changed a lot since we started going, but it is usually a really refreshing time to talk with other Sojourn moms while our kids play together. In the summer we typically go to parks which also allows us to meet people from the community and share God's love with them as our kids play with them. We are so blessed to have an indoor playground at our 930 building so we can still meet and play when it is raining or really cold. It is great to have something consistent for the kids to do with others during the week. If you are a Sojourn mom come to playgroup. It's great!

Thank You, Lord, for Sojourn's playgroup. Thank You for the fun, laughs and encouragement that comes from being around Your people. 

Dawn

I am so thankful for my dear friend Dawn. I know I have written about her before, but I must write again as I am so thankful for this Sister. She has been serving our Father for 8 months abroad and with all that she has had going on, she still has taken time to pursue and love on me, even so far away. I cannot tell you how thankful I am that God placed her in my life. I have learned so much from her and still learn from her as we write emails and Skype when we can. We pour into each other in ways that I have never experienced before and I still miss having her in Louisville almost every day. But I am thankful God has called her to serve Him with her family and it is a joy to hear what He is doing in them and through them. It's been a blessing to watch them go before as we plan and prepare for a similar challenge in the not to distant future. I have gained so much wisdom from her and her honesty is unmatched. I love Dawn so much and cannot wait to see what all God does with her.

Father, thank You for Dawn and for saving her and making her Your child. She is such a precious woman and I could not ask for a better friend. She is so faithful to You and Your people. Please bless her as she continues to follow Your leading especially when it is hard and challenging. Draw her ever close to You as she seeks You with all of her heart.

Our Community Group

I am so thankful and blessed to be a part of our current community group. What is a community group? It's a smaller gathering of the church body that meets together and does life together during the week. This was a new concept for me when we moved her almost 3 1/2 years ago. It took some time to get use to is, but now I look forward to and thrive on community group nights. Recently our group has grown and it has been amazing to see God at work in our midst. I'm thankful that we love to talk about God, His Word, share struggles, speak truth, learn from each other and just be around each other. I love these people so much and am excited to see what God will continue to do with us in our midst.
So a shout out to our group:

Andy and Shannon our wonderful leaders who are kind and lead well, giving thought to all in the group
Cory and Courtney who willingly open their home to us every week and have some kind of delicious treat for us to devour
Amanda who has returned from 5 years serving abroad to come home and serve along Sojourn in the urban experience and her family
Brian who is new, but has jumped right in and has Godly wisdom
Hilary joined 2 weeks ago and has been diving right into discussion, being open and honest and sharing with enthusiasm what God is doing in her life and teaching her
Jenny is quiet and cares deeply for the lost around her also part of the urban experience
Joe who is also quiet but challenges us with fun group adventures and loves life
Josh has been so open about his past struggles and was baptized Sunday as a follower of Christ!
Kristin is fun and full of life
Laura is so insightful and knows the Scriptures so well
Leslie is fun and adventurous with a great personality who is honest about who she is
Melanie can always make me laugh with a great story and is a hard worker
Paul came to the Lord recently and was baptized Sunday! He has so much life experience to share
Ryan is just Ryan full of laughs and a good time with so much knowledge
Sara has such a sweet spirit and is also very open about who she is

We have such a great group and I am so thankful everyone of these people is in my life.

Father, Thank You for this wonderful group that I can call family. Thank You for teaching us more about You together. Please continue to bless and grow us as we move forward in Your ways and teaching

SWI

I am so thankful for the Seminary Wives Institute at Southern Seminary. This program is designed to teach and train women for serving in ministry along side their husbands. It is a unique program geared toward ministry preparation with a wide variety of classes from Essentials overview and Leadership to specialized classes to focus on parenting, marriage or overseas work. You can take a few classes than are in your interest range or complete 13 to 17 units for a certificate. I have been so blessed to take nearly 3 1/2 years of classes and plan to finish in the spring. In my time I have had the privilege to take:

Cross Cultural Ministries
Embracing Femininity
Leadership Skills 1 and 2
Biblical Parenting
Old Testament/ New Testament Survey
Redeeming the Time
Introduction to Biblical Counseling
Family Life Conference
Raising Healthy Families
A Closer Look at the Old Testament: Amos
Essentials 1 and 2
SBC 1 and 2
Lessons in Prayer
Introduction to Biblical Interpretation
Discipleship 1 and 2

I plan to finish with Marriage and Family and Baptist Beliefs in the spring. I have learned so much from these classes and am thankful to have this opportunity.

Lord, Thank You for this program to help wives prepare for ministry. Thank You for the people who value our training and have put many hours into preparing this program for all who attend. It is such a blessing for those of us preparing to serve.

Sojourn

When we moved to Louisville, we were so blessed to immediately have a church to become a part of. We moved our family here, following God's call to full time overseas work and knew one family in the city. By God's grace that family brought us to Sojourn Community Church where we plugged in and found community that loves Jesus and encourages us to do the same. We are so thankful to be apart of the Body here as we watch the Lord move in mighty and wonderful ways. It has been most exciting to watch Sojourn International grow to where we have 15 families on the field with many more preparing to go in the future. We have learned so much from our Family here and still have so much to learn knowing that God is not done with us yet.

Father, thank You for bringing us to Louisville and to Sojourn for this season of preparation. You use so many things to teach and grow us and we know You are not done here.

FBC Smyrna

I grew up in the Smyrna First Baptist Church and I am so thankful them. From a young age the people from FBC Smyrna loved on and invested in me. I was discipled there from the beginning, came to know Jesus, was baptized, taught about missions, sang in the choir, was married, had two children while there and had the call to go to the nations. They have supported us as we follow the Lord on the adventure He has called us on by praying for us and giving to Jim's seminary education. It is such a blessing to have people who love and care for us even though they do not see us regularly.

Thank You, Lord, for people who love and support us because they love You.

Becca

I cannot even begin to say how thankful I am my for my sister, Becca. She has been living with us for almost a year and a half and has been such a blessing. She has helped so much with the kids, who love her so much. She does laundry, makes breakfast most mornings of the week, gets up with the kids when I need a little extra sleep, watches them at least 2 nights a week currently and still goes to school and is involved at our church. We have deep conversations on a regular basis and are learning to speak God's Truth into each other's lives in a loving way and seek forgiveness when we over react. She is seeking to know more about God and is a fighter. I am so thankful that God has brought Becca to our home for this time.

Father, Thank You for the blessing of my sister Becca. Thank You for the work You are doing in her life. I pray You will continue to do a work in her that is beyond what she might hope or dream.