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My Washington guy and I ♥
>> Monday, June 28, 2010
What is it with boys and kisses? ;-)
Tomorrowland (2015)
10 years ago
Guest Post -- "At Sunrise on Graduation..."
>> Saturday, June 26, 2010
I am very tickled to be able to share this guest post from a dear friend and sister Hannah. She is not only an excellent writer but an amazing poet as well, I highly encourage y'all to read some of her work!
I read the following post this morning with tears welling up in my eyes because this is exactly how I felt when I left home a few months ago. I felt like I had left something undone, I needed to go back and help more, ect... but God is bigger than me and He will raise up people to take my place as He has me doing His work elsewhere.
That said, thank you, Hannah!
And without further adieu....
♥_______________________________________________♥
With a quiet and thoughtful spirit, I awoke the morning of my graduation day. My eyes rested absently on the walls around me, and my mind sought to grasp the reality of the last thirteen years of my life. My heart was still beating; my mind still reeling; my eyes still seeking; my feet still moving; my hands still working; my breath still whistling; my life still continuing.
My childhood lived in the days when adulthood was the one and only desirable attainment in this world. My numerous public schools attended sufficed to represent a prison full of cells and walls that had no escape. My young adult years sent everything and anything I held as important and worthy of my time scattered and lying bare for all to see. My high school years struggled to be anything but of the world. My identity had suffered shattering into fragments and only being able to be put back together by the One. The me sitting there that morning was not the me I was a decade ago, a year ago, a month ago, a week ago, a day ago, a hour ago, a minute ago, a second ago. I was changing; I was being reshaped.
Read more...
My heart warmed with an unspeakable joy. My friends, I was free! I had been trapped in the public school system for so long and with little to hold me steady to His word other than my mother. The cells I thought had no opening had broken and crumbled at my feet. The burdens of the last thirteen years were finally able to be fully dumped at the Cross. The oppressing atmosphere was lifted and carried away. I was never going to return, I vowed. How could I return to the place that held so much torment and anguish for me? Even before I was a Christian, the public schools shock my confidence to the core, pushing me into the realm of the outcasts.
I closed my eyes again, my mind drifting into an unconscious dream. I saw myself standing in the middle of the school building, patiently waiting for the escape I knew I would be provided with. My eyes watched the cracks forming on the walls, and the pieces crumbling all around me. The laughter and joy radiated from my face and my arms reached to the sky. And with little more than a simple thank you, I took off, running and leaping over those crumbled walls. I made it past the last piece of brick, and felt myself unwillingly coming to a halt.
My heart screamed that I must look back. I did not want to, but I did. My eyes turned and beheld names written on the pieces of stone, names that told of those that left those walls just as I had with no hope, joy, or future; they did not know Jesus. My eyes could only stare at the names so numerous that there was not a blank space. My lips let the only sound I could utter escape my lips, "Noooo...." I saw it now. I saw it then. I saw it from the outside, yet missed it while inside. Slowly an invisible pen began to cross out names, names that I had been able to talk with about Jesus. They were so few, so few. Then it all vanished into whiteness.
My eyes jumped open and my heart was pounding. I could only breathe, no words would come. How could I run and jump and be glad for freedom when there were so many more in that school that had not been reached? How could I leave the missions field God had placed me with such neglectance and gladness for that neglectance? Gently, He spoke to my heart: "My child, I am caring for that place; there will be another of my children there to care for it. You have been given a new mission field. I do not want you to look back and wish you were back there; I want you to look back and realize how much those people need Me." He knew me inside and out. He knew my desires to move on with life. At that moment, I realized that every moment I lived out in that school could have been for Christ, yet my selfish core always demanded recognition. If only His work in my heart would drive me to have more moments for Christ than for myself.
With my thoughts traveling in a million directions, my heart cried out to Him with one and only one desire for this day: "So the, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness" (Colossians 2:6-7)
-Hannah "~The Trickling Waters~"
-Hannah "~The Trickling Waters~"
>> Friday, June 25, 2010
18. The tired satisfiedness after a long walk
19. Wildflowers
20. Random mossy benches at the top of hills
21. HOLLY!!! Hutcheson and otherwise... ;-)
22. Sharing
23. Memories of good times we've have and thoughts of good times to come!
24. Heritage
25. Perseverance with a smile!
26. Freedom
27. Pink (and Laura Wattermann)
28. Roses and time to smell them
29. Happy mail boxes... =)
>> Monday, June 21, 2010
16. Baby sitting up by himself!
17. 77 Louis L'Amour books for $24 at a yard sale. :-)
>> Saturday, June 19, 2010
11. Blue eyes
12. Grandmas
13. Sleeping babies
14. Smiling babies
15. Buttercups!
True Love
>> Tuesday, June 15, 2010
I have had something overwhelming creeping over my heart the past few weeks and more intensely the past few days. I hope that I can share this in a way that does not sound like random gibberish but in a manner that speaks to your heart as it has been speaking to mine.
Those of you who know me well know that my number one dream in life is to be pursued, captured, and carried away by my very own prince charming; to have his babies and live a happy crazy life supporting him wherever God leads him! As you also all know, as much as I hate to admit it, there really is no such man on the horizon. I know he is supposed to “swoop” in at the last second but seriously… I don’t see that happening any time soon.
Pondering my plight last Tuesday at the “College and beyond” group where it seemed like lots of girls had found their prince charming I suddenly tuned into the song that was being sung (can you tell Music changes my life!) . I cannot remember the words exactly but they were describing the Love of Christ and how He died for us. I have been a Christian for several years and while I am fully acquainted with that concept, it seems God has something new to show me all the time!
Wonder started filling my heart at the vast love that He had for me as I stood there watching these words flow across the screen. Suddenly the song ended and the service was over, people began milling around talking and as quickly as it had begin the door was closed. Bam. I felt like I had just missed something very important and had been puzzling over it… until today.
I had some quiet time putting the baby down for a nap this afternoon and after he fell asleep I began to pray first of all just thanking God for everything He had done for me and how inexplicably blessed I am.
Now in order for this to make perfect sense I need to state that I have been struggling with unworthiness the past few weeks. Mostly just being over powered by the enormity of God and the insignificance of myself. Realistically speaking, He is God and I am dust, what could I ever say that would be of any significance to Him? I would go to pray and just walk away because I did not think I could enter His presence without doing something to make me more acceptable ( I mean, excuse me, this is the Emperor of the universe we are talking to here!) .
Now, last Sunday, the pastor at the church I attended addressed this very topic and reminded me that no matter how unworthy I am (and I am completely unacceptable!) God has cleansed me and HE invites me to come into His presence, regardless! So I was really enjoying this re-remembered nugget of truth which brings us back to today and my praying and thanking God for wanting me in His presence.
Hashing back over the thoughts of Thursday I started praying that God would reveal to me more of Himself, and another realization started to fill my heart from the core spreading out in every direction.
He died!
I mean that.
He DIED!!!
“No greater love hath a man than he lay down his life for a friend”
Not only did He DIE but He died RESCUING me…
He set me free!
He captured my heart!
He is preparing a kingdom for me!
He loved me so much that He fought the dragon and won!
Not only did He emerge victorious but He did it in such a way that ultimately the whole earth will have no choice but to worship Him!
It is like the most perfect fairy tale ever except even more, it is TRUE!
I wanted a Prince Charming, I got one.
So while the desire for a husband has not lessened whatsoever, it brought to more realistic terms a truth I had heard but had not quite sunk fully into my heart. As every corner of my heart was filled with glorious wonder and rapture just thinking of what a sacrifice He made for me, tears streamed down my face for sheer joy and be-wonderment.
Just an FYI, I am having a really hard time just trying to write or even portray in words what it is like and I hope this is followable! :-P
You know the moment in a Disney movie; the music has been steadily climbing, the suspense is killing you and suddenly the prince emerges victorious! The Princess runs out with a radiant face to greet him and everyone feels all warm and fuzzy. Okay, that is like a cardboard box compared to the realization that the King of all the Universe sacrificed His very life for ME! (I don’t think any of the guys in the fairy tales end up dying and coming back to life either! How cool is that!)
I love you so much, Jesus! ♥
I would highly recommend listening to "True Love" by Phil Wickham ♥
Lack of blogging
>> Wednesday, June 9, 2010
My dear blog readers,
I know I got you all revved up for some awesome blogging, and then... well... it kinda did not happen. Not because I did not want to or had a lack of ideas, but because I was struck with a case if ditz two weekends ago and left my camera charger 3 hours away and have been pretty much unable to take pictures. They found it and said they are mailing it back so hopefully I will be up and posting again soon!
Love,
Hillary =)
Abounding Blessings
>> Thursday, June 3, 2010
At the time of this writing there are still eight hrs to vote on the poll, however, with a vast majority of the votes for keeping "Abounding Blessings" on this blog, I have decided to go with that.
Y'all did not post your reasons for wanting it moved or here in the comments! :-)
Thus, without further adieu...
1.Friends for company
2. Newsboy hats because they are cute
3. Reflections: "It's US!"
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