A Good Reminder

This will be quick, but check out this link if you have a chance today! (Click here) Adam wrote a great devotional about John 13 for our church, and it's challenged me today. As someone who is loved by him, I can say that I am blessed that he desires to love others the way that Christ has loved Him.

I love being married to this man.

Advent - Day 1

As soon as Thanksgiving was over this year, I was ready to start decorating and celebrating for Christmas. I love Christmas, and I admittedly get into the music, shopping, red and green everywhere, and Christmas Starbucks cups that serve peppermint hot chocolates. 

I hear it often, but none of those things are what Christmas is really about. So, in an effort to be intentional about remembering Christ this year, I am meditating on one verse or passage from the Bible each day to remind me of who Christ is, why He came, and why I should drop everything to celebrate that He did. 

Wed, Dec 1st 
"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14

Immanuel means, "God with us." It amazes me that the God who made the world chose to become a man...for His glory and for our salvation. And it amazes me that God is with us. And He wasn't simply with us when He was on earth 2,000 years ago, but He's here now as He indwells the hearts of every believer through the Holy Spirit. Before Jesus came, men and women had access to God only through the rituals of sacrifice, a priest entering the Most Holy Place of the temple, or God choosing to send His Spirit on certain occasions. But now, the curtain that separated us from Him has been torn down, and when we choose to believe in Him, He will never leave or forsake us.

I cannot get over this. I am more grateful for Jesus today than I was the day that I chose to believe in Him for myself, 16 years ago. His grace abounds more to me today than it did then. I need Him more. 


I've been listening to a song by Mercy Me called "God with us", and the chorus is:

All that is within me cries
For You alone be glorified:
Emmanuel, God with us.

My heart sings a brand new song.
The debt is paid, these chains are gone.
Emmanuel, God with us.

It should make a difference in my life that I claim to be a Christian. Last year our church played this song during the Christmas Eve service as several folks told their testimonies on pieces of cardboard, sharing how God with them through Christ had changed their lives. I was so encouraged and challenged as I saw so many men and women talk about lives filled with fear, bitterness, loneliness, anger, addiction, and how knowing Christ has led them to a lives filled with peace, joy, community and purpose. Here is the link if you want to check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRb44DCxfzs&feature=related

Merry Christmas - I pray that you would rejoice in the fact that God came to earth as Immanuel...God with us.

Thankful

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and we spent the day with my parents and extended family here in Dallas. This afternoon we will head up to Enid to see Adam's side of the family - we are incredibly thankful for our families, and we love getting to celebrate with them. 

It was a year ago yesterday that Adam and I got engaged. It was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and I came home in the mid-afternoon after a bike ride with a friend around the lake (note: I was sweaty, had helmet hair, and wearing my oh-so-pretty spandex bike shorts. See picture.)

Adam was sitting in my front yard when I got home, but I didn't think anything of it - it was pretty typical for me to be running late and for him to be early. 

He surprised me with this on my front door...the email our friend Avery wrote to Adam asking if he wanted to have dinner with me. Apparently, Avery included what he thought Adam needed to know.

I opened the front door of my house and saw this...and then I wished I wasn't wearing spandex bike shorts.

He carefully walked me to the top of the stairs as we talked about the memories he had captured through the pictures, and then he read me the most beautiful poem. At the end, he told me he loved me for the first time, and asked me to marry him. He says I said, "Yes," before he hit his knee. That may be true.

I cannot remember being happier than I was right then. I had long looked forward to that moment, and my emotions overwhelmed me. I couldn't believe that Adam had chosen me. I figured, if he was excited to marry me after a bike workout, what more could I ask for? :)

This isn't the best picture, but it's in a frame in our kitchen, because I love the joy on both of our faces. 

We celebrated that night with family and friends,

and then went back to where we had our first date for dinner. 

I woke up early the next morning, Thanksgiving Day, more thankful than I had ever felt before. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." The day we got engaged, it was easy to be thankful to the Lord. Today, one year later, we are not only married, but we are expecting a precious baby girl - and again, it's easy to be thankful. There have been difficult things along the way, and I want desperately to be someone who lives out this verse, regardless of the circumstances in life. I have a long way to go, but I am starting by making a list of current circumstances that it's difficult for me to have a thankful heart in the midst of, and asking God to remind of reasons to be thankful in each of those.  I am definitely thankful that the Lord continues to be patient with me as He grows me in this area.

I thought I couldn't love Adam more the day he proposed. Then I married him, and thought I couldn't love him more than I did that day. A year later, my love for him continues to grow. 

I can't wait for tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Waiting...

I once remember doing a study of the word 'wait' and how it's used throughout the Bible. I wanted to do this because it seemed like God mentioned it alot, and it was hard for me to do. The thing that stuck out to me the most was that waiting was not a passive process, but an active one, in which I was a participant. To wait required strength, endurance, and patience...all things I have to depend on the Lord for. 

This morning I am waiting to hear results from my dad's doctor about whether or not the chemo he has been undergoing is working. We have been waiting for this day for several weeks, and now it is here. I have found myself turning to anxiety or fear of what is ahead for my dad in this journey with cancer. 

I read Psalm 33 this morning, in somewhat of a desperate attempt to input God's word into my mind. It's easy for me to get distracted, and so I'm much more inclined to busy myself with things at work, at home, or anything else to get my mind off of the waiting. But as I chose to read through Psalm 33 randomly this morning, I was blown away by the reminders the Lord has for me today.

It talks of God's power in creating the earth, His love that is unfailing and fills the earth, His word that is always right and true, His faithfulness, His plans that cannot be thwarted, and the hope we have when we trust in Him.

Psalm 33:16-17 says, "No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save."

I am so grateful for the medical care my father is receiving right now, and I know that 50 years ago, he would not have survived this diagnosis, apart from a miracle of the Lord. But this verse reminds me that the Lord is in control, even of all the medical treatment he's receiving, and therefore He's in control of the results too. Only the Lord can bear the weight of my hope. 

So, whatever the news we receive today, I know that it is sovereignly planned by the Lord, and I can trust Him. I will continue to ask Him for the strength to wait on Him...and I will spend my morning going to the grocery store and cleaning the apartment, and wait to hear these results I am so eager to hear.

Psalm 33:20-22

"We wait in hope for the LORD;
   he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
   for we trust in his holy name. 

May your unfailing love be with us, LORD,
   even as we put our hope in you."

A Day Off

My friend Emily and her husband have a blog that inspires me. Check it out here. They write letters to each other and to others that gives fun insight into their lives, displaying the love of life they both have. Last Thursday, I wanted to thank Adam for something he did, so in the spirit of the Loerke's letters, here's a little letter to my love.

Dear Adam,

Thursday I came home and found this in the kitchen sink. You spent your day off from work working on painting our 2nd bedroom, that will become our daughter's room in just 2 1/2 months. Thank you for loving me and our daughter by serving us like this. Your selflessness encourages and challenges me.

I love you,

L

A perfit birfday...

Well...I wanted to write a birthday post for my dad and I just decided that a month late is better than never. My dad turned 66 in October, and we loved getting to celebrate him. No, I didn't misspell the name of this post -- my dad has two words that he says a little different than everyone else, and I love it. One is birthday, which he pronounces "birfday." The other is perfect, which he pronounces "perfit." Just 2 of his little idiosyncracies that make him unique...and endear him to me even more.

He's been a dad for 31+ years, and he's been my dad for almost 30. I am so thankful that God chose him to be my father. He has modeled integrity, discipline, and generosity for me. The times when I have listened to his wisdom have always served to bless me. The times when I have chosen not to listen have not always gone as well. 

My dad is going through a difficult time right now, and I am filled with fear and sadness as I think about the future. At the end of August he was diagnosed with a rare kind of lymphoma, and he's been enduring chemotherapy since then. Again, I see his integrity as he continues to run his business in an honorable way, though he is not able to do the same amount of work. I see his discipline as he and my mom get up at 5am every day to go on daily walks, because the doctors told him that exercise would help his body fight the cancer. And I see his generosity as he continues to rejoice with Adam and me about his first grandbaby, and our preparations for her arrival.

On his birthday, Adam and I got to go over to my parents' house and cook dinner for them. We loved getting to share a meal with them, one of his favorites, and then open presents. My mom continues to amaze me. I think God knew she would be the best wife for my dad as I have watched her care for him over the last 2 1/2 months. One of my favorite things about my mom is the way she makes people feel special by the gifts she gives and the way she wraps them. They are so cute and creative - she's been known to write a note and tape it to a six pack of diet coke, just to throw you off. I always look forward to seeing the gifts she brings. Dad's birthday was no exception, and I loved getting to see him open her gift to him. The only thing that would have made the celebration "perfit" was if Dr. Brother could have been there to join us. But we'll see him this weekend! Can't wait!

Mom and Dad...they will celebrate 40 years of marriage this Sunday!

So, happy birthday, Dad!! Here's to many more. I thank the Lord for giving me the great gift of you as my dad. I love you.

OSU vs. A&M...Naming Rights on the Line

Thanks to the magic of the Big XII conference, Adam's alma mater (OSU) and my alma mater (Texas A&M) play each other once every year in football. He took me down to College Station for the game last year while we were dating, but everything looks perfect when you're dating - this year was the first real test for us as a married couple. We headed up to Stillwater for the game last Thursday, and despite the fact that one of us would definitely leave disappointed in the outcome, we had a great time.

The game was exciting, the weather was great, and it was so fun to get out of Dallas for a weekend and see friends and family. I really thought that A&M was going to hold on to the lead...until the final interception with barely any time left gave OSU the ball. Oh don't worry, we stayed until the end...the very bitter end. 

This is halftime...hence the smile on my face.

During the game, as I stood proudly in my maroon A&M tshirt (stretched fairly tightly over my growing belly) in a sea of orange, watching thousands of fans wave the wheat, shake their car keys at kick offs, and yell things like "Orange Power," I briefly missed my college days, and I wished that I would have known my husband during those years. I would have loved to have experienced that season of life with him...but I would never trade my time at A&M, and I know he'd say the same about his years in Stillwater. God's timing is perfect, and although we often wonder why the Lord did not allow us to meet earlier in our lives, we love getting to be together now.

We wanted to put a friendly wager on the game, so we decided that whoever's school won the game would have naming rights to our first-born child. Looks like her name will be something like Stilly or Kendall. I'm hoping it's not Dez.

We spent the whole weekend in Oklahoma with friends and family, both in Stillwater and in Enid. Highlights included

• seeing our sweet 9-month-old niece (even though she was fighting a fever and not feeling like herself)
• hanging out with both of Adam's brothers and their wives
• visiting with Adam's parents, and hearing Adam's mom, talk about stories of Adam when he was a baby,
• so many people celebrating our little girl with us
• brainstorming possible baby names with Adam's family
• seeing our 2 godsons, and their new little sister, and their mom

The picture above is Adam with one of our godsons and our little goddaughter. I love watching Adam with the boys - they adore him, calling him "Uncle Adam", and my husband is so great with them. He's been a huge part of their lives since the day they were born, and it's a privilege for me to be grafted in to their lives as "Aunt Leigh." Watching Adam love them gives me a glimpse of the kind of father he will be to our little girl - and I couldn't be more excited to get to raise a child with this man. I pray that she will learn integrity, humility and confidence from her dad.

We came back to Dallas so refreshed, and so grateful for the Oklahoma family and friends we have.

Dear Baby Girl

Dear Baby Girl,

It is such an honor to get to be your Mom. I love you more each day, and your Dad is already crazy about you. We haven't named you yet, but know that you are such a joy to your parents already...and a joy to your grandparents (see balloon), aunts, uncles, friends...and I'm sure to your cousins too, but they are a little young right now to really appreciate how exciting it is. 

I haven't felt you move much yet...or at all. I told your dad last night that it scares me a little, because I really don't know what's going on in there... and I can't control it. Are you ok? Are you getting everything that you need? Am I hurting you in some way? In my better moments, I remember to pray and ask the Lord to protect you. Other times, I worry about what will happen to you. But eventually, I remember that it's such a privilege and a responsibility to carry you, and I am grateful to the Lord for each day that He gives us with you. Every day is a gift, and I am thankful to Him at the end of the day for another day to enjoy you.

Sometimes I wonder if you will be tall or short, if you'll have curly hair like me, or straight hair like your Dad. Will you love sports? Will you love music and dance? Will you be loud and outgoing, or quiet and reserved? It's fun to dream about who you are, and who you will become, but the one thing that I pray for you more than anything, is that you will know your heavenly Father. 

He is the one who has already numbered your days, and He's the One whom your dad and I are trusting in to care for you and to grow and develop you. Psalm 139 talks about each of us being knit together in our mother's wombs...and that He has already determined every day of your life. I pray that your dad and I will parent and disciple you in a way that points you to Jesus. As much as we love you, know that He loves you so much more. He is the one who will never leave you or forsake you. 

We love you, little one, and we can't wait to meet you. We are so proud of you!

Love,

Mom

Welcome to our blog!

Adam and I decided to start a blog tonight to help keep our wonderful friends and family updated as we transition to a new stage in life...and still transitioning to the chapter of marriage. Check back for more news from us!

The best news we've heard this week came from our 21-week doctor's appointment. We found out that we are having a baby girl! We're thrilled, and so grateful that she is growing exactly as she should. We love knowing more about her, and we are thankful for each day the Lord gives us to enjoy her.

We're hoping to put lots of pictures on our blog, so here's one of our favorite ones from when we were engaged.