a beautiful prayer

in a song. Can't help but think of this hymn when I think about the new year...Be Thou my Vision...I love it...and it's first on this playlist :)

Be Thou My vision

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight,
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.
Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Son!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O ruler of all.

Merry Christmas!

The girls woke up extra early this morning and laughed when they noticed Santa ate some of his cookies but left some for them...and they were kinda sad that Charlie, our elf, flew back home.

We celebrated Christmas at the Watsons...enjoying one another, opening presents, and eating a heavenly feast :)

Jesus' birth amazes me....God humbling Himself by coming to earth as a baby, to dwell amongst us, show us how to live, and then being perfect and sinless, dying a criminal's death on a cross to pay for our sins.

Merry Christmas!

The Nutcracker!

a note home...

blessed...

The grace of God...

I didn't understand the gospel for a long time. Most of my life, I could of told you that Jesus died and three days later He rose, victorious over sin and death, and that's the good news.

But I didn't understand that He did it all. I still thought I needed to do something. I needed to stop doing x and start doing y.

...and then my heart heard the gospel for the first time just a few years ago. From a passage in 2 Corinthians 5:21, 'God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.'

The word picture is this: When God looked at Jesus on the cross, He saw me (all of my sin), so that when He sees me, He sees Jesus. Jesus did it all...when He sweat drops of blood in the garden, it wasn't because He was about to be crucified, but because He was going to face the full wrath of God and pay the penalty of our sin.

Because of Jesus, there is nothing I can do to earn salvation and there is nothing I can do to lose it. Amazing grace...check out this new video!

getting ready for Christmas...

the elf is back!

and he's watching for good behavior :)

the girls decorated their tree with their ornaments they make at school and church :)

Erin and Brooke are super heros!

and fancy nancy.

give thanks...

"We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is 'good', because is it good, if 'bad' because it works in us patience, humility, and the contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country." C.S. Lewis

For flowers that bloom about our feet;
for tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
for song of bird, and hum of bee;
for all the things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!
Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Some people complain because God put thorns on roses,
while others praise Him for putting roses among thorns."
Anonymous

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him and bless His name. For the Lord is good...."
Psalm 100:4-5a

"The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving."
H.U. Westermayer

"We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction." Harry A. Ironside

"You say, 'if I had a little more, I should be very satisfied. ' You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled." Charles H. Spurgeon

while you weren't...

ASK

Matthew 7:7...ask, seek, knock...

it's a toy story...

Rex, Hamm, Bo Peep, Buzz Lightyear, Woody...to infinity and beyond!

Isaiah...

God's expectations are right, reasonable, and required.
God's standards are clear, right, and unchanging.
Ignoring God and His standards bring His judgment.

Grace thrives when we see how urgently we need to be saved from ourselves.

Seeing the majesty of God is beyond words of understanding.
Seeing the majesty of God opens our eyes to the magnitude of our personal sin.
Seeing the majesty of God, the magnitude of our sin, compels us to share the message of God.

The key to personal revival is the cross.

When you have faith in God, there is no need to fear people or circumstances.
Living by faith in God is a moment to moment choice.

Fear and faith do not co-exist.

in her spare time...

she makes a grocery list for me :)

My List

I need apples, and cake, bananas, gummies, fruit roll-ups, eggs, sausage, oreos, and rice crispy treats :)

Her new grill...

before

during

and after...

A friend called today and asked Erin to tell her about her appointment. Erin said she didn't want to think about it (relive it), so 'I'll tell it to you like it's a story' and then she began...

'Once upon a time, I was so excited! I was going to have a great day...I was getting out of school early and going to lunch with my mom! I was so happy. We ate lunch...had cookies....and then I got four teeth pulled and it turned into the worst day ever. The end.'

So, I underestimated the trauma of today's appointment. I thought it was no big deal. I explained to Erin she would get a shot and it would hurt for a second, while they were injecting, but then she would not feel anything...

The numbness freaked her out and it kinda went downhill from there.

I threw out the rule book...bribes, promises (even to get her a puppy), begging...nothing worked. She was on lock down. I called Kyle and asked him to come help...he did and finally she cooperated.

Super Saturday

Started with 10 for Texas...we ran the race together :) It was a good time and perfect weather! Hit a WALL at 7, but still had fun :) We ran this race in support of Christi Wetzel and brain cancer awareness. I think I enjoyed the race even more this time because it wasn't only about me :)

Rachel, Marcella, me, and Kim :)

Ended with a night with friends and our little ones :)

Davis, Sam, Erin, Drew, Kameron, Tyler, Colin, Brooke, and Harper (not pictured: Shelby, Madeley Jane, and Marshall)

wish you were there....

last night was awesome...

steven curtis chapman...loves God, sings beautiful, meaningful music...

his son, caleb, rocked it last night and you really had to be there...he wrote a song after his little sister's accident...he opened for his dad with his new band and 'we will wait' was his last song. midway through the song, his dad gets on stage to sing the chorus with him...'we will wait' a father and his two sons (the other son is will and he plays the drums in caleb's band :) ) sang together this prayer to God...it was awesome...

scroll down and pause blog music and listen to this song...

buggy and concert...

Yesterday was walk to school day...Kyle and Erin planned on taking the scooter, but it was dead. So, he harnessed the buggy to the back of his bike and Brooke and Erin got in to ride to school. Usually Erin would ride her bike, but they didn't have time for that...so the buggy was unusually heavy and because of that the center of gravity was off...Kyle turned at the bottom of the hill and the buggy flipped.

Brooke face planted into the concrete and she softened Erin's impact...poor girl...she is doing just fine but the left side of her face is swollen...

When Erin got in the house she asked me while she was crying/screaming 'mom! did you know I just did a front flip and then some log rolls?! I don't know WHAT I was doing in there [buggy], I just wanted out!'

cupcake's face...

We ended the night at the Steven Curtis Chapman concert...amazing. A highlight of 2010 for me...

Faithful

I am broken, I am bleeding,

I'm scared and I'm confused,

but You are faithful.

Yes You are faithful.

I am weary, unbelieving.

God please help my unbelief!

Cause You are faithful.

Yes You are faithful.

I will proclaim it to the world.

I will declare it to my heart

And sing it when the sun is shining.

I will scream it in the dark.

You are faithful!

You are faithful!

When you give and when You take away,

even then still Your name

is faithful!

You are faithful!

And with everything inside of me,

I am choosing to believe

You are faithful.

I am waiting for the rescue

that I know is sure to come,

cause You are faithful.

Yes You are faithful.

I've dropped anchor in Your promises,

and I am holding on,

cause You are faithful.

God You are faithful.

I will proclaim it to the world.

I will declare it to my heart

And sing it when the sun is shining.

I will scream it in the dark.

You are faithful!

When you give and when You take away,

even then still Your name

is faithful!

You are faithful!

And with everything inside of me,

I am choosing to believe You're faithful.

So faithful...

Though I cannot have the answer

that I'm wanting to demand,

I'll remember You are God

and everything is in Your hand.

In Your hands you hold the sun, the moon,

the stars up in the sky,

for the sake of Love, You hung Your own Son

on the cross...to die...

You are faithful...

Yes, You are faithful...

When you give and when You take away,

even then, great is Your faithfulness!

Great is Your faithfulness!

And with everything inside of me,

I am choosing to believe You're faithful!

Oh, oh, oh...

Oh, oh, oh...

When you give and when You take away,

even then still Your name

is faithful!

You are faithful!

And with everything inside of me,

I am choosing to believe...

You're faithful...

she did it...

Last Friday, when I picked Erin up from school, she told me her heart was pumping really fast and she was nervous because she wanted to ask the nice lady, who helps her get into my car after school, if she was a Christian. For the last few weeks, Erin has talked about her...she hopes to stand by her during car line because she's 'so nice and really cares about me'...Erin would get in the car and tell me about her and smile really big as she said, 'I think she's a Christian'.

So, last Friday she almost got the nerve up to ask, but got too nervous...I asked why and she said, 'because I'm afraid she may tell me no'...

and then this Sunday's verse was to be strong and courageous...

she evidently took it to heart and when I picked her up this afternoon, she told me that she was brave and she did it! She asked her and the lady said yes :) and asked Erin where she went to church :)

Erin said they will be special buddies...

I love...

Jesus, with all my heart.

Kyle Robert Watson :)

Erin's deep thinking...

Brooke's impulsive dancing when she eats ice cream...

Kam's new talking and serious conversations, especially when I have no idea what she's saying...

Mom and dad retiring here...

D and Cha Cha being the coolest grandparents any granddaughters could want...

Mimi school...

Sonkids teachers...really loving children, not just working...

BSF...

my Sunday School class, multi-generational...bridging the gap and learning from one another...

Ms. Betty.

my neighborhood coming together to pray...

Rachel and BJ living in Bobcat district :)

my friends...

praying with moms for our kids...

spinning with friends...

running with Rachel and Kim...

sermons by Matt Chandler and John MacArthur.

music by Shane and Shane...

cold water...and Dr. Pepper and Coke (the real thing, only)...

our comfy bed...

on that note, goodnight!

the charge, the plea, the verdict...

God's Lawsuit against Judah (today, that's us)
Isaiah 1:2-31

The Charge:
As God's chosen people, this is how you are to live and you are not.

The Plea:
Change your behavior (repent) and do what is right.

The Verdict:
Be restored or be destroyed.

**Conviction of sin is the lance of the divine Surgeon letting the infection out.**

Because He is Good

Isaiah

We started our Isaiah study today in BSF!! This is the verse that I think I'll have in my mind and on my heart this year:

The grass withers and the flower fades, but God's word stands forever. Isaiah 40:8

How very temporary life is, except for His word. It stands forever. I'm so grateful to be apart of something that is of eternal value!!

Favorite quote from the mind of a 3 year old (I'm teaching 3's this year!):

Teacher: Who's word is true? (supposed to answer God's, instead...)
Little one: MY DADDY'S! (with a how do you like that look :) )

Principals from Isaiah 1:1

Intimacy with God changes us and our influence in the world.

Knowing God intimately puts all of life into the proper perspective.

Go Bears!

back to our old stomping ground!

are you excited?

what?

I don't know!

okay, let's

go!

Good Morning!

TGIF!

while e's away...

b will play...

A gecko crawled into the back door when Erin left this morning and went behind the dryer...B looked and looked for him and then went to the pantry and came out with a fly swatter and said, 'okay, gecko, it's time to get serious'.

2 minutes later I saw her spinning in this chair and singing to her get well card from Kelly that sings (see middle right) bow wow wow yippie yo yippie yay.

she said...

e had a hard day...she held back tears until they put her in my car and she let them flow...

she said she did not have a great day...
she said I can't believe I was there until supper...
she said she asked the teacher if she could go home and it was still morning...
she said she asked if she could go home all day and the teacher kept saying no...
she said I missed you so much, I didn't know I was going to miss you so bad...
she said I'm not allowed to be silly...
she said if I hear one more rule, I'm out of there...
she said I can't believe you signed me up for this...
she said please call and cancel my reservation tomorrow!
she said I can't do this another day, and you said I have to do this for 13 years!
she said her teachers were not really nice (except for Ms. Riley), that they don't love me like you do...

went to dad's office, to berrypop, and tonight we keep telling her tomorrow will be better! friends brought cookies to encourage her and one, of our many sweet neighbors, had a party for all the little ones going to school yesterday, called to ask her about her day...she is feeling encouraged and confident that His mercies are new every day!

Off she goes!

in the car with daddy...

she picked out her outfit :)

and is excited to make friends...

this is how our family began, and Lord willing, this is where it will return...

I can't help but think of the illustration James Dobson gives of preparing your children for independence...a kite analogy...how you work hard to get it off the ground and as it takes off for flight, the rope slowly slips out of your hand as your kite flies higher and higher...

Our baby goes to Kindergarten...

tomorrow. I can't believe it. It's so exciting, but feels bittersweet. Bitter because I loved the endless days with her, her naivety, watching her play with her two little sisters, her excitement over small things, and carefreeness (maybe I just made that word up...don't know, back pain affects the brain) towards all things. I don't want those things to change.

But, when this sadness wells up inside, I'm quickly reminded of what is sad. Sad would be if Erin didn't grow up to go to Kindergarten...

So, I will let this moment just be sweet...not bitter...and with a thankful heart, I will let her go tomorrow and trust in the knowledge that God is with her when I am not.

update:
grocery shopping the day before school starts = nowhere to park and no ziplock sandwich bags left;
picking out outfit for first day of school with Erin = no more carefreeness

Over the Sun

We are studying Ecclesiastes at church. It's awesome because it's so true. Solomon was wealthy, had more money than Carlos Slim Helu, and he sought out the pleasures of this life 'under the sun', but he finds the secret to life is hidden over the sun...a relationship with the God of the universe. All the other pleasures are like chasing the wind and cannot satisfy. Only God can. Listen to the song playing...Over the Sun by Shane and Shane :)

after nap...

dazed and confused

media room

Erin is creative. She's industrious. She improvises.

Kameron and Brooke are down for their Sunday afternoon naps and Erin is enjoying free time. Kyle and I are resting, but we hear noise coming from the dining room. We check it out and get a good afternoon laugh :)

a little bit of hair showing and we know where she is...

Kyle lifts the skirt...

and we can see her watching a movie on an old iphone in her media room...

UPDATE: Brooke wakes up from nap...

and Erin gets to share her inspiration with sister...

You're Beautiful

I took pictures in my backyard last Saturday...the sky was glowing and a storm was coming...my heart was singing this song...

I see Your face in every sunrise

The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes

The world awakens in the light of the day

I look up to the sky and say

You're beautiful

I see Your power in the moonlit night

Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright

We are amazed in the light of the stars

It's all proclaiming who You are

You're beautiful, You're beautiful

I see you there hanging on a tree

You bled and then you died and then you rose again for me

Now you are sitting on Your heavenly throne

Soon we will be coming home

You're beautiful, you're beautiful

When we arrive at eternity's shore

Where death is just a memory and tears are no more

We'll enter in as the wedding bells ring

Your bride will come together and we'll sing

You're beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful

I see Your face, You're beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful

I see Your face, You're beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful

I see Your face, I see Your face

I see Your face, You're beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful

where....

have I been? Christian Rap :) Preach it, rap it, live it, just don't waste your life!

Montgomery County Youth

Our Sunday School class took on the 'transformation' of young teens and pre-teens rooms at MCYS on Saturday. Mark told the youth we weren't from the government, but from the body of Christ :) We believe in a big God, not a big government :)

Click here to see the before and after video.

Just listen to the song playing! Praising and Rejoicing in Christ alone this morning!! Happy Thursday!

In Christ alone

My hope is found

He is my life, my strength, my song

This Cornerstone , this solid Rock

Firm through the fierces, drought and storm

What heights of Love, what depths of Peace,

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

my Comforter, my all in all

Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless babe

This gift of love and righteousness,

scorned by the ones He came to save,

Till on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied;

For every sin on him was laid

Here in the depth of Christ I live

There in the ground , His body lay,

Light of the world by darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious day

Up from the grave He rose again!

And as He stands in victory,

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me

For I am His and He is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death

This the pow'r of Christ in me,

From life's first cry, to final breath.

Jesus commands my destiny

No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from his hand

Till he returns or call me home

Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand .....

Big Tooth

I was sitting next to Erin the other day and I noticed something in her mouth while she was talking to me. It was a big tooth pushing through out of nowhere. I asked her how long she had noticed it and she said for a few days she thought she had some apple crust/seed stuck in her teeth (she meant apple skin that sometimes lodges itself between her bottom teeth). She said she had been licking it for a few days. I was laughing at how she was describing this new alien tooth in her mouth. Dr. Oakley, can you help us?? Enjoy the pic!

Erin's first big tooth!

Reunion

Mom and Dad got everyone together for our Tower Reunion...up in Cannon Beach, Oregon with breath taking views and the most beautiful weather....

My grandparents marriage began and ended on the Mckenzie River. They loved the river, enough to name their first born son, my dad, after it...Michael Mckenzie. They were married in Mckenzie Bridge, lived on the River for sixty years, and asked the family to spread their ashes there upon their passing...

standing outside our cabin in the woods...

Dad speaking at his parents memorial service on the Mckenzie River...

family gathering to remember their love story...

Dad, Mom, and my brother...

Allice and Don's ashes...spread over the Mckenzie

Kam and Kyle looking at the beautiful, loud, clear, and COLD Mckenzie River...

family picture :)

oh yes, our Brooke Mckenzie...she was so proud and absolutely loved seeing the river she was named after :)