IN GOD SHE TRUSTS

Completely.

To Meet All Of Her Needs.

Unconditionally.

To Fight For Her.

Solely. 

To Give Her Strength.

Wholeheartedly.

To Fulfill All Of His Promises. 

"Trust in the LORD forever,
   for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal."

Isaiah 26:4

Loving HIM with all my heart & soul,

Nancy

Words of Wisdom

from my 10 year old...

She bought this for me at her school book fair.  So what exactly is she trying to say??!!!  That things are back to normal at our house??!!!

Loving HIM with all my heart & soul,
Nancy

Family Fun

Just picking up a few snacks - for 14 people!

(My sister-in-law Gena, my sister Nicole & me)

It took 2 carts to get them upstairs

I recognize those feet...

they belong to this beautiful face - Avery!

Here's Sydney getting drenched

Did anybody else want some broccoli??!!!

Uhh Nana, did you forget to put sunscreen on your feet?

The book club

Faith going for a freezing cold swim

A friendly game of Cousin Candy Land

 

The sooner everyone looks at the camera & smiles, the sooner we can go play! Say "CHEESE!"

(Devon & Tanner in the back;  Faith, Avery, Grace, Lindsey, & Sydney in the front)

Faith & Tanner glad to be at the beach with their cousins

Uncle Jeff Guest!  You aren't suppose to be in this picture!

The whole crew




A sight for sore eyes! 
This is my brother Shane who spent 3 months in the hospital.  So many of you prayed for him and God answered.  THANK YOU!

 

A game of chess anyone? 

I just turned 3 so look out! 

I've got skills!

Or a relaxing ride in the lazy river?

What about a game of checkers?

Mmmm. Krispy Kreme.  Hot & Now.

Sydney the Supervisor making waffles for breakfast while watching Matlock!

Sydney & Faith on the seesaw. 

My hubby is playing volleyball in the background.

Two brave cold souls

Faith doing her pumpkin impression in the jacuzzi

Cold?  Who said anything about being cold??!!!

Gena & I were FREEZING!

T-Man doing what he loves...

skateboarding

at the skate park

Maureen, a family friend, & T-Man taking their annual picture

Faith wanted her turn too!

Maureen and her family own Nibils Restaurant at the beach.  It used to be on the Surfside Pier but now it's on 33rd Ave. N. on Kings Hwy. in Myrtle Beach.  Great food. Great family. Go visit.

Who needs a bowl??!!! 

Certainly not Devon, Nana or Faith!

They volunteered to finish off the ice cream before we left. What a sacrifice!

But somebody had to do it!

Made you smile!

Vacation certainly did make us smile and laugh.  We had a great time.  It was quite relaxing, especially when the biggest decision we had to make each day was what to eat for dinner! The worst part of vacation was having to come home - to reality!  And Faith Wrenn having swimmer's ear in both ears.

"The LORD has done great things for us,
   and we are filled with joy."  Psalm 126:3

Loving HIM with all my heart & soul,

Nancy

Spring Break...

Cousins in the sand

Loving HIM with all my heart & soul,

Nancy

This picture says it all...

The car is in drive, but the gas tank is on empty & the warning light is shining brightly.

This is how I feel right now!!!  Life is back to "normal" (in drive) but my motivation is on empty.  I know the warning light is on. 

When I took this picture on Thursday (sorry about the quality - I had to use my phone) I asked God, "Since my van doesn't have any gas, does this mean I can just stay at home??!!!"  He immediately responded "No.  It means you have to refuel!"

Thankfully, spring break is this upcoming week, and my family & I have some fun relaxing things planned.  I'm really looking forward to it.  We truly need this time together.

Loving HIM with all my heart & soul,
Nancy

WALKING WITH GOD

even when she would rather be RUNNING with Him!  Knowing that His timing is perfect. Waiting.  Anticipating.  Growing.  Walking.  One step at a time.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet
   and a light for my path."  Psalm 119:105

"Wait for the LORD;  be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."  Psalm 27:14 

Loving HIM with all my heart & soul,
Nancy

COURAGEOUS

A forgiven and redeemed child of God sharing her personal story out of love and obedience to her Heavenly Father.  For His Kingdom.  For the sake of another.  For His Glory.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”   Joshua 1:9

If you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then you too have a story to share.  Someone needs to hear it.  Be courageous enough to share it.

If you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, give Him your heart today.  How?  Simply tell Him you are a sinner and you need Him.  He will forgive you.  He will restore you.  He will give you hope.  Then let me know & we can talk about how to grow in your relationship with Him.

Loving HIM with all my heart & soul,

Nancy

Birthday Blessings Part 2

Psalm 100

 ¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
 ² Worship the LORD with gladness;
   come before Him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the LORD is God.
   It is He who made us, and we are His;
   we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

 ⁴ Enter His gates with thanksgiving
   and His courts with praise;
   give thanks to Him and praise His name.
⁵ For the LORD is good and His love endures forever;
   His faithfulness continues through all generations.

Better late than never!  I have written so many posts in my head that have never made it to my blog.  So, this week, I'm trying to get caught up - motivation willing.

God speaks to us in so many ways, and for my birthday He spoke loud and clear through repetition.  He has to do that often for us stiff-necked folks:)  

Let me explain...

On Sunday March 6, I asked my husband what they discussed in Sunday School.  He said they had just started a new study on Philippians - the JOY book.  He and I talked about chapter 1 on the drive from church to lunch.  *I have been praying for joy for almost a decade now.*

After lunch when we got home, I got Saturday's mail.  In it was a birthday card from our pastor.  Here is what it said,

Philippians 1:6 says, "being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  

Then about an hour later, I received a text message from my friend Leann in Columbia.  She sent me pictures of her notes from her pastor's sermon that morning.  Check them out...

Okay, in a matter of a few short hours, God directed me to the book of Philippians 3 TIMES!!!  Chapter 1 verse 6 seemed to be the recurring theme.  I knew this was God calling me to focus on Philippians with Him during my quiet time.

So the next morning (my birthday), I started with chapter one and was blown away.  God's birthday gift to me?  He answered some questions and explained some emotions I had been struggling with. HUGE.   

Here is what I had been saying to God on numerous occasions during my 2 months of radiation:

"Lord, I have met so many women whose cancer was not caught early.  Instead, it spread.  As a result, they are going through chemotherapy & radiation.  I've met others whose cancer has returned.  I have a friend who has been fighting breast cancer for nearly 12 years now.  I have another one who was just diagnosed again.  I know you have specific plans for every single person You have created.  I know Your ways are so much higher than ours and are always perfect.  They are more than I can fathom. 

But Lord, could You at least give me a little insight into a few things I've been struggling with?  Like why did You choose to have my cancer miraculously found early?  Why had my cancer not spread?  Why did I only need radiation?  Why was I spared from what so many others have to endure with a cancer diagnosis? 

Can you please give me just a glimpse into Your plan?  Can You help me understand?  The guilt is killing me.  I don't like talking to other cancer patients about my diagnosis and treatment because I feel terrible for being so blessed.  What am I suppose to do with this guilt?"

Here is what the Lord said to me through His Word on my birthday, particularly Philippians 1:18 (the last sentence) to verse 26:

"Nancy, I have you right where you are suppose to be so you can be an example of My joy to others.  That is your purpose right now.  In your current circumstance, radiate My joy.  Do not be ashamed.  Do not be filled with guilt.  BE JOYFUL!  And trust Me to take care of the others."

THIS WAS HUGE FOR ME!  It truly was a gift. 

My primary spiritual gift is mercy so I tend to be supersensitive to the feelings of others.  Because of this, I was feeling guilty for being so blessed while others were battling for their lives.  I'm sure that sounds crazy to a lot of you, but it's the truth.  

Since my birthday, God has taken me to John 21:20-22 a few times to help me as well.  It says,

"Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” More messages about JOY from the Lord! 

Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow Me.”  

Peter had received some instructions from Jesus, but then he asked Jesus about John.  You see Jesus' response in red.  Basically, Jesus told Peter to do what he had been called to do - FOLLOW JESUS - and not to worry about what Jesus was doing in John's life.  OUCH!

God's plan for each of us is different.  We can't get side tracked.  We can't compare.  We just have to follow Jesus.  We MUST keep our eyes focused solely on HIM.

Then came the icing on the cake - my confirmation.  I got a birthday card in the mail from my prayer warrior friend Faye.  She put this inside the card...

More messages from the Lord about JOY!

Isn't He utterly amazing??!!! 

Well, He also has a sense of humor!  So, if you feel like laughing, keep reading.  WARNING - this may be TMI for some of you, but I have to share this. 

Right after God revealed all of His JOY messages to me, He had one more message left up His sleeve. 

I had gotten some new undies for Christmas but hadn't opened them yet.  Until my birthday.  That's when I found this in the pack...

a pair of undies several sizes too big!  Hmmm, is God trying to tell me that I have some BIG BRITCHES to fill or is He warning me not to get TOO BIG for my britches??!!!

Loving HIM with all my heart & soul,

Nancy      

Friends

When I think of being the hands and feet of Jesus, I think of my friends.  And going through breast cancer just confirmed it.  They took such good care of me and my family!

Here is my friend Sheri aka "Meals on Wheels"!  She brought us a delicious dinner last week and dashed out the door to deliver a few more to other people God had put on her heart.  She is also the one who felt led to have people bring us meals through the end of March while the effects of radiation lingered after my treatments were completed.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR OBEDIENCE SHERI!  THANK YOU FOR THE FABULOUS DINNER (my family & I gobbled it down in record time!)  THANK YOU FOR BEING MY FRIEND!

Oh yeah, on her dash out the door, Sheri scoped out the blank wall above my love seat. 

On Friday night she tells me she has a plan for my wall!!!  How exciting! I've been looking at that blank wall for a year and 9 months now - without a plan.  But, Sheri has a plan!!!  God did not put us here to do life alone!  We need each other.  In more ways than one!

Here is Marijo with her radiant smile.  She brought dinner on Tuesday - pizza that I had been craving.  THANK YOU MARIJO!!!  She and I met at the fall women's retreat our church had last September.  We are also in MOPS together, and God has given us some other opportunities to get to know each other better as well.  God is doing some big things in her life right now through some very difficult circumstances.  KEEP TRUSTING IN THE LORD MARIJO!  He WILL see you through.  He loves you more than you can imagine!

I have mentioned before that I wanted Scripture on my walls, and that my husband bought me a Cricut machine when it was 60% off for my birthday.  Well, I finally figured out how to use the thing!  I made all of the letters but knew I could not put them on the wall by myself.  So, God sent my friend Cindy over to help me!  She has a very keen eye for detail and spacing (she bakes & decorates cakes, cookies, cupcakes & other yummy desserts. Check out her blog here.)   And in no time, look at this.....

(The slant in this picture is due to the picture angle, not the position of the words!)

FABULOUS!!!  THANK YOU CINDY!!!  She made it look so easy too. 

Then, this past weekend a few of us were able to go to the Priscilla Shirer simulcast at my mom's church.  (FYI - Beth Moore's simulcast on Sept. 10 will also be held at the same church for FREE!!!  Click on WOW upcoming events to register on the church's website.)

God spoke loud and clear through Priscilla too.  There is one thing she said that keeps replaying over and over in my mind..... "God does not speak to be heard. He speaks to be obeyed!" 

Preach it, Sista!  That is what I'm talking about! 

God wants us to OBEY.  ACT.  DO SOMETHING. 

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do."   James 1:22-25

Did you see that??!!!  Obedience leads to blessing!

"Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."  James 2:15-17 

Enough said.

What are you waiting for? 

GO DO SOMETHING.

DO WHAT GOD HAS BEEN TELLING YOU TO DO! 

Stop wasting time.  Go.  Be obedient.

Loving HIM with all my heart & soul,
Nancy