The phone just rang and my heart about leaped out of my chest. It was my Dad on the caller id. Our phone never rings past 10pm and usually not past 9pm. Okay, actually it doesn't really ring at night because I think everyone respects family time and bed time is happening with the kids. But, tonight my Dad called. As soon as I answered the phone, he said "Mandi. Nothing is wrong. I have good news. Matt just got saved."

My Dad does not go to church and hasn't for a few decades. I'm not quite sure if He will ever go back to church. A few months before we moved, he got a job at a golf course. The man is totally addicted to golf and from what I hear, he's good at it too. Last week he got a promotion and is now the assistant pro. He is busier than he has been in years and I am so happy for him. This new position also comes with health and dental insurance and that gives me a huge peace of mind. Anyway, he works with a young guy in his twenties, Matt, at the golf course. It seems that my Dad really adores this kid and vice versa. In fact my Dad talks about Matt's golf swing like he talks about my singing. Of course my Dad thinks I am awesome, I am his daughter! But my Dad brags on Matt a lot! Just recently, Matt's girlfriend broke up with him. They had moved in together and planned on getting engaged but soon after renting the apartment, she dumped him. Dad said that he was really worried about him and asked me to pray for him. Dad also said that Matt had been going to a huge church in the area but, quit going because the girlfriend still went there.

While my Dad hasn't been in church in a very long time, I know he still really loves the Lord (not that you have to go to church to love God. PLEASE!). Despite the issues my Dad has had in life, he always knows that God will take care of him. That is something pretty cool that my Dad taught me. My Dad really believes that God is His friend and He taught me the same. He wasn't a perfect Dad but he taught me a lot about God. I've watched this man hurt in some unimaginable ways but still find His way back to God.

Dad said a few weeks back that God had given him a lot of opportunities to talk to Matt about God but he said he wasn't sure if he really got it or not. My Dad also said that the pain of the breakup has made him much more receptive to hearing it too. I honestly believe that my Dad has lost sleep over this kid. He really cares about him. So tonight Matt heard from his girlfriend. She wanted to come pick up some of her stuff later in the week and he "lost it". Inside his apartment he started crying, throwing things and just totally freaking out in anger. All of the sudden, someone knocked on the door. He looked out the window and it was two guys. Matt opened the door and found out it was two guys from a local church. Come to find out, his door was the first door they knocked on. Those two guys led Matt to Christ tonight! He is NOW a Christ Follower!

So my Dad gets a phone call that goes something like this. "Steve, I got saved tonight. I have not been eating, sleeping or anything but now I feel excited. Everything you have been saying made since tonight and those guys told me about Jesus and how I could have a relationship with him so I did it! And now I am on my way out to go eat somewhere. I have not had a full meal in weeks and now I feel like eating. I'm so happy. I don't even care about that relationship anymore! I have so much joy that I can't even explain. I can't get over how filled up I feel!"

Very few churches do "door to door outreach" anymore. I can see the good and bad in that. Regardless, tonight someone knocked on Matt's door and he answered. He was hurting, confused and desperate and now He has a brand new life. Someone wasn't afraid to say the name of Jesus, they just went for it and shared the gospel! Sometimes we make it way too complicated, don't we? Accident that those men knocked on his door tonight? Coincidence? I think not!

Romans 10:8 But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Labels: my Dad, prayers answered, salvation

It's been a great day. A HAPPY day! Boy did I need a day like this. It's hard to believe that a day could be so great when your four year old gets FIVE shots and your five month old gets three shots. But through it all, with the the help of a friend, it was success. (Thank you Gina.You have filled me up more than you could ever imagine and you have been a healing balm in a way you could never understand. Don't ever wonder if God is using you, because He is. I will have to share with you HOW He has used you today.)

This afternoon I had a certain song in my head that I could not quit singing. I had heard the song only once until now. We were at church with my parents several months ago and there was a girl there that the pastor introduced as an up and coming Christian artist. I remember seeing her in the congregation before I knew she was a singer. She was beautiful and had a smile that lit up the entire sanctuary. When I found out she was on the gotee record label, I was a little jealous. :) Anyway, when she started singing this song, I got tears in my eyes. I don't think anyone else was crying but there was a line in the song that brought so much joy to my heart. I wanted to add this song to my iPod but I could not remember her name or the name of the song. I just knew she was on the gotee record label. So I looked up gotee records and found her! AYIESHA WOODS is her name and the song is called Happy.

Click on the myspace link I have below and you can listen!

This song has meaning for me in many ways and what was going on in my life back when I first heard it has now passed but it helped me then get through something and today it has done the same. HE is always making beauty out of my mess! Constantly.

Enjoy!

Happy (click here)

Labels: friends, music, prayers answered

Something happened this morning that gave me a new perspective. It's pretty amazing how magical the moment was. But first let me share this.

Last night before I went to bed I prayed that the Lord would clearly show me whether or not to call my doctor back in Grapevine and ask for a zoloft prescription. Late yesterday afternoon I had pretty much come to the conclusion that I was depressed, maybe delayed post partum or something. In fact, I felt relieved just being able to say that my problem was depression. For me it's always nice to be able to put a name to something. I guess that way I feel like I'm not crazy. Yesterday was a breaking point. Most of the day was spent crying. Thankfully I had friends calling me on the phone trying to help me through it. Two of those friends prayed for me out loud over the phone and I just got down on my knees, put my head on the ottoman and sobbed while they prayed. One of them, that is ten years older than me and who I have known since I was twenty years old, told me that God would heal me. "You don't need medicine this time. God can heal you Mandi." Something about hearing, "Mandi" made me realize that God was truly speaking to me through her. And from that moment on, things began to shift.

My husband arrived home before 6pm and took all of us out to dinner at Chili's. I cannot even begin to express how badly I needed that. It wasn't so much the fact that I did not have to cook, it was just sitting across the table from my boys and Jeremy and having Ava Beth sitting next to me as we had a calm dinner. The kids behaved, we laughed. we connected. It was a moment that I knew God gave to me as a gift.

After we got home, we sat on the couch and watched two episodes of a TV show we have been watching on DVD. The kids behaved, Jeremy and I sat together and we enjoyed the evening. Bedtime wasn't stressful, it was a good evening.

Ezekiel woke up this morning at 1:30am, 3:30am and then again at 5:30am. He usually sleeps all night but the past couple of weeks the teething has interrupted his sleep and my sleep. But when he woke up at 5:30am, I decided to stay awake. Jeremy did not have to leave the house this morning until 6:30am (that's late for him) so I fed Zeke, put him back to bed and cleaned the kitchen, did some laundry and read my Bible. My accountability group is reading Genesis (which I am very excited about) so I started my reading today out on my back porch with a hot cup of coffee. As I sat there reading I was a little distracted by the birds singing. Seriously, there were tons of birds landing on my fence singing. I find that to be kind of strange in a neighborhood of new construction and backyards with no trees, but there were birds everywhere. But through those birds, I knew God was speaking.

There is just something about getting up early before everyone else does to start my day. Instead of the day controlling me, I get to control the day. Just hearing the sound of the dishwasher running, the washer and dryer running and the coffee pot dripping, while everyone else is sleeping makes me feel like I'm doing my job and giving it my all. I think about my old blog, Far More Than Rubies. The Lord gave me that title when I was studying Proverbs 31. I struggle so much to find my worth in this world and I tend to always loose perspective when I forget that the only one that can show me that my worth is far more than rubies is Jesus. He's the only one. I know that we hear and read about the Lady of Virtue a lot. I have read several blogs that are named after a verse in that passage, just like mine was. It's obvious that women are wanting to find their place, find their worth and seek Him in their daily life. I believe that is why we are drawn to that passage in Proverbs 31. I've tried to be that woman many times and I wonder quite often how she found the strength to do all that is written about her. But the biggest thing in that passage that stands out to me is that "She gets up while it is still dark." Something about that early morning hour have her the solitude she needed, the time she needed to refocus and commit that day to the Lord so that she could be the woman God created her to be.

Yesterday I was convinced that what I have been going through was depression. I'm not against medicine, I think it is a great tool in helping with depression. If that is what God wants me to do, I will do it. Jeremy, my husband, does not feel that this is depression. He truly feels that I have been attacked spiritually and that God is trying to press in and show me something. Reading the book of Genesis reminds me that right now I am in the midst of a new beginning. God is creating so many new things in my life right now and it requires me to commune with Him like never before. This morning I felt the cloud lift. I can see, I can talk, I can feel. It's not foggy like it was. The weight has been lifted. And the only thing I did was pray that God would heal my mind and heal my body. I prayed that He would give me a fresh start. He gave me strength this morning to get up and I feel renewed. I truly believe that I serve a God that heals and I am going to pray that He continues to heal me.

Getting up early won't be easy but I know it's what the Lord wants me to do. I've done it before and then having the third baby kind of threw me off, understandably. It's going to take some accountability (okay A.F.??) and discipline but I truly believe that this is how the Lord wants me to start my day. Please pray for me as I make this commitment. Oh and I must say that seeing Jeremy come down the stairs this morning smiling at me for being up early, made my day! I walked him out the door with his waffles and Dr. Pepper. And that was worth all of it!

Because when I seek Him and seek Him with all of my heart, I will find Him. And this morning I was seeking.
(Jeremiah 29:13)

Labels: prayers answered, praying for truth

Well, I spent most of the afternoon at something called "CPD", also known as Church Planter Development. I have been to a couple of them before. One was with our old church that was also a church plant and the other was when we came here for our initial visit to Austin. There is a lot of information to take in and a lot of processing to go through once you leave and for me I would say a lot of wrestling as well. But this is why we are here, this is the stuff we love and to be a part of it is amazing. I know there will be many more blogs I write just about this journey we are on as we help plant a church. Our leader is awesome! We trust him, we love his vision and we appreciate his heart. Today was fun! Even though it was filled with a lot of information, it was enjoyable. These people are our family. It's a family we have chosen and that makes it even more incredible. We all live down the road from one another and I have already learned that we are all here to help one another since none of us have family here. I can't even begin to tell you how cool it is to be a part of something brand new, to be present for the actual birth! The bond we will share during this process will be unbelievable.

Everyone asks, "Where do y'all meet?" Well, we don't have a Sunday service yet. Jeremy and I are so glad that our Church Planter/Leader/Pastor is not spending all of his time trying to get a building, trying to find a school to have service, trying to buy a sound system (which this is usually the first thing a new church does). Instead, we are reaching out to the community first. So since we don't have Sunday service, everyone usually goes to service twice a month. One Sunday is spent at Mitch's church (Kyle's coach and our CPD trainer) and another Sunday is spent at a local sponsor church which happens to be in our neighborhood. The other Sundays are spent with one another. Tomorrow was not a scheduled church day but now it is.

During CPD today, Mitch asked if I would be available to sing at his church tomorrow. For some reason all of the female singers are not able to be there tomorrow. I was kind of shocked when he asked. First of all, he has never heard me sing! Second of all, I have not sang in a corporate worship setting in almost two years! As soon as he asked me, my heart started pounding and I did not know what to say but I saw my friend Erika's head turn quickly towards me to see what I was going to say. When I looked at her she had a HUGE smile on her face and at that moment I felt like saying yes! And I did. I said yes.

So Resonate Community will all be going to church tomorrow! I am so glad they will be there. They are my family and I need them.

God is pretty cool, He really is. And that's all I've got to say tonight folks. I am singing six songs, all but two I do not know. But thank goodness I can hide behind harmonizing and an add lib here and there! Also, there is a TELEPROMPTER!!! :)

Tonight I am going to bed with a big smile on my face. It's great to have friends and it's great to be in the CENTER of God's will and KNOW IT! Does that make sense? Well, most of you know what I mean!

It's been a long process to get to this place. I am so excited to finally be through a lot of the crap we have gone through to get here!

Labels: a new beginning, a new chapter, music, prayers answered, the journey to RC

Sipping hot coffee with the windows open sure starts my day off right. The Texas breeze feels good. Soon it will be so hot that opening windows will not be an option. It's spring time and in Austin, things seem greener. In fact, it's so green here that my whole family seems to have developed allergies we didn't have back in Dallas. I think it's worth the trade.

Everything is different here. Everything. People are friendlier, more approachable and move a bit slower. I guess I didn't realize how fast pace things were in Dallas until we got here. I am getting used to the new roads I have never traveled, the grocery stores I have never shopped and smiling at the people I have never met. A new trash day, a homeowners association and their rules, a mailbox down the road instead of in front of my house (I miss that) and the HARD water in Austin. As soon as you move into a new home, people begin knocking on the door for alarm companies, pest control, and here in Austin, men offering a water softener because the water is so hard here. It's kind of fun being the center of every one's attention!

Right now I hear the train passing through town (makes me want to sing the Johnny Cash song). There's a train track about a mile away and it's a very busy one. Josiah loves it. His obsession with Thomas the Train has not let up and since he has a grandfather and an uncle that work for Union Pacific Railroad (the track by our house is a UP track), he gets super excited when he hears the train. Just this morning Ava Beth heard the train and started screaming, "PawPaw's train! PawPaw's train!" Some would be annoyed by the busy train track, especially if they are stuck behind it trying to get to Wal Mart. But there is something about those trains blowing their horn that brings me comfort. I don't know what it is, but when I wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom or check on the kids, I often hear the trains driving in from Taylor. When I do, I feel safe. Something about trains makes me feel like I am in a movie, or a dream or in a safe place. I love it. This may be as close to Stuckeyville as I get.

If you love football, Texas is a great place to live. If you love High School Football, Texas is the only place to live! In this town, "Friday Night Lights" is the perfect phrase to describe the heart of this town (the show has even filmed episodes right here in town). The mascot is everywhere you go! People have the mascot in their yards, on their t-shirts, ball caps, on their cars, it's everywhere. It's not even Football Season and I am already anxiously awaiting the Friday night games. The marching bands, the cheerleaders, the players, the cheap nachos and the town "Gods", aka, the coaches! I already bought myself a t-shirt with a Hippo on it. That's right, we are the Hippos! The only Hippo Mascot in the United States and I am pretty sure the only Hippo mascot in the entire world! My husband is actually considering buying an orange Hippo for the yard (everyone has one). Of course it's Orange, just like the University of Texas! I keep trying to talk him out of it but now I think it may be fun to join in and be a part of the Hippo Cult. For those of you that have been to College Station, Texas, you know that it looks like the color burgundy threw up all over the town. Those Aggies are serious about burgundy! So serious that the mailboxes, the cars, even some of the homes, are burgundy. Well, it seems the same kind of insanity is here too. And I think I like it. I feel like I belong to something important.

And what is a small town outside of Austin without a pie shop? It's next door to the "Everything Hippo" Store. Yep, we have a Hippo store! I am hoping my husband will take me over to the pie shop today for Pie Happy Hour. That's right, PIE HAPPY HOUR. Can it get any better than this? I feel like I am living in a town that you read about in Fictional books. People here love their community, they are serious about their community and I can't think of a better place than this to plant a church. The more I am here, the more I realize that we are a part of a major "God thing". I have been saying it a lot lately and I will continue saying it for the rest of my life. There is no greater place to be than in the center of His will.

(outside the Texan Cafe and Debbie's Pies)

And here comes another train...

Labels: prayers answered

Well, what can I say? I am having fun here in my new town! I made my friend Erika take me all over town today so I could find the nearest Target, Old Navy and of course the Round Rock outlets! Wow, I love that place!! And now that I know how to get to those places, I feel a whole lot better. As long as there is Target, I will be okay.

Jeremy just got home from playing Settlers of Catan with the guys and a lady (you go Cindy!). I have linked the game for you because I have no idea what it is or how to play and I don't think I care to learn how to play. I think it would just make me feel dumb and I don't like feeling dumb! So while he played, I got to spend time watching a show with Erika (thanks for keeping me busy Erika). The kids played, fought and screamed at one another while I pushed pause on the DVR at least fifty times to say "Ava Beth, knock it off. Ava Beth, you need to share. Ava Beth, we don't hit! Ava Beth, you are going to bed!" We ate pop-corn, drank diet coke and laughed at the dumb show we were watching. What fun!

I share all of these details with you because my life has been missing this kind of stuff for about two years now. Jeremy hasn't really had guy time, and I have not had consistent social time either. For a while I did not think I wanted to enter back into this kind of world but now that I have it again, I wonder how on earth i made it this long without it! What a blessing to have friends within walking distance or friends just across the road.

There is so much I am feeling right now. There is so much God is doing and He is blessing us so much. Even though I miss my family, there is no way I would go back. God has His hand all over this and we both see it, we both know it and that's what makes it so much fun! When I think about what God has done over the last MONTH, I am amazed. My prayers have truly been answered in ways I never imagined.

(Tiff, Kelly Ann, can you believe how social I am being? I know you are proud!! Maybe the "I" in me is coming back out again!)

Labels: prayers answered

This morning I do not take my hot cup of coffee and warm bowl of oatmeal for granted, not even for a second. It's more than just a cup of coffee or a bowl of oatmeal, it's much more. As I sip my cup of coffee and eat my oatmeal while checking emails, I realize how blessed I am. Josiah and Ava Beth are in their rooms playing, Ezekiel is taking a morning nap and I just loaded the dryer with a load of clothes. Just hearing the laughs of the kids or the screams, hearing the sound of the air purifier in the baby monitor and hearing the buttons of the jeans hitting the inside of the dryer as it runs, happens to be music to my ear.

At times the day to day is frustrating. For I wish I could jump in the car all by myself and head to the mall! At times it seems that all I do is referee between my four year old and two year old. For I wish they could get along for an entire day without one disagreement! At times marriage can be so difficult. For it's nothing like what's in the movies! At times it seems the laundry is never caught up and the truth is, it isn't. At times I think taking care of my three children is the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. Well, it is. But this is still the greatest life ever!

I will never get over it. I will never get over the fact that I am living my dream. It is impossible for me to forget those days of living alone as a single adult and wondering if I will ever be married or have children. In about four weeks I will turn thirty one years old and still it seems like that twenty-four year old girl waiting on her dreams to come true was just yesterday. I can't even imagine my life without my husband, he is my best friend. And what on earth did I do with myself before there was Josiah, Ava Beth and Ezekiel? I'm guessing I slept a lot. Sleeping was once one of my favorite things to do!

Quite often I will look around and think to myself, "Wow. I am really here. This is the family I dreamt of my whole life." After growing up the way I did, after living in a home with so much pain and heartache, after watching my Dad drink years and years of his life away, I can't help but stand amazed at how my life has turned out. The nights and nights I prayed and cried out to the Lord as a young girl, asking Him to give me a normal family. Even then I could hear His voice telling me that my prayers would be answered in ways that I never imagined. The years I felt unloved, insignificant and ugly, I never thought the life I have now was even possible.

How blessed I am to actually be living my dream. Not very many people in this world get to see their dreams become reality but I have. I am doing everything I have always wanted to do and the best is yet to come. My friend Kathy tells me that God is not finished with me, He's got more dreams to fulfill. She said, "You still got stuff in layaway!" And she's right, there's more!

You see it's not just any cup of coffee or any bowl of oatmeal. It's a cup of coffee I can sip in my beautiful home with my beautiful family. It's a bowl of oatmeal that fills me up in ways I can't even describe. It's a dream come true and I'm never going to stop thanking God for it.

Thank you Jesus for saving my life and bringing me out of so much pain. Thank you for this dream come true.

Labels: prayers answered