A Mountain Top Moment

P E A C E F U L

To choose a single favorite moment from our trip to Colorado is way too hard. I don’t know if I have an all-time favorite but there is one that has stood out more than the rest.

It was on the second day of hiking. We were driving through the mountains, trying to find our hiking trail, and no we didn’t get completely lost, but I finally just sat back in the seat and started to soak it all in… driving through the mountains, the windows down and the icy mountain air brushing across my face, my hands out the window feeling the breeze with the Jesus music blaring, yet all I saw and felt was a horizon filled with breathtaking snow topped mountains and peace.

This is my happy place. This is my moment. This is peaceful. This is priceless.

I realized in this moment that life is good. God is good always. And trials become good. Yeah we got kind of lost in the mountains but I was only lost in the beauty and majesty of this place.

Then… it started snowing. What could be better? It was magnificent. Glorious and perfect. You could see the clouds of blustering snow come in and covering the green tree filled mountain side. It only lasted for ten minutes or so but seeing that and knowing who created it was worth a thousand tree covered mountains.

- Mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of Your Name - Chris Tomlin

During these moments the only words I could really say was thank you, God. My heart was full and I could not express exactly how I felt except thank You Lord for who You are and for the daily blessings that You give me—the both small and big ones.

“It’s a crazy life” accurately describes mine. The past month has been one of the best times of my life. It was a jammed packed life session but so worth every moment. My head rarely hit the pillow, my car ran and ran, my mind was constantly filled with thoughts, to do lists, test knowledge, and my hands never stopped moving.

I look back over the days and think of how incredibly blessed I am. God is good, always, and I see that more and more every day I live on this earth. My time in the mountains helped me realize that life is about the One who created all of this. I serve Him and only Him. My life, who I am, what I do or have just done (graduated for high school) is not about my accomplishments but solely about the One who moves mountains and calms the seas.

- I live my life to declare You are King -

I love my life. I truly do. I love the good times and the bad. I am growing to like the bad times more because it is when I encounter trials that I truly grow and see more of how great my God is.

James 1:2-3, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." (NASAB)

In the moment on the mountain I breathed for the first time in a long time. I couldn’t form all the words of gratitude that I wanted to say so I just said thank you over and over. Remember to take those moments in your crazy life to recognize God and thank Him for who He is and what He has done and is doing in your life.

Holla to my mountains… see you again in three weeks.

~Gracie

Happy Mother's Day to a Most Amazing Woman

« Meaningful Mondays »

Of course I am tempted to start out with the cliché saying that I have the best mother in the world and mine is better than yours. But no, while I still may think that, mothers are not to be compared but rather praised simply for who they are. God knew we all needed different mothers with different strengths and weaknesses to teach us different things throughout life.

I honestly do not know how my mother does it. She is literally amazing. Somehow she manages to teach school to seven kids, she cleans, she cooks, she watches two adorable toddlers, she councils dad, she hardly freaks out about all the things that don’t go as planned each day, she makes everyone laugh, and somehow she manages to stay composed without pulling her hair out. And she does all of this each day. But I do not want to focus on all the “busy” things she does throughout the day but rather the women behind the actions. The reasons she does what she does every day without fail.

She is a woman full of sacrifice. Each day she gets up early to make breakfast for all of us famished animals. She chose to homeschool all seven of us for 13 years without fail. She could have created a career and gone after the world’s view of success, but no, she decided to be a mother and man am I thankful for that.

She never gets her nails done and drives us all around the country to wherever we want to go instead of going on a girl’s date (which she needs to go more often). She spends all of her time, her resources, her energy, she heart, and her life pouring into her family. Each moment she makes a selfless decision to bless someone else rather than giving into desires for self-comfort.

^ This is our relationship ^

She is a selfless woman full of humility. I have never seen anyone do the things she has done and gone through the situations she has witnessed and come out as graceful and selfless as she is. She is a woman clothed in Christ rather than expensive price tags and a fake image. Her beauty is in her heart. And her heart is the size of a mountain. All the love that she selfless gives to just her kids and husband each day is amazing. And it doesn’t stop there but she uses each opportunity to bless someone else with an encouraging note, a meal she prepared, or a kind word. She hardly ever does something that she actually wants to do but rather seeks out opportunities to serve others.

She has a servant’s heart. She never seeks to be recognized for what she does but is content with being in the background, serving away (well sorry, not getting away with that this year). She throws her whole heart into everything and finds her worth solely in Christ.

She is wise. My goodness, so very wise. I come to her at least once every week and explode into an explanation of how my life is going to fall apart. But, within moments she calms me down and puts things back into perspective. She is a constant encouragement to me. I know that if mom can make it through the day, there is no doubt that I can. The Spirit never fails to work through her to get to me.

She is a woman of commitment. She is committed to her husband who she faithfully loves no matter how much of a dork he is. She is committed to walking with Christ and raising her children. She is committed to showing everyone she meets a little bit of Jesus.

This kind of comes close to how crazy we are

She is my friend. As an 8 year-old I never thought of my mom as being my friend. Now I wouldn’t know what to do if she wasn’t my friend. We talk, we laugh, we pray, we cry, we encourage each other, and most importantly we love. We love each other and Christ. It is a blessing to have gained another friend that I know will never judge me or turn their back on me.

She is strong. She is an encourager. She is modest. She is a life giver. She is a Proverbs 31 woman.

Proverbs 31:25-29, “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future. She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teachings of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.” (NASAB)

And to all the other mothers and godly women who have also impacted my life, thank you. Just because you never had kids or do not yet does not mean that you are not a momma to someone. Women are designed to nurture and love on kids. Thank you to my mother’s friends who are like my second mom, my teachers, instructors, coaches, youth group leaders, the list is long of women who have left an imprint on my heart that will forever remain. Thank you all for being wonderful, God filled role models.

I feel like I still cannot completely put into words exactly how I feel about my mom, she is simply incredible. I hope one day I will be at least half the woman and mother that she is. She is inspirational, full of wisdom, absolutely adorable, completely hilarious and full of life, she bears the weights of this world with grace, she lets the love and light of Christ shine through her in everyone she interacts with, SHE IS GOLDEN.

Proverbs 31: 10, “An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far beyond jewels.” (NASAB)

 And I know she is golden only because of the Christ living within her.

When spring and summer roll around and she forgets to plant flowers, dad and I remind her that she was met to raise children not plants. And can I get an AMEN to that?! ;)

7 of her blessings

I love you with all my heart, Mommy!

~Gracie

Story Time about God’s Goodness

« Meaningful Mondays »

This is going to be a personal God experience random thought letter so bear with me. I will be sharing some God moments that have happened during the past week or so.

God. Is. Good.

God is so good. Plain and simple. It is hard to find words to describe how good, wonderful, and awesome He is. God is truly INDESCRIBABLE. This verse has become one of my favorites:

Ephesians 3:20, "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably

more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at

work within us" (NIV)

One of the reasons I love this verse so much is because I am seeing it play out in my daily life. It is amazing. Again and again I see God show up and blow my mind. He brings me to tears almost every day (or really close). Christ is working in my life and it is THE COOLEST thing that has ever happened to me.

Story time! Just last week I was on my way to get ready for prom when my mom gets the mail. A few moments later I find out that I won a scholarship. Yah! Praise God. It was such a surprise and joy to know that my hard work was paying off.

A few days later I was at work and taking a small break. I looked down at my phone for a moment and saw that I had won another scholarship. This one was larger than the other one and had required a lot more work. I was literally blown away. I broke out in tears of joy. I was overwhelmed.

One of my goals is to not go into debt while in college. These scholarships are an answer to many prayers. And I received two of them not simply one, which would have been good enough for me. But I guess God saw fit to bless me in this way.

I look back now and see how His timing for all of this was completely perfect. I had applied for several scholarships a few months ago and was now waiting. I waited some more and then learned that I did not receive a couple of them. That was kind of discouraging and I was close to just giving up the idea of receiving any when suddenly, out of nowhere, God comes and blesses my world.

So, that is the end of my little story. But my lesson to you all is: never give up. God is a good and He has so much planned for your life. He wants to bless you beyond your wildest dreams. Let Him be God and run your show. He will do a wayyy better job than you could ever do.

/ He is a Good God /

Blessings,

Gracie

20 things I've learned about LOVE from my parent's 20 years of marriage

In honor of my parent’s 20^th wedding anniversary and (of a late) Valentine’s Day here are twenty things I have learned about love through my parents' twenty years of marriage:

1)      Love is so much more than simply 1 word with 4 letters that you blurt out when you feel something for someone else.

February 17, 1996

2)      Love is all consuming—there is no middle ground with love. You are either all in or all out because…

3)      Love is passionate— it is a fire burning within you.

4)      Love is caring— (Sorry dad but I am going to use this as an example) Love is waking up at 2am from a dead sleep to clean up your 10 year-old daughter’s throw-up because your husband thought you could just take care of it in the morning. #motherhood

5)      However… Love is not a mushy feeling— it is not something that you “feel” for someone one day and then 24 hours later it magically disappears.

6)      Love is a verb— it is not simply saying fancy words. Love is when you take action on those words or feelings to make them real. It is in on-going response and attitude.

L O V E - it is SO much more than 4 letters

7)      Love is persistent— even when the going gets tough, love stays and fights. It is chasing after someone when they storm out of the room or annoying them to dead by showing up at their house and blowing up their phone until they answer.

8)      Love is sacrifice—doing things for other people and not for yourself. It is coaching your daughter’s basketball games for years in a row on your anniversary instead of spending it having a candle light dinner.

9)      Love is selfless—putting other people’s needs, wants and desires above your own. Mom has chosen to invest in her children's lives by Homeschool them for years instead of creating her own career.  That is so selfless. But Christ performed the greatest sacrifice.

John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down His life for His friends.” (NASAB)

10)   Love cannot be bought—it does not matter how many nice, expensive things you buy someone—you cannot make them love you. And just because someone buys you something does not mean that they love you or that you should love them.

11)   BUT… Love comes with a price— love changes people

- Completely adorable -

. Sometimes you come out with disappointment and other times with more joy than you ever thought possible. My parents have given up so much so that each of their children can have what they want. Would they go back and change that so that they could get more out of their relationship? I know for a fact they absolutely would not because their kind of love is selfless and from the heart.

12)   Love is from the heart—Love is not pricy jewelry or fancy cars. Those are things. Simply things. No lasting value. Love is heartfelt notes and hand crafted things. Love is thoughtful and creates memories. Love is not always a dozen roses on Valentine’s Day but rather a surprise foot massage and handmade cards from each of your kids.

13)   Love is a choice. True love does not come and go. It is a decision to constantly be with someone or maintain a relationship with that person because you want to. It’s not be based on feelings.

14)   Love takes work— it is hard. Love takes dedication. It is taxing physically, emotionally and spiritually.

15)   True love is takes time—there is no easy written path to success that you will arrive at in a certain time frame. Love is developed and maintained daily not in a day.

They may not like this pic very much because its in motion but I love it.
Together no matter what they are doing :)

16)   Love is not about self-gain—it does not look for ways to see what you can get out a relationship or a situation. My mom did not marry my dad because he was rich. Far from it. She or he had no immediate gain from marrying the other person. However, in the long run my parents have gained. They have learned from each other and grown together but it was not because of the other person’s initial value but rather because of Christ’s value in their relationship.

17)   Love is giving—not only of your money and resources but of your time— the greatest gift you can give someone is your time. Because once you give your time, you are giving a portion of your life that you will never get back.

18)   Love is not always happy— this might sound weird because you think ‘Oh my goodness, I’m in love, I have never been happier than I am right now.’ Well that may be true, but sometimes love hurts so bad. You care so much about someone that it hurts you to be away from them, or it hurts you to let them go, or it hurts to watch them get in trouble. Love fights. Love struggles. Love comes out stronger in the end.

Somehow she manages to look past his imperfections. ;)

19)   Love is imperfect —everyone has flaws and is constantly making mistakes. Love is not perfect and it may hurt when they forget your anniversary or birthday but it isn’t the end of the world. Do not run or give up on someone because they have a trouble remembering dates. Life is about every remembered and cherished moment not the ones forgotten.

20)   Love is forgiving—this is really important. Love does not hold a record or wrongs. Just as Christ casts our sins away forever we need to do the same to the people around us. Holding on to that anger and sin will only destroy our self. See Micah 7:19.

Another random thought… they have been faithful to resolve conflicts before going to sleep every night. In any relationship period it is imperative to follow this.

Ephesians 4:26, “Be angry and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.”(NASAB)

I think I can safely say that they have never gone to bed without talking through things. It is honestly amazing. They have definitely influenced me in that way as well because I too have to talk it all out before I can actually fell asleep.

Lastly, love comes from God. If you really want to know how to love or why to love, read the Holy Bible. God writes an amazing love letter to us that will tell you any and everything you want or need to know about love—if you dig deep enough.

Dad and Mom, you guys are THE ABSOLUTE BEST people and couple I know. You are both crazy and absolutely hilarious. Our family has so many special and unforgettable memories together. Yes, you have your bad days and sometimes the struggle seems unending, but you have never lost sight of God even during the darkest valleys of life. You have always had faith and together you have always stuck by each other through some of the most stretching things any couple could experience. I love you guys so very much. I am so thankful for you each and every day (even though some days I may not express it like that). I am so grateful for the example you set of a Godly, Christ-centered marriage and relationship.

Here is to many, many more adventurous, crazy, stretching and exciting years! We may not agree on everything but I would never ever want a parent swap of any sort! You both are keepers!

~Gracie

Still laughing & helpless in love 20 years later <3

Twinnies for life.

- 20 years later -

(standing left-right) Chi-13, Bo-15, Grace-18, Doriahn-16.

(sitting left-right) Judah-7, Kolia-8, Angie-old, Garth-old, Obie-12

My Valentine

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Before Hallmark. Before red roses. Before chocolate. Before X’s and O’s. Before hearts. Before singing telegrams. Before mushy texts and cards. Before the teddy bears and fancy dinners. Before this holiday became three words with eight letters. Before Valentine’s Day and before asking someone to “be my Valentine” there was this one word that still existed: LOVE.

This word was not simply thrown all over the place one day a year like it is now. This word was powerful. This word was meaningful. No matter what the circumstances this word has always involved one person throughout history—Jesus Christ. God. GOD IS LOVE. He is the embodiment of love.

Christ gives love. He gives love freely to whoever wants to accept His free gift of love and whoever wants to indulge in reading His ultimate love letter. This letter is His Holy Word and it is not just for one special person but to the whole wide world. No one is left out, no one is forgotten and no one is shunned or pushed away.

Everyone is invited to be a part of God’s family full of love when we embrace and believe in this love. This love of God was so great that He took His ONLY Son from the realm of glory and sent Him to a broken, sinful, hateful world to pay the ultimate price of sin to bring back love into the world. That was the incomparable display and picture of the essence of love.

This love from Christ is what I am celebrating this Valentine’s Day. His all-flowing, un-ending, constant, deep, personal, unconditional, sacrificial, complete and FREE gift of love.

It is amazing how many people will “love” someone or choose to “love” someone today, and next week or next year or years from now that person may not be there for them to love anymore. I hope that does not happen to you but if it does there is someone else that will never leave you like that friend, boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse might. His love will go with you through every dark valley and will last for an eternity. Christ love is boundless.

Today I am remembering His amazing love. I am thankful that no matter who loves or does not love me I will always have someone whose love is so fathomless towards me (and you) that I cannot completely comprehend and understand it fully. I believe in love. I do not believe that love is mushy or feely. Love is deep. Love is vast. True love is measureless. True love is from God. True love is God.

<3 Have a beautiful Valentine's Day <3