Garden update, we have more tomatoes than we know what to do with. We need to find more people to share them with. Tommy has been eating lots & lots of tomato sandwiches.
Annabelle also has a new favorite game to play. (we call it storytime ) She likes to play in her bed with all of her babies & stuffed animals & she pretends to read them a book. It is really cute.
In case you did not know, Annabelle has the best daddy EVER! She is such a daddy’s girl, & daddy is wrapped around her little finger. 🙂
We had a very busy father’s day weekend. A trip to a special place for Annabelle & her daddy on Saturday & lunch with P-Pa & dinner with Grandpa HoHo. On Annabelle’s special trip with her daddy she got a GIANT lollipop. She really likes it & cried when I took it away. But it is way to big for such a little girl to eat at one time.
Last Sunday we visited a new church. I have quite a bit of anxiety about finding the right church family for our family. I did some research last week before picking which church we would visit on Sunday morning. I pick one out. Sunday morning came, we got ready, drove there, & it was not the church I thought it was, so we did a bit of stalking watching. We are looking for something not too big, not to small & for a church family of all ages. We never got out of the car & left on a quest to find a different church. We saw no children of any age. So I pulled out my handy new phone (with fast 3G internet) and began searching for another church to try. Did you know that there are very few churches in our area that have a traditional start time of 11AM?! I wonder is it a new trend to have church at earlier times?
Anyways, after driving around & searching for the right church which we would not already be late to, we happened to look down a side road & to see a church bustling with activity & people & children of all ages.* (insert sigh of relief here)
Back to the reason for my post. The sermon title was ” Our Wall are Broken, Our Gates Destroyed, but God is Here!”
Nehemiah chapter 1.
3They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5Then I said:
“LORD, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’
10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”
I have been struggling with a few things lately & feel as though my wall are broken & my gates destroyed. I think that God opened up this church for us on Sunday to send me a this message. It was such I nice reminder that God is HERE! He is here to help me with my anxiety about finding the right church, he is here to help me with my daily struggles, he is here to help me become a better wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend. He is here to help me strengthen my walk with Him.
It just happened that the closing hymn was “It’s Me, It’s Me, O Lord” what a perfect hymn to leave & reflect on this week. We all need God’s help, take some time out of your day for “me” time & pray for yourself. I am.
Please keep us in your prayers as we continue our search for the right church family. I am now a little more optimistic & focused. It is out there & we will find it soon!
RANDOM RANDALL NEWS 