The Plan I Have For You

It has been five months since I blogged, and what changes have taken place in those months!  We had settled into the realization that life would soon be changing, and we were praying for God to order our steps.  He quickly set into motion a plan for our lives and ordered every step with the precision only he could do.  Our house sold before we ever listed it.  Less than 90 days from the time Troy started his new job and we started seeking God's will for a change, we were moving into a home in a brand new town. We rejoice in answered prayers!  However, change has not been easy.  Twenty-two years of being in the same place left us comfortable.  We knew people.  We had our routines.  We had people to lean on when we needed them.  We knew were we were to serve and what our role was at that appointed time. Change has happened quickly, and the human nature in me expected instantaneous success in our new area.  After all, God sent u...

In January 2016, I claimed Ephesians 3:20 for our family.  We knew as we walked through this desert time in our lives that there was something greater waiting on the other side.  A few weeks ago, God began to show us the steps he has orchestrated for our family.  We have been praying for a long time for God to give Troy a career move that he really needed financially and emotionally.  The door has been opened, and Troy started his new position two weeks ago.  What a blessing!  The job change, however, is just the start of some changes for the Jones family.  The position is a Middle Tennessee territory.  While his company is being very flexible with the time frame, our house will go on the market later this week.  We are beginning to accept that a new chapter is coming for us.  I'm excited about the opportunity, but for the planner and organizer who likes a path I can see and prepare for, it is a scary ride.  We have lived...

When I started this blog I was writing about taking care of my little kids and pouring Jesus into them where I could.  Now I am looking at a high school graduate and a soon to be high schooler who can look me in the eye.  He's actually taller than me now. How did that happen?  It seems like yesterday we were taking summers to color and play in the garden.  This summer, I've shuttled Noah to countless music gigs and helped Taylor get ready for college. When school ended this year, we took a very much needed trip to the beach as the kids Christmas/graduation present.  I'm so thankful for that week away.  Between activities and work, our family of four rarely gets to sit together anymore, and I know in a few short weeks that time will get even harder to make happen.  That week, we laughed together, and we played together.  We had meals together.  Nighttime fishing on the dock and feeding the resident herron Henry won't be soon forgotten. ...

It has been a while since I have published a blog.  It has been a pretty busy last few months with some amazing God inspired events I hope to share with you soon.  Until then, here is the very best of those. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:13 This is a verse God laid on my heart about four years ago.  It was a transition time in our family.  I left my more than full time job and went back to graduate school.  It has been four hard years, full of plenty of life lessons.  Over and over, this particular verse has stood out.  It is posted above my desk.  It is highlighted in my Bible.  And it is branded into my heart. 9/11/16.  A Day to Remember In the 43 years I have been on this planet I had never given my whole life to Christ.   I've put him in a box, allowed him to work on my terms, and pouted as a child at the times when he didn't let things go the way I expected. It to...

It is hard to believe graduate school is over.  I've always enjoyed the challenge of learning, and as hard as the late nights, early mornings and weekends of pouring over material has been, a part of me will miss it. I'm writing this post today not to brag about the degree conferred upon me last Friday, but to brag on God for the past three years.  While I am extremely proud to have the book knowledge, and soon the piece of paper reflecting that, there were lessons learned that simply aren't reflected in the title I can now add behind my name. When God guided me back to school three years ago, I knew I could do it...the book work that is.  I've always done well in school.  I graduated salutatorian of my high school class, and magna cum laude in undergraduate.  Studying isn't a hard task, and I was taking classes in the area of my passion.  Sure it would take work and dedication, but the degree was something I was confident I could accomplish. It was...

I was just sitting here after church thinking about how incredibly blessed I am.  First Jesus died for a sinner like me.  The past few weeks have been hard but I know he has been pruning away things in my life that needed to go.  It has been an incredibly freeing experience. I've been reminded of what an amazing family he has given me.  They support me and love me.  He entrusted to me two amazingly talented children who love Jesus with their whole heart and aren't afraid to use their gifts for his glory. In less than a month I will walk the stage with my Masters and a 4.0 GPA.  He placed a team of physicians in place to handle two surgeries and to diagnose and treat a chronic illness so I could see my dream become a reality. And he gave me a supportive husband who has let me live out my dream.  Who made the commitment for better or worse, in sickness and in health.  We will celebrate 20 years together in a little over a month.  He has s...