Winter Thoughts

This year has been a tad different than the past three years of Christmas spent together. Our first year of marriage we lived in our teeny apartment on St. Catherine Street. We were without child, I was working at Dr. Bizers, and we were busy bodies. Last year we had a two month old baby and were in a rough season of our lives, wondering where we were going to live once the money ran out, because there was none coming in. This year we have lived in the same house for nine months, have a steady income, and a 13 month old joyous toddler...with another blessing to be due in seven months.

Over the last nine months we have learned to do many new things. I have learned how to cook and bake from scratch, and Corey has learned to sew. Many people will be blessed by our new learnings with homemade Christmas gifts this year. Partly because we enjoy doing these things, and partly because of finances. However, we are quite excited about making things such as homemade coasters, place-mats, and skirts. As well as fudge, peanut butter cups, raspberry brittle, cookies, and cranberry popcorn.

This year we have the opportunity to verbally express to Isaiah what Christmas is. Last year I remember holding my sleeping baby and reading the story from Luke. This year we will probably read of Jesus' birth from The Jesus Storybook Bible, so he can vividly see wonderful pictures expressing this glorious day.

Corey wants to tell the story of our Saviors birth at our Christmas gatherings with family this year. Well he hasn't expressed that HE is going to tell it, but he says he wants it done-which will probably mean he will do it. It will be great to hear the truth of the Holiday proclaimed, because in America we don't usually view Jesus as highly as we do Santa.

We also had the opportunity to go caroling around Germantown on Monday. It was great to sing praises to our King to people who may not believe it. Some people came out of their homes into the freezing cold to hear us, others stood at their doors, some didn't come out at all. At one point we went to a bar and sung to the workers and customers. Two ladies came out of the door and sang with us. In a neighborhood like Germantown, where alcoholism is largely an issue, it was fulfilling to proclaim Jesus with people that fuel the substances of addiction, or are addicts themselves.

We are excited to start new traditions this year, and to spend time with family. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.

One thing to be thankful for.

I am sitting in the bedroom I share with my wonderful husband, with time on my hands while my joyful little boy takes a nap. Now that I am growing another human inside of me, I spend less time rushing around trying to get things done, and more time taking it easily and slowly...and hoping I don't fall into laziness. But as I sit here in silence I hear God teaching me and showing me what he has done for me over time. Which is great, because I actually prayed for that today.

I used to isolate myself from everyone. I never wanted company, and if I was around anyone it would be a close friend...that would force their way into my life. When I met my husband, we isolated ourselves from people, which was mainly my fault because he had tons of friends that he loved. I was so nervous, and shy around others. Living that way lasted from a young age, all the way up until two years ago.

I am so thankful for Godly community now. God has worked through his people to love me, rebuke me, help me financially, and take the time to pour into me. God has worked through me to do the same to newer believers. That is one minute (but incredibly important) thing that God has done in me. I am completely changed by Gods love...in so many other ways.

New Additions

So a couple of days ago I posted some updates...one of them about a future home birth. Soon enough we are going to see this vision play out. The Russell family is adding another baby to their family!

After taking 4 pregnancy tests a little over a week ago, and seeing negative results we were pretty discouraged. But Sunday night, after an obvious symptom had occurred, we decided to take another test. (Well I talked Corey into spending more money on a test.) There it was, two lines instead of one. I actually took it in a friends bathroom, which they weren't expecting at all. They were very shocked to see me hand a pee stick to Corey with a smirk on my face. It was exciting to share the news with the lovely soon to be Meyers family.

So here we are now, all day morning sickness and all. Today, I have been living off of oatmeal, peanut butter, and honey...combined. Hoping the protein will calm the nausea.

We will be expecting the little one in the beginning beginning of July. No midwife appointment set up yet, but hopefully soon!

We are so excited to take care of another one of God's children. We are equally excited to give Isaiah a lifelong friend.

Doesn't the picture above seem as if he needs a friend right beside? I think so.

Updaytes

Hello all. It's been a bit since I have wrote anything on here. I think quite a bit has happened since our last meeting.

On October 26 Isaiah turned a year old! We celebrated his birthday by dressing him up in a fuzzy green monster costume and inviting over tons of friends and family, the Saturday before. It was great. We received lots of toys and lots of clothes from everyone, which was a blessing because his mommy and daddy are pretty poverty stricken these days. Isaiah consumed more sugar than ever, and surprisingly didn't throw any of it up.

Corey and I both wrote Isaiah letters about his first year of life, for him to read when he is an adult. It was quite emotional to reminisce on all of the events that had only happened within the last 365 days. I'm a sap.

Corey and I went on a neat "dayte" a couple of days ago. It was the first time we had gone out without Isaiah since our anniversary (over a month ago). It was a day date, we went to a Flanagans and ate appetizers, poor Corey didn't have beer because we can't find his wallet. Then we went to the movies to see "It's Kind of a Funny Story."

(While we were out we ran into a friend at Quills who called our day date a "DaYte," and apparently that is now the name for day dates.)

Also, Corey and I are planning our future as four instead of three. We aren't pregnant yet, but we are planning the birthing process way ahead of time because we were so unprepared with Isaiah. We are planning a home-birth, and found a midwife here in Louisville to assist us. We will be meeting with her soon, and are so excited to learn more about having a baby at home.

It was a busy month, and since the 31st is tomorrow I suppose I should start saying my goodbyes to October 2010.

Book List

Ok, so I have neglected reading for quite some time now. But I have decided to pick it back up...and I'm going to try to read a book all the way through, because if you ask my husband...I'm infamous for starting something and not finishing it

Right now I am reading Created to Be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl. This is a splendid read about how to be a great Godly helper to your husband. I'm loving it.

So here are some more things that I want to read, or reread:

Passionate Housewives Desperate for God by Jennie Chancey

The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer

Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon (a cook book)

To Train Up a Child by Michael and Debi Pearl

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

Desiring God by John Piper

Don't Waste your Life by John Piper

That is just the short list, as I am limited for time!

But if you have any opinions, reviews, or recommendations....let me know!

Oh and Isaiah will be one in less than 3 weeks. Birthday Party planning is stressful, but super fun. I still cannot believe he will be a year old. And I'm having baby fever.

Bless you all!

Winter

The day was cold. White Powder coated the ground, and the trees had bared the last of their leaves. Large shadows were casted beneath my feet, I took a few steps forward.

The frosty wind hit my cheeks as I felt my tears turn to ice crystals. Red liquid poured from my cracking lips as I attempted to apply more Burt's Bees.

My eyes were full as I peered out at the open space surrounding the only soul within miles. The insecurities I held within rushed through my mind like a thousand antelope being chased by a fierce lioness. My heart was broken.

Another gust of icy wind whisked past my body. I felt my tired legs give out, and my knees hit the top layer of the frozen lake. The solid substance formed a crack, as I attempted to raise my heavy head to the sky.

I heard a crackling sound echo through the air. I felt a vibration in my throat, leading me to believe it was my own voice sounding off. More tears poured down my face. As I struggled to wipe them the warm sun grazed my cheeks. The wind whispered a phrase all too familiar, reminding me of joy.

The whispering wind lifted my aching body from the ground, and my arms to the sky.

Busy September

Corey and I had a really amazing weekend, celebrating my birthday and our two year anniversary. On Saturday we dropped Isaiah off at my moms for the night. It was the first night we had gone without our handsome baby. The emotions were a little mixed.

We started the day off by having a picnic at the top of Iroquois Park. It was nice. The breeze was cool, it was foggy out. We ate pita and bagel sandwiches and looked out on to the city.

Corey's parents got us a hotel room at a place that had a water park. That was neat. We acted like 14 year olds and went down water slides. It made us miss Isaiah a lot, because there were a lot of kids there, but it was still fun. We enjoyed ourselves.

We ended the night by just relaxing, eating, and watching television. That is a luxury when you have no TV set, and normally have a little baby making a mess to clean up. It was nice not to have to clean up after myself, Corey, or Isaiah. It was also nice to get a full nights sleep. That hasn't happened in over a year. It felt weird not inching to the coffee pot like a salted slug, which happens daily any other morning .

We enjoyed our day together. Though having a baby makes those times feel oddly different. We woke up early and left two hours before check out just to go and pick him up.

Sunday was nice as well. My family got together to celebrate my birthday. It was nice to see all of my sisters. Two of them I had not talked to in a month or so. I miss my family, and we all live within a 30 mile distance from each other. There is talk of us doing a family day every Sunday here on out. I am looking forward to it.

Today is mine and Corey's actual anniversary. He is working, unfortunately. We shall celebrate when he arrives home!

I Remember

Corey and I are coming upon our two year anniversary as two people in covenant relationship with God. It has been an amazing road so far, full of many seasons in which God never deserted us. I often get nostalgic and look back on our life together.

Meeting my husband when I was fifteen is going to be a neat story to tell our kids when we get old. I remember going to North Bullitt Christian Church and being overwhelmed with new people after my baptism. Joining a youth group was equally overwhelming, but I ended up with a special friend who enjoyed talking to me on AOL instant messenger late at night. We instantly clicked and told each other about our "life stories," which both contained way more baggage than a normal teenager should be carrying around. But it was nice to know that I wasn't the only person in church that had "stuff."

I remember our first date at the Jefferson Mall on a February Wednesday. Corey was getting fitted for a tuxedo... for some prom show a friend of his jokingly put him in. I was so nervous riding in a car with a seventeen year old driving. I was never allowed to do that before. It was snowing outside, and I probably walked two feet behind him the entire time. I barely spoke a word.

I remember going back to my house and listening to Sublime, because I thought he would like that. Little did I know, that was uncool... so I put in an Emery C.D. instead. We began talking again, for hours... making us late for church that night.

I remember the first time he kissed me. He came over before going to a Wake The Day show and I had to go to the Circus with my mom. I was walking him out, and as we both turned away he said "hey" and I turned around and he kissed me. I remember walking backwards, with florid cheeks... and giggling as he watched me wave and trip all at the same time.

I remember the day before Valentines day, he came over and we rented movies. Crash and Hide and Seek... to be exact. We watched them in my bedroom, with the door open of course. I remember laughing during really serious scenes of movies... and Corey telling me, "Shh. This is serious time," with a smirk on his face.

I remember that night, he went home and got on the internet... and asked me to be his girlfriend by typing, "So you think I should change my relationship status on Myspace?"

I remember holding him as he cried about his dad, and him being there to watch my mom and I hash it out... almost daily. I remember him taking up for me.

I remember turning on classical music in his car stereo and dancing in the parking lot of Little Flock Baptist Church, late at night. We stared at the stars for hours.

I remember having a picnic at North Bullitt Christian Church. We ate food his mom made. Instant chicken rice, garlic bread, and sweet tea. As we were wrestling on the blanket... he asked me to marry him. I remember saying yes... and as we lied there it started to rain about a mile away... and the rain cloud passed right over us.

I remember walking down the aisle seeing the most handsome man stare back at me. I remember looking into his eyes as we were married in front of great people. It was amazing.

I remember our great trip to The Smokey Mountains. I remember spending hours in the mountains, seeing the beauty of God all around us.

I remember our plans to move to Joplin, Missouri. We had to live with his parents, because we thought we would move there in a few weeks. I remember plans falling through and moving to an apartment in Old Louisville three weeks later.

I remember cooking baked Zitti and Hamburger Helper weekly... because I didn't know how to cook anything else. I remember Corey loving every minute of it, but gaining 40 pounds.

I remember it seemed that problem after problem had happened when we lived in that apartment. Cars broke down, stuff got stolen, we were cheated out of money.

I remember God blessing us with people, to help us in those times of need.

I remember finding out we were pregnant, five months later... and being so excited to meet our little baby. I remember when Corey used to pick fights with Isaiah when he was in the womb. Isaiah would kick Corey's hand when he put it on my belly.

I remember deciding to move to Indiana, with our friends Mike and Alicia. I remember great conversations about God and theology.

I remember giving birth to our beautiful baby boy, and never feeling so complete in our lives. Watching him grow has certainly shown the Glory of God.

I remember Corey no longer having a job, and fearing being homeless.

I remember moving from Indiana back to Corey's parents. I remember fighting off Satan, and having a really hard time. I remember the stress and anger as we were living there. We were really poor, living off of someone else, dealing with mental illnesses.

I remember Corey getting a job at Baptist East three months later. I remember praising God, and going out to buy really good food.

I remember getting kicked out of Corey's parents, and moving in with our great friends Justie and Nathan for a couple of weeks. I remember us getting to know them better than ever before.

I remember moving into our house in Shelby Park, where we live now. Watching Isaiah grow, learning so many new things, and falling deeper and deeper in love with each other and Christ.

God is so good to us.

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

"Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar."

Psalm 42 really pulls some of my heart strings. When I meditate on the chapter I think a lot of my life before Christ. I think of the sadness, emptiness, and loneliness I had struggled through daily. Thinking of those past times bring a victory song from my lips, a victory song of praise to God for winning the battle against Satan. A battle in which something as serious as my soul was on the line. Praise God for saving me. Praise Jesus for dying in my place.

Last week however, I was reunited with the familiar pain of life without Jesus. Only this time I saw the pain in the eyes of an old friend. Someone who I was only a mere acquaintance of had passed away, by the appalling action of taking his own life.

At one point in my life I was close to the lady he had been dating. They were talking about marriage, and babies. However drugs were apparently pretty important to this guy, for he had chosen them over the people he left behind. Sadly...I remember hanging out with these people and not ever having really secure friendships because of things like drugs. Five years past that point, people are addicted to them and emotionally unstable because of their addiction.

It is always crazy when you hear about someone killing themselves... even when you don't know the person. When I heard about this, and about how badly his girlfriend was doing, I felt God wanting to show her the love of Jesus through me. I decided to write her a long letter.

When I left this group of people it was because I became a Christian, I was only 15 and still in high school. We never really talked once that happened, even though we often sat in the same classroom. I was young, and was all too afraid of peer pressure... I knew the life I was living beforehand was not of God. Not to mention that they thought I was pretty weird after my decision. There was no real "break up" point, or reconciliation. Just a lot of dropped relationships.

In the letter I wrote about my struggles with depression, thoughts of suicide, insecurity, and why I stopped hanging out with them. I wrote about my new hope, and my beautiful life in Christ. I described to her what real love tastes like, and how it is available to her. I told her about how we are constantly praying for her, and how people she has never even met pray for her.

I went to the funeral home, to give her the letter. I was scared out of my mind. I had not seen any of these people in two years, and had not talked to them in five. I was an outcast to them in high school. It was like the silly emotions of not fitting in (even if not fitting in was intentional) came back to haunt me. Like all the times you tell people you have become a Christian, and they think that you have become a "goody-good" or whatever they call it... these days. They were very selfish emotions. I forgot to consider the real reason I was there... to show the love of Jesus, not to make myself look good.

I went in and saw the girl. She was sitting in the corner... wearing sunglasses to hide how she was dying inside. I saw some old friends who talked to me, and loved on Isaiah. I gave the girl a big hug (I don't think I have ever done that) and she thanked me for coming. I gave her the letter and she put it in her purse.

When I looked past her sunglasses I saw the emptiness in her eyes; the loss of hope, the confusion... all of it. It was so sad. The feel of the room was something that I had felt before: empty. The presence of God was surely missing. Corey and I both silently prayed over the funeral home.

I left my number and email with the girl. I hope a seed was planted. I am praying one was.

The Sky Is a Blessing, I'm Sure.

I have been blessed an incredible amount. Corey and Isaiah Alexander have brought so much joy to my life.

I never thought that I could handle waking up at 7:30 a.m. every morning, and going to bed around 11:00 every night (with the constant two to three time interruptions in between sleeping) would be something I could handle. Staying home has been such a blessing.

Teaching Isaiah the story of Jesus, making food from scratch, cleaning up all of the boys messes. Listening to my husbands visions, thoughts, and rants. Listening to Isaiah babble on in the middle of conversations. Giving up nice clothes, dinner's out, shows... peace and quiet. When did this become so enjoyable? I love every bit of it.

Living life simply, and all for the glory of God. I struggle with that... but striving for His glory is a goal worth the fight. God sure has given me enough to make the narrow road a lot easier to travel down.

Love Holds No Record of Wrongs

I have some spent some time on the social networking site, Facebook. After spending about an hour on the website today, I have realized a lot of corruption in our World.

I read links that people "like" that are related to complete selfishness. One said, "Sorry means nothing if you are going to keep doing the same thing." That one really sticks out in my mind.

I know I have acted upon this thought before. Someone told me they were sorry, and kept acting the same way...and I decided to continue being mad at them. It's easy to act that way. This thought is very "good for you" in the Worldly aspect. But it's not of God.

We do this to Jesus all of the time. We say we're sorry and we keep on sinning. But He still loves us and forgives us. We probably do this to people too. I know I have done it to Corey 100 times or more. But he still loves me and forgives me.

We can't live out that statement. It's not the way we were called to be.

1 Corinthians 13 was not just directed to married couples. It's for the World.

"Allah Allah Allah, in every blade of grass."

Last night Corey and I went on a date to see the band Mewithoutyou. It was a little overwhelming at first, we had not been to a larger "non-local" show in what seemed like years. I forgot about the large crowd around the stage and people dancing so intensely that the probability of you getting hit in the face with a straggling arm was on the high side.

We had a great time though. Worshiping in such a setting is always so refreshing to me. Being in a place where you are surrounded by equal part Christian and non-Christian. It was really neat to observe the people who were worshiping around me. Hands were thrown into the air as people called out to Abba Father. There is such a rawness to worshiping with people you have never seen in your life, and with your husband holding you tightly.

I personally, feel so renewed today. Corey and I have been struggling hard lately with the junk Satan has thrown at us. Family issues have been stirred up again and again. Slothfulness and idleness have been my favorite activity to take part in. Anger and rage have been building walls around Corey's heart. But God is at work. He delivers us every time. Praise Him for his grace and His comfort.

A Small Dab of Something New

Well I found this pretty sweet website that let's me write cool articles on food. However I wasn't aware that they only wanted articles on food so I wrote a little something on cloth diapering. I thought I could post it on here (per Carley).

So here it is, hope ya' learn something new:

Cloth Diapers Vs. Disposable Diapers

Dirty diapers become a large part of your life as a new parent. You probably never thought the aftermath of lunch from another person would be such a significant part of your life. When thinking of your beautiful child, you most likely have some thoughts on what kind of diapers you want to use. If you are like any other person, brands like Pampers and Huggies, probably come into mind, but have you ever considered using cloth diapers instead of disposable? There are many reasons why cloth diapers are very beneficial opposed to disposable.

Today more and more people are concerned with their pocketbooks. Money is tight; diapers are expensive. For a quality pack of disposable diapers, you would be spending around 20.00 for a pack of 60. Newborns use about ten diapers a day. Monthly you would be spending about 100.00 for the first three months, which initially equals 300.00.

When using cloth diapers you have the benefit of washing the soiled material to re-use again. For the basic cloth diaper, your cost is about 15.00 for a pack of 12, and about 15.00 for a nice cover, which doesn’t have to be washed often. To start off you only need about three-dozen diapers and about two covers. This would cost you around 75.00. Keep in mind that the older your baby gets, the less diapers you will use.

Besides the fact that you would save money, consider the impact you would have on the environment. Since about 80% of diapering is done by disposable, about 18 billion diapers are used a year. That’s 18 billion diapers in the landfills. It takes about 250-500 years for one diaper to decompose. That is a lot of waste, and a lot of time to rid of it.

You care so much for your tiny ones skin, so how about the health of a cloth diaper versus the health of a disposable. Disposable diapers contain an extremely pollutant chemical called “dioxin”, this chemical is caused by a paper bleaching process, and has been linked to causing Cancer. It is banned in many countries, but not in the United States. Disposable diapers also contain “tributyl-tin,” which is another toxic pollutant that has caused hormonal changes in humans. There are many other harmful pollutants in these diapers. If most people knew of these things, they wouldn’t want to put the fibers up to their child’s skin. Cloth diapers are as simple as a cotton shirt on your back. The fibers are soft, pure, and gentle.

Most people would oppose cloth diapers because of the work that comes with them. There are many options when cloth diapering your baby. We have moved passed your typical plastic panties, and sharp pins. Here is a list of the different types of diaper options:

· Prefold Cloth Diapers- your basic and cheapest form of cloth diapering. These diapers are a flat piece of cloth in which you fold, use a Snappi to keep together, and a cover to protect from leaks. (A Snappi is the alternative to diaper pins, much easier and safer to use)

· Fitted Cloth Diapers- the next level of the cloth diaper. These are like the prefold, but are sewn in the shape of a diaper and usually have snaps or Velcro to fasten together. These still need a cover to prevent leakage.

· All in One Cloth Diapers- these include a liner, and a waterproof cover all sewn together. Many companies such as Bumgenius and Kushies make these. These look just like a disposable, but they’re washable!

· Pocket Cloth Diapers-These are like All in One diapers yet they contain a pocket that you can stuff with more liners, and doublers, for extra absorbency. Swaddlebees makes an All in One, one size pocket diaper to grow with your baby!

Using cloth diapers is cheaper, more earth friendly and more baby friendly. Cloth diapers are a lot easier than most people know, and there are many options in doing so. Choosing cloth diapers is one small step to a larger change. Your choice can change the Earth, the economy, and your family.

Heart shaped sunglasses

I was reading some poems written by my wife and some write by one of my best friends(his blog: lovespelledbackwardsislove.blogspot.com) so I thought I would post one of my slam poems.

Here it is:

Heart Shaped Sunglasses

My hope is built on solid ground

Where it shines so bright you have to put sunglasses on

Because my hope is the joy of knowing I'm wrapped up so tight in his arms that I can barley breathe

But that's OK because I know I breathe because he first breathed into me

So break loose from these chains

You can conquer the grave

Just knock on the door and let your voice find its way

Fill up your lungs

Let it out as loud as you can

Then be silent

Because there is something beautiful when you're among God and you're quiet

Belly Laughs

Corey and I have been parents for almost nine months now. I didn't even make it that long with pregnancy. It seems so surreal, these moments turn into days, days into weeks, and weeks into months...which are soon to add up to one year.

Thinking back to everything that led up to the birth of our beautiful Isaiah takes my breath away. Meeting Jesus, meeting my beautiful husband, getting married, and having a baby 13 some odd months later. Boy is God gracious.

Today Isaiah and I played for an hour straight. He crawled down our hallway of a home and looked behind him every other second, with his huge blue eyes sparkling, just to make sure I was chasing after him. I would sometimes yell in an excited voice, "mommy is going to get you." and he would look back, cracking up. It was amazing. It wasn't long before I had realized a whole hour had passed by. It's crazy how much fun you can have with someone whom you cannot verbally communicate with.

Soon enough we will have more pictures of our beautiful blessing attached to this blog. We are just waiting on a usb cable to come in the mail.

Yesterday was his nine month check up! He weighed 16.15 and is 27 inches long. How did an embryo turn into that? With lots of love from the Lord. Nothing else can explain it.

So, since I don't have any real recent photos on the computer, I will post the ones I do have.

On Christmas!

Isaiah and his future wife, Esther.

He is just adorable.

At his Uncle Andy's and Uncle Chris's show

Us at his cousin Courtney's graduation

He looks like his papa.

With his great great Memaw.

Poems can rhyme, but they don't have to.

Wake up

Scratch head

Put baby back to bed

Lie down

Look around

Wonder what to do in this town

Kinda frown

Stand up

Sit down

Boredom strikes

Lady fights

See book out corner of eye

Listen to some of Satan’s lies

Open book

Get

back

some

of

what

Satan

took

Evil flees

Love needs

Some water for its thirsting mouth

Jesus Plants a Pretty Good Seed

Well Corey and I finally have our own blog. Neat-o. I don't really have any ideas for a big introduction so I am just going to share some of the great things that have been happening to us lately.

Last night I received a phone call from a young lady that I mentored a couple of years ago. I must admit that I was hesitant to answer her phone call. For a while Satan really worked his way into this girl's mind. I remember countless conversations between the two of us about Jesus and how he was apparently just a load of crap. I just wanted to be lazy, didn't want to deal with all of the bitterness and name calling of our Savior.

However, with much Glory to God, she was doing well! Very well actually. She is now loving Jesus, and He is using her many gifts to further The Kingdom! Praise God! She had called to thank me for working with her, and still pursuing her despite all of her negative thoughts about the Lord. I told her that I wished I was more involved in her life now, and she threw out a little ditty about how some people plant the seed, others sow...and so on. It was quite encouraging to know that all of the work I put in had had some outcome. Though it was all Jesus working through me.

Tonight Corey and I hung out with an old friend who had been dealing with addiction for a really long time. He is getting cleaned up now and is loving the Lord, which is awesome. We are very happy to be involved in his life. We are very excited to grow with him in the Lord.

Hanging out with our friend reminded me of the conversation I had with the girl the night before. The conversation about some people planting and some people sowing. It's really nice to be on the other side for a change. Sometimes I feel like I do a pretty crappy job of sharing the Gospel. And I am sure my human-self does, but God really does work through me when He knows the job needs to get done. But sometimes it is nice to experience the other side of salvation with another believer. With someone who has had a seed planted, and now needs fellow Christians to build him up. I am excited to celebrate two "prodigal son" situations. God is amazing.