Madly In Love

These are not the greatest quality pictures but it's all I have at the moment. All pictures are in my mom's camera and I'm waiting to get some back.

I am completely insanely in love with these two boys. I have been blessed with two boys and a husband that I cannot even fathom the depth of my own love for them.
Well's Jake Monroe Woodall was born Tuesday morning at 1am the 23rd of November.
9 lbs 14 oz 21" long.
He came out with big chubby cheeks and a healthy dose of baby fat all over.
In the weeks and MANY months leading up to this unforgettable day I was sharing in the previous post that I started to wonder if it was all true and if this was even going to actually happen. It's a crazy thought that I had a 9lb baby living and growing in my body for 9 months and I still had doubts that it was real.

Picture my mom took of me at the grocery store days before Wells arrival. I was HUGE. My belly couldn't be stretched any further out.

It's too much of a miracle to be real! This child lives inside of me and will soon be born from my body into the world to live and grow and learn and be loved under the care of David and I.
It's so wonderful.
As I was trying to explain this to my mom only a few days before Wells was born she had a beautiful thought from the Lord.
She said that just as it is an impossible thought that we carry a living child created and formed in our womb by God Himself for 9 months to be born alive into the world it is also an impossible thought that Christ really is returning to take the church home to be born into life to live with the Father... As in pregnancy we have signs that there really is a baby in there and that baby will be born soon, so it is with the signs of the seasons that we see Christ is returning soon to take us home. We will be born again into our real life in eternity. I can get really discouraged thinking this is taking forever! When are you coming Lord? I see the signs happening all around me. Prophecies are being fulfilled and yet I doubt He will return let alone soon. But it's kind of obvious as my belly can't be any bigger as in this picture above shows, the signs of Christ return can't be any more obvious either.
Very exciting. I just wanted to share that thought that my mom had it was an eye opening conversation for me.

Here We Go!

Just an update:
We are at the hospital right now awaiting our second son Well's arrival into the world.
I'm contracting and at a few centimeters. It should be a long night ahead of us.
As I lay in this hospital bed feeling the intensity of each oncoming contraction I think about the long wait anticipating this day, anticipating the very moment that he enters into our life on earth.
Over the past few weeks I've prayed about the significance of birth pains felt before Christs arrival to bring the church home. The second coming has been fast on my heart and mind for several months, more lately than ever.
These contractions are not comfortable at all, and neither are the birth pains God told us would come in the end times before the return of Christ. I know the time is soon, all the prophecies are happening before our very eyes. The "signs of the times" are now. Just as God said that we would know winter is coming by the season of fall, we will know we are in the end times the final days before He comes to take us home by the signs of the season (signs of the times).
9 months is a long wait for a mother longing to experience motherhood, yearning to hold her child in her arms. It's been a long wait too, yearning for Jesus to rescue us from the birthing pains of life on earth in the end times. As my mom and I were sitting on the couch 2 days ago. I told her I knew this baby was coming soon. I saw the signs of his arrival but I couldn't believe he was going to actually be here. It's crazy that I can carry him for almost a year and still I doubt the miracle can actually happen.
I think how can this be? This child has been growing in me and I know his day of birth is fast approaching but I can't wrap my mind around it.
My mom had a sweet thought from the Lord that said just as
okay I actually have to put this post to rest for now. The contractions are too intense to finish the post. I'll be back after the epidural has been given to finish my thought.

Unbounded Glory Lovingly Placed In You

I read a story of a great composer named Mendelssohn who visited a cathedral containing one of the most expensive organs in Europe.
After listening to the organist he asked to play.
The organist replied "no, I do not know you and we do not let people that we don't know to use the organ."
Finally Mendelssohn convinced the organist to allow him to play for a moment.
He began to play and his music filled the cathedral with such music as was never heard in that cathedral before. The organist asked who he was and when Mendelssohn told him his name the organist was dumbfounded and said "to think that an old fool like me nearly forbad Mendelssohn to play upon my organ!"
I think about the verse 1 Cor. 6:19 "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own."

What unimaginable, unseen works of glory and treasure could be revealed in our lives in our own hearts if we stepped aside and gave God complete permission and control into the everyday - into the moment.

He's the composer! He is the creator and yet I think that I'm capable to run my day.
WHAT?
Just like the organist playing away proudly on his little organ I busily will play house all day and not think to stop what I'm doing and surrender the instrument over to the master of music.
But God is asking if I will allow Him to take over where I can sit back and enjoy the music. I don't have to have the talent He does and His talent will blow my mind and bless the socks off of me if I will just surrender to Him.

There are days that I remember to immediately surrender the day to the Holy Spirit. I'll wake up and say Lord this is the day that you have made. Your will be done, you be glorified, your words your steps..I surrender this day to you, I surrender my will for yours and my death for your life in me.

But most days I forget to say it. I forget to surrender and my day will go on and the end of the day approaches and I prepare for the next.
But what am I missing out on here?

There are days that I look at my life and I think, "what is God doing in me anyway?" I don't see great things happening. God has given me a small mustard seed of faith that says (2 Corinthians 4:18) "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."
It is here that I remember that surrendering my will for God's will is an unseen act and God is working out the eternal through His will being done in me.

If I can now speak more directly to you and say,  God created you. You did not create yourself did you...You do not even know yourself.  God knows you. He is the illustrator of your imagination. He is the yearning in your heart, He is the humor behind your laughter, He is the warrior behind your bravery, He holds you together, He completes your existence.

Why do I leave out the most important part of my day even knowing this about our creator?
I mean I never go without brushing my teeth in the morning.
I always put clothes on before leaving the house. Yet I can forget to take a few moments to surrender my heart, my will and desires my day to the Lord in exchange for His life in me.

He is the creator, He knows His temple with every note and knob, every hidden bolt holding you together (The glue which is Himself).

I am fascinated by the heavens above us. I cannot get enough of the stars and cosmos. I always think that there is so much to learn of God in the vast expanse of the universe.
The picture of the milky way above thrills me.
God made this massive love letter above our heads for us to read every night before bed.
We are always discovering new unexplainable wonders even just in the milky way above us.
And here we are the very temple, the very holding place of all of God's majesty.
We are walking temples of GOD Himself who created this milky way. We don't have to go to a building to worship Him, we worship our creator who is inside of us.

Now obviously He knows more about our life than we do. You would think surrendering our day would be a no brainer.  At least for me it isn't that easy to remember.
It's not even our day to claim.
It is the day that the Lord has made, we did not make it anyway.

 Lets remember that today we step aside and let the creator do His work in us.
What great things we reap from it will travel beyond our earthly life.

A Raw Glimpse Into Dave's Journal

I read Dave's journal today!  I do not usually do that, if I wanted to read it he would not care but I would normally just ask him what he's been writing in it.
But while Dave was off at school today and I was reading God's word this afternoon I felt that I couldn't grasp all that was in front of me.  I wanted a little bit more. I learn from Dave's walk with the Lord and I just wanted a quick gulp of fresh wisdom he gleans from the Lord daily.
I cam across four entries that I want to share with you....... (he said I could ;)

Before we dive into the journal entries I want to also share that the trial of Jake's murder has been planned for December 6th.  This has been consuming my mind and heart.
Since January 1st 2010 when Jake was shot and killed the emotional wear on Dave and I has been beyond what we have faced in our life before.
I was experiencing doubled over grief while Dave was not in full grief/mourn mode as I was he tried to comfort me best he could.
The pain of loosing my sweet baby brother has been a night mare that I cannot wake up from.
Now in reading through Dave's journal from the hardest months, I'm finding some beautiful notes from his heart asking God to help him surrender to God's strength in him, to God's comfort in him so God can comfort me through dave..
Jake was a little brother to Dave too. Dave felt the pain and sting of loosing him but my grief took our relationship to a whole new level of trials.

This trial approaching in December will be very difficult.
Jake was still at the age where he was overjoyed for Christmas day. The last christmas when Dave and I were home with family and parents Jake woke us up telling us to hurry up because it was Christmas morning. He was not yet at the age of sleeping in on Christmas morning. He woke us up early and came back to our room several times as we fought off the desire to fall back onto the pillow, he told us to get a move on that there were presents to be opened.
So THis Christmas was going to be tough for our family anyway, and now we have this trial to prepare emotionally and mentally for.
The anniversary of his death being right around the corner as well. It will be all very trying.

I've been in a fog with these events approaching and in reading Dave's journal I was very encouraged. I think these truths are encouraging for all of us that is why I wanted to share them.


2/24/10
In addition to my death, I want to exchange my sin for His righteousness. My death for your life, my depravity for your purity.

"through God we shall do valiantly; For He is that which shall tread down our enemies."

Lord you have put me in a position of influence. May I hold it loosely and keep a soft and open heart. Form me and mold me into the child you want me to be. May I die that you would live in me.

3/2/10
the pressure and relational tension can get to me if I don't keep my eyes on the Lord.
Lord in thy mercy and love for me, would you exchange my sin and filth for your righteousness and cleanliness of body soul and mind. May I accept your life in exchange for my death.

"Knowing this that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."

Lord you are victorious and have a plan that you are forming in me.
Iron sharpeth iron; so man sharpeneth the countenance of His friend." prov 27:17

3/22/10
with the death of Jake we've entered into a new area of challenges.
I believe there are 3 types of problems and challenges
-money/resources
-health-physical/mental/emotional
-relational
Danae's emotional health has brought on some relational tension between the two of us.

"being made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." romans 6:18
This is the first time in reading this that I agree and want it to be so. Before I didn't feel it, but now I do. I long for the power of my master and the influence of His message to transform me into one I was not.

"what shall we then say to these things? if God be for us, who can be against us!" romans 8:31

5/27/10
danae is under a lot of pressure and tension with the combination of Jake's death, her pregnancy sickness, Oscar's difficulties, a small house, being far from family and my full schedule. Makes for a heavy load. Lord in thy mercy...

Lord, I'm calling on you. I fully believe we are here on this earth to know the revelation of Jesus Christ in and through our existence. Earth is neither easy or guaranteed. May I walk in the truth that no structure or system built by man will last. Each day is an opportunity to see Christ glorified. Holy Spirit you are welcome here.

That is the conclusion of entries I shared from Dave's journal.

I hope the encouragement that I received from these words translated to your own hearts during times of pain in your life as well.

I See My Father in You!

Do you ever just see God in someone? If they are showing love or forgiveness...do you see an attribute that you know came from the Father?
I've been thinking a lot lately about each person having their very own unique attributes of God.
Each individual child created in God's image has a different attribute and quality of God in them.
God has placed Himself differently in each person ever created. No one person could hold all of God's "genes" :) or glory in them. Here is our opportunity, to know God deeper through the body of Christ (the church).
Each person having a treasure chest inside of them that they may choose to open or not in their lifetime makes me want to get to know the body.
It makes me want to know people intimately so that I can catch a glimpse of God in a way that I myself do not have the understanding of without knowing these people, and knowing God in them. God is so beyond our comprehension, so HUGE that we could not know Him fully completely on our own. We need the body (the church) to know Him deeper.
The potential for every human being created is to have God glorified in them uniquely and special, a part of God that no one else created has in them.
I was just reading about NASA'S spacecraft that traveled 2.9 billion miles to take photos of the comet traveling into our galaxy.
The earth is 24,900 miles around the circumference. 2.9 billion miles to travel anywhere is hard to imagine but that is not a destination to the ends of the universe.
Space continues on and on trillions of miles as we now know. As big as space is it is not bigger than it's creator. God is bigger than His creation and He dwells in you and me. God himself has given us His attributes, His great power through His Son inside of us and we get to go deeper even deeper into the knowledge of our Father the creator of all. This kind of knowledge of God can go on forever and ever can't it? We have eternity to get to know Him  more intimately and to be revealed His awesomeness.
He has placed himself in each of us, each person carrying a special and uniquely unimaginable revelation of God Himself.
We look up at the milky way and we think 'wow God is huge.' There are mysteries hidden in the world around us, mysteries hidden in the universe and yet God has placed Himself inside of each of us so the mysteries that hold everything together are actually in us!
I look at that picture of the milky way and I'm in awe of God because of it. I praise His holiness and power.
The milky way is 180,000 light years in total width and it is being held together by Jesus.
And Jesus in me, who holds everything together encompasses all the fullness that is all in all. Jesus is the glue that holds all things together, and therefore His commands are not imposed upon us but already written into the very nature of man.
God has so lovingly placed His spirit and His attributes in the people of the world I want to know Him through them. I want to learn all I can in my short encounters with a random person I do not know at the store. Or look deep into someone's eyes and search for the glimpse of God in them.
What about those people that are so unlovable or a homeless man that is drunk on the street asking for money. I know God gave him His very own light. It's right inside of the man but they may not have interest in listening to God's voice. They may not want to crack open the treasure chest of God's glory inside of them.  Or maybe this man does not know His true identity in Christ. In the Son of God the creator of all. Powerful Merciful Savior Jesus.
Regardless if this man does or does not care about the treasure God placed inside of him I don't want to miss out on God in him (In the homeless man).
Jesus is still holding him together, God has still placed His glory in Him and God said in Matthew 25:45 "that whatever you have not done for the least of these you have not done for me."
Sin shrouds the light of God in those of us that allow it to ravish our flesh and it may be hard for us to see the image of God in anyone given into sin, those so enraptured by the flesh and sin have missed out on our most glorious inheritance.
They will probably miss out for all of eternity depending on their hearts desire.
God has given us Him and the knowledge of Him and all that comes with being a child of the King and we can miss it in each other and miss the blessings OR we can return the call from God through His body (the church) with an answer that says I love this person and I want to know what God has shared of Himself through them.