Wednesday, August 29, 2007

fight my giants

this past weekend my family and i went to Hilton Head SC to relax and just enjoy one another. while there we visited the harbor were we found a giant of a man, he it towered at least 12 ft tall and 3 ft wide in shoulders He had muscles bugling out ever seam. with a stance fit for battle this man was intimidating to say the least. of course by now your thinking run for your life, but as i pear upward towards his face, and instantly recalled the story of David and Goliath (David was a little guy that was no more than a sheepherder with a big heart, and Goliath was the warrior of warriors. he had conquered kings and kingdoms and won many battles. there had been no one able to with stand his mighty strength.) it was some how easy for me to stare upwards at this dumb statue made in the image of a sea god, but David! man he stood and fought effortlessly with Gods help GOLIATH!. sometime in our life we face battles that seem overwhelming or we are given task that seem to great maybe we have addictions we can't overcome life is full of Goliath and sea gods that will seemingly crush us if we allow them, but when we put our hope and faith in Christ alone we will have the peace to overcome, the strength to fight, and the Grace to make through another day.
this experience reminded me that now matter what comes our way God is ultimately in complete control though i need to live my life in such a way as if a believe a expect him to do what he does best deliver us from our enemies

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Getting out of my comfort zone

Tonight we had our first small group meeting and it was really great reading the bible and talking about struggles and blessings with other women. Some days it is very difficult being so far away from family, but more and more God confirms and reconfirms our need to be here. I think Chris and I were stuck in our comfort zones in KY and didn't even know it. We thought being in the ministry was hard and it definitely can be, but we found ourselves surrounded by Christians or at least people who went to church and claimed to be Christians but didn't always treat others like Christ would have. Now that we are here, I am so much more aware of the world outside of church and the hurt that so many people carry around with them without knowing what to do with it. I am ashamed to have gone so long in life being a Christian, sometimes setting a bad example for some of the friends and family in my life and worse yet never really getting to know lost people closely enough to share with them the best thing I have to offer--salvation through Jesus Christ.

I will forever remember my friend Jason in college who died of brain cancer. I honestly don't know if he was going to Heaven or Hell when he died. According to statistics, it is most likely that he went to Hell. I am very sad about that and I have asked for forgiveness over and over again even though I only need to ask once--I just can't seem to forgive myself. I do not want to continue down this path of cowardliness and shyness. I want others around me to know that the best thing I know is that Jesus Christ died for my sins, I believe it, I accept it and my life changed because of it. I just want other's lives to be changed too.

Jenny

Playing in the Fort

Yesterday (Monday), Joshua and I had a really fun day together. He brought me his "blantet" over and over again saying "hide" so without anyone to hide from we got under his blantet and just giggled and tickled each other. Since it was getting kind of hot under there I build a fort with a comforter, two "piddows" and the chair and then still without anyone to hide from, we got in the fort, hid and played cars.

Going to the beach!

This past weekend Chris, Joshua and I had the privelege to take a trip to Hilton Head for our 5th wedding anniversary. We had a really good time just relaxing.

We went to a little carnival thinking Joshua would really like bouncing on the rides but he was scared to death so instead he played a couple of games that required throwing balls (which is always a favorite of his). Eventually, he got tire of trying to get the ball into the hole so he just walked up there and put it into one of the squares. We all got a laugh out of that.

We also took Joshua "putt-putting" for the first time because I thought I could kick Chris's bootie, but in fact he kicked mine with a couple of birdies and a hole-in-one.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Pictures I've been wanting to share but I am just now getting around to it....


"Airpane" with Daddy

Tonight after Joshua and Daddy played their new favorite game of letting Joshua take a running jump off the chest at the end of the bed into the "piddows" by daddy, they made paper "airpanes" and every other time Joshua called them "elitopturs" (helicopters).
Yesterday at Target Joshua surprised me by counting from 2-10 by himself. He has only done it one other time since, but I was very proud and I teared up in the cereal isle. And of course he counts to ten the week I've really been pushing his ABC's. So far he knows the letter "O" and sometimes "B" so I've got one, maybe two down and 24 to go.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Gettin' some stuff done

Today Joshua and I have been doing some chores while daddy is at work. He is a very good helper (not to mention cute). He helped me load the clothes in the washing machine and then put them in the dryer and since he was doing such a good job helping we also went outside to wash the van. He had a lot of fun playing in the bubbles but he actually did help wash the car. It was only 9:30 in the morning and he was still in his pajamas--hopefully there are no child labor laws that are going to get me. When we came inside he put his dog down for a nap in daddy's lunchbox cooler and asked me to be quiet because the dog was taking a nap--I complied.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

the Pathway

to stay in touch,
Hello out there world. especially Ky yehhaw. the family and i have been in the midst of turmoil and struggle. It is a very exciting time in our life we are beginning to feel the stress from giving up our comforts, and yet even our faith feels tested. If I could give you a snapshot of the last few months where would I start. We were called by God to leave ministry to pursue missions in SC to be simple servants and share Christ with the world in a radical way. We left behind two very sick parents, our dream home, our stuff (like TV, bed, tools, garage, home, pets and my fav-the beloved couch) and family, basically everything. Ironically, those very Words were planted into my heart before we even answered the call. You remember when Jesus told his disciples that if you weren't willing to leave houses, mother or father, for the sake of the kingdom then you were not worthy of Him--He meant it. All this to live in beautiful Summerville, SC--full of pine trees and sand (seriously that is all there is here). In the strangest of ways we know we are here for this one reason to live in the center of God's will for our life.

Speaking of Will, God thought it was a good idea for us to crash with them (Will & Tarah) for a yr or or actually until the home in Ky sells (praying that it is sooner than later) they are a great family who lives are busy full of many things different from our own yet somehow we co-exist. 8 people and a dog in one house can easily feel cramped. Their grace and generosity has been more than we could ask for or expected. They have become in some ways our new family.

In the midst of this wild ride I have been seeking God more and experiencing God more and more . I am sure that is why life seems a bit difficult right now. I even feel somehow that I am not as useful as I could be here but God reminds me that if it is just to sweep up the floors of the church the I need to be here. Jerm 29:11 reminds that He has a plan, and it is better than mine that is the CMV (chris mattingly version). So as the Mattingly's hang on by a thread God is weaving us into the people he wants us to be, changing our lives one day at a time. I am so glad that I came. I will one day look back on these moments with no regrets and only praise to my God who loves me, sanctifies me, and gives us all a hope and a future. Chris