Daddy's SPECIAL Day!

Today is my Daddy's BIRTHDAY
How fun are birthdays...it's a celebration ALL about you

I am so thankful to have a day all about MY dad

MY dad is...
-unconditionally loving
-kind
-a man after God's own heart
-a teacher
-wise
-a prayer warrior
-a great example
-funny
-likes to be a "play farmer"
-is compassionate
-is the best DENTIST ever
-has a HUGE heart
-generous

**my list could go on and on and on**

Daddy, thank you for being such a wonderful Dad and treating me like a princess!

Happy Birthday! 

Too Long...

May 16, the journey began

Mom, Shelby, and I began the 3 day trip to Denver, CO 

The trip was full of laughter, fun, and some serious quality time 
I would not change that time I got to spend with Mom and seester for the world 

The whole time of fun, the fact that Mom and I would fly back to good ole SC without Shelby laid heavy on my heart 
May 21-Mom and I flew home, leaving my sweet sister to start a new journey in the beautiful state of Colorado 

Today is November 8...that is 5 months, 3 weeks and 2 days...I haven't seen my sister 
That is bad news bears-I don't like it ONE bit
Another reason this grown up thing is so over-rated 

BUT....guess what?!?!??? November 17...that's only NINE days...did ya hear me, NINE, I will get to see my sister! 
To say I am excited is the understatement of the century 
I know we should take each day as a gift and a blessing and I plan to do so, however, the next 9 days could not come FAST enough :) 

Counting down the days...Welcome HOME seester :) Hugs and love comin your way, oh YEA! 

:) who wouldn't miss this family :) 

My Heart's Prayer

Yearning for this to be the constant prayer of my heart...

I need you, to soften my heart

To break me apart 

I need you to open my eyes 

To see that you're shaping my life 

Give me faith to trust what you say 

That you're good and your love is great 

I'm broken inside, I give you my life

I need you, to soften my heart 

To break me apart

I need you to pierce through the dark

And cleanse every part of me

Give me faith to trust what you say

That You're good and your love is great

I'm broken inside, I give you my life 

ALL I am, I surrender... 

Transformation through Grace...

It never ceases to amaze me that time flies
Sometimes I feel like days go on and on and weeks will never end...
Then, I blink my eyes and its a new month--it's nuts, seriously!

As we continue to talk about grace, the Lord is uprooting things in me through this wonderful Sunday school class
This week, something so simple that I am SO guilty of...i am down right a people pleaser
I would HATE to hurt someone's feelings, I'd love for everyone to be happy

Wouldn't that make life easy, if everything went as planned
All were happy and you never had to stand up for yourself
Ha-wouldn't that be nice

Too bad it is just not that easy
People pleasers tend to be push-overs, say yes even when we want to say no,
say I "should" have done this, and is absolutely BAFFLED by the concept of take it easy and relax
If that is not Kendall Blair in a nutshell I am not sure what is

Thankfully, the solution is God's grace
Robert S. McGee says "Grace says, I am deeply loved, fully pleasing, totally forgiven, accepted and complete in Christ."
When I focus on giving thanks for God's abundant grace, the focus is drawn off of me and onto others..as it should be

Striving to grasp onto the fact that grace can CHANGE me
and doing that by searching for the "but when God" moments each day (Galatians 1:15)

How is the Lord transforming your life through HIS grace?!

Romans 5: 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! 

Pumpkins

I LOVE the fall

It is my absolute FAVORITE season

The cool mornings, pleasant afternoons

The leaves changing colors

Red, yellow, orange

The crisp air

I love pumpkins

Scarecrows and mums

Fall decorations

I just love them

Did you know that fall is SO much fun in Kindergarten?

Especially pumpkins, digging out the seeds-how exciting is that?

The squeals, ooo's, and eeeks at the goop...priceless

 Don't you LOVE this face! :) 

Hope you have some valuable moments like this during this splendid fall season :)

Grace

It's been a while

What can I say, life is BUSY to say the least

Can you believe it is already the end of October

I certainly cannot, time is flying by 

This busyness of life continues to throw me curve balls left and right

Deciding how to handle those is quite a challenge

However, I am getting by with a little help

okay okay A LOT of help from a multitude of people 

I do have to shout-out to my amazing family, ALL of them

They are unbelievably wonderful, supportive, encouraging

and they are so good to me and I so do not deserve it AT ALL 

Thankfully, there is a huge umbrella of grace that covers me

I've started going to Sunday School at Shandon Baptist church and I am really enjoying it

We have been talking about dancing through life lavished in our sweet savior's grace

How often do we forget about that grace?

I can say wholeheartedly that I can get so wrapped up in the world's ways and fall into the trap of an undeserving heart and mind that I so don't go through life as FREE as you and I were born to live

YES we deserve NOTHING but death 

However, God's great grace is bigger, deeper, and so bountiful

Let's get out of that shell we encase ourselves in and

DANCE for joy in the abundant life we live thanks to our GRACIOUS savior!!! 

Wake up every morning and remind yourself of that precious umbrella of grace that extends over us. Thank you Jesus :) 

Hearts of Servants

Jesus always meets you RIGHT where we are

Isn't that such a blessing?! 

He is leading me where He wants me to go

And guess what, he wants me to willingly follow  

With glad anticipation of what is around the corner 

We are coming full circle here

For those of you that have been following me from the beginning 

I am back to where the Lord is screaming SURRENDER 

Why is that so dagblassted difficult? 

I know Jesus would not give me anything I cannot handle

I know that He has promised to be with me EVERY step of the way

At this phase of life, I spend a LOT of time in the car

To and from Columbia 3 times a week 

It is sometimes in that still quiet driving along that the Lord really speaks to my heart

Last night was one of those nights 

I was listening to the song "Heart of Servants" by Shane and Shane 

The chorus says "Give us a picture of your face, show us the measure of your grace, reveal the love of the Father, put within us tenderness, release from us all selfishness, we'll consider them better, we're yours, gives us hearts of servants" 

A few words/phrases really got to me, selfishness, better, hearts of servants...

I am in a unique situation in the bilingual immersion school

Why am I NOT surrendering?

Why AM I being so selfish-thinking me me me?

Why do I NOT have the heart of a servant that the Lord requires? 

Simple-I am a sinner in need of a sweet savior! 

Thank goodness for that GIANT umbrella of grace

For His overwhelming mercy 

I am so thankful the Lord meets me EXACTLY where I am 

even driving down 26 listening to some tunes :) 

I am praying and desire to have a willing servants heart of surrender