life

Okay. Let me just say it. Life is great.


Yep. You heard me right.


Life is great.


Sometimes I think it's good to just sit back and look at life and realize what a blessing it truly is. So that's what I'm doing. I don't think I always appreciate my life enough. I'm always busy, usually to an overwhelming degree, so sometimes I am too snowed-under to acknowledge how blessed I am.




I want to say, first of all, that I have an adorable new nephew. He is my friend Cara's little boy, so he is my chosen nephew. And he is precious. I absolutely cannot wait to see him. He lives with his parents in Colorado, and I hope to be able to go visit him SOON!! Look at how cute he is

Precious, huh? Altogether now: ahhhhh!

Anyway, that's one of my latest blessings and I wanted to share it with all of you who didn't already know. His name is Luke Francis Barnett.

So life is good. This past weekend I got to spend time with four of my favorite kids on the planet - my Colburn nieces and nephews. They are growing up so much and I am blessed anytime I get to spend time with them. Brooklyn will be 12 in December, which is just unbelievable, and she is growing into a fine young lady. Very smart and carries on extremely intelligent conversations. Jordan is all boy and there is never a dull moment when he is around. He's very active and very sweet and very ornery. And very TALL! I swear he's grown 5 inches since the last time I saw him! He's 10. Colton...he cracks me up. He's 9 and his sense of humor is very dry and witty. I love listening to him talk, and watching him interact. Kailyn is my birthday buddy. She was born on my 27th birthday which means she turned 7 this year. I can't believe how grown up she is! She's my lil buddy and I love her constant hugs and "I love you's." Something tells me to cherish those because they won't last forever, at least not to that extent. On Sunday morning, I took Kailyn and Colton to church (Brooklyn and Jordan had spent the night with friends) and as I stood between them during the congregational singing, I noticed that both of them were just singing their little hearts out. It was extremely blessed by that. This is a shout-out to Jason and Gina (their parents) and all you wonderful people out there who are raising your children to worship Jesus. That impact on their lives is going to influence them for eternity.

Life is very good. I could go on and on. I am blessed with family and friends. My grandfather, who spent the weekend in the hospital after having been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (congestive heart failure) is home now and doing much better. My Smith grandparents celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary last weekend and are relatively healthy. My brother in Colorado is doing well - he's healthy and has a good job and is doing well spiritually. My parents are always busy and always on the go and always a blessing. What can I say. I have a great family. I can't forget to mention my aunt and uncle who are also my pastors - I can't even tell you how much I admire, respect and love them. They are amazing people.

My friends are incredible. I know I've said that before. God is good. He's given me a wonderful support system, a wonderful job with people I love, wonderful students who light up my life. I seriously could not ask for more.

Life is good.

"...I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." ~Jesus (John 10:10)

thirsty.

Psalm 63:1
"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

tangible.

"Friendship is acting out God's love for people in tangible ways. We were made to represent the love of God in each other's lives, so that each person we walk through life with has a more profound sense of God's love for them. Friendship is an opportunity to act on God's behalf in the lives of the people that we're close to, reminding each other who God is. When we do the hard, intimate work of friendship, we bring a little more of the divine into daily life. We get to remind one another about the bigger, more beautiful picture that we can't always see from where we are."

From Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life by Shauna Niequist

Some of God's blessings are tangible.

Have you ever thought about that?

I was thinking today about some of the people that God has put into my life who are living, breathing, moving...visible evidence of His work in my life. There is no way that all of these great people just "happened" to find their way into my life. No way. God did it. He's pretty awesome.

If you're reading this, there's a good chance you are one of those amazing people whose path God allowed to cross with mine. I'm grateful for you. Your prayers, your support, your love...however you have touched my life, it has been God-ordained and I'm grateful. Please do not ever feel unappreciated or taken for granted. I'm sorry if I don't thank you or recognize you enough. You are incredibly special and I love you!

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy..." (Phil. 1:2-4)