The Heart of the Matter

In our local congregation, we have recently started a two-quarter study on the Sermon on the Mount.   We will be studying about Matthew 5 - 7 during Bible classes,  Sunday morning worship and Sunday night worship continuing through the month of September.   In conjunction with this, my family and I decided to challenge ourselves to memorize as much of these 3 chapters as we can.   We are only a few weeks into the process, but I am already so humbled by these 111 verses.   Our preacher has been saying that "the heart of the matter is really a matter of the heart," and I see so much in these verses that is practical and applicable to MY life today!

Would you like to join us in our memory challenge?   I can guarantee you will be blessed by your efforts!  We each have very different learning styles, so it has been fun to watch everyone working on the verses.    I am a visual learner, so I have created colorful documents to help me memorize.  My husband is more auditory, so he recorded the verses and listens to them on the way to work.   My daughter and I both like typing out what we have memorized so we can check them, and my son loves to repeat them out loud over and over and then write them to check.   While we are each learning differently, we have the same goal, and it has been a great encouragement to me so far!

Bonus fun for families - each time one of us memorizes an additional verse, we are adding a glass bead to a clear vase.   At the end September we will count up our total number of beads between the 4 of us, and we will have family game time...1 minute of game-playing per glass bead!    Just a little extra motivation for when things get difficult! :)

Picture this!

I love to take pictures and to arrange them in scrapbooks to preserve memories.    I frequently order 100s of pictures from our local pharmacy and flip through them over and over to relive special moments.    My house is full of framed photos, scrapbooks bursting with memories, and various other photo gifts and books.   However, not many of those pictures include me, as I am always shying away from the camera.   When I have pictures made of me, all I can see are the double chins, body flaws, etc.   I have a hard time looking past all of that to see the joy and delight. 

However, my new year's resolution this year was to get IN the pictures more often.  My daughter took a photography class last year and is quite talented, so she has started taking some of our family photos, and I have worked hard to force myself to be in them.   I don't want my kids to grow up and not have visual memories of me.   I want to capture the happiness and joy of our little family on vacations, during celebrations, etc.    I want to see past those flaws.

So, when my parents offered to throw me a 40th birthday celebration, they asked if there was anything I wanted for the party, and I told them a photographer.  I didn't care if it was someone professional or not, I just wanted someone who was dedicated to capturing memories at my party.   I wanted pictures of me, my friends, and my family enjoying our time.    I just got the pictures back yesterday, and I am SO SO thankful I took the plunge and got IN the pictures.  What a blessing to have photos reflecting friendships and family love.   What a gift to have these memories immortalized!   Each picture tells a story, and here are few!

 I am so thankful to do life with this man.  This is the 20th birthday I have spent with him, and I look forward to so many more.   Day in and day out, I choose him over and over and over. 

I feel so blessed that so many turned out for the celebration.  

This lady is spunkier now at 93 than I am at 40!   I am so thankful to have her!

 This girl is going places and I'm so grateful to be along for the ride as her mom!

So much of my heart is in this one picture.   Blessed to live the life I always dreamed of having.

3 generations in one place....

But wait!  There's more!  Now there are 4!!!

 I am so blessed to have so many
children in my life to teach,
babysit, parent, and love!. :)

This girl makes my heart happy and humbles me every time I interact with her.   I have the joy of teaching her in Bible class, and she is the epitome of what a good friend should be.  Any time a friend needs help or encouragement, she is there.  If they want something she has, she gives it without question or regret.   She loves fiercely and without hesitation.  She is free with hugs and laughs and encouraging words.  I want a heart like hers.

You hear so many horror stories about in-laws, and I am SO SO thankful that has never been my story!   These two have taken me in from the first time I met them, and I couldn't be more grateful.

Two of the most generous people I know, and I get to call them Mom and Dad!!  I have learned so many great lessons about working hard and giving of yourself.  Mom and I never have pictures together, so I lvoe the one below, even if the spotlight is on me...ha!

We may be different, but we are definitely sisters!  Thankful to live close enough to see each other's families grow and change!

I don't remember these two from my family in Louisiana, but I was blown away by them this weekend!  I wish I'd had more time to talk to them, and I'm blessed to have been reconnected even for a brief time.  Ken was such a gentleman, and both worked so hard to help in any way.   

There aren't words for what this couple means to me.  From the first time I attended services at what is now my home congregation, they took me in as one of their own, and they have been beside me and my family ever since.   Any time I need someone to cheer me on through difficulty, they are there.   I have learned so many things about how to serve the Lord and remain faithful to Him and to His church and to your spouse from these two.  They give of themselves CONSTANTLY, and never quit serving.  Even now, they encourage me to grow and be better in my service to the Lord. I want to be just like them when I grow up. :)

This guy has made me laugh for 40 years.  What a blessing he is!

These goofy shots were so fun...  I don't ever have the chance to just be silly, so it was great!

 A spur of the moment babysitting day years ago changed my life for the better when it turned in to so much more!  This family encourages me so much, and these boys have my heart almost like they are my own. :) 

This sweet lady gave up her evening to let me boss her around for pictures, and I love every one of the shots she got!