Pics of the Birthday Party

Here are pics from last night's event. It was a HUGE success! Big thanks going out to my Mom, Dad and brother Tyler for helping to decorate. Big thans also to "uncle Ben" for his contributions to the goody bags. Thanks for checking out the pics..

Celebrate Good Times Come On!

Ok,so it’s not that kind of party, and my nightflife consists of washing dishes, doing laundry and playing online family fued. Pretty sad, I know!!

But....tonight is the LONG awaited birthday party for Jesse, JoyAnn and mommy. We even invited a friend of ours Carey to join in the party. In all there will be twenty people gathering together tonight at the food court in the Asheville Mall. We will eat our respective meals and then enjoy fellowship over cake and ice cream. Afterwards the kids will play themselves silly on the playground and then we will trudge up the mall to the trampolines. They will bounce themselves silly and hopefully avoid vomitting!!!

The food court is the PERFECT option for a party. We tried it last year and will do it as many years as we can. You don’t have to pay to rent the place. You don’t have to worry about mopping/sweeeping etc. Everyone buys their own meals. You only have to provide cake/treats. The playground is FREE! Bouncing is optional. It’s just an easy, cost effective option for our family. Plus it’s roomy enough, easy to find and there’s so much noise that my CRAZY family just blends into the chaos!!!

I do have quite a few last minute details to take care of today, so think of/pray for me. Thanks...I hope to capture this madness on film and post pics tomorrow.

God bless,

Janelle

True Freedom

This past Tuesday night I was able to finally share my "testimony" with my Celebrate Recovery group. Dictionary.com defines [test.ti.mo.ny] as-open declaration or profession, as of faith. Usually testimonies. the precepts of God.

I have been extremely nervous thinking that I didn’t really have anything to say. I am not going to get into all the details here, but I will say that my Celebrate Recovery group is the ONLY place where I have felt safe enough to REALLY be myself. I feel so completely liberated after sharing. I feel free. I feel loved. In fact, I feel MORE loved after sharing the skeletons in the closet of my life then I did before. Isn’t that an odd thing to say? I don’t understand God’s grace but I praise Him for it! Lamentations 3:22-23 (AMP) says "It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness."

So, now I really feel free to dance, free to run, free to play!!! It is my prayer that all whom I love can and will experience this freedom someday!!

Even God Likes Little Debbie

So today I was blessed AGAIN by my children. I was blessed by God’s provision and by God’s ability to bless those he treasures with good things.

After Bible study I took the children and a friend of mine to Subway in Swannanoa for lunch. As we were standing in line I was a little distracted by all of the noise from the children, people in the gas station, etc. Joseph says to me "It’s I Can Only Imagine". I said "what?". He says it again..."I Can Only Imagine". My friend Angie confirms that is what is on the radio. Then my sweet little boy begins to BELT out this song in the middle of Subway in perfect pitch. For those of you who have had the joy of worshipping with Joseph (that’s really what is was), you know he holds NOTHING back. I also thought it quite amusing that his baby sister sat on the packs of canned drinks and drummed in perfect rhythm for him to sing.

He sings the remainder of the song as I place orders. I don’t even worry about what people are thinking. I don’t try to "shush" him or make him stop. In fact I encourage him that his singing is beautiful. For those of you who know ME you know that is a miracle. I’m ALWAYS worried about what people think, especially about Joseph.

Well we are enjoying our meal at Subway (by the way the pizzas are very good, the children enjoyed them). I had noticed earlier that the Little Debbie vendor was there restocking shelves, but didn’t think anything of it. Then he comes over to the table with a HUGE box of Oatmeal Creme Pies and another of Nutty Bars. He places them on the table with a HUGE smile on his face and says...."maam I wanted to give these to your children because I so enjoyed your son’s singing". You should have seen Joseph’s face. Creme pies are his favorite. We were all so excited, so blessed and I was pleasantly reminded that my child IS special. Special in a BLESSED way.

Psalm 84:11
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. (NIV)

Now I am certainly not implying that I am blameless or that my walk as a mother is perfect. I am also not saying Joseph is a perfect kid (or the other two for that matter). However, I believe that God loves to bless His children and I can tell you that I am seeking His face and trying diligently to show His love to my children. I praise God for his favor. I praise God for his loving kindess that would bless some kids in Swannanoa, NC with junk food just because they worshipped Him with a pure heart.

Growing Pains

So as I'm growing daily in my faith, I am being reminded that the RIGHT thing is more often than not the HARD thing. Seeking God's face, knowing His will for decisions large and small is a moment by moment process. Nathan and I have been through so much in the last few months. My prayer is that of Psalm 119:133 "Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil." (NLT) I have been spending more time in God's word looking for HIS guidance on decisions, and not spending time and energy worrying/fretting about what I think is right or more importantly what I think others think is right. We are making the hard decisions, the right decisions for OUR family. I am not in any way implying they are the RIGHT decisions for everyone or anyone else. However, I am simply writing this blog to give God the credit for guiding the Flint family through the tough waters of life and praising Him for the exciting life to come. Isaiah 43:2 (NLT) "When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you." Praise God for His grace!

OVER IT!!!

So, I've decided that being depressed, overwhelmed, afraid, sad and tired SUCKS. So as of 9:48 am (official Janelle time) I am OVER IT!!! HAHAHA!

I know that ONLY Christ really can do a deep work within my heart and soul. I do know however that his word says in Phil. 4:8-9 (the Message) "Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. "

I do know that I can do my part by allowing Christ to work in me. I can focus on His word, His truth, His goodness. I can change some of the external things of my life, but He has to work out transformation in me by His Spirit! I have a list of things I am doing to work toward the "perfected life", but in the meantime "I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back." (The Message Phil. 2:12-14)

Here's to a Gloriously difficult day! Be encouraged, I know I am!!!

God's Promise

The Message states in Genesis 9:12 "God continued, 'This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I'm putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth. From now on, when I form a cloud over the Earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll remember my covenant between me and you and everything living, that never again will floodwaters destroy all life. When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth.'"

Yesterday on our way to church we saw the most breathtaking rainbow I think I've EVER seen. I hope to have Nathan post pictures of it soon. Although they absolutely WILL not do the experience justice. It was the brightest complete, DOUBLE rainbow that I am aware of seeing. The children were all surprised. I take it for granted that at the ages of 3 and 6 EVERYTHING is a gift to them. JoyAnn especially thought it was interesting and even metioned that she had never seen "a rainbow like Noah before". After the rainbow there was the most interesting and uniquely beautiful sky. Although it did mean that somewhere a tornado was happening, for us in the areas of pink, green and yellow with this fog rising it was quite breathtaking.

Although it lasted for just a brief moment in time it was a much needed reminder to me that God is faithful. That he keeps his promises and that his covenants are still binding today. It also reminded me that we can see God's glory and majesty all around us daily if we just look at our creation as a gift. We can see through the eyes of a child and find everything wonderous if we just slow down long enough to do so.