20...

The past few days have held alot of reminiscing moments for me...

Moments that make me incredibly happy...

Moments that make me incredibly thankful...

Moments that make me feel incredibly rich...

Twenty years ago this day, I married my very best friend!

20 Things I love about You...

♥ Your scent ♥

♥ Your gentle spirit ♥

♥ Your provisional integrity ♥

♥ You love without limits ♥

♥ Your passion for music ♥

♥ Your faithfulness to me ♥

♥ Your servant heart ♥

♥ Your courageous determination ♥

♥ Your humble intelligence ♥

♥ Your adventurous spirit that you very seldom unleash ♥

♥ Your contentment with two girly girls & no little guys ♥

♥ You protect me ♥

♥ You love me ♥

♥ You cherish me ♥

♥ You honor me ♥

♥ You ALWAYS look out for my best interest ♥

♥ You dry my tears as they fall ♥

♥ Your commitment to Christ ♥

♥ Your love for Taylor's ♥

♥ Your spontaneity ♥


20 Memories that bring me joy...

♥ Periodic visits to Chestnut Charm ♥

♥ Multiple trips to Rochester ♥

♥ Late night walks on the beach at Dreams ♥

♥ The day we bought your Toyota ♥

♥ Creating two beautiful girls ♥
~One that looks like me~One that looks like you~

♥ Carmen, Travis Tritt, Harlem Globetrotters, SCC ♥

♥ Romantic dinners at Skies ♥

♥ Alaska, Hawaii, Aruba, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Romania, London ♥
♥ MEXICO ♥

♥ Dark cruise ship decks ♥

♥ Difficult days following surgeries ♥

♥ Christmas shopping get-aways ♥

♥ Homeschool Conventions ♥

♥ Lazy afternoons in the pool ♥

♥ Icy basement stairways ♥

♥ Thursday's on 1st Street ♥

♥ Pannekoeken ~ Victoria's ~Brentwood Inn ♥

♥ Poodles~Dalmatians~Shelties~Labs~Guinea pigs ♥

♥ Tears of laughter, joy, sadness, pain, heartache, happiness, forgiveness ♥

♥ Jim Brickman moments ♥

♥ Coffee on the patio ♥

I am thankful for the love I have known ALL because of YOU!!!

Love

I love you
Not only for what you are,
But for what I am
When I am with you.

I love you,
Not only for what
You have made of yourself,
But for what
You are making of me.

I love you
For the part of me
That you bring out;

I love you
For putting your hand
Into my heaped-up heart
And passing over
All the foolish, weak things
That you can't help
Dimly seeing there,

And for drawing out
Into the light
All the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked
Quite far enough to find

I love you because you
Are helping me to make
Of the lumber of my life
Not a tavern
But a temple.

Out of the works
Of my every day
Not a reproach
But a song.

I love you
Because you have done
More than any creed
Could have done
To make me good.
And more than any fate
Could have done
To make me happy.

You have done it
Without a touch,
Without a word,
Without a sign.

You have done it
By being yourself.
Perhaps that is what
Being a friend means,
After all.

by Roy Croft

Encountering God...

Growing up, I can recall distinct moments in which I "encountered God"... You know, those moments in which you knew He was real... You knew what you were experiencing was going beyond what was typical... A different feel... A different presence... Deeper... More intimate... Unexplainable...

For me, those moments happened in the church our family attended when I was a very young girl and then again at youth camp. I distinctly remember... The first time when I was probably four years old and then again when I was a teenager. Of course I am certain that there were times in between... I know there were...

One of my greatest aspirations in life, is together with Kyle, raise MaKayla & Mallary in a way that they KNOW God, they DESIRE God and they ENCOUNTER God...not just through us but most importantly in a real & personal way. The Holy Spirit is our Counselor, our Comforter, our Teacher and our Guide. For us, it is imperative that they know the reality of who He is!

For Father's Day the girls and I ordered Kyle a CD/DVD of one of his most favorite worship artists that he was honored to sit under at a Seminars4Worship conference several years back. After Kyle took in his teaching and then we attended a concert of his in the evening, we were immediately hooked and have been ever since, therefore I knew Kyle would love it!. Brian doesn't entertain, he compels and draws you into the presence of the Most Holy One... We as a family sat through nearly half of the DVD Sunday evening and then finished it last night. One word sums it up...AMAZING!!! Both MaKayla & Mal were captivated and enthralled.

The more we watched, the more our hearts were opened.
The more we watched, the more the Holy Spirit penetrated our home.
The more we watched, the more we encountered God.

It was a live, raw and diverse video shoot. It was simple, pure, free & amazing worship. It included various people... People praying... People playing musical instruments... People painting an abstract piece of art... People dancing... People sharing testimonies of deliverance... People using flags... People singing... People standing... People kneeling... People sitting... People encountering God...

I can't even begin to explain what happened...it was surreal...it was moving...it was wonderful...it was life-transforming...

We as a family, encountered God!

After the DVD was over, we visited together about how the Holy Spirit was speaking to us...individually and as a family... We talked together, cried together, prayed together and then ended our evening with a song of praise!

It was amazing...

It was an encounter that none of us will forget...

We encountered God!

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1~4

You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence. Acts 2:28

So Much More...

In the quietness of this new morning, I am thankful that God has given me the privilege of knowing what the reality of intimacy with Him looks like, feels like, is...

Kyle and I have been talking for quite some time about the essence of shallow faith. Spending enough time with God to feel "comfortable". Dwelling in that arena where one is covered by grace but not saturated with the Holy Spirit. Serving others in abundance but not taking the time to commune with the One who the service should flow through. Believing, trusting and confessing Jesus yet failing to truly pursue Him. Getting acquainted with the Saviour of this world yet choosing to stay at a safe distance. Falling short of the "so much more"... Opting to skim the surface rather than to dig deeper... Remaining in the "outer courts" in exchange for pressing in to see Him, know Him, be with Him.

I pity the one and grieve for the one who chooses to settle for shallow faith. Jesus is longing, waiting and calling. He is pursuing those He loves.

There is so much more...

I desire the so much more...

He who formed the foundations of the world & set the days and seasons into place, chooses to love me...

I long to know Him in His fullness...

I choose to enter in...

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining.
And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.
Luke 23:44~45

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith...
Hebrews 10:19~22

Listen...

The strength of the vessel can be demonstrated only by the hurricane, and the power of the Gospel can be fully shown only when the Christian is subjected to some fiery trial. If God would make manifest the fact that "He giveth songs in the night," He must first make it night.~William Taylor

Life has been full of ups and downs, potholes and difficulties...frustrations and uncertainty...trials and waiting. We've spoken words of agitation and cried tears of helplessness. We've conveyed the unanswered questions and prayed many times over. The only place we find solace in times and seasons such as these are straight from God's Word and through the presence, comfort and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

We are studying the book of James in Sunday School and this past Sunday we talked alot about 'being quick to listen and slow to speak...' something I would humbly admit doesn't always come easy for me. It goes against who I am in the natural man and the character born within me yet it is instructed in God's Word and that is a truth that I take very seriously to heart. It's amazing that the very Scriptures we were studying as a group are exactly what the Lord has been teaching me on a personal level.

Kyle has been having a multitude of health trouble again therefore bringing a continual essence of "night" which understandably is very discouraging to him. In the time I spend with the Lord praying for him, He reminds me, "Mendi, listen. Stop thinking about what you are going to say next and just listen to what Kyle has to say. Listen to how he is feeling. Listen to his heart. Listen to his hurt. Listen to his needs. Listen to his struggles. Just listen..." As I have put this instruction into practice, I have learned so much about a man whom I have daily grown more in love with for nearly 22 years. I've learned so much about his heart...how he feels...what he dreams...where he's hurting...physically and emotionally...

God's Word is SO true.

It NEVER falters or fails.

It ALWAYS brings about growth in my life.

It CONTINUALLY bears fruit for His glory as I work it out in my day-to-day living.

Although "night" has been upon us, Jehovah-Jireh has given us a song to sing!
May the power of the gospel be fully shown in us and through us.

Am I Mindful...

Life has seemed somewhat out-of-control & unsettled lately due to the reality that out of nine consecutive days, four of those were spent in a city nearly two-and-one-half hours from where we live for medical procedures. Those four days were filled with difficulty, exhaustion & determined perseverance yet like He always is, God was so graciously faithful. As I sat in Worship Sunday morning & looked back on those days, reprocessing the events, the emotions, the frustrations & the uncertainty, the Lord brought to mind the words grace, strength, wisdom & empowerment, and compelled me to line those words up to the experiences of our week prior. In His loving, sovereign way, He revealed to me how limitless & measureless His provision is. He gave me a glimpse & allowed me to see & ponder how there is simply no way I could measure the grace He had poured out on us & how all too often I take that grace, strength, wisdom, power & provision for granted. He allowed me to consider just for a moment how different the situation & circumstances would have been had He not been with us.

He compelled me to ask myself the question,
"Am I mindful?"

So do not throw away your confidence;
it will be richly rewarded.
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God,
you will receive what He has promised.
Hebrews 10:35~36

Today...

I sit on the couch this morning finding it hard to believe that it has been nearly a month since I last posted...

...enjoying the quietness that surrounds me with the exception of the songs creation sings...

...burdened and broken for one I love...

...meditating on the truth that God's sovereignty is infallible, His will is perfect & He can be nothing short of faithful...

...reminding myself that even when I don't understand the dynamics of life, God does...

...wishing, hoping, contemplating what I could do to make things better, what I could do to take the pain away, what I could do to restore the joy, what I could do...yet God reminds me that only He has the power to accomplish what is beyond our limited abilities of the flesh...

...knowing that the battles we wage here on this earth are spiritual battles...battles that can be fought with nothing less than the immeasurable power and authority of the Holy Spirit...

...in a humble estate praying, hoping, believing, trusting...

...acknowledging that my God is holy, honorable, mighty & awesome....

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;

in you I trust, O my God.
Psalm 25:1