Expectancy

I was at a women's conference this past weekend at my church. It was probably the second one in my life time that I have attended and it was nothing short of amazing. It was so refreshing to soak in God's presence during worship and to laugh and cry with hundreds of other women of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds. All of us with different stories, all with different joys and heartaches in our lives, all in love with Jesus and all in need of a fresh touch from Him on the journey. I learned a lot, more than I can comprehend at the moment, but these two quotes especially stuck out to me:

- The only thing you can expect is that it won't be what you were expecting.
- Waiting in expectancy means that you TRUST your Father. Waiting with expectations means that you have DEMANDS on Him.

OUCH...no challenge here!

I am so thankful that Jesus is so patient with me as I learn to trust Him. He is working ALL things together for my good. He isn't trying to kill me. He loves me, He is always good, and He is faithful to all that He has promised.

Amen.

BE ENCOURAGED!

New Nephew

Last Thursday, a new little one made his first appearance into the world at 7:30am. Our newest nephew, Prentice Clay Martin joined his family, making them a family of four! Amber, my sister-in-law was incredible, delivering him at home! We went up Friday night to meet him and get the inside scoop from proud big sister, Tirza. She is crazy about him already and it's so fun to watch her trying to understand what it means that she has a little brother.

Malakai adores babies right now and he was hugging and kissing Prentice all night! I wonder what he really is thinking when he looks at a new little babe? I never get tired of holding newborns. Kind of makes my heart melt all over again, like when I held Malakai for the first time over two years ago. Babies have a way of making this crazy world stand still. Try holding one and you'll understand exactly what I mean. Jason & Amber, we are so thrilled for your newest miracle and we bless you as you raise Prentice to know and love Jesus. We love you!

Clownin' Around

Nothing like spending time laughing and playing together. I love this kid. I love this dog. I love this weather. I love this life. Praise God we live in a region with four very different and beautiful changing seasons. My heart is happy. Enjoy the gorgeous weekend!

Eric & Jen: Wedding

If rain is a sign of blessings on your wedding day, Eric and Jen will have plenty of them in their marriage. Pouring, all day long. No chance of outdoor pics, but we had so much fun inside. I met Jen almost 10 years ago when I was a student at Messiah College. I was on the youth staff at a local church called Daybreak and she was a high school student. We hit it off right away and began a great friendship...even recorded a few songs together in our friend's basement studio. Our last names then were Howard and Landis, so we affectionately called the album "Howdis" combining our two names. Clever, I know. Today, our last names are Nagle and Martin. I was thinking maybe doing a remix and calling it "Margle". What do you think? Has a nice ring to it.

The wedding. It was wonderful! Full of fun little details such as the guest sign in that you'll see below. Everyone put their thumbprint on the tree and signed their name by it. Most creative guest sign in I've ever laid eyes on. And the reception...details galore. I had done their engagement pictures back in the fall and they put their names with one of the engagement pictures on a Hershey Bar for each guest. My favorite reception detail easily had to be the cake. Jen said that she despises going to weddings where you get only a small sliver of cake. So instead, each guest had their own personal individual cake, complete with white chocolate shavings and white chocolate mousse inside. Are you drooling yet?

Eric and Jen are surrounded by so many people that love and support them. It was so fun for me to reconnect with different families from Daybreak again. Jen's two younger brothers were also in the youth ministry when I was on staff. They are all grown up now and in the band Stellar Kart. Jon is lead guitarist and Joey is the road manager. Eric and Jen, Eric and I were honored to be a part of your wedding day. God has an incredible future for the two of you together. Laugh often, love much.