Dedicating Wyatt

Yesterday we celebrated our little gift from above with his dedication at church.  Our family gathered with us for the occasion along with Wyatt's Godparents.  Such a meaningful time making a promise to God, to Wyatt, to our families and to our church that we would raise Wyatt in a loving, Christ-centered home.  Reflecting on it this morning gives me such a feeling of honor.  What an awesome role Brandon and I play!

Here are some photos of the fun!

Brandon reading a portion of the letter we wrote to Wyatt on stage.  He did GREAT!

Daddy & Wyatt

The Wallace Family

Wyatt's Godparents

The Hunt Family

Oh how they grow: 2 Months

Cannot believe this kid is already 2 months old... woah.

"Thankful" Doesn’t Cover it.

This entire month I’ve watched as people post daily items for which they are thankful.  They all make me smile as I Facebook stalk people (everyone does it… so I can be open about my habits).  I didn’t want to jump in to the mix this year because thankful doesn’t cover the way I feel about my life. 

Let’s rewind a year – I was deathly ill with a never-ending case of Salmonella that my doctors couldn’t cure.  The Salmonella caused severe dehydration that sent my body reeling against itself which eventually lead to me developing an allergy to gluten and altering my immune system enough to trigger psoriatic arthritis.  However, a year ago, I had no answers and no end in sight.  I had been extremely sick since September and had no idea the worst was still to come.

I won’t go back through all the details – check earlier blog posts for those.  The thought of reflecting on how the past year has changed my life forever makes a knot catch in my throat.  My health is nearly restored and my faith in God is abundant.  How blessed am I?

My top 3 “I’m SO much more than Thankful for” list is:

1.  The Healing Power of Prayer & those of you who have prayer for my health and well-being this past year.  Because of YOU I’m recovering very nicely.

2.  The Gift of Baptism which I was blessed to receive on August 28, 2011.

3.  My amazingly supportive husband who has been tested tremendously in our first year of marriage.  Our first year put our vows of “for worse…” and “in sickness” to the test.

My wish for each and every one of you is that you receive as many blessings as I have within the past year; that you get to spend this wonderful holiday with your family; and that you always remember the true reason for the Christmas season.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

A Special Thank You!

Words cannot begin to express how thankful I am to have such an amazing group of women who I can call my customers.  Yesterday we came together and raised funds for the Walk to End Alzheimer's, we pushed towards business goals and purchased more mascaras than ever before. 

 

For those of you who participated, I will draw our lucky Satin Hands winner this weekend!  Orders will be shipped early next week - my inventory ran out of mascaras and more had to be ordered.  (What a wonderful problem to have!)

Such a joy to work with each of you.

Happy Friday & Much Love,

My Story

I got a phone call today from one of the pastors at 12Stone asking me my story and what led to me jumping in for open baptism this Sunday.  I’ve been tossing around the right words since I came from the baptismal.  As a blogger I wanted to present my story but it just seems like words just didn’t work!  As you know, I posted about the baptism itself, but my expression seriously just doesn’t do it justice.  Below is what I emailed to her.  She was moved, so perhaps I have the right words and have just been wanting to revise so I can relive.

I was raised Presbyterian.  Baptized as an infant and presented to my family church congregation – still have my little pink Bible I was given that day.  My father was a elder and assisted my mom as the high school youth leaders.  I loved being at my church; always gathering for the typical church potlucks with dish after dish of macaroni and cheese and endless gallons of pink lemonade.  I had friends there.  Life was “normal”.

When I was in the second grade, my parents divorced.  With that, my mom slowly pulled away from the church we grew up in – not all at once, but gradual.  My brother and I grew up semi-involved, but nothing like the experiences I had as a child.  Through middle school I joined the choir, only to quit after the Christmas program.  I joined the handbells because of my musical talents and their need, but that didn’t last either.  There was something missing that I just couldn’t find anymore… I didn’t feel anything.

After entering high school I became a twice a year Christian – Easter and Christmas Eve you could find me draped upon the pews.  I’d never fully listen, just show up out of duty if you will.  The messages never grasped my soul and I longed for noon to arrive so I could get out and get food.  My mom and brother joined in on the twice a year appearance schedule out of convenience.  Our family just lost the love for church and I lost touch with Christ.  I never felt abandoned or alone, I just took for granted the blessings I received as if they were just there and not gifts.

I went off to college at the University of Alabama (Roll Tide) where I became best friends with a wonderful girl who is now married to a wonderful man.  They both have amazing faith and love for Christ.  I visited their church back in their home town a handful of times, but still didn’t have a connection.  I would reminisce about the times I had a church, but couldn’t find what I was looking for – the burn.

Upon graduating from college I returned to Lawrenceville to begin my “adult life”.  After finding a job and settling back into life in Atlanta, I decided that I needed to seek a church home – not for me, but for the family I was going to have one day.  I knew the amazing experiences I had as a child and felt it was my duty to my future family that I found a home for us even though I was not married, had no intentions of marriage and had no children.  So I began my search.  I visited the Vine in Braselton and frequented several Sundays there, but then fell out again. 

In February 2008 I visited 12Stone for the first time.  Overwhelmed by the size of the church, the friendly volunteers, the amazing music it was almost too much for me to take – and then PK began to preach.  I listened; held on to every word that he spoke.  I learned; his explanations and stories brought everything into perspective.  I loved; from five minutes into the sermon, I knew I had finally come home.  After that first Sunday I began raving about my new church – the big one that blocks traffic.  I invited my mom who fell in love immediately, joined a small group and continues to come every Sunday.  I invited my little brother, who struggled with his beliefs for a long time.  I am proud to say that I watched him accept Christ last year.  My husband and I joined a small group that changed our lives.  This “family” has held my hand and helped me understand so much of what I had left behind or forgotten over the years.  12Stone has brought my family back to living Christ-centered lives and I’m forever grateful.

The baptism was something I had wrestled with for about a year or so.  I believe that I was baptized at birth when my parents presented me to their church, but wanted to proclaim my love for Christ myself.  I struggled back and forth on whether it was the right thing to do or not.  My husband told me to ask God, that He would tell me what to do.  As much as I don’t want to admit that my husband was right, he was.  On the 21^st when PK mentioned the open baptism I immediately got excited.  I elbowed my small group friend sitting next to me that Sunday and said, “I’m doing it.” 

On Sunday, I was beyond excited to be a part of open baptism at 12Stone – so much so that I was the third person to be baptized!  The whole experience is something that I will relive over and over for years to come.  The volunteers who helped me before, Travis for helping me into the baptismal and being the catalyst for such an amazing part of my life, the wonderful team who greeted me as I exited the church with hugs and dry clothes.  Every face is imprinted on my mind forever; every word will ring through my ears. 

I also have to thank the lady who honked at me driving by the Gwinnett Braves stadium and giving me a thumbs up and the wonderfully kind lady at Costco for stopping me to share that she too had witnessed my baptism.  

I still tear up when I write this down because I’m so grateful of the love that surrounds me everyday I’m a part of the 12Stone family.  

 

Mark Your Calendars - August 28, 2011

August 28, 2011 will be a day that I will never forget.  Furthering my walk with Christ, I was baptized as an adult.  When reflecting on the experience itself only single words come to mind.  Inspiring.  Exciting.  Peaceful.  New.  Forgiven.  Unworthy.  Loved.  Happy.  Blessed.  Awestruck.  I could go on and on here because it was as if time slowed for me to take in every second of the experience.  I remember the face of the gentleman who helped me gather my belongings, the elder who helped me into the tub, the face of the man who asked me the two most important questions of my life, and my nervously answering with “yes I do”.  The sounds of the thousands of people who witnessed my public proclamation of my faith will ring through my ears for ages.  The warmth of the baptismal water rushing through my hair and the feeling of being renewed will continue to crawl across my skin.  I will relive those moments forever.

I need to express extreme gratitude to several people…

 - Thank you to my amazing parents, who baptized me as a baby and taught me that Jesus is my Lord and Savior.  Thank you for your guidance, your love and your faith journeys for showing me the way. 

 - Thank you to my husband who has continued to help me along my journey.  Thank you for loving me and showing me how God can run a marriage.  I love you forever Sweet Tea!

 - Thank you to my amazing small group family.  Y’all are such a vital part of our lives and spiritual journey.  Each of you bless me every day with your friendship and love.

 - Thank you to my college roommate, Becca, for being there through those years were I was lost.  Your Christ-centered life inspires me all the time!

 - Thank you to my extended family (the Hunt crew) for being there to witness such an important day in my life.

 - Thank you to all the friends and family members who sent encouraging words via text and on Facebook.  Each one of your responses brightened my day.

And finally, most important of all, thank you dear Lord for stirring my soul to be baptized as an adult.  Your blessings are more than words could ever proclaim.

God bless,