Archives for May 2013

Nine and Loving Life!

She’s nine tomorrow! NINE!

Where do the days go? We surprised her by allowing her to get her ears pierced for her birthday! She shops at Justice. She’s sassy and bossy and has the biggest heart EVER. She spent today helping her oldest brother wash cars to raise money to attend his National 7 on 7 Football tournament in Tampa in June.

She’s my baby girl, no matter how old she is. The one the Lord told me would sing for Him. My prophetess. The one who talks my ears right off my head!

Happy Birthday today baby girl!!! May God forever watch over you, forever keep you under his wing, forever draw you unto himself and may you always desire him with all that you are!

I love you…..mama.

4 Comments

Posted: May 28, 2013 by Julie |Category: Our Family, Our Lives | Tags: birthday, Jacksonville, Julie Worthy Photography, julieworthyphotography

As the Season Ends…

My baby girl has played an amazing season of soccer.

Cuteness abounds on her team.

We have this sweetheart who is a powerhouse. You will see her on the Olympics one day, I guarantee it!

The girl can play some soccer!!!

This guy has the heart of a champion. I just love watching him…

Here they are going through the check list with the referee (Is that what you call them in soccer?)

This awesome guy played goalie on Saturday!

This coming Saturday is their last game. The boys games are over too. My second born led his team to the playoffs as QB!

And our oldest won the Championship Saturday night. 7 on 7 is a fast paced “touch” game of football that is 150% for 30 minutes. Their game are back to back and they usually play 2 to 3 games each weekend. Touch is an understatement for the games are very physical!

I love watching the kids play and am so proud of all they have accomplished this season.

I love you guys!

**PS – for all you photogs out there notice the difference between the first 9 images and the last 2 images. The first were shot jpeg and the last 2 shot RAW!

Full Circle…

If you read my blog you know about my super lovely day a few weeks ago. This is an exert from that day’s events:

Driving along in this broken-hearted state this morning I ran smack into downtown, stand-still, Jacksonville traffic. There was a policeman amidst all the traffic. I rolled down my window. My own simple, small world persecution now began as this officer spoke to me as if I was 2 years old. After repeatedly answering the same question he asked over and over I finally told him he was being awfully rude. I didn’t know I was supposed to detour. I didn’t know there was a wreck. I didn’t believe he had the right to talk to me the way he was talking to me, however, he still chose to belittle me.

And in that moment my world collided with that pastors world. My heart turned towards his pain and persecution.

I was stunned and shocked that this police officer was berating me in front of my children as I attempted to travel our normal route downtown to school. Over and over again he “slapped me in the face” with his tongue. My fresh tender heart began to harden. Had I not been blinded with indignation I would have looked at his name tag. I would have called to report him.

My indignation slowly twisted inward. I was reminded of my fellow brother-in-Christ who lies in solitary confinement, beaten, dying. Am I above persecution? Is my life anything like his? Absolutely not. But, did today sting? Yes. Badly.

After sharing the pastor’s story I’d heard on the radio and my day with my best friend she called later for the pastor’s name and location. I had no idea, after hearing the story, where he was imprisoned until one night this week. I mentioned looking up the radio station and finding his name later that day……but life took over, until….

I had the most incredible phone call with a fellow LearningRx parent in Boise, Idaho. We were sharing stories about homeschooling and our faith, as well as our journey with LearningRx when she mentioned my recent blog post. “Oh, did you know Pastor Saeed is from Boise, Idaho?” she asked.

“Who?”

“The pastor you spoke about in your blog. He is from Boise.”

Shocked that the pieces of my horrible day were coming full circle right before my eyes I intelligently commented, “No way!”

Only God!

How life went from driving my kids to school on a foggy Monday morning to my heart breaking over Pastor Saeed in part because of my local Christian radio station, to sharing the story with my best friend, to speaking with Lareina in Boise, Idaho about a fellow brother imprisoned for cause of Christ, to knowing his name! There isn’t a word to describe how incredibly shocked and blessed I felt!

After finishing my phone call with Lareina I immediately called my BFF (teenager language – my son would be proud!) at 10:30pm hoping I wasn’t waking her to tell her the story…….

Saeed has been imprisoned while in Iran and accused of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was working in an orphanage when arrested.

He is in a prison FOX NEWS calls Hell on Earth. Fox News also reports: It has been almost a month since Iranian authorities promised Pastor Saeed Abedini, a U.S. citizen imprisoned in Iran for his Christian faith, that he would receive medical treatment. He has undergone months of beatings and abuse at the hands of his brutal Iranian captors, which has led to dangerous internal bleeding.

For the cause of Christ, for not denying his faith, for staying true to the One he calls Lord!

When I heard his story on the radio he was just placed in solitary confinement again with internal bleeding and failing kidneys. My heart ached to think he may die in that tiny dark place I can only see in my imagination. And now, each time I think of him, I pray that God would be tangible to him in that horrible place. I pray as he reaches out his hand or curls into a pain-filled ball that he feels Jesus holding him, for HE walked the same path all for us. For me. Just so that I might have the chance to know Him. Just as I believe in a God who knows all I also believe He gives us all a choice. I didn’t know I would call him Lord. I didn’t know I would desire His will for my life over my own.

Knowing I have an all-knowing, all-powerful God directing my steps gives me comfort to face another day on this earth that has prisons like Evin in Iran. When my heart feels heavy with the weight of this world I can turn my face upwards towards a Father who smiles at my neediness, my “lack of”. Knowing He loves the part of me that is like Him and the part that wants to run away. Knowing He knows I can’t walk a single step without Him brings me peace.

And for His all-knowing, all-encompassing love, I am eternally and tearfully grateful!

**If you’d like to know more about Saeed’s imprisonment CLICK HERE and HERE

**If you would like to read Lareina’s blog post about LearningRx it can be found here. Read about her here and to click on her website you can do so here.

To read more LearningRx reviews and stories from other parents visit: http://www.learningrx-reviews.com/

The Circle – God’s Way

Yesterday God brought my experience with Mr. Friendly Cop full circle…well, as full circle as my little brain can grasp. I’m working on writing about that today but wanted to share Marathon Mom’s blog with you because I feel she is writing about something very important to our health. Click on over and check her out HERE.

Until then I’ll leave you guessing how God used a extremely impolite cop and a pastor in solitary confinement in my life yesterday.

Ta, ta.

Smacked in the face…

Today smacked me in the face.

Figuratively speaking, of course, but the mark is there. Four red finger marks.

It was a rainy, foggy morning, not the best of Florida mornings. I arose early to help at the kid’s school . Nasty weather often makes for a cranky mommy. Today was no different.

God quickly reminded me of my selfishness listening to the radio. The heartbreaking story of a pastor who is being persecuated for his faith, beaten and left half dead is in solitary confinement. My heart tore. His family has been turned away when they tried to visit him. His health is poor. His kidneys are failing. He may very well die in that prison. No medical care is being offered. UNLESS he denies CHRIST.

My heart breaks for the “alone” place he is in. As tears spilled over onto my cheeks I prayed that God would be with him as he was with Daniel in the lion’s den. I prayed he could actually reach out and touch the hand of God – physically touch HIM-the one he serves.

Driving along in this broken-hearted state this morning I ran smack into downtown, stand-still, Jacksonville traffic. There was a policeman amidst all the traffic. I rolled down my window. My own simple, small world persecution now began as this officer spoke to me as if I was 2 years old. After repeatedly answering the same question he asked over and over I finally told him he was being awfully rude. I didn’t know I was supposed to detour. I didn’t know there was a wreck. I didn’t believe he had the right to talk to me the way he was talking to me, however, he still chose to belittle me.

And in that moment my world collided with that pastors world. My heart turned towards his pain and persecution.

I was stunned and shocked that this police officer was berating me in front of my children as I attempted to travel our normal route downtown to school. Over and over again he “slapped me in the face” with his tongue. My fresh tender heart began to harden. Had I not been blinded with indignation I would have looked at his name tag. I would have called to report him.

My indignation slowly twisted inward. I was reminded of my fellow brother-in-Christ who lies in solitary confinement, beaten, dying. Am I above persecution? Is my life anything like his? Absolutely not. But, did today sting? Yes. Badly.

Another very real thought slipped into my heart. “How many times have I spoken to others in the same manner?” Especially my own children. When have I blown off steam by stomping on someone else’s heart?

I choked back my tears as I continued to drive. We arrived at school and I expected everyone to see my broken heart, my wounded spirit. It was well hidden.

Again the whispering…..’How often do I ignore another’s broken heart.” I can’t count the times I halfway listen or don’t listen at all.

And why are people mean to one another? Mr. Policeman could have as easily said, “There is an accident up ahead. We are diverting traffic . Would you please use that lane.” Instead, he verbally abused me with his attitude, tongue and heart. It stung.

I admit I rarely feel the ugliness of the world we live in. My circle is pretty small. I homeschooled my children until this school year. I’m not in corporate America. The people in my life become my friends. I feel blessed by the people God has tucked into the crevices of my life.

I penned this post first by hand. Four pages of cursive writing…something I rarely do these days. I’m still tender…stinging. But I think of my brother in prison……

Imprisoned because of his faith. Beaten for Christ. Likely to die all alone. Wounded. Broken. Just like Christ.

Oh, but that all of our lives are lived for HIM.

In the words of Ken Gire who wrote Intense Moments with the Savior: Learning to Feel:

“Lord, come. And for the sake of the children, come quickly.”

1 Comment