DADDY'S HANDS

I remember Daddy's hands folded silently in prayer

And reachin' out to hold me, when I had a nightmare
You could read quite a story in the callous' and lines
Years of work and worry had left their mark behind
I remember Daddy's hands how they held my Mama tight
And patted my back for something done right
There are things that I'd forgotten that I loved about the man
But I'll always remember the love in Daddy's hands
 

CHORUS
Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin'
Daddy's hands were hard as steel when I'd done wrong
Daddy's hands weren't always gentle but I've come to understand
There was always love in Daddy's hands.
 

I remember Daddy's hands workin' 'til they bled
Sacrificed unselfishly just to keep us all fed
If I could do things over, I'd live my life again
And never take for granted the love in Daddy's hands

CHORUS
Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin'
Daddy's hands were hard as steel when I'd done wrong
Daddy's hands weren't always gentle but I've come to understand
There was always love in Daddy's hands.

These are words to a song that a friend of mine sang at my Dad's funeral. Another friend of mine was supposed to play guitar, but was called to work, so she had to sing acapella. There was not a dry eye in the room! Love and miss you, Daddy!

 That's me waving to whoever is taking the picture and my Daddy is standing behind me.

TRUST

**Proverbs 3:5-6 ~

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.


***Trust ~

*reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing

*confident expectation

*hope

*believe

*rely upon

*expect confidently

*instinctive unquestioning belief in and reliance upon

*assured resting of the mind on the integrity, veracity, justice, friendship, or other sound principle, of another person

*to commit one's care to

*to risk

Antonyms (this is scary) ~

*hold

*keep

***We definitely DON'T want to hold on to or keep anything ~ we need to put it ALL in God's hands and TRULY TRUST HIM!!!

CELEBRATE RECOVERY AT THE ANDOUILLE FESTIVAL

I have enjoyed so  much the two days I have spent out at the Andouille Festival! It was great! I met a lot of nice people and ran into old friends. Today I met people from CR at Celebration Church in Metairie. I also have a FaceBook friend from another state that is in CR who looked at the pictures I took and commented that their local CR group was looking for something like this to do as an outreach to the community. One of the ladies that did facepainting said some of the little kids were telling her about their problems at home with parents who were alcoholics, drug addicts and some who were abusive. Jacob had the privilege of leading 4 people to the Lord Saturday night! I know that God is going to use this outreach to do great things, to set people free, to further His Kingdom and to bring glory to His Name! Many seeds were planted this weekend. Those seeds will be watered and we WILL see fruit that remains! I am so thankful and so honored to be a part of such a great ministry and to do it with some of the greatest people I know! Thanks to Darren & Nicole for being the best leaders we could ask for!

PRISON MINISTRY

Every Saturday, I go with some other ladies to hold a church service at one of the local prisons. When I was first asked to be a part of this a couple of years ago, I thought there was no way this was something the Lord wanted me to do because I wouldn't possibly be able to understand or help the ladies there. I had never used drugs and alcohol or been in any kind of trouble. I didn't think I had anything to offer them! I thought they would think that I could never really understand anything they were going through because I hadn't "been there". I know now that was just the enemy trying to keep me away from there because I DID have something to offer them ~ JESUS!!! The rest didn't matter, anyway! It's all about HIM! It doesn't matter what our background or our current situation is, we ALL need JESUS!

It only took me one time going there and I knew I was supposed to be there! I connected with the ladies immediately! I love them and can't wait to see them every week! There have been times when we were not able to go for different reasons and my heart ached to see them! I think about them every day! I want them to know how much the Lord loves them and that He has a great plan for their lives! Most in that place have no hope for a different life. We offer Hope to them through Jesus! They are being taught how to get their lives back in order and keep them that way! They are being taught how to be a godly wife and mother. They are being taught how to share what the Lord is doing for them with their family and friends when they are released!

The Lord is moving mightily in the prison! The last few weeks have been incredible services where the Presence of the Lord was very tangible and the ladies were crying and repenting! I, once again, am in awe of Him and what He is doing! I consider it an honor and a privilege to be a part of this ministry! I thank God that He allows me to go to the prison and minister to the ladies! I continue to see His faithfulness over and over again! He is Worthy of all the glory we can give Him!

The Empty Nest

This week my "baby" will leave for college! Where did the time go?

When CJ was born, he had a heart defect and died three times before they could perform surgery when he was 3 months old! The surgery was a great success ~ thank You, Jesus! He has amazed doctors his entire life after all he has been through! He began playing sports when he was only 4 years old! He played baseball, basketball and/or soccer until he was about 13. Personal computers put a stop to that! ;-)  He is a computer whiz now! He has always been very smart and stayed on the honor roll all through school. He was placed in honors classes in high school. He will now be attending LA Tech College in Ruston, LA, for Computer Science and Aviation. He plans to fly in the Air Force! I am very proud of him and his accomplishments! I know that the Lord has placed in CJ many gifts and he will use them for God's glory!

So, we are packing, crying (only I am doing that), reminiscing, moving, and all those things we do when our children leave! Along with all of this, I am also looking to starting a new job and moving to a new place. Whew! Lots of changes all at once! But, the Lord is with me through it all and He gives me the grace I need daily to do all that is necessary! 

My empty nest is just beginning! I believe this is a new beginning for me personally in so many ways! I know there will be a transition time and it can be uncomfortable, but I am excited to see what the Lord has for ME just ahead! One of my favorite scriptures is Isaiah 43:19, "Behold, I do a new thing!". This is my time for a new thing!