Which Way Do I Go?

 I love watching Godwin experience the newness of everyday life.  Riding a little tractor, petting a goat, seeing the brightly colored fall leaves, watching the leaves fall and crying out, "Look Mommy!"  He is experiencing so many things for the first time.  I've realized how often I "miss" the beauty in everyday life.  I'm so thankful he is, once again, pointing it out.

 Recently, my mom took our family to a Corn Maze.  All of my sisters' children were with us, so they skirted off ahead of us quite sure they could navigate the maze on their own.  My mom, Reid, Godwin and myself were left to our own leading in order to find the way out.

 Reid held the camera and snapped shots while we were on the path.  As we meandered into the puzzle, we grew farther from the entrance and the exit.

Every time we came to an intersection, we would ask Godwin, "Which way should we go?"  His tiny finger would point left, right, or straight, "Dat way," he would advise.  In fun, we would follow his suggestions.

Once, I could no longer grasp my bearings, I recalled how my sister, Kelly, told me she becomes claustrophobic inside of Corn Mazes.   We were walking deeper and deeper into confusion.

We continued to allow Godwin, our three year old, to lead us through the maze.  "Dat way."  "Dat way."

 We continued walking in directions against our better judgement.   It was fun to let Godwin make the decisions about which way to go.  What harm could come from it?

 After we were far past any clear path, we came to yet another intersection.  "Which way should we go, Godwin?"  "Dat way," he responded pointing left.

Reid quickly stepped in.  "No Godwin, we are going to go this way," turning right.  Godwin no longer held the reigns to lead us, Reid was now showing us the way out.  "Come on, this way," Reid beckoned. Godwin, Mom and I followed.  Reid traipsed on ahead of us.  He was out of sight for a bit, but we could still hear his voice.  "Keep coming. This way."  Knowing Reid's voice, we continued on toward him.

Within a few moments, we were out of the maze.  Thank goodness he led us on the right path.  Reid had led us out of confusion into safety.

I looked back at the maze.  Corn everywhere.  It was difficult to see the correct path, even from the outside.

We spent the majority of our time trusting a three year old to lead us.  How could he know which way is on the right path?  Yet, we allowed him to be our guide.

"Which way do I go?"

"Dat way," respond the voices of the world.

I wonder how many of us navigate life trusting the wisdom of others with the spiritual maturity of a three year old?  We allow advice to flow to us from people who are not grounded in God's word.  They tell us, "Go this way."

Finally, in the midst of chaos, once we are deep into a mess, the voice of the Father breaks in.  He whispers to us, "My child, you are on the wrong path.  You are headed no where.  Come this way.  Follow this path toward me, and I will lead you.  You simply need to follow.  Child, come.  Follow Me."

Who is leading you today?  What are you following?  What path are you on and where is it leading?  

God is beckoning you.  He is whispering wisdom to you.  Listen for His voice to lead you.  

Child, come.  Follow Me.

"The sheep hear His voice, and He calls His sheep own by name and leads them out.  When he has brought out all his own, He goes before them, and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice."  

John 10:3b-4

Out the Middle of a Corn Field

What a wonderful day we had at the Corn Maze!  Thank you, Mom, for the wonderful treat.   I learned a life lesson as we followed Godwin throughout maze, and the Lord gave me a few verses for these photographs.

I love how God is always speaking if we are listening...

"But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."

1 Peter 2:9

"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”

John 7:38

"So these days were to be remembered and celebrated throughout every generation, every family, every province and every city; and these days of Purim were not to fail from among the Jews, or their memory fade from their descendants."

Esther 9:28

For the pictures below, I thought about, "An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, But she who shames him is like rottenness in his bones." Proverbs 12:4, but it sounded too prideful.  (Ha!  I am totally kidding!)

Actually, the following verse fits beautifully.

"For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh."  

Genesis 2:24

Now that Weston, our 11 year old, is passing me in height...

"Her children rise up and call her blessed."

Proverbs 31:28

 Oh, Lord, thank you.  I am so blessed!  You are so good!  Thank you for speaking to me on this memorable day.

Happy Birthday Dyon and Dyonee

Today we surprised Dyon and Dyonee with cupcakes and red velvet cake for their 6th birthday! It's become a tradition for us to come over with a birthday cake to celebrate.

The kids gathered together and performed their skit and song they had performed the previous Sunday at church. It was precious! Omar and Lamar had speaking parts while the younger ones echoed Anna in the song. It was an honor to receive a private performance. Our family gave them a standing ovation after the "show." (It reminded me of all the performances we performed for my grandparents growing up.)

Oh, we love you all so much!

Happy Brithday Dear Ones! The Lord loves you and has wonderful plans for you!

Oh, YES, you have helped give a child a home!

While there, we shared the video of the O'Leary's homecoming with everyone. Anna, Omar, Lamar, Dyon, and Dyonee were crowded around the computer. Halfway through, Anna and I both had crocodile tears running down our cheeks! It still gets to me!

Part of the gift for Dyon and Dyonee was one of our new shirts that arrived yesterday. On the front it says, "I helped give a child a home." On the back, it states four ways you can help - with the FIRST one being PRAYER.

Today when we were with the Farooqs, I realized they are waging a battle for Overcomer in prayer for him. Just recently, they got a computer and it is now hooked up in the center of their den. Do you know what their permanent screensaver is? A picture of our family and a picture of Overcomer. I felt overwhelmed to realize they are keeping this in front of them all the time. It touched me so deeply because I know they are holding us close - as we are them.

We love you, dear friends. Thank you for the special memories made today!

My Birthday Prayer for Dyon and Dyonee :

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:9-14

We did receive more discouraging news from Ghana today regarding the status of our adoption paperwork. Please continue to pray.

A Night With the Chapmans and CALEB

Yes, we splurged and invested in this special night with our kids, our niece, and our nephew. In fact it was our nephew's birthday that gave us the motivation to part with the money during our adoption. Our nephew's name is Caleb, and on this evening, Steven Curtis Chapman's sons, Caleb and Will, were unveiling their new band, 'CALEB!' Who could find a better birthday gift that that? Additionally, my niece and nephew's family are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. What a special evening to spend together!

The Chapman's delivered a powerful message - even while still grieving from the loss of their precious daughter. The entire family encouraged everyone to SEE Christ even in the darkest of times. Their words were true, and at times, raw as they shared from the depths of their pain.

My age was evident because I knew all the words to the Great Adventure song from the late 1990's. Remember, "Saddle up your horses, We gotta trail to blaze, Through the wild blue yonder, In God's amazing grace..." (yeah, now YOU are singing it in your head!)

I've borrowed Mary Beth Chapman's new book, SEE, from the library. (I'm the first reader b/c I placed it on hold before it was shelved. Quite an honor! Hee-hee!) From the small bit I've read, I think I'll be glad to have read it...even if parts of it stir up emotions from difficult times in my own life. Yes, I'm still growing...

Here's some pics from our evening... Caleb is wearing his new CALEB shirt!

Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Psalm 96:1

Wordless Wednesday from Laurel Falls

“[Thanksgiving] I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge—”- 1 Corinthians 1:4-5

First Sunday Back Home

Arriving back home after a week in Ghana stirred numerous emotions. Although we were anxious to be with our church family, God provided a unique opportunity for our family to minister together our first Sunday home.

A church in our community recently suffered a tragedy. The pastor unexpectedly died and the congregation was left grappling with the circumstances of his departure. Upon learning what had taken place, Reid called and offered to help with a Sunday service to help relieve some of the burden. He offered to preach and have the boys lead music.

Reid spoke on the HOPE we have in Christ alone. He is our JOY, our ROCK, our EVERYTHING. What a timely sermon. Reid even preached in his Kente shirt sharing about some of our trip to Africa.

(Please note I took all of these pictures before the service started. My camera was in tow, so I decided to record the day. )

Mason ministering with his music.

Reid sharing.

What's your aim?

Dad and Mom joined us for the service. I'm so thankful for family.

Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”
Mark 1:38

Wordless Wednesday

Dissecting on the Driveway - Pig Heart

I'm still trying to be awarded "Homeschool Mom of the Year." (Not really, private joke!)


So, to expand my children's understanding of the human body, I made a trip to the Wampler's Sausage Factory. I thought I would stop by and pick up a couple of pig hearts. Yep. Pig hearts.

At the factory, this was my conversation with the receptionist at the Sausage Plant:

Me: Excuse me, Ma'am. I thought I would stop by and see if you might have some pig hearts I could purchase for a class that I teach to homeschoolers. We're learning about the human body, and the kids would love to see a real heart.

Receptionist: (Now, remember I do live in Tennessee.) Well, I think they just shut down the "Kill Floor," but I'll see if I can get 'cha one.

Me: Oh, that would be great. (I think!!!!)

The receptionist then tracks down a kind gentleman to help me. He arrives in the office in his work attire. (I would describe it, but I'm afraid I'd lose most of my readers!) This sweet man says he will "find some hearts for me in the barrels."

This kind gentleman arrives back in the office with a clear plastic garbage bag full of some kind of meat and quite a bit of liquid...ummmm...blood. As he hands me the bag, he says, "I got 'cha two hearts. We had plenty. Now, these ain't been dead very long. They're still warm."

Warm pig hearts? Oh, oh, oh my gosh! Uhhh....Once the world stopped spinning, I was able to focus and walk back out to the van to head home.


Our vehicle was full of extra children, so Franklin had to hold the warm pig hearts on his lap for the 30 minute drive home. I think he secretly thought it was "neat."

Fast Forward...

I took one of the the hearts to my Human Body Class (next blog entry). I kept one at home because Mason is not in my class, and he really wanted to see it. We spent an afternoon on the driveway learning about this amazing organ!

Rhonda, Kaitlin, and Jake came over to assist with the science lesson. We examined the whole heart, talked about the parts and their functions.

The kids stuck their fingers into the pulmonary artery. Isn't it lovely?We realized that we were not able to view the ventricles or atriums, by only examining the outside of the heart. It was Robin to the rescue! Wha-ha-ha! I grabbed our electric knife and cut the heart in half. Yes, I did. Uh-huh! Oh, yeah! (Does this picture look like I am enjoying this? What has happened to me? Oh my goodness!)
Rhonda - who loves all of our driveway science lessons - helped the kids find the right and left atriums, and the right and left ventricles.
Here you go...now you can see for yourself.

The boys (and Rhonda and Kaitlin!) thought the pig's heart was "very cool!" They took it down to our neighbor's house. (And, I let them! What was I thinking?) I had to share this picture to show you our neighbor's face!?!
I'm quite sure there were some people reading this entry making the same faces!


I probably should have started this blog entry with a caution, "Viewer Discretion Advised."


Sorry if I grossed you out! However, if you know me, you know I would find some humor in that fact! Ha-ha!