My How Time Flies

I just returned from a Women of Joy Conference in Branson, MO. What an awesome time of good fellowship, good food, good speakers, good concert, bad storm, bad seating, pretty rainbow, good shopping and great worship! Sarah decided to stay home, which at this point in her pregnancy was probably a good idea...long drive, lots of walking, sitting, and climbing stairs. We missed her. This weekend was the beginning of many busy weekends to come!

Somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind, I seem to recall hearing that life slows down when your kids become adults and you enter the "empty nest" period of your life. What alien came up with that idea???? I have found that life gets crazier and busier every day...not in a bad way, but all of that time I was supposed to be having is now filled with other busy things. I love to be busy, but I also love to be still. There is a balance in there somewhere-I just have to find it.

I have discovered a big secret. The Golden Years is a myth. So far I haven't found anything "golden" about gravity tugging at my face and boobs, dealing with the illnesses and loss of both my parents, practicing preventative medicine (colonoscopies, mammograms and such), thinning hair, leaky bladder, surprise "snoots" (as Natalie calls them) and creaky joints. There's more, but it would be way TMI...more than I've already disclosed...more than you already wanted to know. Just want you younger gals to know what's ahead for you. You can thank me later. Honesty is always the best policy, right?

There is however, one big joy that comes with this stage of life - grandbabies! Natalie and Parker have already been so much fun and brought so much joy to our lives. Very soon Sawyer and Ayla will be here to add to that joy!!! I can't believe Susan's and Sarah's pregnancies have flown by so fast! Not a day has gone by that these precious daughters of mine and their babies haven't been prayed over for safe pregnancies, safe deliveries and perfect, healthy babies! Thank you God in advance for these precious babies we will soon hold in our arms!

May/June/July promises to be a whirlwind of excitement, fun and probably exhaustion. Hubs and I are going to TX this weekend to see Matt, Susan, Natalie and Parker. Next weekend is Sarah's baby shower!! Yay! We (especially Sarah) have waited a long time for this moment and we will soak it in with much gratitude and praise to God for allowing this day to come! Sawyer could come anytime after that, so we will be going back and forth to TX for his birth, bringing Natalie and Parker to Arkansas for a week or so, then taking them back. That brings us to June, which will be a few short weeks away from Ayla's arrival! Whew...I'm already tired! hehe What fun we're going to have! We will be a little anxious until Ayla arrives and Sarah and Ayla are safe and sound. Ayla is measuring big and Sarah's doctor wants her to avoid a C-section if at all possible, due to her previous surgery issues. Looks like Ayla may be induced a little early. So, let's pray for a safe and easy delivery please. Big babies seem to run on all sides of the family. Sorry Sarah. :-)

Never a dull moment! It's always an adventure in the Millsap family! So, your prayers are always welcome!

I leave you with a few recent pictures - reminders that our God is always present...always faithful!

A Big Storm is Brewing in Branson

God's Promise After the Storm

Women of Joy Praising the Lord

God's Beautiful World

More of God's Beautiful World

Holy Ground

Spring brings so many beautiful photo opportunities! I never tire of exploring and discovering God's handiwork. How does one look at the intricate piecing together of a flower, the stunning beauty of a sunset - the tapestry of colors blended in perfect harmony, the transformation of a tadpole to a frog...all of these miraculous things and not see God?

That's what I love about living out here! I feel the presence of God here like nowhere else. He has truly given this place to me for my sanity. It is here that I can "be still" and KNOW that HE is GOD! How did He know that I needed this special place to be my holy ground where I can feel His presence in the midst of my deepest sorrows and in the midst of my highest joys?

I hope you have a special place to meet with Him!

Enjoy my "meetings" with the Master of the Universe!

Blessings!

A Day in the Life of Me

Thought you might enjoy this little adventure I had a few days ago...just a typical day for me. I am so NOT a "girlie-girl." I clean up real good when I have to, but I much prefer to throw on my jeans, sweatshirt, and muck boots and go out and play with the critters, plants and my camera! Welcome to a day in the life of me! I have christened this day - "The Rescue"

Poor BabyThe Good Samaritans (me and Judy)
Operation Sticky Board
Almost ThereOops...I'm Stuck to Myself
Letting Our Friend Go
Free at Last!

If you are not familiar with "sticky boards," they are called that for a reason. Once the critter (mouse, snake, frog, bird) gets stuck, it is not coming off! Personally, I think it is a cruel method of pest control, thus - unless it is disgusting or dangerous, I'm going to try to get it loose. *Let's not share that with the hubs.* He still doesn't know that I do this in my spare time...you know, free critters he is trying to dispose of. ;-)

Anyhoo, as we cut the snake away from the "sticky", anything that came in contact with the snake stuck to it, which is why I put dirt on it, so it could slither without sticking to itself, ending up just like it started. Watching it as it tried to navigate, picking up dirt, bark, and sticks, along the way painted a pretty funny picture in my head. * Visual * - snowball rolling downhill.

Weeks from now when I freak out over some strange looking giant glob slinking around my flowerbed...please remind me that I asked for it. And all God's creatures said, "Amen."

The Mom of a Preacher Man

Happy 29th Birthday Matt! My goodness how time flies! Just yesterday you were that 3 1/2 weeks overdue baby we were waiting for! That's right - all 9 lbs. 10 oz, and 23 inches long of you!! Naturally, when a child is born, the parents wonder what their baby will grow up to be. With the difficulties at birth, we worried about your development, being told that you could have learning disabilities from your lack of oxygen at birth. So, nervously, we noted every skill and milestone, carefully monitoring them for signs of problems. As you began to grow and develop, we very quickly figured out that not only were you not learning disabled, but you were just the opposite! You knew your ABC's and their phonetic sounds before you were 2 yrs. old! You did everything much earlier than most kids your age. It's sad when your child quickly becomes smarter than you are. Of course, you are finding that out for yourself with Natalie... hehe.

Of all the things you could be or do with your life, we were somewhat puzzled by your lack of direction as you entered college. So, you can imagine our surprise and delight during your Sr. year when you finally surrendered to God's calling - to go into the ministry! Wow! Rev. Matthew Christian Millsap! So off you and Susan headed to Fort Worth, TX to attend Southwestern Seminary. You have worked very long and hard. So, how long have you been in school now...20+ years of non-stop studying?????? Whew!

And now you are nearing the end of working on your Ph. D. I hope you know how proud we are. Wherever God leads you, and whatever He leads you to do, we know you will do it with excellence and obedience! Once again, you find yourself at a crossroad of direction - is God calling me to pastor a church? Does He want me to teach at a seminary? Is He calling me into the mission field? (Hmmm....your mother says no, you can't go to Africa) :-)

Your Dad and I are at peace - knowing that you will diligently seek His will and do exactly what He has called you to do. Thank you for being such a joy in our lives! And as I told you the other day - I am so thankful that we have such a great mother/son relationship! I can talk to you about anything, any subject, any disagreement, or especially discussions on LOST, FRINGE or SURVIVOR, and love every minute of it! Thank you for not being embarrassed to hang with your mom...even when you were in high school, whether it was going to the movies, going to dinner, or going to New York, we have always had a great time together! You know, it's Grammie's warped and wicked sense of humor that has infiltrated our lives so that you, Sarah and I connect the way we do! Not that you don't connect with your Dad too, but you know what I mean. There has to be some balance of "normalcy" in the family! ROFL!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT

Pics Continued...

Voices of PraiseKathy OakleyCows 101
Nay and Buddy Drive Kathy Takes Over
Tammy's Turn!
Sarah and Spanky
Nay, Kathy, Tammy, Peyton, Karla and Charles in Charge
Debbie, Nay, Marissa
Sunday Evening Sunset
Three Beauties Against the Sunset

Motley Crew
Our Bookmarks
My Key Chain - No More Bondage For Me!

FOREVER CHANGED

As you all know, we had our Women's Conference with Naomi Carroll this past weekend -WOW! I am still so overwhelmed I cannot even begin to describe to you what a blessing it was! Naomi brought along her hairdresser/friend/singer, Kathy Boggs, and good friend/moral supporter, Tammy Sweat! It is hard to imagine that we could all fall in love with each other so much in such a small amount of time! I feel as though I've known them all my life...such loving, caring, godly, funny, beautiful and "the huggin'est bunch of women I ever saw," as Rick put it! Lol! They fell in love with my DH - and why not? He's a sweet, generous man with a heart of gold!

What an honor to spend the weekend with these women and share our personal testimonies together - worshipping, praying, crying together and learning to "let go". God was definitely in this place, going before us and knowing each and every woman, each and every burden, each and every life that would be forever changed.

God worked in amazing ways this weekend and He still is. I'm sure the blessings will keep pouring forth long after this weekend is past. I know that I will be forever changed by their testimony in word and song. And from what I'm hearing - so will everyone who was there. The weekend centered around "healing"...breaking free from our burdens, our hurts, our insecurities - finding FREEDOM in Christ. Exodus 14:14 says, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." That was our Scripture for the weekend. We made bookmarks to carry around as reminders that no matter what we are going through, God will fight for us! All we have to do is be still and know that HE is God...seek HIM, listen to HIM! The weekend ended with a very powerful symbolic gesture - we were each given a piece of paper on which to write our burden/stronghold/pain that we wanted to be freed from. As Naomi and Kathy led us in "Amazing Grace-My Chains Are Gone", we took our paper to the alter, tore it into pieces and left it there - exchanging it for a link of chain. This link represented that we are no longer "chained" to the burden, but cut free from it, never taking it back! I have made my link into a key chain as a constant reminder to "let it go".

Naomi gave so much of herself this weekend. She is so open, raw, real, genuine and most of all - enormously gifted singer/songwriter with a true talent for leading people into the presence of the Lord!

She and Kathy led our Sunday morning worship service as well as leading the women's event. One of the best moments for me was after church, when they gave my immediate family a private concert of "Enjoy the Journey", the first song of Naomi's I ever heard...the one that touched my heart and will go with me forever...the one that ministered to me and to my mother during her final weeks on earth...the one that was the background to my mother's video tribute. What a special blessing and honor it was for Naomi to give of her "emotionally and physically exhausted" self, to leave my family with this unforgettable gift of love. Thank you, Naomi for touching our lives in ways you will never know!

I've given out this information before, but I will give it again - If you or your church would like to book Naomi for a "Home Sweet Home" Tour, please contact her through her website - http://www.naomicarroll.com/ She will come to you in your home, your church, an outdoor park, wherever you have room for 40-50 people. All she asks for is travel expenses, an overnight place to stay and 10.00 per person to provide a little income while she travels around to minister to your hearts.

People...do you realize what kind of offer that is? It is one more concerned about spreading the love of Jesus, than of making money. It is from a heart's desire to serve the Lord and meet sisters and brothers in Christ, sharing stories and hearts together. What are you waiting for?

"Enjoy the Journey" of pictures from the weekend!

"God will fight for you; you need only to be still."

(more pictures coming)