An Unexpected Blast
Hey, Sisters! I hope you've had such a fun weekend (or maybe restful was more of what you needed) and that God's done something particularly sweet in your behalf. We've had such an unexpected blast. Amanda's husband, Curt, has been scheduled for some time to speak this weekend in St. Louis, so Amanda and Jackson decided to drive down from the Dallas area and spend the time he was away with us. When I told Melissa on Friday that her sister and nephew (and Golden Retriever, Beckham) were on their way, she hopped online to see if she could get a cheap airline ticket from Chicago and come, too. God provided one of the lowest fares we've ever gotten and for a flight within about 18 hours. We were so excited. Melissa's never come spontaneously like that because she always has too much school work to do. We couldn't believe she threw caution to the wind and did it. We've had the whole weekend together and eaten everything under the sun. (Amanda speaking now. I came having lost 3 of my 5 pounds but it looks like I will be working extra hard next week!) My den is gloriously strewn with all sorts of baby toys and you can't take a step without a dog under your feet. It's the next best thing to heaven. Earlier I noticed that I have a bruise on one knee from playing crawling-chase with Jackson. I bear the marks of a happy granny! Both girls will head out in the morning but, boy, has it ever been fun while it lasted. I hope God filled your life with some abundant relationships this weekend...and then we'll all go back to work on Monday and get some rest! I love you guys!
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posted by Beth @ 5:19 PM
41 Comments
41 Comments:
What a blessing for you to spend the weekend with your girls and grandbaby! God is so good! I spent a good chunk of my weekend reading Get Out of That Pit. I have been so blessed by it as I have been so many other of your books and studies. (I just finished David,90days with a heart like his...so many precious mornings with that one. Thank you Jesus!) My walk with Jesus has been deepened, enriched and enlived thanks to you and your wonderful ministry. Thank you so much Beth.
Abundant relationships? YES!!!
I am in the first and only Christian a capella group created at my school, and we just returned from an amazing weekend retreat together. We pray that God will continue to use our small group of 15 (8 guys and 7 girls) however He wills to spread the name of Jesus to the 20,000+ students scattered across our dead campus!
It is a beautiful thing to know how GREAT the God behind our small voices is. HE is ALL WE NEED!
...oh, and of course, where there is FELLOWSHIP, there is ALWAYS FOOD!!!! ;)
I love how you always include us in on your family like we are out of town relatives... I feel like family! The other day my 4 yr old son saw a picture of you, Beth on your new bookcover and asked me who you were... I told him, that's Mrs. Beth, my Bible teacher. He said "Mom, she's beautiful." I said, "I know, son, on the inside and out."
Thanks for being family.
Hope y'all got to partake of all the essential food groups (chips and salsa, chocolate, popcorn, jelly beans, cheese dip, and cake). :-)
Beautiful, beautiful girls. All three of you. :-)
Y'all are all so cute!! Especially Jackson! (No offense, ladies).
What a wonderful surprise week-end experience. You ladies are looking mighty good and Jackson is so cute I would just like to "love on him". Thanks for sharing your life and your pictures with us.
Carolyn
Just love the pictures and I've loved growing up through my 20's with your teaching. I was a lone military wife from New Englad living in Texas and Oklahoma and you brought clearity to southerners. The other day I shared something I had learned from one of your studies and found my self saying "one of my friends said it this way..."
Now I'm in Florida and we want to know...when are you coming back!!! It's been like 4 or 5 years girl!! If you need a venue I have a Monday night study *smile*
God was especially sweet this weekend. A stranger treated me to my pedicure when I was telling my nail girls that I would be celebrating my birthday on Monday (today). My heart was so tender all I could do was cry. He is a blast girls!
What a blessing family is indeed! My husband and young'uns and I spent Saturday with family we rarely get to see, too and Sunday afternoon lounging at my parents' place! What a joy and blessing grandparents and family are for these little ones...Jackson is blessed to be in such a sweet family of love...what an absolute suger lump he is!! I can just feel the smile of our heavenly Father when His own are thrilled with the company of each other in the same way! Oh how I look forward to our reunions in heaven!! Eat up every moment with your little ones, sisters...it can be tough when they are little, but it is gone in a blink!! "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from HIm." Ps. 127
I too, had an amazing weekend! I have 2 awesome kids, but I have to be honest and say I am tired! They are 6 months and 2 years. But for the last month I have just been desperate for some uninterrupted GOD time. He seems to be bringing forth some things I need to spend some time with Him about, and I couldn't find it to save myself! Anyhow, my husband was blessed with new job 2 weeks ago, and this weekend we found ourselves at a company function at a 5 star hotel paid for by the new company. Well, my husband was in meetings almost the entire weekend, so I had a blast with GOD on the 16th floor of this amazing place complete with fancy room service, and a view of the skyline to die for! I was truely blessed!
Holly
Thanks so much for the family photos. In a strange sort of way you all feel like family to me! I know you had a blast - the photos show it! God is soooo good to us.
Amanda, Jackson is so cute!!!!! I can tell from the photos he is well loved!!!!! And he knows it!
God bless all of you. I pray for safe travels for you guys as you go back home (and to school). Beth I pray you will have a blessed day today.
Your sister in Christ
Beth, Amanda, Melissa, Jackson, Keith and Curt......Thanks for sharing your unexpected blast with all of your Blog brothers and sisters. What a precious thing for God to allow to happen. We appreciate your family and all that you guys do for us and the Body of Christ! We will pray for more special moments to continually pour in. With much love, Your "Tenacious Obedient" follower of Chist
Beth,
What a great big delight God gave you! I love the photos! What a beautiful family and your daughters are so beautiful and Melissa looks just like you! Jackson is such a happy baby and he looks like he already has a sense of humor! Thank you so much for sharing your weekend with us! I will be praying for you today because I know after having them all weekend it is hard to have them leave. Have a great day and I pray that God will delight you again today! Love You!
What a lovely family! Such a sweet blessing to share the weekend with your daughters and grandson. Sounds like JOY and GLADNESS was abundant, just like God planned for us.
Blessings and prayers,
Linda
You have been blessed with such a beautiful family on the outside and inside as well! I love the pictures you share. Thank you for all that you give of yourself. You are truly a blessing in my life!
Your grandson in adorable. It is nice to get to see the personal side of your life. I have just started reading your new book, Get Out of That Pit, let me just say it is awesome. It is definitely a truth that every woman who has lived any amount of life needs to hear and apply to their life. Thank you for your committment and contagious love for Christ and His Kingdom. May God continue to bless you, your family, and the ministry that God has given you.
I hope and pray that I will learn to enjoy life as much as you do. It is amazing how you seem to live life to the fullest every moment. Thank you.
Angela Scantland
you guys are the cutest family ever!! :) I love everyones hair! Even Jackson's!!
Beth,
I am a high school soccer coach and a mother of two and one on the way, I always tell my girls(soccer players)to be with a babe is proof there is a heaven. One look at Jackson I get that same glorious, giddy feeling....these babe's are straight from heaven!! Another thing that God has placed on my heart when re-reading a chapter in Living Beyond Yourself, you talked about hope and the greek word elpis, and it meaning "desire of some good with expectation of obtaining it."...I am not sure of the correct pronounciation of elpis, but what came to me was elpees...now in our family one of the first things we say as children is, "help please"(we are big on manners)...and you know being a mother and a grandmother our children try to pronounce certain words they come out a bit different, and help please always came out elp pees, to sum up the long illumination that came into my heart is that God want's our prayer's to be like that of a child saying help please(elpis)...our sweet babes say elp pees knowing and trusting that whatever their sweet heart want's it will be given to them by us, their loving father, mother, aunt, uncle, grandpa and grandma! Just a little something I wanted to share with you, God bless all that you do, and I want you to know that My Daughter's seeking Wisdom bible study group lift's you in prayer every Monday morning!!
Your Sister in Christ,
Bridget Decko
Okay, Jackson just might be the cutest little boy I've ever seen!!!
LR in Sugar Land
Precious.....just down right precious! Beth....let us know if you dress-up like one of the veggie tales for Jackson's birthday!
Will you ask Beth to share some stories from her early teaching days? For some of us that are teaching it is so discouraging some days. All the prep work and 2 people show up. I know the studying is where I grow the most but sometimes it seems like why put myself out there for other people. Maybe I'm missing God and de doesn't want me to teach a class. I though maybe if Beth had been thru the same thing I would be encouraged. But maybe it never happened to her. I think I'm having a pity party! I know count my blessings and move on! I'm blessed to even have the two come, and thankful too!
Love ya!
Karen
Loves it!!
Very cute. And this weekend I hope to have an "unexpected blast" with you in Seattle. Looking forward to it.
Beth, You have BEAUTIFUL girls.
love,
Kristi
Sounds like y'all had a great weekend. Nothing like a girls' weekend to get recharged. And oh my goodness, y'all are all just beautiful!
when will i learn to be spirit-led?..the idea had come to me to drop off a jar of my FAVORITE and UNIQUE jam at lpm for amanda's next slice of stale-bread-toast..had i listened, the four of you could have indulged....but so special to see you enjoying each other so much...and now melissa returns to that greek master's class with this weekend in her heart! just what she needed!!!!
Sweet Karen,
Okay - Forgive me if I am breaking blog etiquette by addressing a specific/previous 'blogger'. My heart went out to you. I am young and have only been teaching for the past few years (I should rephrase that and say that I am just getting to ‘learn’ from Him and get to share it with those He gives me the grace to do so with – and the ones that can put up with me!) I wanted to encourage you to keep on keeping on. Yes – we have to grow in our gifts. It takes time and putting ourselves out there to see where (or where not) He may be calling us. And yes – our gifts are meant to edify the Body (Eph 4:12). I trust He will direct you. We are all meant to bear much fruit in Him.
Don’t lose sight if you get an Audience of One in a moment. For me, returning week after week is where He can teach me humility and pureness of heart. Keep seeking Him…He loves a heart that wants to make much of Him. PS: My words are not meant to hinder your question to Beth! I love you all…
What a blessed life we have. You remind me to appreciate it. This weekend had a hundred blessings and one snag. We chose to focus on the snag, and I am so ashamed. I realized on Sunday that these ARE the good times, and we better thank God and appreciate it. Your sweet weekend reminds me that we have the joy of His presence, and live above our circumstances with Christ. The new man is stronger than the old, and victory is not only possible but required of Christians. We are so very blessed by our Jesus and it’s time I lived that way. Thank you for a timely message. I look forward to Bible study this evening.
I just wanted to take a moment to say," Thank you." You are one special lady, and I know you must sacrifice so much to give to us the way you do. Thank you for being obedient, teaching us how to dig in His Word, and helping me fall deeper in love with our LORD than ever before. He is so faithful. May He continue to bless you, and anoint you, as you have blessed so many.
Thank you so much for including the pictures...I just love seeing them! They are precious! I love knowing you are out there as an extended family and I can have joy along with you in your adventures.
God Bless as always, marianne
proverbs 8:18 " but the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day." (nrsv) this proverb reminded me of this post! yes, i'm doing some of my own homework too!!!!
Thanks for sharing. I am an exhuasted mother of children with the flu. This reminded me that my nest will one day be empty, and I should just love them to pieces now.
you have beautiful girls inside and out. Thank you for inviting us to be a part of your family
I was just "looking around" at your web site and discovered your new blog. What fun! And what a blessing to read. I am the mother of three sons and now God has blessed me abundantly with four granddaughters. I cannot believe how far a heart of love can stretch. They are my absolute delight--and despite their daddies objections, their favorite color is pink--a color I never got to see when my boys were growing up. God is so good!
So glad you enjoyed your daughters and grandson being "home" for the weekend. Our church began the dvd Daniel study Sunday night. Last year we did your Prophets dvd study. I attended the Oklahoma City Conference last June and appreciated the spiritual refreshing. I look forward to the Albuquqerque NM Conference in April.
Lovely pictures of your darlings. Paint brush in hand...
Hey, Beth!
Well, my toes (heart) still hurt from a little stepping on from last night, but no one ever so lovingly called me on it, and this is the week to let my Lord do a little open heart surgery—thanks for another honest look at ourselves to allow God to move in and take over. Now, for the main (well, not really main) reason: True GRITS! Since you spoke of your breakfast, I thought you might like to try a little trick I recently discovered. Perhaps a perfect vehicle for a slab of butter, grits can have half the calories and still have that flavor—a tiny bit of salt and a heavy sprinkle of shredded parmesan—no Kraft, but the grated kind that makes strings. Mmmm! Thanks for this great blog, Amanda and Beth—it’s fun to fellowship in Him together.
Beth Beth Beth...you bless my heart AGAIN and AGAIN!!! Today is the day we are supposed to hear if my baby and her hubby and my two OUTSTANDINGLY AWESOME grandbabies are moving to Dallas, we live in Amarillo, and you know those GiGi feelings...tears have barely stayed on the right side of the tear ducts all morning! After reading about your visits God showed me hope that there IS life after kiddos move, you blessed my heart big time! Love you and sooooo glad you had such a wonder-full weekend!!! :O)
What a Blessing!
My Sister and I love those kind of times with Mom and Dad too!
You are all beautiful..thanks for making us feel like we are just one of your family. Hope you are having a wonderful week filled with God's love.
blessings,
Tammy from NE
unexpected girl-time with family is such fun. what a blessing for you - it'll bring memories for a lifetime, just as my last spur-of-the-moment trip home did for me: we got stuck in a fog-storm for two days until cleared to fly out for our "weekend excursion"! hope many more fun weekends with the girls are ahead for you. thank you so much for your ministry!
Ok, I get that the focus here is on Jackson, and I understand, my blog is plastered with the faces of my nieces and nephews and Jackson is beyond precious....but...Can I just say that when I got to the bottom picture of you and Melissa I was overwhelmed. Tears welled in my eyes....and I'm no crier. I won't explain, I just wanted to say thank you for posting it. It is a picture that really does speak a thousand words. Words of love, motherhood, family, grace, well...it speaks it to me anyway, so thanks!
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