Palm Sunday

In preparation for Easter, Jane Kimmel and I have been reading "The Easter Story." I love her little questions that she asks and the excitement in her eyes when it reads... "Jesus is ALIVE!" We discussed how at church on Sunday, she would get to wave her palm tree for Jesus to ride in on a donkey! She said, "momma, we get to see Jesus today?!" and I said no baby, not today... but very soon!

As we celebrated Palm Sunday at church today, the children walked down the aisle and waved their palm branches. They were all so precious and waved them so proudly :) I began to think about how much I yearn for Jane Kimmel to understand the importance of Easter, and how much I want her to grow into a child after the Lord's own heart.... Today, yes today, was a special and heart warming day. Here are sweet pictures (or should I say snap shots, since it lasted about 5 seconds:)

I encourage each of you to prepare your hearts and minds for this upcoming week. Remember that Easter is not just another holiday, a pretty dress, or a good meal after church... But, it is the passing and rising of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! It is the assurance of eternal life if you are a child of God. It is about every drop of blood that Jesus shed for you, every nail driven into his flesh, and every ounce of agony and pain that he went through for me and you. It is about the empty tomb and Jesus rising from the dead... He is ALIVE my friends, he is alive!

Happy Holy Week and God Bless YOU!

What a BLESSING

Sadly our "Gospel in Life" bible study ended tonight... tear. What an AWESOME group we had this semester. Lewis and I loved getting to know each and every one of these amazing people and grew even more together as a community of believers. God is so good :) I will be honest and say this has been the most challenging bible study I have done so far. You know, it was one of those that picked at your brain, and then made it hurt afterwards. Anyway, we ended tonight with a fun pot luck gathering and said our goodbyes until we see each other again on Sunday, ha! The Lord has really blessed our time together and we are so thankful for each and every one of these people in this picture. I know one day, when I look back at all our fond memories of Starkville, this bible study group will forever hold a special place in my heart. Gosh, I love you guys and thanks for some wonderful discussions, friendships, and laughs that we had along the way!

A glimpse of your splender

I would like to think of this picture as "walking with the Lord..." It's a never ending path of grace and roaring challenges. Each step I take with my bare feet, more blossoms begin to bloom and sweet smells of lavender and honey fill my nostrils. The sun is warming my face and and a light breeze is blowing. There are overwhelming sounds of voices coming from every direction, but yet a soft voice that says "Be still and know that I am God." With it, peace and understanding fill me and I begin to dig my toes into the thick, moist grass as I inhale a sweet breath of life. Ahhh... How Great Thou Art! Happy Monday Readers :)

I am leaving you with a fun music video and a song I LOVE for the upcoming Spring Break! (Introduced to me by Katie B!) Enjoy it, and I'll be seeing y'all when I return from the BAHAMAS BABY! Much Love :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=rjFaenf1T-Y

Praise God from whom all blessings flow...

You Can Come As You Are...

I'm sure all of us have heard the phrase "it's not all candy canes and lolly pops." Well, the past few weeks, and most of the time, I'm asked the question... "How do you do it? How do y'all keep it all together? Are you superwoman or something?" Let me be the first to scream it... "I AM NOT SUPERWOMAN, AND WE DO NOT HAVE IT ALL TOGETHER." Whew, now that I got that off my chest, I just wanted to share with you devoted readers that it may seem like we have it all together on the outside, but we don't! We struggle with lots of things in our lives and jump/leap over obstacles when they are coming at us head on. We are sinners, just like everyone on this earth and fall short of God's glory every.single.day. Yes, it's hard doing all the stuff Lewis and I do and to top it off being so young while doing it. It's a struggle trying to live up to our own expectations we have for ourselves and especially this "idol" of success that has been hanging around my neck lately, like it owns me or something??? I'm flattered to know that people think we have it all together, but it makes me laugh... pretty hard. Boy, if they only knew what our days and nights consisted of. But, through this crazy thing we call life, I am overwhelmed and on my knees thanking My King for his unconditional love. Sometimes I think to myself "hum, I wonder if your tired of me yet?" But, that is God's Grace people! No matter how many times we fall, He is there to pick us right back up. He knows when we don't have it all together and yearns for us to talk to him about it. Kinda like a best friend, ya know? I am just so thankful for the many blessings that he has given us, even though we are not worthy of a single one. Wow, that's the best dang news I have heard on this heck of a Thursday that I'm having thus far. Now, just come as you are ;) Have a good Weekend!

You can come as you are with all your broken pieces

And all your shameful scars

The pain you hold in your heart, bring it all to Jesus

You can come as you are...

Still Going Strong

Today is Our 3 year Wedding Anniversary! My O my, where has the time gone? I wish I could document every. single. moment. of this marriage in some type of scrapbook or mental photograph that I won't be able to forget, but I think that is where "enjoying the small things" in life fit right in. In Romans 12:10, Paul encourages us to "Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other." As this clock continually clicks the seconds away until we become grandparents and grow old together, I find myself falling more in love with the boy I have been with for the past eight years. Why? Because, he knows me better than anyone on this earth. He knows every flaw, every weakness, and every stubborn attempt to get my way when I want it. But, he still loves me anyway. We've grown so much together in Christ, our marriage, and in the raising of a blessed child. How wonderful and beautiful God's plan was and is for us. I cherish the little things in our marriage that make us who we are as one and who we are as parents. My love for him continues to grow and I look to the future with a smile on my face and warmth in my heart knowing I get to spend it with him. I love you Lewis and Happy Anniversary!

"...that together you, with one voice, may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." -Romans 15:6

"Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."

-1 Timothy 4:12

"A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives." -1 Corinthians 7:39

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” -Genesis 2:18

Happy Valentine's Day to You and Yours!

Happy Valentines Day Everyone!!! This crew has NO plans for this special occasion... can you believe it? Just dinner for 3 at the house and a good red box movie is what is on the agenda for the night :). O, how I LOVE Valentines Day. I love the the smiles, attire, the sweet text messages, and as you can tell... A VALENTINE CRAFT! But, what I love most of all is the friends and family that make it such a special day. Whether your here, there, or a thousand miles away... I want to take the time to tell each and every one of you how much we LOVE y'all. I hope your day is filled with hugs & kisses, smiles & laughter, and the joy of such a beautiful word...

L.O.V.E.

" Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will glorify you."

-Psalm 63:3

"And these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

- 1 Corinthians 13:13

We hope your Valentine's day is filled with LOVE!

XOXO,

Lewis, Meredith and Jane Kimmel

More Snow... Yippeee!

Playtime with Ole Dada

Haha, I just have to start off laughing on this post and you'll see why in a minute. Usually, once every semester, Lew and I sit down to "talk" about our plans, activities, so forth and so forth that we have for the upcoming months. This particular one included scheduling more daddy daughter things with Jane Kimmel (since he had been so busy/gone for the past few months guiding hunters). They have been doing so much fun and sweet stuff lately, I had to blog about it. From "PINK" donuts to building tents, or in Jane Kimmel's words.. "Dada, it's a castle... not a tent" they have really been some kind of funny lately. Here are just a few pics :)

Above, is what JK and I walked into after school one day... Dada did a good job!

(might I add, you can't walk around this humongous tent/castle but they have a good time in it)

Below was the original tent that was built. It was much easier to maneuver around, but I 'll have to agree with Lewis... It's just not a "realistic" castle ;)

(I'm guessing his excuse for using every sheet, blanket and garment in the house)

"PINK" donuts... She asks directly for them now. It's funny ;)

The End.

Stay tuned for upcoming Valentines Crafts and goodies!