Sunday, September 27, 2009
Oklahoma State Fair and Disney on Ice!
BUT....and it's a good but....."but,I came that they might have LIFE and might have it abundantly!!!!" John 10:10
Joy, no matter what form....and I know at times it is a sacrifice...but choosing to find the joy no matter how slight it might be takes the ordinary in life and makes it extraordinary!!!
"All the days of the afflicted are bad, BUT a cheerful heart has a continual feast." Proverbs 15:15
"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:22
I know it might come as a surprise to some that think I am always "up", but I have to continually submit to God's Authority to have a joyful heart regardless of my circumstances. It is something that I have battled in a very real and desperate way in recent years. I realized that my joy was very manufactured at times. You know, you've heard the expression "Just put on the face"....At times I would just "pull myself up by my bootstraps" and be happy on the outside, while in the inside I was raging. I have recognized that you can't maintain a personal, human joy that is easily broken, abused and hidden...but as I am growing and increasing my faith and dependency on a higher Joy...a joy that is sustained not by human motivation, but by the very embodiment of Joy itself it has become un-manufactured and pure. Because my Joy belongs to God, not to me.
"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full!" John 15:11
I have to consistently be reminded, sharpened and held accountable to allowing Christ to fill my bones with a continual feast of Joy!!
Find something to laugh about and just let it go! The other day I was in Walmart with my kids and Ainsley decided that the candy bars would be merchandised a lot better on the floor...as well as all the perfume...although I appreciate her "forward-thinking merchandising mind", it was not the right moment. :) Then when I went to "lovingly correct her" she fell to the floor, limp body and not in tears...but in sheer laughter. Like, I could not get the girl's noodle legs under her. She was simply hysterical. Obviously as a parent in the future I will not be encouraging the re-shelving of Walmart products...but for that day and in that moment, I'll be honest I couldn't help but just laugh along with her! And boy, did we belly laugh!! I'm sure everyone thought I had just lost it as a mother...and you know what they would be right. I just let it go....for one moment I let go of perfection and just laughed!
As believers we have to look around. Open your eyes and look for someone that just needs to laugh and find a reason to laugh! Open your eyes and look for someone that just needs to smile and find a reason to smile! It takes courage to laugh, smile and find joy in not so great circumstances....so we should help each other and fight with the tools that we have been given to defeat the enemy's schemes to steal, kill and destroy the great JOY that we have been given! No one is perfect and there have been so many opportunities I have missed to either receive Joy or give it based on my own insecurities, unsubmissive heart or simply being entrenched in my own circumstances. Don't beat yourself up, just submit, obey and give Joy today! :)That is why it's great that real authentic Joy comes not from humans, but from God Eternal!
Time together as a family has been so short, and we have friends and family that are going through so many difficult circumstances, we have pressure to succeed, deadlines to meet and responsibilities to complete at an excellent level. There is a place for intensity and it is all about balance in life, BUT when God presented the opportunity to just have fun, be a kid and laugh....we took it. We have to take those moments of joy and just ENJOY them! And I think I had the most fun out of everyone!! Hahaha!
God bless you and reward you with Great Joy today!!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Mamaw and Pawpa are AMAZING! Thank you so much for all the goodies!!
"Priceless" pic of the little Miss...
I love, love, love this pic of Ainsley! She is chowing down on a huge brownie, lounging in her bean bag chair and wearing a bib that says "Priceless"....could not have staged that in a million years!!
Girl's Night Out!
Had an amazing time with precious friends the other night! It was so refreshing to spend time laughing, chatting and eating chocolate...of course!!
You girls were so precious and it is such a blessing to be encouraged by such Spirit-filled friends! Love you amazing ladies...love you too Linds and can't wait till the next girl's night out!
Precious Treasure of Praise...
Found this video today on YouTube....it blessed my heart and reminded me to worship the Lord that is on His Throne regardless of my circumstances...good or trying...to praise as we are poured out for His glory...and that no weapon formed against us shall prevail when we CHOOSE to praise the Blessed Controller!
"No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper!" Isaiah 54:17
Be blessed and reminded of His unending Love for you today!!!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
thoughts on my heart...
A couple of weeks ago the kids and I had gone into Oklahoma City to get a few things done and then see my brother's baseball game that night.
Well, we had a great day and got several things accomplished and then had a wonderful time at the game! The kids really enjoyed getting some extra playtime with their cousin, Cora and I got some fun chat time with my sis-in-law, LeAnna! Then Cade got the thrill of his life when Mike let the kids come on to the field after the game.
After it was all over we loaded up to head back to Weatherford. As I am getting on I-40 I see some distant lightening out west and realize I hadn't even checked the weather to see if there would be any rain/storms that day. As we continue on I realize there is definitely some lightening going on in front of us and although it is beautiful it doesn't look happy so I decide to call and have someone check the weather for us.
"Looks okay, might get some heavy rain...but it doesn't look too serious...you should be okay and it even looks like it might be just north of the highway so you might miss it all together." is what both my dad and Toby tell me according to what the weather channels are reporting. I continue driving and realize that it is probably not going to be "just north of the highway" and we are actually driving straight in to it. I have driven in pretty bad rain before and figured it was just better to drive on through and just get home. Especially since it was getting late and I was alone with the kids.....right?!?!
Uuuummmm yeah, pretty sure we hit about El Reno, which is about 40 minutes east of Weatherford, and my big ol' suburban started blowing all over the highway. Can you say SCARED! The night turned a shade of dark I have not ever seen before and the trees, leaves and yes - cars where blowing all over the highway....and then the rain - well let's just say it was the first total "white-out" of rain I have ever seen.
It was seriously one of the scariest things I have ever been in. I had little to no control of my vehicle and realize shortly after hitting the storm that I am going to have to pull over. Crazy part was I couldn't see a thing, so I didn't even know where the shoulder was to pull over to! I start edging over to what I feel like is the shoulder of the highway. Thankfully I see some tail lights and I just pull up right behind them. Well, by this point I am of course praying….okay I am crying out to God to stop the storm and get us home….I mean it is looking like this is the end of the road for me and kids…:)!
As we are sitting there the car just continues to shake back and forth and I realize I have no idea where we are parked, we could be on the edge of a deep ditch for all I know and one more wind gust and “see ya later”! I call Toby at this point and am lost in a sea of fear, unable to gain composure and be calm. I am freaked because of the storm, but more importantly because I feel “alone” with the kids and I am scared for them…okay, well I’m scared for me too. All the while totally spooked that some big semi-truck is going to barrel on down the highway like a lunatic, not see the line of cars pulled over and crush us all in to a million pieces….yes I have insane thought patterns…I know, I know it’s ridiculous…:) But hey, that storm was ridiculous!! :)
Any who…finally the rain slows up just enough to not be a “white out” and give enough sight where the little truck in front of me starts to edge back on to the highway…I am still freaked, the wind is still crazy, but I think to myself I don’t want to be alone so I should probably follow this guy. And as I am pulling back on to the highway even though I have been a mess with fear and lost in my ridiculous thought patterns…that still Small Voice whispers to my heart, “Just keep his tail lights in front of you and you are going to make it home just fine.” So what do I do, I keep those tail lights as close as possible and sure enough we make it to the Weatherford exit.
At this point I reach back to grab Cade’s hand and make sure he is okay and all I hear is this calm, assured and sweet little boy say “Mom, I love you.” If that won’t make you bawl your eyes out I don’t know what will….so yes I start bawling…in part because I realize how absolutely precious my kids are and how protective I am as a parent…but then in part because of this…
You see, as I was driving in to the front part of the storm there were no exits for several miles and I was too far in to turn around and go back. I had no choice but to go right in to the middle of that storm. Then by the time there was an exit, I couldn’t have gotten off if I wanted to…I couldn’t see it! I was crying out to the Lord in prayer for Him to stop the storm, bring peace and to rescue us away from it. And I remember being so baffled that it was not stopping, it was just getting worse! “I mean God this is me praying, your precious baby girl…hello answer my prayer to stop this storm!” And yet He didn’t stop it.
What did He do? He gave me tail lights to follow all the way home. He kept Ainsley asleep the entire time and He gave peace to Cade’s heart and then the words to say “Mom, I love you.” He provided. He gave peace. And He rescued us THROUGH the storm. He showed me that His provision is based solely on His mercy, not our merit. Shame on me for praying and then thinking why isn’t He stopping this – doesn’t He know I’m scared – doesn’t He see me alone with the kids…I can’t handle this….and I was right…I couldn’t handle it but He could. His power was perfected in my weakness. He not only showcased His power in the lightening, the 80 mph wind gusts, the rain and the thunder….He showcased it under control in teaching me a powerful lesson and helping me THROUGH it.
There are a lot of things in life that I would like to prevent from happening that feel like an out of control storm. But some storms, like the one I drove through, we will have no choice but to drive right through. What God showed me that night is that we are never alone and that His power is perfected when I am at my weakest. He was my navigator and I so believe He was in that small truck ahead of me leading me all the way home.
He wants to lead you home. You just have to surrender control and let Him have His way. Storms are rough and scary and most of the time confusing. But God is on His Throne and He is in control. It’s our job to trust Him. And to just keep those Jesus tail lights as close to us as possible and let His power be perfected in our weaknesses as He leads us all the way home.
"And He has said to me, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Blessings,
Cari
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Our little Ainsley B!
Put together a little video of some of my favorite photos and video of the last couple of months of our miss priss...love her so very much!!!
Dear friends and family,
I feel that I should write today like I am mailing a precious letter to some of the most dear people in my life. You that have prayed for us and labored alongside us as we have gone through so much in the last several years and then most recently moving and changing jobs have been AMAZING!! And we could not have gone through any of it without your powerful support, love and prayers!!! So basically you ROCK! I have not updated in forever and I have missed you!
Yes we sold our house....praise Jesus! It was a journey and a stretch financially for a bit, but God is so awesome and His timing is absolutely perfect! Our realtor was AMAZING and if you live in DFW and are looking for someone that is an incredible prayer warrior, that works for a firm with integrity and is just all together an awesome realtor...Susan Hester is your woman! She was such an answered prayer and we were so blessed to have her to take care of all the details we could not be available for having already moved to Weatherford, OK. I am thankful for the work God did while we waited for the house to sell and I would be lying if I didn't say that God worked some pretty awesome treasures into us as a family as we trusted Him with everything. One of those treasures was Jeremiah 17:7...
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit."
Yes, we learned to put our trust in the Lord....but the most important part of that verse was that we learned that our very trust is Him, Jesus the person, simple, just Jesus...that we surrendered to His Lordship...."our trust is the Lord.." It is only by His power and grace that we continue to be empowered to trust the Lord with every area of our lives! Because some days are easier than others, but Praise God for loving us enough to show us that!
And yes we have planted ourselves in Weatherford, Oklahoma! Toby and I both have some great family roots that started out in Western Oklahoma and so it is fun to make a small contribution to such a wonderful heritage of life!! We found a precious house and a wonderful church home! They have welcomed us with open arms and have truly made us feel like family....such a sweet blessing! This week Southwestern Oklahoma State University will host it's first home game and of course we are praying for an awesome victory!! We will also be attending the Weatherford/Clinton high school football game this weekend, which is an awesome representation of Friday night lights! This is serious football folks...and we LOVE IT!!!! And just like learning trust from the Lord, as we have planted ourselves in this new precious place we have been reminded of God's Word through Ezekiel 37:14..
"And I will put My Spirit within you, and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it," declares the Lord."
God is in the business of doing EVERYTHING....and we have learned that being "out of control" and in the arms of a loving, strong, wise, tender, sovereign Father is the BEST PLACE TO BE.....all the time!
This is a new chapter in the life of the Trotter family and we are excited for God to stretch us in new ways. Our hearts are full of thanksgiving and praise and we are so thankful for YOU! Thank you for walking with us in life, knowing who we are...total goof*balls and loving us still. Thank you for your prayers, I couldn't possibly thank you enough...I'll just let God's Word speak over you in love...He does a better job anyway...
"I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love, and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints; and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ's sake." Philemon 1:4-6
Love to you,
Cari
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