remembering

this week i have worked very hard to remember...

the expensive perfume used to annoint His feet...what a precious sacrifice and way to honor her King...

those who were scheming to arrest and hurt this One by whom they felt so threatened...

the palm branches that waved and the people who shouted praises for their King...

the water, the basin, and the towel...an example to follow

the betrayal that ended with a kiss...

the denial that ended with weeping...

the arrest, the beating. the crown of thorns, the purple robe, the cross, the blood, the sacrifice...

Lord Jesus, may we never walk through this week lightly but may we remember all that happened before the empty tomb on resurrection day. may we allow the enormity of Your sacrifice permeate every aspect of our lives this week...may we remember.

"for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing ,but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God." ~1 corinthians 1:18

so very blessed

we've had a great couple weeks here in the alley household. since i'm such a fan of lists, i thought i'd share in list form :).

• last friday we had a "date night" with our niece, anna. joel picked her up on his way home from work...how fun to have your uncle pick you up for the "date" ;). we let her pick the restaurant for dinner (she picked on the border), stopped at coldstone for some ice cream to take into the movie theater (instead of buying candy there), and then enjoyed monsters vs aliens. we had so much fun with anna and she gave us cards she made for us (#1 aunt card and "awesomest uncle ever" card) that have a place of prominence on our refrigerator.
• last saturday we had so much fun bowling with the special needs sunday school class from church, had lunch with our favorite guinns :), shopping, and then celebrating our engagement anniversary with a yummy dinner at bonefish grill. gotta love the bang bang shrimp!
• we both renewed our commitment to make it to the gym every morning. currently, we're doing a big health and wellness contest at work where each person commits to walk 120 miles in 8 weeks. given my competitive nature AND the fact that gaining a vacation day is the prize, i'm all about winning!!
• we spent some fun time with my parents in gastonia. it had actually been awhile since we had been over there for dinner (they've been coming to my house...i figured the least i could do is cook for them after all the meals they've prepared for me over the years ;) and it did not disappoint. my mama knows how to cook...yum. she's the best!
• friday night i had a girl's night with the girls in our sunday school class and had the best time! i'm excited about the beach trip in may!
• saturday we spent the morning cleaning (while i don't love the process of cleaning, i love the result. i will admit that i'm a little OCD about keeping my house clean ;) and then saturday afternoon took our nephews to nascar speedpark. we had a blast with them AND i totally schooled joel in skee ball. he won't admit it but i'm just naturally a better player than he is. :) we also let the boys pick our dinner location and they picked sticky fingers. THEN, (i know, are you tired, yet?) my family (mom & dad, sister, bro-in-law, and niece) met us at our house to watch the heels take down villanova in the final four game.
• then, today was church and we were SO busy!! lots of visitors and members returning to church that have been out for awhile for various reasons. it was a great day in the Lord's house and a great start to holy week. i will say, some of my favorite crafts always happen on palm sunday. today did not disappoint...little kids with a construction paper "head band" around their head with palm fronds stapled to it. precious, just precious.

well, tomorrow starts the beginning of a very busy, busy week! we are in serious preparation mode for easter sunday AND we are in the middle of vbs prep...so, there is lots of fun to be had at the grove this week!

whoa...You're talking to me?

"do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."~ philippians 4:6-7

isn't it funny how the Lord gives us a verse and we think, "oh, wow, that's a good word for fill-in-the-blank. glad i'm not struggling with that today." whoops. did i really think that this morning? well, i'll confess that i did. i could name a number of people who i know are anxious and struggling and i thought what a perfect Word for them. i even had the opportunity to talk to a friend from another country on the phone this afternoon who is waay struggling and majorly needing some peace.....and i shared philippians 4:6-7 with her.

and then....a situation in my life popped up and now i'm faced with being anxious. thank you, Lord, i will take that Word i assumed was meant for others and apply it to me. i'll be honest, though, it's a lot harder to apply it to yourself than to share it with another person. not that i was being flippant in sharing but personal application just takes it to a whole other level.

so, i'm working on it but it's hard. i'm also deciding to be fully dependant on His Word and His Truth because, quite honestly, i think it's the best place for my heart to rest right now.

love, it changes things

isn't it amazing to see how experiencing love and being loved truly changes people? you can see it on the face of a child on sunday morning who might not experience lots of love at home but when their sunday school teacher loves them, it washes over their face. you can see it on the face of an elderly widow who is more than likely alone during the week but receives love from her church family on sundays or wednesdays. you can see it on the face of a new bride who is just beginning to understand the depth of love her husband has for her. finally, you can see it on the face of a new believer when they are overwhelmed with the unmeasurable and amazing love of Christ; as well as on the face of a seasoned believer who simply feels beaten down by life but in the presence of the One who is love, allows that love to wrap His arms around them.

love truly does change things. it changes people and the One who is love came to change the world. i have been praying that the Lord would prepare my heart for Easter in the days prior...that He would allow me to soak in the enormity and the magnitude of His life, His sacrifice, His victory, and His love. it's so easy, working for a church, to focus on the "work" of preparing for Easter...planning lessons, making sure the facilities are in order, and that we are recruiting enough help to handle the large numbers that are typically in attendance (all things that must be done) but i don't want to miss Easter because i'm distracted by the preparation. i've opened my heart and asked Him to prepare me...and He is. i've also asked Him to so overwhelm me with His love that it would change me...daily and that, in turn, it would overflow into my life and my ministry.

"how great is the love the Father has lavished on us,

that we should be called children of God!" ~1 john 3:1a

"this is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.

and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." ~1 john 3:16

one year ago...

(this picture was taken just minutes after he proposed!)

i said yes. yes to the man of my dreams and yes to starting a brand new life with him. it was one of the happiest days of my life and i am so thankful that the Lord blessed me with such an incredible man. what a year it has been!! we had a great time planning our wedding, an absolutely amazing wedding and an incredible honeymoon. i'm so blessed to be mrs. alley!

overwhelmed

overwhelmed. that word describes how i've felt the last few months, weeks, and days. some of the things that have overwhelmed me have been not so wonderful (hello...sickness and all manner of every illness ;) some have been frustrating at times and then rewarding at others (sometimes ministry can be that way) and some have been absolutely wonderful but still....overwhelming (figuring out how to go from a single girl...who was quite independent in her singleness to being a wife and a married woman whose life is now joined with another).

in the middle of all of these overwhelming parts of my life, i have been overwhelmed with something else but something completely different from all the other parts of my life. i have been overwhelmed by the Lord. i've felt His overwhelming grace, mercy, and strength when i've been sick and frankly, didn't FEEL like getting up and doing. i've experienced His overwhelming grace, peace, and wisdom as i've walked through ministry these last few months. i've experienced His overwhelming love as i've begun walking down this journey of marriage with my husband...i don't believe i've ever seen a better picture of the love of Jesus than through my relationship with my husband...just thinking about it brings me to tears because the Lord has been so good to me.

so, i've been feeling overwhelmed in all those different areas and in all those ways but recently, i've been so overwhelmed with God's activity in my life. there are times in life where, honestly, we don't always "see" Him or "feel" Him but we rest in the assurance that His word is true and He is there...despite how we feel but oh, those times when we get to "see" for ourselves and "feel" it in such a real way are sweet, sweet times. the Lord has been overwhelmingly active in my life in the last week and i have to say that it makes me want to get down on my face and lay before Him weeping with thankfulness AND it makes me want to run and shout because He is so good...all at the same time. i know, i know...i'm confusing and complex (just ask hubs ;).

i'm overwhelmed by His...
goodness
grace
mercy
love
power
holiness
strength

i'm overwhelmed that the King wants to dance with His daughter in the ballroom of her life.

He is good, so very good.

and i even write his name all over my notebooks, too...

yes, i do. i do (heart) joel...very much, in fact :). i saw another bag similar to this one (a friend was carrying) and then saw a website that makes these so, of course, i ordered one. i just love it and it's a great tote bag, too. there are lots and lots of reasons that i specifically love joel but the one thing that stands out to me whenever i think about him is how he loves unconditionally and selflessly...he really does a great job loving me as Christ loves the church...being loved by him has changed my life forever. love you, baby