"E-Day"

What could be more exciting than 2 people making the decision to spend the rest of their lives together as husband & wife?! I would say getting engaged is 2nd only to giving your heart & life to Jesus, your 1st bridegroom. Having a baby would be #3 on my list. Having a grandbaby would tie for 3rd!

Today is a GLORIOUS day because Angela Elrod & Matt Tucker are about to get engaged...in fact, it's so close to happening that I can hardly type! What fun it's been to be "in" on the planning, and how fooled Angela is! Hooray, mission accomplished!

Angela is a very special young woman in my life because God has given me the joy and privilege of mentoring her. As time passed and we continued to meet, the Lord orchestrated that Matt and my Neal start meeting as well. Their mentoring looks alot different than mine and Ang's, but that's perfectly ok.

I have to say that I've come to realize that mentoring is much like raising children because you are intentionally investing in someone, knowing that all the time you are spending WILL reap good results. Rewarding? Absolutely! And, to be a small part of Matt & Angela's special day is just one more perk to the investment.

Mama Hopper loves you both like crazy, and I am sooooooooooooooooooooo happy for you! Let the wedding planning begin!....or should I say CONTINUE, Angela????! LOL! :-)

More Lessons on Dieing

I had a sweet time with little Nod last night before heading to bed. He was very chirpy and full of life. So, how & why in the world did he die in my hand this morning? I woke up to find him very listless. I tried and tried to get water in him. He would open his little beak some and swallow a tiny bit, but as seconds ticked away, I could literally see the life leaving him.

What did I do wrong? I thought I was being a very attentive "Mommy" to this little one, but for reasons I don't understand nor do I particularly like right now, Baby bird Nod just stopped breathing.

Ava and I took him to what is becoming our pet cemetery, where Lizzie is buried and now Nod along with his sibling that we found already dead on Saturday. And, we had another funeral. I was skyping with Blair today, and for some reason, she wanted to know if I said anything or did I just bury him. My response was, "Even in my great sadness, I simply thanked the Father that His Word tells me that He cares that this little one fell to the ground and later died, and because I know He cared about Nod, I can know that He not only cares about me, but He loves me. "

And again I am reminded by the death of Nod that God loves me....so much so that He did so unto death on a cross. I sense that for some unknown reason, I am going to need to know in the days ahead the DEPTH of God's love for me. So for now, I'll tuck this lesson in the pocket of my heart & treasure it.

A Luke 12:6-7 weekend

"Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. " Luke 12:6-7

Yesterday was a yard working day for me and Neal...all day long. It was truly wonderful to be outside, sweating and getting dirty. We both loooove working outside, and getting to spend the entire day outdoors is such a gift!

While Neal continued to put the old tin on his shed roof, I was out front raking when I saw a tiny bird in the driveway. My heart dropped as I realized he was already dead. I gently picked him up and made my way to the back yard where our precious Lizzie girl is buried. Ava (my mini-schnauzer) and I had a short, little funeral for this tiny, seemingly insignificant creature. And yes, for those of you who know what a tender heart I have for animals, I cried.

I cried not only because I was sad that this sweet little bird's life was cut short, but because His Word tells me that my BIG God cares about the small things, even about the life & death of this little bird. Matthew's gospel states it this way, (Matthew 10:29) "Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father." He not only knew & saw, but God cared that this little one fell to the ground!

As I dug the small hole and laid him in it wrapped in little leaves to keep the dirt off of him, the Spirit reminded me of the part of the verse that says, "you are MORE valuabe than many sparrows." When I stop to truly ponder what the verse is telling me, I am simply astounded at the depth of His love for someone such as myself.

As Neal and I have continued our search for a new church home, God has been gracious to remind me over and over just how much He loves me through the taking of the Lord's Supper... about 5 or 6 times now! Today, the Spirit "connected the dots" for me in this thick head of mine! Take this bread and this cup and REMEMBER! Remember that He loved me so much that He laid down His life and died for me! Thank you Jesus for taking the penalty of MY sin onto Yourself so that I could have free access to my Father God, live for Him now and spend eternity with Him after I leave this earth. And to think He used a tiny, little bird to remind me of such an enormous and tremendous truth! Amen? Amen!

P.S. Guess what ELSE my Big God did for me? Later in the afternoon yesterday, He gave me another gift. Trent found bird #2 in the driveway, but this time, this little one was still alive! Praise the Lord! So, you guessed it, we now have a precious little bird we are nursing back to health, and we've dubbed him "Nod". Oh how I love being a "mama", even to one of God's tiny little "sparrows"!