Happy New Year 2016 (almost)

I admit it, I LOVE NEW YEAR'S! I love New Year's Eve and New Year's Day! I think it's one of the most fun holidays at least in my opinion.  Sometimes I admit tip toeing in to the new year because the past year has been so rich and full and blessed.  Other years I can't wait to kiss the year goodbye and go charging into the new.  I love standing on the edge of a new year with all the hopes and expectations of it.

Normally our New Year's Eve will find us at a local coffee shop hanging out and then dinner has always been Japanese.  Lots of years
we've had all of our children and some years a few.  This is a year with a few.  John is flying back from New York City and Jessica and Justin are enjoying a vacation off in the mountains with Justin's family.  Good football games started at noon and Eddie worked some so the coffee shop got axed for a nice, quiet day at home (at least for me).  And there's a 4:00 game on that for some reason we want to watch =) so we are opting for my man's fabulous chili instead of the traditional Japanese eatery.  New Year's Day will find our house full of fam and food and football for the last time this football season, really unbelievable.  

I hope you are as inspired as I am at the possibilities that a new year brings.  None of us knows what we will face or how circumstances will play out but I do know that God is always good and He's always faithful and He knows every detail of 2016 before we even ring it in at midnight.

I've been thinking about this post for a few weeks.  I mentioned via social media that I would love to hear from you all in regard to your spiritual goals or resolutions.  I know many people choose a word for the year.  Some choose a verse to cling to or a passage of scripture.  Many of you may decide that this will be your year for intense bible study or some of you may begin the journaling process.  I would love to hear your plans.  

Can I encourage you to let this be the year you take your relationship with the Lord to a whole nutha level?  Whatever level we are on, we can always climb higher, dig deeper! I shared with many of my Favor girls at our recent event what my time with the Lord looked like every day and most of that will continue as is.  However, I really want to dig deeper in the Word this year.  I want it to be a year that I only rely on a devotion or study to get me started and then it pushes me to search out the truth of scripture on my own with ALL help from the Spirit.  I want my study to be a springboard for deeper truths.  I want to see in a new fresh way how the Bible intersects from Genesis to Revelation.  I have my journal, just packed up another one in a box I keep in my closet with all of my others, and look forward to getting started in a brand new one.  I have my Bible, the one my sweet husband bought me last January for my birthday and I have loved it so much.  I have my new pens, I'm such a sucker for those.  These I can write with and highlight and write in my Bible without any bleeding through.  And for Christmas, one of my gifts, was a 3 year devotional book called Search the Scriptures.  I've been wanting it for a while and I've been dying to get started but patiently waiting for the 1st.  This book I'm trusting is going to push me and propel me like I want.  Can I challenge you to do the same? One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to lead us and guide us into all truth.  For many years I trusted more in a bible teacher or mentor to lead me and I've learned so much that way and will still use those tools, but I want more of the Spirit's teaching than ever before! Of course my prayer life always needs improvement and I need to be more specific and I need to pray for eyes to see more and discernment to perceive what God is doing around me.  I sent out on our Favor text this morning that I'm praying 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 over us.  I want to be worthy of His calling and I want to see Him do many great works of faith through His power and get much glory from my life.  

I would love for this to be a place we can engage and encourage one another.  In these days, we all need the gift of community.  

May 2016 be the year we see depth in our relationship with Jesus and it be the year our relationships with one another are everything God wants them to be.  May we leave regrets behind and don't be a person quick to take offense.  If we could just refuse to be easily offended, we would have richer, healthier, longer lasting relationships and our witness to others will have greater effect.  

I love you all.  I'm so thankful God allows me to serve Him even though He knows me so well.  I'm so thankful for fresh starts, not just a fresh new year, but He gives us a fresh start every day with mercies awaiting.  

I'm a fan of you 2015! You've been a very good, rewarding yet challenging year with good days and bad, mountaintop times and some valley times, and through it all God has been faithful! 

Stephen Edward Leopard

So the word going around is that there will soon be another Leopard wedding only this time the Leopard child doesn't change his name, but that doesn't mean lots of other things won't change.  This time the Leopard chid is the groom and for the first time I get to be the mother of the groom so I get to write this from a new perspective. I must say that's the easier route when it comes to planning and paying (did you hear dad shout hallelujah?!) but it's no easier when it comes to letting another child go.  Everyone says it's hard to let girls go but as a mother of boys and girls, I'd say there's no difference at all in that arena.
We've called you Stephen, Skeebo, Skeebee, Bubba, but mostly we've called you sweet, kind, generous, energetic, crazy, the reason I went gray young, miracle (because you and I both are still alive) and now we call you the groom and soon we will call you husband.  My prayer was that if God ever gave me a boy, he would be all boy! And boy are you all boy!! You dug up the back yard looking for the devil (and you've made him run for his life quite a few times sadder that he messed with you), you wandered off in crowded stores more than I can count, you ate us out of a weeks worth of groceries in a few days, we won't talk about the speeding tickets or the chipped teeth or broken ankle.  We could go on and on and on.  Mostly you've made me the happiest boy mom on the planet that wouldn't change a day with you if I could and would happily walk through each day all over again.
We have prayed for your future wife from the moment you were born.  We prayed for her salvation and protection in every way until the time God would bring you two together.  Somehow we knew from the time we met her as a sweet young, very young, high school freshman that she was perfect for you.  Not perfect, as none of us are, but perfect for you.  God took you both on an amazing journey both together and apart.  He worked in you and through you and brought you back to one another when He felt the time was right.  In the meantime many of us, including your mom, scratched our  heads and wondered the what ifs, and what in the worlds, and the what are they thinking, and what are you doing God, over a few years.  But God...enough said.
Stephen we want you to be the leader God has raised you up to be.  Be strong.  Be tender.  You have been a great team player and teammate since you were 5 years old.  Now God is giving you a teammate for life and he's saved the best one for last.  You've learned many life lessons on the playing field and now this is the greatest playing field of all, marriage. You've learned how to fight through adversity.  You've learned not to quit.  You've learned how to stand up for your team and rise to the challenge on every occasion.  Kaylin has learned many of these lessons as well on the field and being a teammate. Marriage is the greatest field of all.  It's worth every tear.  It's worth the persevering.  You never quit or give up.  Fight together and for one another.  Remember you're on the same team fighting for the same thing and the only enemy is Satan who wants to destroy...each other is never the enemy.  Love her well but love God more.  Cling to Him more tightly and He will be the one to superglue the two of you to one another.  Keep the priorities straight and He will work out all of the details and take care of every need that you have. You've always done that and in marriage you will need to continue that.
We can't wait to celebrate your great wedding day! You will have your married brothers next to you who have shown you well what it means to love a wife as Christ loves the church.  They love you both and celebrate this day and the years to come with you.  You will have your little (but not so little) brother standing by you who has been part of your life since you were 19 months old.  You were a great big brother!  You both learned how to be not only brothers but teammates as well through the years. You stood shoulder to shoulder many times on the field and he will stand shoulder to shoulder with you on your wedding day as well.  You've always been there for one another and marriage won't change that.  He loves you both as well and will always be there for you.
Those protective sisters will be standing there for both of you. They've been the ones never afraid to speak up with their opinion and cast their vote of approval on many things in your life whether you asked or not.  We know that they approve heartily of your choice, thankfully.  They always wanted the best for you which speaks highly of you.  They knew what you deserved and what you didn't and they, like all of us, know Kaylin is not only a gift but she's a prize! Your Dad is the only one who actually gets to speak that day, hopefully he gets through it.  No one could be prouder than he is of you! You've made him proud in a thousand ways but next to choosing to follow Jesus, choosing your bride probably is his proudest moment.  It's something we prayed for and we've seen God answer exceedingly greater than we imagined.  We've seen you wait and be wise when it would've been easy to just jump and choose someone, anyone. All the times we felt lonely for you, you were perfectly happy in your own skin, waiting and serving in the church and enjoying good friends, and playing ball.  You were trusting God in His timing and in His choice.  Nothing could make a dad and mom prouder.
Kaylin, this whole family is nuts about you.  We are so grateful that your parents have raised you so well and set such an amazing example before you.  You have been serving God and following Him since before Stephen days and the without Stephen days which tells us it's who you are and not who you're with.  You've been around us long enough to know that family is priority and we stick together. That may cause you to want to run at times, depends on how sticky we get haha.  But know that we will fight for you like one of our very own because you will be.  No friend will ever love you more, cheer for you more, want the best for you more, pray for you more than we will.  Like I said, you are exceedingly more than what we could've asked for, you are a gift, a prize to Stephen, yes, but to all of us as well. We have no doubt but that God reached down and specifically chose you for one another. Cling to Him even tighter than you cling to Stephen and love Him even more and all will be well. 

I love you my boy child! You are a mom's dream and no one could be more proud of you. I love you MORE, but I also LIKE you, a WHOLE LOT!!!!

Monday Morning Perspective

So for the next few weeks we are back to 1 John to wrap up this book. We took a break for 40 days of prayer and fasting and then our Advent series for Christmas. We were in chapter 5 and my husband gave a great message that leads us well right into the new year. 

Just as there are characteristics of our earthly families that make us distinct there are also characteristics that should be evident if we belong to the family of God. Eddie did a great job walking us through four things: conversion, compassion, commitment and conquest. It all begins with our conversion as we believe and receive the gift of salvation. Loved the illustration as he reminded us of how blessed we are and how so many pass on the gift of salvation. Compassion and love for others should be evident in our lives as we seek to follow Jesus out of a heart of love and obey Him and not because we are in bondage to the law. Commitment is important. Believing right and behaving right. Obedience is always better than sacrifice. And of course God always wants us to live in victory. He has given us the power to win over our enemy. It's important to identify the enemy and know what we are up against and it's not other believers. Our key weapon is faith. It enables us to overcome the odds as we believe God. 

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!! See you next Sunday as we hit the ground running this new year!