Thanksgiving

"Enter his gates with Thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100: 4 & 5

I woke up this morning singing the old song "I will enter his gates with Thanksgiving in my heart..." Today, on this day where we all stop to reflect on the things we are thankful for, I am more aware of coming to God with a Thankful heart. I am so thankful for his goodness, love, and faithfulness. Here are just a few things I am Thankful for today...

• Jesus Christ, coming to earth to pay my debt, and for the relationship that allowed me to now have with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All of my life, thru every season, He has been a faithful God.
• Luke. He is my soul mate. My best friend. My home. What did I do to deserve this amazing man? He is my picture of Grace.
• My parents. My first support system. The people who believed in my from the day I was born.
• My sisters, Elizabeth, Ashleigh, and Emily. My first and best friends. The girls who made me "Aunt April" and gave me the greatest nieces and nephews ever!
• My Gran and Pop. They are another set of parents to me. They have helped ground me in my faith and make me who I am today.
• For my Graham Family. Being born into 1 great family is amazing enough, but being able to marry into another incredible family with an awesome mom, dad, sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews, is a double blessing.
• Our friends. God has placed us in relationships with some of the greatest people on the planet.
• My ACME staff and coaches. These guys have supported me and believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself.
• Kristin and Krystle. The 2 best friends a girl could ask for. I can't believe I get to do life, and raise babies, with these incredible girls.
• Bayside. Every day I am amazed and humbled that God has placed me in this church with such amazing people. The fact that I have the opportunity to serve God in full time ministry here is more than I could have ever asked or imagined.

God help me to enter your gates, not just today, but everyday with a heart of Thanksgiving. For "you are good, your love endures forever, and your faithfulness through all generations."

The view from here...

I am going to forewarn you, this post is very sappy. I have no idea why... Maybe it's because my sister is in labor as I type, about to deliver her second little girl. But at any rate I am sappy today. Really sappy!

The pic above is the view from here. It's my view every morning as I walk in my house after my walk. I can't explain why this view means so much to me, but each and every morning the feeling that comes over me when open the front door and step into my house is overwhelming.

I love my house. It is a reflection of me, it is comforting, it is organized, but it is so much more than that.

Proverbs 24:3 says "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established."

This home is something that Luke and I have built together (and are still building). As I walk thru that red front door I know that some of the most important people in my life are sleeping inside. I know that this house will soon be filled with the smell of coffee brewing and the sound of music playing. I know that a breakfast of eggs and grits and uninterrupted time with my Savior is about to happen. It's a haven. It's a place of safety and love and lots of fun!

This house has made a decision to serve the Lord. To run after Him and to walk in the calling that He has placed on all of our lives. My house is not the structure, it is not the stuff inside of the structure, it is the people within the structure and the filling of the Holy Spirit within. That is what's behind the overwhelming feeling when I walk thru the door. Not the stuff, not the decor, but the love and purpose within the structure.

I am so happy to live in this house, so blessed by what God has given us and done in our lives. So overwhelmed to be a part of what He is doing.

"But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

(Sappy... i told you... don't say you weren't warned!)

"God Gave Me You"

When looking thru these new pics yesterday the song "God Gave Me You" kept ringing in my head. "God gave me you for the ups and downs, God gave me you for the days of doubt..." I am so grateful for Luke and for the relationship that we have. In the past 7 years of marriage, and 11 years of being together we have had A LOT of ups and downs. Life has happened and things have not always turned out how we thought they would. But I can say with 100% certainty that there is no one I would rather go thru life with. Luke is my best friend and the other half of me.

I LOVE YOU Luke!!

I’ve been a walking heartache

I’ve made a mess of me
The person that I’ve been lately
Ain’t who I wanna be

But you stay here right beside me
Watch as the storm goes through
And I need you

God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
*If* There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you

There’s more here than what were seeing
A divine conspiracy
That you, an angel lovely
Could somehow fall for me
You’ll always be love’s great martyr
Ill be the flattered fool
and I need you

God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
*If* There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you

On my own I’m only
Half of what I could be
I can’t do without you
We are stitched together
And what love has tethered
I pray we never undo

God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
*If* There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you, gave me you.
Gave me you.

Images by Krystle K Photography - www.krystlekphotography.blogspot.com

No Matter What

So much has been going on in the Graham household lately that it is really hard to know where to start. Pain, Sickness, Death, Sadness, Heartache have all been a very tangible part of our lives for the past 2 weeks. It has been a difficult season to say the least, and as we continue to walk thru this time our lives the faithfulness of God continues to be just as real and tangible as the pain and heartache.

During this season my anthem has become Kerrie Robert's song No Matter What. The words have been healing to my soul as it she has expressed in this song the very feelings I have inside.

"No matter what, I’m gonna love You. No matter what I’m gonna need You. I know You can find a way to keep me from the pain, But if not, if not, I’ll trust You no matter what."

You see no matter what happens in life, no matter what comes my way, no matter what God gives me, or no matter what God might choose to never give me, i'm going to love Him, and i'm going to need Him, and i'm going to trust Him.

I am going to ask why? I am going to be sad. That is natural, I am human, but I am also His daughter. He loves me. He knows what is best for me, and He has whispered to me during this storm... "I've got this." The love and faithfulness of God is indescribable! The legacy of faith, passed down to me by my family, has given me the foundation to stand firm on and say "no matter what."

"NO MATTER WHAT" - Kerrie Roberts

I’m running back to Your promises one more time
Lord that’s all I can hold on to
I gotta say this has taken me by surprise, but nothing surprises You
Before a heartache can ever touch my life
It has to go through Your hands
And even though I keep asking why, I keep asking why

No matter what, I’m gonna love You
No matter what I’m gonna need You
I know You can find a way to keep me from the pain
But if not, if not, I’ll trust You no matter what, no matter what

When I’m stuck in this nothingness by myself
I’m just sitting in silence
There’s no way I can make it without Your help, I won’t even try it
I know You have Your reasons for everything so I will keep believing
Whatever I might be feeling, God You are my hope
And You will be my strength

Anything I don’t have You can give it to me, but it’s OK if You don’t
I’m not here for those things
The touch of Your love is enough on its own
No matter what I still love You and I’m gonna need You

No matter what I’m gonna love You, no matter what I’m gonna need You
I know You can find a way to keep me from the pain
But if not, if not, I’ll trust You
I know You can find a way to keep me from the pain
But if not, but if not, I’ll trust You

No matter what
No matter no matter what
No matter no matter what
No matter no matter what

CHARTING!!!

So Since October's new single "The Way You Move" is doing really well on the charts right now! We found out today that it is #19 on the Active Rock Charts and steadily climbing... that's HUGE!! They are surrounded on the charts by all the "super bands" of our time. Not a bad place to be! Luke is super pleased with the progress of this song, and it comes at a really great time, as they are heading out on 2 huge tours soon, Saving Abel in September and Sevendust/Ten Years in October.

Grocery Shopping Trip #2

Ok, so today I went to Publix again to buy groceries. I went armed with an envelope full of coupons and a list that was way to detailed and organized. But all the hours spent organizing my list, cutting coupons, and planning meals paid off... I spent $51.08 and I saved $51.93!!!!!! I saved more than a spent (barely... I recognize that :) But I still saved more than I spent!!!!)

Here is what I got for $51.08....

6 boxes of pasta

2 boxes of velvetta cheese

2 boxes of texas toast

2 cans of pasta sauce

flour

eggs

1 box of beef patties

1 (2lb) bag of chicken breast

1lb of ground beef

2 bags of frozen vegetables

1 bag of egg noodles

2 bags of shredded cheese

2 packs of Kraft singles

2 gallons of water

2 bottles of mustard

2 Old Spice Deodorants

2 Old Spice Body Wash

2 bottles of BBQ sauce

2 boxes of cake mix

1 sour cream

1 bottle of laundry detergent

1 package of hotdog buns

1 package of hamburger buns

1 package of carrots

Because of all the food I have gotten in the past 2 weeks I don't plan on grocery shopping for a couple of weeks. Here are the meals that I have planned...

Spaghetti & Meatballs w/ garlic bread

Chicken Alfredo w/ garlic bread

Chicken Tostados w/ salad

BBQ chicken sandwiches w/ veggies

Hotdogs w/ mac & cheese

Hamburgers w/ veggies

Chicken and noodles

We are not "cook every night" people, simply because LG and J are gone so much, and because my work schedule is so crazy. So these meals will last us several weeks!! I am also good on toiletries, laundry detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, etc. So if I do have to run to the store it will only be for milk and possibly bread!!

It's your life...

It's your life
What you gonna do?
The world is watching you
Every day the choices you make
Say what you are and who
Your heart beats for 
It's an open door
It's your life

Sent from my iPhone