Becoming Analise

As I open my computer to pen this post, I couldn’t help but notice about 25 stickers that Riley Grace has used to decorate my computer case. I have stickers of Minnie, the earth, hearts with sunglasses, a toothbrush, and just about every Disney princess imaginable. This post is a very personal and bittersweet post for me to write, and the simple reminder of the sweet daughter that God has entrusted to Patrick and me is a soothing balm to my soul – a fresh reminder of God’s timing, goodness, sovereignty, and trustworthiness. Before I begin, I need this perspective: Proverbs 3:5-8 “5  Trust in the  L ORD  with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 7  Be not wise in your own eyes; fe...

Here are a few stories about Riley Grace from the past two weeks that will set the tone for a lesson on prayer! #1 Riley Grace’s teacher’s grandfather recently passed away, and Riley Grace was really struck by this event. She told me that she remembered when her grandmother passed away last year, and she didn’t want her teacher to be sad like she was. She decided to make her teacher a card and buy her some flowers! Riley Grace was explaining to me that her teacher didn’t need to be sad because her grandfather was in heaven. This spurred on a conversation about how we weren’t sure that he is in heaven because we weren’t aware of her teacher and her teacher’s family’s spiritual beliefs. We talked about how people who don’t believe in Jesus do not spend eternity with Him in heaven. What she took away from that conversation was the need to confirm that her teacher believed in Jesus. The following day, without my knowledge, Riley Grace asked her teacher if she b...

This summer, the Lord has really shown me the power of prayer! I have been in a season (for a while) of praying for something very specific in the life of our family – namely Patrick’s calling as a pastor. At the end of the summer, Patrick and I took a walk and he poured his heart out about some things that he had specifically been praying about and wrestling through about God’s calling on His life, God’s missional purpose for our family, and God’s timing. After much talking and listening and praying, God had spoken the same thing to both of us, which was so encouraging!! One night soon after our heart-to-heart about God’s will for our family in this season, I was talking to my mom about everything, and she had been praying about the EXACT SAME THING for Patrick that summer in the EXACT SAME MONTH that he had been wrestling in prayer– God led all three of us to pray for guidance, clarity, and the strength to be obedient about the same exact request, AND He answered i...