Bella's Jar

Hey! I'm Bella! I am five years old, and I'm a typical American girl! I have a huge collection of barbie dolls, stuffed animals, and make-up that my mommy won't allow me to wear anywhere! Being five has been the best year ever for me! I've lost my first tooth, grown 4 inches, and started Kindergarten! But even before all of this, something really amazing happened in my life! Riding down the road with my mommy one day, I asked the Lord to be my best friend forever! I felt how much He loved me, and I could not imagine ever living away from Him! So I talked with God that day, and asked Him to forgive me of the times before that I might have hurt Him. I don't want to hurt someone that loves me "to death"! Soon after that, I was baptized because I wanted to tell the whole world about this love in my heart! That was a little scary going under the water, but I wanted to put a big smile on God's face! Mommy wrote about all the special times! (you can see them here) She writes about everything!


My mommy says I've been growing so much this year and that she is very proud of me! I love to do my devotions, pray, talk to my friends about Jesus, and learn more about Jesus at church and home. My devotion this morning was about being a servant! Jesus came to this earth to serve, and I want to do the same thing! Me and Mommy talked about all kinds of ways that I can serve each day, but one that I'm super excited about is going on a mission trip to Honduras on my spring break! Me, Mommy, and some other friends from church are going to work on a facility for missionaries! Although, I'm not quit sure how to use one of these,....

I am still very excited about meeting new friends in a different country! I hope I can tell them just how much Jesus loves them. I also hope I meet some girls who like pretty dresses and high-heeled shoes! I love these things, but I want to give some of my pretty stuff away! I love giving gifts! I've got an entire box in my room of nice things I want to give away, but Mommy says not all of it will fit in my suitcase! So, I have decided to start a money collecting jar instead! When I got back from Disney World last year, I just wanted to go back. My Daddy said it would take a lot of money though, so I started collecting change in a container at my Poppie and Nana's house! I've saved a lot of money, but now I want to start a jar for my mission trip! We've been searching in couches, car floorboards, and pants pockets looking for change. Mommy said it would be much easier to pack money instead of all those stuffed animals! So we will pray about who to give these items to here at home, but in the meantime, I'm looking for some SPARE CHANGE! I just know that there are some little girls in Honduras that I could buy something nice! I can't wait to meet new friends and tell them about my very best friend, Jesus! I only have 2 weeks left! Would you donate your spare change?

Sincerely,

Bella Evatt
A Heart Full of Fancy

DONATE TO BELLA'S  JAR
(literally, pocket change is quite alright with us!)

*Though I (Lindsay) helped with the typing and putting these thoughts in order, these are Bella's honest thoughts about her first overseas mission trip! I am so very proud of her! She really is thinking of others and loves giving gifts! Though she won't be able to help that much in construction of the facilities we will be working on, she has quite a different agenda, as you can tell! She just wants to meet new friends! (Can we say TRUE DISCIPLESHIP?) She is on a mission to serve some of the children of Honduras in any way possible!
Typically adults have one of two responses when we tell them we are allowing Bella to be a part of an overseas mission trip. 1) They can't believe the audacity to allow a little one to go so far from home. It's just too dangerous! OR 2) They are very excited she gets such a big experience at such a young age. Personally, I am between two opinions! I think there is some danger involved, but no higher of a risk than sending her to a public school everyday of her life! Danger is everywhere! We are working on instilling values that will have her turning to God in anytime of need! You can't teach that very well when you try to live so cautiously about everything! And though I too, am excited about this experience at such a young age, we are trying to relay to Bella that these types of experiences can happen everyday. Teaching her to look for these opportunities is our priority! We love our sweet Bella and care so much for her AND HER SOUL! If she desires to serve others through acts of kindness and actions of love, then I will support her in every endeavour!
That's enough for my Mommy blurb! If you desire to give in any fashion, please click on the "Donate" button to give your gift OR if you see Bella regularly, she will have her jar by her side!  She will reach people in a way that no one else on the team will be able to to! Thank you all! Please keep us in your prayers for our travels and effectiveness while there!

** All donations are tax deductible. Please let us know if you need a form!   :)

doTERRA

To work or not to work?

Since we left our position as house parents from the Home for Children last July, it has been a constant battle within us about whether or not I need to go back to work. Weighing out our options and constantly re-evaluating every possibility, we finally determined it best that I continue to stay at home with the little ones while I am in school. Personally, I LOVE this decision! I love being with my children as much as possible during these formative years, and I love having a flexible schedule while in school. However, not having an extra income is hard at times, especially with three little ones! Thus begins my journey to start a home-based business.

Though it has been a six month journey, I am extremely excited to announce that I am now an Independent Consultant for doTERRA!

Once I discovered doTERRA, I knew this would be a company I could represent! You see, I am not a "salesman"! I really have to believe in something to promote it! That's why I had a really hard time searching for a company that I could potentially earn an income with. I'm a thrift/bargain shopper with most "things" in life, so it would be hard for me to sell purses and bags, candles, makeup, etc... That is not say that I don't like these "things", I just am not the right spokesperson for them, but let me tell you why I am for doTERRA...

As a nursing student, it didn't take me long to realize that there are two very different sides to Health care; traditional vs holistic. Before I knew so much about the amazing human body, I could have been a spokesperson for the traditional side of medicine. However, combining my firm belief in God, his creation of the amazing human body, and my increasing knowledge of how it works, I am now leaning in the complete opposite direction!

More antibiotics and the constant treating of symptoms is not what will make the human body well for it's time here on earth. What will? Well, as much as I can't stand this answer at times, here it is. Our bodies are best cared for when we receive daily exercise, practice healthy eating and sleeping habits, and use the natural elements we have been blessed with to aid with complications.

Am I recommending you quit going to the doctor? Absolutely NOT! I'm recommending that you have a healthy balance of both sides of health care in your life. God created us all "fearfully and wonderfully"! How much do you show your love back to Him through your efforts in taking care of this wonderful creation? I have to be honest and say that I have not done the greatest job at that! I have depended to heavily on our traditional health care system, living my life the way I please, and medicating along the way for issues that arise. However, when I was permanently put on thyroid medication at the beginning of my pregnancy with Marleigh, I realized that this NOT what I wanted! I do not wish to be chained to medication for the rest of my life.

Searching out many options, I found so much research on natural essential oils and ended up with doTERRA! The rest is history! I have heard so many success stories of how different essential oils are helping people medically, therapeutically, and enhancing their daily lives! I am excited to begin the process for myself and help others along the way! I'll be sure to keep everyone updated on my personal progress and share the stories of others as well, but until then, do some research for yourself! Check out my website, and ask me any questions you may have! There is an oil for just about any ailment! From the newborn, to the elderly there are many oils for everyone! Can't wait to share them with you all!

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DELIGHT

It's been awhile. Linking up with Gyspy Mama today and Five Minute Friday!

Prompt Word: DELIGHT

So constant, faithful, reliable, and unceasing! Your mighty hands uphold me FOREVER! Your strength is unmistakable; it's perfection always uncovered in my devastating weaknesses. Though I wish I could show You the strong person that others see at times; You see past it all! No masks, facade, or coverings. And even still, there You are; my constant, faithful, reliable, and unceasing friend and Savior! In my frailty, Your glory shines through!

SHHH!!!!

Your loves quietens the ramblings of my heart.

I sit in Your presence listening....listening....listening.

Then I begin to hear it; it's You; bursting forth in song!

A voice and song like none other; a song of rejoicing...a song about ME?!

I'm not sure why You take such delight in me, but if for this very reason alone, I will delight in my weaknesses, in the insults, the hardships, in the persecutions, and the difficulties, knowing that in these moments I sense Your most perfect strength, and I know that You are with me. I feel Your love that quietens me, and I hear Your song over me! I'm not JUST loved; I'm enjoyed and delighted in!

YOU ARE AMAZING!

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

" But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Zephaniah 3:17

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

The Box

We recently moved.

In our 6 years of marriage, this was our 4th move! I'm growing to hate it! However, there is always one thing I enjoy about moving; the day when I find "the box"! Unpacking is such an aurduous task, and it seems to take longer and longer with each move no matter how much junk I think I have eliminated! On my last adventure of unpacking and sorting, it took much longer to go through "the box" and take a walk down memory lane!

You see, "the box" just keeps growing! "The Box" is filled with letters, cards, gifts, pictures, and other random memorabilia exchanged between me and my husband. "The box" is a welcomed trap to deter me from further work of unpacking! With each move, I have usually taken a whole day just sitting and looking through everything. With a recent upgrade to a bigger box, it took much longer this time around! I added all of my journals, overflowing with thoughts and emotions of a teenager/young woman(Me)! I usually laugh until I cry, and cry until I laugh when I read through the story of my life! But there is always one journal in particular, that always reminds me how God works so mysteriously. It's the journal of the year me and my boyfriend were apart. Literally, WE BROKE UP! For some, this may not sound too serious, but to me, it was tragic! We like to refer to this journal as the "roller coaster journal"!
Wesley and I met in church, at the ages of five and seven! We grew up in church together and became great friends, only to start dating when I was 15 and he was 17! We then went off to the same college, and never dreamed we would ever be apart! But after dating for 5 years and two years away from our assumed marriage, we broke up!

Thus my "roller coaster journal" is filled with days in which I really was depending on God to help me through everything, and then other days that I was mad at God and couldn't understand why God wouldn't just let me and Wesley be happy together! Though "young love drama", it was still very real and painful at times!

Going through all of the ups and downs of the break up would be another story in itself, but in brief, we both needed that time away from one another to realize we were taking each other for granted, and depending too much on one another and not enough on God! I was sucking the life out of Wesley because I was so needy and clingy, seeing that he was the only boyfriend I ever had! I also imagined myself as a minister's wife, and he was not feeling the leading in that direction at all! He, on the other hand, had just lost a ton of weight, and wanted to get out there and live life with this newfound attention he was getting from everyone for looking so hot! We were a mess!

It took us a year to grow up a little and learn some hard lessons, but we began to work on a friendly relationship, assuming that we would never be "together" again! God had different plans though! Big surprise! :) Just like God always does, He brought the conclusion to our saga, after we had finally resolved that our only hope was to TRUST HIM FOR EVERYTHING! One night, after both of us earnestly prayed in the altar after a church service, we continued our thoughts and prayers in the basement Sunday school classes of the church we had grown up in. We talked for a VERY LONG TIME, and the Lord spoke clearly to both of our hearts! We left the room holding hands, though a very strange, yet glorious feeling! More importantly, we left that room resloved that we could face this world together in true love if we always placed Him above all else in our relationship and in our personal lives!

This May, we will be 8 years removed from that day in the basement of our old church! (The church we were married in just a year later!) In our seven years of marriage, we have brought three precious children into this world, moved 4 times, and haven't had two nickels to rub together most of that time, but God has been faithful! HE hasn't answered all of my/our questions about life and what things He still has in store for us, but we still live with the resolve that we love HIM more than ANYTHING, and we are trusting HIM for EVERYTHING!

Marriage is tough, but when God put us together He knew we would bring Him greater glory together than apart! Yet in His mysterious way of working, we had to be apart for that year to realize that we were not trusting Him enough! Although that year was down right miserable, for the both of us, it brought us even closer, and I am so happy to be serving the Lord side by side with my very best friend! For the 23 years that I've known this very best friend, he has only increased his love that he has for me, and I him, because we love each other out of our devotion to Christ! If it were just our love for one another holding us together, it would not take long for things to come unglued! Our feelings for one another, as strong and passionate as they are at times, are nothing without the love of Christ applied to our individual lives!
We have enjoyed serving in ministry together, and learning the ropes of having a family together. It's not easy somedays, and maybe that's why we've moved 4 times in our 6 years of marriage. God wants me to constantly remember! Each time I find "the box", I feel entirely too special, and so undeserving of such a wonderful man! God truly placed us together!
I'm reminded of the Children of Israel! Boy, what a journey they had! But in Deuteronomy Chapter 8, he gave specific instruction to "remember how the Lord you God led you all the way". Some of the experiences were awesome; manna from heaven, Red Sea split, and clothes and shoes growing along with them. (Just to name a few)  While other experiences of life down right stink! They are to "humble you and test you in order to know what is in your heart, whether or not you will keep His commands."

Phew! Doesn't that speak alot about life in general! I'm so glad that I am with THE ONE to face the amazing AND stinky times of life! I will always take the time to REMEMBER the journey too, so we will be found worthy to "go and posess the land"!
The day Wesley and I walked out of that basement, hand in hand, I KNEW HE WAS THE ONE! Yet, everyday with him (and HIM), helps me to know that he still is, and will always be THE ONE FOR ME!







Just a FEW items from "my box"! 

Do you have "a box"?

What type of stuff do you keep there?

If you don't have "a box", I encourage you to start one! Write down all the memories you can possibly think of and store them away along with cards and other special gifts from your spouse! In the trying times of marriage and life, pull out your "box" and REMEMBER where the Lord has brought you from and where He has promised to take you! Take the box out on Valentine's Day or your Anniversary each year and REMEMBER!

Lindsay is a wife, mom, nursing student, and most importantly, a disciple of Christ! She enjoys blogging over at The Evatt's Beautiful Mess. Along with her fellow mess-makers; Wesley, Bella, Nate, and Marleigh, Lindsay enjoys blogging about the messy realities of life and how God makes them beautiful! They make their home in the upstate of South Carolina, and enjoy serving Christ together with the talents the Lord has blessed them with! 

And I Knew He Was the One.....

How did you know your spouse was "the one"?

Here's my story.

We recently moved.

In our 6 years of marriage, this was our 4th move! I'm growing to hate it! However, there is always one thing I enjoy about moving; the day when I find "the box"! Unpacking is such an arduous task, and it seems to take longer and longer with each move no matter how much junk I think I have eliminated! On my last adventure of unpacking and sorting, it took much longer to go through "the box" and...[click here to see more]


I'm so priviledged today to be sharing my story over at Beautiful Mommy Feet!

So thankful for my friend Melissa and the beautiful person she is!

Thanks for letting me share, Melissa!

Be sure to check out her wonderful blog and be sure to link up your story as well!

....and I Knew He was the One

ends tomorrow!

From the Desk of...

I love to write.
I don't consider myself to be great at it, but it's something I love to do!
It's just one outlet I like to use to express what God is teaching me as I grow in Him!

It seems that Apostle Paul may have loved to write too; writing 13 of the 27 books in the New Testament!
Only one thing I think he may have enjoyed more was travleing with the message of the Good News!
Granted, he had no clue his writings would end up in the most beloved book of the Bible, but nonetheless he wrote with passion.
Paul wanted to make sure that though he was imprisoned, people would still hear the reason for living, and offer encouragment to those who had already found that reason!
Those letters still serve as encouragement today for the Christian life!

Letters, letters, and more letters!

I personally still love the art of letter writing! (I especially love receiving hand written letters!)
There is something so special about someone taking the time to write you a letter!
It takes me back to the days of elementary and middle school! Long before text messaging!
It was a favorite time of the day to get on the bus for the long ride home and read the stack of letters from my friends!

We thought of every fancy way under the sun to fold those letters! :)

Later in life, my most treasured letters became those from my boyfriend, and then my husband!

LOVE LETTERS! I've kept every last one!

Looking back on those letters is always fun to see how we have grown and remember special times together!

Reading through 2 Corinthians the other day, I wondered how a letter from Christ would read? Yes, we've all heard that the Bible is a love letter from God, and I am negating that in no way.
God speaks to me daily through His Word and astounds me with how He teaches me new and wonderful things though I've read passages multiple times! It's so refreshing and powerful!
I just wondered what a letter addressed to today's culture would say? What would Christ have to say?

Then I read over this verse:

2 Corinthians 3:2-3

"You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on the tablets of human hearts!"

WOW!

Could it be?

I am/we are the letter from the desk of Christ?
Think on that for just a minute of time.
God has given us His Word so that we may read, learn, understand, and grow in wisdom. So that we may understand what it means to have a loving relationship with Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Though others around may not believe or ever pick up a copy of the Word of God, Christ has still sent them a letter in the form of....US (Christians)!

A letter that is not written with ink, but by the "SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD"! Not on tablet made of stone (or on paper, an email, or even a text), but on the tablets of our hearts!


So what does your letter say?

What is Christ trying to say through you to this lost and dying world?

Are you allowing Him to be the author of your heart, or are you trying to be the co-author?
These, and more, are questions I had to ask myself!

And then I prayed:

Lord, I give you my heart and ask that your Spirit would be the author of this letter you stamped, addressed, and sent to this world. May it's greeting always be dear, and may compassion, faithfulness, and love be be displayed in the body of this letter! May Your Name be sincerely signed by the time it comes to a close! And on days when this letter may seem confusing or out of sorts, just not "flowing" properly, would You allow Your grace to flow, and let the reader's eyes skip to the end where it reads:  "P.S. - I love you with an EVERLASTING love!" Amen.

Christmas Is All About the Gifts!

Let's face it; gift giving can be messy.

Each year, kids get more and more, yet still expect even more the next year.

Luckily, we're catching our children at good ages to start a new Christmas gift tradition in our home.

This year, each of my children will be receiving three, yes, JUST three gifts on Christmas morning. Laced only with a stocking full of goodies!

Now before too many people begin feeling sorry for my children, I invite you to my house at anytime to see their rooms slam full of toys and clothes! They have gracious plenty!

Besides, I'm not exactly sure when Christmas became about the amount of gifts stacked under the tree with your name on them! But somewhere between the birth of our Savior up until now, Christmas has morphed into something so commercialized it's no wonder people fail to recognize the meaning of the season! With it's super commercialization, I struggle to see the benefit of creating such expectancy for gifts in my children!  I want their expectancy to be preparation of their hearts for His return, not the world's latest and greatest toy that will be played with for ten minutes then tossed aside or broken the very next day.

Now don't get me wrong, THIS IS HARD!! The commercials and store ads work on me as well! Narrowing my selection down to three things has been most difficult for me, but we are aiming to drive home a message with our children that will stick for years to come.

Holding fast to our priorities of keeping Christ the center of Christmas in our home, we thought three gifts would be most appropriate seeing as how baby Jesus received three gifts on the blessed night He was born! In Matthew, it tells of the wise men who traveled to see this baby:

Matthew 2:7-11

⁷Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." ⁹After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

 

 

After reading this story most recently to prepare how we would teach it to our children this year, I wanted to look up the meaning of the gifts given to Jesus.

Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. 

I've read over it so many times, but never considered the value of the gifts.

All three of these gifts were of such extreme value in these times. Only fit for wealthy adults, not a lowly child, lying His head on the hay in a stable. What were they thinking?

Gold. A gift of Royalty.

Frankincense. A valuable incense used as a direct connection with the worship of God according to Jewish customs. It's smell was so sweet when burning in the temple. A true representation of sweet worship.

And, Myrrh. The strangest gift of all. Myrrh was used for burials in that time. It was used to rub on the bodies in order to cover the stench of death. So, why would they give this to a newborn baby? Could it be that the wise men knew He was BORN TO DIE?

Though these three gifts have such new and powerful meaning to me now, I think over the years I have always failed to see the first and most important gift on that star-lit evening. This gift was bestowed voluntarily without the thought of compensation. This gift was.......WORSHIP!

Before the wise men could even manage to hand over the first of their treasures, they bowed down to worship this Emmanuel!

THIS is what I want my children to know of Christmas gifts! 

We will take the time to focus on Him and give Him these same gifts. This year we will acknowledge His royalty. We will acknowledge that He is God with us, and we have a direct connection with Him through worship. We have a "real"ationship! We will recognize that He was born on this earth to die; to die for all of us! And although He left this earth in His death, He sent His sweet holy spirit to abide with us with a promise to return one day for us. Because of all this, I can't help but first worship Him in the beauty of his holiness!

Worship Him together as a family this year! Before you unwrap gifts, spend some time in prayer together. Thank Him for your blessings of life! I don't want my children to recognize Santa as a bearer of gifts; I don't even want them to recognize us, as parents. I want them to recognize Christ from whom all blessings flow! Take the time to tell your kids about your salvation stories. They need to hear them, especially at Christmas time! What better time to share of this redemptive love! Act out the story of Jesus' birthday with the Nativity set. Buy samples of the oils at a wholefoods store and let them smell the fragrances of the gifts. Find every way possible to expose the true meaning of Christmas; it IS in fact, about the gifts! THE FOUR GIFTS! Talk about the gift that keeps on giving! Do whatever it takes this year to stray from these man evolved traditions, and hold true to meaning of this season!

WORSHIP HIM!

*I'm sure some of you are already wondering why I'm only giving my children three gifts if I mentioned four gifts for Jesus. They will also be given the a gift of money in which they have to decide how to spend in order to give to someone else or an organization of their choice! We'll see how that goes! 

 

 

 

Now, tell me. What are some of your Christmas traditions of how you incorporate Christ?

Please consider linking up with us today! As long as it's an encouraging post, it will fit right in!