My full heart

I know I've been a little sporadic around here.  There has been so much to do that it has been hard for me to steal a few moments and sit down to share. This makes me sad because I have much to document and get out of my heart for my family to remember from this season in our lives.  I think the fact we attended two funerals this past week has helped me prioritize my time a little. I mean, what is more important to me?  Unwinding by watching a little TV or spending a few moments writing so that my life is documented for my grandchildren and children? Well, here I am so I guess you know the answer.

What compelled me to finallysit down and share,  was my full heart from yesterday. Father's Day.  I am blessed beyond what I deserve in the man the Lord chose to be the daddy of my girls. I could go on and on. But I won't.

What stirred my soul was the message he preached yesterday. Actually, it was a culmination of things....  The testimony that was shared by everyone in church about their dads..specifically what my girls shared about Nick.  And then his sermon that followed.

Long story short, Nick has not always been the man or daddy that he is today. He did not come to know Jesus until 9 years into our marriage and fatherhood and I have watched him evolve over the years as he grows in grace and knowledge.

He is not an emotional guy.  He's not up and down. He's steadfast. And he is stern.  We four females who has lived with him  over the past 25 years have not been able to use our womanly wiles to manipulate him.  Batting eyes and shedding tears just didn't work with him.  He wasn't effected.  He has always been able to be objective in a situation no matter how close to home it was.

So anyway in church yesterday, our worship leader Bro Bill, gave us an opportunity to share a word of testimony about our dads.  Lauren tried but got so choked up she couldn't get a word out. Bless her heart...I've been there.  Then Lydia shared.  She shared that when she was little growing up her daddy was a great disciplinarian and she thought he was mean at times...even harsh.  But now she realizes that what not the case. In her words, he is the most gentle person she knows....and the kindest person she knows and how he never speaks bad about anyone and she desires to be more like him.

That alone filled my heart to the brim. Then he stepped up to preach and it overflowed.

I just want to share with you a small snippet that spoke volumes to my heart.  It's not that the message was super deep or profound. It was simple and straightforward. What filled my heart to overflowing is the fact that the girls and I discussed afterwards how we could see every one of the qualities that he preached about in him.  God did that.  It was like God illuminated my heart as he spoke.....I could see so clearly how the years and years of him spending time with Jesus in His word has shaped him into the man his is today.  And not just because he is a pastor or a preacher of the word...but because he is a lover of the word.   

My pastor  challenged the men to be manly men and in order to do that they must be balanced men. Yes..be a man.  Be strong...but be balanced in that strength.

I don't do it justice in his deliverance but these were his points and some of this thoughts.

• Be tough but also be tender....strong and disciplined but also having a tenderness for the heart of people.  Don't be a law driven person but be driven by wanting to connect and relate grace to where people are and by grace to where you desire to take them.  Grace teaches us that it is unwavering in its standard for us (Titus 2) but when we do fall short of that standard, it covers a multitude of sins.   Oh my, I have watched Nick's tender side grow more and more over the years. With each daughter he has had to give away in marriage his heart has tendered.  And when our oldest was pregnant with  our first grandchild, God began shaping and tendering his heart even more preparing him for his grand children.  It has been so beautiful seeing this incredibly tough man exercising tenderness and gentleness.   He just exudes Christ and it is so attractive to me and the world around us.
• Be smart but also sensitive....a man who enjoys learning, one who grows in understanding and love yet not filled with pride and arrogance as a result of his knowledge. A humble man. When you're not sensitive to where people are, it will make you respond out of anxiety and frustration with people and not out of a wise and understanding heart.  I've seen Nick grow and exercise this over and over again within our ministry dealing with people and within our home as he relates to me and our girls.  I'm so thankful his aim is to help us, not to be right or have his way.  "Knowledge without love puffs up.."
• Be courageous yet compassionate....to have the courage to take a stand for the Lord and His ways yet realizing others may not be as courageous in the fight as you are... yet you show them great compassion and not condemnation.  Your goal is to inspire, to inspire them to be brave and stand for Jesus.  Nick has never been one to be afraid to stand alone for God's truth.  I have learned so much over the years seeing him inspire others around him. I've seen his compassion toward other people just grow so much even recently and his attitude always humbles me.  Lydia said it best when she texted me  after seeing the movie, "Courageous" and said, "I told Marcus my daddy was ahead of the game.  He was courageous before Courageous."   
• Be powerful yet patient....being a grace teacher... one that has the ability or "power" to see and do what others cannot see or do but you show great patience with them as you graciously lead and guide...  be one who equips and influences others for good... by not focusing on what they can't see or do but leading them patiently and persistently.  I'm so thankful for this quality in Nick.  That he doesn't focus on my many faults but instead tries to help equip me and teach me.  I've seen his pastor/teacher heart at work in our ministry exercising this with the people the Lord has given him to lead.  His patience with people has grown in leaps and bounds over the years.
• Be authoritative yet approachable. ...knowing you are a leader. You have the authority, yet not being so overbearing to where people are fearful of approaching you. People should feel comfortable in your presence regardless of your authority because of your kindness.  Proverbs 19:22 says "What is most desirable about a man is his kindness."   A great example in scripture is Boaz.  He had the authority to do as he pleased but showed kindness to Ruth and was such a great picture of our Kinsmen Redeemer, Christ.  Nick has always been authoritative.  He is a leader.  God has gifted him with this quality. He doesn't waver and he's not intimated.  But he is also approachable. He has the authority in our home...that is God's design, but we know we can go to him with our thoughts and opinions and he will listen to us and use godly wisdom in responding.  This is manly.  This makes me feel so secure AND valued.  
• Be loyal yet loving... be loyal to those you've been given to serve yet loving them enough to be honest and discrete, that you may truly lead and serve them.  You must love them enough to lead them faithfully in the truth.  Love them enough to lay your life down for them.  Love them enough to sacrifice and set your preference aside yet loyal to the will and ways of God. Even before Jesus interrupted Nick's life he was sacrificial as a husband and father.  He has always put his family before himself.  But now when he corrects us in our attitudes or something, I never doubt his motive...it's always to help us...to lead us closer to Christ.

It was such a great word from the Lord.  A message for the men, yes.  But it applied to me too.  Any one of us who wants to be bold and passionate for the things of the Lord yet also tender and compassionate toward the people along the way. It brings me so much joy that I can receive along with everyone else there because of the genuineness of my pastor.  He's not perfect by any means but he is one of the greatest living examples I know of what a transformed life looks like that is  daily being shaped to be more like Jesus.  And Nick is no different than your husband.. or me.. or you.  God just needs a willing heart who wants to be changed.

I think this makes a difference too.

This is his bible.  Every. single. page looks like this one. 

He spends countless hours in it finding out what God desires.

Because of that, he has discovered how to be a manly man. 

A balanced man.

A godly man.

May we all be found finding out what God desires.

And may we wives, continue to pray for our husbands that they would strive to be all that God has called them to be. And let's do it with the same patience that we would like them to extend to us.

Well,  I said I wasn't gonna go on and on about how blessed I am that Nick is the daddy to my girls, but I guess I kinda did after all huh?
Please forgive me. ;)

                                                                                             

10 on 10 :: June

10 pics in 10 hours on the 10th of the month.

Here goes mine...

Starting the day with Jesus, coffee and my man.

Made myself run/walk today...didn't want to but I did it anyway.

That is progress in itself.

(soon I'll be able to just say run and leave off the /walk. Whoop whoop)

Snack time.

Quick trip to Tuscaloosa for wedding project stuff.

Beautiful day. Ugly windshield.

Hobby Lobby shenanigans. 

Maybe one day we will take a pic beside a real one in London. 

Back home already and discovered this little beauty had bloomed.

The grandkids planted bulbs while they were here.  This is a big deal.

On to Porterville Night prepping for supper.  

These were so fresh they still smelled like dirt.

Henry.

He is becoming one of my favorite things about Monday nights now.

After supper one year anniversary photo sesh with these two.

( I can't believe that it's already been a year on June 23rd!)

This was snapped with my phone.  Can't wait to edit the "real" ones. 

Ended the day with a bang.

We took out two skunks.  

I spotted em and he got em.

We are such a team.

There ya have it.  My 10 on 10.

It was a full one. 

                                                                                                 

My most worn accessory and why I love it so much.

 Today I get to introduce you to Becky.

 She's the girl behind the cuffs I wear in just about all my pics.  It's really funny how we "met".  It all started when Nick told me about a girl on Instagram that he was following. He said she reminded him so much of me..... not as much in looks but her personality. Well that got my attention!  I mean, this is the guy that knows me better than anyone else on earth.  We've been by each other's side since we were 15 years old, so when he said that, of course the first thing I did was pick up my phone and check this chick out.   As I'm typing in her name, farmgirlpaints, I ask him, "Like how does she remind you of me?"   He goes on to say, "She just seems a lot like you.  She is always smiling, looks like she really enjoys life and she likes to take pics of her feet like you do.  I don't know...something about her does."

Well of course I stalked her feed.  Like crazy stalked.  I looked at all her pics..then went to her blog.  And then I got really crazy stalkerish and sent her an email telling her my hubs thinks we act alike.  She probably thought I was a weirdo but she was really gracious and sweet.

Honestly, as I looked at all her pics and read her blog posts and got just a peek into her heart, I was flattered that Nick would say that.  I can only hope that I sprinkle beauty the way she does with all she touches.  She shares her triumphs and her struggles with great transparency.  

She is a blessing.

I was able to meet her in person last October and it only made me love her more.  She's the real deal y'all. AND....she blessed me and Heather with one of her cuffs that day.  Now when I say us Holden girls were happy....I mean we were hap-pay!

Heather had commented on a pic of hers about the phrase "Let go" so Becky knew what to put on hers.  She said she looked at my pics to find inspiration for mine and this is what she came up with...

~swoon.  That blessed me more than anything.

That started my obsession love for her cuffs and I've added quite a few since then.

This was my next one.

You can read why I chose the word "embrace" here.

 Well of course I wanted my girls to have one of their own.  This was so hard choosing their word!

It took some time to decide ....and a phone call to my sis-n-law, Heather, to help me choose but we finally got it figured out and it was one of their favorite Christmas gifts.

And my latest addition is this little beauty.

It was a mother's day gift from Nick.  He picked out what phrase to put on it.

It's from a passage of scripture the Lord used in a huge way back when Nick surrendered to evangelism.

"But none of these things move me, nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."  Acts 20:24

I'm gonna save the story behind it for another time, but the Lord has used this verse over and over again in my walk with Him since then.  My heart aches a little when I look down and see those words....aches in a growing pain kind of way.  Which is good.

I love all my cuffs.

I love when someone asks me what they say and a conversation is started and I can share my story... His story...with them.

I love when I see my girls wearing their cuffs and knowing the meanings behind why I chose them and how blessed I am to be their momma.

And I love Becky. 

I love how she is using the gifts the Lord has given her for His glory.

I know you probably want a cuff for yourself and Becky is giving a discount for all of you.

Her shop is only opened for a limited time each month plus she's taking a break over the summer so she can soak up time with her sweet girls...so if you want one you better go get one!

Click here to get there!

Use the code honey15 to get 15% off!

                                                                                 

Guest Posting and Cow Camp Hosting

Hi Y'all. It's been busy busy over here at the Honey Pot.

Today I'm guest posting for one of my besties, Hannah.
 She has this amazing series called

I'm sharing my heart about a few things I've learned of late in my journey of motherhood. I'd love for you to pop in and read it along with some of the other posts from ladies who have shared their hearts too. If you do pop in, please say Hi and make sure somewhere in your comment you say "Geaux Tigers"....Hannah really will love that.

And speaking of what Hannah loves...she loves to give and give back.  She has beautiful necklace in her shop that she is donating all the proceeds to the tornado relief in Oklahoma. She's also celebrating her shop's anniversary this week with all kinds of coupons and giveaways.  So go!  Run!

Ok. So now you know about the guest posting....

Let's get on to the Cow Camp Hosting!

What is Cow Camp you ask?

It looks kinda like this...

It's our annual Memorial Day Family Weekend where we get to hang out all weekend together fishing, eating, swimming, playing board games, riding four wheelers, shooting guns....and all kinds of fun stuff.  We all sleep together in one big ole room with lots of beds.  It is totally fun city. The above pic was from two summers ago.

We missed getting together last year because it was so close to Lydia's wedding but I've got lots planned for this years Cow Camp and I can't wait.  It will officially starts tomorrow when everybody starts arriving, but my mom gets here tonight and we will be hauling all the goodies and supplies down there today!....Eeeeep!!  I'm so excited!

I even created a little banner for the occasion!
(Check out the tutorial I used here.)

And I pulled out the flags and sparklers!

Oh wait.  You're probably wondering why we call it Cow Camp huh?

Well, it's mostly because we have to share it with these ladies...

We don't get much service out at the camp but when we head to the pool, I'll probably upload pics.  So if you want to follow along with some of our Cow Camp shenanigans,  we will all be using the hashtag #cowcamp2013

                             

Teachable moments {rescuing the perishing}

Nick and I are always thankful for teachable moments with the grand kids....times where we can impart eternal truths that will stick with them for life.  We wasted the early years when our girls were this age living for ourselves and we try to redeem the time everyday now.  One of my favorite teachable moments happened while they were staying with us this last time.

We loaded them up on the four-wheeler in their pj's and rubber boots to go feed the donkeys.

It was a normal day in every way...

until the ride home. 

We checked the mail and was about to head to the house when we noticed something standing in the road just a little ways up the road.  It was a little yearling doe.  We figured it would run off but we headed in that direction to give the kids a closer look.  We knew immediately something was wrong when we were able to get this close to it and she didn't even budge.

Nick pulled us over to the side and he got off the four wheeler to check out what was going on.

She had been hit by a car and was in shock. We all just sat there in amazement as we watched him pet her and talk to her gently. 

She would not budge for anything so Nick picked her up and carried her to the side of the road.  She was so worn out she could barely lift her head.  The girls and I were crying over how sad it was and I really thought she was dying right in front of us.  Nick decided to bring us home and come back and get the deer.  Deer getting hit by cars are a pretty regular occurrence where we live and we knew she probably wasn't gonna make it.  But we decided to seize the moment....and teach the girls first hand about compassion..... and possibly death.

By the time he got back with her, she was pitiful. She was so tired and so near death.

The kids were amazed as they watched their paw paw tenderly pet her and talk to her gently, as he tried to keep her calm and as comfortable as possible.

There were lots of questions.

"Why did this happen Paw Paw?"

"Is she hurting Paw Paw?"

"Can you make her  better Paw Paw?"

"Is she gonna die Paw Paw?"

All those tough questions that us grown ups don't always have answers to.  We were honest with them and told them that she might not make it.  But that we were gonna help make her as comfortable as possible and we all prayed and asked the Lord to heal her if it be His will.

They even petted her themselves....being so gentle and kind.  Mimicking what they saw their  Paw Paw doing.

Bill, one of the men in our church, is our resident "vet".  He raises cows and donkeys and has a heart the size of Texas.  Nick calls him "Boaz" because of his thoughtful and generous spirit.  We called him and he came by and picked her up and brought her to his house where he has a pen. He wasn't sure if she was gonna make it either but he gave her some antibiotics and cleaned up her wounds.  We knew that the next few hours would be crucial.  So we just continued to talk to the girls, preparing them for her possible death and sharing with them what a blessing they were to the little deer keeping her company so she wouldn't be alone.

I couldn't wait to see Bill the next morning and I could tell by his expression when I saw him at church that it was good news!  She had made it through the night and up on her feet and looking much stronger!  We couldn't wait to go check on her!

The girls had named her and couldn't wait to tell her.  Rosalyn wanted to call her  Pearl but Jules liked "Pickle" because she had heard her Paw Paw say she was "in a pickle" when we found her.  It was a big debate over which name so they compromised.  We call her P.P. ....short for Pickle Pearl.

I honestly couldn't believe the little thing made it!  She was so pitiful when we found her. 

And then I realized how great of a lesson it really was.

Had we not come and rescued her that day, she would surely have perished.  Either another car would have hit her again or her wounds would have become infected without the antibiotics.

Apart from our help, she was as good as dead.

And so it is with us. We too are perishing. Apart from the saving grace of Jesus we will surely die in our sin.   We too need a rescuer to come and scoop us up out of harms way.

But unlike the deer, whose nature stays the same, we have a nature that can be changed.

 When we are rescued, we become a new creation.  God changes who we are and what we are about.

"If anyone be in Christ, he is a new creation.   Old things have passed away. Behold: all things have become new."  2 Corinthians 5:17

I'm so thankful that God rescued me 16 years ago from a life of selfishness with no eternal value.  I was just like the little deer...vulnerable and destined for destruction until He came and scooped me up out of harms way and delivered me.  As I watched Nick being so tender with her I realized just how patient and merciful  God has been with me over the years. He is such a loving Father that wants to comfort His children.  He wants to see us prosper and grow strong in the faith.  He wants the best for us. I'm so thankful for this teachable moment for the grand kids.....and for me.

And every time we go check on Pickle Pearl this old hymn comes to mind.

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,

Snatch then in pity from sin and the grave;

Weep o'er the erring one, lift up the fallen.

Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying

Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.

Happy Monday.
May we all be found doing something that makes a difference eternally.
Let's get busy.