Do it for the kids!

About 9 months ago both of my boys decided to pick up a cheap old skateboard we had bought back when we had only one child and we bought anything and everything he was remotely entertained by.

Daren taught them how to stand on the board, how to push and ride. And over the next few days and weeks we quickly realized that they both had a natural ability to SHREAD! Skateboarding began to consume Hudson (8) and Max's (5) little world.

As parents we had a decision to make. We could have said "wow boys that's great!" and just let them skate around the neighborhood and buy stock in Band-aids. OR we could have said "boys you guys are gifted at this and if you really want to keep skating and get better we will do as much as we can to help you!"

The last 9 months have been filled with family vacations to different skateboard parks around the state, hours each week at our local skateparks, skateboard lessons, multiple skate videos, and a slowly changing wardrobe (skinny jeans, skate tshirts and flat billed hats). The biggest joy has been that through a cool Christian skate team and some skate videos that share the gospel while showing you how to SHREAD, Max gave his life to Christ!

My point is that as parents we should help our kids find what it is they are gifted at doing and encourage them. We have the chance to support and equip them to be all that God has gifted them to be. Let's not sit back and let them flounder through their childhood not knowing how god has gifted them. Let's help them discover their talents and abilities and teach them how to be who God has created them to be.
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Go Hogs

There are many reasons why I love razorback football.

1) I'm born and raised in Arkansas. That makes it a must!
2) My dad loves razorback football/basketball
3) War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock is insane with all the fans so close and SO LOUD!
4) Daren and I went to the HOGS vs LSU game in LR the thanksgiving weekend we got engaged! Awwww!
5) The season always opens on my and Daren's birthday week so we have celebrated many a birthday w the HOGS.
6) Matt Jones autographed my oldest sons razorback diaper bag
7) I had a razorback diaper bag!
8) Matt Jones, Felix Jones, Darren McFadden
9) I graduated from Oak Grove High School, granted it was 15+ years before Darren McFadden did but I'm a Hornet just the same.
10) Who doesn't love Calling Those HOGS! Wooooooo, PIG, SOOIE!

Why do you love your HOGS or favorite team?



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What are you afraid of?

Genesis 12

The Call of Abram
1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.
2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

10 At that time a severe famine struck the land of Canaan, forcing Abram to go down to Egypt, where he lived as a foreigner. 11As he was approaching the border of Egypt, Abram said to his wife, Sarai, “Look, you are a very beautiful woman.12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife. Let’s kill him; then we can have her!’ 13 So please tell them you are my sister. Then they will spare my life and treat me well because of their interest in you.”

WHILE abram was following God and being obedient he got scared of the situation that Egypt may present and sinned. He told Sarai to lie. He not only sinned himself but caused his wife to sin also.

FEAR - When your scared and try to handle things yourself it never ends up well. You get caught up in trying to control situations and you quickly forget that GOD is in control.

Abram was walking in the will of God and at the time it seemed like that was going pretty well and fairly easy for him. But at the first sign of struggle or difficulty he took his eyes off the one that had been leading and guiding him and took matters into his own hands.

I usually do the same thing. And I usually get caught up in sin as the situation gets worse. As I get older I am starting to realize that I am not as strong in my faith as I once thought. As I get older I'm also realizing that there are a lot of bumps in the road and a lot of plan b's. So I'm trying. I'm learning. I'm beginning to recognize the fear quicker and from the onset try to remind myself that IM NOT IN CONTROL OF MY LIFE!!

How do you usually respond when the fear strikes?


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It's been awhile

Basically I'm trying to get back into this blogging thing. As I sit here with my new fangled technology my sons will not stop acting silly! So I thought I would give them the attention that they deserve and put their silly-selves on my blog.


But my pride and joy wants in on the action too! So here she is. I hope to stay a little more connected than I have this past year. Sorry ;( So stay tuned!
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apples to oranges

do you watch the BIGGEST LOSER and wish you could be as disciplined and self motivated as bob and jilian?

go to your childs school function and wish you were as crafty as "so and so's" mommy

see that couple at church and wish your marriage was as thriving as theirs seems to be

attend the neighbors christmas party and wish you could be as creative as she is

wish you could parent like susie straight skirt because her kids seem perfect

read or listen to your favorite leaders in your field and wish you were as successful as they are


I compare myself to others, not a lot but more than i should. when i get caught up in this trap heres what ive noticed happens: i get consumed with myself, i throw pity-parties, im hard to please and dissatisfied, i get a little arrogant and critical and i intentionally neglect spending time with god cause after all thats convicting and uncomfortable.

i am fearfully and wonderfully made. there is no one quite like me. god has a specific plan mapped out for my specific life. he has uniquely gifted me with strengths and talents and abilities that he has intended to use for a specific purpose. he desires to use me in unique ways to bring him glory. does that sound like a motivational tape? prob cause it is one that i play to myself when i struggle with this topic.

when i stop comparing myself to jesus and striving to be like him, i get all messed up. i have to pay attention to christ and how he lived and what he taught. i have to take the time to figure out how he has shaped me and how he has gifted me. i have to take the initiative to be who he has created me to be.

someone is always gonna be prettier, smarter, more disciplined, more creative, more successful and more EVERYTHING! dont get me wrong i think we can all learn from others and be challenged and inspired by how others live their lives. but comparing ourselves to anyone other than christ is a losing battle and a very frustrating way to live.

so lets stop saying i wish i could be more like _____________
and replace it with i want to be more like jesus. and look into scripture and see how to immitate him.

today, for me, its JOY.
what about you?

first time for our family

well, its official, the neely's have had their first broken bone. hudson fell off his bike this afternoon and landed wrong on his hand and broke his pinkie, and i have to admit i have not done well with it.

i am usually very calm during chaotic, traumatic boo-boo type situations. i have even said outloud before, "ya know i think its a mommy thing that we remain calm for our children's sake."

i am also the type of person that can NOT handle bones sticking out of legs and arms or any appendages pointing in an unnatural direction. i cover my eyes when its on the TV. i dont watch youtube videos of people who have broken bones while doing something stupid. i cringe and look away when the slow motion replay shows a football player having his ankle rolled or knee snapped in half.

so when hudson ran in the door yelling "i broke my finger!" my first instinct was to run to him and begin to care for him in a calm manner. but as the seconds ticked by and i saw his pinkie finger in a 90 degree right angle i LOST it! as i was running to comfort him i immedieately became dizzy, flush and nauseated. i turned from him and said to daren, "oh daddy its broke!" and i fell to my knees. daren, thankfully, began trying to calm hudson down and said its ok we will go to the hospital and get it fixed. i wanted so bad to get in the car and go with them but i also had 2 other children that did not need to be rushed to the ER. after making a few phone calls and finding a friend to watch max and reese i sped to the hospital.

i have to say that i have felt like i failed my oldest son today. i have felt guilty all day that i wasnt able to comfort him in his pain and agony, that as i was running toward him, i saw his finger and ran away from him.

after i arrived at the ER i walked in to daren and hudson talking about how freaked out i was and they were laughing about how "silly" mommy acted. i walked up to hudson and rested my forehead on top of his head and apologized to him for not taking care of him and told him that i loved him about a trillion times. then daren told me something that was like salve to my hurting heart. as he was driving hudson to the ER hudson told him that he had felt bad that he had upset me.

in what has been the most traumatic experience of his 7 years of life, his thoughts, emotions and affections turned to me. even though during the initial trauma i turned away from him.

huh, sounds like someone else i know, JESUS! during the most traumatic experience of his life which was his death on a cross. his thoughts, emotions and affections were on me and the rest of creation that at some point in our lives would turn away from him.

thank you jesus for your UNCONDITIONAL love, mercy, grace and forgivness.

You cant say you didnt know.

I can honestly say that hardly a day goes by that human trafficking specifically child trafficking doesnt cross my mind. I seem to be bombarded with thoughts of children all over the world that have no one to speak up for them no one to give them a hope and a future. The images and statistics that are a reality are forever etched in my mind and heart.

So many days i look at Reese and im reminded of the girls that Daren and I would walk past everyday in Bangkok that were looking for "work." I dont know how many chose to live in prostitution and how many were forced. I dont know how many of the children we saw loading up goods for the street vendors were working with/for their parents or if they were bought by the vendors themselves. Either way they were not in school and not enjoying a normal chilhood of playing, running, imagining, dreaming and laughing.

I dont know what all of this means for me. But i do know that what God has opened my eyes and heart to i can no longer ignore. I can no longer just change the channel to avoid the images. I must continue to find ways to help the least of these.

I hope and pray that more people and especially those who have been changed by the grace, love and mercy of Jesus Christ, will begin to pray about what He would have you do to help the poor, broken, lost, helpless, hurt, vulnerable, hopeless and lonely. WE CAN NOT DO EVERYTHING. WE CAN NOT FIX EVERYTHING. BUT, WE CAN DO SOMETHING!

http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

http://www.showhope.com/

http://www.love146.org/

http://www.tomsshoes.com/

http://www.freedom424.com/

http://www.charitywater.com/

world vision

compassion international

Holt international adoption

Bethany Christian Services