Hi Friends,

Hi Friends,

I haven’t written much lately with lots of summer travel and some big things happening.

Last weekend our oldest son got engaged. It’s impossible convey all that we love about our future daughter but I’ll share a few tidbits. One time, when we still lived in Tennessee, we drove up to Knoxville to take them to dinner. When they arrived at the restaurant her hair was still wet and she didn’t have an ounce of make-up on. The two of them had just beaten a male duo at spikeball. Her effortless beauty, insane athleticism, chill vibe and infectious laugh immediately set an insurmountable bar. But the years since have only given us more reasons to adore her.

Today is our middle son’s 22nd birthday. It’s the first birthday he is not with us. Fortunately we will see him this coming week as we move him in at Auburn where he will be a graduate assistant and earn his masters in accounting.

From Auburn we’ll go on to Tuscaloosa and drop off our baby. If you think of me next Sunday please pray for me. I am 100% thrilled about how things have fallen into place but I am also mourning the end of an incredibly sweet era.

One thing I have been thinking about amidst the blessing of these milestones is how I need to do better with deeper Bible study. The last couple of years I have been faithful in my reading plan, and being renewed by the whole counsel of God is important, obviously. But I have struggled with also doing deeper contemplation on a consistent basis. But God, in His mercy, has made it clear what I am missing: memorization.

Years ago I used to memorize Scripture in part because I could then contemplate Truth even while supervising my young sons playing outside. When you have Scripture in your mind, you are never without it. My husband sent this John Piper podcast in our family group chat last week. It is so good and makes the case for committing verses or chapters to memory, which my husband has been remarkably faithful with the last few years.

So, I am vowing, in this new season which presents an odd tension between busyness and empty nesting, to memorize more Scripture. I am starting with Isaiah 55.

One of my favorite parts of this chapter says:

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

May we all go out in JOY, be lead in PEACE and know that even if we fail to praise the Lord the trees clap their hands and the rocks cry out to give Him glory!

With Love,

Kristie