The World Through My Eyes

" You will keep in perfect peace  all who trust in you,   all whose  thoughts are fixed on you!" Isaiah 26:3 “ So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and  faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” John‬ ‭1:14‬ ‭ A few months ago a local news story surfaced about an active shooter in a nearby town. He fled the scene and went into hiding, but law enforcement later found him hiding in the home of some friends of ours. This made me consider how ironic the occupations are of those we employ to restore peace and order. Generally speaking, I wouldn’t equate peace with a SWAT team breaching the door of a home in search of an assailant, but that’s exactly their goal. Armed and armored, police officers intentionally enter a situation of chaos and disorder in order to restore peace. Many people work and live their lives doing this on a regular basis. From medical emergency p...

Growing up we had a tradition in our home on Christmas morning to all gather in my parents' room and pray before going into the living room to open our gifts! Dad would usually pray and might read some scripture as well. We did Santa gifts, but there was never any confusion on what Christmas was really about. My parents made Christmas so fun for me and my brother! Justin and I have continued this tradition in our home as well. Yesterday morning all of our kids piled up in our bed as Justin prayed for us before we opened presents. His prayer really stood out to me. He said, "we're glad these gifts we receive will eventually break because it's a reminder that nothing we have here compares to the gift of your son." Wow! What an amazing perspective?!  I'm always so overwhelmed with the gift giving part of Christmas.  As fun as it is, I know it's a lot of money for things that won't last. But maybe that's a good thing! Maybe God can use the fallible a...

Greetings, Friends and Family! Years ago I sent out a family newsletter at Christmastime. I decided to do it again this year only on my blog instead. It's been a fast and furious year for the Carnley's.  Each year seems to go by a little faster and these kids just insist on growing.  This life of ours can be crazy at times, but we are so blessed that we get to do it all together. I love this precious family of mine so much.  We have seen God's hand work in so many ways through the years and look forward to all he has in store. We are grateful! Justin is going on 15 years at the Lufkin Post Office as a city letter carrier. He also gives guitar lessons, trains the up and coming student worship  band at our church, and plays on the church praise team. He still enjoys gardening, cooking, and hunting and in his spare time he's been working on remodeling a room in our garage for Sidney to have her own space. He yielded a decent harvest in his big garden this yea...

Popular phrases like "Be Brave" and "You're Enough" seem to be spreading through Christian media today. While they sound good and inspirational, I fear phrases like this might tip the scales a little too far to one side when as believers we should seek balance.  While I understand the effort to break free from the bondage of lies, I believe this mentality could merely transfer us from one prison cell to a new one. When we choose truth and balance over both selfish ambition AND pitiful lies, we find the road to living free. God calls us to live in freedom to follow him, live humbly, and show mercy.  When we focus our attention on empowering ourselves with our own works and abilities, we may just be accepting a new shiny pair of shackles and can miss an opportunity to embrace the freedom God offers. We often become successful and show others how to do the same. While there's nothing wrong with celebrating our hard earned awards, respect, and recognition, if ...

Love is patient.  I've heard and quoted this statement a thousand times when reciting the familiar 1 Corinthians passage. I tend to swiftly move on to the second love adjective because I have no patience to linger here. Oh the irony!  I don't like the word patience because I know me. I worry. I tire. I stress. I'm in a hurry for relief. I want quick clarity and definitive answers and I wanted it yesterday. But when I replace the word 'love' with 'God,' the one who IS love, my focus changes and peace ensues. Why? Because instead of feeling pressure to become something I am not, I realize I can simply rest in what He already is.  God is patient. He is patient with us and for us.  His plans are patient.  He is not surprised. He is not worried.  He is not exhausted.  He is not anxious. He fears nothing.  And if he is my daddy in whom I've entrusted my life, I don't have to muster up a peaceful feeling that will soon fade. I can rest in Him and all he ...

I’m not a fan of new year’s resolutions. My life offers endless opportunities for failure without setting myself up and I’m proud to say I’ve been quite successful in taking advantage of them. I jest, but truthfully I see more value in reflecting on the past rather than attempting to resolve the great unknown.  We can’t exactly know where we are going until we fully grasp where we’ve been so reflecting back just makes more sense to me. So far, 2017 has been the most soul searching, faith stretching, heart piercing, and flesh breaking year for me to date. I do not look forward to 2018 being “better” because I’m not convinced that this year was really that bad. I'm positive that both better and worse years lie ahead, but this has been what I believe to be the beginning of a tough spiritual journey. We often hear that trials are blessings in disguise, but I’m starting to think that blessings can be trials in disguise, as well. God works in mysterious ways, right? Regardless of the di...

As many of you already know, Justin and I spent an evening away last weekend celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary early on his weekend off. All of our grandparents were out of pocket, but thanks to 4 very kind friend familes, we split our five children among them so we could get away for the night.  We couldn't justify the extra expense of hiring an overnight sitter so this was our best option. Getting away is already a stretch financially for our large one income family. Don't feel sorry for us though. We make poor money decisions often out of convenience and/or exhaustion.  As a family of 7 most of the time we're just in survival mode which tends to combat financial wisdom more often than not and we suffer the consequences as a result. But God never ceases to amaze me. Despite my poor choices he is still faithful and gracious. I'm consistently made aware of his undeserved kindness in my life and it's quite humbling. As if having our friends take on our child...