Magnolia Heart

Uncovering Beauty, Embracing Brokenness, Discovering Joy.

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I Will Sing: Prince of Peace

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Part of the I Will Sing series.

““I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.””
‭‭John‬ ‭16:33‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today and next week, I have the privilege of sharing two beautiful songs from a local artist and our long time friend, Elizabeth Hunnicutt. They are both from her 2014 Christmas album entitled, Arrival.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

I Will Sing: Oceans

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Part of the I Will Sing series.

“If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭139:9-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I Will Sing

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“Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭63:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Waiting can echo with a resounding emptiness. It can seem too quiet, as if nothing is happening or ever will.

Even so, I know that God is moving. He goes before me and he is making a way. I know this because I can see fingerprints of His faithfulness all throughout my life. He has never failed me and He never will. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Yet, there are days when the silence in this waiting becomes maddening. I feel as if I am scrambling, in search of something “to do” or to control, to lessen the wait. At the end of these days, I have felt nothing but defeat. My heart weary and restless. I am unable to even pray, I have exhausted all my emotional energy, all my words.

It is in these moments, I am choosing to quiet my heart, surrendering any illusion of control. Lifting hands and voice in praise to My God, My Jesus.
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Standing in the Gap

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Family Update: Part One

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You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭32:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We have been in the waiting process for over eight months now. Bulgaria’s average wait time from registration to referral (matching a child with a family) is fourteen months. This time frame is based on the medium wait time for all Bulgarian adoption’s that our adoption agency has completed since 2011. Fourteen months puts us at March 13, 2016. Less than six months from today. In less time than a full term pregnancy, we may finally have the honor of holding our daughter for the first time. To finally have her near to us. To take in her sweet, beautiful face. To feel the cadence of her breathe, her heart beat. Robert and I long for this moment.

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Be Still

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The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.””
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14:14‬ ‭NIV‬

This passage was Moses’ response to the Israelites right before God delivered them from the bondage of slavery. Their imminent future looking grim and impossible, powerless against the advancing Egyptian Army. They felt defeated and wondered why God had led them into the desert only to die at the hands of the Egyptians.

Little did they know that God was at work. He did not forsake them. Moses only needed to raise His staff and by God’s mighty power the impossible happened. The Red Sea parted. The Israelites did not fight the Egyptians, no harm came to them. They only needed to keep moving forward. Remaining fixed on the path that God was setting before them.
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