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Happy Go Stuckey

Tethering Grace & Togetherness

Bless the Lord, O my Soul

November 11, 2013 by HappyGoStuckey Leave a Comment

There are those times in life when you are so very overwhelmed with all of God’s grace to you, that there are no words.

I’ve been there a lot lately. So much so, that I’ve found myself humming, singing, meditating on the same song again and again. It started at the end of September, when amidst a heart of tumultuous uncertainty, I stood surrounded by several of my “mommy friends” as we sang this song with 1200 others at the DotMom Conference. We sang the words, and I was overcome at the sound of the women I cherished so closely, their sweet voices singing of God’s mercy to us all. And it occurred to me, how well God had answered my prayer of when we first moved here. A prayer that cried out to Him to “please, please give me women to share life with.” Having left such a support system, my heart craved close community with other women. And I was made aware, He had answered my prayer– far beyond what I expected.

Again, a month later. Sitting in a room full of other writers. Women who had been strangers just hours before. Other moms. Other Christians. All of us wanting to make BIG the name of Christ in our writing. This song was again part of our worship set. I stood overwhelmed and could hardly speak, let alone sing audibly. But I know He heard the cry of my heart. He heard my singing– choosing to trust and praise rather than focus on the reality of our current uncertain situation.

And again over the last few days and weeks. Days that have proved what we have known all along, that GOD WAS WORKING. And He has.

And we are overjoyed. We are blown away at how He has provided a way for us to continue to serve and worship in our family of faith and to do so full-time. When we moved here in 2010, it was for a job. A job that the thought of confused us. Years in seminary, hoping to join a full-time ministry somewhere and then this? But God had a plan that was so.much.bigger than our expectations. And we have grown and learned and been refined. We have been able to see just a fragment of His desire for us as we loved and worked alongside our beloved small group family.  Three years ago, we came here knowing only each other. We immediately joined the community of our church and were challenged and loved; we never even dreamed we would be able to be on staff there. But God has done great things and we are filled with joy! We are no less than ecstatic that we will be able to stay here in our new(ish) home of Augusta and we cannot wait to see all that He has in store for this next chapter.

And all we can say is, “Bless the Lord, Oh my Soul!”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtwIT8JjddM&w=853&h=480]

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Comments

  1. Courtney Sexton says

    November 11, 2013 at 12:49 pm

    We are praising God with you!

    Reply
  2. Amanda says

    November 12, 2013 at 2:12 am

    Awesome news! Thankful for answered prayers sweet friend!

    Reply

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Hey There!

I'm Cynthia and I'm so glad you're here. I am an introvert with an extrovert's love of gathering people together. I love good books and capturing moments. Whether you visit me here or on my own front porch, I'll be the one holding the Iced Coffee for us both.

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Hi 👋🏻 I’m Cynthia and I’m a bit weary. T Hi 👋🏻 I’m Cynthia and I’m a bit weary. There. I said it. These days I’m gravitating to the true & the beautiful as rest for my weary self... and I wonder if you are too.

So much so, that I’m starting a new little offering, it’s called “The Feast: Wonder for the Weary” and the first issue goes out this weekend. It’s a bit more personal (okay this first one is WAY more personal. 🤭) It will be a little bit of everything, all with the goal of offering REST to both the feasters & foragers alike. If you’re already a subscriber— no need to do anything, if not— click through my bio to “keep in touch” and join the feast.✨
We are a people of both lament and praise. We hol We are a people of both lament and praise.

We hold questions without answers— yet we hold them in hands already full of good things.

We hold our daily bread, our daily gifts, and we hold the daily closeness of the God Who Sees.

The God who is no stranger to our lament, and Who Is the reason for our every hope.
He does not grow weary of our asking. Of our need to be told again, He will. 

You friend, are not invisible.
You are seen and cared for by the God who does all things well. (Even when they feel anything but.)
Married love ambition: making the kids roll their Married love ambition: making the kids roll their eyes at our “gushy-ness” as often as possible. 

President & CEO of the Lance Stuckey Fan Club— in every season, but especially on days like today.
Rainy day Mocha date, courtesy of our own toasty k Rainy day Mocha date, courtesy of our own toasty kitchen.😍🌧📚

On this chilly Saturday, we spent entirely too long browsing for books at our library and then all came home to a fire, mochas, and cocoa, respectively. Of all the things we do not know at this very moment, we know the gifts abound, and are worth counting.

PS, if you haven’t spread whipped cream on a foil-lined baking sheet to freeze, and then cut out cute shapes with cookie cutters to top your coffee or hot cocoa, may I suggest you get thee on that at once.
“If God sends us on strong paths, we are provide “If God sends us on strong paths, we are provided strong shoes.” — Corrie Ten Boom

✨File under, things to save in a fire.✨

The prayer journal pictured here contains six months of the hard & the sweet.
Six months of prayers asked & answered for ourselves and for others.
Six months of seeing through prayer, not how it changed our circumstances necessarily but how it changed us.

I always appreciate a record like this— being able to clearly see the paths we are led down, rocky though they may be? Priceless.

The ways God has come near us & drawn us to Himself again and again are written on these pages and I’ll treasure it forever.

Also pictured: Psalms Illuminated Scripture Journal. Highly recommend. Thank you always, @allifarnell
“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it th “The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

While scrolling through my photos today, my heart was heavy to realize how far back “before” was.

Before masks and distancing, before loss, before other, more personal bits of hard. Multitudinous change, neither all bad nor all good.

With our free time, we’ve introduced our girls to Tolkien, Bilbo, Frodo, and especially Samwise the Brave. They are officially hooked and we are delighted to watch them discover another world where evil doesn’t win, and the courage of the small matters much. {they close their eyes at the Orcs and we haven’t had a nightmare yet!}🤞🏻😂😬
I’m leaning increasingly more into the analog th I’m leaning increasingly more into the analog these days.

It started with the Sourdough and a dozen different kinds of jam last year.
I suddenly find great calm in activities that stand in direction opposition to hurry, the textbook definition of ✨work in progress.✨ And really, if you could see the other side of this piece, you would believe me. 🙃

Thank you to @thebarmyfox for making embroidery so accessible!
@thenester says, “It doesn’t have to be perfec @thenester says, “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful,” and I believe that the weeknight meal equivalent is, “Just because it’s easy— doesn’t make it a second-tier supper!”

Thank you, Spaghetti with Meat sauce for being both a ministry to mom AND a crowd pleaser. Especially on a dreary January-ish day. It is ✨quite alright✨ to make something we’ve made a million times just because we know it makes the people happy.🍝
I saw a magazine cover this week advertising the h I saw a magazine cover this week advertising the headline, “Ditch Gratitude!” 

This is my “No thanks,” face.
My grateful face.
My you-can’t-make-me-face.
Because no matter how long the list of things we still don’t know, I know I need gratitude like water.

Questions remain. Uncertainties abound. Reasons for concern greet us with each January dawn.

Hope remains and so do questions. The two have never been enemies, but cozy next door neighbors.
I’ll keep my gratitude, thank you.
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