Special Day

15 Years ago God gave me a special gift through my best friend on the right; the gift was my other best friend on the left.

Hunter Judson Lee Hardwick turned 15 years old today at 9:59AM. 15 years ago Joli delivered this very special young man at Grand Strand General Hospital. I was 23 at the time and Joli was 20 and I don't think either one of us really knew what our Creator was giving to us.

He was perfectly handsome, even with his very cone shaped head and forcep marks. He made his little mom go through the ringer. When she started with him she was 95 pounds and when he was born she was 150. She got bells palsy, choleostasis of pregnancy and had to go on bed rest for a while. Through all that though, she persevered to deliver a very special man.

Hunter is so very thoughtful and kind. Yes he can be mean some times but honestly it is not often. Hunter prayed to Jesus when he was about 6 years old to be his savior. He was baptized at Hyde Park Baptist Church shortly thereafter. While I am not sure whether he was saved at that point, I know that God has been changing this young man into someone who loves His Son Jesus. I pray that he would continue to yield his life to the Lord and be led willingly to where God wants to take him. I know God has a special purpose for his life.

Another thing that I am so thankful for and something that Joli has written, is that he actually likes to be with me. Maybe he does because I really like to be with him. One day he will be gone and I will miss him, until that day arrives though, I will cherish every day and every birthday that I have with him.

Thank you Lord for my son! Thank you Joli for giving me such a special young man and being an awesome mother to him! Thank you Hunter for being a treasured friend to me.

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dad

New Year

Well we all woke up this morning. It felt the same as yesterday but someone told me it was a new year :0) Well I knew that it is 2010 and while it may not feel that different I am a day older and we are embarking as a family on a great task. We are going to be reading through the Robert Murry M'Cheyne bible reading program. My friend Brodie says that there are no "snow" days with this because it is rigorous and you don't get behind with the intentions to catch up. Today's reading was from Ezra 1 and Acts 1 in our quiet time and the family reading time is from Genesis 1 and Matthew 1. It progresses this way through the entire year where you read through the old testament once over the course of the year and the new testament and psalms twice. An additional thing that we are doing is we are going to follow Bethlehem Baptist Churches Fighter verses. They have 5 sets of fighter verses where they memorize a verse or passage every week as a church. This years set is E and they will memorize a verse out of Daniel this week and next week start memorizing the WHOLE sermon on the mount from Matthew 5-7. I do not write any of this to boast about what we are doing. Remember it is only January 1. I write this so that you will remember us in prayer as we commit as a family to read through the bible together this year and hide God's word in our heart.

We hope that you have a happy new year and that your hearts would be shaped by the potter.

The Hardwicks

Below is the link to the Fighter verse site for this year

http://www.hopeingod.org/resources/images/70211.pdf

Out with the Old

2009 has one hour left, at least here in Eastern Standard Time, and there are many things to be thankful for as 2010 comes roaring in.

1. I am thankful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ without whom I have no hope.


2. I am thankful for my wife of 15+ years whom I love so much and thank God for.


3. I am thankful for my son Hunter who turns 15 in a few days. He is so much more of a man than I was at his age and most importantly, he loves the Lord.


4. I am thankful for my daughter Peyton who just turned 12. She is so beautiful on the inside and out and as her brother she loves the Lord.


5. I am thankful for my little evangelist Noah who never shies away from passing out a tract or sharing the gospel.


6. I am thankful for Isaac and his wit and laughter and all of the joy that he brings to our lives.


7. I am thankful for Anna Grace and how much she loves me. She is truly my girl! She also loves Jesus and she tells me she loves God more than me, which makes me very happy.


8. I am thankful for Treasure. Oh how I love her. She is so small and beautiful, befitting her name. She loves to quote scripture that she memorizes, challenging me greatly.


9. I am thankful for Farah Beth and the fact that I CAN NOT leave the house without hugging her and kissing her goodbye.


10. I am thankful for Josiah and his chubby little feet and hands and face, etc. He brightens our day even when he is stormy.


11. I am thankful for a new baby girl to come and for the privilege of rearing another arrow for the Lord.


12. I am thankful for the Word of God and the fact that He did not leave us to live our lives without instructions.


13. I am thankful that Hunter and Peyton just finished reading through the entire bible this year and are looking forward to next year doing the same.


14. I am thankful for men of God who preach and teach His word and spur us on to good works that glorify the Lord.


15. I am thankful for a great cloud of witnesses that have demonstrated a faith in One who is worthy.


16. I am thankful that the Creator of the Universe would bend His ear to hear my prayers.


17. I am thankful that His faithfulness is not dependent on mine.


18. I am thankful that my salvation was/is not dependent on me.


19. I am thankful for grace and faith and the role they play in my salvation.


20. I am thankful for adoption, election, calling , justification and sanctification.


21. I am thankful for that when I see Him, I will be as He is.


22. I am thankful that He is sovereign of EVERYTHING. I mean EVERYTHING!


23. I am thankful for a new year so that we can forget about resolutions that we didn't quite live up to hoping at the same time that we WILL live up to the new ones :)


24. I am thankful for God's Holy Spirit that draws and convicts me when I am not walking with the Lord as I should.
25. I am thankful for the forgiveness of God and I pray that I would be as quick to forgive as He is.
26. I am thankful for Him showing me so many ugly things in my life that He is working on, the chief one being Pride.
27. I am thankful that He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than I can ask.
28. I am thankful that He has provided me and my family with food and clothing and I pray that He would work in my heart contentment with these things.
29. I am thankful for a home to live in and I pray that He would sell ours (fast).
30. I am thankful for the ability to speak freely about our Lord without the fear of going to jail and I pray that I would do it so much more than I do.
31. I am thankful for the privilege that He gives us to spread the Good News about His Son.
32. I am thankful for the ones who brought that Good News to me because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
33. I am thankful for the Psalms and the praises that they emit and emulate for me to give to the Godhead.
34. I am thankful for the beautiful music that has been produced by the Psalms.
35. I am thankful for my brothers and sisters in Christ and I pray we would be more faithful in fellowshipping with them in the new year.
36. I am thankful for my natural family and I pray that God would save each one of them and add them to the great numbers of true brothers and sisters that I have in God.
37. I am thankful for life and breath and a heart beat.
38. I am thankful for the many physicians that treat me and my family. I pray God would bless them and the work of their hands.
39. I am thankful that they are led by a GREAT PHYSICIAN
40. I am thankful for so much more; eyes, taste, smell, a brain to think and reason with, hands and fingers that grasp, nerves that sense touch and communicate pain.
41. I am thankful that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Lord, help me to be always filled with thanksgiving in this new year and let your praises be continually on my lips. You are a great and merciful God and your love endures forever.