halfway there.

Shiloh is officially 6 months old, and it sort of breaks my heart. I know that too soon she'll be walking and talking and outgrowing me. I feel like I just can't get enough of her!

So, here it is:

Shiloh, at 6 months,

You can sit up on your own [until you see something you want!]

You can roll across the living room shockingly fast.

You are still breastfeeding like a champ.

You absolutely hate bananas [the face you make always makes me cry from laughing].

You love teething cookies and applesauce.

You respond when we say your name.

You can hold a bottle on your own [makes me really sad!].

You like tearing up magazines.

You still sleep on your side instead of your back.

You always crack up when your Daddy yells "butt!" at you in his silly voice.

You are a bouncing machine!!! Thank goodness for your johnny jump-up.

You "talk" to us very seriously...it's too cute.

You are into EVERYTHING...especially Daddy's Blackberry. :]

Your favorite color is red, which is one of my least favorites!

Your eyes look exactly like your Daddy's.

You love bath time.

You're very soothed by Daddy singing.

You're incredibly hot-natured! It's a little ridiculous.

You have me and Daddy wrapped around your little finger - which I wasn't expecting to happen to me!

You hate Miley Cyrus and fuss when she's on the radio. [yessss!]

You "nom" on everything...including chairs...which really cracks up Will the intern!

You sort of army crawl across the floor now...so the pack and play will be a big part of our lives soon.

You give me and Daddy "kisses"...sloppy and sweet!

You have started hugging me...and it makes me want to explode!

You are better than I could have dreamed. You have changed my life and I would do anything for you. Nothing matters to me more than you do. I'm sure all moms feels this way, but I often look at you and find it hard to believe that any person has ever loved another person this much. I want you to have everything that is good. I want to tell you about Jesus, and watch you grow up in the way He wants. I want to support every dream you may have. I want to be a better person than I ever have been so that I can be what you need me to be. I pray for you almost constantly!

My life will always be better because you are here. I adore every part of you and can't wait to get to know you more and more as you grow. You are a perfect picture of God's grace for me. I love you more than you will ever know, and more than I could ever understand.

my life as of late.

Shiloh has been killing some teething cookies. She can hold it and feed it to herself...which makes me a little sad. Stop growing up!!

I got lovely birthday flowers from my lovely friends who threw me a surprise party!
Shiloh also likes swinging...but in a very calm way. :]
Matthew's an awesome daddy.
Bruegger's Bagel Breakfast for my Birthday! [alliteration much?]
Life has been busy, but good. I have had an awesome 23rd birthday and this weekend will top it off when I get to spend the weekend in Black Mountain with people I love, and see Jennifer Knapp in concert! :] Also, Shiloh will be 6 months on Saturday...so I have to get back up here and do a 6 month post like all the other cool moms.

Spurgeon:TheBoilerRoom:Greenville

If you haven't heard Matthew explain where the name for the Boiler Room comes from, let me share it with you.

[Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-92) was England's best-known preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1854, just four years after his conversion, Spurgeon, then only 20, became pastor of London's famed New Park Street Church (formerly pastored by the famous Baptist theologian John Gill). The congregation quickly outgrew their building, moved to Exeter Hall, then to Surrey Music Hall. In these venues Spurgeon frequently preached to audiences numbering more than 10,000—all in the days before electronic amplification.]

Charles Spurgeon was obviously a powerful speaker. When he traveled, he was asked where the power came from in his ministry, and he said it was due to "boiler rooms" - a room in whatever city he was traveling to where people would gather and pray before, during, and after his meetings there. This is what fueled his ministry and gave it such an impact. Like a boiler room in a building or ship, they were not really seen by anyone except those working in them, but there would be no power without them.

This is the heart of the Boiler Room in Greenville.

Prayer fuels missions. If you believe in the God of the Bible, you believe in prayer. Even those who don't believe in Him often utter prayers without thinking when they're in a desperate situation. At our core, we as human beings believe in prayer. And we've seen things change when we cry out to Him.

Now...what if we prayed even when we weren't in crisis mode? What if your pastor could get up to preach knowing that he had been covered in prayer throughout the week? How more bold could those who reach out on ECU campus be if they had people praying for hours each week for them?

Ephesians 6:12 says that we do not wrestle with flesh and blood, but with the powers of darkness in this world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. That's why shouting at college students doesn't work, but praying against the things holding them down does. [And no, I don't mean walking up to a stranger in a public place and putting your hands on them and "praying the demons out of them". That's not a good plan...ever.] But what if when you went up to share the gospel with someone after having spent a significant time in prayer for them? We need to become more spiritual-minded, and less flesh-minded [and crazy-minded, for that matter.]

So that's the idea. A room where God's glory can dwell. An atmosphere that is conducive to prayer, worship, and intimacy with God. A place where the people of God can be with Him anytime - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And from that flame on the altar that never goes out, real power from heaven to change lives and set people free can flow. And though the people praying in th Boiler Room night and day may not be the ones to go out in power or even see what their prayers accomplish, they are still keeping the flame that fuels it going.

If you have a heart to pray, or maybe just want to see what this looks like, come out sometime. We now have public prayer/worship from 10-12, Monday-Friday, plus 6:22 on Friday Night. We'd love to have you!