So our little family outing last night was a mild success. We saw the fireworks on a very nice and surprisingly cool evening in Hotlanta. We have found a great place to watch the fireworks, maybe a little creepy though. There is large cemetery nearby, up on a big hill and the view is fantastic, far enough away too that the kids aren't frightened by the booms. And its never crowded and easy in and out, probably for obvious reasons...nobody else is crazy enough to mix the the birth of our nation with a cemetery.... However, the budget crunch must have hit our city because the fireworks were pretty but very slow. It could not hold either child's attention, especially not at 10 pm. Pay attention! They only happen once a year! The ending was great however and we were together. Such a rarity these days.

I was up with our youngest again last night. Poor baby. I really don't know what is bothering her. Maybe now she just knows I will come in if she whines more than 20 minutes. I would like to not see 3 AM on the clock for a while. But when I am up, I usually begin to pray. I just started praising God for the answers to prayer that have come for Echoing Angels in the last few months. The band is so talented but was dangerously close to walking away from the ministry because of the hardships and, well, musical famine they were in. And at the last moment God stood in that gap and said "no" it was not time to stop. And the band ended up with a new management and a new record deal. As I thanked God for bringing us through that part of the wilderness, and though not out of those woods yet, I prayed that we had been sincerely thankful for the manna that had sustained us. The people of Israel had gotten so tired to the same old food, the same old routine while wandering that they had not turned to praise Him for leading them up to that point and keeping them alive with the promise of a new land. I know there were many times over the last 2 years that we have been frustrated and questioned God's will and direction. But I am sure that we thanked him for what He was doing and praised Him for the blessings He had already provided. I don't want God to change the manna to something we think we need that is not Gods' will....for surely we will never see the dream planted in our hearts come to fruition. I do not want to be like to children of Israel. I want to see the Promised Land. I want all God has in His mighty hand for us. The further we get into this new record, the more I see how God has orchestrated it all from the beginning, working all the while we were doubting and almost giving up. I can not wait to see what God is gonna do. Trey and I have been fasting and praying for this musical ministry for years and with each year we see God's promises happen. It is so awesome when His word becomes real. It's in these times we get the opportunity to experience God in all His glory.