2 and half + years later!

After six months of working on our wedding album - yes i know way behind here! - our photographer Gene sent me the proof!!! Our album should be here by Thanksgiving! What a wonderful time to look through the moments captured on our wedding day! He also resent bridal portraits so I could send them to family - I seemed to have missed that in the picture sharing process!! All the exciting memories of such a special day! Thought i would share a glimpse of the bridal portraits two + years later! 5 more months until Robert and I get to watch our wedding video again = 3 years!!! Cheers and blessings to my sister who is planning her blessed wedding day - a worship of becoming one!

Advent Devotional Brainstorming!

Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely and divine;

Love was born at Christmas, Stars and angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead, Love incarnate, Love divine;

Worship we our Jesus, But wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token, Love be yours and love be mine;

Love to God and all men, Love for plea and gift and sign.

~ Christina Rossett

Covenant’s Advent theme this year is “Love Brings.” Members of the congregation are encouraged to submit stories, poems, reflections, prayers, whatever the liking. So I decided to contribute my understanding of “Love Brings” of God’s love, AGAPE!
Here is to brainstorming:
Love Brings…
Memories of Christmas as a Child

…of my family eating around the table with our advent wreath catching on fire
…of crawling through a tunnel with my sisters to see what Santa had awaiting
…waking up to momma’s Christmas melodys playing throughout the house
…all four sisters snuggling in one bed with anticipation of Christmas day
…candle light service at Dahlonega Presbyterian Church
…daddy putting the star on the top of the lopsided tree!

Love Brings…
Ways I feel God’s love today

…opening the door to Memama’s home and knowing I’m right where I belong
…late nights sitting in our living room enjoying the end of the day with Robert
…cuddling with Bailey
...quality time with grandparents!
…visiting family in Hartsville
….participating in the faith journey of a teen
…tap dancing my heart away to the music
…boat rides with the family
…a precious note from a friend
...in the gift of being a big sister
…prayer and journaling
…dinner parties at our home
…laughing with friends
…worship
…being with our extended families
…privilege of being called to seminary
…dancing with Robert
…experiencing the beauty of each day
WHAT IN THE WORLD AM I GOING TO WRITE! I guess I’ll keep brainstorming!

Reality Check!

Breaking news…NEWS FLASH – we as human beings miscommunicate! We do - we are all guilty, the verdict is out! Communication is essential to any relationship, especially in the Christian Life! How we talk to people, listen to people, encounter people is all about communication and we are called to do it with authenticity and heart. Communication is used through a plethora of methods these days: facebook, twitter, emails, blogs, etc – my question for myself for reflection and for you is how well do we do communication authentically? Do say I love you enough? Do we communicate trust, grace, and forgiveness? Do we communicate that it is okay to mess up because we indeed are all broken by sin? Do we communicate when we are hurt, lonely, sad, and anxious – or do we cover it up with a smile and a cheerful greeting? How well do we authentically communicate in our marriages, our family relationships, in our work place, in our churches, in our friend circles – do we show up authentic and transparent or do we hide and hope all will magically fall into place? I ask myself this question many times when I sit and ponder how well I communicate - my strengths and my working points. Today I was reminded of how we communicate love! You know, the five love languages of God! (Great book if you haven’t read it!) So I thought, does my family, my peers, my siblings, - do they know how I give and receive love? The good news is that our God made us all unique but God called us to work as the body, to be united as a community of believers to share in the gospel – so we have to learn to speak – to communicate in love – What love language do you speak?– in giving and receiving. The five love languages include: giving gifts, quality time, physical touch, words of affirmation, and acts of service. So I ask you – How do you give love? How do you receive love? Rate the five – 1-5 – 1 being your top way of either receiving or giving love! And if you are wondering in light of being authentic and transparent here are mine:

Ways I give love: 1. Quality time, 2 giving gifts, 3 physical touch, 4 words of affirmation, 5 acts of service

Ways I receive love: 1. Physical touch 2 quality time 3. Giving gifts words of affirmation 5 acts of service

It is important for us to know each other’s love languages as we strive to live in community – to embody the Christian life in love. Reality check – we all need love and strive to give love! For God says to love God and love neighbor!

Recent ways I have felt love in the past 8 hours!!

A gift from a dear friend in the mail! A reminder of the gift of love in friendship! 

A gift  from heaven! A baby Dibiase on the way! the love of creation!

A gift of new blinds from my companion!!! the love of a spouse!

The gift of quality time with our ba! the love of a dog!

 okay i had a bailey photo shoot! guilty! love this precious pup!

"A Sacred Pace!"

You read it right – A SACRED PACE! Well what does that mean? NOTICE! Sacred pace means to notice. How many times in a day do we stop right in our tracks because we missed something, we forgot what we were doing? OFTEN I confess! I laugh it off when people call me the energizer bunny yet it deeply convicts me that perhaps I am always in a hurry. How much do we NOTICE when we are in a hurry? Do we notice creation all around us or do we lay on our obnoxious horns? Do we notice a neighbor next to us or do we blabber on our cell phones in order to avoid conversation? Do we notice the child longing to feel love at church or do we bustle in our pews because country club lunch is fast approaching? How much can we NOTICE at a fast pace way of life? For me, I tend to notice more when I stop! When I take time to appreciate the moment – when I take time to make room for sacred space at a sacred pace! Perhaps God calls us to live at a sacred pace not only when convenient but in all that we do: work and play. How much do we notice each other? We do indeed have the perfect example of a person with the divine attribute of NOTICE - that being Jesus, himself. Jesus noticed. Remember when the woman came up and touched Jesus’ robe and was healed – Jesus said who touched me? Well yes we know the healing was a miracle - but what about the miracle that Jesus even noticed someone had touched is garment? Don’t we just simply brush by people all the time? I do. Or you know the wee little man in the tree – Zaccheaus – Jesus noticed him up in the tree and told him to come down and host dinner! Yes Jesus noticed the tax collector small in stature up in the tree! WOW! We have the perfect example of sacred pace! We long to take vacation and a time out – Jesus did – Jesus took time away in prayer yet always came back to be in community. O yeah and remember when the disciples where on the boat and the storm came and they went to Jesus because they were afraid and Jesus calmed the storm – yeah did we even notice the very good news that JESUS WAS ACTUALLY WITH THEM ON THE BOAT? Do we notice day in and day out how Jesus in our lives – present with us – Emmanuel? Notice God in the sunshine and the storm!

Take time to NOTICE, play on at a SACRED PACE!

(thank you C.O.R. leadership institute for this reminder to share and to my sisters (yes bubba our texts today!) who remind me that being present with Robert and my family is being present with God – it is sacred space at a sacred pace!)

Just the TWO of us!!

Two and a half years and the Lane crew is finally settled in charlotte!!! Yes it is a beautiful start to an even more beautiful journey this past six months! By God’s dear providence for Robert and I, we have change our colors to green, gold, and black! After six months of Robert coaching at GA Southern – he was offered the first assistant job at University of North Carolina of Charlotte – no joke 10 minutes from our first home together! So what does this mean – Robert is coaching in Charlotte and I am serving at Covenant with seminary on the weekends! So yes we are finally settled! AND IT FEELS GOOD! A few nights after Robert had moved some of our things from our apartment in GA, we went out to eat to celebrate -Robert said it best when he said, “This was definitely a God thing!” Amen! Another cool part of our story in transitioning to UNCC is that I was part of the interview process with Robert! Talk about being affirmed as a couple and in Robert’s coaching staff being dedicated to family! Well, they did ask one soccer question – I think I did okay! So Charlotte it is for the Lanes!! Below are pics of family and friends cheering on our Coach Lane!! Go Charlotte 49ers!! Also, some pics of our home as we continue to enjoy it with laughter, warmth, and both of us back under one roof!!!

Robert and the team before the first home game!

Ashley, Chris, Lee, and Justin cheering on our coach!!

ONE HAPPY FAM!! YAY Coach lane!

Hannah and Ashley!! hanging out in the rain!

Robert and his parents!!! love!

Charlotte playing the Gamecocks!! with Papa!

Robert and Papa!!!

Mom and Daddy! 

The living room and dining room!

Guest Bedroom #1

Guest bedroom #2

Dining and living room!

our bedroom!

our bedroom - or should i say Bailey's room!

Dining room!

LOVE THE PLACE WE CALL HOME!

Sissy's getting married!

My Best Friend’s Wedding!


As a little girl you always dream of your wedding day! The flowers, the dancing, the perfect guy!! Yes, March 21, 2009 my childhood dreams of our wedding day came true – actually even better because of the man I call my husband!! It is excited and such a gift to know my sister will soon have her wedding day soon with the man God created for her, nick! I feel incredibly old that my sister is walking down the aisle this June! My prayer for my baby sister during this time, this ones for you bubba:

May you experience God in all the excitement! May you celebrate the gift and blessings of uniting as one! God be with my baby sister – not only in her planning but in her heart as her and nick become husband and wife! Most importantly God remind them to cherish each other in the good and in the hard! God surround Bubba and Nick as well as their families as we prepare to worship you when they say “I do!” one excited big sis I am!!!

Bubba and her wedding party!!!!!

We share a story!

It was on Monday morning I was driving up a steep hill in the Appalachia mtns of Tennessee. When I arrived at the house I was in shock and didn't know what to expect - all I knew was that this family of four needed new windows. We opened the door and my eyes teared up. There was a woman my age, her husband and two precious children eagerly awaiting our arrival to work on their home. Yes this was their home. Throughout the week we repaired their windows, rotten floors, and much more - BUT it was in the moments that I sat on their couch and heard their stories that I realized despite our many difference - here was a young woman just like me striving to make it in a world, trying to discern who God is calling her to be, providing for her children, loving her husband, and living each day to the fullest. Here I was standing in her home and recognizing God's presence with us. Through her life story I was able to hear how our stories overlapped - they overlapped with bridging the gap between mission work and relationship building. I made a friend this week with a woman who struggles between working full time and having insurance or working part time to get food stamps. We may live in different states, experience life differently, but when we were sitting there in her living room we shared in each other's story. we share a story.