Sweet siblings!

Had a wonderful time visiting my family last week. It's always so much fun to spend time with them, and when I get a chance to visit its definitely precious time, since I'm not super close by! I'm amazed at how much the kids have grown lately. I never used to notice as much, seeing them every day. Now a week or sometimes two can go by between seeing them, and I'm shocked. I've especially noticed that Jon is getting taller, Rosie is getting more mature (but she's always been independent!!!), and Jerry is growing his vocabulary. JoyAnna is so responsive, and Grace is fitting quite well into "the oldest at home" role.

It's been two months!

Today its been two months since our wedding day.
Since its been awhile, I thought I'd stop by the blogging world and share a little update.
Things are going well, and we are enjoying each day.
And, since the question that everyone asks is, "how is married life?," I'm going to answer that by saying, "wonderful!!!"
It truly is. :)

Happy Birthday to my sweet siblings!

The happiest of birthdays to the twins! I love you guys so much and can't imagine my life without you! You both have taught me much. The adjustment when you first came to our family was hard for me but totally worth the tough times. I learned that its not all about me, like the time you claimed that my fort was yours, Edward (the one I'd spent so many hours working on and perfecting and playing in). I learned to put others above myself, and that a fort isn't really as important as I was thinking it was.
Edward, you always make me laugh my head off! Your funny shenanigans. Oh boy! I'm so blessed to have you as my (not so little) little brother. I love you! I pray that the Lord uses you in amazing ways. He's got big plans for you!
I remember one time when you guys first came into our home and you and I, Elisha, were talking about how we couldn't imagine getting into a fight. ;) well we have had squabbles for sure! Elisha you are such an encouragement! I love you! You are growing into an amazing woman of the Lord! Keep seeking Him first!

Eddie and Ellie, you are both such a blessing! I love you!

-big sis

With This Ring

With our big day coming so soon, we are getting super excited. Lots of final plans are getting finalized for the wedding. Yesterday we did a lot of big things...it was Mitchell's move in day to our house and so we got things settled for him to live there leading up to the wedding. We also went and got our wedding bands. It was so exciting! Mitchell's mom got some pictures of that monumental moment!

Today is July 29th

And you may say, "I already knew that."
But did you know that one month from today, on August 29th, it will be my wedding day?
One month from today!

Bible Journaling

I had fun at work today making some samples for new bible journaling products that we will be featuring. Check it out at Parable Bible Bookstore!
www.concord.parable.com

My lovely sister

So blessed by this precious lady! She has always been there for me in peace and......in war.

In 44 Days...

....I'll be Mrs. Mitchell Collomy! 

Things are busier than ever here, as wedding plans continue to be well underway! In and among that, we have welcomed Jolianne Hopeful into our lives (and arms!) and we are so happy that she is here, safe and sound. Both mom and baby (and family) are doing very well! She is so precious. Another reminder of God's goodness, design, and blessing. He is so good to give us gifts that we don't deserve! 

As far as wedding plans go, we are daily getting RSVPs. It is so exciting to think, "Wow, people are actually coming to this!" We are preparing decorations, brain storming about favors, etc, etc. My dress is getting finished, and I am so excited about it! Its so wonderful that I have had people offering to help me in so many ways. I am still in awe of all the ways that the Lord is blessing this! 

All the while I am slowly packing my things, getting ready to move things to our sweet little house in Parsonsfield. I am so excited to begin homemaking! And to share it with the most amazing man in the world. I am also savoring these last weeks at home with my family - its going to take some getting used to, not being where all the business and action is that I am very accustomed to! 

 The Lord is so good, and He has blessed me far beyond what I could ask or think! I am so thankful!

Who Defines Marriage?

   

 What a monumental moment in history, when the Supreme Court made the decision to "redefine" marriage. But who has the right to redefine marriage? The one who DEFINED it in the first place, right? And who, might I urge you to remember, defined marriage?


Was it the Supreme Court?

...No.
The President?
...No.
The Founding Fathers?
Not even them.

Marriage was designed, created and defined by none other than our Creator, the Lord. The Maker of Heaven and Earth! He created marriage for so much more than human fulfillment. He created it to reflect His much bigger picture. Christ and His Bride.
Who are we to redefine what God designed?
Yeah, the Supreme Court may have "changed its mind" on what the meaning of marriage is. Society may be "changing its mind," too. But let me assure you, God hasn't changed His. We know that God is never changing. "The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the Word of God will last forever." Isaiah 40:8. No matter how drastically the world around us changes, we serve a never-changing God. He is not turning a blind eye or a deaf ear to any of this, either.
So many people are saying things like, "Love is love," "Love conquers all," etc. But we know that God is our ultimate authority and He is the one that created love. And He clearly tells us in His word what the parameters are.
"And he [Jesus] said, 'This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.'" Matthew 19:5
He created male and female for His glory. "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it..." Genesis 1:27
This is such a sad time, a time when our country is facing grave changes. Changes that grieve the Holy spirit. 


 "And he said, 'This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.'" Genesis 1:27
We as believers must not give up. We need to band together and keep praying for our nation, and for how we can love these neighbors struggling with this sin, because it represents, in many lives, much pain and heartache. 

Let us pray for revival in our nation. Let us pray that hearts turn to God, and that men of God arise, leading godly families, raising godly children who will lead the next generation of godly families. Lets pray that the church tackles these issues, and that Christian's eyes nation wide would be open to whats going on here. 

Pray, also, that we would have truth AND grace when we are given the opportunities to share the truth. 

No matter what happens, lets remember that God set the rules here. This isn't personal opinion. This is the infallible, unchanging, highest authority. God Himself. The one who sent His one and only Son so that you and I and everyone who believes, would be free from sin and death. Today, let's choose to live in that freedom. 

~Madelyn S. Winslow

86 Days and Counting {DOWN!}

Life is exciting and moving right along. We are into June and time isn't slowing down for anything! With summer comes busy schedules, fun outings and nice weather. And for us this year will be a summer of wedding planning. I was so blessed by a wonderful bridal shower put on my my sisters. It was fabulous in every way! I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love on me by so many! Each and every detail was thought of and planned out - and absolutely perfect! Thank you to everyone who helped and showered blessings on me that day! 

 Now that we have that event behind us, and a few more than 80 days till the wedding, planning and preparations will begin to go into full swing. Finalizing the guest list is underway, as are the invitations. Dresses and flowers, decorations and so much more. Thinking about all that goes into our special day can be overwhelming, but no matter how the little details come out, at the end of the day on August 29, 2015, Mitchell and I will be married! :):)

We are very much looking forward to saying I do. Sometimes it seems like time is going so slow. But we know that the summer will fly by and we will have the rest of our lives together. 

Until then, we are cherishing every moment that we can spend with our families, and that we can spend together. 

Love

  If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;[a] but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

 8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages[b] and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.

11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.[c] All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. 

1 Corinthians 13

New Living Translation

Photo Credit Holly Rebecca Photography

http://www.hollyrebeccaphotography.com/

He asked......

I said yes!!!!!

We are officially engaged!

We are so happy, and looking forward to our life together, and to the beautiful story God has written for us. 

When Grace Abounds

Hello, dear blog readers. 

Yes. I know. Long time no blog post. Well, life, as is often my "excuse," has been busy. Very busy. Excitingly busy. There are changes in my life and in my family's life. We have had a busy winter, and it doesn't look like it's going to slow down any time soon, as we are looking at a very full, very busy spring/summer!

A couple of weeks ago, one of my Bright Lights girls told me, "I'm a faithful follower of your blog." Well, that was enough to get me thinking that I need to get some updates on here. Thanks, dear young lady, for spurring me on! And, thanks for not giving up on me after such long breaks between posts! :) This post is dedicated to you! :) 

Monday was my last Bright Lights meeting, my last meeting as leader. I am getting married in August!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, indeed, I have fallen in love with the most amazing man in the world! I am the most blessed girl in the world! We are planning and dreaming and beginning to plan our life together. 

That being said, I had my last meeting with the Bright Lights group. 

It went so well. And as my blog is titled, His Grace Abounds, I am reminded of how unlimitedly that grace truly does abound. 

Looking back, the Lord's hand has been so evident in Brights Lights over these last two years. He's been so faithful, even when I'm not. Like Monday morning, the day of Bright Lights, when I hadn't prepared the lesson at all (maybe I had a few ideas in my head but hadn't sat down and planned.) So....after lack of sleep on Sunday night, I found some time to put some stuff together before work and then spent my lunch break at work finding verses and throwing some more lesson plan together. Finally, thinking I was totally unprepared, I said, "Lord, you're going to have to take over here, because I don't have much to say on my own."

And He did.

Over and over last night I found that I wasn't the one talking. I prayed, "God, use me to communicate Your message. Not mine. Yours."

In my human depravity, my emptiness, my unpreparedness, He took over and I was only His broken, empty vessel, being filled with the message that He wanted the girls, and me, to take home.

I thought, "this is pretty bad, it's my last meeting! I should be more prepared!" And in reality, yes, I should have been. But God again is showing me that He is all I need. He is enough, and He will fill in the empty spaces.

It is only in utter dependence on Him that we find rest, confidence, and strength. Not in our own strength!

Leading Bright Lights has been such a blessing. I am going to miss all the young ladies, I am going to miss leading the group. But there are a lot of things that are changing. A wonderful answer to prayer is that Grace has decided to take over leading. Elisha is going to help her in any way she can and eventually take it over in the years to come. I am so thrilled that they will have this opportunity, as it has been a huge, wonderful growing experience for me. I always took so much more of the lesson than any of the girls. It was more for me than it was for them, and even then, there have been so so many testimonies to God working in their hearts through this. It got me studying the Word. It got me leaning into and depending on the Lord for strength. I remember when I first began teaching Bright Lights in 2013, I was so afraid to speak to a group. I couldn't get over my nervousness! As time went on, I had more and more of a peace, and the nervousness dissipated.
God has used this time to grow and stretch me, and to make me more like Him.

Here are some snapshots from over the years of Bright Lights.

Above is our first group picture, taken in late Spring, 2013. 

We were thrilled with the number of girls who came!

This picture was taken at our Bright Lights "costume party," 

where each family chose a time period to dress from.

We often drew out illustrations to make the lessons 

more real to the girls. 

This is the group picture that we just took this past Monday. 

What a lovely group of young ladies seeking after the Lord! 

 More posts to come, I promise! And I won't make you wait months and months for more updates. :)
God is good, God is wonderful! What an amazing God we serve!

Blessings to you all,
Maddie