every tribe, tongue, and nation

Lord deliver me…

“Lord deliver me from me Lord deliver me to you (x3)

Lord deliver me from the desire to be noticed, loved, exalted

Lord deliver me from the desire to be favored, popular, chosen, or acknowledged

Lord deliver me from the fear of being wronged, forgotten, or ignored

Lord deliver me from the fear of being humiliated or left behind

Lord deliver me from me Lord deliver me to you (x3)

Grant that I might seek to comfort rather than be comforted by others

Grant that I may understand and love more than be understood and loved well

Lord deliver me from the desire to be noticed and encouraged

Lord deliver me from the desire to be appreciated and included

Lord deliver me from me Lord deliver me to you (x3).”

Sara Beth Geoghegan

for my daddy…

i am one lucky girl.  why, you ask?

take a little gander at this guy:

you may be wondering…who is this random man giving the camera (or the person holding the camera) a terribly exasperated look? this, my friends, is Van Dorn Stone III…also known as: my daddy.

let’s take it back a few years…

i’ve known my dad a long time…for as long as i can remember, in fact! my earliest memories are of his bedtime stories and him tucking me in at night. i remember afternoons waiting by the door anxiously, so ready for him to get home from work so i could run and jump in to his arms while he twirled me around. i always tried to stump him with his vocabulary and i remember taking a dictionary down from the shelf, turning to random words, and making him spell them.  i was always amazed that he got every single word right! every time we drove in the car, my dad popped in this song (listen here) and OH would my brothers and sister and i jam out! piggy back rides were a regular, and every chance i could i would climb in his lap or hold his hand tight

now before you get all sentimental…my dad and i have had our struggles. when i turned two my dad gave me the nickname “little helen” (named for helen keller-let’s just say i threw a lot of tantrums). as he would discipline me (as a father should discipline a child) i remember feeling so much rage in that little heart of mine! how DARE he tell me to sit in the corner after i pushed stephen down to the ground. how DARE he tell me i can’t have another stuffed animal to add to my collection of the 89897854 stuffed animals that i had already!

but we had (and still have) many more good days than bad.

the smartest man i know, my dad knows everything from history to politics to bird species to Star Wars characters to vocabulary word definitions that nobody cares about (why yes he DID, in fact, read the dictionary as a child) to Bible stories to sports to anything and everything you would ever want/need to know. he pulls that ^ hat out every christmas, and is obsessed with that ^ dog to an extent that i will never understand. get him started, and he’ll throw up the sign (see here) and start talking in a robot voice. closet poet on the side, this guy can he whip out some rhymes. and whoa buddy does he make some good pimento cheese and salsa!

but my favorite thing about my dad? the deep, unconditional, whole-hearted love that i KNOW he has for Jesus Christ.  with a heart fully devoted to Him, it leads to this same deep, unconditional, whole-hearted love that i KNOW he has for me, for my sister, for my brothers, and for my mom.

what an incredible privilege it is to have an earthly father that shows such a glimpse of the deep love that is shown to us by our heavenly Father!

yessiree, i’m a lucky one!  happy father’s day, daddy. i love you

since it’s the middle of finals week, and since i need some other form of procrastination (i have already packed up every single one of my belongings and deep scrubbed my entire room) i think it calls for a blog post

in only a few short days, my first year at ole miss will be done. one more year and i’ll be finished with college forever! it is so crazy to think that this time last year i was finishing up my finals at mississippi state, nervous about having to pack up and spend the summer in a tiny mountain village in peru, and crying about having to transfer to a new school. little did i know what the Lord had in store

because let me just tell you…i am blessed 

this year has been something that i never could have begun to imagine. it’s crazy how we get so surprised when the Lord proves his faithfulness to us. i am constantly blown away by the way he has consistently provided for me! and he’s probably up there thinking, “well duh, lacey, i will provide for you. look how i provided for daniel in the lion’s den and for the israelites in the desert…were you so silly to think that i would not provide in simply your transfer to a new school?” so thankful that the Lord doesn’t withold his faithfulness to us when we display our faithlessness to him. oh, he is so good

one of the most meaningful blessings He has given is a group of friends here that love love love Jesus. they have both grown and molded me into someone like him, and have encouraged me in every way possible. who knew that people like this existed at ole miss?? 

my friends: 

aren’t they beautiful?

katie

meet mi amiga katie (read her blog here). aside from our amor de espanol, we also bond over the fact that we both love lord of the rings, procrastinating, and not showering (is that tmi??) pretty much, from the moment we met at my orientation, i knew we would be friends.  she’s awesome, number one, but she also has a big big heart and knows how to love well. jesus is central for this girl, and he shines so brightly through her. she’s an easter bunny, behind the scenes, so that’s reason enough to go meet her. you’ll know her by her strut… she’s extremely bouncy! also she’s going to guatemala this summer to spend some time in an orphanage (the awesomeness continues) -PRAY for her. i know she would appreciate it :) 

emily

meet emily. she’s going to malaysia this summer! she’ll be spending two months there ministering on a college campus about jesus. and let me tell you-they are some fortunate people to get to be around this girl for the summer! a heart of gold, this girl radiates jesus. she is so full of Him that it just overflows to others-His joy, His love, His compassion. AND she loves writing notes of encouragement, which always makes you feel special. you may have seen her running around campus…but don’t try to catch up with her; she’s super fast! if all of this isn’t enough to make you love her already, she also has a TWIN!! which is awesome. people who have twins are automatically cooler. so yes, go meet her-you won’t regret it

mary margaret 

meet mary margaret.  she is an incredible cook, a mathematician, a quilter and wants to be a teacher some day! AND she does an incredible impersonation of grover from sesame street. (don’t know grover? see his video here) want some jam or a homemade chicken pot pie? stuck on a physics problem or need some help with basic algebra? want a quilt to cuddle up with on the cold days? now you know who to call! and let me tell you, if you like harry potter call this girl UP. more than her love for baking and quilting and a magical wizard with glasses, though, this girl loves the Lord. and it is obvious with every ounce of who she is. 

anna

this is anna. (read her blog here). [to clarify: she does NOT, in fact, actually have a blue mustache…i repeat, she does NOT have a blue mustache]. another world traveler friend we’ve got here, this girl will spend two months of this summer in romania! (her romania blog is here). anna is one of the most hilarious, most sincere, wisest people i know.  she has a way with words, and i constantly want to write down every tiny thing that she says. fellow foreign film club member (along with katie…although we haven’t actually had the film club yet..) this girl will keep you rolling. without anna, there would be a lot less laughter around here, that thing is for sure. she’s a great listener, an incredible encourager, and she loves jesus which is obvious in every single word that she says and every single action that she takes. she’s incredible 

katherine

meet katherine. i’ve blogged about this girl before! pretty much, this girl is incredible. she sings with me for hours at a time (both she and i off key, of course), she eats way too many gummy vitamins, and she is the artsiest of artsy and finds beauty in everything.  remember her face, she’ll one day be famous! she has incredible photography skills and i will not be at all surprised on the day when she’s taking pictures for the big dogs. AND she introduced me to all of these other wonderful people on this page! yes sirree, this girl will be around for a while…we have already decided that we are going to meet and marry best guy friends (if you are reading this, and you’re a boy, and you have a best friend, and you love jesus…give us a holla), we are then going to have kids that will be married, and the legacy of katherine/lacey will live on forever through the marriage of our children. maybe a little much, but i say dream big. 

julie

meet julie. with a smile as big as her heart, this girl is wonderful! and she’ll one day be a pharmacist, meaning she can fix you medicine any time you need it (with a prescription of course).  she is smart, funny, and has the most contagious laugh! she can make a shabby room beautiful, complete with fresh flowers in pretty vases.  always so welcoming, any time i come sleep at the dg house julie blows up the air mattress and makes it so cozy and inviting. low on cash and don’t know what to do? call this girl up and she’ll pull out her filed coupons that she carries around with her! she is a bargain shopper if i’ve ever seen one, and she’ll help you find the greatest deals. with a joy that shines through her smile, this girl loves giving. so selfless and thoughtful, she’ll make you feel special in an instant!

mary mccall

meet mary mccall. another mustache picture! one of the first people i met when she came to visit me at state, the moment i talked to her i felt like we had been friends forever. and can this girl DANCE. good grief, she can bust a move! she’s going to be a teacher someday, and lucky are the kids who will have this girl as a teacher. i’m tempted to just follow her wherever she goes when i start having kids just so they can experience the incredible-ness of mary mccall! so sincere, kind, and compassionate, this girl is great. dont know her? go meet her. your life is incomplete!

so yes, i am blessed.

so thankful the Lord let me be friends with you people :)

“remember He is the artist and you are only the picture. you can’t see it. so quietly submit to be painted.” cs lewis

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings…

The free bird leaps
on the back of the win
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and is tune is heard
on the distant hillfor the caged bird
sings of freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze
an the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing

The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.

-Maya Angelou

the birthday bells are ringing again! it’s another special day. this time for the oldest of the stones..

look at that stud! second from the left. how innocent he looks… but “Bossy Rossy” as we called him, could fool anybody. this boy was a tyrant! punching and bossing, his manner of expertise, caused people to run in the opposite direction.  parent teacher conferences were routine, bruises on my body a regular; this boy knew how to rule.

luckily, for the sake of humanity, ross quickly settled down.  and let me tell you, this boy has got it all! he can sing, he can dance, he can play guitar..he can doctor your wounds and make some mean guacamole and even serenade you in spanish..he’s a little nerdy, i will admit, but he only pulls out that side of himself every now and then (IVI)..get him REALLY tired and he giggles uncontrollably! 

obviously, ross is really great.  he’s a person i look up to and admire more than most. he has a servant’s heart, a patient spirit, and a joyful attitude. 

so happy birthday, big brother! espero que tengas un gran cumpleaños

yesterday was a very very special day.  january 26, a quarter of a CENTURY ago, the girl on the right was born: 

this, my friends, is one of the most joyful, wisest, kindest, most compassionate girls i know. she sings songs, she paints canvases, she colors coloring books, she plays guitar, piano, AND mandolin.. in two short years, she’ll even be able to fix your teeth! this girl is the whole package.  she is one that i look up to more than most, she is my best friend, AND i have the honor to say that this girl is my sister

from the start, you can tell, we were a little different.  i was hard-headed and mischievous, she was delightful and charming.  i screamed and threw myself on the ground when i didn’t get my way, she twirled and hummed songs and followed directions without question. i followed her around and borrowed her things and broke her headbands and pulled her hair..

but my sweet sister was always patient with me. 

want to meet somebody caught up with the world? well look in the opposite direction, because mary catherine lives for One who is so much greater.  so often her speech is salted with the Word, as she constantly points to the One who is worth living for. 

without a doubt, this girl is beautiful inside AND out. if you don’t know her, meet her..the sooner the better.

because hey, if you get to know her within a couple of years, she may whiten your teeth for free!

happy happy birthday, mary catherine! you da best seester everr