See Tredessa’s birthday post from last year here.
Blessings on your birthday, Tredessa, mighty warrior and quiet-spirited woman of God. Happy Birthday to my 3rd daughter and child, a glorious baby born on a glorious day. Happy days and blessings on you, holy woman, centered not only in the middle of the family birth order, but in the middle of what God is doing on the earth in these days. I am just so pleased with who you are and the faith-life you lead, Tre. I am so proud of the woman you’ve chosen to be. I am amazed at your giftedness and humility in its presentation. I love the song of your heart and your commitment to really see people where they are and speak life into their woundings and brokenness. I am in awe at how you see into the hearts around you when others are oblivious.
Here you are in full-time ministry, supported by people who believe in your call. That is a precarious place to be, but you trust God and press in to acknowledge and know Him more and more. Can He be as pleased to see that as I am? Yes, I’m thinking.
These are the gifts I am offering as prayer, the things so true I hope you will receive and open today:
I am praying for you a year of wonderful, fresh and energizing friendships. You are such a loyal and true friend. You work tirelessly for the Kingdom, pouring time and life into inner city kids, and the destitute in other nations. You administrate big dreams and huge projects for visionaries and still have time to speak life into hearts, one-on-one. You’re a caring and honoring daughter and a deeply loving sister. You are instilling spiritual legacy into your nieces and nephews. You watch and speak and pray and teach. And I am just asking God to place you smack-dab in the middle of people who will pour life back, who will speak blessing over you, watch over you and be the kind of friend you are to everyone else. I am praying you will reap everything you have sown and that it will be magnificently life-giving!
I am praying for your Jim-from-The-Office, your Mr. Darcy, your Boaz. He is out there, my beautiful. You possess so many of Ruth’s attributes: she was devoted to God and to her family, she was humble and teachable, she was focused on her responsibilities – all the while trusting God to provide, and she was a woman of her word. And so God sent her Boaz – a man devoted to God and successful in his business, a proven man, undistracted from his responsibilities, a man of his word and a man who jumped through all the necessary hoops to win Ruth for himself, thereby exemplifying the redemptive work of Christ.
And while the Bible does say God is your husband, I am still praying for the flesh-and-blood husband/lover who’ll do your heavy lifting, mow the lawn and change the oil in your car. I am praying for that man who will go to great lengths to win you to himself, for the one who will pay the price for a wife like you, even if he leaves his socks on the bathroom floor. I am praying for your Boaz.
I pray you will come to understand the beauty of who you are. I pray you will see what others see: you are a woman who is worthy of trust, beautiful inside and out. I pray you can appreciate the girl in you who is sometimes silly and zany and embrace your wildly romantic and passionate nature for the gift it will be to your future husband. I am hoping you can grasp the amazing anointing you have to administrate and organize and “put legs on” vision and operate in it with joy as it flows from who you were created to be, but not become bogged in the details of it, laying aside all the things God has spoken to your heart. I pray that you will learn to trust yourself-with abandon and a sense of the carefree – just like the rest of us know we can. You can trust you, Tredessa.
I pray you’ll know the intensity of the strength you have added to the minstry work going on at Confluence, and through Get the Word Out! and Leaving a Legacy. I hope you can understand the gift you have been to Worship and the Word and Heaven Fest. You are not a shadow on the wall just because you’ve chosen to be a servant of all. When you walk in the room, everyone else is stronger for it. There is a sense that a quiet wisdom and element of the power of God has just entered, not with the persuasive words of man’s wisdom, but with the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2.4 NIV).
Oh, my middlest of children-we’re the lucky ones. “Blessed,” I know, but I am singing the Amy Grant song in my heart in honor of you today (http://youtube.com/watch?v=yE6MGGuxpa4). It describes so well how anyone who knows you knows: they are the lucky ones! How did God know, I wonder, how much I would need a Tredessa in my life? Does He know, I wonder, how honored I am that I got to be “Tredessa’s mom” ( a title I accept with joy)? Thank-you for your love of the Word of God and of the life of worship to Him you lead. You’re the kind, when you love you love with all your might.. .
Happiest Birthday, sweet Dessa. Oh baby, we’re the lucky ones…Mom
NOTE TO SELF: It is apparent that Tre is always the one behind the camera, our designated family photographer. Take pictures of HER, now!
pictured: Tredessa in Kindergarten and this past Easter at church
Happy Birthday sweet Tredessa. You are a blessing to those around you. Thank you for all that you do in the name of Christ.
HAPPY, BLESSED BIRTHDAY, sweet Tredessa! God, in all His glory, set you divinely in my path and though it has only been a few short months, how GRATEFUL I am that I have gotten to become a small part of your life! You resemble our Heavenly Father in so many ways – you are still EVERYTHING I want to be when I grow up! I hope your day was fantastic! See you Friday!
Love,
Stef
PS – I suppose since I’m MARRIED, you can have Jim from The Office…Isn’t he the best????
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DESSA! Sorry this is three days late;o)
You have turned into a brave, strong, adventurous woman, but you will still always be my little sister. In highschool when we were only 1 grade apart, people would always ask me – ‘You actually like to hang out with your sister?’ and I would always reply YES! I cherish the years that we spent sharing rooms, clothes, bathrooms, everything. You were always mature beyond your years and even though you are my little sister, I have a lot to learn from you!
I love you Dessa!
Happy Birthday my Dessy!
You are a mighty woman of God and have the ability to kick-butt spiritually!
Maybe we should start posting our video clips for the birthday’s online?
(for those who don’t know, our family pics out a movie clip that reminds us of the person on their birthday. Mine this year was from the Matrix and Trinity. That’s my little Dessa with the Spirit of God on her kicking the Devil’s keister!)
I love you…
for more on Dessa: http://www.daverhoades.org/blog
Dessy-pooh-pies (party supplies???) That doesn’t work anymore!!!!
Well, you have definitely evolved from the nail scratching girl you once were..;)
You are emotional and spiritual strength to me when I need it. Most of the time you place your own feelings aside so you can counsel me through mine. I want to be like you too! Happy Birthday my beautiful sister!
Tara
Happy Birthday Tred! I wish you lived closer so we could go to more movies together…that was way fun last weekend! I love hanging out with you and just being around you, you are so strong and Godly. I love you!
-Storm
Hey Dess,
It’s been sweet growing up with you and building an awesome friendship. I love how solid you are and that you’re easy to talk to about anything. I know you have my back and I want you to know that I have your’s. I love you Dessa and thank you so much for always being here and supporting me and everyone you’re around, you are the best missionary I know.
Love yeah
Happy B-day
Rocky