Monday was a Monday and other ramblings...

I have been working on this post for three days in my head and two on the computer so I decide I would just use bullet points instead. Short, sweet and to the point! 

• I like Mondays usually!
• I did not like this past Monday!!
• When momma is grumpy the kids are grumpy ten fold!!!
• When the two year old doesn't nap he goes to bed at 7:00 pm when bedtime is normally 9:00ish. 
• If mommy doesn't repent and seek God Monday CAN roll into Tuesday!
• When you are going someplace you have never been before you should really consult a map to avoid driving all over the countryside for almost an hour!
• When you are going to said place you should call ahead and make sure they have what you need and that it isn't coming on the truck the next day!
• When you think your photos are backed up in an online back up system and you have 6 months to retrieve them after the external hard drive fails you need to make sure you understand the actually time period in which an external is backed up once un-plugged from the computer. For the company I use it is 30 days.  

Those were our bumps in the road the past few days. Sitting her on Wednesday they look completely different than they did in the moment!

• I still usually like Mondays and if God allows I will have another Monday next week. The week isn't ruined even though I wanted to scrap it all on Monday!! 
• I am still not thrilled with mine or my children's actions but looking back I should of been more proactive in creating a little fun or just spending quality time with both of them! 
• If momma is grumpy it definitely rubs off on the littles. I am grumpy because I am not getting my way and trusting that God is working. I can trust God because He is good and faithful. He is using my children to shape me into the woman He wants me to be. 
• Monday only rolled into Tuesday momentarily and I quickly repented and asked God's forgiveness and stopped the complaining and grumbling in my heart! 
• If you are buying chicken feed from a new feed store that it off of the beaten path double check the map. The plus side is I generally love a good drive through the country and my kids napped. I just really wanted to come home!  
• Small feed store + semi-specialty item = call in advance! Plus side, at least I know where it is located now! 
• I don't think my photo data is lost, I pray not! It has photos from 2007-2010 on the drive. I think I will be able to recover some/most of the data it just may cost a good chunk of change!! 

I am thankful God redeems people and situations! There were a lot of good moments and bright spots in those few days but I choose to let the bad moments greatly overshadow the good. I think it is EASY to do that, we need to learn how to fight for joy and throw off our sin.
Check out Hebrews 12:1-2

"let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." 

We need lay aside our sin and baggage and look to Jesus in the hard moments.  My prayer for me and you is that we will choose throw off your sin and fight for joy as you run after Jesus!!

15 Practical ways to fight for joy from Desiring God Ministries!

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Life on Purpose

pur·pose

noun

• the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.
• a person's sense of resolve or determination.
• a particular requirement or consideration, typically one that is temporary or restricted in scope or extent. 

verb

• have as one's intention or objective.

I don't always live on purpose. That may seem like a funny thing to say because I am not trying to die... well except to myself so I can live to Christ. But you get what I am saying. Many days I just roll with it... I have my to do list, our lesson plans, and the mundane chores that have to get done. (For some reason my husband thinks he needs socks.... and they need to be clean!) But I don't live with a purpose in mind. 

 

My husband called me on his way to work this morning and he was sharing something the Lord was teaching him and it really jumped out to me. It was this verse,  

"So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."

Psalm 90:12 

Why should we number our days? Because they are short!! If our days our short and we are truly only given today, shouldn't we make it count? But how? When I think about God's word I come back to two commands,

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Matthew 22:37-39 

Life on purpose means loving God and loving others. Loving God first, frees me to love others. God is teaching me a lot about abiding in Him and that bearing fruit comes by abiding in Christ. 

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5 

Life on purpose for me as a follower of Jesus means I am denying myself and following Him. I am seeking to abide in Christ by learning more about Him through the Word, by hiding Gods word in my heart that I may not sin, and by trusting that He is working for good. On purpose means living by faith.

Life on purpose for me as a wife means I am loving my husband as I love myself. I am seeking to respect him, honor him, encourage him and submit to him. Me, as a wife on purpose means making sure the socks are clean and easily accessible (i.e. not in the bottom of the sock basket or dryer!).   It means finding joy in being his helper in whatever life brings.

Life on purpose for me as a mom means I am loving my kiddos more than myself. It means that I am attentive to their needs, wants and desires. It means slowing down long enough to really look them in the eyes when we are talking. It means I am continually showing them Christ's love by loving them well. Loving well takes time and effort. Life on purpose means I am willing to take the time and effort it takes to love them well.

Purpose doesn't happen by chance, it is not some random act. It is planned and intentional with a goal an objective in mind.

I am resolved to live with purpose, to love God and others!
 
Will you join me?


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The Bride | The Church {Gratituesday}

When I saw the Gratituesday post roll through my blog reader I knew immediately what I was grateful for and what my post would be about.

I am so very thankful for the church, Christs' bride, His redeemed people! I am especially grateful for our gathering of believers.  As I mentioned on my about me page, my husband is an elder at our church and we are church planting with another family. We don't look like the typical church, we meet in a gymnasium/multi-purpose area at a local Christian school, we don't have Sunday School, we don't have children's church or youth groups, and we worship together as one big family. This isn't easy and it is hard to focus. We have little people who make a lot of noise (mine is the noisiest) and there are bigger little people who squirm an awful lot (my other is pretty wiggly)! We are a room filled with imperfect people seeking a Savior who is perfect!

Picture from The Big Picture Story Bible

Our elders are currently preaching through the book of Acts. Last Sunday's sermon was from Acts 11:19-30 and titled The Grace Colored Church. The main point was that, "The Kingdom of God is not stagnant. Jesus is actively pouring out grace on the church as they remain faithful to Him." When I look around the room and I see the men, women and children present I see God's grace in our midst. 

I see the lives He is changing, the truth He is imparting and the grace He is bestowing. 

I am so grateful to be a part of a grace colored church, one where lives are being changed, accountability is being had, love is being manifested and sacrifices for one another are being made. 

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Dying to Live

 I have been irritable, grumpy, short tempered, and just plain ole mean! I sure don't mean to be short with my children or sigh heavily when they inconvenience me. I hate it when hurtful things are said or my body language doesn't communicate what my heart truly feels. I hate my sin!! Plain and simple! I may hate my sin but I am not attempting to put it to death. 

 John Owen, a puritan preacher, once said about sin...

"Do you mortify? Do you make it your daily work? Be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you."

 I am so thankful for the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. Thankful that the Spirit applies the truth of  God's word to my heart so that I can repent and look to Jesus. 

A brief mention of a text during the sermon Sunday caught my attention, 

^"Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

Matthew 16:24-25

  Following Jesus is a call to die. A call to die to my flesh, my desires, my wants, my wishes. It is also a call to LIVE to Him. A call to LOVE freely and LIVE completely.

This call to die is a call to live!

What that means for me as a wife, mother, and sister in Christ is that I need to love God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength and love my neighbor as myself (Matthew 22:34-39). It means I need to put away all bitterness, wrath, and anger and be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving. I need to walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for as!  (Ephesians 4:31-5:2). 

"What happens in the messiness of relationships is that our hearts are revealed, our weaknesses are exposed, and we start coming to the end of ourselves. Only when this happens do we reach out for the help God alone can provide. Weak and needy people finding their hope in Christ's grace are what mark a mature relationship. The most dangerous aspect of your relationships is not your weakness, but your delusions of strength. Self-reliance is almost always a component of a bad relationship. While we would like to avoid the mess and enjoy deep intimate community, God says that it is in the very process pf working through the mess that intimacy is found."

-  Relationships: A Mess Worth Making by Tim Lane & Paul Tripp page 12

(italics mine)

 

Nothing brings me to the end of myself quicker than my children. I KNOW this is because God intendeds to use them in the shaping of my soul! They daily prove to me that I am not enough and I need way more Jesus in my life. They remind me of my need for a savior and they display grace to me as I am a work in progress.

My children are not perfect, they are a mess like their momma! We all sin! When you put us in the same room it can be combustible at times and end poorly with tears from all parties. Like their momma they too have a Hope. An eternal hope that rests in Christ Jesus and His finished work on the cross.  

Like my children, I too have a Hope! I can be joyful, patient, kind and loving because of what Jesus has done. I can walk in love because Christ loved me and gave himself up for me. 

I can truly live by following Christ's call to His disciples, by denying myself, taking up my cross and following Jesus. 

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and

Restored

There are days when I wake up to the gentle boom of thunder and a bedroom that is still dark when it should be light. I hear the light tapping on the window as I roll over and close my eyes. I breathe a prayer of thankfulness for the rain that washes over the earth and the rest that I received that restores joy to my soul.Today was one of those days, for that I am thankful!

You see this week I have struggled to find joy in the mundane, to fight guilt and condemnation that was nailed to the cross, and find rest in my Savior. 

The daily ins and outs of laundry, making lunches, sweeping the floor, folding the laundry, wiping noses and bottoms, putting the way the laundry, doing this dishes can either be a chore that is done out of duty or delight. Duty because it is my "job" or delight because it is what God has called me to in this season of my life. This week it has been out of duty.

I have fought condemnation and guilt about not getting up earlier than my children, not doing "enough" or any school with my 5 year old. Letting them watch to much TV. Having to spend time on the computer vs with them because of editing/website work. I have felt guilty. 

I have fought all these things in my own strength and thus I have lacked much joy, peace and rest that is found in laying my life at the feet of Jesus. 

As I crawled into bed tired and weary last night, more weary than tired, I needed rest, a rest that only God can supply. Rest that is found only in trusting God with the mundane, confessing my failings to Jesus and relying on the Holy Spirit to bring forth change, throwing off condemnation because in Christ there therefore no condemnation, and taking Jesus' yoke upon myself.

I am thankful God knows my heart and granted me rest and peace. I am thankful for the Holy Spirit and how He opens my eyes to my sin and causes me to cast them aside. I am thankful for Jesus' words, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

 

Faith

"There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled against Moses and Aaron.  The people blamed Moses and said, “If only we had died in the Lord ’s presence with our brothers!  Why have you brought the congregation of the Lord ’s people into this wilderness to die, along with all our livestock?  Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us here to this terrible place? This land has no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates, and no water to drink!” Moses and Aaron turned away from the people and went to the entrance of the Tabernacle,  where they fell face down on the ground. Then the glorious presence of the Lord  appeared to them,  and the Lord  said to Moses,  “You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it will pour out its water. You will provide enough water from the rock to satisfy the whole community and their livestock.” So Moses did as he was told. He took the staff from the place where it was kept before the Lord .  Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?”  Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill. But the Lord  said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!”

Numbers 20:2-12

As I was reading my Bible this morning these verses really struck me. How often do we do the same thing as Moses? We listen to the Lord's commands found in scripture but yet we choose to go our oun way and "strike" the rock rather than "speak" to the rock. That lesson speaks loud enough within itself but this is what really got me,

 "Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel"  

Wow! When we don't exercise faith in His promises we are are showing others that we don't trust God to do what He says and we don't allow Him to demonstrate His holiness in our lives!

The promise I am clinging to today is that God is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9) and He is working good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). 

It is my prayer that God's holiness will be demonstrated by me trusting God and His promises!

What are your favorite promises?

For the Lord...

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men"

-- Colossians 3:23

This verse has been engraved on my mind lately as I am seeking to mother, run a home, run a business, live out my faith and love others well. I fight a lack of discipline. I think it is our natural sinful tendency to be undisciplined, it sure is mine anyways. What I have noticed is that when I lack discipline my mind tends to lose focus on what is the main thing and my priorities are out of whack! The crumbs on the floor and the dishes in the sink begin to move up the list and quickly become more important than the relationships God has given me. When I am diligent and keeping at task my priorities tend to become less skewed!

During school, we are taking a character trait and matching it with scripture. A while back was diligence! We use this chart from We Choose Virtues.

I am diligent, I start fast, work hard and finish strong!

Why do we do these things? 

For the Lord and not for men!

When my focus is moved back to the cross, off of my situation and sin my diligence is for the Lord's glory and not my own purposes. It is hard to be diligent in a world that causes us to be so idle.
 When we are idle we zone out, get complacent and do nothing! God wants us to be fully His, "train ourselves for godliness" and live for Him! 

I pray today you are living working for God and not for men!

Intentional Living

I am convinced intentional living only comes through planning. Neither being intentional or planning are strengths of mine. I have been convicted time and time again to be self disciplined. I think it begins with know what I am suppose to do every day. I am sure you are reading this and thinking, what do you mean you don't know what to do every day!! What I mean is focusing on what is most important, often I get sucked in with the unimportant and lost in the laundry.

No more! 

I am going to use my blog to craft out my mission statement and daily priorities. 

I am going to be loosely following these blog posts and eBook from Inspired to action.
Blog Post #1, Blog Post #2, & the eBook.

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
(Deuteronomy 6:5-9 ESV)

Failure

If you are a failure please stand up... or at least nod your head.

It all started last night when I turned off the kitchen light before bed and pretended the dirty dishes in the sink and on the stove, okay and a few on the table didn't exist. The Lord has really been convicting me on my need to rise early so I can more fully seek His face, prepare for the day and serve my family. So as I went to bed I set my alarm for 6:00 am. See I was mildly successful the day before rising at 6:30 am after only pushing snooze twice. Well, 6:00 am rolled around and I pushed snooze. Thanking God for his grace and that my faith is not based on how early I get up but on Jesus' life, death, burial and resurrection. 6:15 am I hit snooze again telling myself it isn't a sin to sleep longer. 6:30 am, I hit snooze and put a pillow over my head. 6:45 am I consider rising until the alarm goes off again at 7:00 am. 7:11 am little man decides he wants out of bed. Mission getting up early = failed! Seeking the Lord = failed!

 I cuddle with little man on the couch for a few minutes while I hear the dishes calling my name from the other room. Instead of getting breakfast going and getting my day started I cuddled up in a few blankets and laid on the couch and enjoyed a little cat in the hat and who knows what else until sister woke up a little later. Mission prepare for the day = failed!

The day goes on much as usual and I finally get moving at 10:30 am .I am hardwired to have a relatively clean kitchen before I can cook or do anything else it seems! So I get started cleaning and Kyla has declared she no longer wants the eggs I should of made a few hours ago (she had something else before she asked for eggs) because it was so late. Mission serving my family = failed!

It's true by noon I knew I had failed and the mission had TOTALLY been aborted. I won't even mention all the parenting blunders and mistakes I made today!

 In all my inadequacies and failures I was reminded of a few things,

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21

That God looks at me and sees the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. Though I continually sin and battle in this world Christ is perfect in me.

 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17

That I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. I have been made new and am being made new! Yes, I will battle but I can overcome. Because... 

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

I will continually battle with the flesh and my sinfulness but this life I am living now is by faith in the Son of God who loves me, died for me and make me perfect before the Father! So tonight as I turned off the kitchen light the sink is empty and the dishes are clean. The alarm is set and waking early is the goal. I am once again thankful that...

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

Because there is hope for this failure, there is hope for you. Look to Jesus! Seek his GRACE!

My HOPE and SALVATION

I have started multiple posts since last November when I celebrated my sweet baby's 1st birthday. Many posts about various topics however, words seemed inadequate at times to describe the past six months but what I can freely declare is God's abundant goodness to his children! A few months ago I was reading through the book of Philippians. These verses are ones I have read often, quoted and shared to many but this time the Holy Spirit implanted these truths deep in my heart,

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:4-7

The key to living in the abundance of God's grace is found in rejoicing. Rejoicing causes us to take heart when troubles surround us, rejoicing cause us to place our faith in Jesus continually, and rejoicing will give us peace and will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. When I cast all my cares, desires and plans at the Lords feet I am saying "I trust you, I know you are working for YOUR glory and my good! I know That you are sovereign and the victory is already won!" This brings great peace, causing my love for God to swell and my faith to grow.

 Just yesterday I was fighting for joy! Fighting to live and even "feel" like a redeemed child of God. All I could see was the circumstances around me, the pile of laundry, the phone calls I had to make about a bill, a fussy baby, the defiant 4 year old, my own sin of selfishness and slothfulness! It was caving in on me quickly. Rather than letting it all pile on top of me I decided to be proactive, to fight with the only thing I could, God's word. I remembered my circumstances do not define me, the laundry could wait, I can't do anything about the bill at that very moment, put the baby to bed for a nap, let the 4 year old play on the computer, and poured my sin out at the feet of Jesus and grabbed a bible and take a hot soak in the tub. Soooooooo thankful for God's written word and how it brings life to my soul. I started in Psalm 37 and read to Psalm 42. Ending with,

"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God." Psalm 42:11

So therein lies my hope, in my salvation and my God. Thus I shall praise Him! Today, my circumstances are the same, the pile of laundry remains, the bill is working itself out, the baby it currently napping, the 4 year old is playing with daddy, I am still very much a sinner but I know that my hope is in God, who is my Salvation and my Hope.

Pulling out Weeds

Tonight as Daddy and Miss K were doing their Bible story I heard K say, "God is pulling the weeds out of my heart." She was happy and excited that God is working in her life! I praise God for the work HE is doing in her life. I have seen a change in her and a desire to know God and serve Him. 

That simple sentence brought about conviction in my life. 

The truth is, I am complacent with my weeds! I have made little effort in "pulling out the weeds" and have done next to nothing to prepare the soil for what God intends to plant and grow in my life!

I thank God He is working in my life to reveal my weeds so I can lay them at His feet and continue to uproot them!

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Things are going well on the homeschool front. I feel blessed that I get to homeschool! Really, we are just getting our feet wet and there are day I feel like we should get more done, then I remind myself this is just preschool! I am trying to cultivate a love for learning and learning together! 

A good helpful read for those of us just getting started over at Confessions of A Homeschooler

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One of the fun things we have been doing is soccer! Miss K had her first game this past Saturday and it was a blast! She had a great time and her little team did GREAT! I am officially a soccer mom! 

We installed (okay I use the term "we" loosely, my dad and mom) screen doors in our home and it is really helping to get awesome fall breeze through our living room! I feel so blessed to have my parents so close that they can help us do things like hang screen doors! 

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A few pictures of the kiddos, it had been awhile since I had taken them outside and got some photos :)

If you are stopping by from the Hip Homeschool Hop, please say Hi so I can check out your blog!! 

Keeping On!

linking up with 

If you are coming from the link up, please say HI so I can visit your blog too! 

In my life this week...

I survived week 4 of Classical Conversations attended week #2 of Bible Study Fellowship and recuperated from my 10 year class reunion. 

In our homeschool this week…

We are continuing on with our memory work, adding new letters to 

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

my parents are headed into town today! My mom visits often, it is rare my dad visits so we are extra excited :) and Miss K's FIRST soccer game tomorrow! 

My favorite thing this week was…

Homeschool wise, when Kyla ASKED to do handwriting after it being such a HUGE ordeal a few weeks ago!

What’s working/not working for us…

Reviewing our memory work in the car and on the fly (think the local restaurant over lunch!). Not working, our calendar time... I need to make it a priority 

I’m reading…

I finished The Gift, I started A Praying Life by Paul Miller. 

I’m cooking…

not a lot, our stove is out. Hoping my dad can get it fixed this weekend! 

I’m grateful for…

A faithful God whom I can trust! We received some news this week that causes me to RUN to my savior and cling to HIM. Right where I should be! 

I’m praying for…

Peace, understanding, wisdom, and faith! 

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

From A Praying Life by Paul Miller 

"A praying life feels like our family mealtimes because prayer is all about relationship. It's intimate and hints at eternity. We don't think about communication or words but about whom we are talking with. Prayer is simple the medium through which we experience and connect to God. Oddly enough, many people struggle to learn how to pray because they are focusing on praying, not on God. Making prayer the center is like making conversation the center of a family mealtime. In prayer, focusing on the conversation is like trying to drive while looking at the windshield instead of through it. It freezes us, making us unsure of where to go. Conversation is only the vehicle through which we experience one another. Consequently, prayer is not the center of this book. Getting to know a person, God, is the center."

"Deep in our psyches we want an experience with God or an experience in prayer. Once we make that our quest. we lose God.You don't experience God; you get to know him. You submit to him. You enjoy him. He is, after all, a person."

Priceless!

Daddy went to check and see if she was asleep last night and this is what we found. She doesn't know how to read yet but she often wants to take her Bible to bed with her to "read" before bed! Yes, it is upside down! No, that is not a big deal! :) I am praying God will give her a love for His Word that runs so deep in her soul she will feast on it always! 

Here is a great read: Homeschool Blindspots by Reb Bradley. It is really a great parental read regardless of your schooling preference. 

To whet your appetite, here is an excerpt from the conclusion. 

"I am convinced that the most contagious parenting is living a heartfelt faith before your children. Fruitful interaction is not about what you do to your young people, but who you are with them. It's about having a real faith in God, and expressing it in a real relationship with a real person--not about methods and self-working principles. God intends that the side-effect of loving Jesus and enjoying the grace of the gospel will be that all people--including our children--will be touched by the Savior in us."

If you are visiting, say hi so I can visit you! 

I would love to hear if you read the article and your thoughts :)

Happy Tuesday!

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My Heart

 "My flesh and my heart may fail,
   but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Psalm 73:26

I have found myself taking great comfort from this scripture lately. 

Why? 

- because I am sinful and battle with sin continually.. my flesh fails

- things don't go the way I want or expect them to.. my heart fails

- I cannot seem to keep up with all the stuff that needs to get done.. my flesh fails 

- I see the struggle others have with this world and sin.. my heart fails 

But.. 

God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever! 

So I..

- continue to wage war against my sin.. because God is my strength!

- continue to pursue righteousness by waiting on the Lord.. because God is my portion forever! 

- continue to run the race God has set before me.. because God is my strength! 

- continue to encourage, exhort, and pray for others.. because 

God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from me to you... here is an excerpt from our christmas letter and our card :) 

I pray this update finds you rejoicing and resting in the Savior this Christmas season. As Christmas day draws near I cannot help but marvel at God and His plan to save His people. As I sit and hold my 6 week old son I cannot fathom the depth of the Father’s love for us as He sent His son, Jesus, in the form of an infant to save people from their sins. My reading lately has been from I Corinthians, the Bible says that God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, what is weak in the world to shame the strong, and what is low and despised to bring to nothing what the world considers important. He does these things so that no man may boast. The fact that God sent salvation in the form of a newborn baby can only do one thing, that is exalt His holy name.  I pray this season as you consider the birth of Christ it causes you to do that very thing, lift high the name of God in your life and share that message with those around you!

Rejoice as you worship the risen King!!

Gratituesday | So blessed!

When I read that today was Gradituesday at Heavenly Homemakers I knew I wanted to stop and take some time and reflect on how thankful I am for the way God blesses me! 

Way #1 in which I am grateful... blessed by God.

I was reading Colossians 2 yesterday and was blessed by verses 13-14.

"you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."

I love the picture of God canceling our debt by nailing it on the cross! I was humbled and thankful by the work of Jesus on my behalf! 

Way #2 in which I am grateful... blessed by used furniture. 

Ever since we got married I have wanted and armoire so we can hide the TV when it is not in use. We just celebrated 6 years in May and I feel blessed to have the things we do have and how God has provided those things. I came across a used armoire that was in great shape and in our price range.  With my husbands approval we are now proud owners of a new to us armoire. 

Way #3 in which I am grateful... blessed by family.

My husband... he trusts in me. There are times (like a new tv stand) that we don't need something new but I feel like it can better serve our family and he trusts my judgement and encourages me to better our family for the purpose of Godliness. 

My mother... after a rough attempt at staining by me and my husband my mom came to save the day. Seriously, she spent her first Saturday after school started (she is an administrator at a school) in 105+ degree heat sanding and painting with me to finish the armoire. Her service, sacrifice, kindness, and love to me and my family amazes me and is one example of God's grace in my life. 

My grandmother... maybe it is nesting about 15 weeks early but I am in an organizing mood. My grandma is spending a few days with us helping me get organized and watching Miss K for me so I can get some work done. Not only is she blessing me with her time and service she blessed us to a new TV. She humbly asked if she could bless us with that, just because! 

Justin and I got to talking about all the "brand new" things (like big furniture) have been given to use by our family and friends!

God has been so good to us and it has been great to reflect on that this Gratituesday! 

Are you grateful for what God has done in your life? 

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Are you weary?

I don't know about you but I think being a parent is the hardest job in the world! I am sure you would agree, there is no responsibility like molding a child's heart. As a Christian parent I must continually and consistently correct, rebuke, reprove and train my child (and myself) in righteousness. Ya know what, that is TIRING! 

I find great comfort in Galatians 6:9

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

If you need some encouragement as you press on, check out this post on the Girltalk blog. 

For God's glory and my daughter's heart, I will not become weary!