You have heard

"You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful."  

-James 5:11

Love is not a fight

I like the part that says Love is "a house we enter in, then commit to never leave."  That is just how marriage should be.  "So lock the door behind you, throw away the key.  We'll work it out together, let it bring us to our knees."  What a beautiful picture of marriage lived for God's glory, one lived with unconditional love and faithfulness.  No waiting for your spouse to mess up so you can get out...just pure forgiving love that stays no matter what.  Let's think about our marriages this way:  Lock the door behind you, throw away the key.  No turning outward, but instead inward toward Christ and one another, willing to do whatever it takes to work it out.

It Is Well With My Soul

This song came to my mind today.  It really puts things in perspective.  Horatio G. Spafford, the man who wrote this song, went through so much, but because of God was still was able to say "It is well with my soul".  No matter what you are going through, whether it is suffering, pain, loss, hurt, or injustice, can you still say "It is well with my soul"?

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Chorus:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Let Love...

Let love be genuine.  Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.  Love one another with brotherly affection.  Outdo one another in showing honor.  Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.  Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

- Romans 12:9-12 

Blessings

I have been encouraged by this song a lot lately, so I thought I would share it with you!  It's great to be reminded that sometimes blessings from our Creator come in ways that we wouldn't think {or choose} ourselves.  Sometimes the trials of this life...are His blessings in disguise.

I Need You

One of my new favorite songs.

God first

I read the following quote this morning from my Streams in the Desert devotional:

"The morning is a critically important time of day.

You must never face the day until you have faced God,

nor look into the face of others until you have looked into His. 

You cannot expect to be victorious, if you begin

your day in your own strength alone."

What a great reminder that we cannot live a moment of the day without God.

Joy in the midst of pain

What is joy worth if it's easy?

Why would God require it of us if it came naturally already?

I know.  It doesn't.

When I suffer, I know that joy is not my first human-nature response.  But I want it to be.

Last night as I was reading a book I got really convicted about joy.  I tend to think of myself as a generally happy, positive person, but as I did a little heart searching I could all of a sudden see so many ways that I'm lacking in the joy department.

It made me sort of sad, but at the same time, glad that God loves me enough not to leave me where I'm at.

So I'm on a quest for joy.  Want to join me?  :-)

A little background on my current struggle...finding joy in physical pain. 

This week I'm 33 weeks pregnant.  While sometimes it seems that this pregnancy has passed fast, most of the time I am just waiting for it to be over.  Physically this pregnancy has been full of suffering.  I really can't ever remember being in almost constant discomfort and pain that lasted for so many months before.

In this physical suffering has come a new search for joy.  A new search to glorify Jesus through suffering.  A new compassion for those who suffer from physically painful conditions that don't go away.  I know many people live with pain every day, and I feel so ashamed for complaining. 

Not to say that I have been an irritable and moody person all the time, but I have been that enough.  I know that when I feel bad I tend to be less patient and I tend to be more easily irritated.  I know that can't be pleasant to be around.

I'm not saying however, that it is never ok to let on that I'm in pain, but rather just that I need to work on focusing less on the pain and more on the joy of the Lord.  I am more than thankful for a tender and caring husband who has been so patient and loving to me through this hard time.

God is growing me.

It hurts, but I don't think I grow quite the same when things are always pleasant.  So I'm thankful.

Something that challenged me the other night was thinking about how I look when my husband comes home from work.  Am I smiling?  Does my face reflect joy?  Or is is only full of suffering and tiredness? 

When I talk with my husband on the phone during the day, does he hear joy in my voice? 

Do my children see joy on my face and hear joy in my voice as we go about our day?

God doesn't just want us to have joy when things are going great, but in the midst of suffering and trials as well.  No matter what the circumstances we can find "fullness of joy" in His presence if we choose to dwell there.

Whew.  I've got a lot to work on.  :-)

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."     - Psalm 16:11

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness."     - James 1:2-3

Keeping children focused on Christ during the holidays

As a family, we feel that it is really important as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years get close, to keep our focus on Christ.  In an increasingly materialized world, that's not always easy to do, and that's why we work to make it happen in our family.  We want to teach our children to think about others, and more than that, to remember that Christ is the center of ALL that we do.

One thing that I remember from growing up is how my parents did a really great job of keeping us focused on the most important thing during the holidays...Christ.  Instead of being about gifts and what we wanted or all the food we were going to eat, etc., the holidays were about giving (to), loving, and serving others, all because of Christ.  I guess that's why it makes me kind of sick to see all the extravagant stuff that we as Christians indulge in around this time of the year.  That's not what I want it to be about for me.  That's not what I want it to be about for my family.

So here are a few of the practical ways that we are focusing on Christ and others with our children this season:

1)  Talking to them about each holiday, and pointing it all back to Christ.

2)  We're letting each of our girls pick out a few toys that they want to give away to bless other children.

3)  We took the girls to pick out some things to fill a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child.

4)  Talking with our children about the things we have and how we are thankful for them.

5)  Keeping gift giving simple, by not indulging in over extravagant or numerous gifts. 

6)  We're including them in picking and wrapping gifts to bless family and friends.

How do you keep your family/children focused on Christ during the holidays?  I'd love to hear how you do it!

Just One Leaf

 I love that God put such detail on just one leaf.  Amazing!

In Christ Alone

Here are the lyrics to a song that I love...it has been running around in my head a lot lately.  I hope that it blesses someone else today!  :-)

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt of life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

Pride

Pride is a scary thing.  Because it occurs in us naturally, we must be constantly on the lookout for pride in our hearts.  Pride has the ability to hide in us in subtle thinking patterns and if we don't ask God to show it to us we may not even realize that it's even there.  If we don't deal with it, it will cheat us out of so much of the good that God wants for us.  

The following poem on pride is from the book Praying God's Word by Beth Moore.

My name is Pride. I am a cheater.
I cheat you of your God-given destiny…because
you demand your own way.
I cheat you of contentment…because you
“deserve better than this.”

I cheat you of knowledge…because you already
know it all.

I cheat you of healing…because you’re
too full of me to forgive.

I cheat you of holiness…because you refuse to
admit when you’re wrong.

I cheat you of vision…because you’d rather look
in the mirror than out a window.

I cheat you of a genuine friendship…because
nobody’s going to know the real you.

I cheat you of love…because real romance
demands sacrifice.

I cheat you of greatness in heaven…because you
refuse to wash another’s feet on earth.

I cheat you of God’s glory…because I convince
you to seek your own.

My name is Pride. I am a cheater.

You like me because you think I’m always looking

 out for you. Untrue.

 I’m looking to make a fool of you.
God has so much for you, I admit, but don’t worry…
If you stick with me
You’ll never know. 

"Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another,

for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'"

-1 Peter 5:5

Living where we're at

It's such a temptation to get ahead of God sometimes.  Not that we do it intentionally, but we are so eager for the next step or the next season and what we can accomplish there.  Which causes us to focus less on where we're at right now.

When we're single, it might be something like "When I get married life will finally start...then life will really be important...I'll be happy, fulfilled, etc.".  But we're so busy trying to plan for and get to the next thing in life, that we're missing out on the amazing, one-of-a-kind opportunity that we have to serve God in our time of singleness.

Then when we do get married, we can think that "As soon as I have kids, then I'll have another experience under my belt and I'll be able to minister better...or I'll be closer to what God has for me, etc.".

But then we get restless again, and we're looking at all the things that we can't do and we think "I just can't be as involved with serving and ministering in the church and out, because I have so many little children...once they get older then I'll be able to do more." 

But we miss it it again.  Because we're so caught up looking for the more important thing and God is just waiting for us catch on and realize that He has us where we're at for a reason.  His plans are not without purpose.  If only we would truly trust in that.

We need to just slow down and enjoy each season of life, focusing on where we are at this moment, and how we can glorify God while we're here.  We need to stop believing Satan's lies that we would be more valuable if we were in another season of life.  Learning to be content brings great joy.  Not that I have it mastered, but by God's grace I'm learning!

"For I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.   - Philippians 4:11

Plan B by Pete Wilson - A Review

Sometimes life happens different than what we plan or expect.  All of sudden we're faced with a crisis, and we wonder where God is in the midst of all this.  In Plan B, Pete Wilson shares stories from the Bible and real life about people who found themselves suddenly in the middle of Plan B situations.  However, our Plan B situations are always Plan A to God.  Plan B points us to Christ and the cross as the anchor for our lives and in this book we are reminded that God uses these times when we feel helpless and hopeless to work in us in big ways.  In our weakness He is strong, and He is glorified.

Plan B was a great reminder to me of how perfect God's plans are, even when we can't see the big picture and life just doesn't make sense.  I truly believe that in our pain and helplessness God is working in us and giving us great opportunities to be conformed more and more into the image of Christ.  This book will challenge you to look for God in every circumstance and to surrender your plans to Him with complete joy and trust.  An easy read, and full of hope.  I would recommend this book.

*I received this book as a complimentary review copy from Thomas Nelson Publishers through their BookSneeze.com book review program.  All opinions expressed are my own and are in no other way influenced or compensated by anyone.

The Flowering Cross by Beth Ryan, illustrated by Renee Graef - A Review

Easter is a great opportunity to teach children about Jesus, but although Easter has already passed by this year, we continue to read The Flowering Cross at our house.  The Flowering Cross is a children's book written by Beth Ryan and illustrated by Renee Graef.  My three girls (1-2 years old) fell in love with the beautiful pictures and the delightful story in this book.  This book tells the story of Katie, a young girl who reaches out to her grumpy neighbor, Mean Old Jack, whom she has come to know as "Papa Jack".  Katie and her family find many opportunities to show Jesus' love to Papa Jack.  Gradually Papa Jack's heart begins to soften.  Katie's simple faith and persistence in showing God's love to Papa Jack finally win his heart and Katie ends up leading him to Jesus. 

The Flowering Cross is a delightful book that captivates both children and their parents.  The illustrations are bright and colorful, appealing to young and old alike.  The Flowering Cross is a great reminder of the powerful influence that children can have on adults, specifically the ability that children have to impact adults for Christ.  Also throughout this book are the Faith Imprints (with Scriptures) which give parents simple discussion ideas relating to God/the Bible and the story, such as "Share what the first Easter was like when Jesus overcame death".  I love that this book reinforces the Christian values and character that we teach in our home every day.  I would recommend this book as a wonderful addition to any library. 

*I received this book as a complimentary review copy from Thomas Nelson Publishers through their BookSneeze.com book review program.  All opinions expressed are my own and are in no other way influenced or compensated by anyone.

This Little Prayer of Mine - A Review

Prayer is a big thing in our home.  Not only do we pray before each meal, but also throughout the day.  It's important to me as a parent that my children learn how to pray.  So naturally it thrills me when my two year old comes to me thinking of someone and says "Mommy, pray for  name here ".  She then proceeds to pray in her simple, childlike way, genuine and full of care.  I love it!  And when she gets a boo boo?  "Mommy, kiss it.  Pray it."

This Little Prayer of Mine, by Anthony DeStefano is a great book for encouraging and teaching little ones about prayer.  I love having books around that reinforce the things that I am already teaching my children.  Written in the form of a simple, captivating rhyme, this book is just another reminder to children of the importance of communicating with God.  Full of beautiful illustrations by Mark Elliot that will capture your child's attention, and expressing the simple honesty that flows from a child's heart, This Little Prayer of Mine teaches children how to talk to God.  I love the prayer throughout the book.  It expresses the wonders, the joys, the desires, the needs, and the fears of a child's heart.  It encourages children to talk with God about all that goes on during their day, sharing all the thoughts that come straight from their hearts.  I highly recommend This Little Prayer of Mine.  I hope that you are able to read it with your little ones, and enjoy it like we have!

*Many thanks to Anthony DeStefano for sending me this review copy!  The fact that I received this as a review copy in no way influences my opinion or review.

Learning the Catechism

Abigail is doing great with her Catechism questions.  Although, in the video, she was a bit distracted.  :-)

Valentine's Day Musings

Valentine's day.  It's just a holiday, but really, what does it make you think of?  For me, Valentine's Day is just another great opportunity to show love to my husband in a special way.  To remember the precious gift that God blessed me with 3 1/2 years ago...my husband.

I won't lie, we've had our share of tough times this year, but through it all we're committed to each other forever, and that is an amazing thing.  Two imperfect people, but God chose us for one another.  Through ups and downs we continue to learn about one another.  We continue to learn how much we still need to work on our marriage, and on our communication...it doesn't just happen on its' own.  God keeps showing me how selfish I am...even when I don't try to be.  How the flesh can come into things so quickly.  I have oh so much to learn.

But marriage is a beautiful thing.  And I'm so thankful that God has allowed me to experience it.  Honestly, there is almost nothing as important to me as my marriage.  God has given me such a passion to live out a marriage that is a picture of Christ and the church.  And my husband shares that passion too.

Last night we went out for a little "date night".  Spending time with the love of my life is the best night I could ask for!  And don't forget eating ice cream in the freezing cold!

Thank you, Baby for being such a wonderful husband to me.  I love you more than words can say!!

Change and God's Faithfulness

So, I have some interesting news...

Some of you may remember this post in which I mentioned some big changes happening with our family.  I wanted to share some more about that now.

A few weeks ago, my husband quit his job.  He still has a little while longer before he is out of there for good, because he is trying to give his employer a little bit of time to find someone else to fill his position.  This is a decision that we have been talking about and praying about for a long time now.  In recent months we really felt a peace about Matt (my husband) quitting, even though he didn't have a job already lined up.  I know that sounds really crazy, but first and foremost we want to glorify God, and we know that the place Matt is at right now is not a good atmosphere to be in, nor are the majority of products there worth endorsing, and this was a step that we felt convicted to take in order to bring God glory in this area.

It is a huge leap of faith on our part.  We know that God has always provided for us, and we know that He is faithful.  We know that He will continue to be faithful.  We believe that He will bless us for taking this step and for striving to bring Him glory in ALL that we do.

Yes, it is still really scary at times, but the peace that we have is more than the fear.  And we know that God is bigger than our fear.  We believe that He has a perfect plan for us.  And we know that NOTHING is impossible with God.

We have been so blessed to see so many different little ways that God continues to provide for us.  He is so good.

Please be praying for us during this time.  It can be hard to wait on God sometimes.  But we are confident that trusting in Him is the best thing we can do.

Change

There's a lot of change going on with us right now.  We're making some big decisions.  Decisions that we have thought and prayed long and hard about.  We have peace about these decisions, but still they are scary sometimes.  I know it's a lack of trusting God that brings the fear.  So pray for us.  Pray that God will give us strength as we take these big steps in faith.  He has been so faithful to provide for us and I know that He will continue to be faithful.

In the end, there is so much relief and so much peace in following God.  Even when it doesn't completely make sense in our own minds.  And even when we may look foolish to others around us.  Our ultimate goal is to glorify Him.

Thank you for your prayers!