Can You Thank Me?

I am reading an amazing book called Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.  It was recommended by a sweet friend and I have since texted several people a picture of it and said you need to get this book now!

So I am saying, all my friends- you need to get this book right now!

We find ourselves in a crazy time in history.  No doubt, Corona Virus is not as life-altering as some of th- things our ancestors have gone through, but for sure it is life altering in many ways.  Life as we know it is different.

Grocery shopping takes more thought and effort.

Prioritizing errands and "essential" activities takes more time.

Schools are adjusting or canceling classes.

If you wear a mask people think you are silly.

If you don't wear a mask people think you are selfish.

Opinions on how you can get the virus change everyday.

Businesses are closing their doors.

Hospitals are maxed out and so are healthcare workers.

Depression and suicides are on the rise.

Some everyday grocery and health items are hard to find.

Travel is limited and vacations are cancelled.

There doesn't seem to be much to smile and be grateful for.

But...

Early on I saw a meme that said something to the effect of "when things get back to normal, let it be a better normal."

AMEN!

One of the things DeMoss reiterates in her book is that it is much easier to be grateful when things are all good or going our way.

The challenge is to be grateful when things are not going our way.  When things are hard.  When we don't understand.

Anyone else there?

The Word says to "...giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ' (Eph. 5:20)

For EVERYTHING

When we are grateful we feel compelled to say thank you!

God is saying "Can you thank me?"

Even when it is hard? Or hard to understand?  Even in fear?  Or sadness?  Or in the middle of a pandemic?

How can you thank the Lord today?  What are you grateful for?

For health.

Healthcare workers

Scientists

Hospitals

Friends

Family

Food on your table

A bed to sleep in

Birds

Flowers

Sun

Rain

Delivery services and mailmen

Books

Games

A cool breeze

The sunrise and sunset

Teachers,Vets, Mechanics

Amazon ;)

I know my list could go on and on.  And it should!

My challenge to myself is to go to bed each night saying,

"What am I learning through this trial?"

and

"Yes, God, I can thank you!"

Join me and be blessed!

Grace Upon Grace

I didn't mean to leave you all hanging last week, really, I didn't.  We just were waiting for final steps and wanted to be sure all ended well before sharing.  Some of you might remember the huge crazy of 2017 when we sold our house on day one, then it unsold in a day, and then it sat on the market for another three months while we lived in an AirBNB for three months.

Praise the Lord for his mercy- this time around was much better.

Our "forever" home went on the market the morning of Friday, January 10th.  We had FIVE showings scheduled for that day in a few hours.  I took the dog on long walks, and sat in our car a lot.  Because he is 15 years old and I had a horrible cold, we were both done by that night.  We finally got back in the house by about 7.

Saturday morning started with a 10:30 showing that lasted until 11:30. More walking the block with the dog. We ran back into the house for a potty break and then went to the park for a picnic lunch.  We stayed there until 3.  Praise the Lord for sweet friends who joined us to pass the time and keep us company.  We headed back to the house hoping the 3:00 showing would be quick and done.  NOT.  They left at 4, we hopped in for a potty break, and left again for a 4:30 showing that stayed forever.  In case you are counting, that was three showings PLUS the open house that had over 75+ people come through.  By the time we got back in at about 6:00, we were all tired and brain fried and I was pretty sure the dog may not wake up the next morning.  (He is still with us, bless him!)

Sunday resulted in another showing and...4 offers!

All were strong, all were pushing for a pretty quick process, and all tugged at my heart!

By Monday the 13th we accepted an offer.  Inspection was a few days later, appraisal soon after, final walk through was on Tuesday, and we officially close today- three weeks, start to finish.  The new owners are allowing us to stay in the house for a few more weeks, but we begin the moving process on February 10th and should be in Prescott by the 14th.

Crazy right?

Want to up the game of crazy?

My girls move into an apartment this weekend, Riley has been in Scotland for the last week, and Clarke will not be here the week of the packing and loading due to his job. Oh, and the people who bought our house did not step foot into it until the day of the final walk through.  Seriously!  They saw it via Facetime from Minnesota!  Told you- CRAZY!

Want to see the hand of God- look at the little details of your life, my friends!  God is in the details!

• After DAYS of raining, yes it does rain in AZ, the sun came out the day the house pictures were taken

• We had FIVE showings on day one!  

• We only had to leave our house for three days for showings!  Ya'll, this is BIG for a homeschooling family of six with a dog!  If I had had to continue that pace, I would have lost it!

• The contract was easy, the "fixes" minimal, and the buyers have been gems to work with!

• We have a realtor who turned out to be a great friend, that held our hands the whole time, cheered and encouraged us, and did a remarkable job of selling this house.  Coming or going- Lisa is your gal when buying a house!

• I found a rental house for us in Prescott over a matter of days and it will be available February 3rd so Clarke can begin to move a few things up as he commutes.

• The girls found a place to live in one week that splits the difference between their jobs.

• We were able to get a moving company on short notice to move us. 

• So many friends have checked on us and sent sweet messages of encouragement.  Thank you! 

And it just goes on and on.  As a dear friend said recently, just more confirmation that we are on the path the Lord intended.  Grace upon grace!

But just because it is HIS path does not mean it is all rainbows and ponies.

Moving is hard.  Leaving friends and an amazing church is hard.  Letting go of a beloved house is hard.  Moving away from my girls is HARD!

Don't be fooled- behind the smiles and the excitement are some pretty intense emotions and fears for us all.  But we are determined to walk this path as best we can- knowing that the Lord has paved the path and is leading the way!

Hineni!

Blessings,

Who Knew?

Have you ever gotten the surprise of your life?

You know, like guess what, you are pregnant or, hey you won a million bucks?

No worries, me neither on either of those. But...

We, and by we I mean my husband, did get hired pretty quickly to teach college classes.  Like a week and a half notice.  And he hasn't taught in a few years.

And oh yeah, did I mention the University is out of town?  By two hours.

Yep, there is that!

I think I just heard God snicker!  Really!  You have to either trust and know He is up to something, or the whole situation, including us, is CRAZY!

We choose to believe that He is up to something big!

• Otherwise, this job would have not come up out of the wood work.

• And Clarke would not have passed an interview which involved teaching a mock class with a little over 12 hours notice.

• And we would have not found him a place to live during the week that is owned by the most caring and kind Christian couple you could ever meet that we adore already!  In ONE day of looking.  Recommended by a friend of a friend.

Those things don't just happen, folks.

They are orchestrated by a God who loves us, who is in every detail, and who is the Master Planner.

OH, and who may even chuckle a bit!

So, if you think of us over the next few weeks, whisper a prayer for safe travels as our hero commutes up and back weekly, for the adjustment of our family, and for us to remain in wide-eyed awe and wonder of the Lord!

Because HE knew!

Blessings,

Let Me Tell You a Story

Moving is easy for this family.  The physical moving part.  Leaving friends and a church that have become family is not easy.  Never has been, never will be.  Leaving our last church family was a gut wrenching doozy!  Like, take your breath away, doozy.

We miss their faces, we miss their love, we miss worshiping with them, and while we have now found a church home here and love new people, it has been a challenging transition.

So here is my story, and if you read the abbreviated version on my oldest's FB page, bear with me.  It is worth the repeat, trust me.

One of our elders from our previous church posted a YouTube video of a father-daughter team in Omaha singing Sovereign Over Us,  a song that was not only sung often there, but is one of our family's favorites.  It has been a gentle reminder to us in some difficult times that God is SOVEREIGN and nothing takes him by surprise.  Nothing.

So we sat and listened in awe at the beautiful voices (who knew that sweet child has such an angelic voice?), smiled through tears, and missed our people.  And in that moment I voiced that I wished we could sing that song at our current church.

Don't get me wrong, I love our new church and the worship here is beautiful.  But it is different.  A bit louder and fewer traditional hymns.  I am here to tell you that you can teach an old dog new tricks and I am indeed learning to appreciate a different worship style.  But there are times, I must admit, when my heart longs to hear the quiet, worshipful voices of our friends in Omaha.

Anyway, we listened, commented, and moved on with our nightly family devotions.  This was on Saturday night.

And on Sunday- wait for it- the worship team opened their mouths and began to sing Sovereign Over Us!

Yes, they did.  Take a moment to just breath that in.  I know I did.
Ashton turned to me and we both beamed through our tears.

If that is not God speaking and showing HIS sovereignty, I do not know what is!  If that is not God saying I hear you and I care, I do not know what it is!  If that is God saying you are loved, I don't know what it is!

Let me share what Ashton shared...

"Chance? No, the workings of a sovereign God who cares so very much about us, who takes care of every little thing, and who turns everything for our good and for His glory. And who is sovereign over the worship team and their song schedule."

Oh friends,

If you feel unloved- He loves you.
If you feel alone- He is with you.
If you are in pain- He can heal you. 
If you are afraid- He will give you peace.
If you need answers- He has them!

He is God and he reminds his people he is sovereign.  Even through the singing of a simple, yet profound song.

Thank you, Jesus!

Blessings,

Refining

Are there days that you just struggle to get through?  Days that you are tired of being sick?  Or days that you are tired of stress?  Or days that you are just- TIRED?

Oh friends, I have been there a lot lately.

Tired of pain and not feeling well.  Tired of struggling to school a child that wants to fight me every step of the way.  Tired of sadness and stress.  Tired of- well, a lot honestly.

And sometimes most of all, just tired of pretending all is well.

Sometimes all is not well.

But who wants to say, yeah, I am struggling right now.  Or yeah, things stink right now.

I get tired of myself some days.  I can only imagine how others feel.

But here's the thing.  We all go through rough spots in our lives.  Some are mercifully short lived and some are not.   When you are in them, whether short or long, they are no fun.

Refining, but often no fun.

I am pretty sure God is doing some refining in my life.

• Teaching me that there is a time to share and let others help bear my burdens and a time to just simply turn to God.

• That there can often be times of great pain and sorrow in our lives and that of our children's, but then he sends joy and hope when you least expect it.

• That there are times that we are healthy and then there may be times when we have to slow down and allow God to restore our bodies.

• That there are times when we are ministered to by friends and times when we must do the ministering. 

And all the while, God is using it all to refine us.  To draw us closer to Himself.  To make us more like Him.

Sometimes it is a long, painful road.

Always it is a worthwhile one!

If you are reading this and are in a rough season of your life, I want to encourage you today.  Know that you are not alone.  Know that you are loved.  And know that  you will get through.

God is with you and He loves you!

Blessings,

Time Does NOT Heal All Wounds

It is no secret that our family has traveled some rough roads in the past.  I am not in the secret business and tend to bear my heart in my blog.  But let's face it, rough roads and hurt are not unique to our family.  The Bible tells us that in this life we are going to have troubles.  

It is just part of our sinful world.  Sometimes those troubles are self inflicted and other times not, but regardless, they are very often painful and life altering.

A job loss.  

A death.

An unexpected move. 

An ended relationship.
An illness.

Regardless, we can be rocked to our very core and have to fight to recover.   Praise God we have friends and family that help in that fight, that stick by our side to comfort us, love us, and affirm us.  

But here is where we get stuck sometimes.  We look to people for healing and here is what they tell us- "time heals all wounds."  I have probably been guilty of even saying it once or twice.  But I have also had the opportunity to really meditate on it lately.  Here is what I have found.

Yes, with time, things may get a little less painful or a little more bearable or even a little more manageable.  But healed?  Nope.

So then what?

Here is what I found in my search for answers to the then what...

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Psalm 147:3

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Imagine that- the Bible had the answers I was seeking! ;)

You see, time does NOT heal all wounds.

God does!

If you are hurting, I would encourage you to not look to time, but to look to God instead.  Only He can heal.  In His time and His way.  

Until then, we trust and hope in Him.

Blessings,  

The Biggest Story!

If The Biggest Story, by Kevin DeYoung, sounds familiar to you, maybe it is because I have reviewed the book before.

So why talk about it again?

Because it is an amazingly beautiful and wonderful book about God and His creation.  And now it is also available as an audio CD and a DVD!

Did you hear me squeal?

Because really, I did when I found out I had the chance to review this combo for FlyBy and then get to offer one of you the combo as well.  More on that in a minute, promise!

For those not familiar with The Biggest Story, it is a story about God and his redemptive plan, from the creation of the Earth to the new Heaven and Earth yet to come.  Woven throughout are God's promises to mankind for redeeming his rebellious children.  It is simple enough for young children to enjoy, and yet clearly paints a picture of God's love and mercy in 10 chapters.

Although I am more of a visual kind of gal, I do have a son that is an auditory learner, so an audio book is often the best way to get him interested in anything.  He does like to read, but let's face it, CDs are more portable and great for families like us who tend to spend a lot of time in the car!  It has also been a great addition to my youngest son's collection of nighttime CDs.  Narrated by Kevin DeYoung, the soothing story and beautiful music are perfect for quiet time listening.  The running time is 26 minutes and contains 10 chapters.

You are going to love this DVD for your visual kiddos!  In this animated short film, the illustrations by Don Clarke have been set in motion to stunning original music and brought to life.  I already knew I loved the basic story, but to see it on screen in this 26 minute DVD took my breath away.  Just like the original book, the colors are vibrant and sure to capture even young children.

We have loved having this book in our home and are even more thrilled to now have the CD and DVD as well.  Thanks to the great people at FlyBy, one of you can win this great combo pack for your family, or to give as a gift to someone you love!  Just leave me a comment and a way to contact you if you win.  A random winner will be chosen next Wednesday!  

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

Blessings,

When Was the Last Time You Were Overwhelmed?

Actually, that is not the whole question.  You see, a few nights ago we were having family devotions and the question that came up was actually-
"When was the last time you were overwhelmed by God? In a good way?"

The answer came to me immediately.  That's big friends, because many times our family questions stump me or I really have to give them some thought.  But not this time!

My answer was so fresh in my mind, and quite frankly stamped so hard on my heart, that it still brings me to tears.

God has brought us to the most amazing church.  Not even that, but to the most amazing church family.  I can brag on them because most of them have probably not found my blog yet. ;)

From day one they took us in, acted like we had been there forever, and have made us a part of their lives and their families.  I stand amazed week after week, really I do.

And two Sundays ago I had the unique opportunity to stand in the background of things after service and watch the body of Christ work as it should.  I saw families mingling, people laughing, people crying and hugging.  People doing life together.  People loving each other.  And it almost took my breath away.

How thankful I am to not only see it, but be a part of it.

Our family laughed about how it is pretty amazing when you stand among a group of people that are trying to figure out where a group of 30 plus people can possibly go to lunch after church together. That it is amazing when you can't stand the thought of missing out from one group for another- you want to be with them ALL. That on Sundays you can't wait to be in God's house with God's people!

Yep, overwhelmed by God's love.  And God's people!

It's a great place to be.

Blessings,

I Have Become THAT Woman

Yep, just call me the bird lady.  Well, not to my face.  That might be awkward.

But seriously, I have become that woman.

You know,

• The one who sits in her kitchen and watches the birds at the feeders. And tries to get the family to look too.

• The one that has to search out the long forgotten bird books so she can see what is new at her feeder. 

• Who buys bird seed in large quantities so it won't run out because she wouldn't want the birds to find a new place to hang out. 

• Who is already planning on the location for the next feeder she wants to buy.  

• The one that won't let the dogs go outside to potty because they might scare the birds away. Just saying.

You know, that lady!

And yes, I have since called my mom and apologized for teasing her about her bird obsession.

And to tell her I had 6 female cardinals at my feeder at once, of course.

I have also told my neighbor that I am sorry I have stolen some of his birds.  But I am not, really.

Because they are so cute.  And so fascinating.  And quite frankly, stealers of my time these days.

What better way to enjoy God's creation though, than to take a few moments, maybe more, just to take a breather from the chaotic world we live in and watch the birds outside our windows!

What a privilege to know that God cares for us even more.

So if you have a moment today- stop and watch the birds.  Then send them my way! ;)

Blessings.

Salvation's Tide is Rising- CD review and giveaway

To start our year off with a bang, FlyBy productions has blessed us with the opportunity to listen to a new CD, Salvation's Tide is Rising from Passion.  If you are not familiar with Passion (I wasn't), it is a yearly Christian conference with a goal of  "mission--calling students from campuses across the nation and around the world to live for what matters most."  It was founded in 1995 by Louie Giglio, pastor and founder of Passion City Church in Atlanta, Georgia.  Since 1998, the group has decided to document the musical side of the conference, resulting in an amazing collection of praise and worship music sung by many favorite artists from around the country.

You are in for a treat with this one, featuring songs written just for the conference and featuring artists like Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, and Crowder.

I love having praise and worship music playing in our house as a backdrop for our day, but as my kids get older it becomes harder to find songs that everyone likes.  Let's face it, those cute kid-led CDs can only get you so far.  Passion's Salvation's Tide is Rising has fit the bill well for our muti-aged family and found a permanent place in my music lineup.  No surprise since the artists are ones on the top charts these days. The songs are beautiful, easy to listen to, and speak of the many truths of God and His character.  I loved them all, but must admit that God and God Alone was my favorite!  Who else is a Chris Tomlin fan?

Other songs include-

1.  Salvation's Tide is Rising - Passion featuring Kristian Stanfill

2.  My Victory - Passion featuring Crowder

3.  Remember - Passion featuring Brett Younker & Melodie Malone

4.  God & God Alone - Passion featuring Chris Tomlin

5.  Simple Pursuit - Passion featuring Melodie Malone

6.  I Turn to Christ - Passion featuring Matt Redman

7.  Your Grace Amazes Me - Passion featuring Christy Nockels

8.  All We Sinners - Passion featuring Crowder

9.  Surrender - Passion featuring Jimi Cravity

10. Good Good Father - Passion featuring Kristian Stanfill 

You can get a copy of this great CD even before it is released at the end of the month!  Just leave your name in the comments along with a way I can reach you and a random winner will be chosen next Friday!

Connect with Passion-

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/PassionSTIR?IQid=pbn 

Facebook: http://smarturl.it/PassionFB 

Twitter: http://smarturl.it/PassionTW 

Instagram: http://smarturl.it/PassionIG 

Blessings,

Does God Roll His Eyes?

I am not trying to be flippant, I promise.

Really, today this exact thought went through my head- Does God Roll His Eyes?  I even repeated it to my oldest son.  Who probably also rolled his eyes at me.

Maybe that is what happens when you are living off very little sleep, and a with lot of adrenaline!

Oh, and when you are currently on plan C, or maybe D or E!

You see, we are in the middle of a move.  Which really translates to we are living between two houses right now.  Hang with me, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

If you remember correctly, we closed last week with a slight mishap in the middle of it all.  I know Salem and Ashton will love that word- mishap!  HA!

Anyway, after a few days of painting and cleaning we headed back to our old house to regroup and planned on heading back to Omaha on Tuesday.

Then the weather decided not to cooperate.  Again!

Yes, I knew they were calling for snow.  Yes, I was watching the weather.  Yes, things just kept getting more intense.  Those silly weathermen really know how to make things exciting.

So all of a sudden we went from chance of snow to 2 feet of snow by Tuesday.  Did someone miss the memo that that was the day I was traveling?  In a car.  Followed by the children who had just been in a weather related accident!?!

What's a girl to do?

Change plans at 11:30 at night on Saturday and head out by 9:30 Sunday morning, of course.

No way was I taking the chance of getting stuck for who knows how long until the town could dig out and clear the highways.

You would not believe how fast one can pack 5 people, two dogs,  and one poor fish!  My kids are amazing like that!

Yes, we arrived safely, ahead of the weather.  I have never been so happy to see a house!

You see- we have someone very special to pick up at the airport on Sunday!

Wouldn't want to be late!

And yes, I do think God rolls His eyes.  All the time  At me, at least!

Because I make a lot of wonderful plans and then He reminds me-

Jeremiah 29:11 

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I am so thankful God's plans are the best!  And I am thankful that despite the fact that He must roll His eyes at me pretty often, I am still loved!

Linking up with friends!

Blessings,

One Step Closer

Why yes, I did just buy a house!
Can I tell you, our excitement is not so much about the house, though that is exciting, but the fact that it is just one step closer to having my family back together under one roof.  My husband got news of his deployment mid-September of last year, started training every other week in October, and left in November, returning home for just a few quick days before heading out in December.  Yeah - so much for 365.  I stopped counting how many days he has REALLY been gone, it is just too hard.

But before this year is up, this past year will hopefully be a distant memory and we will be settling in as a family of 6 again.  In a new house and new town.

It is funny, I went house hunting with four kids (that is not the funny part, trust me) and certain expectations.  The kid part went exceptionally well.  The expectation part, not so much.

Three or four houses turned out not to be houses- just land in a not-yet-developed neighborhood.  Like roads not even made.  How is that a house!?  That is sneaky advertising if you ask me.  Three houses were right in the middle of construction and since we may only be there two years, I just couldn't stomach waking up to hammers for most of that time, despite the lovely brand new sparkling homes with the floor plans I loved.  One house we saw was amazing but just not in the right location and another was a really great location but needed more work than I was willing to commit my poor husband to.  One house was great and in a great location, but pretty high over what we wanted to spend.

See how well this was going?  That was all on day one.

That night I had two choices- one that needed a lot of work and one that could break the bank.  My expectations went in the trash and I went to bed praying that God would show up big the next day.

On day two we saw one house!  It had just been put on the market, was a little older, and I thought it would be too small.  Clarke asked me to go look anyway.  I am a good wife! ;)

Nice neighborhood. check
Five bedrooms. check
Nice yard. check
Double oven. check
Gas stove. check
Walkout basement. check.
Good price. check
Close to work. check

See where this is going?  Oh, and did I mention it is currently owned by a homeschooling family with a dedicated school area complete with built in desk for two and storage cabinets?

We put in an offer and we close in November.

Yes, God showed up big!

Doesn't He always?



Linking up with friends-

Blessings,

Did I Ever Tell You?

Did I ever tell you the story about the family who was going to hear about where they were moving in March?

No?  How about April?

Make that August.  Nope, September.

Well, now, why the rush?  It's not like you will be moving in December.  Let's make it October.

Hopefully.  (And yes, we are moving in December- somewhere)

Oh my word, just hang me by my toenails now!  Seriously.

Did you know that I am a little anal retentive?
A planner.
A worshiper of all things calendars and schedules.

I have told many a people, I do not care where we move  just tell me where in advance.  Like, way in advance.

Obviously I have not told enough people because my way in advance plan is slowly going down the drain.

I am pretty sure God is giggling.
Actually, I think He is laughing hysterically.

I am not.

But-
I am eagerly, albeit not so patiently, waiting for His plans to unfold
I am praying for Him to prepare our hearts for a new location.
I am praying for the new friends we will meet and the dear ones we will say see ya later to.
I am praying for His perfect will to become our wildest dreams.
And I am praying I have a great story to tell you about it all.

Maybe sometime in October!

Blessings,

When God Says Wait

It's that time of year again.  Have you seen the moving announcements out there?  Many of our military friends are preparing to pack up and head to a new location.

And us?

Ummm...who would know.

We were supposed to be notified in March.  Didn't happen.

That's OK, I told myself.  At least we will all be together when we find out.

Then the April assignments came out.  Didn't happen again.  Seeing a pattern here?


And now?  Well, we will see.  For now we are being told August or September.

And so we wait.  Sometimes I think that is the story of our lives.

What can you do but wait when God says wait?

Because it is God who is saying wait.  Not yes or no, but WAIT.

 Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

And my response?

Because many of you know me personally, I am going to be honest and say my response was not "Oh, good, God, I am so excited about this waiting thing."  Nope.  Waiting is not somthing I do well. I am a planner.  My calendar and my lists are some of my favorite things.  Really.  I can handle lots of things as long as I KNOW what they are and when they are coming.  Seems reasonable to me.

But have you noticed that God does not work that way? He often gives us the information we need only when we need it.  He obviously doesn't think I need that information now.

So all that to say, yes, we are moving at the end of the year.  No, we do not know where to.  We are waiting for God.  And trusting that His plans are amazing.

What are you waiting on?

Blessings,

How God Changed My Heart

Just for the record and as a forewarning, this is not a pretty post.  It is an honest one.  Hard to write but laid on my heart to share.  Many people in the blogging community complain that bloggers are not honest and real.  I am.  And sometimes, it is not pretty.


A month or so ago I was pretty sure I was coming unglued.  Really.

The loneliness, the fear, the confusion and the anger all built up and just about consumed me.  I spent two weeks in a black hole.  I cried hourly, nothing in particular set me off.  There were days that I simply did not want to get out of bed and face life.  I could not wait for the day to be over so I could crawl back into the bed and ignore reality.  I wanted to run away and I tried desperately to figure out how I could pack up my kids and just go home to our family, knowing that was not really a good option.  There were times when I felt like I could not catch my breathe as panic set in.  Bitterness had taken root in my heart.  The reality of my current life situation compounded with the many unknowns in our future set me into a tail spin.   Well meaning friends would ask how they could help us and all I wanted to do was scream to them, "I do not want your help, I want my husband home!" I am pretty sure there were times that my children thought about the phone-a-friend option!  I am pretty sure that if anyone on the outside had seen our reality they would have questioned my stability.

None of that is exaggerated.  That is the honest truth, maybe even watered down a bit.  It was ugly.

So what changed?

Me.

Certainly not God.  He was and is always the same.  I imagine Him at the time with His arms folded across His chest looking at me with a stern look, you know, like when your mom or dad were waiting for you to fess up, listen to them, or just stop talking.

I am pretty sure God was waiting for me to just stop - stop talking, pouting, crying, and basically living like a crazy person.  To just be quiet!

And then He spoke to my heart.

For weeks I had been praying in not so nice ways.  Seriously.  Things like, "let the next assignment be so bad my husband will see the light and retire."  "See the light" really meant "see things my way."  I wont even tell you some of the other things I prayed.

I know, I know.  I am sure God was shaking His head just like you are now.  It is not something I am proud of, it is just honest truth.  I wanted to scream at any person who wanted to talk to me about God and His plans and "working all things good" stuff.

I KNOW those things. I am a believer, despite my times of panic, and more importantly, I believe those promises from God.  But just as I do not think we should tell people who have recently lost someone close to them that those people are in a better place, I did not want to hear scripture spouted at me.  I just needed to hear I am sorry.  I needed someone to validate my feelings.

Guess who finally did?

God.

Imagine that.

Through a military spouse-specific devotion book I purchased and His perfect timing, I found the reassurance that I needed. God cares, and He was just as sad as I was.  And maybe even angry as well.  He does not desire to see His people hurt, but He does desire to see them grow.

Through the course of the last month or so my prayers have changed.

I no longer am praying ugly, bitter things, but instead simply asking God to change my heart.  Begging, really. To allow me to let go of fear and bitterness and be the wife and mother He desires me to be.  To soften my heart so that when our next assignment comes I will handle it with grace and dignity.  That I will honor my husband in my reaction.

I can't tell you I will love it, but I can tell you that I will survive it.

Because God is indeed changing my heart.

He always does when you ask him!

How is He changing YOUR heart, my friends?

Blessings,

Linking up today with some friends!

Keep Your Eyes on God!- 52 weeks of family scripture memorization

Let's face it, some days are just harder than others.  Some weeks are like that!

I feel like I am stuck in one of those seasons.

As I so often say to my close friends- KEEP YOUR EYES ON GOD!  

Yes, I am shouting that to myself.

 

We need to teach our kids that when things are good we need to keep our eyes on God.  And then when things get hard, we need to continue to keep our eyes on Him as well. How easy it is to take our eyes off God and drown in our own helplessness.

I am a momma.  I love my kids and I want to supply their every need.  Make everything all better.  I want them to come to me with all of their sadness, hurt, and pain.  But before even that, I want to teach them to take all that to God first.  I am human and I can only do so much!

He is God, and He alone will  give us refuge and sustain us!

Teach your kids to keep their eyes on God and make Him their refuge!

Blessings, Michele

Crawling Out of the Pit- 52 weeks of family scripture memorizatioon

Psalm 139 is my favorite chapter of the Bible.  One day I hope to be able to memorize the whole thing.  The first time I heard it was while watching a VHS (remember those?) of Michael W. Smith in concert.  He prayed Psalm 139 and at the time I had no idea it was scripture.  I was in high school and I just remember thinking wow, what a prayer.  Years later, after being saved and while reading through the Bible, I ran across those familiar words.  It was like a revelation- I too could pray that prayer.

The whole thing speaks to me, but today I want to point you to two particular verses- 23 and 24.  In the NIV translation part of the verse reads "Try me and know my anxious thoughts."

So here goes for honesty...

I have had some pretty anxious thoughts lately.  Our family got very sick the day my husband left and have been sick since.  Four out of five of us have been down for the count and thank goodness the oldest was spared and is able to run a household.  A friend commented on how sorry she was because she knew how hard it was to be a mom and sick at the same time.  No worries- I haven't been a mom for the past week!  Just keeping it real!

I did however lay in a bed for 6 days straight.  And since then, I often head right back there after being up for more than an hour.   Pneumonia and bronchitis will do that to you.  Bed has become my place.  And it has given me a lot of time to feel anxious.

What if I get even sicker?

What if we cannot take care of ourselves?

What if we cannot get through this next year without my husband?

What if we misread God and should have retired instead?

What if...

I spiraled down into a pit of panic more and more everyday and realized I had the potential to take the kids right along with me.  Anxious thoughts have a way of doing that to you.  They affect you and they affect those around you.  They can cripple us with irrational fear.

And they are not from God.

I know that.  I tell friends that all of the time.  But man, when it is you going through a crisis, things can look very different.  You stop seeing truth and you hyper focus on lies.  And it grieves the Lord.

So my prayer for the past few days has been for God to know those thoughts (He does!) and help me take them captive (He can!) To help pull me out of this pit.  Because on my own I am not able.

But God is!

Our circumstances are not a surprise to God.  Depending on what you believe, at the very least He allowed them.  At the most, He orchestrated them.

I do not like the way my life looks right now.  Heck, I do not even like the way my heart looks right now.   I do not understand things.  And I feel like my sweet, simple life just got turned upside down and shaken. 

But minute my minute, and trust me when I say it has to happen about every minute, I am asking God to search my heart, find those anxious thoughts and help me move past them to crawl out of the pit of despair and into His everlasting truth and life.

If we can pray for you, please let us know.  Anxiety and despair are hard, but you do not have to suffer alone!

Blessings,

Michele

Do you have hope? 52 Weeks of family scripture memorization

God's ways are perfect and so is His timing.  Every. Single. Time!

Part of this week's verse is actually a continuation from a few weeks ago.  I thought we needed to finish the thought so here it is...

This week two words really stood out to me about this verse- TRUTH and HOPE.

First of all truth.  In a world of lies, deceit and sinful people it is often hard for us to trust the people around us.  Sad, but true.  Even if they are not specifically trying to be dishonest, our sinful nature gets in the way.  My prayer this week is that I will learn to trust people more, but more importantly to trust God.  He is never deceitful.  I just need to listen.

And then there is hope.  Do you have any?  I needed some this week and a little bit shone through and it washed over me like a refreshing rain.  Reminding me that God IS hope and that again, if I keep my eyes on Him and not the confusion and madness of the world, He will supply.  Just the right amount at just the right time.

Why would I doubt?  I certainly do not want my children to doubt.  I want to teach them that God is our hope and we need nothing else.  Let's share this verse and watch our lives be changed!

Blessings,

The Waiting Season- 52 weeks of family scripture memorization

How good are your children at waiting?

How good are you at waiting?  Are you setting a good example for them?

If I were going to be honest, might as well be, my answer would be not so good. and not so much.

Waiting has never been my strong suit.  I like answers.  I like plans.

OK, I LOVE plans.  For tomorrow, next week and next year, please.  Calendars and schedules keep this gal happy.

And instead, I feel like this family is always in the act of waiting.  For something.

We are in that season now.  Several unanswered "things" and lots of waiting.

And so daily, I have to teach my kids, and remind myself of this verse...

Wait.

Who, me?

Yes!  

And on top of that be strong?

Yes!

Wait for the LORD!  

Not for the world, or friends, or spouses, or the military (is that one just us?), but for the LORD.

Because He is the one that directs our paths and has all of the plans.  

And if we trust in Him, we will wait for Him!

How can we pray for you this week as you wait on God?

Blessings,

Who made you? -52 Weeks of Family Scripture Memorization

All kids want to know where they came from, right?

In our house, because one of our children is adopted, sometimes the answer can get complicated.   You know, from another mommy's tummy, from Guatemala, and on and on.  Since all of our kids were born in different states, I often want to give the simple answer- Mississippi, Florida, New Mexico, and Guatemala.

But you know what?

 The simplest answer is God!

They came from God.  We ALL did!

Maybe before we even go into the birds and bees, and even before we talk about birth place locations, we need to remind our children that they came from God.  He made us and He loves us.

And He does not mistakes.

No matter our birth place!

Blessings,