Blessed is she...

"Blessed is she, who has believed, that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished."

Luke 1:45

My entire relationship with Jesus can be summed up in this one verse. From the first time I read it years ago it has been the one verse that I feel completely reflects my relationship with Jesus.I quote it all the time, it is the tag-line on all of my email, I sign it on cards, I share it to encourage others.

Why? I am currently studying Beth Moore's Believing God Bible study and in it she talks about speaking out truth from Scripture. Following are 10 wonderful promises that we can name and claim as our own as Daughters of the Most High King.

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.”

Isaiah 12:2

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:8-10

“Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.”

Psalm 28:6-7

“The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”

Isaiah 58:11

“Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

Romans 8:14-15

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”

Romans 8:26-27

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:37-39

“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

Colossians 2:15

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

James 1:5

“But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”

James 1:25

Some News

I have some news, but before I share, I guess I need to tell you the back story to get you current.

First, If you have read my blog in the past, you will know that Kevin needs some extra help with aspects of his learning. Although we have worked well with the school, homework has always been a nightmare. I say that in the sense that by the time I get home from work, it is dinner time. Once we get dinner over with, then we can start homework. With his reading difficulties, homework, on average, takes several hours a night. It wasn't anything for him to be finishing up at 11:00pm. Not ideal in the least, but we didn't have any options.

Also, For the past six months or so, God has been really working on me. He has been really convicting me over my lack of trust in the finance department. My lack of obedience, my lack of trust, my lack of faith, my lack of giving up control. I have been fighting God on this issue for about as long as I have been trying to walk with Him. I don't know why other than the fact that I don't want to give up the driver's seat, even though I keep crashing the car, so to speak. After about six weeks of what my friend Shelley calls God screaming at me (the same message in place after place after place for weeks on end) God finally got through to me. I am not one to go down easy, even when the fight is with God, and as you can image,after that kind of fight the surrender wasn't easy. But God. After I finally told God I would listen and obey him, I did. And it hasn't been as hard as I would have thought. Now, not saying I haven't taken a couple wrong turns since then, but I am on a good path now.

Finally, I have been completely overwhelmed, time-wise. I have scaled back everywhere I could think of, but just could not get peace about the amount of time I was dedicating at home. I spent a lot of time figuring out if it was conviction, which is God, or feeling condemned, which is NOT God. I wanted to make sure I was working things out in God's will. Oh how I have longed for a burning bush! For God to say, this is the exact thing I want you to do at this time. I will be there every step of the way, I will tell you what to say, and tell you what to do. But I never got one.  Once again, God started talking. Loudly. Not a burning bush, but pretty good. The same message everywhere I went. It was funny at times because a friend would be sharing something she got out of Bible study, that was exactly what she wanted to hear, and it was the same message I had been hearing everywhere; but because God was working out different things in each of us, the same Bible study had two completely different outcomes.

Where is all this information leading?

As of July 9th, I will be a stay-at-home Mom! Is this scary? SO. VERY. MUCH. but you know what? I am OK with that. I have already had some confirmations since I turned in my notice at work. Will I miss my job? YES! I loved working with wonderful women, in a ministry that is very near and dear to God's heart (a crisis pregnancy center). I will also miss seeing God show up in some unexpected and awesome ways. But, I know that God has some really great stuff for me down this new path I will begin.

One of the things I hope to come back to is blogging. Not that I think I am so witty, or experienced, or more able than any other Jesus-loving girl out there. I just think that sometimes something that happens in my life might look a little bit like something going on in someone else's life. And if I write about my experience, maybe, just maybe, it will help that someone, even a little bit. Also, there are things and times in my life that God has just been abundant, awesome, amazing, patient, caring, convicting, loving, comforting, insistent, amusing, gentle, firm, and always over-the-top lavish in his treatment of me. I just have to share that kind of stuff!

If you are still visiting me, or receiving my feeds, THANK YOU! I hope to be back to regular posting soon. But in the meantime, please pray as I prepare to start this new chapter in my family's life.

The Stuff You Use

Isn't this just life?? Now, if we can just learn the simple truth of how everything is something God can use in our life, we will be much better off.

Enjoy!


This is the stuff

And in the silence comes a word

I miss my little bloggy corner of the world. It is like I am in my most comfy chair with my blankie and my diet Dr. Pepper chatting with some really great girlfriends about God, life, chocolate and purses.

My life has been a crazy whirlwind of, well, everything. I will give you a quick catch-up.

Kevin has taken off as a 5th grader. His grades have improved, his reading and learning disabilities have taken a decided up-swing, he is becoming slightly more responsible (I say slightly because let's face it, he is a pre-teen boy. I only expect so much!), and is still finding his own in the sports arena. For the last three months it has been basketball. I have discovered that it is not only football where I am "that Mom". Yes, I am "that Mom" for basketball too. I went on YouTube and taught myself how to set a pick, box out and what the positions on the court are supposed to be doing. So I could coach more effectively from the stands. Yes, it went over as well as you would expect. He completely ignores me. Oh well, I am having a blast watching him play.

Somehow a thirteen year old girl is living in my three year old daughter's body. She never sits, never quits talking, has hormone swings every twenty minutes and I devastate her whole world if I won't let her wear a dress to play around the house or wear her fancy Sunday dress that Grandma made her to bed. She will cook in her kitchen, craft at the table for hours and bounce like a bouncy ball during her weekly tumbling class. She asks to go to church every day, loves her best friend and basically thinks she rules the world. The best part, though, is when she cuddles up with me on the couch with stack of books and we just read until we both are not able to keep our eyes open any longer.

Bob and I went to a marriage conference that was generously provided by our church family. I highly recommend " A Weekend To Remember" for anyone who is married. Happily, desperately, hopelessly. It doesn't matter. You will walk out with a fresh, inspired perspective on yourself, your spouse, your marriage and as a parent. Anyway, neither Bob nor I like to talk about the important stuff with each other. We are now like that awkward couple you see in the comedies that have gone to marriage counselling and now use the "communication tools".

"It sounds like you are saying _____________. Is that what you intended to say or am I misinterpreting your meaning."

"It really hurts my feelings when you _________________. I know you don't intend to hurt my feelings and I will make an effort to understand you did not mean it the way I took it."

Awkward.

But it works.

I have been traveling through this most amazing journey that started with Lysa TerKeurst's Made to Crave. I have found a certain level of confidence in who I am in God. I truly do trust that I am beautiful. Now, not to say that if I look I wouldn't find some things that I would like to change about my appearance, but the key is, I no longer go looking for them. I can look in the mirror and love my spunky haircut, my eyes, and my smile. I look past the parts that aren't as thin as I would like to the fact that God has provided me with clothing that compliment me and are comfortable. I feel good in what I wear. I feel comfortable in the skin God put me in. I see the woman that loves Jesus desperately, that is serving in her strengths and at the end of the day, feels like she accomplished something, even if it was small in the grand scheme of things.

Do I still struggle with things? YES! Just tonight in our ladies Bible study God showed me two areas of my life that are spiritual deserts. I had never noticed my lack of faith over these two things because my faith in God is so strong in others. I always wondered how I could believe for the good that God wants for my life, and even that He is willing to work these changes in me, but for some reason I just couldn't get out of God's way. Now I know. I don't see this being an easy time ahead. It never is when God is demanding control and I am unwilling to give it up, even though I know it is what is best for me.

I am unsure what my future looks like. Abby will be entering Pre-K next fall, Kevin will be in junior high, and I will be entering a new season of motherhood. What does that mean? I don't have a clue.

I will begin teaching in our children's ministry next month. I am very excited. And scared. I might be all they see of Jesus in a week. I need to make sure it is the right reflection. Jesus. Not me.

God is showing me new ways to serve and lead in our women's ministry and worship arts. Things that I have never considered before. Artistic ways. Very personal ways. It might seem like all forms of worship are easy for me, as much as I love to praise God, but I am just like everyone else. It is hard to stand before others and be raw and honest in my worship; shutting out the world and worshipping God alone, while still trying to lead others to that place of raw honesty as well. What uncomfortable place will God call me to next? I don't know. I just know I hope I will, with shaky voice and twisted stomach, say "yes" to whatever He asks of me.

I am by no means where God is taking me, but I am on a journey that is an exciting ride. I miss my bloggy world. I wish I had time (and energy) to visit every day. I miss putting into written word the things God shows me when I take the time to look and listen to His voice. I hope to once again post with regularity, but this season of my life is busy. I can't guarantee anything, but I can tell you that when I do have time to post, it will be about what God is doing in my life. The pretty and the painful.

Walking On The Stars

"But I trust in you, LORD; I say, 'You are my God.'”  Psalm 31:14

This is one of my new favorite songs.

I am trying to stay in a very "up" place. It is what you would call my new year resolution, if you like. Joy and obedience and perserverence are a choice. We can choose to look beyond this moment, this choice, this circumstance, to what God wants for us. We know we can trust him, that his plans for us are good, and that we will ultimately be in God's will if we seek only to glorify Him with each choice that we make. By choosing joy, obedience and perserverence, we can not only make it though whatever our life looks like, we will be walking closely with God. Every step.

This song shows how I see walking with God. It is so fun and beautiful. I hope you enjoy!

Lyrics below.



Take me away


Save me from myself and all I do

Life just aint the same when I’m with you

I can climb the sky you got me walking on the stars

Now, I can see the world from way up high

Troubles I once knew I left behind

I can climb the sky you got me walking on the stars



I see my life sometimes and I ask why

My heart became like stone and turned to ice tell me what have I become

But you came just in time like a shooting star across my universe out of the dark tell me what have I become



I see life through new set of eyes

Set on someone different that I never realized

Outside my mind is a lost world that lies

But step into my thoughts you’ll believe you can fly

Your words like wings gravity they defy

My heart like a leaf on the wind catchin rides

They say we can’t make it at least we gotta try

We make to much sense to foolishly pass it by

So I’m taking a rainbow up to the 5th floor

Steppin out to see that you’re really worth more and I

See our love in 3D

No more 2 dimensional worries

Climb until the sky don’t exist no more

That’s when I’ll knock knock on your front door

Open to the possibilities I ignored

But I know now exactly what our love was meant for



(Bridge)

And I can see, much more clear

When I’m lost in your atmosphere

You pull me close, to the place

Where you’re always waiting

So I won’t stop, the walls are down

Make my way at the speed of sound

Hold me now hold me now


Check out Amy's Blog for more great songs!!

Your Love

The more I ask God to break me down the more He does. As I find more and more that I need to give over to him, the more this song makes sense. And the more that I tell God all I need is His love, the more I truly believe it.

Enjoy this song. It is shaping up to be my theme song for 2011.

Head over to Amy's when you are done and check out some more great songs to start your year off right!

Happy New Year!

The Shepherds and the Magi

Each played a part.
One "spread the word concerning all they had been told about this child... glorifying God for all the things they had heard and seen."

The other "bowed down and worshipped him."

THE SHEPHERDS

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”



Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,


“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told."
Luke 2:8-20 (NIV)




THE MAGI

"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”



When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:


‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’


Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”


After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh."
Matthew 2:1-11 (NIV)



We are to be like both, bowing down in worship of him, as well as spreading the word and glorifying him for all the things we have heard and seen.
 
Merry Christmas

Unspeakable Joy!

I have always liked Joy To The World but once again, Chris Tomlin takes something beautiful and then takes it to the next level. My favorite new song of the season!

Have a wonderful week before Christmas by finding time to be alone with Jesus and worship with everything you have. His favorite gift is YOU!



Head over to Amy's for a great Christmas music offering!

God is With Us

This is one of my favorite worship Christmas songs. Just beautiful.



Don't forget to visit Amy!

SNOW!

I am kicking off December with a scene from my favorite Christmas movie: White Christmas. This is one of my favorite songs from the movie and it seems fitting since we have had teeny tiny flurries over the past couple of days. I am praying that we get a good layering of snow in the next few weeks. It is my favorite thing to do to go Christmas shopping when the snow is falling.

Enjoy! (Then go visit AMY for more songs!)