Wednesday adventures at Granny's house ~

Wednesday adventures at granny's house:

The kids come in from school and are immediately disturbed that granny's refrigerator looks different.

The difference was that she cleaned it and had not put all the magnets and their sweet little mug shots back up that covered the entire surface. Hahahahaha!

~ Family Meeting ~

Our family has been so busy this month and been in so many different directions (and countries for Matt! Lol! ). Tonight, it was nice to sit down for our family meeting and rehash the busy schedule and get a plan of attack on moving forward.

We don't get it all right and some days are just a crazy mess BUT I'm thankful for the godly leader in my husband and for a family that truly seeks God's guidance in our daily lives.

"But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24:15 (NLT)

~ Prepping for Battle ~

This morning, remember to prepare for the battlefield. Spend time with the Lord in prayer and the Word before stepping out into the war zone.

Satan is armed and ready to mess with you today. But the good news is that our God is greater! Draw strength from Him and be ready!

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)

~ Happy Monday ~

Well, it's Monday morning!

Today, we can choose to complain about everything; "It's cold", "the weekend is over", “I'm tired", "I have to go to work", "I have to go to school", etc.

OR

We can choose to give praise to the One who gave us breath AND gave us the seasons AND gave us weekends for rest AND a bed to lay our sleepy heads AND jobs to work & provide for our families AND schools to learn and gain knowledge AND I could go on and on....

Today, I choose praise to our God because He deserves my BEST and all honor and glory belong to HIM!

"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalms 118:24 (NLT)

~ Back Home ~

Blessed to be home! I'm trying to wrap my mind around the events of the weekend and all I can say is "glory to God"!

Some of you have asked about the conference I attended and why so I thought I would share a little about it.

The Allume Conference is an annual conference for bloggers and writers. Women come from all over the country (and some from Canada) to learn and grow in an area of writing that God has called them into.

Wow! What an experience!

I didn't necessarily set out to be a writer. I can honestly say that I just began writing out of an overflow of my heart when God sent our family on a journey to the other side of the globe to bring home the most precious 3 ½ year old boy ever. It was a way for me to share with family and friends back in the US about our adoption journey and Caleb's first year home. But God continued to write messages on my heart as He showed me His goodness and faithfulness and I was encouraged to keep writing. (My mom can be pushy! Haha!)

From a blog to my first book, my moments have been journaled and I will continue writing as long as God continues chipping away in this process of growing closer to Him. And knowing myself as I do, there will be plenty of chipping and refining for Him to do. Lol! I'm so grateful for His work in my life. It's not always pleasant, as refining can be uncomfortable but what a necessary part of becoming more like Christ. O, sweet Jesus, how I long to be more like YOU!

What an incredible blessing I had to be in the presence of some of my favorite authors! Women that walk with the Lord and understand His grace and mercy. These precious women, just like me, called to tell their stories and through their obedience to Christ have made a huge impact on the world! Hallelujah!

Ann Voskamp, Melanie Shankle, Emily Freeman, Bianca Olthoff, Jennie Allen, and many others touched my heart through their messages. The written word is powerful and theirs is making a difference for Christ!

How beautiful to share the message of Christ and do so through His work in our lives! Though my words will probably never reach the multitudes that theirs do, I'm still called to share my story. A story that He continues to write on the pages of my soul..... His story! What a blessing it is! Whether there are 10 people or 10 million people that hear the message of Christ on my blog, I will continue to shout His praises! I will uplift His name! I will surrender to His call! I will walk boldly in His will!

I'm just an ordinary woman called to tell about an EXTRAORDINARY GOD!

~ Heading Home ~

Today I head home from an amazing weekend! Looking forward to seeing my kiddos, hugging my sweet hubby (for a few minutes, anyway, before he heads out of town again) and sleeping in my own bed! It has been a wonderful experience! My heart and mind are full of the challenges God placed on me and I'm confident that He will continue working in my heart as His plan unfolds.

I'm exhausted but yet energized at the same time.

I'm overwhelmed at what God has shown me but also yielded to His plan.

It's a lot of emotions today and I can't wait to get back to the comfort of my home, fall on my face before Him, and praise Him for His sovereignty, His providence, and His magnificent glory!

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."

Ephesians 3:20 (NLT) 

~ Shine ~

   

                                           

So for those of you that know me understand that I NEVER win anything. Lol! No raffles, no ticket drawings.....nothing. Well, tonight that changed.

During an amazing hour of worship & praise there were artists scattered all over the room painting what God had laid on their hearts. When it was over I took my winning number over to the artist that painted mine and I was speechless (that doesn't happen often! Ha!) She was on the other side of the room so I didn't see her process which others said was a true act of worship.

She shared her story of how we are called to shine for Christ and she prayed that whoever received this painting would continue to shine His glory for all!

Tonight I am humbled and honored that God chose me! But more importantly is the confirmation He keeps placing on my life to SHINE!

ALL glory belongs to the ONE TRUE LIGHT!

~ Preparing for Rain ~

For some time, God has been dealing with me in some areas of my life. I will not go into the details on here because they are between me (and my husband as we are one) and the Lord. I've been praying about them, but to be honest, I haven't actually prepared for God to bring what he planted in my heart.

I had a moment yesterday, as God was dealing so strongly in my heart and stirring up so much, where I just had to take some time away from the sessions and go to the prayer room that was set up for us. It was a place to break away from the "norm" and find some one-on-one time with God. I retreated in this quiet place, dimly lit, with chairs and sofas to reflect and pray. There weren't many in there so I found a spot and opened my heart before the Lord. I asked his forgiveness for not believing what He placed in my heart would be followed out. I began writing out my prayer to him. Raw, no pretty words. Just honest conversation to my Heavenly Father. Praising him for who He is and believing that the work He began....He will complete in His time.

I began preparing for rain!

One of my favorite movies is "Facing the Giants". I'm sure most of you have seen it. If not, I encourage you to watch it even this weekend (the whole movie is available on YouTube). In this movie was told a parable of two farmers. Both needed rain desperately and prayed for it but only one began to prepare his crops for the rain.

As I opened my heart to the Holy Spirit's leading this weekend, He impressed on me to begin preparing for rain.

Faith, trust, believing in HIM to complete the work HE has begun!

Yes, Lord, I'm preparing for rain!

Is God asking you to do the same in your own life? Are you in desperate need in your life and praying but haven't begun to prepare for the rain?

I encourage you today to prepare. If God has laid it on your soul; pray, seek, and prepare for Him to complete the work in you in His time!

He is faithful!

"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns."

Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

(Here is the clip of the movie)

http://youtu.be/WAxwS8KyMQQ

~ God, Prepare the Way...~

For months I have known I was going to this conference. My ticket was purchased at the beginning of the year and I was excited to go for a time of learning and growth in an area God was opening doors. But the closer I came to leaving, I found myself totally unprepared. Months of focus being drawn to other areas of my life and hurdles to overcome, I left NC headed to Greenville going strictly in faith. I came blindly to any expectations but solely on what God had prepared for me.

This morning my heart overflows!

He indeed prepared the way! He is at work!

“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven."

John 3:27 (NKJV)

My prayer today is for God to mold my heart so completely in Him that I can't even recognize my own heartbeat as it beats so in tune with His!

Abba, Father, I rest in YOUR embrace today! I thank YOU for your Word. I praise YOU for being at work in my life! All for YOU today!

However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him— 

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)

~ Moments That Take Our Breath Away ~

There are days when things are "normal" and nothing earth shattering happens either for good or bad, just business as usual. Then there are days when things are absolutely amazing and you bask in the wonderment of those blessings and think on them often. Then, of course, we have the days that cannot get over quick enough because everything seems to have fallen apart and you are ready to go to bed and start over again or even feel like a bad dream that you never want to relive.

This is just part of this life. We when live in a fallen world and are sinful creatures ourselves, we will be disappointed and we will also be the ones that cause disappointment. We will hope for the wonderful days and probably complain and belly-ache on the not-so-good days (yes, I'm talking about me here). But on this journey of life, I have also experienced those days where God takes a seemingly "normal" moment and puts His magnificent touch on it and turns it in to a moment you will never forget. In His divine providence He makes the mundane....a beautifully inspired moment that shines His glory and takes your breath away!

He is AMAZING God!

I experienced that last night as He took an, albeit, great moment studying the Word with my daughter and turned it into so much more than I could have fathomed. I sat there as we discussed what we studied and began to see the Spirit overtake her. She shared her heart with me and became overcome in His presence! The tears flowed and her tender heart toward Him was moved in a way I had never seen in her and she had never experienced before. O, hallelujah!

Those are the moments that take my breath away! Those are the God-moments that make all the "yuck" of the world go away! Those are the moments I lift my hands and my heart and say "Thank you" to Almighty God for reminding me that He is still on His throne, that He is still King of Kings and LORD of Lords, and that He is WORKING!

There truly is no greater joy than to see my children walk in truth. (3 John 1:4) This world is hard. This world is full of opportunities that can pull our children away from God. Satan revels in those opportunities and works hard at it. Growing up is hard enough but to have the temptations and disregard for God in this country that I see now makes it even harder on our young people.

I praise God for that moment! That moment that will be etched in my heart and mind for eternity and I pray that her heart, and the hearts of all three of my children, will be continually be softened toward God as they heed His ways and look to Him for guidance in their lives. I pray that they gear up for battle on a daily basis and stand strong in God's Word to fight off the enemy. But most importantly, I pray they will experience those divine moments from the Holy Spirit as He refreshes their soul and convicts their hearts to do His will!

Today, I praise my God for all that He is! I praise Him for those three blessings that belong to him! I praise Him for His work in their lives, and mine, and pray for many more to come!

It's ALL about HIM!

All praise and glory belong to HIM!

Amen and amen!

~ Faith Christian Academy continues..... ~

It was 8 weeks ago today that we began our first full year of Faith Christian Academy so I thought I would give you a little update on the school year.

Things are going really well! Of course there was some bumpy terrain along the beginning but through lots of prayer, God met each need and smooth roads were met again! He continues to astound me with His constant faithfulness! After the first 3 weeks of school, it was evident that we needed to reevaluate our curriculum choice for Caleb. It was quite different and although it has wonderful reviews, it didn't workout well for him. I love how God takes our earthly frustrations and helps us put them in His heavenly perspective! He makes all things new!

God opened door after door for Caleb and through several divine interventions, he is on a great track of learning. We are thoroughly enjoying our learning together!

Caleb is working at a late 3rd grade level in reading, spelling, and language, 4th grade for science, and after some placement testing, he is now excelling in 5th grade math. That is what I love about homeschooling. It has allowed him to grow right where he's at and flourish. Praise The Lord! He loves our science and PE co op class every other week too!

Ben and Callie are plugging along and, aside from Ben's chemistry class, love it! Lol! As I keep telling Ben, he made it through geometry 2 years ago and he will make it through chemistry!

All 3 of them amaze me! I am truly one blessed mama and I praise God every single day for those 3 precious blessings! They help each other so much and get along better than any siblings I've ever seen. They work hard on their homeschool work and have shown such great responsibility.

There are many days I feel like I've flopped as a homeschooling mom and the thoughts of, "Am I messing up my kids?" will gallop through my tired, worn out head some days. But then there are the soft whispers from God telling me it's all going to be ok. Those tender reminders that because He brought us to it, He will see us through it are priceless and necessary.

As I think on our journey, I pause on these moments I cherish:

Caleb's sweet face when he "gets it" during our language lesson.

Ben telling me how well Caleb read to him that morning.

Callie calling out questions to Ben as he studies.

Ben and Callie learning together during their online class.

Cuddling up with Caleb as we read an afternoon book together.

Watching Callie prepare family dinner and seeing the look of pride on her face as we enjoy the fruits of her labor.

Hearing Ben encourage his brother and sister during their studies.

Writing love notes in their assignment pads as I plan their lessons.

Coming home from work to find the kitchen completely clean, laundry folded, and school books worked in.

Watching tears run down Caleb's face as Ben prayed over him for strength and encouragement from God after a tough day.

Getting sweet texts at work from Callie letting me know how she helped Caleb with spelling and moved him on to his next task.

Going in their messy rooms and, while preparing my lecture about cleanliness, finding their Bibles opened and notes of what God is showing them through His Word.

These are only a portion of those moments I cherish. You see, just as soon as I feel defeat from the enemy, God quickly sends me reminders of what is truly important. It is then He refreshes my soul to the task He's called us to. We don't have everything perfect and I know there are others far more organized and qualified than me but this is our story and God is still penning those beautiful pages every day.

I am grateful for the journey and blessed beyond measure!

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him."

Psalms 127:3 (NLT)

"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns."

Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

~ Wednesdays at Granny's ~

The Wednesday afternoon gathering of cousins at my mom's house always provides great entertainment and dinner is always a conglomeration of surprises. Tonight's menu: granny's homemade mac & cheese, spicy fried chicken patties, a variation of hot dogs, left-over green bean casserole, left-over turkey & stuffing, and left-over chicken parmesan.

Always full of fun and yummy delicacies before we head to our Wednesday evening church services!

"If my people..."

I'm not an expert on political or government issues nor do I desire to be. This country is a mess. It doesn't take an expert to see that. But what I do know is that man is sinful and when God is removed from every decision, every vision, every thought, and selfish desires are pursued; then destruction is inevitable.

"Where there is no vision, the people perish"

Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

"Oh sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity, brood of evildoers, depraved children! They have abandoned the Lord; they have despised the Holy One of Israel; they have turned their backs on Him."

Isaiah 1:4 (HCSB)

This is what needs to happen:

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV)