Hope

Hope ~ to cherish a desire with anticipation; to trust.

I received an e-mail today with the following scriptures in it:

Lamentations 3:21-25 “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;”

Romans 15:4 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

Hoping, waiting, on God. Knowing that He is always faithful. Knowing His compassions never fail. Knowing He is good to those who seek Him. Such a wonderful reward for putting our hope and our trust in Him. This immediately made me think of several journeys in life, that although I did have hope and trust in God, knowing that He was always faithful to His children, I didn't always seek Him first... I tried to handle it alone, figuring out the hard way that He was the one that would provide. I'm so thankful He is compassionate and forgiving. I'm thankful, that He still provides even when we slip into "control freak" mode and forget to put complete faith and trust in Him. Knowing always, He has a plan for us... in His time.

I'm so thankful that when I didn't know His plan for me back in 2000, He gave me hope and sent me my first son, Jacob. I'm so thankful that in 2003, when we had waited 1 1/2 years for a second child he brought me Amberlee. I'm so thankful that in His time, he brought me Mason, a child conceived in the "traditional" way that we never thought was possible. When I lost hope in God's plan for our family, He showed us the plan He had carved out specifically for us. Now, these things remind us daily of God's plan for us.

Thank You, Father. For loving us, forgiving us, and having great compassion for us. Thank You for being good to us when we seek You. Thank You for giving us Hope and Trust. Thank You for still loving us and providing for us even when we lose our trust in You. Please help us to always place our Hope and our Trust at Your feet and to have the Faith to leave it there. We know You always know our path and will guide us in it... even when it's difficult. Thank You, Father, thank You.

patience, easier said than done

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Ephesians 4:2

Patience, something I struggle to have on a daily basis. I was reminded today of just how patient God is with me. So, why is it so hard for me to patient with others? All I have to say today is...

Thank you Father. Thank You for Your willingness to be patient with me. Thank You for forgiving me when I fail You over, over, and over again. Please help me to have the strength to have the patience with my children and my husband the way You have patience with me. Help me to show my children to be "quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger" (James 1:19). Help me to be "slow to anger so that I may have great understanding" (Proverbs 14:29). And, Lord, help me to be patient with myself as I am working daily to serve You.

a new beginning

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. Jeremiah 29:11

I love how God has a plan for us. A plan we can't even begin to imagine. I enjoyed looking through a photo album of some dear friends of ours trip to Ethiopia to pick up their two year old son Solomon. It brought back so many emotions. Emotions of joy, emotions of fear, emotions of sorrow. Joy for the new birth into the family, fear of all the unknowns, and sorrow for the loss that birth families will face every day, every year, as they long for Solomon's presence. I always knew and have told my children that God created them from the moment they started growing in their birth mothers' tummies just for me. I truly believe that, otherwise, why would God tells us He has a plan for us! I'm thankful for His plans, for the Hope and future He gives us...

Dear Lord, thank you for creating these three beautiful children and placing them in my hands. Thank you for adoption and for birth. Thank you for all the wonderful families who find it in their hearts to see your plan for them... through adoption. Thank you for the birth mothers who make such a sacrifice to bless so many children and families. Please bring them peace when they have times of sorrow. Please continue to bless my children with the understanding that the only plan You ever had for them was to be my children. Thank you, Lord, for having a plan for us and for giving us hope. Always.

the WOW factor

So have you ever thought about what Mary thought the first time she saw Jesus perform a miracle? Do you think she knew he had this gift prior to the wedding in John where He turned the water to wine? Talk about being "wowed". Could you imagine watching your son do such amazing things? Then, could you imagine watching your son being harassed, tortured, beaten, spat upon, etc.? Could you imagine watching these things and knowing that this was God's plan for Him and stand back without interfering? Not me! After watching the Passion years ago, I gained a new respect for Mary. I had never thought of the suffering and sacrifice she went through during Jesus' persecution. It hurts me so much just to see Jacob stand on the sidelines with a broken arm or Amberlee crying because she fell and hurt her knee or Mason fussing because his belly hurts. What an amazing woman she was! What an example of praying for your children, teaching them God's way, and allowing Him to place His plan for them on their hearts... and letting go!

Lord, I pray You will give me the strength to give my children totally back to You. I know that You have only placed them in my hands for a short time to prepare them to come back to You. Please help me to love them and teach them to seek Your way and Your will for them. Help me to show them by my life how to put complete trust and faith in You. Forgive me and help them to forgive me for the mistakes I make daily. Please give me patience so that I can be a strong woman and mother, like Mary, for my children. Please Lord, help them to "walk in truth" always. Help them fight Satan... and always win.

I have no greater joy than to know my children walk in truth. III John v.4

Heartaches and Bone Breaks

Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Well, what a day it has been! Not only have we now suffered our first football injury, we have also had the first broken bone. Jacob was diving for a loose football this morning in PE, another kid came in on top of him... and snap... his Radius is broken in two. It was a clean break, thankfully. However, they had to reset it and put it in a cast. It was not fun... needless to say! He's sad too... because he's out of football for 6 weeks. I have felt so helpless as a mom. We try so hard to protect them from hurting. Then, you are faced with situations like this where you know it will hurt them, but it is the best thing for them. I believe it may be the hardest thing at this point in life, I have ever dealt with as a mom.

Jacob and I read Romans 12:12 and talked about it after we got home from the doctor today. We talked about how we have to be joyful in knowing that we have hope he will heal. We also have to be patient while it is healing... which is the hardest. He asked me this afternoon if this was the end or the beginning of the first week. Poor little guy. And then, we prayed, faithfully, for all of these things.

Thank you dear Lord for giving us the gift of prayer. A way to talk to you when we are in pain... and a way for us to teach our children You are always there... no matter the circumstances. Please help not only Jacob, but all of us to remember to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. Thank you for sending your angels to watch over sweet Jacob today. Thank you for giving him such a strong spirit. Thank you for giving him a healthy body and healthy mind. Thank you for giving us the PCA family who have placed their arms around us physically and their prayers around us spiritually. You KNOW what we need in our lives... thank you! And, please, be with Jacob as he is healing... help him to be as pain free as possible and to heal fast.

A Lifetime Together

Marriage is that relation between man and woman in which the independence is equal, the dependence mutual, and the obligation reciprocal. Louis K. Anspacher

I came across this quote and thought it was great! Drew and I have found over the last almost 14 years, that we are very independent people. However, we are very dependant on one another. And, the obligation... well, that's a must from the beginning. Although we have had and will have ups and downs in our marriage, Drew is absolutely my very best friend. I would not want to spend this life on earth with anyone else. I am very independent, but... I can't imagine living life without depending on Drew. He is my soul mate. I know God created him just for me (bless his heart). And for that, I am forever grateful. He loves me on good days and he loves me on bad days. He loves me when all is well and he loves me when it feels like the world is tumbling down upon us. He is the best daddy any woman could want for her children. He is an amazingly Godly man that leads our family spiritually in everything he does. He is and will forever be the love of my life. I look forward to today, the rest of our days on this earth, and knowing that we will be in heaven together eternally.

Lord, thank you for creating marriage. Thank you for creating friendship. Thank you for creating Drew just for me and me for him. Thank you for our life together... even the tough days. Please help us to always keep you the center of our marriage. Help us to always respect each others independence, cherish each others dependence, and stay committed to the obligation.

I Corinthians 13 -- Love is patient, love is kind...

I say rejoice...

Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.
Philippians 4:4

After praying with the kiddos tonight before bed, I realized how much children rejoice through prayer. Thank you for this, thank you for that...

How often do we forget to be rejoiceful? Instead, we ask, ask, ask... or at least I do! God gives us so much to rejoice about. Just the fact that we are here and know that we have a way to get Home is enough to make me rejoice!

Lord, thank you for all the blessings you have given us. Thank you for sending your son for us to follow. Thank you for loving us no matter what. Thank you for giving us children to remind us how to have a loving heart and spirit. Thank you...

Do you hear me? Do you trust me?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5,6

Do you hear me? Yes. Do you hear me? Yes. Do you trust me? Yes. This was a conversation between a father and son in the movie Pursuit of Happyness with Will Smith. What an amazing and humbling movie. A man that put all of his being on the line for his success as a broker. He took leaps of faith and chances that most would not take. He took his son along a very challenging path to be able to provide him complete "happiness" in his life. The awesome thing, his son always had complete trust in him... no matter the circumstances.

What an example we should take into our spiritual journey in life. We should have complete trust in our father. No matter where our path leads us, he will always provide a way. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will direct your paths." What more has to be said...

Lord, please help me to have complete trust in you. Help me to be confident, never doubting, your guidance and paths you clear for me. Help me to remember the ultimate path I am on... the pursuit of "happiness"... eternal happiness.

Honoring God

And my God will supply all you needs according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Tonight, I watched a group of young men Honor God and trust Him to supply their needs in a challenging situation. The Prattville Christian Academy Panther's Football Team played the number one ranked team, Fort Dale, after coming off a 41-6 win against Autauga Academy last Friday night. Last weeks game was the first big win they had ever had. The guys were pumped, ready to face Fort Dale, but never for second gave the glory to anyone but God.

Tonight, they faced a team that is ranked number one for a reason. They are a great ball team, and after the final score of PCA 6, Ft. Dale 52... the guys still held their heads high and gave God the glory. It was amazing to even see the young men huddling to pray on the field. What great examples to have in young people. Young people, honoring God and being confident that God WILL supply all our needs.

Lord, please help me to follow the example of these young men. Help me to honor You in all I do and always know that You will take care of us. Help me to lift things up to You even when I am down. Please be with these young men and their awesome leaders. Allow them to continue to Honor You and be examples to so many watching. I know Satan will attack in situations like these, but please help them, their families, their leaders, and their supporters to fight against those temptations and always HONOR YOU.

Hurry up and be patient...

Hurry up and be patient... how many times do I feel like this is what I am asking God to do? Hurry up and give me patience! I have always prayed for patience. Even though I know God gives us patience through trial, I never remember that in the moment... only after the opportunity has passed. At this point in my life, where I lose my patience is typically at home. In the mornings when Amberlee won't eat her breakfast without me standing over her saying, "eat your breakfast or else...", or when I have to give the same directions over and over again to a 9 year old boy, or when Drew is being loud in the morning when the baby is still sleeping, or when I have to chase mom's dog around the neighborhood because he got out the door twice (yes, all of these things happened this morning). Why? Why do these things cause me to be so impatient? I know I will miss these moments when they are gone. I know I will look back and wish I was just having breakfast with Amberlee or having Jacob there to give directions to.

Lord, please help me to slow down and be patient. Help me to remember the purpose you have set before me... to be a woman of Christ, a wife, a mother, a friend. Help me to remember my responsibility is to teach my children your way and the way to live in the footsteps of Christ. Help me to remember that patience will teach them more than the affects of impatience. Please remind me of the patience you have with me each day as I continue to fail you over and over again. Help me to show love and tolerance to others like you do to me. Please forgive me and please give me the strength and wisdom to again... slow down and be patient.

Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. Hebrews 10:36

Words of Light...

Hooray! I'm so glad to be here... I couldn't log in for several days. So, here we go again =)

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…" (Ephesians 4:29, 30)

So, is it just me or do others feel like some days are so overwhelming they forget to listen to God? I know He knows I want to do right and serve Him, but I so often just don't get it right. I know He knows that. And, I know that if I will take the time to stop and listen... He will lighten the load.

However, instead I let the overwhelming nature of being a mom, a wife, an aunt, a daughter, etc. take over me and I fail... I fail God daily. Instead of stopping in the moment of irritation and keeping my mouth closed, I speak harshly. Instead of stopping and praying, I speak of my irritations to others instead of God. God wants me to take them to Him, talk to Him about them. He will always give me the strength to do what I need to do as well as build others up with words of light, not darkness.

Dear Lord, please help me to be wise enough to stop and talk to you in all aspects of my life. Help me to speak words of light that will benefit myself and others and will lift You up. Help me to not get so overwhelmed in my day to day life that I forget the purpose of my existence on this earth... to serve You and teach others Your way. Help me to allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in me so that I may be righteous in Your sight in all I do.

blast from the past

I sat down to open my Facebook page and ,WOW, there was one of my long lost childhood friends. I couldn't believe it. Then, I began to look and there was another, and another, and yet another...

Childhood memories and friendships are so cool to think back on. I am so thankful that God blessed me with a happy childhood with lots of happy memories with lots of awesome friends. I pray that my children are able to look back on their childhoods and think of happy thoughts. I pray even more that they will look back and see that God was working in their lives even then... starting to build their faith at a young age. And what comes to mind, "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world..."

Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these. Matthew 19:14

faith

Whatever comes of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world -- our Faith. I John 5:4

About 18 months ago, I lost a nephew to Leukemia. He passed away on April 5, 2008 (on my birthday) at the age of 16 months. At 8 weeks of age, he was at his well baby check-up and they discovered he had Leukemia. Before Ben and Becky could turn around, they were being med-flighted to Memphis where they spent the next 14 months of their lives. It was such a surreal day. I flew (in my car) to Memphis and met Becky and Ethan at St. Jude Hospital. What an experience. I had never been there before and it is definitely not like any other hospital... it's a hospital full of very sick children.

This was a true test of faith for me. Why? How? However, through this I witnessed God using Ethan to save the souls of so many. In his short life here on earth, he brought more people to Christ then many of us will in a full lifetime. There are so many stories to tell and to share. I have more faith in God now because even though Ethan is sorely missed, I know that God had a purpose for Ethan's life... and He used it. Ethan is now at home with our Heavenly Father... he finished the race before we did, little stinker! I can't wait to be there with you Little e! I still BeLIeVe and love you with all my heart! I'm so glad that Mason Isaiah is blessed to have your name. I pray that he will impact as many lives for God as you did in your life here on this earth... and still today.

listen, please just listen!

Proverbs 1:5 Let the wise listen.

Oh, how many times do I "hear" my kids, but don't "listen" to them. If I as a parent am too busy to listen, how are Jacob, Amberlee, and Mason (and even myself) going to understand that God always listens? I need to teach my children to be confident in their relationship with me through listening and communicating, so they will become confident that their Heavenly Father is always listening to them. My how powerful just "listening" to your children can be... it can impact their entire faith! I challenge myself to stop and listen to not only my children, but anyone who converses with me.

Dear Lord, please help me to slow down and listen to my children when they speak. Please help me to encourage my children to talk to me and to have confidence I am here for them always. Help them, through my example, know you are always here to listen to them... in hard times and in times of rejoicing. Please also help me to not only hear You, but to listen to You. Thank you Lord for caring and loving us so richly, that you listen to our every word...

my refuge

Tonight... exhausted after a day full of fun -- getting two kiddos off to school, a sick and needy 3 month old, 5 or so hours of work, several loads of laundry, cleaning, getting Amberlee to gymnastics, cooking for 6 kids and 4 adults, and nursing... I almost slipped on day number two. Thankfully, I didn't. Instead, I sat down and decided to open my Bible and see what was there. It was an amazing read from one of my favorite Bible characters, David.

2 Samuel 22 -- David's Song of Praise

"The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, my God is my rock , in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior -"

What is a refuge? Webster says it is a shelter or protection from danger or distress. How often to we feel we need this place of refuge? Sometimes for me it's not true danger, meaning physically, but it's emotional danger. I pray for God to help me through the day... to stay calm, remain patient, and have a smile. And what happens, I get so tired and so frustrated that one little thing causes me to let my guard down -- I snap! Why can't I just remember to go to my place of refuge... He will deliver me and be my rock. Hopefully, one day, I will have the wisdom and strength to stop and go there... before I snap, not after!

Lord, please help me to allow you to be my refuge. As David says in his song of praise, help me to remember 'that Your way is perfect and Your word is flawless'. Help me remember that if I allow You, You will 'arm me with strength and keep my way secure'. You will 'provide a broad path for my feet so that my ankles will not give way'. Give me the strength to find You always.

2 Samuel 22:47 -- The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior!

Trust God With the Impossible

So, I'm not the most avid reader. Because of that, I'm not the best at being in the word daily. However, I know how desperately I need to be. So, I am challenging myself to be spiritually fed every day by God's word. Today, I began.

Psalm 9:10 -- Those who know your name will trust you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Just like other things in life, being a mother can get you so bogged down in worries. Why is it that I continue to make the attempt to take care of things on my own. God can handle it all, if I would only have the faith to give it all to Him and leave it there! Ha... easier said than done. I always want answers. And you know, He gives them to me through His word.

1) God gave me my children... He knows them better than I.
2) God always sees my children.
3) God loves my children more than I (that is hard to believe, but I know it's true).
4) God considers my children His own.
5) God knows and wants the very best for my children
6) God urges me to pray for my children.
7) God promises me He is listening and hears my words.
8) God provides me wisdom through the Holy Spirit.
9) God reminds me that hard times build strength and that He gives us strength and peace in any situation.
10) God tells me to lay my worries at His feet.

Dear Lord, I know that as a mother, You expect me to take care of the possible and to trust You with the impossible. I pray You will give me the strength to put my trust in You always and to leave my worries at Your feet. Please Lord... help me not pick them up again! Help me to show my children the ulitimate example of complete commitment to You and the blessing of peace that will come with total trust. Amen

new adventure

Well... I've never had a blog. However, I love to write. So, as a wife to one, a mother to three, a facebook addict, and 40 hours a week of work (from home, but still 40 hours)... we'll see how this goes. I hope to be strenghened by writing my daily strengths, struggles, and goals and by the words of others. I hope others will be strengthened as well. What a mighty race this is we are running... thankfully, we are not doing it alone. I'm thankful for my Father and all those He gave me on this earth for carrying the bulk of my load. I long to be with Him. Praying for words...