A little Noah wisdom for ya...

Day 1: Adam & Eve 

"Choose you this day whom you will serve;... but as for me & my house, we WILL serve the Lord!" (Joshua 24:15) 

As long as you remain connected to God you receive the life of God. When Adam & Eve chose to disobey God they disconnected from God's life source... Stay Connected!

Day 2: David & Goliath 

"You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is HE that is in you, than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4) 

You will face many Goliaths in your life, but God will ALWAYS be there to help you overcome whatever you are faced with. 

Day 3: Joseph

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time." (1 Peter 5:6) 

No matter how big your dreams seem or look today, never give up, never lose hope, God will bring it to pass at the right time. 

Day 4: Peter & John 

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and has anointed me to preach." (Luke 4:18)

God wants to use ordinary people like you & I to minister God's grace and love to hurting people in the world. Many people look to the world for remedies or solutions to their problems, but Jesus is the answer to every problem we face. 

Day 5: Jesus 

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) 

Jesus loves you & wants you to live and be with Him in Heaven throughout eternity. Some people will say that there are many ways to get to Heaven, but the Bible teaches us there is only 1 way & that's through Jesus! 

THE END (of 2009 VBS, that is) 

Whew! 

2 worlds... you must think I'm crazy!

I remember the day I realized that I actually lived in 2 worlds. Crazy huh? By 2 worlds I mean 2 realms. I remember how shocking it was for me to realize that angels are real, the devil & demons are real & most importantly GOD was real! Just as real as you & me... just in an unseen realm... but not forever. Talk about "I once was blind, but now I see!"...

It breaks my heart when people blame God for bad things. Jesus said.... 

"SATAN comes to steal, kill & destroy, but I came to give you LIFE... an abundant life!  I am the GOOD shepherd. The good shepherd gives life to the sheep." (John 10:10-11) 

God never promised us that we wouldn't go through bad things. He did promise that He would help us (if we let Him) get through those bad things though... and come out victorious in the end! He gave us promises to stand on & He wants us to have faith in those promises & believe in Him to bring us through! 

The Bible calls God our Abba Father. Abba means Daddy. When I think of a daddy I think of a smiling, kind & gentle pappa. Someone who would go to any length to protect and help their child. 

The Bible also said He is the Lover of our Soul... He LOVES US!  

As a parent, it would crush me if something horrible happened to my kids & they said I wasn't there to help them or even worse... if they blamed me for it. We guide & lead our children lovingly through this world as they face challenges & obstacles. We are there to help them up when they fall & teach them as they go through things. That is who God is to us. I know everyone doesn't understand this. It can easily be twisted. A lot of people think God intentionally puts them through horrible situations & circumstances to teach them a lesson. He will certainly make good of a bad situation, if you let Him... but He's definitely not to blame! 

Some people say God is mysterious... no He's not! Sure we don't know everything, but He left us with an entire book full of promises & instructions for His children... He even tells us the ending! 

As far as I'm concerned... it doesn't take too much convincing for me to realize that God is on OUR side! 

I used to be sick... now I'm healed

I used to be empty... now I'm full

I used to be miserably depressed... now I'm full of God's joy

I used to be full of fear... now I have a peace

He LOVES US. Please don't blame God for the bad.... lean on Him to get you through it... onto the other side. He's the lifter of our heads. He'll take your chin gently in His hand & lift your head toward Heaven... if you let Him. Some times I'll close my eyes & picture myself jumping into the lap of My Heavenly Father & snuggling up as close as I can... while He wraps His loving arms around me.... I don't have a mean God! 

When I was little... I used to love this poem. It seems appropriate for this post.... 

Just thought I'd throw all of that out there & for your reading pleasure here are just a few ways the Bible describes God (does this sound like a God who intentionally puts you through heartache?) ...

• A hiding place from the wind
• a merciful God
• a nail in a sure place
• a shadow from the heat
• a shelter for me
• a strength to the needy in distress
• a sun and shield
• a very present help in time of trouble
• He that comforts you
• He that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we could ask or think 
• He that gives life to the world!
• Lord of Peace
• Father of the Fatherless
• The good spirit 
• The Lord our Provider
• The Lord our Healer
• Rivers of water in a dry place

The Bible says He is our... 

• Abba Father (Abba means daddy)  
  
• Counselor 
• Faithful Creator 
• Beloved
  
• Defense
• Deliverer
• Exceeding joy
• Fortress
• Friend
• Goodness
• Helper
• Hiding place
• Redeemer
• Refuge
• Rock
• Strength & power
• Dwelling place
• The lifter of my head
• The lover of my soul

Thank you for being you God... sweet, wonderful, loving YOU! 

Rainbow over RVA

Were we the only ones who saw the beautiful rainbow over RVA yesterday evening? It was gorgeous. Liv was so excited... she'd never seen a rainbow that big before. Maddy was the photographer :) 

Thank you Lord that ALL of your promises are true! 

Holy Cow... it's been over a month!

Ok, I simply can't take it anymore. SO what if the dishes are piled up, bathrooms filthy, kids not bathed... I NEED a blog fix daggonit. I can't believe it's been over a month. I sure have missed blog world. I must admit I have popped in a time or 2 to browse through my friends blogs & I have been keeping up with Stellan's condition. Thank God he's doing better. I will have to take the time soon to actually read through everyone's blog & catch up. 

I thought I would have some time at work in between phone calls to possibly blog... but, unfortunately we have restricted access to the web. What do you mean I can't play on Facebook & blog all day?!?!? What kind of company is this any way?!?!? For cryin' out loud!

Actually the job is going really really good. It's sales... & sales... well, it is what it is. I'm just thankful to be able to offer a service that is really helping people. I have been pretty successful in my position. I got a "Rising Star" award and another recognition in the short time that I've been there. I'm certainly not bragging... b/c it's totally not me! I'm no salesman, that's for sure. I just ask God for help. Some of the guys were giving me a hard time today b/c I did really good this week & they were asking me what my secret was. I told them I pray a lot... I said I ask God to send me the people who I can help & who wanna pay. :) They didn't have too much to say to that. God is so good! 

Life seemed like such a breeze when I first started back to work.... I guess that was the brief honeymoon stage :) Reality has kicked back in. There is SO much that I want to get done every day...

read my Bible, pray, cuddle with the kids, play with the kids, read to the kids, feed the kids, spend time w/ the hubs, exercise, diet, clean the house, clean the kids, clean myself, balance the checking account, eat, sleep... you know, the basics. Not to mention... spend time with friends, time for ME, make sure I call my mom so she knows I still love & appreciate her, catch up with other family (thank God for Facebook, huh?) go to church... OH yeah & then there's the whole "run an entire ministry with your husband" thing I got going on. I mean seriously. How's a girl supposed to do all of this? 

That was a rhetorical question, of course I know the answer...  ONLY BY THE GRACE OF GOD. 

I'll be honest with you though... some days I feel like crawling into a hole & not coming out for a really LONG time. I realize on those days that I'm feeling that way b/c I'm trying to make things happen in my own strength. Relying on God is so "daily".. it HAS to be or I'd go MAD. Seeking His face & getting onto His presence is SO important. BUT it's also SO easy for me to get caught up in the daily grind of things & neglect that time with Him... when I do I can start to feel the weight coming back on. 

It also helps me to have such a wonderful hubs. I love him so much. Just one of the many reasons why... the other night I came home extremely cranky. I barely spoke to him. The older girls were in KY for spring break (thank God for the in laws... it was a nice break for us & the girls had a blast!) The originally plan for this particular evening was to get some cleaning & painting done while the kids were out of town. Around 7:45 I was just simply tired of functioning so I stomped off to my bedroom & closed the door. Stephen kindly came into the bedroom holding the baby. Here is the conversation.... 

Stephen: Hey babe, you OK?

Me: NO!

Stephen: What's wrong?

Me: I don't want to talk about! (really I didn't know what was wrong, I was just having one of my "crawl into a hole" moments) 

Stephen: OK, well I'm going to take care of the downstairs, you gonna help?

Me: NO! 

Stephen: Can you take the baby then?

Me: NO! 

(pause) 

Stephen: Um, OK... I'll take the baby & take care of the downstairs, no problem. Hope you feel better. (He was sincere... I'm sure quite perturbed, but he didn't show it a bit) 

Me: Thanks, can you close the door on the way out.  (as I rolled over & pulled the covers over my head.) 

I felt kinda bad, but I was so exhausted. I slept straight through until 7 the next morning. Stephen needs a "Hubs of the year" award or something. He's so good to me. 

SO anyway, that's my update for now. Life is, well... BUSY. 

I'm going to try to get on here more. I really do enjoy blogging so I don't want to completely deprive myself :) 

Ta-ta for now & HAPPY EASTER! 

(I LOVE EASTER- I've been in the Kingdom of God for 7 years this Easter... 

WOO-HOO... He IS Risen!) 

Mom's Tuesday Tips

What are your mommy tips? 

tip: (noun) a useful hint or idea; a basic, practical fact

money saving, time saving, family bonding... whatever you have found to be a blessing as a mom & want to pass along to others. I invite you to share...

Here are my tips for the week.... 

• I talked to my Kroger meat man the other day while I was grocery shopping & asked him when they put their meats on sale. I don't know about you but I LOVE seeing that yellow & orange "Manager's Special" sticker! He said they mark their meats down EVERY morning b/c the "Manager Specials" have to be sold that day or tossed. They mark down as early as possible so they have all day to sell. So for the best meat prices & selection @ Kroger go early. That's for Kroger... I'm sure whatever store you shop at has some sort of system in place... becoming familiar with it may save you $$. 
• Indoor fun for the kiddos... Mckmama posted a great blog about indoor fun. Check it out here. In addition to what she posted some of the other good suggestions in the comments I read were fort making, play-dough, color pictures to send to grandma, baking, read books, puzzles, body tracing on large sheets of butcher paper & then decorating, indoor skating on paper plates, put on skits, make roads out of masking tape all over the house & play w/ hot-wheels, make collages out of magazine pictures & playing games together on the computer. My ideas were: watching movies together, boards games, Hide & Seek and blasting the music while dancing around the house together. 
• Valentines Day is Saturday. I love Valentines Day... especially helping the kids make their valentines for their classmates (this weeks indoor fun :)...) I will also make it a point to remind the kids what love really is. That is my final tip for you this week. Share with your kids what real love is... 

Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. 

It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated w/ pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its on rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it (it pays no attention to suffered wrong). 

It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. 

Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything (without weakening). 

Love never fails! (never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end) 

(1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Amplified Version ) 

We can teach our kids to walk in love, reminding them that we all make mistakes... but helping them realize that the world would be such a better place if we all strived for this love walk? We can only do our part... our love walk is important, but the awesome thing for our kids to realize is that God is Love (1 John 4:8) I'm going to make sure my kids are reminded this Valentines Day that as much as I love them there is a Daddy in Heaven who absolutely adores them & loves them like no one else ever could!

PS- I've had a few dad's visit my blog lately. I hope you can forgive me for not including you in the title of this blog carnival. I must admit "Mom & Dad's Tuesday Tips" just doesn't sound as catchy :) However, I welcome you to join in if you'd wish! 

30 Hours of Hunger

I'm so excited about an upcoming YAM event. We're calling it "30 Hours of Hunger". We are going to fast for 30 hours... start out w/ a prayer event Friday night & food prep, then Saturday head downtown w/ packed lunches, blankets, scarves, hats etc. (donated from the congregation) & then end with a praise service on Saturday night.  God gave me an idea for a video to help promote the event. The idea involved a homeless person interview. The hubby & I were going to head down to Monroe Park one day & offer to buy one of the homeless men coffee, we'd get to know him a bit & then ask if he wouldn't mind an interview on camera. With  kids, it's not so easy to just mosey on downtown w/o the little ones BUT the other day we were sitting in the work room at church & the receptionist came in and asked us what the 30 hours of Hunger was all about. We told her it was for the homeless & she said "well there is a homeless  guy up front if you want to interview him". My mouth dropped open. I thought it was so interesting that she used the word interview. Isn't it awesome how God works things out?!? This is going to be an awesome event! The video turned out GREAT. Good job babe!

30 hours of hunger promo

Gran

We have been out of town for a bit. It hurts my heart to say that my hubby's Granny passed away last Friday.

I'm really sorry that I didn't get to know Granny more. We always visited her when we went home to KY, but short visits on occasional trips don't really give you the opportunity to get to know someone as well as you would like. I may not have known her that well but I do know that she was a very special person. As my hubby said... "She is one of the most unique people you will ever meet". Granny was born in England, which is where she met her husband, who was serving in the US military. She uprooted & left everything behind for her love. They moved to America & settled in Eastern KY. They had 7 children (who were all with her when she went to be with the Lord!) . Unfortunately, her husband passed away leaving granny as a single mom for many years. Imagine the strength & courage it took for Granny to stay in America & raise her family... & what a great family it is. My husband & I separated for about a year back in 2002. There were plenty of reasons for his family to be upset with me... but we reconciled our marriage & his family welcomed me back w/ forgiving hearts. During the year that we were separated was when I gave my heart to Jesus & turned my life around. I wouldn't doubt for a minute that part of that had to do with Granny's prayers. She loved Jesus so much & I know her prayers were heard in Heaven often for our family.


Before we left for KY I felt the need to explain to the middle babe what happens to our bodies when we die. I explained that we are spirits that live in a body & when we die our spirits go to Heaven & we will eventually get a new body. I also explained that our old bodies go into a coffin & get buried. I wanted to make sure she wasn't caught off guard when she saw Gran @ the viewing. As I was explaining all of this I could see the wheels turning. After she pondered what I had just explained for a bit she said "so, you mean like the princess in that movie who died. She was in a coffin & then Prince Charming kissed her & she woke up". I thought about this for a minute & realized that she wasn't off too far... Except her Prince Charming is Jesus & she woke up in another place with no more pain or suffering!


We sure will miss Gran. Thankfully she got to meet the babe before she died. I posted this picture already , but definitely worth posting again....



This was another pic taken at the hospital. That is my mother in law up front...



This picture was taken 5 years ago @ Gran's 80th birthday party. These are all of her children. My mother in law is the one on the top right. I'm pretty sure that the 2 black & white photos on the mantel are of Granny & James, her husband, when they were younger.

YAM

The hubby's latest creation is complete. The Young Adults Ministry (YAM) website is up & running! We head up the Young Adults Ministry at our church. I am super excited about some of the plans we have for '09. The most anticipated is a missions trip to NYC in August!!! This will be the ministries (Young Adults) first missions trip ever. I think it may also be one of the only, if not the only, missions trip in the states that the church has ever been on. We are also planning a huge New Years Eve Youth Bash in the new youth building of our church 12/31. The hubby's band will lead worship & we'll have tons of fun stuff to keep everyone busy as we kick off '09. I'm excited about 2009. '08 has been OK, but I feel like '09 is going to be a very purposeful year. I've made some major decisions & things are slowly but surely falling into place (more details to come soon  :0)...) No matter how things end up I really want to make sure that YAM stays top priority. I feel like I'm at a place now where I can make sure that happens.

Every month there is a different department within our church that gets highlighted (a blurp in the bulletin & a video in one of the services). It's a good way for the congregation to see all of the different things that actually go on in the church. Well YAM made it for December... which meant we had to get in front of the congregation & speak. ARGH. It didn't go so bad. Neither one of us passed out so that equals success in my book. The congregation also seemed pretty stoked about some of what we shared. So I'm excited that they are excited. I mentioned the missions trip from the pulpit that night & there is already big buzz about it so I expect all of the slots to be filled!!! I can't wait. We have an interest meeting in January... so we'll see. 

Here is the video Stephen created to show in the sanctuary. It was a hit. I love the tambourine line. It cracks me up every time I watch it.... 

So anyway, I say all that to say... when you're praying will you mention the ministry every now & then? I know God wants to do big things & I want to make sure we stay focused & on track in 2009! 

Motherhood

Oh my goodness.. yet another sleepless night?!? I think not... what did pregnant women do before Tums & Tylenol PM... seriously? I've been trying not too take too much. I laid down at 9p hoping to get A LOT of sleep b/c I know I have a busy day tomorrow... but 2 1/2 hours later I'm still awake. I just took a Tylenol PM & I hate just lying in bed tossing & turning... it's too late to work in the nursery, I don't want to wake the fam. So let's blog!

It's been a weird kind of week. My perfect little schedule turns out to not be so perfect after all. Who knew on the 1st night of homework I'd still be up @ 9p doing homework? My oldest babe is getting into the groove of the school structure thing. She is my happy go lucky, fly by the seat of her pants... would rather be doing ANYTHING else in the world besides homework kinda gal. She's my sweet daydreamer. The amount of time it was taking her to do the work had absolutely zero to do with the lack of ability, it was the daydreaming out the window, let's tell mom funny stories about my day, kick my sister out of the kitchen, grab a bite to eat, I have to go to the bathroom, kick my sister out of the kitchen again distractions that prolonged the evening. My vision of a perfectly structured evening failed. I'm sure it was partly the "weepiness" symptom that my "What to Expect When You are Expecting" book mentioned me having in my 8th month of pregnancy... but all I could think about was a school year of hours & hours of homework each night & I had a bit of a crying spell in the bathroom. I don't think her sassy attitude helped the situation. Anyway, God is so good. I went to work today & had a few chats w/ friends & my boss & realized that my tween is not the only tween out there. It's amazing how God will encourage you through others w/o them even knowing what's happening. As soon as I walked in the office this morning my friend Jamie, out of the blue, said I have a book on tweens I meant to bring to you today but forgot.... that led to some conversation that was really good for me. 

Despite these kinds of challenges I absolutely LOVE being a mom. It has it's ups & downs of course. And being around my house you wouldn't always know that I LOVE being a mom :) but I do. I'm not so sure I could do it w/o out the Lords help, that's for sure. I would go bonkers! There's always those sweet moments that make it all so worth it. Like tonight after my oldest babe got corrected (yet again for the sassy attitude & back talking) she just started crying & wanted to be held. It was then that I realized my sweet "little" girl needed a "lift me up" not a  finger pointing. So I just held her & stroked her hair & told her everything was going to be OK. She melted & told me some things that she had been stressin' over & I was able to be there for her. Afterwards she felt better & we had a great evening. I had another sweet moment tonight... this morning I drew my middle babe a little note & left it in her lunch box... a little picture & the words "Love you! mommy".  At lunch she had her teacher help her spell "love you too" on the same napkin. My hubby said when he picked her up she had it balled up in her pocket ready to give it to me... 

Being a mom is so great. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. And to think... in about a month I'll have another sweety to love on!