Hope ya'll don't mind, but a friends blog I follow: http://stonesoup12.blogspot.com
wrote this post, so I thought I'd re-post it. :)

Last Saturday, we heard that church would be cancelled Sunday due to a winter blizzard that was expected to bring 6-12 inches of snow with high winds.  So, although it was still sunny and warm that day, I headed out for any groceries we may need if we were to be home a while. And we all thought ahead to the next day.  A 5-way baby shower would be postponed, so no wrapping gifts just yet.  Joey's friend's baptism up in Denver may have to wait. Sam's friend Ethan would not be coming over.  We would do church at home.  Danny could skype his debate coach. What would we like to read, as we snuggled inside?

after the storm

We knew the storm was coming. We didn't know how bad it would be, but we prepared just in case.  And since it didn't come unexpectedly, it really wasn't that bad.

Sometimes there are storms in our own lives that we know are coming.  We may not know how big they'll be, or what damage they'll do, if any, but we can at least prepare ourselves in prayer and wisdom.  

And yet sometimes, the storms of life swoop down and knock us on our feet. They leave us in a humbled state, wondering 'why?'.

Sometimes the damage is minimal, and we learn from it and walk on a little smarter.  Sometimes it takes months, or years, to recover.  

No matter what kind of storm comes my way, I seem to feel the need to get back to normal as soon as possible.  I think that's pretty normal.  I find myself thinking, 'when things settle down, (fill in the blank)'.  What if things don't settle down for a long time? What if they transition into new storms with new challenges?  What if life as I know it never comes back to this place?  Will I have the strength to endure, the wisdom to trust, the patience to wait.  

So many times I ask our Good Lord to give me strength, or to let my children be people of character or give my husband wisdom.  I am thinking we'll wake up next day and be filled with all these goodies from God.  But what happens instead?  We wake up to a storm, or a challenge at the least.  And we fuss and fret and try to get to anywhere but in this situation. I don't want to hear these winds blow, or be surrounded by dark clouds, not knowing when the storm will stop and I can go on with life. My mind gets too full and I try to make sense of it all.  And just when it seems it has gotten too hard to endure, my Sweet Lord comforts me with His words.

Isaiah 40:31: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

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Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart  and lean not on your own understanding;

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in all your ways submit to him,    and he will make your paths straight.

Psalm 46:10: Be still and know that I am God.

I am learning to be still.  To look at Him, not the wind and the waves.  To see that He is in the storms of our lives, He may have even brought them to us, and He will calm them.  To anticipate His Fatherly comforts and wisdom and kindness.  And to anticipate what work He is doing in us as we learn to trust through the things that come our way.

And how's that for a little light thinking tonight?

Psalm 107:29:  He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.

Family time/learning experience

Last Saturday my dad took all of us kids, and we drove in the mountains to go snow shoeing. This was our first time snow-shoeing, so we were all a little excited! While we were driving the 2 ½ up to Frisco (where there WAS snow! J ) I got to spend that time with my family. I don’t know what it was, but it seemed like our family was closer this time, then ever before! We laughed, we joked, and we talked. Everything we did was…precious! Looking back, that was one of the best days I've had in a long time! Once we got our snow shoes on, and started to hike, there was a certain part of the hike, that I told my dad, “I can’t go on! My heels are hurting, and I can’t breathe.” My dad turned around, looked at me and said, “You can do it! I’ll go slowly with you!” So, after my dad said we can turn around if I wanted to, I decided to go ahead and hike all the way to the top. Yes, I did make it, and the view was absolutely gorgeous! While coming down the mountain, I started to think about how my life was. If you think about it, snow shoeing up the mountain was like climbing with God in my walk with Him.  When I don’t think I can go on anymore, He’s there to help me, to guide me, and love me all the while.

In our walk with Christ, it’s not just about giving our all in all, it’s about putting Christ above all! As I was jogging back down the mountain that day, I couldn't help but thank God! I thanked God for giving me the strength to make it up that mountain! I thanked him for my family and the time I got to spend with them. 

I started to think of all the trials I had been through, and realized that through it all, Christ never left me! When I wanted to rest, He said, “Let’s keep moving. We’ll go slow and steady, but I’m not leaving you!” It was during this time, that I was thankful my dad stayed behind with me and my sister. He didn't want to leave us. I know I've quoted this verse many times before, but in closing, I thought it’d be perfect! 

 ^“The Lord will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”

~Deuteronomy 31:5-6~

Valentine's Day

I'm a day early, but I wrote this post last year on Valentine's Day, however since most of my followers are new, I thought I'd re-post it! :) Hope ya'll don't mind.

Today is Valentine's Day.
To most people of today's modern culture, it's about their "one true love" <3
However...there is a love that is far better than any love that I've seen.
It's called, "Agape Love".
Definition: Agape is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love, the highest of four types of love in the Bible. This Greek word and variations of it are found throughout the new testament.

Agape perfectly describes the kind of love Jesus Christ has for his Father, and for his followers: "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them." (John 14:21)

So, today on Valentine's Day, I not only think of Agape love, but I think of the love that God, our Father has for us! He had so much love for us that He was willing to die for us on the cross. Now, that is what I call, "LOVE"!!!

So what is Love?

Love is patient, love is kind and not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek it's own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails..."
~1st Corinthians 13:4-8~

Sleep Deprived-Thank you Mom!!!

How many people know what it's like to be sleep deprived?
I haven't, but my mom on the other hand, struggles with Sleep Insomnia.
For those that don't know what Insomnia is, here's the definition: 

Noun Habitual sleeplessness; inability to sleep.

Synonyms sleeplessness - wakefulness - vigilance

My mom has struggled with it for several years. Some days she gets only 2 hours of sleep, and other days she gets 5 hours of sleep.
This last week, all I could think about was, "If I had Insomnia, how would I handle it?" Everyone knows that when you don't get a lot of sleep, you're usually grumpy and irritable.
While yes, sometimes my mom is has her moments, she also forces herself to be joyful!
For that reason, I'd like to dedicate this blog post to my mom!
I don't struggle with sleep, and I still LOVE sleep! I can't imagine what life would be like without it.
I started thinking about all the days that my mom didn't get much sleep. My mom usually warns me ahead of time that she'll be edgy from lack of sleep. As I was thinking about it today, my mom has kept her cool so many different times! I don't know how I'd handle it, but for my mom, she's almost used to it.

It's her testimony now, that 2 years ago, when we were in the process of adopting, going through financial problems, her going through Sleep Insomnia, that she felt like she was going to die. She told my dad that she couldn't take it anymore. She prayed, and she sought God, but alas, nothing was happening. A friend from church bought her a book called, "A more Excellent Way", and it talked about Health. This was God's way of showing my mom just one little step toward her health problems. She had about 10 different things that were wrong with her body besides her Insomnia, and now because she changed her diet, and started eating healthy, she is now a happier mama! I am so thankful that throughout the years, my mom kept her cool! On those days that she felt like being grumpy, by God's grace, she turned it into joyfulness! So, I just want to take a minute and thank my mom for being loving, joyful, caring, and tender during those times that us kids were driving her crazy!!! Thank you mom for being you! I love you!!!

Be still: Who we write for

A blog I follow... http://ofasingleheart.blogspot.com/

wrote this, and I agree with it 100% so, I decided to re-post it!

I rarely run out of words to write. Writer's block and I aren't well acquainted, and that is due to the

overwhelming amount of words I just need to say.

However, while I'm not afraid of running out of words, I'm afraid that I may say the wrong ones.

 What if I offend someone with my theology? What if I forget the point of my message and lose focus?

What if...nobody likes it?!

Who are we writing for?

Being still is more than just quieting ourselves. In fact, it goes much deeper than that.

 Being still is resting, not in

our own quietness, but in the quietness of knowing that Jesus is God. We don't write for others' enjoyment,

 although a pleasant and fitly spoken word will delight the hearers and readers. We don't write for our own

enjoyment, although I, for one, certainly find glee in pouring words out on paper. We write so that Christ

may be known, and that we can know Him better as a result of our own writing, and that others may know

 Him and rejoice in the good work He has done for us. (Matthew 5:16)

The heart of writing is not to reach our audience, nor is it to make us happy.

If I wrote a thousand words targeted to the right "audience" and did it for the wrong reason, my message

would not be validated by their reception. Let's say I know my target audience likes to cheat. In fear of

not offending them, I may find myself trying to avoid the word when talking about sin. Or maybe I might

 go a step further and modify the definition of cheating so my audience enjoys my message a little better.

While the message will fall upon listening ears, I will have led them astray. 

The heart of writing is to glorify God, because when He is the reason we write, we glorify Him and our

audience is edified, we are refreshed and satisfied, and everyone walks in God's truth.

Making it practical~

1. The next time you sit to write, don't ask yourself what your readers would want. 

Ask what God would have you to share.

2. Never modify the truth in order to make it more presentable or readable.

3. Remember that Jesus is your first love, not the praise or criticism your writing brings.

You can't control other people's responses.

4. Write outside of feeling. If you are angry at someone, clear your head before you write. If you are

trying to communicate a message you feel a certain someone needs to hear, don't make that person the

focus of your writing. Instead, ask yourself what God would have them to know, not how you can fix them.

We preach Christ, not opinion.