Failure and Messe's

Have you ever had one of those days when nothing goes right? Where you feel like you're a failure? You know what I'm talking about... A child colors on the wall, this child hit that child, phone calls every minute, taking people places, laundry to get done, dishes to do, food to cook...etc... the list can go on, and on...

I'm not a mom yet, but watching my siblings...especially my 5 year old brother can be quite the task sometimes! You'd think that me... almost 22 years old, would know how to handle kids by now... there are some days I don't even want to know how my little brother got into this thing, or that thing. But what really matters? Do we wince at every little thing, or take time and laugh at some of the craziest things? Sure, our live's can be somewhat chaotic! The house will go uncleaned and untouched for a couple days; but, do we laugh at the moments that our son/daughter/brother/sister dumps flour on the forehead and look so silly? Do we laugh or giggle when they get so frustrated with trying to pronounce a word and make something else up that doesn't even sound like the word that they're supposed to say?

It's so easy to get mad and upset, isn't it? Recently, my dad took us all out to see, "Mom's Night Out"... I don't think I've laughed so hard in all my life! ;)
You know why? Because it's the story of our life!
I've written some of them down because yes, they're frustrating times, but yes, they're also funny times! Kids grow up way too fast!... I guess that's what a little food and water can do for you! ;) But, looking back on those times that my little brother wouldn't stop asking me questions... does he remember me as always pushing him away... or always taking the time to talk with him and answer his questions?... even if they are silly! :) Take time to relax... even in those crazy moments! Live life, love on your family, and enjoy God's creation everywhere! Sit down with your family... the dishes/laundry/____ can wait. You aren't a failure! I know, I know, there are days when you feel like you're the worst parent/sibling ever! We're all a mess in some way or another; But it's in those moments that God's creating a little image of Him, inside of us! God's still working on you... are you willing to listen?

Memorial Day and Fallen Heroe's

On this Memorial Day, like every year, we observe our freedom, liberty, those who have died, protecting others, and God's protection on everyone!
Today, our Pastor, told us of a man who lived, but put his life on the line when a grenade landed by him. Without thinking, he put his entire body on the grenade, and saved 5 or 6 men. Could you imagine these men and women, what sacrificial love they have shown us, while protecting our country?! So, don't just go have fun and enjoy a BBQ, remember those who are serving, and who have died serving our country!
Thank you to all the men and woman who have fought and who have died protecting our freedom, and liberty! May God find favor in your eyes!
Enjoy the Poem and Video's Below! Blessings!

 A Memorial Day PoemToday we honor all of you, Who served your country with pride, You risked your life for all of us, As you fought side by side.
Your strength and courage always showed, No matter what the danger might be, And you did all of this, So that we could be free.
Thank you for what you've done, And now we will all pray, For each and everyone of you, On this Memorial Day!
~Debbie Bongiovanni ~Copyright © 2012

Beautiful Blog Award

It seems I am being showered with blogger awards this month!  Thanks to Bethany Carson at: http://todaylibertyordeath.blogspot.com/ for the Beautiful Blog Award.  Here are my answers to Bethany's questions:

1. If you could have an expenses-paid vacation to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? Hmm... probably Ireland, because I love their accents!!! :)

2. What would you like to accomplish by the end of 2014? I'd like to become a certified Labor and Post-Pardom Doula.. we'll see! ;) Memorizing chapters of the Bible.

3.  What are a few of your favorite quotes? "A person is a person, no matter how small!""I believe with all my heart that standing up for America, means standing up for the God who has blessed our land."~Ronald Reagan 

4.  What Bible character do you relate to the most, and why? Hmm... tough one! ;) Probably Esther... because sometimes I feel like I have to hide who I am, because it will "offend" someone... if that makes any sense. :)

5.  What is your dream car? I always tell my brothers, anything that drives smoothly, and that's an automatic! ;) I don't know one kind of car from another... so, anything really! ;)

                              6.  Are you a morning person or night owl? Definitely a Night Owl!!! 

8.  Do you have a favorite plant or flower? I love Roses, and Colorado Columbines! :)

9.  What are some of your favorite foods? Taco's, Pizza, Fettuccine, Stir-Fry, Marinade Chicken, Mac & Cheese... pretty much anything else that's not healthy! ;)

10. What cause(s) are you most opinionated about? Homeschooling, Pro-life, Jesus Death and Resurrection, Guns...etc...

11. What is the best advice on life you can give in up to 3 sentences? Be content in Christ, love others, and fear God! Don't be Idle or wishy-washy... learn, and keep learning! Words can tear down or build up, it's up to you to choose!

Kelly-Anne at: http://www.kelly-annesblog.blogspot.com/

Leah-Albright at:http://beautifullybrokenleah.blogspot.com/ 

Kimberly at: http://www.anathomedaughter.blogspot.com/
Sarah Elizabeth at: http://threemaidens.blogspot.com/ and http://sarah-plainandaverage.blogspot.com/

And if anyone else would like to answer the questions, consider yourself nominated.
Questions for Nominee's:

1. How would you describe your personal style?

2. What was your first pet?

3. What is your ancestry (e.g. German, Italian)?

4. What cause(s) are you most opinionated about?

5. What Bible character do you relate to the most (it can be character, life experiences, or anything like that)?

6. What is the first favorite scripture verse that comes to your mind?

7. Do you have any food allergies?

8. You would be really excited if you woke up tomorrow morning to the smell of ____ cooking.

9. What are you looking forward to this summer?

10. What is one thing you've learned from blogging?

We say,"When?" God says, "Wait."

My very good friend, Emily at: http://listeningandobservingoutloud.blogspot.com/
wrote a great post about waiting on the Lord during our single years. I thought I'd share her post, and I added to it as well: 

You know that concept of keeping your heart that people talk about?  Well, that's what I am going to write on tonight.  Except, I have no expert opinions to offer, no personal experience, no funny stories, but just a bit of what God has been teaching me throughout my years of singleness.  

Every Christian is on a journey.  God does not promise the journey to be easy, to be pleasant all the time, to be hunky-dory, or to be a completely smooth ride, but He does promise to be with us, to be our refuge and our strength.  He promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us.  We know that even when we are abandoned by everyone He will and still will always be a faithful and amazing friend.   

However, when I was around 15, I had my first "crush."  A crush by definition is a silly infatuation with someone that is often founded on looks or the fact that you don't really know the person, and he "seems" like a nice guy.  Yep, I had a few of those.  And with my young, volatile teenage heart, I was unsure of how to handle them, these feelings, these desires that I knew were causing me to not love but to stumble both myself and my relationship with my brothers in Christ, causing me to desire something that was not mine, for my own satisfaction, not bothering to care about anybody's emotions but my own.  

I finally realized and was reminded that I could not handle this on my own.  There is a reason that as Christians we are to cling to a rock that is higher than our own instability, Jesus Christ, our foundation and our Savior.  I learned to cling harder and stronger to this rock and to leave more and more of my errant feelings behind.  

Now, it's not that feelings are a bad thing, but one can't let them direct their every decision, and I learned this slowly through age 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21… 

At the same time, God also impressed upon me the importance of the communication between a father and a daughter, for a father is the man God has given us as daughters to share our emotions with, our feelings, our dreams, and desires, before or if we are ushered into marriage.  It was definitely awkward the first time I squeaked out to my dad in the car that I was struggling with my heart and my own emotions and that I needed counsel and prayer, but it was also a freeing feeling knowing I could communicate these feelings I didn't quite understand to a man who loved me and cared for me.  

Over the years, my relationship with my father has deepened and grown through every up and down.  My father has been an example of our amazing Heavenly Father, and I am so grateful for every time he has lent a listening ear to me, even in my more irrational, emotional tirades.  

And I finally reached the age of 19.  This was an age I could get married.  I could have kids.  I could be a mom, but God didn't choose that for me, and so it was hard to actually comprehend that.  This desire was less of a far off-future thought, more of an imminent reality, but God said, "Wait."   

Wait.  That is one of the hardest words that I will ever hear or try to comprehend.  It is one of the most difficult words to obey.  

And so, I waited, but often, it was with a heart that was not in the waiting.  I started to dwell on marriage. The heart was elsewhere, wanting to be swept off by a Prince Charming, a man that would put all other men to shame.  (Haha, he doesn't exist.   I'm definitely not a Princess Charming, so why would I deserve a Prince Charming?)   I didn't so much think about desiring a man I could grow with, be sanctified with, and live life to serve God with, but I built unrealistic expectations and "requirements" that I knew no man could fill.   

God humbled me then.  He broke me down.  I was reminded that I do not and can not plan my future, but God does.  There would be times when I was confident, self-confident, about the person I was going to marry, the profession he was going to hold, and whether he would live in the country or the city.  You might laugh, but these are all true.

And God took each idol, each selfish expectation and has and is breaking them down one by one.    He is teaching me to say like Jesus did, "Not my will but thy will be done."

Since 21, I've gone through many valleys and mountains.  I've gone through periods of feeling as if I could go on forever being single because I am so happy and content, and then inevitably the longing strikes again, but by God's grace I am able to still prepare for that some day, while at the same time loving and being thankful for the home and the time God has placed me in to serve Him.

I pray that by His grace alone He might enable me to better love my brothers and sisters in Christ, serve them, volunteer to help at weddings, and rejoice in the tasks and the purpose which He has 

given me.  He truly tests our faith when He says the one simple word, "Wait."  

So I can't just tell you that part of the story, without leaving an encouragement for my many dear sisters in Christ that are still single, that are still waiting.  God has your future planned.  God knows whom you will marry and what you will do, and you don't have to worry.  God is in complete control.  He holds your life in the palm of His hands.  Be encouraged, you were put here on this earth for a reason, to serve an Almighty King and a Loving Father.  Your spells of loneliness and desires for a husband must drive you towards Jesus Christ seeking the ultimate comfort and friendship in Him.  

So don't give up.  Don't stop.  Wait on the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.  "Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.'

~Psalm 27:14~
http://anoblecallingblog.blogspot.com/2014/05/redeeming-our-time-as-daughters-at-home.html
http://anoblecallingblog.blogspot.com/2014/05/meet-linda.html

Change: A time for everything

In the times when friends leave, or you leave your friends, what do you do?
Is change good? Is it bad? What happens when our faith is put to the test?
Yesterday, was the last time we attended our Church... we are going with some families and doing a church plant. While this is such an exciting time, it's also sad! While I'll make new friends, and continue to be friends with those coming with us, I'll be leaving the old ones. It didn't hit me until Saturday... I'll no longer see my friends weekly now... which brings to my point: Is Change good?

Some people enjoy change, some people don't.
Back several years ago, when I found out that my best friends were going to move out of the state, I couldn't believe that the change was for the better! I didn't think that I'd ever have friends who understood me again! It turns out, during this time, God took me, and filled in all the empty spots... with Himself!

So, what happens when we're put on trial? What happens when family and friends are taken away? What happens when you take your friends for granted? What happens when you're faith is challenged? Is our faith put to the test? Do we trust God in these moments of change?

I can't answer every question, but I do know that God tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, "To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace."

There are many times that change is for the better, but God will always see us through, and He will always be with us! What are some of the ways that God has shown you that change was for the better? I'd love to hear! :) Blessings!