Faithful God

On Sunday, we sang the song "Faithful God" at church as part of worship and it just reminded me of just how faithful our God really is. If you don't know it, I urge you to listen to the words. Every time we sing it, It just makes me so grateful for all that our amazing Lord does for us.

This past year has been especially crazy for our family. Tom lost his job, Janessa had surgery, I was pregnant and so many other things were happening at the same time, and now....looking back, it is just amazing to see how God had a great plan for us and we are so much better off with His plan that our plan would have been.

In a few weeks, we will be moving to a new home and I cannot wait to post pictures of the before and afters and give a few more details on how this all came about but for now, I will leave you with a link to this song and urge you to listen and think about how Faithful God has been in your life through the situations that you thought would be impossible.

Spring Cleaning

At the risk of completely embarrassing myself, I am going to post pictures of what has gone on in my house this week!

Between vacation, having bronchitis, being pregnant, having 3 small children, trying to reorganize kids clothes and trying to prepare some space for the new baby to join us...our upstairs got a bit crazy!

I am not exaggerating. My bedroom became the catch all for laundry and anything else that needed sorting and the girls room...well...it was mayhem.

I have a huge list of things that I have been trying to work on slowly but it often seems like I can never complete one thing without starting another and so on and so forth.

Well, Monday morning I ended up having some meetings that I needed to go to that were completely stressing me out (really for no reason in hindsight). Tom surprised me and checked a few things off of my list...and somehow accomplished these things with all three girls in tow.

I don't have before pictures (because he does not think like a blogger) but the girls room was a complete disaster! Clothes everywhere...clean and dirty. Keira and Libby's beds were separated and Janessa's crib was on the other side of the room.

Tom re-bunked the beds while I was gone...made the girls pick up all of their clothes and got all toys out of their room! I cannot explain how happy I was when I came home. I vacuumed, dusted and scrubbed things down and together, we made this happen!

 This will be the girls side of the room. Janessa will be getting a new white crib that will eventually convert to a toddler bed and the dark brown crib will be for baby boy. Although we switched both other girls to a bed by the time they were 18 months with no issues, Janessa is a different breed. Also, when they switched, there were not bunk beds with a ladder in the room and also, when Libby went to a bed, Keira could not yet open the bedroom door so I did not have to worry about them getting out.

Oh well...so we'll have 2 cribs...not the end of the world if it keeps everyone safe!

Here is the side of the room that I still have to deal with..baby boys side. YIKES!

And the closets...EEEK!

Then came our bedroom...believe it or not, I didn't take the before pictures before I actually started doing stuff because I didn't think of it...so yeah...it was worse than this!

 But now it is so clean! (Though I definitlly need to fix the now crooked wall hangings and center them over the bed again!)

and rearranged....and dusted...and vaccummed...and most important...ready to bring in the pack n' play for baby boy to stay with us until he sleeps the same(ish) hours as the girlies!

It is completely embarrassing how much dust was around the floor on the carpets...especially under the furniture. I am thinking that my allergies are going to see a drastic improvement since dust is one of my big ones!

Vacuuming upstairs in our house is I think the hardest chore to accomplish with kids. The best time I have to get stuff done is when Janessa is napping....which kind of rules out vacuuming the upstairs.

So...if any of you have any bright ideas on how to make that easier...let me know! haha

A Crazy, Beautiful Weekend

Last weekend, our church did a Passion Play. Basically a recreation of Christ's life, death and resurrection. It was a full costume musical and it was a blast! We did this last year as well, but since I was giving birth to Janessa, I obviously was not a part of it...though Tom was.

This year, we were both able to be in it. Tom was John the Baptist and I was actually a mocker of Jesus. (gasp!) In huge part because we live so close to family who were graciously willing to watch them during all of the rehearsal hours! We so appreciate that.

Anyways, the week of dress rehearsals started off  crazy with people from the cast coming down with colds and the stomach bug! Ugh.

I completely attribute this to Satan trying to get in the way of something that God was doing. And, of course, God won. All were able to be in the show that were supposed to be and it went great.

People came to know the Lord. People recommitted their lives and overall, God used our church to present the gospel to people who needed it.

Which brings me to my favorite part...

Keira...our almost 5 year old (she reminds me of that often), wanted to watch this year. Her best bud got to be in it because she is already 5 and Keira wanted to see it all. So, Friday night, there she sat with my mom and family in the second row.

I had fully prepared her for what she would see acted out in front of her and wanted her to understand that while these things really did happen, Eric, who was playing Christ, was not actually going to die.

I wanted her to understand that while mommy was playing  a bad guy and yelling mean things at Jesus, that in real life, I love Him.

Apparently I scared her.

Through the entire first act, every time the lights went down, she asked my mom if this was where he was doing to die. She was scared to see it. When at one point she said, "I think I'm going to die", my mom took her down to childcare which was fine with me. At 4 years old, I figured she did not need to see it. Us telling her the story is enough.

Well...then Saturday night came around. She wanted to see it again....and this time she was determined to watch Jesus die.

So, there she sat, towards the back with Tom's mom and family. And she sat (or stood on her chair) through the entire thing (over 2 hours) without a peep!

She cried when Jesus died.

She cried tears of joy when he rose again.

She raised her hand when the pastor gave an alter call at the end.

At first, I didn't take this completely seriously. I thought she was cute and I was happy that she understood the meaning of the play but on the way home she explained in an almost 5 year old way, that she understood. And she did for the most part.

She has genuinely changed her demeanor and is trying to do things for the right reasons.

This mama is happy.

Here are  a few pictures...most of which I stole from my friends facebook page of our show!

Our worship Pastor Mike, Tom as John the Baptist in the middle, with Eric who played Jesus.

Our Nephew Bryce

Jesus and a Pharisee (in real life they are father/son!)

Libby singing Jesus Loves Me in the dressing room after one of the shows!

Mike and Chris (worhip pastor and his beautiful wife...also good friends of ours...but this guy put this entire thing together!)

A group of the fun kids that were in the show!

A picture I took of Tom and me on my phone at dress rehearsal. This was after his John the baptist scene when he became the apostle Andrew. 

It was a completely exhausting, completely crazy and completely beautiful weekend!

Five Minute Friday: Rest

I am teaming up with Five Minute Friday and today the topic is "Rest". So...the deal is to write for 5 minutes on the word and then stop...no editing or re-writing...here goes.


Rest

Lately I have been feeling like I can never get enough rest. Let's be honest. I have 3 girls 4 and under and another little something on the way. I am tired. I have an awesome hubby who often deals with kids that wake up in the night because he doesn't want to wake me. (And apparently I could sleep through a Hurricane right now). But...I am tired.

If I am honest, it isn't a sleep issue. It is a chaos issue. I need to find rest in the Lord. I need to cast my anxieties on Him and focus. I know that is the need, but that doesn't make it easy.

Our life is filled with wonderful things. I don't think we are too busy and I don't think we aren't doing enough. It feels balanced and good.

But still...I need to not just sleep, I need to rest in God.

I need to take time out from my little projects and such and just spend some time, even a few minutes here and there, just letting God be God in my life. Only focused on Him.

That would be rest.

That would be the rest that I need.

Walk Without Fear

Each week, the girls and I attend Community Bible Study in our area. If you have never heard of it before, I highly recommend getting acquainted! I won't go into all of the details of it now but it is an amazing place to go in depth with the word of God and the children't program is incomparable to anything I have seen elsewhere. Ok...that was my plug for that, however, not my point.

 Currently, we are studying 1 Samuel and this past weeks lesson focused on David and Goliath (chapters 17-18). When I first saw that this was going to be the lesson, I definitely though to myself, "aw man...I already know this story so well". We read this story multiple times a week at the request of my children and growing up in the church, I just felt like there wasn't going to be anything "new" for me to learn.

I love when I am wrong because GOD is right!

Oh how He knows what I need to hear, when I need to hear it!

I won't go into details right this minute but over the last 2 months, our lives have changed drastically. In a good way...but not a "normal" way. I will blog more about this soon, I promise.

There is just a LOT going on. There are things we are trying to start up and things that we are trying to say goodbye to. A lot of change. For me, change can mean fear. A fear that ends up stopping me from doing anything at all. Like the Israelite's. They had to face this huge giant. I can't say that I wouldn't have been scared too. Then, this little shepherd boy comes along and just does it. Not because he feels powerful or because he even thinks that he has the ability to do it on his own. David goes up against Goliath because God has promised to be with them.

1 Samuel 17:37: "The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine." 

God has promised to keep the Israelites safe and has already followed through. David just saw it as plain as day and just stepped out in faith and defeated Goliath and the Philistines in nothing short of a miracle. God fought this battle for him and David knew that He would.

When God has called us to something, we need to just step out and go for it. There is nothing to be afraid of. Even if the situation seems HUGE and unbeatable, we need to obey God and just do it.

What is your Giant? What is stopping you today?

My friend, pray about it. Has God called you to this? Is is something that Would please Him? If He is calling you to do something, do it.

Join me!


Here is a song that I love the words to....you may have heard it. He loves us. He will never let us go.

Surprise...another baby! Giving God Control.

So....the day after Christmas we found out we were expecting little miracle number 4. That's right, I am now 10 weeks pregnant. (this is the longest we've ever kept it a secret) I would love to say that I was elated and beyond excited to have another baby...I mean...I love babies, right? And we really didn't think that our family was complete yet anyways, but still...I was shocked...overwhelmed...and feelings of dread came over me about telling anyone. Do I really want to be a stay-at-home-mom of four under the age of 5! I didn't want to hear other peoples opinions about our growing family...or know that they were talking about it behind our backs. Most people just can't fathom the idea of having 4 children. Even though I wasn't all that happy about it myself, I was more concerned that others would talk negatively about our beautiful unborn child. I actually convinced myself that I wasn't really pregnant and my body was playing tricks on me...until my first doctors appointment where I saw our tiny peanut of a miracle on the ultrasound...with a strong heartbeat!

These were the best shots we could get of the kids. Believe it or not, that  "in motion" picture of Janessa  was our best option even though the flash went off!

Of course...hubby was just excited as usual! (Probably a good thing). The kids are excited too.

Our first two girls (Keira and Libby) are 19 months apart. It was hard. Janessa and this new little love will be 17 months apart. I know that in a few years it will be wonderful to have such close playmates, but still...I felt really guilty that I was feeling anything but joy for this child.

By the way...Tom thinks that if its a girl, her middle name should be Joy...ironic! I can't even fathom it being a boy...we don't make those....and I wouldn't' know what to do! haha

I'm nervous....what if this one has a cleft palate too? What if this baby has kidney reflux like Libby? What if there is something else wrong...worse? Aren't you supposed to worry about these things with your first child...not your fourth?

But...this baby is perfectly the way God made them....God says so.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." -Psalm 139:13

...and my other children are perfectly the way God made them too...issues and all!

 I am excited. I will be more excited after we get though Janessa's surgery next week. This child is a joy. It is a miracle. I am honored that the Lord would bless us with a fourth child.

I expect that people will ask: "If it's a boy, will you be done?". The answer is still...it is up to God. We truly feel that God has called our family to allow God to control this area of our lives completely.

I know that people will look at us like crazy people for wanting 4 children...or even more perhaps..but I cannot let that take my joy from me.  I cannot worry about the opinions of others. I can only be obedient to what God has called  me to.  I urge you if you struggle with giving God control of a certain area of your own life to just do it. He makes all things great.

He will never forsake us or leave us. His will is perfect.

Just for fun...did you know that at 10 weeks pregnant my baby is already moving and kicking. It's heart has been beating for 5 weeks now. This miracle has all of its organs and some are already functioning! At this stage in my last pregnancy, Janessa would have already had her cleft palate! During the 5th week the heart forms into 4 chambers, and actually starts beating and pumping blood...this is before most abortions take place.

The more I think about how the creation of life is such a miracle, the more excited I get that God chose me to have another one!

I love to read your comments so please comment below!

Our Friends Need a Miracle...Please Pray

Our friends are going through a really difficult time post-surgery with their newly adopted sons. Please join me in prayer and visit her blog for more information...

Joy Is Strength

They are in need of some really big miracles right now but our God is greater and more able to do anything than we could ever imagine. These words come to mind.

Chris Tomlin — Our God (Is Greater) 

Water You turned into wine
Open the eyes of the blind
There's no one like You
None like You
Into the darkness You shining
Out of the ashes we rise
There's no one like You
None like You

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God...

Into the darkness you shining
Out of the ashes we Rise
There's no One like You
None like You.

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God...
r-god-is-greater-lyrics.html ]
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
What can stand against?

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God...
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God... 

Opportunity Knocks

I am linking up with "5 Minute Friday" and writing on opportunity today. The deal is that  you write for 5 minutes and don't look back or edit...and then just stop....so here goes!

I like this word "opportunity" for the new year. The truth is, I do feel like this year could be filled with great opportunities to accomplish things. Pretty soon, I will be taking a couple of classes. I have the chance to teach my children, like working with my oldest to read right now. My hubby and I have recently started an at home business that seems to be a GREAT opportunity and to be quite honest, I think our lives in general are filled with so many things we can take advantage of. 

But...most importantly, I hope that this year I take the opportunity to share with everyone and anyone, my love for Christ and how important it is to have a relationship with Him, our maker and creator. That is the opportunity that I don't want to waste one minute of. It's the only thing that matters and if we really love people, we should be taking every chance we can to share that with them. We cannot live in fear about such an important thing.

Regardless, an opportunity is just that. It is a chance. It isn't something that happens on its own, it is something that comes and you need to take it and do something with it before it passes. So...don't waste the opportunities that come your way!

No TV...huh?

I wish I had a picture of Keira's face last night when I told her that starting today we would not be watching any TV for a month...yes, you heard me a month. You would have thought that all of her toys just got thrown away on accident!

So, yes, we have decided to turn off the TV for a month in our home. We cannot control what goes on when we are visiting others and wouldn't even want to try to control that, but when we are home, we want it off for  a month.

So, this makes it sound like we waste a lot of time watching the tube and I assure you, we don't, however, my kids do watch a few approved shows almost every day. Sometimes they watch more than that (tisk tisk, I know) and sometimes they don't watch any. Truly this is going to be much harder on me than them, but still, it will be a sacrifice for everyone. I am still not sure how I will ever get to take a shower or cook dinner but I guess I will have to be creative...or dirty and hungry!

Why, you ask? Well, I would like to implement a system for earning TV time. My kids LOVE LOVE LOVE TV. I don't know why, but they do. So, I think that a "re-start" is in order. I just believe that this will be easier to accomplish if they haven't watched it all for a while rather than saying, "ok kids, today we are going to do things a bit different." They are going to have to think about what they really want to watch and I am hopeful that they will desire to watch it less. We'll see.

Really, we want less of this:

and more of this:

So...today marks day one of no TV...I'll let you know how it goes.

Trying to have a Godly Perspective

I haven't been doing very much blogging lately...life is busy...my head is constantly spinning with things I want to write about but never do but I just can't sit back on this one.

Last Saturday night I ran to Wegman's after the kids were in bed to grab a few necessities. When I got to the register, my total came to around $22....no biggie...and then, my debit card got declined. Yes. Declined. I was mortified and stood there, shocked and completely embarrassed trying to explain to the cashier that something must be wrong because this was our bank account and surely we could afford $22 in groceries. Because my purchase included baby formula that I needed the next morning to feed my child, I started searching my wallet and came upon a Wegmans gift card that I forgot that I had (God is good, all the time). We don't use credit cards anymore so I am not sure what I would have done otherwise. When I got to my car, I pulled out my iphone and quickly looked up our bank account information...it was overdrawn. WHAT!

After looking through a few transactions, my first thought was disbelief that my husband who never spends a penny would go on such a shopping rampage. Especially since we had already decided not to buy each other gifts for Christmas this year since money is already a little tight. Well, I quickly realized that someone had been using our debit card in New Jersey and it was not Tom. (I did apologize for having mean thoughts about him for 30 seconds...I'm forgiven)

So, I quickly called the number on the back of my card and cancelled our cards and then started laughing. My gas light was on. So was Tom's. Apparently we were both being lazy and waiting until we were running on fumes to fill up! Well...it is hard to fill up without money!

So, I was bummed...not only did I feel violated and used, but now I wasn't sure how we would even make it to church the next morning and I could not finish my Christmas shopping.

On Monday the bank reversed the shopping spree fees that we did not authorize immediately (Thank you again Lord!) however, it had caused 5 things to "bounce". One of them was literally a check that I wrote for $2.25. Yes...it bounced! So now we find ourselves in this little mess of straightening out fees and trying to get refunds. The bank is great on their end but it is still a really big pain and is making the week before Christmas a not very fun week.

On top of all of this, Janessa has her 3rd ear infection in 2 months and Keira has bronchitis. I'm tired.

So, that has been what I would normally consider a horrible week. But not this week. Any other week and I think I would have lost it completely by now (and don't get me wrong...I am on the verge but am holding it together)

This week I am grateful. I am thankful. I am blessed.
I am hurting for the families who lost their children and family members last week.

My family won't go hungry this week. We have a roof over our heads. We have the birth of Jesus to celebrate together.
I cannot imagine the pain and sorrow that these fathers and mothers are feeling right now. My Christmas might be missing a few gifts but I will have my children near me.

We can all have a bad week here and there....we can even feel like the world is crumbling in on us and we can't do anything about it. Let's try to keep things in perspective though. Here in America, we do not usually understand true suffering but there are people around us that really are suffering. We need to pray. We need to love them. We need to appreciate the time we have with the people around us.

As we go into the week of Christmas, I urge you to enjoy your family. Don't worry about the stressful parts. If making a pie is going to keep you from your family, go and buy one. Let's appreciate the true gifts that God has given us this year In our family and friends and most importantly in his Son.

5 Minutes on Wonder

Today I am linking up with 5 minute Fridays. Today's topic is Wonder and this is my first time doing something like this. I will write for 5 minutes and stop...no editing. Here goes!

Wonder. When I stop and try to think about Wonder, the words amazement, admiration and awe come to mind. When I stop to think about those words, I automatically think about my beautiful family. I am in complete wonder that God would give this to me.

No matter how little money we have or how many times we aren't sure how the bills will get paid, I still have everything I ever dreamed of. It's truly amazing. On top of that...the bills always somehow get paid. Amazing!

Multiple times a day I am completely frustrated with my children for being little sinners. ha! But more times than that I realizing that I am completely admiring who they are and what they are becoming. Even the baby amazes me with her sweet personality. Wonder.

So, yes, I am in complete wonder that God would give me an amazing husband and three beautiful little girls. Just to throw out another definition of this little word, I also wonder where we will be in a few years and who my kids will choose to be as they grow. I pray for the decisions that they make and situations they will face. But I know that I will still be in Awe of where God takes our family. Blessed and in Wonder.

The Ugly Envy Bug

So....we all have our issues and today (or this week) I have really felt the ugliness of envy creep into my life. I think I go through this from time to time and I know that it is wrong, but still...if I want to be real about myself, than I must admit...envy can be a real issue at times for me. (and I doubt I am alone in this)

So...here I am trying to be thankful for everything that I have and yet, it is so easy to slip into these worldly thoughts about what I don't have. So...I confess:

I an envious of people who have time to spend with their spouses. (With Tom working full time/schooling full time...well...there isn't much left!)

I am envious of those who own their own home and can paint and decorate to suit their taste.

I am envious of those who can just go out and Christmas shop for their loved ones when I find things I know they would enjoy rather than hoping there is enough in the bank account to run out the week of Christmas and hope to find something that will suffice.

I am envious of those who seem to be able to keep their houses perfect with little ones running around!

I am envious of people who are creative. 

Picture Credit

And yet...I know the truth.

James 13:14-15 "But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic."

Envy is horrid. It really does cause us to dig into a deeper and deeper hole. It is easy to feel sorry for ourselves sometimes. It is something that we are ashamed to admit most of the time.  The more we think about what we don't have, the less we think about what we Do have...and that just isn't good. 

So...putting things in perspective....

I have a husband who works hard at his job to provide for everything we NEED...he is working hard at school all the time to hopefully, eventually get a job in the field that he really enjoys working in (as much as anyone can enjoy working of course).

I have a home with a roof over our heads, comfortable beds to sleep in and a landlord who fixes things when they break.

Christmas is about Jesus and I really am thankful to be in a place that really has forced us to focus on the "reason for the season".

I have three precious babes who mess up my house constantly because they are healthy, playing, living and having fun...with me!

I am thankful for pinterest...because even though I am not great at coming up with my own ideas...I am FANTASTIC at copying them and making them my own! haha

So...if life has you in a place where you are more focused on what you don't have, rather than what you do...try to flip it around. Gain some perspective and remember...

...this too shall pass.

James 1:17: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

Thankful for Lots and Loving More

With everyone's posts on Facebook and blogs this month about the things they are thankful for, It has really made me realize what I am thankful for as well. Today (and every day for that matter)  I am SUPER thankful for an amazing husband. He is hands on with our kids, helps with so much around the house (including things like going to get me a glass of water late at night when I don't want to go back downstairs!) and he works so hard to provide for our family. He has almost no time to simply relax and do the things that he so enjoys because besides working full time, he is in school. I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am that the Lord brought us together to "do life".

I have often thought, "I don't know how I could ever be a single mom." "Being a single mom must be hard."...etc. But today I had a revelation of sorts. What am I doing to love on the single mom? What are you doing to love on the single mom.

This mom chose to give her baby life rather than aborting. That cannot be an easy decision in today's world...it is so tempting to hide sin.

This mom may have sin that is more visible to others than my own sin, but that doesn't make me or you better.

This mom has to do bedtime routines with her children every night by herself (I am not a fan of the bedtime shenanigans that go on in my own home...I cannot imagine doing it alone.)

This mom has to get her kids ready for the day and feed them each meal....alone. 

Yes...I am super thankful for a husband that doesn't mind that I wait until he gets home at 5:15pm to start making dinner so I can cook without kids attached to my legs

But couldn't I be doing something to help that mom who is doing this alone?

If I feel desperate to have time by myself at times, imagine how this mom, who decided to let her precious babe grow and live, feels at times. 

This mom is a child of God...just like me and just like you.

This mom has probably had to endure judgement on her mistakes that may be more visible than your mistakes.

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  -John 13:34-35

So here is my challenge, and it isn't just about single moms. My challenge to you (and myself) is that in this month of being so thankful for the things that we do have...let's try to see where others may struggle in that area and love on them in a way that maybe, just maybe....next November, they will be thankful for the same thing!

Showing Love...

So...in the last few days, I have found myself in situations where I had to catch myself from "judging" others... or some situations where I hoped that I wasn't being judged! Let's love everyone we come in contact with and realize that we do NOT know everyone's story...I just tried to think of situations where judgement seems to come easily. While Stereotypes happen for a reason, we need to remember that not everyone that is in a si

Don't judge the mom in Target with 3 screaming kids at lunchtime. That mom was waiting for medicine that was needed to help her children get better.

Don't choose just to witness to the happy family at the mall...talk to the struggling single parent who is just trying to get their child some new shoes.

Don't judge the family in the doctor's office who is using Government health insurance. Her child may have special needs.

Don't judge someone by where they work or how much money they make. They have no debt and don't need the same as you.

Don't judge the mom who is feeding her baby from a bottle. You have no idea how hard it was for her when she couldn't nurse her child.

Don't judge the mom who is breastfeeding. She is providing nourishment to her child.

Don't judge the person who is using a thousand coupons in the grocery store. This is why she can stay home with her children.

Don't judge the Parents using WIC Checks to buy food for their family. They are foster parents.

Don't judge the family who has 15 kids. They are happy and enjoying life together.

Don't judge the man that is preaching loudly from a street corner. It might not be your style, but He loves Jesus too. If a seed is planted, does it matter how it got there?

Don't judge the family that has 1 child. They had 5 miscarriages.

Don't judge the family on the airplane with a screaming baby. They just adopted that baby and are still adjusting.

Jesus says, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."-Matthew 5:44

Let us work together as Christians in letting those we are in contact with us on a daily basis feel the love of Jesus through us.

Our Pastor shared recently that if we aren't working together...we are working against each other....even within the church. Let's work together and show God's love. We all have different gifts that make up the body of Christ. The body just isn't as strong without all of its parts.

Will you join me in living this way? It's harder than you think. Please comment below with other ways that we easily judge each other.

Enjoy the Rain

Tonight we were supposed to go to Tom's first Softball game of the season. (He plays on our church team). Last year was the 1st year that our church had a team, and although they didn't do so well, they had fun and the families/friends had a BLAST watching the games! Let's just say that our church REALLY likes to socialize and is very much a family. Well...the girls and I spent the day at home doing puzzles and playing games. I even got Keira to take a nap by telling her that she needed to rest up for the game tonight.

Then it rained.

We were all packed in the car with rain boots and rain coats (because we hadn't heard that the game was cancelled yet). I guess when you have a 6 week old and 2 pre-schoolers, you will just about do anything to get out of the house. Halfway there, we got the phone call...no game.

We had a VERY disappointed Keira.

When we got home, we told them that they could play in the puddles outside for a few minutes

Yes, we had 2 extremely wet, cold little girls, but they had so much fun. It reminded me once again how important it is to just let our kids be kids. We live in a time where they could so easily be consumed by other things in the world, but tonight, our kids enjoyed the rain.

The Example We Are

In all of the things that have been really on my heart and mind lately, the biggest has probably been being an example.

What kind of an example are you being...

...to your husband?

... to your kids?

...to your friends?

...to your co-workers?

...to your extended family?

...to your waitress, hairdresser, cashier...etc.?

What does our character say about us? Does Jesus shine through in everything? Or...do people view you as someone who likes to gossip?

What about the things that we do? Is church a priority, or is a sporting event or cleaning the house more important when you wake up on Sunday?

What we make the most important things in our life, our kids will see as the most important thing...and may make those things the most important to them too!

Did you know that 80% of kids that are brought up in the church (even with loving Christian families) are walking away from the faith and do not see the importance of this? Why is this happening? I think that as families trying to survive in a {worldly} "Success" driven society, are focusing too much on college and career oriented stuff (not that those aren't important) and making them more important than their child's spiritual life!

Let's refocus on what is most important so that we can be a light to all around us. After all, we want to be with our children, spouses, friends, family and acquaintances for eternity, right?

Set Apart

Hello and welcome to my new blog.

Lately, I have been noticing so much how even Christians are completely focused on the things that don't matter in life. Shouldn't or lives reflect what we believe? Should we not be consistently striving to learn more about what and why we believe what we do?

Well, that is my inspiration for this blog. I hope to inspire YOU to dig deeper into the word of God and really focus on what is important as we walk through this life together.

What are we teaching our kids? How are we being an example to them and others around us? Are we Set Apart? Do our friends, families, neighbors, strangers and all others see something different in us?

Let us be Set Apart together in order to glorify God!