Oh, Happy Day

I thought this was a fitting song as we move into the 12 Weeks before Christmas!!! 

Really Everlasting?

As I lay down beside my daughter this morning, a prayer swelled up from my heart:

"Lord, may you shine so bright through me into the hearts of my children that there is no way they could ever deny you."

This prayer stemmed from Chapter 24 of The Rest of the Gospel where the author speaks frankly about the fact that God doesn't give us anything for our benefit but for the benefit of others. He gives others to us, for us, to pour forth the Everlasting Waters that dwells within us. We do this because we will never run dry; because we possess the origins of the flow.

It is our duty to pour out all we have into others and have faith that God will not run dry in our lives. But do we really live so boldly? Can we, willingly, give every ounce of who we are, in complete faith, that Christ is all you really need?

I'm not certain I can do that for the whole world, but I do think I can start with my children and husband. How about you, who is someone that you could give all of yourself to, completely, in faith that God will fill your cup back up to overflowing?

A Birthday Wish

It is amazing how quickly we went from this

to this

As I ponder these last 11 years, I think of so much I would have done different if given the chance to rewind. Been more attentive to your daily habits and less to dirty dishes. Less time on the phone and more on the floor engrossed in you imaginary adventures. So many things I would have done different BUT one thing I'd never change is being blessed with an amazing son!!!! I could have NEVER gotten to where I am now without the desperate plea to be every bit the mother you deserve!!! And I have often prayed that I would always be worthy, in your eyes, to be called Mom. You changed our world forever and captured our hearts from the first breath you took. You are my ray of sunshine! Thank you for every morning hug and night time kiss. May you continue to grow in God's grace and love and mercy!!

Happy Birthday Son!!! We love you more than words can express!!!

Forgiven, Yes You!

Forgiveness IS so much easier than we make it out to be. So often we bind it up with our emotions and expectations and put conditions on it. Why, because as individual believers we haven't taken ownership of the forgiveness we inherited from Jesus Christ. Simply put, you can't give away what you don't have.

We rationalize forgiveness when we set standards of who should and shouldn't be forgiven. Ever heard that saying I can forgive but I'll never forget? Yet that is exactly what the Lord has done for us!!!!

Micah 7:18-19

Who is a God like You, 
removing iniquity and passing over rebellion

for the remnant of His inheritance?

He does not hold on to His anger forever,

because He delights in faithful love.

¹⁹ 

He will again have compassion on us;

He will vanquish our iniquities.

You will cast all our sins

into the depths of the sea.

When you begin to walk in forgiveness, you start to walk in uncharted territory and that becomes scary. Falling completely into the greatest gift given is total faith. Taking ownership of your salvation and being an ambassador of Christ by paying forward the same forgiveness given you; that my friend is true gratitude. 

So what is stopping you from being able to say, "Thank You God, I am forgiven!"

Thank You

Gratitude:
1: the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful
2: a feeling or thankfulness or appreciation.

God has taught me so much through my children. What unconditional love looks like. A willingness to be forgiving. How simple faith can really be and how we weigh it down with our religious expectations and pompous.

I have been reading through a book and it has really made me dig deeper into the core of what I believe and why. Several years ago, I was doing some amazing studies that helped God's Word come alive to me and opened the door to what it really meant to breath in the Living Word! I realized,  God revealed to me that in understanding His forgiveness through Christ, and before I could even begin to allow forgiveness to overflow into all areas of my life I had to first be willing to forgive myself. This was life altering for me. God revealed that although I was working on forgiving others, I hadn't released myself of guilt. And until YOU are willing to accept God's gift of forgiveness, it is not something you can give to others.

It is this very understanding that God unleashed into my life that I understood but was never able to articulate, until I began reading through The Rest of the Gospel. As I finished "Chapter 9: The Real You," I wanted to jump up and down in the air!!! And then I stopped and realized that I was raising my own children to live with condemnation and I didn't want to build that path for them to walk down. And you just might be placing this path before your children, stone by stone as well and not even realize it.

See we are free from sin, through Christ and yet once our children become believes we use The Law to condemn them instead of teaching them to rejoice that they are now free from it!!! Think about the last time your or your child did something that was wrong. What was your first and chances are, only reaction? Once I have humbled my heart I usually go into a quiet space with God and grovel for his forgiveness. Pour out how unworthy I am, and leave with a heart that is defeated. Or at times, to be perfectly honest, I check that box because I've asked forgiveness so I'm good. But do you see the condemnation in ALL of this!!!!

Do you see that it goes A-G-A-I-N-S-T God's Word 100%  

Romans 8:1-2 Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the 

Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

What if we simply developed a heartfelt "Thank You, Father that I am forgiven" reaction to the next time we sinned? What kind of freedom do you think that would unleash in your life or do you feel like it would develop a "free pass" attitude? Let me know your thoughts and I look forward to continuing this discussion next week.............

Damn You.....

to doom to eternal punishment or condemn to hell.

Last week, I said that it was not sin that damned you to hell. Are you ready to take a look into the Bible and see the truth? Are you ready to face the reality that what you "believe" might be wrong? Are you ready to live in the freedom that Christ bought for you on the cross? 

First, let me tell you that I am NO scholar. Never went to seminary AND I don't have a doctrine or any type of degree. And I'm glad I don't because often, not always, "book" knowledge can hinder your understanding of God's Word. I have experienced that once you get past the "I" in learning and understanding God's Word, THEN you are ready for Him to reveal all that He has in store for you. As with all things concerning God, it is not dependent up us, rather it is all in His perfect timing. 

When I read Romans 6:23 I don't see "death" as in a physical death because we are told that the gift of God is eternal life. To me, it's like when Jesus was talking to Nicodemus about being born again he doesn't understand it BECAUSE he is thinking of a physical birth. I think alot of believers are like Nicodemus in the fact that they don't understand the depth of their salvation. They don't understand the complete works of Christ when He died on that Cross and victoriously arose from the dead to redeem E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E. 

It is your lack of belief in Christ that condemns you, not the sins that you have committed, are committing or will commit tomorrow. 

^{John 3: 17}  For  God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.18 Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God.

Salvation cannot be lost, bought or borrowed. It can however be misunderstood and wrongfully used by our best intentions when we let religious rituals take place of the Truth of God. If you say, "Yes I believe I am saved BUT," or "Everyone is saved, HOWEVER," then your belief is not in Christ but yourself.  

I do not expect my post to change your heart or mind, it can't, only God can do that. My desire is to get you thinking about why you believe what you believe. Is it because that is how you were raised? Look at what Saul believed. Is it because that is what you were taught in church? Who was it that Jesus mostly rebuked? Or is it because you have experienced the Truth just like the woman who touched the hem of Jesus' robe or the prostitute who was saved by Jesus from those ready to stone her or the woman who gave all she had because she understood that it's not about the temporal but the eternal. 

Simply put, what is at the core of all our differences is this simple question:

Who do you say that Jesus is?

I AM Free

I am thinking of the song by Newsboys: I am Free. 

Through You, the price is paid

Through You, there's victory

Because of You, my heart sings

I am free

Yes, I am free

Disclaimer: I have often been looked at like I am on the verge of blasphemy when I say what I'm about to say. BUT when you know that you know that you know, you don't care what other people think. AND you don't get mad that they don't see things the way you do. Why? Because you can understand where they are, because you were there, because you realize there isn't anything you are going to say to change their minds before GOD moves their Spirit! So why say it at all? This is my blog, my journey, my testimony to my children of how I went from doing for God to dwelling with God!!! After all that is why I started this blog: to write down my path from salvation to sanctification and every valley in between. 

Notice: I will open up this post for dialogue BUT please know if I don't argue respond to your specific comment, I'm not submitting to your point. I just live in a comfortable place of knowing that I do not need to defend God's Word. He is mighty to do this on His own. Being a very strong-willed-growing-child of God, I also know that chances are you aren't looking for my response; you just wanted your moment to prove me wrong or set me straight. That brings no glory to God. So say what you want, in a respectful manner and if we can have a civilized dialogue, I will engage. Otherwise, I just let it sit there for all to see and God to be the judge of your heart.

Now, my question for you:

Do you believe that E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E is forgiven? Do you believe that Christ blood was sufficient enough to cover the sins of even those who do not believe in Him? 

I do and I also believe that although it is sin that separated us from God and has put us all in a "fallen" condition; sin is not what damns you to hell.

I will leave you this week with a chance to respond or comment and pray that you will come back next week as I follow up with my answer to "What damns you to hell, then!" 

to be continued....just as life does

No Bolder Than This!!!

Stay tuned for some amazing revelations!!! 

You know the ones that are from God cause, on your own, there isn't anyway you could even wrap your head around it!!! Yep.... that is where I am right now and I can't wait to share it with you!!!!!!!

to be continued..... just as life does

Back in the Game, Again!!!

Well, seems that I have been away from my blog so long that alot has changed!!! I've got a learning curve with this new format but seeing that we made it through the last couple of months and last night's ER visit, it's doable!!!!! We are enjoying our mini summer break and the hot, hot weather!!! Can't wait to show you how we have been cooling off. I know for myself I am dragging as it's the first day back to a "normal" routine. Add to that the dragging feet of an exhausted mamma who spent 4 plus hours in the ER and well, lets just say I'm up for another cup of coffee!

What about you? How has your summer been so far? Can't wait to catch up with every one! Happy Summer Yall!!!

Making Memories!!!

Enjoying ice cream at the new coffee shop in town!

Picking strawberries!

Celebrating the birthday boy!

Not over it yet......

It is hard to believe that a family could stay sick this long!!!!! But I guess with a family of 5 it is possible cause that's where I have been. If I haven't been taking care of the kids, I've been hanging in there myself.  Unfortunately, housework doesn't take sick days and school lessons still have to be taught along with all the other things that people still expect you to do. So that is where I have been. Still not back to 100% but at least we are all finally in operational mode. I've got some awesome friends, wonderful children who helped out on those days mom couldn't get out of bed and a wonderful husband who helped out with dinners and keeping the house from falling apart. I look forward to being back in the blog land soon but how soon, well that is up to our immune systems. I don't think I have ever looked forward to summer as much as I am right now!!!!

(Oh yeah, I forgot that we even fit in a surgery during this time as well for little CJ! Seriously its been a crazy couple of months and I will not complain about having nothing to do for a long, long time!!!!!!

A Motto for a Motto

At some point between Christmas and New Year I dubbed 2012: A Year Like No Other.

2012 was to be a year where I challenged myself to go beyond what I have been doing in my relationship with God, my family and friends. A Year Like No Other was to be a year of stretching beyond what I thought I could do and walking into the will of God for my life.

So I started small, reading the bible with my children each morning. This hasn't been done perfectly. I think we have skipped 3 days so far and I have been known to heat up hot chocolate after bed time baths and pull out our Children's Bible to read that day's section.

And as I have ponder the mild success of changing directions in a new year, it hit me:

Practice Not Perfection!

Every time I have tried to change something in my life, I've started off strong and gone into it with all my gusto, and within a couple of weeks I land on my face. Exhausted and deflated. Then God, ever so gently, whispered in my ear: "Practice Not Perfection is what I want from you."

And of course I answer God in my self-centered way by thinking of all the things I can practice to make myself a better wife or mother or friend. Simple silly things like making my bed, creating a meal plan, exercising, actually doing lessons on their assigned day, doing my hair everyday...... and although those are things that need to be done, some how I don't think that is what He is looking for.......... Do you? 

God has been asking me, specifically, to practice being me. Sounds simple but we really make it difficult...... turning others expectations into what we must do or dimming our light because of perceived expectations. But I think that as we start to relinquish control of our lives into the hands of God and stand before Him with a "Here I am, what will YOU do with me" attitude..... mountains are moved. I have been dwelling on "me" this past month. Not in an effort for self-improvement.... rather I have asked God to help me see what He sees. Taking a step into being genuine with myself so that I can be honest with Him.

Honestly is a slow moving train..... hard to even get out of the station. But once moving, I've noticed that it seems to carry passengers that are so helpful for this journey:

Forgiveness: Learning to let go of all my own expectations and being okay with not getting it all done

Grace: Once you start learning to just be you, you are able to enjoy others and their faults so much more

Acceptance: Living each day as it comes elevates so much needless stress

Joy: In what the day brings, perfect or not a happy heart springs forward

And how about you, my friend? Is God calling you to do something different this month? Would you consider linking up with me and sharing your journey? I would love to add you to my list of passengers on this journey from salvation to sanctification!!! You can join by linking up every 3rd Saturday of the month with a post about how God is growing you or leaving a comment below.. It can be something small and simple or huge and monumental. It's up to you! Either way, I do hope you will join this journey with me!

to be continued...just as life does

Happy Birthday Baby Girl

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated birthday number 5 for our youngest. 

with a Teddy Bear Picnic

and apple bobbing

balloons

and precious friends!!

But the biggest surprise was a very special gift from Daddy!!!

A Handmade Doll House!

As you can tell, all rooms are already full!! 

And you, our precious daughter, have filled our hearts with pure joy from the moment you joined our family! We love you more than words could ever express and we thank God above for every moment we have enjoyed with you and pray for many many more moments to watch you grow into the beautiful woman God has created you to become!! We love you !!!

Pilgrim's Progress

Today I am over at Dwelling.

Hope you stop by!!!

Dwelling Together in January

Sorry for being absent this week. I have been soaking in some amazing posts (1 & 2 specifically) from over at A Holy Experience!! As I read over and and over the words she has poured out to bless us I think: "How can a woman I have never met reach so deep within me and cause such turmoil?" I know the answer, it is nothing short of God's amazing power to minister to his children in their times of need!!! And his timing is perfect, as always. Here is the memory verse I am working on this month:

Ezekiel 36:25-27

• I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.
• I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;
• I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
• And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

I have stumbled at the last part, meaning I can recite the verse up till this point and my brain just goes blank. It will not stick and instead of forcing the issue  and making the method of memorization my motivation, I'm pausing and waiting for God to reveal what it is within the 1st three "points" that is not being written on my heart. Being defined by your past is such a hard habit to break. And as I have struggled with this for over most of my adult hood I am coming to an understand, a place of rest you might say.

Maybe, just maybe it isn't for me break rather a tool for God to use to minister to me.

Maybe, just maybe there is so much still to be revealed not forgotten that will draw me ever closer in His presence.

Maybe, just maybe there is more glory for Him to come from my sorrow.

Maybe, just maybe then will He be able to put His Spirit within me that I may follow His decrees and delight in His laws.

As sisters in Christ we can find encouragement in each other as we share our heartbreaks, break throughs and moments spent with the Savior. If you, too, are walking the path of sanctification would you consider linking up with me monthly and sharing a moment of your journey? I look forward to meeting each of you and growing richly in the grace of God!!!!

$O Budget Project

Okay, so I have blown the $0 budget theme big time, but not before I made a really cool calendar center!!!!

This week's  for Social Saturday was inspired by Full of Great Ideas $0 Budget Month.

Last year I had a 12 month tear away calendar. Well after December I was stuck with the back of it and a need for a new calendar for 2012. My first step was to pick out a calendar template I like. Thankfully I came across ANYTHINGBUTPERFECT.COM!! She has printables galore and they are F-R-E-E, yeah!!!! Then I rounded up some clothes pins and away I went!!!

Out with the old!! I cleared away all the pieces that didn't tear off.

Next I found some fabric that was cute and would last me a couple of months. As much as I would love to change this out every month, it just ain't happening. I made sure there was about an inch extra all the way round.

Next I used my glue gun and went to town. To make it a little neater, I used my "sewing" skills and folded in the sides. I know there is a name for this but I have no idea. See mad sewing skills!!!!!

Then I used this handy dandy tool, not sure what it is called either, but it punches a hole into the fabric with a really loud sound effect!!! But hey it works.

Then finished off the backboard with these circle things. Some left-over stuff from when I made cards. 

Here are my cloths pins spray painted and glued into place. 

Nice ribbon and rick rack for special effect, looking good!!!

Monthly calendar, which quickly filled up!

Two more cloths pins with ribbon glued on. I use these to show at a quick glance what we will be doing for the week and my to do list for the day.

And this is my monthly cleaning list. As I complete a task I just mark it off. This helps me stay on task and remain flexible to go with my never the same daily routine!!!

And as much as I am patting myself on the back for this project, you have to go check out more amazing ideas as Stephanie takes January to share with us awesome ways to go an entire month without spending a dime. Have a great weekend everyone!!!!

Sew Much To Do: Week 17 Skateboard Sling

I'm super excited to show off yet another Christmas gift!!! This one was for LJ. The tutorial is by Emily at The Boy Trifecta and even though you can't tell by the pics, said boy was very happy with said gift!!!!

Till next week happy sewing!!!!

Staying Organized after Christmas

Okay so there are just too many link parties for me to keep up with!!! But hey, I'm a party girl and want to participate, when I can. So I decide that I would pick on link party each week and blog about it on Social Saturday. Sounds fun and doable, what do you think?

This week isn't really a link up but I was inspired by Happy in her Organized in 365 Series and thought I would play along.

The last two weeks of 2011 I went through each room, one by one and purged them. Papers, items not used, items that belonged in another room, clothes that didn't fit, clothes we don't wear; it all went out the house!!!!!

 And yet this is what my stairs looked like after the New Year!

But not any longer. I've got a plan and here are the rules. Items left out on the floor are put in the green basket. The kids can pick the items out and put them back where they belong OR if any item is left in the green basket on Friday morning, it is mine to do with as I please!!!! And here is my plan of action. If it is a first time offense, it gets put in the Put Away basket:

If it is an item that we have not designated a space for, it gets put in the Find A Home basket. (This allows a grace period after Christmas and birthdays.)

If the item is just not being put up I get to put it in the Give Away bag or the Donate bag. I usually have an idea of who I want to give an item to so the Give Away bag is given away weekly. The Donate is put in our garage and awaits our twice a year donation trips. This give them a chance to miss the item and earn it back or an out of sight out of mind storage solution!

Here is my method in progress.

The last choice, I reserve, is to throw the item away. This week, there were only 3 things that were thrown away, so all my de-cluttering did do some good!!!

And the final result is a safe and neat looking stairway!!!!

Be sure to drop by and see all the wonderful ideas Happy is posting about becoming more organized!!!!

Sew Much To Do: Week 16 Composition Cover

It has been so long since I blogged about my sewing that I forgot  about Sew Much To Do. Not only was this week's project a Christmas gift but it was also one of my I want to do that projects!!!! And let me tell you, CJ is enjoying it greatly!!!!

You can get directions to this over at Moda Bake Shop. I didn't do mine just like the tutorial as I didn't have time to do mine front cover all fancy like hers', so I just cut two 11 x 7.5 (which was the original measurement for the back.) Next time I make the crayon holder I will make it a bit taller and when I make one of these for JJ I will cut out two 11 x 25, one for the entire front and one for the lining. I also plan on making the pockets longer for color pencils and putting them on the inside flaps instead of the front. As you can tell in the first picture, CJs crayons are breaking but thankfully that has not stopped her creativity!!!!

Did you sew anything special for Christmas? If so please link up and brag a little!!!!!! 

On New Year's Day

I would like to encourage anyone who has not read the bible in it's entirety to make that a priority in 2012. Whether you are a believer or wondering what to believe just reading the bible is so life impacting because the truth is, you have to make a decision. Are you going to believe this is the Living Word of God or not. But I would like to challenge you NOT to make that decision until you have read every single word written. I believe and know to be true that God's Word is Living because it changes your heart and renews your mind and will transform your life, if you let it. I think many people never experience this because they are not willing to yield their own personal thoughts and actions to God. And although this is a life time decision, you have to decide every day of your life to yield to God, you have to have a starting point. When will you decide and what will it take in your life for God to get your attention?

In my life God used the painful loss of our unborn baby. But how about you. Is God trying to get your attention. If so are you ready to be still and listen? And may I be so bold as to say if He is not trying to get your attention will you ask yourself if you have turned a cold shoulder to Him, ignoring Him so long that He isn't even talking to you!?!

I know this isn't your typical Happy New Year greeting but this isn't going to be a typical year for us!! Lets determine to take each day to come to know Christ in a more meaningful and purposeful way. For each individual that is as different as we are so you decide how you are going to purpose each day. If you would like encouragement please link up with me and we can join in this journey together in 2012 and on the 3rd Saturday of each month we can share with each other how our journey from salvation to sanctification is going! And with that I would like to greet you on this very first day of 2012 with a very traditional greeting:

Happy New Year

To be continued ... Just as life does

Merry CHRISTmas

As the year draws to a close we have much to be thankful for! It has been such an adventure settling into our very own home in NC. Big Daddy received word in November that he has been selected for promotion and we are so proud of him. He is also serving as our church’s AWANA TNT Director and Young Adults Sunday School teacher. This year involved several surgeries for him and he no longer needs glasses!!! L2L is very busy keeping up with lesson plans for 3 children, teaching at our local homeschool group, serving as our church’s AWANA Commander and will begin teaching the 1st-3rd grade Sunday School in the new year. LJ has become quite the skateboarder. He is doing well with his lessons and continues to excel in his TNT handbook. He completed his first year of Coach pitch baseball and began jazz lessons in September. JJ is enjoying his final year in Sparks and working hard so he can go to Camp-A-Rama. He is trying his hand at skateboarding and rollerblading but enjoys his Wii and DS the most. He is doing great with his lessons, “played” his first and only year of T-ball and participated on his first bowling league. CJ is growing up too fast!! She participated in her first dance recital in May and beauty pageant in June taking home most photogenic and 1st runner up. School is fun for her right now as she is learning so much side by side with the boys in History and Science. We are very thankful to call ourselves homeschoolers for yet another year. Our family wishes you a blessed New Year and Christ-centered Christmas!!!

From our home to yours Merry CHRISTmas & Happy New Year

Merry Christmas 2011