"Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away." 6th Year Anniversary.

I can't believe that today is our 6 year anniversary. Time flies. I just feel thankful. Thankful that I have an amazing husband, whom I truly love with all my heart. Thankful that we are still in love. Thankful that we just love spending time together. Thankful for GRACE. It is by Grace that we even met, married, and are celebrating 6 years of marriage. Marriage is such a gift. The Mr. and I have been attached at the hip since day one. We have tried to continue to date one another even after our wedding and the birth of our daughter. Sometimes that means taking her with us on dates, and sometimes that means planning dates at home. Whatever the case, we have made each other a priority. Most importantly, we have tried to make sure God is at the center of all aspects of our life. Not so we will have a perfect marriage or life (there is no such thing), but simply because WE NEED JESUS. I need Jesus all day, everyday, 24/7. Not sure where I would be without Him. I really do not know how any marriage could survive with out Jesus Christ. Growing up we both witnessed marriages that failed. We knew when we said "I do" that we would be committed to one another no matter what. My husband and I do not have a perfect marriage, we have ups and downs like every couple. We have had really hard things to deal with that have stretched us, tested us, grew us, and molded us. Even things that have even brought out the worst in us. But God in His amazing mercy and grace has taken the junk of our lives, and continues to make us like Him. Such Grace! I really believe I have the best husband in the world. I am thankful for the way He remains faithful to Christ no matter what. I love the way he desires to make the Word of God known to others. He loves and serves our family sacrificially. He treats me like a princess. He is a great father. I know I am loved beyond measure by him. Thankful for this sweet love and marriage that God has given us! My prayer is that God would give us 50 years together. Here is one of my favorite scriptures that was on our wedding invitation:
"Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away."~ Song of Soloman 8:6-7

All about My Valentine!

I thought I would do a post all about my Valentine! I am convinced I have the best Valentine ever!

• Thankful my Valentine takes up his biblical manhood card & romances me all through out the year, not just on Valentine's Day!
• He leads our family with love!
• He loves me sacrificially the way Christ loves the Church.
• He has been devoted to me even when "Christians" have tried to mess our marriage up! Side note: As a former skeptic of Christians-I have found that NOT ALL Christians are that ruthless! MANY ARE VERY SWEET... THE TRUE BRIDE OF CHRIST LOOKS AND ACTS LIKE CHRIST!
• He always has my back!
• I am treasured by my valentine!
• He is a godly man, who is sold out to sharing God's Word to the ends of the earth!
• He points me and our precious daughter to the Gospel.
• He remains faithful to God and His Word no matter what the cost is!
• He has loved me unconditionally since we have been together!
• He still plays/writes songs for me on his Guitar! My husband + guitar+ song= Hotness
• He can PREACH. When he preaches I sometimes get blown away at how well he preaches. This is a new gift that has developed in the last few years. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and wonder where he is and I go looking for him in our house and he is writing sermons that God has given him!
• Apart from glorifying God, being a great husband to me, a loving father to our beautiful daughter-His 3 goals in life are multiplying churches, adoption, and bringing awareness to sex trafficking!
• Thankful God chose me to be his valentine! Such a blessed wife I am!!!

Family Worship

This New Year our WHOLE church family is Reading God's Story, A Chronological Daily Bible! Here is what it looks like: 6th graders- on up are reading the Daily Bible together. Birth- 5th grade will be using curriculum that matches pretty closely, and also each week will have certain pages to read from The Jesus Storybook Bible that coincide with the Daily Bible. Each week in the bulletin there will be a catechism that families can also memorize together. Reading the Chronological Daily Bible is something I have been looking forward to since we got here! I am excited to see what God will do with a church who is willing to commit to reading His word together as a body of believers. I am also excited to read the Bible in Chronological order. I have personally never did that before.

Something else I am looking forward to this year is our family doing family worship each night. Our nightly family worship time looks like this:

• 2-3 songs: The Mr. leads us in worship on his guitar. K-B plays random "B" instruments. I play whatever "B" instrument that K-B decides I need to play! ;)  It  truly is a sweet time of worship! (we got the "B"  brand instruments from Target incase you would like some too! Although pots and pans would  work well too! A joyful noise it is!)
• Prayer- We discuss prayer request and praises. We all hold hands and each one prays together as a family.  Hearing K-B say "Hi God! I wuv you JEEESUS! AAAAMENN!" is so precious! The Spelling of her prayer is exactly how she says it! MELTS. MY. HEART.
• We talk about our catechism and Memory Verse.
•  Read Jesus Storybook Bible
• Then we put K-B to bed
• Once K-B is all tucked in, the Mr. and I talk about our reading from our Daily Bible.
• After that, we have prayer  together! (praying together with your spouse can be awkward at first, but overtime becomes natural! I love holding hands with my sweet hubby as we seek God together! As my bible study leader from my home church, Dr. Bob O says "It is the best love making you can ever make with your spouse!")

Week at a Glance:

Sunday Nights- Introduce new catechism & memory verse for the week AND  Family Worship.

Monday Nights- Family Worship

Tuesday Nights- Family Worship

Wednesday Night- after church Family Worship

Thursday Night- Family Worship

Friday Night- Family Worship

Saturday Night-  Jesus Storybook Bible (read the specific story listed in the bulletin) & Special Treats

*we want to make learning and reading the Bible fun! SO Saturday nights is the night we have something special! Thinking about making plates together that we will use only on Special Treat Saturdays. Our special treats will be cookies, cupcakes, brownies, ice cream or something else that is a treat for us! Saturday nights will be a celebration!!!

 

                   

There is not only one right way to do family worship and I am sure there are many out there who do it better. This is just what works for our family! Hopefully it will help as you think through family worship, and what works best for your family!!!!!

 

 

 

Tennessee

I thought I would do an update for our family and friends...Today marks week 5 since we have been in West Tennessee! The church sent sweet people  to our apartment at the Seminary to come help load our stuff  up and they helped us move. When we arrived to our new community we had what felt like millions of people from the church helping unload the Uhaul. They helped us set up beds and get us somewhat settled in! The members of our church are very sweet and thoughtful! We are very thankful for their kindness and big hearts!!!  Our life is finally settling down since we moved. No need to go through all of the details but we ended up having to find a different house than the one we thought we would be living in. For 15 long days we slept in the house we originally thought we were going to live in with the majority of our stuff still in boxes. It wasn't exactly how we wanted to start ministry here but God had it as a part of the plan for some reason. God helped us find a house-He provided like He always does--and yet I still doubt Him every time--stupid sheep I am!!! We feel very welcomed  here. We love our  new church and the people in this community. We are excited to do ministry here and feel very blessed that God sent us here. We are very excited to serve under our Pastor. He loves the Word and desires for the church and community to be in love with the Word! My hubby and him are pretty likeminded.   On Wednesday nights the church is doing the Gospel Project which is really neat. I am personally ecstatic for 2014 because the WHOLE church from  babies – to the young at hearts will be reading the Bible in chronological order! I love that what we will be learning at church we will be able to talk about  at home with our children since we will all be studying the same thing at the same time.- So SIMPLISTIC!  Kinda neat since SIMPLISTIC was my “word for the year” almost 2 years ago when Mark D. from my home church challenged the church to pray about a word for the year! Who knew the last almost 2 years, God would continue to teach me simplicity. I am so pumped to see what God will do with a body of believers at Mary’s Chapel who will live simplistically biblical by going through the Word together!!! 

Our sweet princess is settling in pretty well for a toddler. She often says she wants to go to the children’s houses where I used to nanny. She doesn’t understand that we have a state in between us! I have to refrain from crying when she asks to go to their houses! I miss their families so much and so does K-B!  She loves to go to church. She enjoys the other children at church! She especially loves our Pastor’s youngest son that is about 8 or 9 months younger than her. She talks about him a lot…makes her daddy worried! ;)    I have to remind him she is TWO! No need to worry! J All in all I think she has handled our transition well!!!  J

We are excited to do the Great Commission here!!!

 " Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” ~Matt. 28:19-20

 

What's New This New Year...

This New Year I started a new job! I am nannying for 2 wonderful, GODLY families!!! I have been a SAHM  and worked out of my home since Kaeley-Belle was born, so this is a change for our family!..A good change!!! I already love the children and their families very much!!! They are absolutely precious!!!  I also get to take Miss Kaeley-Belle to work with me!!! If you have read my blog since the beginning you know that before I had my precious baby girl, God really burdened my heart to make sure that I made faithful choices as her mother!!! I knew he was calling me to lay a godly foundation even in her very early days!!! Part of the foundation He was asking me to lay, was to be a SAHM! God made a way, and I stayed at home with my baby girl!!! :)
 I nanny 4 days a week, and basically do the same thing that I would do in my own home!!! Nannying for these families is a HUGE blessing!!! When I interviewed for the position, I asked the families what they would like me to work on with their children and they said teach them scriptures!!! My heart leaped for joy because that is right up my alley!!! Now I want to clarify something...these parents are not expecting me to be their childrens' primary source of spiritual food so to speak; these parents recognize that is their job!  I am blessed to have the opportunity to assist them in the process!!! SO my new mission field is caring for these families and my own!!!  I am very excited to work with both families!!! I am excited for what God has in store! I know He is all over this, because it is too much of a perfect fit for Him to not be all over it!!! This New Year my mission field is tea parties, bible studies, playing dress-up, crafting, singing songs, attending "concerts", reading books, making messes, cleaning up messes, and much more!!!! ;) What does your mission field look like this new year?????

^" And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Col. 3:17

Life Living at the Seminary

We are partially moved in on seminary campus! Have I mentioned how I HATE packing.unpacking. boxes.moving messes.etc?!?! You would think by now I'd be used to it!  I say this everytime we move but I am not sure how we end up with so much excess! I seriously get rid of TONS of STUFF everytime we move! This move was especially eye opening because God has us in a one bedroom apartment on campus! SO I knew prior to moving we were going to have to give away extras that were given to us!  We have been very blessed.  Some very sweet people have been very generous and gracious towards us on our WiLd RiDe of a FAITH journey! Most of everything we own  has been given to us (other than one couch and one recliner). That is how God has provided for us! I can honestly say God can decorate a house way better than I ever could have!!!... Even down to cute decorative items! Who says God doesn't care about the small things in life?!  "Seek first His kingdom and His rightousness and all of these things will be added unto you!"-Matthew 6:33

The beginning of this year...Mark D. -the youth pastor at my home church- challenged the church to pick a word for a year. So I went home and prayed and asked God to show me the word He wanted for me this year. The word simplistic kept popping in my head! Through out the year God has been teaching me simplicity. He has taught me the beauty of simplicity-I can't wait to share with you in future posts. Life living at the seminary in our one bedroom apartment is truly simplistic. It is peaceful.  We are excited to learn, grow, make forever friends, and to continue on in our WiLd RiDe of a FAITH journey. Coming here after being on staff at two different churches makes us appreciate our time here I believe more than we would have when we were younger! It is neat having various age groups here, all with the same goal of making disciples of all nations!!!

" Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

*sometime in the near future I will have to have a blog post and pictures of organizing a one bedroom apartment with a toddler! interesting!

Happy 4th Anniversary!!!! Our Love Story~

My hubby and I met at a Disciple Now at his home church! One of my friend's friend was the youth pastor at the time. At the last minute the youth pastor needed some D-Now leaders, if I remember correctly I think the ones that were supposed to lead couldn't make it or something like that. So I got asked to help. My hubby was the worship leader and I was the high school girls leader.

Funny story- The 1st night  they introduced the leaders (my hubby was in the gym during this time) and I guess after they introduced the leaders one of the high school boys that my hubby mentored came running up to him jumped on his lap informed my hubby that he just met his future wife, then jumped off his lap ran around the gym bouncing off the walls like usual! lol

One of the days that my hubby led worship I remember thinking there was something different about him! I thought he was really cute too!! :) But I was too shy to talk to him. He was too shy to talk to me as well! Infact, he was SO shy it took him a    WHOLE YEAR to even talk to me!

 Finally a year later and he asked me if I wanted to hang out. The 2nd time we hung out we watched a movie and played hang-man. When we played hang-man he asked me out on a date. The 1st time I didn't get it b/c I wasn't sure if it was just words he was using as part of the game or if he was really asking me out?!....so I didn't say anything!!! He asked me the same question for the SECOND time, and I said "OF COURSE"! He took me putt-putting on our first date and on our second date he took me to watch the Dark Knight! ( In Four years of marriage he has made me a comic nerd! I now look forward to when his favorite movies come out!)

With-in a month of our 1st date he asked me to marry him with a paper ring he made! ;) He later gave me a real ring during a candle lit dinner! With us having a fast engagement-we were nervous to tell some people! We were nervous to tell my home church Pastor b/c he was like another dad and we were also nervous to tell Pastor Don who was the pastor of the 1st church my hubby was on staff with! I wasn't nervous to tell Bob O though.. who is also like a spirtual parent to me..I knew he prayed so much for me that he would have peace! We weren't really nervous about telling our family or friends! We knew they would all be happy for us!

I remember us being SO nervous when we were on the way to tell Pastor Don we were engaged! I stayed in my hubby's truck and when he went in to tell him-Pastor Don was like Don't worry Brother I asked my wife to marry me the 1st week we started dating! (Apparently Pastor Don knew sweet Miss Beth was a keeper!) We were so relieved that Pastor Don was okay with our fast engagement!-My hubby especially  was b/c Pastor Don knew my hubby since he was little! My hubby has a lot of respect for him-he taught my hubby a lot about ministry!

When we told my home church Pastor, he was a little skeptical at 1st! He wasn't so sure about it!!! After his "Marraige Counseling Boot Camp" as I call it-He had peace! (Seriously though if you want great marriage counseling Pastor Bob is great at it! At the time I HATED DREADED it! Me and my hubby sat 5 feet apart on the couch in his office!!!! But we still use what he taught us in our marriage today!!!)

We got married on November 1, 2008 at my home church by Pastor Bob! My hubby even wrote a song for me and sang it as I walked down the aisle! We had our reception at the family life center at the church my hubby was on staff at!!! The day was very sweet!!!

Since day one we have been inseperable! God has truly blessed me with a sweeter love and marriage than I ever imagined! My hubby is truly the love of my life! He is precious to me!!! I love sharing this life with him!!!  I definitely do not deserve him, he is a gift from God! The gift that he is to me, is a constant reminder of God's love and grace!!! He daily shows me the love of our Father! We don't have a perfect marriage-we have our ups and downs like every couple!!! but we DO have a perfect God who we invite to be at the center of our marriage!!! I can honestly say after 4 years of marriage I love my hubby more today than when we got married!!!

I love this Scripture it was on our wedding invitations:

"Place me like a seal over your heart,like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.
Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away.
~Song of Soloman 8:6-7

Finding Faith

When I was in middle school and high school I used to LOVE cheerleading!  I used to eat, sleep, and breathe cheerleading.  I used to practice cheers everywhere I went… in the aisle of the grocery store while my mom was getting groceries, in the hair salon where she worked at, in our living room, in the car, etc!  I  cheered 8^th -11^th grade. I wanted to be a cheerleader in 7^th grade but I was too shy to try out! I was NOT shy around friends, family, people I was close to though! I was also terrified to be in front of crowds (still am!) -- not quite sure how cheerleading and I worked out! ;) However, I am eternally thankful it did because through cheerleading I accepted Christ as Savior. In high school one of my cheerleading coaches was a Christian. Joyce wasn’t a pushy Christian or weird one or anything..she simply lived a Christ-like life out before my eyes in great times and in heart breaking times! I knew I wanted whatever it was she had! One weekend I stayed with her and her daughter who was also a cheerleader, because my mom had to be out of town. Joyce invited me to church. I went and to my surprise the pastor wasn’t boring, the church people there weren’t weird..it wasn’t as BAD as I thought! Side note:  I went to church camp when I was around 10 or 11 years old with my childhood best friends and  IT WAS NOT FUN! And yes I thought all of the people were dorky and weird!  Anyways through Joyce inviting me to church I eventually accepted Christ as savior in high school and then in college chose to make Him Lord of my life! Some people do that all at the same time, me on the other hand am a little slow. It all clicked a few years later!  I like many people through my younger years made a lot of dumb decisions! I failed a lot but thankfully God is faithful everyday and His grace is everlasting!!! Thankfully God loves us right where we are no matter what we have done or where we have been!

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ~ Romans 5:6-8

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” ~ Isaiah 53:5

By the way God definitely has a sense of humor...I would have never in a million years dreamed that I would one day grow up to be one of those dorky christian women, nor would I have ever imagined a life being on a WiLd RiDe of a FAITH Journey and married to a pastor. Who would have thought I'd ever end up LOVING church camp and ministry!

Secret To Be Told

 
As I told you in my last post that I would one day get to share with you, what the King of KINGS, Lord of LORDS, our Savior- has been showing us! Well today is the day!!!

When God called us out of our last place in ministry we began praying and asking God to show us what is next! As I told you in my last post, for awhile He kept telling us to “Be Still”. SO during this we took the time to pray, learn, grow, DETOX from ministry ~YES you heard me! Sadly ministry can be toxic on ministry families! We have had both great experiences in ministry and not so great experiences! And in BOTH cases at times you still have to detox yourself because of jUnK from yourself and others!!! During this time we have also been SPONGES when we are around our godly mentors such as Dr. Bob O, my home church pastor Bob W, The Dearings, Mrs. Bev, The Oliphants, ohhh the list could go on and on and ON!! If you can’t tell we are very blessed to have many godly leaders in our lives and I could have a whole blog post just listing them all. I feel like one of the best qualities of my home church is they are good at discipleship!!!

When “My Man”and I first got married, we both knew that one day he would be a part of church planting in some way. “My Man” knew when he was young that he would be in full-time ministry when he was older. He has always had a burden for church planting and a passion to be an instrument to help transform the Church to be more Christ-like. We always joke about this, but “My Man” will tell you that he was that teenager who would always stand up in business meetings annoyed when things were not simplistically biblical!- makes me Laugh Out Loud-for real! ;) This year “My Man” and I started visiting a new church plant on Friday nights led by some sweeties from my home church. God started burdening our hearts for church planting. We began praying for a map for the U.S. that had “the least reached cities in U.S” .We looked and looked online and couldn’t find any. One night in bible study Dr. Bob asked“My Man” to lead the group because he was not going to be there, and I kid you not- in walks one of the ladies with a map from the NAMB!!!! Now you must know this part. We had yet to tell ANYONE the burden God was putting on our hearts! We continued to pray that God would speak through prayer, His word, our mentors, etc-The next Wed. night Bob O randomly said, “If you are called to church planting- you better go church plant, you don’t need Bob O’s opinion!”and then he proceeded talking about whatever else he was talking about! :) “My Man” and I looked at each other knowing we hadn’t told ANYONE yet what we were thinking, and seriously about fell off our seats!!! :)

God kept using scriptures, sermons, and blogs to give us a huge, passionate burden for church planting. We eventually decided we needed to tell people bc we never want to be outside of God’s will. SO we told the godliest people we knew. We even asked some people to join us! ;) We looked on the map from the NAMB- and picked one of the least reached areas in the US. And South Florida is 96 % unchurched- meaning that only FOUR % attends some kind of church. NOW the scary part is that 4% includes churches that are not doctrinally sound. There were hardly any Southern Baptist Churches. We started thinking that God was going to have us go to south Florida and plant as soon as our contract with our rental property was up. The last time I posted we thought the next part of our faith journey would be church planting.

During this time God also placed it on our hearts to have “My Man” finish his degree. But we were confused bc we had very, clear answered prayers. Inwardly our hearts were torn- Church Plant or Finish Degree?!?! My home church pastor, came to my hubby and shared with him a burden that God has placed on his heart, and felt like “My Man” was to be a part of it with some other men. The only thing was, that if he was to be a part of it, the timing would be very close to when we thought God was going to send us to Church Plant. SO we knew we needed to keep praying! And we did! Through prayer we realized WE had confused our housing contract end date with God’s timing! Prayer helped us to see that YES, “My Man” was supposed to finish his degree first, while also serving & sharing my home church pastor’s burden along with the other men! And DOWN THE ROAD church plant or be on staff in a church that helps church plant..WHATEVER the case we know we will be involved in church planting in some fashion!

My hubby will finish his degree at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary that he started when he was fresh out of high school. We will live on campus. He will work on his degree through the week and will continue working his secular job on the weekends. While we were on SBTS’ website we found they now also have a church planting resource! God is good! I love how he faithfully answers prayer!!! We are thankful He didn’t let our timing get ahead of His!!! “My Man” and I never want to get in God’s way or be too early or miss it altogether!!! We are excited for what God has instore! We know and have known that whether we are in school, ministry, secular work, wherever- our calling is  what Isaiah 61 says. We know we are supposed to live REBELLIOUSLY no matter where this WiLd rIdE of a FAITH journey leads.

We are learning how important prayer is! Prayer is definitely KEY! :)

ISAIAH 61~

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
Strangers will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations and in their riches you will boast. Instead of your shame
you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.

 “For I, the Lord, love justice;I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.” I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations."

Time for an Update

It's been awhile since I blogged...prob should do an updated post! Since I last posted we now have a Toddler! Our baby girl is now 13 months old! Time is going way too fast...people told us it would. I just want her to stay little. I love the baby/toddler stage! Not only am I certain that I will have Empty Nest Syndrome one day...I think I will be lost if I don't have little ones in the house. And let me clarify...there is not any plans of having another biological child in the near future! I would however take a baby/toddler/child from many countries if God would let me! Not sure my hubby is okay with that many children but I AM! ;) He says one more (adopted), so I say two more (adopted)! ;) Then, he gives me a look! ;) ANYWAYS- Miss princess has started walking-takes 4 or 5 steps then crawls bc she knows she can get to where she is going  a lot faster! She likes people..some people at a distance and some are allowed up in her face! She has 2 cute besties that come to our home for daycare and the cutest little redheaded boyfriend...She is in love! ;) But he has lots of girls who are crazy about him...He is the Daycare Prince Charming! Princess enjoys going to church on Friday nights...YES  I said Friday nights.. UNCONVENTIONAL right??? We have been attending a church plant in the city park lead by some of my favs from my home church. They are truly taking the Truth to places where some are unwilling to go! And guess what??? The Unconventional is reaching people for Christ that probably would be frowned upon in many churches! Praise God for Churches who are able to do church the conventional way and yet be Christ-like!  Princess also likes going to my home church on Sunday mornings...she loves the nursery! She gets to spend time with Mamaw and Mami and all the other sweeties that love on the babies! On Wed. nights she attends the best Prayer group ever...and I mean ever!!!..with mommy and daddy led by Dr.Bob! She is the youngest one there. We are thankful that the older people love having her in there and don't fret when she acts like the toddler that she is!! Princess has lots of family and friends who love on her, and mommy and daddy are thankful for that!!! For the last several months my Man and I have been praying, thinking, praying, talking with the godly people in our lives! We have been seeking the Creator of the Universe, our Father- looking to Him to show us what is next! For months He kept saying "Be Still"... the spaz that I am kept saying... what do you mean "Be Still"?!?! and He kept saying it again and again, "Be Still"...But GOD???... "Be Still" "Let Go, Brooke!" For those of you who are spazzzzy, control freaks like me get how hard it  is to really "Be Still" and "LET GO"! Eventually I gave up the wrestling match with the I AM! Yes...I am the stupid sheep who tries to wrestle with the I AM!!!!! Can we say ignorant!!!! Thankfully His grace is enough...for real!!! Thankful that God sees me as who I will be one day not as I am!  Recently we have had God nudging us, pointing us to what He has instore for our family next! We asked Him to speak through our godly mentors in our lives, we prayed that He would speak to us through the scriptures, prayer etc! The Bible says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." James 1:5   I can't hardly wait to tell you what the King of KINGS, Lord of LORDS has been showing us...what He has planned!!! But for now it will have to wait until another post in the future!!! :) For now it is a secret!!!  Please be praying for our family and praying for others who may end up joining us in this WiLd rIde of a FAITH journey!!!!

~2011~

2011 has been another WiLd RiDe of a FAITH journey! It was everything BUT uninteresting! This year 'My Man and I have been in war!..."A REAL war, a WAR for sOuLs of men!" as Bob O would say! We have witnessed God perform miracles right before our eyes!!!! We have also watched the enemy try to "steal, kill, and destroy" John 10:10...Yet all the while, God's mighty hand was in control of eVeRyThInG!... including the puppet-satan himself!
In ministry I watched God use 'My Man' for the Kingdom in powerful ways!!! I was & am blessed beyond measure to stand alongside of him-- to serve and help in ministry in anyway possible! I watched God use my hubby, by taking a very spiritually dead youth group into an amazing group of students who rededicated their lives to Christ and some who met Him for the very first time! As 'My Man' taught them scriptures and led them by example, -I watched students who went from just coming to church on Sundays, BECAUSE THATS WHAT WE DO ON SUNDAYS!... to students who wanted more of the GOD of the UNIVERSE to be invloved in their lives! Watching them COLLIDE with their CREATOR was every bit of a miracle! 'My Man' got to baptize some of the precious students on his birthday~ Talk about a "Happy Birthday!!!! Love, GOD" kind of blessing that was for him!!! They were the very first students he has ever baptized!! Satan thought he'd throw in a funny one in during this time to try to STEAL the joy!..but the scheme didn't work~ just makes us laugh! A person wouldn't allow their teen to be baptized because 'My Man' wasn't ordained! So somehow I guess that would make their childs baptism not legit???!!! LOL... I wonder if John the Baptist, who baptized JESUS himself...the WiLd CRAZY looking man of the wilderness, who loved him some locusts... was ordained??? I wonder if his LACK OF ordination made the baptisms he performed not legit??? The irony is that the religious/ legalistic leaders of the day interrogated him too!!! (side note-I'm sorry if anyone finds my blog offensive, but my motto after this past year is~ speak Truth always--NO MATTER THE COST and when sin needs called out... CALL IT OUT!!!! Us christians need to stop worrying about stepping on toes, get REAL, STOP playing church & get back to the scriptures!!! Forget this don't want to be offensive crap--Let's face it: THE CROSS IS OFFENSIVE!!!.......... "Wounds from a friend can be trusted but an enemy multiplies kisses." Proverbs 27:6)
That particular scheme wasn't the only CrAzY idea of a scheme that satan tried this past year. We experienced MANY trials in ministry, but all of them just made us more bold and determined to speak the Scriptures no matter what the cost was!!! The cool thing was how when satan thought he knocked us down God put a whole slew of ppl to stand along side of us and support us thru the trials! A big lesson I learned this year is that God sends people to certain missionfields, and there will be times in ministry when only SOME people who recieve the Truths...but just like what Jesus says in Matt. 10:14-15 "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement..."
After God called us out of our last place of ministry, He sent us back home with fam and friends which some have went thru very similar things in ministry! Def. has been a huge blessing to us! God immediately gave Brad a secular job, and has even opened up ministry opportunities as well! God had us live with fam for a short time, and on our 3rd anniversary we moved in our cute home that we are renting! It feels very homey!
The BEST thing that has happened to us this year is-- on MAY 10,2011, God gave us Kaeley-Belle! She is proof of God's faithfulness and grace! From the day we found out we were pregnant with her...God has shown us that He is in the miracle making business! She def. has God's autograph written all over her story! I couldn't even keep down vitamins--not even kids vitamins! And those of you who know my diet of fries and mac n cheese are def. not the healthiest!!! We def. thank God for her, and feel blessed beyond measure that He has allowed us to be her parents!!!!! She is sassy, strong willed, full of love, has joy overflowing, and def. has a unique "Kaeley-Belle quirkiness!" She SHINES for Him already! I can see in her eyes that He has HUGE plans for her!!! Our love for her is indescribable!!!!
The Truth that God never leaves or forsakes His, has been evident in our journey in 2011! Even though we faced many trials, through God's grace and faithfulness, HE carried us through them all! I'm excited to see what God has planned for the next part of our faith journey this new year!!!!

"Kaeley-Belle Squarepants"

It has been a long time since I blogged...the schedule of this new mom...well to be honest the word schedule isn't even in our vocabulary these days much less our daily life. I can say the word "SLEEP" comes up frequently! ANYWAYS... we have a new, precious gift that has been added into our lives!!! DELIGHTED is an understatement as to how we feel about our daughter Kaeley-Belle! She is absolutely amazing! We simply adore her!!! She is truly an example of the power of prayer! In the beginning of our pregnancy we had a pregnancy scare...and this was very scary to us bc we had already lost one baby prior and took awhile to get pregnant again! (or it sure felt like it anyways!) This child had ppl all over prayin for her! I had a ruff pregnancy in the first half..I couldn't take ANY vitamins the entire pregnancy w/o gettin sick and for those of you who know my diet of french fries and mac & cheese are def. not the healthiest!!! So Kaeley-Belle has God's autograh written all over her! God is so good bc when I was worried about her due to the lack of vitamins,this sweet n precious pastor's wife from another church in the community we were minstering in, who brought her oldest child to the preschool I worked in, Just SO happened to tell me with her newest baby she couldn't take ANY vitamins either and he did just as well as her 1st child on the testing they do in the hospitals when they are born! Only GOD knew I needed to hear that story to ease my mind! I love when God Just SO happens to put the right person in your path for the day especially to help drown out the lies that the enemy loves to tell. Today I have another example of this Just SO happens stuff...Kaeley-Belle is sometimes known as Kaeley-Belle Squarepants in our household, and another one 'My Man' started to call her is Kaeley-Belle stinkypants! He even in the appropriate times likes to make up different lyrics everytime he changes her to the tune of the spongebob song! (Are you starting to get a visual as to why the word schedule isn't a part of the vocabulary in our house?!) If you can't tell we run a tight ship and everything is Oh SO serious!! Kaeley-Belle has been teething since we moved back to Indiana 3 weeks ago..Me being the typical "New Mom" that I am has been observing other babies around K's age! I have been noticing how opposite of a "self-soothed" baby K is! She is def a HIGH NEEDY baby! She is a spaz and sassy just like.... ME! = / In the midst of my observations, I started to do the "New Mom thing" where I started thinkin that perhaps I was doing something wrong and thinking what a lousy job I was doin as a mother! And you bet the enemy ran with it! So on top of the teething and me wallowing in the FUNK, these last few weeks have been a lil crazy! The last few nights..."SLEEP" has once again been on our dream list! SO you bet, during the days I am in mommy-zombie mode! As I was wallowing in the FUNK in mommy-zombie mode, GOD Just SO happens to have me run across Dr.Sears' website. As He highlighted characteristics of a high needy baby for me...I realized that Kaeley-Belle has every characteristic! ;) As God began to have me read more into it...the goosebumps ran from my head down to my toes! Here is my notes I took:

1. Intense babies feel deeply and react mightily...have a DRIVEN personality

2. Hyperactive babies, (in our world-a baby gymnast) as Dr. Sears puts it, "Some highly

creative, world changing people were at one time or another labeled hyperactive as a child."

3. Draining days should be called "giving" days

4. Feeds Frequently.. Rigid Schedule isn't even in high needy babies vocabulary! (sounds

familar!!!)

5. Demanding babies are DETERMINED.. determined babies often develop into leaders

who will not just take the easy, popular route!

6. Awakens Frequently... "Needs everything BUT sleep!"

7. Unsatisfied: what works this time might not work the next!

8. Unpredictable =Never boring; No middle emotion-(extreme mood swings); TRANSPARENCY

9. Super Sensitive- "Easily bothered" Doesn't accept substitute caregivers- They are

"tuned-in" to surroundings. They become kids who care/ sensitive towards others needs.

They develop great discernment. The ability to think through choices.

10. "Can't put baby down"- they love touch and physical contact.

11. "Not a Self-Soother"- they want interactaction with ppl not things.

12. "Seperation Sensitive"- they have great discernment; can form deep attatchments;

they fuss loudly bc they care deeply.

*www.askdrsears.com

Talk about Psalm 139:13-16!! And let me tell you not only do I pray those scripture verses over Miss Kaeley-Belle Squarepants but I also now pray God would use those "HIGH NEEDY" characteristics for the One whose ways are HIGHer!


"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. You eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16

DETOUR....

Our Faith Journey has been far from boring...and I can't honestly say I'd want it any other way! It certainly has had its share of up's and down's, high times and low times...but following God's call has truly been the greatest adventure of my life! Detours, a.k.a different plans than mine, in this adventurous Faith Journey are starting to be anticipated! You'd thought a LONG time ago that I would have just EXPECTED the detours as a given!!

A recent detour is one that I'm absolutely thrilled to share... I get to be a stay-at-home wife/mom! Honestly, this is something that I never thought I would do full-time. Part-time has crossed my mind, but full-time was just something I had not really given much thought to! Over the past few months God has been pressing it on my heart to stay-at-home and to get back to the BASICS! Sadly to admit, I kept ignoring Him!! To begin with, Brad being at the time, bivocational, financially it was not even a possiblity! Needless to say over and over again, God kept telling me I needed to stay home and be more of a help to my husband and also to his ministry. And for starters, my own ministry starts in the HOME!!! God began to make our household so chaotic; Our house has been a disaster, I have had tons of laundry I can't get caught up on, the dishes have been piled high (it just so happens that our dishwasher broke in the midst of God trying to get my attention!), I still have boxes that are sitting in my downstairs closet that need unpacked, I haven't went to the grocery store to stock up in months...you get the picture! Our household has had VERY little organization and been far from a serene environment! Those of you who know me, know how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE organization!!! Saying that I LOVE having a clean house would be an understatement! God, used the fact that I have been working and going to school full-time, being a wife and a pastor's wife, and being in the last months of my pregnancy to get my attention! Did I mention that on top of my husband working over full-time in ministry every week, and working at the hotel, that he was picking up MY slack, all the while I thought I was "JuGgLiNg"!!! Talk about a "BoZo on this bus"!!! God was yelling loudly that I can't juggle it all no matter how hard I kept trying!!

During this time, I also did NOT have peace about sending our baby to daycare (even though she would have went to work with me and where I work is the TOP childcare center in this area)! The baby would have been in GREAT hands, but 'My Man' and I felt TONS of conviction about having someone else raise our child throughout the day, which ultimately would mean they would be a primary influence spiritually in our child's life! That just seems so BACKWARDS to us!! 'My Man' and I want to be the primary influence in our child's life, and felt God telling us, "When it is all said and done-you both will be held accountable for how faithful you are even with this child!!!" Believe me, in all areas of our life, we want God to be able to say, "Well done, my good and faithful servants!"

After God having to use all of these things together as a megaphone to get my attention, I finally fell on my face before Him! It was obvious I had to rid things out of my life and get back to the basics!! With-in a week of 'My Man' and I praying that God would make a way for me to be able to be a stay-at-home wife and mother, God opened up a door which would allow 'My Man' to be full-time at the church without having to continue to work at the hotel- which would also allow me to stay at home! God kept giving me signs all around that it was the right choice to stay at home! Satan of course kept trying to put doubts in my mind... even to the point of trying to use christians who would ask me how we would be able to make it! Satan tried to use any possible way to make us question God...me mostly!!! I kept praying and praying, and God kept reaffirming over-and-over again!!! Yes, we will have to live tightly, but we both know it is the right thing for us to do!!! This detour will force us to trust God even more, that we wont be able to rely on secular checks to provide! I'm excited to see how God moves and makes a way! This detour is one that surely came by suprise, but it is one scenic route I don't want to miss!!

A Valentine from Heaven...Glitter and ALL!!!

Today was just one of those days!!! Drained, Tired, ANNOYED, ready to go cRaZy (or all ready there-not sure what the case may be!),... is just a few ways to describe my mood!!! This evening we had Hang Time with the youth at church. The little kiddos were hanging out in the gym while their parents had "Parents' Night Out!" One of the little girls came running up to me, gave me a HUGE hug, and then said, "I pray for your baby!!!" Talk about TEAR ME UP!!! As if the hug wasn't enough to put the biggest smile on my face...that was just icing on the cake that pierced my heart to it's core! It was convicting and precious all in one! No doubt a great BIG, GIANT hug from GOD; a real Valentine sent by Him through the arms of a child! That sparkly Valentine that shined so BRIGHT for HIM , was no doubt one of the best ones I have ever received! Thank You God for reminding me to have faith and love like a child, and to always shine like stars in the universe--boy do I have TONS of work to do!
~ Luke 18:17, " Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
~Philippians 2:14-15, "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like the stars in the universe"

Eyes to See

My PRECIOUS niece J started begging my mom, aka NANNY, for some new glasses the other day!!! Now J doesn't really need glasses to help her eye sight, she wanted "SPECIAL" glasses! Come to find out the neighbor girl has REAL glasses! So J insisted that she needed glasses too! Nanny said that J begged and begged for these glasses, and did not stop talking about them until I think she wore Nanny out from all the pleading, begging, negotiating, etc.. that Nanny finally gave in and bought J the "SPECIAL" glasses! When she got these glasses, she was SO happy. J told Nanny when they went out to eat with Pappy that the glasses sure help her see her food much better!!!.. :) Love that girl!!!!
When my mom sent me the pic of J wearing her new glasses at the restaurant, it hit me how I should be begging and begging God to provide some "Special" glasses to help me see more clearly! That I should be pleading, begging, negotiating for "Special" glasses daily so I can see with my Spiritual Eyes the things that He would have me to see! In Luke 18:1-5 says, "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she wont eventually wear me out with her coming!' " SO thankful that God used a little girl who had to have "Special" glasses, to remind me the simple truth to Always Pray and Not Give Up!!!...Out of the mouth of babes, Huh?!?!

A Really Painful Past Month

In the middle of a very unsettled time for 'My Man' and I during our Faith Journey, 'My Man' and I found out we were pregnant last December. We were very shocked by the news. Infact, so suprised we took multiple pregnancy tests, because we were certain we must have purchased defaulted tests. Something had to be wrong...No one in their right mind would try to have a baby in the circumstances we were in! To give you an idea of what our circumstance looked like-- I was working full time in a very negative, emotionally draining working environment, 'My Man' was working two part-time jobs, we just got moved into our apartment-if you call "Moved-In" sleeping on the middle of our living room floor with a couple blankets and pillows. Everything we owned was back in Indiana in storage, except some of our clothes, few towels, 2 cooking pans, some cd's, our Bibles, and the blankets and pillows we were sleeping on! Obviously, this season of life we were in, was not how I always dreamed of finding out that we were expecting! Once we kind of got over the BIG SHOCK- our hearts began to be filled with so much love, joy, and excitement for this baby! We knew God specifically knitted this baby together and that with God there are no accidents! We kind of just started assuming that God was blessing us with this baby as a gift for our obedience and faithfulness to His call of sending us to Florida and all the trials that we had been through! We called all of our family and friends and told them we were pregnant. Everyone was really happy and excited, except for a family member who told us, that they couldn't say they were happy for us! Satan used anyone and anything to try to hurt us! Luckily though, we had plenty of other people who were there for us! Day by day we fell more and more in love with the baby! We would talk to the baby, 'My Man' would sing to the baby-we even came up with the name-we did everything people tell you not to do just incase something would happen! God began to start putting our lives back in order little by little. My sweet big brother and his friend loaded up a U-Haul with all of our large furniture and items along with the neccessities, leaving behind the rest of our stuff. My mom and dad also helped us when there just wasn't a way! Things started to fall into place, except for the prenatal care. To make a long story short, let's just say it was a COMPLETE NIGHTMARE!!!  I began having a little bleeding. I was in the beginning of my 2nd Trimester which was the point I finally felt like I made it to the Safe Zone! I had spotted throughout the whole pregnancy, but that day I had a really bad feeling. That evening when 'My Man' got home we were trying to figure out whether or not we should go to the ER. My Bible study leader 'Doctor Bob' had his daughters who is a Director of Nursing call and share her wisdom. Only God knew I really needed to hear from her the things she told me! I really felt God pressing me to go to the hospital! 'My Man' and I went to the ER late that night. On the way to the hospital I began praying for really good, godly doctors and nurses; that I couldn't handle dealing with one more bad doctor. The minute I sat on the hospital bed I began bleeding alot more and the pain got way more intense. The doctors and nurses I had were amazing! They ran alot of different test. One test in particular I could feel an evil presence dancing around the room, happily knowing how knocked down and helpless 'My Man' and I felt, but it was if God put a boundary up to where it couldn't get close to us. God quickly put the scripture Psalm 91 on my heart and reminded me that He sends Angels and Warriors to guard His children in all their ways! The doctor came in really early that morning and told us the worst news we have ever received. He told us we had lost the baby, that the baby's heart had stopped developing. Our hearts were broken into pieces. We felt so alone, all of our family and friends were so far away. We were brokenhearted, confused, angry, sad.. I kept asking 'My Man', "Why?" "Why would God allow this?" 'My Man' kept telling me to hold as tight as I could to God, to not let go. My aunt and uncle had been planning a trip down for quite a few months. It just so happened they were driving down from Indiana and arrived to Florida when we left the hospital that next morning! God sent them on what they thought was a vacation, to comfort us. My big brothers also came down that week for the Daytona Race week! 'My Man' and I had a whole bunch of people in Indiana praying for us, sending us messages, and calling. Those people really helped us through some of the saddest days. Isaiah 43 and 2 Cor 1:3-7 have been my Go To verses when I felt like just giving up! Our due date was August 19th. This month has been really hard for me. Probably one of the hardest months of all! There are days I just can't keep it together. All to often, being a Pastor's Wife I do feel like a fish in a fish bowl. However, I am very blessed to have an amazing, godly husband who reminds me, to just be ME! I don't think 'My Man' or I will ever be the same- a piece of us will always be missing on earth. I'm excited to one day see what our child looks like, what our child's personality is like, I can't wait to hold our baby! Heaven truly has a whole different meaning to me now. Everytime I think of our baby I am reminded that this is not our home, that we have an Eternal Home that God is preparing for us in Heaven!

Prayer

Do any of you have any Prayer Warriors in your life? I can honestly say 'My Man' and I have a whole slew of them... We are truly blessed beyond measure! Our Prayer Warriors have prayed us through some of the best days of our life, down to the darkest, saddest days of our life! They have walked with us in the "high times" , and have even pulled us out of "ditches" that we found ourselves stuck in! One of my favorite Prayer Warriors is known in my home church as 'Doctor Bob'! 'Doctor Bob' doesn't have a degree or a PhD. Infact, he is just an average man- he is a child of God, a husband, a father, and a grandpa. He is a deacon, a bible study leader, a tech/sound guy, he is a PILLAR in the church!!-simply because he grounds his life in the Word and PRAYER!!!! 'My Man' and I pray one day that we will be half the life-changer that he is! Did I mention that 'Doctor Bob' also owns a TV store-he is the only human I know that can take a conversation on "TV'S" and turn it into something about being "Born Again"?! Who knew there was ever a Evangelical TV salesman, named 'Doctor Bob' without a PhD!?!? If you can't tell this guy has changed our lives forever. He has discipled us throughout our Faith Journey, and has discipled me prior! One of my favorite lessons that God used, 'Doctor Bob' to teach us was on Prayer! This lesson came via text! You read my blog correctly, this grayhaired man can text! 'My Man' always says 'Doctor Bob' teaches in riddles!- Most of the time the text contain such wise information, I am to stupid to understand!~Thank God I have 'My Man' to help me! The lesson on Prayer is a prime example of my "Stupid Sheep-ness". He had us read Matt 26:36-75. Now I am going to point out a few of the many gems that we found while reading these Scriptures. So, it would probably be best if you read them first before reading the rest of my blog. I by no means want to butcher these Scriptures for you! I love how in verse 39 it tells us that Jesus fell on His face to the ground and PRAYED!~How often do I fall on my face to the ground and pray when my "soul is overwhelmed"? Not near enough that is for sure! Verse 41 caught my eye BIG time, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."(NIV) I also love how Jesus goes and prays three times total, and everytime He comes back the disciples are SLEEPING!!! That really cracks me up!! I LOL everytime I read this passage!! God doesn't need us to pray! It is for our benefit! Just like the disciples, He didn't need them to pray either, but He knew it would be for their benefit! Jesus knew they would choose to SLEEP instead of praying! I wonder how different the outcome would have been if they chose to PRAY? Would they have been so quick to deny Jesus? Would they have acted like cowards and abandoned Him? Did they recognize Jesus was trying to teach them that PRAYER is KEY??? If we sleep like they did- we allow they enemy to gain victory! We become like the disciples- weak, scared, not bold in our beliefs, water-down Truth, play on the enemy's team, etc. It is easy to point fingers at the disciples, however I am a lot like them! So often the Spirit will warn me of what is about to happen and who and what to watch out for; Yet I still fall into the traps! I am sure I have missed out on many gems that were just for me, left by the King, solely because of my wrong choices! My goal is to make sure I am daily choosing to PRAY and not SLEEP!

~FOIL~

'My Man' and I have been on this cRaZy, Faith Journey for over a year now! It has been the wildest ride I have ever been on, to say the least!!! I will never forget the day 'My Man' told me that God was calling us to Florida! We were sitting in my Jeep, on his lunch break when he was brave enough to break the news! I thought he was joking!...He had to be kidding right? How could this be? We were in a season when everything was smooth sailing.. we had a nice home, stable jobs in an unstable economy, ministry in a sweet little church, we lived close to family--the same town I lived in my WHOLE life! I always thought it would be neat to live near the beach, but actually moving there was a completely different thing! The look in 'My Man's' eyes gave it away...He was not kidding after all! SO, a month later we were packing, having yard sales, and saying good-byes! We loaded "My Man's' truck up and off we went, knowing God had SOMETHING for us in Florida...but unsure what that SOMETHING would be! This was the beginning of our Faith Journey! The Journey has had it's share of ups and downs, that I will tell about in days to come, but for now I'm going to share a story that God uses on a regular basis to remind me of His amazing love!
God's timing is PERFECT, however I have wrestled with Him on this very thing! He called us in my opinion, one of the worst TIMES of all, considering the job market is terrible! It has taken us forevvvvvvverrrr to get settled, to find a home, a JOB, you name it! With this comes the obvious...we have struggled financially since the day we left our home! One day in the middle of our "Broke-ness" and waiting on God to reveal what exactly He had for us here, I had one of my MANY temper-tantrums to God! They were the usual.."Why did YouCall us here?" "What are You doing?" "Where are You?" "We can't even hardly buy food, gas, everyday neccessities! So what are YOU DOINGGGGGGG?!!!?!" I have this routine of always putting foil on my baking pans every time I bake something in the oven..I'm really not sure why I do that, it is just something I have always done! After my meltdown, I went to the cabinet to get the foil down so I could make dinner and noticed I was out of foil! Well at this time we barely had money to buy necessities, let alone foil! So, I went about my day pouting because of our circumstance! All day God kept telling me it was going to be okay..that He had it all undercontrol, that He loved me beyond measure! 'My Man' came home from his hotel job not long after and he walks in with all kinds of stuff! You see, the hotel has a policy if guest leave stuff in the rooms, you are allowed to take it home if they have checked out!!(execpt valuables and such..OBVIOUSLY) Guess what one of the things in his hand was??? FOIL!!!! Talk about a God of detail!! Only HE knew I really wished we had foil!! Now, I know life would have went on with out foil!! But God used something as simple as FOIL to remind me of how much He loved me! 1 John 3:1 says, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God.." He used foil as a way to show me how much He LAVISHES love on me! It isn't just a sprinkle here and there...He POURS IT, and POURS IT, and POURS it! SO thankful He has it all under control! He knows the things I need and want, even down to the things I leave unspoken!!!!