Category Archives: Spiritually Strong

Our Love Story | My Wedding Gift

“This is the man you’re going to marry.”

Those are the words God spoke clearly to me the first time I met Brandon, my now husband.

I shook Brandon’s hand and heard the Lord say these words as if He was standing right next to me.

Why did He say this?

Because He knew I would need it. Because He knew I would need those words to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was making the right decision. Because He knew that when the going got rough I would be able to remember those words and “know that I know that I know” that I married the right man.

Because He knew what a testimony our marriage was going to be. Continue reading →

Our Love Story | The Day We Met

Sometimes the most deep, memorable conversations with our kids can happen in the most odd of places at the most unexpected times and leave the biggest impact. This was one of those times.

My two oldest kiddos are on the swim team this year so we have been spending hours every afternoon by the pool.

One afternoon out in the sun Shiloh asked me if it was okay for her to marry Jeremiah, her big brother. I smiled and asked her if she wanted to marry him.

“Yes, Mommy! He plays with me and isn’t mean too much.” Great reason, huh?! I let her down gently and told her no matter how much she loved him, her brother wouldn’t be able to be her husband.

She continued with the precious and quite funny questions for a while. Can I marry a puppy dog? How old do I have to be to get married? Do you know who I’m going to marry? What am I going to wear? Will I be really tall when I get married? Are you going to come to my wedding? How will I know who I’m supposed to marry?

Most of these were cute questions with cute answers. The last one, well, the last one was real and it needed a real answer. Continue reading →

In the Middle of the Grocery Store

We’ve all been there. I’m there pretty often actually.

Picture this.

I’m checking out at the grocery store with my four little ones around me. My 6 year old daughter is in the cart crying because her favorite flip-flops broke and well, because she really doesn’t want to be sitting in the cart. My 9 year old son is at war with my 3 year old son on aisle 9 of the grocery store. Weapons of choice? Bouncy balls. Really large, annoyingly obnoxious, bouncy balls. My 2 month old sweetheart is whimpering, grunting and snorting with no understanding of why on earth I would be asking her to be patient when all she wants is some good milk! Okay, got the picture?

Now picture this. I finally get all the groceries out of the cart from around my heartbroken, shoe-less child and down the line to the clerk, swipe my card and…. nothing.

Card Declined.

Oh. My. Goodness. Gracious.

“Haha…that’s weird…I don’t know what happened…I must have hit the wrong button… let me try that again…”

Swipe.

Card Declined.

Oh. My. Goodness. Gracious.

Times. One. Million.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with it…I know there’s money in my account…I don’t have any cash on me…what should I do?!” Continue reading →

Lord, Please Bless This Mess

Today my sweet son called me his lifesaver. His lifesaver. It was so kind and loving and completely not what I would have called myself. A lifesaver?

Let me tell you, I don’t feel like a lifesaver. I feel more like I am desperately trying to keep my head above water on a sinking ship.

I can sort of wash my hands in the kitchen sink on top of all the dirty dishes piled up in it. My husband doesn’t have any clean underwear left. The pile of dirty clothes is larger than the ginormous pile of clean clothes. My floors need sweeping… and mopping. I am unexpectedly potty training my youngest and spending every 20 minutes in the bathroom with him. Of every day. We’re slipping on a banana peel trying to train a puppy. Our marriage is being refined… and that can be a painful process. Finances are tight. My clothes are tight.

Did I mention I’m nine months pregnant? I have heartburn, I’m exhausted, my crotch feels like it’s on fire, and I am sooo not ready to have a baby. My patience is thin. I cry way too often and I’m not a cryer. I get frustrated often. Oh and school! Homeschooling is stretching me every which way and it can be HARD. I’m in agreement with the kids that I would rather just not do it! And go figure, my kids want to eat every day! 3 times or more a day! We moved to a new state a few months back and are still finding our place in a big, new city. I miss my dear friends from home. All of them.

A glass of wine would be nice right now. Or a donut. Or some Bill Miller’s fried chicken. Or some Fuddrucker’s fries dipped in hot cheese. Or a vacation. By myself. On the beach. For a long time.

Wait….. Where was I?

Oh yeah. Not a lifesaver. More like a big fat emotional mess.

I would throw my hands up and cry but… oh wait. Been there, done that.

Is there hope?

Yes.

For me. And for you.

Many, many years ago I heard a sermon and although I can’t remember all the details I do remember one key plea that has stuck with me for all these years.

When in a mess pray: “Lord, please bless this mess.”

“Please Lord, take my mess and make it into what glorifies you, what brings honor to you, what portrays your goodness, what you want it to be.”

WE may expect perfection. WE may be in this competition to be the mom who has it all together. WE may think that we have to do it all to be wife-of-the-year.

Listen closely. WE DON’T!

God does NOT expect perfection. Not at all. He welcomes us in, calls us in, pulls us to him… mess and all. MESS AND ALL!!!

Even with my frazzled hair, my smelly kids, my sink full of dishes, my dirty floors, my huge pile of clothes on the floor, God is still lavishing blessings upon me- in abundance.

I am so relieved that God doesn’t demand that we clean up first, that we get it all together, that we have the perfect kids, the perfect marriage, the perfect house before we can come to Him.

No, He invites us to bring the mess with us, to give it to Him, to leave it at His feet, and to rest knowing that He has it all in His perfect hands.

No matter where you are, we can pray together to the Lord, “Lord, please bless this mess”.

Does my laundry still need to be done? Yes. Do my kids need to learn something in the day? Well… yeah. Do I need to do this dishes before my house begins to stink and I have nothing to cook with? Yep.

So how do I work this out? 

I allow the grace that only comes from the Lord to cover my heart, to warm my soul, to nourish my bones, to strengthen me, to give me wisdom, to sustain me, to help me achieve what He has for me to do, and to have JOY in doing it. The Lord’s yoke is easy and His burden is light.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

I am giving it to God. I am trusting in His goodness. I am believing in His truths. I am clinging to His promises.

Do I deserve this grace? Heck no. That’s why it’s called grace. That’s why it’s so beautiful. That’s why it’s so amazing. That’s why it’s so God.

Grace is unmerited favor. Grace is God’s sufficiency. Grace is all we need to accomplish the work set before us. Grace is saving. Grace is what makes us what we are. It is enough. It is more than enough.

Are you a mess? Me too. A big, fat, emotional mess.

Give it to God. Lay it at his feet. Pray and ask God to lighten your load. Ask Him for His grace. Ask Him for His gentle care. Accept His help. Take on His yoke.

I am choosing to handle the stress of my life, God’s way. I am choosing to be completely dependent on God and not on myself. I am choosing to not let my circumstances dictate the level of my joy. I am choosing to not defile the name of the Lord because things are hard. I am choosing to glorify God.

I am giving my mess to God. 

The Lord will mold my mess, and your mess, into something beautiful, something God-honoring, something glorious.

He really will.

Believe me, He already is.

Thank you Lord, for blessing this mess… 

Our Homeschool Journey

Homeschool? Say what?!?!?!!!

I NEVER thought I would homeschool. I never thought about it. I never heard about it. I didn’t know anyone who home schooled or was home schooled.

Homeschooling was a completely foreign idea that never entered my normal mind.

Like I said in my “stay at home journey” post we always had the plan that I would stay home with my kids until they were old enough to go to school and then I would start working again. This was a completely normal plan, very sane, totally realistic and exactly what we were going to do.

Or so I thought.

So what happened to my perfectly normal plan?

Well…

God happened.

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First, I had the heavy, burdensome, strong, loud and very real conviction that I needed to be at home with my kids, and that they needed to be at home with me. Continue reading →

Update | Our Whole Family Pregnancy

I haven’t posted much on the blog about being preggers so I thought, since I am in the last leg of this journey, that I would give an update! 

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How far along am I? I am now officially in the last trimester with only 10 weeks to go before we meet our new baby girl! From what the online preggo places say she is roughly the size of an acorn squash. I feel all cannibalistic eating squash for dinner this week.

What’s our baby girl’s name? Yeah… we still have no idea. We’re working on it.

Are we ready? In spirit, yes. We can’t wait to have our little girl and we are ready and able to take care of her. Do we have baby supplies, clothes, bedding, pacifiers, equipment or anything that usually needed when having a baby? Not in the slightest! We probably should get working on this too.

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How am I feeling? Happily pregnant! It hasn’t exactly been a preggers walk in the park but I am more than thankful for every ache, pain, twitch, afternoon spent with my face in the toilet, night up with heartburn, backache, sore feet, headache and more. It’s all a reminder that our baby is growing and getting closer to being born.

How is my body changing? That’s a funny question, thanks for asking. So far I’ve gained about 38 pounds, and growing. I feel pretty darn heavy, move much slower than normal, and I get tired faster. I try to keep my sanity about this by reminding myself that I started small, I usually gain 55 pounds with my pregnancies, and I know how to get back into shape- and plan on it when I’m back to my non-pregnant self. I purposefully work on not comparing myself to other pregnant ladies because: we really are all different so what’s the point?!

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What am I craving? Not much really, or at least not anything crazy out of the ordinary or have-to-have-right-now. Maybe that’s because what crosses my mind is onion rings or frozen yogurt with lots of toppings or pancakes or well… you get the point. Knowing that it’s all bad usually keeps me from it, or my hubby keeps me from it, or I eat something with a little more substance or nutritional value. Am I perfect? Never. Probably the one thing that gets me  good, that anyone close to me already knows about, is: Jack in the Box tacos. I can’t say no to those cheap little suckers. Told ya, not perfect. Although I can give you hope to say that lately apples are amazingly good.

Any weird changes? Well, I feel huge. My feeding accessories are ten times bigger than normal and that feels super odd. I have to have a running start to get in our high bed. I wake up throughout the night not to pee, but to feel my sweetheart running a marathon in my belly. My innie is now an outie. Things itch. My belly has squiggly lines on it that resemble my 2 year old’s paintings. There’s probably more but how weird do we need to get? Oh yeah, and I can also be an emotional wreck sometimes. There, I said it.

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How are the kids doing with all this? To tell you the truth they’re actually pretty hilarious when it comes to all things baby. They laugh at my belly and how “extremely” large it is. They try to wake up the baby by jiggling my stomach. Jeremiah asks me constantly if the baby is wanting ice cream (so he can have some). Shiloh constantly pulls up my shirt to see my big belly and yet Levi does not want to see it at all. He pulls my shirt down as if to say “out of sight, out of mind”. He’s a little more clingy lately but he’ll be fine, I’m sure.  Shiloh can’t wait to have a sister. I love it all.

We are so excited to welcome this bundle of joy into our family. We know that having a baby is a miracle and not one to be taken lightly. Not only is conception a miracle, every day after is as well.

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We are not guaranteed anything except that God is God and He will never change. We are not guaranteed this pregnancy will be problem-free. We are not guaranteed she will make it all the way through. We are not guaranteed that she will be healthy. We are not guaranteed that she will come out alive at all. We’re not. We’re just not. We have faith that she will be beautiful, perfect and healthy and we pray that this is exactly what happens.

We are also holding her lightly, knowing she belongs to the Lord, as do our other children. God has a perfect plan for their lives and only He knows how long those lives will be. I am thankful for this time with my baby girl and am trusting God daily with her life. What a blessing she is already.What a delight it will be to meet her.

“I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him.” 1 Samuel 1:27

Change | Let Your Roots Grow

Change.

This small yet powerful word can mean so much and so little, be so scary and so exciting… all at the same time.

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At the grocery store the lady gives me a nickel worth of change and I throw it to the bottom of my purse, no biggie. Small change.

We move unexpectedly to a new city in a new state leaving the comfort and familiarity of home. Major big, mix-of-emotions, change.

A special dog is showing up at our door soon with such expectations on his tiny shoulders…. a scary and welcome change.

I feel arms and legs and a butt and hiccups INSIDE of me reminding me daily that change is coming. A joyful change and an excitingly big deal.

Things change. People change. Circumstances change. Life changes.

Sometimes for the better. Sometimes not. But change happens, whether we are ready for it or not.

What a season we are in. What a season we are ALL in.

Friends are burying their babies, their sisters, their parents, their husbands.

Friends are losing jobs, losing homes, losing income.

Prices of just about everything is changing. I am so old I can remember gas at less 80 cents a gallon and now I’ve seen it at almost 4 dollars!

Change.

Big change. Little change. Scary change. Welcome change. Sad change. Joyful change. Life change. 

What is my comfort through this change? What is your comfort? How do we keep from falling over? From being sucked in to worry, desperation, sadness, overwhelming despair? How do we keep joy through change?

Where is my heart grounded?

Imagine a flower. It’s tall and beautiful and bright.

Now go deeper. Go under ground. Go down to the root.

The root of this beautiful flower is where the work is being done. The root is where the foundation is. The root is the anchor.

A flower’s root goes deep. Very deep. It digs down into the ground and grabs onto the rich soil, the soil flowing with vitamins and nutrients and life, the soil that will sustain it’s life.

The roots are what drink in the water. The roots bring the nourishment and refreshment to the flower. The roots keep the flower grounded. The roots are the foundation of the flower. The roots are the strength of the flower.

But change happens.

The summer heat withers its leaves. The fall changes its colors. The winter takes its toll on its weak frame. But take heart, the spring comes and brings change.

The root sustains life in this ever changing flower. The flower may change, the root stays the same. The root grounded in the rich soil.

Rich soil.

What is my rich soil?

The Word of God.

“Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him.” Col 2:7

Change. It’s scary and overwhelming and sad and joy-filled and welcome and big. Change comes whether we want it to or not.

My comfort?

God doesn’t change.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17

Rest in that for a moment. Drink in the warmth of that truer than true statement.

Comfort.

My roots are welcome to the rich soil that is the Word of God. To drink in water, to be nourished, to be strengthened, to grow tall and beautiful, to be held tightly by the God who does not change.

I am rooted in Christ and my life is built on Him. My life is built on the God who does not change and never will.

Change is here. Change has happened, is happening, and will never stop happening. However overwhelming it may seem, or scary, or big, or mix-of-emotions, change is good. And it’s okay. And it’s in His hands.

Let us together root ourselves in the Word of God so that when the change comes, when the seasons leave their mark, when circumstances attempt to blow us over…. our roots will hold us strong in the rich soil of the Lord.

Change.

I thank God for change.

Why?

Because it is yet again another reminder of my dependence on Him and His rich soil…..

Simple Christmas | The Blues

A dear friend asked me for ideas on how to deal with the holiday season blues. I told her I would look into it.

Well…. I didn’t have to think for long. Today, I had the blues.

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It wasn’t anything in particular, no real drama, nothing awful happened.

I didn’t feel as good-looking as I would have liked, my kids left my living room throw blanket outside in the rain overnight, I didn’t visit with the other moms as much as I would have wanted on our field trip, a purchase cost more than advertised and finances are tight, I  miss my friends, a shipment of insulin pods didn’t come in when it was supposed to, Jeremiah asked when there would finally be a cure for diabetes, my bank thinks I stole my own debit card because of our move, my 2 year old likes to kick my seat when I drive.

Like I said, nothing awful and nothing that doesn’t happen on a pretty normal basis either, but today it got to me.

How?

It made me sad.

So what now? That’s the good part and the part I am most thankful for.

I turned on the radio…. and God met me there.

What did I hear? “Fall on your knees. Oh hear the angel voices.”

I heard these words, I mean I really heard them, in a way I have never heard them before.

These words were so comforting to me and gave me a joyful hope. No, my circumstances didn’t change, but my heart towards them did.

“Fall on your knees.” Yep, that’s the place to start. On your knees, praying to the only one that can really hear you, the only one who can really make a difference. There’s a lot to be done after you pray, but nothing to be done before you pray.

“Oh hear the angel voices.” Pray and then… be quiet. Yep, pray and then…. close…your….mouth….

We have a lot to say but God has a lot to say too. Sit in His presence and listen to what He is saying. Praying is obviously highly important but don’t forget that the listening part is equally important. Don’t jump over this part, don’t skimp on the listening. Say what needs to be said, what is bubbling over in your heart, and then be still at the feet of Jesus and listen to His wisdom.

Now what?  Continue reading →

Whole Family | Simple Christmas

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I was reminded today at church about my favorite word: Simple.

The dictionary defines simple like this:

1. Easily understood or done; presenting no difficulty

2. Plain, basic, or uncomplicated in form, nature, or design; without much decoration or ornamentation

3. Used to emphasize the fundamental and straightforward nature of something

4. Composed of a single element; not compound

Sounds pretty nice, doesn’t it?

Just hearing the word simple makes me breathe easier.  We try our hardest to keep everything we do simple…it really does make everything work so much smoother.

So why not keep Christmas simple too? 

Ding, ding ding! Exactly!!!

Let’s bring Christmas back to a simpler time, a slower time, a less stressful time, a more focused, family time and let’s ENJOY this simple Christmas! 

Now here’s the real question…. HOW do we do this?

Good question!

For every family it’s different. A “simple” Christmas has a whole lot more to do with the heart than with anything else. 

For some, doing less out and about and more at home together is the place to start. For some, getting out there and enjoying the Christmas to-do is just the ticket. There are those that need to step back from the massive amount of expensive presents that most probably don’t need and enjoy the family time instead, and then there are many families that thrive on giving each other blessing after blessing and they grow closer because of it.

It’s all about the heart! 

Start with prayer. Evaluate where your family is. What has caused stress in the past that you could forego this year? What new traditions have you heard of or been wanting to start and this is the year to do it? Where has your focus been in the past years and where should it be this year?

There may be nothing at all that needs to change or this might be the very thing to get your mind thinking that it’s time things got simple.

As we move closer to Christmas I want to encourage you with ideas to simplify your family Christmas.

Here’s the first one: 

Do SOMETHING with your WHOLE FAMILY to refocus on the TRUE meaning of Christmas EVERY DAY. Oh yeah….and have fun doing it!

From our Whole Family to yours……….

30 Days of Thanks | Veterans

Today I am thankful for the men and women that defend this great country that we live in.

We will never fully know all that a soldier has sacrificed, all they have endured, all they have done to ensure our freedom.

We will never know how much their families have sacrificed, endured, and done to support their soldier, their mom, their dad, their spouse.

What I do know is that their sacrifice is something I am extremely thankful for.

If you are a veteran, if someone in your family is a veteran, THANK YOU.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I am thankful, my family is thankful, the United States of America is thankful. 

Thank you and happy Veterans Day. 

30 Days of Thanks | Change of Plans

As I wrote out our homeschool lesson plan for next week I had a wide range of emotions.
We have a 4 day week coming up which is wonderful…yet we are already behind in school because of our move. It’s also Shiloh’s birthday on Friday and we always have a no-school-fun-day on a birthday which also cuts in to our school week and cuts into my already emotional heart that my little girl is getting older than I can count on one hand! (And yes, I said that in a very panicky voice!) To go along with that I also have a baby doctor visit on Tuesday that will even more so mess with our tranquil school week but also put me on pins and needles as every visit does. THEN….. on Friday my sisters and parents are coming to visit and run/walk the ADA 5k the morning of Shiloh’s birthday party (of cupcake filled little girls) and see our new home finally!
Aaahhhh!!! Can you tell I really do have a wide range of emotions?!!!

Such wonderful and exciting things are happening yet they’re not exactly the way or timing I would have planned. But how wrong and silly and constraining are my plans?

I have been strongly reminded that God’s plans are not my plans. They are sometimes harder to walk out, sometimes scarier, sometimes exciting, but not mine. They are my Father’s and they are perfect and so much better than I could have ever imagined.

What am I thankful for today? For messed up plans, changes in schedules, and God’s perfect blueprint for my life. Yes, I am THANKFUL for the things that don’t go my way because they are going God’s way. I would much rather His way any day.

I pray that I can continue to be thankful for God’s plan in my life. I pray that I will daily remind myself to be joyful, open and submissive to these “changes in plans” that bring me closer to the Lord.

Join me?

Bring on the week God, whatever you want to do through me… we’ve got this.

30 Days of Thanks…and so much more

Although we should be thankful all the time, as we near Thanksgiving being thankful is something I think we’ve all been thinking about more than usual. I made a resolution to think of something that I am thankful for every day for the month of November but I feel a conviction that I could be going much farther and deeper than where I’ve been going so far.

Continue reading……..

A Time For Everything…….

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 

a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” Ecc 3:1-8

 

As we deal with the slow and painful loss of our dear guinea pig, Frisbee, God has been graciously reminding us of His goodness and His timing. There truly is a time for everything and although it never quite seems like the timing we would have picked, it is God’s perfect timing and it is in fact…perfect.

Just as there is a time to die, a time to weep, and a time to mourn…there is a time to laugh, a time to build, and a time to be born. However odd and strange and surreal, it seems we are both weeping and laughing, mourning and dancing, seeing death and welcoming life.

That’s right….we are welcoming life. After many prayers, much disappointment, a massive amount of prayers, and lots of hope we are overjoyed to announce that we are expecting our 4th child, our baby girl, in March. I need to say that again so that it might truly sink in to my head. We’re having a baby!!!

It’s been a rough first few months with sickness, lots of doctor visits, lots of meds, lots of worries, a heck of a lot of faith, and ultimately giving it to God and trusting in His perfect will. Thankfully, we are through the first trimester, I am feeling better, and excitement has set in. Our baby girl is beautiful and we couldn’t be more happy. Today as we watched her suck her hand on the monitor, wave at us, and show us her acrobatic skills we were once again reminded of the miracle of life. And it was amazing.

So here we are, on yet another adventure and let me tell you… it is truly the best adventure ever. Thank you for walking with us and praying for us. There truly is a season for everything.

We are blessed!

We’re Not The Perfect Family

We aren’t perfect. Actually, we are far from it. We are so far from it that I couldn’t fly an airplane to it and get there this year. We are flawed individuals living in a flawed family with a flawed guinea pig. It’s not pretty. It’s loud, it’s colorful, it’s down right crazy and sometimes even a bit scary. But that’s our family. We aren’t sitting down and enjoying the crazy show, we’re constantly working and being molded and shaken and fired and sculpted into better individuals and a better family. Do we have a long way to go? H-E-double hockey sticks YES. Are we working our way towards being a more God glorifying family? With every fiber in our being.

My family is on a journey. A long journey. A journey of self-discovery, of enlightenment, of health, of activity, of learning, of growing. It’s a massive journey that makes us daily trip and fall flat on our noses. We have bruises and bumps and scrapes and we’re black and blue. It’s not pretty. But it’s real. It’s ugly and dirty and beautiful and glorious and real. Continue reading →

Pray for Sarah Roberts Hart

My heart is hurting for this family today. As a fellow mom, Christian, and runner this hits very close to home, as I’m sure it does for all of you. Please keep Sarah’s family in your prayers and hug the blessings in your life a little tighter today.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Sarah, 31, pregnant with her son, Alexander, was on an early morning run with her sister Elizabeth when she was attacked and killed. Continue reading →

Manhood is Knowing Where the Plunger is

I read this article on the Family Life website today and had to share. This quote hit me the hardest:

“When you look to Christ you are beholding real strength, fortitude, character, determination, zeal, conviction, endurance, and courage. But, like all things Christ, it’s counterintuitive.

It does not come out in bravado, but humility. True strength is found in restraint, and not dominance. Fortitude is seen in quiet suffering, and not hardheadedness. Character is visible in consistency, and not status. Determination is evident in patience, and not headstrong belligerence. Real zeal is aimed toward God, and not found in self-determination. Real power is doing what you should, instead of what you’d rather. What we’d rather do is usually easier. In a word, strength is restraint.”

Check it out.  Continue reading →

…According to His Purpose

Tonight as we were driving home I asked Jeremiah what he thought about having a family diabetes day. Of course, he asked me what that was and I explained that it could be a day that all of us check our sugar throughout the day and do the things that he does everyday. I had heard of other families doing similar things and I thought it might be a way to be supportive for him. Without hesitation, this is what he said.

“Well Mommy, you see, God made me for a purpose. I don’t know exactly what that purpose fully is yet but I know it has to do with me having diabetes and probably encouraging other little kids who have it too. Your purpose is not to have diabetes, your purpose is to be here to help me. I mean, we’re all special, but this is one of the ways that God made ME special. So it’s really okay, this is part of my purpose.”

That’s my son and I am one proud mama.

Jeremiah’s faith and strength that he gets from the Lord is inspiring and very humbling. Thank you Jeremiah and thank you Lord for this timely reminder of your presence and care for our lives. We are blessed.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

“… And They Shall Become One Flesh”

A dear friend of mine forwarded this to me and it was too simple, yet profound for me not to share. I hope it touches your heart as much as it touched mine……. 

“When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I’ve got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Continue reading →

Take Care | Whole Family

“A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” Proverbs 25:28

I did a bible study with a group of friends a couple years ago. It was a great study called Respectable Sins. I learned how some of the “nothings” in my life that I didn’t think were anything at all were actually big “somethings”. It helped me re-examine these “nothings” and place them in the category of “somethings”…where they can be addressed and worked on. Like frustration, unthankfulness, discontentment, pride, selfishness, impatience, irritability, judgementalism, envy, jealousy, and self-control. Small, sometimes unnoticeable things that are in fact big things.

Well, it seems God needed me to look at these things again. Coincidentally, a new bible study I am in is doing this book…again. Haha God, I get the point. Last week we went over the chapter on self-control and I saw it, yet again, in a new light. Obviously self-control is relevant in every single area of my life, but I recently looked at self-control in terms of my health. Continue reading →

Practical Prayer for the Whole Family

I saw this great idea on Pinterest, my newest love, and had to share it. It’s SIMPLE, which I love and it’s REAL, which I also love.

In our home we make it a point to pray for our family members, the ones in our house and the ones far away. We pray for our friends, even our little friends, and the needs that they have expressed to us. Although we love doing this and look forward to it, it can sometimes become redundant, people can sometimes fall through the cracks, or we can sometimes get sidetracked and forget to pray all together.

Until…. I found this wonderful, cute, creative, and SIMPLE way to remind us to be praying for those we hold dear. A prayer bucket full of prayer sticks! I was NOT the creative genius behind this idea so I must give credit where credit is very much due. This grand idea came from the wonderful blog, Melissa’s Projects. Thanks so much Melissa for the inspiration!

Is this not the cutest thing you have ever seen?!?!!!  Continue reading →