these make me so happy i could cry.
Sunday, June 05, 2011
so many...
pictures, that is.
we got to my brother's on thursday night, and left saturday at about 3.
i have so many pictures that it's not even funny...i didn't want to leave and feel like i had nothing to look back on and remember! so i went a little buck wild!
i thought i would spread them out as i get them edited.
it was pretty much all about lilla on friday morning! i mean, it was her birthday after all!
my dad can fix anything, so he was working on the broken air conditioner!
gabbana wasn't quite sure what to do with all these people in the house!
the boys were in the pool first thing in the morning!
then the currier's arrived in the afternoon!
the boys were so so excited to see all their cousins!! can you tell??
there were so many cute babies around..i was in auntie heaven!!
so so many more. but this is all for now.
consider yourself warned!
we got to my brother's on thursday night, and left saturday at about 3.
i have so many pictures that it's not even funny...i didn't want to leave and feel like i had nothing to look back on and remember! so i went a little buck wild!
i thought i would spread them out as i get them edited.
it was pretty much all about lilla on friday morning! i mean, it was her birthday after all!
my dad can fix anything, so he was working on the broken air conditioner!
gabbana wasn't quite sure what to do with all these people in the house!
the boys were in the pool first thing in the morning!
then the currier's arrived in the afternoon!
the boys were so so excited to see all their cousins!! can you tell??
there were so many cute babies around..i was in auntie heaven!!
so so many more. but this is all for now.
consider yourself warned!
Saturday, June 04, 2011
cousins
i just got back from pennsylvania.
it was the first time that all four of us siblings were together with all the kids...since the last 3 were added!
we had an amazing time, even though it was very short.
i literally filled 3 memory cards while i was there.
so to say that i have a little bit of editing to do, is the understatement of the year.
oh, and i have to have everything done before saturday, when i have a wedding to shoot!
i am so tired, and haven't even loaded all the pictures on my computer yet.
i'm not sure that this is the best of all the cousins pictures, but it was the first one i saw, and i wanted to give my sisters, brother and parents something to smile about.
i can't stop thinking about the verse in psalms 68 that says
"Blessed be the Lord who daily loads us with benefits..."
that's how i feel right now.
like God had just loaded this family with benefits.
with amazing relationships.
with beautiful, healthy children.
with parents who have given me the joy of reaping the benefits of their godly living.
i am beyond blessed.
amazingly, abundantly blessed.
it was the first time that all four of us siblings were together with all the kids...since the last 3 were added!
we had an amazing time, even though it was very short.
i literally filled 3 memory cards while i was there.
so to say that i have a little bit of editing to do, is the understatement of the year.
oh, and i have to have everything done before saturday, when i have a wedding to shoot!
i am so tired, and haven't even loaded all the pictures on my computer yet.
i'm not sure that this is the best of all the cousins pictures, but it was the first one i saw, and i wanted to give my sisters, brother and parents something to smile about.
i can't stop thinking about the verse in psalms 68 that says
"Blessed be the Lord who daily loads us with benefits..."
that's how i feel right now.
like God had just loaded this family with benefits.
with amazing relationships.
with beautiful, healthy children.
with parents who have given me the joy of reaping the benefits of their godly living.
i am beyond blessed.
amazingly, abundantly blessed.
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
i can't keep up!
i think i usually try to keep all of my blog posts to one or two main subjects.
as if each week...one thing is happening.
then i tell all of you about it.
then we wait for the next week to start.
well...that is not exactly how things go.
and as i was looking in my may 2011 folder for my pictures, i realized that i am behind, to say the least.
i feel like i can hardly keep up with everything that is even happening!
i don't say this in a complainy-kind-of-way.
i just say it in like a whoa-nelly kind of way!
ha!
with that being said, here a few of things that i found in my folder:
my boys finished another year of AWANA!
they did so great, and really worked hard to finish their books. they have learned a ton of verses, and i am just incredibly proud of them.
my dad had a birthday
we had a little celebration together. i really never take for granted that i have the privilege of living with my parents. i am so grateful for the relationship that i have with both of my parents. my dad and i love a lot of the same things...football, ice cream, running, ice cream, antiquing, ice cream. i think you get my point! ha!
whenever the boys make something with legos, or build something...they always ask me to take a picture of it! so last week we went to the thrift store and bought this puzzle for a quarter. the three of us worked on it for a few days until we finished! they asked me to take a picture for my blog!
so here it is...
not bad that there was only 2 pieces missing out of 500!
and lastly for now, because it is getting late.
my boy aj.
he just started playing for a U12 soccer team.
he just turned 10, but he looks about the same size!
when he joined the team, the team had already been together for about 4 months.
all of the kids were really nice to him..except this one particular boy.
he picked on aj quite a bit. told him he wasn't one of the cool ones, and told him he didn't like his cleats, among other things.
aj was handling it pretty well. i asked him how he was responding, and he said that he just wasn't saying anything.
which was good.
but i suggested something else.
i told him to try the proverbs 15:1 method. "a soft answer turns away wrath"
so the next week at practice, the boy said something about cleats again.
aj said "wow...you're cleats are really awesome!!"
the boy stopped. and hugged aj!! he was like..thanks man!
the next practice he told aj he was his bff (ha! boys actually use that terminology???!!!)
and ever since, this boy has been like best buds with aj!!
i was just so proud of him!
proud of him for not getting discouraged,
for not fighting back,
for doing things God's way!
and i loved that he can start to see proof already, at the age of 10, that God's Word is worth obeying!
obedience does, after all, bring blessings!
alrighty. that's all i can do for now.
my back is bothering me again...pretty bad this time.
i think that today was almost the worst it has ever been.
we are leaving tomorrow to drive 7 hours to pennsylvania for my niece's birthday, so i would love if you would pray for me! i could sure use it!
thanks!
as if each week...one thing is happening.
then i tell all of you about it.
then we wait for the next week to start.
well...that is not exactly how things go.
and as i was looking in my may 2011 folder for my pictures, i realized that i am behind, to say the least.
i feel like i can hardly keep up with everything that is even happening!
i don't say this in a complainy-kind-of-way.
i just say it in like a whoa-nelly kind of way!
ha!
with that being said, here a few of things that i found in my folder:
my boys finished another year of AWANA!
they did so great, and really worked hard to finish their books. they have learned a ton of verses, and i am just incredibly proud of them.
my dad had a birthday
whenever the boys make something with legos, or build something...they always ask me to take a picture of it! so last week we went to the thrift store and bought this puzzle for a quarter. the three of us worked on it for a few days until we finished! they asked me to take a picture for my blog!
so here it is...
not bad that there was only 2 pieces missing out of 500!
and lastly for now, because it is getting late.
my boy aj.
he just started playing for a U12 soccer team.
he just turned 10, but he looks about the same size!
when he joined the team, the team had already been together for about 4 months.
all of the kids were really nice to him..except this one particular boy.
he picked on aj quite a bit. told him he wasn't one of the cool ones, and told him he didn't like his cleats, among other things.
aj was handling it pretty well. i asked him how he was responding, and he said that he just wasn't saying anything.
which was good.
but i suggested something else.
i told him to try the proverbs 15:1 method. "a soft answer turns away wrath"
so the next week at practice, the boy said something about cleats again.
aj said "wow...you're cleats are really awesome!!"
the boy stopped. and hugged aj!! he was like..thanks man!
the next practice he told aj he was his bff (ha! boys actually use that terminology???!!!)
and ever since, this boy has been like best buds with aj!!
i was just so proud of him!
proud of him for not getting discouraged,
for not fighting back,
for doing things God's way!
and i loved that he can start to see proof already, at the age of 10, that God's Word is worth obeying!
obedience does, after all, bring blessings!
alrighty. that's all i can do for now.
my back is bothering me again...pretty bad this time.
i think that today was almost the worst it has ever been.
we are leaving tomorrow to drive 7 hours to pennsylvania for my niece's birthday, so i would love if you would pray for me! i could sure use it!
thanks!
Intentional Living: Week Two
this week's lesson was on being an intentional friend.
i just loved this class, because part way through, we had an assignment.
i wanted for us all to take some time during class to go to the Bible on our own, and find the answers to some questions that i had come up with.
i got so emotional watching all these girls just studying and digging into God's Word!
i loved it!
it's what intentional living is all about!
anyways.
we started out by trying to find verses that describe how we need to treat each other.
so that was my first question.
How should I be treating people?
it might seem like a simple, and obvious question.
but i just always want to be growing and learning more about how i need to live my life!
i don't want to assume that i have it down, ya know?
try it! take some time right now and just push yourself a little bit.
maybe it will just be a refresher, maybe it will be a wake up call!
some of the examples we all came up with were:
being a servant
pursuing peace
thinking of others as better than ourselves
i looked up the definition of friend and i had to admit that i disagreed with the definition!
friend was defined as: a person whom one knows, likes and trusts.
well. let's see here.
ever read the story of Jesus with Judas??
Judas was the ultimate back-stabber.
when judas went to the garden to bring the bad guys to find Jesus...
Jesus called him.
get a load of this...
friend!
did you get that??
did Jesus know, like and trust judas? i don't think so!
but he still called him friend!
amazing. and challenging.
am i following ephesians 4:29? letting NO corrupt communication come out of my mouth? is EVERYTHING i say to the use of edifying?
that is how i should be treating everyone i come in contact with!
the next question definitely affects the second question.
Who should I be friends with/not friends with?
this one got a little tricky, because i think that sometimes we get our theology mixed in with worldly thinking.
i brought out a passage that i have literally misunderstood almost my entire life.
I Corinthians 5:11
this is paul talking to the corinthian church. remember that they were very carnal, but still believers!
he says "be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? ...wherefore come out from among them and be separate."
here's where i believe many people miss the point.
i have always heard of this verse as a reason for an believer not to marry an unbeliever.
always.
but back up for a second.
is this passage talking about marriage?
not at all.
i remember sitting in youth group when i was about 15 and having everyone talk about whether it is right or wrong to date a non-christian.
they said...i mean. i know it's wrong to marry one, because of this passage, but it's really a gray area when it comes to dating.
this is not a gray area!!
this passage is saying that if you are unequally yoked together with an unbeliever, (best friends with, dating, spending all your time with, etc.) you are going against what God wants!
this would change a lot of people's lives if they got a hold of this!
amos 3:3 says "can two walk together unless they be agreed?"
how can you be best friends with someone who is walking an entirely different path than you are?
i brought out this fact:
*if you are living an intentionally Godly life...only certain people will want to be your friend!
this passage obviously does not mean that we aren't to talk to people, or be friends with people who do not believe in Jesus the way we do.
Paul says he became all things to all people so that he might save some
Jesus was friends with sinners.
obviously we are to love people, and be a friend to people that don't believe the way that we do.
the main point here is that we are to realize that God wants us to not become so close to another person who doesn't believe as we do, that we start to fall away.
the next part is even tricker.
you ready for this one?
these passages are tough stuff here!
proverbs tells us:
not to be friends with an angry man
to walk with wise men, and we will be wise, but a companion of fools will be destroyed
psalms tells us:
not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly
not to sit in the way of sinners
not to sit in the seat of the scornful
these passages in the new testament are referring to other believers!
* 1 corinthians 5:11 says,
But now i have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one, no, not to eat.
what?
not to even eat with them?
* 2 thessalonians 3 tells us to have NO company with them
* romans 16 tells us to mark them and avoid them!
wow.
i have to tell you.
i do not see a lot of christians practicing this!
do you know why thessalonians says that we need to have no company with them?
so they'll be ashamed!
why would we want them to be ashamed?
so they will come back to the obedience and therefore protection of our loving, forgiving, powerful Father!
did you get that?
the PROTECTION of our Father!!
we read this verse and decide that we aren't going to obey this one, because
who are we to judge?
we don't want them to have no friends!
we don't want them to think that we don't love them.
NO! NO! NO!
we have it all wrong!
by not "judging" or saying anything about it, we are allowing them to get away from the protection of God.
that is not what a real friend would do!
and that is not what we should do!
(i told you this was tough stuff!!)
my challenge at the end of this class was this...
be the kind of person that everyone wants to be friends with!
*are you trustworthy?
*are you loving?
*are you unselfish?
1. be a loving, compassionate, sincere friend, no matter what!
*love covers a multitude of sins!
2. be a companion of those that fear God -Psalms 119:63
*decide right now to obey God, and only have your closest friends those that fear God!
make a decision to follow God and make the right choices even when they are difficult!
what are you going to change this week to be a better friend?
start now!
i just loved this class, because part way through, we had an assignment.
i wanted for us all to take some time during class to go to the Bible on our own, and find the answers to some questions that i had come up with.
i got so emotional watching all these girls just studying and digging into God's Word!
i loved it!
it's what intentional living is all about!
anyways.
we started out by trying to find verses that describe how we need to treat each other.
so that was my first question.
How should I be treating people?
it might seem like a simple, and obvious question.
but i just always want to be growing and learning more about how i need to live my life!
i don't want to assume that i have it down, ya know?
try it! take some time right now and just push yourself a little bit.
maybe it will just be a refresher, maybe it will be a wake up call!
some of the examples we all came up with were:
being a servant
pursuing peace
thinking of others as better than ourselves
i looked up the definition of friend and i had to admit that i disagreed with the definition!
friend was defined as: a person whom one knows, likes and trusts.
well. let's see here.
ever read the story of Jesus with Judas??
Judas was the ultimate back-stabber.
when judas went to the garden to bring the bad guys to find Jesus...
Jesus called him.
get a load of this...
friend!
did you get that??
did Jesus know, like and trust judas? i don't think so!
but he still called him friend!
amazing. and challenging.
am i following ephesians 4:29? letting NO corrupt communication come out of my mouth? is EVERYTHING i say to the use of edifying?
that is how i should be treating everyone i come in contact with!
the next question definitely affects the second question.
Who should I be friends with/not friends with?
this one got a little tricky, because i think that sometimes we get our theology mixed in with worldly thinking.
i brought out a passage that i have literally misunderstood almost my entire life.
I Corinthians 5:11
this is paul talking to the corinthian church. remember that they were very carnal, but still believers!
he says "be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? ...wherefore come out from among them and be separate."
here's where i believe many people miss the point.
i have always heard of this verse as a reason for an believer not to marry an unbeliever.
always.
but back up for a second.
is this passage talking about marriage?
not at all.
i remember sitting in youth group when i was about 15 and having everyone talk about whether it is right or wrong to date a non-christian.
they said...i mean. i know it's wrong to marry one, because of this passage, but it's really a gray area when it comes to dating.
this is not a gray area!!
this passage is saying that if you are unequally yoked together with an unbeliever, (best friends with, dating, spending all your time with, etc.) you are going against what God wants!
this would change a lot of people's lives if they got a hold of this!
amos 3:3 says "can two walk together unless they be agreed?"
how can you be best friends with someone who is walking an entirely different path than you are?
i brought out this fact:
*if you are living an intentionally Godly life...only certain people will want to be your friend!
this passage obviously does not mean that we aren't to talk to people, or be friends with people who do not believe in Jesus the way we do.
Paul says he became all things to all people so that he might save some
Jesus was friends with sinners.
obviously we are to love people, and be a friend to people that don't believe the way that we do.
the main point here is that we are to realize that God wants us to not become so close to another person who doesn't believe as we do, that we start to fall away.
the next part is even tricker.
you ready for this one?
these passages are tough stuff here!
proverbs tells us:
not to be friends with an angry man
to walk with wise men, and we will be wise, but a companion of fools will be destroyed
psalms tells us:
not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly
not to sit in the way of sinners
not to sit in the seat of the scornful
these passages in the new testament are referring to other believers!
* 1 corinthians 5:11 says,
But now i have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one, no, not to eat.
what?
not to even eat with them?
* 2 thessalonians 3 tells us to have NO company with them
* romans 16 tells us to mark them and avoid them!
wow.
i have to tell you.
i do not see a lot of christians practicing this!
do you know why thessalonians says that we need to have no company with them?
so they'll be ashamed!
why would we want them to be ashamed?
so they will come back to the obedience and therefore protection of our loving, forgiving, powerful Father!
did you get that?
the PROTECTION of our Father!!
we read this verse and decide that we aren't going to obey this one, because
who are we to judge?
we don't want them to have no friends!
we don't want them to think that we don't love them.
NO! NO! NO!
we have it all wrong!
by not "judging" or saying anything about it, we are allowing them to get away from the protection of God.
that is not what a real friend would do!
and that is not what we should do!
(i told you this was tough stuff!!)
my challenge at the end of this class was this...
be the kind of person that everyone wants to be friends with!
*are you trustworthy?
*are you loving?
*are you unselfish?
1. be a loving, compassionate, sincere friend, no matter what!
*love covers a multitude of sins!
2. be a companion of those that fear God -Psalms 119:63
*decide right now to obey God, and only have your closest friends those that fear God!
make a decision to follow God and make the right choices even when they are difficult!
what are you going to change this week to be a better friend?
start now!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
just my boys.
because i love them.
because they remind me of my adam.
because they make me laugh.
because they don't notice if i'm wearing make up or not
because i would rather spend time with them than almost anyone else.
because they make me happy.
because they make being a mom so incredibly fulfilling.
because they remind me of my adam.
because they make me laugh.
because they don't notice if i'm wearing make up or not
because i would rather spend time with them than almost anyone else.
because they make me happy.
because they make being a mom so incredibly fulfilling.
church family - you gotta get you one of these!
if you don't have a church family....
well.
you gotta get one!
i'm serious.
today i got to spend the day with my church family.
and i loved it.
and i love them.
end of story.
well.
you gotta get one!
i'm serious.
today i got to spend the day with my church family.
and i loved it.
and i love them.
end of story.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Spring Mini-Sessions
There is nothing that makes me smile more than looking at my family pictures.
Honestly.
That is why I thought I would let all my friends know about the Spring Mini Sessions I am offering!
Whether it's a family portrait that you need, or if you just want some of the kids...this is the perfect opportunity!
I bring my own vintage props to my selected location, and you just show up with your beautiful smiles!
Come on, what are you waiting for? Email me now!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Intentional Living: Week One
i started teaching a ladies sunday school class this week.
i thought that i would do a re-cap for those of you who live too far away to come!
i am breaking the class into 6 weeks...
being an intentional:
woman
friend
wife
mother
pray-er
witness
i first wanted to establish a few things before we even got started.
1. Who we are and whose we are
*Psalms 139:17, Jeremiah 29:11, Psalms 40:5
amazing to think that God has more thoughts about little-old-me than i can even count!
and they are GOOD thoughts! that can change your attitude for the day, that's for sure!
2. Our responsibility
*James 1:14-15.
we are definitely surrounded by people today who have come up with an excuse for every sin we could ever commit. it usually comes from a bad childhood, a bad relationship with our father, a bad circumstance that happened in our life, and a plethora of other things. while i am not minimizing difficulties, i am acknowledging the fact that according to James 1, we are tempted and drawn away of our own lust! we are responsible for our own sin. own up to it..don't use it as an excuse to sin!
3. Where our power comes from
*Psalms 19:7-9
you know that this is where my passion is. God's Word is sufficient!
according to this passage, God's Word does the following:
*converts the soul
*makes the simple wise
*rejoices your heart
*enlightens your eyes
what we typically do is this.
step 1. make our standards.
step 2. find verses that fit with our standards.
step 3. live accordingly.
instead we should to this.
step 1. search God's Word to find out what our standards should look like
step 2. make our standards
step 3. live accordingly.
HUGE difference!!
i told the story about how riley is having a really hard time falling asleep at night.
i decided to find something that could help me with that in the Bible.
did you know that king ahasueras had insomnia?
he had someone come in and read to him at night.
i decided to try it with ry. i read a couple chapters of a book after i tucked him at night.
it has made a huge difference!
today aj was doing testing for the end of the school year, and one of the vocab words he needed to identify was dismayed. he quoted out loud one of his memory verses that says to not be discouraged or dismayed.
discouraged was one of the choices for the meaning!
God's word is real. and it is relevant for every situation in life!
um. that was my introduction! ha!! a little long winded??
i brought up the story of lot's wife.
she was living near a wicked city. one where the people did not love, or live for God. she was raising her kids there. when God decided to destroy sodom, he took lot, his wife and their 2 daughters away so they would be safe.
what did lot's wife do? she looked back.
i don't think that it was necessarily rebellious and defiant.
it doesn't say she pulled away and ran back.
she just looked back.
as if she was thinking...aww..i hate to give that up.
and what happened? she turned into a pillar of salt!!
it seems as if she was just unintentional. not really thinking that she had to take a stand with anything.
and that's the danger.
if you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything
3 ways to help in choosing to be an intentional woman:
1. prepare your heart
*I chronicles 22:19, 2 chronicles 19:3
what rules in your heart will influence your actions and behavior.
please don't follow your heart!
according to jeremiah 17:9, your heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked!!
prepare your heart by filling it with truth from God's Word.
prepare it by choosing NOT to fill it with gossip, negativity, and garbage.
that will equal an unprepared heart!
2. choose your friends
*Proverbs 20:18
the counsel we are getting from friends is determining how we act!
don't think you are able to do it alone..choose a friend that will keep you accountable!
according to Hebrews, we are commanded to exhort each other every single day so that we won't be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin!
tell a close girl friend you want to stop talking bad about other people. so the next time you start to in front of her, she will stop you!
3. get up and be doing!
*I chronicles 22:16b
the main point i wanted to bring out here is this.
how many steps are you from turning away from God?
i gave the story about when one of my sons was about 3 years old.
i don't remember all the details, but i remember that i told him not to touch the piano.
he didn't.
BUT...he stood as close to it as he possibly could!
so i looked him in the eyes and said.thank you for obeying. but i need you to know, that
if someone comes by and bumps you, and you accidentally fall into the piano, you will still get disciplined.
he RAN to the other side of the room!
he wanted to make sure that it would take a LOT of steps for him to get into trouble.
that is where we should be.
i want to be so close to God that it would take weeks and months of NOT doing the things that i am already doing:
church attendance,
reading my Bible every day
praying every day
serving every day
to fall away from God.
don't you?
my challenge was this.
choose ONE thing that you are going to start doing this week to be an intentional woman.
i hope you can find encouragement in this, and join me each week as i try to do a better job of being intentional in every area of my life!
i thought that i would do a re-cap for those of you who live too far away to come!
i am breaking the class into 6 weeks...
being an intentional:
woman
friend
wife
mother
pray-er
witness
i first wanted to establish a few things before we even got started.
1. Who we are and whose we are
*Psalms 139:17, Jeremiah 29:11, Psalms 40:5
amazing to think that God has more thoughts about little-old-me than i can even count!
and they are GOOD thoughts! that can change your attitude for the day, that's for sure!
2. Our responsibility
*James 1:14-15.
we are definitely surrounded by people today who have come up with an excuse for every sin we could ever commit. it usually comes from a bad childhood, a bad relationship with our father, a bad circumstance that happened in our life, and a plethora of other things. while i am not minimizing difficulties, i am acknowledging the fact that according to James 1, we are tempted and drawn away of our own lust! we are responsible for our own sin. own up to it..don't use it as an excuse to sin!
3. Where our power comes from
*Psalms 19:7-9
you know that this is where my passion is. God's Word is sufficient!
according to this passage, God's Word does the following:
*converts the soul
*makes the simple wise
*rejoices your heart
*enlightens your eyes
what we typically do is this.
step 1. make our standards.
step 2. find verses that fit with our standards.
step 3. live accordingly.
instead we should to this.
step 1. search God's Word to find out what our standards should look like
step 2. make our standards
step 3. live accordingly.
HUGE difference!!
i told the story about how riley is having a really hard time falling asleep at night.
i decided to find something that could help me with that in the Bible.
did you know that king ahasueras had insomnia?
he had someone come in and read to him at night.
i decided to try it with ry. i read a couple chapters of a book after i tucked him at night.
it has made a huge difference!
today aj was doing testing for the end of the school year, and one of the vocab words he needed to identify was dismayed. he quoted out loud one of his memory verses that says to not be discouraged or dismayed.
discouraged was one of the choices for the meaning!
God's word is real. and it is relevant for every situation in life!
um. that was my introduction! ha!! a little long winded??
i brought up the story of lot's wife.
she was living near a wicked city. one where the people did not love, or live for God. she was raising her kids there. when God decided to destroy sodom, he took lot, his wife and their 2 daughters away so they would be safe.
what did lot's wife do? she looked back.
i don't think that it was necessarily rebellious and defiant.
it doesn't say she pulled away and ran back.
she just looked back.
as if she was thinking...aww..i hate to give that up.
and what happened? she turned into a pillar of salt!!
it seems as if she was just unintentional. not really thinking that she had to take a stand with anything.
and that's the danger.
if you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything
3 ways to help in choosing to be an intentional woman:
1. prepare your heart
*I chronicles 22:19, 2 chronicles 19:3
what rules in your heart will influence your actions and behavior.
please don't follow your heart!
according to jeremiah 17:9, your heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked!!
prepare your heart by filling it with truth from God's Word.
prepare it by choosing NOT to fill it with gossip, negativity, and garbage.
that will equal an unprepared heart!
2. choose your friends
*Proverbs 20:18
the counsel we are getting from friends is determining how we act!
don't think you are able to do it alone..choose a friend that will keep you accountable!
according to Hebrews, we are commanded to exhort each other every single day so that we won't be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin!
tell a close girl friend you want to stop talking bad about other people. so the next time you start to in front of her, she will stop you!
3. get up and be doing!
*I chronicles 22:16b
the main point i wanted to bring out here is this.
how many steps are you from turning away from God?
i gave the story about when one of my sons was about 3 years old.
i don't remember all the details, but i remember that i told him not to touch the piano.
he didn't.
BUT...he stood as close to it as he possibly could!
so i looked him in the eyes and said.thank you for obeying. but i need you to know, that
if someone comes by and bumps you, and you accidentally fall into the piano, you will still get disciplined.
he RAN to the other side of the room!
he wanted to make sure that it would take a LOT of steps for him to get into trouble.
that is where we should be.
i want to be so close to God that it would take weeks and months of NOT doing the things that i am already doing:
church attendance,
reading my Bible every day
praying every day
serving every day
to fall away from God.
don't you?
my challenge was this.
choose ONE thing that you are going to start doing this week to be an intentional woman.
i hope you can find encouragement in this, and join me each week as i try to do a better job of being intentional in every area of my life!
Monday, May 16, 2011
canoe race
i love the fact that my boys have the ability to make anything fun.
they saw signs around town for the annual canoe race, and decided to have their own.
in bowls.
in the guest room.
ya.
so they got all their stuffed animals, and had their own version of a canoe race
the competition was fierce.
luckily, they didn't let their nerves get the best of them.
these were the favorites.
(bean and tonk. we have misplaced the infamous tank and it is a real problem.
seriously.
we are looking everywhere for him, and are even praying that God will help us find him!)
the boys had such a fun time, and they were giggling like crazy
i wish i could have recorded the sound to put on here.
it was seriously hysterical.
they had such a great time, that it may become an annual event here too!
i love watching them play together.
makes this mommy very happy!
they saw signs around town for the annual canoe race, and decided to have their own.
in bowls.
in the guest room.
ya.
so they got all their stuffed animals, and had their own version of a canoe race
the competition was fierce.
luckily, they didn't let their nerves get the best of them.
these were the favorites.
(bean and tonk. we have misplaced the infamous tank and it is a real problem.
seriously.
we are looking everywhere for him, and are even praying that God will help us find him!)
the boys had such a fun time, and they were giggling like crazy
i wish i could have recorded the sound to put on here.
it was seriously hysterical.
they had such a great time, that it may become an annual event here too!
i love watching them play together.
makes this mommy very happy!
update on bryce
if you remember, i posted a prayer request for a close friend of our family named bryce.
he was in a major car accident.
a guy hit him going 60 miles an hour through a stop sign.
his car flipped 3 1/2 times.
he is in a hospital in florida.
this past wednesday my parents and i flew to orlando to see him for 3 days.
it was so great to see him, but difficult to see him in such pain.
he looked good, but has broken bones - everywhere!
ankle, ribs, pelvis, sternum, and lower back.
he has pneumonia, fluid around his lungs, and had to have a tracheotomy.
there are probably more things, but i don't even know everything.
it was an emotional time seeing him and him and then having to leave. but i am so glad i went.
adam held down the fort with the boys while i was gone, and i came home to a clean house, clean laundry, and ice cream in the freezer!! ha..the important things.
would you please continue to pray for complete healing? i know i have a lot of strong pray-ers in the people that read my blog, and i believe that coming together to pray can and will make a huge difference!
thank you!
he was in a major car accident.
a guy hit him going 60 miles an hour through a stop sign.
his car flipped 3 1/2 times.
he is in a hospital in florida.
this past wednesday my parents and i flew to orlando to see him for 3 days.
it was so great to see him, but difficult to see him in such pain.
he looked good, but has broken bones - everywhere!
ankle, ribs, pelvis, sternum, and lower back.
he has pneumonia, fluid around his lungs, and had to have a tracheotomy.
there are probably more things, but i don't even know everything.
it was an emotional time seeing him and him and then having to leave. but i am so glad i went.
adam held down the fort with the boys while i was gone, and i came home to a clean house, clean laundry, and ice cream in the freezer!! ha..the important things.
would you please continue to pray for complete healing? i know i have a lot of strong pray-ers in the people that read my blog, and i believe that coming together to pray can and will make a huge difference!
thank you!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
i lift my hands
God definitely gave riley a gift of singing! he really could've sung all by himself, but he was a little nervous, so i said i would sing the chorus with him...
(make sure you go to the bottom of the page and pause the music before playing the video!)
(make sure you go to the bottom of the page and pause the music before playing the video!)
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