So, I just wanted to write a quick post as I sit here this morning feeling so lucky.
I woke up this morning with that little chill in the morning air, where you know it's morning and that there is snow on the ground. A little nippy out. I was sitting on my couch, looking into my dining room observing the kids. The little girls were at their new little Dora table, enjoying their cheerios and eating their chocolate milk with a spoon:) (they get that from me b/c I like to add an extra scoop of nestle quik, so I have some chocolate off the bottom) The boys are at the table putting together a lego set that Bryson got for his birthday. Fawn and her friend kendall have just come downstairs, fawn is sitting at the table watching the boys and Kendall is over hugging Faith and Emily. She loves those little girls so much, and she is so gentle with them.
Here I sit thinking how lucky we all are. We are having breakfast in a warm house, playing with some of our favorite toys, and enjoying each others company. We are so blessed! Times like these, I am just amazed at the things God has given me. I don't deserve any of this! These kids are truly amazing little creatures and I am beyond lucky that I get to be called "mom".
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
REJOICE!
Be happy because of the hope you have. Be patient when you have troubles. Pray all the time.
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer
Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times.
Romans: 12:12 Those are three different translations, all saying the same thing:
Rejoice, be patient, and Pray
This is the first verse God gave me numerous times in 2012. It seems so simple, yet it can be so hard to do! I would like to look at it and tell you what it has meant to me. Let's start with the first part;
James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
ahh, the book of James, what a great book to help us learn how to live a christian life. I did Beth Moore's study on it, and loved it. i am hoping to study it more in depth starting in January, time permitting & God willing. Anyways....God has shown me that even in hard times, I should be rejoicing and praising His name for all the good He has done for me. As I rejoice in hope, I had to figure out what my hope was. If my hope is in the Lord, there is no other reason to not rejoice. If He is my hope, I know the plans He has for me, plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future. (jeremiah 29:11)
Definition from Merrian Websters online dictionary.
Rejoice: to give joy to
Hope: to expect with confidence
Yes I will give Joy to God and with confidence I know HE will give me what I need when I need it. How awesome is that? My HOPE is in Jesus Christ and what He has done for me, and what He has promised me. Do you know anyone without hope, without the idea that there is something better out there, that it will get better? It would be pretty dismal to have no hope, having hope in the one who made all creation, wow if He made all this, don't you think He has something good planned for us?
patient in tribulation
Patient:bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint
Tribulation: a trying experience
First I want to look at John 16:33 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Romans says IN tribulation, John says you WILL have trouble.
James 1:2 says WHEN you meet trials.
We will all face hard times, we will be let down by those we love, our hearts can be broken, our bodies ravaged by disease, loved ones will be taken from us, we will fail at many things, we will make mistakes and we will experience pain, & sorrow. It is during these times that we must be patient, we should try our best to go through the hard times without complaining. It is during these hard times that God helps us grow, helps us draw closer to Him. When life is going smoothly and everything is okay, it is so easy to think we can do this on our own,that we don't need a savior, and easy for us to forget all Christ has done for us. During these times of trials, whether it be ourselves struggling in some way or a loved one, we must be patient with them and ourselves. Do not complain that they are not doing things the way you think they should or question God on why He is letting certain things happen. He has a plan for us, a plan better than we could imagine, so why settle on what we think is good when His plan is Grand? Jeremiah 29:11
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; ... Ecclesiastes 3
Those are a couple of my favorite verses in trusting God has a better plan for me.
pray at all times.
pray: to make a request in a humble manner
This was the first verse God gave me this year. And when I say he gave it to me, I mean He continually placed it in my life, it just kept popping up everywhere, till I got it! LOL! I love it when I realize He is pursuing me and asking me to come and sit with Him.
I have been working on REJOICING through my hard times while continuing to PRAY for HIS will to be done in my life, even if it is not what I want, I am trusting HIM that through these times HE will be glorified and other will know Him and that my faith will be stronger. To God be ALL the glory!
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18
UMMMM, yep says pretty much the same as the romans verse....maybe He's trying to tell us something!
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer
Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times.
Romans: 12:12 Those are three different translations, all saying the same thing:
Rejoice, be patient, and Pray
This is the first verse God gave me numerous times in 2012. It seems so simple, yet it can be so hard to do! I would like to look at it and tell you what it has meant to me. Let's start with the first part;
REJOICE IN HOPE.
Seems simple right, rejoice in our hope, but what is our hope? Will we always have it and how can we always rejoice about it, we are g oing to have rough times right? Well, look what other verse HE sent me;
James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
ahh, the book of James, what a great book to help us learn how to live a christian life. I did Beth Moore's study on it, and loved it. i am hoping to study it more in depth starting in January, time permitting & God willing. Anyways....God has shown me that even in hard times, I should be rejoicing and praising His name for all the good He has done for me. As I rejoice in hope, I had to figure out what my hope was. If my hope is in the Lord, there is no other reason to not rejoice. If He is my hope, I know the plans He has for me, plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future. (jeremiah 29:11)
Definition from Merrian Websters online dictionary.
Rejoice: to give joy to
Hope: to expect with confidence
Yes I will give Joy to God and with confidence I know HE will give me what I need when I need it. How awesome is that? My HOPE is in Jesus Christ and what He has done for me, and what He has promised me. Do you know anyone without hope, without the idea that there is something better out there, that it will get better? It would be pretty dismal to have no hope, having hope in the one who made all creation, wow if He made all this, don't you think He has something good planned for us?
patient in tribulation
Patient:bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint
Tribulation: a trying experience
First I want to look at John 16:33 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Romans says IN tribulation, John says you WILL have trouble.
James 1:2 says WHEN you meet trials.
We will all face hard times, we will be let down by those we love, our hearts can be broken, our bodies ravaged by disease, loved ones will be taken from us, we will fail at many things, we will make mistakes and we will experience pain, & sorrow. It is during these times that we must be patient, we should try our best to go through the hard times without complaining. It is during these hard times that God helps us grow, helps us draw closer to Him. When life is going smoothly and everything is okay, it is so easy to think we can do this on our own,that we don't need a savior, and easy for us to forget all Christ has done for us. During these times of trials, whether it be ourselves struggling in some way or a loved one, we must be patient with them and ourselves. Do not complain that they are not doing things the way you think they should or question God on why He is letting certain things happen. He has a plan for us, a plan better than we could imagine, so why settle on what we think is good when His plan is Grand? Jeremiah 29:11
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; ... Ecclesiastes 3
Those are a couple of my favorite verses in trusting God has a better plan for me.
pray at all times.
pray: to make a request in a humble manner
: to address God or a god with adoration, confession, supplication, or thanksgiving
this part is pretty easy to understand. PRAY!!!!! ALL THE TIME!!!!! prayer is how we are able to communicate with the Creator of the earth, the King of kings, the Lord of lords! When we continually pray we are in constant interaction with God who can do all things. We need Him to help us in our trials, and our temptations to forgive us when we mess up, to give us wisdom to discern His will for our lives. We can pray to Him anywhere at anytime, He is always there to listen. I'd like to share this story with you I forget where I heard it, but I love it.
Imagine having a child and you sit in the living room waiting for them to come talk to you. You have so much youwant to do for them, give them a favorite toy, hug them when they fall down, comfort them when they get bullied, you want to rejoice with them when they succeed. There you sit, waiting, hoping they will make the time for you. a week goes by, and they see you and give you a quick wave, but walk past. a month goes by, and they come in and sit down and talk to you for a quick second, but are too busy to have a relationship with you. Wow can you imagine how that would hurt? We have so much to give our kids, so much to share with them. There Christ sits, waiting for us to come to Him, to have a relationship with Him. As much as we can give our children He can give us so much more. All we have to do is seek Him through prayer and reading His word. He is there for us, all we need to do is seek Him.
This was the first verse God gave me this year. And when I say he gave it to me, I mean He continually placed it in my life, it just kept popping up everywhere, till I got it! LOL! I love it when I realize He is pursuing me and asking me to come and sit with Him.
I have been working on REJOICING through my hard times while continuing to PRAY for HIS will to be done in my life, even if it is not what I want, I am trusting HIM that through these times HE will be glorified and other will know Him and that my faith will be stronger. To God be ALL the glory!
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18
UMMMM, yep says pretty much the same as the romans verse....maybe He's trying to tell us something!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Christmas 2012
The season that I plan months for (I start shopping Dec 26 for nest year!) has come and gone. I do believe this has touched my life more than any other one. We have been blessed to have 7 children in our home this year. An 18,17,10,7,6,3,3 year old. What a joy it was to celebrate Christ's birth with them!
Our 20 year old is also doing well and has been visiting with her boyfriend. She is such a sweet, sweet young lady, and I have loved watching her grow, it has been a roller coaster ride, but she is doing fantastic now and I just pray that she continues on this path. God has such great things planned for her! We have had her since she was 13 and we just love her so much and want to see her succeed in life.
Around thanksgiving God sent us the 18 year old. She lived with her grandparents and was like a cinderella living in that house. She did everything for them and was physically, emotionally, and mentally abused by grandma. Her dad lives nearby as do her two older sisters. I guess the parents couldn't care for them. She is a wonderful young lady, and given what she has been through she is amazing. She is so helpful and caring. We helped her get her driver's license, she has a job, and will graduate high school this June. We are hoping we can help her and our 17 year old attend the local community college near us. Just a little update on where we are kid wise, LOL!
So this past year God has been allowing me to go through so many trials, and has been constantly showing me about Peace and Joy, and how it IS possible to have those IN HIM no matter what we are going through. Here are the verses that He has continually put in my life this past year.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5
Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14
I am going to in the next week, blog about each of those verses and how they have affected me.
But today let me tell you about our Christmas! The 22nd we went to Cornerstone church to their Christmas Concert. It was me, hubby, teenagers and their boyfriends, our three middle (the 3 yearolds were in childcare) and the grandmother of our 10 & 3 year old. The music was beautiful and I was so humbled to be taking up almost an entire pew of those who may not be blood family, but are in every way family to us. Afterwards, we ordered pizza and had a pizza night with our three oldest girls and their boyfriends. We wanted someway to get to know these boys that are in or girls lives. It was so awkward at first, LOL!!!! We have a 23 yearold inner city boy, our 20 year old, our 18 year old and her firefighter boyfriend, our 17 year old and her homeschooled, raised in a christian family 16 year old boy friend. Then us old farts! Conversation was like pulling teeth in the beginning, but loosened up.After we ate, we played apples to apples, ( great game) would you rather, (we hated this one) and taboo, (our favorite). Had some cookies and lots of laughs, so I think it was a success!
There were many changes to our normal christmas, but ones that needed to happen and I think turned out for the best. Christmas eve we delivered our cinnamon rolls to friends and family who have had a rough year or been supportive of our family. It took us 3.5 hours, we had to yell at the kids twice, but I thought that was pretty good for them being in the car that long! We started this tradition 4 years a go, and it is one of my favorite parts of the season, it's so fun playing Santa! heehee! Then we went to my mom's to celebrate with them and my younger sisters family. My mother is such an awesome cook, and she make it seem so easy. We ate the most delicious meal and then we opened gifts from each other. We needed to be out of there by 4:00 so my older sister could come and celebrate with everyone.( family drama that I mentioned before) So we decided to go to Dino's for wings! That is our favorite wing place, and it was requested by our middle munchkins! ( the teens were working and visiting their bio family) Then we went home and babies were put to bed, and we watched the Christmas Story. It was a relaxing evening! I put all the presents in piles so the kids could dive into them as soon as they awoke!
Christmas day we all went downstairs and the chaos began! The 3 year olds were so excited it was Christmas time! They thought daddy brought christmas in (the tree from the garage), I think they understand it now! LOL!! They played and I started prepping Christmas dinner. I was cooking it for the first time this year. The menu was Ham, Gruyere Gratin Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, (MIL brought them) Brussel Sprouts, and rolls. Did you know it's important to pay attention to the details while cooking? I cooked the ham in my electric roaster, I thought it was going to be a little dry,(it looked like it) but it was pretty good! The brussel sprouts were yummy! The rolls...well they were rhodes' frozen rolls, it said place on cookie sheet and let rise 3-5 hours....ummm i put them on a warm stove, and the 24 rolls each rose to the size of my hand spread open...oops! well i stuck them in the oven anyway...underneath the potatoes and sprouts....so the bottom of the rolls were extra crispy and wouldn't come out of the pan...but I served them anyways, they were still tasty:) However my gratin potatoes were more like soup and a little crunchy...i think they shouldve cooked longer and never really did thicken up....but they were still tasty too...LOL! Okay so I didn't prepare the best meal but it was yummy, I will have it perfected by next year!:) My mother in laws candied sweet potatoes were perfect! We exchanged gifts with the in laws, and had a wonderful day at home. This was the best Christmas and we were able to share it with the most amazing kids, and supportive family.
I am humbled and blessed beyond measure. I thank my God everyday for the precious gifts He has given me. Thanks for reading, and see you next time!
Our 20 year old is also doing well and has been visiting with her boyfriend. She is such a sweet, sweet young lady, and I have loved watching her grow, it has been a roller coaster ride, but she is doing fantastic now and I just pray that she continues on this path. God has such great things planned for her! We have had her since she was 13 and we just love her so much and want to see her succeed in life.
Around thanksgiving God sent us the 18 year old. She lived with her grandparents and was like a cinderella living in that house. She did everything for them and was physically, emotionally, and mentally abused by grandma. Her dad lives nearby as do her two older sisters. I guess the parents couldn't care for them. She is a wonderful young lady, and given what she has been through she is amazing. She is so helpful and caring. We helped her get her driver's license, she has a job, and will graduate high school this June. We are hoping we can help her and our 17 year old attend the local community college near us. Just a little update on where we are kid wise, LOL!
So this past year God has been allowing me to go through so many trials, and has been constantly showing me about Peace and Joy, and how it IS possible to have those IN HIM no matter what we are going through. Here are the verses that He has continually put in my life this past year.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5
Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14
I am going to in the next week, blog about each of those verses and how they have affected me.
But today let me tell you about our Christmas! The 22nd we went to Cornerstone church to their Christmas Concert. It was me, hubby, teenagers and their boyfriends, our three middle (the 3 yearolds were in childcare) and the grandmother of our 10 & 3 year old. The music was beautiful and I was so humbled to be taking up almost an entire pew of those who may not be blood family, but are in every way family to us. Afterwards, we ordered pizza and had a pizza night with our three oldest girls and their boyfriends. We wanted someway to get to know these boys that are in or girls lives. It was so awkward at first, LOL!!!! We have a 23 yearold inner city boy, our 20 year old, our 18 year old and her firefighter boyfriend, our 17 year old and her homeschooled, raised in a christian family 16 year old boy friend. Then us old farts! Conversation was like pulling teeth in the beginning, but loosened up.After we ate, we played apples to apples, ( great game) would you rather, (we hated this one) and taboo, (our favorite). Had some cookies and lots of laughs, so I think it was a success!
There were many changes to our normal christmas, but ones that needed to happen and I think turned out for the best. Christmas eve we delivered our cinnamon rolls to friends and family who have had a rough year or been supportive of our family. It took us 3.5 hours, we had to yell at the kids twice, but I thought that was pretty good for them being in the car that long! We started this tradition 4 years a go, and it is one of my favorite parts of the season, it's so fun playing Santa! heehee! Then we went to my mom's to celebrate with them and my younger sisters family. My mother is such an awesome cook, and she make it seem so easy. We ate the most delicious meal and then we opened gifts from each other. We needed to be out of there by 4:00 so my older sister could come and celebrate with everyone.( family drama that I mentioned before) So we decided to go to Dino's for wings! That is our favorite wing place, and it was requested by our middle munchkins! ( the teens were working and visiting their bio family) Then we went home and babies were put to bed, and we watched the Christmas Story. It was a relaxing evening! I put all the presents in piles so the kids could dive into them as soon as they awoke!
Christmas day we all went downstairs and the chaos began! The 3 year olds were so excited it was Christmas time! They thought daddy brought christmas in (the tree from the garage), I think they understand it now! LOL!! They played and I started prepping Christmas dinner. I was cooking it for the first time this year. The menu was Ham, Gruyere Gratin Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, (MIL brought them) Brussel Sprouts, and rolls. Did you know it's important to pay attention to the details while cooking? I cooked the ham in my electric roaster, I thought it was going to be a little dry,(it looked like it) but it was pretty good! The brussel sprouts were yummy! The rolls...well they were rhodes' frozen rolls, it said place on cookie sheet and let rise 3-5 hours....ummm i put them on a warm stove, and the 24 rolls each rose to the size of my hand spread open...oops! well i stuck them in the oven anyway...underneath the potatoes and sprouts....so the bottom of the rolls were extra crispy and wouldn't come out of the pan...but I served them anyways, they were still tasty:) However my gratin potatoes were more like soup and a little crunchy...i think they shouldve cooked longer and never really did thicken up....but they were still tasty too...LOL! Okay so I didn't prepare the best meal but it was yummy, I will have it perfected by next year!:) My mother in laws candied sweet potatoes were perfect! We exchanged gifts with the in laws, and had a wonderful day at home. This was the best Christmas and we were able to share it with the most amazing kids, and supportive family.
I am humbled and blessed beyond measure. I thank my God everyday for the precious gifts He has given me. Thanks for reading, and see you next time!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)