Kid pics

Balloon animals!







I still love catching pics of them sleeping. They're so peaceful and adorable.




Dave is doing P90X. He was taking before pictures...Noah also wanted to take before pictures. :-)

Prayer

This morning Tony talked on prayer. It was a really good sermon. His text was Matthew 6:5-15. As he was talking I was encouraged to pick up my own prayer life. What would it look like to pray fervently? To have my own prayer closet where I can cry out to God? With kids, this can sometimes be complex, but I think that after they go to bed, I can choose to spend more time praying instead of watching tv. Hold me accountable on this, will you?

A lot of people responded for prayer this morning. It was wonderful to see God moving in so many ways. Afterwards, my friend Kristin came up and mentioned that during worship she felt a really strong urge to pray for me. So, she did. It started out so simple, but by the end I was a puddle on the floor with tears and snot all over the place. It was one of those times where you know that the Holy Spirit was in charge and we were just submitting. She prayed for me as leader of prayer team and basically God used her to charge me back up and to give fresh vision. It was also so humbling to be reminded that God has big plans for our church. You don't need to know all the details of what happened...and quite honestly...the most important part for me was just willingly submitting my heart to God. It felt SO good. When we were done, I felt an incredible amount of weight lifted off my shoulders and just immeasurable relief.

I kept thinking over and over. This is why we do this. This is why we listen to the Holy Spirit. Because I didn't really know that I needed prayer...but Kristin was listening to the holy spirit and what resulted was an incredibly encouraging, God driven time, that I really DID need. God knows best. I just love that He allows us to partner with Him in the process.

Callie playing house

I caught Callie playing in her room yesterday and just had to catch it on video. She is so imaginative and hilarious when she's playing. I like the last part too where she is counting some ponytail holders that had fallen on the floor...40, five-ty, 16, etc. Love this kid.

Forsaken

I've been thinking a lot recently about the word "forsaken". When I was prepping lifegroup this last week, the verses we read were about Jesus being forsaken and dying on a cross. As Christians, we have the tendency to throw that word around pretty freely. Jesus was forsaken on a cross and died to save us from our sins. But the truth was, I honestly didn't know what being forsaken truly meant. True, I guessed it was bad, but when I read Matthew 27: 45-54 again...I got it a little more.

Mirriam Webster defines forsake as "to renounce or turn away entirely". So, when Jesus was dying a humiliating, horrible, excruciatingly painful death on a cross with people on the ground mocking him and jeering at him, the worst of it was that God had to turn away. Jesus cries out, "My God, my God why have you forsaken me?" -Matthew 27:46. I can't imagine the pain that God must have felt to not jump in and save his son. To want to so badly, but know that to do so would doom the rest of us forever.

God had to forsake Jesus so that we might have a chance of life. Had he stepped in and saved Jesus, our lives would be forfeit and the justice we rightly deserve would be done.

This whole thought process has been really churning in me about the intensity that God loves us. I've been a christian for a number of years and sometimes I get numb to the very essence of what I believe.

Reading these verses again and letting them soak in...seeing all that God and Jesus, by his death, did to save me and you overwhelms me. I no longer feel numb. The price Jesus paid is not lost on me...and because of that...I freely accept what God has offered: redemption, freedom, mercy, forgiveness.

laa-dee-daa

So, it's been a great week here. Kicking it off with our anniversary was definitely a positive. Dave's worked odd hours this week (and has fielded phone calls from the vet school almost every night in the middle of the night). However, tomorrow is his last day. He traded working Tuesday for Sunday (which he now gets off). He's being super secretive because he is taking us on a mini-vacation...somewhere. :-) I truly don't have the foggiest idea where we are going, and I admit...I'm OK with that. It's fun to be surprised. I promise to blog about it next week and tell you all about it, after I know. :-)

Until then, I'm enjoying some cuddle time with the kids, bath, then bed for them...rest time for me.

Seven years!

Yesterday marked seven years of being married to my wonderful husband. It was actually a lot of fun yesterday to think back about the day we got married. Taking pictures, the ceremony, the reception. I also thought back to some of our most memorable dates...the top ones include a picnic at the state park, taking me to see Phantom of the Opera (A total surprise and I had REALLY wanted to see it!), and last years get away weekend. Yes, I have a good man.

The funny thing about our anniversary is that SOMETHING always goes wrong...every year, without fail. One year we were in Chicago and Dave's parents had booked a hotel room for us using their points (we were poor and they were generous). When we got to the hotel, the hotel had booked us for the following night..and the hotel was BOOKED for that night. We ended up having to drive home to his parents house. Another year, as we were pulling out of the driveway, Dave accidentaly side-swiped our babysitters car. We felt so horrible about it, that we ended up not going out that evening and Dave spent the rest of the night fixing the damage. Other years have been more minor, but something generally happens to try and thwart our plans. We joke about it now.

This year was no exception. Our babysitters forgot to come and we couldn't get a hold of them. So, after an hour of waiting, we called our friends Kurt and Karissa (whom we love and who love our kids) and literally Karissa was at our house ten minutes later with Kurt (coming from work) right behind her. They stayed with the kids all night so that Dave and I could have our anniverary night. Seriously, I love our church and the community that we belong to. I love doing life with these people.

Dave and I had to alter our plans slightly, but we still went down to Indy, ate at the Castleton grill, and then went shopping. It was so nice to just be with him.

Below is my anniversary present.

My husband did AMAZING. It's so beautiful...the picture doesn't even show it justice. I LOVE it. It's my new favorite piece of jewelry...mostly because it came from him.

Suffice it to say, the evening was wonderful. For me, it was nice to get away from the house and yes, even the kids, for a little bit. I had to remember that I am more than a mom. We had such a good time talking on the way down and back and throughout the whole evening.

Because of that, I was able to really enjoy the kids today. I wasn't feeling run-down or empty. I could really embrace and enjoy the time I had with them. We were all better for it.

I married a great man seven years ago. He keeps me safe, is steady when I am weak, pushes me when I need to be pushed, loves me for me, is incredibly wise, and is a wonderful father. I'm incredibly in love with him.

Bring on year eight!

Look what you've done for me

The other day I was finishing up the book of John. For some reason, the very last verse really struck me. John ends the book by saying, "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written"- John 21:25

I sat and pondered that for a moment. Then I began to mentally list the things that God has done for me alone:

-Pulled me out of despair with my parents divorce
-When I gave my life to him in 8th great I felt freedom and great joy.
-In all 3 high schools that I attended, he brought Godly people into my life to encourage me.
-Provided a Godly husband who continues to strengthen and encourage me.
-Despite circumstances, I have always had a mother figure in my life to look up to
-I have two beautiful healthy children.
-I have a wonderful community around me who loves me as I am, but also spurs me on.
-In my toughest moments, I have felt the power of God come over me and bring me peace.
-He paved the way for Dave and I to buy this house. (If you ever want to hear the story...we'll be happy to tell you)
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More recently... (which is somehow easier to remember)
-He healed my hip while at summer conference
-He has broken off sin and things that I have been struggling with for many years.
-He has raised up Godly women to spur me on
-He has strengthened Dave and my marriage
-He uses others to speak words of encouragement just for me. Twice in the last month I have had people not know the exact circumstances of what I was going through and because God laid it on their heart, they were able to pray EXACTLY what I needed.


I've also witnessed him heal:
-a knee
-a foot
-backs
-marriages
-headaches
and those are just what I remember

In the life of our church:
-I've seen countless people's lives transformed by God's redeeming power.
-People have been healed from hurts that have haunted them for years.
--He has brought hundreds of people to our doorstep.
-Our first Sunday we had 50 people! I remember standing at the back of the church, knowing that something Holy was indeed happening...because we didn't know any of them. God brought them.

This list is SO partial. It's early, but if I COULD remember everything, I know that my own story could write a book.

What has God done for you?