Hey friends,

Last night as I was driving home from a wonderful “kidlet free” dinner a song on the radio grabbed my attention. The song was talking about living outside the status quo. As I was listening to the words of the song I became acutely aware that through the words of the song God was gently trying to get my attention about a few matters in my life that need intentional attention. The status quo is no longer acceptable.

I went to bed inspired, but woke up this morning, thinking how crazy I was to think that the matters that came to mind were actually achievable? Have you ever felt that way? Well as I type, I’m praying because I know that whenever a change is on the horizon, especially a God- driven change we are no longer sitting comfortable and that seems to get the attention of the angel of light. I am keeping that in mind and praying through the doubts that have flooded my mind.

God asks us to live intentionally, if not we really are swimming in the sea of status quo. When I think about the men and women in the Bible their lives were intentionally, purposeful and look at how their examples inspire and teach us today. As a mom I want to demonstrate to my children that life really can just happen, however to live a life of abundance that our God promises us, can only achieve this when we purposefully and intentionally make each day count. A tall order and I have already felt challenged to swim in the sea of status quo today, but thankfully my Heavenly Father is bigger and stronger then the angel of light who seeks to distract and discourage me.

What areas in your life are you swimming in the sea of status quo? I encourage you to dive into the waters of intentionality and purpose! I’ll meet you there!

I been thinking today about how so many times I organize, plan and prepare for life. And then something happens. It could be anything from everyday annoyances, like losing the car keys (which I do quite frequently), to a child getting sick, to the crisis which puts life on hold. As my dad always says, “you never know what a day will brings”.

Well friends, thankfully other then the crazy back to school business and our little guy not feeling 100%, today has been an uneventful day.

As I type this though, I know for others it is not. At home a little baby awaits surgery. A  friends consoles another on the loss of her mother. Questions regarding employment are very real to some..the list goes on. I know you all can relate. 

It is so hard not to “stew” and “sponge” up all the “unknowns of the day but for this moment instead of thinking about life- can we pray about it. This is zinging me. I know, just as you do that God is available 24/7 but do we actually chose to experience his grace, mercy and comfort or does that come secondly after we have stewed for a awhile. This is hard for me, but in days where life gets interrupted I can see that my God is giving me the opportunity to stretch my faith.

Here’s a question to you my bloggy friends. How do you train yourself to pray first?

20“Because you’re not yet taking God seriously,” said Jesus. “The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.”

Thankfully on the days when we only have a “poppy seed”, God can still move mountains! What a good God we have the privilege to call our Father!

Have a great day!

Well we made it back from a wonderful month of being at home with our family and friends. The drive is long and as we were traveling I thought about the number of times this unfamiliar road has now turned into a drive where a map is no longer required.

Our families road map of life took a gigantic turn when we moved countries. The unknown was overwhelming, but yesterday as we drove through the mountains being a year and a half on the other side of moving, the  unfamiliar is gradually changing to familiar. Can I tell you it has not been without struggle and as we adjust to being back in NC the familiar pain of leaving is alive and well today however, just as this promise was made to Matthew back in the day, it is a promise I am holding on tightly today.

Matthew 28:20, “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (NIV)

I hope as you walk your road today you can feel the presence of the God who is traveling right along side of you today!

Hey ya!

Our week of sight seeing is coming to an end. We took our kidlets to Niagara Falls this past week. Have you ever been? The scene is breathtaking. 

 A few times that day my children were able to enjoy seeing several rainbows. At one point all the colors were so vibrant and as I watched their faces trying to take in the beauty that was before them, the promise that God gave Noah came to mind as we witnessed the Lord’s handiwork. His promise to never flood the earth again became so real as we watched millions of gallons of water rush over the falls. 

I was reminded that day that the creative God we have uses His masterpieces to demonstrate His power and promises in our life. Kind of mind blowing is it not?

What promise are you holding onto right now? Have you taken the time to think about how the Lord is demonstrating that promise to you? I can tell you this, I was very intentional today as I looked for God’s signature on His promises, and can I tell you, it was exciting to see Him in the midst of the day.

Try it, your day can only get brighter.

God continued, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I’m putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth. From now on, when I form a cloud over the Earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll remember my covenant between me and you and everything living, that never again will floodwaters destroy all life. When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth.”
Genesis 9:11-13 

I was thinking today how time is a gift. The hours we spend with those we know and love is very precious. Kind of obvious you might be thinking, well this sentiment has never become more real to me then when we moved from our home to a new country. Leaving everything and everyone behind we started a new life but one of the hardest things for me was connecting with people who could help fill the void that was left in Canada. Friendship, companionship. Can anyone relate?

As our time is winding down here, it is difficult to leave again what is so precious to me. Family and friends who know us and love us anyway.

As I fight the urge to cry, to wallow in my feelings of sadness, I am trying to keep my eyes fixed on the One who has brought us from our home and allow Him to be my comfort in a situation where comfort is hard to come by.

So friends, today I challenge you to savor the time you have with those you love. Enjoy the moments, don’t get caught up in the daily frustrations of life-  they are fleeting moments- but enjoy the time you have, because you never know what road the Lord may ask you to travel. 

This verse talks about so many different “times” in our life. I hope it reminds you that everyday your moments are understood and overseen by the God who loves you!

A right time for birth and another for death, A right time to plant and another to reap, A right time to kill and another to heal, A right time to destroy and another to construct, A right time to cry and another to laugh, A right time to lament and another to cheer, A right time to make love and another to abstain, A right time to embrace and another to part, A right time to search and another to count your losses, A right time to hold on and another to let go, A right time to rip out and another to mend, A right time to shut up and another to speak up, A right time to love and another to hate, A right time to wage war and another to make peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 

Well today was our daughter’s birthday. It was an action packed day and as the time ticked away I couldn’t help but remember five years ago and the flurry of activity that took place around her arrival. Today felt very much the same, minus the physical pain:)

As our daughter is sprouting her wings, exercising her new five year old rights, feeling like she has “arrived” I was reminded that she still has so much to learn, yet how many times have I felt like I have “arrived” spiritually. Honestly there have been times where I have felt like my obedience to a request made of me should somehow “impress” God and therefore give me a pass on future challenges (at least for 24 hours)! 

When I began writing this blog, God and I dialogued about it for quite some time. When I finally made the choice to obey I figured I had reached some huge spiritual milestone so it was to my dismay that the first few entries where not met with praise and accolades by people whom I am close to, but instead  God took me down a path where my choice to obey was tested.  Can I tell you I was not expecting it and quite frankly was a little ticked off as I felt God really should be cutting me a break, after all did I not just obey???!!!!

Seriously, has anyone else felt like this? The birthday wish I have for my daughter is that some day she will chose to know the God who is my Heavenly Father. The God who allows me, His child to have temper tantrums, cry, rebel, stomp ( a new favorite of Boo’s) and yell and yet He loves me through it!

What experiences have you had with spiritual growing pains?

Hey Everyone!

Happy Friday! Amazing how Fridays can have a different meaning depending on the week. Being on holidays, Friday came way to early..it means the beginning of the end of our holidays. For some of you it may mean your honey will be home for a couple days- which is always a good thing! I’m thinking about a couple I know who are getting married tomorrow, today may be the longest or shortest day as they wait and finish last minute details before their wedding tomorrow. Which ever way you see Friday I hope you have a great day and a relaxing weekend.

I was reading a book last night as I waited to see my little nephew in the hospital. As the  author wrote about her memories, she described her past as feeling like she was always “auditioning for the biggest role of her life.  Interesting hey!

As I thought about that it struck me that I too had bought into the same mentality at different times in my life wanting to impress people only to be disappointed when I didn’t get the validation of approval that I was seeking. I can say that my need for approval has evolved over the years but there still are days when I want to put my “best” on. My “best” face, my “best” clothes, my “best” words. Can anyone relate?

Is it not so encouraging the no matter what face, what wardrobe, or what words we are sputtering from our lips we have a Heavenly Father who calls us His daughters. Princess’s of the royal throne. Come on think about it. If the God who created everything, us included, sees through all our “best” and promises us unconditional love and acceptance then should that not remind us that “putting on” or feeling like we are continuously auditioning for acceptance is not necessary. Wow this is zinging me as I write.

Moving to a completely new area I always felt like I had to have my “best” on, you know to make a good impression. Can I tell you how tiring it is to always have your “best” on. I so craved to be back with those who knew me and accepted me. 

Are you feeling like you need to have on your “best” all the time? Your not alone friend, but listen to what God wants you to hear about His love and acceptance of you.

Psalm 139  13-16 

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; 

      you formed me in my mother’s womb. 
   I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! 
      Body and soul, I am marvelously made! 
      I worship in adoration—what a creation! 
   You know me inside and out, 
      you know every bone in my body; 
   You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, 
      how I was sculpted from nothing into something. 
   Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; 
      all the stages of my life were spread out before you, 
   The days of my life all prepared 
      before I’d even lived one day. 

Have a great weekend!

So this is what I’ve been thinking about today.  The Bible says, God’s mercies are new everyday.  When you stop to think about that, how does it make you feel?  Would you say you experience mercies every day?  Do you notice His mercies everyday?  I know I do not intentionally look for the Lord’s mercies, but if I stopped myself for a moment in the midst of a crazy day, would my outlook change?  Would I have a more positive attitude?  Would I become a more thankful person?

Here’s another question, if the Lord promises new mercies on a daily basis, would it not seem that our responsibility in this promise is to actually look for the mercies?  Okay, let’s define “mercy”. 

One definition I found for mercy is:

Today I challenge you to start looking for acts of kindness, compassion or favors in your day. According to the Bible these are small gifts given to us by our Heavenly Father.  Kind of cool hey.  As I think more about the simple gifts of kindness, compassion or favors that are given to us it seems like the Lord is giving us small bite sized opportunities to work on our attitude of thankfulness. 

What an amazing God we have to freely give us daily mercies even though we are so undeserving, and yet in His gift He is also giving us an opportunity to develop our attitude of thankfulness which in turn develops our character.  What an amazing God!

Lamentations 3:22-24 (The Message)

Hey ya,

I have been trying to complete my devotions for the past hour or so……as I was reading this verse just grabbed my attention.

Psalm 34:7

God’s angel sets up a circle of protection around us while we pray. ( The Message)

Okay wow…is anyone else thinking wow! The time we spend talking to God is so important to him that His angels are instructed to protect us as we pray. The value God puts on our dialogue with Him just jumped off the page at me tonight. If God considers the time He spends with us to be of utmost importance that protection is needed, does that not confirm our worth to Him as His child.

So many thoughts are going through my head as I reflect on this verse. It encourages me to continually be in dialogue with God. It assures me of my importance to Him. It verifies His power in our life as angles are individually given the task to oversee that we each have a safe and intimate space where we can meet with the Lord. Inspiring is it not?

What are your thoughts about this verse?

Hey everyone!

We are so enjoying our time here at home. It’s been difficult to carve out some time to post anything these past few days but I have been thinking about vulnerability. Truthfully this has been a struggle for me. To be open and completely honest about how I am feeling or what I am thinking about has been and continues to be a constant, deliberate and intentional exercise I go through as I journal. However after talking with some girlfriends last night, we all have the same thoughts and feelings about many things so why is it so difficult to “write” or “talk ” about them.  Why do you think? It is not the most comfortable thing to admit my shortcomings, my frustrations, my failures, me emotions, but as I am coming to understand to get through this thing called life, we are all asked to “love one anther”. In love there must be some sort of relationship so, if we are being honest with ourselves and other vulnerability is absolutely necessary.  

Wouldn’t you agree?

I‘ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.
John 15:10-12 (The Message)