Saturday, July 31, 2010

Just Being

Today we just hung around the house.  Hubby was on-call and we could not go anywhere - what a blessing!  We woke up and asked eachother what we wanted to do today ~ a very, very rare question and I really can not remember asking, for quite sometime. 

Which bring me to this post.

What are we rushing for?  Why do we go so fast, plan so much and create such seemingly fun plans?  I guess it is just the way it goes for the most part but it also make me sad.

Soon my babies will be scheduled all on their own, without my influence or control whatsoever.  This season of "young ones" is short.

I pray that we will spend more days with nothing on the calendar and just playing with my family.

I admit we go, go, go.
I admit that Justin and I felt (randomly through the day) like we needed to be doing something "more productive".
I admit we do not often see the rich value of just being as a family.

You see, we have a place that there is never ending work [i am sure you do to].  Shops to be cleaned, animals to be tended to and closets to be gone through.

The work never ends.

But their childhood does!

God please help me to remember today.  To embrace this season and all the beauty it has!  Amen


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{oh, P.S. I am laying on ice while I type this - you see that blow-up slide? - I went down it and my back ....oh my back and then I went down it 3 more times and made it worse - playing can be painful too - just sayin'}

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Joy



Psalm 100

1Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.

2Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before Him with joyful singing.

3Know that the LORD Himself is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
 
[emphasis mine]
I also wanted to add that the focus is on God, not pending our circumstance ~ resulting in joy!  The joy no man can manufacture!
 
How great to know that God is God no matter what - how worthy He is!
 
Let the Lord be your Joy today!

Monday, July 26, 2010

Memorial Box Monday ~ 10 Year Old Adoption Money

I have been meaning to do this for.....hmmm..... about a year - yikes!

God tells us over and over and over to remember what He has done for us.  [oh how quickly and easily I forget :( ]

My bloggy friend [the one that was directly used, by God, to bring Isaiah into our family - I mean like very directly, my hubby was apart of her hubby's team when he met Isaiah] has started a Memorial Box Monday theme post so that we all can record the awesome things our Faithful God has done ~ you can read about it here.

~

10 Year Old Adoption Money

God called Justin and I to adopt in the fall of '08 ~ we had $0 and I mean $0 dollars, to start such a venture.  I was in the middle of a bible study by Beth Moore called, "Believing God" and she continuously asked if we, indeed, believed God?

God's timing was amazing!  He used that bible study, at that time, with that topic, to help me to believe God! 

No one knew at that very time God was breaking our heart for the orphan.  Up until that time orphans, adoption and Africa were not on the radar - at all.

As fear and doubt would raise up daily [esspecially in the financially area] I would say what we were practicing in our bible study "I'm Believing God" - out loud, with the little motions Beth Moore had taught us. :)

We stepped out in faith and started the home study process - still $0.

We had NEVER stepped out in faith like this before - ever - I was scared but felt very strongly that this was what God wanted us to do [Justin was 100% on board and wanted to adopt 10 years ago].

We received the bill for the first part of our home study fee.  We were able to come up with a little bit but not all of it - not a lot of it, not $1,200.00 of it!

I began to doubt that we had heard right from the Lord, and we had the bill sitting next to the phone for 3 days.  We felt VERY strongly that God did not (does not) desire for us to be in debt and surely did not want us to go into debt doing what He has called us to.  The bill sat there...it stared me in the face....I kept praying and asking God how this large sum as going to be paid.

On the 3rd night the phone rang.  Back up a bit, we had hardly told anyone about our hopes and dreams of adopting and, for sure, not our financial situation.

The phone rang.  It was Hubby's mom.

My Hubby's hometown church, he was raised in, had called my MIL and asked if she knew of anyone adopting internationally.

"Ummm.....YA!"

They went on to tell her that there was an account opened 10 years ago to raise funds to bring a special needs orphan home, to a forever family.  There was money left over and it had been sitting there since.  They felt convicted AT THAT TIME to move it out!

And guess how much had been sitting there for 10 years?

$1200.00

Exactly what we needed to pay,  to.the.dollar!

We were blown away and are still in awe of how God orchestrated it all.

Words could never express how much more that meant to me than the actual dollar amount.  It meant that God did call us, He was moving on our behalf and He was going to take care of us.  

He has shown us all along the way how Great and Mighty and so very Faithful He is!!

Praise His Name!


To read Linny's MBM post today click here!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Thankful Thursday!

Colossians 3:14-16

14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

~A mighty God~

Psalm 89:8

8 O LORD God Almighty, who is like you?

You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

~Good Friends, Late nights and Rich Conversation~
 
 
{our 5 plus their 10, we are rich indeed}

Hebrews 10:24-26

24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Thankful for the awesome fellowship I have been blessed with this week!

What are you thankful for?

Sunday, July 18, 2010

8 months of























healing

trusting

growing

bonding

loving

laughing

It was SOOOO worth it!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Thankful Thursday

Today I NEED to write this, not because I am feeling low or ungrateful but because I have a want/dreaming list, a mile long right now, a mile I tell you!  I want to make sure and not pass up the blessings and life in front of me!!

I am thankful for my husband *I got the most amazing pics of him from a friend and I can not stop staring at him - he is a hottie for sure*

I am thankful for my 5 wonderful treasures that are all growing like weeds this summer.  They all have been healthy - what a blessing!

I am thankful that I am writing this completely exhausted because we had friends over for dinner last night and stayed up way too late.  We let the kids [plus 2 more] stay in tents last night and I checked on them every 2 hours [now I am exhausted].

I am thankful for the yard sale that made $1084.00 this last weekend for The Redeemer House Orphanage!  Praise God!

I am thankful that hubby has the opportunity to share about orphans and Uganda again at a different church this weekend!  {Please pray hearts are moved and eyes are opened}

I am thankful for SUMMER TIME!

What are you thankful for?

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

A New Thing?

I have a stirring. 

I go between fits of:


To:


So I best get back to:


Ever have those days?

Saturday, July 3, 2010

As My Eyes Are Opened....

Before God birthed adoption in me I had some false ideas about adoption ~ what it is, who it is for and why it is done.

Praise God for His transforming of my mind, the renewing of my mind, by His truths and UNCHANGABLE ways. [What great comfort to know that God does not change.  Tho fads and cultures do - God does not.]

I reflect alot about adoption because it is still having a great effect on me and I hope it will continue to.  God can use anything but I believe adoption has radically changed me because it is so close to the heart of God ~ it is what He has done for us, adopted us, who believe.

I used to think that adoption was the unfortunate alternative if there was no way possible to have kids naturally.

I am sad to even type that now.  Bummer for me and what a shallow way to think.  It also showed my lack of depth in His word.  I now believe adoption was ordained before the beginning of time, before the foundations of this earth were established.  I believe it is also God's plan for the 147 million+ orphans that have no home, no family.  I also believe God often reveals His saving, redeeming power through adoption ~ I actually get to witness this in my own home and through friends as well.

I used to think adoption was for weird people.

I just have to laugh now.  And as I am proudly labeled, weird, crazy or out of my mind - this verse comes to mind:  2 Corinthians 5:13-14  "If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14For Christ's love compels us..".  Yes, I can see how people think that we are weird ~ that is OK with me and I hope it makes them ask why.  Why would we do it? {I get that often with a look of distaste but usually by the end of the conversation I hear "I always wanted to adopt" and the look turns from distaste to dreaming ~ cracks me up}.  Keep 'em coming Lord and help me to keep my cool and speak of Your heart and beautiful children waiting for mommy's and daddy's~ Amen

I used to think that adoption was done in a quiet, shameful way the, "shhhh....so and so is adopted but does not know it" or "shhh... she had a baby and gave it up" - like it was a black mark for them both to wear forever.

Ugh ~ I think this one makes me the saddest.  Sad because I think those that have lived in this thinking are trapped in bondage.  Christians should be shouting from the roof tops to these women ~ "We will help you!"  "Don't choose abortion, we have a better plan for you and your baby!"  I have seen sooooo many beautiful families that "adopt" the birth mom as well ~ beautiful!  Even if the birth mom does not have a relationship that goes beyond the birth, what great peace to know that, tho this baby may not have been planned - there is a plan and beautiful people ready to help, no shame. 

[Do I think every Christian is called to adopt?  No, but I KNOW every Christian is called to care for the orphan so what does that mean for you?  Ask God.  Maybe funding an adoption.  Maybe making meals for a newly adoptive family, babysitting, helping provide for an orphanage or maybe, just maybe.....it is to adopt!]

Lord I pray that I never look to man for my plans but You and Your ways.  Lord please open wide our arms to care for the least of these through adoption. God, please continue to open my eyes so that I may not be blind to the beauty You have waiting.  I love You Lord ~ Amen

Friday, July 2, 2010

Water Boy!

We learned something new yesterday:
Isaiah is a water boy through and through! 
See this smile - it did not stop the whole time!

Next on the list:
Swim lessons


Hope you are enjoying today!