A tiny announcement! We are expecting!!!!! Ok, not so tiny after all. We are so excited to be expectant parents.
We found out on our anniversary and confirmed with the doctor that Wednesday. We are about 6 weeks along at this point.
The Lord is faithful and blesses obedience. We had been struggling with the decision for awhile and the Lord had been pressing on our hearts. So we said ok, Lord, your our Father, Provider, and the Author of our days. We ttc for less than a month and God blessed us!
We cannot wait to meet our little one. I will update on baby soon!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
So Thankful
I'm so thankful for the wonderful man God has fashioned for my life. Happy 2 year Anniversary honey! I love you more than words can describe!
Friday, September 11, 2009
September 11th
I remember everything about 9-11-01. I even remember what I was wearing (black quarter sleeve blouse, khaki pants with frayed legs, and black boots). Eight years ago today, I was standing in my bathroom getting ready for my college classes for the day. As I walked out I saw that my sister was watching Regis & Kelly. I paused to see who was on that day when the news interrupted the show for breaking news.
I saw the smoldering building of the World Trade Center and I thought "what a horrible accident." Then the second plane hit and I thought "now that's not normal." But I didn't think it was an attack. I didn't listen to the radio on the way to class because I didn't want to hear about all the people dead or dying. I wanted to stay in my secure bubble and not listen to the bad things going on outside of my safe haven. When I got to school, our Texas history professor was so distraught and he said to go home, watch the news, class was cancelled.
Everyone converged on the student center to watch the big screen TV. We watched in horror as report after report came in. Terrorists had come to our land and killed out people. My secure bubble was popped.
We all have our "where were you when 9-11 happened" stories. We all felt strong emotions that day. Many of us still do. I pray today for the families that lost someone. I pray for the families of those who hijacked the planes. I pray for their salvation. I pray for protection. I pray for those still serving in the war. I pray for our nation.
Alot of praying goes on on days like today. What we need to do is not just pray today, but pray everyday for all these things. Immediately after 9-11 churches were full every Sunday for a month. A revival in America, but it was short lived. We settled back into our complacency and God became silent in many lives again.
It's not that God is silent, it's that we are not listening. We need to seek Him first in all things. We need to pray what's on His heart. The only way to know what's on His heart is to listen. We need to become sensitive to His voice. And we need to do it willingly, wholeheartedly.
I read on someone's Facebook status a few days ago, something that shook me to the core. "If God where to answer all of your prayers today, what would change? Your world or THE world?" This has been a big area of conviction for me. How often do we seek what is on our hearts and not God's? I know I can answer "not enough".
Let's press in for our nation, state, city, neighborhood, street. Let's pray for those around us. Let's pray for God's will to come to our minds. Let's pray for God to make His presence known in our city, state, and nation. Let's thank Him for the freedom we enjoy and ask that it not be taken away from us. Let's thank Him for those who give their lives for this country. But let's pray this everyday!
I saw the smoldering building of the World Trade Center and I thought "what a horrible accident." Then the second plane hit and I thought "now that's not normal." But I didn't think it was an attack. I didn't listen to the radio on the way to class because I didn't want to hear about all the people dead or dying. I wanted to stay in my secure bubble and not listen to the bad things going on outside of my safe haven. When I got to school, our Texas history professor was so distraught and he said to go home, watch the news, class was cancelled.
Everyone converged on the student center to watch the big screen TV. We watched in horror as report after report came in. Terrorists had come to our land and killed out people. My secure bubble was popped.
We all have our "where were you when 9-11 happened" stories. We all felt strong emotions that day. Many of us still do. I pray today for the families that lost someone. I pray for the families of those who hijacked the planes. I pray for their salvation. I pray for protection. I pray for those still serving in the war. I pray for our nation.
Alot of praying goes on on days like today. What we need to do is not just pray today, but pray everyday for all these things. Immediately after 9-11 churches were full every Sunday for a month. A revival in America, but it was short lived. We settled back into our complacency and God became silent in many lives again.
It's not that God is silent, it's that we are not listening. We need to seek Him first in all things. We need to pray what's on His heart. The only way to know what's on His heart is to listen. We need to become sensitive to His voice. And we need to do it willingly, wholeheartedly.
I read on someone's Facebook status a few days ago, something that shook me to the core. "If God where to answer all of your prayers today, what would change? Your world or THE world?" This has been a big area of conviction for me. How often do we seek what is on our hearts and not God's? I know I can answer "not enough".
Let's press in for our nation, state, city, neighborhood, street. Let's pray for those around us. Let's pray for God's will to come to our minds. Let's pray for God to make His presence known in our city, state, and nation. Let's thank Him for the freedom we enjoy and ask that it not be taken away from us. Let's thank Him for those who give their lives for this country. But let's pray this everyday!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Book Review: Peace by Piece
The amazing true story of Peter Loth written by his daughter Sandra Kellog Rath. He recounts his life in post WWII Poland. How he grew up, was sent to orphanages, torn away from the only mother he had known several times, abused horrendously, and suffered rejection everywhere he went all because of a heritage he knew nothing about.
Peter came to learn much later in life after cultivating a spirit of bitterness, that he was born in Stutthoff concentration camp in Poland and his real mother had given him to a Polish woman to save his life. He experienced rejection everywhere he lived because he was a Jew and the hatred did not leave after the war was over.
He grew up with hatred and revenge in his heart. It wasn't until he went back to Poland as a man that Jesus showed him the way of forgiveness. He also began to learn about his past and ministering to those around him about this incredible testimony.
Peter came to our church a few months ago and shared some of his story and some very disturbing and graphic images from the Holocaust. Every single person was moved to tears. He is an incredible man! He is very Spirit led and has powerful discernment.
I also had the privilege to interview him at the radio station I work at. He was such a delight and the presence of the Lord filled our entire studio.
I highly recommend this book along with Corrie ten Boom's book. They both recount a very dark time in our history that we most certainly will see again in the future.
Peter came to learn much later in life after cultivating a spirit of bitterness, that he was born in Stutthoff concentration camp in Poland and his real mother had given him to a Polish woman to save his life. He experienced rejection everywhere he lived because he was a Jew and the hatred did not leave after the war was over.
He grew up with hatred and revenge in his heart. It wasn't until he went back to Poland as a man that Jesus showed him the way of forgiveness. He also began to learn about his past and ministering to those around him about this incredible testimony.
Peter came to our church a few months ago and shared some of his story and some very disturbing and graphic images from the Holocaust. Every single person was moved to tears. He is an incredible man! He is very Spirit led and has powerful discernment.
I also had the privilege to interview him at the radio station I work at. He was such a delight and the presence of the Lord filled our entire studio.
I highly recommend this book along with Corrie ten Boom's book. They both recount a very dark time in our history that we most certainly will see again in the future.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
The power of life and death...
Is in the tongue. We can speak words of life into a situation or we can speak death.
In my toddler like walk with the Lord, I find myself asking this question often. How do you deal with people who constantly speak death?
For example, when talking about a particular person and asking an opinion about something you want to tell them, they immediately say "oh they won't recieve that" or "they will never listen to you." Other common phrases usually heard are "they will never change," "why even bother", "I hope they get what's coming to them", "I'm not going to even try", "you will never get the things you want", etc. Many people don't know that what you speak is alot of the time what happens in the situation.
It's like going into a situation prepared to fail and fully expecting to. What if we stepped out of the way, spoke words of life and fully expected God to bring the victory? How would that change the atmospheres we are in?
I know I'm guilty of this offense of speaking death, but now that I'm more aware of it I try to take my thoughts captive and speak life instead. I want to change atmospheres around me. I want to take authority whereever I go, but by speaking life by casting out things that hinder love and saying and expecting great things to happen because they are of our Father in Heaven.
On the other side of all of this, now that I'm more aware of it, I also notice how often others speak death into the situations of others, themselves, and even me (and to my face). I have had people openly curse me to my face not knowing they are speaking death into my life.
How do you gently correct that? Does it have to be gentle (cause sometimes I really don't want to be)? How do you rebuke the curse of another so that it does not bear fruit in your life?
These are the questions I want to know. It has haunted me for a few months and it seems more pertinent now. The Lord has really put it on my heart to look for answers. Anyone know of any particular scriptures?
In my toddler like walk with the Lord, I find myself asking this question often. How do you deal with people who constantly speak death?
For example, when talking about a particular person and asking an opinion about something you want to tell them, they immediately say "oh they won't recieve that" or "they will never listen to you." Other common phrases usually heard are "they will never change," "why even bother", "I hope they get what's coming to them", "I'm not going to even try", "you will never get the things you want", etc. Many people don't know that what you speak is alot of the time what happens in the situation.
It's like going into a situation prepared to fail and fully expecting to. What if we stepped out of the way, spoke words of life and fully expected God to bring the victory? How would that change the atmospheres we are in?
I know I'm guilty of this offense of speaking death, but now that I'm more aware of it I try to take my thoughts captive and speak life instead. I want to change atmospheres around me. I want to take authority whereever I go, but by speaking life by casting out things that hinder love and saying and expecting great things to happen because they are of our Father in Heaven.
On the other side of all of this, now that I'm more aware of it, I also notice how often others speak death into the situations of others, themselves, and even me (and to my face). I have had people openly curse me to my face not knowing they are speaking death into my life.
How do you gently correct that? Does it have to be gentle (cause sometimes I really don't want to be)? How do you rebuke the curse of another so that it does not bear fruit in your life?
These are the questions I want to know. It has haunted me for a few months and it seems more pertinent now. The Lord has really put it on my heart to look for answers. Anyone know of any particular scriptures?
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