Not Yet Completed

My pastor has been preaching from 2 Kings for the past few weeks, I'm finding that I'm enjoying my time there. I even enjoy looking over my notes a day or two later, remembering what the pastor spoke on and the points he made and reading the various emphasized bits from random thoughts that truly spoke to me.

Move Forward or DIE

We were looking at the four men with leprosy standing at the sieged city cage in chapter 7. Simply put, one man said, "If we go back into the city where there is famine, we will starve and die. If we stay here, we starve and die. If we go out to the camp of those who have us under siege, the most they can do is kill us."  {I love that mindset!}

Their only option was to move forward.
Leave the past behind, head for new horizons, sail for new shores.
My only option is to move forward.

I can't live today on the oxygen I breathed yesterday.

Obviously I can't live in the past, but often my mind wanders back to a simpler time, when my husband was home more, when we had more time together as a family, when I had less headaches {literally}. I don't actually want to go back {although it would be nice to be rid of the headaches again}, we weren't a complete family then, my husband wasn't saved, and well, a whole bunch of other reasons.

There is no going back!

Staying put?
When the battle is over, the storm has calmed?
I know there are more trials ahead and there are times I do want to stay, for another moment in the peace and quiet.  I know not to linger long, but I do take extra time holding my babes as they are growing up fast, kiss my husband when I get the chance, just in case...

I know we can't stay in the calm, we'd begin to get comfortable and trust in the calm when we really need to be trusting in Him.  There is always another trial right around the corner, another chance to grow my faith.

I must move forward.  As I grow in my faith, I find moving forward a bit easier. I know, for a fact, that in every trial, every struggle, He is with me. He is growing me, making me something... Something better than I am now, something, great!

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Phil 1:6

He is still working me and I won't be complete; I wasn't yesterday, I'm not today, probably won't be tomorrow, but I must keep moving forward, until Christ's return!

Update?

I was reading my bio last night and it says I'm a mother of two, oops.

I think I need to update the my page, what do you think?

My Journey: Sharing Miracles

Where to begin?
I want to share
What I've seen
What I've heard
What I've witnessed

I've been a witness
I am a Witness

To His glory!

But what good am I as a Witness if I don't share it with others?!

In the past few months I've been witness to life, forgiveness, salvation; I've been able to see people changed and grow in their relationship with Christ. This is just the first of my sharing and my journey back to writing. God is so good and I hope you're able to find the little {and big} miracles in your own life.



I've been blessed to witness the journey of a woman, go from given only days to live, to being HEALED! Going from not knowing God, to being restored in Him and yesterday, trusting her life to Him!

Because a man listened to God, beckoning him, he was in the right place to witness to another man, about to loose the mother of his children. Told she only had three days to live, Godly people ministered to them, prayed with them, stood by these strangers during a scary time. Three days later she was still with us; they stayed, they prayed. Eventually, she went home, although she was unable to get out of bed; but she progressed. Yesterday, she walked into church, stood during the worship, gave her life to Christ and stood again with six others as they were introduced as new brothers and sisters in this family of believers.

Her miracle has been shared by many.
Her miracle has been our miracle.
Her miracle has changed my life.
Changed the way I pray.
Changed the way I see the everyday.
I want to walk with more faith.
I want to encourage others.
I want to share my journey.
I want to seek out miracles.

God is great!
His glory is all around, we must simply seek it.

I'm learning that life as a Christian is not easy; but as a Christian, I have Hope! I have a peace that transcends all understanding. I know I need to be sharing this knowledge.

I need to be sharing my journey.

Jumbled Mess of Thoughts

I have missed writing.

I have had so I much to share but have lacked the time and energy to actually pen my thoughts onto my virtual paper.

I feel I'm successfully navigating my way as a mom of three.
{I'm using "successfully" very loosely!}

Truth be told, I often feel much like a duck. But as each day wanes, I thank God for the grace He's given me and I vow to keep my head up.

I've been wanting to share so much about my new boy! He's wonderful and precious and amazing and nothing like the girls, except for the smiles! God had blessed me with such happy babies! It's only been three months and I already can't imagine my life without him.

I've been wanting to write to my fellow military wives, to remind them that their sacrifices do not go unnoticed. To remind them they are loved. To remind them to ask for help {to remind myself too}.

To share with those who don't know, or don't understand what it's like to wait at home for the phone to ring because you haven't talked to him in days/weeks/months. I don't know that I can fully express the joy of a text message; the way your heart can leap in your chest when your phone chimes and how it can sink when you discover it's not him.

There is no such thing as a short deployment. When Daddy's gone, he's missed, his absence is noticed, whether he's been gone a week or a month. My heart goes out to my friends who are currently missing their men. And my heart rejoices for those who are holding theirs tonight.

This has turned into a bit of a rambling update but it is what it is. {an attempt to get a jumbled mess of thoughts out of my head}

Good night, friends. God bless.

Identity: I am a Princess

Are you living up to God's plan for you?

Are you using your God-given talents to glorify Him?

When I begin to think about my identity in Christ I think of how the world sees me, how I see me and how God sees me.

Does it matter how the world sees me? In the big picture, NO. But it doesn't mean I don't still concern myself with how my friends {or complete strangers} view me. If I raise my voice at my kids, I know God has already forgiven me, my kids still love me, but will my friend think I'm a bad mom?

Where I believe world view matters is the ever important questions: Does my life glorify my Heavenly Father? Do my day to day actions reflect that I am a follower of Christ? Because these things are important!

Does it matter how I see me? Again, in the big scheme of things, NO. When I get inside my own head and make camp, I find I want to change myself. When I get onto myself for an action or thought I have to ask, are these thoughts condemnation from the enemy or convictions from the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:1 tells us "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (ESV) Thus I have to take out the condemning part of the thought and focus on how I can better my attitude and my actions to fit in my walk with Christ.

The truth and the most important identity question is: How does God see me? After all, He made me! He gave me a chance to redeem my life and start anew.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Cor 5:17 NIV) {Interesting note, NIV, NLT and ISV end the sentence with an exclamation point, I like that!}
Thank God {literally} that I am not judged, especially on things I did when I was younger!

Parts of my identity I need to remember:
I am a new creation.
Made by God.
My Heavenly Father.
I am in Christ.
I am forgiven.
God has a plan for me.
He has given me specific talents that I may fulfill my purpose.

God made me a mother, that's important. Someone thinking I raise my voice too much at my kids, not important. My feeling convicted to treat my children as God treats me, thus raising my voice less and less, important.

I want to fulfill God's purpose for me, even if I don't know what that is. God made me a mother, there's something special there. God made me a sister and a friend, there's purpose in these. He gave me the ability to write and to think with a critical mind. Where these fall into His plan for me, I don't yet know.

I know He made me,
He calls me Daughter.
He is the King of Kings,
My Heavenly Father.

I am a Princess!


*******


My amazing 5 year-old daughter has accepted Jesus as her Savior and decided to live for Christ. In her words, "not because you and Daddy want me to, but because I love Jesus. I've know God since I was a baby."

My sister suggested I now begin to teach her about her identity in Christ and I thought it was a great time to remind me of mine.