We're eleven days into this new year and for my "resolution" (ok not really a resolution as much as a commitment to myself and God) is to read the bible front to back. I've been a Christian for 15 years and have never once done this. Sad, I know! I've read the entire New Testament and bits and pieces and parts and verses of the Old. I have so far thoroughly enjoyed it! I am learning so much and figuring out how things connect. God has really opened my mind and heart to receive His teachings during this time. It has kept me connected with Him and helps me re-center on Christ and not the busyness of life. On Facebook there is a group of ladies who are also reading through the Bible this year and they have been such an inspiration and motivation to me. As well as showing me the many perspectives from which God can teach! I am looking forward to diving deeper and deeper into God's living word and being drawn to Him through my learning. Did any of you ladies make a New Year's resolution or other commitment? And also have any of you read the Bible front to back and if so, what was your experience like? I hope you are all having a blessed year!
Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and yours.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Our Little Miracle
When my dear sweet son was born I was ecstatic. Deeply in love with this tiny little baby. Albeit, exhausted and grumpy from lack of sleep but completely and utterly filled with joy! It was not long after that my heart began to desire another of those little crying balls of joy. I thought it would be easy, after all my first little guy was a surprise! If you ever read my blog you know my story and you know it was not an easy time after all. In fact, this blog has chronicled some of my many ups and downs, my struggles with keeping faith and keeping hold of my emotions when it seemed like there was no end to this difficult journey. Today, I am so thrilled to write this post to say we have finally received our miracle from our Heavenly Father!! It has taken just about eight years to get to this point. The day I found out I was just shocked and really filled with unbelief that this could be true. It still feels like a dream! Let me share a brief summary of the story with you (you are more than welcome to go back and read prior posts to really get the full emotions of it all).
As I said, I began to desire a baby soon after our little one was born but it wasn't until 2008 that I realized something was wrong and we just were not getting pregnant. After going to a Reproductive Endocrinologist, I found out I had PCOS and that I would likely not conceive without some kind of medical intervention. Soon after I switched to a regular OB-GYN because I did not care for the RE I had met. My new doctor prescribed me Metformin, Progesterone and Clomid to start trying to become pregnant. After the first cycle of Clomid I really felt a strong call from God that this was not what He wanted us to do. At that point, I decided no more Clomid and just Metformin and Progesterone. A couple of years went by and still nothing was happening. At this point we decided to try and do foster care but that plan fell through as it apparently was not God's plan for us either (side note: I still feel very much called to do foster care but I am trusting in God's timing to open up those doors). It was a very depressing time for me as we decided to put those plans on hold and at my next yearly check-up with the ob-gyn I decided to go back on Clomid again. This time we made it two cycles before I chose to listen to God calling us away from this path. This was in August 2012 and at this time a recurrent message kept appearing in my life: "Be still." I would open my bible to a passage that would contain that message, a song would come on the radio, someone would post on Facebook. It was just so clear to me that God was calling me to be still and wait upon Him. I stopped all my fertility medication and thanks to a dear friend changed my eating habits drastically. Then, only two weeks after changing my eating habits I ovulated! I was so excited because no medication had ever done that for me! So ten days later I decided to take a pregnancy test because of the urging from this same friend and that afternoon I stood in the bathroom staring at 2 lines. It brings tears to my eyes just to think about that day.
All of this to say, that God is so faithful. He will always care for His children and has a plan for each one of us. I don't know why I had to wait so long but I know that God knew better than me. I've learned so much through this trial and strengthened in many areas of my life. I know that God also has a plan and a purpose for this little baby and the timing for this child to enter the world could not have been more perfect according to His plan. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us and continues to pray for us!
Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and yours.
As I said, I began to desire a baby soon after our little one was born but it wasn't until 2008 that I realized something was wrong and we just were not getting pregnant. After going to a Reproductive Endocrinologist, I found out I had PCOS and that I would likely not conceive without some kind of medical intervention. Soon after I switched to a regular OB-GYN because I did not care for the RE I had met. My new doctor prescribed me Metformin, Progesterone and Clomid to start trying to become pregnant. After the first cycle of Clomid I really felt a strong call from God that this was not what He wanted us to do. At that point, I decided no more Clomid and just Metformin and Progesterone. A couple of years went by and still nothing was happening. At this point we decided to try and do foster care but that plan fell through as it apparently was not God's plan for us either (side note: I still feel very much called to do foster care but I am trusting in God's timing to open up those doors). It was a very depressing time for me as we decided to put those plans on hold and at my next yearly check-up with the ob-gyn I decided to go back on Clomid again. This time we made it two cycles before I chose to listen to God calling us away from this path. This was in August 2012 and at this time a recurrent message kept appearing in my life: "Be still." I would open my bible to a passage that would contain that message, a song would come on the radio, someone would post on Facebook. It was just so clear to me that God was calling me to be still and wait upon Him. I stopped all my fertility medication and thanks to a dear friend changed my eating habits drastically. Then, only two weeks after changing my eating habits I ovulated! I was so excited because no medication had ever done that for me! So ten days later I decided to take a pregnancy test because of the urging from this same friend and that afternoon I stood in the bathroom staring at 2 lines. It brings tears to my eyes just to think about that day.
All of this to say, that God is so faithful. He will always care for His children and has a plan for each one of us. I don't know why I had to wait so long but I know that God knew better than me. I've learned so much through this trial and strengthened in many areas of my life. I know that God also has a plan and a purpose for this little baby and the timing for this child to enter the world could not have been more perfect according to His plan. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us and continues to pray for us!
Saturday, October 27, 2012
I Will Not Be Silent--I Will Stand Firm
All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. -Matthew 10:22
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. -1 Cor. 16:13
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place... -Ephesians 6:14
What images do these verses provoke? Is it the image of fear or of courage. The image of a mouse or a lion? A shout or a whisper?
Let me preface my post by saying that I know there are times when God calls us to be quiet, to be still, to whisper, to be mild as a lamb. I know that we are to approach all situations with love, compassion and understanding. With that being said let me continue.
I have noticed a trend among Christians today. It seems to be a passive response to all the ails of today's society. If the Holy Spirit convicts us of something, telling us that it is a sin, that it grieves the Father, should we not try to reach others? Should we not try to share our message with children of our God or with those who are lost? I don't understand the attitude of not wanting to step on anyone's toes or offend anyone. True, as I said above, we have to do it with a spirit of love and gentleness but we still need to do it, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us or with those who we share the message. When Jesus threw of the tables in temple, was that wrong because it offended those who had made a mockery of His holy place? No, of course not! Our Savior constantly tested the waters, stirred the pot, ruffled feathers.
Let me approach this from a slightly different angle. Christ has called us to love others as we love ourselves. As a mom, I love my child deeply. Just because I simply love my child does not give him the direction he needs. The love exuding from my heart does not teach him right from wrong. I teach him these things because I love him. Does he always like them? Ok, rhetorical question there. Even though he doesn't like discipline, doesn't like to hear he is wrong, cries, gets angry, pouts and more when I have to show him the truth, it is worth it! It is worth it because I know that I am showing him the right way. It makes me uncomfortable, it makes him uncomfortable but I disciple and speak truth to my son out of genuine love for him.
Sisters in Christ, what I am simply trying to say here is that regardless of what society tells us, it is OKAY to make waves. It is OKAY to upset people sometimes by speaking your convictions. Furthermore, I am convinced that if you remain silent on your convictions you are not only hurting the people you do not share with, you are hurting our Father by not doing His will.
Lastly, let me just reiterate that I do believe there are times that we need to be silent because it is not the time or the place, because the Spirit has not moved us to speak. Yet, we cannot always remain silent because we don't want to make others uncomfortable, we must speak truth! Let me leave you with a few other verses.
Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. -Matthew 24:12-13
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. -Colossians 3:16
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. -2 Cor. 10:5
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. -John 4:23
Please feel free to leave some feedback on this topic.
What are some examples of time you have remained silent, either with believers or unbelievers? What are some examples of times you have spoken up, even if it made every other person in the room (including yourself) uncomfortable?
Until next time, may Christ's love and blessing be upon you and yours.
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. -1 Cor. 16:13
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place... -Ephesians 6:14
What images do these verses provoke? Is it the image of fear or of courage. The image of a mouse or a lion? A shout or a whisper?
Let me preface my post by saying that I know there are times when God calls us to be quiet, to be still, to whisper, to be mild as a lamb. I know that we are to approach all situations with love, compassion and understanding. With that being said let me continue.
I have noticed a trend among Christians today. It seems to be a passive response to all the ails of today's society. If the Holy Spirit convicts us of something, telling us that it is a sin, that it grieves the Father, should we not try to reach others? Should we not try to share our message with children of our God or with those who are lost? I don't understand the attitude of not wanting to step on anyone's toes or offend anyone. True, as I said above, we have to do it with a spirit of love and gentleness but we still need to do it, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us or with those who we share the message. When Jesus threw of the tables in temple, was that wrong because it offended those who had made a mockery of His holy place? No, of course not! Our Savior constantly tested the waters, stirred the pot, ruffled feathers.
Let me approach this from a slightly different angle. Christ has called us to love others as we love ourselves. As a mom, I love my child deeply. Just because I simply love my child does not give him the direction he needs. The love exuding from my heart does not teach him right from wrong. I teach him these things because I love him. Does he always like them? Ok, rhetorical question there. Even though he doesn't like discipline, doesn't like to hear he is wrong, cries, gets angry, pouts and more when I have to show him the truth, it is worth it! It is worth it because I know that I am showing him the right way. It makes me uncomfortable, it makes him uncomfortable but I disciple and speak truth to my son out of genuine love for him.
Sisters in Christ, what I am simply trying to say here is that regardless of what society tells us, it is OKAY to make waves. It is OKAY to upset people sometimes by speaking your convictions. Furthermore, I am convinced that if you remain silent on your convictions you are not only hurting the people you do not share with, you are hurting our Father by not doing His will.
Lastly, let me just reiterate that I do believe there are times that we need to be silent because it is not the time or the place, because the Spirit has not moved us to speak. Yet, we cannot always remain silent because we don't want to make others uncomfortable, we must speak truth! Let me leave you with a few other verses.
Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. -Matthew 24:12-13
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. -Colossians 3:16
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. -2 Cor. 10:5
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. -John 4:23
Please feel free to leave some feedback on this topic.
What are some examples of time you have remained silent, either with believers or unbelievers? What are some examples of times you have spoken up, even if it made every other person in the room (including yourself) uncomfortable?
Until next time, may Christ's love and blessing be upon you and yours.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Be still my child. Be still.
Earlier this week a page in my Facebook newsfeed posted, "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14. I felt like like God was piercing my very soul with that verse. In that moment Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword
piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of
marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" became so real for me! Since that time I feel like my life is revolving around this message from Him. On my walk the other night I had my iPod on random play and Be Still by Selah came on. If you haven't heard it, check it out on YouTube. Here are the lyrics:
It's so loud
I just can't seem to slow this down
I need you more than ever now
Let the silence be the only sound
Your glory
becomes the only thing I see
Your beauty brings me to my knees
the awe that you inspire in me
CHORUS
Makes me wanna be still
so still you can hear breathing in
so still you can hear me breathing out
let your calm descend upon me now
So now
I stand before you broken down
my feet upon this holy ground
I can feel your presence all around
(CHORUS)
Bridge
I hear you whisper softly
I hear you speaking to me
i hear you, in the silence you call my name
I wanna be still
so still you can hear me breathing in
so still you can hear me breathing out
let your calm descend upon me now
(x3)
I wanna be still
I wanna be still
I wanna be still
be still
I just can't seem to slow this down
I need you more than ever now
Let the silence be the only sound
Your glory
becomes the only thing I see
Your beauty brings me to my knees
the awe that you inspire in me
CHORUS
Makes me wanna be still
so still you can hear breathing in
so still you can hear me breathing out
let your calm descend upon me now
So now
I stand before you broken down
my feet upon this holy ground
I can feel your presence all around
(CHORUS)
Bridge
I hear you whisper softly
I hear you speaking to me
i hear you, in the silence you call my name
I wanna be still
so still you can hear me breathing in
so still you can hear me breathing out
let your calm descend upon me now
(x3)
I wanna be still
I wanna be still
I wanna be still
be still
It was, once again, as if God was sending me a personal message. It was such a beautiful moment. Ever since seeing that first verse, every time I start to get anxious about my fertility issues, it's like God is once again whispering to me, "Be still and know that I am God..." -Psalm 46:10
What's to come, I honestly have no idea but for now I know my Father is saying, "Be still my child. Be still"
Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and yours.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
LIfe is good...
It's been quite a while since I last wrote. Not much has changed in our lives. We are still facing the same challenges and still embracing the same blessings.
Our homeschool year is going smoothly and we joined a co-op this year! We are currently using My Father's World curriculum and have (to this point) found it to be the perfect fit for Austin's learning style and my teaching style. Joining a co-op has been so great for our school year. It has been a wonderful supplement to his education. Not to mention it is just plain fun!
We are still working to sell our house but have not had many hits thus far. We trust that it is entirely in God's hands.
As for family life we are continuing to grow and learn about our Hebraic roots and how that is reflected in our daily relationship with our Lord. It has been such a strengthening time as we explore a world entirely unknown to us before this year.
I have no news as far as fertility is concerned. I am deepening in my faith that the Lord will soon bring us another child. We have settled on a name for what I feel will be a little girl (when God sends her to us). The fertility meds thus far have done nothing for us and so we have decided to once again stop outside treatment and just focus on healthy eating, exercise and total trust in the Father.
This is just a short update on our lives. I hope all of you are well and if you are in need of prayer please feel free to post in a comment so I can meet that need for you!
Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and yours.
Our homeschool year is going smoothly and we joined a co-op this year! We are currently using My Father's World curriculum and have (to this point) found it to be the perfect fit for Austin's learning style and my teaching style. Joining a co-op has been so great for our school year. It has been a wonderful supplement to his education. Not to mention it is just plain fun!
We are still working to sell our house but have not had many hits thus far. We trust that it is entirely in God's hands.
As for family life we are continuing to grow and learn about our Hebraic roots and how that is reflected in our daily relationship with our Lord. It has been such a strengthening time as we explore a world entirely unknown to us before this year.
I have no news as far as fertility is concerned. I am deepening in my faith that the Lord will soon bring us another child. We have settled on a name for what I feel will be a little girl (when God sends her to us). The fertility meds thus far have done nothing for us and so we have decided to once again stop outside treatment and just focus on healthy eating, exercise and total trust in the Father.
This is just a short update on our lives. I hope all of you are well and if you are in need of prayer please feel free to post in a comment so I can meet that need for you!
Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and yours.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Following where HE leads!
I grew up a small town girl and when I first moved down to Corpus Christi, Texas it was a hard adjustment! Finally my husband and I were blessed to move just outside of Corpus to a smaller town and I vowed that I would never return to the "big city" life. We have lived just outside of Corpus for about five years now. Approximately three months ago, my husband casually mentioned that he thought we should move back to Corpus. I replied, "I think we should too!" <---WHAT!!? I couldn't even believe the words were coming out of my mouth. This was so unlike me, what business would I have living in a town that I previously despised. Now aside from some obvious reasons like drive time, gas money etc. I cannot understand why in the world we would suddenly decide to move. This has to be a God thing! There is no other explanation. I am not going to say I'm not sad to leave our home and our church family but I feel very positive that God is leading us on to the next chapter in our lives. This is the first time I have had a really profound sense that God is changing the direction of our lives and I am totally at peace with it. It's really a neat feeling, being wholly surrendered to God's direction. Of course as the book of Ruth has been fresh on my mind lately I have to say Ruth 1:16 is so fitting: "But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or return from following you. For where you go I will go and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God my God."
So where ever He leads me, I will surely follow!! Even if it is to a place I said I would never live! He knows much more than I ever will.
Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and your.s
So where ever He leads me, I will surely follow!! Even if it is to a place I said I would never live! He knows much more than I ever will.
Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and your.s
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Book of Ruth, Naomi, and the woman with the issue of blood.
On this Sabbath day I intended to get in some much needed time with God! I had prayed last night and this morning that He would just speak to me and allow me to be in communion with Him today. I decided to read Ruth, a book that I have read a few times, talked about many times and even watched a movie about. I had always looked at it very superficially, a love story about a kind, unselfish woman and kind landowner. I hadn't found that deeper meaning that all bible stories hold. After reading the book today I was left with some questions and decided to search the internet for answers. First, page I found was some racist church organization that was disturbing (ha!) the second link was exactly what I was looking for, a great article by Chuck Missler. Here is the link because it talks about way more than I plan to address in this post: http://www.toddtyszka.com/kinsmanredeemer.html. It really gives a deeper understanding of the book of Ruth.
This is what I learned today:
Naomi- Now, I know the book of Ruth is mostly about, well, RUTH but I noticed something incredible about Naomi, she was a humble and compassionate person. In Ruth 1:13 (after both her husband and her two sons had died) Naomi says to Ruth and Orpah, "No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me." (emphasis mine) Can you imagine, losing your husband and two children and really being more concerned about others pain over your own. I think we should all take note of how humble Naomi was here.
The woman with the issue of blood- Now, if you haven't read the link I posted above you may not know what she has to do with the book of Ruth so here it is straight from Chuck Missler's explanation
"Ruth approaches Boaz while he is sleeping and requests him to “spread his skirt over her as he is a near kinsman.” This is not the kind of proposition many people assume it to be.
The shul (“skirt”), or hem, was the emblem of rank or authority in Israel, much like the stripes on the sleeve of a naval officer or airline pilot in our culture. (This insight is essential to really understand David’s cutting Saul’s hem,7 or why the woman with the issue of blood touched Christ’s hem,8 etc.)
Ruth was asking Boaz to put the authority of his house over her. She is invoking her right under the laws of Israel for him to take her to wife. Boaz was delighted to accommodate her, but there remained an obstacle to be overcome."
Wow, doesn't that bring a whole new meaning to this story found in Matthew, Mark and Luke?
The woman was just seeking healing and because of the crows the only thing she could touch was the hem of Jesus (which is how I previously viewed the story) She was asking the Lord to spread His authority over her. She was humbling herself, wanting God to be the head and in this she knew she would find healing. I've often looked to this woman as a model of deep faith and now I realize it's not just about "faith" it's about allowing the authority of our Creator to reign in your life. It's about being broken in front of our Heavenly Father so that He will rule your life. It's about 2 Corinthians 12:10, ...For when I am weak than I am strong.
So God really took something I have read many times and turned it into a brand new lesson. Love when He does that!
On side note, if you haven't watched The Book of Ruth (the newer version, it's on Netflix) it is a must see.
Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and yours.
This is what I learned today:
Naomi- Now, I know the book of Ruth is mostly about, well, RUTH but I noticed something incredible about Naomi, she was a humble and compassionate person. In Ruth 1:13 (after both her husband and her two sons had died) Naomi says to Ruth and Orpah, "No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me." (emphasis mine) Can you imagine, losing your husband and two children and really being more concerned about others pain over your own. I think we should all take note of how humble Naomi was here.
The woman with the issue of blood- Now, if you haven't read the link I posted above you may not know what she has to do with the book of Ruth so here it is straight from Chuck Missler's explanation
"Ruth approaches Boaz while he is sleeping and requests him to “spread his skirt over her as he is a near kinsman.” This is not the kind of proposition many people assume it to be.
The shul (“skirt”), or hem, was the emblem of rank or authority in Israel, much like the stripes on the sleeve of a naval officer or airline pilot in our culture. (This insight is essential to really understand David’s cutting Saul’s hem,7 or why the woman with the issue of blood touched Christ’s hem,8 etc.)
Ruth was asking Boaz to put the authority of his house over her. She is invoking her right under the laws of Israel for him to take her to wife. Boaz was delighted to accommodate her, but there remained an obstacle to be overcome."
Wow, doesn't that bring a whole new meaning to this story found in Matthew, Mark and Luke?
The woman was just seeking healing and because of the crows the only thing she could touch was the hem of Jesus (which is how I previously viewed the story) She was asking the Lord to spread His authority over her. She was humbling herself, wanting God to be the head and in this she knew she would find healing. I've often looked to this woman as a model of deep faith and now I realize it's not just about "faith" it's about allowing the authority of our Creator to reign in your life. It's about being broken in front of our Heavenly Father so that He will rule your life. It's about 2 Corinthians 12:10, ...For when I am weak than I am strong.
So God really took something I have read many times and turned it into a brand new lesson. Love when He does that!
On side note, if you haven't watched The Book of Ruth (the newer version, it's on Netflix) it is a must see.
Until next time, may Christ's love and blessings be upon you and yours.
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