Mommy Daze

Full of Mercy

2012-02-10T10:09:00.003-06:00

For the past 4 weeks I've been doing a bible study on James, the book of James has always been on of my favorites. I have read James so many times in my life and I love how each time I read it God shows me something new, He always gives me a fresh word. This time has been no different. Just when I think I'm not getting anything out of the study He shows me something new that really speaks to my heart and my circumstances.

As we're in our process of adoption the book of James really speaks to me in a way it never has before. The more we have been on this journey of adoption the more our eyes have been opened to the unlovely things of this world, to put it gently. The more our eyes are opened the more we want to do to make a difference and not just in one orphan's life but beyond that. At the same time, it's so easy to get caught up in wanting to fix the problems of the world and feeling the burden to take such a huge thing upon yourself. There is nothing wrong with the desire to change the world and make a difference but we have to be careful not to get focus on what we can do and doing it all ourselves because it's not about us.

There is such a focus right now on social justice, it's almost a "trend" sweeping across the world. It's not just among Christians but also among many celebrities, many people talk about it like it's a new concept when really it's been around since Jesus walked the earth. When you get down to it He was the picture of justice, He came to rescue us and by His blood we are justified and set free from bondage. It sounds cool to say you're working for social justice but so many times we leave out the fact that true social justice cannot work without mercy. It is easy for us to just do something and even easier to just give money but it takes more effort and emotional investment for us to give mercy. In order for us to give mercy we have to feel mercy, it's not something you do, it's something you feel. It effects not just your wallet, and not just your time but your heart. Just like James talks about faith without works being dead (James 2:14-17), social justice without social mercy is useless. Our goal should not just be to do justice but to do mercy because through that we are letting Jesus work through us. Like James 5:11 says, " The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." The only reason we are even close to capable of showing mercy is because of Jesus and it is only through Him that we are able to truly bear mercy. We don't want them to see us, we want them to see Him. It is not about us, it's about Him.

Update Time!

2012-01-17T09:44:00.003-06:00

Life has been going 90 mph lately! We had the holidays, family in town, and Aaron went on a mission trip to Kenya with our church right after the holiday's and with all that we were going non-stop! Finally I have had a chance to sit and write a blog so I thought I better take advantage now! So much has happened since the last adoption update blog! We received little Lu's abandonment decree and we were waiting for her birth certificate and with the DRC these things just seem to come in their own time, African time which is far different than American time. So we had no idea when to expect it but hoped it wouldn't be too long. So I believe we waited a couple months or so and the day after Aaron left for Kenya I got the email that we had the birth certificate which was so exciting! Our next step is court, she will have court in Congo and it's quite possible that we will not know when she has it until after the fact. Once she passes that is it! We wait for the US Embassy to approve a visa for her and we go get our daughter! So it's really looking like April will be when we travel and it can't come soon enough! I can't even believe we're at this point now, it's all been God's timing and I know that His hand has been and continues to be in all of this.

My mom stayed with me while Aaron was in Africa and we did a lot of organizing and moved Isaac's things into Elijah's room. So now the boys are in one and now the work begins on Lu's room! I can't wait! I'm so excited to have girly things in this house! I have to admit I ~~sometimes~~ usually lose all track of time in the little girl's section at Target. Between all the ruffles and big bows I'm just in heaven! :)

So here is how you can pray for us right now:

1) That was can finish up paperwork before court happens! It's about to give me a panic attack! It's all happened so fast and since we chose her before we had done a single piece of paperwork we've been doing it all backwards and as quickly as possible. So we have a few things we need to finish up like yesterday!

2) That the Lord will continue to provide financially for us. We have to pay for travel in 3 to 4 months and that will include a third plane ticket for her come back to the US plus buy everything else we need for her both home and while we are in country. So we need God to provide in a HUGE way! We believe He can and He will!

Thank you for all your prayers and support on our journey!

If you or anyone you know would like to donate to our adoption go here: Donate

Christmas Complete the Sentences

2011-12-16T10:58:00.002-06:00

I found this on another blog. I posted the button to their blog below! I thought it would be a fun to do!

My favorite part of December is....Christmas eve and Christmas Day! I love the celebration of Christ's birth and the blessing of time with my family and friends.

The Christmas song I can listen to over and over is....I have two, Ava Maria sung by Josh Groban and Brian McKnight Christmas Medley.

My favorite Christmas gift when I was a child was....I really can't pinpoint one thing, there were certainly some I loved like a barbie house, my karaoke machine, baby shivers, and few cabbage patch dolls but because my parents made Christmas so much about Christ that gifts came second to that.

If traveling anywhere in the world were an option I would spend Christmas....in the Congo with Lucy. My heart with be heavy on Christmas as I think about her spending Christmas without the love of family.

Christmas movies are....sometimes cheesy but there are some I love too. My favorites are: It's a Wonderful Life, Elf, The Christmas Story, Home Alone, and Charlie Brown Christmas.

My must have Christmas treats include... Peanut butter blossoms my mom makes are one we have every year but I love them all!

Decorating for the season looks like....I collect snowmen and nativity scenes so I have tons around my house.

When it comes to Christmas gifts I prefer to...give gifts that are homemade or that give back like something fair trade. I prefer to receive those too.

The Christmas season makes me feel....more joyful. I love the celebration of what the season is about and when I keep my focus on that it brings joy!

To me Christmas means....celebrating Christ's birth and what He came to do. It also means spending time with family and letting them know how much they are loved.

Now you can join in and fill out your own!

Adoption Update

2011-12-14T10:32:00.003-06:00

I admit I have been falling behind on my blogging. Life has been busy and I honestly have felt a little uninspired to write. Maybe I've had a little bit of a writers block. So much has gone on in the last month or so. Aaron and took a trip to Austin to get some adoption paper work done, we felt if we took it and got it done in one day it would save the weeks it would take to mail it and get it back. It was some very important paperwork and it had been the thorn in our side. It seemed every time we went to get it done something went wrong, it was done wrong and we had to re-do it twice. So we thought we make up the time we lost and take it ourselves plus we got a little getaway without the kids and that was a lot of fun because we hadn't done that in years. It was a lot of fun and I actually kind of like Austin as "weird" as Austin may be!

In this whole adoption process and even before we began when we just started to feel lead the Lord has been in it all but at the same time the enemy has been trying to stop us and steal my joy and my peace. Even when we went to Austin to get the paper done, the morning I woke up I felt really sick and it continued all day long but I was fed up with it, I was fed up with letting it get me down and focusing on what was going wrong rather than on what the Lord has called us to and what He was doing in our family. I decided to choose joy and choose to push through it and see it as encouragement that we must be right in the middle of the Lord's will. We finished our paperwork in an hour and we felt such peace. We also had some more time to spend together before we had to leave and that was a blessing for us. We went to some great antique shops and while we were walking through one Aaron came across this:

There was a basket of old blocks and on the table next to the basket was Lucy's name spelled out in those blocks. Talk about a "sign from God"! It was such an amazing tangible way for God to tell us that He is in this and that He is for us every step of the way. I really felt such a peace come over me, it reminded me that He has got Lucy in His hands. I love when God makes things so clear, sometimes we just need that to give us that extra bit of encouragement to keep pressing on toward the goal.

So where we are now is still in the midst of finishing everything up and waiting on her birth certificate to be in hand. We found out the other day that we may be traveling in four months which is much sooner than we expected. We could use a lot of prayer that we can get all our paperwork in and that we can raise the funds we need to before April comes. We do not have as much time as we expected to raise the money so we are going to have to buckle down and get creative! Speaking that be on the look out for a new fundraiser today or tomorrow! I have some great Christmas gifts for adoptive families coming very soon!!

Thank you for all your prayer and support in our journey!

For His Glory

2011-11-08T16:42:00.008-06:00

It's been forever since I've updated. Life has been out of control. It's been one thing after another in our family. I lost my Mac, it died on me a few weeks ago and it's still dead, with the adoption we just can't justify spending the amount of money it will cost to fix it. I'm borrowing my mom's laptop for a few days but other than that I'm not sure what I will do for a computer. Once that happened things just went down hill from there. Elijah got a fever for a few days, Isaac got croup, and days later our entire family was knocked out by a pretty violent the stomach bug. It was not pretty around here. I admit at first I was really wallowing in the valley of it all. It was like being kicked while I was already down because I was already going through a bit of a desert of my own. I was dealing with a lot emotionally with the adoption and all that I have been learning about little L and I was feeling pretty depressed and helpless in the wait to bring her home, then all that happened. We had tons of adoption stuff to get done right away and that certainly put a bit of a delay on it all. It was no coincidence of course that all this happened when it did. It was so frustrating and discouraging.

When we started coming out of the fog of yuck I began to really seek the Lord and the more I did that the more I began to see Him and His hand in the midst of the valley we were in. I really feel like the Lord allowed it all to show me a lot that I might not have seen or realized otherwise. I had been entirely too busy and too distracted. We were on the go more than we should be, we had little time for one another and we were suffering because of it. Along with that I was allowing too many distractions in my life and that was distracting me from really seeking the Lord and truly relying on Him. It took my life coming to a halt for me to realize just how distracted I had become and just how little I was truly seeking out His presence and His hand in my life. I can honestly say I am thankful for the last week, not glad we were sick but so glad that He opened my eyes to all that is around me, most importantly His hand on my life and my family's life. He is really teaching me about his sovereignty in my life and that no matter what He is faithful and good. I am realizing I need to surrender to Him so much more than I do. Even more I am realizing that in every circumstance, even the yucky ones He will work His good and His glory through it all. That is something I want to continue to hold onto because I know I will need it even more when we bring little L home.

I've been reading a book by Jerry Bridges called "Trusting God" and here is a quote that really hit me right where I have been, "If we are going to learn to trust God in adversity, we must believe that just as certainly as God will allow nothing to subvert His glory, so He will allow nothing to spoil the good He is working out in us and for us." I want to truly live and believe what Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. " All things will work together for good and most importantly for His glory. I want to live each day to glorify Him because it is all about Him and not at all about me.

If you could lift us up in your prayers we would truly appreciate that and please let me know what I can pray for you about!

These Eyes

2011-10-09T21:42:00.005-05:00

I was told tonight I could post a picture of our Lucy's eyes or feet. I know many of you have asked to see a pic and while I'd love to post all 15 of them because she's BEAUTIFUL I can't do that just yet. So for now here's a little peek at our girl. I wonder what these eyes have seen and I pray that through the Lord's strength we can help her heal from whatever her precious eyes have witnessed and all that her little heart has suffered. We named her Lucy because it means "Light" because we see light in her eyes, I pray we can get to her before that light goes away.

She is having a hard time health wise right now. Please keep her in your prayers. It kills me to know just this week as I've been caring for my sick little boy, my little girl isn't feeling well either and I cannot care for her right now. It's a helpless feeling but I can pray though and I know that God will comfort for me.

Feels Like Fall!

2011-10-03T16:44:00.006-05:00

We decided to take a trip to the pumpkin patch today since the weather was nice and we wanted to go early in the month before all the school groups come and it gets crazy out there. It was a fun time, the boys loved it!

We fed the animals, Elijah loved this goat because he kept grabbing his cup away. It was cracking him up!

This is Elijah 2 years ago,

I wanted to take a picture of him in the same spot. I can't believe how much he has grown!

He can't take a picture without making a silly face...he's not like his dad in that way at all...(yeah right!)

Brothers having fun!

Picking out a pumpkin, Isaac had several favorites. He kept saying, "good one!"

Elijah found a favorite too!

It was a fun day! Maybe next year we'll take sister!

Forever

2011-09-28T21:44:00.005-05:00

Tonight I was driving home from dinner with Aaron listening to Pandora and two songs that played back to back were Forever by Fireflight and Fully Alive by Flyleaf. Now I know what some of you might be thinking, those are some harder bands than you might think I would enjoy...but little do you know I would have loved to be the lead singer in a band like that back in the day, pre-mommyhood of course :).

So anyway both of the songs reminded me of my daughter. Each of them talks about a girl with a past of hurt who desires to be loved. We spent tonight listening to a couple, Michael and Amy Monroe discuss the book they wrote with the awesome Karyn Purvis, Created to Connect. Every time I hear someone speak about this subject it brings home even more what we need to prepare ourselves and our hearts for. I've heard Karyn Purvis twice and our case worker is a huge advocate for her technique and now Michael and Amy. This journey will not be easy and we know that, we don't expect to love Lucy into our family. It's going to take so much more than love alone. I was reminded tonight that as my heart breaks for her and for the loss and trauma she has suffered, God has called us to this and He has called us to embrace her past and help her heal as we rely on Him to give us wisdom and strength in that. This journey is forever.

Soon our Lucy will be waking and starting yet another day in an orphanage not knowing she has a family praying for her and loving her and God watching over her and holding her in His arms. The words in this song remind me of her and so many other children like her waiting for their forever families:

She has a name!

2011-09-20T16:39:00.005-05:00

For weeks we've been wondering what we will call this precious girl of ours, her name now is beautiful and we found out recently that it means "future" which we love. We want to keep it as her middle name but we want to call her by something different. Just as God renamed some of his children who have come from hard places, who were tied to negative identities we want to do the same for her. So we have decided to call her "Lucy"! I know what many of you are thinking, it's probably because I'm in love with "I Love Lucy" and have always been but actually that was the furthest thing from my mind when we came to this name. For each one of my children the meaning of their name is very important to me. I believe the meaning of their name can really have an effect on their personality and even their identity. The reason we chose "Lucy" is because it means "light" or "shining" and when we first saw her face we thought she had a light to her beautiful bright brown eyes. We also think it's kind of a reference to the life we hope she will have in our family, bringing her from the darkness of being an orphan to the bright, shining future of having a forever family being raise in the love of Christ. So that is how we came to the name Lucy. God willing that she joins our family forever, I can't wait to see how her name fit her personality.

Each day seems like one day closer but still so far. Knowing she is waiting in conditions we are sad to think about her living in kills us. It's hard to to think about really. We just want to bring her home as quickly as possible but there is only so much we can do right now, we can only move as fast as our paperwork is being processed. I know we technically have not been waiting long, not nearly as long as some of my friends who are adopting from Ethiopia have been waiting. But on the other hand, Aaron and I both have known we were called to adopt since we were young adults before we ever met and married. So, I have been waiting for this day long before I ever got married or had my first child. I believe my daughter was places in my heart all those years ago and I cannot wait to bring her home and get to know this child God created for our family. I rest in knowing He is watching over her now, He holds her in His arms every night while she sleeps, and in His perfect time He will bring her home to us.

Thankful Thurday

2011-09-15T20:49:00.002-05:00

So today I'm going to do a top 5 because I think it's time I sit and remind myself what I am thankful for today. It's been a crazy day, the boys have been BOYS today and I'm one tired momma. Between today and yesterday it's been wild. We have had one almost ER visit yesterday when Elijah went head first into our entertainment center after doing what he calls "spin practice" and put got a pretty good sized knot on his head. Lots of close calls today as the boys were running around chasing each other, Isaac like to look behind him as he runs full speed ahead and one day he is going to realize that is not such a good idea. We had some serious attitude issues at the grocery store today which always makes for a delightful grocery shopping experience. After the grocery store I decided I needed something to give me the boost I need to get through the rest of this day, a large tea from McDonalds, a.k.a. my sanity. When I came home I walked out of the room for a second and overheard an "o no" coming from my youngest. I come back to find my sanity all over the floor...well some of it anyway. For those of you who know me well, you know you don't mess with my tea! Thankfully most of my sanity was saved and it's been a much better night.

So like I said I thought a top 5 would be a good post for today's Thankful Thursday. So here are the top 5 things I am thankful for today:

1. The cooler weather. For a girl who doesn't like cold weather after the summer we've had I couldn't be more happy to see cooler temps return! We celebrated by eating white Chicken Chili tonight and it was DELICIOUS!

2. Our Agency received our application and the process to adopt "L" is moving along!

3. Two sweet healthy boys, as crazy as life gets around here they are such blessings from God and I praise the Lord for them and the fact that they are both happy and healthy boys.

4. A husband who is such a huge help around the house and with our boys. His willing heart to help me out and let me get a break for bible study or to just get out for a few hours when I need it.

5. The thing I'm most thankful for today is my God and how He loves me no matter what. How He blesses me even when I do not deserve it. For all that He has done in my life and how far He has brought me in my walk with Him. He has done such a miracle in my life and my families life.

Thankful Thursday: His Love

2011-09-08T16:24:00.003-05:00

As we are in the process of this adoption I have been thinking about God's love for us and the return of our Father. I've been thinking about our daughter and how every single day that passes is one more day she is in that awful place she is living in. She is living in conditions I can't even imagine spending one night. I really can't allow myself to think about it for long because it breaks my heart and makes the wait that much more painful. Lately, when I have been thinking about it I've started thinking that it is so much like our wait for Christ's return. We live in this horrible sad world full of darkness, a world our Father does not want for our eternal home. He is waiting for His time to bring us home and while He waits His heart breaks for the things going on in this world. Just as our hearts break for the things in our daughter's world. He loves us enough to bring us into His family and save us from this world someday just as we love our daughter and want to give her a forever family giving her life and love that we want so much to give her.

In this adoption process I am learning so much and this is something I am thankful to be reminded of. I thankful for my Father's love for me. I am thankful that He loves me enough and that He loves his children enough to come for us one day and bring us home to be with Him forever.

What are you thankful for today?

Why the DRC?

2011-09-05T10:42:00.003-05:00

Here are some facts about the Democratic Republic of Congo, a.k.a. our daughter's country:

The DRC is located in Central Africa and is the third largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria. It is the twelfth largest in the world.
It's population is nearly 71 million.
It is often confused with the Republic of Congo to the west which is why it is often referred to as the DR Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo.
It has been ravaged by decades of war, AIDS, and extreme poverty and famine.

Let's talk about the Orphan Crisis there.

There are 5 million orphans in the DRC and to put things in perspective, that is the equivalent of Scotland's entire population.
15% of DRC's under 18 population are orphans.
770,000 are orphaned through AIDS alone. Though most have become orphaned because of the war that has gone on for decades and has taken the lives of millions.
Child headed households are the norm in the DRC.
In the DRC children die faster than in all but 10 countries in the world. If conditions remain as they are than 515 of every 1,000 children will die before the age of 5.

In the beginning when Aaron and I were considering adoption from the Congo all we could think about was the danger of traveling there. As selfish as it sounds now I can't believe that was even a factor. We were also afraid of the unknowns in adoption from the DRC since this is a newer program for our agency. However, when we read these statics it broke our hearts. We could not just look the other way and pretend we didn't know there are so many hurting children there in need of a forever family. The more we educated ourselves the more the Lord put a deep desire within us to grow our family through DR Congo adoption. Now we are months away from doing just that!

Adoption Update: Adoption in Fast Forward

2011-09-03T22:33:00.004-05:00

After the whirlwind week we've had in our adoption process I figured it was time for an update. Once again God showed us that His plans are much bigger than our plans. Without telling the whole story which will come later, we know who the child is that we hope to adopt and she is currently on hold for us. Until we have her home she is not ours, I know that things could happen and this just might not work out. I know that sometimes one child leads you to another and while we would be very sad if we had to let her go, we trust that God has a plan and He has the perfect child for our family. For now though we hope and pray it is little "L", she is absolutely beautiful, she has such a light to her eyes and ever since I saw her I just can't get her face out of my mind.

So all this is why we had to schedule our home study so immediately and we are in a sudden rush to get everything done. We want her home as soon as possible, she is poor living conditions and she is new to the orphanage so we don't want her there any longer than she has to be. So please continue to pray for us and for our little girl. Pray that God willing we can get her home soon.

I'll update more as we move along! Thank you to those of you who have been praying for us and encouraging us along the way! We are so grateful for you!

Tuesday's Tip: Fancy Sour Cream

2011-08-30T21:32:00.006-05:00

On tonight's menu was my version of sour cream chicken enchilada casserole and to give it a bit more flavor I added something fun. I made a sour cream sauce with sour cream and Verde salsa, ya know that delicious green salsa made from tomatillos.

I mixed the sour cream with the salsa and spread it on the top before baking it. It was delicious! I also did something similar the other day when I made a meal for a young mom who just had twins. I made a Mexican casserole with chicken and I took sour cream and salsa and mixed it together and the added it to the chicken mixture that went in the casserole. I love doing this because it adds so much more flavor to the dish! It's an easy way to change things up a little bit and add more flavor while making it more creamy delicious!

Adoption Update; He Has a Plan

2011-08-29T20:39:00.007-05:00

Jesus said to her, “ Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

We have some huge things going on right now with our adoption. God has taken us by complete surprise. At the moment everything is still sinking in and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. Right now it's like that first trimester of pregnancy, you know there is a child that is going to become part of your family but you do not know them yet and there is such anticipation for what is to come. For us this entire process has been driven and directed by God. I know I say this every time I update but it becomes more and more true, we thought it would look a certain way but God continues to show us that He is control of this plan and it continues to look much different than our plan. Just like Isaiah 55:9 says, "His ways are higher than our ways...", I could not be more convinced of that than now.

We have a lot to do in a short amount of time and we could use your prayers greatly! We really appreciate those of you who are supporting us in prayer already!! We'll hopefully have more updates to come!

Adoption Update: Clarifying our Call

2011-08-23T15:39:00.004-05:00

So our adoption plan has changed so much since we first felt called to begin the process last year. It's been one small change after another, the Lord has slowly opened our eyes and our hearts to what He has in store and each time it took us a step closer to where we are now. He has been clarifying our call. Until now I haven't been totally clear in the blogging where that is exactly so I thought I'd give little update. When I was a teenager the Lord put adoption on my heart, since then I knew when I was married my husband and I would adopt but for some reason I always thought it would be china. Most likely that's because it was so popular at the time and though I had a love for Africa I never thought of adopting from there. Then in '08 I took a mission trip to Africa and my heart was changed forever, I'd always had a love and a passion for the people of Africa but it wasn't until I had held an African child in my arms that I absolutely fell in love and felt the Lord stirring something in my heart.

When we finally began this adoption journey we knew the Lord was calling us to adopt from Africa and at the time Ethiopia was the only country available so we were drawn there first. After months of trying to pay off credit card debt and researching agencies we got closer to officially starting but I just felt something was missing. Then God really opened out heart to something bigger, something we had said no to initially. So at that point we decided we would be open to adopting certain special needs so we changed our plan a bit more and as we researched that the Lord led us to another us to a pilot program opening up in the DR Congo. So we changed countries, decided to go with a different agency and now we're about to do our home study! So here we are about to be off and running to adopt our baby girl from the DRC!

God has had His hand on every step we've taken to get us to this point and He really reminded me of that again when I talked with the sweet South African woman who is doing our home study. She is perfect for our family and the price is much less than I expected and she even offers a payment plan! The Lord's provision has been such an encouragement and it gives me the faith to expect it as we continue to walk this journey! Please keep us in your prayers, that the Lord would continue to provide!

So that is where we are right now. My blog is going to get a make over soon and I'm going to have a page for our adoption updates and timeline soon. Right now we're in the process of a recording project to raise funds for our adoption. You can go here to find out more: Sing for Orphans. We're hoping to have EP up and ready to sale by the first or second week of September!

Tuesday's Tip

2011-08-16T21:02:00.004-05:00

I've neglected the blog this past week because life with the Hancock's has been crazy lately. Today's tip is a simple idea but for a mom of two very busy little boys it's something I need in order to get through some days. As a mom of two young children I found it really hard to spend time in the word for over 15 or 20 minutes and I've always wanted to really dig deep and really memorize scripture that I can hold onto when the days get tough or when I need to be reminded of my Father's love and protection. So for me something that has helped has been writing scripture on index cards that are spiral bound that way I can flip through them whenever I want to. They look something like this:

So when I need to remember the promises of the Lord, His commands, His provisions, and remember all that He has done all I have to do is flip through them and remember. It's a great practical way to meditate on the Lord and His Word. It's travels well too! :)

Tuesday's Tip

2011-08-09T16:09:00.000-05:00

It's all about food again today! It's one of my passions folks, I love to cook and create. Today's tip is a great way to reuse leftover mashed, smashed, or baked potatoes and turn them into a delicious potato soup. I even used cheesy potato casserole for this recipe.

Leftover Smashed Potato Soup

In a pot add the following ingredients:

2 cups leftover smashed, mashed, or baked, potatoes

2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup half and half, cream, milk, or sour cream

1/2 a medium onion chopped or chives(optional)

Salt and pepper to taste, also add a pinch of celery salt if desired

You can cook the soup just like this on the stovetop, bring it to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Other things to add if you want:

Chopped bacon

Mild or sharp cheddar, white cheddar, gouda, or swiss

Califlower if you don't have enough potatoes or you want to thicken the soup a little

1/4 tsp thyme

This is a perfect way to save money by reusing your leftover potatoes and you can add something like grilled cheese and you have another great weeknight meal for the family!

To be "wrecked".

2011-08-05T14:38:00.000-05:00

It seems like lately there is this new phrase that is being thrown around when it comes to missional living, people go on mission trip and come back and talk about how "wrecked" they were or they anticipate going on a mission trip and talk about how they want to be "wrecked" by the experience. I wonder though is being wrecked a state of mind or a feeling? Are we basing our experience on how it made us feel or how it changed our hearts? Is being wrecked by something going to change your life forever or change your perspective for a few months? So many go on mission trips particularly to Africa and talk about how they want the trip to change them but shouldn't the Christian life already be doing that? Shouldn't we be wrecked by our sins and by the fact that Christ gave his life for those sins? I'm not so sure that we experience the same amount of grief and sorrow over that as we do when we see someone living in poverty or illness in Africa. Sure it's a different situation but why is it that so many come back wrecked by that and will give up certain luxuries for a while...or maybe forever but they won't give up something or change something in their life to bring them closer to Christ?

I'm as guilty of this as the next person. I went to Africa in 2008 and fell deeper in love with the country I already loved before I even went. I spent the week loving on little children living with HIV/AIDS or who had parents living with the disease, I met a woman dying of AIDS staying in a hospice waiting to die, I experienced hopelessness and poverty on a level I'd never known as I saw so many people children and cripples begging on the streets of a busy town. It really broke my heart and brought so much guilt into my life. I felt guilty for the life I lived and for the things I had, I struggled with it when I returned home. I gave up certain luxuries here and there for a while, I even quite wearing my wedding ring but put on a plain band instead. Then months after I had returned and processed all that I saw and touched in Africa I realized something significant. I realized though these people lived in poverty or lived with a disease that may kill them they lived with joy. They may have had little but that is all they know. We know what they don't have because we have so much more but they don't care because they have never experienced it to begin with and for many of them regardless of what they were living in and walking through in their lives they had hope because their hope was not of in things of this world. So I realized to have pity on their situation and on them was actually ignorant.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about orphans living without families or people living in communities where there is rape and violence. That is a heartbreaking life to live no matter what. It's not that we should not come back from Africa, India, Haiti or any other poverty stricken nation and not be changed by that experience because no matter what that will happen and it should but not just emotionally, if it's going to change us it should change us forever. It should change the way we live and the way we think on a greater scale than just giving us an emotional experience. Most importantly we need to check our hearts before we go and ask ourselves if we are just as wrecked when we think about the price that Christ paid on the cross for us or even down being wrecked when we face the sins we continue to commit day after day? This is something I myself am trying to live out as well. In about 5 months Aaron and I will be leaving to go to Kenya and I want this trip to Africa to be very different for me this time around. I don't want to come away feeling guilty for what I have, I don't want to feel sad for what they lack but I want to see the joy they have and desire to be like them. I want my hope not to be in the things or even the people of this world. I want to be wrecked by Christ, not by Africa.

When God Speaks

2011-07-28T20:55:00.000-05:00

Today I opened "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers and what I read could not have been more appropriate for what is going on in our life right now. I love when God speaks so directly to me, it's so reassuring!

Here is what it said:

If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine . . . —John 7:17

"The golden rule to follow to obtain spiritual understanding is not one of intellectual pursuit, but one of obedience. If a person wants scientific knowledge, then intellectual curiosity must be his guide. But if he desires knowledge and insight into the teachings of Jesus Christ, he can only obtain it through obedience. If spiritual things seem dark and hidden to me, then I can be sure that there is a point of disobedience somewhere in my life. Intellectual darkness is the result of ignorance, but spiritual darkness is the result of something that I do not intend to obey.

No one ever receives a word from God without instantly being put to the test regarding it. We disobey and then wonder why we are not growing spiritually. Jesus said, “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). He is saying, in essence, “Don’t say another word to me; first be obedient by making things right.” The teachings of Jesus hit us where we live. We cannot stand as impostors before Him for even one second. He instructs us down to the very last detail. The Spirit of God uncovers our spirit of self-vindication and makes us sensitive to things that we have never even thought of before.

When Jesus drives something home to you through His Word, don’t try to evade it. If you do, you will become a religious impostor. Examine the things you tend simply to shrug your shoulders about, and where you have refused to be obedient, and you will know why you are not growing spiritually. As Jesus said, “First . . . go . . ..” Even at the risk of being thought of as fanatical, you must obey what God tells you."

Tuesday's Tip

2011-07-26T21:09:00.000-05:00

Today's tip is a quick idea for a delicious family dinner! It's a simple and easy summer dish!

I call it Bruschetta Chicken Pasta.

1 Rotisserie Chicken

1 Carton of cherry tomatoes
1 Squash

1 Zucchini

1 lb corkscrew or penne pasta, (I prefer whole wheat or whole grain gluten free)

1/2 cup fresh mozzerella, cubed

1/2 cup parmesan, shredded

1Tbsp Italian Seasoning

Preheat over to 375 degrees

1) Cut up veggies as large or as small as you prefer and halve the cherry tomatoes. Put on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Then bake for 15-20 minutes, or until they roast slightly.

2) While the veggies are roasting bring a large pot to a boil and add pasta. Boil just to al
dente, just a minute or two below what the time on the package says.

3) Take the veggies out of the oven and drain pasta. Put the veggies and pasta in a bowl, add cheese and chicken, and italian seasoning and toss together.

4)Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray and add the pasta mixture to the dish.

5)Sprinkle a little parmesan on top and bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!

Adoption Update: His Plan, Not Ours.

2011-07-25T11:34:00.000-05:00

It's been a year now since God shook us up and called us to adoption. Knowing nothing about what the process of adoption would be like I thought then by now we would be going to get our little African baby girl and bring her home. Time has passed, things have changed in Ethiopia and here at home in our own hearts and it has all been a process within a process. We've personally been processing so much this year with this adoption, it's been a roller coaster ride I didn't realize I was taking.

Now though as I look back at it all, I'm realizing just what God was preparing in our hearts. If He would have revealed it all to us then we would not have been ready for it. Our hearts would not have been open because our eyes were set on one path, we wouldn't have been able to see the other path that God wanted to take us down. So just in the last few months the Lord has been working on our hearts and opening our eyes to what His calling for us is in our call the adopt. It was like a piece missing to a puzzle. So today we are still called to adopt, the plan just looks a lot different. He has changed our plan to HIS plan and I am confident that it is His plan because it looks nothing like the plan I would have chosen for us. I think I've come to realize more and more in my life now, if the path I'm walking looks a little too much like something I'd choose for myself, a little too comfortable and easy then I'm probably missing something. We're called to bigger and better things than we can imagine, more than we believe we can handle but with God we are capable of greater things because we are not doing it alone. It's only through Him we can live the life we are called to.

So this is where we are in our call to adopt. We are moving forward in this plan that is new to us but not new to God and we are anxious and excited with all that is to come! We are excited to bring home our daughter someday (soon I hope!), and we are praying that in it all we will display the love of the Father, because ultimately it is all about Him and His love for His children.

There are so many times in life where God reveals just a little bit of His plan to us until we are ready for more. If He gave us the whole picture we would be too overwhelmed and unprepared, our hearts wouldn't be ready to handle all that He has in store. Are you seeking out the Lord's plan for your life and the life of your family? What do you feel the Lord revealing to you?

For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. -Jeremiah 29:11-13

Tuesday's Tip

2011-07-19T21:39:00.000-05:00

I'm starting a new thing on Tuesday's where I'll share a fun tip that I hope will be helpful to you moms out there and maybe even for those of you who aren't moms!

Today's tip is a fun way to make your children's favorite meal with a healthy twist. When I'm making mac and cheese for my boys it makes me feel much better to know that they're getting a serving of veggies along with it and they have no idea.

You start with the mac and cheese the way you like to make it, when I'm in a hurry I'll make this and I usually add a different type of cheese as well and a little organic milk.

When I have time I'll make it from scratch with whatever whole grain or gluten free pasta I have on hand and whatever cheese I prefer at the time. I usually use cheddar and something creamy like mozzerella, gouda, or sometime I add a little cream cheese. I also put in a little milk to make the cheese even more creamy. Stir it together and then add the secret weapon.

I use a veggie puree, sometimes it's one I pureee myself and other times it's this:

this is an organic butternut squash puree I get at the local grocery store, Target usually has it in stock. They also have a pumpkin and a sweet potato puree I have also used. It's best to use some sort of squash, carrot, or potato puree because the flavors mix better. It gives the mac and cheese a bit of a thicker texture so don't over do it. I use 1 to 2 tablespoons.

My kids love it and never even know about my secret weapon. I have to say it's one of my favorites too. It's great baked in the oven with a little bread crumbs on top for a little bit of crunch. If your kids like mac and cheese I suggest you try this out, it's a great alternative to plain old mac and cheese!

Summer So Far

2011-07-11T20:14:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a while since I've blogged. Summer has been super busy and life has been really crazy so needless to say I've neglected the blog a little bit. So I thought it was time I update.

The first week of June we took our annual family vacation to South Padre. Usually we go in August but this year the Arizona Pitts family was going to join us so we went early. It was an awesome vacation and probably one of the most relaxing ones we've had so far. We had a great time as a family and the kids loved it too!

We stayed in this awesome beach house this year as opposed to the condo we usually stay in. The condo was great, but this beach house was really awesome!

I was blessed to have yet another summer to spend in one of my favorite places in the world and capture my favorite moments.

I took Elijah, Isaac, and our cousin Katie to the turtle rescue place. It's a great place and it was a lot of fun.

The turtles are so coo, they come right up and greet you as they swim in the tanks.

We had a great time as a family and Elijah really loved it this year. Each year he loves it more and more and this year he kept telling us he wanted to stay there forever.

Beautiful moment on the beach.

Playing on the beach.

We had a delicious breakfast on the beach before we left. It's my new favorite place to eat too!

One last picture before we left. Goodbye South Padre, until next year!!

After South Padre Elijah went to VBS, it was a backyard bible club at my friend's house and he loved it! Everyday he would come home and sing the songs and he memorized his verse each day and still remembers them today. He grew so much and it was such a blessing to watch him grow to know Jesus more and more. He even told me he wanted to tell the neighbor girl about Jesus so she could care about him too. Here's picture of one of the days there, you can see the joy on his face!

We also went to a family celebration they had and he rode a pony and loved it.

Then the 4th of July rolled around and we had a great time celebrating together!

It's been a crazy busy summer so far. Lots of fun and lots of craziness. It's been a great summer so far but along with all of that we have been going through some tough times with tough decisions...some good...some not so good but God is good and that is what we cling to right now. Our adoption has taken a bit of a surprising turn, via God and we're really seeking His will in it all right now. He's at work in our hearts that for sure! He has a plan and we're anxious and excited but taking one day at a time. Soon we will update all of that! It's awesome to see God's hand at work in the good and the bad, we know that He has a plan for it all! I have to remind myself that He is still on His throne and Lord of it all!

G-Free, not for me!

2011-05-24T09:33:00.000-05:00

So many of my friends have been asking how the gluten free diet has been going and to that I respond, it's not. I quite. Before some of you hardcore g-free people tell me I gave up to quickly and didn't give it a fair chance let me explain. I started this gluten free diet because I'd heard from a few people living with similar pain symptoms I had that their pain disappeared when they went gluten free and upon hearing this I was coming off of a few very rough days where I would try anything so I thought, "why not?" So i went for it, I cut out ALL gluten in my diet and I will say my body was a little shocked, After a week or so I began to feel more "clean" in the sense of I wasn't eating so many processed foods and less sugary carbs but my pain remained and instead of the energy I was promised I was really dragging and almost feeling weak. I was encouraged to stick with it and that feeling would go away and my pain should leave as well. 3 weeks later I was still feeling weak and actually having one of my worst days yet. That was only the physical part.

When I was younger I had some issues with food and eating...or lack of, so this whole being aware of every single thing I put in my mouth was not good for me mentally. I felt myself becoming very obsessed with the whole thing, it was on my mind constantly and really wearing me out. When you're cutting out all gluten you have to be so careful of what you eat gluten is hidden in so many things, hence the fact I became so obsessed. It was mentally draining to think about what I could and could not have, where I could and could not eat. I started reminding myself of that teenage girl I once was who had a very dysfunctional relationship with food. It took a long time to get a healthy mindset on food and create healthy eating habits. I did not need to go back to that unhealthy place again.

So, along with all that I realized that I really needed the whole grain carbs, without them I have zero energy and never felt full. I realized my pain wasn't getting any better or any worse on this g-free diet, and most important it was not worth the craziness going on in my head. It was becoming more of a distraction than a solution. It was not worth it. That is not the way the Lord wants me to live my life. There is no freedom there. I'm not going to say that those who encouraged me to try this were wrong, maybe it worked for them...or maybe they've been misdiagnosed. Gluten allergy looks a lot like other pain related diagnosis like fibromyalgia and different types of arthritis. The interesting thing for me was going off the diet and seeing no change, the pain still came and went, i had days with very little to no pain and days with a lot of pain. That to me says it has nothing to do with gluten for me.

All that to say, if you're thinking about drastically changing your diet...particularly going gluten free for health reasons be sure it's for you. I don't regret trying it out, it was worth the try and now I know it's not for me. The good thing I did come away with was a good detox and I got back on track with eating less sugary carbs and more fresh food again and drinking more water and less tea/coffee. So there is good that came of it all. There it is, that's the story!

Thankful Thursday

2011-05-20T17:20:00.001-05:00

So thankful for my sweet Elijah! Today was Elijah's last day for gymnastics at The Little Gym for the spring semester. They have show day on their last day and all the family came to watch him. It was Elijah's special day! Today I am thankful for Elijah and what a blessing he is in my life and in our family! He's such a sweet, energetic, hilarious, ridiculously smart little boy! Here are a few pictures from our morning at The Little Gym.

Hitting the ball:

Back handspring:

Posing for the camera:

Just hanging out:

Getting his medal:

Celebrating in bubbles:

We're so proud of our big boy! He has grown so much in the last 5 months, I can't believe how much he has changed and how "old" he seems now. Little Gym has been such a great outlet for all his crazy energy and we're hoping we can afford to sign him up next fall! Isaac actually had a great time too while he watched his brother and the family is thinking about pitching in and helping us get Isaac into a class next semester too.

Mother's Day

2011-05-10T10:05:00.000-05:00

It was the best yet! Elijah is old enough now that he kind of gets it and he wants to do something for me. He told me "Happy Mother's Day" all day long. I got some sweet little gifts too! On Saturday night Elijah made this little flower for me.

Aaron got up and took care of the boys while I got up and got ready for the day. Then Elijah came and got me and told me to close my eyes. He led me to the kitchen and they had my gifts all set up.

Elijah had made me a video with a song he made up for me. It was so sweet! He also made me a sweet card.

I also got these sweet Willow Tree figurines from my boys to add to my collection.

Aaron and Elijah also made me a sweet little breakfast with everything exactly how I like it, even down to my morning cup of tea! It was a great Mother's Day morning! Then we went on to lunch with my mom and the grandmas. The back home to watch the Mavs win! Isaac wore his lucky Mavs attire...he may just have to wear it every game from here on out!

G-Free Week One

2011-05-09T10:07:00.000-05:00

So G-Free week one is over today. I'm not stopping but maybe altering things a bit...we'll see. As for now I'm still trekking along with the gluten free eating. I can't say yet that it's taken the pain away or that I'm not as tired but I feel better overall, it's more like a clean feeling. Towards the end of the week I felt more rested and less pain but I had also been resting more, going to bed much earlier and not doing near as much which I have discovered is the key for me. i can't say it's the gluten free diet because it's only been a week, I think it's more the combination of resting more and eating less carbs and suger. So I guess I'll just keep testing this gluten free thing out and see how I feel after a month or so. I'm trying to get into a doctor too so hopefully by the end of the month I'll have an official diagnosis and good idea of how I can manage all this.

It's been a busy but great weekend but after the weekend I'm pretty exhausted and that's kind of how this morning is going. I would love to sit in this chair all day under the covers and do nothing, unfortunately that's impossible today. So let the day begin!

G-Free Day Three

2011-05-05T10:31:00.001-05:00

It was the worst day so far, I felt horrible. Lots of pain, super tired, just yucky! These last couple days have been my worst pain days so far. Today i'm making a doctor appointment. My issue with this gluten free thing is the hungry I feel after eating. I'm used to eating whole grains, more dense carbs and I don't feel as full after breakfast and lunch so I'm not liking that. I'm sure I'll get used to it though. Dinner isn't an issue though because I'm making the normal meals I would anyway, we eat pretty healthy dinners...minus the bread. I will miss garlic bread with my pasta :(.

I did go to bed very early last night and woke up this morning feeling much better, less pain and well rested. It comes and goes but I think rest helps me a great deal. So day four here we are...

G-Free Day Two

2011-05-03T22:00:00.000-05:00

Well, day two has not been too exciting. I feel worse rather than better in most ways...although in some ways I feel a little better. I have more intense pain today and I'm feeling pretty tired and hungry. I'm hoping that energy I've been promised will come soon. I'm still not sold on being pain free in the end but we'll see about that too. I've been told you feel yucky before you feel better so hopefully that's true!

This morning during my quiet time I really felt the Lord telling me that He is using this to draw me to him, nothing I can do will take this away. I really felt Him saying that He wasn't taking this from me anytime soon. I don't feel that it's a negative thing or any form of discipline but more his way of buffeting me and bringing me to more dependence on Him. Paul talked about a thorn in his side he prayed that it would be taken from him but then he realized in his weakness Christ is strong. God reminded me of that when he gave me this verse this morning, "Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me." 2 Corinthians 12:9. When I am weak, tired, in pain...He is my strength and He will get me through it. Doing this gluten free thing may effect my life positively but it may not take all my pain from me because I don't think it's that easy. I don't think God allows us to experience these things without making himself known and growing our faith through it. I know He wants me to have abundant life and living an abundant life in the Lord means living totally dependent on Him and there is no way I will get through this without depending on Him.

G-Free Day one

2011-05-02T10:51:00.000-05:00

So, this week I am going gluten free! I'm doing this for fun or because I want to join this new fad or something. I'm doing it to hopefully improve my health. For the last few years I have been dealing with pain and fatigue that in the last year has become unbearable at times. I'm not one who complains often and I don't like sympathy, not a fan of the "poor me" syndrome so I just deal with it and live life. Lately though it has come to a point where I just can't live this way anymore. I'll just get real and tell you there are days I have to pry myself from my bed and once I do I feel like I've been hit by a truck. There are days I can hardly focus because I'm just mentally and physically exhausted and I end up going to caffeine to help me get through the rest of the day. Some say it's because I have two very active boys and that certainly adds to it but this is beyond just being a tired mommy.

So in my quest for answers I've done a lot of reading up on my symptoms and talking to several people and I've decided to cut gluten out of my diet and see how I feel. From what I've heard many people who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia have wheat intolerance and many times gluten is the issue. I know a few people who have said once they cut that out their pain and fatigue went away. So I thought it can't hurt for me to try this first before I go have a bunch of tests run on me and deal with doctors. So this is my first step. This week I am going gluten free as well as cutting back on sugar and carbs and trying to be more diligent about working out. This is all new to me but I went and stocked up yesterday on the necessities to get me through this week and I'll be blogging about my week as I go along.

Goodbye gluten...goodbye yummy bread that I love...goodbye my favorite oatmeal...goodbye chocolate chip cream cheese pumpkin muffins from Spoons Cafe...o how I will miss you!

This is my heart.

2011-04-28T10:00:00.001-05:00

Today I'm going to take a break from "Thankful Thursday" and blog about something that has been on my mind a lot lately. Easter weekend has come and gone and this past week has been full of some pretty amazing weather events and with that I have been thinking a lot more about the return of Christ. How year after year we say "It's getting close" and how every generation from the time after the resurrection has thought the time is soon. The time is soon, it may not be today, or tomorrow, or even a year from now but there is no doubt that the labor pains of this world are growing closer and closer together. With that I have been thinking about my life and wondering if I am truly ready for His return. If He came today would I be content with what I have done for His kingdom? Will He be pleased? I feel like I could be doing so much more. I'm sure I'm not alone in this feeling either, I have had this conversation with many other Christian who have expressed the same feeling. The thing is most of us are in ministry, we're doing things in Christ name but the thing is, that doesn't always mean we're doing it for Christ's name. Sometimes our heart doesn't match His even when our intentions are the greatest. Sometimes I think we get caught up in the desire to be apart of ministry and apart of something big and do something great we forget that it's not about US. It's not about fulfilling our desires and our needs to be furthering the kingdom. It's about Christ's desire and need for us to further the kingdom...if that makes sense. Simply put it's about HIM not US.

What is on my mind most right now is this "trend" of preaching the social gospel and doing things based on the social justice. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with meeting the needs of the needy and poor, the widows, the orphans...etc. That is what we are called to do! What bothers me however is that it seems we have turned a blind eye to our own country and we only see the socially unjust living in other countries. We don't seem to realize there is "social injustice" going on next door. I've been guilty of it myself. This weekend my husband and I had the privilege of ministering in leading worship for a Easter celebration at the local housing authority. It was such a blessing to my heart and a reminder that I need to let the Lord use me right here, where I am. The hurting, the poor, the widowed, and the orphan are right here. I love missions and I love Africa, I desire to travel there and share Christ's love, Aaron and I will be adopting from Ethiopia and we will be going to Kenya next year BUT that is just a small part of a HUGE picture. I personally have been convicted of having too much focus on Africa and missing what is right here in America. There are so many who need Christ's love right here, right where we are.

I know several people who have chosen or desire to move to other countries, most of them are moving to Africa because that is what they feel the Lord has called them to do and we are excited for them, their friends praise them and encourage them for their obedience to God. What concerns me is how we are excited for them but we are not nearly as excited for those who are here and choose to "go" to places like South Dallas, the projects in any city really, or even just take a few steps next door and share the love of Christ. Why do we see moving overseas as a greater step of faith? Or greater obedience to the Lord? I think both going on mission overseas and in your neighborhood are equally as glorifying to the Lord and He is just as pleased by the man who is being a light in his city as He is pleased with the family who takes up their cross and moves overseas.

It's easier to see a need when you are not living next door to it. I know there are children orphaned by Aids in Africa, I know people are people living in homeless in filth in Haiti, I know people are dying of hunger, and young women are being trafficked and enslaved overseas...but do I see the hurts and the needs in my own city or in my own neighborhood? Do you? Do you see the couple down the street struggling to keep their marriage alive? The worn out mother in the grocery store verbally abusing her child? The family next door struggling to pay their bills and maybe even to put food on their table? Maybe that is why our nation is falling away from God like it is? Maybe if we see the hearts in America the same way we see the hearts in Africa our eyes would be open to what Christ sees. Maybe then we could make a greater impact for Christ in this nation.

Thankful Thursday- Good Books!

2011-04-21T15:37:00.000-05:00

Today I am thankful for good books! Books that open my eyes and speak to my heart. Although I have a serious addiction to books and I continue to buy more even when I haven't finished the ones I am currently reading. I always find one that peaks my interest and having a nook makes it that much easier to feed my addiction!

Here is my current list of books I'm reading (along with the bible!):

1. Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence

- I'm not much into reading "trendy Christian books" which is why I still haven't picked up Radical yet, but this book is amazing! I originally bought a little 40 day booklet to try it out and 2 days into it I went and bought the actual devotional. It's so powerful the way the scripture are put into the devotional as Jesus is speaking to me. I love it!

2. Experiencing Prayer with Jesus: The Power of His Presence and Example
- I love Henry Blackaby, he has an amazing way of writing, it's simple but very profound and I always feel like I've grown in my faith after reading one of his books. Prayer is something I really struggle with sometimes, it's not the frequency but I get so easily distracted in my prayers. I love how this book talks about the prayer life of Jesus and tells how we can us Him as a model for our own prayer lives.

3. Experiencing the Cross: Your Greatest Opportunity for Victory Over Sin
- I'm reading this for the second time in preparing my heart for this Easter season. To remember just how powerful the the sacrifice the Lord made for us was/is.

4. True Religion: Taking Pieces of Heaven to Places of Hell on Earth

-This title speaks for itself. It's sort of a biography but so much more. I love it! It's probably a lot like Radical.

5. The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity

- Motherhood is my ministry and I have a heart for other moms as well. I would like to have a ministry for young moms in the future and this book and so far this book has really been a great book that has spoken to my heart.

6. Orphanology: Awakening to GospelCentered Adoption and Orphan Care
- The title speaks for itself. From what I have read so far it has been a really awesome book and of course it speaks to my heart as this is part of our life now!

Those are the ones I'm currently reading and there are several others on my shelf that I intend to read over the next few months. Here is that list:

Thankful Thursday

2011-04-14T17:14:00.000-05:00

Today I am thankful for clarity from the Lord on things having to do with baby A's adoption. I am thankful for answered prayer after weeks of confusion and fear that I have allowed to creep into my heart. I am thankful that the Lord is patient with me even when I am not patient with Him. Today marks a big day in the Hancock family. Today we are trusting the Lord without looking back!

In other news, I am reading a great book called, "Orphanology" by Tony Merida and Rick Morton and so far I love it. Even if you're not called to adoption but have a heart for the orphan I want to encourage you to check it out!

His Peace

2011-04-04T10:06:00.000-05:00

This morning I was watching Good Morning Texas, there was a woman on talking about how to become emotionally free and calm. She was saying that we can calm ourselves by taking just 3 minutes to meditate and breathe. She said, "Part of emotional freedom is learning to harness your biology. You have to be calm in order to be in your powerful place." The woman interviewing her seemed to inspired by what she was saying, she was really drinking in every word this woman said. The thing that bothers me is not just that the world buys into this nonsense but that many Christians do as well. From the outside it seems harmless, it's just stopping to take a few breaths and "being present in your life"...or "centered" so how could it be harmful? So many preach that it works and since we all live in a world filled with constant chaos it seems appealing. The mom who's struggling to get a grip in the midst of a rough day hear this and say, "maybe this will give me the sense of calm I need!" But will that calm last? Do we really have the ability to give ourselves the peace and calm that we need?

The truth is that true peace and emotional freedom come from Christ Jesus. Stopping to meditate on empty nothing while taking a few breaths may give you temporary relief from stress, but stopping to meditate on Christ will give you lasting peace and calm that you need. In that we can give everything to God, the author of our life and all that is in it. He is our "powerful place". Don't buy into the lies that say we can be the author of our lives and our peace. Don't believe that just breathing and sitting in silence with yourself will give you that calm you need to get through this day or this life. Trusting Christ to be the author of your day and most importantly, you life is not a quick fix for a moment of calm it's a life altering act towards lifelong peace. It's a choice made daily and it takes effort. There are morning I do not feel like spending time with the Lord even though I know He has so much to say and He longs for me to spend time with Him. I can let fatigue and demanding children distract me and take away my desire from meeting with Him, but when I choose to take time and make that effort I am so blessed that I have. There is a sense of peace in my day that I would not have if I had chosen to leave Him out. He gives me all that I need to face each day but I have to choose to receive that each day rather than trying to do it all on my own.

Choose His peace today. Let Him be the author of your day.

He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.

Psalm 23:2-3

Live Today!

2011-03-29T14:52:00.000-05:00

From Jesus Calling Devotional...

Stop trying to work things out before their times have come. Accept the limitations of living one day at a time. When something comes to your attention, ask Me whether or not it is part of today's agenda. If it isn't, release it into My care and go on about today's duties. When you follow this practice, there will be a beautiful simplicity about your life: a time for everything and everything in its time. A life lived close to Me is not complicated or cluttered. When your focus is on My Presence, many things that once troubled you lose their power over you. Though the world around you is messy and confusing, remember that I have overcome the world. I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace.

I read this yesterday and I knew this was meant for me. The past week and a half has been full of questions about different things going on in my life lately. Last week was a very rough week for me, I have been dealing with pain and fatigue for months, it comes and goes but it was at it's worst last week. It is time for me to see a doctor as much as I'd like to avoid it because I hate going and I hate tests, but I also hate feeling this way so there really is no positive in any of it until I get some answers. Along with that we've had some decisions to make that have just really been eating at me. One was answered for us and we have to just accept it and the other God is making His will and plan in it more and more clear everyday.

I have spent nights tossing and turning over these things lately. I have let my pain and fatigue steal my joy and I have let doubts and questions rob me of my peace. I know that is not what the Lord wants for my life. I know that is not the abundant living the Lord has promised me. I know that I have not been embracing the joy of the Lord. Yesterday during my quiet time I really felt the Lord speaking to me about his goodness in my life. I have been struggling with answers to my questions, I just want the Lord to tell me "why" and what his plan is in these situations. I've felt discouraged with my physical self and I hate that I have no control over that. I felt like He was telling me "I see you" in my struggles He seems me, He knows what is going on and "I am good even in your struggles." In that moment I felt the peace I haven't felt in a while. Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him." I read that yesterday and I realized that I have not been taking refuge in Him. I have been discouraged and withdrawn but I know the Lord does not want me to withdrawal, He wants me to remain in it so He can strengthen me and grow me in and through my struggles. He is good even when life is not. He is there to carry me through and to give me the refuge I need from the world and all it brings.

Then when it came to decisions we were making something happened that threw us off and I started questioning what the Lord had told us to begin with. I wondered had we made the right choice or was the Lord trying to lead us in another direction? I went through so many different options and scenarios. Like the devotional above said, I have been trying to work things out before their time, I have not been releasing the things of the future into His care and focusing on what is at hand today. I want the power His presence brings. I want to rest in the fact that He has overcome the world. I want the peace that brings.

So I will wait upon the Lord. (Psalm 130:5) I will wait for His plan to be fulfilled in His time. Patience is not my strong point, I think that is true for most of us. We want to see the plan before it's time but the Lord's time is not always our time and His plan is not always our plan. If He showed me the plan and the end result today I would miss out on all the in between that will grow and strengthen my faith and trust in Him. I don't want to miss that. I don't want to miss the opportunity to be refined and renewed even if that means I will have to wait on Him and even though it might get a little uncomfortable. I want to experience the peace and joy of seeking Him each day in each step of the way. I want to live out DAILY the abundant life He has promised me. I don't want to be stuck in waiting because there is so much to experience today. The Lord has a plan for us each day, there are promises He will fulfill today and everyday.

I don't know about you but I do not want to miss out on the abundant life He has for me TODAY. So I'm off to go live it!

Thankful Thursdays

2011-03-17T21:21:00.000-05:00

Today I'm thankful for this sweet boy...

and

that sweet one too!!

I am blessed to be their momma!

2011-03-14T16:53:00.000-05:00

I heard this poem today and it really spoke to me with all we're going through with the adoption right now. I hope it blessed you in whatever you're walking through today too.

Bend in the Road

Author: Helen Steiner Rice

Sometimes we come to life's crossroads

And we view what we think is the end.

But God has a much wider vision

And he knows that it's only a bend-

The road will go on and get smoother

And after we've stopped for a rest,

The path that lies hidden beyond us

Is often the path that is best.

So rest and relax and grow stronger,

Let go and let God share your load

And have faith in a brighter tomorrow-

You've just come to a bend in the road.

Heavy Hearted

2011-03-13T11:16:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've blogged, I've been busy but mainly I've been a little reluctant to blog because the only thing on my mind to write about has been the one thing I haven't felt like blogging about. As some of you know a lot has been going on in Ethiopia, some serious changes have been made and no one is really sure what the true reasons are and the permanence of these changes. Of course the hope is that this is temporary and it may be but in my heart I feel like it's going to be a lot longer than we would like. For more information about all that you can read this article: Ethiopian Adoption Alert

The news came with so many emotions...and I feel like I'm experiencing new emotions everyday. There has been a lot of uncertainly and confusion, sadness, frustration, discouragement....and then there are moments I can say "God has a plan" and stand firm in that with certainty and hope. While I know that He has a plan it is heartbreaking to think that the plan we were so certain He had for us may not be within reach anytime soon. That doesn't mean it was or is not still His plan but it might mean that that is not His plan at this moment for our family and maybe...just maybe, he had another plan all along. In some moments I feel so aimless, I wondered if this is not His plan now then what is it because we know we're called to adopt but what does that mean?

Back in July we really thought we knew what all this was going to look like, we knew we'd hit bumps in the road and the journey would not be easy but we did not foresee anything like this happening. We were so certain our daughter was in Ethiopia...and she very well may be...it just may take more time to get to her than we expected. On the other hand God may be leading us somewhere else...we just don't know.

I think what hurts my heart most is knowing that sometimes people can interfere with the will of God and decisions some people make can change the road for others. It doesn't mean that God doesn't have His hand on our family and it doesn't mean He doesn't that we're going to lose our daughter...it just might mean that the road to our daughter may look a little different than we thought.

My heart breaks for those who have been waiting already and as if their wait hadn't seemed long enough now it seems to have an unforeseen end. Then there are families who have met their children already and are waiting to travel to get their children and they are unsure how all this will effect them. I can't even imagine knowing your child and being so close but so far at the same time. Aaron and I may have just started the process but it doesn't mean our hearts don't hurt any less. We have invested our emotions into this process fully from the day we decided adoption was going to be part of building our family and we had the end in mind when we began. The moment we started I began to long for my daughter as if she was in my womb. Love for her has been growing in my heart the moment we chose adoption for our family. So there is pain in this uncertainty, it's heavy on my heart and my mind. I know God has a plan for us and for our daughter but the uncertainty of what that is, is the hardest part.

Forgive me if this seems a little jumbled and rambling. I haven't been able to express my feelings on it all just yet because I think I'm still processing it all even as I write this. I thought it was time for an update, so here it is.

Please pray for us as we wait and see what the Lord has in store whether it's Ethiopia or something altogether different. Pray for all the families effected as well. We all need your prayer! Most importantly pray for the orphans in Ethiopia who will have to wait much longer for their forever families.

Don't Let Them See You Sweat

2011-03-01T10:03:00.001-06:00

In the short 4 years that I have been a mother I have come to discover the secret world of mommy guilt. It's this thing that comes at you out of no where, it taunts you in the middle of the night when the house is quiet and all you hear is the sweet breath of your children sleeping. They're so innocent and precious in those moments...and then you wake up and the day of chaos begins and somedays it's just not pretty. Somedays it's like a dream, everything goes smoothly, the kids mind, the house is clean, dinner is made with no catastrophes, and the kids bedtime is quick and easy...but most days it's far from a dream. Most days the kids are whiny, misbehaving, and pretty demanding. The house is in need of some attention, there is unorganized chaos in my closet, laundry is piling up yet again even though I just did it a day ago, and there are probably toys scattered here and there. On those days that's when this mommy guilt hits. You're laying in bed and suddenly you remember a situation where you could have been a better mom. Maybe you raised your voice, maybe you put them in front of the tv a little longer than usual so you could get 5 minutes to yourself, maybe you didn't spend as much one on one time with one of your children as you felt you should have...the list goes on and if you're a mom you know you can add so much more to it. In this secret world we have a list, a long list of "should haves" and "could haves", ways we should have or could have done something differently.

The thing about mommy guilt is it's something we don't usually like to share with other moms. We would hate for them to know we don't have it all together. The world tells us as mothers that we should be able to do it all, we should be able to handle everything that being a wife and a mother throws at us. We're really being told, "don't let them see you sweat." Here's a little secret, anyone who seems to have it all together and says they do is lying. We don't talk about our most horrifying moments in motherhood with other moms because then we would be telling "sally" that we aren't as a good at motherhood as she is or our children aren't as perfect as hers, even though "Sally" is hiding secrets of her own. Why do we do this?

Just for the record, I'm not living with this huge pile of mommy guilt but I do have it and I can honestly say that it comes at me probably once a day. I think we have it so backwards when we keep these things to ourselves. We don't realized what a gift our other mommy friends can be in our times of struggle. I think it's that circle of support mothers give one another that we all too often miss out on because we're too prideful to let anyone in on the reality of our daily life struggles. This is something I have seen so often and I have certainly been a part of the club too. It's something that God has put on my heart lately and I feel like he's calling me to do something about it. I'm not sure what that looks like yet but I have a few ideas.

For now though I want to encourage you if you're a mother who can relate to all this to share it. Don't keep it to yourself because we're certainly not perfect this side of heaven and we need a circle of support to get through this life. God has given us this amazing gift in motherhood, it truly is one of the greatest blessings He gives us and we should be grateful for it even in the trenches. It is our greatest mission and ministry. It's hard, but He knows just how hard it will be and just how much we can handle and He also knows we can't do it alone and that is why we need to surround ourselves with others going through it too. Don't allow yourself to live in this secret world anymore.

Being Moved to MOVE!

2011-02-23T09:44:00.000-06:00

"It's not enough to hear the Word; we must do it. Many people have the mistaken idea that hearing a good sermon or bible study is what makes them grow and gets God's blessing. It's not the hearing but the doing that brings the blessing. To many Christians mark their Bibles but their Bibles never mark them! If you think you are spiritual because you hear the Word, then you are only kidding yourself." -Warren Weirsbe

I encourage you to reread that again. Let that sink in for a minute. I heard this quote last night at bible study. It was heart piercing to me. I know for me personally there have been so many times I heard a good sermon or great teaching where I really felt God speaking, I was "amening" right along but when it was over I went on about my day and did nothing to act upon what I heard. Just moments before I knew God was speaking to my heart but I was easily distracted or just allowed myself to become too busy to let the words penetrate me deeply enough to change me. It's easy to hear something and say "wow that's a great word" and feel so moved in that moment. It's easier to feel good about our walk with the Lord when we make it as simple as just hearing something or reading scripture, marking it down and feeling like we've spent time with him or been blessed by Him, but if we do nothing to act upon it those words fall empty on us. They hit us and bounce right off our hearts, because if they

actually penetrated us we would be moved to MOVE.

It starts in the small things and really that is where most of us hang out. God isn't telling us to make life altering decisions every day, He's not asking us daily to follow Him in some huge way. For most of us he's just asking us to love others, to be His servant and His light where we are. If we can't be intentional in walking in His Will there, we will never be prepared to act upon His Will in the bigger things.

James 1:22-25 says, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do."

I don't know about you but I want to be more intentional about being a doer of His Word, not just a hearer.

The Journey Begins

2011-02-22T10:08:00.001-06:00

Last week we began our journey towards adopting our daughter in Ethiopia. Though she is most likely not even born yet I already love her with a mother's heart and I can't even imagine how much that love will grow between now and the time she enters our family, her forever home. On my heart today though is her mother. As we have been planning for months now to begin this process I have thought about the mother of our child and what her life might be like. I can only speculate, though I know the statics in Ethiopia. I can't imagine she lives a life that we would perceive as joyful but it's quite possible that she might and in her own circumstances she may have joy. Only God knows, which is why I pray for her. The reality is my daughter, her daughter will be put in an orphanage at the beginning of her life and my heart breaks for her heart. I don't know the road she walks today but I know she will give life to my daughter so I want to pray for her every step.

Thankful Thursdays

2011-02-17T22:24:00.000-06:00

Thankful Thursday has snuck up on me again! I feel like this week has just flown by. I keep thinking "I should blog that" but when I have the time to do it I'm too exhausted to sit down and type it all out. I have a journal with a few blog ideas so be on the look out for those soon!

As for today I am thankful for God's hand on every detail of my life and the life of my family. As most of you know we're in the beginning process of adopting our daughter from Ethiopia. We had been battling with the decision on what agency to go through, it's not a decision we took lightly. Initially when God brought all this to us I felt like He also gave us the agency but everyone I knew who was in the process was adopting or had adopted though a very well known agency, so felt overwhelmed with the decision. Everyone said such great things about this agency and I'm sure they are wonderful and they do offer a lot post-adoption but we were still unsure and uneasy. We even filled out our pre-application but then we heard nothing back, it had been over a week and no response. That made me more uneasy. In the meantime I was searching for some information online and I was taken back to the other agency's website and I really felt I should fill our the pre-application there so I did. After filling it out I prayed that the Lord would make it very clear to us where He wanted us and He did. They responded the very next day with a phone call and an email and I really had this peace come over me. I really felt it was confirmation. I really just love how He is in every detail of our adoption. I knew He would be, but to experience it makes it that much more real to me. I know it will be one of many times we see this as we go on this journey and I'm so thankful for that because this is all for Him and His glory after all!

Thankful Thursdays

2011-02-10T23:08:00.000-06:00

Today's is simple. I'm thankful for the blessing of friends, the women in my life who love the Lord and seek to do His will in their lives and the lives of their families. They're a joy to my life.

I hope you can be thankful for that too!

Adoption Auction

2011-02-07T10:11:00.000-06:00

As most of you know Aaron and I are beginning the adoption process to bring home our daughter from Ethiopia. This is not a cheap process and we are starting with nothing but we have faith that the Lord will provide! We would love for you to have a hand in helping us bring home our baby girl! Here is how you can contribute:

Just in time for Valentine's Day we are having a local auction on these beautiful handmade cards for your Valentine. To bid on the cards message at Delaina@gmail.com me with your bid on the card you like, there is a number beside each card. The auction will end Tuesday at 12pm. This is a local auction only to ensure that you will receive your card before Valentine's Day.

V10

V11

V12

Happy Bidding!!

Thankful Thursdays

2011-02-03T21:37:00.000-06:00

Today I'm thankful for warmth. Warmth of my home, there are so many that will be spending this night in the bitter cold. Warmth of friendship, something I haven't always had. Warmth of family and the love we share, something some never experience...something I can't wait to share with our baby girl. The warmth of the love of Jesus Christ in my life, something I cannot live without...something no one should live without.

Iced In

2011-02-02T21:59:00.000-06:00

So we've been iced in for a couple days now and it doesn't look like tomorrow is going to be different. The first day was fun, today was OK, but the thought of one more day was making me a little irritated because I'm not one who enjoys being cooped up in the house for long. Then Aaron's been working from home which isn't conducive in this household since we have no office for him to go off and work in and with two little boys it can get a little loud and crazy in here. So my attitude about being stuck at home for one more day wasn't a positive one...until I realized something...

Tonight I cooked dinner! I made an almost gourmet meal of pork chops with cinnamon apples, baked pepper and squash medley, and mashed sweet potatoes and butternut squash. It was absolutely delicious! I was very proud of my culinary creation because I haven't had time to cook much lately. Tonight dinner was cooked and cleaned up at a reasonable time and I wasn't exhausted afterward. After dinner I went into my laundry room to take some clothes out of the dryer and to my amazement my laundry room was actually organized and there were no laundry mountains waiting in the basket to folded. In fact I had almost done all the laundry! After Elijah's bath he actually asked to play a family game and we played "Go Fish" for the third night in a row. I've been able to keep things in order around here and I feel less tired and much more relaxed.

When I'm on the go so often these things get pushed to the side and there is just not enough time in the day for everything. I've over committed or haven't planned out my week as well as I could have and we end up running here and there to get things done. I'm tired, the kids are tired, we're grumpy, the house gets out of control, and most important we miss precious moments together as a family. So maybe it took being iced in to slow us down and show us what we have been missing lately. Maybe being cooped up in the house isn't all that bad after all. Maybe I need to look at it as a blessing because God knew we needed it!

Thankful Thursdays

2011-01-27T10:06:00.000-06:00

Well life has been crazy busy between this Thursday and last Thursday so it looks like I'll be doing back to back "Thankful Thursdays". That's the way it goes!

Today I am thankful for the opportunity the Lord has given me to minister and serve, especially lately. In that I am also thankful for the servant heart he is continuing to grow within me. I think as I've become a mother being a servant even when it isn't easy becomes more familiar. As I've grown in that, I've learned more in the last few years that serving when it makes you uncomfortable is actually the most fulfilling. When it's all said and done the reward and the blessing is so worth it. It is such a blessing to bless others. I don't mean that in a self seeking, ego building way. I mean that in a heart strengthening, faith growing way. There have been times I've been discouraged because with little ones it's hard to do ministry but the Lord has shown me that he has not forgotten my heart for ministry and He has provided such sweet and perfect opportunities for me to minister lately. While I've been able to minister I've also been able to share with Elijah why we're doing it and begin to open his young eyes to what it means to serve others. For that I'm thankful too.

If you haven't found a place to serve the Lord and others lately I want to encourage you to do that. No matter where you are in life God has a perfect place for you to serve. What joy it will bring to you and those you serve!

So tell me, what are you thankful for today?

Thankful Thursdays

2011-01-20T13:27:00.000-06:00

I'm starting something new on my blog called "Thankful Thursdays". I have been learning more and more that gratitude really does change the attitude of the heart. It's something I've been trying to live out more, I want my children and my family to be grateful people and realize that we are so blessed even in the little things.

Today in thinking about being thankful I thought about the blessing of health! We have had such a rough winter with illness, we have all had severe colds and last week Elijah was battling what we thought was another cold but turned out to be the flu. This is the first week since the first week of December that we have all been healthy. I am so grateful for today and the health we all have today. Then I think about so many who are suffering with illness they may never be healed from and how we are so lucky to have the health that we do, I am so lucky to have healthy children. I think about the AIDS infected children I've held in Africa and my heart breaks for them and the lives that they live and then I am grateful I live in a county where quality health care is easy to come by (for now anyway). I am grateful for the prenatal care I received when my precious babies were growing inside me and for the quick intervention of my doctor that probably saved my Isaac's life. I am grateful that he was born healthy when the circumstances could have been so different. I know I take all of that for granted all too often. So for me that is what I am thankful for today!

What are you thankful for today? Think about it! I'd love to read your response!

A New Day!

2011-01-19T08:34:00.000-06:00

The other day I saw a great quote that said,

" The moment a child is born, a mother is born. As a women she already existed,

but never as a mother. A mother is something absolutely new."

That is so true, once a child enters a woman's life whether through birth or adoption she is no longer who she was before, she is someone new. Now each day she will grow in her role as she learns what is means to be a mother. As I thought about that I thought about how that relates to our relationship with Christ. Once we become part of His family we are made new, a new creation in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" (NLT) What a freeing scripture, being in Christ means being made new. I'm not who I was yesterday because He has made me new. I think as Christians we often forget what that means and how freeing that is. Like being a mother I realize that I am learning and growing daily, that every day will teach me something new about my role as mom. The same is true as we walk the Christian life, each day is a new day to learn what it means to be a Christian and what it truly means to be like Christ.

As for being a mother there is no handbook on what to do so there is plenty of room for mistakes but I love that tomorrow brings a new day to do it over again and try something new. Grace is there to fall back on because your children love you regardless of how perfect you are and isn't that just like Jesus? As we walk this Christian life we will make plenty of mistakes because we are not perfect people, but thankfully God's grace is there to fall back on, we can learn from those mistakes and we have a new day to try again!

I know as a mother and most importantly as a Christian I need to know that I have been made new, I am being renewed. That Christ is there to give me grace when I mess up and restore my soul when I feel drained and discouraged. That in Him, in His eyes I am a new creation. What joy that brings to my soul! I hope that brings joy to your soul too!

A Year In Pictures

2011-01-06T21:05:00.000-06:00

Our year has been full of amazing blessings, awesome celebrations, and crazy moments! God has really done some neat things for us this year.

November 18, 2009 our sweet Isaac came into this world! He has changed our lives and been such a blessing to us! It's been so fun getting to know him this year! From what we can tell he is going to be a the strong silent type. He has been a fairly quiet baby but when he's really upset or excited about something he lets you know. His name means laughter and that fits him perfectly. He has always been a very happy baby and he loves to laugh. He is our joy!

Last Christmas just a few weeks after Isaac entered our lives it was evident just how much Elijah loved his brother.

This year they have become good buddies and I can't wait to see the bond grow between them as the years go on. I know they will be great friends.

We have celebrated such special moments.

Dedicating Isaac to the Lord.

Celebrating my dad's 50th Birthday.

Throwing my mom a surprise 50th Birthday party.

Mother's Day

Father's Day

Ryan and Angela's marriage. What an answer to prayer!

Then we took our annual South Padre vacation!

God seems to speak to me on this beach every year but this year he was really stirring my heart!

We went to the pumpkin patch.

Then it all came back around full circle and Isaac turned 1! The year flew by!

Christmas came before we knew it!

Then to end the year we celebrated Elijah's 4th Birthday! It still blows my mind that we have a 4 year old now! He has been beyond a blessing to us! He is our strong-willed child that challenges us often but we have to rely that much more on the Lord in raising Elijah and that isn't a bad thing! He's has a precious spirit and he is a little comedian like his daddy. He keeps us laughing and he keeps it interesting around here!

God has blessed us with two precious little boys and we are so in love with them but we would love to add to this family God has blessed us with. Then out of no where the Lord began stirring in our hearts something huge, something exciting, and so scary all at the same time. Something we knew even before Aaron and I met that we would do one day. Without going into the whole story which I will save for another blog another day, God has called us to adopt our next precious child from Ethiopia. So beginning this year we will soon start taking the steps to starting the process of bringing our baby girl home from Ethiopia! More to come on all that very soon!

This is a necklace Aaron got me for Christmas. I love it!

I hope your year has been a blessing and the year to come is a blessing as well!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

2010-12-15T10:08:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again, that great gift giving time of year. This year the Hancock's have given each other the gift of an awesome head cold. Wait, I shouldn't neglect telling you that this gift was made possible by Mimi who gave this lovely gift to mommy first...and then the sneezing sniffling party started.

It's the first time both boys have been sick at the same time so that has made for even more fun. My boys are rarely sick so it's sad to see them feeling so icky! Boys amaze me though, Elijah can seem to be so sick having fever and everything but he's still running around pretending to blow things up and make some crazy messes. Yesterday his fever wouldn't go under 100 and I knew if he rested he could probably get it down but he refused to sit still for more than 5 minutes. With me being sick too I thought maybe we'd be able to rest together but I was sadly mistaken. Apparently being a mom of boys there is not rest for the weary.

We might not have the most relaxing Christmas season we hoped, we might not get to do all the fun activities we had in mind, and Aaron and I may sound a little froggy leading worship for our "Christmas service" Saturday but hey we're just keeping it interesting around here!

Praying for health and a great Christmas season celebrating what the Lord has done!

Back to the Cross

2010-11-30T09:55:00.000-06:00

Every Thanksgiving seems to come and go so quickly. We spend all this time going out and spending all this money on food, we are frantic about cleaning our houses and preparing for the family coming to gather with us on that day. Don't get met wrong, I'm not saying that is wrong but we often focus so much on the preparations we sometimes lose sight of what the holiday is all about. We'll give thanks on Thanksgiving day and then when it's over we move on to Christmas and start the shopping madness. I have definitely been guilty of this too. When Elijah started getting older though, Thanksgiving became more important to me and this year it was even more important because he was beginning to get the concept. So this year I really tried to instill in him what Thanksgiving means. I made him a countdown calendar out of felt and each day we put our little felt turkey inside the day on the calendar and he said what he was thankful for. It started out as "I'm thankful for my train set" or "I'm thankful for my cars" but by the end it was "I'm thankful for mommy and daddy" or "I'm thankful for my cousin Katie" (who he really adores!).

It's so important to me to raise children who are grateful for what they have and even more important to me that they realize it all goes back to the cross of Christ. I want them to realize they need to first be Thankful for the cross because it all started there. That is what I love about this time of year. I feel like Thanksgiving is such a great way to prepare our hearts for the true celebration of the Christmas season. We could not truly celebrate Christmas without being Thankful for God sending Jesus. We can be thankful with out all that but I don't believe we're experiencing true thanksgiving, thanksgiving we can live out the entire year.

Happy 1st Birthday Isaac!

2010-11-18T23:04:00.000-06:00

A year ago today my sweet Isaac made his grand intrance into this crazy world. It was unexpected and chaotic. I went in for a routine sonogram to make sure he was doing alright because he was due that week and I was going for a natural birth this time around after having a c-section with Elijah. When we were having the sonogram we discovered he wasn't moving at all, I could hear his heartbeat but he wasn't moving at all. I spent the next hour being poked and prodded trying to get some movement out of him and trying to get his heart rate up which wasn't as high as they'd like. So needless to say I felt a bit panicked and like everything was out of my control. This pregnancy that had been literally perfect had suddenly turned scary in a matter of a few moments. I realized then that He was God's. Of course I know my children are God's but until you are forced to come to complete terms with that in desperation sometimes we just don't fully grasp it. In those hours I had to give him over to God and let him be in control, I had to trust that He knew what was going on and He was going take care of Isaac. I was rush to the hospital for an emergency c-section and I prayed for my baby boy the whole time. Everything turned out fine, there was meconium (baby poop) in the fluid which could have been life threatening for him so praise God we had that sonogram and everything happened as it did so he could be born that day! It amazes me how every moment of our lives are planned by God, it's so awesome to see that play out in the lives of my children.

Isaac is happy and healthy and beautiful now. He is a blessing! I gave him over to God a year ago today and the more I get to know my sweet Isaac the more I see in him great things. God has great plans for him and I know that God began to prepare me from the day he was born to trust Him with Isaac's precious life. It's like God was saying "Remember, he is mine." I don't know what God has in store for him but I know I want to let God work in him as He will, lead him where He will, and I pray Isaac will follow Him bravely with this whole heart!

What a privilege it is to be my boys mother, they are both awesome children and I know God has so much for them. I hope I can raise them to love the Lord and walk in His will everyday and they will remember as I do whose they are just as I do.

Orphan Sunday

2010-11-07T08:41:00.000-06:00

Today is Orphan Sunday, and November is National Adoption Awareness month and because I am so passionate about this crisis I thought I would share a few things about this today.

In the most recent estimate there are approximately 145 million orphans in the world (UNICEF 2008). For this number, an orphan is defined as a child who has lost one or both parents. This doesn't include the millions of children who are abandoned and who are sold and trafficked worldwide.
Every single day, 5,760 more children in the world become orphans.
Every 14 seconds a child is orphaned because of AIDS
Every minute 4 children in the world become orphans.
In the US there are approximately 500,000 children in foster care and 130,000 of those children are waiting and available for adoption.
Each year, an estimated 20,000 young people “age out” of the U.S. foster care system. Leaving them orphans for life and a successful outcome very low. 50% become homeless.

So many numbers. Can we really comprehend and grasp just how HUGE the orphan crisis is? You read numbers like that and think, "what can I do?" Sometimes when something is this huge we feel like we have to do something huge to even make any impact so then we end up doing nothing. That was me for the longest time, I felt that since I wasn't at a place in life where I could adopt or minister to orphans then I would sit back and wait until that day came and then I would do something. I went to college hoping to get my degree in Psychology to one day be able to counsel teens in the foster care system but while I was passionate about that I did nothing in the meantime. Then we had Elijah and school went down the drain and my own children came before all that. I did nothing but still knew I'd do something someday. I talked about my passion a lot and dreamed of making an impact one day but I never realized I could be making that impact at that moment. Then I went to Africa.

Two years ago I went to Africa and held the child affected by AIDS and it was like the song by Brooke Fraser where she says,

"now that I have seen, I am responsible

Faith without deeds is dead now that I have held you in my own arms,

I cannot let go till you are."

When I first heard that song I related so much because that's exactly how I felt. Before Africa I could talk about my passion for Africa, for the AIDS crisis, for orphans effected by the AIDS crisis but until I had seen and held that crisis in my own arms I did not understand and did not feel responsible to do something NOW. Before I had prayed but felt it was so small and I dreamed of the day I could "do something big" but when I came back from Africa I realized that even something I feel might be small like prayer is not small at all. Praying for the orphan crisis might just be the greatest thing we can do because God hears those prayers, the God who has has the power to resurrect Christ has the power to intercede for the orphans. If prayer is all I can physically do at this moment right now God will use that. Praying is a great start but I promise you there is so much more to be done.

If we as a church wait until we can physically go or physically do something then we may miss an opportunity to intercede for the orphans. Ideally going and doing is great, but not everyone is called to go, just like everyone is not called to adopt and foster children BUT we are called to pray, to give, to love and by praying and giving we are loving as Christ loves us. Get your family involved and act NOW. The bible says, "Once our eyes are opened we cannot pretend we do not know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows we know and holds us responsible to act." Proverbs 24:12 in fact James 4:17 says it is sin to know what to do and not act upon it.

Our family is acting upon God's call to do something and we have never been more passionate about this crisis and more excited about what God is going to do in and through our family. I encourage you today to find a way to give to this WORLD crisis. It's going on not only overseas but in your town right now. There are so many ways to get involved, don't close your eyes to this crisis. Hope is fading for these precious children.

Check out this video: Hope is Fading

Waiting and Wandering

2010-10-19T10:03:00.000-05:00

God has been working in the Hancock family in the past few months in some very big ways. We are in such a transition in so many areas of life it sometimes leaves me feeling out of control. Which is probably a good thing because it reminds me again and again that I am not in control, God is. I have grown so much in the past few months and I'm really learning more and more what living by faith really is.

Right now we're in this place of waiting in one aspect of our life. I'm not sure I'm ready to blog about that just yet but many of you know what I'm talking about :). Waiting has never been something I do well...does anyone really do that well? If you do do please share some tips with me! So this is something that is taking great faith for me! Sometimes I let it consume me and then I feel like I'm wandering on this path of waiting. I start feeling like I'm just on this journey of unknown ending, especially when the end of the path seems so far away.

Then there are days like today where God reminds me that the path is just as important as the end result. That the time spent waiting is not wasted. He is using it to grow and strengthen me for what is to come. Psalm 27:14 says, "Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait I say on the Lord!" I read this morning in my quiet time that "waiting provides time for a perspective check, seeking to see things through the eyes of faith rather than the flesh." That was huge for me! We have really had a huge perspective check in this waiting process as we prepare for the next step to come and we have already grown in faith through that so I can't imagine the faith we will have when we come out on the other side of all this. I want to be able to take each day seeing through the eyes of faith and not through the flesh. My flesh desires the have and to hold the promises of God but if we were given those things without having to wait in faith would I give Him all the glory in the end?

I don't want to wait wandering I want to wait in expectation that God is going to take each day and grow me and my family a little more in preparation for the amazing things to come. I don't want to focus on the fulfillment of what is to come, I want to focus on the journey each day holds and give Him the glory for each and every day.

Adoption Story

2010-10-17T18:24:00.000-05:00

Love this story! What a picture of God's love for us!

Quiet Time in Chaos

2010-09-24T09:58:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how life changes and how we change with it. When I was a teenager I was such a night owl, I would stay up well past midnight most nights. I found that my time with God was most productive in those late night hours. Everyone had gone to bed and it was finally quiet and I could read, journal, and talk to God in that stillness. It was something I looked forward to at night.

I realize now how that part of my life has not changed much. Having brothers sure prepared me for the chaos having two boys brings. I still look forward to the moment every one is in bed and that stillness when everyone is asleep, but these days I'm entirely too tired to think a single thought once those boys fall asleep. Once everyone is in bed it's more like I check out mentally and my body goes on automatic shut down for sleep mode. It's like my body is screaming "sleep now or you may never get the chance!"...so I sleep...or I attempt to until someone wakes up and I'm back at it again.

When I became a mother I struggled to find a good time to have a quiet time with the Lord. When I just had Elijah I tried to do it at night and it worked most the time but once I became a mother of two I struggled to find a time when I wasn't taking care of one or the other. I went from quality time with God to only giving Him a quick 5 minutes and justifying it because I'm a mom of two little ones and hey I'm lucky to get those 5 minutes...right? Then one day I just realized I was feeling so stressed and drained, I was tired of the mundane life I'd been living. I was missing the joy and the peace I had even in the chaos of life. I knew something had to change and then it hit me, I am missing God. I was not only shorting God but myself. I was missing out on so much because I was letting life get in the way. Not only was I shorting God and myself but my family was paying the price too. I knew I had to make a change and it had to be drastic. I made a commitment to try and have a morning quiet time even though I am not and have never been a morning quiet time type of person. I never could take morning classes and when I was homeschooled I had to do afternoon work. My brain took a while to wake up I guess! Then when motherhood hit forget it, I'd been up all night with a child and there was no way I'd have the energy and attention span for reading my bible and listening to God. I just knew something had to change though because 5 minutes a day with God was not working. So one morning I got up, put Isaac in his swing, put a PBS on for Elijah (hey it's educational!), got my bible went outside and sat with God. I had such a deeper time with the Lord than I'd had in months.

That has continued ever since. It's not always as peaceful as that first morning and I will say I have missed a morning here and there but through that time God has spoken to me in the most amazing ways and my relationship with him has grown so much deeper. It may be chaos some morning, I may be interrupted by my 3 yr old asking for a snack, chasing the dogs around the house, or letting his imagination get run away with him. I may have a 10 month old yelling at me and some mornings when he won't sit in his swing anymore I may be chasing him around getting the wii remote away from him but I will be more joyful, more peaceful, and more fulfilled because Christ is filling me up daily with all that I need! I'm a better mom and wife for sure.

I won't ever use the excuse, I'm a mom of little ones and I just don't have the time to give God, it's not a choice anymore I HAVE TO. I hate to think of what I would have missed if I would not have chosen to do this. I know for a fact there is one very exciting and very huge step of faith my family and I might not be taking right now had I not started this morning time with the Lord. To think we could have missed out on what God has for us is scary! I want my family and I to live in His will and I want to be a good example to my children of what that looks like! It's amazing how your priorities can change when God gets a hold of you and shows you just how amazing His hand on your life is. It may come through quiet time in chaos but it's worth it!

I dreamed of Africa

2010-09-13T14:59:00.000-05:00

If you know me at all you know my deep love for Africa. I think and pray about Africa often and the beautiful people there. I've been in love with Africa since I was a teenager and got to go on a mission trip there a few years ago. It was a dream come true for me. I remember when we were flying over Africa and I looked out the window and saw Africa I could hardly catch my breath! My heart was pounding in excitement and I was screaming for joy inside! I had dreamed of that day for so long and it was finally a reality! It was such an experience and a joy to be able to go and share the love of Christ with the people God put in our path. I will never forget that first trip as long as I live!

I have had a hole in my heart since I left and often miss Africa like I would miss a dear friend. I have a deep longing to be there and love on the people there. Recently the Lord has brought Africa in my life in a way I never expected, at least not at this point in my life. It's quite clear that it's from the Lord though because He has been speaking to me so clearly, it's been unmistakable.

Last week I had 3 dreams about Africa that really touched me. The first night I was in Africa at an orphanage and so much that went on in the dream but what stuck out to me were these children who came to me one by one and grabbed my hand. I can still see the eyes of this little girl who grabbed my hand and just looked me at me with this look for desperation. Her eyes said it all and I just keep thinking about that look. It pierced my heart.

The next night I dreamed my husband and I were in this huge worship service outside, it was dark so I couldn't see anyone around me but we were all singing praise to God. Then I heard all around me Africans singing in their language and dancing as they praised God. I said to my husband "can you hear them singing, isn't it beautiful?" There was such an overwhelming sense of worship for the Lord.

Then the night after that I had a dream I was telling my friends that I was going to Africa but I would be back soon and I was so excited to go and we talked a while about my trip. I think I know what all this means...and no we're not moving to Africa! :) I am just loving the Lord and how He has made himself so real to me lately. He has made sure that I do not forget Him and all that He has done and has planned for my future and the future of my family as well. It's been so long since I have had such a close and intimate relationship with the Lord as I have lately. I have forgotten how exciting and soul stirring it is. He has been working in the Hancock family in mighty ways and proving His faithfulness so often. Again in my life the Lord is reminding me that when we are obedient to Him He will prove faithful to us and bless us beyond our imagination. Not that this Christian life is easy by any means but it's so awesome to know that He is on our side and as we choose to walk in faith and obedience He will bless us.

Life Interrupted

2010-08-25T11:14:00.000-05:00

Sometimes God breaks through the mundane and tells us something we never expected to hear at that moment in life. You expect life changing things to be loud and obvious, not in a whisper. Then you realize if it were not said in a whisper we might not seek after Him as much to discover it. Maybe we wouldn't even believe it. He speaks in a whisper and your life is changed. Then you continue to thirst for more. My life has been interrupted by a whisper.

After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 1 Kings 19:12

Finding God in the little things...

2010-08-03T16:41:00.000-05:00

So this morning I walked into Elijah's bathroom and discovered it was starting to smell a bit funky. It was that nice fragrance that most mothers of boys recognize I'm sure. It's the smell a little boy leaves behind because A) he is learning the art of peeing in the potty and making it all in or B) he is in too much of a hurry to care whether he makes it or not. So needless to say it was time for my weekly bathroom cleaning.

You know the saying, "God never gives you more than you can handle"? That could not be more true! Growing up with brothers certainly prepared me for things I might otherwise be completely grossed out by. It's crazy to me sometimes to realize just how much God prepared me for this whole thing, even down to the little things. Growing up with boys is rough...and so is raising them, but there is also so much fun in it and so much I look forward to, even down to the little things!

Family Portraits

2010-07-30T10:07:00.001-05:00

My sister-n-law Natalie took some family portraits of us recently and she did such a great job! Here are some of my favorites!

A little reminder

2010-07-29T14:47:00.000-05:00

I know I posted this a couple blogs back but it's something that keeps coming to my mind so I thought I would repost it. I have to keep reminding myself lately...or really the Lord is reminding me that I may not be able to go to Africa physically but I can always go on my knees! More on this later. For now here is the poem.

"Last night I took a journey
to a land across the seas;
I did not go by boat or plane,
I travelled on my knees

I saw many people there
In deepest depths of sin,
But Jesus told me I should go,
That there were souls to win.

But I said,” Jesus, I cannot go
And work with such as these.”
He answered quickly,” Yes, you can
By travelling on your knees.”

He said, “You pray; I’ll meet the need,
You call and I will hear;
Be concerned about lost souls,
Of those both far and near.”

And so I tried, knelt in prayer,
Gave up some hours of ease;
I felt the Lord right by my side
While travelling on my knees.

As I prayed on and saw souls saved
And twisted bodies healed,
And saw God’s workers’ strength renewed
While labouring on the field.

I said, Yes, Lord, I have a job,
My desire Thy Will to please;
I can go and heed Thy call
By travelling on my knees.”

Wedding Weekend

2010-07-15T09:31:00.001-05:00

Ryan's wedding was this weekend! It was a very special occasion for us all, he was the last to get married in this Pitt's family and he's probably had the roughest road to get there. He deserves all that he is getting in his sweet bride. She is amazing and perfect for him! I'm beyond happy for him! In fact I had to say something at the rehearsal dinner and all I wanted to say got lost in tears and emotion which is HUGE for me because I am not a crier, especially in public!

It was also a laughable weekend. This was an out of town wedding and that was certainly an interesting experience for us traveling with two young kids, especially having to remember everything we had to bring for them and for ourselves. There were several things forgotten and some were pretty vital, my make-up bag with all my essentials, my shoes for my dress to wear at the wedding, night-time pull ups for Elijah...all of which we had to replace during our trip. I nearly made us late when I realized in Target on our way out that I had forgotten my make-up bag so I replaced all of what was forgotten there. The nighttime pull-ups were discovered missing late after returning to the B&B where we stayed the night before the wedding and Elijah was at a hotel with my dad...my dad had to make a late night Walmart trip. The shoes I went shopping for the day of the wedding! Wedding shoes are not easy to find in Temple, Texas just an FYI...especially when you had the perfect pair to start with! There were several other stresses that weekend...we were a bit frazzled by the days end. What's a wedding without a little stress and chaos right?

The best part for me...(other than seeing my brother marry an awesome woman and gaining another awesome sister-in-law) were the moments spent with my family at breakfasts. Friday night we stayed at an old B&B which was rented out just for us and that morning we got to wake up and got down to a yummy breakfast of quiche, muffins, streusel, fruit, coffee...it was amazing! It was nice just sitting around a table with my mom, grandparents, and Natalie in a kitchen that was surrounded by huge trees, it felt like we were tucked away in a forrest there. It was peaceful and it was yet another great memory made with my family that I love so much. Then Saturday night we stayed in a hotel in Temple and we all got up and went downstairs to the breakfast they had downstairs which was yet another huge delicious freshly made breakfast of waffles, eggs, homemade salsa, fruit, organic coffee, pancakes, bacon...the list goes on! We sat around talking about the wedding and the weekend, again another great time with my family. I don't know what it is about breakfast with my family but that seems to be one of my favorite times with them. When we go to South Padre that is something we all look forward to each morning, maybe it's the freshness of the day, the fact that we're all there together in one place...I don't know what it is but I have such great memories of that.

I am so blessed to have the family I have, each one of them has brought so much to my life and with all the new members joining us it just keeps getting better and better :). God is good. That is a simple statement but it is HUGE to me.

On My Knees

2010-05-02T09:32:00.000-05:00

Everyone wonders where their place is in life and as Christians we all want to know where God's place is for us, what His purpose and plan is for us. God has given me a heart for ministry and missions but as a mother of two little ones my mission field is first at home. I love that ministry that He has blessed me with but at the same time I have a heart for those lost and hurting outside these walls. Having two little ones though it's hard to get beyond the walls of my own home and minister anywhere else. Saturday evenings Aaron and I lead worship with the other awesome members of our LifeBridge band and it's a blessing to be able to minister in that way. Leading others in worship and worshipping with my brothers and sisters in Christ is such a huge passion and calling of mine. I have many other passions and callings but sometimes as a mother it seems nearly impossible to go and do what I feel called. I can't just hop on a plane to Africa tomorrow, with two kids that takes some serious prayer and preparation. Not to mention money I don't have. Though God has provided before and I know He can and will do it again in His time.

A few weeks ago in bible study we talked about this very thing. We'd been doing a study on Esther but it's been so much more than that. It has been about how women can make a difference right where they are. How we can be interceders for Christ. One of our greatest callings is to partner with God in prayer. Partnering with God in prayer is the greatest privilege we have as Christians, Some are called to go but all are called to pray. It's so encouraging to know that I can still go, I'm just going in a different way, on my knees. This is something I've known but not something I've fully grasped until now.

Below is a poem that really touched me and something I now use to remind myself that I can go for the Lord anytime, anywhere, on my knees.

But I said,” Jesus, I cannot go
And work with such as these.”
He answered quickly,” Yes, you can
By travelling on your knees.”

He said, “You pray; I’ll meet the need,
You call and I will hear;
Be concerned about lost souls,
Of those both far and near.”

And so I tried, knelt in prayer,
Gave up some hours of ease;
I felt the Lord right by my side
While travelling on my knees.

As I prayed on and saw souls saved
And twisted bodies healed,
And saw God’s workers’ strength renewed
While labouring on the field.

I said, Yes, Lord, I have a job,
My desire Thy Will to please;
I can go and heed Thy call
By travelling on my knees.”

The Glamorous Life

2010-05-01T10:36:00.000-05:00

My life is something special, it's absolutely fabulous and blissful...and then I woke up.

Ever have one of those weeks when it seems like one thing after another and you don't have time for any of it? It seems like everyone and everything is against you, like there is this conspiracy going on to drive you crazy? To see just how much it will take until you lose it? Sometimes I think my sons and my dogs conspire together to push my buttons and see how long it will take until I lose it.

It all started Monday with an ant bite Elijah had that got infected. He had to go on antibiotics for it and literally I have to tackle the child to get him to take it. Tuesday I come home from a lovely day of playing outside with Elijah to find that my house has a very interesting smell to it. I turn the corner to the room where the dogs are crated to find Jasmine laying in pee and Zoe tip toeing around a nice pile in her crate...I wanted to walk out and pretend this wasn't my house. Thus started my week of one crazy thing after another. I now have lovely stains on my carpet from a sick dog and I've cleaned bright orange crayon "art" off my wall.

We've been to the pediatrician, the vet, the groomer...I have a child with an infected ant bite and a dog with a kidney infection. I'm giving antibiotic to a child and a dog, one I have to wrestle to the ground and the other will take it only coated in peanut butter. Between a sick dog, a little boy with a bite, a baby boy going through a growth spurt who thinks mommy better be at his beck and call every 2 hours or else...I'm tired.

Ok so it may not be glamorous and it may not always be bliss...but it's my life and God gave me the privilege of living this life to fullfil his purpose for me as I walk with Him and teach my boys to do the same. So maybe he's teaching me a little patience lately...funny, I think He's been trying to teach me that for quite some time now...

It burns...

2010-04-05T16:42:00.000-05:00

Motherhood has been such a learning experience for me in so many ways but the greatest way by far has been in my relationship with the Lord. Being a mom and watching my boys grow is teaching me so much about my relationship with God and about how He loves us. This morning I was in the bathroom getting ready for the day and Elijah was playing around me as usual. He got near my curling iron on the counter and I warned him not to touch it because it was very hot, he looked right at me and reached over and grabbed it with his hand. That defiant little act was then followed by screaming and crying, "BURNS, IT BURNS!" he kept saying over and over as I put his and under cool water.

After all the drama was over I started thinking about how much that reminds me of my relationship with the Lord. So often in my relationship with the Father I have had to test the waters myself. I know He says not to, I know He has warned me against it but I've looked him straight in the face and defied him anyway. Sometimes with Elijah I wonder, "how long will it take until he gets this?" and how often is that true in our relationship with the Lord? How many times do we ignore God's word before we get it? How many are we burned because we've ignored the warning?

Just like a child chooses to learn the hard way, we choose the same when it comes to our obedience with God. I am so grateful for a God who forgives and grants grace to us despite our

disobedience. Having children really opens your eyes to these things, I know how my heart hurts when Elijah disobeys me and then he pays the consciences and that really makes me want to please the heart of God and obey Him. I am just so thankful for my boys and all that they teach me!

Easter Story Cookie Recipe

2010-04-02T10:11:00.000-05:00

Easter Story Cookies

To be made the evening before Easter.

You need:

1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1 cup sugar
zipper baggie
wooden spoon
tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (this is important-don’t wait until you’re half done with the recipe!)

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child’s hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isa. 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. Read Matt. 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.

Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed. Read Matt. 27:65-66.

GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matt. 28:1-9

Snow Day!

2010-02-15T08:58:00.000-06:00

Thursday and Friday we had some amazing snow fall in Texas, it was record breaking in fact!

Elijah had so much fun playing in it, he loved making snow angels.

We also built a snowman!

In this picture below you can see how deep the snow was, we got close to 11 inches in McKinney I think!

I love the photo op that snow gives me!! It's such a beautiful thing to photograph!

I've never seen this much snow, it was fun while it lasted and it lasted just long enough for me! I prefer a warm sunny day most of the time but a few nice cold snowy days are fun too!

A little Perspective

2010-01-16T12:37:00.000-06:00

I know the image above is pretty disturbing but that is the reality of tragedy. If there was a picture next to the word perspective in the dictionary then that image would be it, along with many other images coming out of Haiti. It's heartbreaking to watch the news and see so many hurting people in such desperate need of help and comfort, especially when they show images of little children. I can't even begin to imagine what they must be going through.

Yesterday morning I turned on the television to see what the latest was on Haiti and I was suddenly struck with such guilt. There I was sitting in my comfy chair, in my cozy house, sipping a cup of warm coffee and I'm watching these images of such suffering. In that moment I realize how easily I slip into this comfortable coma. I so easily become shut off to the world around me when I'm so caught up in my own world. Sure I'm a mother to two little ones and I'm pretty focused on their needs right now, especially when it comes to taking care of a nursing infant and the Hancock family is in a pretty new transition still... but even so that gives me no excuse. I think we all get this way from time to time and it's sometimes it takes something so tragic to wake us up to the world around us...and often times it takes actually reaching out and touching suffering with our bare hands.

Last year when I went to Africa I met such precious little children who were suffering with AIDS and had I not gone and actually held that child in my arms or held their hand in mine I might never have actually truly understood suffering. I am so grateful for the experience of having my eyes and heart open to those things and gaining a greater understanding so that I can serve better and especially love better!

When I came back from Africa last year I felt the guilt I was talking about before, I felt so guilty for all that I had and even more for how I took it for granted so easily. I don't know what to do about that guilt...it's not like I can go to Haiti right now maybe if I wasn't nursing an infant I might just do that but there is just no way I could do that right now. It's hard to know what to do and how to do it when you're a mother of young children but your heart desires to reach out and help those hurting. The Lord has really been speaking to me about this lately, I'm not sure what the message is just yet but he has really been putting this on my heart. I want to continue to live with my eyes and my heart to what is going on around me, I want to see others the way the Lord does, love others the way the Lord does...to be His hands and His feet. I pray that for all of us, I pray as Christians we will make a greater effort to do this...the world needs the Lord and we are vessels, the only way so many may know His love.

Happy Birthday Elijah

2009-12-26T22:59:00.000-06:00

Three years ago today our sweet Elijah was born! It seems like it was just the other day we were anticipating his birth and now he's a this little boy who amazes me everyday. He seems to grow and change daily always coming up with something to make us laugh and amazing us with how smart and creative he is. He has been such a blessing in our life and certainly one of the greatest gifts God could ever give us. You think when you have children you're going to teach them so much and help them grow into the people the Lord created them to be, but it's amazing how the Lord uses our children to do that for us! I have learned so much and grown so much through Elijah, the Lord has truly shown me so much about himself through Elijah and being his mother. That might just be one of the best things about being a part, growing in the Lord through our children.

Having two baby boys so close to Christmas has made me so much more aware of just how precious the gift of the Lord's birth and sacrifice truly are. I also can't help but think about how Mary must have felt as she looked down at her sleeping baby knowing he was the savior of the world and knowing she would one day have to let him go. I just couldn't even imagine how her heart ached knowing what was to come and not knowing the extent of the sacrifice that sweet little baby boy would give for her and for the rest of the world.

I am feeling so blessed tonight to have two precious little boys and I am so thankful for Elijah and all I have learn so far from being his mommy!

Happy Birthday Isaac!

2009-12-01T21:10:00.001-06:00

Isaac Wesley Hancock was born November 18, 2009! He weighed 8lbs 11oz and was 21 inches long!! Apparently we grow big babies, Elijah was 8lbs 7oz and 21 inches long at only 37 weeks! I had no idea Isaac was that big, I never felt like he was that big! His birth was full of excitement and certainly not what I planned, but that is life isn't it?

That morning I went in for a routine appointment to have a sonogram just to check and make sure everything was going OK and it would be safe for me to wait until the 24th if he didn't arrive before. During the sonogram the tech scanned over his face and tried to get him to move his hand away from his face so we could get a better look at him but he wouldn't move. She jiggled my tummy several times and nothing, his heartbeat was fine but he wasn't moving at all. She started to become concerned but she wasn't saying anything. Finally she said he wasn't moving like she would like and I would probably have to do a non-stress test to check his movement and heart rate. They took me into the room and hooked me up to the machine and I waited to feel him move, he moved a couple times but still not much. They gave me juice to see if that would get him going and still not much change. Finally my doctor came in and used this buzzer thing on my tummy and that got him going for a bit but he got still again. At this point I was really worried, I couldn't believe I have gone the entire pregnancy healthy with zero problems at all and now at 40 weeks something might be wrong. My biggest fear.

After a lot of discussion she decided she wanted to send me to labor and delivery to be monitored there and then we'd see if he needed to come sooner than later. In my mind I thought sooner meant the next day...but sooner ended up being NOW. Once I got to labor and delivery I was convinced he'd start moving and his heart rate would be fine and I'd go home. Once I got there and they monitored things he got better but still wasn't what my doctor wanted to see. She felt it was best to get him out right away. I felt so unprepared and sad I hadn't said goodbye to Elijah. I wouldn't be home for 3 or 4 days after that and I felt sad that I hadn't talked to him about what was going to happen and said goodbye. All these emotions were going through me, I wanted Isaac to be ok, I wasn't ready to have another c-section, I missed Elijah, I had nothing with me to stay in the hospital...it was so sudden and I was so overwhelmed. At the same time though I had prayed over this baby and this pregnancy from day one and my family had been doing the same so I trusted the Lord and knew everything was going to be ok, it was in God's hands and God's plan.

We made the calls to the family and everyone rushed up to the hospital and a couple hours later I was in the OR getting ready to meet my baby boy! As much as I wanted to have a natural birth this time I was at peace with the c-section. Just days before this ER c-section I had made the decision to go ahead and go a little past my due date to see if I went into labor. I had a c-section scheduled for the very day before but had changed it...though I was left wondering if I made the best decision. I really prayed the Lord would intervene if I hadn't made the right decision. How amazing is God and the way He has His hand in every situation of our lives. There is no doubt November 18th was Isaac's day to be born into this world and God made sure that happened. Along with decreased movement when they went in to get Isaac they found there was also meconium in the fluid (in other words he went poo haha!). I had a c-section scheduled for the 24th, almost a week from then and had the doctor not have taken him on the 18th he could have gotten a serious infection from the meconium. There was just no question that God's hand was in that birth! I am so grateful that I have a God who is watching over and protecting me and my family at all times and working out His will!

Nearly 4 weeks later I am feeling beyond blessed that the Lord has given Isaac to Aaron and I. He is such a little blessing to us and just the sweetest little baby. I can't wait to see what the Lord will teach me through him, we think as parents we are their teaches but I find that to be all the often the opposite. God has used Elijah and just motherhood in general to teach me SO MUCH, to bless me and challenge me everyday! There is no greater ministry I'd rather be a part of, than the ministry of motherhood!

Baby Isaac's Update

2009-11-12T15:15:00.000-06:00

39 weeks today! This is the longest I've been pregnant, Elijah was born at 37 weeks! At the beginning of this pregnancy I chose to try for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), so far I haven't made much progress towards labor, but there is still time! I think it's funny how so many people said they didn't think I would carry this baby the full 40 weeks and I'm almost there, due November 20th. I think he's pretty content in there! My OB will not induce because of the risks in that which I completely understand and knowing the risks I don't feel comfortable with an induction either. This morning however we had to make a decision, we had a tentative c-section set for the 17th but because that was before my due date I just didn't feel at peace with that. I just wanted to give myself as long as possible. I didn't want to look back and regret my decision to give in and have the c-section because I hadn't made progress yet. I really felt if I had it early I would regret it. So after a good conversation with my OB she agreed to move the date for the closest date past my due date that she was available to do the surgery if I need it. So as of now if I do not go into labor on my own I will be having a c-section on the 24th. Sure it means I'll be in the hospital on Thanksgiving but what better way to spend Thanksgiving, right? How thankful we will be!!

So that's the update thus far! This pregnancy has been amazing, such a blessing and I am so grateful at how smooth it has gone this time around! So from now until the 24th I'm going to get moving! We'll see if I can walk with baby out! I can't wait to meet our little Isaac! God is good!

A little update...and a little rambling :)

2009-09-16T10:06:00.000-05:00

32 weeks today, it's hard to believe! It's hard to imagine being a mother of 2 little ones so soon! This pregnancy has flown by so fast, I feel like just yesterday I was in my first trimester! Life has changed so much in the past months, on top of expecting baby # 2, we've changed churches and are now ministering at a church we've been a part of planting in McKinney. When we moved here we never really felt settled in a church. We tried to go back to my old church but that just never felt like home, then we tried another branch of that church and God took us away from that, then we started our "search" once again. We thought we had made a decision but still we never truly felt at home. Then the Lord led us to something we never expected to be doing. It was pretty clear to us though that He wanted us at LifeBridge, we really needed some clear signs and he laid them out for us. Getting back into ministry has been a blessing but also a huge adjustment for our family. We both love leading worship, the Lord has really given Aaron that gift and it's something we have both done since we were teenagers. It's also something that drew us to one another to begin with. It's a passion we both share and to me it's awesome to be able to share that with my husband. It's truly a gift of God.

With that gift though comes a lot of work and perseverance. It was obvious from the beginning this was something Satan did not want us to do because leading up to some very important days in our new church Satan was attacking us in so many different ways. Spiritual warfare was certainly what I'd call it and I know Aaron and I are not the only people in the church who have dealt with this. At first it was scary to me, I just felt like "what's next?" I felt like everyday was going to bring with it some sort of attack. On a night before we were supposed to lead worship for the church that is providing for our church plant we had been up all night with all sorts of disturbances and I knew it was Satan. That night I just started getting angry about it, I was tired of this! I laid in bed and prayed harder than I've prayed, praying for my family for the Lord's protection over my family and that He would fight this battle for us because I know we have rough days yet to come. I felt a peace and woke up refreshed. It's still amazing to me how when we truly give it to God he truly gives us the peace and comfort we need to get through. That morning we led worship and everything flowed so smoothly and I really feel the Lord worked in hearts and encouraged the congregation in their support of LifeBridge Church.

It's really cool to me how being in ministry, ministering to other people always works in reverse. The more I minister, the more my heart is ministered to as well. The Lord works in my life as much or more than He may work through my life. I haven't been involved in this type of ministry for a few years now and I forgot just how spiritually uplifting it truly is. It makes you seek the Lord so much more and rely on Him completely. Every week that I have led worship with Aaron I have grown more and more and what has amazed me is that I let go of more and more each week. When I started out I felt so self aware as I sang, thinking about my harmony, worrying if I sounded OK because it's been so long since I'd done that. The more I did it though the more I have let go, this past week was the biggest week though. I sang "How He Loves" during the offering and as I usually do I prayed God would sing through me, touch hearts through the word...and when I started I felt this peace come over me. I thought of the words I was singing and I felt the presence of the Lord, I literally got chills as I sang each word and that has never happened. Sure it's happened in private when I'm worshipping alone or when I'm in the congregation worshipping but not on stage. I really felt the Lord's presences was in the building and I really felt His hand on this church. I know we have a lot of work ahead and Satan won't stop trying to get in the way but I am so confident in the fact that Lord's hand is on us and He is in the battle against Satan as we minister here. I know God has great things in store! It's such a blessing to be part of God's work, all my life that has been my favorite place to be!

It's so neat to me how I started out my relationship with the Lord , growing in Him at 4 years old with some of the same people I'm ministering with now! It's really awesome how sometimes in our lives things come fully circle like that. It's such a blessing to have a church family like that who is not just a church family but truly a family in Christ!

All Things New

2009-06-25T09:51:00.000-05:00

The LORD'S loving kindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

June has been a month that has reminded me of this verse above. We've had so much celebration going on this month, it's been such an example of God's mercies being new daily. We celebrated the new marriage of my brother Brandon and Natalie.

It was a great celebration of a new beginning in their life and it brought our family together to celebrate them and reminded me of how blessed and grateful I am for the closeness we have as a family and the love we have for one another. I have some pretty amazing people in my family, every one of them mean so much to me!

Then a week later on June 19th Aaron and I celebrated two special events. We found out that morning that we were indeed having another baby boy!!

We are very excited about the new addition of little Isaac Wesley Hancock! He is certainly a blessing and a reminder the Lord's hand over our lives. He was prayed for before he was even created! I'll be honest, I as hoping for a girl this time but God had other plans for our family and when we found out it was a boy a sense of peace came over me and the Lord reminded me this is His plan which are far greater than my own! The thought of having two boys is so exciting, I hope they will be best friends as they grow up together! I have a feeling things will never get boring around here...I did grow up with two brothers...so I know a little about what's in store :).

Aaron and I also celebrated our 5th anniversary on the 19th!

5 years doesn't seem like a very long time but in this world today 5 years to be married is sadly becoming a huge milestone and we know a little about that ourselves. We have been through more in the last 5 years than many couples have gone through in 10 or even 20 years of marriage. So we had reason to really celebrate this one! There could be no greater example to me of God's mercies being new every day than the example Aaron and I see everyday in lives with one another, with our son, in this pregnancy with our new baby boy, and the other blessings God has chosen to give us. We try not to take any of it for granted because we know we are so undeserving! God has been so faithful to us and we are so grateful for that! It could be so different today and I praise the Lord that He didn't allow us to slip away from Him, that He has held onto us tightly! I can say with total certainty that nothing is impossible with the Lord!!

I look forward to what is in store in the coming months and the fall arrival of our very special blessing!! Today though I rest in his mercies and the blessings He has given me for this day. I encourage you to do the same!

Update

2009-04-30T14:31:00.000-05:00

I thought is was about time for a little update on the Hancock family. We had a good winter though we were sick with colds for most of it but spring has been great and a lot of fun so far. We found out in March we found out we are expecting baby number two,

we are so excited to grow our family! This pregnancy has really been great so far, I had two weeks of feeling a little icky at first but from then on I haven't felt too bad. I haven't been sick once, it was the same with Elijah. So that is a huge blessing, especially with a 2 yr old to take care of! I praying for a much smoother end of the pregnancy this time though, hopefully no preeclampsia and bed rest! Even more hopefully no c-section this time!!

We also have another exciting event this year, in June my brother is getting married. It's going to be a busy month from here on out. We're all in the wedding, Aaron, Elijah, and I so that is going to be fun...hopefully Elijah will do his job as ring bearer...we'll see :). June is also mine and Aaron's 5th wedding anniversary and we're thinking about getting away before our house gets full of little feet running around the house.

Life is about to get crazy and super busy but God has blessed our family so much and we're looking forward to what He has in store!

Mommy Martyr?

2009-01-14T09:00:00.000-06:00

The other day I was in Barnes and Noble looking around and I came across a book called "The Stay-at-Home Martyr: A Survival Guide to Life Outside Your Kids" as if the title alone isn't clear enough the description makes it very clear what this book is all about.

This is from Amazon:

Product Description
An irreverent narrative that addresses the reader as a good friend, The Stay-at-Home Martyr looks at the costs of a life focused solely on children. By telling it like it is and giving moms the tools they need to correct their ways, this book will have women laughing at how far they’ve gone off track.

From the Back Cover
A hilarious guide to avoiding the mommy martyr trap
Calling all mommies! Somewhere under that ponytail and old T-shirt, those sweat pants and mismatched undergarments, is a sexy, interesting woman begging for a night out. To just be yourself again. So why not? Here’s why: You're tired. You can barely remember life before babies. You look like the "before" photo in a makeover contest. Every minute has been reduced to a single purpose: your darling children. What’s wrong with that? A lot.
The Stay-at-Home Martyr gives you the tools to get back on track. Written by two women who’ve been there, almost done that, this guide takes a side splittingly funny yet compassionate look at the modern-day phenomenon of mommy martyrs—showing us that not only can we carve out time and interests apart from our kids, but that by doing so we might even do our demanding young "bosses" a world of good.

First of all it irritates me enough that they are using that word "martyr" so frivolously. I don't care if you feeling stuck somewhere, you most certainly could not call the martyrdom. It is amazing to me how people throw words like that around. I'm pretty sure they're not dying for that cause...and it's pretty sad if she feels being a full-time mother is a death sentence. What is wrong with this world? If you don't want to devote your life to child-rearing DON'T HAVE CHILDREN!

Secondly, it annoys me that they are stereotyping stay-at-homes moms by saying we're all sitting around in sweatpants and a ponytail, looking like a pre-makeover disaster. What's wrong with a ponytail? I've seen some pretty hot mom's sporting ponytails! Mismatched underwear...so what? I mean come on, life isn't a Victoria secret ad.

Now obviously I think a life based solely on your children is wrong. A child-focused life will only ruin a marriage and your relationship with Christ is you have one. There are priorities, for me it's God, husband, and then children...though there are times those priorities get a bit mixed up but I do try to keep it that way. I find time for myself but I don't see that I come before any of those. For me to put God first however is also putting me first in a way because if my relationship with the Lord is not right then none of my relationships will be right. Same goes with my marriage, if that is not healthy that will only effect my child in a negative way.

At this point through I'm not even talking about being a Christian woman, I'm just talking about being a mom. If you become a mother it should be your desire to take care of that child's needs before you own...they're children...we're not talking about self sufficient adults here. If we had them at adults then this book might be relevant...though that would be an awfully weird circumstance... :)

It honestly just breaks my heart that some women feel so trapped by motherhood. Sure there are tough times, lots of them. My son was one of the most difficult babies I had ever met! He had the worst colic and cried constantly until 6 months. He is strong-willed and determined, but there has not been one moment where I felt like a martyr or trapped. I see motherhood as a gift from God, it's a blessing to me! I've grown as a woman through being a mother and I can certainly say my marriage has grown as my husband and I have become parents, and most importantly my relationship with my God has grown in awesome ways as I've walked through motherhood thus far.

It sounds to me this book was written by two bitter women who resented their children and regretted their choice to stay home with them. The sad thing is this is that this is what the world is being told, look out for yourself, you come first, it's ok to be selfish. The sadder thing is when women buy into this and leave their families in their dust. We need more women speaking out about the joy and reward of motherhood, even in the tough times. The blessing of putting your family first, because it is a blessing!

A Look Back at 2008

2008-12-31T09:52:00.000-06:00

2008 was a great year, I learned so much and have grown so much from it all. So many memories were made this year, some things I will never forget as long as I live. I saw God work in such awesome ways this year both in my life and in the lives of those around me.

We had so much fun as a family watching our baby boy grow into a little boy.

Elijah has changed so much, he is learning something new everyday! Pardon me for bragging but he is a very smart little boy, he learned his ABC's at 18 months he could recognize almost every letter and tell you what they were. Then he moved on to shape and numbers, and could count to 20 at about 20 months. He's been playing pretend since about a year old! What is most amazing to me is his musical ability, he can hear a song once or twice and then know the tune and sing it almost correctly. His rhythm is amazing too, he stays with the rhythm when he sings and even if he's drumming on something. We're hoping he'll be the drummer we're always looking for lol! He's a very sweet little boy and at the same time he is very determined and strong-willed...I don't know where he got that from...hmm

We had so much fun as a family this year!

We took our annual trip to South Padre...

In May my great grandpa who I love dearly had a sudden health situation and slipped into a coma. God did some amazing things while he sat in heaven's waiting room. I know in his death we were all brought to greater life in Christ. I'll never forget sitting with my grandma in his room at the hospice and feeling the presence of the Lord. The feeling was indescribable. My brother, dad, Aaron, and I had the privilege of doing his funeral and it was such a beautiful celebration.
We all knew he was in heaven praising the Lord. Though it broke my heart to see my grandma lose her husband of well over 50 years.

He was a WII vet and a purple heart recipient. He was such an interesting man with so many stories to tell. After his funeral my grandma gave me his purple heart and that is something I treasure so much!

Then a month later, June 19th as Aaron and I had just finished breakfast with my family to celebrate our 4th anniversary and my brother's birthday I was driving in my car and heard on the radio two men had been murdered in Garland. When they gave the names and I was in shock. One of the men was Matt Butler, someone I had been friends with and led worship with in college. It was devastating, it was very hard to understand.

Matt Butler and Steven Swan were so young, it was so tragic. As I sat at their memorial and heard all the testimony given on their lives and the days prior to their death it was so amazing to me how God worked in their lives and the lives of their family and prepared them and their family for such a tragedy. It was almost as if they knew they would be going home that day.

Experiencing a death of a friend and loved one is such a painful thing but as a Christian God can teach us so much through death. It amazed me how God got me through these times and how I grew so much through grief.

In May we celebrated Brandon and Natalie's engagement!

We're so excited to have her join our family and I'm super excited to have a sister-in-law like her!!

Then in October I was able to take a mission trip I had dreamed about taking since I was a teenager. I went to Africa and met some amazing people!

I saw God work once again in such amazing ways! I will never forget my experience there as long as I live! What touched me most was spending time with children who were dealing with AIDS either directly or their parent had AIDS. They are such beautiful children

and their stories just broke my heart. I think about them everyday day. When I came back I had trouble sleeping because I would close my eyes and their faces would all I would see, my heart ached. I really came back with a greater calling and sense of determination to spread awareness of what these babies are going through. The Lord really did a work in my life and I will be changed forever. I will never forget the stories and the faces of Africa, it is impossible to think about Africa and not see God in each moment we spent there.

Then there was Christmas...

and to end our year we celebrated Elijah's 2nd birthday! I can't believe it's already been 2 years! He has grown so fast! Being his mom has been such a blessing, I always knew I wanted to be a mom but I never knew I would love it as much as I do. Motherhood is a ministry to me, I love being able to guide my children and hopefully future children in the Lord. God has taught me so much in these past couple years and I love that he is going to continue to teach me even more as Elijah grows and as additions are made to our family.

It's been a year with so many ups and downs like most years are but what continues to amaze me is looking back and seeing how God has been faithful and worked through so many situations to bring us to this point. I'm so thankful for God's protection in the life of my family. I'm so thankful that he continues to love us even when we don't deserve it. The last 3 years of my life have been some of the hardest, if not the hardest years of my life. At the same time though I am so thankful for all that God has done in my life, my family's life, and my marriage. It's been amazing and I look forward to the year to come! I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us in 2009!

Redeeming Christmas

2008-12-15T18:20:00.000-06:00

The very purpose of Christ's coming into the world was that He might offer up His life as a sacrifice for the sins of men. He came to die. This is the heart of Christmas.
--Rev. Billy Graham

It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you...yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand.
--Mother Teresa

In the past few years the world has turned Christmas into such a commercialize holiday. Everyone is so focused on getting, not giving. Sadly, even to say "Merry Christmas" to someone is a possible offense. There is nothing wrong with loving others and recognizing other holiday traditions of the world but lets remember what the season is about. Christ came so that we might have eternal life, he loves us so much he came as a baby to die, just as Billy Graham's quote says above. It really makes me sad to see how far away we have moved from that now. Christmas should be a time of joy and celebration but it seems it's more a time or worry, distraction, discontentment, and so many people just seem unhappy. If you go to a mall or a store you will find so many impatient unhappy people. So many people are in a hurry to get where they're going and don't care who they run over to get there. It is rare to see someone who has consideration for another. The sad thing is, this isn't only happening in the world but in the body of believers as well.

I want to challenge you to redeem Christmas this year in your life as well as your family's lives. Bring Christ back into Christmas! Focus on the blessings you have today and the hope you have tomorrow and bring that hope to others this Christmas. Times are tough, so many families are hurting right now and we have the ability to share a free gift with them that will last eternally. Do something this Christmas, don't just grumble about what Christmas looks like in the world today, make a choice to change that in your family and in your community. It starts with us! We can keep Christ in Christmas despite how hard others try to change what Christmas is truly about.

Cherish the time you have with your family, especially your children! Teach them what this time is about and how they can love one another. So often Santa overshadows Christ, don't let that become something that happens in your home. Let the Lord in your home this Christmas and push out all that distracts from Him. I know it's so easy to become overwhelmed with this busy season, I struggle with that myself but I also know by putting Christ first everything else fades away. I hope you are able to do that this season and spread the love of Christ to all that you come in contact with.

I hope you all have a blessed Christmas!

2008-12-02T09:59:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Global AIDS day and so I decided since Starbucks was having their new RED campaign I would go get myself a drink and chat with my local baristas. I do love my Starbucks, they make my drink perfectly and they're all so friendly...not overly chatty in a weird stalker way like some at a certain Starbucks I refuse to visit anymore. They never run out of eggnog or peppermint like that certain Starbucks has done 2 NIGHTS IN A ROW! Ok enough of that, back to the topic...

So I pulled up ordered my drink and drove up to the window and we got to talking about how they're only giving money to the campaign if you get a certain 3 drinks and I originally thought it was ALL drinks. That was a bit of a disappointment but not too much since those happen to be my favorite holiday drinks anyway, particularly the peppermint mocha twist! We talked about how we're suspicious of charity's such as the Ethos water which gives a very minimum about of money to it's cause and that and in most cases you're better of sending money directly to an cause rather than going through a charity. Most of their money is spent on their product in so many cases. He told me today the drink I bought was sending double to the campaign because "it's some AIDS day or something", "Global Aids Day" I said. He asked what exactly that was and I explained and then we talked about how little awareness there is on this issue and how it's of little importance to most people. I shared a bit of my story of my recent visit to South Africa and he was amazed. Don't get me wrong, he wasn't amazed by me but that I really was speaking from my heart and not just another person talking and talking yet doing nothing. I hope I brought a bit of awareness to him and I hope he will share his conversation with his friends. I also hope to continue the conversation on my next visit.

I went to Africa a few moths ago but the work has just begun. I think the hardest part comes now, bringing awareness and being an advocate for those who are dying and losing loved ones because of this tragic epidemic. I don't know how much Starbucks will really be giving to help AIDS but I do know that every time I buy a RED drink I will try to spread awareness one barista at a time! :)

World AIDS Day

2008-12-01T10:50:00.000-06:00

...Let's not say that we love each other; but show the truth by our actions.

1 John 3:16

Today is World AIDS Day which is a very important day to me and has become even more so since visiting Africa a few months ago. Today and everyday in fact, 6,000 children will lose a parent because of AIDS. There are 11.6 million AIDS orphans in Africa alone and this number grows DAILY. According to the UNAIDS 2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic, 3.8 million adults and 2 million children were living with AIDS at the end of 2007. During 2007 2,7 million became infected with HIV the virus that causes AIDS and there were 2 million died from AIDS.

Those numbers are unbelievable to me, it is almost impossible to imagine this to be true until you have seen and touched these statics yourself. The picture above is a picture of a child who is affected by AIDS, she was a beautiful girl I met when I visited South Africa and she was among many children who either had parents/siblings/grandparents who were infected with AIDS and in many cases these children were also infected as well.

There are so many children in all parts of the world facing this tragic epidemic. These children are facing so much at their young age and they need your help! What will you do to make a difference? Will you sit back and hope someone else will help them or will you make a choice to make a difference in their lives? It's not just about giving money, it's about giving your time but more importantly giving your heart. Prayer is a powerful thing, PRAY FOR THESE CHILDREN, pray for their families, pray for Africa, pray for Asia! Go and serve in these infected areas, there is nothing more life altering and eye opening that being there and seeing it with your own eyes. It's heart breaking yet a blessing at the same time, it breaks your heart seeing such precious people living with such a horrible disease but it's a blessing to these people to be loves on and cared about by people who do not even know them. Amazingly it's a blessing in your life too because you will no longer see things the same and trust me, that is a blessing! If you can't go, help someone who has a heart and desire to go, contribute financially to your friends and family who go on these trips, contribute to your church mission fund, contribute to missionaries who are serving in these areas, sponsor a child from these AIDS infected areas...there are so many ways to help! What will you do? Make the choice today!

Currently my church is partnered with a church in East London, South Africa where I recently served myself. There are so many ways to contribute and serve there! If you have any questions, please ask!

Be blessed!

Delaina

Out of Africa

2008-10-17T09:05:00.000-05:00

I left for Africa with a peace that was unexplainable. Up until the moment I said goodbye to my family I had felt scared and ready to change my mind about going but God kept telling me to trust him, so I did. In the darkness of the morning I kissed my sleeping baby, told my husband goodbye and off I went. We flew to Atlanta and another plane boarded the plane and settled in for a long 18 hour flight. It surreal waking up to see Africa out our windows, I just kept telling myself I was finally in Africa, after years of dreaming of going there I was finally there. It seemed like I had to remind myself of that often, it was just so unbelieveable.

I spent my week loving on children in a daycare who were inffected and affected by aids, teaching a sixth grade class with my brother Ryan, I did a little painting, took lots of pictures, and made some awesome friendships. We all walked the Jesus life together that week and we saw the Lord work in amazing ways. Why is it that we miss him in the little things at home but we see him in everything when we are in a place like Africa?

He was in beautiful the faces of the children I met...
This precious girl is very sick and she never smiled, everytime I would take her picture I asked her to smile for me and it was almost as if she just didn't even know how. She broke my heart. The last day we were there I was taking her picture I told her how beautiful she was and she smiled for me! In that moment I saw the light of Christ in that precious girl.

There were so many other babies I met that reminded me of how awesome God is.

These children are so small and dealing with with so much

yet they have these beautiful smiles and such a light in their eyes. They love Jesus and that is so obvious!

I saw him in a class full of children who were so excited to have Americans come teach them about everything from how to play paper football to the most important thing in life, Jesus and his love for them.

Girls who reminded me that when everything is stripped away Christ still remains...

In a little girl who's love for Jesus was obvious before she even said a word.She was so radient in her love for Jesus.

What's so amazing to me is we went to love on these children and we walk away feeling so much love from them as well. I will never forget them, their faces are forever engraved on my heart. I knew I has a passion and a heart for the people of Africa before I went to Africa but I never expected it to take hold of me as it did, I didn't expect to leave such a big piece of my heart there. I miss my time there, I miss the beautiful people I met there. When I lay down at night and close my eyes I see their faces, they're in my dreams. I will never be the same and I'm grateful for that. I am glad this trip has left me so wrecked. I have come back with a whole new perspective on my life and the life of my family. I am so much more focused on the simple things in life and finding joy in today not worry so much about what is to come tomorrow. Something that hit me so hard was that the people we met have so little to possess but they have so much joy in the little that they have. As americans we can not have enough, I want my life to reflect something much different. I want Christ to be enough for me and my family. I want my children to grow up with that persecptive as well and it starts NOW.

There is so much more I could write but it's hard enough to gather all my thoughts on this. Maybe there will be more to come in time as I have processed things even more.

I think that is something I came back with for sure. I was reminded that if I keep my eyes open I will see him in everything here just as I did in Africa.

Laugh Lines by Barbra Johnson

2008-09-18T10:24:00.000-05:00

* The only time a woman wishes she were a year older is when she's having a baby.

* The second day of a diet is always easier than the first. By the second day you're off of it.

* A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't. A man marries a woman expecting she won't change, and she does.

* Hospitality is making your guests feel at home even though you wish they were!

* The best way to forget your troubles is to wear tight shoes.

* There are two times when a man doesn't understand a woman-before marriage and after marriage.

The War on Truth

2008-09-03T09:57:00.000-05:00

I have been reading a book by John MacArther called The Truth War and I have found that he is talking about something that has been on my heart a lot lately. The book is about exactly what the title states, the war over truth and how as Christians we are no winning. Here is something that really spoke to my heart:

" The evangelical movement itself must take some of the blame of devaluing the truth by catering to people's itching ears (2 Timothy 4:1-4). Does anyone really imagine that many of the entertainment-hungry churchgoers who pack megachurches would be willing to give their lives for the truth?As a matter of fact, many of them are unwilling to take a bold stand for the truth even among other Christians in an environment where there is no serious threat against them and the worst effect of such a stand might be that someone's feelings get hurt.

   Much of the visible church nowadays seems to think Christians are supposed to be at play rather than at war. The idea of actually fighting for doctrinal truth is the furthest thing from most churchgoers' thoughts. Contemporary Christians are determined to get the world to like them---and of course in the process they also want to have much fun as possible. They are obsessed with making the church seem "cool" to the unbelievers that they can't be bothered with questions about whether another person's doctrine is sound or not. In a climate like that, the thought of even identifying someone else's teaching as false (much less "contending earnestly" for faith) is a distasteful and dangerously contercultural suggestion. Christians have bought into the notion that almost nothing is more "uncool" in the world's eyes than when someone shows a sincere concern about the danger of heresy. After all, the world simply doesn't take spiritual truth that seriously, so they cannot fathom why anyone would.

    But Christians, of all people, ought to be most willing to live and die for the truth. Remember, we know the truth, and the truth has set us free (John 8:32). We should not be ashamed to say so boldly (Pslam 107:2). And if called upon to sacrifice for the truth's sake, we need to be willing and prepared to give our lives. Again, that is exactly what Jesus was speaking about when He called His disciples to take up a cross (Matthew 16:24). Cowardice and authentic faith are antithetical."

Lately, I have noticed that as Christians we have become to careful not to offend or step on toes but in doing so we are losing the full message of the gospel, we are losing the truth and even worse we are losing the theological background of what our Christian faith was originally based established on. Not only that but we are failing in sharing the full truth with unbelievers because of our fears but we have things so backwards. We feel that in order to reach unbelievers we need to go into their community and look like them to draw them to us. We feel in order to reach them we need to in essence becoming like them only putting a Christian label on ourselves. We feel we can't share the complete essence of who we are for fear the unbeliever will shut their eyes and ears to hear the messaged we have for them so we skirt around the message and we camouflage our faith until we feel they like us enough to listen. When did the ego start playing such a huge role in the life of the Christian, when did the Holy Spirit stop drawing people to the Lord despite our flaws as humans. I have news, it never was us that drew anyone to the Lord in the first place.

   Why are we so afraid to look different? Even more, to appear radical. Should we not be living out radical faith? Look at Jesus and His disciples, were they not different? Were they not radical? Should we not be that on fire for God? How will they ever see a difference in us if we look like them? Why would they want something that looks, sounds, and feels like what they already have? I just don't understand the fear of living out a life so set apart and call me traditional or legalistic but I don't understand the message in creating a church that caters to the community by looking just like them to draw them in. Is God not bigger than all that? Do we really have to make all these cosmetic changes to our churches and it's people? Is that not in essence making changes to our message?

I think I have more to write on this subject but I think I'll leave it here for now. Like I said this is just something that has really been weighing on my heart lately and I thought I'd blog on it a bit. Your thoughts are certainly welcome!

Walking in His Grace,
Delaina

Joy in the little things...

2008-08-25T21:12:00.000-05:00

"The trouble with life is that it is so daily. " - Luci Swindoll

This weekend I went to the Women of Faith conference and Luci Swidoll cracked us up with the above comment. It's so true though isn't it? If it's not one thing, it's another but she went on to say that we should not lose our joy in the little things in life. That it's all in the attitude we have as we face daily life. If we start our day of with a pessimistic negative attitude most likely that's how we'll finish our day. We'll find the day with little to be thankful for because we have missed the little blessings along the way. I don't know about you, but I need to see the joy in the little things in order to get through most days.

It was a great message and it was no coincidence that this as the last message at the conference Saturday afternoon...

I had a great weekend at the conference with my mom, grandma, and Natalie. It was such a great time of re-connecting and deepening our relationships with the Lord and with one another. Saturday evening after the conference the guys met us for dinner and then Aaron and I swung by my parent's house to pick up my car which I left there Friday morning. We hung around a little, finished off some of the Sprinkles cupcakes we treated ourselves to on Friday night and then we were on our way. As I drove home I turned up the music and praised the Lord thanking him for such a wonderful weekend and all that I had learned. I was pulling in the driveway so ready to fall into bed and just singing away as I noticed our bushes out front seemed unusually large and thought to myself "Wow! What happened? I don't think they were that big when I left!" it seemed in just a day that had started taking over our flowerbed. There was this one branch that caught my eye, it had sprouted up out of the bushes and it looked like the branch was trying to reach to heaven! Just as I turned back to look ahead as I pulled into the garage CRUNCH......"O no" I said to myself...I looked up and was in shock with what I saw, basically my car was hugging the garage entrace. Again I said to myself "O no!" this time with a bit more emphasis on the "NO" part. The only thing to do now was back out...SCRAPE...I can hear the scraping down my bumper as I back out. I sat there in shock and I really didn't want to get out and look at my car but I thought surely it can't be that bad. I get out and slowly walk to the front of the car...it was a sight and I wanted to cry but nothing came out. Aaron was a little farther behind me so he had not witnessed this embarrassing moment so I called him and as he answered I didn't even know what to tell him..."uh...I made a major boo boo"...

Aaron pulls in the driveway and I tell him what happened, he walks over to the front of the car and he too was a little shocked by the sight. We walked over to the house where my car got a little too friendly with my house and there was this little indention in the wood, it was nothing. Isn't that always how it is, the other guy always gets away with a scratch and you're left with the majority of the damage. Aaron wasn't mad, "it's just a car" he said, let me take this moment to say I have a pretty great husband. He's a gracious man :). Then I thought back to what Luci Swindoll said today and the conference which was entitled "Infinite Grace" and I thanked my hubby for his infinite grace :). Called my mom and told her what happened and found the joy in the little things, as I told her the story we were laughing so hard we were crying! Aaron is right, it is only a car and there is far more to be concerned with in life than that car.

So following this thrilling incident Aaron says, "I think the transmission is going out on the Saturn." Well it looks like we'll be getting a mini van sooner rather than later. Joy in the little things, right? So I get a mini van and Aaron gets his beloved Mazda back...a little more shall we say, "broken in". That will teach him to let the bushes grow wildly! ;)

It's a boy!

2008-07-21T10:24:00.000-05:00

When you hear those words you never realize just what they mean until about 18 months later! It amazes me how God created boys with a built in motor. The first time Elijah had a toy car in his hand he automatically made this motor noise as he drove it around on the floor. No one taught him that noise he just knew to do that. It amazed me! A few days ago I bought him this toy farm, I though it would be fun for him to play with and to get him imagination going. We this morning he wanted me to play with him, he had me set every farm animal inside the barn in it's place. I thought " o that's cute he wants them in their places"...two seconds later he sticks his hand inside the barn and starts yelling "whoa whoa" and he's throwing the animals around in the barn like an earthquake or something lol. The animals go flying out of the barn and he is loving it! I have a feeling these things are only just a taste of what is to come...yay? :)

I will not forget you...

2008-06-24T15:17:00.000-05:00

Thursday morning I was driving in my car and heard on KCBI that two men had been gunned down in front of a Christian recording studio in Garland. Instantly that caught my attention I wasn't prepared to hear what came next, they said the two men were Stephen Swan and Matthew Butler. My heart stopped, I couldn't believe what I had heard. Click here for the news story. Matt was an old friend of mine and he really had an impact on me. I met Matt at TNT which was the Collin County Community College BSM. I don't even remember how or why but we started leading worship together for TNT and we had great chemistry as musicians. I remember how I loved harmonizing with Matt because it was always right on. Matt introduced me to one of the most amazing worship bands, Waterdeep and they quickly became one of my favorites! We used to do the song " I will not forget you" and it was one of my favorites that we did. I was always amazed at how he could sing just like they did but he gave it his own uniqueness at the same time. Matt was very encouraging to me when we started, he always told me to sing out to the Lord and not worry about anything else when he could tell I was feeling self conscious. I think leading worship for TNT really gave me a big boost in my confidence and stirred within me more passion to go on to lead worship and perform in the years that followed.

When I knew Matt he was on his way to something awesome but struggling to get there. He was struggling with severe bi-polar and personal things that he was trying so hard to overcome. I knew he would overcome them if he let the Lord be in total and complete control of his life and I praise God that this came true in His life. Matt was in his words healed from his bi-polar and he was also used by God in ways he was most likely unaware, his heart for God was evident and He had a strong desire for others to have that same love for the Lord as he did.

When I first heard the news of Matt's brutal death I just kept asking "why", why would God allow this to happen to such a great example for his kingdom, someone who was a husband and a father of two little babies. I also couldn't believe how evil those people who shot him and Stephen were, how could they be so senseless? Yesterday at the funeral though I realized that God didn't need Matt on earth to use him, He is going to use Matt in huge ways regardless. This was no surprise to God and no accident, though it's hard to comprehend God's plans are being fulfilled here and now through this tragedy. It's amazing how the Lord orchestrates things too! Wednesday Matt seemed to be wrapping things up here on earth, he called his parents and expressed his appreciation and love for them, he spent quality time with his wife and babies, had a meeting with his pastor expressing his desire to be used to the fullest for the glory of God and his desire to contribute everything he could to God's work. Also the very last song Matt and Stephen recorded in their studio that night before they were killed was a song called "We die before our time"...crazy. God is so cool.

The Lord has also spoke to me about those two men and what they did. Their crime was horrendous yes, they should be punished yes but in times like this we quickly forget that the same Jesus that died for our sins died for the sins of people like the two men who killed Matt and Stephen. It's hard to grasp but it is true. It's also true that as Christians in order to be like Christ we must forgive like Christ and love like Christ, I'm not sure at this very moment I can say that I can do that but I am praying that I with the Lord's help I will be able to do so. I really want that to be a truth in my life.

Please pray for the Butler and the Swan family as they work through this time of sorrow and grief.

It is awesome to me how this is the song that I remember Matt by and it is so fitting for his life and death now. I can just see him dancing, singing, and praising the Lord with this song:

Many men will drink the rain
And turn to thank the clouds
Many men will hear You speak
But they will never turn around

I will not forget You are my God, my King
And with a thankful heart I bring my offering
And my sacrifice is not what You can give
But what I alone can give to you

A grateful heart I give, A thankful prayer I pray,
A wild dance I dance before you
A loud song I sing, A huge bell I ring,
A life of praise I live before You

Many men will pour their gold
And serve a thing that shines
Many men will read your words
But they will never change their minds

I will not forget You are my God, my King
And with a thankful heart I bring my offering
And my sacrifice is not what You can give
But what I alone can give to you

A grateful heart I give, A thankful prayer I pray,
A wild dance I dance before you
A loud song I sing, A huge bell I ring,
A life of praise I live before You

-Waterdeep

Unquestioned Revelation

2008-05-28T08:47:00.000-05:00

"And in that day ye shall ask Me nothing." John 16:23

When is "that day"? When the Ascended Lord makes you one with the Father. In that day you will be one with the Father as Jesus is, and "in that day," Jesus says, "ye shall ask Me nothing." Until the resurrection life of Jesus is manifested in you, you want to ask this and that; then after a while you find all questions gone, you do not seem to have any left to ask. You have come to the place of entire reliance on the resurrection life of Jesus which brings you into perfect contact with the purpose of God. Are you living that life now? If not, why shouldn't you?

There may be any number of things dark to your understanding, but they do not come in between your heart and God. "And in that day ye shall ask Me no question" - you do not need to, you are so certain that God will bring things out in accordance with His will. John 14:1 has become the real state of your heart, and there are no more questions to be asked. If anything is a mystery to you and it is coming in between you and God, never look for the explanation in your intellect, look for it in your disposition, it is that which is wrong. When once your disposition is willing to submit to the life of Jesus, the understanding will be perfectly clear, and you will get to the place where there is no distance between the Father and His child because the Lord has made you one, and "in that day ye shall ask Me no question." - Oswald Chambers (My Utmost for His Highest)

Rest

2008-05-12T10:24:00.000-05:00

Today I have absolutely nothing to do and I am SO glad! With my great grandfather's death life for the last 3 or 4 weeks has been total chaos which has left me totally wiped and I'm finally getting back on track now. I am planning a blog on all that because God did some amazing things during this time, so check back for more on that!

Today will be a great day of drinking tea, playing with Elijah, and I may even paint, read a book, and take some pictures today!

Have a blessed day doing whatever you do today!

Gratefully Alive

2008-04-16T14:11:00.001-05:00

Last Friday morning I woke up to a beautiful spring day! It was sunny and warm so as I usually do on days like this I went and began opening all the blinds
letting the warm sunshine come in. I noticed the man next door was out mowing his lawn and I thought how I can't believe it's this time of year already, time has flown. It was just one of those
days, I felt so grateful to be alive!

Later that day my son and I went for a walk in the sunshine and while we were walking a little ladybug landed in his hair. I bent down to show him but as usual he was too busy enjoying walking on the soft green grass to notice that small wonder of God's creation. It was a precious time though and I was so grateful to be alive.

That evening after dinner Aaron and I noticed something was going on at the neighbor's house, an ambulance had pulled up and the paramedics were went into the neighbor's house. We noticed no one was in a rush but there was a woman sitting in a chair on their porch crying. She had two little girls with her who were obviously told to stay in their car.
The longer they seemed to hover around the house in no hurry we began to realize what had happened. The daughter of the man next door, the same man mowing his lawn that morning had found him dead in his home. What a tragedy, we felt so sorry for the family we offered our
help and our sympathy but what do you say in a time like that? Words are so precious in a time like that. To think he out mowing his lawn just hours before with no idea that today was his day. It's such a hard thing to understand, such a hard thing to imagine.

That night we went to bed and prayed for this man's family and all they were going through. I felt a little uneasy thinking about how our days are numbered, how it says in James
"Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. " So I decided to get in God's word and the Lord reminded me how alive we are in Christ. Then He brought back a verse he has been using in my life a lot lately, Acts 1:8 "but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." He reminded me that this is why He has given me life, this is my purpose here to fulfill and beyond that I have eternal life with him. Life eternally, what a peace that should give us. This life here is just a blink of an eye compared to the life we will spend with him. At the same time though, like it says in Acts 1, we need to fulfill our purpose while we are living this life here. Sharing the love of Christ with those in my world, knowing I can do that, now THAT makes me grateful to be alive!

15 Months and Counting...

2008-04-11T10:22:00.001-05:00

It's been 15 months since I became a mommy...well about 24 if you count the time he was in the oven. Never in my life have I experienced something so life altering. I'm loving every moment of it and I love the woman I'm becoming through it. God has taught me so much in these last 15 months of motherhood, he taught me so much about myself and even more about Him. I now view the Christian walk in a way I never viewed it before and I see God the father in a way I never have before. I started this blog because I love blogging and I would love to share these things with you and even the ordinary everyday things that bless me, baffle me, make me laugh, and maybe even irritate me a little. So keep checkin in for updates and please leave me comments too!