Made to Crave

(found here on Amazon)

I recently started a Bible study with a small group of girls from our church.  I just love who is in this study.  They are funny, kind, and Godly women who are not afraid of pouring their hearts out.  I was so encouraged after our first study that I can't wait to go back!  Plus, I think every woman needs a night out once in a while to just have fellowship.  It is so refreshing to know that we all struggle with similar things and encourage each other to keep working towards the finish line!

We are currently doing the study Made to Crave.  It was written by Lysa TerKeurst, who is the president of Proverbs 31 Ministry.  It is basically about how we meet our emotional needs with food instead of filling our lives with God.   God has already found many ways to convict me through reading this and studying what He has to say in the Word.  I highly recommend you pick this book up!

1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God!

Better late then never!

***Please ignore how late this post is...Someone took my camera at church, and finally returned it two weeks later when they figured out it wasn't theirs. I was so upset when it was gone, but it taught me to download my pictures, and that I should blog for more memories! Plus, Mike bought me that camera for Mother's Day two years ago with his own giftcard money, so it has sentimental value.***


We had a wonderful time celebrating Easter this year. The Good Friday services at our church were beautifully done, and I was given the privilege of singing with several people who are very talented and a joy to be around.

Easter was the debut of our new sanctuary design. Dan, our worship pastor, worked very hard to get it all done in time. Mike put in several long nights of work (along with Asher a few times!). I think it turned out beautifully. Don't you? The lights change with each background, and there are 3 screens now. I was joking that I should start matching my outfit to whatever lights were going to be used.

Here it is on Easter morning...LOVE the colors!

Another shot...

Asher was finally old enough this past year to sing with all the kids on stage. They range in age from 3-5th grade. He LOVES to sing, but for some reason never really sings when he is up front. He will do it perfectly before and after, but only sings a little on stage. Our Christmas singing was lacking, to say the least, so I took it upon myself to make sure that he new those songs PERFECTLY for Easter. They have a great message, and I'm glad that he's learning worship songs. He did okay this year. Happi and I laugh because all the children of the worship team are the ones normally getting in trouble or not singing! Caden (her little boy) and Asher always give us a run for our money! They are so stinkin' cute.

Here are our two stinkers Caden and Asher....so adorable!
(Ash is obviously an aspiring model in this picture!)


Finally singing (kind of!). At least they look cute!

I don't have any pictures of Avery at Easter due to my camera mishap. I was so disappointed! I decided that I am going to redress her up so I can have a cute picture of her in her Easter dress and frilly headband...these are what they at least looked like!

Avery's dress was from Gap and had a little off-white sweater to go with it. She's not really a "girly-girl" so it worked well since it isn't all frilly and lacey. I love dressing little girls!

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter! He is risen!

Hillsong Part II

I know this might seem obsessive (and I certainly do not have an obsessive personality. ha!)...another Hillsong post, but my husband just sent me this picture of it from his i-phone. (I left mine in the car, so no pictures here!).

Hillsong

Mike and I love worship music, and our favorite group by far is Hillsong. I was sceptical of the whole worship music scene a while back...I thought it was cheesy and I definitely did not listen to any of it. A few years ago, Mike challenged me to listen to a Hillsong CD. He was always playing it, so I decided to appease him and just listen. Once. Well, twice. An hour.

We love their music. It is always on playing at our house or we have the DVDs playing while we do housework. Ash and Ave can both sing almost every single song (including the guitar riffs and drum parts...scary, I know). I love hearing my kids praising the Lord in their carseats in the back. So cute! It blesses this mommy's heart.

So when we heard they were touring the USA in April, we jumped on the bandwagon to buy tickets. We ended up going to the soldout concert at Sears Center with some friends. We (my husband..) were the crazies who bought general admission tickets. Decoded that means "Standing room only...really close to the stage...so loud your ears bleed, your entire body feels the bass drum (including the credit cards in your pocket)...and you are in a mass of people praising the Lord (and not all singing on key)."

It was an awesome experience to be worshipping for 3 hours straight with thousands of strangers. We were so close to the stage, the is was just like being a church...with really cool lights, amazing sound, and thousands of people. Okay, so it wasn't like church, but it was so neat. If you don't have their CDs, check them out. Their newest is Faith+Hope+Love.

And before my husbands bashes me...yes, there is Hillsong and Hillsong United. Both equally fabulous. :)

New Study

School has started, which means two things: I'm busy and exhausted. So I am needing a kick in the seat of my pants lately to really dig into God's Word and put it into practice. Getting back into the school year routine is always exciting, but the excitement wore off quickly this year. I think it is because I wasn't really able to be home with my kids this summer, so the few weeks I had went by VERY quickly. I am so thankful for the sitter that God has provided for us and Asher's preschool though, which made the transition easier. However, time is precious and oh so limited. I will be the first to admit that when I am tired, my priorities are not always right. Needless to say, I have been slacking in the Bible studying depart for a few weeks. So when I found out there is a Bible study meeting at church on the night that Ash has Awana, I jumped at the opportunity to not only study but also meet women in my church.

This semester we are doing the study Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed: A Study of David by Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur. I have always found David so interesting, and I'm looking forward to digging deeper into and learning about his life. Plus, nothing beats a study by these three women! I am also hoping that having accountability will get me going. So, if you see me, ask me about it...or come and join if you're free on Monday nights!

Change

So we are redoing our house. Not in the sense of ripping things out and putting in new, but we are definitely painting, rearranging and freecycling. We have had a light blue kitchen and gray-blue living room for the past two years. I love the color, but it was time for a change. We are going with a rust color with some lighter tan tones, which I am hoping look good. We'll see...it's a change for sure.

I have a hard time with change. I am a very scheduled and routine oriented person. I often hear my husband or fellow teachers telling me to just relax...right. I like when people are dependable and do what is expected of them. I need to map things out and write to do lists. Is that odd? Honestly, who doesn't thrive in marking off a to do list. But really, the fun is making one!

Maybe my fear of change is the unknown. Not knowing if the new with fit with the old. Not finding a place to fit in. I think one of the hardest changes to make is in churches. Finding a new church can be so difficult. Busting in to the circles at church can be exhausting. I know that it shouldn't be like grade school, but many times I feel like it is. We are comfortable with the people around us, not wanting to change the groups that we run with. Mike and I have been at our church almost four years now. We love our church, the people, the ministries. But in many ways, I feel as if I am still busting into the circles and trying to find somewhere to belong. I've been frustrated lately and trying to know where I fit in. Maybe I just need change. I need to reach out of my comfort zone and change my surrounding. I can't always depend on others to reach out or take the first step. Thankfully, God is in control of the unknown. He is in control of the changes. Luckily, I am not.

Day Brighteners

So I've been in this weird funk lately. I know that everyone has them, but I usually don't, which makes it frustrating. Do you ever feel like a failure? I think part of my problem is that I feel as if I am never good enough, never quick enough, never on top of things. As long as I can remember, someone has always out done me in something. I am a people pleaser and hate knowing that I always come in second. People tell me I fail my children by working, but I fail my financial responsibilities by not. I fail at my talents by not taking the time I need to cultivate them to be the best I can be. I fail my duties at home by not constantly keeping up with my house. I fail myself by lacking discipline. I am always good, but never the best. I fail often.

It is frustrating to always strive to be perfect in the things you do, especially when we are only human and cannot attain perfection. I am thankful through it all that I do not have to the best in God's eyes. I can fail. But am I honoring Him by not being the best, or are the things that I thought I was good at not my true talent? I do know this: I will strive to be the best that I can in the situation I am in to glorify Him. I will be thankful for the day brighteners he has given me each day through my children. My children may not be the best at everything but they are mine and are precious to me. They are may day brighteners...and a reason I have not failed.

Thankful Mommy

Some days while at work, I take the time during lunch to eat at my desk and catch up on some of the many blogs I love to read. I decided I would look at Bring The Rain (look on the side, I don't know how to link yet!) and saw that October 15th is a day to remember all the babies that have been lost whether to miscarriage or any other reason. I decided I would start to read through the many (over a 1000) comments left by women, and it struck me. I am amazingly blessed. Granted, it is something I have always known...I have only had two pregnancies and both babies are here for us to love...I have never once planned a pregnancy and had problems getting pregnant (I've never even planned a pregnancy now that I think about it). Sure, they are not at the time that I would have thought was ideal, but we were blessed with them. I am so very grateful that I have not had to personally experience the loss of my child. For all those that have, I will pray for you today and even after. You are all much stronger then I could ever be. For all of us mothers or fathers, I hope that we will love the children we have to pieces and raise them to be thankful for the breath that God has given them.

Check out this website for more info: www.October15th.com

"How can I keep from singing His praise..."

All throughout the last two days at work this song has been in my head without stop. I had the opportunity of participating some amazing worship this weekend that really revived me. It started with church on worship team, went to participating in the first choir potluck, and ended with going to Encounter. For those of you who don't know, Encounter is a "rocked-out" worship concert that uses people from area churches to put it on. Mike played in it last time and had such a blast...and I had fun being the wife of the cute piano player in the band. I love leading worship, but I don't feel like I get to sit and worship as often I would love. I walked into the auditorium and had a wonderful time praising God for everything He is and does. I was loving every second of it. How can I keep from singing His praise? I hope that all of you have the chance to worship and sing to God sometime soon...it is an amazing experience.