God Wants Me to Do Hard Things

I know that this is a little long, but it was really helpful to me so I'm passing it along. Below is an excerpt from Alex & Brett Harris over at the Rebellution."All of God’s commands in Scripture are hard. Of course, our tendency is to just say that God’s commands aren’t “easy” or that it’s only by His grace that we can obey any of them — and both of those statements are 100 percent true — but why can’t we ever come out and say that God’s commands are hard? Everything God commands is hard. Repenting is hard. Forgiving is hard. Turning the other cheek is hard. Overcoming sin in our lives is hard. Honoring our parents is hard. Sharing the gospel is hard. Reading our Bibles is hard. We could...

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Sweet Baby Boy

In My Arms (by Plumb)Your baby bluesSo full of wonderYour curly cuesYour contagious smileAnd as I watchYou start to grow upAll I can doIs hold you tightKnowing...Clouds will rage andStorms will race inBut you will be safeIn my armsRains will pour downWaves will crash aroundBut you will be safeIn my armsStorybooksAre full of fairytalesOf Kings and QueensAnd the bluest skiesBut my heart is tornJust in knowingYou'll someday seeThe truth from liesWhen the...Castles they might crumbleDreams may not come trueBut you are never all aloneCause I will alwaysAlways love ...

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Always in Need of Grace

There is nothing like getting less than two hours of consecutive sleep a night to make you see your need for grace up close and personal. Hi. My name is Katie and I am a sinner. I have this knack (otherwise known as the "sinful nature") to think that overall I am a pretty good person who reacts much better to challenging situations than your average Joe. After all, I'm a Christian! (And a prideful one at that.) But the truth is, when I'm trying my best to be a "good girl" all of my deeds leave me flat on my face, especially when the circumstances/heat around me get a bit rough.Over the past week I have gotten impatient with my parents who are pouring out their own lives to serve us as we...

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Tali & Bear

Tali and BearTali loves bears. She is constantly putting her hand to her ear (her sign for "I hear something!") and when we say, "What did you hear," she smiles and growls. She does this off and on all day long. It's very sweet, especially considering that we live in Illinois where the only bears we'll be seeing are in the zoo.Last Christmas, my brother, Jason, sent Tali this big stuffed bear. As you can imagine, she loves this bear and always wants to walk upstairs to her bedroom to see it. She will hug it, lay on it like a pillow, and "read" it books. A couple of days ago, my parents and Josh & I were in our room with Owen and Tali decided to do something new with the bear. It was hilarious!...

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More Pics of Owen

Just wanted to share a couple more shots of Owen for you. He's a cutie!Also, I just wanted to thank you for your prayers. Last week I kept asking the Lord to surprise me in regards to the baby's birth. I was trying so hard to trust Him with the impending induction and with wanting so badly to go into labor on my own. God granted me much peace and trust in Him in the waiting. Then, on Monday evening, I went from eating a yummy dinner to suddenly wondering if I was sick, to quickly needing to rush to the hospital with contractions that were about 2-3 minutes apart. God did, indeed, surprise us! My labor was only 4 hours long and so sweet (minus the pain, of course!). With Tali, the induction took...

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He's Here!

Monday evening at 9:06pm our sweet baby boy, Joshua Owen (we're calling him "Owen"), was born! We are loving time with him and so grateful to God for the gift of this child. Hopefully a longer update to come. Thank you so much for the praye...

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Updated Prayer Requests

Thank you so much for praying! The Lord does hear and it is a joy and humbling privilege to come to His throne of grace. Just wanted to update you on the prayer requests:1) Baby James Snowden is in need of continued prayer. He was taken by ambulance last night because of low heart rate and what they think are slight seizures where he "blanks out." He is scheduled for surgery Monday morning to have his g-tube back in as it is essential that he gets the proper nutrients to thrive. Please, please, please pray for James and Jimmy & Kristal (his parents). My friends have earnestly sought to trust the Lord and are examples of how the Gospel really does transform lives such that you can have...

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Coming to the End of Ourselves

I loved the awesome commentary that I was reading on Esther & Ruth, but alas, it's over. For this last little stretch before Joshua Owen or Connor David is born, my hubby suggested that I spend some time in Philippians. I have always loved the book of Philippians. The way that Paul is so centrally focused on the cross is always a compelling and refreshing reminder for me to do the same. Along with reading in God's Word, I've been using D.A. Carson's "Basics for Believers," a very helpful and applicable-to-life commentary of Philippians.Check out this quote that I read yesterday concerning the incredible passage in Philippians 2 where we are shown the ultimate example of sacrifice and love:"To...

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Some Prayer Requests

As a dear friend reminded me today, God loves to answer our prayers and gets much glory as we thank Him for His answers. So...I wanted to pass along a couple of requests that you might share in rejoicing with me at however the Lord chooses to answer.1) For little James, the baby of my friends, who has been struggling to live from the day he was born eight months ago. Pray especially that the Lord would help him to eat and that God would give sustaining grace to his parents as they care for him.2) For Tali's health. After just ending her meds from the sinus infection she had, she now has something else. I think it's a stomach thing because she won't really eat or drink, is having some nasty...

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In Love at Christmas

After a very busy weekend, my husband blessed me with a special Christmastime date-day! Yesterday morning, we awoke to a world covered in a beautiful "blanket of white." Soon, we turned on the Bing Crosby and headed out into the snowy morning to see our friend, John, in "A Christmas Carol." The theater (Drury Lane) was all decked out for the holidays and filled with chattering children who were bursting to be on a field trip. The show was outstanding and especially fun because the kids were gasping and laughing out loud throughout (much unlike an occasional clap when adults are the only audience!). It was such a joy to just sit in a beautiful theater, soaking in the performance while holding...

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38 Weeks and Counting

As of Sunday, I am now 38 weeks pregnant and anxiously awaiting the arrival of the little guy (aka: Joshua Owen, or Connor). I feel so good that it's hard to believe that soon we'll have another little baby here. Last year with Tali, I felt wretched so all I could think about was the upcoming birth, looking forward to seeing the fruit of all the aches and pains. This time, it all seems surreal and I can even forget that a big thing is about to occur. A part of feeling so good has been thinking that I can do whatever I want rather than resting. This has led to packing my schedule tighter than might be helpful. I was thinking this morning that if others looked in and saw all that we've had...

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Taming the Tongue

I generally don't think of myself as a gossiper. Who does? But several weeks ago, my husband was confessing a specific incident where he thought he had painted someone in a bad light by a comment that he made about them. He shared that he thought that this was gossip and that he needed to follow up with appropriate individuals out of repentance, and be more careful only to speak words that build up. Mind you, I didn't even think that the incident he was referring to was gossip; it seemed to me that he was only re-telling about something that happened. The Lord convicted me though, that gossip is just what Josh had said-something that has the potential to "paint someone in a bad light."...

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Quick Life Update

This is probably not the best time to blog given that I've got water on the stove attempting to boil, a daughter who is nearing the stairs, and only a couple of minutes to spare. But I haven't updated in forever and I figure that if I don't update more regularly no one will read so....Really quickly:*Thank you for your prayers for my retreat! The Lord met me and I was refreshed in my soul as well as encouraged for this next season.*Thank you for your prayers for Tali. We found out that she has a sinus infection & she is not feeling well but is hopefully on the road to recovery.* I am storing up about a million posts in my head and I hope that at some point soon I'll have time to type them...

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Retreat Day!

Today I am off for a much anticipated retreat. I would love your prayers for the following:1) That I would have fresh affection for the Savior and His work on the cross for me.2) That I would be filled with wisdom from the Lord to evaluate the specific priorities of my devotional life, my marriage, parenting, and managing the home.3) That God would show me practical ways to pursue growth in each of the above areas, particularly as it pertains to this next season with a new baby.4) For energy & focus, as I am lacking in both these days!5) For Tali: she's got a horrible cold that may be turning into something worse.6) For the Trainor family: they all have a terrible stomach flu. (Yuck.)Thank...

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Brush Those Teeth!

Tali signing "toothbrush."Isn't she just so stinkin' cute???p.s.-She hasn't had any tremors in the past 2 days so I ended up canceling her appointment. I think it's pretty likely that they are just big "shivers" from her getting cold. She has really horrible circulation (she wears 2 long sleeve onesies and a sweater most days but her hands and cheeks are still icy). Anyway, thank you for your prayers. We are gratef...

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One Year Stats

Miss Talitha showing off her new gloves & hat (that Mommy accidentally put on backwards!) We took Little Missy in on Monday for her one year check up. She is a healthy, growing girl and aside from screaming and crying all throughout the visit, things went well. :) Below are some things that we learned about her current stats and other fun Tali facts.Weight: just under 22 lbs (a little above 50th percentile)Height: 29 inches (we think...we forgot to write it down)Words: Ma Ma, Da Da, MahMa (Grandma), Bay-buh (baby), aye (hi), bye, wawa (water), bah (bottle), baa (bath), buh (brother), Puh (Pops), mayyy (mail)Signs: Daddy, Mommy, Grandma, Grandpa, Baby, ball, eat, more, please, thank...

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The Lord Establishes Our Steps

"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." Proverbs 16:9Well, a slight change of plans. Lord willing, I will be taking the retreat at some point before the baby is born but today is not the day. I am content in knowing that we can plan all that we want but ultimately it is the Lord who establishes our steps. When it's re-scheduled I'll be sure to ask for prayer again.p.s.-So far Tali hasn't had any tremors in her chin. Thank you for the praye...

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Prayer Requests

Tomorrow I'm taking a personal retreat to spend time being refreshed in God's Word and to evaluate the different priorities that God has given me for this season of my life & the season when the baby is here. I would love your prayers! Would you pray for the following:1) That I would have fresh affection for the Savior and His work on the cross for me.2) That I would be filled with wisdom from the Lord to evaluate the specific priorities of my devotional life, my marriage, parenting, and managing the home.3) That God would show me practical ways to pursue that growth in each of the areas I'm seeking to evaluate.Thank you so much! Also, on another note, I would love prayers for Tali....

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Worshiping Him Alone

We talk a lot around Sovereign Grace Ministries about loving the Gospel (Christ's dying work on the cross on our behalf) above all else. We want to bow our hearts to Jesus alone. As David Powlison puts it (and this is a paraphrase), we all worshipers and we all worship something. If we're not worshiping Jesus, then what are we actively worshiping? What is ruling our hearts, what are we bowing down to at any given moment in the day? If we're not bowing to Jesus, then we're worshiping an idol, a false god that will not satisfy.My idol of choice tends to be love of ease. I want things to be easy. I want life to be a resort. Essentially, I want every day to be like my beautiful honeymoon...

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Thank you, Pops & Grammy!

Dear Pops & Grammy, I love the pretty birthday flowers that you sent me. I am having so much fun sniffing at them and playing with them. They are so bright and beautiful. Thank you for loving me and blessing me on my birthday! Love, T...

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He Is Always At Work

Once the baby is born, my time in God's Word will be shortened for a while and I want to seize the opportunity that I have now to dig a little deeper into scripture. This morning, I was debating what to start studying and the Lord brought to my mind a great resource that I was given on Esther. I am always struggling to trust that God's sovereign plan is actually a good one (especially when what He's doing doesn't make sense to me or I can't see His hand at work) so I know that the book of Esther will be instructive for me.Today, I read the following in Iain Duguid's commentary on Esther & Ruth:"...we may well have no idea what God is doing. He may seem hidden and remote, refusing to answer...

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Happy Birthday, Tali!

Enjoying her first sugar rush everYesterday was our sweet girl's first birthday. It is hard to describe the varied emotions and range of thoughts that Josh & I experienced as we celebrated our daughter turning one. There has just been so many changes in her over the course of year! The time has gone so quickly and each month has been filled with more fun and more gratitude towards God for the gift of our baby girl. We never deserve any of God's blessings but I feel even more undeserving when I consider the blessing of Tali. She is just such a gift to us! When I look at her, I am reminded of God's undeserved kindness on our lives. Not only did God choose to save us from His wrath by...

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Little Pumpkin

A couple of Mondays ago, Josh & I took Tali to a very small (and I mean small!) pumpkin patch. She adores anything that she can stand up against so she loved the pumpkins. She especially enjoyed trying to eat the small gourds. :) Unfortunately, it started to rain not long after we arrived, but we were able to snap some pretty cute pictures before that happened (but no pics of the gourd eating).Have a wonderful weeke...

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What is God's Greatest Good?

"It is difficult for us to see God's hand of love in the adversities and heartaches of life because we persist in thinking, as the world does, that happiness is the greatest good. Thus we tend to evaluate all our circumstances in terms of whether or not they produce happiness. Holiness, however, is a greater good than happiness, so God arranges and orchestrates circumstances to produce holiness before happiness. He is more concerned about our eternal than our temporal welfare and more concerned about our spiritual than our material welfare. So all the trials and difficulties, all the heartaches, disappointments, and humiliations come from His loving hand to make us partakers of His holiness."...

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Suffering When Tempted

"Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." Hebrews 2:17,18I read these verses earlier this week in my quiet time/devotions. They are obviously jam-packed with meaning on a number of levels. Probably the most important thing in them is the reminder that Jesus Christ came as a propitiation for our sins, taking on the wrath of God that we deserved that we might know peace with God. That is reason to stop and worship! But this week, what God...

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The Pretender

One of my favorite things about this month has been Tali's newfound love for pretending. After she finishes her bottle, she promptly puts it by her baby's mouth and lets her have a sip. When she's eating her lunch, she'll periodically stop to turn around and give the bear on her high chair a bite of her food. It is so much fun to watch her play!Giving the bear a CheerioSharing her sippy cup with BabyThis one has nothing to do with pretending, but isn't it just plain cut...

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Ma Ma Ma

Tali has decide to start speaking with her voice and not just her hands. While the sign language is definitely fun, this is even better. However, it is a bit challenging when the little dear is supposed to be in her crib sleeping and instead I hear her belting out "Ma Ma Ma Ma" at the top of her lungs! My heart says, "She's calling for me with an actual name" and wants to go pick her up. But, my tired body and my head says, "That girl needs her rest and so do you." So I'm off to the couch to pray that she falls asleep soon and stops calling me with that sweet little voice of hers. We both need a little rest time.UPDATE later in the afternoon: it took her over an hour to fall asleep. This girl...

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Personal What?

My hubby is off on a "personal" retreat for the next couple of days. (By "personal" I don't mean that he's going to go take naps and watch the World Series...although I'm sure that would be fun for him! It's just called a "personal retreat" because he will be alone and his agenda will be one that is aiming to refresh himself spiritually & to study.) I'm so grateful that he truly wants to watch his "life and doctrine closely" and so is willing to take a couple of days out of the normal routine to go and pray, study, and evaluate his own soul and ministry. He said that he had heard from another pastor that it can be tempting at times to think of a personal retreat as selfish but that, in...

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Easy Baked Potato Soup

These days, I am feeling so tired that I don't even care what a meal tastes like; I just want it to be easy to fix. When I found this recipe in "The Joy of Hospitality" it definitely fit my qualifications for easy: ingredients that I actually have on hand, little chopping, short prep & short cooking time. What I didn't expect was that it would be so good!Baked Potato Soup (serves 4-5)2 large baking potatoes 1/4 tsp pepper1/4 tsp salt1/3 cup butter 3 T. thinly sliced green onion 4 cups milk3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese1/3 cup flour ...

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The Greatest Good

The Lord has been working on my heart lately in the area of living for God's glory and not for what I want. I'm fairly convinced that this is the long-standing lesson that He is trying to teach me each and every day. In one particular life circumstance that is not at all what I would choose, Josh has been encouraging me to think about how God might want to bring good out of it. To be honest, I have had a really hard time thinking of anything. I mustered up a couple of thoughts but all that I could see from my vantage point was one bad thing after another.As I mentioned this to some friends yesterday and asked for their input, the Lord gave me great help. I shared, "Really, the only thing remotely...

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We Love Mondays!

(Here is Tali, enjoying the beautiful fall weather. Sorry-we failed to get any pics of her with dirt in her mouth. Probably because I was too busy frantically digging it out of her cheeks...)While most people in the world eagerly await Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as "the weekend," at the Fenska's, we can't wait for Mondays. Monday=Daddy's day off=Mommy's morning out=working on projects=special family time. We love Mondays!Josh has been doing a fabulous job of planning for our special day as a family, thinking of fun things that both a seven month pregnant wife and an 11 month daughter will enjoy. As I've said before, he's the best! This Monday we went to one of our favorite spots by the river...

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The Gift of Family

Comparing "baby bellies" with my cousin, CarrieGod is able to do amazing things in any and every family. I am particularly aware of that today as I reflect on the grace of God that I see at work in my cousins that I had the blessing of seeing a couple weekends ago. My Grandma, Aunt Patti, Tara & her girls, Meg, and Carrie all came for a visit. It was a blast to be with them and encouraging as well.When God saved me from my sins back in eighth grade, it was not very common at that time for many in our family to talk about the Lord or what He was teaching them or what was going on at their church. There weren't comments like, "I've been praying for..." or "I know that God can..." Don't...

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11 Month Update

Our little sweet girl is now an eleven month old. It's hard to believe that she's almost been in this world for an entire year. Time really does fly when you're having fun! We are so grateful to God for the gift of Tali.Here are some Tali facts for those of you who don't get the pleasure of playing with her each day like we do. :)Favorite Foods: anything Daddy & Mommy are eating, if it comes off of their plateClothing Size: 12 months on most things but is starting to fit some 18 months for pantsHair: Curly when wet or in humid weather, straight when dryEye Color: Yet to be determinedFavorite Books: Anything new or anything with flapsNaps: 2 a day for about an hour or 1.5 hours eachFavorite...

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Reflecting His Image Each Day

As a church, we're going through the book of Genesis right now. It has been a rich series and a refreshing look at this first book of the Bible. Today, my husband preached an excellent message on Genesis 1:27:"So God created man in his own image,in the image of God he created him;male and female he created them."Josh's main point was that being created in God's image should shape the way that we view and live our lives. One aspect of being a created being is that I have a Creator. (Seems obvious, but it's important!) This should shape the way that I view myself. I am not the center of the universe and I am not God. I was created. The wonder of this miracle of creation should lead me to stand...

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Standing Up

It's official. Tali no longer enjoys merely sitting on the floor, happily reading her books. Now, in order for any "fun" to be had in her life, she thinks she needs to be standing. And so, with wobbly little legs, she pulls up. Here are some shots of her latest milestone. Oh, and one picture of her enjoying her newest trick: climbing up the stai...

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Home Again

Enjoying a walk after our yummy dinner at "Fried Green Tomatoes"Re-visiting the Arboretum where we got engagedWhere we were blessed to stay: Pine Hollow Inn, GalenaThe Lord was so kind to richly bless our time away. Josh and I felt overwhelmed by how truly good the time was; it even exceeded our expectations. We drank-in the beauty of our bed&breakfast out in the woods, ate some yummy food, played Dutch Blitz and Speed Scrabble, revisited the arboretum where we got engaged, had wonderful fellowship, talked about goals for our marriage, worked on generating some names for baby boy, checked out quaint little shops, got soaked in a downpour, and enjoyed just being in love. God was so kind to...

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And We're Off!!!

We're packing the car (or more accurately, Josh is) and about to take off for our little get-away! After fighting colds all week, it seems like the two of us are healthy and Tali's just a bit under the weather. Hopefully, she continues towards 100%.I'll post some pics when we return from Galena. We'd love prayers that the Lord would richly bless our time, drawing us closer together and that Tali would be happy with Grandpa Red and Grandma Billye. Than...

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Trusting His Promises

Josh & I have been been reading through Genesis in our quiet times/devotions. I am so grateful that God is giving me fresh eyes to look at this book anew and to benefit from it. In particular, I have been struck by how faithful God is to keep His promises.Today I read Genesis 21, where God grants Abraham & Sarah their promised child, Isaac. Verse 1 stuck out to me: "The LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as He had promised." Much earlier, (Genesis 15) the Lord had promised Abraham that his seed would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens. When Abraham was a whopping ninety-nine years old, God reiterated the promise to him, but it had not yet been fulfilled....

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Flowers

Our girl loves flowers. And so, over and over again throughout the day we see and hear her going "sniff, sniff" ("flower" in sign language). It's hilarious and very sweet. Tonight, we had a friend come over and after waving to him, she quickly pointed at the flowers on the counter and went "sniff, sniff." It's very important to Tali that everyone who enters our house sees the flowers and loves them as much as she does.I want to appreciate the beauty of what God has made like my daughter. There is not a day that goes by that Tali does not beg to go outside (aka: point outside, sniff-sniff, then whine a bit) and look at the flowers. They absolutely captivate her. How many times do we simply become...

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Winning My Heart, One Potato at a Time

My husband most definitely knows how to bless me and make me fall in love with him all over again. What did he do this time? He not only went to the grocery store for me in search of things like "exactly two pounds of potatoes" and "ten ounces of pearl onions" and brought home each and every item on the list, he then helped me slice and chop it all. And he did it with joy, despite the fact that he is possibly even more tired than I am right now.It made me think about how often I take for granted that God has blessed me with the best husband in the world and how much I lack the servant-mindset of Christ. Josh actually enjoys serving me; it's not a chore for him. I, on the other hand, can adopt...

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We Love This Season!

Cool nights, hot tea, and cute jean jackets. Around our house, fall is a time to be celebrated! Tali loves to play outside and isn't quite sure what she thinks of this change in temperature, but she loves her jean jacket and that seems to help quite a bit. A couple days ago she scooted over to the spot where her clothes are stored and she pulled out this jacket. She quickly brought it over to me, pointed at the jacket, and started babbling. I said, "Do you want Mommy to put your pretty jacket on you?" She nodded and I put it on her. Then she proceeded to proudly touch it and point to various spots on the jacket, grinning from ear-to-ear and babbling away.Thank you, Andrea & Aaron for...

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Find Mommy

I didn't expect to love each and every month of motherhood a little more than the last, but so far that's the case. Having a 10 month old is the best! Each day Tali does something new. I love getting up in the morning and anticipating what new and fun things she will bring to my day.This week the new thing for her has been the "Find Mommy" game. I run (as much as a six month pregnant woman can) into a room and start calling, "Where's your mommy? Can you find Mommy?" And pretty soon I hear the clomp of my little scooter giggling and going as fast as she can towards my voice until at last she finds me. She starts waving her arms and grins ear-to-ear with pride. It is so much fun to play with her.I...

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Beginnings

Even though I'm no longer officially a "student," something inside me gets really excited about the start of a new school year. I'm not a teacher, I'm not in school, I don't have any children of school age, but I still feel as if a new beginning has arrived with the start of a new school year. So as the children around my neighborhood march off with their new backpacks and cool lunch boxes on their way to a brand new classroom, I want to have a beginning as well-sort of my very own "something new". And so enters this blog.There's no big theme or mission I'm out accomplish really, aside from keeping friends & family up-to-date on our lives. I want to share how God is at work in our home,...

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