After writing my last post, I came across this poem by Paul Tripp that spoke to what I'm fighting for today-giving thanks to God because He has all ready shown me that He's good, no matter what my circumstances are. Here's an excerpt:"I have learnedand I am learningthat confident livingalways rests its foundationon You.I am confidentbecause of this solitary thing,You areand you are good." -P.TrippCheck out the rest on his blog, Paul Tripp Ministri...
reflections
Giving Thanks
"May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light."Col. 1:11-12More thoughts on Colossians. The next phrase that caught me was "giving thanks to the Father." I am not only to be strengthened by His power (not my own) for all endurance and patience with joy, I am to do it giving thanks to the Father. My life has not been characterized by thankfulness lately. I haven't really thought about it this way until my husband asked me about it yesterday (thank you, faithful husband!) but I guess if I've not been thankful then I've been...
reflections
Endurance with Joy
January 30, 2008
A small picture of joyYesterday I read Colossians 1:11: "May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy..." There is just so much there that my soul was refreshed by.First, the Lord convicted me that I've been seeking to have strength and endurance for this demanding season ON MY OWN. In other words, I've thought that I can muster up the strength to "make it through." I've actually been repeating to myself, "It won't be like this forever. Just keep going." That has been what I've gone to for some comfort when I feel like I can't keep my eyes open or like Owen is never going to sleep more than 10 minutes at a time for his nap....
house
If You Need Some Encouragement
January 29, 2008
Are you feeling discouraged about the state of your home right now? Take heart. It could look like mine. (And you can't even see the rest of the room from this pictur...
reflections
Grateful
January 24, 2008
I don't know about you but I find that I take for granted my good health until I get sick. Then, all that I can think about is how wonderful it is when I am well and how I can't wait to feel better again! Yesterday I had some sort of stomach flu. (I will spare you the gory details and just say that it was not fun.) Thankfully, today I am on the mend and praising God for the gift of good health that I usually don't even notice. It makes me wonder how many other kindnesses from the Lord I take for granted each and every day. Do I stop and thank Him for my loving husband, a warm home, yummy food, an incredible church, sweet children, clothes to wear, running water, and so many other blessings?...
pictures
Yay for Great Lighting!
January 22, 2008
It's been a while since I've put forth some effort in taking pictures. These days, I just point and shoot if something looks remotely important. But today the lighting was perfect in our kitchen and living room so we had a little photo shoot. Here are some of my favorites:p.s.-The sweet pics of Tali that I posted a while back with her in her pea coat were taken by Josh & not me. I forgot to give credit where credit is d...
praises
Great is the Lord
January 20, 2008
"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable." Psalm 145:3I love that truth; His greatness is unsearchable! The Lord is so worthy of our praise. In the midst of all of these health issues that my family is facing, the Lord is still great and He is still greatly to be praised. To keep it brief, here are just a few of the things to praise Him for:* My dad has been diagnosed with Diverticulitis, which according to Wikipedia is "a common digestive disease particularly found in the large intestine. Diverticulitis develops from diverticulosis, which involves the formation of pouches (diverticula) on the outside of the colon. Diverticulitis results if one of these...
prayer requests
The God of Grace
January 19, 2008
Thank you so much for your prayers! We really were so aware of God's grace yesterday as we traveled to Iowa to see my dad. Tali & Owen were excellent in the car; we didn't even have to stop on the way home as O slept the whole way.On our way there, we got a call from my dad saying that his procedure got pushed back to today (Saturday). So, as of 8:00am (unless something else changed), he is undergoing his colonoscopy. If the doctors don't find the source of the bleeding, they will go ahead and then go into his mouth with a tube to see if they can determine the problem that way. (We're praying there's no need for that as it's much more invasive.) He is in really good spirits as always and...
prayer requests
Updated Prayer Requests
January 17, 2008
Please do continue to pray. Here's the update:Grandma: Is going to need a quadruple bypass as all four valves are blocked. Please pray for a safe procedure and quick recovery.Dad: Probably has a bleeding ulcer but they aren't sure where. He will have a colonoscopy at some point today. Please pray that they can figure out what's going on.Mom: Has had some palpitations (she has AFIB so this happens at times) so please pray that they quickly cease.Thank you for your prayers!---------------------------------------9:30pm UpdateWhat a blessing it is to know that people are praying! We feel the peace of the Lord and know that He is sovereignly working good in this situation. Here's the latest:* At...
prayer requests
New Prayer Request
Well, my family is not at the peak of health at the moment. Prayers are much appreciated. My grandma is having a heart attack and is currently going in for an angioplasty. My dad was on his way to go be with my mom who is caring for my grandma and he had to check himself into the emergency room in Davenport. They are running tests on him but think that he has a bleeding ulcer. Please do pray:1) That the doctors would discern what is wrong with my grandma's heart and be able to help her.2) That the doctors would discern what is going on with my dad's health and be able to help him.3) For peace for my mom as she is in Des Moines waiting to hear about my grandma while my dad is in the hospital...
prayer requests
Prayer Request
January 16, 2008
My grandma, Joanne, was taken to the hospital in DesMoines, IA today after being in the ICU yesterday for some sort of heart problem. They are unsure if it's a heart attack or something different. Please pray for Grandma's healing and for compassionate and quality care from the doctors. Also, please pray for my grandpa as he isn't feeling too well himself (bad cold) and is waiting to hear how my grandma is doing. Thank y...
reflections
Read, Think, Pray
January 15, 2008
My hubby gave a very helpful and practical message on Sunday about prayerfully meditating on God's Word. The strategy involves reading the passage, thinking/meditating about the passage, and then praying through the passage (read, think, pray). Our pastors have challenged us to use the next seven days to try out this helpful strategy. Josh has encouraged me to do this before and I've found it very fruitful. Today I sought to do it again, except this time it went a little something like this:1) Prayed that the Lord would bless my time with Him2) Stopped to go put the pacifier back in Owen's mouth as he awoke screaming3) Read 1 John 4:10-114) Stopped to go put the pacifier back in Owen's...
reflections
Family is a Gift From God
January 12, 2008
The past couple of days my grandparents have been visiting. It was so much fun to have Grandma playing with Tali and to see Grandpa hold Owen. I can only imagine how strange it must be for them to be playing with their daughter's daughter's daughter. :) It was another reminder to me of how quickly time passes. They made comments about when my mom was an infant just like it was yesterday, as it is still fresh in their minds. I hear it constantly from voices all around me, "Enjoy the time now because it will go by so quickly." To think that in the blink of an eye, Tali and Owen will be grown and before I know it, I may be visiting them to see their own children...Yes, the shortness of the time...
children
He Does What I Can't Do
January 10, 2008
It's funny, the rich sense of accomplishment I feel when the day is ending. There's this resounding "I made it through another day...and it went fairly well" echoing in my head. I didn't do brain surgery (or even leave my house) but seeking to love and care for two babies is downright hard work. At this moment, all that I want is to go to sleep and not wake up until at least 6:00 but that's just not reality and it probably won't be for another month or so. And it's completely worth it; don't get me wrong. I would not trade this for anything but I am tired. Very tired.A week ago I really didn't see how it was possible for me to take care of two needy babies at once. They both need things at...
children
My Beautiful Girl
January 9, 2008
Josh and I cannot get over how cute Tali is these days. She has a head full of curls and the things she says and does are just hilarious. We are constantly shaking our heads in disbelief at how just plain adorable she is! Here are just a few of the sweet things she's been doing lately:*This morning when I went in to get her up, I walked into her room and she quickly stood up in her crib with a huge smile on her face and exclaimed, "Hi!"*All day long, any time that she walks by Owen she nonchalantly waves at him and says, "Hi." Occasionally, she will stop long enough to shake ("rock") his bouncy seat or to give him a quick kiss on the the tummy.*When we correct her for doing a "no-no," the...
reflections
Is This January?
January 7, 2008
I can't believe that Christmas has all ready come and gone. Having a newborn near the holidays seems to make it zoom past even faster than normal. Now, we're supposedly in January but given that it feels like April, I feel really disoriented. Did Christmas really come and go all ready? Did Josh's family all ready come and leave for the holidays? Did the piles of snow that were outside last week really melt all ready? Where did the time go?Having Owen has made me even more sentimental about the passing of time. I asked the Lord before my little guy was born to help me gain perspective about how quickly time passes. I prayed from Psalm 90:12, "So teach us to number our days that we may get...
reflections
More Than I Deserve
January 4, 2008
My wonderful husband and my cute sonThere's this old Sandra McCracken song that I love about marriage and our relationship with Christ that sings again and again, "And this is more than I deserve." That refrain is what my heart is singing to the Lord again and again for the gift of my husband. To think that God has given me the gift of my husband, despite the fact that I am a wretched sinner, is a breath-taking picture of the love of God.Josh simply goes above and beyond in the ways that he serves me, especially in this new season of caring for two babies. Since Owen was born, Josh is gladly asking me to wake him up at any hour to help change diapers and rock Owen back to sleep. He is taking...
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