Back From A Break

I'm back from an impromptu blogging break.

Honestly, I've been too lazy to upload my recent pictures onto the computer, re-size them, and then choose which ones to post about. ;)

And..I really just enjoy reading other blogs more than I do writing my own. But I don't want to let my blog go by the wayside like I have so many times before.

So, I'll get back in to the swing of things by posting a lovely article from a blog I recently stumbled upon. (Deep Roots At Home)

"How of ten have I said that I long for the 'good ol' days' when life was simpler......instead of a random neighborhood--a community of brethren......instead of the nursing home--family......instead of family movie night--family devotions...instead of running around town all day--staying at home......instead of a Facebook status--a private letter or card......instead of sharing thoughts on the internet--sharing thoughts with the family...We all hold dear the values that strengthened the family as portrayed in these winsome images. But, we can never go back to the former times as we imagined them to be."

You can read the full article here. 

What ways do you strive to live a more simple life in the midst of a busy and overstressed culture?

Get Out Of That Pit

While on Facebook last night, I came across a Youtube clip of Beth Moore that a friend had shared.

I watched it.
It was pretty good.
I didn't see how it applied to me, though.

When it was over, and as usual, all the other similar clips were shown at the end.

And I saw, "Get Out Of That Pit"

"No....I don't need to watch that one.", I thought. [heart tugging]
"It's 49 minutes long! Woah, definitely not going to watch it!" [heart still tugging]

Sigh. "Ok, I'll watch it."

Truth is, I knew I needed to. I've felt for awhile now that I've been stuck in a pit of discouragement--a pit I've lived in for too long. And not just discouragement, but all the other struggles it produces. The lack of trust and faith it can foster. The anger and discontentment it creates.

So, it's time to take the pictures down, to hire a moving truck. I'm so out of this pit! God has been victorious for us! There's no need to remain where we are at. No need at all.

In the video, Beth shares three ways we usually find ourselves in a pit:

A. We are thrown in by others. Remember the story of Joseph? His brothers literally threw him in to a real pit. Maybe you've been thrown into a pit by your spouse's infidelity. Or your business partner's deceit.

B. We slip in.  We let sin take a foothold and before we know it, we've slipped in to some type of
bad habit or relationship that we never dreamed we'd find ourselves in.

C. We jump in. Willful, planned sin. Even David asks in Psalm 19:13 for God to keep him from willful sins.

Beth Moore finishes her message by proclaiming the power that Christ has to deliver us from our pits. He is our rescuer.

Are you in a pit today? It may be something as serious as alcohol addiction or something as seemingly minor as laziness and lack of discipline. But they're all pits. Anything that keeps us from the victorious and free life that Jesus has for us, is a pit we must be pulled from.

We can't be completely sinless while on this earth--we'll never really have it all together--but by God's grace, there's no need for us to be overtaken by any sin. As much as satan wants that to be our end--to bury us alive--Christ has conquered Him for us! He is our Victor! And He stands ready and willing to deliver us and give us the abundant life that can only be found in HIM.

If you feel a tugging, please watch the video. It's long, but it's so worth it! Let's Get Out Of That Pit!

Toys. And footholds.

I was strolling through the toy section at Target with Ethan and Emma and came across these two vampire dolls. I'm especially fond of the guy vampire with that "special dress" (more like lingerie, don't ya think?) for his "goulfriend". What a wonderfully wholesome set of toys. [facepalm]

Actually, when I saw these, my jaw dropped.
And quite frankly, I became angry.

For some unfortunate reason, our culture is totally wrapped up in all of the vampire, witch, werewolf hysteria going on. And it's dangerous.

We as Christians should be extra cautious before we watch any show, read any book, or buy any toy if we know it has this darkness involved. It may seem like a "silly little toy" or "just a fun movie" but "what fellowship hath light with darkness?" (2 Cor. 6:14)

 Jesus said to Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to have you, to sift you like wheat” (Luke 22:31)

Let's use discernment.
And let us never allow Satan a foothold. He'll sift us like wheat. And he wants only to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10)

It's bad enough to be involved in this darkness as an adult, but when we start allowing our children to be involved as well....

Then shame on us.

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea."  Mark 9:42 ESV

All Things New

The Christmas decorations are packed away for another year (sigh), and memories are tucked safely inside my heart--ones I'll treasure forever.

It was a great few days with family. Bob and I are blessed to have our parents so close. My siblings also live nearby. I'm very thankful for that.

Ethan was incredibly excited this year about all the toys he received. It was adorable to see the spark in his eyes, to hear "Oooh Mommmyyyyyy!" at each new gift he received, and "Daddy, loooook!" as he figured out how each new toy worked.

So. Stinkin. Cute.

It was Emma's first Christmas, which of course, is always a special occasion. She's enjoying the toys she recieved, as well. Although, as it goes with babies, I think she would've been just as happy with the boxes and wrapping paper that housed the toys.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now it's time for birthday planning! Ethan will be three....Threeeeeee! I can't believe it. Completely ridiculous.

That's the 25th of February.

And then my little Emma girl will be ONE whole year on March 4th! It's literally been the fastest year of my life. Pinterest will be my best friend for the next few weeks, I'm sure!  =)

Emma's birth was the highlight of the year for me; otherwise, 2011 wasn't the greatest, although I'm incredibly thankful I could be a part of it!

With that said, 2011 has sparked something in me--an intense desire to make 2012 better. To not waste my life (As John Piper's book so aptly encourages)

I want to live with purpose---to be intentional.

I have so many goals for this year. And I actually wrote them down and got specific. I don't believe I've ever done that before.

I've got a lot of changes to make, and with the grace and power of the Lord Jesus Christ, I can make those changes! I'm so excited for a fresh start!

I'm so thankful that He makes all things new! (Rev. 21:5)

A few goals from my list:

*To spend time with God, everyday. To pray without ceasing. I want Him to be my priority. My All.

*To wake up before my family, at least 5 days out of 7. It should probably be all 7 days, but I'm going to start easy on myself as I adjust to a more disciplined schedule. (It's embarrassing for me to admit that I usually rise when my children wake me up--but that's how it was for most of 2011--and I'm ready to change that!)

*To exercise at least 3 times a day. Long enough to break a sweat and get my heart pumping.

I used to be an athlete and was in great shape. But now I think I'll need to get in shape just so I can get in shape! 

*To lose 30 lbs. Ahhh!

*To cut waaaaay back on our sugar intake (I love to bake, so this will be super tough!)

I've studied nutrition for several years, so I know what we should be eating. But putting all that into practice is usually easier said than done.

*To be in bed by 11pm. It's currently 12:32am. Needless to say, this is going to be a tough one, too.

*To stop being so distracted by silly things!! I've already deleted my Facebook and Pinterest apps off my phone. I need to spend much less time online, and much more quality time with my Lord, children, and family. 

Many women do not have an issue with wasting too much time via the internet, but I do. This is something the Lord has really laid on my heart.

*TIME MANAGEMENT. I am so bad about being late to places. It's embarrassing and incredibly rude. I've struggled with it for as long as I can remember. This is a huge goal for me.

I have other more specific and personal goals, but these are some of the majors. 

I have a lot to work on, don't I?

It's a good thing I have the Lord on my side =)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you set goals each year?

If so, what are some of yours?

Christmas.

It's hard to imagine it.

Jesus Christ, in human flesh--a small, helpless baby, no less!

One who cried, needed changing, and became sleepy.

A baby who clung to his mommy for comfort and nourishment.

But then He grew.

He grew "in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52)

He grew so He could die.

He died so He could rise.

He rose...

So we could live.

My King, You are wonderful and matchless!!

Thank You for giving Yourself.

Thank You for Christmas.

Free E-Book!!

Ladies, I am so excited to share a free e-book offer with you!

Written by Courtney Joseph, from WomenLivingWell.org, The Proverbs 31 Woman: One Virtue at a Time, is a priceless tool for women. I read it in one sitting--it's short and to the point. But the author packs a punch with loads of encouragement, wisdom, inspiration and exhortation.

I cannot recommend this enough! What a blessing it was to me, especially considering my struggles with discouragement this year. I've been so down--I've magnified my shortcomings and compared myself with women who seem to have it all together--"I always come up short" is what I've uttered a million times. But you know what? God. Still. LOVES. Me.

Yes, I have a lot of work to do.
Yes, it will be challenging to become more disciplined.
Yes, I'll still have to battle the enemy and fight the feelings of inadequacy.

But... "I can do ALL things through Christ which strengtheneth me"! (Phil 4:13) emphasis mine

And, oh, how I want to model the Proverbs 31 woman!

*I want to please the Lord with this calling He's graciously given to me.
*I want my children to one day "arise" and call me "blessed"!
*I want my husband to feel secure and confident in my role as wife and mom!

This book will encourage you to find that end! And this E-book is completely free!  All you have to do is "like" Women Living Well on Facebook. When you do, there will be a green/white/orange box under the author's profile picture labeled "Free Ebook". Just click on that and read, save or print!

Ladies, ultimately we should strive to imitate our Savior.
To follow hard after Him.

But since He wrote the entire Bible, through men inspired by the Holy Spirit, then the Proverbs 31 Woman is certainly someone we can be excited to model ourselves after!

Happy reading!!

An Invitation Not For Me, But For Me

Last night, our little family enjoyed "Family Movie Night" with our church. The place was packed.
We watched Polar Express, munched on popcorn, and downed some Christmas cookies. Yes, downed them. We love our sugar much more than we should.

I'm hoping to rid ourselves of that vice after the New Year.

 Oh, how easy it was to type that. It's a shame that's not all it takes to say goodbye to sugar. A crying shame.

Anyway....

Halfway through the movie, during intermission, our Pastor came up and spoke. He somehow managed to weave the Gospel into a story centered around Santa Claus, children and a train. Pastors just have that special gift of seeing the spiritual in everything.

As he shared the Gospel, and went through the "pray this prayer" speech, I started to tune him out. After all, I accepted Jesus 18 years ago. I figured it was a prayer that no longer applied to me.

But as I was holding my little girl, staying still in hopes that she would, too, I paused. And I began to listen.
Eyes closed, heart focused.

 The recent reminder from Jessica @ Muthering Heights, came to memory. The reminder to receive words in fresh amazement. Words that had been dulled through the years by familiarity.

 The words I'd grown numb to were as new as they had been the night I spoke them as a 9 year old girl.
And the words touched my heart. They stirred something in me that had been asleep for far too long.

An invitation not for me, but for me.

An invitation not to receive salvation, for I'd already received it.
But an invitation to worship the King of Glory. To remember the extravagant grace poured upon me. To marvel in wonder at the babe who came to die.

A priceless gift--the person of Jesus Christ.

Oh, the depths He had to stoop!

 From glory to gloom.
 From splendor to squalor.
 Wickedness, hatred, apathy and unbelief is what He came to.

For you.

For me.

To give us an eternity.
With Him.

"This is Christmas: not the tinsel, not the giving and receiving, not even the carols, but the humble heart that receives anew the wondrous gift, the Christ."  ~Frank McKibben

Have you responded to the invitation?
 Have you received the gift of Christ? 


[photo credit]