Scripture Sunday: {Psalm 147:5}

How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!

~ Psalm 147:5, NLT

Sunday Scripture: {Philippians 1:6}

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

~ Philippians 1:6, NLT

Sunday Scripture: {Psalm 40:16}

But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, "The Lord is great!"

~ Psalm 40:16, NLT

Sunday Scripture: {1 Peter 2:24b}

By his wounds you have been healed.

~ 1 Peter 2:24b, NLT

Sunday Scripture: {1 Corinthians 16:13}

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

~ 1 Corinthians 16:13, NLT

Sunday Scripture: {Psalm 106:1}

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

~ Psalm 106:1, NLT

{The Sickies}

So the day after we got our good news from my last scan, J came down with a head cold and then shared it with me on Friday. I have not been able to do much since then as it has just completely wiped me out.

I have been trying to give us all the good stuff to get us healthy again but it hasn't worked so well. At least the kids haven't gotten it (yet). I think baby K was coming down with it but she ended up taking a 3 hour nap today and I that seemed to help her feel a lot better.

Anyway, I just wanted to see if you could all pray for a speedy recover for us and that our kids don't get it. I appreciate it. :-)

I also wanted to leave you with a bit of scripture for this week. Enjoy!

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever

~ Hebrews 13:8, NLT 

Blessings,
Andrea

Sunday Scripture: Hebrews 13:16

And don't forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.

~ Hebrews 13:16, NLT


Happy Sunday to you all. I hope you were all refreshed today and can start your week off with rejuvenation. May you all have a very blessed week. 


Blessings,
Andrea

Beware of the {Joy} Robbers!

I feel like I am pretty joyful in my life. After all, I have a lot to be joyful about. Hey, I woke up this morning - it is a good day! :-) That is pretty much my perspective after what I just went through.
But, I am a mom of four kids - five if your count Jason. (Just kidding - kind of.) So sometimes I just feel like the joyful juice just seems to run out. Anyone with me? Probably not - I am sure I am the ONLY person who goes through this.

Right now I have the "pre-teen". Don't get me wrong - my "pre-teen" is a really good kid. We are so very blessed to have him for a son and I know that my issues with him are really pretty mild compared to what a lot of parents deal with. After all, my husband is a youth pastor so we are aware. I will just leave it at that.

Our issues with Cale are like - stop reading so much. I'm serious. The child would read 24 hours a day if he could and I love the fact that he loves to read so much. But there are other things in life that must happen. Like showers and eating. We do get the occasional "pre-teen" attitude from time-to-time but most of the time he is an excellent kid.

Then I have the 6 year old, the 4 year old, and the 19 month old. That is where things start to get a little busier.... (understatement)

Most of the time things are what they are. We go with the flow. Not life or death obviously. But then there are these moments... I call them the "joy robbers". For example, every time we go to leave our home I feel like there is an invasion of the "joy robbers". I will get Kearyn (19 months) ready to go and go to find the 4 year old. I will look over every square inch of the house to only find him a half an hour later hiding in a cupboard that only a mouse could fit into. (Small exaggeration but you know what I mean.)

Then, I turn around to find the the 19 month old has completely undressed herself - tights, dress, hair bow, and yes, even the diaper from time-to-time, completely gone!

That is when I feel it. My blood pressure goes up a notch. I just want to sit down bury my head in my hands and tell them that mommy doesn't want to play this game anymore... stop hiding in cupboards and keep your close on. Please! And that is only 2 of the 4 children I have.

However, as I have recently felt the "joy robber" invasion I have decided to do things differently. It is basically the equivalent of "stop-drop-and roll" - you know what the firemen told us to do as a kid... Well, mine is STOP - THINK - CHOOSE. (Hey, I have to keep it simple or I will never remember it. Then  my blood pressure would go up another notch for not remembering.)

I stop whatever it is that I am doing in that moment. (Even if it is being curled up in the fetal position and crying in the corner.) I think about what it is happening. Someone is trying to rob my joy in this moment. Then I make a different choice. I choose to see the joy in that moment and I choose to keep my joy. I refuse to let the "joy robbers" steal it from me.

Sometimes I just have to laugh at the moment. Or I find something to be grateful for in that moment - like the fact that my 4 year old son is so creative that he even thought of that cupboard as a hiding place. Or that my daughter is even here with me in this moment at all. When I fill my thoughts and my heart with gratefulness my perspective changes almost instantly. The blood pressure goes down and I can resume whatever it is that I am doing with joy in my heart.

How are the "joy robbers" treating you lately?


The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ~ John 10:10

A Time for Everything {Ecclesiastes 3:1-8}

A Time for Everything

 ¹ There is a time for everything, 
   and a season for every activity under heaven:

 ² a time to be born and a time to die,
   a time to plant and a time to uproot,
 ³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
   a time to tear down and a time to build,
 ⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
   a time to mourn and a time to dance,
 ⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
   a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
 ⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
   a time to keep and a time to throw away,
 ⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
   a time to be silent and a time to speak,
 ⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
   a time for war and a time for peace.

New International Version 1984

Keeping {Christ} in Christmas.... {idea.1}

I love Christmas. And I mean I REALLY LOVE Christmas and I always have. I love buying/making/giving gifts to my friends and family who do so much for my family throughout the year. I love giving to those who are less fortunate. All-in-all, I just love giving. 

I love trying to come up with the perfect gift that combines functionality and enjoyment or creating a special keepsake that the recipient will hopefully treasure. I also enjoy the challenge of doing all of this on a budget. It is definitely a fill for me that is for sure. 

Each year though, as my Christian faith continues to grow, I find myself wanting to challenge myself (and my family) in another area that is even more important than any gift that I could possibly give. I find myself trying to find more creative, meaningful, and powerful ways to keep Christ in Christmas. 

It is so easy to get caught up in the hub-bub of it all - just trying to get everyone checked off the list and make sure we attend all of the major functions that we are obligated to attend that sometimes these things seem more like a burden than anything else and the real meaning of Christmas is not at the forefront of our thoughts as it should be. 

So, I decided to start this series. Ideas on how our family is keeping the "reason for the season" front and center. Check back for additional ideas as the month goes on. If you have a suggestion - by all means pass it on. I would love to hear about the different traditions your family takes part in each year. 

{idea.1} 

Read the Christmas Story and the Birth of Jesus

It doesn't matter how many times I read about this in the bible.... I am still left in awe and the only thing better is sharing this with my children. For our family, we always start with the very basics and there isn't anything much more basic than how we all got here to begin with. 

Here are a couple of links for quick reference...

Mary finds out she is expecting Jesus.

The birth of Jesus foretold.

The Birth of Jesus

Matthew 2:1-12

I hope each of you are having a very blessed Christmas season so far. :-)

~Andrea

From the Mailbag: Lamentations 3:20-23 NKJV

My dear friend Sarah sent me this scripture in response to my "Dread" post and I wanted to share.

"My soul still remembers and sinks within me. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope: Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness."
`Lamentations 3:20-23 NKJV

One Word: Dread

So I have to admit - I am absolutely dreading tomorrow. Chemo #9....

With being sick this last week I feel like I just had my last chemo treatment and then all of the sudden it is time for another one. Yet, I am not ready. I have things to do, people to see, places to go....toilets to clean....anything but having chemo.

This is where the going gets tough. I must get my big girl boots on and place one foot in front of the other. Soon I will be at the end. I have 6 weeks and 1 day until my last treatment. (Side note: my birthday is actually 6 weeks from today. I have never really cared whether my birthday came or not - at least not in my adult years - but this year I am excited for it to come because that means I will be at the end.) Anyway, 6 weeks and 1 day from today I will be having my last treatment and it can't get here fast enough.

I will have 4 treatments in 6 weeks (3 of them being in June). If I can survive June I can survive anything!

Making it even harder - Jason is leaving tomorrow morning for a mission trip. This was all planned when we thought I would only have 8 treatments - God had different plans though. I will miss Jason dearly. He takes such good care of me and puts up with my whining. It will definitely be a challenge without him. My mom is stepping in while he is gone and the kids are so happy to have grandma here.

So, where do you go when you are dreading something - the bible of course.

Psalm 27:1 (Amplified Bible)

[A Psalm] of David.

 ¹THE LORD is my Light and my Salvation--whom shall I fear or dread? The Lord is the Refuge and Stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?

Day 35: Determination

Tuesday, Kearyn was still really sick. I only got a couple of hours of sleep but the good news is that she finally cut one of her top teethe so hopefully things will get better.

My heart is doing better today on being more prepared for chemo. It feels like I still have a lot to do today to be prepared in every other way - laying out stuff for the kids to make things easier on Jason, etc. It is not that Jason isn't extremely capable, I just do better knowing that I have done what I can to at least contribute when I am down and out.

Reading scripture today I found this one and wanted to share:

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, ~1 Peter 3:15


I really feel like this is what God has calling me to do during this whole process. I truly want people to see the joy in my heart that Jesus has put there and when they ask me about it my answer will be: Jesus. 

Ten Things God Wants You To Remember...Part 2

I shared yesterday how a beautiful card my friend Vicki gave me inspired me to write this series. These are the 10 things God wants us to remember. With a bible packed full of information sometimes it is hard to even know where to begin when times get tough or even when times aren't tough. We try to make things so much more complicated than they really are.

The second thing God wants us to remember....

I love you. 

There is so much scripture that backs up these three little words that God wants to tell us over and over but how often we forget how much he really loves us. 

We love because HE first loved us. ~ 1 John 4:19 

A new command I give you: Love one another. 

As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ~John 13:34

Okay, I'm Listening....

Yesterday I opened my bible randomly to start my devotional time which I do sometimes. I opened it up to 2 Chronicles. I remember thinking, "Huh, I haven't spent much time here before," and started to browse through my study bible. One of the featured scriptures was 2 Chronicles 7:14. I read it and thought, "That's nice," and then kept on reading. But I quickly became distracted by thoughts of Christmas so I abandoned the Chronicles for the story of the birth of Jesus which always touches my heart and prepares me for the season. After that I went about my merry day. 

A little day I was spending some time on my blog and I just felt compelled to flip through a couple of other blogs of people I didn't know. When I got to about the 3rd blog something struck me. It was a blog from a pastor and his featured scripture of the day was.....you guessed it 2 Chronicles 7:14. Okay God.....I am listening. 

Although all scripture is good as it is inspired by God himself, for whatever reason that day He wanted me in 2 Chronicles. I selfishly did not want to be there as I wanted to experience the warm fuzzy feeling of Christmas by spending time in Matthew and Luke reading about the birth of Christ which I have studied many, many different times. I have not studied the Chronicles as much and so it makes a lot of sense that God would want me to spend more time there studying and learning about something new. 

For those of you who aren't familiar with 2 Chronicles 7:14 here you go:

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

That is a pretty powerful scripture in itself and I do feel very convicted to pray even more for my nation and my community but I think the lesson that I learned from this scripture was even more powerful then that. I learned that I cannot go before God even when it concerns the bible, especially when it comes to the bible. I need to "seek His face" and let God guide me where He wants me to go....especially through the bible as that is one of His most powerful ways of communicating with us. 

Thank you God for patiently teaching me and reminding me of such things.