So, why all the hype about the New Year?

A new year doesn't mean a whole lot in terms of change. It doesn't mean that miraculously we will be waking up tomorrow a new, different person then the night before. It doesn't mean that at midnight we morph into that awesome mom, dad, wife, husband, friend. So, why all the hype about the New Year?

My take on the New Year is this: It is a reminder! It doesn't mean we all don't try to do better all year. We are all convicted of different things through our year. Whether we react wrongly with our child or forgot to do something for a friend, didn't have dinner planned more than once, or forgot to read our Bible. Each time we tell ourselves that we want to do better tomorrow. We apologize, ask for forgiveness and try!

When we celebrate Valentine's Day, Memorial Day, Independence, Easter and Christmas, it doesn't mean that we don't care the rest of the year, but these days or periods are a reminder for ourselves, for our family, community and world. Reminders to intentionally love our spouse, our veterans, our Savior.

So, don't make resolutions or promises. I have nothing against these things, but I do know that we are a people who do this many, many times in the year. Be intentional! In everything you do, do it with intentionality! This New Year, remember that you are that mom, that wife, that dad, husband, or that friend! The fact that you want to do better makes you that person! It is God convicting us, pruning us! When we fail, let us remind ourselves that this change will not come from us alone! This true heart change comes from God!

What I'm doing this New Year is reflecting on the wonderful, joyous moments like adopting our son, welcoming in the many children (especially our D and R we currently have), seeing other adoptions finalized, seeing my sister have a life changing moment, homeschooling, witnessing God working through so many, the countless love letters from my children, my friends.

I'm reflecting on the hurting moments like saying goodbye to many children, saying goodbye to a dog who went to bring happiness to a new family, the family who lost loved ones, who is battling cancer, the struggles of foster parenting and homeschooling, the nights spent crying with a child battling her past (and future fears). The great thing is seeing God in EVERY single one of these hurting moments!

This new year, I will fail many times, I will promise myself that I will try harder and I will fail again. Through it all, I know that God is loving on me and making me stronger. I know that God is molding me to not be the person I want to be, but the daughter He NEEDS me to be! Only God knows what this year holds for each of us, I just pray that I continually keep my eyes, ears, and heart set on Him.

Pray with me! Father God, I am so very grateful for Your love for Your children. I am so thankful, Lord, for the hard times and the good. I am grateful that You have chosen us to be adopted into Your family. I am thankful for the hard times this past year and I rejoice in You for the future heart aches. Only You bring peace! Father God, I pray for each person reading and praying this prayer with me! I am thankful for them. I pray they keep their eyes, ears, and hearts set on You. I pray they feel Your arms wrapped around them through every struggle and they feel Your happiness through every joy! I pray those who do not know You, hear You through one of Your children. I lift them up before You, God. I pray for our orphans, both local and those across the oceans. I pray for those who are entering a new year with struggles, without loved ones, and I pray they see You through it all. May each of us feel Your presence this year. In Jesus name, Amen.


From our home to yours, Blessings to each of you in this New Year!!!

Hello 2014! :)

Joy

I am a very optimistic person (sometimes to a fault)! Yes, someone you probably want to punch on occasion :) You would be surprised by the amount of people who think of it as a rude way to feel and actually tell me, "I don't want to hear that it will be okay." So in those times, I just sit and pray. It is hard for me to put it aside. Don't get me wrong, I am sad and weep for them and their family, but I fully trust that God knows exactly what needs to be done. Moments of sorrow and pain make my heart ache. It is hard regardless of our faith and joy in the Lord!

How do we get this joy? When we have faith in God! I find happiness in my family, spending time alone with my husband, laughing with my children, being goofy with friends. I find happiness in cheesecake and the smell of a farmhouse basement. God gave us these things for our enjoyment, yes, but true joy is absent when we don't have a relationship with him. "The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing." ~Proverbs 10:28

Our faith in Him is our salvation with Him! "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,  for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." `~1Peter 1:8-9

I find great joy in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When a "bad" thing is happening, I can see good! I know that our "bad" things are not intended to bring us harm or hurt us in any way, but to teach us something. Our trials teach others around us about God's glory and point them to Him. God sees the good in our trials and so should we. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." ~James 1:2-3

No one can take away our joy! It is from God and Him alone! I see so many amazing people going through cancer, adopting children, caring for the elderly, sick parents and friends, have a slew of children, whom all have joy! This is not something they can do alone. This joy is from God! It is indescribably beautiful to witness! I am not saying we should not be sad or grieve. Jesus wept and so should we. In our moments of sorrow cling to Jesus and He WILL give us rest! (Matthew 11:28)

My prayer for you is that you see this goodness from God! You see the JOY in the difficult times, in the moments when a friend hurts you, when your children are screaming, when a friend is struggling. When we see with this perspective, we will see His good, we will see God's hand at work, we will forgive, and we will shine His joy for all to see.

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." ~Hebrews 12:2

How I Intentionally Pray For My Husband

Prayer is one of the single most important things in a marriage. When you pray for your spouse, you are inviting God to join your marriage. If you don't pray for your spouse, I urge you to start NOW! This is vital! If you are not praying for your husband's heart, character, relationships, who is? The relief is knowing that it is not our job to change our spouse (only God can do that), but we are called to pray for him on a daily basis.

I spend time every single day praying for my children, their spouses, and their present and future. I pray for their husbands and wives as they are living their lives as we speak and God is preparing them for my children. I love journalling my prayers, sermons, studies, etc. I want to be a prayer warrior for my family and all of you! I love seeing how God works through our prayers by changing others hearts and myself.

One thing that God laid on my heart this past year was to pray for my husband with intentionality and purpose. God laid a different form of prayer on my heart this year. You see, Dan gets up to go to work at 5:15 and I like to sleep a bit longer, so our mornings haven't been spent praying for each other's day. We would pray in the evening, but there is just something about starting your day off with your spouse's heart open before God and praying for you!












We started a prayer journal! Everyday we write a prayer for each other. Dan starts off every morning, then I read his prayer for me and I write one for him. This journal is just between him and me, nothing else makes its way into it. Of course, his work, being the light to his coworkers, etc enter because that is how his day is spent. For me, the kids, homeschooling, etc makes its way in because this is what my day consists of. There are no notes from sermons, friends, or Bible Studies - simply a journal between husband and wife.

The cool thing to see this past year is how our prayers have began to visibly change. We went from thanking God for each other (which we still do write, because we are) to thanking God for calling each other to Him so we can spend eternity together.

Not only is this something we will always have that shows our CONTINUAL thanksgiving and love for each other, but a HUGE testimony to our children. These prayers aren't made up or assumed, they are tangibly there, written in our handwriting, to the one person that God has gifted us to love more than anyone else on this earth.

I urge you to consider starting a prayer journal for you and your spouse. If your spouse is an unbeliever, then journal all the more. Satan will make you feel like you should give up, but fight harder. If you are not married, then start one anyways. God already sees you with that person and what a gift to give them on your wedding day. My husband and I have always had a strong marriage. We really are best friends and I know, without a doubt, he would claim this victory in Christ as well. Invite God into your marriage!

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” ~Ephesian 5:31

It Only Takes One...

Bell Ringing

A friend on Facebook reminded me to start setting up volunteer slots for the Salvation Army Bell Ringers in Geneseo. I have one Kettle and a few bells for anyone interested in giving this season. 

THIS MONEY STAYS IN GENESEO!!!!!! This money collected is for the single mom who can't afford food for her children. The dad who is working two jobs and getting by until his furnace goes out and his family is cold. For the elderly who can't make her medication payment. 

It only takes ONE shift to raise enough money to provide these necessities for those in our community. The Bell Season starts the weekend after Thanksgiving and runs to Christmas Eve. I know we are all busy and have kids, families, Bible Study, sports, etc. One evening this season for two hours is all I ask! Bring your kids, your dog, candy for kids, songs to sing, etc. GET EXCITED for this!

Set up locations are Fareway, Walgreens, Walmart, or Farm N Fleet. You can volunteer most any weeknight or weekend (day or evening). I will meet you in town to help set up and be there afterwards to collect everything. 

Please contact me by commenting to this post below, via Facebook by clicking: here or by email at: dkpshoe@hotmail.com.

"In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" ~ Acts 20:35

Mean it!

Today our daughter came home with an owl project of Thankfulness that she did at school. It was sort of a rough day as she is still trying to get the hang of school and everything it entails. The learning level is one that she isn't used to. She has went to more schools than she can count. Last week she left her folder at school two days in a row, so we had lots of homework to get done.

She worked diligently on her vocabulary and Geography. We reviewed her spelling words, then did a Chapter 4 Math Test Review. I was growing weary with it all, but as I was going through everything else in her folder, I found this owl picture. I took a moment to read it. It said:

Dear Parents,

What I am thankful for is a roof over my head.

I am thankful for food so I can eat.

I am also thankful for the toys you give us.

I am really thankful for you.

I love you so much.

I don't need toys, I just need you.

I asked her who this was for (she just came to live with us twelve days ago). She said with a big smile, "It's for you and daddy!" As I hugged her tightly, I couldn't help but feel my heart overflow. Overflow with joy, happiness, love, hurt, compassion, sadness, completeness. 

My birth children if asked would definitely say they are thankful for food and a home and parents. They hear far too often how blessed that makes us! But, there is something different about R's letter to us. Hers is set apart from what most of us would feel when we say we are thankful for food and a roof over our head. You see, she lived without those necessities. She lived at times with no roof over her head, with no food to eat, with no parents to care for her.

When she wrote, "I don't need toys, I just need you" she meant it. She truly knows that toys are fun, but she really just needs parents to love and care for her. Her thankfulness is deeper - It's realer - It's who she is. It is a deepness that I hope I have when I thank God for the simple things.

When Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me" he said that because their faith is one that we all should have. Because a child's perspective is one that we can all learn from. They may not get adult understanding, but they get what's important. With the life she has been dealt so far, she would have the right to be angry, but her heart is so full of compassion, love, and understanding.

I encourage you to join with me to have a deeper thanks this season. To really put yourself in another's situation and really feel what they feel. When we pray to God and thank Him for His unfailing love, mean it, truly mean it!

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." ~2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Where is your focus?

How do you do it?

I could NEVER do that?

Where do you find the time?

Are these all yours?

You must have a huge house?

Being foster parents these are all questions we are asked on a daily basis. They used to bother me, but now I welcome them! I used to think people were being nosey or disrespectful. I sometimes felt like we were a walking circus for others amusement.

Heres the thing: I don't know if any of those above statements are true or not, but I do know this... When someone asks those questions, it gives me the opportunity to share what God is doing, what convictions He has made visible and how many hurting kids truly are hurting.

How do we do it? I don't know, haha! I seriously ask myself that question more times than I can count. It was not something I dreamed about as a child. I did not want to grow up and open my home to who knows who...or what. How do we do it? The only answer is with God! With His divine plan for our lives. My childhood was not that great on many levels, but God used that to open my heart and eyes to something far greater than I could have EVER planned.

I could NEVER do that?! Well, sometimes, I can't either! Sometimes I just need to sit - and do nothing - and hear nothing! Luckily, my loving husband encourages "me time" so I can do just that. God, then, replenishes my soul and gives me the strength to carry on.

Where do you find the time? Here's how I look at that question: Where do you find the time to shower or to brush your teeth? Where do you find the time to eat or feed your child? Where do you find the time to watch that favorite TV show or read that favorite book? We ALL have PLENTY of TIME!!! We have just decided to use it how WE want and not how GOD wants!

When we put our fleshly desires to the side, we see a whole bunch of time just popping up! Yes, I do still have favorite shows and spend LOTS of time with God on a daily basis, but orphans are a priority and God has gifted me that time because I put myself aside to follow His agenda!

Are these all yours? Yes, every single one of them! Twenty-one kids have crossed over our threshold that look to us as mommy and daddy. They are all mine until they walk over that threshold for the last time to be with their forever family! I will never specify or point out a foster child unless someone specifically asks if we are adopting or fostering. They are our children!

You must have a huge house?! Yes, we do! It is massive! If I had to take the amount of love, tenderness, compassion, leadership, selflessness, and gratefulness and bottle it up; we could fill a hundred homes!

We make time for our priorities! We make time for the things we really care about! Please don't use the "I don't have time" as an excuse! I pray Christ gives you a clear vision of His priority in your life. It all starts with our Lord, so let your focus be on Him and everything else will follow.


One of my favorite videos: http://vimeo.com/3564887