I am approached often about foster care often, whether it is via Facebook, texts, emails or calls. I love sharing about what led us here, how to get started, my views, etc and I love spreading awareness. When someone speaks out passionately about something God has laid on their heart they usually get lumped into one of two categories which are: The saint who lives a perfect life or the hater who judges everyone who lives differently. For real -- I have gotten both :( We are neither of these! We are normal people who truly love others. We make LOTS of mistakes, we sin so ridiculously much, we need taught, we take notes, we ask forgiveness...BUT Jesus! But Jesus!!!
I am a passionate speaker and really love to share insight I have learned from God or others. It's not always the best insight and it may even be something that isn't insightful at all. When God lays a ministry in front of me, I can't help but share about how amazing it is. Who doesn't? I wouldn't be doing it if it was completely miserable and I know God wouldn't want me to. I don't always mention the yuck for two reasons: 1. I don't want people to get a bad view and hear the few negative things that outweigh the hundreds of positives and 2. I don't want to come across as complaining - seriously can't stand grumbling.
So, I have a few things I would like to share with you in regards to foster care with a heart that is passionate about getting these hurts out. These are stumbling blocks for a foster family and I know, if you're like me, you don't want to cause anyone to stumble :)
1. We are NOT saints (well, we are in the Biblical sense - we are Christians who love the Lord). We are NOT God's special angels. We will NOT have a special place in Heaven. For real, friends! We are doing what God has called us to do. Plain and simple. This is my family's calling. We have a passion for orphans. Because of this, God has EQUIPPED my husband and me with patience, faith, strength and a really strong marriage. We are not saints in the world's terms, we are just normal people doing normal things. To say we are saints is to say we are doing something extraordinary, but what we are doing is ordinary, just forgotten.
I don't like to be set any higher or feel any more significant than the family with one child who struggles to go to the grocery store with said child. That family is right where God needs them and they are just as beautiful! I know your hearts are in the right place when saying this and always welcome the encouragement and love, but know that when you say this about us, you are putting us higher than others and tempting us to boast. If you want to encourage please ask how to help. This is a ministry that involves a community and there are MANY ways to help - just ask :) If you are afraid of what I may ask of you, then don't ask - haha, just let us know you are praying and for that, we would be grateful.
2. Our foster kids are NOT lucky to be a part of our family. I love that y'all say this and I know without a doubt your intentions are very well meaning. With that being said, saying they are lucky is separating them from our other children. They are no more or no less needed in our family as our birth children. You probably hear this often, but it is so true - WE are the lucky ones! For real, I am so grateful that God has entrusted us enough to raise so many lives to love Him!!!!! It is actually overwhelming when I think about it - Whew!
3. We get sad! We are sad when we don't know what to do for our hurting child. We are sad when we can't fathom what our children have had to endure before they came home. We are sad when a child leaves our home, even when the reason is a really happy reason like being with their forever family. We remember memories when we hear their names or see a picture. We think what it would be like if they were ours forever. We miss not knowing what they look like over the years - Do they still have that long, blonde hair? Is he still collecting all those fuzzies in his fro? Does he still remember his first bonfire he had at our house? Does she still remember us? We are sad and that's okay! Please ask about them! They are gone, but they will never be forgotten :)
4. This is a big one: We don't always like our foster kids! This is a new one I finally feel comfortable talking about. I love these kids so much. When they walk over our threshold, they are ours and we love them so much. We want what is best and we hurt when they hurt. However, we don't always like them. We don't immediately feel a bond with some. Others we know before we meet them. This is where God's grace comes in and how thankful I am for it. Luckily, LIKE is not a command in the Bible, haha. It is easy to love a child, but hard to like their actions - their temper tantrums when told no, their bitterness to rules, their lying, hurting others, breaking things, etc. I know that children act out what they see and what they feel. I am reminded constantly to love and show love as much as possible. The more love I show, the more they give. The more they give, the more we all feel! It works!
5. We are no more busy than a family with two kids - I mean, technically we are, but not really, lol. If we were stressed and busy and didn't have time for anything, we wouldn't have this many kids! Honestly, God equips larger families with lifestyles that work for them. He equips them with patience to fit how many kids they have. We are no more special than a family with three kids. God gave them the patience they needed to raise those children just as he gave us the amount we needed to fulfill His will.
We are a serving family and love to serve where we can. Most of our service is together and yes, I have all my kids all day, but if we offer to do something it's because we truly want to. Being turned down with an offer just because we have a lot of kids really takes our opportunity to serve Jesus away from us. I can't tell you how many times family, friends and our church has passed us over simply because we have a big family. Please ask - we know how to say no and we will if we truly can't. :)
So, I hope this helps you when it comes to talking with foster families. If you are interested in fostering, please visit my Facebook page or email me at tfi.quadcities@gmail.com :) Spreading awareness is a passion, so please know you can ask me anything and I will do my best to help.
What would you like to know? Is there a topic about foster care that you don't understand? Our family's schedule? Kid's perspective? I would love to know and write about that next.
Showing posts with label Friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friends. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Five Things We Learned This Month
The beginning of January, I wrote This blog about starting our 31 Days of Zero Spending without any expectations. Though our month is almost over, we will continue to do this randomly throughout the year and there are many lessons we will carry with us as a forever change. Here is my take on this month.
Five Big Things We Learned in the 31 Days of Zero Spending (some we knew, but had light shed on them in a new way):
1. When we take away convenience, we find something much better! We made beef jerky in the dehydrator last week and made a yummy marinade. It called for a lot of worcesterchire sauce, we ran out, so I made my own. It was so much better than the store bought stuff. We truly loved it so much that I made more to fill the bottle back up. I also made chili powder as we ran out of that, too. So good!!!
My daughter had a birthday party she attended, so she made lots of cards, gave her own toys and made a bracelet for her friend. She planned this gift for over a week and it was much deeper and far more heart felt than anything we would've went and bought.
2. We learned the true power of preparedness. We learned that at any given moment in time, we can well survive for months - even with our slew of kids! We love canning, freezing, and keeping our pantry stocked and it paid off! We had very balanced meals every single night. We had lots of sandwiches for lunch, but breakfast and dinner was always well done! Prior to this month, our canning and such was more for the yummy factor, but we learned how needed it could be.
3. We learned the love of a community. Dan and I are blessed financially, so this 31 Days was not a form of getting on track in that area, but it didn't matter to our dearest friends! From friends offering to buy dinner, to waiting to pay for something until February, to buying a coffee and getting us gift cards to take a night off of cooking. Seriously, so blessed to see that we have friends who understand and love us enough to support our decisions - as crazy as they are! :) To those of you who supported us full fledged, we appreciate you. To those who will be doing this, please tell me so I can pass on that support and love!
4. We learned that we live in an amazing area with a lot to offer for FREE! When we go places for fun, we usually spend LOTS of money for our family to get in places. We had our very first weekend with Dan last week where he wasn't working or we weren't traveling, so we HAD to do something. Getting online and looking at the QC Events Page we realized there is really so much to do for FREE! We wen't to the John Deere Pavilion, the Icestravaganza, we did a craft at the Figge Art Museum and we walked the Sky bridge. So simple and so fun and so free!!! :)
5. We learned the love of contentment. We learned the power of not getting what we want, but taking joy in it anyways. The first few weeks were the hardest for the kiddos as they "needed" clasps for their rubber band bracelets, one "needed" batteries for her Furby, etc, etc. There were many nights I "needed" a bowl of cereal and a few mornings where I "needed" a coffee. There were many days where we "needed" a certain ingredient because we wanted to have this certain meal. We learned a lot in the terms of pointing out how blessed we are even when we don't get what we "need". Everything we truly needed was here all along, it just took a few weeks for us let go of our wants.
So, what our hopes were when we began, God provided every single one of them and then some. During this month we also learned the power of divorcing our phones. We have a basket that sits on the kitchen counter and our phones do not leave that basket. We learned that living simply is overly satisfying and just enough. Not a single day going through this have we complained about anything. Not a single day did we want to take the easy way out. Satan tried, but God defeated!
Another fun advantage was the fact that we saved extra than normal and that savings is more than enough to pay for our son's braces that he's getting in a couple weeks. That's awesome, huh?!
This month was challenging at various times, but I assure you, the blessings have far outweighed the temptations. Plus, those temptations have taught all of us self control on a whole new level. They have taught us another form of gratefulness. We make desserts often and we didn't have much this month, but when we did, it was much more loved and appreciated from everyone.
The most important thing in the way we live is that we have contentment by focusing on the eternal, not the temporal. Whether we have money to save or not, whether we are able to keep our pantry stocked, whether we live in a circle of giving believers, whether we live in a huge home or small one, whether we never have a financial concern or we battle one every week, we are to focus on the eternal, not the temporal. 1 Timothy 6:6-8 says, "Now godliness combined with contentment brings great profit. For we have brought nothing into this world and so we cannot take a single thing out either. But if we have food and shelter, we will be satisfied with that."
We all will be taking what we learned and carrying it through as a daily walk of life. I'm so grateful that God laid this on our hearts and I'm so glad we came out far happier about these "little things" than when we started. I would truly encourage everyone to go through a period of Living Simple so we can Simply Live. Go ahead, give it a go!
Five Big Things We Learned in the 31 Days of Zero Spending (some we knew, but had light shed on them in a new way):
1. When we take away convenience, we find something much better! We made beef jerky in the dehydrator last week and made a yummy marinade. It called for a lot of worcesterchire sauce, we ran out, so I made my own. It was so much better than the store bought stuff. We truly loved it so much that I made more to fill the bottle back up. I also made chili powder as we ran out of that, too. So good!!!
My daughter had a birthday party she attended, so she made lots of cards, gave her own toys and made a bracelet for her friend. She planned this gift for over a week and it was much deeper and far more heart felt than anything we would've went and bought.
2. We learned the true power of preparedness. We learned that at any given moment in time, we can well survive for months - even with our slew of kids! We love canning, freezing, and keeping our pantry stocked and it paid off! We had very balanced meals every single night. We had lots of sandwiches for lunch, but breakfast and dinner was always well done! Prior to this month, our canning and such was more for the yummy factor, but we learned how needed it could be.
3. We learned the love of a community. Dan and I are blessed financially, so this 31 Days was not a form of getting on track in that area, but it didn't matter to our dearest friends! From friends offering to buy dinner, to waiting to pay for something until February, to buying a coffee and getting us gift cards to take a night off of cooking. Seriously, so blessed to see that we have friends who understand and love us enough to support our decisions - as crazy as they are! :) To those of you who supported us full fledged, we appreciate you. To those who will be doing this, please tell me so I can pass on that support and love!
4. We learned that we live in an amazing area with a lot to offer for FREE! When we go places for fun, we usually spend LOTS of money for our family to get in places. We had our very first weekend with Dan last week where he wasn't working or we weren't traveling, so we HAD to do something. Getting online and looking at the QC Events Page we realized there is really so much to do for FREE! We wen't to the John Deere Pavilion, the Icestravaganza, we did a craft at the Figge Art Museum and we walked the Sky bridge. So simple and so fun and so free!!! :)
5. We learned the love of contentment. We learned the power of not getting what we want, but taking joy in it anyways. The first few weeks were the hardest for the kiddos as they "needed" clasps for their rubber band bracelets, one "needed" batteries for her Furby, etc, etc. There were many nights I "needed" a bowl of cereal and a few mornings where I "needed" a coffee. There were many days where we "needed" a certain ingredient because we wanted to have this certain meal. We learned a lot in the terms of pointing out how blessed we are even when we don't get what we "need". Everything we truly needed was here all along, it just took a few weeks for us let go of our wants.So, what our hopes were when we began, God provided every single one of them and then some. During this month we also learned the power of divorcing our phones. We have a basket that sits on the kitchen counter and our phones do not leave that basket. We learned that living simply is overly satisfying and just enough. Not a single day going through this have we complained about anything. Not a single day did we want to take the easy way out. Satan tried, but God defeated!
Another fun advantage was the fact that we saved extra than normal and that savings is more than enough to pay for our son's braces that he's getting in a couple weeks. That's awesome, huh?!
This month was challenging at various times, but I assure you, the blessings have far outweighed the temptations. Plus, those temptations have taught all of us self control on a whole new level. They have taught us another form of gratefulness. We make desserts often and we didn't have much this month, but when we did, it was much more loved and appreciated from everyone.
The most important thing in the way we live is that we have contentment by focusing on the eternal, not the temporal. Whether we have money to save or not, whether we are able to keep our pantry stocked, whether we live in a circle of giving believers, whether we live in a huge home or small one, whether we never have a financial concern or we battle one every week, we are to focus on the eternal, not the temporal. 1 Timothy 6:6-8 says, "Now godliness combined with contentment brings great profit. For we have brought nothing into this world and so we cannot take a single thing out either. But if we have food and shelter, we will be satisfied with that."
We all will be taking what we learned and carrying it through as a daily walk of life. I'm so grateful that God laid this on our hearts and I'm so glad we came out far happier about these "little things" than when we started. I would truly encourage everyone to go through a period of Living Simple so we can Simply Live. Go ahead, give it a go!
Thursday, January 9, 2014
This May Be Surprising To You...
So, I am about to share something that may be surprising to a lot of you!
I first want to say that I love the Lord with every ounce of my being. I spend time with Him every.single.day! My hubby leads our family spiritually in every way possible. Every evening he leads a devotional with our children, he teaches Sunday School for fourth graders and is the leader for 3-5th grade boys at Awana. I am a youth group leader and the leader for K-2nd graders at Awana. We are very involved with our local orphans, spreading awareness, and doing what we can to take them in.
In John 8, Jesus is with an adulterous woman and He said, "let any of you who is without sin be the first to throw the stone". In Luke 6, Jesus says, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?". We do not have to agree, but we are called to love!
We DO NOT feel that we deserve any praise, we are simply where God has called us to be - something we all should be doing, right?! We will always take prayers and continue spreading awareness.
With that being said, we are sinners! We are in church three plus times each week and we sin every day. I spend time with God every day and I still need to ask for forgiveness before my time with Him. I know that I'm going to sin - I can't stop it from happening! I can change what I can with God's help, but I can never stop sinning.
This big debate over gays is hard for me (this is not a blog about gays, but rather our hearts as Christians)! You see, I have an aunt (whom is the best aunt in the history of aunts) and she is gay. She has loved me selflessly, my husband and now my kids. She is humble and funny!
So many people are afraid to talk about it and I don't understand why. I don't believe "Christians" act the way they are supposed to when it comes to gays - at all! We are called to LOVE! In the New Testament, Jesus said to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind and all your soul. Next is to love your neighbor as you love yourself. There is no greater commandment than these. (Mark 12:30-31)
You see, Jesus does not put exemptions on these commandments - there are no "ifs". I do not agree with the gay lifestyle, I do believe it goes against all of what the Bible teaches. However, I also know that lying, pride, lust, jealousy, love of things, selfishness, women leaders in the church also go against what Jesus teaches.
I am not saying it is right to sin in any of these areas, gay, pride, jealousy, etc. It is not and we should not be content in any sin! I do believe that marriage is meant to be between a man and a woman! But, just because I believe these things to be wrong and am convicted many times when I forget, does not mean I have to judge and bring wrath down onto others who choose to sin.
God speaks of love so much in the Bible and that is what we sometimes forget. We are so caught up on what this world has in the spotlight that we forget what God put in the spotlight - love! We don't have to agree with people to show love to them. We don't have to make people exactly like us! We just need to love, stand firm in our faith in God and let Him do the rest! He will change hearts if He wants, He will judge each of us when our time comes! Don't give satan any hold on you!
I have prayed for you! As you read this, I have prayed that God softens your heart to loving our neighbors! Love is selfless! Love is NOT arrogant or rude! Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in truth. Love believes all things, bears all things, and endures all things. Love never ends. (1 Corinthians 13)
Matthew 5:14-16 (this is actually my homeschool group's verse) says we are "the light of the world" and that we are to "let our light shine so others may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in Heaven".
I just ask that we start a revolution of love! A revolution that shouldn't have to be mentioned, but surely it does! Let's unite to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Love our fellow sinners, the gays, the selfish people, the murderers, the liars, the thieves, those whom are jealous! Let's invite them to fellowship in the house of God! Let us not judge - it is clearly not our job.
In John 8, Jesus is with an adulterous woman and He said, "let any of you who is without sin be the first to throw the stone". In Luke 6, Jesus says, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?". We do not have to agree, but we are called to love!
Love People!!!!
Saturday, January 4, 2014
What will you choose to see?
What do you see when you see this face?
I see a sweet, blonde hair, gorgeous blue eyed boy! I see a boy who had a rough start to life and needs a helmet to get things set right. I see a boy whose family obviously loves camo and Da Bears! Haha
What we don't see when we look at these pics is this:
The yucky yellow parts around the helmet where the foam is separating from the plastic because the glue is getting old (or the basketball team running around like crazy in the background and the floor that needs swept) -
What we don't see is the piece of foam that has been clawed at because he gets so sweaty and so itchy inside (or that I don't have any makeup on, hair pulled back, and the dishes in the sink) -
What we don't see is the string and fuzzies stuck to his velcro or the smell! Wow! The smell sometimes, haha. And, I wash that thing every single day!
Facebook can be one of those places where we see a lot of good things, a lot of proud moments! I used to think that I was bragging or being prideful when I said how awesome my child did, so I refrained a lot. I don't want to make other women doubt themselves (because I would feel this way at times). However, I think it is also really good that we choose to see the good, awesome moments!
It is SOOOOO hard for me to listen to negative talk. Anyone close to me knows that this is not fun for me. I see the silver lining in the worst of circumstances...it is sometimes a fault.
It is a good thing that we choose to post the awesome moments in our life, but we as the viewers have to remember that there are other things that we can't see. Everyone has fuzzies stuck to their velcro, we just can't see them. Those posting pics, I pray, are doing so as a way to encourage and share proud moments with their friends that love, support and are truly happy alongside them (I mean, that is why we are friends right?!). And, we must know that outside of these happy moments, they are regular, normal sinners just like the rest of us. Hahaha. For real though!
I have let satan get in my head with Facebook more than once, God tells us to protect our hearts in Proverbs 4:23 - "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life". I realized it had nothing to do with the person posting their achievements, but from my discontent heart. I would become dissatisfied with my friendships, my parenting, my home. I would think I needed to look like my friends. I would get so hard on myself thinking I wasn't doing a good enough job. I wasn't seeing their fuzzies, only mine.
Please don't think that our friends are all perfect. Whether it is canning season, gardening season, the mom who gets down on the floor and plays with her child all day, the one who has dinner on the table every night when her hubby gets home with candles lit and food garnished with fresh picked herbs or the one who has a very successful career. Whether it is the husband who spends every evening with his family leading devotionals or the man who surprised his wife with a surprise getaway.
We ALL have our fuzzies and our glue might be separating. Be content and love what God has given you with a joyful heart. You may not do anything I just mentioned, but that DOES NOT MEAN IT'S WRONG!!! I read a post before that said, "A Christian Home Can Look A Thousand Different Ways!" So true!!! Rejoice when our friends are rejoicing and weep when they are weeping ~Romans 12:15. Remember that a picture is just a snapshot of a couple seconds in a person's life.Here is to looking at our family and friend's lives and loving them!!! Here is to having pure joy! I choose to see the blonde hair, blue eyed boy who is being raised to love the Bears, camo, and currently a pacifier! How 'bout you? What will you choose to see?
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
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! :)
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! :)
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Joy
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
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
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
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Hard Hats, Elevators & Rooftops...
Today was memorable! I'm not sure who enjoyed it more...me or the kids :)
My husband is a Lineman and was able to pull a few strings to get us a field trip. We got to go see how Electricity is actually made! From the coal coming off the train to the steam to the ash! It was neat to see it all in action.
We were able to invite a few friends along with us and their children. One of the moms said to me, "This will be remembered far longer than the same thing read in a text book." I'm so blessed to be able to give these memories to my children! Not to mention the generosity we received from the Plant Manager and Service Manager! They, literally, took us everywhere they could. We seen offices, stair cases, elevators, an antique 1925 Boiler and vintage house meters.
With us three moms and our 9 kids, we just followed in amazement. Like these little tidbits:
Did you know...The left over water and steam is pumped into a pond where the ash is settled, then the water is filtered and put back into the Mississippi. The water goes back in better than they found it.
Did you know...The ash that settles on the bottom of that pond is gathered and shipped down to a concrete business to use as fill for roads, sidewalks, etc.
Did you know...This plant uses low sulfur coal that's shipped in from Wyoming. Illinois coal has a 2% Sulfur level and Wyoming coal has 0.3% Sulfur level.
Did you know...Mid American Generating Plant has the best and longest record for safety.
Did you know...This generating plant was the largest West of the Mississippi until the mid 70's.
My children were able to see the coal being ground up into a powder form. They were able to see it being dumped in the lines that took it to the boiler. They seen the boilers, seen the fire inside that was a raging 2,500 degrees. They seen the steam stacks, the master control room and lots of buttons and gadgets. This is a day that I know will never be forgotten. The great part is...it's only the beginning... It's the beginning of the year, the beginning of their life ahead. So many more exploring adventures that are ahead of us. Oh...AND THE BEST PART OF THE FIELD TRIP: HARD HATS, ELEVATORS AND ROOFTOPS!!!!!
Speaking of that rooftop, we got to go up on it!
What a gorgeous view!! We were overlooking the Mississippi River! It was beautiful! We were standing right next to the smoke stack that you could see miles and miles away!
Up on the rooftop we also gotto see a train unloading the coal. There was a tractor out there on that huge mound of coal. He was levelling it out as the train slowly pushed along. The coal then goes into this huge elevator and makes it's way through the process. It was quite neat to see all the coal that goes into giving us our lights! What a neat process!
What adventures have you been on lately? Any adventures in your own yard?
My husband is a Lineman and was able to pull a few strings to get us a field trip. We got to go see how Electricity is actually made! From the coal coming off the train to the steam to the ash! It was neat to see it all in action.
We were able to invite a few friends along with us and their children. One of the moms said to me, "This will be remembered far longer than the same thing read in a text book." I'm so blessed to be able to give these memories to my children! Not to mention the generosity we received from the Plant Manager and Service Manager! They, literally, took us everywhere they could. We seen offices, stair cases, elevators, an antique 1925 Boiler and vintage house meters.
With us three moms and our 9 kids, we just followed in amazement. Like these little tidbits:
My children were able to see the coal being ground up into a powder form. They were able to see it being dumped in the lines that took it to the boiler. They seen the boilers, seen the fire inside that was a raging 2,500 degrees. They seen the steam stacks, the master control room and lots of buttons and gadgets. This is a day that I know will never be forgotten. The great part is...it's only the beginning... It's the beginning of the year, the beginning of their life ahead. So many more exploring adventures that are ahead of us. Oh...AND THE BEST PART OF THE FIELD TRIP: HARD HATS, ELEVATORS AND ROOFTOPS!!!!!
Speaking of that rooftop, we got to go up on it!
What a gorgeous view!! We were overlooking the Mississippi River! It was beautiful! We were standing right next to the smoke stack that you could see miles and miles away!
Up on the rooftop we also gotto see a train unloading the coal. There was a tractor out there on that huge mound of coal. He was levelling it out as the train slowly pushed along. The coal then goes into this huge elevator and makes it's way through the process. It was quite neat to see all the coal that goes into giving us our lights! What a neat process!
What adventures have you been on lately? Any adventures in your own yard?
Thursday, April 28, 2011
I'm smarter than you are??? Really???
I was talking to a sweet, long missed friend of mine a couple of nights ago and we got on the subject of our beliefs and how good it feels to read something in the Bible and, actually, get the meaning of it. Like recently realizing that I can't take my life where it needs to go. I mean I always "knew" that I couldn't control it...but I never fully grasped it. I used to believe that I had a free choice on all decisions that I make...which contradicts what I thought I knew. I have recently learned that NO! I don't have that choice, that only lies in the hands of our Maker. I have learned through searching and searching through His Word that God makes the sovereign choice for me and you!!
But, going through that, for me, was a moment in my faith that I will never forget! It was one of the first times that God laid a situation on my heart and stayed persistent as He put people in my path that I needed to talk to. I sometimes wonder, though, how so many Christians can get so defensive when someone else reveals what God has revealed to them. I'm not saying that I had many issues going through this, but their were some. However, I've been in that situation before with friends...we all have! I was in it as I was battling myself through this! I couldn't believe how something could be so different than what I had believed before. Here's where the selfishness came in..."What, that can't be. I know that's not right?!" But, truth is, I know a small tiny pen point of what the Bible holds...
Don't take this the wrong way, I don't feel that I know more than anyone else or any other viewpoint is wrong, I do feel that my relationship with God and my view of the future completely changed for the better once I took the pressure off of 'ME' and followed Him. I'm not trying to say that this is what you should believe as that is between you and God, but the point I'm trying to get to is why do we automatically get so defensive when a new insight to a, possible, new outlook of Gods Word is brought to our attention. I honestly don't feel that anyone going through a similar situation is trying to sound, "Better than thou" or "Smarter than you", but rather looking for help as they walk through this life altering situation that God has laid on their heart. Because 9 times out of 10, they're looking for insight to help be able to grasp what God is trying to reveal.
Going through this experience has, for me, been life changing. It has changed the way I pray. I look at the future with ease, my children with comfort, this world with peace and my life with excitement. I know that nothing is in my hands, it is out of my control...and, honestly, I am relieved of that. To know that God's will is so much BIGGER than ANYTHING of this world...including myself is an amazing gift and nothing short of a relief!!
I know that I pray that I will be able to hear through Gods ears and feel through His heart. Will you?? Will your ears be open when someone comes to you with Scriptural references to something that God has revealed to them? Will you hear as though God was sitting next to you?? God reveals to some what He doesn't to others...Why?? Well, how would we grow and learn TOGETHER if He didn't?! If we knew EVERYTHING, how would we learn ANYTHING?! How would we share His Word to other 'believers'? God laid this on my heart through Scripture and LOTS of friends who He revealed this very thing to, many years ago. Yes, I had to come to grips with knowing that I was NOT the first to find out...
What is God laying on your heart?? What is He wanting you to dig in and find out more about? What!!! Remember the ears that will be relieving to you as you go through this that someone else needs today. Maybe God's not laying anything on your heart at this point...but, maybe you have a friend who is?!!!
God bless!!
But, going through that, for me, was a moment in my faith that I will never forget! It was one of the first times that God laid a situation on my heart and stayed persistent as He put people in my path that I needed to talk to. I sometimes wonder, though, how so many Christians can get so defensive when someone else reveals what God has revealed to them. I'm not saying that I had many issues going through this, but their were some. However, I've been in that situation before with friends...we all have! I was in it as I was battling myself through this! I couldn't believe how something could be so different than what I had believed before. Here's where the selfishness came in..."What, that can't be. I know that's not right?!" But, truth is, I know a small tiny pen point of what the Bible holds...
Don't take this the wrong way, I don't feel that I know more than anyone else or any other viewpoint is wrong, I do feel that my relationship with God and my view of the future completely changed for the better once I took the pressure off of 'ME' and followed Him. I'm not trying to say that this is what you should believe as that is between you and God, but the point I'm trying to get to is why do we automatically get so defensive when a new insight to a, possible, new outlook of Gods Word is brought to our attention. I honestly don't feel that anyone going through a similar situation is trying to sound, "Better than thou" or "Smarter than you", but rather looking for help as they walk through this life altering situation that God has laid on their heart. Because 9 times out of 10, they're looking for insight to help be able to grasp what God is trying to reveal.
Going through this experience has, for me, been life changing. It has changed the way I pray. I look at the future with ease, my children with comfort, this world with peace and my life with excitement. I know that nothing is in my hands, it is out of my control...and, honestly, I am relieved of that. To know that God's will is so much BIGGER than ANYTHING of this world...including myself is an amazing gift and nothing short of a relief!!
I know that I pray that I will be able to hear through Gods ears and feel through His heart. Will you?? Will your ears be open when someone comes to you with Scriptural references to something that God has revealed to them? Will you hear as though God was sitting next to you?? God reveals to some what He doesn't to others...Why?? Well, how would we grow and learn TOGETHER if He didn't?! If we knew EVERYTHING, how would we learn ANYTHING?! How would we share His Word to other 'believers'? God laid this on my heart through Scripture and LOTS of friends who He revealed this very thing to, many years ago. Yes, I had to come to grips with knowing that I was NOT the first to find out...
What is God laying on your heart?? What is He wanting you to dig in and find out more about? What!!! Remember the ears that will be relieving to you as you go through this that someone else needs today. Maybe God's not laying anything on your heart at this point...but, maybe you have a friend who is?!!!
God bless!!
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