Youth Pastor's Conference

Goodness gracious!!! Wow, did I have a good time at the Youth Pastor's conference!!!!

I can't tell you we had crazy amazing events or anything, but God really did a work in my heart! This blessed me so greatly that I would take these days learning in His presence over a thousand elsewhere...
Is it better to gain the whole world and forfeit my soul? (Mark 8:36)

I have been born again for 15 years now, but a good many years of those were eaten by the locusts. I do believe that God allowed this to grow me more into the woman He wants me to be.  I was still baring fruit in my life, but a lot of it was simply getting eaten away.
"I will repay you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the creeping locust, the stripping locust, and the gnawing locust, My great army which I sent among you" (Joel 2:25)

About 4 years ago I really began to feel God starting to restore those eaten years. My family moved into a large home with my in-laws in 2008.
That alone made it a trying time, but not long after the move my baby brother almost died, this caused a snow ball effect for other life changing things to happen.

During his 4 months in the hospital I was breaking down and getting torn apart.  There were many family struggles and hurtful words said. The support system I thought I had in place really broke down on me.  God wanted to show me that He was all I needed. He had a plan.

I started going to a Christian Physiologist soon after. God used this time to show me He wanted to put the broken pieces of me back together again. His plan of healing consisted of me being broken down again. Did you know a fractured bone can be stronger after it's been broken? Well, God wanted to work on my rebelliousness and call me even closer to Himself.

He called us out of our church... and to say the least, this transition was not a smooth one. He definitely used it for our good.  During this move He took me to my Damascus road and He removed the scales from my eyes.

With our church move, we ended up moving to a new home as well.
At our new church I have a beautiful group of friends and these were some of the friends I was at this conference with. I am happy to have my roots grow deep here and also to have them be intertwined with the roots of my friends as we withstand trials together.

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I know a lot of what God showed me this week was things I simply needed to be reminded of, but I am excited in the fact that a promise has been made to me. A promise that God is restoring by broken vessel.
You see He told me my obedience here is just the beginning. He said "go home and turn not, for in doing so you will turn it upside down".  I have been convicted for too many years to tear down the idols that have been built up in my family from generation to generation. I took this issue strongly to the Lord in prayer, I gave this to Him, and that was my obedience.  You see these idols have torn parts of my family to pieces and I don't want that to happen to me and my husband, or to my children or their children, I want to turn things upside down in The Lord's name!

I am convicted to be a woman of action, and I am excited to say that I don't think I have ever felt as much hope as I do now!  I actually am excited about obedience!  That is CRAZY for me!

What's even MORE crazy is all these years I have learned of God's grace, and even taught of His grace... but I never allowed myself to receive that grace. In my own pride I always believed I didn't deserve it even though teaching it, I know it is something that no one deserves.

My youth pastors years ago always taught me that it had to be more than head knowledge, it had to be heart knowledge. Now my pastor as of late has been teaching on how this grace has to drop... drop from your head to your heart! Listening to these messages have been frustrating because I knew this was not something I could simply WILL to happen within myself, so I prayed and I'm pretty sure I was even grieving over it.

Well this week, it DROPPED!

I realized after listening to Pastor Levi Lusko's first message, along with thinking on my son's 7-11 story (which I don't think I've written) and how we could have lost him, but we didn't... but Pastor Levi lost his daughter!

This was when I really understood grace! I don't deserve my children! They are a gift! I didn't deserve for God to keep my son safe, but He did... I could have woke up in the morning with my front door wide open and my son gone! But God brought my son back home to me! "How does a mom go through this and flipping NOT understand grace?" I said this weeping... ...then I realized it dropped.

I realized this is exactly how God's grace is for me in all things. ALL of them. I don't deserve it, but HE loves me, so He gives it, amazing!

Out this week...

I'm at a youth Pastor's conference with my hubby and good friends. We got up before 4am, so it's already been a long day, but the conversation has been enjoyable and the fellowship sweet!

These kind of things make me so excited for the day we all will be together for eternity! I love it!!!

Geez! I have a big mouth! hahaha

Happy Sunday!

Awww! Church friend flashback!
This is so adorable!  This is my two girls (in the middle) with their two sister friends that used to go to our church.  They are really very missed, my daughter talks about them all the time, it's sad when friends move away.

Like my little one and her Alfalfa hair?! It's from when her brother chopped her hair off!

Balloons, Barf, Baptisms and My Baby oh my!

Balloons

On Saturday we all enjoyed a beautiful birthday party for a one year old friend of ours... balloon man and all :)

Here is my youngest lady with her "fissie"...

... my brave man with his "hord and heild"...

And my lady with her "kiddy and ball"...

Barf

Just after that birthday party on Saturday my son threw up all over the back seat of our car, poor little guy. We attributed it to all the sweets and possibly the bubble solution since he was fine all night.

Though my oldest daughter threw up in her bed that night, poor little lady. I was still thinking it must have been that candy, my kids are NOT used to me letting them have that much candy!

Warfare? Write it off, write if off, write it off... yes three times... but not until we already had been through church service, lunch, shopping and a car ride to the beach!

As soon as we were getting out of the van at the beach B.boy threw up all over the back of Mini :( still in the car! (You can imagine our car smells wonderful!) At that point I said "lets just go home" but I totally wasn't thinking it! I was thinking "warfare!"

So we stayed, and actually little Mister had fun until he got cold and hungry...

And Mini was quite the sweetness in handling puke all in her hair, down her back, on her bum, down her legs and in her shoes!!! She just wanted to go to the beach...

Baptisms

The reason why I kept thinking Warfare!...

... I got baptized! I will blog my heart on the subject another time (hopefully soon).

... blessed obedience...

My Baby! oh my!

She started Kindergarten today! We started homeschooling today! This was me waking her up at 8:30 a.m. to make sure we could start around 9:00...

... the name tag at her desk...

... her waiting patiently for her first subject...

... she jumped right in...

... and LOVED it! I knew she would... I am so proud of her...

... I can't believe she is such a little woman already and that she will be 6 before the year ends!

* Sniffle * Sniffle *

Sigh - Ministry Days!

What's up with me and the kids always having bad days on Tuesdays?!

I think it was last Tuesday my youngest daughter threw her head at mine trying to lay down next to me first thing in the morning. I couldn't see straight, I was nauseous, and I had a bump on my forehead all day.

That same daughter also dropped and broke a ceramic plate while trying to carry it to the counter, in the process a piece of the plate cut her face :(

Also my son had what looked like a black eye because he and (again) my younger daughter were out of their beds the night before playing. When daddy went in to check on them, they went running towards their beds and ran dead into each other! Again my daughter's hard head probably hit him. He woke up with a nasty bruise just beneath his eye :(

On top of all this my newborn was not keeping his milk down. Right after I nurse him he spits up, almost every time.

I did find out later in the week that he probably has acid reflux.

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Wow after looking at how LAST week's Tuesday was, today is not so bad :) My forehead no longer hurts to touch, my daughter's face is healed, my son's bruise is much lighter, and my newborn is on a small dose of Zantac to help him keep his milk down :) Things I can now see to be thankful for.

No wonder God showed me three times over in the last week...

"This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Also I think I now see that in these bad days instead of letting my husband bless me, take the night off from youth group and manage the house all night - we should force ourselves out of the house, because OBVIOUSLY the enemy wants us not to go.

I confess - I still want to give in, it just seems easier.

But I know we will be all the more welcomed showing up all battered and beaten, LOL!!!

Ready for Another Retreat

These are pics from my last retreat back in May, it hasn't even been a half a year yet and I cannot wait till my next one :)

These pics of mine would be when I was almost 15 pounds heavier, I definitely see the difference looking back...

I can always get a picture of at least one person texting nowadays (still not me)...

My good friend simply adores animals! She picked up this doggy outside a little store, aren't they cuties? :)...

This is my other good friend whom I haven't seen in TOO long...

Me and my mommy...

The retreat grounds were BEAUTIFUL...

Great spots for quite times with the Lord...

And time with good friends too :)...

Gorgeous...

One of their meeting rooms was even built like the ark! It was huge...

Me before our trek to see if the pool was open...

It was... and Miss Teen jumped in with me, with her clothes on! I love her!!...

Another great friend I hadn't seen in a while, but now I am blessed to see her all the time at my new church...

Another one of me and my mommy...

And our little group from my old church family, I miss them....

I also shared more photos with an overview on what I learned from some of the message here in this post. That message has stuck with me to this day, great visuals!!!

Picture a Day - More Catch-Up!

August 20: My sister-in-law took a trip to Texas and came back with a souvenir for my son that makes him the equivalent of Chuck Norris!!! LOL

August 19: I shared how far behind I was on the laundry last time for Picture a Day... well here we go again... at least this time I am one step ahead! :) Let's just pray it doesn't fall over!

August 18: I was really trying to catch-up on my housework that had been piling up! Some things never end!...

August 17: I went out to eat with my good friend Nat! We hadn't seen each other in quite a while, we had a great dinner together. (No wonder here why I gained 2 pounds recently!)

August 16: My family and I went to a church in a town that we are praying about moving to... the Pastor's message was GREAT - we LOVED it there!

August 15: This is me and my friend Jenn! This picture was new to Facebook recently and I LOVE it! (This was at our National Scrapbook Day crop :)

August 14: I have been reading more recently and am really enjoying it... I am very tired of movies and have obviously not wanted to be on my computer much lately either.

August 13: I met my middle sister's newest baby!!! He's a sweet little guy. (My older sister took this shot of him :)

August 12: Oh d-d-d-ear (sorry my kids are watching "The Tigger Movie" while I type this)... You never know when the phone rings - just what type of news it will bring - the call this day was a very SAD one!

August 11: Look, more reading... yes romance - which I normally don't read, but I liked this one because it is based on the book of Hosea in the Bible, very strong life applications in this story, it was beautiful.

August 10: Yes before I got to reading I was watching more 'So You Think You Can Dance' on Youtube! This picture is from my favorite routine all season.

August 9: This is my son playing with his Vader Tator's arm like a gun... he's such a boy!

August 8: This is my niece on the day of a pageant I didn't get to go to since I was sick :( It seems like it was just a couple years ago when she was a little toddler in my wedding! She wows me now!

August 7: This is where the reading started :). I read it out loud to my hubby while he played his world of warcraft computer game and ate his dinner. Another very encouraging book!

August 6: :) My niece's birthday... another day I missed from being sick! I TOTALLY LOVE this picture of her that her mommy took!

August 3: I slept a WHOLE lot (thank you Joshie) and woke up with TOTALLY swollen glands! Ouch!!!!

August 2: Yes, more movie watching... sick - sick - sick!!! Cough, cough, cough, shiver, shiver, shiver, aaaaaaa-chooooooo!!!! a-chhhhhoooo! aaaaa-chooooo! This was a good movie.

July 31: Yep... we had the flu!

July 30: Not just any old flu - but the swine flu! And this picture below is funny (not mine) but not how we got the flu, lol!!!

July 28: I weighed myself - even while sick - and found out I hit my pre-pregnancy goal!

July 24: This I think was the day I started to get sick :( it took about 2 weeks to get better!

July 23: There were many beautiful days before we got sick - I found more flowers I didn't know our rental house had :)

... snapdragons are one of my favorites!!!! My daddy would always make them "talk" for me - a very fond memory!

July 22: This was my first day doing the P90X Core Synergistics DVD and I think it is my favorite... it was a little of everything and it HURT! I loved it!

July 21: My hubby and I met with my uncle's real estate agent, and have been praying about different areas to move to since... I am learning patience :)

July 20: Here was a fun birthday card I got it the mail that I thought you would enjoy!

July 19: This is the front of the first church we went to visit after God called us out of our former church home... great worship, sweet, friendly people and very down-to-heart messages.

July 18: My daughter is home again!!! I let her stay at my sister's house for a week to go to Vacation Bible School, I missed her so!! Oh! my girl is getting so big!

July 17: When I went to pick JJ up I also stayed for my sister's Ice Cream Party and got to see my lil brother! :)

(He's gone back to school! But could use prayer because he has already ended up sick and in the emergency room from the "new" environment of germs! My sister even had to give him the dreaded emergency shot in his leg because he was throwing up!)