Battle

I was once given the advice to read one chapter of Proverbs each day. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs and 31 days in most months, so all you have to do is read the date's corresponding chapter to finish the entire book in 31 days. While it is great advice, if I'm being honest, I'm not sure when I opened my Bible last. The past 2 1/2 months have been the most challenging months I've had in years, and with all the stress of figuring out what I was going to do with my life, my Bible lay in one of my tote bags just waiting. I didn't even know if it was with me here in NKY or packed up in Louisville, but I was searching for papers yesterday, and there it was. And I felt guilty. So I picked it up and set it on the edge of my bed. That's a start, right? Well, I didn't sleep well last night. I haven't slept in almost 2 weeks. And after a failed attempt at a nap earlier this evening, I opened my Bible to Proverbs 12 (because it's July 12....), and I read and read and read. And then I realized something. I probably should have realized it a while ago, but I don't think I was listening. I wasn't sitting still and asking God what He was trying to teach me through all of this. But I listened today, and it's a start.

I realized today that I am in the middle of a fierce battle. A battle for my mind, my thoughts, my convictions and my future. I have always believed the Bible as absolute truth, but when I actually sat down and read and listened to that truth today, I realized that a lot of the thoughts, struggles and things I've wrestled with over the past couple of months about what I believe in, value and stand for, were warring within me. Lately I have been in the most vulnerable state, and instead of saturating myself in God's word and in TRUTH, I settled for sleepless nights and questioned everything I ever stood for. I settled for feeling sorry for myself and thinking that every good choice I made along the way was somehow me doing something great for God. I believed that my good choices happened because of ME, instead of because of His mercy and love and protection over me. I exalted myself in my heart and thought in my moments of weakness that I could survive this by my own strength. Oh how weak I really am. And in that time, Satan continued to attack. You see, he started attacking once Alex and I decided to adopt. Adoption is the physical representation of the gospel here on Earth, and I should have been ready. Maybe I thought I was. It just doesn't surprise me that the moment we sent our dossier off, everything fell to pieces. I should have expected it, and I let it surprise me. And he continued to attack. Destroying my marriage wasn't enough. He wanted everything. My heart. My soul. My mind. My body. Everything. It's a battle. And it will continue to be a battle. But I know where my anchor and where my hope is. All I have to do is give Him some of my time. Give Him my ears to hear what he is whispering to me during those sleepless moments. Give Him my eyes to see those in front of me who are hurting just like I am. It's time for me to start fighting back. Thankfully, I know the battle is already won. All I have to do is rest in Jesus and His truth. Rest in His words that convict, encourage and point me in the right direction. The battle is already won. Now to rest...

Security

Thank you to everyone who has been sending me sweet messages, prayers and Bible verses over the past month. You have no idea how much your words of encouragement have lifted my spirit. It is definitely during times like these when you know who your true friends are. 

Divorce. It's so ugly, and it honestly brings out the absolute worst in people. It's brought out the worst in me, and I am trying to run from it's ugly grip. It has also taught me a lot of lessons. Mostly lessons about security. 

I've always said that Jesus is my rock and my security. But was He really? In a way, yes. But I've realized that I put a lot more security into other things: a job, where I lived, my possessions, my marriage. Those things can obviously help form a sense of security, but what happens if every single one of those things is taken away? What then? Is Jesus enough? 

He is. He really is. 

Because of this divorce, I am having to leave my job that I absolutely LOVE. Scroll back to a few posts ago, and you can read all about it. I won't be able to financially support myself here in NKY so I am moving back home, to Louisville, at the end of the summer. All my "stuff" has literally been taken from my home. Do I still have security when I am sleeping on the floor of an empty apartment? And lastly, the man who promised to love me for better or for worse just left. Moved out and took everything with him. Was my security in him?

It's okay to have things. It's okay to have relationships. But there is security to be found in something much much greater. There is security in Christ who will NEVER leave you or forsake you. There is security in knowing you are His, forever. I always thought that my security was in Him, but now I KNOW. I know without a shadow of a doubt that my faith and my heart are secure. Nobody can take that away from me. 

"But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Romans 8:37-39

That verse was read by our Louisville pastor, Ben Hardman, at Alex and I's wedding. I wanted Christ and His love to be the focus of that day, and I don't think I could have picked a better verse to have been read. Even when earthly love fails, His love is constant and remains forever. In that promise I have hope. 

In Jesus Name, Amen.

Many times when I am cleaning my apartment, I come across sermon notes from church services throughout the year. I hate throwing them away, but I know that I can't keep them forever. I used to have a notebook that I took notes in, and I should probably get back into practice with that, but that is beside the point. Today I came across some notes I took during a service on prayer. I just wanted to take a quick moment to blog these notes so that I can feel okay before throwing them away. Storing my notes here guarantees that I can go back to them whenever I want and it also gives me a chance to share them with anyone that might be blessed by them. 

When you pray...
1. You must be in good standing with God. Confess any sin before Him and repent. If you have wronged someone, make it right before going to God in prayer. Come before Him with clean hands and a pure heart. 

2. Pray in the will of God. Many times this is hard because we are trying to find out what the will of God in our lives is. {Tip: Pray the word of God.}

3. Believe that God wants to answer your prayers. 1 John 5:14-15

4. Persevere in your prayers. They are not always answered immediately. If it helps, write them down so that you can go back and look at how God has responded over the years.

5. Praise God and thank Him. Not only for the things He has already done, but also for the things that He will do in the future. 

"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."

John 15:7 ESV

Three Years

Today is our leather anniversary!! There are only about 25 minutes left, but I thought I'd write a quick post. I thought it would be fun to try on my wedding dress today because it was beautiful, my dream dress and... sitting in a closet. That is not okay! I think it should be socially acceptable to wear your wedding dress whenever you want. Here are some pictures from my photo shoot! 

Martina Liana 260

I found a copy of my wedding vows in the left pocket while I was still relishing in the fact that my wedding dress had pockets. I expected that I had left them in the bridal dressing room at the church we got married in or that the cleaners took them out, but they were still in there! Apparently nobody could hear us talking on the altar because we didn't have microphones hooked up, so I'll share with everyone {three years later} what I told my groom. 

"Many people believe that the greatest part of love is living happily ever after, but looking back on the journey I've had so far with you, I've realized that the best part of love is when two people grow together in love and fight for love despite every obstacle and circumstance that tries to prevent it from existing or tells you that you don't deserve to have it. I've learned to look back on our story and cherish the moments that we fought for love when it didn't seem so close and for the times we clung to it when it was closer than close. I love the man that I have watched you become, and vow to fight everyday for what we have. I vow to fight for who you are and for who I am when I'm with you. I vow to fight for us. And I vow to fight with all my strength until the day that I die. Forever and always, from this day forward, with Christ and his church as my witness."

These past three years have been quite the adventure, but I couldn't imagine spending them with anybody else. I truly found the man of my dreams, and for those beautiful ladies still waiting... it's worth the wait. Trust that God has a plan for your life, and that it is worth waiting for! Oh how He loves to see His children delight in His good gifts!

An Early Anniversary Post

With less than two months until our 3rd wedding anniversary, I think it is safe to say that Alex and I are no longer newlyweds. Some people mean that term to refer to someone who has been married one year or less while some use the term more broadly to mean someone who has recently been married. I decided to stop using the term "newlywed" when I realized that Alex and I were married before Pinterest became available to the general public. My wedding was one of the very last weddings to be had without the "Pinterest influence." Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, I'll never know, but I've heard a few pre-Pinterest brides jokingly request they get a wedding day do-over.

If I'm going to be honest, I also realized that I was no longer a newlywed when conversations with my married girlfriends went from ideas, planning and relishing over the day to what we would have done differently or what we would have changed if we, in fact, did have a wedding day do-over. 

When I first realized this, I cringed and scolded myself because I remembered, "It's not about the wedding, it's about the marriage." But as I thought about it, I am so THANKFUL that we are critiquing our weddings. I'd rather critique flower arrangements, ceremony music, bridesmaids dresses, wedding cakes and party decorations than asking questions such as,

"What could I have done to keep us from falling apart?"

"How could I have not seen this coming?"

"Why did we get married in the first place?"

I would much rather chit-chat with my friends about little details we would change if we got a wedding day do-over than come close to asking any of the questions above. 

I remember that during the months leading up to our wedding day, I was overwhelmed. Not only was I trying to plan a wedding {without a wedding planner}, I felt like we would never finish our pre-marital counseling requirements. The sessions never ended. We met with the minister who married us and did some homework for him. We took a weekly class at our church with other engaged couples. We met with an older married couple at least 6 times for in-depth, personal counseling. We spent days and weeks learning all we could about how to build a Godly marriage. While it was overwhelming in concordance with planning, I AM SO GLAD WE DID THE WORK. I am glad that I missed some little details that might have made my wedding DAY more enjoyable, but I am thankful I didn't slack off when it came to learning how to be a godly wife. 

My advice to those who are about to enter into God's beautiful gift of marriage is do the work. But do the work where it counts. Make time for the things that may not look as glamorous on the outside but will serve you wonders as you learn how to be husband and wife. If you can achieve both, go for it! I hope your wedding day and marriage are just as beautiful. But if you find yourself two or three years down the road starting to critique the day, you'll know you did your job.

"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'  and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." Matthew 19:4-6

Happy early 3rd anniversary, honey bunch!

I love you!

Forever & Always

Home

I must admit, I LOVE Lord of the Rings. I could watch those movies over and over again and never get tired of them. Needless to say, I've seen the Hobbit 3 times since it came out at the end of the year, and each time I get more and more excited to hear Bilbo's "speech" towards the end of the movie. If you haven't seen it, the Hobbit is about a hobbit (Bilbo) who goes on an adventure with a bunch of dwarves and a wizard. They are on a journey to reclaim the Lonely Mountain back from Smaug, the dragon who took it form the dwarves 60 years earlier. The dwarves lost their home and need a hobbit to accompany them on their journey because 1) hobbits are light on their feet and can easily go unnoticed and 2) the dragon isn't accustomed to the scent of a hobbit. There is nothing for Bilbo to gain by going on this adventure, but there is everything to lose. Yet he goes. And he goes for a reason. When asked why he returned to help the dwarves, this is what he says:

(0:45) "Look, I know you doubt me. I know you always have. And you’re right! I often think of Baggend. I miss my books. And my armchair. And my garden. See that’s where I belong. That’s home... And that’s why I came back. Because you don’t have one. A home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can." 

Every word that Bilbo says in that speech is exactly the reason we want to adopt. Orphans all across the globe don't have a home. It was taken them. Maybe it wasn't physically taken, but their chance to be a part of a family and have a home from birth... that hope was taken from them. Alex and I won't be able to adopt every single orphan that is out there. We can't do much, but we CAN help one or two or three... however many we can... we can help them take back what was taken from them. We can help give hope and a chance to have a family to call their own. That's why we adopt.

Fear

Ever since adoptions in Russia by US citizens were banned, I have had this overwhelming sense of dread each time I log onto the US adoption website and see our country's name with a bright red alert notice next to it. My fear is that what happened in Russia and to our friends will happen to us as well.

About a year ago, God healed my heart of a lot of fear that had been growing inside me for years and years. It was all gone but suddenly I became very fearful every day and checking that website to make sure that nothing as drastic as Russia's decree was happening in our country.

FEAR IS NOT FROM GOD.

He does not want us to  feel afraid and many times even says in His word, "Do not be afraid." Fear is deadly and destructive. In fact, Luke 21:26 says that "men's hearts will fail them for fear." FAIL!!

I have been meditating on these verses a lot lately and hope that if you are fearful or afraid... of anything, you will hold onto these verses as well and remember that "God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?   Psalm 27:1

say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
    he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
    he will come to save you.”   Isaiah 35:4

So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10

For I am the Lord your God
    who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
    I will help you.   Isaiah 41:13

Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
    I will bring your children from the east
    and gather you from the west.   Isaiah 43:5

... sense a pattern?? Looks like I should camp out in Isaiah for a while. :)

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  Romans 8:15

Thank you, Lord {Day 6}

Lord Jesus,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for my small group at The Bridge. This church transition process has been SO EASY. Easier than I ever thought it would be. {NO, Avenue friends... you are not easily replaced! :)} Last night was such an awesome night... as is every Tuesday that we meet together. Thank you for letting us eat together and share life with one another. Thank you for letting us laugh, sing songs and dance for you, share stories, pray for one another and serve our community together. THIS is what your church looks like. And thank you for letting us share that with a visitor last night. Your church is attractive to those who don't know it. Thank you for bringing us together for a reason. Help us to attract those who are looking for community, to be known, and ultimately, looking for you. Amen.

Campfire at our small group last night!

^"19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers,but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.²¹ In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²² And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." Ephesians 2:19-22 (NIV)

"Either Way... PRAY"

Today, Election Day, I have been really convicted about the lack of prayer I have offered up to God on behalf of our current president, Barack Obama, over the past four years. God has given us the BLESSING of being able to approach Him in prayer on behalf of anyone or any situation, yet I have not regularly been praying for the person leading our country and making some of the most important decisions he will ever make. Talk about feeling a little guilty! 

I have resolved that regardless of who wins the election tonight, my motto today will be 

"Either way... PRAY." 

President Barack Obama

Governor Mitt Romney

I pray that you will please join me in this commitment! Every Monday I will post a reminder, and we will be praying for our President and many other leaders in our nation. Please leave a comment below, telling me that you are committing to pray, either way.

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Thank You, Lord {Day 5}

Lord,
Today I want to thank you for choices. Thank you that I live in a place where I can choose where to live, what job to have, what to eat, where to go to school, where to pray & worship, etc. So many people around the world don't have control over many of these factors that I can gladly call options. Thank you that tomorrow I am allowed to choose who I want to vote for, whether he wins or not. But most of all, thank you for choosing me as your daughter. Amen. 

"For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth." Deuteronomy 14:2

Colton Dixon - "You Are" (Official Lyric Video)

Just thought I would post about my new favorite worship song! Here's the lyric video if you want to check it out before buying it on iTunes. Click here to purchase >>  http://smarturl.it/YouAre

The Gift of Giving

It is about that time of year when all the stores have put out their holiday decorations and the anxious thoughts of what to buy everyone for Christmas begin. I was decluttering the office this evening and found a church bulletin from around Christmas time last year. Dave Stone, Senior Pastor at Southeast Christian Church (in Louisville where I grew up), preached on Jesus being the ultimate Christmas gift to us. He also presented a list of questions that we should consider when thinking about our gift-giving. I'll share the list of questions we should all try to ask ourselves at some point! 

- Is it meaningful?

- Does it strike a personal chord?

- Does it enhance the relationship?

- Does it require sacrifice?

I am going to try to incorporate meaning into my gifts this year, rather than focusing on a certain dollar amount. We'll see what I end up with! 

Second Chances

So I have to be honest. Sometimes I just can't stand the things that I do. I do them and then I quickly reprimand myself for doing something so stupid. I sound like Paul right now! Has this ever happened to you? Well, I am about to be honest and share what happened to me on Thursday. It makes me sad that I even have to write this, but hopefully it will serve as a lesson learned. Learn from my mistakes.

"I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate." Romans 7:15 (NLV)

On Thursday, I was substitute teaching at a public middle school and I had 90 minutes of a planning period, which for substitute teachers means getting paid to sit there and do nothing. After the first couple times of substitute teaching and forgetting to bring a book or something to do during that time, I have finally been bringing my Bible and Bible study workbook from my Monday night ladies group. Now I've never grown up in public school but I know all about separation of church and state within the public school system, etc. So I am reading my Bible and doing my workbook pages during planning when all of a sudden some guy walks into the classroom to cut through to another classroom directly behind mine. Why I did it, I don't even know, but as soon as he walked in, I instinctively covered up my Bible with my workbook so that he wasn't able to see what I was reading. Talk about giving yourself an immediate guilt trip! Since when has it become illegal to read the Bible on your planning period at school? It isn't! But was that why I covered my Bible? Was it because I thought I would get in trouble or because I was ashamed to admit what I was doing? I wasn't doing anything wrong... well up until the point that God convicted my heart. Perhaps it could have been a conversation starter. Where was the boldness that I have around my "Christian friends?" I begged God for a second chance.

I resumed my post when a few minutes later there was a knock on the door. A delivery guy walked in to deliver some books and musical instruments (I was the band teacher!) and after polite introductions, asked me if I was studying for one of my college courses. Here was my second chance. :) I explained to him that I was reading my Bible and doing a study on Monday nights with some ladies at my church. Do you know what he said?

He said, "That's awesome! I go to church with the lady that you are subbing for! What are you studying?"

And the conversation began. Thank God for second chances. This post would have been much more depressing to write had I confessed the guilt I felt and left it at that. God is a God of second chances. Peter denied Jesus three times but when Jesus arose from the dead, he met with Peter and gave him three chances to tell him how he really felt about him. How beautiful is that?

¹⁵ When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him,“Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶ He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” ¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep." John 21:15-17 (ESV)

Thank You, Lord {Day 3}

Lord,
Today I want to thank you that your word is timeless. It amazes me how a verse or passage of Scripture can apply to my life and someone else's life in very different ways. Your words are meant for everyone, no matter what situation they may be facing in life. Thank you for using the Bible to teach me, instruct me and mold me into the person you created me to be. Help me to study it carefully and use it as the guideline for living my life. Amen. 

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged swort, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

Thank you, Lord {Day 2}

Lord,
Thank you for the concept of families. Thank you for adopting us as your sons and daughters and loving us unconditionally. Thank you for MY family: my parents, my sister, my brother, my husband, my sister-in-law, my in-laws, my cousins, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, etc. Thank you for the memories we have made together and the future memories we will make. Thank you for our future daughter and her parents. Thank you for understanding that we wouldn't thrive or succeed alone in life but need others around us to support us and be there for us. Thank you for placing me in a loving family and help me to provide a loving family for anyone you would have join ours. My family is yours. Amen. 

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named..." Ephesians 3:14-15 (ESV)

We're Adopting! Some FAQ...

Many of our closest friends and family members already know, but Alex and I are currently in the process of adopting a little girl! This post is kind of challenging for me to write because I am going to try to answer questions that I have never felt the need to ask anyone myself. The questions we most often get are: 

Why do you want to adopt your FIRST child?
Why are you adopting internationally? 
Isn't adoption expensive? 
How do you go about adopting a child? 
Why not adopt a child from the United States? 
When will you have kids of your own? 

While these are valid questions, they are just questions I've never considered asking an adoptive parent. For Alex and I, we individually wanted to adopt before we ever met one another. Alex has family members who have adopted and been adopted, and I have never thought twice about adopting a child into my family. We know more than a dozen children who have been adopted from all around the world. Adoption is very common within our social circles and families. When I get asked WHY we are adopting, I have to remind myself that other people have different family backgrounds and adoption might not be a common occurrence to them. While it is common for us, we are not adopting because it is the thing to do. Throughout our marriage, we have always asked God to lead us in the direction that He would have us take, in any situation. He has been faithful in placing certain desires in our hearts and even when the desires might not be there, He patiently reminds us that obedience to Him is what He requires. Thankfully, this desire to adopt has been growing in our hearts for years and years and years, and He has shown us that this is the right season in our lives for pursuing this avenue and trusting that He will provide all we need.

"For everything there is a season, and a time for everything under heaven" Ecclesiastes 3:1

"Besides, God is able to make every blessing of yours overflow for you, so that in every situation you will always have all you need for any good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8

Choosing to adopt internationally rather than domestically I can't really explain any better than saying that God has laid this specific plan on our hearts right now. Perhaps we will adopt domestically someday... I just can't pretend to know what God will call us to when those future moments come. We are focusing on here and now. (Well... here & there and now) :)

In regards to adoption being expensive, YES it is! But we have seen God provide for our families time and time again and are confident that He will provide. We aren't putting Him to the test, but rather, we are allowing Him to show the faithfulness that He has promised to us once more. The Lord is faithful, and of that we are confident. 

We are also confident that the Lord will bless us with {hopefully} many biological children someday. If anyone knows me well, they know that I have been known to always have a plan. And a Plan B. And a Plan C. I'm the type of person that knows if you want something, you have to go get it. Things are not going to just fall in your lap. You have to be active in achieving what you want. The only bad thing about always having a plan is realizing how much time you wasted planning the moment God interrupts it. That is why ever since Alex and I got married, I ditched having the plan. I have honestly not had a plan, and while I thought it would be so limiting in achieving what I wanted, it has been the most freeing 2+ years. I feel like a completely different person, and the best part is that I get to live in the MOMENT. There is so much to enjoy and appreciate when you live in the moment. When we were engaged/married and people started asking us about when we would be having kids, I really didn't have any answer! My typical response has been: "If it happens now, we're so excited about it, but if it's 5+ years than that is awesome too!" It's hard when everyone wants the estimated time of baby's arrival, but we've enjoyed living in the moment and enjoying each other and this beautiful gift of marriage. It truly is a gift. 

My biggest piece of advice to engaged couples/newlyweds is to live in the moment and enjoy the NOW. There will always be the friend who is planning a wedding, buying a house, having a baby, getting a puppy, having another baby, starting a career, going on vacation, adopting a child, moving across the country. The possibilities are endless. There will always be someone doing something else. Forget THEIR life and enjoy your own. We constantly compare ourselves to what everyone else is doing, like God made a template for how we should live life. The only template that He gave us was to love Him and be faithful to Him. Period. Talk about freedom. Freedom from dullness, freedom from comparison, freedom from unmet expectations. God's ultimate desire is to give us a full life. Take His word for it!

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

So yes, I really don't have a plan. It's gone... out the window. I also know that if you're reading this, you probably want more details. What country? How old? I promise that that information will come. But for now we are waiting to share that information. If this post was more confusing than helpful, I apologize. But please stay tuned as we will be posting regular updates. We are so excited to become parents to this little girl who we somehow love in our hearts, even though we've never seen her face. I don't know if this journey will take 9 months or 3 years, but I trust God will see it to completion if we remain faithful. Please pray for us on this journey. 

Thank You, Lord {Day 1}

I'm not really big on blog trends but the 30 Days of Thanks is one that I am going to participate in this month. Now I will admit that I am really bad at doing one thing every single day, so I might miss a couple days here and there but I will do my best. I do want to make it clear that the thanks that I give goes to one person and that is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

"Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow." James 1:17 (NLT)

Lord,
Today I thank you for your creativity. As I meet different people, I can't help but notice the different personalities, different interests and different passions that you've given them. These differences make each day special and unique. We are all different, yet we are all the same at our very core. Somehow we come together and make up this thing we call the human race. Even though we are not perfect, thank you for your creativity. Thank you for even thinking about making us different from one another. You are the Master Artist. Help me to be creative as you are. When I am tempted to fall into predictable pattern, help me to use the creativity you've generously given me to glorify your name. Amen.