13 Years

Brock and I just celebrated 13 years of marriage!! In one sense I can't believe it has been 13 years and at the same time it's like "wow, only 13 years".

I love how each year brings us closer together, more in love, more tolerant of little imperfections and so much more in tune with each other. I can't imagine loving him more than I already do but experience has shown me that next year I WILL!

Our 13 years have encompassed life to the fullest - happiness, sadness, changes, stability, fun times, boring times, uncertainty, confidence, excitement, challenges, endurance, patience, love and so much more. Through all the changes we have learned about God's sovereignty, His power and His stability. We have learned to count on this when changes in emotions, feelings, settings and circumstances occur.

In 13 years we have:

*had 4 kids

*lived in 7 different homes (4 apt. & 3 houses)

*lived in 2 different states

*made 3 big moves

*owned 1 pet

*owned 2 houses

*started and ran a business together for 5 years

In 13 years we have:

*learned about love and respect

*learned about submission

*learned about leaving and cleaving

*learned about handling our anger

*learned about holding our tongues

*learned about parenting together

*learned about compromise

*learned about encouraging one another

*learned about praying for one another

*learned about praying together

and most of all learned that our standard in ALL of this needs to be GOD and what He commands in His Word

In 13 years we have:

*been silly together

*been exhausted together

*been sick together

*been devastated together

*been happy together

*been excited together

*been scared together

*been thrilled together

and so much more

but most of all we have learned that the key to it all is being TOGETHER

In 13 years we have learned

*that the sole purpose of marriage isn't our happiness but to refine us and make us more like Him

*that we can't expect each other to meet all our needs - only God can do that

*that we can't find our purpose in one another or our kids but in Him

*that we will suffer hardship and He will see us through it

*that hardship and trials truly do bring us closer together

*that we can trust God to work on our spouses so we don't need to :-)

*that putting the other above ourself is always best

*that our emotions can deceive us

*that communication is key but not necessarily immediate communication :-)

*that God always knows what is best even when we don't

and we continue to relearn these lessons and so many more

We know that without God in our marriage we wouldn't have the marriage we do today. We thank Him for bringing us together so many years ago and for staying with us every step of the way. He has guided us even when we weren't paying any attention to Him, He has comforted us although we were still asking "WHY", He has led us despite us being less than willing to follow. He has been more to us than we ever deserved. We have learned to seek His counsel, His guidance and teaching and we count on it as we journey through many more years together.

Awesome Song

I wanted to share this song from Sanctus Real called "Lead Me". Brock heard it the other day and was amazed by the lyrics and how perfect they were. I was also amazed and really touched because it reminded me of the large burden a man has to lead his family in a Godly way and really illustrated the desires of the wife and children toward their husband or father. I feel so grateful to have Brock because I know that not only is this the desire of his heart but he also lives it out. I am thankful that he knows that in order to lead this way in our family he must first allow God to lead him. Above all, I am thrilled to have an amazing and capable FATHER who leads so PERFECTLY. Ahhhh - what peace!

Great Quote

“The law requires works of human achievement;

the gospel requires faith in Christ’s achievement.

The law makes demands and bids us obey;

the gospel brings promises and bids us believe.”

- John Stott, The Message of Galatians

I love quotes

I read these two quotes today at Of First Importance and loved them. If you like reading what great pastors and theologians (current and long ago) have said you will love this site too.

"We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.”

—The Nicene Creed


"Oh! rejoice in the richness of our salvation! When the Lord pardoned our sins, he did not pardon half of them, and leave some of them on the book—but with one stroke of the pen he gave a full receipt for all our debts.

When we went down into the fountain filled with blood, and washed, we did not come up half-clean, but there was no spot nor wrinkle upon us—we were white as snow.”

—Charles Spurgeon, “The Joy of Salvation”

Merry Christmas

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:6

(Nativity set from my parents that my dad got in Kenya when he was there on a mission trip)

"Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."
Luke 2:10

"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" Isaiah 7:14

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

May we all celebrate and give thanks to Him who has given us so much. May we never forget HIS best gift of all

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

John 3:16

Parties, Lessons and "Sigamore Trees"

We love Awana - the kids love going and we love what they learn there! The different stages are Puggles (for those under 3 whose parents are teaching or helping with Awana), Cubbies (3 & 4), Sparks (5 - 2nd grade) and T&T (3rd -6th grade). Hannah is in Puggles and even learned a verse the other day and recited it to us!! She remembers her lessons and easily tells us about them. It is so cool to see a 2 year old learning and remembering things about God! Isaac is in Cubbies (even though he has now turned 5) and does a great job with his verses and even with answering questions when we are in a large group. Madison just started T&T this year and is loving it. She is learning some GREAT verses that are cementing in her mind accurate Biblical Theology. So, as I said, we are loving Awana. We also love the church we are going to for many reasons, one of which is their great attention to teaching the Bible to the kids. Hannah doesn't go to the nursery to play during Sunday School - she has a lesson, story and learns about God. The other day when we asked her what she did in Sunday School she told us all about Zaccheus! She told us how "he climbed up in a Sigamore (okay so she missed Sycamore) tree to see God" When we said "Jesus" she said - "no it was God". Okay, we let that go - I guess she will have a leg up on the Trinity :-) The first time she retold the story she lost her train of thought and said he was there to see "grandma's flowers" (which were the first things she saw as she looked around the room trying to recall the story) :-) She did however correct herself soon after :-) Isaac is continually piping in with Bible stories he has learned in Sunday School (that he remembers with great detail). Madison is able to relate things she has learned from the Bible to everyday situations which is so awesome to see. We know that what the kids are learning at church & awana are just supplements to what we are teaching them at home. We also firmly believe that it is our responsibility (not the church, not the youth leader etc) to teach our kids about God. It is just exciting to have awesome supplemental sources of God's Word in our kid's lives. It is also exciting to see the things we have taught them from the beginning starting to bear fruit in their lives. We pray that God will continue to show us how to make Him real to them, how to teach them about Him and to place others in their lives who will do the same.

At Awana, they celebrated Harvest Day (rather than Halloween) and the kids had to dress up as something that related to the harvest. It was alot of fun. We had all Isaac's cowboy stuff but didn't know what to do for Madison. I went to the thrift store the morning before the event and found this pilgrims costume. She was thrilled and we thanked God for caring about the little things - like a girl finding a costume :-) I looked online and found a hat that I could make and she came up with the idea of the basket filled with fruit and veggies. I was sewing her hat up to the last minute! That's what I get for procrastinating. Although Hannah isn't in the picture she was a bear :-) I took this picture after the night was over because I had no time beforehand (remember I was busy sewing) and Hannah had no interest in wearing her costume any longer :-) To Madison's delight she won the award for the best costume for the T&T girls! It was a very fun night for us all.

Theology 101 . . .

. . . . from a 9 year old girl (yes the dog is also 9 years old but Cody didn't have much to say on the subject)

We were all heading somewhere in the truck and Madison did something that hurt Isaac's feelings. He said (or actually yelled), "Madison, you are not pleasing my heart!" It took me a bit to respond because I was trying not to laugh! Where in the world did he hear something like that!!! When I had Madison alone I talked to her about it and asked her how she felt about doing things that hurt Isaac, and especially his heart? She said, "But mom, we aren't supposed to please our hearts, our hearts are wicked!" then she proceeded to recite her Awana verse: "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it" Jeremiah 17:9. Now what could I say - she was right! We do not want to follow our hearts or "please" our hearts. We will be led astray very quickly. However, I knew that isn't what Isaac meant so she didn't get off the hook that easy :-)

We are very proud of her for memorizing verses and USING them in her life to decipher between doing as God commands and doing as WE "command"

Thankful

I wanted to share a few of my favorite quotes (from an awesome website called Of First Importance) and a few of my favorite (non kid) photos from this month.

(Our winter view)

“He came to free a people,

For ‘Jesus’ was His name;

To bear the sins of many,

The Lord of Love, He came.

He numbered with transgressors;

God’s judgment He withstood.

The splinters of the manger

Foretold a cross of wood.
He came for us, true Son of Man,

He came to pain and strife.

The Promised One, Emmanuel,

He came to bring us life!”
- Kevin Hartnett, He Came for Us

(from a bouquet of flowers Brock brought me this week)

“How amazing that God in Christ should do all this;

that the Most High, the Most Holy should be the All Loving too;

that the ineffable Majesty should stoop to take upon himself our flesh,

subject to hunger and cold, death and desperation.

We see him lying in the feedbox of a donkey, laboring in a carpenter’s shop,

dying a derelict under the sins of the world.

The gospel is not so much a miracle as a marvel,

and every line is suffused with wonder.”
—Roland Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther

Just the two photos alone speak volumes of what a magnificent Creator we have. The beauty He surrounds us with is astounding. But that pales in comparison to what He did for us on the cross. These two quotes reminded me anew of what I have been given through Him. I love that Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I am humbled that He has given me so much to be thankful for.

Why I Love My "Job"

1. I love watching them dress up and play so creatively

2. I love how they quickly pose for pictures (sometimes eagerly sometimes not so eagerly) - no matter how many times I ask

3. I love seeing their little entrepeneurial desires - along with our next door neighbor, Gabi, they set up a vegetable stand and worked hard at it. They even made signs and held them up for each passing car - such persistance

4. I love how they love going to the thrift store with me and are equally excited with my good finds (isn't this suit adorable!)
5. I love how they try to be serious when I pull out the camera but can't help but break out into a smile

and of course
6. I love how they teach me something new each day about living as God commanded - "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" John 15:12-13 (ESV)

As a mother and wife God gives me multiple opportunities (daily) to lay down my life for them and show them love. It isn't always easy and it usually means I don't get to do what I want. But, God doesn't call me to do something impossible. He is there to help me, giving me the grace to succeed. So often it feels like I am failing at this but His mercies are new every morning and I am expected to get up and try again :-) I am so thankful to be home with them and equally thankful for the daily lessons (often painful) I receive in setting aside my "self" and serving my family.

I am reading an awesome book that is a great reminder of why I do what I do. It is also a great reminder of the high and holy calling God has placed on the lives of wives and mothers. It is called Passionate Housewives Desperate for God, read it for yourself.

Never Changing

I love our view and love that the same view is always changing. Depending on the day, weather, light, time etc it looks different. Today the beautiful sparkling water caught my eye. However, I am so thankful that God is just the opposite. He never changes. He is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow! What a comfort that is. In a world where everything changes (sometimes by the minute) it is so nice to know that He stays the same.

This is one of my favorite verses, it is a great one.

James 1:17 (ESV)
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Flashback Friday

Today I decided to flashback to the first day we got our dog, Samson. Brock and I always knew we wanted to get a dog someday. Once we bought the theatre and moved into the apartment above we could finally get one! We have been known for impulse buying and unfortunately Samson was no exception! We were walking through the mall and saw him in the pet store!! I have always wanted a great dane and Brock has always leaned towards a boxer. When we saw Samson we fell in love with him and he was a boxer/great dane! We didn't listen to the voice inside us that said - this isn't the time for a puppy, you are 3 months pregnant why don't you wait, you don't even have a yard better not get a dog etc etc. Our impulses took over and we came home with him. He sure is cute isn't he????

Needless to say, although we fell in love with Samson it didn't take us long to realize it was a mistake to get him. I was still not feeling well with pregnancy and dealing with a puppy added to it all. We had to take him out on a walk all the time to get exercise and burn off energy and also just to go to the bathroom. We lived right on main street with no yard for him to run in. I spent so much time walking him and picking up after him that I thought I would go crazy. Not to mention all mishaps that took place inside the apartment. One time he got down into the theate and ate some chocolate. He got really sick and lost control of his bowels on a regular basis. I was beside myself as I chased after him trying to get him outside as he peed all over the floor :-) It is funny to think about now but at the time - not funny!

Despite the problems (all brought on by our impulive nature not him because he was just being a typical puppy) Samson was turning into a great dog. He loved to snuggle with us and was great with Madison. He did well with his potty training and he loved laying around (the Great Dane in him was definately more prominant). He used to drag his blanket around the living room and place it wherever the sun was shining through - it was so cute!

Here are Brock and Madison on a walk with him. Thankfully, he only had 6 months without his own yard.

Samson is now 85 lbs and just under 3 feet talk (top of his head). He is such a nice mellow dog who still loves to play with us, yet loves to lay in the sun :-) He is amazing with the kids - plays so perfect with them and is very protective. We remember the rocky start we had with him and know that God used Samson as yet another way to bring to light our impulsive natures and help deal with it. We are glad that at the end of this lesson we get to enjoy our hyper yet mellow, spazzy yet lazy, protective yet friendly, cute as can be Samson!!

Just in case no one believes that people can actually stroll around the mall and leave with a new puppy here is another example of how bad we have been. In college we were getting our oil changed and to kill time we walked over to the furniture store. A short time later we left with a new couch and love seat! If you read yesterday's post you can see why God has continued to work on us in our spending/money department - He had a lot to work on :-) I am thankful to say that once we started the Dave Ramsey plan (about 5 1/2 years ago) God was able to deal with much of this behavior right off the bat. After the initial "ahah" stuff we were left with lesson after lesson from God to get rid of the deeper hidden problems :-) I am so thankful that God cares about every aspect of our life! He must so that all we do whether with money, our physical health, our relationship with others, our home our belongings etc glorifies Him. I agree completely with John Piper who said - People DO NOT see God in our STUFF!!

As God weeds out the non-essentials in our lives may people see HIM in us!