For Better...or for worse...till death do us part

A couple of days ago while we were in the hospital room visiting Kelly we were chatting with her husband Bill. The conversation was around Kelly and how she was a good wife and mother. While we were in the room there was a hospital chaplain in the room and he asked Bill if he had many "Quarrels" with Kelly.....I was thinking wow...that’s a strange question to ask at a time like this. Bill responded to the man's question and said honestly, we've been married 20 years and we've had a great marriage. He went on to say that of course in every marriage you have your little fights, but Kelly always forgave easily and just went on with her day.
That conversation brings me to this blog I want to write about marriage. I started thinking about my marriage and really how happy and blessed I am. I don't want to sit here acting as if we have the perfect marriage where we don't go through seasons because I would be lying to you. In American today so many marriages are failing and giving up on the vows that they vowed when they were at the altar. A couple of weeks ago I was in my small group for mothers and the speaker talked about marriage. As we started talking during discussion time about our marriages I was amazed at how many women really aren't happy. A lot of the women were saying their lives are so busy with everything else by the time their husband walks through the door they have nothing left to give. Those conversations really stuck with me, it really made me check myself and ask the question I'm I too busy for my marriage? Have we lost that connection? I really want o fight for my marriage and live in such a way where on don't hold onto things...where I forgive Dave if he hurts me. I think that is happening in marriages today is that we don't forgive, we hold onto things, our lives are SO busy we forget about the person that should be one of the most important things in our lives. As time progresses we don't even know who each other really is.

You'll notice that it's not too often people sit around bragging about the marriage they have because it's not the popular thing to do, instead it's quite the opposite people complain about what their husbands are not. I don't know about you but I would love to see the divorce rate in this world change, I would love to see people willing to fight for their marriages, I would love to see people willing to die to themselves and forgive their spouses. I know this is obviously easier said then done, but it takes work on both parts. I don't want to forget my vow to Dave...for better...or for worse...till death do us part! So the challenge to myself and everyone reading this is, cherish the marriage that you have, fight for your marriage, take time to do things for one another. Life gets so busy and we forget about taking care of our marriage and spending quality time together. I've decided today I'm going to go out and get Dave something little to let him know I love him, maybe do the same for your spouse, it doesn't have to be a gift, maybe just a card or letter saying how much you love them...Just a thought! Sorry this is so long....

The air we breath..

Yesterday was a really difficult day. After a great week in Peoria we got a phone call from my sister letting us know that a friend of ours that had been battling an illness was not doing well at all. The doctors said her body was completely shutting down. When we arrived at the hospital it was very difficult. In the waiting room was family and her kids. When we got back to see our friend in the ISU, it was so hard. As i stood back and just watched her on the ventilator it really made me think a lot, it made me think how I take the little things in my life for granted. After we prayed and hung out in her room for a while we went back to the waiting area. As I sat there Dave and I were reminiscing with the kids about there favorite memories with their mom and as a family. All day my heart was so heavy. It really made me stop and just thank God for everything, my family, my health the air we breath. I really want to cherish every second with my family and not get caught up with the busyness of this life and the things that aren't important at all.  I want to do everything I can to be the wife, mom and friend that God has called me to be.  The air we breath is really such a gift from God and I'm so grateful for that gift!

  My heart goes out to the Wilton's and prayers too. I'm so proud of her family and how they've pulled together and have been strong through this difficult time.

Wonderfully Made

I think today it's so hard for not only girls but guys to look in the mirror and like what they see. With the way society is protraying that we should look it's difficult really to except the fact that were are "wonderfully made"

Pslam 139: 13-14
For you God created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mohers womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Do you believe what this scripture says. I think its so easy to look around and think we are missing out, that God has made everyone else wonderfully made except for you. One of the biggest problems is that we compare ourselves to everyone else and we allow the enemy to fill our minds with a bunch of lies. If we allow those lies to consume our minds on a daily basis we never be able to except ourselves for how God made us. I think we all forget that God made us just the way he wanted to. I often forget to just praise God for things that we don't even realize we have the things we take for granted. If the enemy can fill our minds and make us believe this lie that we aren't good enough and not pretty enough he is taking control of this area of our lives. I have come up with 3 ways that I tell our teenagers to help with this battle.

The K.E.Y. to believing you are "Wonderfully Made"

Know - who you are in God

Don't put on masks and be who everyone else wants you to be. I think having a solid foundation in our relationship with God is so important because we are able to find out who we are in God and see the positives in the way He has made us. Don't let others dictate your worth. When we do that we see ourselves through others eyes and not our own. The world makes us believe we need to be this perfect flawless image. In all reality that isn't true. In the end none of the external things will matter they will all fad away and the thing that matters the most is whats on the inside. The things that are internal last forever!

Endure - what the world's portraying about self image

I think we need to endure the pressures of being perfect all the time, like being Skinny and having the best clothes. Focus on the things that matter the most, like your relationship with God. Try to make a list of the positive things about yourself, maybe even the gifts that God has given you. We often look at how gifted we think everyone else is and forget that we have areas in our lives where were gifted too. Focus on those things.

Yield - to stop believing the lies

2 Cor. 10:5 talks about taking every thought captive under the obedience of God.

Recognize that the enemy is out there destroying lives in so many ways. One of the greatest ways he is destroying is through our minds. It all starts there. On the outside we may put on a mask and act like everythings ok, but so often so many of us really don't like who we are when we look in the mirror. You can change that today. I believe it's a process, but with the help of God and prayer you will have the strength to believe that you are "wonderfully made"
Don't believe the lies. Believe that God made you just the way He wanted to, and He wants you to take the focus off yourself and others and out it on Him and His purpose for your life. You are special, you are unique, you are one of a kind. You are God's child and He loves you for you. You are WONDERFULLY MADE!!!!

Phil. 4:13
I can do ALL things through Him who gives you strength

Posted Note

Have you ever had one of those dreams where you know your dreaming. You actually tell yourself this is only a dream "Wake Up!" I had the weirdest dream, really there was so much going on it was hard for me to figure out just what actually went on. Well I ended up waking up aroud 6:30 am which never happens to me, I'm not a morning person at all. As I laid awake I had a thought that popped into my head. I kept on trying to fall back to sleep but I couldn't, so I figured this must be something that God placed on my heart for a reason. So I got my journal out.

The past week I've been very burdened for the students of Faze who have fallen away from a relationship with God. As i journeled during the week I kept on asking God why? Why does this keep on happening to so many students who have a strong relationship with God.
That brought me to the thought of a posted note. I know what your thinking "this is a weird thought" Thats what I was thinking as I wrote this all out in my journal. Our relationship with God is like a posted note. The sticky part represents our relationship with God and the bottom part represents all the distractions in our lives. When we are distracting by the things of this world we are putting our "posted note" on so many different things. Before we know it the sticky part, which is our relationship with God loses its stickyness and before we know it we fall! I think this not only applies to our students and why they fall away from a relationship with God but it applies to everyone. The more the enemy can distract us from serving God with our whole heart, the more we grow further away from God. This thought that God put on my heart challeneged me to contiune to check myself and make sure I'm not being distracted by the things that might cause me to grow away from God. It's a daily battle to fight for our relationships with God. Be with His strength and power we can do it.
Phil. 4:13
I can do ALL things through Him who gives me strength.

Answered Prayer

Dave and I have been praying for over a year now that somehow we would be able to get another car. For a long time now we have had one vehicle to get us around and it is SO hard to coordinate or schedules with one another. Just this past week we were given a vehicle!! We are thrilled and feel SO blessed. We are so grateful that there are people out there who are so giving. It's so cool that God is always looking out for us. Even when our prayers aren't answered immediately, in His time He comes through. It just once again reminds me of the power of prayer. Sometimes it's so easy to underestimate how powerful it really is. So just a little side note...if you're praying for something your in need of, don't give up because God will provide.
Mark 11:24
Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you will receive them, and you will have them.

Ok with being invisible!

A few weeks ago Dave's band played at the Target Conference.  During one of the sessions the speaker asked us all a question.  Are you o.k. with being invisible?  As I sat there and listened to his message I asked myself that question.  A lot of times in ministry we are doing so many things for people.  I think it's easy to get caught up with doing things for people to give us praise and see how awesome we've done at what were gifted in.  Don't get me wrong of course when you're doing a million things for people and the ministry its nice to get the recognition, but honesty thats not the purpose God intended it to be.  Even with any job ask yourself the question, am I doing this for the right reasons or am I doing this for others to see.  In all reality the thing that matters the most is where are heart is and what God thinks.  I was challenged to not lose sight in why I do things.  It should be for God and God alone! Even when you are working your butt off and nobody notices, God notices and he will bless you with the right heart and motives.

Matthew 6:21

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.