I Simply Adore Him

I have been so blessed to get to be in a Bible Study with a group of ladies over the past couple of months. It has been refreshing to see them each week, to pray with them and for them and to be encouraged. It has also been a blessing to be challenged in my walk with God as a woman, as a wife and as a mother. I’m looking forward to many more weeks with them and the lifelong friendships that we are investing into each week. I encourage you ladies to get involved with a group of ladies that can serve in your life as encouragers, prayer warriors and accountability partners, as well.

God does not intend for us to walk this journey alone.

As I walk this journey with girlfriends, I get an even greater blessing of walking this journey with my husband, I man that I simply adore, a man that I truly admire. But, does he know that I admire him? Do I tell him often enough? Have I even told him that I admire him since I vowed to always admire him in our wedding vows? Through our bible study this past week, I have been challenged to “complete” my husband. As I work on this, one of the challenges has been to share with my husband (and the world) the things that I truly admire about him.

I invite you to join me in this challenge. It has been a great reminder of the reasons why I first fell in love with Nathan. It has reminded me of the reason why God joined the two of us together – we compliment one another. I have been reminded that he is an amazing man. He isn’t perfect, he isn’t like I always want him to be, he frustrates me at times and makes me crazy during other times, but he is my husband, the man that I worked so hard to impress in our dating days, the man that will be by my side for years to come, he is the man I simply adore.

Here’s what I admire about my husband:

1. He is a hard worker. He continually amazes me with the ease in which he does his job. He amazes me that he will work for hours to make our yard look great no matter how tired or busy he is.
2. He is strong. He has survived some really difficult times in his life and can handle difficult times with ease.
3. He is funny. He makes me laugh.
4. He is a fun dad. He is the parent that the kids run to for fun times. He would spend every waking moment with them outside because that is what they love. He will take them on golf cart rides and walks around the block. He will play basketball or catch for hours. He will build campfires when it is too hot to sit by a fire because that is what Nate loves.
5. He values my opinions. Before he makes a decision, he talks with me. He listens to me. He heeds my advice.
6. He is loyal, trustworthy and dependable. If he says he will do it, he will do it whether it be at home, at work, with friends or family.
7. He is tender. He has a soft spot in his heart. There is nothing he won’t do for me or our children. He remembers the firsts in our family, he tears up in sweet moments. He cries if his heart is hurting.
8. He loves Jesus. He serves alongside me.
9. He has a very generous heart. He is actually much more willing to give than I am.
10. He supports me. He encourages me. He is my biggest cheerleader.

Please join me in sharing your admiration for your husband. Comment below what you admire most about your husband and share it with him today.

 

 

Has another voice crowded out the voice of God in your life today?

So many things (and people) take our attention away from God. Well, they don’t take our attention, we allow them to take our attention away from constant fellowship with our Father.

Some girlfriends and I are joining together each week for a Bible Study, and this week we have talked a lot about distractions. We have talked a lot about our spiritual need to truly walk with God in every step we take, every breath we breathe, every word we speak.

What is keeping you from spending time talking with God, listening to God and simply just being with God?

I can think of so many things that take up my time, so many things that I allow to take up my time.

Children. Husband. Work. Facebook. Amazon. Television. Email. Shopping. Friends. Family. Housework. Laziness. Silly games. School. Church.

So many of these things are things that are required of me, so how in the world do I get rid of them and replace them with quiet time for just me and my Father?

When I ask myself this question, I am reminded of an amazing lady. My best friend’s mother was and is a lady that juggles so many hats. But, her juggling is different than mine – she juggles as she walks steadily with God. She juggles as she relies on her Father. She juggles as she sings praises, recites scripture and prays from room to room. As she faces the distractions of this world, she is so in tune with God that He does not allow those roles in her life to be distracting, but yet, they are moments that allow for more conversations with God. What a cool way to walk with God!!

Now that I look back at my list of distractions, I can see clearly how I can truly BE with my Father in all situations. The voice of God can be heard in all of those moments . . . if I am listening.

Walk with the King

This week I have been reminded over and over again that we serve a King, the most powerful King, the most amazing King, yet, the most humble King.

And, we are called to walk with Him daily. We are called to be truly devoted to Him in all that we do.

Sometimes, we tend to think that this is an impossible way of life, but a man in the Bible was so devoted to God that he was spared from death.

Enoch was devoted to God.

And when the LORD looked at Enoch’s life, He decided that Enoch’s walk was so good that Enoch needed to skip the pains of death and come on up to heaven. What was his life like? We must be able to learn some things from him.

Genesis 5:21-24

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

²¹ Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. ²² Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. ²³ So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. ²⁴ Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

Enoch was a parent of many children, and he still managed to walk with God in such a way that God took him to Heaven early. I’m not positively certain, but I don’t think that God did that with anyone else in the Bible.

I only have 3 children, and I can’t get this whole walking with God thing mastered!

The Hebrew word translated “walk” is הָלַךְ (“halak”). What is amazing about this word is that it describes the way Enoch walked with God. It describes the way Enoch walked as a simple, steady walk with God. Enoch didn’t have lots of highs. He didn’t perform miracles. He was known throughout the land as an evangelist. He was simply a father that walked step by step devoted to his heavenly Father.

We often look for big things to do for God. We look for big moments to receive Him. Instead, let us just walk with Him, devoted to Him, step-by-step.

In the book of Hebrews, we find that God was pleased with Enoch’s simple walk.

What can we learn from Enoch? I’m learning a bit about Enoch through a bible study I’m getting to be a part of right now. This is what I have learned so far:

1. Walking with God is pleasing God. You want to please God? Walk with Him. Simple, steady, day after day, month after month, year after year. Eliminate the clamor of this world!
2. Enoch had a testimony because of his walk with God. Enoch’s walk gave him a story he could tell others. Sometimes we glamorize the extreme testimonies (for instance, when a drug addict turns to Jesus) but minimize the powerful testimony of someone who has walked with God all of their life. Let’s celebrate with all of those who are walking with Jesus!
3. It is possible to please God! Without faith it is impossible to please God, but with faith it is possible.
4. A person who walks with God will walk with Him during good days and bad days. You know God is always there. A person who walks with God craves a walk with Him, knowing that He rewards those who walk with Him with blessings that are out of this world!
5. Develop a daily routine of time alone with God. Build this into your daily schedule. It is that important. Read the Bible. Pray. Think. Reflect. Respond.
6. Walk with God all day long! Pray without ceasing.
7. Learn to apply the Word of God to your life.
8. Pray the Word of God. Read the Bible, and turn the Scriptures into a prayer to God. When you are saying God’s Word back to Him as a prayer, you know it pleases Him. And it is best for you.

What an amazing testimony to be able to say that we have had a steady, simple walk with our Father. What a testimony to leave!! I want to be devoted to God.

It’s Time to Slow Down

God has been telling me again and again through His Word that I need to slow down in order to hear His voice, the voice I talked about yesterday morning in my post. Apparently, He really wanted me to slow down today because He kept me home with a sick little girl.

It is in our unhurried moments that we can see and hear clearly. In our unhurried moments, we are able to listen to our spouse and understand him or her more clearly. In our unhurried moments, we don’t lose our temper with our children. In our unhurried moments, we do our best work.

When I think of my unhurried moments, I think of times that my home is cleaner, our dinners are more well-rounded, mornings are smoother, the kids get along better, we have a sense of peace in our family.

When I think of our hurried moments, I have flashbacks of a messy house, laundry piles, take-out food, missed quiet times, raised voices, children bickering, running late, losing my cool.

The unhurried moments bring far more joy than the hurried moments. The same goes in our relationship with God. God desires for us to slow down and spend time with Him, getting to know His Voice.

We need SOLITUDE! We need time alone with God. I find that the only way I will make this time with God is if I make it happen first thing each morning. This is my only time for complete solitude. When I rise early to spend time with God, there is a peace in our home as everyone else sleeps. I get to pray, read and listen to God’s voice all by myself without interruption.

We need this time to recharge. We need this time to read the words that God has given us. It’s only in the Bible that we get direct words from God – this is His Voice.

THE Voice

We listen to voices all around us. In this world in which we are currently living, we listen to voices from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. We listen to voices through our laptops, our iPads and our iPhones. We listen to friends (and people who aren’t really our friends). We listen to coworkers and bosses. We even listen to our children.

We are influenced by many different words – some lead us to the throne of God, but oh so many lead us away from truly serving our Father.

We listen to ways to be better mothers and wives and friends and workers in this world. But, is the world equipped to advise us in our walk with God? Does the world know the calling that God has placed on our lives? No. No. No.

The voice that we should be listening to is the voice of God. The advice we should be seeking is found in His Holy Word – we can hide it in our hearts, we can dwell on it all day long, but instead we dwell all day long on seeing the latest status update or photo upload. Instead, we compare ourselves to the lady next to us or down the street. We compare our husbands, our children, our homes and our jobs. We even compare our relationship with God.

I write this today to me more than anyone. I write this as a reminder to me to seek only the face of God. He is my Creator. Today, I pray that I will block out the voices of this world and tune in to listen to the voice of my Father. I yearn for an appetite that hungers after God. Let us pray for a passionate love for our Savior.

This is my challenge to myself and to each of you for this week:

Every time we pause from our day to check our social media site, pause instead to seek God’s voice.

If you are reading this, you are probably like me desiring more of God in your life. I leave you with this promise, this awesome promise:

 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

Group Bible Study & Phenomenal Friendships

Some of my greatest friendships have evolved through Bible Study groups. I hold particularly close to my heart a few college girlfriends that allowed me to deepen my relationship with God as they kept me accountable to serve Him. Our friendships today would not be the same without us being in a weekly Bible Study group together. I am certain of it. And, these friendships are the types of friendships that we need most in our lives.

The ladies in our Sunday School class have been talking on and off about starting a new Bible Study together, and I am reminded today that we have got to make this a priority sooner rather than later.

Why is a strong Bible Study group so important?

1. Ladies praying for one another daily.
2. Ladies loving one another as Christ first loved us.
3. A time to be real and honest surrounded with ladies that will keep all of our struggles confidential.
4. Accountability (when you want it and when you don’t)

What hurts a Bible Study?

1. Talking too much about things that don’t matter.
2. Failing to have our quiet time to prep for the study.
3. Judgmental comments and thoughts

What is essential in a Bible Study group?

1. A leader that will be praying for the ladies every day
2. Good material to study
3. Consistency
4. Prayer time
5. Time management
6. Confidentiality
7. Food & Laughing

I am praying to be revived through Bible Study soon, and I am praying the same for each reader. I promise, a great Bible Study group will be one of the biggest blessings – we must make time to share this journey with one another.

Busy Does Not Mean More

As a mom, I sometimes get caught up in thinking that the more I have going on for and with my kids, the more well rounded they will be and the better I will be at this whole parenting thing. I mean, doesn’t it make me a better mother to juggle 3 children to and from extracurricular activities, parties and church?

Nope. Wish it were that easy!

This morning, I read Ecclesiastes 4:6, and it has reminded me that more in my life does not fulfill me. More stuff in my life does not complete me. The only thing that can complete me, the only thing that can complete my children is more of God in our lives.

“Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.”

~Ecclesiastes 4:6

And, you know, as I look back over Christmas break, days of snow and ice, I look back on a piece of this tranquility. We did nothing at our home, we didn’t go anywhere, and we had some of the best days in our home.

Sometimes we say “yes” to too many things and we lose time to truly focus on our purpose. This new year, let’s learn to say “no” and learn to enjoy doing what God calls us to do.

7 Words That Will Change Our Marriages

This article is so real for all of us. I think this blog is a “must follow” for husbands and dads!

ApParent Stuff

We spend billions each year on our appearance. Gym memberships, dieting programs that may or may not work, new clothes and more. Don’t get me wrong, we should care how we look. But, what do our marriages look like? More importantly, where does our marital health rank on the list of To-Do’s? Instead of our bodies and physical appearance being top priorities, what if we put that focus on our marriages instead?

The hardest part of parenting, that no one seems to want to warn you about, is the strain children have on your marriage. Children can come between you and your spouse. For us, it’s quite literal. I can’t seem to hug my wife without my 4-year-old butting in between us to make a “sandwich.”

As the years go by, the children naturally become our focus, making it easy to lose sight of each other. We don’t take the…

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Instilling a Love Relationship

The thing that I want more than anything else in life is for my children to have a love relationship with our Heavenly Father. I pray daily for my children to receive salvation at a young age and live a life serving God. I pray for them, pray with them, we attend church, we listen to K Love (please don’t be dismayed, I don’t pray enough, we miss services here and there and we enjoy our share of secular music – we totally do not have it together) and we talk about God’s love often, but are these the things that will lead my children into a personal relationship with Christ? Maybe, maybe not. I do believe that building a love relationship with anyone takes intentional and consistent effort. We must be intentional with our spouses. We must be intentional in serving God. We must be intentional in raising our children to love God. We can’t make them love God, but we can create an environment that makes them want to love God.

I look at our family. Nate, our youngest child and only son, will more than likely grow up to be a University of Louisville Cardinals fan because my husband is a Cardinal fan. He will even be content to receive ridicule as he cheers for the team that many Kentuckians cheer against. He will live in this manner because he will desire to follow in the footsteps of his dad.

In this same way, our children will seek a relationship with God that is modeled after that of their parents. Our children will want to follow in our footsteps – are we leaving good footprints? This doesn’t mean we have to be perfect. Praise God!! This means we need to be real with our children. We need to serve God. We need to spend time in His Word. We need to ask for forgiveness when we lose it with them or our spouses. We need to have a true love relationship with God that includes us digging into the Word, praying, praising and serving. If we don’t have a personal love relationship with Christ, our children will not be compelled to love God in our homes. Yes, they may come into a saving relationship with God through church, friends or youth group, but our homes need to be that place in which they learn how to make that relationship grow by watching their parents love God with a fervor that is desirable. If they don’t find that in our homes, they will seek mentors outside of our homes. And, I don’t know about you, but I’m a little selfish, I want to hold that role for my children and let others simply enhance my role.

In His Time

God will work in His time. His timing is perfect. Trust Him. Everything will happen in God’s perfect time.

So many of us know these truths, but it is so difficult to have faith in these truths. Today, I was reminded that God’s timing is perfect. I know this. I’ve read it a thousand times, I’ve heard it from the pulpit a hundred times and I have talked about it more times than I can count . . . but I still need to be reminded of the truth. His timing truly is knit together in a way that brings the most benefit to His children. He knows what we need, when we need it and how we need what we need. Wow. He knows our innermost beings, our hearts and our souls, and He created us for His purposes. I know these things, but it takes seeing Him work firsthand for me to be reminded about the awesomeness of our Heavenly Father.

“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are  called according to His purpose.”
Romans 8:28

Yesterday morning, I was thrilled to open up my email and see a birth announcement from a fellow teacher. She and I don’t know each other real well, but from the time I have gotten to spend with her, I love that I always see Christ in her sweet spirit. She and her husband have recently become foster parents, and in getting to know how they came to this journey, I had heard from a few other teachers that at one point they were actually trying for a third child and after realizing that was not in the plan at the time, they felt led to foster. They were blessed with a precious baby boy in December and found out they were pregnant two days later.

While I would have probably been a complete basket case questioning God’s timing, I was reminded this morning through her email that God’s timing is perfect. In her email, she praised God for His perfect plan, that even though it was different than their plan, it is His perfect plan.

As I journey through this upcoming year, I pray that I will embrace God’s time and let go of my plans to see His plan, His amazingly perfect plan.