You Strike Down To Bind Me Up

This song has changed my life...
John Piper's message coming through in the middle gives me chills! 

"All of it is TOTALLY meaningful!"

Though You Slay Me

To the One who gives and the One who takes away, I will forever praise Your Name.

Thankful Tree

I can't take credit for the original on this one either. They are crawling all over Pinterest but it sure was a fun project! I made one for our neighbor too!

I started with gathering branches from trees and bushes in my yard. I tried to get a variety of sizes and lengths. I then stuffed them in a glass vase (added a few glass beads at the bottom for stability). 

I then gathered some pretty construction paper and scrapbook paper in greens, oranges, yellows, reds and browns and traced an actual leaf. I then cut them and punched a hole for hanging. Just add some twine and start writing out your blessings one by one.

Our family has a lot to be thankful for this year.

Mod Podge Flower Frames in Vase

This idea came from a friend who got it from another blogger so I can't take credit but I made it my own using different colors and scrapbook papers. This one was for my mother-in-law for her desk at work. It holds pictures of her four youngest grandchildren.

I started with unfinished wooden flower frames from Hobby Lobby for about $1.99 a piece (on the wooden letter aisle). I then painted them with acrylics and let them dry for a few minutes. You can go crazy with colors.

I then gathered some pretty coordinating scrapbook paper and cut pedals for the flowers. I simply Mod Podged those onto the wooden frames.

I purchased a small colored vase from Hobby Lobby for about $3.99 and cut burlap ribbon to glue around the middle. Then finished it off by hot gluing some additional flower embellishments. Pick anything you like (buttons, pearls, ribbon).

I uploaded the pictures that I wanted to use to Wal-mart online and had them printed the same day, then cut them to fit. There are four pictures so I had to use two vases. I also added some floral arrangement green foam pieces to the inside of the vases so I could arrange the flowers to fit and hold them in place. Cut a small part of the wooden stem of the flower to stagger them in size.

Voila!
4 little cuties!

DIY Lace Boot Socks

Ok, I know I'm all over the map on my blog and I should probably change the name to properly fit but this post is a fun one!

Recently, I was surfing around on Etsy for some cute, lacy, boot socks to purchase and I also happened to be on Pinterest at the same time when I saw a pin that showed a way to cut the sleeves out of an old sweater and use them as boot socks.

I had a long-sleeve cardigan sweater that I didn't wear often because it had long sleeves (I'm very hot-natured). Not sure how it actually ended up in my closet but it's been there for a very long time. I think it may have belonged to my daughter at some point. Sorry, Bridgette! Anyhow, I love cardigans. I have every color but I prefer the 3/4 length sleeves. So, I actually used both the cut-out sleeves and the leftover 3/4 length sleeved cardigan to get two new clothing items out of one sweater. Now, these boot socks are meant to be an added accessory and may or may not keep your legs warm but they are not meant to actually keep your toes and feet warm. So, if you're ok with wearing regular socks and then pulling these on over your jeans/leggings, then here goes:

***************************************

Sorry, I did not take a picture of the original sweater, but after I cut the sleeves, I pulled them over the ironing board to stretch them slightly. Remember, these will now be going around your calves just below your knees. I then placed strips of Stitch Witchery (I don't sew) across a section of the sleeve. You could also use Liquid Stitch if you're more comfortable with an actual glue. Or if you sew, then all the better! You'll want to iron in sections with the Stitch Witchery. 

I purchased a yard of pretty ivory lace from my local craft store for $1.99

I did not measure out the lace piece before starting the ironing process. Just keep it long.

Start off at the seam of the sweater sleeve.  

Place it over the Stitch Witchery which is already in place and press your iron to it for 10 seconds. 

Turn, line up the lace with the strips of Stitch Witch again, and repeat ironing.

Trim off the overlapping edges.

 This is what they will look like when finished. 

 And... VOILA!
They fit perfectly!

You could even add some pearl or brown buttons for added flare. 

On Pinterest, search for "DIY boot socks" for more ideas.

Then, I took more lace and did the same thing with the jagged ends of my cardigan. 

Iron it to the OUTSIDE to cover the jagged edges. 

Bam!

Who doesn't love boots, lace and pearls????

Justification is by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone

You don't get to heaven by living a good life or by doing good works, but by faith. However, living faith produces good works. Our reward in heaven will be according to our good works. 

Essential Truths of the Christian Faith. Copyright © 1992 by R. C. Sproul. All rights reserved.

Essential Truths of the Christian Faith

Faith and Works
===============
Many people assume that by trying to live a good life, they have done all that
is necessary to get to heaven. They rest their confidence on the good works
they have performed to satisfy the demands of God's justice.

This is a futile hope. God's law requires perfection. Since we are not
perfect, we lack the necessary goodness to enter heaven. Thus goodness can
never be achieved by living a good life. We can only receive it by trusting in
the righteousness of Christ. His merit is perfect and is made available to us
through faith.

To believe that we are justified by our good works apart from faith is to
embrace the heresy of legalism. To believe that we are justified by a kind of
faith that produces no works is to embrace the heresy of antinomianism.

The relationship of faith and good works is one that may be distinguished but
never separated. Though our good works add no merit to our faith before God,
and though the sole condition of our justification is our faith in Christ, if
good works do not follow from our profession of faith, it is a clear
indication that we do not possess justifying faith. The Reformed formula is
"We are justified by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone." True
justification always results in the process of sanctification. If there is
justification, sanctification will inevitably follow. If sanctification does
not follow, it is certain that justification was not really present. This does
not mean that justification depends or rests upon sanctification.
Justification depends on true faith, which in turn will inevitably lead to
works of obedience.

When James declared that faith without works is dead, he asserted that such
"faith" cannot justify anyone because it is not alive. Living faith produces
good works, but these good works are not the basis for justification. Only the
merit achieved by Jesus Christ can justify the sinner.

It is a grievous error, indeed a modern form of the antinomian heresy, to
suggest that a person can be justified by embracing Jesus as Savior but not as
Lord. True faith accepts Christ as both Savior and Lord. To rely on Christ
alone for salvation is to acknowledge one's total dependence upon Him and to
repent of one's sin. To repent of sin is to submit to Christ's authority over
us. To deny His lordship is to seek justification with an impenitent faith,
which is no faith.

Though our good works do not merit salvation, they are the basis upon which
God promises to distribute rewards in heaven. Our entrance into the kingdom of
God is by faith alone. Our reward in the kingdom will be according to our good
works, which is, as Augustine noted, a case of God's gracious crowning of His
own gifts.

No one can be justified by good works. Only through faith in Christ can we be
justified.

Faith and good deeds must be distinguished but never separated. True faith
always produces works of obedience.

Justification is by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone.

Dead faith cannot justify.

Faith in Christ means trusting in Him as Savior and submitting to Him as Lord.

We are rewarded in heaven according to our good works, though this reward is
one of grace.

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Faith means more than believing in God; it means believing God

This came from an email that I (Dana) receive once a week called "Essential Truths of the Christian Faith". This is truth worth sharing. 

"Faith is not a blind leap into darkness but a trust in God that will move us out of darkness into light. It is based on sound reason and historical evidence."

Essential Truths of the Christian Faith

Faith
=====
Christianity is often called a religion. More properly it is called a "faith."
We often speak of the Christian faith. It is called a faith because there is a
body of knowledge that is affirmed or believed by its adherents. It is also called a faith because the virtue of faith is central to its understanding of redemption.

What does faith mean? In our culture it is often mistaken for a blind belief
in something that is unreasonable. To call the Christian faith a "blind
faith," however, is not only demeaning to Christians, but an outrage to God.
When the Bible speaks of blindness it uses this image for people who, by their
sin, walk in darkness. Christianity calls people out of the darkness, not into
the darkness. Faith is the antidote to blindness, not the cause of it.

At its root, the term faith means "trust." To trust God is not an act of
unreasonable belief. God demonstrates Himself to be eminently trustworthy. He
gives ample reason for us to trust Him. He proves that He Himself is faithful
and worthy of our trust.

There is a huge difference between faith and credulity. To be credulous is to
believe something for no sound reason. It is the stuff of which superstition
is made and thrives on. Faith is established upon coherent and consistent
reasoning and upon sound empirical evidence. Peter writes, "For we did not
follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty" (2 Peter 1:16).

Christianity does not rest upon myths and fables but on the testimony of those
who saw with their eyes and heard with their ears. The truth of the gospel is
based on historical events. If the account of those events is not trustworthy,
then indeed our faith would be in vain. But God does not ask us to believe
anything on the basis of myth.

The book of Hebrews gives us a definition of faith: "Now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews
11:1). Faith comprises the essence of our hope for the future. In simple terms
this means that we trust God for the future based on our faith in what He has
accomplished in the past. To believe that God will continue to be trustworthy
is not a gratuitous faith. There is every reason to believe that God will be
as faithful to His promises in the future as He has been in the past. There is
a reason, a substantive reason, for the hope that is within us.

The faith that is the evidence of things unseen has primary but not exclusive
reference to the future. Nobody has a crystal ball that works. We all walk
into the future by faith and not by sight. We may plan and make projections,
but even the best foresight we have is based upon our educated guesses. None
of us has experiential knowledge of tomorrow. We view the present and can
recall the past. We are experts in hindsight. The only solid evidence we have
for our own future is drawn from the promises of God. Here faith offers
evidence for things unseen. We trust God for tomorrow.

We also trust or believe that God exists. And although God Himself is unseen,
the Scriptures make it clear that the invisible God is made manifest through
the things that are visible (Romans 1:20). Though God is not visible to us, we
believe that He is there because He has manifested Himself so clearly in
creation and in history.

Faith includes believing in God. Yet that kind of faith is not particularly
praiseworthy. James writes, "You believe that there is one God. You do well.
Even the demons believe—and tremble!" (James 2:19). Here sarcasm drips from
James's pen. To believe in the existence of God merely qualifies us to be
demons. It is one thing to believe in God; it is another thing to believe God.
To believe God, to trust in Him for our very life, is the essence of the
Christian faith.

Christianity is a faith because it is based on a body of knowledge revealed by
God.

Faith is not a blind leap into darkness, but a trust in God that moves us out
of darkness into light.

Faith is simple, but not simplistic.

Faith is not credulity. It is based on sound reason and historical evidence.

Faith provides the substance for our future hope.

Faith involves trusting in what is not seen.

Faith means more than believing in God; it means believing God.

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Essential Truths of the Christian Faith. Copyright © 1992 by R. C. Sproul. All rights reserved.

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A Glorious Day!

Faith Story:

My husband and I were both raised in similar faith-based homes, baptized/christened as babies and then confirmed (Methodist/UCC) and professed our faith in God somewhere around the age of 11 or 12. I personally strayed from God and from my faith for many years after that; during my teens and long into my 20's. Looking back, I see where there were many roadblocks over those years where God was asking me to make the decision to turn back towards Him, but I kept running. My life changed in a positive way at age 30 and moving to Iowa, 3 years ago, was yet another turning point. I have had an even newer awakening of the Spirit and things that I thought were not possible have been made known to me.

Yesterday, I was baptized (immersed) along with my husband, to symbolize being buried with Christ and rising to new life. It was a glorious day! Here is the public picture of the private work that God has done in me over the last few years and more on What Baptism Means.

I love the Lord. He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy

Because He turned His ear to me,

I will call on Him as long as I live.

Psalm 116:1-2

I want to thank those who have poured into me over the last three years since moving to Iowa. 

• Chris & LeAnn M. - former neighbors - John Deere friends - who lovingly pointed us to the church when we first arrived to Iowa, discipled us along the way and modeled for us what it means to follow Jesus.
• Angie D. - for pointing me to MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) - This provided an opportunity for my faith to grow by allowing me to join in a community with other moms in "like" stages of life with young children.
• The other moms at MOPS group on Thursdays and the leadership there. I've watched these women lovingly meet to plan and pray for positive and uplifting change in our community.
• Sue H. - for being a loving picture of grace and acceptance as I joined in my first bible study ever; shortly after moving to Iowa. She's been a constant support, prayer warrior and a great cheerleader for me in times of self-doubt. I admire the person she is. 
• Heather E. - for recognizing that this southern girl was going to need some support in moving to this frozen tundra. (Maybe it was more her just feeling sorry for me). Either way, she has loved on me spiritually and in many practical ways over the last few years. God knew just what I needed.
• My small group friends who have helped hold me accountable during my walk with Christ and who have been there to walk with me through some tough times and who have also celebrated with me during times of joy.
• Chelsea A. and Lindsey P. - these girls lived with us, one for over a year. They've seen the good, the not-so-good, and even the mundane in our home. I thank them for their love, grace and mercy and being "plugged-in" to our family. They speak my love-language (Quality Time). To be so young, the two of them have taught me so much. I thank God everyday for these two. 
• Christina B. - for being that loving neighbor who accepted our family and has been a constant in our lives since Day 1 of moving to Iowa, helping out in so many ways. She has the gift of hospitality and has made our transition to Iowa so much easier. Never underestimate the role you play in someone else's life. Watching her grow in her faith brings me so much joy!
• The Church for it's influence and for allowing us opportunities to serve and take steps to go deeper in our faith (too many to name).
• There are countless others who have poured into our family since moving to Iowa. Those who have loved our children and modeled for us what it means to Love Thy Neighbor. Those who have prayed for us and with us.

I'm thankful for my husband who has been so faithful and committed to me and to our family and our growth - constant and unwavering. And finally, (most importantly) to God for all of the above. We praise Him and thank Him for using our hard times/suffering/brokenness and our joyous occasions for His glory.

I continue to grow. I'm a work in progress and thankful that God is not done with me yet. There are many things that I struggle with daily (grace, pride, forgiveness, bitterness, learning to be a responder and not a reactor). But, I know there is hope in Christ and I am confident that He will help me overcome.

What Love Is This

Some of you already read it several months ago. Here is a link to more on my faith story:

 Small Steps & Giant Leaps

Standing Tall In The Grove

Friends, I've been on my knees a lot over the past few weeks. It seems the storms have rolled in. Such a contrast to my last blog post three months ago in May. I see now that God has been preparing me. Now, I have to put my trust and faith into action. Not just say it, but do it. Fully trust. Isaiah 40:28-29

Several weeks ago, I found out that my closest friend here in Iowa is moving to a new city 570 miles away. Oh the initial sting and then the ache that started off as a slow throb has now started to pound, harder and harder, as moving day has gotten closer and closer. 

Tiffany

Our relationship has been so easy. She moved here to Iowa a year after I moved and we met on a playdate at the park with our boys. It turned out, she also lived in my neighborhood. We are the same age. She was the newbie and I could relate. She was new as a stay-at-home mom and I could relate. Navigating the change from the corporate world to being at home with a preschooler full time brings some challenges and I could relate. She was finding her way in a new town and I could relate. God knew I longed for a deeper connection and not just an on-the-surface type friendship. Over the last two years, our boys have gotten really close. We've helped each other out in so many ways and usually spend several days a week together. She has been the late night phone call when things have gotten messy in my life now and then. She always shows up with a smile and often a small gift to brighten up my day. She is so very thoughtful. She has the gift of service and hospitality and is always the life of the many themed parties she throws for every single holiday and occasion; so full of energy. Quite frankly, she is hard to keep up with. She is strong, fiercely vocal about injustice and an advocate for those who are unable to fight for themselves. She has a benevolent heart and submerges herself in cultures of all kinds. She always sees the good in others. Did I mention that she single handedly orchestrated a group of women from our neighborhood to get together and write out "happiness"notes to be hung throughout the trees in our neighborhood? We have similar parenting styles and so that has just made it even easier. I love her boys and she loves mine. She loves my other friends because I love them and I love hers because she loves them. Our families vacationed together. Our husbands have a mutual love of all things sports and we just simply have spent a lot of time doing life together over the last two years.  It all has just seemed to flow so perfectly.

Tiffany & Me

Two weeks ago, as I was anticipating her move and thinking about how different my life will be without her here, I was brought to my knees over a situation with one of my children. As a mother, it gripped me and I immediately called on my closest friends for support. I was desperate. Within 10 minutes or so, they were all at my house including Tiffany; in the middle of the day on a random Thursday. I have never in my life, felt so loved and cared for. I am overwhelmed by how much God loves me through the people that He has placed in my life. Again, little did I know how God had been preparing me for more storms ahead. That very day when Tiffany showed up with the others, she had just left the radiology/imaging center where she had had her first mammogram. Oh the joys of turning 40, we all joked. It happened to be one of the things on her list of things to do before leaving Iowa. Ever the optimist and lively person that she is, her jokes brought such laughter to the situation and we dried up our tears. It was just what we needed to break up the intensity of why we were all together at that moment on my back porch that day.

So flash forward two weeks. As Tiffany's friends started coming together, all with their special talents and mutual love for her, some helping out with the kids and the animals, others bringing gifts and scrambling for time to soak up the last bit of sunshine that is Tiffany; the movers showed up. And just like that, it became reality. She really is leaving. I was there at her house watching the movers carefully pack her belongings and having my very own pity party over her leaving, when Tiffany's phone rang. It was the doctor from radiology where after she had her initial mammogram, had also gone back in for a biopsy. But, Tiffany, anticipating only common calcifications had gone on about the planning of her move, busy just like a bee, buzzing around here and there, staying positive and smiling as usual. The moment the phone rang, it became silent and as she turned to look at me with the phone to her ear, I knew. A million things went through my head along with a range of emotions that I can't put into words. As another friend of Tiffany's showed up to hear the news, I didn't know what I was supposed to be doing. I wanted to be strong, but I wanted to cry, I wanted to hold her up and I was angry at myself because I wasn't on my A game. I had been partying in my own pity over her leaving and over the hardest days of parenting I have had with my daughter yet. Emotional me just wanted to fall to my knees. So... that's what I did. I prayed. I knew how to do this because I have watched some amazing women in my life here in Iowa pray for each other and for others during times of joy and thanksgiving and during times of profound loss and sadness. I knew, because just two weeks before, when I called on my closest friends during a dark moment, they came to my side and took the time to pray for me and with me. The calm that fell over me gave me a deep sense of well-being and I was reminded again that God's promises are true; that the Spirit helps us in our weakness.

God showed up BIG in other ways on Tiffany's moving day too. The other friend that showed up, she was the level-headed one. She immediately started asking questions, got on the phone with some of her resources and immediately brought calm to the situation. She is gifted in problem-solving and logic. My head was swimming with questions like, "Who will be there in this new city to walk through this with her? How will she make it through this gigantic move with this news added to it?" I was scared but I tried not to show it. I was so struck by the way this other friend of hers handled herself and I could see that in that moment, God had orchestrated her presence there that day as well.

Since the phone call, I've been thinking about just how much we are all intertwined together and how God has it all planned out that way; how He prepares each and every one of us for what's to come. I've watched hundreds of people comment on Tiffany's announcement on her Facebook page about this new fight. People from all of over the map who have walked with Tiffany in other tough seasons of her life. People whose lives Tiffany has also touched along the way. 

The coming together of these women/people to bring support and encouragement reminds me of the meaning of the word Grove that was described to me a few years ago while I was among a large group of women. 

Grove: a small orchard of fruit-bearing trees

We think of a grove as a place to gather together and grow; to evolve through the seasons of change. When the wind blows, we will stand together just like a grove of trees. Together we can protect each other. In protecting each other with God at the center, we will each grow stronger. When we are strong, we will then be able to bear fruit. There must be rain, for us to grow. John 15:5


The word I've been seeing over and over from others to describe Tiffany is STRONG. She is strong. She's full of hope and she's ready for the fight. She embodies the fruit of the Spirit. Who am I to be having a pity party? She is showing me just what Faith and Hope are all about. God has been preparing all of us. We need each other, friends. It's the way God meant it to be. 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 God created us for a purpose; each with our own set of gifts and talents. John 15:13-17 I cannot describe how blessed I feel in receiving my own countless messages and phone calls from friends, some of whom don't even know Tiffany but they know me, they heard the news and they know how much I love her.

I am thankful for God's promises. I cling to His word for comfort. Romans 15:4  As I stood in the yard today with another friend, tearfully blowing kisses and waving goodbye, I couldn't help but think about this passage.

Joshua 1:19

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

I have full trust that God will bring new friends to Tiffany in her new town, who will love and embrace her, just like each of us here in Iowa and all over the map have loved and embraced her. I choose to put my faith and hope in our Creator. The one who has gone before us. The one whose Mighty hand is strong enough to move mountains and the one who is always right on time. He will supply Tiffany with her needs Philippians 4:19 and the rest of us will be there to encourage her and lift her up along the way; standing together, like a grove of trees; protecting each other from the storm; uplifted by our Heavenly Father and pouring out the fruit of the Spirit just as we are called to do.

It's time to do it, not just say it. I fully trust you, Father God. You will not delay. You're my refuge and strength... always. Psalm 119:114 I know that You are going to stretch us and grow us during this season and I pray that we will bring honor to You, in what we say, how we act and what we think and through our deep desire to know You more. Psalm 86:12

Thank you for sprinkling sunshine in my life through this dear friend you brought to me with love.

I encourage you to check out Tiffany's blog here:
stilettos2slippers
I have no doubt she will encourage and uplift you with her "Fight Like A Girl" attitude and her
 "Little Bits of Happy".

Color Run 2013

Small Steps & Giant Leaps

Today was a crazy, snowy, wet and windy day in Iowa. I had been grumbling all morning about the gray skies and icky weather that had been preventing me from getting my Spring on, when it hit me! It has been 3 years since I moved up from the South.

Three years ago in May, I boarded a plane in Atlanta, Georgia along with my one-year-old, bound for Cedar Falls, Iowa. After chronicling (click here for a good laugh) my last days in Georgia in an extended-stay hotel, I set out for a new horizon with a nervous but hopeful sort of anxiety. My husband, Matt,  had just received a job promotion in a far off place (anywhere outside of Georgia and the Carolinas was a far off place to me). The housing market had crashed around us in the neighborhood where we had built our home in Georgia and we had taken a big financial loss. My daughter had just graduated from high school two days before and we were leaving her behind to start college in Georgia. Our hearts were heavy but indeed we had to let her find her own way for a while. When I arrived at the airport inbound from Georgia, I jumped in the car to make the drive to Cedar Falls. It was an unusually warm day for May (in the mid 80's) and the first thing I noticed was the great big sky. It was the bluest blue I had ever seen. The grass was lush and green and I knew I had arrived when I passed several haulers on the highway carrying John Deere tractors. There were red barns and farmers in the fields planting their Spring crops. It was windy. Like, really really windy. Is this heaven? What will this new place be like?

Ok, let's go back. To understand how I got to where I am today, I have to go back to where I came from. This story is not the prettiest story. But it is a story of redemption and it is my story...

It was 2003, 10 years ago in Georgia, after two failed marriages, two small children, another failed relationship and a life of sin that I got down on my knees one night and prayed, "Lord come quick!" I usually relied on Him in my darkest moments but never took the time to thank Him and spend time with Him on an intentional basis during the in-between times (total disobedience). I was clearly at my weakest. On my knees, I said, "God, I can't do this on my own anymore. I need to know You have a plan for my life." It wasn't until I fully and humbly submitted to Him that night, that my life finally started to change. I guess I had always thought that if I didn't acknowledge that there was an enemy, then it must mean he wasn't real. Oh, he is real alright. He had been preventing me from hearing God's voice. Three weeks later, Matt showed up!

Now, this man was younger than me (26 at the time - I was within weeks of turning 30), he was educated, he was successful, he owned his own house and he clearly valued his health and well-being; something I had been neglecting for years. What did I have to offer this man, I thought? The enemy had had a foothold in my life for so long that the urge to give in to his fate for me was still strong and the thought lingered around in every corner of my mind. In fact, I attempted many times to sabotage my new relationship with Matt just knowing that he would ultimately leave me disappointed too. I ran hard in the other direction for several months still thinking that I wasn't deserving of this life. Who wants to take on the baggage of two ex-husbands and become an instant dad at age 26? What will his family think of me? Surely, he deserves so much better; someone more like him. The decision to get  married and start a life together was a long and thoughtful one - three years, in fact. Could I really do this again? He wanted children. Could I really have another child and risk becoming a single mom of three children with three last names? The fear of being judged was gripping me. Let's be real. I would judge too. Doubters attacked us from every direction. Enter - Matt's story -  and a nudging from God to the both of us that this was indeed The Plan.

It was 100% a leap of faith.

Little did we know just how much our marriage would be tested over the years. We got pregnant the same year we were married and our family went from 4 to 5 the next year. 

The trials of having a blended family are many and not for the faint of heart. We still choose to be married every day; even in the valleys. We have moved less towards trying to control things our way (small steps) and more towards recognizing God's authority in our lives. We have realized that marriage is more than a device to suit our own needs but that it exists for a bigger purpose. We still struggle with finding time to make our marriage a priority but we try to stay focused on the bigger picture.

Flash forward to today, May 3rd, 2013. If you would have told me 10 years ago or even 3 and a half years ago that I would be living and raising my family in Iowa, I would have called you crazy for rambling such nonsense. To leave the only home I had ever known? No way. To trade in the ocean and mountains for the landlocked cornfields of Iowa? Nonsense. What I can tell you now, reflecting back, is it was all just another part of The Master Plan. It took a few small steps and a couple of giant leaps of faith to bring us to this point. There are days like this snowy, wet, windy day in May, that I wish I could be back by the ocean of the Carolinas. A day like today, stretches my faith again and I am reminded that I have to fully trust that He has us here for a reason. Matt and I have both recently acknowledged and verbally affirmed that we were not growing where we were in Georgia. Little did we know that by saying "yes" to Iowa, our marriage and our faith would be tested but yet blessed beyond belief. God is still molding us and refining us but I am so excited about what's in store for us. 

My joy and abundance have increased immeasurably year after year since moving to Iowa - and so has my sense of purpose. We have all three children living here with us and thriving. God has also sent many friends to bless us along the way and for that we are so very very thankful. He has blessed us with a wonderful church family and opportunities for us to grow together and to take more steps toward Him. Let me not forget to thank God daily for the life He has given me. I don't know how long He has us here but I know that I will trust His plan for us. I am thankful that the more communion I spend with God, the more clearly I am able to hear His voice. I know that trials will come. None of us are immune. But, He has brought me to a place of clarity. No more doing it my way. I am no longer afraid.

Today, I just wanted to share my story. There are so many new people in my life. Maybe you read my Facebook posts and wonder where my bold faith comes from. The truth is that light and dark cannot occupy the same space. This is a testimony that if you humbly and fully choose God, His light will drown out the darkness and good things will come. It is in full obedience to Him, that real change will happen. Everyone has a story. This is mine. 

Link to a blog entry from the Summer of 2010 - shortly after we moved in May of 2010.

This is good stuff and fun to go back and read. The images and thoughts that come to my mind today about Iowa still match up with what I recorded that very first summer.