FAITH

God honors FAITH! This 3 little word sentence says lots and is filled with motivation. When it seems that FAITH is hard to come by - this sentence spurs me on. Sometimes, as weak little human sinners, we need some kind of motivator. The really sad thing for me is that FAITH isn't gained once - NO! it is something that you have to continually strive for. Wouldn't it be easy if once you obtained great FAITH it was yours at that same degree forever? Well, for some reason (maybe that God wants us to exercise our spiritual muscles) we get to wake up each day and deem in our hearts that today we are going to TRUST and have FAITH in our God. If we can't seem to do anything else - this should be our daily goal - and sometimes our every breath goal.

I did NOT think I was the endurance athlete in my family - but apparently, we were a little mixed up in our thinking. The triathlete got to be the sprinter in life and the couch potatoe got to be the ultra marathoner of the family. Endurance is gained by mere discipline. Disciplining your spirit is an all out war. Good thing that I have God (the victor) on my side. A big part of that discipline is waking each morning and declaring my TRUST and FAITH for the day. Don't think of it over the long haul - for this is very discouraging to an endurance athlete - a really good friend told my girls not so long ago, "we'll run from this light post to the next and then we will walk from that light post to the next." Taking our lives in this manner greatly reduces the overwhelmingness of life and has a tremendous advantage with our abilities to have FAITH. God is AMAZING in all circumstances - be they heart ripping or joy topping. Trust Him and He will honor you in ways that you can not even fathom. Live your lives for Him and Him alone. The rewards are so beautiful!

(I am also posting this on the streams blog - so that my really dear friend will NOT be mad at me)

Spring Break

My friend and her kids are here hanging out with us for Spring Break. The weather has been incredible and we have done lots of playing. We have ice skated, taken walks, played wheelchair tether/dodge ball (this is a sometimes very dangerous game!!), learned how to throw a football (wipe the windshield, elbow your brother and flick the booger - hey, this technique really works well!!), soccer and lots of Wii.

I have pictures - maybe I will get around to uploading them. So, keep checking back.

Happy Easter

We spent the day with Brent's family. We went to church with them and saw some old friends that we haven't seen in a while - it was good to see you all. It was also nice to be in the fellowship of believers on this wonderful resurrection day. Then we headed back over to Brent's parents house where we enjoyed a scrumptious steak dinner in honor of my sweet Beloved. Of course, after the dishes were picked up we hid and hunted eggs. It was a beautiful day - the weather was PERFECT! The sun felt AWESOME - in fact we actually got a little hot sitting in the sun. We topped it off with some yummy chocolate pie!!! Then I brought the cousins home with me for a cousin sleepover. We got to pull out B's new trundle bed and put it to good use.

I pray that your day was sweet, relaxing and SCRUMPTIOUS!!

What Mrs. J said. . .

I am like KandidKiwi and think that Mrs. J had such a beautiful post for this Easter season that I am directing you over there. Also, check out her comments on this because some random person who was searching for some research on global warming found her site and decided to make the long journey back to Christ because of what Mrs. J said - WOW!!! God is super AMAZING how he works.

MY LOVE

I know that many of you have seen this video on my friend Sillybug's blog - but I want it on MY blog and I am ready to have it here.

I LOVE MY HUSBAND - He is truly an AMAZING person. Filled with so much love, tenderness, JOY, gentleness and kindness. He helped mold me into the person that I am today. HE is the very reason that I love God. I knew he would only marry me if I loved God - so I went out and LOVED God. I am missing him alot lately. It seems so strange that he just vanished out of our lives one day. That is really hard to grasp and some times I just have a really hard time with it. Please think of me often in your prayers. I am in need of being lifted up!

I really stink when it comes to posting. I try - but my mind still isn't what it once was. I don't know if it will ever be the same again. Friday was a bit hard for me - it started off with hearing Wish you were Here by Mark Harris. They play it on KLOVE all the stinking time and as a matter of fact I had been singing parts of it all week. I don't think I have ever really listened to it though - that is until Friday morning. It just hit me as a love letter from Brent to me from Heaven. Here is the song from youtube -


I hope I didn't start your week off bad - it really is a sweet song. Our hearts should truly long for this. Heaven should live in each of our souls. If it doesn't maybe you should slow down and stop the worthless living AND START REALLY LIVING. As a lover of God, you are just a sojourner here with our hearts longing for HOME!

OUCH!!!

Yesterday the kids and I hooked up with the crew over at Fiveafamily for a fun run in honor of Stacy Hirschman. It was a 3 mile fun run and none of us here at this house have been particularly active - except for the occasional walk to the bus stop on pretty days (which haven't been to often!). Needless to say - we are all feeling it today. C woke up and wanted to use B's crutches to get to the kitchen. Go ahead - I know you are just itching to call us all WIMPS. Well, we have proved that we are WIMPS. The girls and I made it in 42minutes while B, who was riding in the jogger stroller with his leg hanging over, finished with the fast familyofFive in ____, hmmmmm can't seem to remember - but it was at least 10 minutes faster than us. WE had a really fun time and there were so many people there to support the Hirschman family. The Carpenter mom and oldest son were also there with thier friends the Hagengrubers! The weather started out chilly and breezy and then when the run started the wind stopped. It was truely a gorgeous day.

Today's Verse

I was thinking about trying to post a verse a day - well, it might turn into a verse every few days. I was listening to klove yesterday and the djs were talking about how they post a verse a day on their facebook sights to be an encouragement to others. AND I feel like that is one of my purposes right now in life. AND I also know there are quite a few people out there from all over the world reading my blog on a daily (if I posted daily) basis. The following verses is one that the kids and I are currently committing to memory. This one is a fighter verse. One to help remind us how to live and how to know God's will for our lives. So, without further adiou:

Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual gift of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of yor mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

Well - it has snowed once since the previous post and it is slated to snow AGAIN tonight. At least we are getting some nice sunny warm days in the mix.