Happy 5th Birthday Ashtyn!!!

Wow! Five amazing years with this precious child. As an OB nurse I have the amazing opportunity to witness God's miracles as each baby is brought into the world, but this past year has brought new meaning of what miracles our girls truly are. God has blessed our lives more than we could have ever imagined.

Tonight we had the opportunity to celebrate Ashtyn's 5th birthday at the MHAV site with about 20 amazing people who have a heart for God and a vision for His people that have touched my heart each day/night we are at the site working side by side for the same purpose...to honor God and love people. We have been so blessed to be able to celebrate both Hannah & Ashtyn's birthdays there with people who have blessed us so much! Ashtyn got to stand on the new stage as we all sang 'Happy Birthday' to her and watched her blow out her candles...she thought that was awesome!

As I was picking up her birthday cake & supplies I became so overwhelmed with thankfulness that it was all I could do to not break down and cry right in the middle of Wal-Mart! God has blessed us with an amazing five years with her and as a mom I prayed selfishly for many more birthdays with her. Don't get me wrong...I totally trust His plan for her life, yet I find myself being very selfish this time of year, constantly "arm wrestling" God for her, I have been riding the fence lately, I give her to Him totally, then get selfish and want to take her back, I have been wrestling with this a lot lately. Who am I to think that I could ever win an arm wrestling match with God or that I could ever love her or take better care of her than Him?? God is amazing, as I struggle with this He continues to place verses or quotes in front of me that gently remind me that He is in total control. In my quiet time I was browsing through a book that I love so much called "Praying the Scriptures for Your Children" by Jodie Berndt (which I highly recommend) and He placed these thoughts before me...
**"Prayers for your children's safety may be rooted in the certainty that God loves them, and that the Lord is always alert and on the job" (AWESOME)
** "When you pray for your children's health and safety, it helps to keep your eyes fixed on JESUS - NOT the circumstances" (Tell me that wasn't screaming at me today :-) )
**"You can always pray with confidence, knowing that what satan means for harm, God uses for good - even when human eyes see any possible way to turn tragedy into triumph". (SWEEEET and totally true!!)
I love His gentleness, His strength is amazing and I cannot thank Him enough for His Almighty love and strength and for loving us more than we can fathom.

I'm going to post a few of the scriptural prayers that touched my heart and I have prayed a lot. So please feel free to join me in these prayers and insert anybody's names where Ashtyn's name is within the prayer.

Let Ashtyn lie down and sleep in peace. (Psalm 4:8)

Thank You that You have redeemed Ashtyn and called her by name; she is Yours. When she passes through the waters (trials, temptations, peer pressure, suffering, and the like), be with her. When she passes through the rivers, do not let them sweep over her. When she walks through the fire, do not let her be burned. (Isaiah 43:1-2)

Let Ashtyn take refuge in You and be glad; let her ever sing for joy. Spread Your protection over Ashtyn that she may rejoice in You. (Psalm 5:11)

Lord, you are faithful. Please strengthen and protect Ashtyn from the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

Give Ashtyn victory and be her shield. Guard her course and protect her way. (Proverbs 2:7-8)

Thank You that Jesus bore our sins in His body on the tree, and that by his wounds Ashtyn is healed. (1 Peter 2:24)

A nice reminder...

I have been receiving some awesome emails from some friends that come just when I need them. They are encouraging and are constant reminders to me that God is totally in control and is always there! We serve an amazing God who loves us and cares for us more than we can fathom. I received this email today and it said to pass it on to someone who may need it, so I thought posting it would be even more appropriate because this one is an amazing reflection of our Lord!! One of our great friends lost her mom unexpectedly this weekend, so Jayne...this ones for you, I love ya!


When I fall, He lifts me up!
When I fail, He forgives!
When I am weak, He is strong!
When I am lost, He is the way!
When I am afraid, He is my courage!
When I stumble, He steadies me!
When I am hurt, He heals me!
When I am broken, He mends me!
When I am blind, He leads me!
When I am hungry, He feeds me!
When I face trials, He is with me!
When I face persecution, He shields me!
When I face problems, He comforts me!
When I face loss, He provides for me!
When I face Death, He carries me Home
"HE IS GOD"

May we never forget that He is God and He loves us and is always there with His arms wide open! Have an amazing week!

Father, I thank You for being God and I thank You for lifting, forgiving, strengthening, being the Way, being courageous, a steady Rock, the Healer, the Mender, the Leader, thank you for being with me, shielding me, comforting me, providing for me and for carrying me. I thank You for Jayne, Jim and Ava, and I pray that You would bless them and their family with a peace that passes all understanding...may You fill the void in their lives with Your Omnipotent presence.

The beauty of IMAGINE...

As we first started talking about the IMAGINE series I was so incredibly excited to see how God was going to move in and through this series and let me tell you what...last night blew me away. As Greg & I were sitting there listening to the Lester's you could see the AV and it's tiger directly behind them which brought so many emotions with it that I could hardly contain myself. All I could do was just sit there in total awe of the amazing God I love & serve and thank Him for His Omnipotent power in our lives and in our church! It was so surreal to be sitting there surrounded by hundreds of fellow Christ-followers for the soul purpose of praising Him for all that He has allowed to occur in and through the lives and hearts of His people over the last several weeks.
As we had the commissioning of the AV missionaries, I was so moved as I looked back and saw the 150 or so who came forward and just when I thought I was totally moved the entire Meadow Heights family lit their lights for God and I really don't have the words to explain the joy I had in my heart at that moment. I totally had a vision of the face of Jesus at that very moment, hearing His sweet still voice say, "well done good and faithful servants...you finally get it."
Saturday night as I sat in service and Greg announced the commitment total (yes...it was a surprise to me too, he wouldn't crack!)I could not believe it, Meadow Heights, you stepped up to the challenge and truly allowed God to work in and through you and I thank God for allowing me to be a part of such an amazing family!! I can't wait to see what He continues to do over the course of the next 12 months as each of us continue to grow spiritually as we place our total trust and walk in faith with Him and remember that He CAN do anything.
I was scheduled to work after the celebration service and let me to you what...it was not a pretty sight when I walked in...I was totally tear covered, but what an awesome time I've had sharing how God is being glorified and how lives are already being changed.
Each day/night as Greg, the girls and I are at MHAV I can only IMAGINE the faces of people I am praying for as I picture each of them in the sanctuary and I imagine how their lives will be changed when they experience God and His love in a way they have never had the opportunity to receive it. It drives Greg & I even harder and makes us even more humbled for the opportunity to take part in this amazing "God vision".
I have to say also that we have an amazing church staff who have led this campaign far greater than any team I've ever seen. They have humbled themselves before God and allowed Him to be the Leader and to be glorified in each and every aspect of their days! It has been amazing to watch Greg as he gives this all he has with no complaints and no desire for recognition. His only request is that God will get ALL the glory! I love you so much Greg and am so proud of the man of God you are and am so thankful to be your wife! You truly bless my heart and encourage me more than you can imagine! I LOVE YOU!!
It's almost 2am, so have an amazing day and to God be ALL the glory!!

Father God, I am in awe of your awesomeness! You blow me away! You are truly the Rock of my salvation!

Happy 7th Birthday Hannah!

What an awesome day! It is hard to believe that we have been blessed with Hannah for 7 years now! And what an amazing time is has been! In my quiet time I reflected on scriptures directly related to our children and these two caught my heart:
Psalm 127:3 "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward."
Ephesians 6:4 "Do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord."
I love those verses so much and as for Psalm 127:3...as I recall my pregnancy, labor and the present I am totally in awe of how God has blessed my life with these beautiful children. What an amazing reward! And Ephesians 6:4...challenges me beyond compare. I so love to watch my children love God, eachother and each and every person they come in contact with the love of the Lord. I feel so honored as a parent to have this opportunity to teach them and mold them the way God desires. Not that I don't mess up, (a lot sometimes), but God has blessed us with them so they can go out into the world and make a difference, to shine the light of His love for all to see. I'm totally up for the challenge and thank Him for all the goodness He has blessed us with in these children.

Lord, I submit myself to You. I realize that parenting a child in the way You would have me to is beyond my human abilities. I know I need You to help me. I want to partner with You and partake of Your gifts of wisdom, discernment, reveltaion and guidance. I also need Your strength and patience, along with a generous portion of Your love flowing through me. Teach me how to love the way You love. Where I need to be healed, delivered, changed, matured or made whole, I invite You to do that in me. Help me to walk in righteousness and integrity before You. Teach me Your ways, enable me to obey Your commandments and do only what is pleasing in Your sight. May the beauty of Your Spirit be so evident in me that I will be a godly role model. Give me the communication, teaching, and nurturing skills that I must have. Make me the parent You want me to be and teach me how to pray and truly intereced for the life of this child. Lord, you said in Your Word, "Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive" (Matthew 21:22). In Jesus' name I ask that You will increase my faith to believe for all the things You've put on my heart to pray for concerning this child.

Overwhelmed...

Have you ever been so overwhelmed that you are almost completely speechless?? I am, if you know me very well, is totally and utterly almost a miracle in itself.
This week has been amazing, humbling, overwhelming & filled with God's magnificent presence in so many ways.
I've been blessed to be part of CommunityMPACT Day 2007 and let me tell you what, working with Mac to get this mission done has been awesome! It has challenged me, encouraged me, blessed me and confirmed, with new clarity, what my purpose here on earth is.
Then Ashtyn's PET scan was cancelled due to our insurance claiming it is not medically necessary. And I will be quite honest, I am very human and every ounce of my being was incredibly tested by this trial! I went through a period of tears, anger, and frustration. I honestly allowed this insurance company (for a period of time) to totally rock my peace and my world. God was so incredibly patient with me, He allowed me time to be human, to feel all those feelings, then when I calmed down & prayed that He forgive me for being so angry and upset, He lovingly and gracefully reminded me that I am a mom and I will feel those feelings, but the most important thing is that I give it all to Him, He wants me to lay it all at the foot of the cross. Leave that baggage with Him, because He has the strength to carry it all. When we are weak, He is made strong and let me tell you what He was stronger than I could have ever imagined.
Through these trials we have been incredibly overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, encouragement & prayers from people all over the world (literally). We have received tons of emails, phone calls and cards from people we have never heard of before and each at a moment we needed that encouragement.
In a conversation the other day the person I was speaking with asked me if I had ever Googled Ashtyn's name and said how overwhelming it was. And to be honest, I never had thought about it until tonight, as I sat down and began reflecting on our day, tears literally pouring down my cheeks in awe of the amazing God we serve who has continued placing amazing people and resources in our lives. So, I took the plunge and typed in her name!! Wow!! Crazy!! I don't know how many websites mentioned her name and the benefit concert that is going to be held on November 10th in her honor. Check this group out http://www.myspace.com/parallaxviewband they are the band that will be performing!! Thanks to Parallax View for honoring God by loving people, you rock (literally!)

I stand in awe of You Lord! Your love is amazing! My hearts sings a song of praise each & every moment of the day to You! Thanks for the awesome calling You have for my life! GOD, YES, AMEN!!