It just never gets old...

As I am at work tonight I am totally overwhelmed...not just the busyness of it all...but truly so thankful for the opportunity to help bring a new life, one of God's many miracles into the world. It truly is humbling and amazing! As one of our babies entered the world tonight I was practically whopped upside the head with the amazing comparison between a brand new baby and a new christian. The total new life that each has and the impact that so many others can have on not only the baby but on the new christian as well. How each if not lovingly nurtured in those early days can fall victim to so many "bad" things in life. We as Christians play a critical role in a new Christians walk just as parents or caregivers have for these beautiful miracles. It's just awesome to watch that "new creation" as they enter into their new "environment", into the person God has created them to be. My heart is just overwhelmed with how amazing and awesome our God is!! And I pray that He will continue to use me in each of these "new life" miracles.

Father God, I thank You for allowing me to be here tonight and to witness yet again, the miracle of birth...it truly never gets old. I pray for each family that is represented here tonight and pray that You will bless and watch over these babies all their days...may they grow up to love and serve You...watch over them Father, protect them and keep them safe. Your truly amazing...

I'm back...

I cannot believe that I haven't blogged since 2007! To be honest I needed a little break to digest all that my heart has been feeling over the last few weeks...but not that long...at least I didn't think.
My heart has been so full of so many emotions lately...from total awe with God in His magnificence, joy, sorrow, back to total happiness and in total awe of Him.
I haven't even blogged on the Meadow Heights Arcadia Valley launch on 1-6-08, which was overwhelmingly amazing! Talk about blessing a persons heart. It was incredibly amazing to see the joy on people's faces as they entered and the most awesome part for me was to see the hunger in the eyes of people to meet the Jesus who loves them...people I have grown up with my entire life. I couldn't fight back the tears as I watched them take it all in, clapping to the worship music, singing, some even dancing. My heart was and still is overflowing! Before the opening day, God had already performed miracles in that place, the mere fact that the building was completed in 11 weeks, the people He brought together to complete His vision and the healing that took place in the hearts of many...including me. Throughout the Imagine Campaign Greg kept sharing Deuteronomy 16:17 "Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you", and although we are giving the commitment God laid on our hearts, I honestly still felt a void, He has blessed us more than would could ever imagine, guess or request and I wanted to do something more...I know you truly cannot "outgive" God, but I wanted to try. And I am so humbled by the fact that He allowed me to be part of His vision for Meadow Heights, the He has blessed my life with sharing this vision with people who's hearts truly burned deep with His vision as well, and for allowing me the amazing opportunity to watch these people who have been hungering for something more, for His love, and for using me to love on them and shine His light for them to see. It is so stinkin' awesome!
After the launch, our family needed some "down time"...time to reconnect, time to praise Him and time to reconnect with some friends we have been away from for a while. Then came time for Ashtyn's 9th chemo treatment and a serious talk with her cardiologist. That day was incredibly draining...emotionally and physically. She has been growing more sick with each treatment, but this day it was the worst we've seen it thus far. She hadn't even completed her treatment and was very sick. And I have to say, as a mom, seeing this precious child like that, brought everything swirling around me. It brought everything grimly back into proportion, and then to make a surgical decision topped the entire day. The whole rest of the day as I held her in my arms the best thing I could do was hold her tight, and keep reciting Jeremiah 29:11 to myself over and over and over, to remind myself that He loves her far greater than I ever could and that He has not brought us to this place in our journey for nothing. He truly amazes me at the way He continually shows up and brings comfort to us in our time of need. If your reading this and have no idea what Ashtyn is dealing with you can check it out here and please feel free to sign her guestbook. She loves receiving messages. The site is still under construction, but I am planning on adding journal entries for every test she has undergone since the beginning.
It feels good to be back, prayerfully it won't be so long until next time.

Father God, your love is truly amazing and I stand in awe of your Omnipotent presence. Thank You for loving me and continue to fill me with Your vision, help me to never lose sight of the lost and hurting. May I see them through Your eyes and with Your love and clarity. Continue to fill me with a hunger for Your word. Your truly amazing...

No More Pretending...

No More Pretending
Song Lyrics by Scott Krippayne

I can look good when I want to
I know the right things to say
I cover up what I don't want you to see
But you see it anyway
Maybe I think I can fool you
Maybe I'm fooling myself
I want to change but I don't know how
And I need your help

Chorus

No more pretending
No more pretending
Lord, I know I need to tell you the truth tonight
But everything is not alright in my life
And I need you like never before
I don't want to pretend anymore
I'm tired of hiding my weakness
I'm tired of trying to look strong
I don't want to say that every thing's fine
When there's so much that's wrong
Tell me again that you love me
Though it's more than my heart understands
And I will lay down my disguises
And show You who I am

Repeat Chorus

As I was in the service this weekend and Bryan shared about being "real" a song that I've held dear for several years now called "No More Pretending" popped right back into my heart. This song has been with Greg & I through some pivotal moments in our marriage and as individuals, I can name the time and place I first heard it...probably even the candle scent that was burning that morning in the church, when a very precious friend of ours sang this song...that moment was a God moment in our marriage and for me personally, a life-changing moment, we could honestly feel His loving arms wrapped strongly around us pointing our lives and our marriage in a direction that only He could. For that moment I am forever thankful.


Bryan's message for this weekend really brought home the importance of not just being present in our walk, but truly desiring and pursuing the amazing God we love and serve. His desire is to have a relationship with us,a REAL relationship...for us to know that He is right here beside us at all times, by the greatest cost of His own Son.

As I look forward to the year 2008 I look forward to the challenge of being "real" and I challenge whoever may be reading this to be real and to do whatever it takes to pursue Him and desire Him and an amazing relationship with Him.

I don't know about you, but I am so pumped!!! I cannot for next weekend...to witness one of the many fingerprints of God...to see the many faces the He brings...to watch and be blessed as we see lives impacted and transformed by this amazing opportunity God has placed before us...to watch Him move and bless in this coming year!!

I send out a challenge...don't be a prisoner to pretending, open up, let God free you from that prison, a simple, yet sincere prayer will be the start of a new journey, a start to an incredible, amazing freedom that can come only from Him.

This morning in my quiet time as I was gathering some different material for a New Year's eve devotional I came upon the video below and it blessed my heart tremendously and wanted to share it with you. As we get ready for the launch 1 week from today, this message couldn't have been more clear to me that God truly has brought us to this awesome moment for a reason, He can and will use each of us if we are willing and open to His plan. So this video touched me, the lyrics really brought home that this life is about loving God and people and helping lead them into life changing relationships with Jesus. We just have to be willing...someone to care.





Father, I thank You for Bryan and his obedience to bring this weekend's message, I thank You for the clarity that You brought to me through it and I pray that You will continue to bless the Meadow Heights staff, members and attenders with clarity, vision and purpose in the coming year. I pray for all those who are searching, I pray that You would bless them with an indescribable conviction and clarity of what You desire for their lives. Mold me, make me, use me Father to glorify You and further Your amazing Kingdom.
I pray boldly for Greg and all the volunteers Lord, bless them their families as they give so much of themselves and their gifts and never let us forget that it is all about You and Your people. I pray Your will be done and thank You for Your constant loving presence at the site and for the safety and vision You continue to bless each person with. May You forever be glorified...

Wow!

Truly all I can say is Wow! And to say thanks Mark Stamp for emailing this to me...it came in perfect timing!




Father God, I thank You for Your almighty purpose for my life and my family's life. May we see Your purpose with new clarity and peace today. You truly are an amazing God, who has blessed our lives with some amazing people! Love you!

7 Ways to a Joyous Day...

Today I was browsing through my new Guideposts magazine and found an article by one of my favorite authors Max Lucado and wanted to share some of it because it really touched my heart and reminded me that life can be tough sometimes, but God is here and He is good ALL the time, no matter what the circumstances may be.
I'm going to post some of the parts that really struck my heart so....here it goes...

Ever have one of those bad days? You know - not kind of bad, but bad. You mess up at work. You have a terrible fight with your spouse. Your doctor calls you in for some tests that sound pretty scary. A day seemingly beyond all redemption. When you have a day like that, you have several choices. You can retreat into paralyzing fear, act out inappropriately or just go into complete denial. But there's actually another choice: You can rejoice. Because it's the only real way out. "This is the day the Lord has made," the psalmist tells us. "We will rejoice and be glad in it." This day? This messy, painful, frustrating day deserves a chance? Yes. Every day, whether it includes a lost wallet, a dented bumper or the funeral of a loved one, deserves our full presence. They all come from God's drawing room. Still not convinced? Try these seven strategies the next time you find yourself trapped in a day that holds more than you think you can bear. You'll be surprised at how freeing they are.

1. Fret not: Anxiety will ruin your day. And it can be a real confidence killer. You can't add one more day to your life or more life to your day by fretting. Worry doesn't take away tomorrow's troubles; it only rids today of its strength. And why should you worry when you are surrounded by friends everywhere you go?

2. Forgive freely: Forgiveness is not about saying that what a person did is okay or that they're right. It's about making a decision, a choice to let the hurt and anger go. It frees you up to move on. Forgive someone and you'll discover that that person has virtually no power to hurt you anymore. Then you'll be able to focus on what you really care about: the joy of life.

3. Fear not: Fear is a joy-killer. it can make me stressed out, short-tempered, unhappy. What the opposite of fear? Trust. I do better when I trust in God. He's in control of my life. Place your fear in God's hands and you'll find that you have greater peace each day.

4. Live passionately: Discover your passions by looking back over your life for those sweet-spot moments where you've had 'Yes!' experiences. String those together, and you'll begin to see new possibilities for your life. Nothing gives the day greater joy than a good wallop of passion that comes from doing something from your soul.

5. Get Over It: If you look long enough and hard enough, you'll find something to bellyache about. So quit looking!! If you have health problems, you probably feel justified in complaining. Being in pain is no fun. But try this instead of griping: Take a break from your problems. Face each day determined to dwell on the positives. think about what you have to look forward to. Write a list and put it where you can see it. Try lending an ear to someone in need. Be especially kind to people with whom you have only one encounter - a waiter, a taxi driver, a store clerk. You may have only one chance to be kind. When you start living for others, it's pretty hard not to get over whatever's bothering you.

6. Collect your blessings: Recognize all that you have, and finding blessings to collect will become easy. The key to a joyous day? Make gratitude your default emotion. Say, "I can find things to be grateful for in this day." Let your thoughts be positive. Expect good things to happen. Seek out people who can encourage you. Over time, you'll find that God's list of blessings is longer than your list of burdens.

7. Color your world: The world is full of vibrant color. Don't let it lose an ounce of its luster. Assume this day is going to be good, and it will. God made it so.

Father God, I thank You for your gentle reminders that You are God and are in total control. I thank You for your amazing presence in my life and for the encouragement that You bring to myself and my family. I thank You for the amazing people that You continue to place in our lives. Help me to live a joyous life and forever sing praises to Your Holy name.