We are rich!

The past few months have been financially tight for us….. really really tight! We are making it though.
Sometimes I feel like the money stuff is suffocating me! Why does money do that? It becomes so real and overwhelming I seem to loose sight of everything else! I get so zoomed in on the problem I forget what all is around me.
This week, although our circumstances have not changed, I feel like God has allowed me to gain some perspective.
I think God is not pleased when we go around whining about money and how we don’t have enough. If you live in America, have a car, a house, clothes in your closet and food on your table…. you are NOT poor!!! There are people in this world who are poor, but if you have the thins listed above, you are rich indeed! I often joked and flippantly said we were “poor” but we are not! Things are tight but God has given us so much!
Beyond the basic essentials (and a lot of not so essential things) we are rich in the things money can not buy. We have lots of family that shower us in love. We have some amazing friends…. tried and true friends! They speak truth in to our lives, give out of love, share life with us and continually draw us closer to the Lord! We have an amazing, wonderful and healthy son! He brings us more joy than should be allowed : ) There is peace in our home. Yes, things are chaotic and stressful at times but there is peace. This is a gift only Jesus can give. We also have a marriage grounded in Christ, not making us immune from struggles. Yet, we have a strong anchor to hold on to and a firm foundation beneath us. Our family is also learning a valuable lesson from God on contentment. “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” -Phil. 4:12-13
We have gifts and blessings in our life that are truly priceless! I will take those over margin in our bank account any day! God is good!
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,” -Ephesians 1: 17-18

Family Site

We have been in party planning mode for the boy : )
I am so excited to celebrate his birthday!
While looking for good ideas for a summer party I came across this site.
I got lots of good ideas from it! There are great summer games, crafts and great party ideas!
Check it out!

Mommy Survey

A friend posted this on her blog. I thought it would be a fun way to take my mind of things : )
I love surveys!

1. favorite diapers? Pampers! I love when I get coupons for them!
2. favorite wipes? Has to be either Huggies on Pampers. Trey breaks out with any other.
3. wipe warmer, no wipe warmer? No… I wish I had one in the early days!
4. sleep in gowns or footsies? Footsies….. now t-shirts and cotton pants and shorts : )
5. schedule, don’t schedule? Schedule but VERY flexible! This poor boy has no choice but to be flexible in the church planting world!
6. current favorite toys? links or rings, Mimi and Pappy’s wodden blocks, Grandaddy and KK’s activity table, balls, walkers, and this little wind up hellicopter that is beyond amusing to him : )
7. three things you couldn’t live with out the first few months? Boppie, BURP RAGS!, passie
8. something you can’t have too many of? Passies
9. three things you couldn’t live with out once the baby is moving? PLAY YARD!!!Love it! walkers and kisses for when he falls and bumps his head : )
10. favorite new baby invention? Passie leash…. we don’t go many places without it
11. favorite nursing pads? Thick ones ; )
12. favorite bottle? Drop ins…. hated the Playtex Air flow. They would always leak…. one time all over my phone!
13. favorite car toys? hmm…. anything with wheels. He loves cars.
14. favorite teether? Ummmm anything he can put in his mouth!
15. changing table, no changing table? Changing table… he has less room to move around!
16. breast milk or formula? Breastfeed for 4 months…. lost milk and went to formula…. will try to breastfeed longer with the next one…. much cheaper!!!
17. make baby food, buy baby food? both. He did not eat baby food long… maybe a month or so… then he ate our food chopped or blended.
18. first food after cereal? Green beans I think.
19. did you use your baby carrier? Yes, until he reached about 6 months. He was too heavy to carry in it so I would rather take him out if he was not asleep. At 9 months he out grew his carrier’s weight limit. He is now in a “big boy” carseat. I can’t wait to be able to turn him around… two more weeks : )
20. how old when slept in own crib (not bassinet)? From day one… really we were crazy! He always starts in his bed. At 3 am or so he wakes up… and well that’s a different story : ) Oh well… we haven’t had the energy to try to fix that lately.
21. do you use a sleep positioner? Yes, we used that for a while. He has reflux so we actually had this little thing that kept him elevated. Even when he was older he liked the positioner because it made him feel snug. Now he uses his Boppie as a pillow…. I know… its probably “not allowed” but he loves it. I think he thinks he is being held.
22. back sleeper or tummy sleeper? He was always a back sleeper when he was little but now he rolls all around.
23. favorite part about being a mom? Wow! Where do I begin…. I don’t know… I love it! His smile, getting to know him and his personality, being able to watch him experience everything the first time, teaching him… can you really describe it? I never could have imagined how awesome it would be!
24. hardest part about being a mom? Disipling, letting go and watching the grow up too fast! (I agree!)
25. favorite mommy accessories? I did not like this SUV before but I do love my 2000 Ford Expedition. I can load up a lot of babies and baby stuff in it! The other day I had five kids, three in car seats, and a double stoller in the car. And we all sat pretty comfortable and safe!
Other than that my giant hips that God gave me! They are great for totting around babies!

Good Week

I have had a good week. It has not been an easy one but good one.
I feel like is giving me back my zeal for Him. For way to long I have been cynical and dry…. Do you ever go through dry seasons? I have.
Anyway, Canvas hosted a group from West Palm Beach through something called Powerplant this week. I really knew very little about it and did not get to participate in as much as I wanted because of work and the boy. What little I was around these middle schoolers was very encouraging.
One kid has made an impression on me that I don’t know if I will ever forget. I don’t even know his name…
All week the kids did different service projects from working in the parking lot at the theater to handing out bottles of water at a park (and trust me in Savannah this week… those bottles were needed!). Wednesday, the kids went to the Baptist Center downtown to do a cook out event. Mark, Trey and I headed over there after Mark got off work. I had a horrible attitude from the second I got out of the car. It was hot and I really did not want to be there. I parked Trey’s stroller near the coolers and did very little to nothing.
I was watching the kids. I recognized on of the middle schoolers from an event earlier in the week. He was diabetic. So is my dad so I always take notice to that type of thing. This boy was always with one of the kids. Later, I noticed him sitting on the curb with his hand around another boy with a track in his hand. He was sharing the gospel with this kid.
As I starred at him someone commented that he had been doing that ever since they got there. “He has been sharing with any of the kids who will stop and listen.”
My heart broke.
When was the last time I did that?
No. When was the last time I even thought about talking to someone about the gospel?
Sometimes I get so bogged down with the day to day stuff in ministry I forget what it is all about. Worrying and stressing about rather or not God will come through with what He called us to do in the first place takes up too much room in my mind and heart. I feel godly or like I am doing enough just because I moved from my home town and pray to make ends meet.
God convicted me. Am I making the most of every opportunity? Do I love Him so much I can’t help but share? Do I love others that much?
That middle school kid gets it.
The next day I kept two older kids I normally don’t. I talked about God with them. I don’t know how much sense I made but at least I know that they know something about Jesus….that I did not totally waste a God ordained opportunity by looking at them as an additional pay check.
I pray God will continue to make my heart more like His…. I have so far to go.

Luke 14:26

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters–yes, even his own life–he cannot be my disciple.” – Luke 14:26
This verse has always perplexed me. I don’t know why but lately it has been coming to mind. I wish I could say the Greek word for hate is something pretty and nice…. but its not… its the word hate. I can not apologize for God’s Word.
Taken into context I believe it to mean Jesus must be your everything. No one must come before him… not family, friends ect.
It is harsh Truth.
But God has shown me over the last month that my husband has a good grasp on this one.
I know he loves God first.
Why?
Because if he loved Trey and I more, we would still be back in Atlanta. He would be working at his old job making a wonderful salary, climbing the corporate ladder. We would live comfortably in a big house, new cars, a larger emergency fund, investments and maybe even a growing college fund for Trey (These things are nice things but search God’s Word and hear his heart and trust me you will not find safe living as a part of his plan).
If he loved his own life more I doubt he would go to work at 6am every morning to go do lawn work with “amigos” to make some money for our family. There is no self glory in lawn maintenance. It has been a very humbling experience.
Instead he loves Jesus most. We have followed God’s call to minister here in Savannah. Mark took a huge pay cut and works on a lawn maintenance crew at a local golf club to make ends meet. He works full time there and also works for the church. He does and awesome job with “Journey stuff” and works with all his heart. He may not love Trey and I more than Jesus but there is no greater love than that grounded in Christ! None more satisfying and secure.
I know my husband loves Jesus more. He hears His call and although is my be scary and humiliating, he has lead our family into a journey of trusting God and walking by faith. I am so proud of him. I know one day in heaven God will call him a good and faithful servant. I feel privileged to be married to someone who “gets it” and has chosen to love Jesus with all he has.

Baby Wise

I have been wanting to blog about this for awhile…
When I was pregnant a friend introduced me to the book “BabyWise”. It was actually difficult and overwhelming for me to read while I was pregnant. The more I read the more I realized I didn’t know. We did decided we were going to put Trey on a schedule and would figure out the details when they came.
We brought Trey home from the hospital and put him on a 3 hour schedule and also put him straight in crib (no pack and play in our room). I think I went a little crazy with the whole babywise thing! If I could go back I would have calmed it down a notch! : ) But, Trey was sleeping through the night at 6 weeks… so I don’t know.
Anyway, as I mentioned before life happened and his night schedule got a little messed up. He was no longer sleeping through the night and such. After we moved to Savannah I was able to get him on an awesome daytime schedule! We are still tweaking his night time sleep but overall he does well.

So, although I can’t believe it, we are almost to the end of our first year! I was thinking about the Babywise issue and how stressed I was about all the details of that stuff this time last year and thinking I would write a “review” or rather I will list positive and negative things…..
Positives:
- We have a schedule! I love schedules! Mark and I also do better when everyday has some set routine…. Trey is no exception.
- In the beginning I was recovering from a C-section and was already worn out. With Trey on some sort of a feeding schedule I was able to rest and not be worn out from on-demand feeding.
- We had a great night time routine and Trey always goes down well.
- Trey knows what to expect as far as naps and bedtime go.
- Trey ate well

Negatives:
- I had a hard time enjoying those first couple of months. I got really caught up in what Trey was “supposed to do”.
- I was very stressed out in the beginning.

Overall:
Baby Wise works great for our family. I have come off it a little. I use it like a guide. When we are having problems I check out the book. I have learned over the last year to take all the parenting advice “with a grain of salt”. I take it in and process it the best way that fits for us. I have learned to be very flexible (which is not a product of Babywise). I want Trey to have structure and routine but also freedom for us to enjoy him. He does not have set hourly naps (ie always napping from 8:30- 10) but he always has a morning and afternoon nap and they are usually around the same time but not always. So like I said Baby Wise is a guideline for us : )

Anyway if you are interested there is a great blog I found for Baby Wise moms here.

Phil 4:19

“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19
The word “supply” in this passage means- {pleroo} make repute, i.e. to cram, level out a hallow, or to furnish, satisfy, execute and office, finish a task, verify or coincide prediction, accomplish x after (be) complete, end, expire fill up, fulfill and make full, perfect supply.

This verse and definition hand on a bulletin board right next to my computer (because that is where I usually get the most stressed out about money). God has made good on His promise! We have come to the end of our first month with our new income. And we made it!!! We are living on less than half of what we made a month with Mark’s old job. How are we doing that? I have no idea!!! We use a lot less gas and eat at home 98% of the time… but still I don’t really know.
God is faithful to fulfill His promises!

Mommy link:

This made my night!
Thanks Holly Furtick!
You know you’re a mom when:

homesick

I am almost too prideful to admit it but I am homesick. “We” have been living in Savannah for about 4 months and the vacation feel has worn off. Also, for us it was a little different because Mark still lived there for so long. So now we are all here. For good. And I am missing Atlanta. I miss my old house, my friends, a Wal mart on every corner, “our” Target and Kroger. I miss our family. I miss traffic and people knowing how to drive!!! (sorry Savannah) I miss our church and our old small group. I miss our old routine and Mark’s old job (and that job’s paycheck ; ) I even miss my stinkin’ cat!

I have had a deeper homesickness building throughout this whole church planting thing…. home sick for my true home in heaven. This August I will have been following Jesus for 10 years. I will say the first 81/2 I had no interest in going “home”. The thought of Jesus coming back made me feel unsettled and if I was really honest I did not want that at all. I would hear messages about longing for Christ return compared to longing of a bride and bridegroom for marriage and I didn’t get it.
Truth was…. I was quite comfortable here and had no interest in eternity.
Well, follow God long enough and He will turn your world upside down. The last year or so and specifically the last 8 months I have thought more about eternity than I ever have before. “Will this decision matter in eternity?” “Does having that really matter in the grand scheme of things?” “One day I will not regret letting that go.” “One day we will see a reward!”
Plain and simple it has just been hard! This is hard! I will spare you the whining but now at the end of the day I lie in bed and I think, “Jesus, I love my family. You have given me beyond what I deserve here on earth. But if you wanted to come back tonight…. I am ready…. I am tired and I want to be with You!” I agree with Paul in this verse in Phillipians “to live is Christ and to die is gain…. for I am hard pressed from both directions having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better….” (Phil 1:21-23).
I get that for the first time. On one had I have never loved life more. I love this season. I love my family. I love our church and this city but on the other hand it would be “very much better” just to be with Jesus. You know?
So I guess I am learning and gaining an eternal perspective for the first time. If we have had to go through some hard stuff to get me here then… okay… it was worth it. I am glad to now love Jesus more than this life.

Am I ready for more…. ?

On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have three babies in the house…. mine and two I “keep”. Trey LOVES having his friends to play with! While they are playing and laughing I think, “Awww…. maybe I am ready for another one…” Then comes lunch and nap time. Lunch is like a three ring circus of food. I am trying to get everybody’s lunch on the table, feed the baby baby, keep my child’s food coming on his tray and monitor the two year old to make sure he is eating properly. On good days I get to eat too : )
Nap time is much like today… change everyone’s diapers, bottle for baby, lay him down. Give Trey his bottle and lay him in his bed. Then turn on a movie for the oldest to fall asleep to. I go in the kitchen try to find food for myself, sit down, take a look at my addiction, facebook….. silence….. that is until Trey starts screaming because he is done playing and doesn’t want to go to sleep. That wakes to other baby up. By the time I get one back to sleep the other one wakes up. They rotate on and off… like a fun little baby game….. by the time this is done the oldest is done with his nap.
So much for that break….
Then I think, “Hmmm…. maybe we will wait a while on that next baby.”
I think one is good for now : )