Whispers in the Dark

(that is Tim and Reece in the picture:) )

I have so much on my heart that I feel like I want to share with you all. Things that God has been teaching me by whispering in my ear.

I am on week 12 of 14 weeks of this antibiotic treatment. I am doing good this week and encouraged. The true test will be when I stop the medication to see if it worked. There is a lot of anxiety about that for me. For the last 3 years, my life has been consumed with fighting this fight. I can hardly imagine a life without piles of medications, arthritic pain, headaches and the fear that has come with it all. I am hopeful but anxious.

I was extremely challenged by the leper who worshipped Jesus covered in leprosy. That is the heart I want. A heart that is full of worship no matter the circumstances.

I wrote a post a long time ago about some verses that have been a huge encouragement to me during this time.

"I will give you the treasures of darkness,

riches stored in secret places,

so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel,

who summons you by name."

Isaiah 45:3

These words have become etched into my soul. I am realizing that God's hand is in this whole thing very intentionally. He has given me so many treasures in this darkness and riches I would have not otherwise known. I would have never chosen this secret place of suffering but I can honestly say that I am glad He brought me here. I believe He brought me here to show me that He is the Lord. I believe He summoned me to this place by my name because of His passionate affection for me. I imagine a huge, strong and loving hand motioning me to come.

I get overwhelmed as I realize how He cherishes time with me. He brought me to this place to BLESS me. I must admit that I have not had this attitude the whole time and that it is much easier when I am not in pain. Some days the despair has been too great to bear. But I have learned that His grace is sufficient. That IN HIM, there is no darkness (1 John 1:5)

no matter how dark our circumstances get.

I tell you all this because I am reading through the book of Matthew and came upon this verse.

"What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight;

what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs."

Matthew 10:27

I love the translation "whispered" because whispering demands closeness. Whispering is intimate. Whispering is special. A whisper is between two people. It is intentional.

He HAS whispered to me in the dark. I have experienced this type of intimacy with Jesus in the darkness. I have to speak out in the daylight. I felt the immediate urge to shout it from my blog rooftop that God is faithful in the darkness. He is close enough to you to whisper. If you are in a trial, know that He is close to you and that that you are cherished... That you are summoned BY NAME... That you are loved.

He will give you treasures in your darkness and riches stored in the secret places. He will whisper to you in your ear truths that you will never forget and truths that can set captives free.

Hang in there. Keep your eyes on Him. He has not forgotten you~ quite the opposite. He died for you. He loves being with you and freely giving you riches and treasures. He will hold you by your hand as you walk through the valley of the shadow of death. He will NEVER forget about you.

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast?

Though she may forget,

I will never forget you.

See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;

your walls are ever before me."

Isaiah 49:15,16

He is near. He is whispering to you.

Listen to Him and

Be blessed~

Steph

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord, your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...

Since you are precious and honored in my sight,

and because I love you."

Isaiah 43:1-4

My trial seems so small and insignificant compared to so many others.

Please remember to pray for Stacy, Spencer and baby Isaac.

Pray for them fervently during this next week.

http://sgirl79.blogspot.com/

“Now Strengthen My Hands”

Life is going on (almost) as normal around here. 

School, football, soccer, cheerleading, ballet, etc...

Rhett is going learning to *go with the flow* because he was born into a flow of people. He is a sweet baby. He is up every 3 hours in the night but that is doable for me. It is the babies that are up every hour that send me over the edge. I am still not "normal" though. I get a lot of anxiety after I have a baby. And, rightly so. I know I am not sharp.  I am so scared I am going to forget something.. like a child! 

I am constantly counting heads. When we get in the van, I can count by 2s now so that is a little easier. "2, 4, 6?"... "yes, we are all here, mom. You have counted like 10 times now."  But, it gets a little trickier when we split up and I can't count all 6 heads. I have to reassure myself over and over that Tim has 2 and I have 4. Or, Tim has 3 at football and I have 3 at home. It is maddening. Not to mention, I have crazy anxiety after I have a baby and worry about the weirdest things EVER. Like, how I am going to get all my kids in one spot if there is an earthquake??? Seriously...I was going over that one in my head the other day. I just feel so scattered and half asleep. I think I have been like that for the last 11 years but it peaks after baby. 

A lot of people say, "I don't know how you do it". Well, ME NEITHER. All I know is God chooses *the least-likely-to-succeed* and empowers them to do the impossible. I am fully aware 100% of the time that apart from Him, I can do nothing. 

Yesterday the verse I kept praying was "Strengthen the work of my hands, Lord". I prayed it over and over.

I worked my tail off cleaning, doing laundry, homeschooling, teaching Bible, nursing a baby, changing diapers, cooking, going to football and cheerleading, and putting people in bed. This season is intense yet so wonderful at the same time.

As I have said before, Tim is unusually helpful. He is unusually involved. He is a HUGE part of 

"how I do it".  

He vividly remembers how lonely he was until we met when he was 28, so he has a thankful heart for our big family. He tells me how he remembers cleaning his one dish for all those years and he would trade it for the 100 he washes every night any day. 

I think God allowed him to be single for all those years to prepare him for us. ;)

"God sets the lonely in families"

Ps 68:6

(He prayed that God would give him a family and God did!!! Exceedingly and abundantly more than he may have asked... lol)

Even though this season is hard, Psalm 1 says that we can produce fruit every season and that our leaves don't have to wither.

"But they delight in the law of the Lord,

meditating on it day and night.

They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

bearing fruit each season.

Their leaves never wither"

How did "THEY do it"? 

The secret: They DELIGHT IN THE LAW OF THE LORD!!!

They are soaking in the Word! 

I would suggest that our hardest seasons are probably our most fruitful because we recognize our utter and complete dependence.

I think the most difficult realization for me after I had my 6th baby was when it hit me,

"THERE IS NO ONE TO HELP ME".

We don't have family here. 

It is me and Tim. 

That's it.

He sent me a text the other day that said..

"It is just u n me"

(Well, I do have my amazing lady who comes every Tuesday morning to help me do laundry and regain a little order in my home AND our wonderful Sunday School class has been bringing us food every other night since baby was born!!!)

But, every day, it is ME by myself juggling 258 balls.

But, I don't even know how to juggle 2 balls! 

***

It is interesting how many times God has to teach me the same lesson over and over.

He had just taught me 2 weeks ago that He was the only one to help me during delivery. Now, He has to teach me the same truth again. He was THERE when Rhett was born and he is THERE with me now. 

Not only did I need to learn that when I was birthing a baby. Now, the Lord will daily have to remind me that HE IS THE ONE WHO WILL HELP care for the children after they are born.

He has really arranged my life so that He would continue to be my "true vine". I am so prone to cling to other vines so He does me a favor and doesn't give me that option. He has kept it really simple for me to stay close to Him instead of clinging to anything else.  Jesus is my true source of life and help. And one AWESOME part about God being your "help" is that He is EVER-PRESENT!!! He doesn't drop in and then go back home... He is always available. 

He doesn't even sleep!!! He is helping me all day and ALL NIGHT.

"I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me."

Ps 118:13

"With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall."

Ps 18:29

"God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day."

Ps 46:5

"The humble will see their God at work and be glad.

Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged."

Ps 69:32

As hard and overwhelming as my life is these days, God is encouraging me to keep going. I just told someone the other day that one of the main things that keeps me going is that GOD believes in me or He wouldn't have called me to this. If He believes in me, I will be able to do it. 

I definitely don't "believe in myself" (those kids books drive me crazy). I can't do this. But Christ in me and and through me can and He can do a GREAT job.

I have been struggling so much lately with feeling defeated. I don't know if it is hormones, sleep-deprivation, the enemy or what but the smallest things can make me feel like a total failure. Like when I can't braid Hope's hair in cute braids for cheerleading. Or that it takes me 5 times longer than the average mom to clean my kitchen.  Or the fact that I have big dark circles around my eyes and smell like rotten milk from nursing through the night. I have been short with my kids because I am so tired. 

So, I was standing in my kitchen with all these defeated thoughts consuming me when I decided I would very nervously ask my kids what they saw. I asked the one who would tell me the truth. I braced myself for his answer... knowing I deserved a bad response.

"Honey, what 2 words to you think of when you think of momma?"

I thought he would say... "mean and ugly". Seriously. That is how I have been.

He said, "...ummmm.... beautiful and loving".

Tears came to my eyes and the thoughts were stopped by the sound of an 8 year old little boy's voice.

I realized then that the grace that God gives us for our children, He also gives them for us. 

And, words are powerful. 

That is why we need to know God's Words toward us. To undo the lies of despair and defeat that the enemy constantly whispers.

Now, at the same time, I am asking God to CHANGE ME, MOLD ME, and HELP ME be beautiful and loving and to ESTABLISH THE WORK OF MY HANDS.

"And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us,
And establish the work of our hands for us;
Yes, establish the work of our hands."

Ps 90:17

I want my boys to think I am beautiful but it will be the BEAUTY of the Lord they see and remember.

And, how I need God's help to establish the work of my hands and to strengthen them!

They are tired. Yet God can establish us and strengthen us, mommas!

"But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”
Neh 6:9

*****

 I have been thinking of Moses' parents lately. It tells us in Hebrews that they knew Moses was different-unusual-beautiful-not ordinary  when he was born. 

"By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict."

Heb 11:23

Moses' momma had "spiritual eyes" so that she could see supernatural things. She walked by faith and not sight. She knew God had a calling on her child's life and she was ready to lay down her desires in order to see that calling fulfilled. 

Can you imagine having a baby boy in those days? The days when all baby boys were to be MURDERED? 

But this verse tells us that his parents were NOT afraid???!!

Oh, how  his mom must have loved those 3 months. He was close to her for 3 solid months as she must have constantly nursed him to keep him quiet. I am sure she was tired. But, she sacrificed her life for his. She was called into a walk of great FAITH to trust God with her son's life. At the end of 3 months, she places him in a basket in a river and watches him drift away.  If her postpartum anxiety was anything like mine.... I CANNOT IMAGINE. 

What if the basket sinks? What if a crocodile is in that water? What if he is hungry? What about an earthquake? :) 

Yet, it was part of the story God was writing for Moses. It was the way God had chosen for this not-ordinary child. It was a harder way. It was a scary way. It demanded FAITH.

How I can relate as I raise my children. I want to have spiritual eyes. I want to be able to see that EACH one of my children are "different-unusual-beautiful-not ordinary". We all are! We are all made in the very image of God with gifts, talents, and unique callings. What if we BELIEVED as Moses' mom did that our children were born with eternal gifts to change the world. What if we were willing to lay down our lives in order to place them in God's hands and in *the way* He would have them go?

That is my heart's desire. 

"God, help us moms to see our children the way you do. 

Help us to walk by faith and *let them go* in surrender to Your plans for our children." 

I love how it says...

"they saw he was a beautiful child; 

and they were not afraid..."

Heb 11:23

I do not want to be a fearful mother.

Where does this type of faith come from???

"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by

the Word of God."

Romans 10:17

If we are going to be mothers who are not afraid, who live by faith, who raise world-changers then we HAVE TO BE IN THE WORD OF GOD.

Reading, memorizing, meditating, having our minds CHANGED...

Listen to how Hebrews 11 speaks of Moses' life...

"It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin.  He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.  It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.  It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons."

I have to wonder if Moses was changed by his mother's faith and example. I know I was. I remember my mom reading her Bible every morning when I was young. It left a mark on my soul. 

Moses was a man of faith. His mom must have watched and prayed as God used him in such a powerful way... remembering the cost of surrendering her precious baby to God but seeing such a GREAT REWARD.

I tell my children all the time, "You are not normal. You will never be normal. God has a HIGH calling on your life. You are set apart for holy purposes."

I also tell them that Jesus didn't come to be served but to SERVE and to GIVE HIS LIFE AWAY. That we aren't to live for ourselves anymore BUT FOR CHRIST WHO DIED FOR US.

"He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them."

2 Cor 5:15

If you are a mom who does not have a personal relationship with Christ, today is the day of salvation. Believe on the name of Jesus Christ and be saved. He loves you and offers you forgiveness yet you have to receive it by faith. You cannot lead your kids somewhere you aren't. God will teach you how to teach them. 

Cry out to God. 

No more games or pretending. 

Get alone with the Lord and tell Him the TRUTH about your sin.

He can forgive you, make you whole, and place His Spirit in you. 

You will know you are going to heaven and you will become a new creation as He removes your sins from you as far as the east is from the west. Turn from your sin and turn toward Christ today. May today be your *spiritual birthday*. Jesus told Nicodemus we MUST be born AGAIN. I just celebrated my spiritual birthday on Nov 1. 18 years ago, God changed me from the inside out. I received the great salvation He offered and said YES to come away with Him into the greatest love story ever told. God loves you. 

He is pursuing you. 

RESPOND to His love.

"This is real love—not that we loved God, 

but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins."

1 John 4:10

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

I hope I never give the impression that raising 6 children is EASY. 

It isn't. 

If I didn't have the Lord helping me, I would collapse under the weight of it all. Yet, His Word and His love keep giving me the strength I need. And, I will continue to keep my eyes on the One Who is invisible. 

(isn't the Christian life wild? We are to keep our eyes on the Invisible!!??) 

"He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible."
Heb 11:27

Be Blessed~

Steph

Real world when trying to get a picture of all 6...

:)

Whispers in the Dark

"What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear!"

Matt 10:27

(that is Tim and Reece... God taught me this truth a long time ago. I just have to go back and remember TRUTH. I have to be REMINDED a lot.)

Sometimes, God allows us into dark places in order to draw us close to Himself. 
You can't hear a whisper without being close.

I am in a dark place. I'll just say it. It isn't a sin to admit when you are in dark places. It is probably closer to sinning when we are too prideful to admit where we are.  Every believer goes through darkness.

It has been the "perfect storm" so to speak. One that I know God has allowed for my good. Since my sweet baby was born, I have been nursing him every 1-2 hours just to watch him spit it all back up. He got down to the 5th percentile. :( At 6 months, he just started reflux medicine. Now, he is able to keep food in his tummy and he is growing. I praise God for that. He is sleeping better and GROWING!  It makes me think of when we are drinking our "spiritual milk"... are we receiving it or throwing it back up?
 Our hearts have to receive God's Word so that it can nourish us and so that we will GROW.

"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation"

1 Peter 2:2

I don't want to have spiritual reflux and reject God's Word. If that is you, please ask God to soften your heart and give you the faith to receive the Word... before you starve to death.

After I have a baby, I struggle. Hormones+sleep deprivation= trouble for me. It has been a very lonely hard season. I miss my family. I don't like doing life without family. Yet, this is where God has us and we have to depend on our Church "family" more than I would like. 

A couple weeks ago, I went home to visit my grandparents and while I was there... mom got the DEVASTATING news that her breast cancer had metastasized and had come back in a new place. Our world started spinning. Now, my mom and my dad are both battling stage 4 cancer.  

(As I am typing this, I just got news from my parents who are both at MD Anderson in Houston that my dad's scans were clear! Hallelujah! God is hearing our prayers. God is healing my dad. It truly is a miracle.)

I love my family. I need my mom. 

My mom led me to the Lord. I watched her read her Bible in the mornings so I knew God was real when my college professors told me He wasn't. It was her breast cancer 20 years ago that God used to draw me to Himself.

She made (makes) motherhood so beautiful. She is full of grace and beauty. She makes everything beautiful that she touches.  She is feminine. She loves flowers, pedicures, and makeup. She loves decorating. She loves baking cakes. 

I want to be like her when I grow up.

Please pray God would heal her. She is in a lot of pain and I can't bear the thought of my mom suffering.

I am so thankful they have each other to fight this battle as a team.

God is drawing them both to Himself.

(mom and dad before dad's scary surgery a year and a half ago)

You would think as many trials as God has rescued our family from and as many miracles as we have seen, that we would be headed into this storm expectant.

God has done so much more than we could have ever asked or imagined.

He is GOOD.

Dad told me that he thinks God healed him so he could take care of my mom.

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

In addition to that I have been going through another very heavy trial in my personal life that has left me wounded. A wound that felt too deep to ever heal. I don't know about you but sometimes the enemy seems to sucker punch us when we are vulnerable...
 leaving an injury that will never heal. 

As I wrestled it out with the Lord, He directed me to Jer 30...

 "This is what the LORD says:

“Your injury is incurable—

a terrible wound.

There is no one to help you

or to bind up your injury.

No medicine can heal you...

(it was as if the Lord was saying, Yes... this is a bad one. A real one. A terrible wound that no medicine can heal... YET.... YET......)

 I will...heal your wounds,” says the LORD."

I hope that encourages you as much as it does me. Because we are going to get wounded here. Everybody has been wounded. There is no medicine for these kinds of wounds. (Btw, if you are depending on medicine for healing your heart, it won't work. Figure out how to safely get off of it.)

There is only ONE Who can heal our wounds. Only One who took our wounds upon Himself.

"He personally carried our sins

in his body on the cross

so that we can be dead to sin

and live for what is right.

By his wounds.

you are healed."

1 Peter 2:24

"He was beaten so we could be whole.

He was whipped so we could be healed."

Is 53:5

You CAN be healed! That is GOOD NEWS! That is the gospel. That God loved you SO much that He sent His One and Only Son to heal you. To heal you from the power of sin...
By the power of the gospel, we are invited into the throneroom of grace to get HELP in our time of need!

He heals us and gives us back our joy. Cling to Him if you are wounded. Imagine His Word as your neosporin. We run to so many wrong places looking for healing. God, alone, can heal you. Run to Him.

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

My children are really ministering to me these days. They are so precious to me. I love every moment I get to be a mother.

I have girls asking me some of the same questions a lot so I will try and put some of my thoughts out here for others to read.

Boys and video games:

I don't like most electronics. I don't see value in them. I see them paving a road in my little boys heart to crave things that aren't real and that can never satisfy. In a world where boys are being held captive by video games and porn, I try to avoid it as much as I can.

We have a Wii that they play a couple times a week. They don't have iphones or ipads. I don't want to download most games because they are addictive. I have told my boys that God wants them to be "alert" and "ready for action". The games take you into a world that isn't real while the world around you is dying for the gospel, truth, and love. Boys are made to win battles. I don't want mine to get their fix in a virtual world so that they have no desire to win battles in the real world. Again, self-control and moderation are key but protect your sons and encourage them to win spiritual battles. To fight for the weak and vulnerable. To use their God-given weapons. The most exciting adventure is to fight the Lord's battles and win in His strength. 

Their generation desperately needs warriors whose minds are sharp and ready for action.

How do I know how many children to have?

This one is so close to my heart. I think I would have 100. I love children. I love being a vessel of Elohim as He creates life in my womb. I love raising children. I love big families. 

This is a hard question because each couple has different abilities. We have different callings and different visions given by the Lord. Child-rearing is not a competitive sport. We, mothers, cannot find our identity in motherhood.  

First, pray with your spouse for God to give you and your husband UNITY. 

UNITY in this decision is CRITICAL.

Without unity, you could be looking at years of bitterness and a wedge in your marriage. Seek unity before making the decision to have another child... or not to. Pray that God would move in husband's heart. Husband's tend to have the eyes in the relationship and wives have the heart. Both are needed. Both are good. Ask God to bring those 2 things together.

 "I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there."

2 Chr 7:16

I don't want to be a strung out mom with a husband who is spread too thin. Yes, we TOTALLY depend on the Lord but we have to use wisdom too.

We can only give according to what we have. 

This is where you evaluate what you have.

How strong is your marriage? Is your vine (marriage) strong enough to support many branches (children)?

Do you have a support system?

Do you have the ability to provide for the children?

How is your health?

How is your husband doing spiritually?

How are your children doing spiritually?

What has God called you to do?

What gifts has He given you?

We can't give what we don't have.

 "Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. 

And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have."

2 Cor 8:12

Discipleship takes TIME.

Tim and I want to know each child. We want to be available for each child and guide them each in the way they should go.
I want to teach my children the Word.
That is getting really hard with 6.
You should see us at the baseball fields trying to watch 4 play at the same time. This is definitely getting interesting.

I want to be a loving mom.

Not so overwhelmed that I am no good to anybody.

It has started to feel like that at times. I have to trust that God's grace is going to give me the ability to continue. It will NOT be in my own strength. I ran out of that day 1 of motherhood.

We also each have different convictions. I cannot use most birth control because of the chance of it causing an abortion. I also don't like decisions that close the door forever. I don't want to make a decision that can't be undone if God changes hearts. But that is ME. Those are MY convictions. Not everyone has those same convictions. 

Ask God to search your heart and show you what is BEST. Be available to do whatever God is asks you to do. Whether that is submitting to your husband's desires to not have another child or being a vessel for God, stepping out in faith and raising another precious child.

A couple more random thoughts... 
My heart broke as one of my favorite Bible teachers fell into sin recently. Very sobering. Was reminded Sunday of when the disciples were having the last supper with Jesus and He said... "One of you is going to betray me". This was their response...

"And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, 

“Lord, is it I?”

Matt 26:22

That should be our posture before Jesus... knowing that we could at anytime be capable of betraying Him. We have to work out our salvation with FEAR and TREMBLING. We need accountability. We need the Word EVERYDAY. 

We need to constantly be asking Jesus, 

"Is it I?"

I brush my teeth every night. 

But every morning my breath STINKS. It is the same with our inner girl. We have to clean her EVERY day. Our sinful natures are constantly pulling us in the wrong direction. We have to renew our minds... every day. Our inner girl needs good hygiene. Remember that every time you wash your hair, cut your toenails, brush your teeth, put on deoderant, etc... Your inner girl needs to be washed and taken care of EVERY DAY. 

Next random thoughts:

I used to be a Version snob. I used to only use the NKJV. I have lightened up so much since teaching children. Be careful not to get so attached to one version of the Bible. 

The Bible does not say we are to preach the gospel to ourselves. It says to go into the world and preach the gospel. The American Church is getting so self-focused, it can't share the gospel effectively. It is a deceptive trick. Turns into self-absorption, self-help before we realize it. SPREAD the gospel. Don't sit around lighting candles, breathing deep, and preaching the gospel to yourself. There simply isn't time for that. We are stewards. If you know that gospel... share it. 

"God has trusted us with the message that people may be brought back to him.  So we are Christ's official messengers. It is as if God were making his appeal through us."

2 Cor 5:19,20

Be careful what teachers are influencing you. So many are turning to man's wisdom instead of God's. Intellectualism has become god. If you want a safe Bible teacher to listen to, click here. Mark raised me in the Lord. He is a good teacher. 

False teachers are so slick. Never obvious. It is a subtle slide when you start following a false teacher. Just like when you are swimming in the ocean current. You don't realize you are being moved until you look up and can't find your beach chair anywhere. Be CAREFUL. I don't want to name names but if they are wildly popular these days, use discernment. 

One last thing...

Single girls, WAIT on God's best. I am so blessed to be able to go to weddings of the girls who have decided to wait on God's best and I am BLOWN AWAY by the faithfulness of God.

I don't care if you have to wait until you are 99 years old.

Do it. 

It is worth it.

Serve while you wait.

Trust God.

Don't settle.

Marrying a guy who doesn't love Jesus is like emotional hell that you can't get out of. 

If you are in sexual sin, get out and save your soul.

God doesn't give us what we deserve. He gives us so much more than anything we have ever earned.

God has a plan for you that is good.

You can choose your husband or let God bring you to the man you were made for.

I truly believe that when I get to heaven I will discover that God used part of Tim's rib when He knit me together in my mom's womb.

I believe there is ONE.

Wait. Pray. Serve. Then repeat.

God knows YOU will fit into a glass slipper one day.

He writes the BEST love stories.

I was so blessed to go to Molly and Josh's beautiful wedding.

A true love story.

A prince sent from THE Prince.

Molly, the ultimate princess.. adorned in grace and beauty.

Their wedding in an airplane hanger. 

God was there. He was glorified.

2 people made into 1... brought together for holy purposes.

Pictures of Life... beautiful life!

 Reece is Nebuchadnezzar.
That's Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego.

"So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire.  Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. 

They didn’t even smell of smoke!

 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God."

Daniel 3:26-28

I hope you are encouraged. Life is hard. God is faithful. 
Jesus is our firm unshakable foundation.
He the rock Who is higher than the waters that we can hang on to while the waves beat against us.
When we go through the waters, He is with us.
The rivers won't sweep over us.
The fire won't burn us.

 Wounds are real.

God is able to heal you. 

Please pray for my mom.

Be blessed~

Steph