Yesterday I made it to my weekly women's book study called Koinonia where we are studying through the Beth Moore study on Daniel. It was a miracle that I even made it because I was up til 3 am that morning working on a 'project'! I am one of those people who when I start a project I have to finish it 99% of the time before I stop, and this wasn't even a fun project! We still get the paper version of our monthly bank statements and so I try to keep up on making sure our account is balanced each month with that and that all our $ is accounted for, call me old fashioned but that is what I do. Well last month I had started it, which is normally about a 2 hour job and didn't finish and then we just got the one for this month so I sat down to finish the old one and do the new one to catch up, which was not till like after 9 pm Wednesday night to begin with! Crazy, I know.
Anyway I was so thankful that I made it to the study despite my lack of sleep and lack of coffee before I left! I don't know if you have ever done a Beth Moore study but this is my first and let me tell you she is an amazing speaker/teacher. This particular study of hers is dvd session driven, so you watch & listen to her teach then go home and do your lesson and come back the next week to discuss your lesson together and then watch the next session with her. She was teaching on the section that all of us know if we know anything about the book of Daniel, where Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego are thrown into the fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar because they would not bow down and worship the gold statue that he made of himself for everyone to worship! They believed and knew that 1) it is wrong to worship anyone or anything aside from God and 2) that God would deliver them in the fire for taking their stand for Him even if it meant deliverance directly into His arms as their bodies burned in the furnace.
She camped out on 3 different scenarios we face as people of God when we go through fiery trials and I just loved all of them but especially the last one. 1) God can choose to deliver us from the fire where our faith is built in that scenario. 2) God can choose to deliver us through the fire where our faith is refined. 3) or God can choose that we be delivered by the fire into His arms where our faith is perfected. And as she talked about this last one which would be death, sometimes we are not healed through our sicknesses like cancer and what not the way we think we should be healed, she gave this picture of it that just made my eyes water because it was a new way to look at facing death. As all of us will someday die, we are doomed by it, and I don't think I've ever wanted to avoid death or been super afraid of it since I am assured of my destination but it was just a fresh way to look at it. She said passing into death is just like shedding a coat and you keep walking. I got this picture of a person walking and as their physical body passes away they just take off this coat as they walk, like it falls to the ground but the person just keeps walking and there is just this bright light in front of them that they are headed towards because heaven is ahead and the Word says that no sun is even needed in heaven because the glory of the Son fills all heaven with light (see Revelation 21:23)! Like I said as she described facing death in this way I just got teary eyed because it makes sense and sounds inviting to me when described that way. Our spirits don't die, just our physical bodies, just our tents that our spirit lives in, and we get new bodies when we reach our destination, ones that are perfect and that I will never feel frumpy in again because my body could use a good working out right now! I've known this but just putting it into that picture, I don't know, just made it desirable for the first time in my Christian walk.
I just wanted to share that beautiful picture with you today. And for those of you who don't know how that story ends of those 3 brave, courageous souls, they were delivered through the fire with Christ (or some believe to be an Angel) standing with and protecting them in the furnace, they came out not even smelling like smoke! (Read Daniel 3 for full story!)
Friday, September 30, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
So Thankful!
I'm so thankful....
that Tom and I have finally joined a Life Group in our church body. What is a Life Group you ask? Well it is like an in home bible study that is held at some one's house who is willing to open up their home to other believers in the church. We study the bible together, in our churches case, our Life Groups study over the passage that the Pastor is going to or has just preached on the following or past week. It gives us a chance to explore with others what we are all learning together on Sunday. There are about 6 other couples in our Life Group that we get a chance to get to know and grow spiritually together. Plus our kids all get to play together while being watched by a sweet babysitter! We also get to enjoy dinner together that evening and there are even chances for us to go out into the community and serve together and be God's hands and feet to our community! This is exciting because our church is so big and can be overwhelming to try to get to know others plus we are connecting with others who are in the same stage of life as us, young parents!
I'm also thankful that I had joined a mom's book study this summer, not only was the book very enjoyable that we read: One Heartbeat Away, Your Journey Into Eternity by Mark Cahill, but I met many other mom's my age and now am part of their group book study at our church on Thursday mornings called Koinonia where we are studying through Beth Moore's study on Daniel: Lives of Integrity, Words of Prophecy.
I'm very thankful for our son, he just continues to grow and progress in his development. He just had his 15 month check up at the beginning of this month and he was 33 1/4 in. long making him taller than 95% of the kids his age and weighed in at 22 lbs. 10 oz. making him weigh more than only 25% of the kids his age. He continues to be just like his dad, tall and skinny! And he is a continuous joy and blessing to our lives, of course making us want more kids but we are not pregnant as of yet!
I'm also thankful for my husband, I started a jewelry business in April of this year and he has been very supportive all the way. I make custom made birthstone bracelets and earrings for moms, grandmothers etc. and when I started I was using silver plated pieces and components not really realizing the quality difference it is to Sterling Silver. Both can tarnish but only Sterling Silver can be polished back to the shiny silver color you want it to be and therefore lasting for years to come over silver plated pieces. So this last month in August he supported me to make a big investment in Sterling Silver to be able to offer my customers the best quality of product I can. You can find my business on Facebook under "Adorned With Your Little Blessings", go here, or I have a business blog by the same name listed below to the right under 'Blogs and Sites We Follow'. Soon I will be posting new pictures of the upgraded product to both sites and will be also selling it on Etsy.com, where you can find a variety of handmade things.
that Tom and I have finally joined a Life Group in our church body. What is a Life Group you ask? Well it is like an in home bible study that is held at some one's house who is willing to open up their home to other believers in the church. We study the bible together, in our churches case, our Life Groups study over the passage that the Pastor is going to or has just preached on the following or past week. It gives us a chance to explore with others what we are all learning together on Sunday. There are about 6 other couples in our Life Group that we get a chance to get to know and grow spiritually together. Plus our kids all get to play together while being watched by a sweet babysitter! We also get to enjoy dinner together that evening and there are even chances for us to go out into the community and serve together and be God's hands and feet to our community! This is exciting because our church is so big and can be overwhelming to try to get to know others plus we are connecting with others who are in the same stage of life as us, young parents!
I'm also thankful that I had joined a mom's book study this summer, not only was the book very enjoyable that we read: One Heartbeat Away, Your Journey Into Eternity by Mark Cahill, but I met many other mom's my age and now am part of their group book study at our church on Thursday mornings called Koinonia where we are studying through Beth Moore's study on Daniel: Lives of Integrity, Words of Prophecy.
I'm very thankful for our son, he just continues to grow and progress in his development. He just had his 15 month check up at the beginning of this month and he was 33 1/4 in. long making him taller than 95% of the kids his age and weighed in at 22 lbs. 10 oz. making him weigh more than only 25% of the kids his age. He continues to be just like his dad, tall and skinny! And he is a continuous joy and blessing to our lives, of course making us want more kids but we are not pregnant as of yet!
I'm also thankful for my husband, I started a jewelry business in April of this year and he has been very supportive all the way. I make custom made birthstone bracelets and earrings for moms, grandmothers etc. and when I started I was using silver plated pieces and components not really realizing the quality difference it is to Sterling Silver. Both can tarnish but only Sterling Silver can be polished back to the shiny silver color you want it to be and therefore lasting for years to come over silver plated pieces. So this last month in August he supported me to make a big investment in Sterling Silver to be able to offer my customers the best quality of product I can. You can find my business on Facebook under "Adorned With Your Little Blessings", go here, or I have a business blog by the same name listed below to the right under 'Blogs and Sites We Follow'. Soon I will be posting new pictures of the upgraded product to both sites and will be also selling it on Etsy.com, where you can find a variety of handmade things.
WOW! Where Have I Been?
Well, since I last blogged, forgive my slackness, I don't feel like we have had a busy summer but I guess we have had lots of fun! My sweet cousin, Lauren Cross, married the man of her dreams at the end of July, which brought lots of family to Montana from IL! My dad has 6 siblings including his sister Mary here, and basically 3 siblings and their families came out for the wedding plus my grandma! That was a ball and all my family came except my dear brother-in-law, next year we are going to get his butt out here! Pardon my typing! My family and my cousin Laura were blessed to spend time up at Flathead Lake at the Cross' cabin. Tom, Titus and I camped one night in the yard there! We all went to Glacier Nat. Park from there and did an amazing hike at Avalanche Lake there! I was so excited to show my family the beauty of Montana and to make sure they had a good time. We came back to Missoula for the wedding and before they all left we did some bike riding and we took my nieces to a sweet park and the Carousel while my parents and sisters went rafting down the Alberton Gorge! My nieces are 8 yrs. and almost 2 yrs. and both of their first times here and Titus had a great time with them. Gracie was a great helper with the two younger ones and Bella said Titus' name with the cutest ring to it, I miss hearing her say his name!
We also went for about a 20 mile bike ride on the path along Hwy 93 from Lolo to Florence and back! When we pulled up to Subway in Florence to eat, this is what Titus was doing in the bike trailer! So cute! I thought I was going to die that day and I WASN'T pulling the trailer, Tom was!
We have been enjoying all kinds of food and smiles this summer!
Including trout on the grill and zucchini! Mmmmmm! Go hubs!
We went for a hike along Cache Creek Trail down off Hwy 12! Titus loved the water and loves throwing rocks in the water (or down the neighbors stairs).
We made our first homemade ice cream with the ice cream attachment for the Kitchen Aid (we have had it since we got married in 2009). Mmmmm! Homemade Flathead Cherry Ice Cream! Go hubs!
Labor Day weekend we traveled over to WA and visited some dear friends, the O'Dells, in Spokane. Titus is missing due to the fact that he had not woken up for the day yet and this was at about 9 am their time! Yes these 5 adorable kids are all theirs! (L to R: Acacia, Naomi, Adelyn, John, Justus, Joyalise & Beth)
Once Titus woke up that morning, we headed on to Richland where Tom's brother and family now live. We enjoyed our time with them as well and the girls definitely enjoyed showing us their ballerina moves, thank you Zowee and Noelle for always being ready to entertain us :)
We got one night of real camping in, which was interesting, Titus woke up and it felt like he was awake for about 2 hours before I could get him back to sleep! Like our Jumbo Marshmallows? The smores that night were terrific to say the least!
Our campsite out at Trout Creek off I-90, yes we have a little 2 man tent, which we love and stay warm that way on the cool Montana nights!
Our little camper and his poking stick that he loved walking around with!
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