all these things will be given to you as well

We serve a good God.

This has been my life for the last couple months.

Usually on Sunday nights, J and I will head to the laundry mat and use the dryers. We will spend all day washing our laundry and then we haul all 20 loads of laundry and get them dried.

 

It isn't fun. It isn't glamorous. But its what needs to be done.

 

Like I said, this has been our life. I don't think I ever REALLY complained. I might have wanted to. It took so long because we were trying to fix the dryer we had. We were given a used dryer that didn't work from the moment we got it downstairs. (not the persons fault who gave it to us!! We were thankful!! :)  )

Once the dryer caught on fire, we pretty much knew that it wasn't worth fixing anymore. LOL!!!

And BTW, we were so thankful for God's protection over us during the fire. Very unnerving. It could have been WAY WAY worse. Thankfully the only thing ruined was the dryer.

Last Friday, I sat down to do the bible study that I am currently doing. (Which is Beth Moore, Living Beyond Yourself) I sat down, and I really prayed that God would speak to me. That He would make Himself real to me.

This is what I wrote in my journal and in my workbook......

Matt 6:8 ~ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Lord, we need a dryer. It's a genuine need. Lord, somehow, please provide a dryer.

Matt 6:32-33 ~ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Thank you for knowing my need. Help me to seek your kingdom first. I don't really know how to do that. My faith is wearing thin Lord. Its been so long without a dryer. How long must I be patient?? A dryer. Such a little thing to you. But such a big thing to me.

Please provide.

(and just because I obviously didn't get it with the 1st 2 verses, God gave me 1 more verse for good measure)

Romans 8:32 ~ He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Ok, Lord. I will wait. I will be patient. I will seek your kingdom 1st.

(earlier in the study, Beth had talked about Jesus feeding the 5,000.....isn't that SUCH a great story???)

These are the last 2 sentences in the study for that day.....

Is there a need you've placed before your Provider? Have you "given" Him ALL you have to offer, even if it's only a few loaves and fishes? Are you "sitting down" in a posture of trust and sitting quietly to receive it? If so, prepare the baskets!

Isn't that beautiful?!

This is the last thing that I wrote that day....

Yes, Lord, I will sit. I will wait. I will prepare the baskets ( I will prepare my laundry room by removing the old dryer and getting ready for the new one )

It's coming.....it's coming......it's coming....it's coming....

*immeasurably more, then I can ask or imagine*

The next morning, J and I were on Craiglist. We found a dryer, and we contacted the seller, and were excited to go get it.

In the meantime.....I got a phone call.

My little angel asked what our plans were for a dryer. I told our plans about how we were excited to go pick up this dryer we found.

She said that instead, she would like to take me out to get a new dryer.

What?? I was stunned!

I honestly didn't know what to say.

I tried to make excuses....

But she insisted.

So we made a date to go appliance shopping.

Appliance shopping.

(Wow!)

So we went.

She told me that God had laid it on her heart the night before that she was to do this. And that  instead of getting just a dryer, she wanted to get a washer and dryer. She wanted something that was going to last. Something that we didn't have to worry about, something that wasn't going to catch on fire. She hated worrying for us.

I was truly overwhelmed. Truly.

I was overwhelmed at the generosity. At the thoughtfulness.

I was overwhelmed at how God DOES see, just like He had told me the day before. THE DAY BEFORE!!! God spoke to me the day before and told me to prepare my baskets.....that it was coming.

Oh Yes Lord......it's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming.

It came.

They were delivered today.

What. an. exciting. day!!!

Have you ever seen such a beautiful washer and dryer??

I have about 20 loads of laundry to do. I am amazed at how much fits in the tub.

Oh yes. Immeasurably more then we can ask or imagine.

Oh my dear friends.

My God's not dead.

My God is surely alive.

He walks with me and He talks with me.

He proves Himself faithful over and over and over again.

Seek Him. With your whole heart.

That's all He wants.

My little helper....

 

Tonight, I pray God's blessing over my little Angel. I pray that God blesses her just as much as she blessed me. And I pray that she got just as much joy from doing this as I got from seeing God work in my life.

The poor

Luke 14:12-14 then Jesus said to his host, when you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind and you will be blessed. Although, they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

If there is one thing I know about baptists is that we like to eat. When people get together....food is involved. I can't even begin to count the number of fellowships I have been to in my life.

But not once have I heard of a fellowship where the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind have been invited too.

Not once.

We don't want to get our precious church buildings dirty.

Soup kitchen?

Nope.

Can't get our building dirty.

Closet for homeless people?

Nope.

Don't you know... Those people take advantage.

And they get our building dirty.

Food pantry?

Nope.

We have no room!!

We can't clutter up our church building for the needs of the poor the crippled the lame and the blind.

Coffee shop in our church?

No way! That could only be for the "church people."

The world might come in and....you know.... Dirty our building.

It's just so sad.

I want something different.

I want to be different.

I don't want to see "those people" I want to see souls that Christ hung on the cross for.

I have watched as my dear friends have given their life, their home, their time and their money to "those people." It's not easy. It gets messy. It gets hard. It gets tiring. They have had property stolen, they have had threats made to them.....but still.... They are serving. Giving of their time, their hearts and their lives. They are making a difference wherever God tells them.

Luke 6:35-36 but love your enemies, do good to them and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

I wanna be like that.

This year....my New Years resolution isn't to read the bible( done that...wont do it again) in a year or to lose a few pounds (although I could stand to do that!!) it's to FOLLOW HARD after Christ. I want to live a life that is led by the Holy Spirit. I want to live a life that is for others and not for myself. I want God to use me.

Broken.

Do I have enough courage to ask God to break me?

Merry Christmas

Last night we celebrated Christmas with Jeremy's family.

It was a nice time shared together.

It seems like each Christmas there is a little bit more to celebrate with each other.

One year it was praying for Gail and her fight with breast cancer.

Then it was rejoicing at the birth of Emma.

And this year it was celebrating the fact that Dewayne's skin cancer was found and was able to be removed.

Please pray for him as he is facing another reconstruction surgery here in the new year.

Each year spent with loved ones is something to celebrate. For you never know what a year may bring.

We will be spending the rest of today with my family.

I hope you have a blessed Christmas.

(I couldn't decide which picture to use. I liked both of them....I think that by this last picture, Emma was done and ready for a nap.)

Christmas Eve Eve

Today we went to my parents church. Everyone but Joanna came. She went to her church this morning.

It is always nice to find any excuse to get together.

I think we have the next Mozart in the family.

After church we went to Janelle's for lunch.

We wanted to get some pictures with all the cousins.

They of course hated the idea, but....well.....we won. ;)

9 Grand kids.

9 cousins.

Grandma and Grandpa with the grand kids.

I LOL'D when I saw Elisa's face in this picture.

Then we thought why let the fun stop with the grandkids??

There might have been some who hated the idea.

But well..... I won. ;)

And I am so glad that I did.

I love each and every one of my siblings so very much.

 

This is a picture of the best Aunt known to mankind. She loves all her nieces and nephews. She spends time with them. She goes out of her way to make them feel welcome. She encourages them. She prays for them. She loves them.

 

They are so very very lucky.

 

 

instagram

I am addicted to instagram.

Love it love it Love it.

1. "Emma" made this during nursery time at my Tuesday Morning Bible Study. I LoVe it!! Perfect gift for this Mommy.

2. Mandy stopped by this week with a gift for Emma. Perfect little gift. I LOVE handmade things. Thanks so much Mandy!

3. Now Emma matches the rest of us. And if you notice.....we don't have another peg on the shelf. Guess that means we can't have anymore kids!

4. Joanna and I went shopping last weekend.

we had fun

5. We brought up 2 boxes of toys that I had kept from the older kids. Christmas came early for Emma.

and I'm thinking....what are we gonna do with all these toys.

Our living room looks like a daycare.

 We had our annual shopping trip a couple weeks ago. Jessica was sick and couldn't make it. I was so sad! :( I was looking forward to all the girls being together.

6. Janelle asked us if she had anything in her teeth after lunch.

Nope

7. After probably the 4th time in Bergners, Janelle and I were revolting.

8. This was the 1st time our daughters could come along.

They loved it.

(we did miss Michaela as well who was with her Dad that weekend.)

9. Mom found a new coat.

10. I found new gloves.

11. After probably the 8th time in Bergners. We finally just found a bed.

12. Joy and Mom getting warmed up for their long day of walking around.

13. Finally.....dinner.

Olive Garden.

Yum.

Need I say more?

Of friends and Luminaries

 Look who came to visit his favorite Aunt Julie???

 Jon and Mel are in town for Christmas.

How I love it when they are home.

Jonas needed a special hug from Daddy. ;)

I think Jonas was a little apprehensive of all these crazy people at first.

 

Little Madelyn.

 

What a cutie!!

 

Look at those eyes!

 

The girls are paying a little more attention to each other now.

And the Mommy's have decided that all they need for Christmas are bags and boxes. No toys.

Hear that Grandma?? ;)

 We tried to get a group picture.....but well our photographer wasn't quite cooperating with us.

Thanks Maddie.

I love my babies.

 Maddie was having fun with the sled tonight.

Tonight was our first luminary night in the neighborhood. It's something I have wanted to do for years. I am glad we took the time to do it this year. I am even more thankful for good neighbors to do it with.

Maybe next year we can get the rest of the neighbors into it. It's such a great opportunity to meet the neighbors.

 

 

 

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas Season.

It seems a little less hectic this year then past years. I am so thankful for that.