The River

We have been hanging out at the River the past couple weekends with our wonderful friends Brittany and Taylor and Claire and Jamie. Here are some pictures...

lately...

For some reason, everything has been bothering me lately. I can't put my finger on it, but I have been experiencing all different emotions this week: sad, mad, happy, overwhelmed, frustrated, excited, discontent, annoyed! But usually I can just by-pass all these emotions and go with the flow; this week I can't. So here is what is helping me get through it:

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; and you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." ~John 15:1-5

I could go on and on about how these 5 verses have held my heart this week, but the bottom line is my father is pruning me and I must trust him and abide in him!

The OT frequently uses the vineyard or vine as a symbol for Israel, God's covenant people, especially in two “vineyard songs” in Isaiah. However, Israel's failure to produce fruit resulted in divine judgment. Jesus, by contrast, is “the true vine,” and his followers abide in him and produce fruit.

What Jesus is saying here is that we as believers can not sit still, we must be pruned daily and that is what he is doing with my emotions this week...pruning them! I think it's pretty normal to feel all these different emotions but it's all in the way we handle them. I can't let my emotions control my decisions or abilities but rather I must trust in my God and act on truth...not react to emotions!

If you read this say a little pray for my "pruning" this week and that I would abide in HIM and not my emotions!

Final car payment

Robby and I paid off my car tonight!! I am so excited, we officially have no more car payments ever again! We paid both our car's off two years early and look forward to paying cash for the next one! We will never finance another car again!

IT's a great feeling not owning someone money, now we are almost debt free! Just a couple more thousand and we can join the small number of people in the world that have no debt! All thanks to our mentor, Mr. Dave Ramsey. If you don't know about him or his "Seven Steps for Financial Peace" then I encourage you to check out his web site, click here. We started his program 9 months ago and it has changed our lives! We are on our way to step #3 soon!

Happy Mother's Day

Today is a very special day for all the moms and moms to be. It's a day we celebrate their hard work, love and dedication. God designed moms to be the glue of the family - the substance that holds our families together. It's our God - ordained career laid out by the creator from the very beginning of time. There is no other job a women has more importantly than being a mom!

In the Bible, Titus and 1 Timothy talk about us being the "keepers at home" and I love that God has called us to prepare a house like His house, a home like His home - a beautiful picture and foretaste of what is yet to come. The biblical term used for "keep house" actually means "to govern or manage a house or the domestic affairs of a family." We get to be the master of the house, all that goes on is our domain!

I just read a book several months ago called "Youniquely Woman" Becoming who God designed You to Be; by Kay Arthur, Emilie Barnes and Donna Otto. It was so good and there was a whole chapter devoted to "parenting with a purpose". I pull this book out every so often and revert back to it. It is so good for moms, wives and women who want to live intentional and serve the Lord.

Thank you Lord that your design for women is to be the helper and keeper of our homes and the role model for our children. Thank you for the example of the Proverbs 31 women, may we aspire to be like her and please our king!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THE MOMS!