My Book Review from 2018

I made a reading goal in 2018 to read 12 books. I know, not that impressive, but hey, it's just not my top priority right now. It's a priority for me to continue learning, which I do by listening to podcasts, watching documentaries, etc but I really wanted to focus in on 12 good books this year.


So, here we go! (This is the order I read them in, not the order of which I would recommend.)

1. 365 Devotions Moments with God for Moms.

Whether you are a first-time mom of a newborn or a seasoned mom of a teenager, I think we all need some alone time with God and some daily encouragement. I really enjoyed this year-long devotion. I actually wrote in it most days, (there's not a space to write or anything, I just decided I wanted to write it in, so I made room!) I wrote down decisions I was having to make, mistakes I made that day, anything specific I was feeling, etc because I want to be able to go back later and read these things. I'm actually reading this one again this year, so I'm also excited to see the things I wrote that happened just a year ago. 

2. Famous in Heaven and at Home: A 31-Day Character Study for the Proverbs 31 Woman

HANDS DOWN, THE BEST BOOK I READ IN 2019! Here is the description because I will not be able to accurately do it justice. "As we dig into Proverbs 31 together, let's lay down our to-do lists and worldly expectations. Let's not overlook and undervalue what we can be certain He desires from our lives. Rather than just seeking something worthy to do, let's passionately pursue who God purposely created us to be. That's the heard behind this 30-day character study of the Provers 31 woman. Let's refuse to view this key chapter for women as an impossible job description. Instead, let's learn from this impressive character description we are only capable to reflect through God's divine power and matchless grace." Get your hands on this book and dive in!!

3. The Power of a Praying Wife

I really enjoyed this. I think there are several "praying for your spouse" books out there, so I would encourage you to get your hands on one. I think the big take-away is, pray over EVERYTHING for your spouse. Pray for his spiritual walk, for his emotions, his role as a leader whether at work or being the spiritual leader of your home, for his security in work, his physical and mental protection, his decisions, his finances, his faith and his future. 

4. 12 Huge Mistakes Parents Can Avoid

Trevor and I both read this one and I'm glad we read it together. There were great key points and several things that we really agreed on that were discussed in this book. Several chapters had great take-aways for when our kiddos get older, so we will probably have to re-read it at some point. As a former teacher, this book spoke to me! More parents really need to read this book!!! So practical! 

5. The Esther Anointing

Hmmm...not my favorite. I love the story of Esther and how God can use anyone to make a huge difference, but I didn't love this book. I disagreed with some of the writing, it was hard to connect with and I didn't think some of the verses were meant for the context that they were placed. So, overall it was probably good for me. It made me research things I wouldn't normally research, it made me have stronger opinions in areas that I haven't had before and I learned several things on the other side but I will probably never read it again or recommend it to anyone. 

6. Parenting 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family

PARENTS....GET YOUR HANDS ON THIS BOOK!!!! 

What is your calling as a parent? Do you ever feel pressure to do everything "right" and raise up "good" children? It's easy to lose sight of our ultimate purpose as parents in the quest for practical tips and guaranteed formulas. This is a big picture view of God's plan for us as parents. Instead of parenting strategies or a list of techniques, it shows how we need the rescuing grace of God. Grace that has the power to shape how we view everything we do as parents. We are more like our children than we want to admit sometimes! Ha! Here's a snippet: "Remember, your words and actions are always an accurate reflection of the true condition of your heart. The things you do and say always tell you more about yourself than whoever you're speaking to. God's grace rescues you from you. When you are frustrated, mad, discouraged, unkind, abusive, bitter, joyless, vengeful, or irritated as a parent, you don't need to be rescued from your children - you need to be rescued from you." In the years of having a toddler, there are SO MANY opportunities every day to talk to your children about the redemptive love of Jesus.

7. Raising Kingdom Kids

This was not my favorite read of the year. It had good, practical advice in it but I think I just read some home-runs this year and this one wasn't among my top picks. I also think this was geared more for parents with a little bit older kids. Here are some take-aways that I appreciated: You must create an atmosphere where your kids can maintain their identity in Jesus despite the culture around them. We cannot shelter them, but we can equip them. It's about influencing your children over trying to control them. Preparing our children and giving them the foundation of Jesus they need starts with us *parents.* Here is a line I LOVED: "Instructing your children in the Lord means spending time with them so they can see how you live out the gospel." Kids learn more from what you do than what you say!!

8. A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 

This was a super short and simple read, but I enjoyed it. It was thought provoking, and gave great insight into us, as the sheep, and Jesus, as the Good Shepherd. I think it will enrich your trust in and love for the Lord who watches closely over you. 

9. Present Over Perfect

I liked the premise of this book...considering your life and what it might look like to leave behind the pressure to be perfect and begin the life-changing practice of simply being present, in the middle of the mess and the ordinariness of life. But, I didn't love this book. I didn't connect with it like I thought I would. I don't think I struggle with the same things that the author did, so it was hard for me to really connect. I have my own list of struggles, don't get me wrong. Again, I liked the idea behind this book, but it missed the mark for me personally. 

10. Get Over Your Damn Self

I don't love the title! Ha! I picked up this book because I have entered into the world of network marketing (something I NEVER...like NEVER EVER saw myself in!) But hey, God had other plans. And I'm having a BLAST with it. This lady seems like she is a guru in direct sales and network marketing and I had/have a lot to learn. I can't say I agree with everything she said, mainly because I don't have the same goals as her, but I learned a lot in this book and most importantly, it built my confidence in what I am doing. It helped let go of the negative voice that we all have in the back of our mind sometimes. In her description of this book it says: "You're going to learn: 1. The posture to confidently connect with anyone about your business and your products 2. The possibilities for a lucrative, efficient and enormously rewarding turn key business 3. The power that's already within you to build the life you really want...if you dare." And she did deliver on those things!

11. Raising Men Not Boys

Calling all #boymoms! Get yourself a copy of this!!! Trevor and I listened to this one on audible and we loved it! Every single chapter we had several take-aways whether it was something we want to start now or things we want to save in our back pocket for later. This is a book that I want to read every year because it has such applicable information! I was going to type my favorite take-away from this book, but there are seriously so many! Okay, I think one of my favorites is "loud hour." Your boys have ENERGY and if you don't allow them to use it somewhere, they are going to use their energy during the "not appropriate" times. So give them opportunities every day to use that energy. We seriously started loud hour at our house. It's honestly super fun for us all. We drum on everything we can get our hands on, we turn music up way to loud, we sing at the top of our lungs and we dance! It's something I actually look forward to! HAHA!

12. The Call

This is not exactly a book, but I counted it as one because it took some time and there was a lot of reading! lol! The Call is a small group woman's study. It is about knowing who God is and what He has called us to do. I always enjoy these studies. Pick up your copy at a local Life.Church.

Well, there you have it! My 12 books for 12 months in 2018. I'm totally doing this again. I really enjoyed making this a priority and learning so much! Send any recommendations my way if you have any.

What's Your Word?

Each year Trevor and I pick a word for the year. Usually it's not us picking a word but somehow this word tends to find us. Ha! It is usually an area where we are lacking or an area that needs some attention in our walk with Christ.

I'm sure you have read 2 Corinthians 12:9-11...But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in my weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. FOR WHEN I AM WEAK, THEN I AM STRONG. 

I included that verse because I have been selecting a "word for the year" for 5 years now and it is powerful to see the growth, the sustainability, the once weakness but now finding strength and freedom in those areas. It is amazing what God can do through you when you give that area to him, confess your weakness and allow Him to take control.

So, I ask...what's your word for the year?

Here is how my word found me (and I'm being quite vulnerable here).
*Brooks is entering some terrible twos right now. There are these crazy emotional roller coasters over pretty much nothing (I cut his banana the wrong way, he asked me to make a bite smaller and when I did, it was too small, he wanted ice in his cup when he said no ice, he wanted the green cup and I gave him the orange cup, his brother is playing with a toy and all of a sudden he wants it and I say "wait until he's done," he wanted to be the one to open the door or shut the door, my list could go on and on! HA!) I usually handle the first 30 seconds with gentleness and understanding, but by the end of it, I wish I could go back and handle the situation differently. Sometimes it ends in a spanking, sometimes it ends with me losing my temper, sometimes I'm boiling, sometimes I'm CALM, cool and collected, but most of the time I'm just exhausted at the end. I need to be the CALM in the storm. He is learning to manage his emotions right now and when my emotions get out of control when his emotions are out of control, I'm basically shouting to him that in our family, we lose our cool when things don't go our way. I'm conveying the exact opposite of what I want to do! **Who knew parenting would showcase the sin in your life so much! HA!**
*I get overwhelmed pretty easily. I also started a business this year, the year that was supposed to be my year of stillness and no change, I started a business! HA! It took off way faster than I thought and when October, November and December rolled around...I was BUSY! What a BLESSING, I know! But it came at a time when I didn't know how to manage it all. (Still a work in progress over here!) At the end of the day, I was left feeling exhausted because I was so flustered trying to get everything accomplished which led to trying to multi-task when I shouldn't have been. I needed to take a step back, CALM the storm and ask God to help me use my time wisely.
*I stress about sleep. I used to stress about myself getting enough sleep, but that has now turned into stressing if my kids don't get enough sleep. Rhett is not the greatest sleeper. I'm not really complaining, he is a great sleeper, especially at night, but his naps are a different story. When he was younger I had to rock him (this was new, Brooks self-soothed super early) but even in my attempts to rock him, he would scream and flail until he just fell asleep. I would become super flustered and frustrated during that time. Eventually I turned on worship music and just sang him through that time. It worked...when I would remain CALM, things went more smooth (that's a duh! statement!) Rhett still has his battles with napping, but I need to remember to not stress and remain CALM during those trying days. We are currently trying to switch to one nap and it is not going well! I'm trying to whisper to myself, STAY CALM!
*I lost my temper on my mom a couple times this year (if your reading this mom, I'm sorry!) I still feel bad about it. Emotions were high, circumstances were really unfortunate, we both said hurtful things and I wish I could have remained CALM as I look back on those two instances. They both happened awhile ago, but they both still seem fresh in my mind.

Those are just a few examples of where I see this sin in my life. And at this point, you can probably guess my word! **CALM** I want to be the calm for my family. I want to be the good example for my son as he learns to navigate his own emotions, I want to be the calm when Trevor gets home from work knowing that what I need to do will get done with some focused work instead of attempting to multi-task all day long and not give 100% to anything. I want to go to bed with a sense of calmness surrounding my home.

I used to hate those sayings "Keep calm and XXX" but I might have to embrace it a little this year! HA!

Here are some verses that really spoke to me in regard to CALM:

Be still and know I am God! Psalm  46:10

When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. Proverbs 31:26

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 46:10

For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self control. 2 Timothy 1:7

Don't sin by letting anger control you. For anger gives a foothold to the devil. Ephesians 4:26-27

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1


Last time I'll ask...what's your word for the year? When you lay down at night, do you think about your day? Is there an area that keeps you awake? Is there an area where you feel regret? Is a word just tugging on your heart right now? If not, pray about it. Matthew 7:7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Let me know your word for the year and we can help keep each other accountable. We can pray for each other, encourage each other and celebrate with each other. 

Diligence

DILIGENCE:

Each year Trevor and I pick a word for the year. Usually it is not us picking a word, but the word picks us. Haha. It is usually an area where we are lacking and that needs attention in our walk with Christ. This year my word is diligence. I went through several words...health, energy, serve, commit and I ultimately ended on diligence as I was reading my 31 day devotional of the Proverbs 31 Woman book. (She is diligent in every area of her life and that is when I realized I need a "Whatever it takes" attitude which ultimately led me to diligence as my word) I think you have to look at the opposite of your word to really understand. The opposite of diligent, to me, is without purpose or effort. I don't think I lack purpose or effort, but some of my efforts lacked purpose for the long haul. For example: I want to be more physically active so I can have energy for my boys (my VERY ACTIVE boys), I want to set a healthy example for them regarding food and healthy choices, so I want to cook healthier meals. I think I do good for a short period of time in these areas but then life happens and for some reason it stops. I think my life looks like that in a lot of areas. I don't want life to get in the way this year. I want to be diligent and intentional in what I set my mind to. It’s hard for me to do long term goals, I need short term results. So, diligence is my word for the year, and I will be making small monthly goals regarding the areas that I want to see growth. 

I taught on my word in my moms group, so I wanted to share my lesson:

Diligence: careful and persistent work or effort.
Synonyms: Hard work, effort, care, rigor, persistence, dedication, commitment 

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:23-24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In reading and studying this word, I found several ways God calls us to be diligent:

-Seeking God. (Hebrews 11: 6)

-Remember truths God has shown you and teach them to your children. (Deuteronomy 6:5-7)

-Keep all God’s commandments. (Deuteronomy 6:17)

-Guard your heart. (Proverbs 4:23)

-Continue growing. (2 Peter 5-8)

-Being the person God has called you to be. (2 Peter 10)

-Minister to other Christians. (Hebrews 6: 10-12)

I am going to have several focuses this year, but with a diligent attitude. I want every area of my life to be in sync with scripture. If I rid what is not in line with scripture, I can invest my time and energy on being diligent in the areas that matter. 

I will be diligent in: seeking God, giving my husband my best, caring for my family, prioritizing, having a “whatever it takes” attitude, serving others, finances, taking care of myself and my purpose.

My first January goal was to seek God first thing every morning and to be more bold in sharing. I am reading two books that require me to read a chapter a day and I am in a devotional with friends on the YouVersion Bible app. I am either having to write or share what is going on in my life daily with Christ. It's great accountability and something I look forward to every day. I don't always finish everything in the morning, but when I get a free moment or when nap time rolls around, this is my first priority.
Also in January, my goals revolved around health and fitness. I chose to start there because if I am being intentional about being physically active, then I have more confidence and am able to give my husband my best, I have to be prioritizing because workouts don't just happen and being physically active helps in taking care of myself so I can better take care of my family. It touched so many of the areas that I want to see progress. As January is coming to an end, I am so proud of the effort and results that have happened in January and it makes me excited for my February goals.

Here are some questions you might consider answering:

*Think of a person you know who is diligent. Describe what you observe in this person that causes you to call them diligent. 

*What are some of the benefits of being diligent? (Pleases God, thoughtful and considerate of others, meets deadlines, good team player)

*What factor in our lives sometimes make it difficult to be diligent? (Too busy, our culture wants “instant” results, distractions...)

*How has a lack of diligence negatively affected your life in the past month?

*In what area do you want to be more diligent in this week?

What is your word for the year?

Beautiful vs Average

As many of you know, I am part of a mom's group and we meet weekly to have a bible study...and also to talk about our kiddos and keep from going crazy when things get hectic! ;) This is a lesson I taught on awhile ago and I have been meaning to share. It had been on my heart for awhile because I believe this is something that every woman struggles with at some point. Pastor Craig at Life.Church had taught several sermons on similar things, so this is kind of a combination of many of his sermons with a few added things. 

When this first was brought to my attention, it was during our 30 Second Theology series and this is the commercial that spoke to me that made me realize I need a change in thinking.

https://youtu.be/7DdM-4siaQw

*AFTER WATCHING THAT COMMERCIAL, ON A SCALE OF 1-10 HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU ABOUT YOUR PHYSICAL APPEARANCE? (Which door would you have initially walked through and did your mind change by the end?)

It seems that talking about physical beauty isn't very spiritual because God looks at the heart, but I really think how we view our outward appearance is a reflection of what's on the inside and will eventually manifest on the outside. 

Garden Analogy: Your heart and mind are like a garden. You plan to fill your garden with flowers/vegetables (truth and how God sees you) but, it's inevitable that weeds will come eventually. Weeds don't provide any value, just like our degrading thoughts about our image. Think about weeds as those constant reoccurring thoughts. 

*WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR REOCCURRING THOUGHTS? WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR FLAWS ARE/WHAT INSECURITIES COME TO MIND?

*WHERE DO YOU THINK YOUR INSECURITIES COME FROM?

*WHERE/WHO SHOULD WE FIND OUR SECURITY IN?

I would encourage everyone right now to find bible verses or biblical truths that combat that thinking that you can remind yourself of daily until these thoughts are gone. 

*WHAT PROBLEMS COULD THIS TYPE OF THINKING LEAD TO?

When I started thinking about this question is when I really realized how this was affecting me. Here are just a few areas that I believe this type of thinking causes: overspending on clothes, intimacy with spouse, relationship with God-angry you look this way, relationships with others-always feeling the need to compare.

*WHAT QUALITIES MAKE SOMEONE STAND OUT TO YOU? WHAT MAKES SOMEONE "BEAUTIFUL" TO YOU?

*WHY IS IT HARDER TO LOOK AT OURSELVES THAT WAY AND HOW CAN WE CHANGE OUR THINKING ABOUT OURSELVES? IS IT SOMETHING WE NEED TO DO PHYSICALLY OR MENTALLY?

As you start to think about these questions, here are some encouraging verses: 

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.””

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭16:7‬ ‭

“Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭3:3-4‬ ‭

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:13-14‬ ‭

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:10‬ 

*DOES YOUR PERCEPTION OF YOURSELF CAUSE YOU TO DO MORE OF WHAT YOU WERE MADE TO DO, OR LESS?

When I believe in myself and have confidence, I feel like I do everything a little better and take more ownership. 

Four thoughts:

GOD LOVES YOU DEEPLY (“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”‭‭ Romans‬ ‭5:8‬)

GOD VALUES YOU HIGHLY (“See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.”‭‭ 1 John‬ ‭3:1-2‬)

GOD PROVIDES FOR YOU FULLY (“And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Philippians‬ ‭4:19‬)

GOD PLANNED YOU CAREFULLY (“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” Ephesians‬ ‭1:4-5‬)

7 UPS

Remember when I said I was doing a stay-at-home mom's bible study? You can read about it here if you want. Well, here is another lesson I taught. I thought this was a good way to start the year!

7 UPS

WAKE UP
"Today is the day that they Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24
I know some days we wake up in great moods ready for anything and other days it's a struggle to be in a good mood. Why is that? What is different? How can you ensure you wake up each morning with a positive attitude?

DRESS UP
"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." -1 Samuel 16:7
The best way to dress up is to put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. For fun, do you feel better when you get ready/put on make-up/brush your hair for the day or are you fine to hang out in lounge clothes all day?

SHUT UP
**I realize that doesn't sound very nice, but it works for this lesson :)
"He who guards his lips, guards his soul." -Proverbs 13:3
"Gossip betrays confidence; avoid men who talk too much." -Proverbs 20:19
"Listen to advice, accept instruction and in the end you will be wise." -Proverbs 19:20
Would you say you talk more or listen more? What's the benefit of listening more? Say nice things and learn to listen. God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking.

STAND UP
"Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good." -Galatians 6:9-10
Stand for something or you'll fall for anything. What is one core value of yours that you will not compromise, that you think of often, that is different from the patterns of this world?

LOOK UP
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." -Philippians 4:13
Look up to the Lord in all things

REACH UP
"And why worry about the speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own." -Matthew 7:3
Reach up for something higher. Always try to be better today than you were yesterday. What's something you did yesterday (or last week) that looking back, you could have handled better?

LIFT UP
"Do not worry about anything. Instead pray about everything." -Philippians 4:6
What's something you need to lift up to God in prayer and stop worrying about?


To sum it all up "Yes, joyful are those who live like this! Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord."

And just to make you smile...

Our Story Continues...

Some of you might have read this post from this past May. A lot has happened since then, so I wanted to continue writing about our story that is still unfolding.

From that post you probably gathered that we decided to start a business in March, I quit teaching in May and continued singing at Life.Church and we had a baby in July.

A lot has happened since then so here we go...

The month of July we were totally focused on baby. People were bringing us dinner every night and we were in la-la-land soaking up every moment with a newborn. Initially, when we first started the business, we had a goal of going full time in August. When we found out our deductible for insurance would start over even if we kept our same policy through Samson, that changed our minds and we made our new goal January 1, 2017. We are so thankful we changed our goal because it was a blessing having Samson's steady income while we got to enjoy having a new addition to our family and not have to worry about building up a client base.

In August, Trevor and I decided to put our house up for sale. After thinking through our big life changes and what that looked like financially, our home just didn't make much sense. We have family land in Coweta that we are able to build on, but once we build, it will be something that we never sell. In the past that didn't make much sense to us because we weren't sure where jobs/life would take us. We decided financially, this would be the best option for us right now. The home that we are wanting to build would be cheaper than our current home and we would be able to do a 10 year mortgage instead of a 30 year mortgage. Wahoo...mortgage free by 40! So we put our house up for sale at the end of August. We also started meeting with an architect almost every other week to design our dream home. We actually have completed plans for our dream home! :)

Around August or September, Trevor was approached at work to stay a little longer than we planned. We hadn't really heard from God on when to go full-time with the business, so we were open to this idea. It's kind of funny how you create time-tables for things. Because if it's not in God's timing, you are wasting your time! Proverbs 19:21 "Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

Here is how we thought things would go...
*We would stay at Samson until Summer 2017 like they asked
*Our house would sell super fast
*We would move in with my in-laws during the in-between stages of our house selling and our new house being built
*During this time we could build up clients for Armor Accounting so when it's time to go full-time, we have clients built up and ready to go, all while not having a mortgage
*Our dream home would be completed and since we are still at Samson we could get a loan with a good interest rate
*We would move into our home, have our client base built up, go full time with Armor and quit Samson
*Live happily ever after...etc

Well, that's not how things went/are going!

Our house took longer than we anticipated to sell. In hindsight, it really didn't take that long to sell, but we had a timetable built up in our minds and we were shocked when things didn't go as planned. We put everything on hold waiting for our house to sell. We felt like we were at a stand still...waiting. I was really hit by this reality one day reading my bible study. The words literally jumped out of the page faith requires action. I know that and I have always known that, and to some of you reading this, you might be thinking, why did that hit you so hard? Here's why: I was putting my faith in my house selling and not God. I didn't want Trevor to go full time with the business until after our house sold because I was nervous about money. I didn't want Trevor to go full time with the business until we got a loan on our new house because I wanted my dream home. I didn't want my life to change even though we have had several life changes. Faith requires action. If we truly trusted in God, we would not worry. We truly believe God led us to start this business and we weren't having the faith to jump out and go all in. In order to have faith, we needed to move, we needed to jump into action, we needed to go full time regardless of our circumstances. The following week at bible study we were discussing John 6 where Jesus sent his disciples in a boat across the lake for Capernaum. It had become dark and there was a strong wind so the waters were growing rough. The disciples became worried and then they were frighted because Jesus approached the boat three to four miles from shore walking on water. They were frightened because of the storm and they were frightened because Jesus scared them approaching the boat. One of the questions we discussed was, "Were the disciples caught in the storm because they had sinned or because they obeyed the Lord's command, and what does this teach you about God?" That really hit home because we know that it was God who led us to start the business. He is not going to leave us in the middle of the storm. If we go full-time, we are obeying his command and he is not going to leave us if we are obeying and listening to him. We are worrying about things that God already has under control. We shouldn't be surprised when Jesus shows up in the middle. This is also exciting because this is when we get to see God in action!

I shared all of this with Trevor and I want to say he was on-board, but we both needed a little more confirmation than a feeling. So, we decided that the week that Trevor returned from his hunting trip in November, we were going to do a fast and pray specifically for direction and timing.

That next week, Trevor had a crazy encounter! Several times when he was praying, a specific name kept coming up in his mind. I'm not going to share the name for the privacy of that business/person. But, after this happened several times, he decided to google the name and he realized it was an accounting company that was really similar to him. He decided to reach out to them. He didn't really know why he was reaching out to them other than he felt led to. He called them on a Wednesday and he was leaving for North Dakota on Thursday. He was only able to talk to the receptionist, but she went ahead and scheduled him to meet with the business owner the next day at 10am. Let's call the business owner Nancy for the sake of this story. He didn't really give the receptionist any information other than he is also a small business owner. The next day, he met with Nancy and her the receptionist. He told them upfront that he wasn't sure why he was there, and that he felt silly, but he has a story to tell them. He told them everything from the beginning...how the vision for the business came about, all the confirmation we received right from the get go, how quickly we got our first few clients, the hick-ups we had, and how we are now feeling we are at a stand-still, we aren't sure how to transition into full-time especially financially, etc. She had a very interesting reply! Nancy told Trevor that she is a believer and that this morning during her prayer time, God told her that a man was coming to visit her today. She knew that this man was in the same profession as her, that his wife worked at a church and that they had a baby. (WHAAAAAAT!!) Nancy told Trevor that God wanted her to give this man a message and that message was if you feel called to do something, you need to have the faith to jump out and do it. She quoted Matthew 17:20 which says "Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can move mountains. Nothing will be impossible for you." (WHAAAAAAT!!!!) Nancy also shared with Trevor that her spirit was praying for this man this morning and that she understood what her spirit was praying and it was praying spiritual and financial blessings over our home. (WHAAAAAT!!!) I don't know about you, but every time I hear/tell that story, I have goosebumps! Trevor called me after his meeting and told me everything that was said and we were both just in tears. For one, we have heard about these encounters happening to other people, but we never really expected it to happen to us. And two, WOW, just think about the confirmation and the blessings this woman just gave our family! Nancy had a truly inspiring story as well, again, one that I won't share on here because of protecting her privacy; but, this day was life changing. This is truly an example of, if you want to hear from God, press in harder, pray, dive in deeper, I promise he will reveal himself!

When Trevor returned from North Dakota we still wanted to do the fast. We were doing a juice fast. We had decided before fasting that we wouldn't let fear hold us back and that we were for sure going full-time with the business at the beginning of the year, so we were more praying for direction with our home (should we still sell it or should we take it off the market), we were praying for finances because we knew if we went full time in January, our mortgage would be too much to handle for a few months until clients were built up, we were just praying for protection and guidance. We actually didn't complete our fast because we both ended up getting sick. I came down with strep throat and Trevor got a stomach bug and sinus infection. We continued with no tv, social media, distractions, but we did eat regular food after we both got sick. The fast was definitely successful because the day after we completed our fast, we had an offer on our house!! PRAISE THE LORD!

So, that brings us to the end of what we know so far. We sold our house and we have moved in with my in-laws.

So...what's next?
Well, remember my plan from above? We move in with my in-laws and then we start building our dream home? Well, we actually won't be doing that. Since we have decided to go full time with Armor Accounting in January, we will not qualify for a home loan. You have to prove 2 years of income if you are self-employeed so as of right now, we would not qualify. This, of course, was one of our fears. But, FEAR NOT! Here is what we are doing now. We have decided to build a small, probably close to 1,000 square feet, two bedroom, 1 bath house and live in it for a year or so. We are actually able to pay cash for this with the equity from our home that we sold, so we will be mortgage free during this time. In February of 2018 we will be able to qualify for a loan, so we will start the build of our dream home then. Or not, if we decide we like living mortgage free!!! Honestly, we are just taking it day by day. If God told us to do something totally different, we would. We are up for the adventure and just enjoying life, day to day. We are so excited for January when Trevor gets to jump all in on Armor Accounting and be completely self employed. That definitely comes with uncertainty, but we are excited to see God at work.

Good-bye first home!!

Hello, new front porch view! :)

We Are Our Husband's Helper

After I had Brooks and made the decision to stay home with him full time, I knew I would need an outlet and a good support group of friends to surround myself with. So, I asked a friend of mine if she would want to start a mom's bible study group. I was so excited when she said yes! I was looking forward to Brooks having some kids to hang out with (I realize that doesn't mean much right now since he is a newborn), I was looking forward to having people to bounce ideas off of when parenting got hard or if I had questions and I was really excited to build friendships and do life with a good group of women. It didn't really dawn on my until closer to the date we agreed to start, that I would actually have to lead discussion! We have been a part of a life group for a few years, but I never actually taught or came up with a lesson. To be honest, I have always felt a little unqualified and I still do! But, I'm trying! I can't say that anything I have taught over has been great, but this last one was personal and challenging in a good way, so I wanted to share.

My word for the year is ACTION - turning my good intentions into actions - and one of the examples I used dealt with upping the ante a little in the wife department. For instance, I'm usually home when Trevor gets home from work and my good intentions say "Get up! You are excited to see him so go give him a big hug and kiss!" But my action is usually staying put and saying "hey, how was your day" and continuing to work on whatever I'm doing. It's November and I can't say that I have mastered that goal...but I'm a work-in-progress! So, since this was my word for the year and this is the area that I am still working on, I thought I would write a bible study on amping up the status of love expressed in our home. So here is goes.

*HOW DO YOU THINK OF YOUR HUSBAND? (Who is he, what is he striving to be, how has he grown, what does he do for you, what does he do that allows you to do what you do, if someone said to describe your husband, what would you say, etc...)
I had everyone get out a piece of paper/notecard and write the answer to this first question. I decided to write a list, others wrote paragraphs and some wrote their spouse a letter. I gave everyone 3-5 minutes to do this and then we all shared what we wanted.

*DO YOUR WORDS AND ACTIONS TOWARD YOUR HUSBAND ALWAYS REFLECT THE WORDS YOU WROTE ON YOUR LIST? (Do you say these things to him? Does the way you talk and interact with him reflect this list?)

Proverbs 27:15 says A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day.
QUARRELSOME: argumentative, confrontational, nagging, contentious, disrespectful
The opposite is RESPECT: notice, regard, honor, prefer, defer to, encourage, love, admire

Ephesians 5 states that wives are called to respect their husbands and husbands to love their wives. Of course the opposite is true, wives loving their husbands and husbands respecting their wives, but usually women feel respected when they feel loved and men feel loved when they are being respected.

Ephesians 5:22 says For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
*THAT WORD, SUBMIT, SEEMS TO HAVE A BAD REPUTATION WITH MANY WOMEN, SO HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THAT WORD/VERSE TO SOMEONE QUESTIONING?
I liked what we came up with as a group. We felt like Genesis 2:18-24 answered it the best.
Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him." So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the opening. The Lord God made a woman from the rib and he brought her to the man. "At last!" the man exclaimed. "This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken from 'man.'" This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. 
We are our husbands helper. We were created from him and are united to him.

*WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WERE DISRESPECTFUL TO YOUR HUSBAND? DID IT WORK THE WAY YOU WANTED? DID YOU GET WHAT YOU WANTED? IF NOT, WHAT COULD YOU HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY?
I'm assuming most of us would say, whatever the situation, it did not end the way you wanted. For me, if I sum up in one word what I could have done differently, it would be respect! Had I approached the situation in a loving and respectful manner, I truly believe the conversation would have gone a lot differently.

Here are a couple more questions to think on...

*BOB GOFF SAID THIS, "TELL PEOPLE WHO THEY'RE BECOMING, NOT WHO THEY WERE." HOW COULD THIS CHANGE THE WAY YOU SPEAK TO YOUR SPOUSE? WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS IDEA? AND HOW IS IT DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU ARE USED TO?

*WHAT'S SOMETHING YOU'RE HOPING WILL CHANGE IN YOUR MARRIAGE? HOW CAN YOU START HELPING IT CHANGE?

*WHAT'S THE STATUS OF LOVE EXPRESSED IN YOUR HOME AND HOW CAN YOU UP THE ANTE?

When I began this bible study, I was searching the internet for a couple things and ran across this sermon. So, here are two ending thoughts.

1. Keep a journal (or the paper/notecard we used) of what is true and honorable about your husband Pray for him in these areas. Tell him these things - encourage over nag. Philippians 4:8 says Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable, right, pure, lovely and admirable. Think about what is worthy of praise.
2. We are incredibly powerful in the life of our husbands. They need us. They don't need us to condemn them, Satan is already doing that. They don't need us to criticize them. His enemies are already doing that. They need us to encourage them. Say "I'm here to help, I'm here to help you become more like Jesus. I'm here so that you can lead our family in the purpose of Jesus. I know you can't do it alone and I'm here to help."