Needing LOVE and yet lack of it..

Once again my heart is full and my lack of education makes me wonder if I should even try to type up what is on my heart.. We are born needing love and as we grow it only continues.. we search to be loved from parents, friends.. from everyone and yet we have no idea how to love someone properly. Our sinful hearts makes us love ourselves more than anything that if it will hurt us or make us some what uncomfortable we tend to not give love to another and the cycle goes on..

BUT we have hope.. for not only do we have someone who loves us unconditionally but also is the perfect example on HOW to love others.. Through out the Bible we see verses like.. "Love your neighbor as yourself." I have been struggling with loving myself too much and loving others a bit less!.. As a Mom and a wife I am constantly pouring myself into my family.. AND there are days where I just want to scream.. "WHAT ABOUT ME??!.. doesn't anyone care about what I NEED..?" As a new baby will be coming in a matter of weeks God has been once again showing me my selfish heart helping me be more like him.. IF I try to take care and LOVE my family with my own strength then you will see me reacting.." what about me..??" BUT if I love my family like Christ then that would not be the case.. Philippians chapter 2! an amazing chapter getting my heart focused off of me and onto what really matters.. WHAT life is truly about.. If you have been going through something with people and think I can't do this anymore.. TRULY look at the situation.. Do you say that because it makes your life too uncomfortable? Not feeling loved? don't allow circumstances to make you compromise the WORD of God.. allow circumstances to make you more like Christ and focus on the Kingdom of God!..

Miracle Baby that NEEDS your prayers

Baby pierce born at 23 weeks.. and is fighting.. For those parents out there I KNOW you must feel like grabbing your little ones and holding them close..

PRAYERS please

to view this family's blog and to see pictures of baby pierce click the title of this post

Noah and the ARK...

I am not good with words or grammar or anything that has to do with writing ..! but my heart is full tonight and if you can get by all my grammar mistakes you might find something to take with you!..

I have been studying in Genesis and the past couple months been focusing on Noah.

It has been an amazing study, but the timing of this study in my life is no accident. As most people, Christian or not you have heard about Noah and His Ark..

My thoughts of Noah growing up:

He was very old..

built and ark

lots of animals.. and not much else... but as I dig into the Word of God, I am seeing a whole different side of this event in history..

EVERYONE has days that are just hard.. circumstances .. life... things happen and it affects us..

In my life I have a 17 month old who does not require sleep.. I am 34 weeks pregnant and completely exhausted and to add hormones makes each day something I really need to think about..

As I was doing my study today I started with praying.. AND pouring out to God on how tired I am of the every day and not sure how many of these days I can take.. And then something came to my mind.. Noah and his life..

Noah lived in a world that was full of wickedness and violence..

God's Word says "The earth was filled with violence..."every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.."

AND to top that off Noah chose to live a life that found favor with God.. He was not one to follow the crowd which means his life most likely was not easy..

BUT God found favor with Noah and told Noah he was going to save him and his family but he had to built and ark.

Noah then had some time to build the Ark.. from looking at around Shem was born to the time the flood began people say it could have taken him about 100 years to built the ark..

SO for 100 years Noah is building something that condemns everyone who seems him.. We live in a world where stepping on toes is not very good.. Wanting to make everyone happy and at peace..

BUT Noah choosing to obey God would have brought hardship..

Hebrews 11:7

"By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith."

Now lets head to the Ark.. Noah and his family went on a BIG BIG SHIP.. with one window 18 inches.. with lots of animals..

the smell from animals..

poop..

How did they see? What kind of light did they have on their ship..

The noise from the storm...

motion sickness from the water and waves

FOR ONE YEAR Noah and his family lived on an ark.. The trials and hardship that would have come with that..

Time to get off ark..

to a whole new world.. everything they ever known is gone.. the climate.. the landscape.. having to start fresh.. Never able to go 'home'....

Life for Noah was not easy.. BUT by Faith Noah trusted God and did all that God has called him to do.. He is in the list of people in Hebrews KNOWN for their faith..

Hebrews 12

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Do Not Grow Weary

3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood."

I have Noah's life and other lives in the Word of God and all around me to SHOW ME I am surrounded by people who did not allow circumstances or life to get in the way BUT ran the race set before them..

I love running but it does take endurance..

AND whats the definition of endurance?

noun

1. the fact or power of enduring or bearing pain, hardships, etc.

2. the ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina: He has amazing physical endurance.

3.lasting quality; duration: His friendships have little endurance.

4.something endured, as a hardship; trial.

That is How we should live the Christian life.. Being a follower of Jesus is not a walk in the park.. it is work.. its hard.. BUT the hope we have.. What is your eyes set on?

I know my eyes gets set on things of this world.. MISSING what LIFE is truly about..

SO for those true followers of Jesus.. let us lay aside anything that will hold us back and lets RUN with endurance..

33 weeks Pregnant

My sister Becca took some pictures of me and Ella when we went to visit her.. I was 33 weeks pregnant here.. Ella is 17 months

Eleanor trying to let me know what she wants to do

I am the baby translator.. " Ma, do you see that cool play thing out there.. I want to go play on it.. please, please, lets go! Come on! Let me off this deck!.."

Ma says, " No, Ella that belongs to the neighbor but lets see what Auntie Becca has to play with.."

Ella's response!

TRIP TO BOSTON

This peaceful picture only lasted a moment.. On plane for 2 hours.. for an hour and a 1/2 it was a constant battle.. She fought and fought and fought.. and screamed and was not very good.. BUT for 30 minutes she played nice and was a sweet thing.. DON'T LET THESE PICTURES FOOL YOU.. This child KNOWS how to put up a fight..

Coffee UNDERGROUND with Uncle Toma

Need to scratch your Bum?

Ella dancing with her cousin Emma

When you are on the HUNT!

I have been on the hunt for some new dishes for a while.. A few years back Ross and I saw some dishes we both really liked and the price was amazing, but at that time in our lives we did not have the money to be buying dishes SO we saved for them and when we finally got the money we went back only to see they were no longer there.. SO the hunt began again..

My Sister in law, Brandi came to town for a few days so we wanted to take her to our favorite antique store.. AND Ross and I both found dishes we liked and once again the price was VERY affordable! BUT THIS TIME we actually had the money.. So my sweet husband let me pick them up.. Once I brought them home I realized I had no room in my cabinet for them and the yellow and the flower were just so pretty I wanted them out..

Brandi is VERY gifted when it comes to decorating.. ( you should see her house)

So she saw my Hoosier Cabinet and said.. " put dishes in here and keep it open!.."

AND SO I was inspired!

Thank Brandi for the idea!...