adoptionfaithholidays

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  We have so much to be thankful for!  This time last year we (John and I) were grieving our first failed match on our adoption journey but this year we have been celebrating Turkey Day with our wonderful (almost) 7 month old daughter!  We are so thankful for the chance to be Abby’s parents and to celebrate the holidays with our wonderful family!   While words cannot express my gratiude for the blessings of my family, friends, and life, there is nothing more precious to me than the love of my Father and that I am adopted into His family by the life and blood of Jesus Christ and for that I am eternally grateful for!  These lyrics have been on my heart today and hopefully they may touch yours as well!  If you want to read about the story behind the song, grab some tissues and click here

How He Loves
written by John Mark McMillan
He is jealous for me,

Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all
He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…
He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
faith

Friday Words of Faith – Cleaning

Today’s words of faith were inspiring by my day of cleaning.  That’s right folks cleaning.  I took the day off from work to clean my house.  John is away at a youth pastor’s conference and Abby would be in daycare the whole day so I would have the whole house to myself (well our other girls were here (aka the dogs)) so I leaped at the chance to deep clean before pulling out the Christmas decorations.  I started with the kitchen because…well…it tends to get the grossest.  So I started with the china cabinet and worked my way around the kitchen cleaning out cabinets and drawers.  I moved my everyday dishes and put my beautiful holiday dishes on display.  I reorganized the cabinet with all of Abby’s bottles and sippy cups (I can’t believe we’re starting sippy cups!).  I continued with organizing storage containers (if it is possible to organize those things…don’t believe the Rubbermaid commercial about the tops that snap on the bottoms…it doesn’t work that way!)  I went through the canned food cabinet and I’m surprised we haven’t died of something.  I guess I never think to check the dates on canned food because its canned food and isn’t suppose to ever expire right?? 

So I’m still cruising through the cabinets and get to my last set.  I am standing on a chair looking through the dry food items and my eyes happen to glance at the top of the fridge.  I seriously almost fell out of my chair!  It was SO gross!  I guess I don’t think about cleaning the top of the fridge.  I clean out the contents of the fridge and freezer and wipe down the door and the side (where the trashcan is) but I never think to clean off the top.  I mean I should because I do actually store some things up there but I guess I’m not thorough enough (at least I wasn’t before today–it is now on my list!).

So this whole thing got me thinking, what areas of our lives do we neglect to clean?  We may pray, read our Bible, attend a small group, but are there areas that we miss?  Do we pay attention what goes into our minds (and hearts) through what we watch or listen to?  Maybe its that gossip is our dirty little secret.  Maybe it pride.  In Matthew 23, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees stating, “You wash the outside of your cups and dishes but inside they are full of things you got by cheating others and by pleasing only yourselves.  Pharisees, you are blind!  First make the inside of the cup clean, and then the outside of the cup can be truly clean.”

The following paragraph comes from my devotional Bible, Becoming: The Devotional Bible for Women:

How often are we blind from our mistakes.  The inside of our cup is usually hiding selfishness, pride, or envy.  We find ways to cover up these attitudes, but unless we deal with them, they do not go away.  So how can we keep our hearts from becoming like the Pharisees?  Look back at Matthew 23:23.  Here Jesus tells the Pharisees the things that are the most important to the Father:  justice, mercy, and loyalty.  Think about those things in your own life.  Is it hard to be just when your selfishness gets in the way?  Is it hard to be merciful with someone you envy?  Is it difficult to be loyal when you are prideful?  Jesus wants us to be honest with ourselves because He already knows our true hearts.  Ask the Lord to reveal to you what needs to be cleaned up in your cup.  The cleaner you are on the inside, the more beautiful you become on the outside.
May we each be more mindful of the areas that need cleaning in our own lives.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”  Psalm 51:10
weight loss

Wednesday Weigh-In & Website Wednesday in One!

Shrink-a-Versary Challenge with the Sisterhood!

Last Thursday, my top 10 list gave my reasons for needing a weight loss buddy as I have been doing very VERY poorly on my own!  The next day I discovered The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans!  Its a fun site where women support one another on the weight loss journey! There are giveaways, articles, challenges, and even a forum called The ‘Hood!  I invite you to check it out!

On to the depressing part of the day….the weigh-in.  I am very frustrated to report weight gain from my last weigh-in which unfortunately was a couple weeks ago (I told you that I have been a slacker!)  Today’s weigh-in was 163.  So basically I am 38 lbs away from my goal weight.  THIRTY-EIGHT.  Ugh.

Today was my scheduled day 2 of C25K but the weather has it out for me.  Fibro + cold + rain = flare central.  I honestly feel like my bones are going to break.  I am going to try to sneak in some yoga so at least I am active.