What I'm reading...

So, I've been reading a lot of good stuff lately and learning a lot.  I'm so thankful for the local library here in our town.  I'm even more thankful for God's word, which has definitely been teaching me so much!

Here is what I read this morning, and I hope it can encourage you!  It's from Ephesians chapter 3.

Paul writes "I pray that out of His (God's) glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's people, to  grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."   Ephesians 3:16-19 (NIV)

Isn't that beautiful?  God loves us with a love that is so wide, long, high and deep, that it covers all of our sin when we put our faith in Christ.  Often times, we think that we aren't good enough to come to Him, or that we have to clean up our lives first.  I tried that, and it didn't work.  God wants us to come to Him as we are and His love will cover our sins! When we put our trust in Him, He gives us the peace of a right relationship with Him. 


I'm also reading a wonderful  book,  Simplicity Parenting,  by Kim John Payne.  It's a wonderful book so far! The subtitle is "Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids".  Here's a few excerpts:

"A protected childhood allows for the slow development of identity, well-being, and resiliency" p. 12

"Too much stuff leads to too little time and too little depth in the way kids see and explore their worlds." p. 22

"As you decrease the quantity of your child's toys and clutter, you increase their attention and their capacity for deep play" p. 62

It's not all about decreasing the number of toys, but he says that's a good place to start in simplifying a child's life.  His book challenges parents to reclaim the simplicity of childhood for the kids by decluttering children's rooms, protecting them from the complexities of the adult worries and media, and providing a rhythm to their day and a schedule for their lives.  He encourages taking family get-a-ways to reconnect and give your child time away from the busy pace of life in our modern world.   All of these things will help children get the maximum benefit from their childhood.  Interesting right?

More about that to come!

Other books I'm skimming reading:
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth, M.D. - this is helping with getting Anna back in a grove after she had a cold.  Now that she is on the move, nap time has become more difficult, but is getting better thanks to some tips in the book.

You Cant Make Me by Cynthia Ulrich Tobais - it's about strong willed children and raising healthy ones.  Not sure if Anna is strong willed or not, but I find the topic very interesting! She says that strong willed children can be more difficult to raise as kids, but often have the most potential for leadership, character development, and creativity.  I like the positive tone she uses in her book. 

What a weekend...

So, today while reading Mayhave Monday, I was inspired to share my own story of craziness that could have warranted some bad words. So here is what went down during our weekend of fun:

First of all, our apartment (which is located in the upstairs of a ministry house) is really hot. We have our own air unit, but it constantly runs and doesn't catch up until night time. During pregnancy, this has become especially frustrating. I feel like I'm boiling. Poor Josh is doing everything he can to make it cooler, but I'm afraid none of it is working.

So on Saturday night, while preparing to watch a movie, we go upstairs to our apartment only to find extreme heat. It's like getting into your car after its been sitting in the parking lot with the windows closed on a mid-afternoon summer day. Somehow (Holy Spirit?) I managed to keep calm and tried not to over react. I mean, I have plenty to freak out about: I could have baby anytime and I DREAD bringing a baby home to a hot house. Not to mention, relatives from Michigan coming visit...let's just say it would be pretty miserable. Luckily, we had a cool place to retreat to, and survived the night.

The next day, the air conditioner magically began to work again. However, we found several wasp nets on our porch, a roach in our kitchen, and bugs in the bathtub. What is going on people? I became discouraged and began thinking of ways we could move to a new, better place before the baby arrives (in 10 days). I even thought about buying a house (a long time dream of mine, which I often have to surrender to God).

BUT...living in this house sure has its perks...as God is so good to remind me. In the middle of "spring" which feels like summer, it can be difficult because of the heat and bug sightings. However, the Lord has blessed us here and allowed us to be a part of a wonderful on-campus ministry. And what right do I have to complain? Hasn't God provided for all of my needs and then some? Duh. It's so easy to think I deserve this or that, but the truth is I don't deserve any good thing. Not one thing.

This is totally contrary to our way of thinking but we really don't deserve anything but the pit of hell - what a hard truth! (Romans 3:23, 5:3, 5:8, 12:3... heck, the whole book of Romans!). Jesus reminds us that we will have troubles in this life. Not might have troubles (John 16:33), but will have troubles. Bummer. Paul, a man whom God used tremendously, was in prison during most of his ministry. And what did he do? He rejoiced, continually. He rejoiced that the gospel was being spread. I can certainly rejoice in that as well, and rejoice that God has me in a house where I can minister instead of a prison.

Well, it was a hard weekend, but a good one. We all need a little gut-check every now and then. As for us, we are praying about continuing to live in a ministry house, but we aren't going to leave just because its hard (which will take help from Holy Spirit...big time). Hardships are part of life, and I'm hoping to let God grow me through it.

On a happier note, the Terminex guy came today and said that the roach was probably brought in from outside...he said that if we have only seen one, then it is probably not a cleanliness issue or infestation... HUGE RELIEF!!! I mean, we have a very clean kitchen, and I take any bug sightings very personally, especially the roach variety. The guy also killed the wasps and sprayed our house very well. Problem solved :)

Mayhave Monday

Today I'm liking up with Emily on Down and Dirty (www.keepinitdownanddirty.blogspot.com)

So, instead of may or may not haves, I made a list of may or may nots. Because life (or my idea of what my life should be) seems a little uncertain these days...

I may or may not be able to finish school this semester.

I may or may not be able to meet the precious little person that is living in my tummy (not because there is anything wrong, but because complications can happen at any time to anyone and I'm very aware of that these days).

I may or may not move before the baby is born...we are praying about this (as in moving out of our current apartment, which means no longer being as active in the ministry that we are currently involved in).

I may or may not be able to finish my read-the-bible-in-a-year schedule.

All of these things make me feel a little crazy and out of control.

But you know what it is cool...even though I may or may not know what is lying ahead for us, even what is lying ahead for us tomorrow, I know the One who does know. I'm crazy to think I can handle all of life's issues on my own...no wonder I feel so crazy. These crazy times are the times to draw near to God and rest in Him. This morning was one of those times...hopefully tomorrow can be too. And hopefully I will be able to finish school, my bible reading plan, and meet my baby girl. But even if I don't ... God is still good! I say it now, because I know it is true, and it needs to sink in to my heart.

What truth should you be dwelling on?

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing songs and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God" Colossians 3:16

Thankful for Down and Dirty Mayhave Mondays for the admonishment... www.keepinitdownanddirty.blogspot.com

A few things...

I've tried some new recipes:


Finished a few projects:





Watched fireworks on Dickson after eating homemade icecream with fun friends:





Went to Eureka Springs with my Grandma:






p.s. : We had a GREAT time. She is such a blessing in my life. I hope that I can be as genuine, sweet, and funny as she is when I reach 72.


and...Visited the doctor:
I think I have a solution to the problem with my feet/ankles! I saw a podiatrist a couple of weeks ago and he told me that I have fallen arches, which is most likely causing my pain. I was thrilled to hear that there is a cause for my pain. He will probably make me some orthotics (fancy shoe inserts) to help keep my arch from falling when I walk. YAY!

A few updates:
Josh is working and trying to ride his bike whenever he can. He is also swimming quite a bit. I'm sorry I don't have much more to say about him. He eats a lot of crushed red pepper these days.

We are hoping to take a mini getaway next weekend for our anniversary. I'll blog about that later.



I wanted to share something with you that I've learned from Beth Moore (I just love her):

She challenges women to face their fears. We all have fear and can let it control us- giving Satan, rather than God, the victory.

For example, I fear an intruder will come in my home and do horrible things to me. However, have I ever thought through this fear? If an intruder comes, then what? I will hide. Then what? I may be hurt or killed. Then what? Well, if I'm killed, then I get to see God face to face!!!! If I'm hurt, I'll go to the hospital and recover. Then what? I'll go back to life again and get a weapon to protect myself. Then what? I'll be ok.

The question is...will we still love God even if our worse fear becomes reality? Or will we serve Him only if He keeps our fears from becoming reality? This hit me pretty hard, for I am so guilty of letting fear control me.

If an intruder comes to my home, will I loose faith because God didn't protect me? If Josh dies, will I be miserable forever and blame God? The choice is mine. If my biggest fear becomes reality, then God. That's it. Then God. God will sustain us! He promises it in His Word: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Cor. 12:9b and "For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though He cause grief, He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love; for He does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men." Lamentations 3:31-33. (English Standard Version)

We don't have to let fear control us! As Esther said, "If I perish, then I perish." She faced the fear of death and moved past it, becoming a hall of famer in the Bible!

This is not my own wisdom, but I thought I would pass it on. It is from the Beth Moore study on Esther. I hope it is a blessing and causes you to face your fears.

Hope you're having a good summer!

Greetings

So, we've decided to start a blog! We chose the name Just Passing Through based on Psalm 103: 15-18:

"As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. "

Here is a not-so-brief update of our summer so far:

My dear friend Ashley Arce came to visit...what a blessing. She makes me laugh like no one else can! Josh and I enjoyed her visit and were reminded of what a blessing her and Derrek are in our lives. So glad to have their friendship! Here's a pic of Ash at the girls' house during our cooking party:

Since school got out, I (Ashley) have been traveling. I visited Louisiana and saw Heather, Aurelia, Rebecca, and Ava. Heather is a teacher now, and you won't find a better 4th grade teacher than her. She loves her job, and I'm so excited for her. Rebecca is real life mom, which is still hard to believe. She keeps Ava disciplined, on a routine, and loved. God has blessed her with great support of her family and friends, a great hubby, a darling daughter, and a new ministry with the cheer squad at NHS. Then I went with Aurelia to Waco to see her new house. I loved it!!! I'm so happy for her and Lyle. They are using their house as a ministry tool, which is awesome. They love to have people in their home. It was a blessing to meet their friends and see what God is up to in their lives.

Josh and I took a little get-a-way to the mountains of Arkansas. We interacted with hillbillies, enjoyed the scenery, did mindless activities, and reconnected. It was WONDERFUL! Favorite memories of this trip: watching a lightning storm from our cabin porch and the show Rivermonsters...

We also visited his grandparents in Kansas. His mom, brother, and us took a road trip to help them with their garden and see the sights and sounds of Russel, KS and the surrounding area. Highlights of the trip: Watching Shrek in 3-D at the Dream Theatre, listening to Grandpa give directions, and finding some awesome stuff at local garage sales! Here is us at the movie and a pic of the family:

The next weekend, Josh went to Louisiana to visit college buds, and I went to Michigan to visit family. We both were attacked by mosquitoes (the ones in Michigan are HUGE!), went fishing (Josh in the gulf, me in a pond), laughed a lot, and ate yummy food. Josh got to eat crawfish and I ate mom's home cooking. Not sure which is better. He got to meet Mark Craig's little twin boys-I'm jealous-and have guy time. He definitely needed it. I was spoiled like crazy.
Favorite memory of my trip: hanging with my mom and her sisters. They are hilarious and know how to have a good time...I love listening to their stories and watching them interact. Here's a pic of my my mom and her sisters and my grandma:

Now, we're home. We are trying to be intentional about investing in the students in our house. We are praying for more opportunities to show love to them and be available. I love being able to cook for people, and God has given lots of opportunities for that. Josh is always joking around with everyone in the house. Example: He yells out the guys names when he sees them and often uses broken English with them. HILARIOUS!!! He is great at breaking down walls with humor :)

Sorry this was so long. Hope you enjoyed the update.