On the Shore...

Lord I dig my roots deep into the soil that you have me placed so that I would stand tall and strong as you provide the nourishment  that I need on the days when I feel empty.

 Being a parent isn't always easy. There are times when our children are disrespectful, rude, disobedient, unkind, and act like their ears have been cut and they are blind to everything around them. On those days we feel drained, exhausted, at the end of our rope, and like there is no more. How can we go on? Are we even doing this right? What if our children turn out bad? Are we screwing them up? Are we going to make it? Are they going to make it? 

As parents these are typical questions that most of us ask ourselves on a daily basis. But in Jeremiah the word tells us that blessed are those who trust in the Lord. 

“But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT)

When we stay close to the Father, and stay rooted in him, we know that when the heat or the wind or the drought or the storms come that rise up in motherhood or fatherhood, that we are firmly planted and that He will renew our strength. He will protect us from the storm. He will guide us and love us and teach us how to guide these children and love them and teach them. Even on the hard days. Our reward will come. Because His word does not return void. 

So today, just let His refreshment pour over you as you stand with your feet buried in the soil. 

Close your eyes for moment...imagine your standing on the beach and as the waves crash into the shore, and the water rushes over your feet...feel them sinking deep into the sand as the warm sun beats down on your face. Just stand there a moment and let The Lord refresh you today! 

Lord, I pray that every momma, daddy, grandparent, or guardian who is a caretaker of these children you've blessed us with, that you would bless them today and bring an abundance of refreshing to them as they stand tall and focus on you. May they not forget that they will produce fruit in the lives of those around them. Because your word doesn't lie. Thank you Lord for being a refresher in our times of need. Thank you for being a sweet father to us. In Jesus name! Amen! 

The Lord

He died for me

For my faithlessness

For my lack

For my sins

For every struggle I encounter

 His blood covers it all. 

When I am weak

He is strong. 

He has an answer

To every question I have

To every situation I find myself in

To every problem I have. 

Because He died for me

Because He is strong

Because He holds the answer

I can KNOW He is faithful. 

Faithful...

To those who seek Him

To those who are obedient

To those who love Him

And want Him. 

 

He bestows His favor upon me

He sends His favor into every situation I am facing. 

The solutions to every question

Every situation

Every fear 

Every desire

The solutions are coming. 

They are on their way because 

He said ~It is finished.~

So I thank you for

Hearing me

Answering me

Not leaving me

Helping me

Blessing me

Bringing me above what I can see

And for walking with me always. 

Being A Mom Is A Tough

Motherhood: something most young girls dream about as a little girl, teen, newlywed. We think about how many children we want, what will their names be, what we'd like them to look like, act like, how we'd dress them, what type of character we hope they have. 

Then...boom...you're pregnant! Yay!! Until...those pesky little stretch marks start becoming as dark as a red permanent marker, next your feet swell up so fat that regular shoes don't even fit, and now it's time to push and your thinking "if that man doesn't hurry up and stop this pain, I'm going to die!" Haha. (Except for those exceptional woman who all natural - you're amazing.) Awe, now we hold this precious baby that has stolen our heart and we learn what real love is. Life is going to be great...until...it's 3am and you haven't seen the back of your eyelids in days, nor the inside of the shower. You feel like a watering hole. Will all this extra baby belly ever go away? Why does this baby keep crying? Will I ever sleep again? How does something so small smell so bad? Then he/she smiles and melts all those cares away! 

Next thing you know, he/she is two and destroying that brand new $30 bottle of makeup you bought for yourself. (Insert crying bc you can't ever have anything nice anymore.) Will they EVER be potty trained?! Can't they just be still for 5 mins so I can catch my breath? And then they fall asleep in your arms and that angel halo pops up and those wings come out as you snuggle with this precious gift! And you think...I want another one! 

Preschool. Kindergarten graduation. Middle school. Mom is no longer cool and knows nothing! High school. Mom definitely doesn't understand and knows NOTHING. 16 and driving-you think you might die for real! Graduation. College. And their off. Motherhood never ends. 

It's a blessing to be a mom! No doubt! I LOVE MY KIDS to the moon and back! I'd die for each one even on their unfavorable days.  They are my pride and joy. We are blessed with healthy children who love the Lord. Each one completes our family!

16, 14, 10, and 6.  Two girls and two boys. What a blessings from God and an honor that He would allow me(and their dad) to be their parent on this earth. He trusts Me with them! Whoa!! 

Selah. (think about that...God trust YOU with His children on this earth...you must be doing something right.)

Yet, everyday we lose sight of that truth in the mundane tasks of life and trying to make our social media family look like a glorious-beautiful-have-it-all-together family; keeping our kids "trained" to be the best at school or sports or whatever. We become so busy that we miss the moments because of our hurry. And boom today becomes yesterday and we beat ourselves up bc we didn't make today better. 

Don't be so hard on yourself(PS. I'm preaching to me!!). It's ok if they don't have an outfit for everyday of the year or the newest set of Lego's. Being a mom(or parent period) is a hard job!! It's hard physically, mentally, and emotionally. But it's also the most rewarding job there ever will be! 

There will be tears of joy and tears of sadness! There will praises and punishments! You will be right and you will be wrong-most times even if your right. Haha 

Kids will be kids and not every action, every word, every characteristic will reflect you as a parent. And that's OK. They are going to mess up! You are going to mess up! 

Find forgiveness. 
Give forgiveness. 
Receive forgiveness!! 

Have grace and mercy...for yourself and for them! 

Love with all your heart! Be real! Be consistent! Be truthful! Don't be perfect or expect perfection-it's not real! You're not superwoman and THAT'S OK! 

Laundry will pile up. Dishes will overflow. Messes will happen. Overwhelming days will come. Wonderful days will come. A clean house WILL happen. 

Breath In. Breath out. And most of all don't be hard on yourself and don't be hard on other mothers. Be patient. Love your kids, yourself, and others RIGHT WHERE THEY ARE! 

Being a Mom is a Tough job! But you've got this! And remember, it won't be like this for long! It goes by A LOT faster than you realize!! 

Be. An. #imperfectmom. Why?  Because she is real! 

Viewing our Children throught His eyes!

Parents, 

I would like encourage you to take this year and cancel the stereotypes that this world places on our children. You know the ones I am talking about…”Terrible twos, rowdy boys, sassy girls, terrible teenagers who know it all and are rebellious, young adults who are sewing their wild oats, etc.” The bible tells us that are our words speak life and death…Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” As parents, our voice should be the loudest and most influencing. They are a gift of God to us.  As children of God, we are supposed to raise our children in the ways of the Lord. We are supposed to teach them how to be holy and pure and righteous; how we are not supposed to conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. (Romans 12:2) So many times, we as parents get caught up in how the world views our children instead of how God views them. I want to encourage you to listen to the Lord’s voice and let Him tell you what He sees in them and who He created them to be. After becoming very discouraged by some bad behaviors and feeling so frustrated as a parent, I had a friend give me the same advice. So I began to pray and ask God to show me my children through His eyes and what did He have to say about them. I haven’t received this “long download” but He has given me scriptures and words about them that I now pray over them. I have also shared with them how He sees them. Because I want them to know how much He loves them. So I am going to take this year and try to speak His words over them more than the frustrations or world’s view. My teenage girls don’t have to be rebellious, sneaky, or sassy. My young boys don’t have to be rowdy and rude. My children are  sons and daughters of the most high God! They have a great inheritance of the Lord waiting on them. It’s my job as a parent(Jeremy and I) to guide them in God’s word and direction for their lives, not ours or the worlds; to teach them the standards of today’s society doesn’t have to apply to them and they can live according to the Word of God. This job isn’t easy. Being different isn’t always easy but knowing who we are in the Lord and that our lives are pleasing to Him, is worth it. 

The first thing I started with was the meanings of their names…

Brianna Necole: Noble leader of the people to victory.
Kara Alexis: Dear, sweet defender of people.
Ethan Michael: Strong young man of God, Warrior for Christ.
Jaxson Isaiah: Gracious gift of God.

I also have scriptures that He gave me for each of them and a list of things wrote down that He has spoken over them and even to them. They are not too young to hear His voice. Teach them to listen to Him. 

So take some time and ask God to show you about your children. He created them and knows them better than we do. He can guide us as parents. Begin to cancel the “labels” placed on them by the world and man and tell them who God calls them and His desires for their lives. God is the ultimate parent who has dealt with every issue known to man and He will help you when you need it. 

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!
I pray that your ears and eyes would be open to hear what God has for them and to see them as He does. I pray that you have the boldness to raise them up without the opinion of this world and to cancel every stereotype placed on them by the world around them. I pray you are encouraged as a parent to lead them in the ways of the Lord. Amen.

Many years ago, I had a serious problem with worry. I would worry about everything especially finances. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust the Lord, I just didn’t think He really wanted to take care of me. After all, I am just little oh me. But He quickly began to deal with me and gave me Matthew 6:25-34. I had to read it daily. As I read it, I began to realize that He does take care of the animals and the earth and who am I that I am less than them. I am His child. I was finally becoming free from that bondage that brought so many tears and upset stomachs and even a few arguments between my husband and I. (I would nag him to death!) Today, I am free that worry. I cant say that it doesn’t try to creep up every now and then and cause me to become anxious but that voice of Holy Spirit is there to remind me that Greater is He that is in me than he that in this world and that God takes care of me. I go back to that word of the Lord and I remind the devil of those words also. So tonight as I am reading in Psalm…119 to be exact…I came across verse 165...Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.” Wow! In reading Matthew 6 all those time, I began to LOVE the word of God and how He has called us to live. And tonight as I read 119:165 I realized that the worry and anxiety were no longer an issue in my life because of the Love I have for His word!

So I want to encourage you to read the Bible. A Psalm a day or a Proverb or anywhere….Just read it! And soon you will begin to see things shift in your life. Watch as God removes those things that cause you to stumble or that weaken your faith. There is 100% truth to Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The word of God will help you in removing those things that cause you to stumble or that weaken your faith. Read It! Instead of the saying, “Got Milk,” I think of  “Got the Word!” Cheesy I know.

Hello dear friends and family,

Just wanted to post our recent family pictures that we had done for you to see. I have them posted on Facebook but not everyone has a Facebook page. Hope everyone is well!

PRAISE HIM-There's power behind it....

Psalm 149:5-9 (NKJV) says

“5 Let the saints be joyful in glory;
Let them sing aloud on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,
7 To execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishments on the peoples;
8 To bind their kings with chains,
And their nobles with fetters of iron;
9 To execute on them the written judgment—
This honor have all His saints.
Praise the Lord!”

When we praise God with our mouth, wow at the opportunity we have to heap piles of hot coals on the enemy.

Ephesians 6:12 (NLT) says

“We are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

Disease, poverty, demons, spiritual attacks on our family, children, finances, relationships, or whatever…these are our battles…the spiritual battles that go on the unseen world! But our praise, oh our praises…they bring vengeance and punishment on the enemy! Our praises bind the enemy with shackles and iron chains and execute on them the written judgment that God has for them! WOW!!! Just in our praise, we can punish the enemy, we can have vengeance on him, we can begin his judgment day now!

What does your praise do? Is it enough to really punish the enemy? What kind of words are you speaking today? Who are you defeating, yourself or the enemy?

I have been guilty of not living a life of praise. Life gets hard and busy and I tend to fall to the tricks of the enemy with my praise. I have failed to start his judgment but today is a new day. And this word of the Lord has shed new light on what I am changing starting now! I want the enemy to know I am in charge! I control him, not he controls me! I bind him today and I loose the plans of God for myself and for my family! I loose blessings, honor, prosperity, spiritual victory in every area of our lives! We Win!!!

Matthew 18:18 (NKJV)

“Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”


PRAISE HIM TODAY!

Psalm 150 (NLT)

“1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heaven!
2 Praise him for his mighty works;
    praise his unequaled greatness!
3 Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn;
    praise him with the lyre and harp!
4 Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;
    praise him with strings and flutes!
5 Praise him with a clash of cymbals;
    praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
6 Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!
Praise the Lord!