A Supernatural Sunday

What a fantastic sermon today!  I am so excited to have started our new study SUPERNATURAL which is a study of Romans 8.  I think it should be supernatural ADOPTION since the very first thing I read told me that I am in His family, and that I am FREE!! How awesome it is that I will never be condemned?  WOW!  Now that I have a few different viewpoints into the meaning of condemnation I feel so differently about this chapter.  I also have a new humility to how I treat other people.  When I condemn someone, I am separating them from myself.  When a judge condemns a convicted criminal, that person is separated from society.  To know I will never be separated from my God is amazing!  Now, I am aware this does not mean I can get away with doing wrong, or with abusing my “forgiveness” card.  What it means is that God knows I am not perfect and I as a human will make mistakes and He will be standing there with His arms open wide ready to accept me.  He will never separate Himself from me, or vice versa. I have come to understand that the more I make my life’s decisions based on His will, the easier (maybe not the right word) it is to live according to His law.  To live in the Spirit.  I have made a conscious decision to live my life as close to the Spirit as humanly possibly, and each day is less of a struggle to remember that.  I find that it becomes “second nature” although it should be my First Nature. 

My neighbors are awesome.  They are such a spiritually focused family.  It was so refreshing to attend a lifegroup where I learned.  We were lead, we read, we interjected, we discussed and we prayed.  I walked away with even more insight into the lesson as our sermon also reads along with it.  Keep them in your prayers as they prayerfully consider a move to Uganda.  They are asking the Lord to lead them and are ready to Go in whatever direction he leads them. 

Pray for my brother.  Pray for healing, strength, focus and for God’s love to abound in his life.  Pray that he be uplifted, that he be healed.  I will write more about it later, but for now just PRAY.

 

In Him, Forever Blessed...

    Jenny

 

 

Arrived at Station 1

Hip, hip, hooray!!  We are on our way to a debt-free life!  The van’s final payment has cleared the bank finally!  The Saturn’s final payment will be either April or May.  It is such a welcome feeling to know we own our vehicles and can now utilize the payment money to pay off other debt.  I can not believe this is really taking place, the light at the end of the tunnel is upon us!!!  And yes, we are sticking to our original budget despite the desire to spend a little here-and-there.  I think it is harder for me because I want to go out and buy new furniture, decorate the house, yada-yada-yada.  That would be why I have absolutely NO access to the credit card and I harbor no ill feelings about that J

There is a lot of commotion in the air right now, all around me.  Nothing negatively impacting me personally, but I sense big changes in the near future.  Maybe I am reading it all wrong?  Another reminder that I need to focus on my quiet prayer time and be still to hear what the Lord is telling me or how He is directing me.  Something is stirring inside me and I am really excited to know what that plan is!!

In Him, Forever Blessed...

    Jenny

Thought of the Day

Sorrow looks back,

Worry looks around,

But Faith looks up!

 

In Him, Forever Blessed...

    Jenny

 

 

Perfect Love

God is love. Love. LOVE!  Today’s prayer truth: God is perfect in how He cares and responds to His creation.  

Perfect=Love J   

How blessed are we as a nation of Christians to have the written truth that God loves us, unconditionally and perfectly, no matter what!  All He asks in return is that we, with a humble heart, give ourselves to Him by accepting Christ as our Saviour.  We are reminded of this is one of our generations most quoted scriptures, recognizable by even non-Christians: 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” NIV John 3:16 

As a parent, I can not begin to fathom the idea of giving my only son for any cause!  It is heart and gut wrenching to even think of losing Ian.  So to know and believe that my heavenly Father made the ultimate sacrifice of his only Child for the sake of our lives reinforces an abounding, unrelentless, complete and PERFECT love.  Knowing this, understanding this and accepting this, how can anyone not live a life of Christ?  How can we as a community turn our heads at the poor and neglected, the wounded and bruised, those whose spirits are broken by satan, and the people who have somehow “sinned against us”.  He wants us to love.  He wants us to forgive.  To forgive is to Love (Latin is codono:  to give away).  To give is to Love.  Be it by forgiveness of any transgression or giving of ourselves for the purpose of uplifting another.  Either way, it represents our love, passion and commitment to live out what the Lord instructed.  

We are quick to judge.  I am as guilty as the next person, for I am not perfect.  I find myself passing judgment on others many times a day.  What I am making a habit of doing now is calling myself out, correcting my thoughts, asking for forgiveness and moving towards a life that will be void of such behaviour.  This is a year of revival for me.  I have made the commitment to living my life unselfish, unworldly and surrendering to Gods love.  I want to know what it is like to hear God speak.  To understand and know in an instant what it is He wants me to do.  I plan to go when I hear those words.  

“Since we have not been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if , when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” NIV Romans 5:9-11

In Him, Forever Blessed...

    Jenny

Photo Op!

Keara won't be able to hold her much longer!  Ashlynn is now 9 months, crawling, pulling up and standing on whatever she can!  She also eats like a little piggy...don't let her near your plate!

Lazy Days

So I worked all weekend, and it was a pleasant one I must say.  Not really any crisis or critical situations, so I spent a majority of my time rounding through my areas and getting back to basics that I miss.  Sometimes I think that my role is looked at as being “above” basic nursing 101 and it’s the part I don’t like if I had to find a negative.  I love to do nursing care!  I don’t care if it’s just to turn and wipe a butt…let me help J  But this weekend was full of busy work for all the areas so I just went about answering call bells and doing anything I could to help out my fellow nursing friends.  A little conversation with a lonely patient goes a long way for both the patient and myself.  It’s how I try to spread some of the love Christ bestows on me.  The time also reminded me how much I miss direct patient care, and that I am looking forward to getting back to my part-time hours so I can work a day or 2 in the units.  I am so grateful to my Lord for allowing me the clarity at such a young age to know what my calling in life is!!

 

“May the God of hope fill you with all the joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

 

In Him, Forever Blessed...

 

 

Friday!

I guess that means it’s the last day of my “weekend” since I will be working Saturday through Monday?  Well, I got a few things accomplished and what I did not do will definitely be waiting for me on Tuesday J  Ian has a varsity soccer game tonight in Argyle which I will not be attending for three reasons:

1.  Argyle is 45 minutes from here

2.  His game starts at 7:15 pm

3.  I have to be up at 4:30 am

Sorry, son, but there are a million soccer games this season!  He’s fine with it.  He actually didn’t want me to drive all that way for a scrimmage.  What an awesome kid…I mean “young man”.  He amazes me sometimes with his compassion and good judgement.  Then he gets selfish and needy and I am reminded that he is still a teenager.  Ugh.  I believe that is how God balances a mothers need to hold on to her children with the natural process that they will grow up and leave home, right?

Going to meet the hubby for dinner tonight with the girls.  Can’t remember the last time we went out to dinner as a family, well at least 5 out of 6 of us!  Ian is hard to schedule since he is always busy with friends or school or athletics or whatever.  Uncle Julio’s, here we come!! 

In Him, Forever Blessed...

New Year, New Beginnings

I am so excited at the start of 2011!!  I feel so strongly that this is going to be a remarkably positive year full of many spiritual blessings.  I am looking forward to all the Lord has in store for me!  Our Christmas was sweet.  We did not go overboard with gifts, actually kept it very scarce.  Not only did we choose to not go into any further debt, I am wanting my children to understand the Spirit of Christmas, not the commercial influence.  I want us to be traditionally giving to those in need, focusing our thoughts and actions on serving.  That is where my heart is this year, serving others. I have a family on my list right now that I am gathering needed items for.  I am forever grateful to God for the many blessings He has bestowed on us this season!  Josh made a 10 hour road trip to New Orleans with all the kids to visit with his parents for 6 days!!  I missed them, but I am glad they all had a wonderful time and the kids loved seeing grandma and grandpa. 

 

I am also at peace with the many decisions I have made these past few weeks.  My life feels so much easier.  Less stressful.  Maybe that is why I am able to hear what the Spirit is telling me, because I am not weighed down with negative thoughts and feelings.  I have let go of unhealthy relationships, begun new ones and re-established ones the Lord has guided me to.  I am grateful to my neighbors, the Stubbs, for their hospitality, generosity and genuine love for my children J  I am in eternal debt to my parents (all 6 of them) for all they do for us in their many talented ways.  Our needs are met, our children loved and our relationships strong. 

 

I love my husband.  We don’t have the perfect marriage (who does?) but how awesome it is that I can count on him to run the house when I am having to work so many extra hours!  How lucky I am to always feel confident that the house is in order, the kids fed and bathed and that I am appreciated.  Josh, I love you and I am so grateful to God that He gave you to me to make this journey of life with!! 

 

In Him, Forever Blessed...