Finally!

Buying a house comes with lots of ups and downs. Knowing which house is right for your family and future family isn't easy... add in knowing if God is on board with the decision your about to make and  it's a roller coaster ride.

Three realtors, three contracts and two years later we are moving into what we will call home. God is all up on this and it's very obvious! If I could tell you all the little stories that lead up to us buying this house and while we were in contract you would understand why I'm saying that. Knowing this was the house God had for us was VERY important to us and well worth the wait.

We are beyond ready for the next chapter in our lives. Bring it on! The last few years have been extremely tough. It's brought us so much closer as a couple, walking through it all without God... I couldn't imagine. 

Our new home is 4 beds 2 bath 2 car garage on a little over a half acre corner lot in Fort Ogden area. We are thrilled that this is the house God hand pick for us and future kid(s). 

 OUR HOME!

Top 13 of 2013

1. Trip to Savannah, Alabama & North Carolina in January.

2. Lead FPU with my man.

3. Our 6th wedding anniversary!

4. Countless family get-togethers.

5.Coffee dates with girlfriends.

6. House hunting... to be continued in 2014! 

7. Blue Jays vs Rays - in the Hancock Bank Club!

8. Window shopping with sister!

9. Kari Jobe concert with mom and sister in Oralndo!!!!

10. Nebraska vs PSU... Go PSU!

11. Trip to PA for Thanksgiving.

12. First trip to IKEA with Carolyn!

13. Watching my husband humble himself at unexpected death of his brother. Adam has handled his brothers passing in way I can't put into words. I know it's all because of his walk with God. Not sure this is a "top moment"... it was definitely a big part of our year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! 

This was taken at Vinnie Van Go Go's in Savannah, Ga.

His presence is the prize. -Kari Jobe

Now King David was told, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.
2 Samuel 6:12 (NIV)

I love God’s presence! It draws me in, and it’s why I love spending time with Him. It’s also one of the reasons why we gather together as the church to worship. But I have a feeling we also often underestimate and don’t fully appreciate the amazing value of God’s presence in our lives.

I think if most believers are asked if God is with them, they’d respond: “Sure ... God lives in me, and He’s with me all the time.” But there’s so much more to God’s presence than just that. As wonderful as God’s daily presence is in our lives, did you know there’s a deeper dimension of God’s presence you can experience that’s far more intense, tangible and transforming?

The Old Testament tells us God’s manifest presence rested on the Ark of the Covenant—the glory of God on earth. After giving Moses detailed instructions about how to build the Ark, God added: “And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you” (Exodus 25:22). Over and over in the Old Testament, whenever God’s priests properly handled and approached the Ark, God’s presence would be revealed, His glory would come down and extraordinary things would happen.

When King Solomon had the Ark of the Covenant brought into the temple, the priests led everyone in corporate worship. They sang a song of praise to God and proclaimed: “He is good! And His mercy endures forever!” (2 Chronicles 5:13). The Bible tells us the temple was immediately filled with a cloud and the weight of God’s presence became so intense the priests couldn’t even stand. How incredible would it have been to be there that day! To experience God’s presence so strongly you couldn’t even stand under the weight of it!

When God’s presence showed up, incredible things happened. Whenever God’s people carried the Ark into battle with worshippers leading the way, they experienced miraculous victories without even having to fight. Why? Because God fought for them (2 Chronicles 20:20–22)!

The Ark of the Covenant represents God’s manifest presence. And the God we serve is more powerful and glorious than we could ever begin to imagine. That’s why the Old Testament contains so many intricately detailed instructions about how the Ark was to be handled and approached. It’s no wonder that any person who cared for the Ark with reverence and obedience experienced blessing after blessing.

For example, the Bible tells us about a man (who I can’t wait to meet one day) whose name was Obed-Edom. His passion for God and His presence was so great that he did whatever it took to be close to Him (2 Samuel 6, 1 Chronicles 13). Obed-Edom kept the Ark in his own house for about three months. Later, when the Ark was moved to Jerusalem, Obed-Edom packed up his belongings and moved his entire family just to continue being near God’s presence. The Bible tells us he went on to become a gatekeeper, a musician and a doorkeeper for the Ark. And because Obed-Edom valued God’s presence above all else, God blessed him and promoted him in amazing, supernatural ways. What’s more is Obed-Edom’s passion for God’s presence was picked up by his children and even his grandchildren! He eventually became a leader of leaders. He also became a worship leader.

While the Ark of the Covenant doesn’t embody God’s presence any more and priests from the tribe of Levi don’t oversee the gateway to God’s presence, we can still learn a lot from Obed-Edom’s life. As God’s children, we are being built into a living, breathing temple He longs to inhabit. And do you know who the priests are today? You and me (1 Peter 2:4–10)!

Just like in the days of Obed-Edom, reverence and obedience are still vital keys for stewarding the presence of God. Our access to God’s presence is a precious privilege. We should never treat it lightly or take it for granted. When we make meeting with Him a priority—when we wait for Him in faith and expectancy—we receive the reward of encountering God’s power and glory.

But beware you don’t slip into a mindset where you seek God’s presence because of the benefits you’re going to get from it. Will you experience blessings when you steward God’s manifest presence? Oh, yes ... definitely. But don’t let those blessings ever become your focus or goal. I think we often lose sight that the greatest benefit of God’s presence is God Himself. We get to experience His presence, His peace, His life, His mercy, His grace, His goodness and so much more. We get to hear his voice when we’re in His presence and have life-transforming experiences. Yes, many amazing and wonderful things come to those who take the time to enter the Holy of Holies through worship, but always remember ... His presence is the prize.

Kari Jobe

Happy 6 years!

Well six years have past since we said "I do"! I still do!, with all that comes those vows.

We have been through quiet a lot in those six years. I couldn't think of a better person to share all of those life experiences with.

I can remember sitting with our DJ picking out the music for our wedding. The DJ asked what our wedding song was going to be. We told him... then we told him we would like to dedicate a song to each other at some point during the night. It didn't need to be a big deal, but the songs were to be kept a secret until the day of the wedding. Adam picked, "Keeper of the stars" by Tracy Byrd. Tears fell when I heard that was the song he picked; I knew it took him a long time to pick out a song, he really wanted it to be special. Special is was!

Happy six years my love! Looking forward to many more memories in this journey we call life. I thank God for you every day.

Mother's Day

Sitting here at my computer remembering what Mother's Day meant for me before I came to terms with God's will not mine, but His. Lets just say, it was not a happy mother's day in my household. To me Mother's Day was my most dreaded day of the entire year. Not because of my mom-- I have a wonderful mom. But I wanted nothing more than to experience 'being' a mom. I wanted to belong to this M-O-M Club- I wanted play dates, sticky fingers, slobbery kisses, cheesy homemade cards... and I couldn't have it, not for lack of trying, I might add.

I hated Mother's Day!

Great (insert sarcasm) , a day to remind me how inadequate I was, to remind me of every doctors appointment to find out why I was not getting pregnant, every surgery done to end in failure, every stick I pee'd on leaving me crying in the bathroom, the comments like,

"your time will come sweetie,"
"just celebrate your mom,"
I know people have good intentions, but comments suck!

There was NOTHING good to me about this day! This specific day every year, I wanted nothing more then to climb back in bed; spend the day with a bag of chocolates & box of Kleenex; or better yet, ignore the holiday all together!
To sum it up, Mother's Day to me meant........ 'you are a failure!'

My heart ached & hurt in ways that words could never describe. But none the less I knew that I had to plaster (& I do mean plaster) on my happy face & press on. I remember telling Adam before leaving the house, "please hang close to me today I'm not sure how much I can handle." Even though, I know didn't REALLY get it either, I had comfort in knowing that he would carry on the conversation if I left in tears. I never knew what would bring it on or when an outburst might come. I was a hot mess on the inside, but cool calm & collected on the outside- It was my stepford wife acting at its best!

I truly deserve an academy award for this time in my life!

So as I sit here tonight remembering these feelings. I am reminded of how many woman will wake up tomorrow feeling like a failure, hearts saddened, wishing like myself, that they could hide under a rock for just one day out of the year. I am here to encourage you- to tell you that its is ok to eat a bag of chocolate & cry until your eyes are so swollen, no one would recognize you. Its ok to want to curse the day, but it is not ok to stay there. Refuse let bitterness arise in you. Plaster on that smile & fake it til you make it!

You are not alone. If you need a shoulder to cry on- I have really big ones!
I cherish you- YOU are fearfully & wonderfully made.

I believe that Mother's Day should have very little to do with actual biological Mother's but rather a day to celebrate being a woman. Maybe God hasn't given you a child, but God has given you something/ someone to care for, even if it's just your dog! Woman are the most amazing, complex creatures-- you work hard, you care for others, without you, someone's world would be empty, or at least someone else would have to clean, do the laundry & cook dinner. Woman is strong, fierce, glorious in her own, so wear the title proudly.

Proverbs 31:30 

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.” 

PS: Notice it doesn't say "mother" it says "Woman"! 

You: Woman, Friend, Sister, Aunt, Wife, God Parent, Niece, Daughter are greatly praised!

There are women that become mothers without effort, without thought, without patience or loss and though they are good mothers and love their children,

 I know that I will be better.
I will be better not because of genetics, or money or that I have read more books,
but because I have struggled and toiled for this child.
I have longed and waited. I have cried and prayed.
I have endured and planned over and over again.
Like most things in life, the people who truly have appreciation are those who have struggled to attain their dreams.
I will notice everything about my child.
I will take time to watch my child sleep, explore and discover. I will marvel at this miracle every day for the rest of my life.
I will be happy when I wake in the middle of the night to the sound of my child, knowing that I can comfort, hold and feed him/her

 and that I am not waking to take another temperature, pop another pill, take another shot or cry tears of a broken dream. My dream will be crying for me.
I count myself lucky in this sense; that God has given me this insight, this special vision with which I will look upon my child that my friends will not see.
Whether I parent a child I actually give birth to or a child that God leads me to,

 I will not be careless with my love.
I will be a better mother for all that I have endured. I am a better wife, a better aunt, a better daughter, neighbor, friend and sister because I have known pain.
I know disillusionment as I have been betrayed by my own body, I have been tried by fire and hell many never face, yet given time, I stood tall.
I have prevailed.
I have succeeded.
I have won.
So now, when others hurt around me, I do not run from their pain in order to save myself discomfort. I see it, mourn it, and join them in theirs.
I listen.
And even though I cannot make it better, I can make it less lonely. I have learned the immerse power of another hand holding tight to mine, of other eyes that moisten as they learn to accept the harsh truth and when life is beyond hard. I have learned a compassion that only comes with walking in those shoes.
I have learned to appreciate life.
Yes I will be a wonderful mother.

if you are still with me...My personal experience is not being able to be a mom & the pain that comes with infertility. But I know there are others out there who have lost their mom & just want one more hug, one more shopping trip, one more lunch-- Mother's Day isn't just flowers & candy; for many of us its a day of tears & strength. Just remember God has called you to this time & to this place you can be bitter or you can be a blessing- you have to choose which you are going to be.

One day I will be a Mom until then I am happy with this life God has blessed me with and that is my choice friends.