Where Two or More are Gathered…..

Matthew 18:20 “20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Right now Isaac, our oldest, is over at the High School taking his ACT test. I was up early to make him some breakfast and when the younger kids came down stairs I told them that we needed to remember Isaac and be praying for him because he had a big test today.

Isaac (for right now) says he is interested in Pharmacy. He thinks that he will attend SDSU and they have a program there that allows for early entry into the pre-pharm program as a freshman if you get a 27 or higher on the ACT. You are also eligible for more scholarships if that happens….needless to say he has a pretty high expectation of what he wants as a minimum score on the test today.

I remember taking my ACT test and not getting the score I had hoped for….it wasn’t terrible, but I was sure I was smarter than the test said I was. 😉 So as a mom now I have anxiety over this for him too!

I put out a call for prayer to some of those most amazing prayer warriors I know. It is good to have a circle of friends that will lift up even the smallest prayer requests!

Then as I was cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast Elijah (almost 5) came up to me and said that we should pray for Isaac!

So we sat down in the middle of the kitchen together and held hands.

I said “Did you know that the Bible says that where 2 or more are gathered together in God’s name, that God is there with them?”

“God is here right now Elijah, with us, hearing our prayers for Isaac!”

His eyes got big and he smiled….and then we prayed a prayer over his big brother.

It was 8:03am….right as Isaac was getting ready to start his younger brother was praying over him. I can’t tell you how much I love that!

I don’t know how he will do…or if he will get the score he wants.

I do know that our kids hear us. It is important to talk about God and prayer even in the most general of conversations. And when our kids come to us and want to engage us in prayer…stop everything and do it!

My heart is full this morning.

Regardless of how it turns out – Isaac left knowing that there were women across the country praying for him, that his siblings were praying for him…. and THAT is better than any positive test result.

Thank you for praying for my children – for covering them with blessings. I am so grateful to have a community here that loves me and my family so well!!

Photo Credit: fromcolettewithlove

Matching Gifts of Love

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This is me and my beautiful friend Delonna. I have introduced her here before…but today is an extra special day so I wanted to tell you about something amazing that you can be a part of!

Delonna is a God-sized dreamer and fellow GSD website contributor. She has only been in my life a little over a year, but I feel like she has been a friend forever.

She has the BIGGEST heart for orphans. A year ago she started an organization called Clothed in Love. Her heart’s desire is to sponsor 40 children with profits from her non-profit.

Isn’t that amazing?!

Right now, after only a year, she has sponsored 15 children! I am so so proud of her!

Delonna is also a woman with a servant’s heart and is currently on a plane, right now, headed to South Africa for a mission trip!! 🙂

Then in July she is headed back to Africa as a part of the Baby Watoto Global Team. She is going to visit an orphanage where she sponsors some children and will get to love on them in person!!

Trips like these cost money and today, on the 1 year anniversary of the start of Clothed in Love, we have an opportunity to help her meet the remainder of her goal.

An anonymous donor has contacted her and offered to match up to $1000 of the funds raised for the 24 hours of April 10th!

You can read more about it here on her Pure Charity webpage.

If you can give $10 today…it will become $20.

If you can give $50, it will become $100!

Ok I don’t need to give you more examples, you get the math!!

I am just so excited about this for Delonna!

I feel called to not only support a dear friend, but to show love to orphans even when I can’t actually go to Africa myself.

Today is the day friends.

I am asking you to pray and consider how you might be able to help make this trip financially possibly for Delonna.

Go here to make a tax-deductible donation and support a wonderful cause…and make your dollar go farther with this amazing, one day only, match!

Seeking to be the Light

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Sometimes the darkness in this world can be overwhelming.

I don’t even watch the news much anymore because I rarely find anything encouraging. Maybe that is hiding my head in the sand a bit…or maybe it is protecting my heart.

I easily gravitate towards the negative.

It isn’t something that I like about myself, but it is a part of who I am.

I have to fight it. To not get caught up in the “drama” and go down that dark path.

Recently I, and many of my dreamer sisters, were told “no” to an opportunity that seemed like such an amazing God-sized dream.

I will be honest with you and tell you that I really thought this time might be “it”. My spirit was crushed a little when the “no” came….the lies that I wasn’t good enough started creeping in again.

And I felt without words.

Have you ever been there? Chasing after what you thought was your God-sized dream only to discover it wasn’t in the cards for you. At least not now, not this time.

So I had to ask myself if this one thing was going to define me?

As writers, dreamers, want-to-be-speakers….we are bound to hear “no” from time to time. In fact we may actually hear “no” more than we hear “yes”!

But that doesn’t mean that our words aren’t important!

In fact it is the very reason that we must keep moving forward, keep offering hope to others!

As followers of Christ we are called to be a Light here.

Matthew 5: 14-16: 14 And you, beloved, are the light of the world. A city built on a hilltop cannot be hidden. 15 Similarly it would be silly to light a lamp and then hide it under a bowl. When someone lights a lamp, she puts it on a table or a desk or a chair, and the light illumines the entire house. 16 You are like that illuminating light. Let your light shine everywhere you go, that you may illumine creation, so men and women everywhere may see your good actions, may see creation at its fullest, may see your devotion to Me, and may turn and praise your Father in heaven because of it.

I love these verses in Matthew. Such a reminder that I need to be letting my light shine everywhere I go.

Why?

So that men and women everywhere may see creation at its fullest, may see my devotion to God and turn and praise God because of it.

We are called to be a light, ultimately, so that God can receive praise and glory!

This world isn’t about me (I know big shocker right?!) 😉

I am here to be a light in the darkness. (<==== Click to Tweet)

I can use this space for my glory…or for His.

I hope that I am always choosing the latter. That the words that spill on to these pages are ones of hope and encouragement and ultimately point you to Jesus.

So while the “no” stings, it doesn’t need to define me. My life has been a series of “no’s” that have eventually opened doors to some amazing “yes” opportunities!

I am called to be a light here, in all seasons. The good and the difficult because none of this life would be possible without Him.

I can’t ever forget that!

It is always an honor to link up with my fellow God-sized Dreamers. Want to join in on the fun? Jump over here to read more!

Photo Credit: Identity Photogr@phy

You Are Not A Failure

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When I was 16 I knew that I wanted to be a Physical Therapist when I “grew up”. One of my dad’s best friend’s was a PT and he allowed me to go to the clinic after school and shadow there to see what it might be like.

Before I even started college I had hours of volunteer time built up. I loved it. I felt like it was the perfect job for me and set my mind to achieving my goals.

As a Junior I was pre-accepted to the private college of my choice, located in my hometown, with scholarships. It was the college that my parents had both graduated from….everything was falling into place, perfectly

I had no doubt that this was God’s plan for my life.

My first semester of college was tough, but I worked hard and did well. Then in my 2nd semester as a Freshman I took Organic Chemistry. It was HARD and didn’t come easy. I studied and studied for my first quiz….I think I got 20 out of 25 wrong.

A complete and miserable failure.

I am sharing the rest of the story over at God-sized Dreams today – join me there won’t you?!

Original Photo Credit: Derek Keats

The Copper Anchor – April Impact Opportunity and a Giveaway!!

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Sometimes following our dreams can be risky.

The world may tell us that we are crazy or that our dreams are out of reach….

But if you are following God’s plans for you, Oh, the places you’ll go!

My dear friend, and amazing blog designer, Lisa Larson is following a BIG dream with her husband and kids. She recently shared that they are pursuing adoption.

A big, and at times scary, dream…but one they feel God calling them to.

I have had the opportunity to get to know Lisa over the past year and LOVE her heart for others. Yesterday she opened her new Etsy shop. They hope to sell these beautiful digital prints, like the one above, so that they can raise funds to help with their adoption costs.

Lisa has so much talent in design – I mean have you seen the beautiful details on my blog? She used those God-given gifts to create some amazing prints. I had a hard time choosing which ones I wanted to order!

I picked out 4 that I will print and use in our toy room!

I would love to help Lisa and Jerad meet their fundraising goal so it seemed perfect timing to feature their shop as my April Impact Opportunity!!

Lisa hasn’t asked me to post this….I just really believe in her and their desire to add another child to their family through adoption.

Would you consider making a purchase to help too? Right now the digital prints are only $5 and $10!! Once you purchase the digital download you will have access to the print to copy, share, print etc.

A friend on FB suggested that they could even be made into a canvas print! With all the deals I find for canvas prints, I loved this idea!

Following big dreams aren’t easy, and sometimes they take some hard work and a lot of faith….but the journey can be amazing can’t it?!

Thank you for helping to support Lisa and her family! And even if you can’t purchase a print right now I know they would love all the prayers they can get!

For fun I decided that I am going to give away one of these print downloads!! You can get one entry by heading over to Lisa’s shop and coming back and leaving a comment with your favorite print. You can get additional entries for sharing this post on FB and Twitter and if you purchase a print of your own that will give you another entry! Please just leave a comment for each entry separately and also make sure to leave your email address so that once I have a winner picked I can have Lisa send you your pick of prints direct!

Giveaway will remain open until Monday April 7th!

Linking up with my fellow dream chasing sisters today over at God-sized Dreams.

Even the Little Things

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Yesterday was a rough day.

It started out with me waking up at 4:30 in the morning with a terrible headache.

I get a bad headache a couple of times a month usually, and they usually last a couple of days. Typically I can take 1 excedrine, or use a little peppermint oil and it goes away. I have tried all sorts of things for headaches over the years and found many options ineffective.

So when I woke yesterday I took 1 pill and went back to bed for an hour and thought when I got up it would be gone.

But it wasn’t and it was really bad. Another pill, some oil, some Ibuprophen…massaging my temples. Nothing was working.

I reached out to a group of friends that was going to be meeting over the lunch hour to pray for our God-sized Dream team. Each Tuesday several women gather over Google Hangout and pray for the team. It is such a gift to have people praying for you and there is power when they are gathered.

I asked for prayer for my headache. And then forgot that I had even made the prayer request.

Over lunch I noticed that the headache just stopped. I figured that the meds must have finally kicked in. But it was gone and honestly it didn’t return for the rest of the day. This isn’t typical for me. When I get a bad headache like this it will come back, it will last into the evening, it will be there in the morning when I wake up. For at least 2 days, sometimes 3.

Last night I got a boxer from my friend Christine and in it she reminded me that they prayed for my headache….at approximately 1:45 EST. I was having lunch at that exact time (CST)….

During the exact moments that my dear sisters were lifting me up in prayer I was finally feeling relief.

When Christine left that message I just had chills.

He hears our prayers. No they aren’t always answered in the time frame that we would hope…or even with the answer we are looking for. But sometimes we see an immediate answer….and yesterday was one of those times.

I am just so grateful.

Grateful that I have faithful friends that are willing to stand in the gap for me and lift me up in prayer.

Grateful that God loves me enough to hear and respond to even the little things like a bad headache.

I am not sure where you find yourself this morning….struggling with a bad headache, or maybe something even bigger.

I want you to hear just this one thing today – God hears your prayers, even the little things. He hears them. It is worth our time to keep lifting them up. And when we see answers – share it with others!

Give God the credit for how He loves us!

Last night I jumped on our FB group page to thank the women who prayed for being faithful. We need to be faithful in the praying, but also faithful in the praising of God when we see the answers come!

God, thank you. Thank you for hearing, for healing and for loving me so much. Even in the little things. I am awake this morning pain free and praising You and grateful for my faithful sisters who stand in the gap for me.

Do you have a prayer need that I can be praying about today? Please leave them in the comments and I will be lifting you up in prayer today!!

Joining my dear friend Holley in her #2014EncouragementChallenge. Sharing words of encouragement and hope each week! We’d love for you to join in on the fun!!

Photo Credit: Zach Alexander

God’s Amazing World – Giveaway!

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I love books. And I especially love children’s books that are fun to look at and teach a good message. I was given the opportunity to review “God’s Amazing World!” by Eileen Spinelli and Ideals Books.

My children look at the world differently that I do at times.

They can see the beauty that I take for granted, they find wonder in the bugs that are crawling in the grass and the birds that are in the air. When I think of all the things that God created I am amazed. How often do I miss it though?!

But God, He thought of everything!

And what a story to share with your children. The way in which God created us, this world and everything in it. When we give our children God’s words, His stories, they keep them in their heart and remember them.

Just the other day I was talking to my 4 year old about Dominic having to work late and feeling bad that he was alone and Elijah said “He isn’t alone silly, he is never alone because he has God in his heart.” I had said that very thing to him weeks before when he said he was feeling lonely.

Our children are listening and remember what we say. What a better way to give them truth than in a book about God’s Amazing World?!

I love that because Gabriel is old enough to read on his own he can help read to his brother and sister. While they were listening, the minute I wanted to take a picture they wouldn’t sit on the couch, of course! 😉

In God’s Amazing World! “Gracie and her cousin Bo explore the seven days of Creation, all without leaving the backyard!”

The pictures are beautiful and as they discover each new day and what God created special for that day, kids are not only learning about the Creation story, but also about seeing God’s hand in everything around them. Even in their own backyard!

This book is a new favorite and we have read it over and over again! I am very excited because Flyby Promotions has given me an extra copy to give away to one of my readers!! If you have children you will want to enter this!! Just leave a comment below and tell me what is your favorite children’s book?! A winner will be chosen on Monday March 31st! #ShareAMoment

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

“You Love Me Anyway”

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We are in the season of Lent…anticipating the Easter celebration that will come in a few weeks, the culmination of the Christ story, the fulfillment of God’s promises.

But are we living out that gift of life that was given to us on a daily basis?

We are studying Revelation in church right now and it is very interesting and scary stuff. Scary for those that will be left behind. We see in greater detail God’s wrath on a fallen world.

But still there is hope in the story.

God, in His loving mercy, sent His only Son as a way out. Payment for our sins. God wants all to know Him and accept this gift of grace.

But do we live in that grace?

I have been a believer for a long time. I have also had a very skewed view of what that means. I am a failure at being a good Christian most days. I am not kind and loving with my family at times, I can talk about faith but don’t always live it out well, I am a hypocrite, 100%.

So who am I to stand here, writing about the grace and mercy of God?!

Those are lies that the enemy whispers to me often. Do you hear them as well?

Our pastor shared something at the end of his sermon on Sunday that really struck a chord in me and I just felt like I needed to share it here today. Maybe you find yourself in this very place as well….

As Christians we often hold ourselves to a kind of “to-do” list to keep us saved. Get up early for prayer time or Bible study, pray pray pray, go to church…etc.

All of these things are great. They keep us in communication with God, help build that personal relationship with Him that He so desires.

But it doesn’t keep us saved.

Christ’s shedding of blood on the cross is what was the ultimate payment, the covering we all need to remain in the presence of God for eternity.

I accepted this gift, and committed to walking in relationship with God but what happens on those days that I really need to sleep in and skip my quiet time? What about those times that I forget to pray for my husband and children? Or those times that I am selfish and ungrateful?

How could God possibly love a sinner like me?

And THAT is the point friends….

He doesn’t love us any less when we aren’t playing the Christian “part” to perfection!

God loved me so much (knowing EVERY sin that I would commit) that before I was even born He sacrificed His ONLY Son to die a painful and unimaginable death on a cross, so that the shedding of blood would be an eternal covering for me, if I would just accept the gift.

How powerful is that?!

It isn’t what I do, or blog about, or how often I get up and do a BIble study….He doesn’t love me for those reasons….and He doesn’t love me less in those times that I fail.

God loves unconditionally.

I can’t even fully grasp what that means because as a human, and a failure, I don’t know how to love unconditionally…I put conditions on my love all the time – even if I am not trying to do so….I think a hint of it is always there.

But God, in His great grace, pours out His love on us no matter what!

We should be walking in freedom friends!

Accepting this gift for what it is. A love offering from a God that cares more for us than we can even imagine. I am not going to loose His love when I fail…no, I already have His heart 100%. And so do you.

So start living in that redemption. It is your free gift to accept. And stop believing the lies that because you fail, that you have lost God’s favor. Your failures are the exact reason we have the cross.

A beautiful song the represents this is “You Love Me Anyway” by Sidewalk Prophets. Let the words fill your soul with hope today and walk in freedom because He loves you!

I am joining Holley for her #2014EncouragementChallenge. If you need some encouragement jump on over here and join the fun!

Photo Credit: www.ForestWander.com

Looking for God in a Billboard Sign

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In the early 90’s there was a movie called L.A. Story. Steve Martin played this man who was trying to find love and somehow had a “talking billboard” that helped guide him along the way.

I haven’t ever forgotten that movie, not because it was filled with amazing acting or special effects….no I can relate to wanting to have a message spelled out to me, in BIG letters, an unmistakable message from God.

Really how easy would that make life?!

Driving down the road in prayer time and asking God for direction….then you pass one of those large electronic billboards and your answer appears.

Talk about a burning bush kind of moment! How could I argue God’s direction if it were plastered on a billboard just for me?!

As I thought about that again tonight I realized that while that scenario might seem like it would be perfect….where does that put me in my relationship with God?

What happens to faith and trust when we are just looking for answers and being unwilling to move forward until we find them?

I am realizing that those times when I have faced the unknown, the times that I have to trust God’s love and provision for me and my family even when I can’t see or feel it right at that moment, are the times that I am closest to God.

It is those desperate moments, those intimate moments, those on my knees grateful and shaking my head in unbelief moments, that bring me to the feet of my Savior.

I can look back at all the times I cried out to God and said “Why won’t you just tell me already what Your plan is God?”….and while I didn’t get my answer plastered across a billboard, I found myself clinging to a glimmer of hope. Hope that He would make sense of it for me some day.

Time and time again God has taken the darkest most unredeemable moments of my life and transformed them. (<==== Click to Tweet)

If He had just flashed an answer that “it will be ok, don’t worry”….would I have missed the beauty that resulted?

I miss it all the time….His grace. I forget how much we have been through, how much we have changed and all the things we have to be grateful for.

There are still times of doubt. I am human and I have a huge problem with trust and fear. I have spent years waiting for the “other shoe to drop”.

Do you live in that place as well friend?

Just waiting for the next bad thing to happen, another disappointment or let down. Maybe it is a rejection letter, or another missed promotion. A job opportunity you were certain would be yours only to find that it was given to someone less qualified. You question the dreams you thought you would be chasing by now and wonder if maybe you are too old to dream big.

While an electronic billboard sign might be the easy way out…..I think that ultimately the journey to the discovery of all that God has planned for you would be so much less sweet.

When I start looking for who God is in His Word I start to find all the answers that I need. I start to see how parts of Naomi’s story, or Ruth’s are much like my own. I am encouraged by John and find myself relating to Thomas.

God used people, broken just like I am, to be an example for me today.

What if part of His plan for me is that someday, in the future, my words might be used to do the same for someone else?

Talk about God-sized dreaming!

So I carry on….we are called to be a light here, to share His good news with the world. I don’t do it perfectly and time and time again I find myself in doubt over His plan. But we must keep walking forward in faith.

The route may change, but it doesn’t mean that it is wrong. So today I am enjoying the journey and wow is it amazing!

I have the joy of linking up with my God-sized Dream sisters today…will you join us here?!

Photo Credit: jbcurio

Making the Tough Decisions

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Elijah is our 3rd son and the only one of our kids to be born in the summer months. Isaac and Gabriel were both fall babies and Karlena is my Christmas girl.

Elijah has been going to this wonderful preschool for the past year and 1/2. This year they had 2 full days and a 1/2 day of school. He LOVES school. He seems to be outgrowing the daycare setting and I felt like he really should go to kindergarten next year since he turns 5 in May.

Dominic also has a May birthday and he did go to school as a young 5 year old. He was always the youngest and the smallest. He remembers not being able to get his Presidential Fitness Patch because he was too young, even though he had passed all of the tests. Not getting his driver’s license when all his friends were able to….

Dominic had pretty strong feelings about keeping him back a year, based on his experience. I had pretty strong feelings about moving him forward, and if I am honest it was mostly because my sister’s daughter is the same age (they were born 10 days apart) and I know she will be moving forward this fall and I have been worried about the fact that they will celebrate the same birthday’s but at some point will recognize that they are in different grades.

I had e-mailed his teachers a few weeks ago asking them if they felt he was ready for kindergarten next year. And today we had conferences today at Elijah’s preschool.

Academically they think he would probably be just fine if he moved ahead. But being a boy, and an active one who really needs to be able to play and move around, they felt he might get frustrated in the super structured environment of kindergarten. Apparently they are getting down to some serious business there these days. 🙂

Both teachers have children of their own that went through similar circumstances. Both held one back and not another…and both recognized that later in their schooling careers the ones they didn’t hold back probably would have benefitted from it if they had.

Then we found out that there were going to be full time classes available M/W and T/Th, along with the fun Friday 1/2 day. By signing him up for both he will be introduced to some new curriculum in the M/W class, where he will be one of the oldest kids, and then will do some repeat learning in the T/Th class with kids his same age.

I hadn’t considered this as an option going into the meeting but as we talked about it I felt such a peace about it.

While it may always bother me a bit that my niece is in the grade above him…I am guessing based on who Elijah is, he won’t be bothered a bit! 🙂

Ultimately we needed to make the decision that is best for Elijah. This also means that he and Karlena will likely be only a year apart in school going forward since she is a December birthday!

Decisions like this are difficult and as parents we may make mistakes. I have learned that I need to be open to the opinions of others and willing to give up my selfish reasons for making a decision and choose what is best for my family.

Have you had to make a similar decision? I’d love to hear how you worked through it and what you learned!