Friend in Friend

I was listening to a teaching in Nehemiah by Alistair Begg and he said some things about money that really made me think. It is crazy how creative the Liar is at convincing us that there is something to be gained in this world by this world. The lie about Money, in-particular, is like a shiny red apple being dangled right in front of us yet just out of our reach, we never actually get to taste that in which it promises. By chasing after it we loose everything that is real, that is important, that is eternal, and live our whole life starved for what it can never give us.

Money can buy medicine but it can not buy health.
Money can buy a house but it can not buy a home.
Money can buy companionship but not friends.
Money can buy entertainment but not happiness.
Money can buy food but not an appetite.
Money can buy a bed but not sleep.
Money can buy a cross but not a Savior.
Money can buy you a good life but not an eternal life.

“Money has never yet made anyone rich.”

Just something I have been thinking about as I examine my life, my actions, and my heart behind it all.

here is a link to the the entire sermon, I highly recomend it : http://www.truthforlife.org/player/resources/restructuring-our-finances/listen/

“You make known to me the Path Of LIFE; in your presence there is Fullness Of JOY; at your right hand are PLEASURES forevermore.” ~Psalm 16:11~

~C

This morning while listening to an on going study through Nehemiah (Alistair Begg), we reach chapter 10, the Sabbath! It is funny how God has been hitting us with the Sabbath lately, Sabbath has been something Josh and I have been studying for the past year or more and partaking in it. The Sabbath is a complicated thing, well actually it’s not, but our flesh is so bent on ruling us that we are easily deceived by it (Jeremiah 17:9).

So what is the very heart of the Sabbath? We as believers are not suggested to think about possibly looking into it, but commanded to “remember the Sabbath Day and KEEP it Holy”. Not only are we commanded to remember and partake in it, but there are beautiful promises to those who faithfully do. Man I really wish pastors would teach on this!! So for a year now I have asked myself this question, “what is the heart of the Sabbath?”

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Psalm 16:11
“You make known to me the path of LIFE”

Psalm 119:106
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a LIGHT to my path.”

Abiding in the Lord is all, and MORE, that it is promises to be! I have been meditating on this Path Of Life that is promised to be made know to us, I came to another promise in Psalm 119, It says that Gods WORD is a LIGHT! It says first that The Word is a lamp to my feet, so I tossed that around and around all day yesterday, and as I did the strangest thing started to happen, it’s like God literally opened my eyes to everything around me (at my feet). He started to reveal things, like turning on a light reveals things, that are in my life that hinder life, life in Him. I mean like really small things, things that in and of themselves seem harmless, but putting a lot of those things together equal a major distraction from what is important, the Word and the Work of God. I have become over stimulated, over entertained, these things in my life have caused my desire for the Lord and my hunger for the Word to dwindle, in the end leaving me starved! We all know what happens when we are starved, we grab at anything and everything to escape the discomfort and deep ache of hunger.

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This past Sunday started off really bad, and I would have to say that a lot of the time they do, why is that? Sunday for me and my family is our Sabbath day, our day of resting in the Lord, a holy day, and well what better day for the enemy to attack?

The pastor of our church has been focusing on abiding in the Lord through his recent teaching series on the Fruit of The Spirit. It has made me really think and examine not only what I do but where I am, all day, every day. For the past three, almost four, years now I have woken up early and spent at least an hour with the Lord, ether through prayer, reading and studying the Word, spending time in meditation and journaling, silence or a combination. During these past years I have had ok seasons, where each day was ether a hit or a miss. Really abundant seasons when it didn’t matter what my circumstances were I was FULL of JOY full of hope, and I could not wait to dive into the Word each day! And I have had very very dry seasons where I could not see hear or feel the Lord in my life, and I was in daily discouragement, all sight of hope was dwindling. Now in each of those seasons with the Lord I was daily reading the Word, so why did my confidence and hope in the Lord and his goodness change?

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Two weeks ago at church during the service the pastor taught on JOY, one of the fruits of the Spirit. In the hand out there was a card that we were asked to fill out, on the front it said, “God gives me Joy when”….

So I have been thinking about it for two weeks now, I have struggled with this question, trying to think of when the Lord gives me JOY is really hard, when does the Lord “give” me JOY? I have thought  and thought and …..thought! I just keep coming to the same end, I don’t think that it is at all in what he gives, but it is in HIM!

“You make known to me the path of LIFE; in your PRESENCE there IS the fullness of JOY, at your right hand are PLEASURES forevermore.”  ~Psalm 16:11~

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here is a quick update. On Wednesday the 9th I had a 2 week check up (prenatal) (33weeks), well it turns out that the baby was wanting to come NOW, or at least very soon! I was dilated 2cm and babys head was down and ready to say hello, and since our wonderful thanks giving vacation I have been contracting like crazy. Well the Dr. did not like what she was seeing and forced me to go to the hospital. So I went over there that night, after my visit, and they checked me into Labor and delivery for monitoring and a lovely round of shots to stop the contractions. I had to stay over night, my dr. came to the hospital in the morning to check me out, the shots helped and there was no further progression. She has ordered me to be on bed rest until Jan! Now my first thought was,”yeah right!” I have 3 kids at home.
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We are having a BOY!!!!! We are so excited, we do not have any names yet, but the Lord will provide that for us soon enough.
~C

This Thursday the 17th we get to see what we will be having Next!!
O yeah I just realized that I have never posted about our soon to be NEW addition, I am 22 weeks pregnant! We will have 4 children in January, craziness! We are all hoping for a boy, especially Cadence
So I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, 2 more days!
~C

The Lord never ceases to amaze me with his continual goodness, his unending forgiveness towards this wayward heart. His amazing power and desire to save me over and over again, even from myself most times, the slavery I choose. And He cleans me and restore me to himself, only to put me back into the very place in which I had just failed him, to try it again with a Fresh Start.

These past weeks have been really hard and yet the most freeing.

Humility: Coming to God on His terms

“If My people who are called by My name will HUMBLE themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and heal their land.” (2 Chron 1:14)

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Today I officially started Home School!!!

Today Cayla read all on her own for the first time, about 6 short sentences, It was so awesome! I am so so blessed to have such a smart child to start this Home School adventure with, she learns so quickly, it is probably more an encouragement to me then then to her. It just blows me away because I had to go to kindergarten twice, and she is starting kindergarten at a first grade level! Thank you Jesus!

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