Currently Reading Streams in the Desert By L. B. Cowman, James Reimann see related

I know, I know, I've gone MONTHS without updating, and this isn't going to be much of an update.  I just wanted to share something I read this morning from a devotional book I've been going through this year, "Streams in the Desert."  I just wanted to share a few excerpts...

"Everything is possible for him who believes."  (Mark 9:23)

The "everything" mentioned here does not always come simply by asking, because God is always seeking to teach you the way of faith.  Your training for a life of faith requires many areas of learning, including the trial of faith, the discipline of faith, the patience of faith, and the courage of faith.  Often you will pass through many stages before you finally realize the result of faith--namely, the victory of faith.

...When you have made your request to God and the answer still has not come, what are you to do?  Keep on believing His Word!

...God will often purposely delay in giving you His answer, and in fact the delay is just as much an answer to your prayer as is the fulfillment when it comes

..No amount of persecution will try you as much as experiences like these--ones in which you are required to wait on God.  Once He has spoken His promise to work it is truly hard to wait as you see the days go by with no fulfillment.  Yet it is this discipline of faith that will bring you into a knowledge of God that would otherwise be impossible."

Be blessed today!!

finally updating!

wow..it's been awhile since I've logged on to this site!  I'm mostly updating on my w4lucy site, so feel free to send me a friends invite if you'd like to keep tabs on us that way.  (It's on friends lock so I can monitor who sees the site since I post pics and such there.) 

But, I won't leave you hanging without an update on here

You can probably guess that the most important thing I could update about would be the birth of our dear daughter.  She truly is the light of our lives and the most incredible blessing.  I can't believe she's already going to be six weeks old this week! 

Being a mommy is just so amazing...I was plagued with so many "what-if's" while I was pg--"what if she doesn't like me."  "What if I can't figure out what to do with her..."  etc...but from the moment she was born it was like everything just fell into place.  It's like I don't even remember what life was like before I had her.  Our family just feels so complete now...

Michael also immediately stepped into being a parent, and what an amazing daddy he is--I just love watching him with her!  He's so eager to help in the nights, too, and I know I am very blessed for that.  One thing I have learned about my DH over the years is that he truly is a servant--he's just so selfless...

Speaking of my husband...we just recently celebrated five years of marriage!  I still remember all the people who said "O, just you wait until after the honeymoon and then you'll see what it's really like..."  or, "O just you wait until you've been married a few years and the new wears off--you won't be lovey dovey like that then."  But I can honestly say I'm more in love with him now that I was the day I married him...and I didn't think that was possible!  I love how we're still so affectionate with one another and that we still have such an appreciation for the other.  The past five years has been filled with lots of twists and turns in the road, but God has allowed each avenue to draw us closer together as a couple and closer to Him. 

One of the biggest turns in life happened almost one year ago--December 30th 2006--when Michael went in for emergency surgery and we later found out he had cancer.  We're so thankful to be coming up to that one year mark of him being cancer free!  I have to be honest though and say there's always this little bit of fear in the back of my mind each time he goes in for bloodwork, x-rays, and especially ct-scans.  I just can't imagine going through that again...but I know God will give us the strength to handle whatever He places in our path.  Why would He stop now?

...One thing I've learned throughout this past year is that I really do have a lot of fear in my life. I'm so afraid of what is to come that I often miss out on what is happening in the here and now.  God gave me a phrase at the beginning of this year though--that I need to "Live in faith and not fear"--and He continually brings it to my mind when I start stressing out.  Our pastor preached on persecution this Sunday, and how it makes us stronger in the end.  It reminded me of the passage where Paul writes how we are to rejoice in our sufferings because "when I am weak, then I am strong."  So whether it be "in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties..." God is calling me to live in faith and not in my fear, and He's making me stronger as a result, but not because I'm finding my own strength through these instances, but because I'm learning to lean on HIS strength more and more because of my circumstances!

...

OK, that's enough from me for now!  Love to you all

I'm still here!!

Wow...I think this very well may be the longest I've ever gone without updating on here.  But, I've been updating more regularly on my other site, seeing as how "waiting for lucy" is the main topic in our lives right now.

I'm actually 37 weeks and 1 day pregnant now--is that crazy or what??  I can't believe my little girl will be here in just over two weeks!  It seems like just yesterday we were finding out we were expecting, and now we're anxiously awaiting the arrival of our miracle...God is so good!

Nothing too exciting to report at the moment...work is going well, although I'm certainly counting down the days until my maternity leave.  I'm SO exhausted and pretty uncomfortable, and you should see me sporting this lovely preggo waddle!  LOL

Well, I know this wasn't much of an update, but just thought I'd stop in and say hello 

Daddy's hands...

I had such a sweet memory come to mind today...

For some reason, one of my co-workers was talking about those "child leashes" at work today.  You know the ones I'm talking about--the rainbow colored ones that parents hook their kids up to when they go to the store, park, etc.?  I immediately had this flashback of walking in a store with my Daddy and him holding on to my hand tightly.  I would try to squirm away, not wanting to be confined, and he would give that big grin of his and start singing, "I wanna hold you hand" and try to divert my attention from not wanting my hand to be held.

I smiled to myself when I thought of those memories...and then tears quickly began to fill my eyes.  I realized I'd give anything to be able to hold my Daddy's hand again, and to hear him singing purposely off-pitch...  Honestly, a part of me feels abandoned as those strong hands that wouldn't let me go as a child are no longer there, but then I realize the love and strength of my Heavenly Father's hands, which are so gently reaching out to me during this time of grief.  And yes, even with my Heavenly Father there are days when I try to stray from His grasp, but He's always right there waiting for me to allow Him to take me by the hand and lead me through this valley...

busy busy busy...

I have a feeling that this week is going to go by FAST.  It's been pretty much non-stop, but hopefully we're getting a lot accomplished., and that's a good feeling.  Today was a strange day though.  I can't put my finger on exactly what it is, but I'm just feeling really "jumbled," if that makes any sense.  I was trying to have my quiet time this morning, and my mind was anything BUT quiet!  I just couldn't stay focused for even two seconds on the same thought when I was praying.  I guess maybe I'm allowing a lot of different things to stress me out.  Please be praying for me these next few days--that the Lord will give me a sense of calm over all of these different things that are going on...