As I sit here preparing my heart to lead others into the thrown room of God through music in the morning, I think back to the first time I heard the last song in our set.
I was 14, sitting among about 5,000 teenagers in a dome in Georgia for an Acquire the Fire event weekend. I had loved music my entire life, but had never experienced worship in song with that much surrender. Never had I heard God speak so boldly to my heart through music before. I was drawn with hundreds of others to the front of the auditorium, not to stand close to the front or to admire the singer, but to fall on my face in worship of a Holy God and say, "Here is all of me, God."
Ever since this moment, music has never been the same for me. Words sung or spoken are so important, but are even more so when it comes to saying or singing them to God. If a song says, "I surrender all" shouldn't I check myself to make sure that I can mean those words with complete surrender before I start to sing them to the Living God?
With that being said, I have a challenge for you tomorrow at church. Truly hear the words before you sing them tomorrow and check yourself. Can you sing the words and mean them? If so, sing them with complete surrender. Sit at God's feet and worship Him.
Before I end this blog, I feel the need to share the words to the song that drove me to my knees 13 years ago.
Lord, I Give You My Heart by Reuben Morgan
This is my desire
To honor You
Lord with all my heart
I worship You
All I have within me
I give You praise
All that I adore is in You
Lord, I give You my heart
I give You my soul
I live for You alone
Every breath that I take
Every moment I'm awake
Lord, have Your way in me
_____________________
Here is the link to Hillsong's version of the song if you would like to hear it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X25XsU1WqRE
Saturday, October 30, 2010
The New Do
I have been contemplating a haircut for months now. Adam likes my hair long and stringy. While I do enjoy a quick ponytail, I also enjoy being able to wear my hair down occasionally.
You can do that with long hair, Krista. Yeah, not my hair. I have like 3 normal people's hair all put together in one huge thickness in which I used to refer to as the poof. Until they invented the straightener.
My hair was sooooo long though and sooooo thick that it would take me forever and a day to straighten my hair.
So, after much discussion with Adam about my hair, we agreed that I could cut it off.
It's amazing how light my head feels. I think the headaches will be more few and far between with less hair.
I have high hopes that I will be diligent with fixing this "do" and making it worth all of my hairstylist's time and effort.
Anyways, here are the before and after pics.
You can do that with long hair, Krista. Yeah, not my hair. I have like 3 normal people's hair all put together in one huge thickness in which I used to refer to as the poof. Until they invented the straightener.
My hair was sooooo long though and sooooo thick that it would take me forever and a day to straighten my hair.
So, after much discussion with Adam about my hair, we agreed that I could cut it off.
It's amazing how light my head feels. I think the headaches will be more few and far between with less hair.
I have high hopes that I will be diligent with fixing this "do" and making it worth all of my hairstylist's time and effort.
Anyways, here are the before and after pics.
Joyful Moment of the Day: Having Adam home today and not having anything to do until this evening. It's been a relaxed day.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Sisters
Michael and I are 4 years apart. We were never that close until I moved out and went to college.
When Adam and I found out we were pregnant again, I was so excited thinking about my daughter having a brother and being closer in age than Michael and I were making it more probable that they would be close friends growing up, making up for the years that Michael and I missed out on.
After finding out we were having a second girl, I was overwhelmed with beautiful comments, emails, and letters telling me how lucky my daughter will be to have a sister. I just have to say thank you to everyone who has shared their own personal stories of how they love having a sister.
I would like to share one of those letters with you from one of the ladies that I work with.
Krista-
After our quick conversation on Thursday about the new girl angel you are carrying, I began to think about the joys of having a sister.
My sister - well - she is not my best friend; she's a part of me really. There are bonds sisters share that no one else could ever understand. And you, you are offering this very precious gift to your daughter.
Imagine... fast forward to when your children are adults... your oldest giving this card to her little sister whom she has protected and loved oh-so-much!
Be cheered!
Jody
This note was inside a beautiful birthday card from a sister to a sister.
All of these notes and letters have made me so happy to know that Kaylee will have a sister to share her life with. Thanks again for sharing!
Joyful Moment of the Day: Cuddling with Kaylee this morning when she got up. I love it when she is in the mood to cuddle!
When Adam and I found out we were pregnant again, I was so excited thinking about my daughter having a brother and being closer in age than Michael and I were making it more probable that they would be close friends growing up, making up for the years that Michael and I missed out on.
After finding out we were having a second girl, I was overwhelmed with beautiful comments, emails, and letters telling me how lucky my daughter will be to have a sister. I just have to say thank you to everyone who has shared their own personal stories of how they love having a sister.
I would like to share one of those letters with you from one of the ladies that I work with.
Krista-
After our quick conversation on Thursday about the new girl angel you are carrying, I began to think about the joys of having a sister.
My sister - well - she is not my best friend; she's a part of me really. There are bonds sisters share that no one else could ever understand. And you, you are offering this very precious gift to your daughter.
Imagine... fast forward to when your children are adults... your oldest giving this card to her little sister whom she has protected and loved oh-so-much!
Be cheered!
Jody
This note was inside a beautiful birthday card from a sister to a sister.
All of these notes and letters have made me so happy to know that Kaylee will have a sister to share her life with. Thanks again for sharing!
Joyful Moment of the Day: Cuddling with Kaylee this morning when she got up. I love it when she is in the mood to cuddle!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Top 10 Quick Pick-Up Tips
If you are like me, your house is not always "up for showing". Kaylee usually has toys everywhere. Adam usually has socks everywhere. Most days I would cringe at the thought of someone seeing my messy house. So, what do you do when that someone calls and asks to drop-by for a bit?
Here is my
Top 10 Quick Pick-Up Tips
1.) Designate a corner in your living/family room for toys. - Once you get that call, just start chucking toys toward that corner and if you have an extra spare moment you can organize the chaos. Otherwise, just moving the toys to the one corner does a major turn around for the living space. At least they won't be tripping over a ball or blocks while they visit.
2.) Focus on the main areas. - Living Room, Bathroom, and Kitchen. These are the rooms that your guest will most likely be in if they stop by. Don't worry about your bed not being made. Shut your door.
3.) Shut lights off in areas that you don't want guests to visit. - Most of the time my dining room is not needed for a quick visit. While my dining room is open to my kitchen, it is not as noticeable if the light is off. Making it unnecessary to scrub down the table or sweep the dining room floor.
4.) Keep up with major items on a regular basis. - I am mainly talking about dishes. Dishes seem to be everywhere if you let them go. And it is the first thing your guest will notice when entering your home. Especially if you offer them something to drink. It is best to make dishes a top priority. Put clean ones away and keep dirty ones out of sight by putting them in the dish washer or washing them. That way when the guest calls, you have the minimum amount of dishes to put away. Maybe a breakfast bowl and cup, but nothing major like scrubbing the pots from last night's dinner.
This can also apply to the bathroom. Keep your shower curtain shut and your counter cleaned off regularly. That way the most you have to do when a friend stops by is maybe empty the trash and make sure there is toilet paper on the roll.
5.) Let the sunshine in. - If it is daytime, open the curtains and blinds in the main areas. If it is night, turn on the lights. Lights and sunshine give your home a clean homey feel and makes the space feel bigger.
6.) Do light cleaning when you have a free moment. - For me, this is when I pick up Kaylee's toys. As soon as she goes down for a nap, I pick up the toys that she has played with all morning. Sure, I know she will be getting them out again later, but I have found that if I leave out the first round of toys then her second round of playtime makes the room worse. There are double the amount of toys to clean up then when that friend drops by. If I just pick up the few things that she played with during the morning, they are out of the way and then I don't have to worry about a huge mess to clean up later.
7.) Move the "junk" to the closed bedroom. - If you have a lot of clutter that has accumulated in your main living area, just toss it into your closed bedroom. This includes the 3 baskets of laundry you have been folding for the past few days. Again, the door will be shut so they won't see it. No need to "find a place" for it right now. Your friend will be here any minute and you still have a few things to do.
8.) Fluff the couches/ Rearrange pillows. - Our couch pillows tend to be in disarray. So, a quick pillow move around really makes our living room look clean. It is amazing how even that quick of a fix makes a huge difference in our front room.
9.) Wipe the counters. - You don't want to offer them a drink and have them put their hands in a sticky mess if they lean on your counter. This takes no time at all, makes you more comfortable with having them in your kitchen, and makes your kitchen look clean.
10.) Make sure you look presentable. - If you are still wandering around the house in your pj's, your guest will feel like they imposed. It's important that you take a few minutes to brush your hair, put some clothes on, and brush your teeth.
This works not only for those drop- by guests, but also for the guests you planned on coming, but ran out of time to clean up for because you worked late or had a long day and forgot that they were coming.
Joyful Moment of the Day: Kaylee woke up in a good mood today.
Here is my
Top 10 Quick Pick-Up Tips
1.) Designate a corner in your living/family room for toys. - Once you get that call, just start chucking toys toward that corner and if you have an extra spare moment you can organize the chaos. Otherwise, just moving the toys to the one corner does a major turn around for the living space. At least they won't be tripping over a ball or blocks while they visit.
2.) Focus on the main areas. - Living Room, Bathroom, and Kitchen. These are the rooms that your guest will most likely be in if they stop by. Don't worry about your bed not being made. Shut your door.
3.) Shut lights off in areas that you don't want guests to visit. - Most of the time my dining room is not needed for a quick visit. While my dining room is open to my kitchen, it is not as noticeable if the light is off. Making it unnecessary to scrub down the table or sweep the dining room floor.
4.) Keep up with major items on a regular basis. - I am mainly talking about dishes. Dishes seem to be everywhere if you let them go. And it is the first thing your guest will notice when entering your home. Especially if you offer them something to drink. It is best to make dishes a top priority. Put clean ones away and keep dirty ones out of sight by putting them in the dish washer or washing them. That way when the guest calls, you have the minimum amount of dishes to put away. Maybe a breakfast bowl and cup, but nothing major like scrubbing the pots from last night's dinner.
This can also apply to the bathroom. Keep your shower curtain shut and your counter cleaned off regularly. That way the most you have to do when a friend stops by is maybe empty the trash and make sure there is toilet paper on the roll.
5.) Let the sunshine in. - If it is daytime, open the curtains and blinds in the main areas. If it is night, turn on the lights. Lights and sunshine give your home a clean homey feel and makes the space feel bigger.
6.) Do light cleaning when you have a free moment. - For me, this is when I pick up Kaylee's toys. As soon as she goes down for a nap, I pick up the toys that she has played with all morning. Sure, I know she will be getting them out again later, but I have found that if I leave out the first round of toys then her second round of playtime makes the room worse. There are double the amount of toys to clean up then when that friend drops by. If I just pick up the few things that she played with during the morning, they are out of the way and then I don't have to worry about a huge mess to clean up later.
7.) Move the "junk" to the closed bedroom. - If you have a lot of clutter that has accumulated in your main living area, just toss it into your closed bedroom. This includes the 3 baskets of laundry you have been folding for the past few days. Again, the door will be shut so they won't see it. No need to "find a place" for it right now. Your friend will be here any minute and you still have a few things to do.
8.) Fluff the couches/ Rearrange pillows. - Our couch pillows tend to be in disarray. So, a quick pillow move around really makes our living room look clean. It is amazing how even that quick of a fix makes a huge difference in our front room.
9.) Wipe the counters. - You don't want to offer them a drink and have them put their hands in a sticky mess if they lean on your counter. This takes no time at all, makes you more comfortable with having them in your kitchen, and makes your kitchen look clean.
10.) Make sure you look presentable. - If you are still wandering around the house in your pj's, your guest will feel like they imposed. It's important that you take a few minutes to brush your hair, put some clothes on, and brush your teeth.
This works not only for those drop- by guests, but also for the guests you planned on coming, but ran out of time to clean up for because you worked late or had a long day and forgot that they were coming.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
It's a Girl!
Well, we are going to have 2 girls. It's crazy to me because I did not have sister growing up so I am intimidated by how to relate to 2 little girls. I hope they are close friends though and that I can convince Adam that we should have a few more kids and hopefully have a boy at some point.
Here are a few pics and videos from today's ultrasound.
Girl.
Heartbeat.
Waving.
Profile.
Super Long Legs.
Joyful Moment of the Day: Our little girl is healthy and right on schedule for March 12! Can't wait to meet her! I hope this one looks like me! :)
Here are a few pics and videos from today's ultrasound.
Girl.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Fresh Morning Rain
As I STILL struggle with making time to stop and spend time with God, I also find myself struggling with my week. Yesterday was a pretty down day for me. I was super tired and had a headache, but was also met with some emotions that I can only classify as down in the dumps. I blame myself because of my lack of stopping.
Anyways, this morning I was able to share an unplanned moment with the Lord. I had just put Kaylee down for a nap and was coming back to the living room to check the internet quick when I noticed the sun beaming into the room. (It had been dreary out so far this morning much like my attitude yesterday.) After noticing the sun, I looked out the window to see the most beautiful light refreshing rain fall. Trust me, I usually don't call rain beautiful. Rain usually makes me feel as depressing as it looks. Today, however, the rain was so beautiful in the glistening sun. I scanned the sky for a rainbow and did not see one, but I watched the rain fall, bringing some of the neighbor's leaves to the ground with it. Such a beautiful display of God and His glory to me this morning.
Thanks Lord!
May you find time with Him today. I hope to!
Joyful Moment of the Day: Kaylee and I played together this morning. I really needed to do housework, but instead spent time playing with her teddy bears and blocks. We had a great morning together.
Anyways, this morning I was able to share an unplanned moment with the Lord. I had just put Kaylee down for a nap and was coming back to the living room to check the internet quick when I noticed the sun beaming into the room. (It had been dreary out so far this morning much like my attitude yesterday.) After noticing the sun, I looked out the window to see the most beautiful light refreshing rain fall. Trust me, I usually don't call rain beautiful. Rain usually makes me feel as depressing as it looks. Today, however, the rain was so beautiful in the glistening sun. I scanned the sky for a rainbow and did not see one, but I watched the rain fall, bringing some of the neighbor's leaves to the ground with it. Such a beautiful display of God and His glory to me this morning.
Thanks Lord!
May you find time with Him today. I hope to!
Joyful Moment of the Day: Kaylee and I played together this morning. I really needed to do housework, but instead spent time playing with her teddy bears and blocks. We had a great morning together.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Exactly What I Needed
It's easy to get to a place where when people see you day to day, you just tell them everything is ok. Most of the time if someone asks me, "how are you today?", I think of my current status which is usually pretty good.
It's in my own quiet space where it is just me and God that things are not ok.
Yes, I love Him and want to serve Him, but my desire falls short when it comes to actual motivation to spending time with Him. I was challenged in this area last weekend by Joey our youth pastor at the Liquid retreat. God truly grabbed my heart with concepts that I had heard before, but somehow they made the connection.
So, with being back at work for a full week, I must say that I struggled. Still.
I did great the first day and maybe one other day, but still found it falling to the back burner, quickly forgotten.
To get to the next part I must give you a teeny bit of background. I really have been stressed out lately. Everything and everyone adds to it. I have had tears come to eyes more than once when I am in the quiet of my car driving from here to there. Trying to hold it together.
This weekend during a marvelous prayer walk through the beautiful woods, covered in the colors of fall, we had a moment of confession. We prayed to ourselves asking God to show us areas that we need to confess to Him. During this time God revealed to me that I have been doing things by my own strength. Hence the stress.
This also drives home last weekend's thoughts as well. I need time with God so that I can rely on Him and His strength to carry me through this time in my life that makes me anxious and stressed. They are so intertwined.
As I prepare my heart and mind for the week, I already feel myself getting tense. I must lay this down and give it to Him. I am hoping that this week I am able to truly stop, be quiet, and connect with God and in the process know that He will get me through each day.
Here is to a new week!
Joyful Moment of the Day: I loved the retreat, but it was fun to get back to Adam and Kaylee. We played and laughed a lot this afternoon. Perfect ending to a great weekend! A weekend that was exactly what I needed!
It's in my own quiet space where it is just me and God that things are not ok.
Yes, I love Him and want to serve Him, but my desire falls short when it comes to actual motivation to spending time with Him. I was challenged in this area last weekend by Joey our youth pastor at the Liquid retreat. God truly grabbed my heart with concepts that I had heard before, but somehow they made the connection.
So, with being back at work for a full week, I must say that I struggled. Still.
I did great the first day and maybe one other day, but still found it falling to the back burner, quickly forgotten.
To get to the next part I must give you a teeny bit of background. I really have been stressed out lately. Everything and everyone adds to it. I have had tears come to eyes more than once when I am in the quiet of my car driving from here to there. Trying to hold it together.
This weekend during a marvelous prayer walk through the beautiful woods, covered in the colors of fall, we had a moment of confession. We prayed to ourselves asking God to show us areas that we need to confess to Him. During this time God revealed to me that I have been doing things by my own strength. Hence the stress.
This also drives home last weekend's thoughts as well. I need time with God so that I can rely on Him and His strength to carry me through this time in my life that makes me anxious and stressed. They are so intertwined.
As I prepare my heart and mind for the week, I already feel myself getting tense. I must lay this down and give it to Him. I am hoping that this week I am able to truly stop, be quiet, and connect with God and in the process know that He will get me through each day.
Here is to a new week!
Joyful Moment of the Day: I loved the retreat, but it was fun to get back to Adam and Kaylee. We played and laughed a lot this afternoon. Perfect ending to a great weekend! A weekend that was exactly what I needed!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Stress, Rejuvenation, Games, and Friends
Things have been really stressful for me lately. We have had crazy busy schedules and I suppose my being pregnant has effected my ability to handle as much stuff as I usually do. However, I am hoping that the next few weekends lift my spirits and help me relieve the stress that my poor body has succumbed to.
Tomorrow I am going to women's retreat with our church. I am really looking forward to a weekend away where I can spend some time with God and hopefully get some rejuvenation from Him. I am also going to have the opportunity to spend some time among friends. My hope is that this weekend can be a time of refreshing my spirit and of relaxation.
Next weekend we have our "House Con." Adam is super excited about this extravaganza of course! We will be having 3 full days of gaming. It has been a while since I have gotten to play some games so I must admit I am looking forward to it. That and the fact that we are planning on having quite a crowd so I will be acting as hostess and making chili for everyone. I am really looking forward to that.
The weekend after the next my best friend Meggan, her husband Trevor, and beautiful daughter Addison will be coming to visit. I am really looking forward to having friends visit. I am also excited about watching Kaylee and Addison play together. It will be the icing on the cake of October. Friends always bring about the encouragement and strength that you can only get when they are around. I can't wait!
Joyful Moment of the Day: My husband made tacos for dinner and it was ready when I got home. It was sooo good! We watched Survivor while eating dinner and it made for a great hour together before he headed off to Liquid.
Tomorrow I am going to women's retreat with our church. I am really looking forward to a weekend away where I can spend some time with God and hopefully get some rejuvenation from Him. I am also going to have the opportunity to spend some time among friends. My hope is that this weekend can be a time of refreshing my spirit and of relaxation.
Next weekend we have our "House Con." Adam is super excited about this extravaganza of course! We will be having 3 full days of gaming. It has been a while since I have gotten to play some games so I must admit I am looking forward to it. That and the fact that we are planning on having quite a crowd so I will be acting as hostess and making chili for everyone. I am really looking forward to that.
The weekend after the next my best friend Meggan, her husband Trevor, and beautiful daughter Addison will be coming to visit. I am really looking forward to having friends visit. I am also excited about watching Kaylee and Addison play together. It will be the icing on the cake of October. Friends always bring about the encouragement and strength that you can only get when they are around. I can't wait!
Joyful Moment of the Day: My husband made tacos for dinner and it was ready when I got home. It was sooo good! We watched Survivor while eating dinner and it made for a great hour together before he headed off to Liquid.
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