Easter

I always love Easter. The flowers are blooming, the weather is warming, everything is coming alive! The best part is celebrating our Savior, Jesus Christ, who is ALIVE! 

I loved singing Glorious Day in church on Sunday--especially this verse:

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now He's ascended, my Lord evermore

Death could not hold Him
The grave could not keep Him from rising again

Living He loved me, dying He saved me
And buried He carried my sins far away
Rising He justified freely forever
One day He's coming, oh, glorious day, oh, glorious day
Glorious day

After church we had a wonderful meal with family and friends. Lucy loved hunting for eggs! She takes the whole process quite seriously. She also ate entirely too much chocolate and has been on a sugar high ever since. We got her this great book for Easter too! I highly recommend it!!

Hope you all had a wonderful day
 celebrating our RISEN Lord!

Back to Blogging

*Pardon My Dust* --Ha. I'm giving the ol' blog a little makeover and it's not quite finished yet!

Hello. It's been awhile. I've truly missed blogging and am resolved to keep this thing updated! I guess between having a baby, the holidays, traveling, getting no sleep, trying to keep up on housework, trying to get a shower or even lunch, trying to get back into shape, two ER visits (one for each girlie), one hospital stay, and what seems like the never ending cycle of sickness......I just haven't had a chance to blog. Hmm. Yeah, it's been a little crazy around here. :)

What's in the works? 

*I'm writing some update posts on Lucy and Annie. I haven't even written about Annie's birth! And Lucy turned 2!! I have so much to catch up on. 

*My favorite recipes

*Health and exercise stuff 

*Sermons and songs that have encouraged and challenged me

*Pinterest crafts---if I ever get the time to do anything I see on there!

 *Basically just the happenings of life. 

You have lots to look forward to!

Taken on Christmas. My little Princesses.

For now I just want to say how thankful I am for my church and church family. Pastor Mike just started a new series on heart issues--and wow--I can't wait to go back Sunday to hear the next sermon! They have been so convicting and encouraging. And we're just getting started! The last couple of messages on the wounded heart have been exactly what I've needed. I think every Christian needs to hear these! So if you're needing something to listen to.... :)  Here's a link to the blog (a must read!) and it's easy to find sermons from there. Countryside Heartbeat.  You'll be blessed! 

Our family of 4!  And before you start wondering why my baby is out in the snow in only a sleeper...it was 60 degrees. :)

"Not What My Hands"

Some Tuesday Thoughts...

I love discovering a really great new song. 

Thanks to Pastor JD for introducing this one to our church Sunday evening! 

Praise God for grace! 

Praise God for salvation! 

Me--a guilty sinner-- 
I now wear the righteousness of Christ. 

I hope and pray that I never get over this.

I love old texts.

This one is beautiful and so rich in truth.

I have loved and been greatly blessed from writings by Horatius Bonar.

So thankful this one has been set to new music so it can be cherished by a new generation.

Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul;
not what my toiling flesh has borne can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do can give me peace with God;
not all my prayers and sighs and tears can bear my awful load.

These guilty hands are raised, filthy rags are all I bring
And I have come to hide beneath your wings
These holy hands are raised, Washed in the fountain of your grace
And now I wear your righteousness

Thy work alone oh Christ can ease this weight of sin
Thy blood alone, oh Lamb of God, can give me peace within
Thy Love to me, oh God, not mine oh Lord to Thee
Can rid me of this dark unrest and set my Spirit free

Thy grace alone oh God to me can pardon speak
Thy power alone oh Lamb of God can this sore bondage break
No other work save thine, no other blood will do
No strength but that which is divine can bear me safely through

I praise the God of grace; I trust his truth and might
He calls me his, I call him mine, My God, my Joy, my Light
My Lord has saved my life and freely pardon gives;
I love because he first loved me, I live because he lives.

Worth It All

Just a note of encouragement today.
A little bit of what God is teaching me.

We just finished going through the book of John in church. Sunday was the last message and it was so great! It was chapter 21:15-25. Jesus is asking Peter if he loves Him sincerely, SUPREMELY, intimately and entirely. As I was soaking in the passage I had no idea how much I was going to need it this week. God is so good and faithful to give us what we need, isn't He? My faith has been challenged this week in ways it never has before. I have experienced trials deeper and different than at any other time in my life. I am learning what it means to love Christ more than any other and trust that what God has planned for my life is best and what will bring Him most glory.

I've been praying these last months that God would make me more like Himself so I can be a better mommy to my girls. I pray that they will know and love Jesus. God has graciously given them so ME. Placed them in MY care on this earth. My home is a mission-field to teach my children to love their God supremely and entirely. How can I teach them if I am not living it myself?

Even though trials are hard---sometimes even seemingly unbearable--they draw me closer to God. They make me like Jesus. How can I lose my joy and hope when I have Christ?! My life is truly blessed and full.

"Jesus I My Cross Have Taken" is one of my favorite hymns. Put to a new tune, this song has challenged and encouraged me this week. I hope you'll be encouraged too! God is good and great. The joy of knowing and serving Him is worth it all. The cross has transformed my life! How can I not serve Christ?

Trials

Do you ever feel like life is just one big trial after another??

Trials have been in abundance in my life over the last year. I am thankful, don't get me wrong.I know that trails test the genuineness of my faith to ultimately bring praise and glory to God. I rejoice in that! But sometimes I get weary. I was already planning on writing about trails today....and then one more came this morning. Hmm....maybe my heart still needs to learn? :)

I was so excited to get out of the house this morning and work out. Thursday morning is Zumba--my favorite way to exercise! I get bored out of my mind on the elliptical and treadmill sometimes. Zumba is fun and the hour flies by! Plus I burn tons of calories. It's pretty great. :) Anyway, that's not the trial....

I got Lucy and myself all ready to go. We headed down to the car and I noticed the tire was especially bad this morning. We have needed a new one for a while and I think it's finally no longer drivable. I thought I would try it out anyway. I got in the car and tried to back out AND no steering whatsoever. What!? This has never given us problems before. Maybe the Lord knew I shouldn't be driving on that tire and caused the steering to go out. I'm praying it will miraculously work next time! Prayers are appreciated. =)

My heart is heavy with many burdens today and I feel the need to talk to myself. What do I mean, you ask? In C. J. Mahaney's Living the Cross Centered Life he talks about our tendency to listen to ourselves. We are constantly bombarded with everyone telling us to "follow our hearts" and other ridiculous lies. The Bible says that our hearts are desperately wicked! What I "feel" will only make matters worse and make me miserable. I have seen this destroy people I love and I want nothing to do with it!! So I will talk to myself today. I will speak truth from what I know is right. God knows my needs. God's grace is more than enough for me today. Trials remind me that I am God's and He is working in me. Trials make the joy of my future in heaven sweeter. Trials make me like Jesus. The list goes on....

Isn't that what life is about? Still, my soul be still. I've been doing a lot of listening to this song lately. I hope it encourages you too! I have also been listening to When Trials Come and By Faith.

What Love!

We fly out tonight to spend Christmas in Arizona! We are all very excited about our vacation. :) Christmas in the beautiful snowy (hopefully!) mountains! Warm fires, hot chocolate, family, coziness. Ahh, sounds great doesn't it? 

We're looking forward to this Christmas with Lucy. Last year she was 2 weeks old. :) She wasn't into much more then sleeping and eating. I can't wait to see her eyes as she discovers the wrapping and bows (because trust me, those will be more fun than the gifts!). I am so thankful to have a child to share Christmas with. I don't care about getting gifts any more. The joy for me is giving and watching the wonder in Lucy's eyes!
Gifts are fun and all that, but it's not the reason we celebrate. 

Last Sunday evening at church we had a Christmas music and salvation testimony service. SALVATION---What an amazing way to look at Christmas! Yes, we celebrate that Jesus was born. But He was born to die. He was born to die for my sins and yours. I am so thankful that no matter the trials, sadness, and hurt we may be experiencing, Jesus came to give us hope! Even though circumstances in life would make us bitter and angry, unlike those without Christ, we don't have to be. Jesus has given us HOPE! I do not have to be a slave to sin anymore! I can experience the true joy and love and hope and peace that Christ offers. What a beautiful gift! Eph. 2:8. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God."

Tomorrow evening at my grandparents home, all of my family will be sharing what they are most thankful for this year. We won't be there, but this is what I am most grateful for: my salvation. Jesus coming to save ME. No gift is greater. I am praying for those close to me who have not received this gift--who are in the throes of sin and in bondage to self-- that they would accept Christ and be saved! Would you pray with me? I'm praying for miracles in lives. Let's pray together that our friends and family wouldn't spend another Christmas without Christ! If you have recieved salvation, reflect with me this Christmas and praise God for His indescribable gift!

When love came down to earth
And made His home with men,
The hopeless found a hope,
The sinner found a friend.
Not to the powerful
But to the poor He came,
And humble, hungry hearts
Were satisfied again.

What joy, what peace has come to us!
What hope, what help, what love!

When every unclean thought,
And every sinful deed
Was scourged upon His back
And hammered through His feet.
The Innocent is cursed,
The guilty are released;
The punishment of God
On God has brought me peace.

Come lay your heavy load
Down at the Master’s feet;
Your shame will be removed,
Your joy will be complete.
Come crucify your pride,
And enter as a child;
For those who bow down low
He’ll lift up to His side.

 Merry Christmas! 

Love Carey, Tali and Lucy