Fearless

It's been such an amazing spring. Yes, we've had cold windy days, but the beautiful sunny summer-ish ones like today make those days bearable. I'm so thankful for the health to walk and run about enjoying the sunshine with my little man... taking in the new spring flowers and green trees. Saw butterflies fluttering around today... everything is so bright and cheery. New beginnings after a winter season.

How good of God to allow us "springtimes" in our own lives... new beginnings. It sounds cliche, but it is absolutely true: Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

What are you doing with yours? What am I doing with mine? What effect am I having on those around me? Am I becoming more like Christ, or is it getting harder and harder to see Him in me?

Sometimes we get so caught up in past mistakes, that we miss God's call to move forward. He didn't ask us to dwell in the past. To get stuck in our pits. Yes, we need to take quick glances back to appreciate how far He has taken us... to learn from our mistakes. But not to dwell on them. Christ came to set us FREE! Are we living proof to those around us that we are free in Christ?

Don't let the enemy trap us. Oh, how he schemes to hold us down. To render Believers useless for Christ. To feed us lies that we often gullibly swallow and take to heart. It takes a conscious effort and discipline on our part to stand firm in Christ. Remember WHO lives you! Some of us need to start living Spirit-powered lives. Imagine the effect we could have if we let God's Spirit work freely in us?

Oh how I want that.

Back in early January, I listened via live-stream to a youth conference called Passion. It's geared toward 18-25 year olds.  My heart was again stirred at the vital importance of reading and studying the bible for ourselves to know what God is saying... so we can recognize truth when we hear it and be aware when we're being lied to, or not being told the whole truth.  I listened to one message (Louie Giglio) in particular a few times on my iPod. It is based on Ephesians 6:19-20:

"Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth words may be given me so that I will FEARLESSLY [boldly] make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it FEARLESSLY, as I should."

I can't properly paraphrase Louie's message, but I was challenged on how much I keep my witness hidden. What good is that to the lost around me? Why am I so scared of what they think when I am covered in the TRUTH? What if the person I am talking to has been moved by God to have open ears and a ready heart to hear the Good News? We hear so many testimonies where you'd never guess the person was wanting to hear the gospel, but surprisingly soaked it up like a sponge when a person was FEARLESS in sharing it with him or her. Who are we to judge the heart? That's not my responsibility. Mine is to witness. To share. And to continue to be friendly even if we (aka - the gospel) gets rejected at first.

I  admit... to be rejected or mocked... it's hard on the pride. But it's not about us. It's about Christ!

If I were Paul, I would have had many other priorities in prison that I'd ask the Christians to pray for... like, maybe freedom?!  But Paul...  his number 1 concern was sharing the gospel. That he would have the boldness and fearlessness to tell others of Christ - to lift HIS name high for God's glory. That was his prayer request while he was held captive in prison. And that's what he asked others to pray for for him.

May I be more like Paul... let's pray that for each other, ok? And remember - we're not stepping out on our own... if we're walking in step with Christ, then we have His Spirit leading us and giving us the words and courage to share the gospel. With Christ living in us - let's be FEARLESS for Him!

(It's so much easier to be "fearless" while hiding behind words on a screen... a much different story when it's "face-time"!  Praying for courage to act on words and Truth.)

Eleven Months & Walking!

Well..... "walking" might be pushing it... blame it on proud Mama talk...

We had an exciting long weekend:  AJ took some consecutive controlled steps! :)

I'm so happy his Daddy was there to see it too. He did it once earlier in the day for me alone but not quite as steady. Then again just before this so Daddy could see, then again for a video! Yay! It's happened frequently since too, though the distance hasn't really grown. I love the proud grin he gets on his face when we cheer.

In other news, AJ has decided he likes loves chicken! After trying to get some protein into him for months now, he has taken to chicken. We were invited out for lunch on Sunday and they had chicken fingers for the kids... AJ ate two and a half chicken fingers. I checked - they really DID go in his mouth! And more chicken on Monday and today.

But that love could change tomorrow! 

Finding food all day to feed an 11 month old is definitely not my favourite part of mothering... ;)

I think I'll give the long weekend its own post after I upload my pictures. We had a wonderful weekend! I hope you did too. :)

1st Birthday jitters

Tomorrow is May 11... and in exactly one month, my little man is turning ONE!

waaaaaahhh!

How did this happen?? The year flashed by.

Turning ONE means a birthday. And a birthday usually means a celebration. And a celebration usually means a party.

I have a love-hate relationship with Pinterest, facebook and blogs. Sometimes I let them make me feel like the worst/laziest mother out there. Seriously - have you seen some of the first birthday parties hosted out there?? Full-on theme crafty parties, entertainment, incredible favours, and lots and lots of people.

I think those moms are amazing. I don't begrudge them at all, and I know that those that DO parties, enjoy all the prep that goes into it. Their kids will have amazing pictures to look back at!

But for me??

I. am. not. crafty.   (goodness, I struggle getting my son's snaps done up on his clothes,! I think that says something.)
I. am. not. a. baker.
I. am. not. overly. organized. (ha)
I. am. not. overly. social.  (sorry people - I do love you though!)
We. have. no. yard. (This relates, as a BBQ/Picnic doesn't sound too bad)
Birthday. parties. have. always. stressed. me. out. (seriously - as long as I can remember. I never ever begged for a real birthday party... though I had one or two as a child under peer pressure)

And now I have a son. What if he grows up to LOVE parties? Yikes. Seriously, yikes.

If I don't have an amazing celebratory first birthday party for our precious little stinker boy, will he think he's less loved? Will OTHERS think we love him less??

Sounds ridiculous. But those very thoughts are plaguing me right now.

So, if June 11th rolls around and there's just a very quiet celebration for our little guy with a couple balloons and some cake - please don't judge too much. We love our little man so much, that if we loved him MORE, we might explode. :)

And... when he's older and KNOWS it is his birthday... if he wants to have a party with his buddies, well then... I might have to step up to the plate for him. The display will still fall far short I'm sure, but I will do my best to make sure my kid has a happy celebration and knows he is loved! :)

Multitudes - Grace Gifts

My friend Heidi did a Multitude post today and inspired me to post a few things I am thankful for today. I live a life so blessed by God, and it's important to stop and count my blessings. To live a life of gratitude. To see God in the little things as well as the big ones... each is a grace gift from His hand!


Today I am thankful for:


-- 24 years ago today... that God didn't leave a little 8 year old undisturbed at the death of her Sunday School teacher. He saved me from my sins that night and made my life brand new in Christ. 24 years on the way to Heaven! Praise God! :) You can read my story here.

Sybil - my SS teacher is on the far right, beside my mom who has her back to the photographer :)

-- AJ slept all through the night! It was a 5:30 start today, but those solid hours of sleep are amazing. 


-- my hot high-pressured shower (not a special shower - it just has nice water pressure!). This is something I thank God for almost every morning... (I hope that makes up for my moaning and complaining when I'm somewhere else with a wimpy stream of water that barely rinses my hair out!;))

-- my weekly girls' bible study. There are five of us who aim to get together every Monday night to do a bible study. We are currently doing one put together by three ladies - Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore and Kay Arthur. It's on the Life of David - Anointed, Transformed and Redeemed - and seems very timely for the season of life some of us are in right now. 

-- for my husband who's willing to be home as often as he can to look after AJ and get him to bed while I have my evening with girlfriends and study partners. Love him!

-- for my brother passing all his exams last semester (just found out yesterday). He had some crazy courses and profs, so I know he must be super relieved to have them behind him.

-- for our little get-away place in Grand Bend. Now that the weather is nicer, we've been up twice on weekends and enjoy our relaxing escape from the city. Ask us at the end of the summer if we're still enjoying the yard work! ;)

-- that our little guy seems to like the beach as much as I do! Yayyy!!

(That's a happy sound in case you're wondering... hopefully the happy "yell" moves on to something more... happy sounding!:D)


-- for music. always.  I've been listening to a new artist lately, Christy Nockels. Her latest CD is much more mellow (right word?) than I usual go for, but her lyrics have been hitting home. Here's an example:

For Your Splendor

“And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary.  Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.” Ezekiel 47:12

“I’m so concerned with what I look like from the outside.

Will I blossom into what You hope I’ll be.

Yet You’re so patient just to help me see.

The blooms come from a deeper seed that You planted in me.

Sometimes it’s hard to grow when everybody’s watching.

To have your heart pruned by the one who knows best.

And though I’m bare and cold, I know my season’s coming.

And I’ll spring up in Your endless faithfulness.

With my roots deep in You, I’ll grow the branch that bears the fruit.

And though I’m small, I’ll still be standing in the storm.

‘Cause I am planted by the river by Your streams of living water.

And I’ll grow up strong and beautiful, all for Your splendor, Lord.

So with my arms stretched out, I’m swaying to Your heartbeat.

I’m growing with the sound of Your voice calling.

You’re bringing out the beauty that You have put in me.

For Your joy and for Your glory falling.”

Written by Christy Nockels and Nathan Nockels, Copyright 2012 sixsteps Music/worshiptogether.com Songs/Sweater Weather Music (ASCAP) (Admin. at EMICMGPublishing.com)

And another one:

-- my refreshing smoothie this morning! Tastes like a bright summer day! :)

What are you thankful for?

Success! And Summer Days

Well, our adventure to Hamilton was a success... we came home with a new running stroller! No excuses now... I signed up for a 5k for May 26th - a goal to get me out the door :)

The stroller's previous home was in Ancaster - a little town I had never been to before. Wikipedia says it is a "picturesque and historic community located on the Niagara escarpment, within the greater area of the city of Hamilton, Ontario." The area I saw was definitely picturesque... I bet it's gorgeous in the fall with all the colours! 

After an hour and a half drive out, I didn't think AJ would want to stay put for the drive home without a break, so we walked a little street of shops and found a library - a convenient place to hang out for a little guy who can't walk yet. He crawled around and played at the train table for awhile. There were lots of people to charm, so he was happy! :)

I uploaded the pictures from my phone for the past little while, and was reminded of the gorgeous 2 weeks of spring/summer we had recently. Watching AJ experience the warm outdoors is fun. He's a true little boy - finding every little rock and twig to taste... and immediately finding dirt to dig into - even if it's only between the slabs of concrete on a sidewalk! :)

Here are a few from those nice "summer" days:

AJ and I enjoyed wandering downtown one afternoon... we went through the Distillery District, got a coffee at Balzac's and played in the square ;) We strolled through St Lawrence Market and leisurely walked the waterfront while soaking in the sun and water. I love downtown! We met up with the Man of the house and had supper at The Old Spaghetti Factory before driving home in the twilight night. It was a perfect day!

I need to upload the pictures from my actual camera - I think they tell a better story of the fun day we had downtown. 

Oh, and at 9 1/2  months, AJ got his 7th tooth - top left next to the 2 middle teeth. THe 8th one (top right) is coming any day now. He seems to be a "tooth machine"!

Running Stroller Hopes

I'm so excited... I've been searching for a running stroller for a little while but good ones are SUPER expensive (even used ones), and... I already splurged on our regular stroller. After missing 2 Running Room strollers on Kijiji, I was getting discouraged... then this afternoon, this suddenly popped up!

Beautiful isn't it? ;)  I still have to see it in person on Saturday, but this Baby Jogger has never been used since her son preferred biking (he's obviously older than my 9 month old!) to sitting... it's a trusted brand name and far more serious a running stroller than I - a runner. It's been almost 2 years since I ran  but I have been craving it for awhile. But to go out after so long to "run" ... well, it wouldn't be called a "run" in reality. I need to work back up. My hopes and intent is that this beautiful beast will help.

So... am thinking about signing up for a 5K at the end of May. A flat course around a lake... seems like a good goal and doable. Won't be a fast 5k, but.... I think I should be able to get there. Who's with me? :)

But I'll wait until Saturday to make sure this doesn't fall through....

Oh, did I mention that I have to drive an hour and 20 minutes to get it?? Yes. To Hamilton.

Hope it's worth it. ;)

Grandmothers... leaving a Legacy of Faith

We received sad news yesterday.  E's Grandma passed away quite suddenly. She had been in the hospital for about a week, but when we talked to my mother-in-law on Wednesday, there was no indication anyone thought she was near the end. She was confused, but they weren't really getting any medical answers as to what was wrong. We're not sure (at the moment) what happened, but it was a surprise when we received the call yesterday to hear that she was gone.

I'm so thankful we were in Vancouver for Christmas this year and that we made it out twice to visit with Grandma. I love the picture below - 4 generations.

Isn't she cute?

Grandma F was a missionary for many years in Venezuela. My father-in-law was born and spent his childhood there before coming to Canada for school. Grandma lived a life well for the Lord and I know she has heard her Saviour say "well done, faithful child."

Grandma will be missed. If you have a moment, pray for the family as they go through all the preparations and decisions that come at a time like this.

Ironically (?), on Wednesday we heard that my Dad's mother, Grammie R had "taken a turn" and the family was called in. Not quite sure what that means. Unlike E's grandmother, who was mostly coherent and mobile, my grandmother has been lost in her world because of Alzheimer's and deafness. Her body is weak and she doesn't move on her own. But my mom was in yesterday afternoon and Grammie seemed to be doing "ok". Obviously, who knows from hour-to-hour; it's like that with many her age. But yesterday she looked like this:

The Grandmother I remember would "DIE" if she knew this picture would be seen by anyone, but... she won't know. :) When this picture was taken she was surrounded with love - her 2 daughters, a daughter-in-law and a granddaughter. 

What a day it will be when she enters her eternal home and sees her Saviour face-to-face. Her mind will be clear and she will be able to HEAR. I can't wait for that for her. Reality is, we have been missing her all these years, mourning the loss of the grandmother/mother we knew and loved. It will be sad to hear when she is gone, but for her sake there will be relief and joy.

Someday soon, both our grandmothers may be rejoicing side-by-side in their Saviour's presence... lives lived on earth for God's glory and pleasure. They lived knowing their treasure was in heaven, and the longing of their hearts have been there for a long, long time. Both ladies raised families with their husbands gone for long periods of time sharing the gospel with others. Both ladies lived by faith - not having a steady income, but trusting God to meet their every need. Often meals were beyond simple, and the same night after night. At times, they didn't know where their next meal would come from to feed their little family.... but God always provided. Both ladies were strong women - holding the fort down during difficult times while their husbands were away.

Ladies, leaving a legacy of faith. They lived by faith. And they were faithful servants. And we love them dearly. May we continue on as they did... and keep our eyes and hearts on what matters... having our treasure in Heaven.