Memory Verse

12 Who are those who fear the LORD? He will show them the path they should choose. 13 They will live in prosperity, and their children will inherit the land. 14 The LORD is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant. 15 My eyes are always on the LORD, for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies.

Psalm 25:12-15

Our Little German Girl

I am a bit under the weather today, so will be short and definitely sweet.

We had some wonderful friends visit this past weekend. Before Ladybug was born, they had visited Europe and sent some beautiful gifts. One was this handmade dress, which makes Ladybug our little German girl. Isn't she just the cutest?

Visit Lara for more Talk About Tuesday, where we can share whatever is positive and uplifting.

More of Him Monday

Last week, I was talking with a good spiritual friend. It was one of those "how is it with your soul" kind of conversations. I mentioned that I've been feeling so scattered and so undisciplined in my spiritual life. When I was single, I was SOOOOOO super disciplined in daily Bible study and prayer. I slacked off some when Hubby and I got married, not as much time spent but still kept up with the daily habit.

Well, now that Ladybug is here, it all went out the window. I keep my laptop next to the chair where I nurse and rock Ladybug, so as she falls asleep I can read Scripture and surf my favorite inspirational sites (which has turned into reading my fave bloggers). And with so many new things on my plate, I feel that I am not connecting with God the way I need to.

The day after the conversation with my friend I clearly heard God speaking to all of this. Actually, two days in a row, He spoke to me.

Hubby gave me a new devotional book for my birthday. Just a page per day, but with great thoughts about prayer. First, I read James 4:2-3,

2 You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it.3 And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

Then Romans 12:11-12,

11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.*12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

So I am now asking God to help me be quiet in mind and heart before I read and pray. And I am asking that He help me sort out the distracted, way-too-busy feelings that I've felt. It's only been a few days, but I feel that this simple discipline has changed the way I approach everything.

For More of Him, visit Sunshine on My Shoulder.

Lord, when I have questions or fears, let me turn to You. When I am weak, let me seek Your strength. When I am discouraged, Father, keep me mindful of Your love and Your grace. In all things, let me seek Your will and Your ways. Amen.

Friends

We had some wonderful friends visit us for the weekend. It was their first opportunity to meet Ladybug, and of course, she was loved by all! These friends "knew me when," and have been friends through many good times, and tough times as well.

God has blessed us so incredibly with friends! I am so thankful for these friends and for the time we had together this weekend. If I ever complain about not having any friends, please SMACK ME! I am so thankful for my friends in the blogosphere as well. I am truly blessed. And I am thankful for the reminder that God gave me this weekend.

The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life; a wise person wins friends. Proverbs 11:30

An honest answer is like a kiss of friendship. Proverbs 24:26

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. Proverbs 27:17

Photo Tag: Autumn

Autumn at the beach doesn't look like autumn. I do miss the colors of the changing leaves, but heck, we live at the beach, so I'm not complaining!

Me and Ladybug at the Beach (10/25/07) - yes, it was overcast, but still bright!

Notice the tractors on the left side of the photo - cleaning up seaweed!

For more Autumn Photo Tag pictures, visit onemotherslove.

Thankful Thursday

Again, another week with many things for which to be thankful!

1. Family close by... almost all of Hubby's immediate family lives within a few miles of us. Even though we're all busy with daily living, it's great to be able to get together often.

2. Wonderful friends... I could name names, but I'm sure I would leave someone out. What a blessing Christian friends are!

3. My wonderful Hubby and beautiful daughter... They fill my days with happiness, joy, laughter.

4. Feeling secure in my Lord... Only He can give me peace that passes all understanding. And I am so thankful for that peace!!!

For more Thankful Thursdays, please visit Crystal at God is in Control.

Favorite Beauty Products

One of my favorite people in Bloggityville is The Fabulous Mrs. Fussypants, who hosts Fight the Frump Friday. She is holding a not-so-scientific survey of her loyal subjects and their favorite beauty products. I decided to write a post about my favorite products. You can write your own post or leave your faves as a comment.

ADVISO: I am a Beauty Consultant with Mary Kay. I know there might be a few folks out there that have been burned by someone either in Mary Kay or a similar direct sales company. BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY, I just want you to know that I sell Mary Kay because I love the products and the company. Our founder, Mary Kay Ash, was a wonderful Christian woman who wanted to provide a career opportunity for women with products that they could get behind. The “Mary Kay Way” is one of operating by the Golden Rule (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.). If you have been burned by someone in this business, I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE! For me, this business is about forming relationships with people so that they trust me and feel comfortable taking off their make-up in front of me. If you have any questions about the Mary Kay products that I recommend, please contact me or your personal beauty consultant. (Mary Kay has been the best selling brand of skin care and color cosmetics for 13 years, and also has the number one selling eye make-up remover!)

That said, here are the categories that Mrs. Fussypants is gathering opinions about. She asked us to focus on inexpensive brands, as being Fabulous doesn’t have to be expensive!

Let's find our favorites in these categories-

Shampoo & Conditioners – I usually buy Suave, or whatever is on sale. I like the berry scented ones!

Styling Products – I admit that I try really hard to keep a low maintenance coif. I found recently that I LOVE the Target brand styling gels. I just run a good amount of the goo through my hair while it’s wet, the curls will kick in, and I only have to finger comb and spritz a little hairspray before I head out the door. Right now I have a bottle of Herbal Essences hair spray. Again, it’s all about the smell!

Foundation, Mascara, Blushes & Lipstick...how fun! – Mary Kay all the way! I use our Tinted Moisturizer on days that I’m not working, and a Medium Coverage foundation on working days. I love the new formulas of mascara – a great waterproof, and also an “ultimate” formula, that both lengthens and thickens.

Cleansers & Lotions – Again, Mary Kay. We have a great anti-aging line that I have been using for 10+ years and people do honestly guess my age to be in my late 20s. Nope, but thanks for the compliment!

Has anyone found a wrinkle cream that works? – Depends on the area that you are trying to de-wrinkle. Mary Kay has targeted formulas for the eye area, lips, face, and even a cellulite fighting lotion for your body (I love it for tightening the “Hello Helen” in my tricep area!).

How about Bare Minerals or Sheer Cover (not Tar-chay, I know) do y'all like it? – OH MY GOSH!!!! I am so excited!! Mary Kay is launching a new mineral foundation in January!!!! I can’t wait to get my little hands on it!

Nail Polishes – I usually only keep my toes painted. I don’t have a particular brand as it takes forever to use up a bottle. (Note to Fussy, I don’t paint my fingernails because of the maintenance issue, but also I am blessed with great, healthy nails, and they tend to look like a French manicure without the polish!) (Thanks to prenatal vitamins as well as good genes!)

Hair Coloring (not that we use it!) – Loreal. I have had gray since I was 21 and started coloring just for fun. Now, it’s a necessity! (All the current research that the amount of chemicals that you are exposed to when coloring at home is minimal and not harmful if you are pregnant or nursing.)

So, those are my faves! I know that women love to give their opinion, so please leave me some comments about what you like. And of course, visit the Fabulous Mrs. Fussypants for her common sense approach to all things Fabulous!

My Birthday Presents!

My birthday was last week, and I am SOOOOO super excited about 2 of my gifts! I just have to share!!!

First, my wonderful SIL gave me this book by Jessica Seinfeld, wife of Jerry Seinfeld. It has recipes for sneaking veggies and fruits into your cooking so that your kids (and YOU!) are getting good nutrition, in spite of being picky eaters. The book has great advice on preparing and storing purees, and I think it's a great cookbook, even for those who are not as adept in the kitchen. Click here for some of her recipes. I've experimenting with this concept since I read about it in Parenting magazine.

UPDATE: The book gives great advice on making the purees to incorporate into your recipes, but also suggests making up batches of purees and freezing them in 1/2 cup to 1 cup portions. You can even used canned or frozen veggies. That helps to cut down on last minute prep time when you have little ones clamoring for your attention.

And the other gift that I really, really love is this book that my thoughtful Hubby gave me. Stormie Omartian is a great author, and I highly recommend her. She has also written "The Power of a Praying Woman" and "The Power of a Praying Wife."

Click on over to The Lazy Organizer for more Talk about Tuesday posts, where we can share about positive, encouraging, and up-lifting things.

Rest

Psalm 55
6 Oh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest!

7 I would fly far away to the quiet of the wilderness.

Aaahh, the sacred Sunday afternoon nap! Those have been rare since Ladybug came on the scene 4 months and 21 days ago. There is just something special, more restful, more satisfying about a Sunday afternoon nap. Today's nap only lasted about 15 minutes, but it was 15 minutes of bliss! I woke up feeling refreshed! Ladybug does not take long naps, but sleeps great at night, so I am not about to complain.

Okay, where was I going with this? Oh yeah. Rest. Do we ever really feel rested anymore? Our Western culture moves at warp speed most of the time, and I, for one, want to shout, "Stop! Let me rest!" Granted, we have some great conveniences in our culture too, to help us as we are on the go. But sometimes the convenieces only make it easier to make excuses. It seems that we have to be more intentional about keeping our priorities in order these days. It's so easy to be distracted and lose focus.

But I know that when I am well rested it is easier to stay focused. In our household, we purposefully try not to have tons of things to do on Sunday. Church, lunch, football, and rest. Maybe laundry. Maybe. And if we're lucky, we get that wonderful, restful, Sunday afternoon nap.

I hope you got your nap today.

Photo Tag: Together

Our Favorite Girls Together

Ladybug (1 day old) and Lambie

Dr. Lambie and Ladybug (10 days old)

Lambie and Ladybug (4 months old)

Click on over to Onemotherslove to see more TOGETHER photos!

On This Day...

October 19 is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 73 days remaining.

Famous Birthdays
1932 - Robert Reed, American actor (d. 1992)
1945 - John Lithgow, American actor
1962 - Evander Holyfield, American boxer
1965 - Ty Pennington, American television carpenter

This Day In History
1469 - Ferdinand II of Aragon marries Isabella of Castile, a marriage that paves the way to the unification of Aragon and Castile into a single country, Spain.
1512 - Martin Luther becomes a doctor of theology (Doctor in Biblia).
1781 - At Yorktown, Virginia, British commander Lord Cornwallis surrendered to a Franco-American force led by George Washington and the comte de Rochambeau, paving the way for the end of the American Revolutionary War.
1813 - The Battle of Leipzig concludes, giving Napoleon Bonaparte one of his worst defeats.
1864 - Confederate raiders launch an attack on Saint Albans, Vermont from Canada.
1873 - Yale, Princeton, Columbia, and Rutgers universities draft the first code of American football rules.
1960 - The United States government decides to place an embargo on Communist Cuba.
1985 - The first Blockbuster Video store opens in Dallas, Texas.
1987 - (Black Monday) Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 22%.
2005 - Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad for crimes against humanity.
2005 - Hurricane Wilma becomes the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record with a minimum pressure of 882 mb.

Also on this day, October 19th, over three decades ago (but less than four), on a crisp autumn day in Pennsylvania, Yours Truly was born!

Thankful Thursday

Another week has gone by! I have SO much to be thankful for! I feel like I am really developing the "attitude of gratitude." It's great!

1. Last week, I mentioned that my cousin was being deployed to Iraq. She made it safely. Thanks for lifting her up in prayer.

2. Also last week, I mentioned that a friend of ours, who is married with 4 kids, lost his job. He got a new job last Friday, the day after so many of you said you would pray for him. God is so faithful in answering those prayers!

3. A restful weekend. In spite of being out of town all day Saturday, we were together as a family and that always recharges my batteries.

4. My wonderful Hubby and beautiful daughter. They bring me such joy! I am so blessed.

For more Thankful Thursdays, please visit Sting My Heart.

Works for me Wednesday - Healthier Eating Website

It's Works For Me Wednesday! Check out Rocks in My Dryer for more helpful ideas.

I want to share with you one of my all-time favorite websites, Hungry Girl. Why do I love it so? They offer great tips on living a healthier lifestyle while still enjoying some of the great tastes that I love.

Love St*rb*cks? They have recipes for lower fat/lower calorie versions you can make at home! They also offer product reviews on new products on the market, regarding taste, nutritional info, etc.

So you have to check out Hungry Girl! (I'm not getting paid to peddle this site - it's just one of my faves!)

He is Worthy

Lara, at the Lazy Organizer, is hosting "Talk about Tuesday," where we can share whatever thoughts are on our mind. I hope these thoughts are an encouragement to you! Click here to find more Talk about Tuesday links.

Psalm 96
4 Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. 5 The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the LORD made the heavens! 6 Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty fill his sanctuary.

I've been meditating on the word "worthy" this week. What things in your life are "worthy?" Worthy of your time, your energy, your talents? It's a matter of priorities. If something is worthy of our attention, then we are implying that it is worthy. I find that if I feel scattered (When? You mean IF!) it is because I am trying to make too many things a priority. There are a lot of things that I feel are worthy of my time and energy. But, there are not enough hours in the day or days in the week to accomplish everything.

When we apply the word worthy to God, everything else pales in comparison. "He is most worthy of praise." Another translation reads "He alone is worthy of our praise." He alone. No one else. What is the Lord worthy of? Our time, our attention, the best that we have to give and the worst as well.

One of my favorite songs is "Unashamed Love" by Ten Shekel Shirt. We sang it in worship this past Sunday, and it has stayed with me. He is worthy of all that we have to give in worship. Sometimes, what we have to offer is not very admirable, but He wants our honest praise. Our priority should be to take what we have and make it better, so that what we offer is worthy of Him. And when we make Him our first priority, doesn't everything else fall into proper place?

Worthy, You are worthy

Of a child-like faith, And of my honest praise,

And of my unashamed love.

Of a holy life, And of my sacrifice.

And of my unashamed love.

Bloggy Bling

This is my "trophy case" for my blogg bling. (Updated as of 3/14/08)

Being a Happy Mother

Psalm 113
1 Praise the LORD! Yes, give praise, O servants of the LORD. Praise the name of the LORD!2 Blessed be the name of the LORD now and forever.

3 Everywhere—from east to west— praise the name of the LORD.

4 For the LORD is high above the nations; his glory is higher than the heavens.

5 Who can be compared with the LORD our God, who is enthroned on high?

6 He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth.

7 He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump.

8 He sets them among princes, even the princes of his own people!

9 He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. Praise the LORD!

We read Psalm 113 today in worship, and at the time, I knew that it had some significant meaning for me today. But I wasn't sure what that was. Until this evening.

Today, Hubby, Ladybug, and I attended the Walk to Remember at our local hospital. It is annual memorial service to remember the babies that families have lost. Our first daughter, Susie, was stillborn on December 6, 2004. (You can read that story here.) So we have attended the Walk to Remember for 3 years now. Last year when we attended, we were 7 weeks pregnant with Ladybug. And this year, she was there with us as we remembered Susie.

I had left my Bible open to Psalm 113, so when we returned home, I re-read it. Wow. Verse 9. He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. Wow. In the 2 1/2 years between Susie's death and Ladybug's birth, I always knew I was a mother, but I didn't feel like one because I didn't have my baby with me. Now that we have Ladybug, I am experiencing a lot of "new mother moments." But I'm not a new mother. I have a daughter who would be almost 3. It's a weird place to be.

Life would be very different if Susie were with us. But I am thankful that she is with the Lord, and that we are promised that we will see her again. So I am a happy mother. Happy that Susie is with the Lord, and that He has blessed us with a happy, healthy, beautiful Ladybug.

So, to all of my friends who have babies waiting for them in heaven, your sweet babies were remembered today. Tomorrow, October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.

Visit Sunshine on My Shoulder for More of Him.

Something Fun!

Another fun personality quiz... Fits me to a tee. What is your personality type? I'd love to know!


Take the 100 Acre Personality Quiz!

Thankful Thursday

So many reasons to give thanks today!

1. A good check-up for Ladybug last week.

2. Friendship with my SIL. We've become much closer this year, and I'm so thankful!

3. Hubby's j.o.b. A friend of ours was "encouraged to resign" this week. Pretty crappy, since he has a wife and 4 kids. It just reminds us that nothing in this world is secure except our standing with Jesus Christ.

4. Our men and women in uniform. One of my cousins is being deployed on Saturday to Iraq.

5. For the joy that I have in my Savior. He continues to shower us with blessings and joy that we can only find in Him!

For more Thankful Thursdays, visit Lois at Sting my Heart.

A Day in the Life...

Since I am home with Ladybug, I have been babysitting the Nieces every day after school. Little Mama is in 2nd grade, and Drama Queen is in 1st grade. It stretches me at times, because I feel that my attention has to be divided between my own child and the Nieces. I love 'em, though, and we have fun. These are a few pics from this week.

And here is the fabulous Ladybug. The sun hat reminds of the Fabulous Mrs. Fussypants.

I have become a suburban mom.....

What Works for Me Wednesday - Breakfast Sandwiches

I love Breakfast Sandwiches, especially with a biscuit. We tried this trick to have homemade breakfast sandwiches, with a little help.

I love biscuits, but don't often have time to make them at homemade. At B*J*angles, you can buy plain biscuits, which are roughly 50 cents a piece. We bought some on our way home from church, then finished making the sandwiches at home, saving ourselves a few dollars. So for the price of one breakfast sandwich, we had 2 sandwiches, plus extra biscuits to snack on later in the day.

Hope this tip is helpful to save you time and money!

For more What Works for Me Wednesday, please visit Rocks in My Dryer.

Fears or Future?

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.12 In those days when you pray, I will listen." Jeremiah 29:11

In a recent conversation with a friend, we were discussing fears, rational or otherwise. As a mom, I have a lot of fears - am I doing the best I can for my child? should I let her watch TV or will it rot her brain? And the list can go on. I have fears in other areas of my life, and some of them I recognize as lies and distractions from the devil. As a believer in Christ, we are to avoid the devil's schemes, but sometimes it's hard to escape those fears.



It hit me yesterday that those fears we have keep us from moving forward. They bind us to the past. But we are not to live in the past, but live for the future that God has for us. One of the reasons the Israelites wandered for 40 years was their tie to the past. They only remembered slavery in Egypt, they had never seen the promised land. But they feared the unknown of the future more than slavery.



I know that I will be meditating more on the future that God has for me. How about you?

Who's in Control?

Things don't always go according to my plan. I like structure and schedules, although I'm not a slave to them, as I can be spontaneous as well. But having a baby necessitates the need for some type of schedule. I try to plan ahead and be prepared for anything that might happen. Well, today I wasn't prepared.

Ladybug had an early feeding this morning, so I laid her back in her crib while I got myself ready for church. When I had myself put together, she was awake again and I got her dressed. She looked adorable. Some of the dresses that we received as gifts don't have bloomers with them, so I dress her in a onesie under the dress. The a/c runs on high at church, and I don't want her to get too cold.

When we got to church, I nursed her while Hubby did a final run-through of music with the praise team. While I was feeding her, she pooped. Nothing out of the ordinary, except that her diaper failed. So I laid her on the floor to change her. I ALWAYS have an extra onesie in the diaper bag. Nope, not today. There were 2 pair of pants and a bib, but no onesie. So I cleaned her up, rinsed out her onesie, but it was too wet to put back on her. I finished nursing her in diaper only, just in case. When she had a good burp, I put her dress back on. Then the spit up came. She's a spitter anyway, but this morning it seemed like alot. She got me, herself, the floor. Then when I tried to put her in the sling, she fussed spit up some more.

In the meantime, it's time to do sound check. After a bit more fussing, I got her settled in the sling just in time for the service to start. I was a bit frazzled and didn't really have the right frame of mind going into worship. I was tempted to just sit out and not sing with the team, but we were short staffed, missing several key singers and instruments. I didn't feel that I could leave Hubby with so few people.

Wow. Worship was pretty sweet. The music flowed, the prayers were fragrant offerings, and the message was thought provoking. Halfway through the service, I no longer felt frazzled. It was great worship.

So in spite of not being prepared and feeling distracted, I heard God's still, soft voice. No big revelations. Just a quiet assurance that He's in control, especially when I feel out of control. I needed that reminder today. I needed to remember that it's not about me.

4 The one thing I ask of the LORD— the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD's perfections and meditating in his Temple. Psalm 27:4

Messy-ness

Things have been a bit crazy here, so I haven't had the chance to post in a few days. I spent a lot of time getting ready for my first-ever-as-an-adult yard sale. I never had anything "yard sale worthy" before (i.e. nothing that people might want to buy). But with a growing baby and the need to keep clutter to a minimum, I had some good stuff. So my SIL and I made about $50 between the 2 of us. Not too bad for a first yard sale. The day was damp from an overnight rain, so we had a slow start. But it was a good day, and I know we'll do it again.

I also had to prepare a talk that I gave to a group of high school girls tonight. It's been over 6 years since I spoke to youth on a retreat and it was a good chance to serve in that way again. I didn't have a chance to get to know any of the young ladies that were present, so I had to trust that the Lord gave me the right words to say. I used to do this sort of thing all the time, and I had a process of preparation that worked well. I trust that process, so in spite of having more demands on my attention (mainly a 4 month old!), I again fell into that process. I felt a bit rusty. But I know that God can use even a broken vessel like me.

I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to serve in that way. It wasn't out of my comfort zone, just out the norm. But what is normal to us may lead to being stuck in a comfort zone. There are dangers in that comfort zone. One danger being complacency. Ouch. It's easy to become complacent, isn't it? To turn a blind eye to the needs and hurts around us. We rationalize not getting involved.

Being involved in the lives of others is messy. Oh, yeah. The cross is messy too. That didn't stop our Savior from dying on it offer us forgiveness. And I am so thankful that Jesus wasn't afraid to get messy.

Ladybug's 4 Month Check Up

Ladybug had her check up at the pediatrician's today. She's healthy and growing, and we are very thankful! She weighs 21 lbs 11 oz and is 27 inches long. Yes, she's OFF the growth charts! Not even the 95th percentile - just off the charts. But the doc said it's no concern. She's just a big girl. She is wearing 6 month and 9 month size clothes already. The doc said that we can wait until she's closer to 6 months old before we start feeding her solids. Good! I love being her source of nutrition and comfort.

She's such a wonderful baby and we are SOOOOO blessed! Most nights, she sleeps 7-8 hrs straight, sometimes as long as 10 hours. She only takes cat naps during the day, however. She doesn't fight sleep any more. When it's time for a nap, she'll just drift off in my arms.

I'm not bragging, because I know that not many babies have such good temperments. Just sharing our blessings with y'all!

Thankful Thursday

“Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.” ~ Psalm 30:4 (ESV)

It's Thankful Thursday! I am thankful for so much!

1. My mommy-friend, Beth. It's wonderful having another mommy to talk to about mommy stuff!

2. Being able to spend time with my Nieces every day after school. What characters they are! I'm either laughing or scratching my head at the things that come out of their mouths.

3. My Hubby. He's such a blessing to me. Words cannot express my wonder at God's goodness in picking out such a wonderful soul-mate for me.

4. Our Ladybug. She's such a happy baby. I love hearing her giggles!

5. Our church family. They are a huge support to us and our music ministry. Their encouragement always comes at just the right time!

For more Thankful Thursdays, please visit Sting My Heart.

Works for me Wednesday

Works for me Wednesday is backwards this week and this is perfect for my first WFMW!!! So instead of giving advice I'm asking for it.

I have commercial grade carpet in my house but it's not immune to stains. What are your suggestions for a good spot remover?????

Thanks for your help!!!

Click the above link for more WFMW!!!

Time with Ladybug and with God

This may be hard to believe, but I LOVE being a mom. I love spending the day with our Ladybug, and the most I am ever away from her is 3 hours for a business meeting. Except for when she is sleeping or playing with Hubby, she is with me.

Last night as I came home from my meeting, I couldn't get there fast enough! I wanted to see my Ladybug, even though I knew she would probably be asleep already. My heart raced in anticipation of being with her, cuddling her, and just being with her. Yes, she was asleep when I got home, but it was wonderful to be with her again.

Isn't that how God our Father is with us? Doesn't He long to be with us, hold us? We are His children. He wants to see us more often than once a week on Sunday morning. Because of the gift of the Holy Spirit, we can be with God, anywhere, anytime. We don't have to wait for special occassions to spend time in his presence. And He grieves when we are apart from Him.

So the challenge is, in the midst of the busyness of life, to remember that God is with us always. He is always accesible, always approachable. He wants to be with us in the mundane details of our lives. Although Ladybug and I don't do much that I consider exciting, just being with her is a joy. And our Father considers it joy to be us as well.

Life in Community

They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, and sharing in the Lord's Supper and in prayer. Acts 2:42

This is one of my favorite verses when talking about community. This is describing the events following the first Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon many thousands of new believers at the same time. All of these new believers joined together. This experience bonded them together, so they continued to be drawn to each other. They desired to learn, study, and pray with one another.

The desire to be close with others who have a shared experience. Times of tragedy, times of joy, even times of difficulty bond us with others. We want to relive the experience, or at least comiserate with each other about the experience. But is that where it stops? Do we learn from the experience? Do we take what we've learned and apply it elsewhere in our lives, or even reach out to help others who can benefit from the wisdom of our experience?

I think we have an obligation to do just that. Whether it's walking through a tough season of life, or coming out on the other side of it, there is someone out there that needs to hear what you've learned. As my mom always says, God doesn't make you go through something tough for your own good. It's always for the good of others." My mom is a very wise woman.

Who needs the benefit our your experience today? If you've been through some tough circumstances, I encourage you to share that experience. You never know how God may choose to use you in someone else's life.