And did I mention...WE MOVED!?!

I don't have the energy to tell the entire story today,

(and speaking of energy, there's a story there, too!)

But I wanted to show y'all our new property.

Our FOREVER property!

22 acres...we are sharing with my sister and her family.

Our barn...we renovated it.
This was part way through construction.

Our back deck

The view from our terrace.
And, yes, the sound of the fountain is amazing!

We even planted a garden!

View across lake...the terrace juts out into the water.
Picture was taken from where my sister's house will stand, looking at the back of our house.

Our little slice of Heaven here on Earth!

Spiritual Journey

Well hey there!  

You still here?  

You sure are patient!  

Much more than I am at least.  

Or that I was, for I've been working on it! 

How, you ask?  

Let me catch you up on what's been going on with me...spiritually.

Me...under construction!

WAY back in February of last year (I know, it's almost been a year!  You really ARE patient!) I posted about joining a House Church.  It has been one of the most spiritually challenging decisions I have made...aside from my decision to follow Jesus.

I grew up in a high mass Episcopal Church.  Nothing wrong with that.  I was an acolyte from the time I was a kindergartener until about 10th grade, when my family stopped attending that church.  A few years later I met Jesus.

Since then I've attended several churches.  I've learned.  I've grown.  I've worshiped.

I've never learned, grown, or worshiped like I do now.

I've never been surrounded by a group of genuine people who learn, who LOVE, who challenge others, like I am now.

My daily quiet times used to be sporadic, if ever.  And when I had them they were more for checking it off of the list.

Not now.

I still have a lot of room to grow, don't get me wrong, but almost DAILY the Holy Spirit is guiding me and encouraging me to LOVE in ways I didn't know were possible for me.

For, you see, I am not always a nice person.  I can be oh so selfish.  And judgmental.  VERY judgmental.  And...well, this isn't about my list of things wrong about me.  It's how JESUS is changing me!  For the BETTER!

And how daily I am being accepted.  BY ME!  Because the Holy Spirit guides me there.

With all of my faults, and there are oh so many, I've never really liked myself.  Who would?  Like me, that is?  A person who is so quick to judge.  And to get angry when you do things that disturb me?  Not me, for one.  I wouldn't like someone like that.  Nope.  And love them?  Fuhgetaboutit!

But, I'm learning to love me.  Because Jesus does.  And because all of those bad areas?  Yeah, I'm working on those.

Baby steps, people.  Baby steps.

But in the meantime, I can give myself a break.  And truly love who I am NOW.  Because I am HOLY and DEARLY LOVED!

And because I am Holy and Dearly Loved...I can clothe myself in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  And above all...I can let the PEACE of Christ rule in my heart.

Whew.  That's HUGE!

PEACE!

Who doesn't want peace?

(And did you notice, earlier, I actually mentioned the Holy Spirit?  Yeah, Him.  I was always a bit, hmmm, embarrassed by people who talked about Him.  Not anymore.  Okay, so maybe just a little if it's weird.  But, God isn't weird.  People are weird.  And when weird people who do weird things talk about the Holy Spirit...THEN I get embarrassed.  Truth.)

Happy Easter 2013!

HAPPY EASTER!

What a wonderful reminder of the love our Father has for us.

Being a parent, I cannot imagine making the decision to sacrifice my son for others.

Especially for those who are so unworthy!

He may have known Jesus would live again in 3 days, but He still had to watch him suffer.

May we always remember how blessed we are to be loved so immensely!

(sorry for the poor quality of the pictures...used the phone!)

Before opening Easter basket!

It was an Angry Birds themed basket this year!

Each egg had an Easter message inside!  Some even had jokes. :)

House Church

It's funny, I never would have thought of us as the house church "type".

(Go with me here, I'm not trying to judge or label!)

What's a house church, you ask?

From Vine House Churches:

These are real churches that meet in homes, where believers gather at least once each week for prayer, fellowship, teaching, and to pray for the lost. House Churches can meet in homes, places of business, coffee shops-anywhere people meet. These are real churches, not just Bible studies or House groups. They have (pastor/shepherds), they collect tithes and offerings, and the leadership is responsible before the Lord for the souls of the people in the house church (Hebrews 13:17).

House Churches are local churches in which the church life and ministry to one another takes place mainly in House groups instead of in a "central service". Some house-churches do have a Sunday service, but the emphasis is on the Houses, where teaching, counseling, ministry, prayer and evangelism take place.

The important thing about a House Church is not the quality of the worship leader or how gifted the group leader is, but the tangible love of Christ between the members. People are drawn to Christ when they experience His love practically. Christianity is primarily relational. Jesus when he called his followers asking them to follow Him in relationship. Doctrine is essential but it must be realized in the context of people living out their lives in a way that looks Christ-like.

Yes, we look evil.  No, we are not! :)

 When we moved out of my Mom's house into our current home (remember, we are renting?), we found that not only did our back-door neighbors homeschool, their oldest child was in JMonster's class in our Classical Conversations group!  

And...they held a house church in their home!

Now we had been attending a great church here in town, with a pastor we loved and whose preaching was spot on, but we hungered for more.  We weren't connected in ways we wanted to be, and they started a capital campaign soon after we moved.  

I am NOT saying capital campaigns are bad, however our last 2 churches did HUGE capital campaigns toward the end of us being there and we were over them.  In our minds and hearts, that money could be used to directly help people who are in need!  Building more bricks and sticks, when there are SOOO many churches already here, just didn't make sense to us.

We visited the house church in November of 2011.  

WOW!  

We couldn't believe people actually churched like this!  

Where had this been all of our marriage?

Now that we have been attending for over a year, our thoughts are just the same.  

Church is good.  

Our church is good.  

House church isn't for everyone.  

It isn't better or worse than other churches, just different.

And we wouldn't change where we attend, right now, for anything.

At some point in the near future I will share about our community and just how it "works"!

Have you ever attended a house church?

Do you love the church you are in?

Are you being fed and getting to feed others?

 PLEASE SHARE!!!   

   

Mentally swimming through infertility

On a side note, I am utterly surprised this blog is still here!  

I would not have been shocked if it had been removed for inactivity.

Sorry!

Don't we need another one like this running around?

Sooo...

Lately my heart has been revisiting where we are with growing our family.  Which at this point is nowhere.

I did finally sit down with The Rev and let him know how hard this is for me.  How I feel like it is US holding the process back, not God.

And JMonster talks about having a baby sister or brother ALL. THE. TIME.

I checked into the whole foster to adopt process, which seems like the best thing for us, and am excited!

The Rev isn't quite there, yet.

I even found a sibling group of 3 adorable kids needing homes.

A 6 year old boy, a 5 year old girl, and a 4 year old girl.

In my heart they could be ours!

We need a home study.

We obviously had one when we lived in Atlanta, but it is way past expired.

(Anyone know how to get a FREE home study?  Message me!)

We have to go to some meetings and get training.

And all of this while I would still LOVE to have another of our own biological kiddos, and not doubting God, but also wondering if it will ever happen.

I am 40, remember?

PLEASE, PLEASE pray for us!

Federal Budget...WHY did I sit and read it?

I made the mistake of sitting down to read the federal budget.

I know!  I know!  Stupid.

My thought process probably went something like this:

"I wonder what the government spends our money on?"

"They seem to overspend...not thinking about a true budget at all."

"WE stay within a budget in our house."

"In the movie Dave they were able to balance the budget."

"I love the movie Dave!"

"Maybe they need ME to look at the budget and find the excesses."

So...I did.

Whoa!  Did you know that the federal government will spend almost $23 BILLION on Reforming and extending unemployment
insurance, but only $1 MILLION on Helping entrepreneurs and small businesses
access capital and grow?

Seems backward to me.

People who are NOT working vs people who are making a go at starting a new life.

These are the types of things which irk me.

I am ALL for helping people.  I am!

(Didn't you see me help that person the other day?  Maybe it was last week?  Or last month?)

However, it must be in the right context.

And it must set people up for success.

Our system is broken, and it keeps those in need...well, in need!

I suggest you do NOT read the budget.

Unless you are one of those who enjoys horror movies and nightmares.

(Anyone else out there make this same mistake?)

JMonster's Christmas Piano Recital

JMonster and his 3 cousins had their Christmas recital recently.

My sister was sitting next to me and her youngest played right before JMonster.  

In the middle of her performance my sister's phone memory was filled.

OH NO!!!!

So here you will see Flower and JMonster.

Can you tell he was VERY nervous?  

Made a few mistakes, but recovered admirably!

WAY TO GO JMONSTER!!!