The Missing Link

Wow, 7 days until Christmas and I'm trying to keep expectations in check and this year we are trying not to go overboard with presents for the boys. Okay, I need more work in that area than Brian does. He so balances me out and I'm very grateful for him.

So to continue with what God has been doing in our lives and get you up to speed, here is my next post.

For my entire adult christian life, I have wondered if there was something more to this christian thing than what I was doing. I was walking with God and He was speaking to me and leading me in directions I didn't expect (like staying home with our children). Even with that, I felt like something was missing.

After reading a book titled "Interrupted: When Jesus Wrecks Your Comfortable Christianity" by Jen Hatmaker, I was smacked with what was lacking......loving and serving the orphaned, oppressed, poor, the least. Instead of investing my time and money with consuming more, I started investing in the lives of those that needed it the most. That was what was lacking. I no longer have that feeling of something missing. When I'm serving those that God loves, that is when I feel the most fed and the closest to God.

I have also battled anxiety attacks off and on for 5+ years and since I have started focusing on the least I have not had one attack. Will I ever have another attack? I don't know, but I don't think that this is a coincidence. I think when I took the focus off of myself and placed it on others, there became no room for the anxiety. 

If you have ever wondered if there is more to your Christian life than what you are experiencing, I want to encourage you to step out and start serving. There are shelters where you could serve and love on the residents. There are so many orphans that need homes and that need financial support to provide a better life for them. There are people all over hurting and barely making ends meet that you could be the hands and feet of Christ to.

Just do it, I promise you won't regret it!

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’" Matthew 25:31-40 (NIV)

Experimental Mutiny Against Excess

Good morning,
To continue from my last post, 

In September 2013, we started a Mom's Group at church where we have done a few studies and read through a book and had discussions regarding it. This group of friends have been such an amazing support group for me. We also have a Facebook messaging thread where we keep in touch during the week. Well a few of us met to discuss what study or book we should do next and we decided on a study titled, "7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess" by Jen Hatmaker which is based on her book titled the same (http://jenhatmaker.com/books.htm). So once we decided on that I thought I would read the book before we did the study. Boy, was I in for a shock and a whole lot of conviction! In the book, Jen picks 7 areas where there was excess and took one area a month and made 7 choices to fight against the overindulgence and excess. The 7 areas she chose were:
Month 1- Food: her family only ate 7 foods
Month 2- Clothes: she only wore 7 articles of clothing 
Month 3- Spending: they only spent money in 7 places
Month 4- Media: her family eliminated 7 types of media
Month 5- Possessions: her family gave away 7 items each day for the entire month
Month 6- Waste: discovered 7 green habits and made them apart of their daily lives
Month 7- Stress: observed 7 sacred pauses
All of this to reduce excess and allow God to use the empty spaces the reductions created. So that we would decrease and God could increase. To be more Christ-like in simplicity and generosity. 

This book was where my thoughts, desires, and actions started to change. God started working in me through this book. I had no idea where it would take me but I knew I could not continue on the path of consumerism I was on. There is such great need in the world that I have been blinded to, such needs that could be met if I would stop trying to keep up with American consumers, needs that could be eliminated if all Christians stopped spending on things of this world and started spending on things that could impact others for God's glory and further His Kingdom.

Long overdue

It has been quite awhile since my last post and a lot has been happening in my life and the life of our family. In this post, I will start back in August 2013 and move forward in the posts to come. 

From the beginning of Brian and my relationship, we knew we wanted to adopt but never felt it was the right time, until the summer of 2013. In August 2013 we started the process of adoption through the state of Texas. After lots of paperwork, many training sessions, fingerprinting and background checks and home study, we were licensed in March 2014. From March until now, we have been in a season of waiting. Waiting for God to give us our daughter.

Here is how it all works:
We have a wonderful caseworker who is submitting on our behalf on children who meet our criteria (gender, age range, etc.). The child's caseworker will review all of the family profiles and home studies that they receive and choose three families that are a good match for the child and the child for the families. When we are chosen as one of the three families, our caseworker will take our file before a board and make a case for why we are the best fit for the child, and then the board will choose the family they feel is the best fit.
When we are chosen as one of the three families, we will be notified by our caseworker and when our caseworker goes before the board, we will know the same day whether we were chosen for the child. So far, we have submitted on quite a few children, but have not yet been selected as one of the three families. Our caseworker assures us that this long of a wait is not unusual. With this, we are trying to rest in God's timing. Some days we are strong and patient, other days.......not so much. I came across this quote and try to keep it in mind when our patience is running thin and our strength is wavering: 
"Everywhere in the Bible, God's children are waiting. You can't read scripture and conclude that waiting is a mistake. For some reason, God has ordained waiting as a part of His plan."

So in this season of waiting, I am determined to rely on God for strength and to remind myself that His timing is perfect. Soon enough our daughter will be home and it will all have been worth it.