It's Beginning to look a lot like....

CHRISTMAS!! 

Well, Thanksgiving is officially over and we have our tree up! 

We also got a Choo Choo Train this year to put underneath the tree because Anna is a big train fan. And the girls have had so much fun watching it go around and around!

And also the start of the Christmas season brings our first #! Our # refers to our placement on the Dossier list. Now technically this is the unofficial list because our agency is unable to tell us our number officially due to privacy laws but we are excited to have an unofficial number! So here is our number, in Christmas Choo Choo style!

61!!!!

We are super excited to finally be on the list. It is moving rather slowly at this point so I'm not sure how quickly we will get another number but the wait has started!! Please continue to pray for us as we walk closer and closer to bringing our baby boy home!

Love y'all!

Stories

Well, The holidays are upon us and that means lots of food! And decorations and yummy smells and hopefully cooler weather. It also means lots of story telling in our house! Every day Lily asks 5 times a day for a story. Here recently she has started telling me stories and it has been so neat to watch as her imagination takes over and she creates. But when it comes to my story telling, I admit, I am not nearly as creative so I usually tell stories from the Bible. Last night we went through Jonah and Joseph and the story of when Jesus was born. (Funny side note: at almost 4 she really is so perceptive but last night as we were talking about Jesus dying on the cross and being buried I asked her what happened when 3 days went by and she proceeded to tell me, rather proudly too, that Jesus went in the belly of a whale!! Hilarious!)

Anyway, we talked about Jesus being born in a manger (Or as Lily says on a farm!! She's 4 so we go with it!) And we even went further back to when the Angel appeared to Mary to tell her about Jesus. Which lead to the discussion of sometimes doing things that scare us or we feel unable to do. And I realize sometimes I may broach topics that seem too adult for my almost 4 year old, but then I see the understanding and acceptance on her face and think, she is soaking it all in and because she is 4 and not 25 learning these things it will be easier for her to walk out her calling. Easier for her to trust the things of God because its what she knows and what she's been taught.

And once Lily has exhausted all questions, and trust me there is always plenty, we change to another story. Each one different and unique. Each person or character walking through life and teaching us lessons.

But because we live in a land of stories my mind has started to wander. Causing me to ask questions like...What will Lily tell her kids and grandkids about me? And what will her kids tell their grandkids? Plainly speaking, what will my story be? What will be the theme of my life? As I sit here and type I think of the people in my life and I can clearly see a definite theme in their lives. The things they taught and believed in. The things they sacrificed for. But what about me?

I think as a believer we would all like to say in the end we lived for Jesus! And I do hope that is said of me in the days to come, but what about the more intimate details, the things my family and close friends see? What have I expressed passion for? What moves me? What would I sacrifice everything for? Some things that jump to mind are my kids and husband, my family, people with no voice, children who have little to no hope left, the local church...these are all things that move me, that I am passionate about but what am I doing with this? James 2:17 says that , "So you see faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds it is dead." Simply put I can be passionate all day long about these things that tug at my heartstrings but if there is no action, no plan to support, encourage or dig deep into the trenches it is pointless, it is dead.

So as I type I am going to once again challenge myself, because we all need reminders of what we have been called to. No more sitting on the sidelines watching as the world falls deeper into hopelessness and despair. No more waiting while God looks to His people to help, aid, love and support the fallen. I don't want Him disappointed in me. It is a time for steps of faith. Because in the end I want people to see a woman of faith but just as importantly a woman of action.

Fear=A Mediocre Life

This is an excerpt from this book. I have previously posted about Katie's blog, which I highly encourage everyone to read, but this portion of her book really struck me. 


Katie writes:

"I remembered a story I once read:

'Once there was a people who surveyed the resources of the world and said to each other:  "How can we be sure that we will have enough in hard times?  We want to survive whatever happens.  Let us start collecting food, materials, and knowledge so that we are safe and secure when a crisis occurs."  So they started hoarding, so much and so eagerly that the other peoples protested and said:  "You have so much more than you need, while we don't have enough to survive.  Give us part of your wealth!"  But the fearful hoarders said:  "No, no, we need to keep this in case of an emergency, in case things go bad for us too, in case our lives are threatened."  But the others said:  "We are dying now, please give us food and materials and knowledge to survive.  We can't wait...we need it now!"  Then the fearful hoarders became even more fearful, since they became afraid that the poor and hungry would attack them.  So they said to one another:  "Let us build walls around our wealth so that no stranger can take it from us."  They started erecting walls so high that they could not even see anymore whether their enemies were outside the walls or not!  As their fear increased they told each other:  "Our enemies have become so numerous that they may be able to tear down our walls.  Our walls are not strong enough to keep them away.  We need to put bombs at the top of the walls so that nobody will dare to even come close to us."  But instead of feeling safe and secure behind their armed walls they found themselves trapped in the prison they had built with their own fear.  They even became afraid of their own bombs, wondering if they might harm themselves more than their enemy.  And gradually they realized their fear of death had brought them closer to it.'"

Can you see yourself? I feel as though it was directed right at me. How often I take care of me and mine, forgetting that I have been commanded to do so much more. Then she continued on to write these words that knocked me flat:

"Fear.  It's part of human nature, but it's not something we got from God.  Second Timothy 1:7 says:  "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."  When I imagine God creating each one of us and planting a purpose deep in our hearts, I never imagine that purpose being mediocrity.  While the Bible doesn't tell every person on earth specifically what his or her life's calling will be, it does include a lot of general direction:

'You are to find me in the least of these.'  Yes.

'You are to leave your earthly possessions and come follow me.'  Yes.

'You are to love and serve the Lord God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.'  Yes.

'You are to go and make disciples of all nations.'  Yes.

'You are to entertain strangers and lepers and tax collectors.'  Yes.

'You are to live a life of mediocrity and abundance, holding on tight to your comfortable lifestyle, lest you lose it.'  No"






So I ask you...where does that leave you? Are you walking in fear hoping to scrape by and at the end say I've done okay? Or are you fearlessly careening through life, living without bounds knowing that God takes care of all your needs and then some? I can't say I always do the latter but it is what I strive for. Join me in serving the least of these, in loving those who the world has turned on and seem unlovable. Join me in living an abundant life in Jesus. I can honestly say in the moments when I hand a cup of water to the thirsty in the name of Jesus and in the moments when I sacrifice to the point of hurting I feel more like my Savior than ever before. And thats where I want to be, thats where I want to dwell. I want to rest and serve and live in the work and will of the Most High.