Sunday, July 12, 2015

A plea from my heart...

Can I throw something out into the open

I am 100% pro life
I believe that each precious life growing within the womb is valuable
and that God has purpose for them.

I also believe that in order to be truly pro life
you MUST also be pro adoption.

YOU MUST

You cannot be for one and then not for the other
because adoption is the only answer for some of these children

I also believe that you must actively participate in both causes.

John 14:18
"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."

This of course is Jesus talking to His disciples, but it is an example we are to follow.

James 1:27
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father,
is this: to visit orphans and windows in their affliction, and to keep oneself
unstained from the world.

Religion, most people cringe at that word, I do as well... Because I believe I have a 
relationship with my Savior, not a religion, but you know what, the religion part is what
stems from having that relationship... My actions reflect my relationship hence; Religion.

I know, heavy statement.
Heavier than most people can begin to imagine.


Here is the truth, unless you can provide an answer for a problem,
it's worthless to complain about it.

We should support those women who find themselves in a crisis pregnancy
not just until they give birth, or get a job, or whatever might help
but for always; we MUST stand alongside single moms if they will allow it.

But the truth is, some of these women cannot or should not raise children.
We cannot condemn them for their circumstances, but we can come in
and provide for those children who become orphaned.

With 3 adopted children, who each have such incredibly different stories
I have come to see so many angles of adoption 
but the one over arching thing I see is that God is PRO adoption.

It's how He loves us...
and it's a huge part of how He solves the abortion problem.

We MUST take part in it in order to truly be FOR it.

Now, I'm not saying everyone is called to adopt,
because not everyone is.

But everyone who is pro life must be also pro adoption

Let me tell you, there are people who should not be parents.
People who do more harm than good
People who make foolish choices and break the hearts of children.

But God redeems and God is good
He is pro adoption.

Be part of the solution
how?
Here is how:

1. Pray... pray pray pray pray... Pray for these children, both unborn and born who are 
alone and orphaned.

2. Support adoptive families, this is NOT for the faint of heart and takes every last 
ounce of all the adoptive parents have to give and then some.
FILL those parents up!

3. Support those parenting alone

4. Donate, help out agencies & families & orphan care

5. take classes to understand the complexities of what these children in our
 foster care system are facing. (yes, even if you have NO intention of adopting)

6. Consider adoption;
but don't go in with blinders on, this is the REAL stuff folks, there will always
be grief in adoption no matter when or how it happens;
because for there to be the need, there has been a loss.
If the child is older, there WILL be trauma. They will ALL act out
on the loss and trauma at some point or another and they will wrestle.
You can't allow yourself to be disgusted or over-reactive to ANYTHING... 



Saturday, July 11, 2015

a little of life...

I just never know what to blog anymore...

Things are never EASY street around here, but they are good.
God is Good!

The battle rages on for our Princess Sparkles heart
many times things are great
but every now and then that ugly PTSD rears it's head and we spend weeks 
fighting through the trauma and the ugly results of 
adults sinning in unimaginable ways.

But God is Good! 
He has such a beautiful plan for her
He has her heart, even in the hard and the awful He has her
She should be a shell of a person folks, 
but she has such a deep joy in her spirit and she loves Jesus.

There is NO way I can describe to you what her simple childlike faith
does for mine

God is Good
and He carried her through the unthinkable!!!



Bean's health continues to go down hill,
he struggles to breathe again every day
seizures, meds, pain, 
ugly it's all ugly
and yet

God is Good


Friday, May 29, 2015

Gardening, flowers in the skink

What do you do when your beautiful brand new porch keeps getting littered in old broken appliances
and crazy things like sinks... 

To get them off your porch you plant flowers in them! 



Sunday, May 17, 2015

He is in the raindrops...

Often times
it's so hard to see anything clearly, 
to see anything except the darkest parts of the 
storm around me.

Every moment can be a battle;
a battle to be waged against that darkest part of the storm
not allowing it to settle in is sometimes impossible
the real goal is to see the beauty in the darkness,
the intricacy and the good that the storm can bring...


You sometimes have to look hard
to look beyond the bigger picture...
look closer and closer until you see it:


FIGHT to look closer...
My encouragement to those of you who are also suffering
keep looking, this flower is beautiful, the raindrop is pretty...
but look EVEN closer:


Because in life's storms... 
The love of God ALWAYS shines through



He takes the wickedness of this world,
the suffering of this world
the pain,
the sorrow
the tragedy
the darkness 
and...


He creates beauty in it


His love, and His glory shine through it


He teaches us bit by bit to become a reflection of HIM



So take heart, no matter what type of sorrow you find yourself in
God is in the storm
and beauty and His light will shine through in the end...


Be encouraged here:


Saturday, May 16, 2015

updated retreat room

I recently got a wild hair
(in the middle of a kitchen renovation)
and decided to make a feature wall and spruce up our master bedroom


It is SO important to show your husband how much you love him
How the focus of your bedroom is your marriage, but also a place of respite
WE NEED a break from the clutter and kids


Anyhow, I used brown paint and then I stenciled metallic gold paint on the wall...
I LOVE it, and even more importantly SO does my husband! 
He's told me several times how much he likes it...

I printed a HUGE print of one of our favorite places in the world
(a favorite river)
And framed it right above our bed
to continue to add to the respite and relaxing feel of the room!