Friday and Snowing

Today I am thankful that it is Friday!  Woohoo!  Gotta love the weekend!  Although when I stop and think about it, we are busy every weekend from now till the end of the year.... depressing isn it?  But I am not letting that get me down!  There is a saying that keeps going thru my head lately :

God, grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And wisdom to know the difference.

This is so true!  If it is out of my control, then I need to accept it and move on!  But if it is something that I have control over and can change, then I need to change it and quit complaining, right?  The kicker is having the wisdom to know the difference. 

Anyway, excited to start my weekend and it is SNOWING!

Comments are welcome! :)

Being Thankful

Although I feel you should do this on a daily basis, this season always makes me focus on everything I am thankful for and do have instead of what I don’t have.  It seems that there is so much going on lately.  So many crossroads, so many decisions to make or face…. “Why” I find myself asking…. Simple word, Satan.  It seems that we will just get thru one trial and we find ourselves in another. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 comes to mind. “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;” Our pastor just taught on this verse and I have been chewing on it ever since.  If I focus on every trial that I go thru and all the bad stuff it brings or causes, I will become very depressed.  But look at what the verse says, troubled but not distressed, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted not forsaken, cast down not destroyed.  If we are truly God’s people, his children, we may have troubles come our way but we are not supposed to become distressed, we are to claim the victory in Jesus Christ’s name before it ever happens because he also said we are persecuted but NOT forsaken.  God is always with us as long as we are true to Him and his calling.  As long as we are humble and obedient to His Word and Will in our lives.

So even thru all the trials that have been thrown our way lately, I am thankful!  I am thankful for my family, my wonderful, loving, hard working husband; two beautiful children that are complete blessings and miracles from God Almighty; a good, stable, flexible job that allows me to be there for my family whenever they need me since I am unable to be at home at the moment; our home, while it may need quite a bit of work, we have done so much to it in the last year without taking out any additional loans, Praise God! He provides! ; freedom to serve and worship Him; the Revelation of who He is, the perfect plan of salvation, being baptized in his Name, The Name of Jesus Christ, and being filled with his spirit, The Holy Ghost…. These are just a few things that come to my mind off the top of my head.  Although, I am unable to really get on here everyday and post, I am going to try to post several things a week this season that I am truly thankful for.  Things that pop up or come to me thru out the week.

I am curious and anxious to see what God has done for you; what you are thankful for!

Breaking Chains

This is the song on my heart today...God is great and Greatly to be Praised!  I feel a revival in my soul and am claiming back the ground the devil stole from me!

Chorus
Can’t you hear the sound of breaking chains No longer bound / No more the same Freedom for captives in Jesus’ name Can’t you hear the sound of breakin’ chains

Verse 1Though Paul and Silas in chains were bound No bits of iron could keep them down They started praising and when they sang They heard the sound of breaking chains

Verse 2There at the alter on the day I knelt Its hard to tell you of the power I felt Just how it freed me I can’t explain But I heard the sound of breaking chains

Verse 3The day is coming when the saints will rise The law of gravity will not apply The graves will open and those that remain Are gonna hear the sound of breakin chains

Happy November!!!!!!

I am getting ready to walk out the door this morning with my daughter to go to babysitter/work, when my loving husband calls out from the next room: “Hey Stephanie, Do you know what today is?  It is November 1^st which means they will be starting to play Christmas music on the radio!!!!!!”  and then he start belting out a Christmas song….sigh.

Is it really that time of year again?  The temperature this morning tells me yes it is.  Don’t get me wrong, I am very thankful October is over.  I love the season, the weather, leaves changing, cool crisp mornings, hay rides, bon fires, etc… but I HATE Halloween and everything it stands for. (Just speaking it plain)  Even before I was serving the Lord, I never really cared for it.  I wasn’t raised celebrating it, I was raised knowing that it was celebrating evil and we didn’t do that.  I now know more of the meaning of the holiday which makes me despise it even more. Halloween isn’t just about dressing up and getting candy, it is a very evil holiday!  It definitely makes me think, why I celebrate each holiday we celebrate.  Is it just tradition or do I know what it stands for and the true meaning behind each of them…  Anyway, enough of that…

I still can’t believe that it is the Holiday season again!  It is always a bittersweet time for me.  I get so excited; I love making huge meals, the smells, candles going, decorations, buying and wrapping gifts, the joy on my children’s faces, playing in the snow, Christmas music, hot cocoa or hot cider, etc…. But then it is over and we have 3 more months of winter before warmer weather L  It seems like our Holidays are so busy and rushed, we have so many get together’s to go to (divorced parents and all their parents have get together’s).  This year we both want to make our own traditions and meals.  Even if it is just us 4,  I want my kids growing up with memories of their own home, not going everywhere else.  Growing up, we never celebrated Thanksgiving or very rarely and Christmas’s were so packed with going to Grandparent that we really didn’t do anything special at home.  I want different for my children.  Corbyn is 7!  Time is moving too quickly!  Sorry for the long Monday post.  Lot going thru my head.

What are your traditions you have started with your families?  How do you juggle the hustle and bustle of the Holidays and still take time to enjoy it with your own family?  What do you say no to?

Submission

What does that really mean?  To be submissive?  Here is the Webster’s Dictionary definition….

-        Inclined or ready to submit; acknowledging one's inferiority; yielding; obedient; humble.
 - Showing a readiness to submit; expressing submission; as, a submissive demeanor.

I have been thinking about this a lot when it comes to being a submissive wife, which is what the Bible commands us to be.  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.--Colossians 3:18  ; "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord." -Ephesians 5:22

Am I doing everything I know to be submissive?  Do I really know what it means and takes?  When I really thought about it, the answer is no.  I have become very stubborn and opinionated over the years. This makes me really sad and ashamed.  I am in the beginning stages of really studying this out.  What the bible says on this manner, on being a godly, Christian wife, really.  There is a lot going thru my head lately and a lot of emotions and feelings I am trying to sort out but one thing I have came to the conclusion is I want to be a better wife.  One that is submissive to her husband, that is a help meet, And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him-- Genesis 2:18.  I truly believe that in doing this, I will not only become a better wife but a mother, friend, sister, employee, etc… a better person in general.  I discovered Blue Letter Bible. Com yesterday for the first time and love it!  I have so much reading materials and scriptures to research already!  I am really excited and can’t wait to see how it changes me!  How God changes me thru is Word.  It amazes me how you can pick up the Word and read and it completely changes you!  And people say that the Word isn’t alive?

Compromise

Definition:

1. agreement: a settlement of a dispute in which two or more sides agree to accept less than they originally wanted After hours of negotiations a compromise was reached.

2. something accepted rather than wanted: something that somebody accepts because what was wanted is unattainable

3. potential danger or disgrace: exposure to danger or disgrace

Something I have been thinking about and dealing with a lot lately....  But I think I have been dealing with different meanings of the word.  On one hand, I feel that is what my husband and I have to do a lot of, especially lately for some reason, COMPROMISE.  I struggle with it really cause it doesn't seem fair on one hand that we are constantly having to meet in the middle on subjects or issues.  For some reason anymore it seems we are on opposite ends and have to COMPROMISE our wants, desires, feelings, etc...  On the other hand I know that it takes lots of COMPROMISE in order for a marriage to work successfully so maybe this is God's way of seasoning our marriage ???.... 

But then there is COMPROMISING our beliefs which we refuse to do but seem like more and more people I never thought would ask us to, people that is supposed to be friends, family, who are there to support you, no matter what your decision is or if they agree or not, those are the ones asking us to COMPROMISE!  Why?  It is so frustrating.  People feel like I am judging because I don't cut my hair or wear pants and make up, I don't go to places that serve alcohol, I don't go to movie theatres, etc...  I am not judging, I am living my life the way I feel is right, the way my bible tells me I should live.  Yes, not all those things are in the bible but my bible does tell me to Obey them that have rule over me (pastor)(Hebrews 13:17), therefore if my Pastor has a guideline in place because he feels it is not expediant for my soul, then I MUST obey in order to not be sinning.  My bible also says obedience is better than sacrifice.( Samuel 15:22 & Proverbs 17:1).  Just because I don't go places you go or do things you do, does not mean I am judging you, I am simply doing what I believe and what my bible tells me is important to make Heaven my home.  If you feel judged, maybe it is your own convictions and if that is true, please don't turn them aside!  Search it out and seek God's truth!  He may be calling you!

Up and running....

Well here goes... I am in desprete need to have a place where i unload.  I know keeping everything bottled up is not good so decided to give this a try and see if it helps put things in perspective and helps me reflect on my thoughts, feelings and actions.  Not sure yet if I will open this up to public or not but going to treat it as my journal for the time being and see where it leads me to....