wake up early, stay up late

This is our routine most days. It seems like there are always a million things on the to-do list. I can't remember the last time I actually sat down and watched (not just listened while working) to a TV show. A friend reminded me a few weeks back to stop + enjoy my time with my boys while they are young. I get caught up in all the busyness and forget that they are more beautiful than anything I'm ever going to craft. My time with them is the most important. I need to not be in a hurry for a season to pass. I need to really soak in this special time with our little guys.

 

This past week we hit the road and took a beach trip with the family. Micah turned six. The boys experienced Disneyland for the first time. We enjoyed 5 whole days of nothing but having fun with them. It was the perfect end to the summer.

No matter how crazy things get, I need to remember to focus my efforts on today. Sow my best today, reap the blessings tomorrow. These boys are going to play a big part in God's next generation. I'm so happy that He let me be their mommy. That I get to love on them, teach them and watch them grow up to be amazing men. I don't ever want to take that for granted.

soaking it in

I used to be a much better blogger.  Now this space has really just become a way for me to collect memories + thoughts that my 27 year old brain has a hard time remembering. I don't want to forget one moment with my guys. I love that later on they can come here and read my inspirations + all our happenings.

Right now I'm enjoying this calm. We've adjusted pretty nicely to life with 3 boys in the house. My little handmade business is growing rapidly and I feel like I'm finally able to juggle it all again. But things never stay quiet for long. Something big is on the horizon and before life completely changes directions (tell you about that later) I'm just going to soak in all the blessings in this current season of life.

Mr. Madden is 2 months right now. He weighed in at nearly 16lbs at his 1 month check up. 

To say he is a big boy is an understatement. I'm enjoying every second with him. 

My mellow, sweet baby. Can't get enough of him!

Big brothers are obsessed with this guy. He's not mama's baby, he's Skylar's baby. 

That's what I'm told everyday.

 

 Micah + Skylar are best friends right now. Lucky mommy. 

I hope my boys are always each others best friends.  

We're off to a good start.

 

Recently... (Sorry if you've already seen these on FB or IG)

 

I'm sitting here typing this feeling so grateful for God's goodness to me. I've been thinking about all the dreams I've watched God fulfill in my life in the past 6-7 years.  And now He's still at work unveiling new, maybe a little scarier dreams. I learned a few years ago that when you ask God for something big, make sure you really mean it because He who promised is faithful. I'll just continue soaking all this in until He leads me to bigger dreams.

I like you

I woke up this morning feeling good. Last night was the first night in a really really long time that I slept for 6+ hours. My husband is out of town and after 7 years of having him sleeping next to me, my brain has things programmed to where I don't sleep on nights he's away. So I woke up squished in with my boys feeling super thankful for some extra rest.

I woke up thinking about how good God has been to me, even when I feel like I don't deserve it. I'm so thankful that He loves me + fills me up when I feel empty. {The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever flowing spring. Isaiah 58:11} I love this verse right now. I'm finally feeling some strength in these bones again.  I'm reminding myself that I go from empty to full, find joy +  feel fully alive when I stay close to the source. So thankful He always guides me back to Him.

It's been awhile since I made a list of things making me happy lately...

Turning 27.  Having time to do some fun reading. Friends that bring me brunch when I'm afraid to go anywhere with 3 kids by myself. ha! Getting back to the workout routine. Mr. Madden turns 1 month on Friday.  Starting fall wedding orders. I love fall wedding colors. Having a sleepover with a best friend + our kids. Being able to hike again.

 

 Washing my cell phone not a favorite moment this week but finding old videos like this one on my temporary old phone was kind of nice. Micah + Sky were so small! The last second of this video cracks me up.

Online shopping. Does it mean your old when you buy yourself a door mat with your birthday money? Getting paint crazy again. Dreaming up some home DIY decorating projects. Husband don't be scared.Vacation planning. Sky's 4th of July birthday around corner.

What are you thankful for/liking this week?

today

I promise I haven't completely disappeared.  I really haven't wanted to write anything until I started to feel better. Which as of late, I'm finally starting to feel like myself again (yay!) so I thought I'd pop in for a little hello. Baby #3  Baby M is still cooking. I cannot wait to meet this little one. My 2 year old just informed me that he's not a baby anymore so baby M is coming just in time.

(nope, not a beach ball in there!)

 If I'm being completely honest, I've had a bit of the baby blues this time around. From now on I'll have so much more compassion for people suffering from anxiety/depression. Having a messy mind is such a joy killer and I'm just so thankful that I've had Jesus walking with me through some messy moments. And a very very patient + encouraging husband. I'm slowing down, taking care and even doing some growing through this experience. I feel like I'm learning a lot and I'm hoping that later on God can use even this less than fun time for me for His glory.  I'm sure I'll talk more about this later on but right now I want to have some fun + play along...

Today...

My favorite letters are M + S  (Micah, Stephen Skylar, Baby M)

My favorite number is 8

My favorite color is aqua

My favorite flowers are any. All flowers make me happy. 

My favorite place is northern Arizona mountains

My favorite animals are giraffes

My favorite smell is rain

My favorite season is Arizona monsoon season (even w/the heat)

My favorite food is mom's enchiladas

My favorite show is f.r.i.e.n.d.s (nothing can ever beat it)

My favorite candies are red vines/skittles/starburst

My favorite movie is You've got mail (still watch it once a month)

My favorite time is when Stephen comes home from work

My favorite band right now is Gungor

My favorite drink is cherry limeade

My favorite book is (fiction) The Hunger Games trilogy 

(non-fiction) Corrie Ten Boom-The Hiding Place

My favorite word is Booyah! (Sky's favorite right now)

My favorite thing is listening to my boys sing around the house + felt roses (duh!)

 Hopefully next time I post it will be to show off the newest little person in our house.

 (fingers crossed) 

P.S. happy birthday Aunt Danielle!

Secret to happiness

#11- Don't be normal.

Everyday is a revolution. 

A chance to completely change the way we normally do things.

via

Every day that we are alive is a chance that we have to turn everything we know upside down and do something different.  By default the norm is set to keep our minds focused on self pretty much 24/7.  I really believe that if more people would make the choice to quit the norm and instead start their days intentionally looking for 1 person that they could help in some way, the result would be happier people all around.  It doesn't matter who you are, or what you've done, you have the opportunity to bless someone else. How cool is that!

Happiness, joy + fulfillment comes when we can stop being completely consumed with ourselves + start opening our eyes to who needs love around us. There is always going to be someone. Maybe they need money for gas, a night of babysitting, encouragement, or just someone to pray for them. And how great is it that we don't have to be a super talented person to be able to do this. If you are alive + breathing then you are more than qualified.

Ditch the norm. Be intentional about being mindful of others. Watch for opportunities. Be willing to be inconvienced + step away from the busyness. While Jesus was here on earth he was constantly going places, doing things, but when someone needed help He was always willing to stop when he was interrupted. His job  life was loving people. That should be ours too.
The happiest people are the most unselfish people. {"Don't pray + ask God to do something that you can do yourself"} -Joyce Meyer

So here is the challenge: Tell yourself this everyday...

Today I will not go to bed until I've helped/encouraged/loved someone.

capturing life

I look back on the past few months and it all kind of blurs together. Which is one reason why I'm back. I'm getting the importance of capturing memories, thoughts, life on here. To stop the blur.  So let's catch up. 

I'm still baking baby #3.  23 weeks down, 17 (or less) to go. This is the first belly profile shot I've taken this pregnancy. Man how things change from baby 1 to 3. Even though baby #3 has few belly pictures or notes from mommy, this is the first time I've actually set out to make a pretty nursery. So I get a plus for that right? I promise I'll write about my nursery diy projects soon. 

 My motto this month has been "too blessed to be stressed."January has been my biggest month in the shop. It has grown so much and it's still just me crafting away, writing deadlines + details in 3 different notebooks so I don't forget with this pregnancy brain of mine. (Yes it is a real thing) Throw in the mix wife + mommyhood, babysitting, church life, pregnancy hormones (ha!). I've been feeling like I'm doing so many things and doing them all poorly. Then I heard this little motto and I stopped whining.

It's the truth! This little business that I care so much about is prospering and my husband is more in love with Jesus than he's ever been, which as a result transforms everything about him into something even greater. I didn't think that was even possible. My children are healthy + happy + still love me and forgive me when I lose all patience and have a bad moment or two or three or four. (seriously!) They even tell me I'm pretty every day when I feel like a giant elephant.  So blessed. 

{My January lesson learned }Don't overwhelm yourself. There will always be something trying to get you down, whether it be hard circumstances or just your own negative thoughts. I stress out when I feel like there's a million to-do's to face alone but really that's never the case.  Jesus is my constant companion.  He is my peace in all circumstances.  I'm forming a new habit of slowing down and finding refreshment in Him.  I'm learning to be thankful always. And trust that the closer I draw near to Him the more He will transform all my weaknesses into something much more beautiful.

now for something completely different

Dear little modern day diary,

I am way overdue for a catch up. So many life changes have happened in the last month alone I'm not sure where to begin.

Let's start here--->

Yep, surprise!  After many discussions of let's just wait awhile longer, we found out God had a different plan. It's still early on but I'm really bad at keeping this stuff hidden, so we decided to just spill the news. Not to mention I've realized that the whole body remembering muscle mass thing works for baby bumps too. ha! It's such a different excitement by #3.  I just feel such a quiet curiosity about who this little person is going to be and how much life is going to change when he or she gets here. So here we go!

Turns out that wasn't the only blessed interruption of our 

plans.

One of my favorite quotes is by Sir Francis Drake that says, {"Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves. When our dreams come true because we dreamed too little. When we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord."} That's secretly been my heart's prayer so it should be no surprise that He knows it and answers.  

At the end of summer I jumped into helping out in the women's ministry at my church. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and really stretch myself. I had never had a passion for women's ministry until recently. And the perfect opportunity came up to be used to encourage, help disciple, walk side by side with other women that I really care about.  I'm right in the middle of my commitment and it has been wonderful. I'm so happy that I listened to the tug to step out.

Ok now for that something completely different part...

A couple of months ago my husband felt like God was pulling our family into a new direction and it turned out to be leading a youth ministry at a new church. Stephen has such a passion and heart for youth I know that he will be such a blessing to the teenagers God places him with. Me on the other hand, ha! I would be lying if I didn't say that this unexpected surprise didn't scare me.  I may be shocked by all these new events, but God isn't. I would be crazy to run from change at this point.  His plans are always better than mine. Priscilla Shirer says, "The word of the Lord is designed to reshape your purposes, putting you in a position for Him to do through you what you cannot do on your own." And I guess that's the thing I love about all of this, that even if I'm feeling uncertain about my abilities I never have to second guess His. Its the uncomfortable changes that cause me to run and hold on tighter to Him. 

All in all I'm excited to see where this journey is going to lead. I'm still amazed at the fact that He wants to use me in the first place! Thanks in advance for all your prayers and support in this adventure.  

Dear self

Yesterday I was talking to someone about what it's going to be like when my boys are 16. To be honest I don't even like to let my mind wander that far ahead. I'm having a hard enough time with the reality that they are already 5 & 2. I've seen people write letters to their 16 year old self on here and I think it's a really cool idea. Not that I can go back and change anything now, but maybe my 16 year old children will someday read it and let it soak in.

Dear 16 year old Nicole,

Here are a few things I wish I could tell you from 26 year old me.

First, be nice to mom. Right now you think life would be so much better if she'd just leave you alone, but in a few years from now you're going to realize just how much you need her by your side, holding your hand through the really big stages of life.  I know you won't believe it but you'll actually be best friends one day.

I know you think you absolutely must always be in a relationship but trust me you don't!  Enjoy your friendships. Be patient. The future love of your life is around and is the last person you'd expect him to be. When its the right time your eyes will be opened to each other. In every relationship before him you've had to put so much effort in to make the pieces fit. With him it will be effortless. The second he comes everything will fall perfectly into place and trust me you'll wish you hadn't wasted so much time on every person before him. Be content with your time alone. You'll have the rest of your life to enjoy life as a pair. 

Stop trying to make everyone elses style yours. Your not going to really know what you like until your 25 anyway. For now just keep it simple.

Don't stress about future career plans. You can try to make plans but make them in pencil and give God the eraser. His plans are always better.  He knows us better than we do.

Be around positive people. Everyone else will eventually be left in the past.

Don't burn bridges with family. They are going to be around much longer than friends. If your going to take sides, side with them. Your not going to want to but you'll wish you had.

Always keep your eyes on the bigger picture. This life is temporary. It can end tomorrow. Remember that you were created ultimately to love Him who created you, to have a real relationship with Him and let Him shine through you. We weren't made for us. We were made for Him. Don't ever forget it!

xo,
Cole

she made me do it

This past month has been a blur with all that's going on so once again I've neglected this modern day diary of mine. I promised a friend I would get back to it so here I am. Time to catch up.

My little shop had it's 1st birthday last week. Can you believe it's been a year! I'm still in shock over all that's happened. If you would have told me I'd have a page in Better Homes & Garden Holiday Crafts Magazine I would have laughed at you. But here we are on newstands now until January. I squeeled and jumped up and down when I saw it in the store. So unbelievably blessed!

I know I posted that we were going to the beach 3 weeks ago but due to a crappy little sickness that snuck up on me (2 hrs out of AZ) we had to turn around and come home. It took a few weeks to get back to normal but we finally made it to the beach this past weekend and had some much needed refresh time. Really wish we could have brought the 70 degree weather home with us though.

Did I already mention how much I really really enjoyed a vacation? ha.

Ok now to catch up on the deeper things...

Over the summer I went through a study on how the word describes a spirit-filled follower of Jesus and just how many of us go on oblivious to the supernatural power that lives inside of us. I don't have to wrestle through the rhythms of life on my own, "It's the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all." John 6:63  It's hard to give up that control and rely on the Holy Spirit to transform me inside out. Because I need him too. I really do. I want to be able to walk through hard circumstances with joy. And I know I'm not going to fulfill God's supernatural purposes without the Spirit. So I guess right now I'm still learning how to trust him to power me up to do what I can't do on my own. Learning to trust Him to be my sole source and sustainer.

A few weeks ago I committed to facilitating a women's study at church. They needed volunteers and I definitely felt the nudge. I also know that I'm not going to see the spirit at work when I'm always keeping myself in a nice comfortable spot. "It's when we get up and actually start running the play that He gets to work."

A week before the study started I had expected to be diving into the word and filling myself up before things began but that was not at all the case. I believe there is an enemy, he can't destroy me but he can throw me off track because that was what he tried very hard to do that week.  That's why Jesus told us to be on guard. Today I feel like I'm still walking around with a limp but I'm able to look back at that test and see that I was never alone. He is walking with me through every season. Each test just strengthens us for the next and teaches us to rely on Him even more.

So much I want to share. I promise I'm going to try to get on here more. Bye friends!

2 posts in 1 day!! whoo hoo!

The big chop

I think we can say we've all done it.

Or if you're a mom, your kids have done it.

This week it was my turn to experience the fun.

Here's Micahboo the other day dressing up in moms stuff 

while he was supposed to be taking a nap...

and then this morning...

So what's a mom to do-Call daddy!

So we made the best of it and got out the hats.

So that was our little adventure for today.

This week's lesson learned will be hide the scissors

along with the permanent markers & glass vases.

Who am I

It still amazes me that people come here and read the things I write. It really is so cool to have you here. I hope you will find something that inspires you. But at the same time I want everything I write to be genuinely from my heart. Not something I write because I think it’s what people want to read. So if you are new here and wondering just who I am...

...I wrote a little about me

Every day I look at my husband and my boys and think, “Really Lord?” I will never understand just how I ever deserved a gift so great.

No matter what, before I go to bed I HAVE to look at the clock and calculate exactly how many hours of sleep I’m going to get before I can fall asleep. If I go to bed now I’ll get 7 hours…if I go to bed now I’ll get 6 hours of sleep. It’s a little weird I know.

You will never see me write a fashion post. Occasionally I will surprise myself by putting together something cute but really I’m a plain jane. I stick with the basics and try to throw in a bright accessory. And when I do manage to put on something pretty I end up wishing I was in sweats and one of Stephen’s big shirts.

I secretly want to tattoo the rest of my arm from the middle forearm up. I have a dove on my forearm and wish I could just keep going but once you commit its FOREVER. So it’s a secret wish, we will see if it ever happens. Plus I really don’t think I’m cool enough to pull it off.

{I love to write about fun, happy, encouraging things, but ultimately I want to be shameless of my admiration and love for Jesus. I don’t want to feel like I'm obligated to throw in a religious post here and there. I want to freely write from my heart about how amazing my savior is and how seeking Him is better than anything else I can experience on this planet.

I want to talk about how much joy I feel every day because I have a God that has pursued me from day 1. He’s not just sitting up above keeping track of my wrongs. I cannot even begin to fathom how great He is and how undeserving I am, yet every day He pours out nothing but grace, mercy and love.

If I believed that there were a million different ways to find peace, joy, and salvation than I probably wouldn’t say anything. But I believe with all my heart that without knowing Jesus you will never find them and so that’s why I keep writing about it. It’s just so easy to write about the comfortable stuff. I can't tip toe and keep things safe because eternity is just way too long a time to be wrong. And this life is tough and it hurts sometimes, and I can’t  imagine what it must be like living it without Him, and without the certainty of knowing that if it was to end tomorrow it would be ok. I would just be going home. Eternal Life- bought at such a costly price and given so freely. How could you pass it up?}

So that's me. That's my heart. If there's anything else you want to know please ask.  You can find my email by clicking on my picture above. I'm glad you are here and I hope to get to know you more. Send me a message so that we can be friends.

photo via

there's still hope

This quote needs to be printed out and put on my wall.

Somedays I feel like this world has no hope. Things are getting worse and worse. But then I turn off the news, get into the word and I know that because of Jesus there will always be hope. And the more that I pour the good stuff in, the more good comes out of me. When I feed my spirit with life giving things then I can go out and be a part of that beauty still left around. Spending time reading the word and praying doesn't always immediately change the circumstances of what's going on, but it changes me and my outlook on things.  My God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is no less in charge when the world seems in chaos.

Jesus speaking:

"Abide in me, and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." John 15:4

image via

Isn’t there a better way to spend Christmas?

This year Stephen and I are starting some new traditions in how we celebrate the holiday. I feel like I’ve had a big heart change in the last year and a part of that has been learning to step away from seeing things the way I’ve always been taught to and training myself to look at things in the bigger picture.

Why do we celebrate Christmas the way we do? Every year it seems like we go into debt buying loads of gifts for people who already have more than enough. Doesn’t it seem like we’re really teaching our kids that happiness is dependent on how much stuff we have for them under the tree? In a few months from now most of the gifts will be lost or broken anyway. And it seems like the only gifts we really remember are the ones that had sentimental value more than the money it cost. It’s the truth.

I heard these statistics and they just blew me away.

leading cause of death globally =

lack of access to clean, safe drinking water.

cost to solve the global water problem permanently =

$10 billion.

amount Americans spent on Christmas last year =

$450 billion.

450 billion dollars.

Yesterday I heard a speaker ask whose birthday is it. If it was Jesus’ birthday then who should get the gifts? If you want to give to Jesus who do you give to- the least of these. There are so many hurting people and we are so blessed to have the opportunity to demonstrate His love and grace to them. We’re not dependent on happiness on what we buy or own. Last Sunday our pastor talked about how Jesus came to give us freedom from bondage. Wouldn’t it make sense to celebrate his birthday by helping others, by being life giving at Christmas also?

This year the people at our church are each giving $40 dollars this Christmas. 40 dollars ends hunger for an orphan for a whole year. After you give you get a magnet for your fridge and every time you open it to feed yourself you can be reminded that you fed a kid for a whole year. Now that’s a gift you won’t forget about.

So our new tradition this year is to spend less. Give more. "Give them our presence not our presents."

 What new traditions are you going to make this year?

If you want to feed an orphan for a year you can do so here.

My Christmas Tree Adventure

This weekend I lost my mind and put up my tree super early. I say I lost my mind because I forgot about the two mini people living in my house and the drama that is bound to happen by having it up weeks earlier than the norm. First of all I just changed all the colors in my house about a month ago so I had to run out and by aqua and orange bulbs to match. So I bought the new bulbs, put up my $5 dollar slanting garage sale tree (don't laugh, if you knew my husband you would understand), made it pretty- see I decorated it from the middle up to stay out of reach of mini person #2.

I kid you not 20 minutes later (thanks to mini person #1) it looked like this...

and then half a day later it looked like this...

That's 3 bulbs left people!!!

I bet you can all guess what my lesson learned is going to be on Friday...

moms be smart and buy plastic bulbs!

I love my boys.

*I do have to say that my husband surprised me with replacement bulbs. But those babies aren't going up until Christmas eve!

It's been a year

This is me exactly a year ago...

We were trying to talk Skylar into coming out early which he did. Two weeks early on my favorite holiday.  I look at this picture and I can't believe how much has changed in a year. We are now in our own home, I'm not pregnant anymore yay, Micah is now potty trained (thank God), and I'm now at home with my boys. This was around the time that I was doing lunges around the office to try and get my water to break so that I could finally transition from working mama to work from home mama. It was a stressful decision but I'm really glad that I made it. I think its so silly now how much I worried if I was making the right choice.

There are so many instances in my life where I needlessly worried about decisions and still do. I'm just now learning that this is life. Sometimes you pick the right path and other times you end up taking a few detours, but in the end you realize that even in the times when you went off trail a bit you still learned something. I think especially the harder times help make you who you are. One of my all time favorite quotes is this. It always brings me some hope when I feel like I've made a really bad detour.

life lesson

Look who visited my house this weekend.

I woke up Saturday morning to a very scary phone call from Stephen telling me that he had been hit by a car while riding his bike home from triathalon training. A lady rolled a stop sign and he flew over the hood and into the street. It was very scary but thank God he wasn't seriously hurt. He injured his leg and has bruises and cuts on his face but luckily only that. It could have been so much worse and we are just so thankful that it wasn't.

Scary moments like this really put things into perpective for me. All weekend I couldn't help but think about what if that call would have been a different one. It was a good reminder of an important life lesson and that's to really appreciate the ones you love. Don't take anyone for granted thinking that they will be here tomorrow. The rest of my weekend was spent cherishing every minute with my guys and it turned out to be a pretty great one. I'm off to the dentist to learn another life lesson and that is not to wait 8 months to get a filling. :/ pray for me.

It's only when we truly know and understand

that we have a limited time on earth

and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up

that we will begin to live each day to the fullest,

as if it were the only one we had.

-Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

no one ever told me

I saw this really cute post awhile back and this weekend I was reminded of it so I had to track it down and share. A Little Dear wrote about all the things that no one ever told her about motherhood. And these were a few that she was so right about (for me anyways)...

•going to the bathroom without an audience is a rare occurrence.

•your kids think you are a walking encyclopedia at all times of the day

•your boobs will never look the same...single ladies I envy you this!
•You will never be on time for anything again...my husband cracks me up when he asks me why I'm up an hour before we have to go. Let's see I have to get ready, have to get two boys ready, get diaper bag ready, and so on and so on. 
•The phrase "the laundry is done" no longer applies to you

•Showering (or bathing) without "company" is few and far between

This last one cracked me up because this was my bathing experience this weekend. I don't ever bring the camera in the tub with me but I had to take a picture of this. Cars lined up all around the tub and the "company" she was talking about. I wonder if little girls do this too?

Good Friday

 A few things that stuck with me this week

• The answer is always love. “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Gal 5:6 "If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."
• The way up is to step down-humility. "It's when we empty ourselves that we are filled. Die to self so that you may live, give your life away so that you may find it, humble yourself so that you will be exalted."
• Be slow to speak. “The more talk, the less truth; the wise measure their words”-Prov 10:19 and Ironically my fortune cookie today also said Keep Mouth Shut-the golden rule. This is definitely a lesson I'm still in the process of learning. I've been called an exhorter several times and one of the things it means is to give warnings or advice. But sometimes it's feels like it's better off to keep quiet. How to discern when to speak and when to stay silent?
• and this made me really think...

John Piper wrote-"The critical question for our generation is this; if you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all of your friends you had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauty you ever saw, and the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Jesus wasn't there?

Today is Good Friday. It's the day that Jesus was crucified on a cross on my behalf. The nails didn't keep Him on that cross, but His unrelenting LOVE did. He is God! He could have called all of heaven down to rescue Him if He wanted, but He sacrificed His life so that I could LIVE forever with Him. Words cannot express my thankfulness for what He did for me. And then He rose from the dead! “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
There is no greater love than that. I hope every one has a great Easter weekend! Remember His sacrifice for YOU.

(photo from here)

happy ending

“Your happiness is intertwined with your outlook on life.”

– From my fortune cookie last night.

So I guess another way of putting it could be if I'm unhappy, it's my fault?

But I liked this one, it was much better than “You need to find a new exercise routine.” This one made me think. Made me consider what is my outlook on life? If I had to describe it in one word what word would it be? The word would change depending on the season I was in, but after thinking about it for a little bit I decided my one word would be temporary.

Lately I’ve been trying to teach myself to focus on the big picture, to think eternally. Literally two minutes after I posted no place like home I got a call from a friend telling me that another one of our friend’s mom had passed away. It was a shock. She was so young, probably only a couple years older than my mom and her kids are around my age, and grandkids my kids age. Part of me was deeply saddened for her family and the other part joyful because I know that now she is walking with Jesus. I went to her memorial service Monday night and it was beautiful. Her boys were on stage playing their mom’s favorite praise and worship songs. And the stories they told really touched my heart. She and I had a lot more in common than I ever realized. She had a wonderful story, a beautiful life and because she lived it completely for God, her story had a very happy ending.

So when this happened I was just like ok God you must really want me to get this point. I really started to understand just how short life really is and that any passing minute could be my last. Now I just have to believe it enough that it changes the way I live. “For death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.” Ecclesiastes 7:2 So if my outlook on life is that it’s a temporary thing then I need to make sure that each day counts for eternity. And the key point to that is remembering that in the movie of life I’m not the star. From the very beginning of time and long after I’m gone it’s still always going to be about Him. So Lord help me to remember that everything was created by you and for you, which includes me, so help me to make this temporary life count for something special in your big picture. I don't want to just live to live for these short years, but I want my days to count for the next life, because that one is never-ending.

So I agree with confucious that my happiness is intertwined with my outlook on life, because living each day as if it were my last brings assurance and confidence and overall happiness.

(photo from here)

Stop and Think

Don't miss the whole point of your life

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(photo from here)