blah

today i have felt like blah. not sure how else to describe it - so blah will do.

Aaron and I have been moving through each room in our house implementing a better organizational system. We are determined to make the best use of our 1402 sq feet! One rule we are maintaining the space of Jeremy's room as a nursery - so it is off limits for storing our "stuff". We have a lot of stuff. wheew!

Today I was working in the office room, this includes my beading space. While going through my beading stuff I came across all the wonderful notes from the Mommy Showers. So I of course have spent the better part of today crying and sobbing and thinking about what wonderful friends, sisters and family are all around.

This is what my mother wrote to me:

A Strong Woman vs. A Woman of Strength

A strong woman works out everyday to keep her body in shape ... But a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape.

A strong woman isn't afraid of anything ... But a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of fear.

A strong woman won't let anyone get the best of her ... But a woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone.

A strong woman walks sure footedly ... But a woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls.

A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face ... But a woman of strength wears grace.

A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey ... But a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong.

Thanks Mom :)

GRACE AND PEACE!

sunshine

from God Calling:

Lord, bless us in the evening hour, and in Thy Mercy heal us all.

Do not think that suffering is the only path into My Kingdom. There are sunlit glades, and ways amid the loveliest flowers, along which the steps and hearts of men are drawn to Me. There are birds and laughter and butterflies, and warm, life-giving summer air, and with these tender companions and friends, the Joy-Way into the Kingdom can be taken.

Bleak, cold, and desolate, briar-beset and stony, are not all the ways. Leave all to ME. The choice of way, the guidance in the way. But when the sunlight calls accept it gladly.

Even in the Spirit-World appreciation results from contrary experience. Can the fireside of home be more dear than to the traveler who forced his way over bleak moor and through blinding storm? Take to your hearts this word of cheer. He "will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

The world is not the Kingdom. "In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." Live with ME, the Conquering Christ, and the Joy and Peace of conquest shall be yours too.

While reflecting on this devotion today, so often I have over looked the fact that I am quick to call on God when things are rough - but overlook him when all is well. I recognize the need to be intentional realizing that God also creates the sun and the calm. And in the sunlit times the Kingdom of God is glorified.

I pray for SON filled days:)

GRACE AND PEACE!

TOO AWESOME

I have MANY MANY friends celebrating a wedding anniversary this week .... this is simply awesome!

Marriage is something to celebrate ... clap along and ENJOY!

Four Years

Today Aaron and I celebrate FOUR years of our journey ... what a journey.

I read today about how all of our trials are tools for teaching us, preparing us ... I must say we are getting some quality training! Praise God!

Today we will celebrate with the entire Northview Staff at Brookside. The staff is coming down for a tour and to get their hands dirty. We are pumped to have 50-60 brothers and sisters in Christ serving at Brookside today ... God is Good!

GRACE AND PEACE!

Greater Works

FROM GOD CALLING:

Abide in Me. "The works that I do shall ye do also; and greater works than these shall ye do; because I go unto My Father."

"Greater Works!" The blind received their sight, the lame walked, the lepers were cleansed, the poor had the Gospel preached to them. "And greater works then these shall ye do; because I go unto My Father."

Wonder of the World! Miracle of the Ages! God's Power manifest in believing man! God's Power going out to bless, through the agency of the man actuated by the Holy SPirit. Arise from the grave of sickness, poverty, doubt, despondency, limitation. "Arise, shine; for they light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee."

A wonderful future is before you both. A future of unlimited power to bless others. Just be channels. Be used. Ask. Ask. "Ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you," and unto those for whom you pray.

Wrapping my head around this devotion today ... wow. During His life, Jesus performed MANY miracles. BUT with Jesus at the right hand of God - GREATER works we will do.

really .... YES if we ask.

Lord I pray that you will use me for your kingdom. Enable me through you to bless others. Thank you Lord. In your son's precious name Jesus. AMEN.

GRACE AND PEACE!

removing mountians

From God Calling:

I am teaching you both My Way of removing mountains.

The way to remove mountains is the way of Praise. When a trouble comes think of all you have to be thankful for. Praise, Praise, Praise.

Say "Thank You" all the time. This is the remover of mountains, your thankful hearts of praise.

I looked back over my journals from the past 6 months and they are filled with Thank Yous to the Lord. I consider how much my life changed in one year and can truly reflect on how wonderful the Lord has been. Mountains are no longer mountains.

Learning to Receive

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE "If you believe, you will receive…"
(Matthew 21:22, NIV)

TODAY'S WORD from Joel and Victoria

All through the Bible, there are so many promises of what God has already done for us. It says in Ephesians that "God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing." It says in Colossians that "God has made us worthy." There is mercy for any mistake we will ever make. It’s already been taken care of. He paid the ultimate price through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. He’s done His part. Now it’s up to us to do our part. We have to start believing it so we can receive it.

In the natural, when someone gives you a gift, what’s the first thing you usually say? "Thank you." When you give thanks, it’s a sign that you are receiving the gift. Today, start receiving what God has given you by saying, “"Father, thank You for Your mercy. Thank You for supplying all my needs. Thank You for Your goodness in my life.”

As you learn to give Him thanks, you are learning to receive from Him. Open your heart by faith today and thank Him for all the blessings He has prepared for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY "Father God, I come to You today giving You thanks and praise for Your faithfulness in my life. I choose to receive Your Word which is life and strength to my soul. Help me to keep my heart focused on You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen."

GRACE AND PEACE!

Arbinger

What an amazing seminar Aaron and I attended Friday and Saturday!

It was put on by The Arbinger Institute - Titled "The Anatomy of Peace" ... it is a workshop based on the book. We were provided tools to become peacemakers. Although it is not a Christian based organization ... weaved through out you see Jesus. Who was/is the true peacemaker.

The workshop taught how to see people as people and not objects ... sometimes we are not even aware that we treat and see people as objects! We worked on seeing the humanity of people. That includes our friends and family as well as a stranger. Such powerful teaching.

Additionally, the guy who ran this workshop Mike, is the CEO and President of Anazasi .... this is a foundation that helps troubled youth and their families. They work to restore the family relationship. The program has the youth go out on trails, working through the material while also dealing with nature. (www.anazasi.org) Pretty darn Cool!

Finally, this seminar was held at Brookside Community Church, some of our attendees where able to participate - what a great experience! The seminar was brought to Indy through an outreach that Aaron has worked with: Rebuilding the Wall ... I can not begin to explain how the teaching and lessons impacted me and those around me. WOW is not enough!

Arbinger Institute also wrote: Leadership and Self-Deception - in case you might be looking for enriching books to tackle!

To top it all Aaron and I were able to have very deep way below the surface talks. I love how the Lord continues to pour into each of us and strengthen our marriage.

GRACE AND PEACE!

Ability to Bounce

This morning when Aaron and I prayed before he left for the day ... he thanked God for giving us the ability to bounce back.

That statement struck me particularly strong today. I faced a set back yesterday, that I suppose I have faced every month for the last 5. (SORRY GUYS) The monthly visitor, this month it was 5 days late ... I was getting excited. I shared my disappointment with Aaron yesterday, I was not very focused and it was all I could think about - today is better. It just is what it is ... But as Aaron prayed this morning, he was right - God has given us the ability to bounce. We move along and plan for things to go a specific way, then there is a curve, a road block, something in our way and we have to make adjustments. And continue in our Faith journey. It reminds me of the 90's song "I get knocked down, but I get up again" ... I will continue to get up again.

Sorry if this is TMI ... just being honest.

When I read Joel this morning it totally fit ...

Not just for a family, but with all the current projects I have going ....

You Are Closer Than You Think

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

";…He said to the paralytic, ‘I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.’ Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We never saw anything like this!’"
(Mark 2:10b-12, NKJ

TODAY'S WORD from Joel and Victoria

In Mark chapter two, the Bible talks about a man who was paralyzed. He heard that Jesus was in town teaching at another house and knew that He could heal him. The paralyzed man convinced four of his friends to carry him on his bed over to where Jesus was. When they arrived, the house was so packed that they couldn’t get in. Do you know what happened next? Instead of just giving up and going home, the man was so determined to get his miracle that he convinced his friends to climb up on the roof, cut a hole in it, and lower him down to where Jesus was!

Now this man understood that you are closest to your victory when you face the greatest opposition. A lot of people would have just given up. They would have seen the crowd and gone home—even though they were just a few feet away from their miracle. Don’t let that be you! What are you believing for? Don’t give up just because there is opposition. Don’t let others discourage you from seeing your miracle. Keep pressing through today because you are closer than you think to the victory God has in store for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

"Heavenly Father, today I release all of my cares and anxieties on You. I trust that my breakthrough is coming. I choose to press in and stand strong. I believe Your Word, and I believe that You will reward me as I diligently seek after You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen."

GRACE AND PEACE!

What Moves God TODAY´S SCRIPTURE "And when He saw their faith… " (Luke 5:20, KJV ) TODAY´S WORD from Joel and Victoria Do you know what moves the hand of God? This may surprise you, but God is not moved by complaining and self-pity. He’s not even moved by our needs. Yes, He is concerned about our needs, and yes, He wants to meet our needs, but we have to do our part and invite Him to work in our lives by exercising our faith. When Jesus walked the earth, oftentimes right before He healed someone, the Bible says something like this, "When He saw their faith…" And so I ask you today, can God see your faith? When God sees you doing everything you can to get well; when He sees you getting to work a little earlier because you really want that promotion; when He sees you bypass the cookie jar because you’ve been believing to lose weight; when He sees you bite your tongue to keep the peace in your house; when He sees you help others when you really need more help than they do; when God sees your faith, that’s when extraordinary things will begin to happen. Faith opens the door for God to move, so demonstrate your faith today and watch the hand of God move in every area of your life! A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father in heaven, thank You for the gift of faith. I choose today to exercise my faith and invite You to move on my behalf. Keep me close to You, search my heart and remove anything that is displeasing to You. I bless You today and always. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. What a wonderful word for Wednesday! GRACE AND PEACE!

Expect the Good

From God Calling:

Can you get the expectant attitude of faith?

Not waiting for the next evil to befall you but awaiting with a child's joyful trust the next good in store?

YES I CAN!

The Lord is preparing the Shelby's for something big ... I am not exactly sure what the "big" thing is ... I am certain it is big. I wake up each day expecting God. Expecting Him to show up, I invite Him daily to invade my thoughts and actions. He is so awesome, continuing to surprise me in so many ways.

Orders continue for Jewelry, I have been on FIRE - and love it. I am in the process of planning an open house, Jewelry is much better in person.

GRACE AND PEACE!

Guardian Angels ...

From God Calling:

You are Mine. Once I have set My stamp and seal of ownership all My Hosts throng to serve and protect you.

Remember that you are sons and daughters of a King.

Try to picture a bodyguard of My servitors in the Unseen waiting, longing, efficient, to do all that is necessary for your well-being.

Feel this as you go through the day. Feel this and all is well.

So good:) All is well ....

I have successfully organized and cleaned my three spaces at school. Which included bringing home items I was not ready to throw out, but also not to be left at school. Just as we got our office space organized - I load it back up .... just a new project for a rainy day (but not today!) On Thursday I will work with the teacher hired ... I am so excited - she is returning to NC! A long story short - she will be back!:) YEAH! Thursday I will have the opportunity to work with her in the jewelry studio. It can be a bit intimidating - but she will be MARVELOUS!

Today the twins (Lucy and Hannah) are celebrating their 3rd birthday. I can vividly remember waiting at the hospital ... we heard the chimes back to back and cheered. We all knew they had arrived. They are such a hoot now. And so sweet with Jameson, their 9 mo old brother.

Aaron and I will head over after church - rain rain GO away!

GRACE AND PEACE!

Following

Love when the word through Joel is powerful! :)

What’s Following You?

TODAY´S SCRIPTURE

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever" (Psalm 23:6, NKJ)

TODAY´S WORD from Joel and Victoria

As a believer in Jesus, did you know that goodness and mercy are following you? God´s grace and favor are chasing you down! But if you live with a cloud of condemnation over you, if you surround yourself with negativity, then you are putting a barrier between yourself and the blessings of God.

So many believers today miss out on what God has in store for them because they live like they´ve got a dark cloud over their heads. They´re always talking doom and gloom, living in condemnation. But when you open your heart to receive what God has for you, that cloud is lifted and all that´s left is His goodness and mercy!

Instead of living in guilt and shame, God desires that you walk in His love and forgiveness. Make the decision today to let go of condemnation, let go of the past through forgiveness, let go of self–defeating behaviors, and embrace His goodness and mercy! Let His favor surround you like a shield so you can live the life of victory He has in store for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, I humbly come to You today asking that You remove anything in my heart that would keep me from You. Give me a heart of forgiveness so that I can move forward into all You have for me. In Jesus´ Name. Amen.

On a side note, had an awesome Lunch with a dear friend expecting her first little guy in September. I love being able to share pregnancy and birth stories. She is such a sweet heart - I look forward to meeting the little guy, which probably will not be "little".

After lunch I headed over to school and began the process of cleaning the spaces that I have occupied for the past 12 years. 12 years is quite a bit of time to accumulate "stuff". It really felt good, empty cabinets, organized supplies and plenty of things to toss. I have one area down, 2 to go. So many great memories.

Gosh I love that school. I look forward to visits and keeping up with my "Teacher Friends"!

:)

GRACE AND PEACE!

Just a Reminder

From God Calling:

Help and Peace and Joy are here. Your courage will be rewarded.

Painful as this time is you will both one day see the reason of it, and see too that it was not cruel testing, but tender preparation for the wonderful lifework you are both to do.

Try to realize that your own prayers are being most wonderfully answered. Answered in a way that seems painful to you, but that just now is the only way.

Success in the temporal world would not satisfy you.

Great success, in both temporal and spiritual worlds, awaits you.

I know you will see this had to be.

This morning I woke up and in my typical fashion turned on the morning news, usually about 6:45, I catch the end of the local news before the Today show. The news had a brief story about an SUV that flipped in the 7900 block of Westfield. The passenger was killed, the driver was 18 - no names have been released. All I could think of was the mothers pain. I wanted to know the name so I could reach out the the mother and let her know God will take care of you.

The family will spend time asking Why, searching for answers that cannot be found. They are not answers for this time. It is part of the healing process.

Once I accepted that the WHY for me will not be answered yet, I was able to focus on the blessings and praise God for how He has taken hold of me and walked me through my circumstance.

Today my devotion from God Calling reminded me that God does have a plan, and he has prepared through my circumstance a blessing that I cannot even imagine. I look forward to understanding, but will remain patient for the appointed time.

GRACE AND PEACE!

Riches

From God Calling:

Never let yourselves think "we cannot afford this," or "shall never be able to do that." Say "the supply for it is not here yet, but it will come if we should have it. It will surely come."

Persevere in saying that and gradually a feeling of being plentifully supplied and of being surrounded by riches will possess you. That feeling is your faith claiming MY SUPPLY, and according to your faith it shall be unto you.

But it is not the faith expressed in moments of prayer and exultation I look for but the faith that lays immediately to rest the doubts of the day as they arise, that attacks and conquers the sense of limitation. "Ask, and ye shall receive."

GRACE AND PEACE!

6 months

Jeremiah Parker Shelby ... 6 months today.

This one seems a bit easier, in the sense that I am smiling more. Thinking of my sweet little man and how many ways God blessed Jeremy, Aaron and Me.

Earlier this week I was thinking about Jameson, my sisters 9 month old, and Dean my sister in laws 3 week old - a very broad smile came across my face. I realized Jeremy was right in the middle of the two boys. They provide a STRONG glimpse of where Jeremy would be. That is a blessing, I will not spend time wondering - I will have two little men to keep an eye on. What a blessing. I do realize that is terribly sad at the same time - but only if I choose for it to be. And I choose not to live defeated by my circumstance, but to find Gods hand in it all.

my reading today:

"Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you." Zechariah 9:12

my prayer:

Lord, you are my strong hold, and I thank you for restoring double to me of all that has been lost in my life. Thank you Lord that you are faithful and good. Thank you for the many blessings that you pour over me, continue Lord. You alone are my strength and in you I find my Joy. Lord, I ask that you continue to move mighty in my life and help me to recognize when you do. In your son's precious name, Jesus. AMEN.

Have a wonderful 4th of July Celebration:)

GRACE AND PEACE!

fitting

Live Excellently TODAY'S SCRIPTURE "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might" (Ecclesiastes 9:10a, NAS) TODAY'S WORD from Joel and Victoria David was a man of excellence. The Bible tells us that David played his harp “skillfully.” He didn’t just play it, he played it with excellence. When he slung the stone that defeated Goliath, it wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t just a lucky break. David had practiced the slingshot year after year out in the shepherd’s fields. He was extremely talented with that slingshot. Some experts say he could hit a small bull’s eye more than 100 feet away! In the same way, if we want to see God’s hand of promotion, we need to live excellently. In this day and age, if you’re not growing, then you’re at a disadvantage. If you’re at the same skill level this year as you were five years ago, then you are falling behind. It’s time to step it up a notch. Whatever you are doing, do it with all your might! Don’t get complacent. Keep growing; keep learning; keep improving. As you do your best to live excellently, God will bless the fruit of your labor. He’ll pour out His “super” on your natural and cause you to rise up higher into the life of victory He has in store for you! A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father in heaven, I choose to live in excellence. I want to bring You glory in all that I do. Thank You for promoting me as I dedicate every area of my life to You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. GRACE AND PEACE!

bead frenzi

yesterday was a BEAD FRENZI ... my hands are feeling it.

I spent the entire day creating components for a long multi strand, this is a necklace that can wrap 3 times, or be worn long. I have found this to be a popular one ... I do not have any in stock therefore I needed to spend some time creating the components - and will sell one on Esty.

This morning I was drawn to Psalm 90:17

"May the favor of the Lord rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us - Yes, establish the work of our hands."

In all I do, my Hope is in the Lord and His blessing. I have a few projects for Aaron in addition to the beading orders - and I pray that the Lord will bless each project. I pray that the Lord will quicken my thoughts to be effective in building the Kingdom.

GRACE AND PEACE!