more to come!

fantastic word from Joel ... as Aaron & I embark into the world of preparing for adoption and family building!

He has big plans, as I continue to put my trust, hope and faith in HIM ... HE continues to bring forth blessings beyond my imagination!

You Haven’t Seen Anything Yet!
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him”
(1 Corinthians 2:9, NKJV)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Today’s verse is really an encouragement for all of us to raise our level of expectancy! It’s like God is saying to us, “You think you’re blessed? You haven’t seen anything yet!” And I’m sure God has been good to you, but He also has things for your future that, if He told you right now, would boggle your mind. You wouldn’t even believe it.

If you would have told me twelve years ago while I was working behind the scenes at my parent’s church that one day I would be a minister in front of many people and have our services in the former Compaq Center where I used to watch the Rockets play basketball, I would have said, “You’ve totally lost your mind!” At the time, I could not even fathom that! Friend, that is how God wants to bless you in your future. He wants to overwhelm you with His goodness and with things so wonderful you can’t even fathom it!

Today, get ready for increase. Get prepared for promotion. This year is the year to step into blessings you can’t even imagine. Keep believing, keep obeying His Word and keep your heart and mind open to what He has for you because you haven’t seen anything yet!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father God, today I raise my level of expectancy. I choose to take the limits off of my thinking. I know that You are able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all I could ever ask, think or imagine. Thank You for the blessing You have in store for me in 2011! In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

GRACE AND PEACE!

action on a whisper

So last Fall i heard a whisper from God, to get a room prepared. (previous blog, October 2010)
About the same time, a family friend contacted me regarding a possible adoption.

I turned my heart to God, for he knows quite well my desire for children - I began to hear a new song. As I began to hear this new song, I began to see our Kingdom Family - one that only Our Father could create. One that lead me to begin to explore adoption. My exploration was stopped short, when searching online I was overwhelmed and discouraged.

Then around Thanksgiving, a positive pregnancy test. The thought of adoption was pushed even further away. With that loss, my feelings about a family came into question. I was heartbroken.

This year I am doing a devotion on Women of the Bible ... so far I have spent a week on Eve, Sarah, Hagar and this week Lots Wife. The first three provided promises that spoke to my heart, each speaking about children. Those could each be separate entries - maybe.

Last Thursday we received an out of the blue call, remember the family friend with the possible adoption ... well the birth mom was having contractions. She decided the Sunday before, while in a special residence for single moms, that yes this baby would be put up for adoption. The call was to see if Aaron and I were interested - the little girl would probably arrive over the weekend.
I was trembling, crying and I think even laughing.

The green room is painted and ready to be outfitted as a kids room, well there are a few things that need to be tossed, donated or something. My mind began spinning over what would need to be done to bring a baby home in a weekend.

I talked to Aaron, my mom, the mom of the birth mother, and the residency that was preparing for a new arrival. In about 5 hours - I was all in. If it was the Lord's will, I was ready to do what he was calling me to. Just as I was putting together a picnic dinner for Aaron and I to take over to church, I got a call from the residency.



In minutes, I knew the will of the Lord was that this little one was not meant for us. The birth mom has selected a family she had met earlier that week. Then flooded in mixed emotions - we did not even get a chance to meet the birth mom ... I was sad and disappointed. Then I was very peaceful, the Lord calls us to be willing. I pray that I continue to be fully submitted to him. In all things.



From the whirlwind of Thursday, I had created a connection with a fantastic adoption ministry, the counselor I spoke with let me know the steps needed to become potential adoptive parents in their facility. WOW, a first step. Something I was completely stumped by in October.

Friday, I took a step by contacting the adoption ministry. While I have not heard back, I feel confident that I am in alignment with the Lord, he is our provider ... He will provide.



This is just the beginning.

GRACE AND PEACE!

get ready ...

Oh the Lord is up to something, while I am not ready to publish the details of all that is going on - this devotion from Joel today let me know the time is near!
it is coming! And oh, God is good all the time! All the time God is good!!!


Get Ready
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE“Get ready! This is the day the Lord will give you victory...!”(Judges 4:14, NLT)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and VictoriaIt’s easy to get stuck in a rut and go into another year coasting on auto-pilot, expecting the same thing: same problems, same struggles and the same income. But God is a God of increase. He wants us to rise higher and continually grow and reach new levels. What I sense in my spirit is that 2011 is going to be an exceptional year; a year for you to see promises come to pass; a year for you to accomplish your dreams. It’s going to be a year of surprises, and God is going to amaze you with His goodness! Maybe there’s an area in your life that you’ve struggled with for a long time. It seems like you just can’t get ahead. You need to get ready. This is the year things are going to change. God is about to release His favor in a greater way. You’ve sown the seeds. You’ve planted. You’ve watered. You’ve been faithful. Now you’re about to come into harvest. Get ready and begin to declare by faith, “This is my time for breakthrough! This is my season! This is my ‘above and beyond’ year, and I receive victory in Jesus’ name!”

A PRAYER FOR TODAYFather God, thank You for Your goodness and faithfulness in my life. Today, I choose to take the limits off of my thinking and lift my eyes to You. Help me to see the good things You have in store for my future. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

GRACE AND PEACE!

precious prayer

this is too special for me not to share ....
last night I was at Brookside Church, my regular Wednesday routine. I was in the Nursery with the kids, I think there were about 12? It was a typical evening, some coloring, playing dress up, cooking, trains, and reading books.

One super sweet little girl, who is 4, asked "Miss Beth, which one is your son?"
my reply " I do not have a son here"
she was stumped, and looked at me sideways
my reply, " we can pray to God that he would give me a son"
she said " okay", bowed her head, then looked back up at me " How do you do that? Show me."
So I bowed my head and said, " Lord please give me a son"
she repeated, "Lord please give Ms Beth a son. Amen"
then she ran off and played more.

My heart was so filled by that special moment. Only to almost burst, when on her way out she said "Ms Beth, show me again how to pray for your son"
We did it again. What a precious blessing are all of Gods children!

I am so comforted and peaceful, that HE hears all our prayers and answers them.

GRACE AND PEACE!

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

another bump

i hit another life bump.

i have been dreaming about writing a post to announce a pregnancy for 2 years

- but instead we hit a bump last week at our 9w5d appointment.

When I called the DR on November 30th, to schedule an appointment following a positive home pregnancy test ... the earliest date to see my doc was January 4th, which put us at 9 weeks and Jeremy's birthday - I thought, fantastic, what a great way to celebrate a special day.

Aaron and I shared only with our family ... waiting until the new year to share with the world.

When the 4th arrived, Aaron and I were anxious to hear the heartbeat and possibly have an ultrasound. Well, we had the ultrasound ... and that is when we saw evidence that our baby had stopped growing at 6w4d. My body was confused and continued to produce the pregnancy hormone and I continued to have all the typical symptoms associated with pregnancy.

We returned to the DR on Friday, nothing had changed, it is considered a "missed abortion" and had a D&C that afternoon.

This was not at all how I had expected 2011 to begin, with this mix of emotions i have found myself in a weak place - and in this place there is only one direction to turn ... the WORD.

from Encouragement for Today:

Let me breathe a little life into your weakness today. Whatever it is, however large it may loom: "...the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express" (Romans 8:26). We don't have to have all the answers. We don't have to make suggestions to God. It's okay to be so tired of our weak places that we run out of words to pray. Look at the beautiful verses written to us girls Jesus tucked in around Romans 8:26 about weak places... "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit" (Romans 8:9a). "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31b). "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Romans 8:37). Maybe we need to sit still for just a moment or two today. Quietly sit without the weight of condemnation or the swirl of trying to figure things out. Quiet, with nothing but the absolute assurance the Spirit helps us in our weakness. He understands our weak places. He knows what to pray. There is a purpose to this weakness. Though it doesn't feel good, things will be worked out in a way that good will come from it (Romans 8:28). In that quiet stillness while the Spirit prays for us and we just simply soak in truth, there will be a flicker of light. A slight trickle of hope. A grace so unimaginable, we'll feel His power overshadowing our weakness.

So while i work through this new bump in life, I will keep my eyes fixed on HIM, moving forward. knowing that I am NOT alone ... I am so thankful for family, friends and a fantastic LifeGroup ... once again we get to travel this road together. Just another bump ... I know that the Lord has a family for Aaron and I, in HIS time, in HIS way.

GRACE AND PEACE!

rejoice in the Lord always!

Lord, I praise you and thank you for my precious son Jeremy. How I miss him, I am also comforted knowing who's arms and presence he is daily. Thank you Lord for 9 months & 71 minutes to love on him, kiss him, and hold him.

Such an honor to be his mom.

Thank you Lord for blessing me in such a mighty way.

precious Jeremy ....

still my favorite picture ...

2 years later, while I miss him so - I rejoice in how the Lord continues to bless and keep me. How humbled my heart is today.

from Joel: Who Will Receive the Blessing?

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation”
(Psalm 24:3–5, NKJV)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria God wants you to receive every blessing that He has in store for you. In His Word, He tells you about His wonderful blessings, but He also tells you how to receive His blessings — by having clean hands and a pure heart.

We are made pure and clean by the precious blood of Jesus when we make Him our Lord and Savior and turn away from anything that displeases Him. I’ve found that most of the time, it’s not the big things that keep us from God’s best; it’s the small things — maybe it starts with an offense that turns into unforgiveness. Maybe you watch something on TV or the internet that you know you shouldn’t, and it becomes a bad habit that steals your time and pollutes your mind.

Today, make the decision to let go of anything that would keep you from His blessings. Make the decision to be a person of excellence and integrity. Treat others with respect and kindness and look for ways to be a blessing. Be determined to live a life that pleases God so that you can receive the abundance He has in store for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father in heaven, thank You for the blood of Jesus that cleanses and renews me. I choose to turn away from anything that displeases You so that I can live righteously before You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

— Joel & Victoria Osteen

GRACE AND PEACE!!

did not meet the goal ...

but we did make progress!

Aaron was able to paint for a few hours 2x last week and now half the middle room is green. I LOVE IT!

aaron doing the edges ...

in the day light .... artificial light ...
Still not sure what to do with all the stuff in the middle, but when the room is painted, then it can all find new places to go. I am looking forward to moving my brown rocking chair in along with a book shelf to start. Then when the room is "needed" we will be able to add to it.

Feels so good to be obedient to the whisper I heard in Sept/October ... just building the boat!

GRACE AND PEACE!