Be Still....

When God says Be still... 

I am a list person. I like to check things off of my list. I am someone who likes to know all the details of what is going to happen. If  we are invited to an event, I want to know what time to be there, what (if any) type of food will be served, I want to know how to dress and what others will be wearing. I am a control freak.  

We are at a time where God is saying "Be still" (Psalm 46:10) and it is hard for me. I trust God completely, I'm not worried about what will happen, but I want to know what is going to happen. I want to know the next 5 steps and when we have completed those 5 steps what the next 5 will be. 

I went out on a drive today to take pictures of the snow and I came upon this little church that was rundown and what I saw at the time as a great photo op I now see as God telling me slow down, rest in me, allow me to work out all the details. God says in his word, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 Everything works for our good and God's Glory!! 

I only need to be still. I need to pray, I need to be in his word, and I need to be listening to what he is telling me. 

The modern day marriage

"Wives, submit to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." Ephesians 23-25

My girls like this particular show on T.V. about an animal that has a blog. I've actually had to stop them from watching it because of the message that it portrays. The show itself is not bad. It's about an animal that talks and only the children can hear, and then he writes a blog telling about his families adventures. The problem I have with the show is the fact that the husband, who on the show is a child psychologist, is made out to be a complete idiot. He doesn't have the respect of his wife, his children, or sometimes even his patients.

 I want to show my children what a biblical marriage looks like. Biblically I am called to submit to my husband, not make him look like a baboon in front of our children, or our friends. 

One of the things I see all too often is a wife belittling or talking about her husband negatively to him in front of people, or to her girlfriends. Ladies, this can ruin a marriage! If your husband feels disrespected then you're going to not feel loved. If you haven't read Love and Respect I suggest you do. 

I have been guilty of this. I have been guilty of correcting my husband in front of others, I have been guilty of saying, "You are being stupid," now let me tell you I was joking at the time, but I could see the look on my husband's face when I said it, and it broke me. Words are so strong, the old saying "Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is WRONG! Words do hurt, and we are called to be Christ-like, we are called in   Philippians 2 v5 We our told "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus" Do you think Christ would belittle someone or talk bad about someone? Absolutely not! Neither should we! 

Do something for your husband this week, Just Because! Something you know that he will like. 

Scripture to pray over your husband:

Ephesians 4:1-2

Ephesians 5: 25-29

Proverbs 22:29

Psalm 46:1

Proverbs 11:3

1 Corinthians 10:13

Proverbs 28:27

Luke 16:13

Jeremiah 29:11

Choosing Him All Over Again: Book Review

Choosing Him All Over Again
                A Story of Romance and Redemption

I wonder how many of us, if we were being honest, would say I dreamed about what it would be like to be married to someone else. What if I would have married Mr. tall, dark, and handsome, not short, chubby and balding? What if I would have married a lawyer instead of a pastor?

Juana Mikels seemed to have it all, a handsome hubby, a fantastic job, a dream home they built together, but Juana felt something was missing from her marriage and that her husband was not who she was supposed to be married to.

One October night leaving her husband, Juana set out on an adventure that she thought would take her to finding her "Mr. Right" and it did but not the "Mr. Right" you might think. She found Jesus.

Her road back to redemption in her marriage was not an easy one, there was rejection from her husband, and heartache but Juana did not give up on God, and what he could do in her marriage, and because of that there was restoration in her marriage and her husband would later come to the Lord, and they have raised 4 beautiful children in a Christian home.

I don't want to give all of the book away, but I tell you that you need to add this book to your 2015 reading list!!

You can purchase the book here

Enjoy!!

Measuring Up

One of my goals for 2015 is remembering Who's I am and Who I am in Christ. I tend to measure my worth by what other people think/say, how many likes or comments on facebook, instagram etc. 

Gods says that I am...

* I am a Child of God
John 1:12 (ESV) But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

* I am a branch of the true vine, and a conduit of Christ's life. 
John 15:1,5 (ESV) “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser." 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

* I am a friend of Jesus
John 15:15  (ESV) No longer do I call you servants,[a] for the servant[b] does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

*As a Child of God, I am a fellow heir with Christ
Romans 8:17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

To live an effective Christian life you need to know and believe who you are in Christ. 
Understanding your identity in Christ is crucial to your success. 
I choose to believe what God says about me! 


Be blessed! 

When God says WAIT...

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.Psalm 27:14


Waiting is so easy right? Being patient is even easier right? NO, NO, NO!!! We often question, "Why Lord?" Why is this happening?

Lately I have find myself asking that same question. My husband is a pastor and we were at a church in Montana, things seemed to be going great, and then the Lord said, "Leave, go back to Kentucky (our home town) and wait on me." So we packed up what we could fit in a small trailer and sold the rest. We did all of this in a month, and we moved back home. We moved in with my mom, because we didn't know if we were going to stay in our hometown, or really where we were going. We enrolled our daughters in school, I started subbing in the school, and Andrew has applied for many jobs in the secular world and also many pastor positions. No secular jobs has called Andrew. We do have a church that has had us for an interview and have also called him to preach a couple of times, but we are in the waiting part of this process. Anyone in ministry knows this part. It's hard, you want an answer, you want the process to hurry, even though you really don't because you want to make sure that it is all God's Will and God's timing. 

What I have learned during this time, our oldest-est of our two younger daughters, Ellee, has to have surgery on her ear again, and if we were still living in Montana we would be between 8-10 hours from the nearest Children's hospitals, so God has moved us back because he knew this was going to happen and we needed to be close to Vanderbilt (1 hour away) for the many doctors appointments and the surgery. We also found out that our youngest daughter Johannah, is also going to have to have a sleep study done, and a surgery for her sleep apnea so again God in his Omniscience knew what we needed before we knew it. Now is this all I have to learn No, there is definitely more to learn, am I going to know everything as to why he has us here, No but God's plan is always better than ours. So as I wait upon the Lord and wait upon his perfect plan, I dive further in His Word, ask him to use me where I am, and be a light to those who need it. 

This Christmas Season be a light to others. Whether you are in the grocery store or the checkout line of the department store make conversation around you, tell people the real reason for this season, and remember that you might be the only light that some of those people will see that day or even this season. A smile can change a mood :)

Merry Christmas!!! 

Choosing Him All Over Again

I'm exited to have the opportunity to be on a new book launch team again.

Juana Mikels new book Choosing Him releases January 2015 but you can Pre-Order yours here

I have just started reading the book, and can't wait to share with you as I read.


A little teaser from the back of the book
 "She has everything that is supposed to make a young woman happy: handsome husband, dream job, new home, great vacations, fun friends, and plenty of money.
But she isn't happy.
Leaving husband, house, and friends behind, Juana begins her search for peace and happiness in earnest. Mistakenly, she thinks all she needs is "Mr. Right," but instead, Juana finds Jesus and the peace she has always longed for.
As she grows in her faith and her desire to please God, God rekindles in her heart a longing to be reconciled to her husband. However, the tables are now turned her husband doesn't want Juana back.
Juana learns how to let go and trust God, to let Him go to work and do what seems like the impossible . . . but will her marriage be restored?"

 Stay Tuned!! :)

Messy Beautiful Love: Book Review

Wow, wow, wow!

I have been married to my husband for almost 9 years. Through our 9 years of marriage we have had many ups and many downs. I wish I could say that I offered grace in every argument/disagreement. I wish I could say that I apologized when I was wrong. I wish I could say that if someone walked into the middle of one of our arguments they would say, "Wow, that is marriage is a great representation of Christ and the church." Unfortunately I would have to answer no to all the above. 

I was picked to read and review Darlene Schacht's new book Messy Beautiful Love: Hope and Redemption for Real-Life Marriages. This is a book I had to force myself to put down. I wanted to dissect it and I wanted to finish it in one sitting. It was a hard battle ;) 

I would recommend this book to the dating, newly married, married for 10 years or married for 50 years. 

In the opening pages Darlene lets you into a place in her marriage that most people don't ever let you go. She gives her testimony of  what grace can do to a marriage, even in the most unthinkable times.   

Each chapter was filled with Biblical truths to handle situations that arise everyday in our marriages.   At the end of each chapter Darlene gives us a challenge. Each challenge makes you think and act. 

Release for this awesome book is Tomorrow Tuesday September 16th. Hurry out and get your copy! You can also click here and enter for your chance to win a free copy! 

I want to thank Darlene Schacht and Nelson Publishing for allowing me this opportunity, it was truly a blessing!