I love this that I found on Hope... it is interesting... simply interesting. It has challenged me to think a little deeper today. It has challenged me to revisit what I would have told you to be true in the first place - simply that our God, the One who created us, has called us for a purpose... each one of us. Are you any closer to discovering His purpose in your life - or are you just sitting by "squandering your glorious life"? Interesting for sure...

Taken from www.daveblackonline.com :
For years I have kept the words of A. E. Whitham near me to remind me of the desperate need of people for hope:
"If you knew that there was one greater than yourself, who knows you better than you can know yourself, and loves you better than you can love yourself, who can make you all you ought to be, steadier than your squally nature, able to save you from squandering your glorious life, who searched you beyond the standards of earth…one who gathered into himself all great and good things and causes, blending in his beauty all the enduring color of life, who could turn your dreams into visions, and make real the things you hoped were true; and if that one had ever done one unmistakable thing to prove, even at the price of blood – his own blood – that you would come to him, and, having failed, to come again,
Would you not fall at his feet with the treasure of your years, your powers, service, and love? And is there not one such, and does he not call you…?"

We all want to hope. The Bible says this, Romans 15:13, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." That is my prayer for you, my friends.... love ya!

What an Exciting Time!

This is such a fun (and busy) time of life! We are waiting (on the Lord - really) on our birthmom to find us. We are waiting to see what the Lord will do with our housing situation. We are waiting to see what the Lord has for us in business (both the exisiting ones, and others...). We are waiting... and I am excited! God is moving and doing things that make us want to shout! We have been looking for a house for a while. We don't have to move. We are just feeling like it is time. We have been looking, but not found anything. A few months ago, I looked at a house and I told Ken and the realtor (our friend, Lisa Smith) that it was the most practical house we'd looked at yet for our family. HOWEVER, it was about $50,000 too expensive. That is a pretty big amount of money. The next thing I know - about a week ago, Lisa calls me and says that they are coming off of the price $50,000. But, what is more, they will take an offer $100k less. Wow! Our God is so amazing. So, there are some problems with the house (not in the structural construction), the original builder left the house a well constructed shell, but the owner finished out the sheetrock (in a hurry and it shows upstairs...) So, we contact another friend from church (Bill Moss) to see if he will look at the house with us and get us an estimate on what it will take to make the house wonderful :) Well, you will never believe - Bill Moss was the original builder! Who would know it better than the original builder? Funny to see that the original builder may just get to finish the house out yet! Again, we just smiled and thought - this sounds just like God. We aren't sure that this is the house the Lord has for us- only He knows for sure. We still just wait and pray and see how things go. But, so far, we are seeing that only the Lord can do the most amazing things. Can you imagine? Getting the most practical house for our family for less than what we thought was an ideal price? I know that if this is God's hand in our lives, He will provide just what we need... at just the right price... at just the right time. He is amazing. It is so fun to watch Him moving in our lives.

As we wait on our birthmom, we pray for her every night. What a blessing to hear my husband's heart for her. We can't wait to meet her. We can't wait to see what she is like. We can't wait to see if she is pregnant with a boy or a girl! It is sooo exciting! Again, it may not happen this week, this month, or this year... but God knows exactly when He will bring her (physically) into our lives. She is already in our hearts and prayers. I just think He is amazing. And I know that He is Faithful! His Word says that He is unable to be unfaithful (2 Timothy).

I am celebrating the fact that I belong to the Creator of all life! I have been adopted by Him. I was chosen before the beginning of the world - and so were you, if you belong to Him. Listen to this... John 16:27, "For the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God." Jesus says that if you love Him, then the Father loves you dearly. What's more is if you keep reading, He says that God loves you JUST THE SAME as He loved His own Son, Jesus. Look at this, John 17:23 " I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me."

What? He loves us as much as He loves His Son. God's Word is true. There are no mistakes. The next time you are feeling unloved, or unlovely, remember that you are loved as much as the One who is seated beside our Holy God right now! Wow... I know I don't get that. As much as I want to, I know I just don't. God is amazing. That is truth! Pray for us as we are making many decisions. Pray that the Lord will continue to be so clear, and that we will not have any agendas of our own!