At The Feet Of Christ

This picture just makes me smile!

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:13:49 -0400

This picture just makes me smile!

Just started reading #glimpsesofgrace! SO good!

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:30:55 -0400

Just started reading #glimpsesofgrace! SO good!

Summer time fun! #summer #slipandslide

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 22:09:38 -0400

Summer time fun!
#summer #slipandslide

Kris & Toni | St. James Church | God is Bigger than my...

Fri, 31 May 2013 11:58:15 -0400

Kris & Toni | St. James Church | God is Bigger than my Past
Great video on the love story God wrote for me and my husband!
#love, #relationships, #teen challenge, #pro-life, #God,

Love this girl and her curls!

Thu, 30 May 2013 23:06:44 -0400

Love this girl and her curls!

When I look at these pictures I am reminded of how faithful God...

Sun, 26 May 2013 20:54:51 -0400

When I look at these pictures I am reminded of how faithful God has been to my husband and I! This little boy has brought so much joy and laughter into our hearts and home and I could not imagine life without him. I love watching him grown day by day, week by week, and year by year. I pray The Lord would teach me how to nurture the gifts that I already see in him. Isaac loves to dance! He can memorize dances so easily and has some serious dances moves for a 3 year old. He loves Ross Lynch from Austin and Ally. He has the best smile I have ever seen! He can’t sleep without his guitar. Not only does he love music but he loves sports too. But the main thing I see is that he is a leader and not a follower. I pray that he would be the leader that his father is. I don’t want to just survive the toddler years I want to embrace them and be the parents God has called us to be so that in Isaac’s young and moldable years he will see that we live for a bigger purpose than ourselves. I want him to know and love God and through that his gifts would be used to honor and glorify the God who made him. Thank you Jesus for this precious gift that I adore with all my heart.
Happy birthday little man! I love you!
Mom

yang-forever: ♥ So true:)

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:39:58 -0400

yang-forever:

♥

So true:)

Day 1: Going Natural Today March 17th 2013 marks a big day for...

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 14:10:58 -0400

Day 1: Going Natural

Today March 17th 2013 marks a big day for me personally because I have finally decided to go all natural with my hair. That means no more relaxers for me! Its a big step for me because I’ve been relaxing my hair since I was 12 years old. Honestly I have believed the lie that I would not be beautiful if my hair was not straight. Its a lie that I am still struggling with even though I am committed to doing this!
I want my hair to be the way God created it to be. That is not to say that relaxing your hair is wrong but for me personally I have been letting society and my own insecurities determine what makes me feel beautiful and I am done with that.
Psalms 139:14 says that “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” and I need to start believing that whether my hair is relaxed or not.

As you can see from the photo my hair has been damaged by all the relaxers I have put in my hair over the years. My goal is to repair it and get it healthy and strong by naturally growing it out!
This is going to be a long journey! It will probably take me about year or more to grow out my hair but I am so ready!
I have been thinking about doing this for a while but I have recently been inspired by a girl I met in West Chester, PA, Kasheera. Her hair looks A-Mazing! Check out her website and journey at www.wildsunshinebliss.com

I have also enjoyed SimplYounique on youtube. She has awesome tips about growing your hair naturally as well!

Here starts my journey! I am really excited and know that this journey is more than just about hair!

So cute sleeping with her hands behind her head:)

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:04:11 -0500

So cute sleeping with her hands behind her head:)

Cuddle time with Ayr bear:)

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:47:40 -0500

Cuddle time with Ayr bear:)

More like Martha than Mary

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 11:51:27 -0500

Yesterday morning the Lord was so sweet to meet my heart at my women’s bible study. We listened to a sermon taken from a familiar passage in Luke 10. The story about Mary and Martha. The pastor talked about how everyone wants to be Mary. Everyone wants to sit at Jesus’ feet and just be with him for hours and hours. No one wants to be known as being like Martha because she was worried and anxious about all the things she needed to get done and missed the point of just being with Jesus.

To be honest before my husband and I had kids I felt more like Mary. I would spend hours with Jesus. I had time to read my bible and to pray. I did not have much distraction. Now that I have young babies (who I simply adore) my hours of siting at Jesus’ feet are few and far between. Like Martha I have many things that have me distracted and anxious. Like Martha they are not necessarily bad things. And like Martha I can often put so much energy in my to do list that I miss the fact that God is in every moment that live and breath. From the diaper changes, dishes, laundry and temper tantrums. He knows and He sees all that I have before me each day just as he saw all that Martha had to do to serve her household.

This morning as my 2 1/2 year old woke me up I pondered the many things I learned from that sermon that as a wife and mother I have a choice to see and hear Jesus today. Yeah I may not be able to sit at Jesus’ feet for hours in this season of my life but my Father’s love has not changed and He does not love me any less. There is nothing I can do to change His love towards me. I heard this sweet song which I haven’t listened to in years ringing in my ears. I believe the Lord wanted to remind me that He’s after my heart in what I do.

The song is called “A Little Longer” The song speaks to me because I struggle with grace daily. I often feel like I need to do all of these things in order to feel closer to God. My favorite verse in the song is at the end when she sings as if Jesus is saying to her,

“you… don’t have to do a thing
Just simply be with me and let those things go
‘Cause they can wait another minute

Link to the song. Take a listen! http://youtu.be/5-vjd6LJFi0

As I mentioned earlier my time with Jesus may not be for hours but even a minute here and minute there is better than nothing. There are times that i need to choose to be with him rather than my to do list.
My ongoing struggle and prayer is to see my Savior in the mundane of life because He is always present whether I am siting as His feet, doing the dishes, putting my babies to bed, or making dinner. He sees me, He knows me, and best of all He loves me!

Isabella Faith I cannot believe just two weeks ago my sweet...

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 10:23:21 -0500

Isabella Faith

I cannot believe just two weeks ago my sweet Isabella Faith entered the world! Although it took me sometime to accept that I would have to have a scheduled csection, I am thankful for seeing God’s plan in it all. For starters my nurse was a believer which made a huge difference! She saw the tattoo I have on my wrist that says Isaiah 40:31. She went on to quote her favorite verse in Isaiah 41. I know it may not seem like a big deal that she was a Christian but she gave me comfort when Kris hadn’t arrived in the room yet and I stared to get sick from medication they were pumping me with me. Naturally with all emotions I started to cry because I wanted Kris to be in the room with me. My nurse knelt down and looked me in the eyes and said, “just think about your verse!” I immediately felt peace and Kris came in 2 seconds later.

As I mentioned in my previous post although Isabella is my third, her life is still a miracle to me! I cried just as I cried with Isaac and Ayriana when i heard her first cry and saw her sweet face for the first time. I often think about how each of my children will add to this world. My desire and prayer is that they would come to know Jesus and stand strong on His principals despite what the world thinks.
Having 3 babies under 3 is hard work but I keep reminding myself that this time is going to go so fast and I don’t just want to survive this time. I want to make memories and live each moment with them. To be honest I am so tired and I can’t be the mother i desire to be without Christ!

I thank The Lord Jesus Christ for Isabella’s life! I pray God would capture her heart at a very young age. I pray as she grows up in a Christian home that she would have a great understanding of truth, grace, humility, and love.

I thank God for entrusting Kris and I with another beautiful gift of life!

Turning my anger into prayer!

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 20:01:30 -0400

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 1 Peter 2:23

This verse has always floored me, especially the past couple of days as I have read post and blogs of some of my Facebook friends who are clearly against not just the support of Chik Fil La but Christians and Jesus Christ. At first glance I just want to delete everyone and lash out on everyone who are saying things out of anger, hate, and ignorance against Christians. But the gentle heart of God reminds me that I should not be surprised at the hate and anger that is being said because not to long ago I was a God hater just like them. It is only because of the grace and mercy of God that my eyes have been open to the Truth. Let me never forget that I was once blind.

My prayer is that my heart would not quickly turn to anger but to prayer. I pray my heart would not quickly get offended but it would break for my enemies because this is not about me, this is about the powerful name of Christ. This is about lost souls who really do not know any better because they do not have the power of the Holy Spirit living in them and helping them to see what is true.

I thank God for speaking to my heart and softening my heart towards those who do not know what they do. I pray for those who do not know Christ that He would have mercy on your souls like He has mine.

3 Years and it Keeps Getting Better!

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 06:58:08 -0400

3 years ago today I married a man that I never expected I would even see again. But God in His great mercy saved two lost souls and brought them back together again to bring about a redemptive story that has brought His name alone glory!

I was taking a walk with our two beautiful children yesterday afternoon and I began to have a little conversation with God. I was thanking Him for all that He has done in our lives. The crazy part is I did nothing to deserve such a godly husband who I trust with my entire heart. I did nothing to have the amazing gift of children and one growing in my womb as I write. I did nothing! It’s all because of His amazing grace!

My husband amazes me more and more everyday! He is so disciplined and can accomplish anything he puts his mind to. He inspires me to be a better person, mother, wife and all that God has for me on this earth. I am amazed that this is my life!

I am so grateful that the love for my husband is real! It’s not going to fade or pass because its not base on feelings alone. There is a depth in our marriage, and in the way that we love each other. I used to think love like this did not even exist. I am more in love with him today after 3 years, 2 babies, and 1 on the way than when we stood at the altar and said our vows. It’s because Christ is the head of our marriage and my husband leads our family so well. He makes it easy for me to love him! I can’t wait to spend many more years as his wife!

Happy 3rd Anniversary Love! I love you!

Day 3: Learning Something New About God; Being set apart

Fri, 11 May 2012 10:29:43 -0400

Going on day three I am realizing that it’s difficult to search what I don’t know about God. Not that I think I know everything about God because I clearly do not but I think I need to go deeper on some of the things that I do know about Him but maybe don’t think to deeply about it.
The past few days have been a little challenging for me spiritually because I tend to take what people say on Facebook to deeply. A lot of my friends who are not believers have been commenting about Obama affirming his approval on same sex marriage which I am not surprised about at at all.
Now when my friends who are not Christians post there opinions on how awesome it is that the president took a stand on this issue does not affect me as much as it does when my so called Christians friends proclaiming how they are for it as well.
So it got me thinking, Lord what does it mean that as Your redeemed people we are set apart? What does it truly mean when You say that the road is narrow? Is there a difference between standing on the standards You have give Your people and being judgmental? What i am experiencing more and is that the Gospel, the true Gospel is offensive. I live in a world that hates standards and being told what to do. But if the bible truly is my final authority over my life I have to stand firmly on the standards that God calls me to live by. I am fully aware that I can only live them out by His grace. Its not just the issue of same sex marriage. Its standing against abortion, lying, stealing, and anything that goes against the nature of what God intends. Being set apart feels so uncomfortable. Fear of man easily rises up within me. I have a choice everyday whether I am going to live according to the world that has nothing to offer me or to my Savior who gave everything even His life to save me and make me His own. I don’t want to be afraid to stand for what I know is right, even if that makes me uncomfortable. My life is no longer my own.

A few scriptures I have been meditating on on what it means biblically to be set apart.

1Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

John 17:15-18
I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them[b] in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.

Day 2 Learning Something New About My God

Tue, 08 May 2012 10:18:50 -0400

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/the-story-of-ian-larissa

Today as I watched this amazing story and Ian and Larissa what the Lord brought to mind is that He is the creator of marriage. Although I know that in my head I can easily forget that my marriage is not suppose to look like the world. My marriage is a small picture of Christ in the church. The trinity gives my husband and I the ability to have a marriage. This couple put my eyes on Jesus in a way that has renewed my vision for my marriage. Marriage is so much more than being happy or having material things. Marriage takes work and if Christ isn’t first everything will fall apart. Thank you Jesus for giving me an amazing godly husband that loves me in the times that I am being unlovable. He chooses to love me when I don’t deserve it. He can only love me in this way because of who you are in him.I pray for Ian and Larissa that you would continue to use their marriage to show who you are! They are a beautiful couple that bring to light the gospel in such a powerful way!

Day 1 Of Learning Something New About My God!

Mon, 07 May 2012 10:38:48 -0400

Yesterday morning at church my pastor challenged the congregation to take 30 days and learn one new thing about God.
As I was listening to a sermon this morning by John Piper he referenced a verse that I knew the Lord wanted me to sit and meditate on.
It comes from the book of Psalms chapter 40 verse 5.
“Many,O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts towards us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count.”

This verse brought life to me because as a mom of 2 which I love, has its challenges. I can’t just go out and do my own thing like when I was single. I can’t spend countless hours at Starbucks reading the word and being with Jesus. My ongoing struggle has been friendships. It’s just different when you have young kids. I feel like the Lord has been trying to show me that although my circumstances have changed He has not!
As I meditate on this verse today my prayer is that through the diaper changes, the feedings, the laundry, and the temper tantrums that I would hear the numerous thoughts my Savior speaks over me because I am His! I don’t want to spend my energy on what I wish I had or could be doing. I want to focus on the truth that I am learning about my King. His thoughts towards me are to numerous for me to even declare! That is amazing to me! This is definitely a characteristic about God that I can ponder all day!

Called to Expose the Darkness

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 23:49:48 -0500

In just few weeks I will be sharing my abortion story at Mercy Crisis Pregnancy Center’s banquet. Although I have shared my story numerous times I believe the Lord is bringing deeper into why He has called me to do this.
The other week at church God revealed to me on another level what it meant when He died for me on the cross. Yes I am forgiven from my sins but there still remain the consequences of my sin. By the grace of God I do not live under guilt for aborting my little boy but when I prepare to share my story I do feel the effects of my sin of aborting him and its hard and its sad and I regret it so much. I am also so thankful for a loving and gracious Savior that stood in my place and took the wrath that I rightfully deserve and made me His own. I share my abortion story to bring His name glory and to expose the dark lies that abortion is a woman’s right to choose and that there is nothing wrong with it. It’s all a lie and I pray in whatever capacity that the Lord sees fit that He would use me to expose the evil of abortion for His name sake.

I know I haven’t written in a while but I don’t want...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:44:42 -0500

I know I haven’t written in a while but I don’t want to blog just to blog. I like having something meaningful to say. I write when I am feeling inspired. The only problem is, I am usually inspired at 1 in the morning. Maybe because everyone in the house is asleep and I can finally think.

Lately the Lord has been convicting my heart about how I am using “my” time. As I look at Isaac and Ayriana I am amazed at how big they are getting so fast. Before I know it they will be out the door. I want to stop and cherish the time I have with them and not complain through it. I am so blessed to be a mommy and have an amazing godly husband that loves me and our children.

2 days ago we gave Isaac his first hair cut. Oh my goodness, he looks like a little boy! He does not look likely baby boy. Soon he is going to be talking in full sentences and he is going to have a lot to say. Everyone seems to say that age 2-5 are critical years. I am already overwhelmed at the task before me. I desire number 1 for my children to know Jesus. I want them to fall in love with him and know him not just because of mommy and daddy but because of what he has done for sinners like us. How I live my life around my children gives them a picture of why their father and I live for Him.

My prayer is to show them that. There’s a lot of growth that needs to happen in my life to display that. To be honest I don’t “feel” sold out to Christ like I use to. I dont always display the Christian life like I long to. I pray Jesus that you would help me to present you well to these precious souls you have gifted my husband and I with. I do not want time to just slip by and look back and say I wish I would have done this and that. The time is now but time is always going by.

How stink’n cute is she?! I can’t handle it!!!

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 11:30:04 -0400

How stink’n cute is she?! I can’t handle it!!!