House Hunters...Horning Edition

   Oh Lord have mercy. Trying to buy a house is probably the most exhausting thing I have ever done. Over the past 3ish months Daniel and I have been on the hunt for our first little home. We started out with tons of excitement and energy and now we are dragging our feet. I think we have put in about 6 offers. Now a few of those are duplicate offers on a single property, but still lots of offers. We fell deeply in love with one house and didn't get it and now were still being just a little "emo" about it. We are going to look at a few more this week, pray for us! The hardest part in this whole Home Buying process is really trusting that the Lord has a perfect house at the perfect time. My brain is so quick to work out details that I think fit perfectly, but every time I do I am reminded that God is weaving His details together much better then I ever could.
   In other news, we started our Name List! There are quite a few very cute possible names for Tiny Dancer #2 on there! Can't wait till she is here and I get to squeeze her. T-minus 4 months and 5 days.... Well, till my due date, but going off previous experience it will be about a week after that.


Grace & Peace

Mustard Seed Love

This morning in my Bible I read Matthew 17. The whole chapter is amazing, but I read over a very familiar story and it encouraged me in a new way. Verse 20 says this:

" He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you"

   Every time I have read that scripture or heard it in a sermon it was used as an encourager to have more faith and you can do more for God. I mean, that was the basic gist of it. But today as I read it I was encouraged as a Mother. I know it may seem a bit cheesy, but it's true! Daniel and I found out yesterday that we are having another little girl, and my biggest concern with having 2 children is giving them each enough love and attention. I am not worried about how to manage two kids, or go to the grocery store, or run errands, or even about finances! I just want to make sure they both feel loved enough. And as I was reading that verse I felt so encouraged and relieved, like, "Hey, I can do this!"
   I know the key to it working is having enough faith, and even though it is a struggle sometimes to not doubt God or try and fix a problem on my own, at least I know that it is possible. If I just have mustard seed faith that God will help me, I know I can do it.  I want to have Mustard seed love for my babies. If my faith is the size of a mustard seed and I can move a mountain, imagine how much mustard seed love could do.


Grace & Peace

Fallen Before The Ark

   I've been on a bit of a Blog Vacation. Spent some time thinking about other things that are going on and devoting more of my free time to being a better Wife and Momma. Now that I feel like I have a better handle on things I am back in the Blog-saddle.
  Something super awesome that I have been doing lately is reading through the book of 1 Samuel. Whoa. Talk about gnar gnar! I am only 10 chapters in, but let me just tell you, there is some crazy stuff happening in there! Something that really struck me is in Chapter 5, here's some super cool God knowledge for ya...
   The Israelites were in battle against the Philistines, and they were losing. So the Israelites sent for the Ark of the Covenant, thinking that if it was with them in battle they would surely win. Wrong. The Philistines CRUSHED the Israelites, and when they did they stole the Ark of the Covenant. WHAT!?! Who does that? Who steals someone else's God? Any way- moving on. They brought the Ark back to their city and placed it in "Dagons temple", that was there God. Ok here's the rest....

^"3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. ⁴ But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. ⁵ That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold."


   Uh... Can you say, AWESOME! When I read this, I giggled.... Out loud. It was just a cool moment for me. Reading about the power of my God, and how He made other stupid little statues bow at His feet. So cool.
It was encouraging because I realized that God can and still does do that. When I feel like darkness is closing in on me or I let fear creep in, God makes it cower at His feet. He is bigger and stronger then anything or anyone else. I am glad He is on my side....


Grace & Peace

Written on my Arm

   As some of you may know I recently got a partial sleeve on my left arm. The things in it are all things I feel the Lord is showing me or speaking through me. I haven't written out what they all mean and I thought now would be a great time to do so, so here we go...

- The tree is from Song of Solomon 2:3 " Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste."

- The heart and banner is from 1 John 4:16 " And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in us."

- The flowers are from a painting i did a while back about the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-24 " But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

- The rays of light and the sun are from Mark 13:26 " At that time people will see the son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory." (I also used the Hillsong United song "Hosanna" for a little inspiration from the line "I see the king of glory, coming on the clouds with fire". That's where the fire colors in the rays come from)

- The peace sign in the heart is from James 3:18 " Peacemakers who sew in peace, reap a harvest of righteousness." 

- And lastly, probably the most meaningful for me, The waves from Jonah 2 " From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the the Lord his God. He said:
In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me.
Out of the belly of Sheol I cried out, and you heard my voice.
For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas,
 and the flood surrounded me, 
all your waves and billows passed over me;
Then I said " I am driven away from your sight,
yet I shall look again upon your holy temple."
The waters closed in over me to take my life;
the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped about my head
at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; 
yet you brought up my life from the pit,
O Lord my God.
When my life was fainting away,
I remembered the Lord,
and my prayer came to you,
into your holy temple.
Those who pay regard to vain idols
forsake their hope of steadfast love.
But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
Salvation belongs to the LORD."

One last thing I wanted to share. Last night as I was doing my devotional, the reading for that day was James 3. The chapter where one of the verse references for my tattoo is. It was the first time since getting my sleeve I have randomly read over one of the verses. It was so incredible. As if the Bible wasn't already so special, it became even more to me in that moment. Realizing that I am wearing a piece of Gods word forever was so powerful. It was a great moment.


- Grace & Peace




* Side Note * If your in LV and thinking about getting work done, I would definitely encourage you to go to Chance @ Red Handed Tattoo Gallery. He is the guy that did all my work. Incredible artist. Incredible man of God.

He Fills Heaven and Earth

   Over the past several months, 7 to be exact, we have been lifting up Daniel's younger cousin in prayer. She was first admitted into the hospital in May due to severe headaches, where they found some serious things going on. All of this leading into multiple brain surgeries and a lot of nights in the Hospital. She is only 17, this was supposed to be her Senior Year of High School. She had already began looking at Colleges, envisioning her future, thinking of majors, and all of that has been put on hold. There was a point at which they diagnosed her and began treatments, only to leave her back in the Hospital again with the Doctors at a loss.
   As we have been praying for her I have really struggled with God. She is totally in love with God and pursues Him daily, she is a great daughter, and incredible student, and overall just a joy to be around. And I can't understand why God would let this happen to her. Why He would let it last for so long and not give any answers or Hope that it will ever come to an end. I found myself saying, "God where are you? Why aren't you with her?" And this is what He showed me,

"Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD, “and not a God far away? 

Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” 

declares the LORD. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” 

declares the LORD." - Jeremiah 23:23-24

 He is with her. He is all around her. Even though we may not understand why He is letting this happen, we can rest assure knowing that He will always be by her side. I will continue to pray for her and pray for Gods miraculous healing over her body, but until that happens I know she will never be alone. Please join our family in praying for this Beautiful girl. Strength for the fight ahead of her and for Gods hand of restoration on her body.

Grace & Peace






**** Photo Courtesy of wallpapers.pixxp.com

A neck in Irons

"His neck was put in Irons" Psalm 105:18

I read a devotion the other day centered around this verse. It was exactly what I needed. The funny thing is it was for the 27th but the day I was reading was actually the 29th. It's like God wanted me to get my dates mixed up so He could speak so profoundly. Thanks Lord. 

  This is what it said, " Never run from suffering, but bear it silently, patiently, and submissively, with the assurance that it is Gods way of instilling iron into your spiritual life. The world is looking for iron leaders, iron armies, iron tendons, and muscles of steel. But God is looking for iron saints, and since there is no way to impart iron into his peoples moral nature except by letting them suffer, He allows them to suffer." - Streams in the Desert

  And early this morning, I received a phone call with devastating news. My nephews mom who had just had an emergency C-section called to say that her brand new baby boy didn't make it. Jesus called him home. There were health problems along the way and he was born 11 weeks early, but we were really feeling optimistic that he was going to pull through. And now we are left with broken hearts and no words to say to comfort a grieving mother. I turned back to this verse in Psalms and just prayed. Sometimes not saying anything, sometimes saying everything I could think of. But I am realizing that in the midst of this heart break, God is doing something greater. God is preparing a family for something. And my new prayer is that they can find that purpose and run towards it. Lord, give them the goal so they can focus on it.

Running in the Streets

  Last night at the Response, Daniel and I shared from James 5. This is the verse that struck my heart, " My dear friends, if you know people who have wondered off from God's truth, don't write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God."

  Whoa. Just soak that in for a minute..... It reminded me of a quote I heard a while ago, " If we actually believed in hell the way The Bible describes it, then we would be running in the streets trying to get people saved." So why is it that I am not running in the streets? I think it is a mixture of things. I'm worried what people will think of me, I don't think they would respond well to a crazy lady yelling at them, and the big one is I don't know if they really want to hear what I have to say. I think I have been letting that last one be my driving force. "I know that they don't want to listen to me, so I won't even try." But in reality, I think that is just a cop out. I think I am too afraid of being rejected or finding myself in a confrontation that I don't try.
   My insecurities are keeping me from reaching out to people. I think it may be time to get over myself and start talking to people. So maybe I wont be running down the street yelling it at people, but if I can at least start a conversation with someone in line that's a start. You never know what interaction could lead into another interaction which could lead into a friendship and then ultimately lead into salvation. So hears my goal: Start talking to strangers. Sounds silly, yes. But is it effective, maybe. I guess I will just have to see.


 - Grace & Peace









**** Photo Courtesy of Bostonbiker.org