Keep Seeking the Things Above

This morning a friend emailed me the blog address of a family he knows thinking that, being into blogging myself, I might be interested in checking it out. I did visit this blog and, upon doing so, was quite encouraged by what I found. In the bloggers' own words, this blog is designed "to give analogies of everyday life and relate them to Christ." Essentially, they are relating stories of everyday events and seeing Christ even in these "mundane things."

I got to thinking about this concept of seeing Christ in all things, and concluded that our ability to do that should result in praise and glory to our King. Praise God that He has made Himself evident in that which He has created! "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:18-20). God has made a way through His creation for all to come to the knowledge of Him. What a blessing that the work of God's hands calls out to the saved and unsaved alike, beckoning us all unto Him.

As I said earlier, I was encouraged by this fellow blogger's words. Instead of allowing the mundane things of everyday life to blind him to the majestic things of our great God, he is actively looking for God even in the most "un-religious" of situations. May this be a reminder to me to "keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God" (Colossians 3:1).

I Signed Up For PayPerPost!

Last month during a casual conversation with a friend, I learned that people can make money blogging! Being a stay-at-home-mom with no income and lingering student loan debt, I immediately jumped on the opportunity to learn how I, too, could make money by doing what I love to do--writing! An experienced blogger friend whose average blogging income is $500 a month advised me to sign up for PayPerPost to get started making money. Having just met the 10 posts and 30 days requirement yesterday, I signed up on PayPerPost.com this morning, received notification that my blog had been approved shortly thereafter, and here I am tonight taking my first PayPerPost opportunity! I am so excited to have finally found a way to make a little money while still fulfilling my most important role of raising up the children whom the Lord has given me. I certainly hope this pans out for me, as I would love to start chipping away a little faster at my student loan debt. The Lord has always been faithful to meet all of our needs, and my husband has a wonderful job that provides well for our family; but since starting our Total Money Makeover at the end of last year, we have seen that a little extra income would go a long ways in helping us to become debt free. So thank you, PayPerPost, for this wonderful opportunity!

If you like to write and wouldn't mind making a little extra income, maybe you, too, should join the blog network!

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This policy is valid from 26 June 2008.

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Thank God for Good Friends

I have been so blessed by the phone calls of caring friends since the news of my ultrasound results went out. The love I am being shown has caused me to reflect on my own expression of love towards friends, and I'm afraid it doesn't always measure up. I have some friends who have had miscarriages in the past, and not knowing what I should say to them during their trialsome times, I have chosen to not say anything at all. But now that I find myself likely facing the same situation, I am so thankful for the words of love and care and concern and encouragement given me by my friends. It means so much to hear the words, "I'm praying for you.... If you need someone to talk to.... We love you...." So thank you, my dear friends, for showing me love and compassion during this time. It means more than you know.

All Things Work Together...

As I continue to reflect on the situation we face with this pregnancy, the Lord has brought to my mind Romans 8:28--"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." This promise can be a tough one to wrap the finite human mind around because we humans see only the snapshot of our current situation, whatever it may be. But God--the infinite, all-knowing God, the God who is not bound by time or space--He sees the big picture. He knew the beginning, and He knows the end, and His grace is sufficient for whatever falls in between. I think it's interesting that just a few verses before this astounding promise, Paul says, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (vs. 18). The promise is not that only good will happen to those who love God. Indeed, we know that "all things" includes the good and the bad, for Scripture tells us that we will encounter trials. "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4). So not only can we know that even our trials play into the best God has for us, but we can also rejoice in these trials, knowing that through them we are being perfected. Perhaps the best way to understand this mystery that all things work together for the good of those who love God is to remember that God is continually sanctifying and perfecting His children and using all things as the means to this end.

My First Appointment

This morning I had my first OB appointment for this pregnancy. We got to see the same doctor who delivered Amariah, and he enjoyed seeing how much she has grown over the past year. At the end of our appointment, he sent us to the ultrasound technician for our first ultrasound. Having just had a good appointment, we were surprised to see no baby as the technician began the procedure. She saw a normal placenta, a gestational sack, and a yolk sack, but no baby. Based on that, she called me six weeks pregnant instead of ten and sent us back to visit with the doctor. Since we are pretty confident of the dates involved, the doctor seems to think that a miscarriage is pending. He is, however, having me come back in a couple weeks for a follow-up ultrasound to determine whether any change has occured. Whatever is going to happen, I am comforted by the fact that the Lord knows all things. He already knows the outcome, and His grace is sufficient for whatever we may face. He is my Lord, and I will rest in Him.

Male and Female He Created Them

Yesterday I blogged about how my son Abel is turning into a little man before my eyes. Today my thoughts have turned to the developing womanhood of my (almost) one year-old daughter Amariah.

Yesterday afternoon as I was trying to get myself and the kids ready to head to the grocery store, Amariah decided to take herself upstairs. Still busy getting Abel's shoes on, I let her go do her thing thinking that she would soon be ready to come back down. Several minutes passed, and I noticed that everything seemed a little too quiet upstairs--usually the first warning sign that I need to check things out. I quietly headed up the stairs, and as I peeked into Abel's bedroom, Amariah turned around with the sweetest little grin on her face as she held Abel's baby doll to her chest--certainly not a naughty thing, but still something that I needed to see! Baby doll still in her arms, I asked Amariah if she would like to take it along with us to the store. She gave me an affirmative grunt, and we headed for the van. As I loaded her into her carseat, I could hardly pry her arms away from the baby long enough to get her strapped in. She held that baby tightly for most of our grocery shopping trip. Later in the evening I watched as Amariah spent a good half hour pretending to put her own pajamas on the baby. As a mother, it was so much fun to see my daughter's nurturing nature revealing itself. Sure, she is hardly more than a baby herself; but it cannot be denied that God has created male and female for very distinct and different purposes--complimentary to each other and equally important, but still distinct and different.