I'm Amazed

Here’s a copy of our Christmas cards this year we got from Shutterfly. They turned out so great; I can’t wait to order more products from Shutterfly. 

For the past couple years during the month of December and before Christmas I start reading on Jesus’ birth in the book of Luke. I started yesterday in Luke 1 and I’ve been soaking it all in! Let me tell you, God’s Word is alive! “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” Romans 10:17 and I can testify how true that verse is. If you are looking for a place to study in the Bible, take a look at the book of Luke especially during this season you will not be disappointed. I've been amazed all over again of how miraculous Jesus' birth was and being reminded as the angel Gabriel told Mary in Luke 1:37 "For with God nothing shall be impossible" I have only read a portion of chapter one and already it is bringing my heart & mind to the real reason for the season, the miraculous birth of my Savior & Lord Jesus. I am amazed!


I hope you all have a Merry Christmas & remember the reason for the season - the only reason to rejoice, the only reason to celebrate, the only reason to give gifts, and the only reason to fellowship. May we remember to give our gift of praise and thanksgiving to the only one deserving, Jesus Christ.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

My Better Half

I told myself I would type this out so I can remember later how much the Lord definitely gave me my better half. Mo & I went to Siesta Key at the end of the summer. It was so wonderful and a much needed vacation as it had been a couple years since the last beach trip we took, even though I got sick the first night and was sick the entire week it was still totally worth it to get away and to be at the beach. We tried to fill this vacation with some activities we’ve always wanted to do, and even though we didn’t get to do everything we did get to do two activities we both never did before and it was a great adventure. When we were planning our vacation, our main goal was to go somewhere we could surf; my sister in law recommended Siesta Key and when we looked it up we thought that would be a great spot to learn somewhat about surfing as the water is calm, clear and beautiful there. The beach has a huge shallow area and you can see the bottom, which was kind of freaking us out at first because we could see fish swimming towards our feet! It is a gorgeous beach!


The first thing we wanted to do was some type of surfing. Mo came across Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) which is very similar to surfing except the boards are wider and you use a paddle. It was so much fun but also a little scary. See I'm not a huge fan of the ocean, and there was a light wind that day so everytime we stood up on the boards to paddle it was as if we were acting as a sail and we quickly drifted out into the ocean..out of the shallow water. We would then have to sit down and paddle our way back in to do it again. There were a couple times I got out there and there was a big distance from me to the shore & me to Mo it was very scary. One time I really started freaking out and told Mo that I couldn't get back in, but Mo ~ my better half ~ he just calmed me down and told me to focus. I realized a lot about myself that day, first how I would react if I was in Cast Away (I probably would not survive), second that I freeze when faced with frighting circumstances that I feel I cannot control, and third that God definitely gave me my much better half.


The second activity we wanted to do for the first time was kayaking. The condo we rented offered a tandem kayak we could use. The day we were going to finally try it out, I personally just did not want to. I did not want to get wet or flip and to be honest I think I was in a grumpy mood. :) It was a bad experience for me in many ways and didn't help that I was just really did not have the best attitude. You have to work together with your partner to paddle and move forward or backwards or turn right or left, so you can see where you can learn a lot about how well you work with your spouse and communicate with each other. I think every couple should try this out someday together to see how well they do! :) Even though the experience of kayaking was terrible for me and to make it ten times worse I had just shaved my legs that morning and ladies you know what happens when salt water hits your freshly shaved legs...everytime I paddled the water would run down the paddle onto my legs! It was horrible! However - it was a great learning lesson on why the Lord put Mo & I together. Mo encouraged me to just try it out and here was the opportunity. He coached me on getting into the kayak, communicated so well with me on where to paddle and which direction, and he was so patient and calm. The experience was not the best, but the gratefulness for my husband afterwards I wouldn't trade.


Here's a few pictures of us and even though we don't have a picture to show proof of us standing up on the surf board - we actually did and it was not that hard.


Two great adventures with my better half that I will definitely remember!

Tandem Kayak - and my better half

The SUP boards on our car!

Breakfast with Tiffany and God ~ Father's Day

Well, when I started writing I didn’t realize it was going to turn into a Father’s Day post.  No…Mo is not going to be a father, but my post turned into me writing about my relationship with my Heavenly Father. A couple weeks ago I spent some time reflecting on what I wrote on my previous blog and what the Lord taught me.  I’ve been realizing how most of the time when I write about my Bible Studies and what I’m learning they go along with what I’m struggling through at that time and I don’t even know it.  I’m glad to know I have a Heavenly Father who knows the deep struggles I go through and cares enough for me to encourage me, teach me, and speak to me about those struggles even prior to the time they hit.  There are so many times when I feel like He doesn’t care or isn’t speaking, but that is probably because I’m not listening very well…I’m definitely a child with selective hearing, picking and choosing what I WANT to hear from my Father.  I don’t want to hear that I have to wait and I don’t want to hear that I can’t have something.  I don’t want to hear that I have to learn before I can have either.  Don’t tell me you don’t think this way! :) I’m learning that it’s good for me to wait, it’s good for me to not have what I want when I want it, and it’s good for me to learn before I can have what I want…and most of the time I’m kicking & screaming while learning this!  I’m glad that my Father doesn’t spoil me and give me everything I ask for when I ask for it, no matter how much I would love it, because I know it wouldn’t be good for me.  What would it do to me?  It would probably turn me into a prideful, spoiled little brat!!  I mean I already kick & scream when I can’t have things sometimes, so how would I act if I got everything all the time?  Just being honest.  I know myself and I know that if my Heavenly Father gave me everything I asked for, when I asked for it, and the way I asked for it then I would expect to get what I wanted every time and I would never learn patience, I would never learn to listen, and I would never learn about my Heavenly Father and learn to be like Him.   

The other day I watched the movie “Evan Almighty” and of course I loved it.  There were a few things in there that just stuck to me so much, but more than anything was when God (Morgan Freeman) tells Evan (Steve Carell): “Let's just say that whatever I do, I do because I love you.”  Ever since I heard that the Lord has been reminding me of the truth in that.  Among all the “why’s” in my life or the waiting or the learning or struggles, God does things because He loves me.  What if in every situation we faced on a daily basis or even in those areas of our lives where we are waiting and learning or struggling, we heard God say – “Let’s just say that whatever I do, I do because I love you”.  Tell yourself that in any situation you are facing right now, whatever God does or allows in your life, He does and allows because He loves you!  Is this not what a true Father does?  If you are a child of my Heavenly Father, and you are struggling or you don’t understand what the Lord is doing, or you are in a period of your life where you need to learn before you can have – know that your Heavenly Father only does things out of love.  Sure does turn those situations around huh? :) Whatever God does, He does because He loves you! Thank you Lord for being a truly amazing Father!

Photo Session with JPP!

So I think I could really get use to blogging! :) On May 1st Mo and I had a photo session with Jason Pendley Photography. I told Mo at the beginning of this year that I wanted pictures done for my 30th Birthday and everything worked out for us to have the pictures done right before our 9 Year Anniversary on May 12th as a birthday/anniversary gift. Plus we have not had nice, professional photos since our engagement photos!! The comparison between then and now is crazy!

The past nine years have been wonderful along with several learning experiences we have had together over the years. We have had to learn some things the hard way BUT God has brought us through everything and has only taught us how to live wiser going forward. He has always taken care of us which has only taught me as we face more learning experiences, whether easy or hard, I can know that our God will always take care of us, meet all our needs, provide for us, and do amazing things for us because that is who God is. I'm glad to have the experiences I've had with Mo and have the testimony's of God working in our marriage. I pray I will be a better wife for Mo in the days, weeks, & years to come. I look forward to this next year rounding to us saying we have been married for 10 years next May! 

It was very humid the day we got these photos, and oh my hair does NOT do good in humidity!! I really have a lot of natural curl and they were ready to frizz as we stepped outside! I was worried that I was going to come out looking like a mess - BUT - Jason did an excellent job and the pictures turned out so good!! And thank you to Summer for letting me squeeze my feet into her cute red boots!

Here's a few of the pictures! Enjoy!

Breakfast with Tiffany & God

Oh the Lord has taught me soo much over the past couple months. I feel like I’ve been going through my own personal growth camp, and I don’t want it to stop! At the start of 2010 I embarked again on my journey and goal to read through the Old Testament. If you are trying to really grow in the Lord start reading the Old Testament, it is powerful! In addition I bought myself another journal (I love to journal) to be used solely for my quiet times. I write down the verses I read and what I learned. Highly encourage anyone & everyone to do this! You gain several things – you can really see that God speaks to you, when you are discouraged from not hearing His voice at times you can look back and be reminded that He does in fact speak to you, you can recall what you learned (that you walked away after reading and forgot), and sometimes several days of studying all seem to weave together forming a beautiful tapestry. Even now as I sat down to review what I would want to update my blog with (since I haven’t done so in months on my other blog/website) I have so much I would love to share, and so much I forgot that the Lord taught me!

First let me tell you that to write and put myself out there is a real struggle for me! It is way out of my personal comfort zone. I am not an excellent writer and my only heart’s desire is that it may encourage someone else, which then if I feel like I have not encouraged anyone I allow it to tear me up (something I’m learning about my own insecurities – another lesson for another time!)

So as I’m trying to decide what I want to share, I think I will have to choose a couple days of study.


Sunday April 11, 2010

2 Kings 4:1-7

I have been reading Bro. Bill Stafford’s book on spirit-filled giving and Sat (4/10) I was reading the chapter on the widow woman and the oil, this morning I just flipped open my Bible to 2 Kings 4 about the widow’s oil! So I was pretty sure I needed to read there. :) To recap the situation in case you have never read this story, which you really need to it’s so good, or if you haven’t read it in a while, the woman’s husband had died – hence widow woman. He left her with debt she could not pay, and the debtors were coming to take her sons to pay the debt and be used as servants. She calls on Elisha, the prophet, to help. She only had one vessel of oil left, and nothing else to her name. So at Elisha’s word, the widow woman goes & borrows empty vessels from her neighbors and she fills them with the oil from the one vessel she had until there are no more vessels to fill. She asks her son to bring her another empty vessel and he tells her there are no more, so then the remaining oil “stayed” or remained. To me this is in other words, the miracle was complete, the oil was no longer in “miracle mode”. She then at Elisha’s word, takes the oil and sells it to pay off her debt. This is what the Lord brought to life to me that morning, the amount of vessels that were filled with oil depended on the amount of vessels borrowed, which depended on her faith. Elisha, according to this chapter, didn’t tell her how many to gather specifically. He told her to gather empty vessels and "not just a few", but what if she would’ve only gathered a few vessels? What if she would’ve gathered more?? They lived “of the rest” – whatever was left over after paying her debts (verse 7). If she knew that the oil was going to go into miracle mode, and fill vessels and be multiplied, would she have gathered more empty vessels? How strong is your faith? How many vessels would you have gathered? God is not limited nor is His resources limited - we limit God. He can do anything and His supply is bountiful!! Wonder how much we miss out on because of our lack of faith in our unlimited God!!

I also see, and Bro. Bill touched on this in his book, that in verse 4 Elisha tells her to shut the door. What was done in private was shown in public afterwards. Sometimes there are things we need to keep between the Lord and us. He will glorify Himself through it. Goes back to another thing I studied months ago in Matt. 6:1-21 – there are three things we are to do privately: giving, praying, & fasting. All done in private will equal God rewarding in the open.

Lastly I learned that we are all empty vessels and the oil is the Holy Spirit ready to fill each one of us! God can fill as many empty vessels with the Holy Spirit and He doesn’t run out as long as there is an empty vessel to be filled! We need to be bringing those empty vessels to the Lord to be filled with the Holy Spirit!!


Tuesday April 13, 2010

Proverbs 12:9, 11:28, 13:7

I’ve been thinking how status is everything in our society, and “status” is determined by what kind of car you drive, home you live in, job you have, and clothes you buy & wear. What happened to seeing others for what is on the inside and not what is “appeared” to be on the outside? This morning I read Proverbs 12:9 “He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.” I had to read this verse a couple times to fully understand. This is what I found, since we (I say we) are all consumed with status even among our friendships, there are some that “honor” themselves to reach that status – yet lack bread. That could mean several things but to me this verse is saying that people, and I have done this, do this too, will spend all our money on ‘things’ – even going into debt – to keep up status, and then lack the essentials of living, food! The first part of the verse really stood out to me because someone could be rich, even have servants, yet only be lightly esteemed or even despised, but this person is better than the one that esteems or honors himself/herself to reach status among others and doesn’t even have money to buy themselves bread. I think a lot of American’s would fall into this ‘status’.

This also brought me to Proverbs 31:30, this verse has been on my heart so much lately “favor is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised”. Not only in riches or wealth do people try to reach a certain status, but women try to reach a status through favoring themselves or showing off their beauty or wealth. I know, all you ladies reading this are way more spiritual than me and don’t do this… ;) It’s vain ladies, a woman that’s beauty is on the inside fearing the Lord shall be praised!! May I stop looking around comparing myself to the beauty of other women or the status quo, but keep my eyes on Jesus and allow Him to create beauty, true beauty, within my heart!